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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, October 23, 2018 8:01 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, October 23, 2018


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=000-0de&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=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=001-200&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, October 23, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Biden Rallies Support For Gillum, Nelson In Florida, Blasts Trump. <#S1>

• Tickets No Longer Available For Biden’s Friday Appearance For Delgado.
<#S2>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Praises Ex-Rival Cruz, Calls Himself A “Nationalist” At Houston
Rally. <#S3>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump Won’t Back Endins Saudi Arms Sales, Calls Khashoggi Murder “Plot
Gone Awry.” <#S4>

• Trump Reiterates Threat To Withdraw From INF As Bolton Visits Russia.
<#S5>

• US Army’s Study Of Iraq War Remains Unpublished Two Years After
Completion. <#S6>

• Coalition Soldier Killed In Afghan Insider Attack. <#S7>

• US Outpost Along Key Highway Assumes Larger Role In Trump’s Syria
Strategy. <#S8>

• Trump: Foreign Nations Now “Pay A Big Price For Doing Business” With US.
<#S9>

• Xi-Abe Meeting Expected To Showcase Closer China-Japan Relationship.
<#S10>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Media Analyses: Trump Fear-Mongering Over Caravan For Midterms Gain.
<#S11>

• Report On Proposed HHS Gender Definition Prompts Protests. <#S12>

• Trump Announces Push For 10% Tax Cut For “Middle-Income People.” <#S13>

• White House Readying New Zero-Tolerance Plan For Border Security Before
Midterms. <#S14>

• Plan Released By White House Would Break Up OPM. <#S15>

• White House Encouraging Tech Giants To Share Workers With Government.
<#S16>

• House Panels To Interview Rosenstein, Papadopoulos This Week. <#S17>

• At Las Vegas Rally, Obama Slams Congressional GOP, Trump. <#S18>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Maine Cancer Initiative Expanding Patients’ Access To Treatments, Trials.
<#S19>

• NCI Grant Supports CAR-T Cell Research At UPenn’s Abramson Cancer Center.
<#S20>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S21>

• Washington Post. <#S22>
Biden in the News
Biden Rallies Support For Gillum, Nelson In Florida, Blasts Trump.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s Monday visit to Florida, where he stumped
for Sen. Bill Nelson (D) and gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Gillum (D), drew
widespread coverage from the media in the Sunshine State. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=002-55d&t=c>
(10/22) reports that Biden, appearing at the University of South Florida in
Tampa, “called the upcoming midterm elections a fight for ‘the soul of
America’” and added “that America has a chance to reset ‘the moral compass
of this country’ and that President Trump’s actions at home and abroad
didn’t reflect basic American values of decency and pluralism.” Biden is
quoted as saying, “Folks, these values have always held us together. Today,
they are being shredded. We have a president who pushes his own selfish
interests ahead of the country.”

The Tampa Bay (FL) Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=003-210&t=c>
(10/22, Contorno) reports, “As vice president...Biden leaned in to the
goofy ‘Uncle Joe’ caricature of memes and satirical news stories.” However,
during yesterday’s event at the University of South Florida, “the audience
saw a different side of Biden. ‘Listen,’ he said over and over when the
crowd wanted to laugh or cheer. ‘This is not a joke.’ ‘I think there’s
something different about this election,’ Biden said. ‘This election is
bigger than politics. For real. This goes well beyond.’”

The News Service of Florida
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=004-1db&t=c>
(10/22, Kam) reports, “Likening the November election to ‘reclaiming
America’s soul, for real,’...Biden held a crowd of supporters spellbound
Monday as he shared a stage with” Gillum and Nelson “as early voting
started in many parts of the state.” Biden, who Gillum introduced “as ‘the
coolest man on Planet Earth,’” delivered “a 30-minute speech in which he
hammered President Donald Trump, [GOP gubernatorial candidate Rep. Ron]
DeSantis and Gov. Rick Scott, who is trying to unseat Nelson.” On its
website, WTSP-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=005-163&t=c>
St. Petersburg, FL (10/22, Glasser) reported that Biden “called the
upcoming election the most important in our lifetime and a referendum
on...Trump. ‘Don’t tell me things can’t change. Don’t tell me this man
can’t be elected,’ Biden said gesturing toward Gillum. ‘Don’t tell me that
will not happen. Don’t tell me!’”

