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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, December 4, 2018 7:58 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, December 4, 2018


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=000-621&t=c>
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=001-af0&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, December 4, 2018 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Visiting Montana, Biden Says He’ll Decide On 2020 Race Within Two Months.
<#S1>

• Poll: Biden Comfortably Leads Sanders In Potential 2020 Democratic Field;
O’Rourke Third. <#S2>

• Rich Lowry: Biden Would Be Best Choice For Democrats In 2020. <#S3>

• Cher Says She’d Like To See Biden Atop 2020 Democratic Ticket With
“Someone Young.” <#S4>

• Biden Slated To Speak At University Of Utah On Dec. 13. <#S5>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Media Analyses: Trump Calls China Trade Truce A Success, But Little Known
About Deal. <#S6>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump Asks South Korea’s Moon To Deliver “Friendly Message” To North
Korea’s Kim. <#S7>

• Pompeo To Attend NATO Meeting On INF, Russia-Ukraine Clash. <#S8>

• US Embassy In DR Congo Reopens After “Terrorist Threat.” <#S9>

• Kremlin: Putin Visit To US Is “Out Of The Question.” <#S10>

• Pompeo To Urge European Counterparts To Impose Sanctions On Iran. <#S11>

• Haspel To Brief Senate Leaders On Khashoggi’s Death. <#S12>

• Trump Appeals To Pakistan For Help On Taliban Talks. <#S13>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Trump Will Attend Bush Funeral But Will Not Speak; First Couple Pays
Respects At Capitol. <#S14>

• Trump: Cohen Should “Serve A Full And Complete Sentence.” <#S15>

• Mnuchin: Trump Pleased With Powell’s Speech On Interest Rates. <#S16>

• Kudlow: Administration Seeking To End All Electric Car Tax Credits. <#S17>

• Congressional Leaders, White House Agree To Extend Shutdown Deadline To
December 21. <#S18>

• Trump Not Pressing McConnell Over Stalled Criminal Justice Reform Bill.
<#S19>

• NYTimes Analysis: Administration “Hurriedly” Trying To Open ANWR To Oil
Drilling. <#S20>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Experts Worry Results Of CAR-T Therapy May Be Exaggerated For Cancer
Patients. <#S21>

• Despite Rapid Advances, Europeans Waiting Years For New Cancer Drugs,
Report Says. <#S22>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S23>

• Washington Post. <#S24>
Biden in the News
Visiting Montana, Biden Says He’ll Decide On 2020 Race Within Two Months.

The Missoulian (MT)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=002-e3b&t=c>
(12/3, Florio) reports that during a Monday appearance in Missoula,
Montana, former Vice President Joe Biden “was introduced as a two-time
presidential candidate and – slyly – ‘perhaps a future candidate,’ in front
of a crowd at the University of Montana.” Biden told the audience “he would
announce within six weeks to two months whether he was running,” saying
“that America ‘can’t have four more years’ of the current administration.
‘I am a [gaffe] machine,’ Biden said. ‘But my God what a wonderful thing
compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth.’” His “appearance was part of
Biden’s ‘American Promise Tour’ to promote his 2017 memoir, ‘Promise Me,
Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose.’”

The Missoulian article also appears on the websites of the Billings
(MT) Gazette
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=003-a33&t=c>
(12/3) and the Helena (MT) Independent Record
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=004-5e5&t=c>
(12/3). The Missoula Current (MT)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=005-0db&t=c>
(12/4, Lundquist) reports that New York Times columnist Bruce Feiler, who
moderated Monday’s event, “rattled off some of the reasons people might
come up with for opposing a Biden run for president: He’s too old; he needs
to raise too much money; he cosponsored a bad crime bill; he’s a ‘gaffe
machine.’ Biden said none of that fazed him, countering each reason with
his own. ‘I may be a gaffe machine, but my god, what a wonderful thing
compared to a guy who can’t tell the truth. No one doubts what I say. The
problem is I sometimes say all that I mean,’ Biden said.”

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=006-940&t=c>
(12/4, Saenz) reports that Biden said “he believes that he is the ‘most
qualified person’ to be president, noting a decision is coming in the next
two months, and acknowledging he’s a ‘gaffe machine.’ ‘I’ll be as straight
with you as I can. I think I’m the most qualified person in the country to
be president,’ Biden said.” He also “discussed some of the missteps of his
1988 presidential campaign, including the plagiarism scandal. In 1987,
Biden acknowledged that he had plagiarized part of a law school paper. ‘It
all came out in the wash – I never did plagiarize, I never did – and it all
was proven that that never happened,’ Biden said.”

In a brief, online article, KECI-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=007-31c&t=c>
Missoula, MT (12/3, Garcia) reported that Biden “has been a vocal critic of
President Donald Trump and has been seen as a potential 2020 opponent. He
told the crowd that it will be a family decision should he decide to run
for president.” Local TV stations broadcasting reports on Biden’s visit
include, among others, KNDU-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=008-0c5&t=c>
Yakima, WA (12/4), KPAX-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=009-d95&t=c>
Missoula, MT (12/4), KTVH-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=00a-e51&t=c>
Helena (MT) News at Ten (12/4), KXGN-TV[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=00b-ce1&t=c>
Glendive, MT (12/4), and KTVM-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=00c-ff3&t=c>
Missoula, MT (12/4).
Poll: Biden Comfortably Leads Sanders In Potential 2020 Democratic Field;
O’Rourke Third.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=00d-77f&t=c>
(12/3, Hagen) reported that Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) “is considered one of
the top Democratic contenders for the White House in 2020 even among more
well-known potential hopefuls, according to a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll” of
Democratic and independent voters. Former Vice President Joe Biden tops the
poll at 28%, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at 21%, and O’Rourke at
7%. The Hill said that Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg “all
polled in the low single-digits.” With Hillary Clinton included in the
poll, Biden leads with 25%, followed by Sanders at 15%, Clinton at 13%, and
O’Rourke at 9%. The poll was taken Nov. 27-28. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=00e-366&t=c>
(12/3, Morton) also reports on the poll results, highlighting the fact that
attorney Michael Avenatti, who represented porn actress Stormy Daniels,
drew 2% in the survey.
Rich Lowry: Biden Would Be Best Choice For Democrats In 2020.