The Daytona Beach (FL) News-Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=006-20c&t=c>
(10/22, Pantazi) reports that later in the day, Biden also rallied support
for Gillum and Nelson during a visit to the University of North Florida in
Jacksonville, where the former Vice President “called Gillum ‘one of the
most exciting and dynamic candidates’ and said Nelson showed political
courage when he voted for the Affordable Care Act at a time when that
carried electoral risk. ‘I’ve campaigned for a lot of people all over this
country,’ Biden said. ‘The American people are looking for people with
character. ... I haven’t served with anyone with more character and more
decency than Bill Nelson.’”

Florida Politics
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=007-4dc&t=c>
(10/22, Gancarski) reported that Biden leads “many polls of 2020 hopefuls
for the party’s nomination for President,” and added that the former Vice
President’s “two-day, three-stop Florida swing is intended to boost
candidates and remind Florida voters that despite his age, the Delaware
Democrat is a major player.” Under the headline “Democrats Roll Out Joe
Biden For Andrew Gillum And Bill Nelson As Early Voting Starts In Florida,”
the Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=008-373&t=c>
(10/22, Date) also reported on Biden’s Monday visit to Florida, saying, “As
many polling places opened for early voting Monday, Democrats rolled out
one of their big guns” in Biden.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=009-863&t=c>
(10/22, Anapol) reported that Biden “joked about the viral memes about his
friendship with former President Obama,” saying, “All those memes? All
those memes are basically true.” A number of local TV stations broadcast
segments on Biden’s appearances, including WTVJ-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=00a-650&t=c>
Miami (10/23), WTVT-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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Tampa (FL)'s Good Day Tampa Bay, 6AM (10/23), 9-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=00c-a9d&t=c>
Tampa (FL) News at 6AM (10/23), WJXT-TV[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=00d-67c&t=c>
Jacksonville (FL)'s News at 6AM (10/23), and WESH-TV[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=00e-80f&t=c>
Orlando (FL)'s Early Sunrise (10/23).

Under the headline “Familiar 2016 Figures Deployed As Midterms Hit
Last 2 Weeks,” the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=00f-e1a&t=c>
(10/22, Thomas) highlights Monday’s campaign activity by major party
figures, saying that Trump stumped for Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in Houston, and
“Democrats dispatched former President Barack Obama to Las Vegas to help
Nevada Democrats while...Biden was barnstorming Florida. Vermont Sen.
Bernie Sanders, who tried to wrestle the 2016 Democratic nomination from
Hillary Clinton, was in Wisconsin, one of the states that propelled Trump
to his stunning upset. And California Sen. Kamala Harris, a potential 2020
presidential candidate, was kicking off a two-day trip to Iowa.”

*Politico: Biden’s Florida Visit High-Profile; Hillary Clinton’s To
Be Under Radar. *Meanwhile, in a report that was published early Monday
morning ahead of Biden’s Florida appearances, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=010-52c&t=c>
(10/22, Dixon) said that he would “serve as a prominent hype man for
Florida Democrats. When Hillary Clinton comes to Florida next week, she’ll
hardly be seen publicly.” While Biden was “scheduled to hold rallies in key
cities across” Florida, Clinton “will join a few closed-door fundraisers
for Gillum but make no public appearances for” him or Nelson. Politico
added, “The starkly different treatment of the longtime major players in
the Democratic establishment comes as the party grapples with how to square
Clinton’s continued interest in playing a prominent role in politics with a
future that’s likely to be shaped by younger, more liberal voters.”
Tickets No Longer Available For Biden’s Friday Appearance For Delgado.

The Kingston (NY) Daily Freeman
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=011-efa&t=c>
(10/22) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden’s slated appearance in
Kingston, New York “on Friday is ‘at capacity’ and ‘tickets are no longer
available,’ according to the campaign website of Antonio Delgado. Biden is
scheduled to be at the Senate Garage on North Front Street in Uptown
Kingston at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 26, to stump for Delgado,” a Democratic
attorney who is challenging NY19 Rep. John Faso (R).
Leading the News
Trump Praises Ex-Rival Cruz, Calls Himself A “Nationalist” At Houston Rally.

Coverage of President Trump’s appearance before a crowd of more than 18,000
at the Toyota Center in Houston on behalf of Sen. Ted Cruz (R) focuses on
the formerly strained relationship between the two men, and on Trump’s
continued focus on the migrant caravan moving through Mexico. Some reports
also highlight Trump’s embrace of the term “nationalist” to define his
policies, after previously shying away from the word.

Before the event, Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=012-1c1&t=c>
a video of the “massive crowds inside and outside” the venue. He later
tweeted
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the full video of the event, followed by a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=014-9c4&t=c>
of photos from the event with the words “THANK YOU HOUSTON, TEXAS. Get out
and http://Vote. GOP ! #JobsNotMobs”. A final tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=015-3c0&t=c>
from the event read, “At stake in this Election is whether we continue the
extraordinary prosperity we have achieved – or whether we let the Radical
Democrat Mob take a giant wrecking ball to our Country and our Economy!
#JobsNotMobs”. The Cruz campaign tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=016-f85&t=c>
multiple comments and images from the event.

The Houston Chronicle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=017-2f4&t=c>
(10/22, Scherer) reports Trump called Cruz’s opponent, Rep. Beto O’Rourke
(D-TX), “‘a stone-cold phony’ and took a few sharp jabs” at him, “but
otherwise focused on national issues while praising Cruz and a laundry list
of Texas Republicans.” Trump also encouraged the crowd to vote for Rep.
John Culberson (R-TX), “acknowledging the nine-term Republican faces a
tough re-election challenge.” The Texas Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=018-b28&t=c>
(10/22, Platoff) reports that “at an uproarious rally,” Trump “cast his
2016 battle [with Cruz] as a thing of the past.” Trump told the crowd, “We
had our little difficulties. It got nasty, and then it ended. And I’ll tell
you what – nobody has helped me more with your tax cuts, with your
regulations, all of the things we’ve been doing with your military and your
vets, than Sen. Ted Cruz.” KRIV-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=019-a79&t=c>
Houston (10/22, 10:00 p.m. CDT) reported that Trump “totally packed” the
Toyota Center “and proceeded to job number one, which was delivering the
Trump bump to Ted Cruz.”

The Austin (TX) American Statesman
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(10/22, Tilove) reports that though “Trump and Cruz were archrivals at the
bitter end of the 2016 Republican primary contest...both men said they have
buried the hatchet and are now staunch allies in Washington, with Trump
giving Cruz credit for passing his agenda of tax cuts and reduced
regulation, and standing down Democratic opposition to the appointment of
Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.” KTBC-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=01b-052&t=c>
Austin, TX (10/22, 10:11 p.m. CDT) reported that Trump and Cruz “touched on
the successes they say they’ve seen since being in office.” KXAN-TV[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
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Austin, TX (10/22, 10:11 p.m. CDT) said Trump “left his mark in Texas
tonight. ... This was just as much a rally for Donald Trump as it was for
Ted Cruz.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=01d-bcc&t=c>
(10/22, Lucey) reports, “Cruz made clear that their conflict was behind
them and that the two were working together. His biggest applause came when
he predicted that ‘in 2020, Donald Trump will be overwhelming re-elected.’”
The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=01e-dbd&t=c>
(10/22, Baker) writes, “Even in the no-permanent-enemies world of
campaigning, rarely have two politicians been so vitriolic toward each
other only to turn around and present a unified front as if they really
were friends all along.” During the 2016 campaign, Trump “mocked the
appearance of Mr. Cruz’s wife and linked Mr. Cruz’s father” to the JFK
assassination. Trump “nicknamed Mr. Cruz ‘Lyin’ Ted’ and called him
‘unhinged,’ ‘a little bit of a maniac’ and ‘a totally unstable
individual.’” Cruz called Trump “a ‘sniveling coward,’ a ‘pathological
liar,’ a ‘serial philanderer,’ a ‘braggadocious arrogant buffoon’ and a
‘narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has ever seen.’” The
Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=01f-e42&t=c>
(10/22, Donachie) reports that “the two could not have been more fond of
one another” at the rally. The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=020-231&t=c>
(10/22, Enjeti) reports that on his way to the rally, Trump said, “He’s not
Lyin’ Ted anymore. He’s Beautiful Ted, he’s Texas Ted.”