Regarding the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination,
National Review editor Rich Lowry was asked on PBS Amanpour & Company[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=00f-ba3&t=c>
(12/4) that “if you were advising the Democrats, what would you advise them
to do?” Lowry replied, “Nominate Joe Biden. ... Let’s say President] Trump
holds all his states from 2016. Democrats have to win all of Pennsylvania,
Michigan, and Wisconsin to win, and the results in 2018 were encouraging
for them in all three of those states. But they have to have some more
appeal to working-class white voters than Hillary Clinton did. They need to
show they care about them more than Hillary Clinton did and that they
understand at least their culture and their values. And I think a candidate
like Joe Biden would be best.”
Cher Says She’d Like To See Biden Atop 2020 Democratic Ticket With “Someone
Young.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=010-f44&t=c>
(12/3, Kurtz) reported, “Cher is singing the praises of Joe Biden, saying
she could see herself rooting on the former vice president in a 2020 White
House race. ‘I know Joe Biden and I know him to be a really great man,’
Cher told [The Hill] Sunday, when asked who might draw her early support in
the next presidential election.” Cher added, “I would love to see [Biden]
with someone young.” The Hill said, “Pressed on the more youthful potential
Biden running mate, Cher...mentioned a pair of high-profile California
Democrats. ‘[Sen.] Kamala Harris or – I can’t remember what Swalwell’s
first name is,’ Cher said of Rep. Eric Swalwell.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=011-c80&t=c>
(12/3, Caruso) also reported on Cher’s remarks.
Biden Slated To Speak At University Of Utah On Dec. 13.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=012-e39&t=c>
(12/3, Thompson) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden “is scheduled
to speak at the University of Utah later this month. The university
announced Monday that Biden will deliver a speech on Dec. 13 at the Salt
Lake City campus. After he talks, he’ll take pre-submitted questions in a
question-and-answer session.” The Salt Lake (UT) Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=013-a9c&t=c>
(12/3, Pierce) reports, “The theme for this year’s MUSE (My U Signature
Experience) Project is ‘Purpose,’ and Biden will speak about his 2017
memoir ‘Promise Me, Dad,’ a New York Times bestseller that chronicled his
life and political career, focusing on his son, Beau’s, battle with a
malignant brain tumor, which took his life in 2015.”

The Deseret (UT) News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=014-445&t=c>
(12/3, Knox) reports that Biden “last visited the Salt Lake City campus in
February 2016, when he spoke at the Huntsman Cancer Institute as part of
the Obama administration’s Cancer Moonshot initiative, an effort to drive
progress toward curing cancer.” The article adds, “The university in a
statement Monday said it will give away 1,000 free copies of Biden’s book
starting Friday.” In online articles, KUTV-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=015-b9d&t=c>
Salt Lake City (12/3, Stauffer) and KSTU-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=016-248&t=c>
Salt Lake City (12/3, Green) also reported on Biden’s coming visit.
Leading the News
Media Analyses: Trump Calls China Trade Truce A Success, But Little Known
About Deal.

In a series of tweets, the President on Monday hailed his weekend meeting
with Chinese President Xi Jinping a success and said a 90-day trade war
truce reached during the talks will benefit Americans quickly. In the first
of several tweets
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=017-043&t=c>
yesterday morning, Trump wrote, “My meeting in Argentina with President Xi
of China was an extraordinary one. Relations with China have taken a BIG
leap forward! Very good things will happen. We are dealing from great
strength, but China likewise has much to gain if and when a deal is
completed. Level the field!” Trump added
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=018-fd0&t=c>,
“Farmers will be a very BIG and FAST beneficiary of our deal with China.
They intend to start purchasing agricultural product immediately. We make
the finest and cleanest product in the World, and that is what China wants.
Farmers, I LOVE YOU!” He continued
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=019-0fa&t=c>,
“President Xi and I have a very strong and personal relationship. He and I
are the only two people that can bring about massive and very positive
change, on trade and far beyond, between our two great Nations. A solution
for North Korea is a great thing for China and ALL!”

In what NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=01a-ca4&t=c>
(12/3, story 2, 1:30, Holt) called a “potential breakthrough in President
Trump’s trade war with China,” the US says it will negotiate with Beijing
“on a range on issues, including intellectual property protections and
tariffs on US products, including cars. Both sides agreed China will buy
more US goods.”