The Dallas Morning News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=021-e1f&t=c>
(10/22, Gillman) reports, “Over the course of a 76-minute stem-winder on
the same day early voting began in Texas, Trump drew cheers for demands for
a border wall, boos at mentions of O’Rourke and of the ‘caravan’ of Central
American migrants marching through Mexico toward the United States.”
KVII-TV[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=022-090&t=c>
Amarillo, TX (10/22, 10:12 p.m. CDT) said Trump “had a strong message about
the migrant caravan and what is at stake in the upcoming election.”
Addressing the migrant caravan, Trump “continued to blame the Democrats
without any proof.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=023-def&t=c>
(10/22, Spiering) reports in a brief item that Trump “condemned...the
caravan of over 7,000 migrants.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=024-cfe&t=c>
(10/22, Fritze, Jackson, Page) reports, “Trump repeated a claim that ‘the
Democrats had something to do’ with the caravan,” and also “touted a
proposed new round of tax cuts, an idea he first raised over the weekend.
Trump said he is aiming for a 10 percent reduction in taxes for middle
class families, though he offered little detail about the timing or the
specifics of that proposal, which appeared to catch congressional
Republicans off guard.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=025-2f0&t=c>
(10/22, Kim, Sonmez) reports that Trump also “proclaimed himself a
‘nationalist’” during his remarks. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=026-73e&t=c>
(10/22, Boyer) quotes Trump saying, “A globalist is a person that wants the
globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much. You know
what I am? I’m a nationalist okay? Nationalist. Use that word, use that
word.” The Times writes that while Trump “swept into office on an ‘America
First’ agenda, he typically has avoided the term ‘nationalist.’” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=027-410&t=c>
(10/22, Forgey) reports that the term is “a designation some of his
fiercest critics have previously wielded against him as an attack on what
they deem nativist policy pursuits by his administration.”

Prior to the rally, both ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=028-0a3&t=c>
(10/22, story 6, 2:50, Muir) and the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=029-674&t=c>
(10/22, story 4, 2:00, Glor) ran profiles on the race. ABC’s Paula Faris
said that Cruz “is banking on Trump to rev up the Republican base,” because
O’Rourke, “with his cheering crowds, is energizing Democrats.” CBS’ Nancy
Cordes said that Trump won Texas by nine points in 2016; the latest RCP
average
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=02a-a97&t=c>
has Cruz ahead by seven points. The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=02b-b25&t=c>
(10/22, story 5, 3:40, Glor) also profiled Culberson’s TX7 race, with
Cordes concluding, “If you think independent voters [are] key, like
Culberson, you will keep your distance from President Trump. If, like Ted
Cruz, you think that the key is turning out the base, well, there are few
people like President Trump who can bring thousands of people out 12 hours
ahead of time.”

S.E. Cupp said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=02c-e2b&t=c>
(10/22), “The great emasculation of Trump one-time enemies...is I think a
bigger picture telling a bigger story of the great emasculation of the
Republican Party in general by Trump. To see Ted Cruz – Chris Christie was
the first – Rand Paul, turn tail and adore a person that you know
fundamentally they don’t trust, they dislike, they disagree with him so
obsequiously, is really upsetting, disturbing, troubling.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Won’t Back Endins Saudi Arms Sales, Calls Khashoggi Murder “Plot Gone
Awry.”