To the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=01b-09f&t=c>
(12/3, Rappeport), Trump portrayed his meeting with Xi “as an unabashed
success, insisting that American farmers and automakers will quickly see
benefits from a trade truce that has yet to produce any concrete
commitments.” However, the Times says that “nothing beyond their official
statements exist, and deep divisions remain, particularly related to
China’s industrial policies and its treatment of American companies. That
did not stop Mr. Trump from declaring victory for farmers, automakers and
other key political constituencies in the wake of the meeting.” Trump, the CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=01c-ed5&t=c>
(12/3, story 6, 1:20, Glor) similarly reported, “said trade talks with
China took ‘a big leap forward,’ though no comprehensive deal or a detailed
time line emerged, but there are signs of a ceasefire.” Trump: “I think at
some point we are going to end up doing something, which is great for China
and great for the United States.” CBS, however, said that “official
statements from the Chinese made no mention of concessions, and White House
economic adviser Larry Kudlow stopped short of calling them an agreement.”
Kudlow: “The history here with China promises is not very good. And we know
that.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=01d-18e&t=c>
(12/3, Donnan) says Trump “left his top advisers scrambling on Monday to
explain a trade deal he claimed he’d struck with China...an agreement that
doesn’t exist on paper and hasn’t been confirmed in Beijing.” Questioned
about the agreement on Monday, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Kudlow
“dialed back expectations and added qualifiers.” Speaking to reporters at
the White House, Kudlow said, “I’ll call them ‘commitments’ at this point,
which are – commitments are not necessarily a trade deal, but it’s stuff
that they’re going to look at and presumably implement.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=01e-62c&t=c>
(12/3, Puzzanghera) reports that Trump’s “top economic advisors pushed back
Monday on his claim that China has agreed to eliminate tariffs on US auto
imports, saying no such agreement had been struck.” To the Times, the
“unusual dispute was the latest to suggest that Trump’s handshake
agreement” with Xi “remains open to divergent interpretation, even in the
White House.” Keith Bradsher of the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=01f-8a2&t=c>
(12/3) notes that China “does not import many cars from the United States,”
but nevertheless says “a concession on auto tariffs could be significant”
because “it could suggest that China is willing to bend on the issue of
Chinese-made cars, an area of great concern for the White House.” According
to Bradsher, the Administration “worries that China could someday swamp
American car lots with Chinese-made cars that could seriously damage the
Detroit automakers.”

In analysis titled “Trump Has Won Little From China So Far. There
Isn’t An ‘Incredible’ Deal Yet,” Heather Long of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=020-6fe&t=c>
(12/3) writes, “In reality,” Trump and Xi “struck a truce to pause the
tariff blows, which is far from a sweeping trade pact.” Long adds, “Trump
makes it sound like China is starting to cave to his demands. Top Chinese
officials make it sound like the only thing that’s about to change is that
US-China trade relations would go back to where they were in January –
before Trump unleashed his tariff war.”

Along similar lines, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=021-5d3&t=c>
(12/3, McDonald) says that while “some economists said Xi might be ready to
negotiate in earnest,” the Chinese government “gave no sign of a changed
stance on technology ambitions that Washington says violate Chinese
market-opening obligations and might threaten US industrial leadership.”
The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=022-019&t=c>
(12/3, Rappeport) also says “deep divisions remain, particularly related to
China’s industrial policies and its treatment of American companies.” But
the Times adds, “That did not stop Mr. Trump from declaring victory for
farmers, automakers and other key political constituencies in the wake of
the meeting – statements that helped send volatile financial markets higher
on Monday morning.”

Paul Wiseman writes in an analysis for the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=023-571&t=c>
(12/3) that “what Trump and Xi achieved was the gift of additional time –
90 days, at least – to try to resolve the thorny and complicated issues
that divide them.” But Wiseman cautions that “reaching a permanent peace
will hardly be easy.” To CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=024-c8a&t=c>
(12/3, Pramuk), the commitment to talk with Beijing “throws Trump into the
most high-stakes period yet in his yearslong effort to crack down on what
he calls unfair trade practices,” while Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=025-32d&t=c>
(12/3, Bryan) says that the “delay in further tariff actions was applauded
by US business groups and investors.” Industry groups “hit by the tariffs,
ranging from tech to farming, also welcomed Trump’s deal,” but “many urged
the president to continue to try to reach a long-term agreement to end the
trade war.”

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers writes in the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=026-b06&t=c>
(12/3) that “while surely better than the alternative, this step does not
address any of the fundamental tensions in the economic relationship
between the United States and China.” Summers argues that while “few
observers doubt that China needs to make significant changes,” the US
“requires a viable strategy for addressing its legitimate grievances.
Unfortunately, neither rage nor proclamation constitutes such a strategy.”
Summers writes that though Trump “has China’s attention on economic issues
in a way that eluded his predecessors,” the “question is whether he will be
able to use his leverage to accomplish something important.”

*Navarro: Lighthizer Will Lead Trade Talks With China. *In an
interview with NPR
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=027-4d2&t=c>
(12/3, Inskeep) Monday morning, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro
said USTR Lighthizer will lead the US side in the upcoming talks and
expressed confidence in Lighthizer’s dealmaking abilities. Asked about
President Trump’s tweet this morning on Chinese auto tariffs.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, asked to confirm Navarro’s announcement
on CNBC’s Squawk Box[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=028-d7a&t=c>
(12/3), said, “I think it’s clear that President Trump is going to be the
one who leads the negotiations and the team will be an inclusive team. It’s
been a partnership of myself, Ambassador Lighthizer, Larry Kudlow from the
White House, Wilbur Ross, and Peter [Navarro]. ... We also have people from
Agriculture and Energy.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=029-39b&t=c>
(12/3), citing an unnamed “White House official,” too says Trump has
appointed Lighthizer to “oversee” the new round of talks. According to the Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=02a-8ed&t=c>
(12/3, Davis, Salama), unnamed sources say Trump informed Xi of his
decision to tap Lighthizer during their talks in Argentina over the
weekend. The Journal notes that Mnuchin has mainly dealt with the Chinese,
who they are said to prefer. Lighthizer, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=02b-f70&t=c>
(12/3, Miller) reports, is known to be a “China hawk,” Mnuchin is “viewed
as less aggressive on China.” To Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=02c-8ef&t=c>
(12/3, Cassella, Oprysko), Lighthizer’s “reputation as a hardened
negotiator might help accomplish some of Trump’s goals.”

Appearing on Bloomberg News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=02d-b57&t=c>
(12/3), Deborah Lehr, vice chairman of the Paulson Institute, said,
“Traditionally, the US Trade Representative is the lead for US
negotiations, so it has only been an aberration...that it has been led
first by Commerce and then by Treasury. Certainly it will be an interagency
team...but it really does make sense that Ambassador Lighthizer would be
the head of the negotiating team.”

*Kudlow: China To Begin Lifting Tariffs Immediately. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=02e-825&t=c>
(12/3, Heavey, Lawder) reports that Kudlow said Monday that China “could
immediately slash its vehicle tariffs, as the country enters a 90-day
truce” with the US, “as he reiterated China’s pledge to begin lifting
barriers immediately.” Said Kudlow during a briefing with reporters at the
White House, “We expect those tariffs to fall to zero.” According to
Reuters, “Kudlow said that the 90-day clock for negotiations would start on
Jan. 1, but that China had pledged to start lifting both tariff and
non-tariff barriers quickly, and could act as soon as Monday.”

Likewise, Kudlow said on Fox Business’ Varney & Co.[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=02f-0fe&t=c>
(12/3), “I don’t know if this has come out yet. President Xi and Vice
Premier Liu He said to us, their commitments will begin immediately. I
don’t know that that point has been made. That doesn’t mean we’re going to
cover in everything in the first three days. However, when it comes to the
agriculture, energy, industrial purchases and so forth, these are
private-sector purchases where tariff rates will be lowered and also
non-tariff barriers will be lowered with respect to American ownership, for
example, with respect to technology transfers, with respect to IP. Those
things should kick in soon.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=030-3f0&t=c>
(12/3, Miller), among other outlets, also reports Kudlow’s comments, while
the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=031-0a1&t=c>
(12/3, Higgins), however, reports that “the White House press office said
late Monday afternoon that the agreed-on deadline for a new round of trade
talks with China was 90 days after Dec. 1, correcting an earlier statement
from...Kudlow that the window began Jan. 1.”

According to Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=032-271&t=c>
(12/3, Pettypiece, Sebenius), “If Kudlow is right it would mean a major
shift in the standoff between the US and China.” However, Bloomberg News
says “other members of the administration have been far more skeptical of
Chinese promises.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=033-251&t=c>
(12/3, Lawder, Mason) reports that earlier Monday, Mnuchin said Chinese
officials “offered more than $1.2 trillion in additional commitments on
trade.” According to Reuters, Mnuchin “said there was a shift in
tone...from past discussions as Xi offered a clear commitment to open
China’s markets to US companies.” Mnuchin, appearing on CNBC’s Squawk
Box[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=034-b81&t=c>
(12/3), said, “This was the first time that we have a commitment from [the
Chinese government] that this will be a real agreement. ... I’m very
hopeful we can turn this into a real agreement. ... There was clearly a
very genuine offer from President Xi to President Trump to make sure they
opened up their markets to US companies. This will be the biggest single
opportunity for economic growth for US companies and US workers, so I think
this is a big difference.”

*Media Analyses: China Previously Vowed To Crack Down On Fentanyl
In 2016. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=035-29c&t=c>
(12/3, Kelly) reports President Trump “praised Chinese President Xi Jinping
for promising to crack down on illegal fentanyl shipments from China
following the two leaders’ Saturday meeting at the Group of 20 summit in
Argentina.” Speaking to reporters on Air Force One over the weekend, Trump
said, “What he will be doing to fentanyl could be a game changer for the
United States. ... He’s agreed to put it at the highest level of crime in
his country. Therefore, if they get caught, they have the highest level of
punishment.” An AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=036-445&t=c>
(12/3, Kinetz) “Fact Check” says “Trump is claiming victory in getting
China to designate fentanyl a controlled substance, but China took that
step against the deadly opioid years ago.” The AP says Trump’s remarks are
“a misreading of what China agreed to do, at least as far as Chinese
authorities are concerned.” China, it says, “hasn’t always followed through
on its promises.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=037-a83&t=c>
(12/3, Wee) similarly says that if China’s vows “sound like familiar
promises, it’s because they are: They first emerged in September 2016, when
the Obama administration said China and the United States had agreed on
‘enhanced measures’ meant to keep fentanyl from coming into the United
States. But the Chinese government never specified the steps it intended to
take in its official statements or state media reports at the time, and its
follow-up has been patchy at best.”

*Truce Sends US Stocks Higher. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=038-8a7&t=c>
(12/3, Veiga) reports that a “welcome truce in the escalating US-China
trade dispute put investors in a buying mood Monday, sending US stocks
solidly higher and extending the market’s gains from last week.” The S&P
500 index “climbed 30.20 points...to 2,790.37,” while the Dow Jones
Industrial Average “jumped 287.97 points...to 25,826.43,” and the Nasdaq
composite “rose 110.98 points...to 7,441.51.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=039-df8&t=c>
(12/3, Kearney) reports that the “major US indexes closed below their highs
from earlier in the session,” and the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=03a-a61&t=c>
(12/3, Phillips) says that while stocks closed higher Monday, the “gains
were tempered by doubts that the fragile cease-fire – essentially a 90-day
postponement of additional American tariffs on Chinese imports – would put
the dispute between the world’s two largest economies to rest permanently.”

*WSJournal A1 Analysis: Bond Investors Signal Continued Anxiety. *The
Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=03b-4eb&t=c>
(12/3, A1, Otani, Kantchev) reports on its front page that while global
stocks gained Monday following word of the weekend truce, bond investors
signaled that anxiety over trade tensions between the two nations has yet
to abate.
Foreign Policy
Trump Asks South Korea’s Moon To Deliver “Friendly Message” To North
Korea’s Kim.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=03c-436&t=c>
(12/3, Oprysko) reports President Trump “this weekend gave South Korean
President Moon Jae-in a hopeful message to pass along to his northern
counterpart, Kim Jong Un.” Moon told reporters, “The message was that
President Trump has a very friendly view of Chairman Kim and that he likes
him, and so he wishes Chairman Kim would implement the rest of their
agreement and that he would make what Chairman Kim wants come true.”
Politico says Trump’s message to Kim “came as he told reporters over the
weekend that he hopes to hold a second summit,” but the “negotiations have
come to a head and recent high-level talks between the two nations have
been scrapped over whether the U.S. will give North Korea sanctions relief
before it has provided an accounting of its nuclear capabilities or
demonstrated that it has decreased its nuclear stockpile.”
Pompeo To Attend NATO Meeting On INF, Russia-Ukraine Clash.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=03d-8a1&t=c>
(12/3, Michaels, Donati) reports Secretary of State Pompeo and 28 other
foreign ministers will convene in Brussels on Tuesday for NATO talks
initially meant to discuss how to address Russia’s alleged violation of the
1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, from which President Trump
has threatened to withdraw. Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian naval vessels and
crew members has raised tensions, however, and the matter is expected to
trigger a separate debate on how the alliance should respond.