In an interview with USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=02d-dde&t=c>
(10/22, Jackson, Page), President Trump “questioned the account Saudi
officials have given him about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but
said he still believed it was ‘a plot gone awry.’” Trump also “indicated he
would oppose efforts to cease arms sales to the kingdom in response,”
adding “there are ‘many other’ potential penalties” and that he “would be
guided by consultations with key members of Congress in settling on the
appropriate response.” USA Today adds that “in characterizing the Khashoggi
incident as a ‘plot gone awry,’ Trump indicated that he thought the
journalist wasn’t deliberately lured into the consulate to be murdered.”
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=02e-0dc&t=c>
(10/22, Chiacu, Dolan) reports that Trump also said yesterday he is “still
not satisfied with what he has heard from Saudi Arabia about the killing of
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but did not want to lose investment from
Riyadh.” In addition, Trump said he spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman “and that there are Americans in Saudi Arabia and US intelligence
officers in Turkey working on the Khashoggi case.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=02f-f8a&t=c>
(10/22, Fritze) notes that “as he departed the White House for a campaign
rally in Texas,” Trump said, “I am not satisfied with what I’ve heard. ...
We’re going to get to the bottom of it.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=030-e7b&t=c>
(10/22, Moore) recounts Trump said US “intelligence officials in Turkey”
are “expected to return Monday or Tuesday,” and added, “I’ll know a lot
more tomorrow.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=031-e76&t=c>
(10/22, Ballhaus) runs a similar story.

*Kushner: White House Has “Eyes Wide Open” About Saudis, But Still
Gathering Facts. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=032-d33&t=c>
(10/22, Riechmann) reports that Jared Kushner told CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=033-6c4&t=c>
(10/22) yesterday that the “White House has their ‘eyes wide open’ about
the Saudis’ Khashoggi murder investigation.” Kushner is quoted as saying,
“We’re getting facts in from multiple places and once those facts come in,
the Secretary of State will work with our national security team to help us
determine what we want to believe, what we think is credible and what we
think is not credible.” According to the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=034-8f5&t=c>
(10/22, Cunningham), Kushner “declined to say whether he believes Saudi
Arabia’s account that Khashoggi died accidentally inside the Saudi
Consulate in Istanbul.” Kushner, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=035-9b8&t=c>
(10/22, Haberman) reports, said “the White House is still ‘fact-finding’ on
the circumstances of...Khashoggi’s death.”

The New York Times
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(10/22, Haberman) reports that Kushner “has talked to Prince Mohammed
several times in the last week, and has come under criticism amid reports
that he has advised Mr. Trump to wait before jumping to conclusions related
to Mr. Khashoggi’s death.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=037-d1d&t=c>
(10/22, Chiacu, Dolan) reports that Kushner said he has told MBS “to be
fully transparent” because “the world is watching.” Reuters adds that when
“asked how the prince responded, Kushner said: ‘We’ll see.’” The New York
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=038-279&t=c>
(10/22, Steinbuch), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=039-268&t=c>
(10/22, Birnbaum) and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=03a-6e6&t=c>
(10/22, Lee), among other news outlets, also note Kushner’s comments
yesterday.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=03b-761&t=c>
(10/22) reports, meanwhile, Saud al-Qahtani, “a top aide” to MBS,
“masterminded the arrest of hundreds of his country’s elite,” and,
“according to two intelligence sources, he ran journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s
brutal killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by giving orders over
Skype.” Reuters says Qahtani “is one of the fall guys as Riyadh tries to
stem international outrage at Khashoggi’s death.” On Saturday, “Saudi state
media said King Salman had sacked Qahtani and four other officials over the
killing carried out by a 15-man hit team,” according to Reuters. However,
Reuters says “Qahtani’s influence in the crown prince’s entourage has been
so vast over the past three years...that it will be hard for Saudi
officials to paint Qahtani as the mastermind of the murder without also
raising questions about the involvement of Prince Mohammed.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=03c-b8f&t=c>
(10/22, story 3, 2:40, Glor) reported “Turkey’s ruling party said” Monday
“that what happened to Jamal Khashoggi was ‘planned in a bloodthirsty
manner.’ That directly contradicts the Saudi version of events that
Khashoggi died apparently accidentally after getting into a fight inside
the Saudi consulate.” However, “Kushner said...that the administration is
still in a ‘fact finding’ phase.” ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=03d-1b9&t=c>
(10/22, story 3, 3:30, Muir) likewise reported that Trump and Kushner are
“both saying they want more information. But also insisting they don’t want
to walk away from a key ally.” Trump: “I am not satisfied with what I’ve
heard. I don’t want to lose all of that investment that’s being made in our
country. I don’t want to lose the million jobs.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=03e-533&t=c>
(10/22, story 5, 1:45, Holt) also reported, “Turkey has been revealing
damning information about its old regional rivals Saudi Arabia day by day,
but the White House says it needs more time to examine the facts.”

Richard Engel reported on NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=03f-7a5&t=c>
(10/22, story 5, 1:45, Holt) that “Saudi Arabia denies it ordered Jamal
Khashoggi to be killed...but tonight” there are “reports an advisor to the
Saudi crown prince was on Skype with the killers giving orders. The adviser
was fired last week. ... And tonight, a pro-government TV station aired”
what it says are “Saudi officials burning documents at their consulate
after Khashoggi’s murder.”

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=040-aa4&t=c>
(10/22) that she is “embarrassed that we have our allies around the world
that have stopped the shipment of arms, that have stopped any kind of
engagement and are calling back their ambassadors, and yet we sit
here...talking about the long-term relationship.” She continued: “This ally
is an ally of convenience,” and “we ought to remember that 15 out of the 19
hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi Arabian. And they play a very dirty game and
we’re seeing it play out right now.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=041-80d&t=c>
(10/22) he doesn’t think the Saudis will be transparent regarding their own
investigation because “they lied for two weeks. They let” Secretary of
State Pompeo “go over, stand next to the crown prince,” and “they told
him,” Trump, “and the world that [Khashoggi] walked out of that consulate
alive. They killed him. ... It was intentional. That’s what the facts will
eventually be.”

*Mnuchin, MBS Meet To Discuss Joint Efforts To Counter Iran’s
Influence. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=042-1d9&t=c>
(10/22) reports that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin met with MBS in Riyadh on
Monday. Reuters notes that Mnuchin announced last week that he “would not
attend a major investment conference to be hosted in Riyadh this week,” but
said he would still “hold talks on joint efforts toward countering
terrorist financing and curbing Iran’s military and political influence.”
The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=043-c7c&t=c>
(10/22, Paletta) notes “Tony Sayegh, Mnuchin’s top spokesman,” took to
Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=044-5ec&t=c>
on Monday “but did not specifically reference the gathering with the Crown
Prince,” writing, “To make clear @stevenmnuchin1 canceled his speaking
engagement at Saudi investment conference. He is in Saudi (as part of 6
country Middle East trip) visiting the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center
and having meetings in preparation for Iran sanctions.” Sayegh later tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=045-a1e&t=c>,
“In his meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, @stevenmnuchin1 addressed
combating terrorist financing, implementing Iran sanctions, Saudi economic
issues and the Khashoggi investigation.”

*Haspel Travels To Turkey. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=046-11c&t=c>
(10/22, Dawsey) reports “CIA Director Gina Haspel departed for Turkey on
Monday amid a growing international uproar over Saudi Arabia’s explanation
of the killing.” Haspel’s visit “comes as Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan in a speech planned for early Tuesday vows to reveal the full
extent of what his aides are calling a Saudi-directed murder and attempted
coverup.” The Post adds “the arrival of the director suggests an effort by
the U.S. intelligence community to assess the information the Turks have.”