*Russia To Expand Fleet Of Assault Vessels Amid Rising Tensions
With Ukraine. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=03e-446&t=c>
(12/3, Boylan) reports that Russia’s “navy is accelerating plans to build
more amphibious assault warships, according to a leading supplier of
vessels to the Kremlin, amid reports that Moscow has blockaded Ukrainian
ports near the annexed Crimea peninsula.” The United Shipbuilding Corp.
(USC) on Monday “announced it will build two or three more Ivan Gren-class
large amphibious assault ships, which can land and support ground forces on
enemy territory.” According to military analysts, the “new Ivan Gren class
warships are a keystone of the Russian navy’s long-term overhaul, which
will expand the Kremlin’s ability to invade by sea landing.” The
announcement comes after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Sunday
“called on Germany and Western allies to boost their naval presence in the
Black Sea to deter Russia from further aggression, saying Moscow was trying
to blockade Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov.”
US Embassy In DR Congo Reopens After “Terrorist Threat.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=03f-f35&t=c>
(12/3, Paravicini) reports the State Department on Monday “said it will
reopen its embassy in Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, more than a
week after it closed because of a ‘terrorist threat.’” While Administration
officials “have remained tight-lipped in public about the nature of the
threat,” they “have informed foreign diplomats that the embassy closure is
due to the arrest last month of a cell of Tanzanian jihadists from a
Ugandan Islamist group called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), two
diplomats told Reuters.”

*WHO: US Withdrawal Will Not Hinder Ebola Fight. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=040-768&t=c>
(12/3, Keaten) reports WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
“said Monday it can fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo despite the
withdrawal of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insisting:
‘We can cover it.’” Tedros also “praised” President Trump’s pledge at the
Group of 20 summit “to continue supporting us in finance and other (ways),
and that, I think, would suffice.” Since the outbreak first emerged in
August, WHO has documented “some 440 cases of Ebola and 255 deaths.” The
remarks “came in the wake of commentaries in two medical journals appealing
to the CDC to return to the epidemic zone in Congo – saying its expertise
is needed.” Experts from the US “have been sidelined for weeks, ordered
away from the region because of State Department security concerns.”
Kremlin: Putin Visit To US Is “Out Of The Question.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=041-5ae&t=c>
(12/3, Shesgreen) reports Russian President Vladimir Putin will not visit
Washington for a second summit with President Trump “anytime soon, a Putin
spokesman,” Dmitry Peskov, told the state news agency TASS on Monday.
Peskov said such a visit “is out of (the) question” and the “general
prospects for their next meeting are unclear.” He added, “It is an
untenable pause both for our bilateral relations and for international
security and stability.” The White House had “invited Putin to meet with
Trump in Washington last summer, after their controversial summit in
Helsinki,” but the President last week “canceled a high-stakes meeting with
Putin that had been scheduled to take place when both men were in Argentina
to attend the G-20 summit of world leaders.”
Pompeo To Urge European Counterparts To Impose Sanctions On Iran.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=042-5e3&t=c>
(12/3, Lee) reports that while in Belgium on Tuesday, Secretary of State
Pompeo will call on “his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany” to
“impose tough new sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program.” US
Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook “told reporters traveling with
Pompeo that Iran’s continued missile development and testing is a threat to
the region and beyond and in defiance of UN Security Council demands.” Hook
“rejected Iran’s insistence that its missile program is defensive,” and
“said US discussions with the Europeans about missile sanctions are gaining
traction.” Hook stressed, “Iran is on the wrong track, and our campaign of
maximum economic pressure is designed to starve the regime of revenue it
needs.” According to the AP, “Hook’s comments on Monday were the latest
salvo in an escalating US campaign against Iran since President Donald
Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=043-a20&t=c>
(12/3, Taylor) reports Hook “said the administration is hoping the weekend
mid-range ballistic missile test – carried out, the US contends, in
violation of UN Security Council resolutions – will inspire European
nations to join with President Trump’s policy of reimposing wide-ranging
economic sanctions against Tehran.” He said the US and European nations
“share the same threat assessment,” and that European leaders “all know
that Iran is acting in defiance of the Security Council and that [Iran’s]
missiles are a threat to peace and security.”

The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=044-766&t=c>
(12/3, Kredo) says that the “Trump administration’s response to these
latest tests stands apart from that of its predecessor, the Obama
administration, which intentionally left Iran’s ballistic missile
technology off the table when inking the landmark nuclear pact.”

*Pompeo Discusses Iran Threat With Israel’s Netanyahu. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=045-df3&t=c>
(12/3, Lewis) reports Pompeo met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu “in Brussels on Monday to discuss Iran and other regional
issues.” Like Netanyahu, Pompeo “is an outspoken critic of Iran’s nuclear
program and he condemned on Saturday the latest missile test by the Islamic
republic.” Prior to the meeting, Netanyahu stated: “I look forward to
discussing with you how we can together curb Iran’s aggression in the
region, in Syria, in Iraq, in Lebanon and elsewhere and to continue our
efforts to achieve peace and security for everyone.”

*US Aircraft Carrier Deployed To Persian Gulf In Show Of Force
Against Iran. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=046-f18&t=c>
(12/3, Youssef) reports the USS John C. Stennis and accompanying vessels
will arrive in the Middle East by the end of the week, according to US
defense officials who cast the move as a show of force against Iran.
Pentagon officials said the absence of a carrier strike group in the
Persian Gulf over the last eight months coincided with the Administration’s
realignment of military capabilities toward Russia and China; however, the
Journal says, those strategic goals have at times seemed inconsistent with
the Administration’s argument that Iran is a leading national security
threat.
Haspel To Brief Senate Leaders On Khashoggi’s Death.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=047-c16&t=c>
(12/3, Hosenball) reports CIA Director Haspel on Tuesday will give a
closed-door briefing to “the Republican and Democratic leaders of the
Senate Foreign Relations, Armed Services and Appropriations committees” on
“the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a source
familiar with the planned meeting.” At a Senate briefing last week,
Secretary of State Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mattis “said there was no
hard evidence the crown prince was behind the killing and urged senators
not to downgrade ties with Saudi Arabia over the incident.” According to
the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=048-17a&t=c>
(12/3, Strobel, Youssef) and the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=049-967&t=c>
(12/3, story 5, 0:25, Glor), some lawmakers criticized the Administration
over Haspel’s absence at last week’s briefing on Saudi policy.

In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=04a-d21&t=c>
(12/3) says while there is technically “no ‘direct’ evidence” of Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in Khashoggi’s killing, “any
reasonable assessment must conclude that the crown prince is responsible.
That the Trump administration refuses to draw that conclusion means its
policy toward the kingdom is based on denying reality.” The Post concedes
that “Saudi Arabia remains a ‘semi-important ally’ of the United States,”
but stresses that the country “and Mohammed bin Salman are not synonymous.”
If the crown prince is “not sanctioned and restrained,” the Post cautions,
“he will continue to damage U.S. interests in the Middle East – which is
why Congress must act.”

A Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=04b-0aa&t=c>
(12/3) editorial cautions that if a bill to sever US support for the
Saudi-led war in Yemen is passed in its current form, America’s interests
would be jeopardized and President Trump’s ability to conduct foreign
policy would be weakened. The Journal says an alternative measure being
drafted by Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) would allow
the US to send a message to Riyadh, but not at the expense of US-Saudi
relations.

In a Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=04c-2af&t=c>
(12/3) op-ed, Graham argued that Saudi Arabia’s various destabilizing
actions – Khashoggi’s killing, the reckless war in Yemen, blockade of
Qatar, and attempts to oust the Lebanese prime minister – constitute an
arrogant entitlement and compete disregard for international norms. Graham
says these are not the actions of a nation bringing stability to the Middle
East, and demanding better behavior from an ally is not a downgrading of
the partnership.

*Lawsuit Filed Against Israeli Firm Over Alleged Involvement In
Khashoggi’s Killing. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=04d-2d7&t=c>
(12/3, Morris) reports Omar Abdulaziz, “a Canada-based Saudi activist,
filed suit this week against an Israeli cybersecurity firm, alleging that
the Saudi government used the firm’s spyware to hack his cellphone and
access sensitive conversations he conducted with slain Saudi journalist
Jamal Khashoggi.” Attorneys for Abdulaziz “lodged a civil case against the
NSO Group in Tel Aviv on Sunday.” According to the Post, Abdulaziz “said he
learned that his phone had been hacked in August, some two months after he
clicked on an infected link.” The Post says the Citizen Lab, “a University
of Toronto project that investigates digital espionage aimed at civil
society, concluded with ‘high confidence’ that the Saudi government
targeted his cellphone using Pegasus spyware created by NSO.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=04e-752&t=c>
(12/3, Goldenberg) reports that earlier Monday, the NSO Group “rejected
accusations that its snooping software helped lead to” Khashoggi’s murder.
However, the AP says the company “has faced similar claims in the past that
its products were used to stifle dissent in other countries,” and its
“smartphone-hacking technology has emerged as a favorite for authorities
seeking to crush dissent across the Middle East and Latin America.”
According to the AP, “The Israeli firm’s software is part of a larger
family of malware that allows spies to take remote control of phones from
anywhere in the world – turning the devices in targets’ pockets into
powerful surveillance tools.”
Trump Appeals To Pakistan For Help On Taliban Talks.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=04f-479&t=c>
(12/3, Ahmed) reports President Trump “has reached out to Pakistan’s prime
minister, sending Imran Khan a letter seeking cooperation in bringing the
Taliban to the negotiating table to end the 17-year war in neighboring
Afghanistan, officials said Monday.” The Pakistani Foreign Ministry “did
not release the letter, but said it expressed Trump’s commitment to
achieving a negotiated settlement to the war in Afghanistan.” It added that
“the letter suggested the two countries ‘explore opportunities to work
together and renew their partnership.’” The Pakistani Information Ministry
also “welcomed the US president’s outreach, saying ‘Pakistan has always
advocated a political settlement to end war in Afghanistan.’”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=050-8d3&t=c>
(12/3, Constable) reports Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry
“said the US president told Khan that relations with Pakistan were ‘very
important’ to solving the Afghan conflict, especially in helping to bring
the insurgents to the negotiating table.” The letter came as Trump’s
“special envoy for Afghan peace, Zalmay Khalilzad, was expected to arrive
in Pakistan on Tuesday for further talks on the issue.” According to the
Post, “The letter, which has not been publicly confirmed by US officials,
would be Trump’s first direct communication with Khan since the former
cricket star took office as prime minister in August.” In indirect
exchanges, “the two leaders posted angry tweets two weeks ago after Trump
told Fox News he had cut aid to Pakistan because it would ‘take our money
and do nothing for us.’”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=051-ba5&t=c>
(12/3, Jorgic) says that Trump’s “overture to Khan represents a sea change
from Trump’s normally harsh rhetoric toward Pakistan, and will add to
growing speculation that the United States is planning to pull out of
Afghanistan in the near future.” Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Mattis “said
the war in Afghanistan had gone on for long enough.” Mattis told reporters,
“We are looking for every responsible nation to support peace in the
subcontinent and across this war in Afghanistan,” and now is the “time for
everyone to get on board.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=052-cae&t=c>
(12/3, Muñoz) reports Mattis also “demanded Islamabad provide explicit
support for ‘all those who are trying to maintain peace’ in Afghanistan and
elsewhere in the region.”
Domestic Policy
Trump Will Attend Bush Funeral But Will Not Speak; First Couple Pays
Respects At Capitol.