*Erdoğan Says Khashoggi Was Victim Of “Ferocious” Planned Slaying. *
CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=047-23b&t=c>
(10/23) reports on its website that Erdoğan said Tuesday that he “rejects
Saudi Arabia’s explanation that the killing of Khashoggi was an accidental
result of a discussion that went awry, saying it was a pre-planned and
‘ferocious’ murder.” Erdoğan “said Saudi consulate cameras were removed
before Khashoggi’s arrival. ‘We have very strong leads that this was not
accidental, but that it was planned,’ he said.”

*Video Shows Member Of Saudi Hit Squad Wearing Khashoggi’s Clothes
After He Was Murdered. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=048-7bc&t=c>
(10/22, Fraser, Wieting, Gambrell) reports that “just hours
after...Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, a man
strolled out of the diplomatic post apparently wearing the columnist’s
clothes as part of a macabre deception to sow confusion over his fate.” The
AP adds, “Surveillance video on CNN[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=049-db0&t=c>
showed the man in Khashoggi’s dress shirt, suit jacket and pants.”
According to the AP, Turkish media reports “cited a Turkish official as
describing the man as a ‘body double’ and a member of the Saudi team sent
to Istanbul to target the writer.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=04a-8a7&t=c>
(10/22, Hubbard) says that “the ruse – acknowledged by a Saudi official and
another Saudi briefed on the investigation into Mr. Khashoggi’s killing –
added to the numerous doubts about the kingdom’s explanation of how”
Khashoggi died. The Times says “the use of a ‘body double’ suggests a
premeditated plan to make Mr. Khashoggi disappear, through death or
abduction, and to cover it up – possibly contradicting the Saudi insistence
that his death was the accidental result of an altercation.”

*Saudi FM: Facts Will Show “Saudi Government Had Nothing To Do”
With Khashoggi’s Death. *Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=04b-350&t=c>
(10/22) reported on an interview Sunday in Riyadh with Saudi Foreign
Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who “denied that the crown prince had any
knowledge of the operation.” When asked about what this could do to
US-Saudi relations, al-Jubeir said, “First of all I believe that when the
facts are out...people will realize the Saudi government had nothing to do
with it. This was a rogue operation by people who exceeded their
authorities and tried to cover up their crime.” He went on to say that the
relationship between the two countries is “one of huge strategic value.” He
cited the “great trade relationship,” the “very strong” energy ties, and
how “we work close together on extremism.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on CNN’s OutFront[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=04c-928&t=c>
(10/22), “A little too many coincidences to think this was just an
accidental death. You send a forensic pathologist with a bone saw just in
case you might have a fist fight where you have to dismember somebody. How
horrific. Then, also having a body double. I think there’s a lot of reasons
to think this was planned. And I think because they have such an
authoritarian government, nothing over there happens that’s not directed
from above. You don’t act without orders. So it stretches credulity to
think that the Crown Prince was not involved in this.”

*UK FM: Saudis’ Claim About Khashoggi’s Murder “Does Not Amount To
A Credible Explanation.” *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=04d-45f&t=c>
(10/22, Schomberg) reports that British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said
Monday that it is “not credible for Saudi authorities to claim that
journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight.” Hunt is quoted as saying, “The
claim that Mr Khashoggi died in a fight does not amount to a credible
explanation.”

*Saudi Investment Forum To Go On Without Many Prominent Guests. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=04e-4c8&t=c>
(10/22, Batrawy) reports that Saudi Arabia is “moving ahead with plans to
hold a glitzy investment forum, despite some of its most important speakers
pulling out in the global outcry over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi.” According to the AP, the Future Investment Initiative “was
intended to draw leading investors who could help underwrite” MBS’
“ambitious plans to revamp the economy. But after the wave of
cancellations, it could instead highlight the kingdom’s growing isolation
and the damage inflicted on the prince’s reputation – as well as
potentially his political future.”