President Trump will attend the state funeral for President George H.W.
Bush on Wednesday, but will not speak. Noah Bierman of the Los Angeles
Times observed in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=053-e34&t=c>
that this will be “the first time a sitting president has been omitted from
the program of a predecessor since 1973, when President Nixon failed to
eulogize Johnson.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=054-f1c&t=c>
(12/3, Schwab) reports, “Sitting presidents have eulogized the last three
past presidents who have died.” Nixon “presided over” Lyndon Johnson’s 1973
funeral, “but did not speak.” Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=055-3da&t=c>
Monday morning, “Looking forward to being with the Bush Family to pay my
respects to President George H.W. Bush.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=056-d20&t=c>
(12/3, Baker, Stolberg) reports funeral organizers “said that while Mr.
Trump would also attend the cathedral service, he would not deliver a
eulogy, evidently a compromise intended as a nod toward protocol while
avoiding a more awkward moment given the animosity between the current
president and the Bush family.” Trump and the First Lady went to the
Capitol Rotunda, where Bush is lying in state, on Monday evening, “and
stood in silence before the coffin for two minutes. Mr. Trump clasped his
hands before him and closed his eyes before delivering a crisp salute and
departing.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=057-461&t=c>
(12/3, Chaitin) reports, “Earlier in the day, Vice President Mike Pence and
other politicians and dignitaries attended a ceremony in the rotunda,
offering praise of Bush.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=058-18e&t=c>
(12/3, Dawsey) reports the Bush family “has planned a state funeral that
will steer clear of the kind of anti-Trump sentiment evident at the recent
funeral of Sen. John McCain, according to people familiar with the funeral
planning.” The family contacted the White House over the summer “to say
that President Trump would be welcome at the funeral,” a “truce with Trump
allows the Bush family, and the nation, to honor” the 41st president’s
legacy “without becoming mired in today’s toxic politics. ... But the
detente also comes after Trump’s long history of insulting and taunting the
Bush family.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=059-594&t=c>
(12/3, Bierman) writes under the headline “Trump Braces For A Bush
Love-Fest, And The Inevitably Unflattering Comparisons” that the fact that
Trump will not speak at the funeral “will put the cultural and personal
gulf between Trump and Bush and what they represent in sharp relief. It
will force the White House for the second time in a little over three
months to deal with inevitable and unflattering comparisons to a well-liked
predecessor.”

Special correspondent Jamie Gangel said on CNN’s Anderson
Cooper 360[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=05a-cc9&t=c>
(12/3), “While President Trump is not speaking at the National
Cathedral...anyone who knows George Bush would say it would be unthinkable
that he wouldn’t want the sitting President there. ... It’s for the office.
I also think whether or not it was planned or not, this sends a message to
the Trumps: ‘This is how it’s done. We’re all here together.’ Barack Obama,
Bill Clinton – two Democrats – they called ‘Bush 41’ a gentleman, total
class. This is the embodiment of just how different it can be, and that’s a
message to Trump.”

*Bush Family, Congressional Leaders Honor Former President. *Coverage
of the Bush memorial honors continued to dominate broadcast network
newscasts, leading all three programs and combining for more than 20
minutes of coverage between them. David Muir said on ABC World News
Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=05b-e90&t=c>
(12/3, lead story, 5:20), “With the sun setting as his coffin was carried
up the steps of the Capitol, his son George W Bush and Laura Bush – you
could see the pain on their faces – and the rest of the Bush family. And at
this hour, a look inside the Rotunda, where the former President now lies
in state, as Americans and lawmakers from both parties line up to pay their
respects to the last President of the Greatest Generation. A man, a leader
who admitted to mistakes but hoped that people would remember the good
things.” Nancy Cordes said on CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=05c-8ca&t=c>
(12/3, lead story, 4:30), “In a moment made for the history books, the sun
set over Washington as the casket bearing the 41st President of the United
States was carried up the Capitol steps. Awaiting it at the top: more than
a dozen members of President Bush’s Cabinet along with his vice president,
Dan Quayle, and an emotional 43rd president, George W. Bush.” Lester Holt
said on NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=05d-61b&t=c>
(12/3, lead story, 3:45), “Bush arrived here from Texas fittingly aboard a
plane from the presidential fleet, later welcomed at the US Capitol.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=05e-09b&t=c>
(12/4, Woodward, Kellman, Khalil) reports, “The nation’s capital embraced
George H.W. Bush in death Monday with solemn ceremony and high tributes to
his service and decency.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=05f-4d8&t=c>
(12/3, Collins, Gaudiano, Collins, Shesgreen) reports that House Speaker
Ryan said in eulogizing Bush at the Capitol, “In consequential times,
George Herbert Walker Bush demonstrated the finest qualifies of our nation
and of humankind.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=060-f53&t=c>
(12/3, Wong) reports that Senate Majority Leader McConnell “hailed Bush as
‘a humble servant’ and ‘principled leader’ who governed with a ‘modesty and
kindness that would have been surprising in someone one-tenth as tough and
accomplished as he was.’” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=061-9b6&t=c>
(12/3, Chaitin) reports that Pence reflected on Bush’s time preceding him
in that office saying, “I’m told as he was preparing to become vice
president he once joked about the job, saying that there was ‘nothing
substantive to do at all.’ But as history records, during those years, he
set the standard as a sound counselor and loyal adviser to an outsider who
came to Washington, D.C., to shake things up, cut taxes, rebuild the
military and together, they did just that.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=062-807&t=c>
(12/3, Yoder) reports, “Most federal employees will receive an excused day
off from work when the government closes on Wednesday for the national day
of mourning” for Bush. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=063-341&t=c>
(12/3, Sherfinski) and CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=064-574&t=c>
(12/3, Tully-McManus) report the House has canceled all votes for the week
and the Senate has postponed any votes until after the funeral. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=065-e04&t=c>
(12/3) reports the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq will be closed
Wednesday.

All three broadcast networks reported on the viral photo of Bush’s
service dog Sully lying in front of his coffin. ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=066-997&t=c>
(12/3, story 2, 0:15, Muir) reported that Sully “will return to service
soon at Walter Reed Medical Center, where he will continue to serve
veterans, just as he was so loyal to his President.” The CBS Evening
News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=067-5fb&t=c>
(12/3, story 12, 0:20, Glor) called it an “image that melted so many
hearts.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=068-187&t=c>
(12/3, story 12, 1:30, Holt) also had a report. ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=069-659&t=c>
(12/3, story 15, 1:15, Muir) shared some excerpts from Bush’s diaries.
Trump: Cohen Should “Serve A Full And Complete Sentence.”

In a series of tweets on Monday morning, President Trump criticized his
former personal attorney Michael Cohen, saying he should “serve a full and
complete sentence,” and contrasted Cohen with longtime informal adviser
Roger Stone, who has vowed not to testify against the President. Coverage
highlights the rarity of any president commenting on criminal sentencing
matters, with some observers suggesting that the tweets could be evidence
of witness tampering.

The President tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=06a-0d7&t=c>
at 10:24 a.m., “‘Michael Cohen asks judge for no Prison Time.’ You mean he
can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with
fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? He makes
up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself, and get his
wife and father-in-law (who has the money?) off Scott Free. He lied for
this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete
sentence.” He followed this up at 10:48 a.m. by tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=06b-219&t=c>,
“‘I will never testify against Trump.’ This statement was recently made by
Roger Stone, essentially stating that he will not be forced by a rogue and
out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about ‘President
Trump.’ Nice to know that some people still have ‘guts!’” In another tweet
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at 10:56 a.m., the President wrote, “Bob Mueller (who is a much different
man than people think) and his out of control band of Angry Democrats,
don’t want the truth, they only want lies. The truth is very bad for their
mission!”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(12/3, story 3, 1:55, Holt) reported that the President “lash[ed] out on
Twitter” at Cohen, who is “now cooperating with Robert Mueller’s office,
while praising Roger Stone, who said he will refuse to testify. The
President’s critics asking, could those tweets amount to witness
tampering?” NBC’s Hallie Jackson: “The President’s message sent to 56
million followers, but meant for one person: the judge sentencing Michael
Cohen. ... Democratic Sen. Mark Warner raising a red flag.” Warner: “The
President of the United States using his public Twitter account to try to
influence witnesses or people who have plead guilty within the Mueller
probe to me smells fishy.” Jackson: “The fury over Cohen a contrast with
presidential praise” for Stone. ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=06e-7d3&t=c>
(12/3, story 9, 0:20, Muir) and the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
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(12/3, story 7, 0:20, Glor) briefly reported on the President’s tweets but
did not examine their possible ramifications.

The New York Times
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(12/3, Haberman) reports under the headline “Trump Urges Maximum Sentence
For Lawyer Who Turned On Him” that Trump said via Twitter that Cohen
“should receive the maximum jail sentence as he praised [Stone] for saying
he would never testify against the president.” The Times says Trump’s
“latest Twitter fusillade came after Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to
Congress about the duration of his work for the Trump Organization on a
proposed, but never completed, Trump Tower project in Moscow.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=071-5e8&t=c>
(12/3, Ballhaus, Rothfeld) reports that it is very rare for a president to
directly comment on sentencing matters, particularly in cases of personal
associates. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=072-c16&t=c>
(12/3, Chiacu) reports that Trump “has regularly opined on sensitive
judicial proceedings from the special counsel’s case to federal appeals
court rulings. Several lawyers said Trump’s tweet amounted to witness
tampering.” Attorney George Conway, who is married Kellyanne Conway, “
retweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=073-88f&t=c>
Trump’s tweet with a reference to a U.S. statute on witness tampering and
obstruction of justice: ‘File under ‘18 U.S.C. §§ 1503, 1512.’’”

Jeffrey Toobin said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=074-bf1&t=c>
(12/3), “It is so wildly inappropriate. ... The idea that the President of
the United States would be talking about witnesses and people convicted by
his Justice Department – remember, Robert Mueller is a Department of
Justice employee – this is without precedent in American history.” Greg
Sargent of the Washington Post tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=075-611&t=c>,
“By calling for maximum sentence for Michael Cohen, Trump ensures that
judge’s ruling will appear tainted. That’s what Trump wants. In every
conceivable way, he’s tried to persuade his voters that our processes are
illegitimate. It’s a survival strategy.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=076-019&t=c>
(12/3) and Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=077-38e&t=c>
(12/3, Wayne) also cover the President’s tweets.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018120401biden&r=email-b632&l=078-88d&t=c>
(12/3, Woodward, Yen) runs a fact check piece on “Trump’s mangled truths”
on the Russia probe and Cohen, writing that the President “can’t seem to
get his facts straight when it comes to the Russia investigation.” He “is
launching fresh attacks on the probe,” and “also suggests that the crimes
of his longtime lawyer...have ‘nothing’ to do with him.”

*NYTimes Analysis: Cohen Trying To “Begin Anew” By Breaking With
Trump. *Benjamin Weiser of the New York Times
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(12/3) looks at “Why Michael Cohen, Trump’s Fixer, Confessed To It All,”
writing that Cohen, who “has twice pleaded guilty in federal court in
Manhattan to a litany of crimes,” has “concluded that his life has been
utterly destroyed by his relationship with Mr. Trump and his own actions,
and to begin anew he needed to speed up the legal pro