*WPost Editorial Urges US To Condemn Yemen War. *In an editorial,
the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=04f-d49&t=c>
(10/22) calls for Khashoggi’s to “spark a long-overdue recalibration of US
relations with Saudi Arabia and its reckless de facto leader, Mohammed bin
Salman,” and argues that “the best place to start the US readjustment
is...with the disastrous war in Yemen.” The Post further states that “the
Trump administration’s unquestioning support for what amounts to a
sectarian crusade by Sunni Saudi Arabia against Shiite Iran needs an
adjustment,” as efforts to contain Iran “can be achieved without buying
into Mohammed bin Salman’s own imperial – and unachievable – ambitions.”

*Krugman: Saudis “Continuing To” Funnel “Millions” To “Trump
Personally.” *Paul Krugman writes in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=050-99c&t=c>
(10/22) that “Trump’s attempt to head off retaliation for Saudi crimes by
claiming that there are big economic rewards to staying friendly with
killers – and the willingness of his political allies to embrace his logic
– nonetheless represents a new stage in the debasement of America.” Krugman
adds that “Trump’s claims about the number of jobs at stake...are lies,”
but “even if” they “were true, we’re the United States; we’re supposed to
be a moral beacon for the world, not a mercenary nation willing to abandon
its principles if the money is good.” To Krugman, “a president who
proclaims that the news media are ‘enemies of the people’ may feel that
torturing and murdering a critical journalist is not such a bad idea,” plus
“the Saudis have funneled tens of millions of dollars to Trump personally,
and are continuing to do so.”

*NYTimes Publishes Khashoggi’s Remarks On Why Arab World Needs
Democracy. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=051-646&t=c>
(10/22, Khashoggi) publishes excerpts from a speech that Khashoggi made in
April about why Arab nations desire – and are ready for – democracy. The
Times quotes Khashoggi as saying that post-Arab Spring elections in Tunisia
and Egypt “clearly demonstrated that the people of the Arab world were
ready for change.” Khashoggi said as Saudi Arabia purses modernity,
however, “the Saudi leaders are still not interested in democracy.”
Khashoggi said Saudi leaders are not “advancing the old, lame excuse that
democracy is not compatible with Islam” – they are “saying that absolute
monarchy is our preferred form of government.” Khashoggi clarified that
“there are serious reforms that Prince Mohammed is leading,” and “I do
support them,” but the limited scope of the reforms “and the general
political condition of the Arab world today are adding strength to the
argument of the anti-democracy forces.”
Trump Reiterates Threat To Withdraw From INF As Bolton Visits Russia.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=052-1d6&t=c>
(10/22, Mason) reports President Trump “warned on Monday that the United
States intended to build up its arsenal of nuclear weapons to pressure
Russia and China.” Trump also “repeated his contention that Russia was not
abiding by the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which he has
threatened to abandon.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=053-131&t=c>
(10/22, story 7, 1:15, Holt) broadcast Trump stating, “Russia has not
adhered to the agreement. This should have been done years ago. Until
people come to their senses, we have more money than anybody else. We’ll
build it up.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=054-e98&t=c>
(10/22, Boyer) reports Trump had “essentially called Moscow’s bluff,”
saying that “Russia and other nations can’t match America’s wealth and
ability to build new weapons systems.” He added, “It’s a threat to whoever
you want, and it includes China. It includes anybody else that wants to
play that game. You can’t play that game on me.” Trump clarified, however,
that “when Russia agrees to honor such a weapons treaty, ‘we’ll all stop
[building up the nuclear arsenal]. Not only stop, we’ll reduce, which I
would love to do.’”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=055-6f9&t=c>
(10/22, Vasilyeva, Isachenkov) reports Trump’s remarks came as National
Security Adviser Bolton met separately with “his Russian counterpart,
Security Council chairman Nikolai Patrushev,” and Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov. Bolton and Patrushev “discussed arms control agreements, Syria,
Iran, North Korea and the fight against terrorism, according to the
Security Council.” Patrushev “emphasized the importance of maintaining” the
INF, and “reaffirmed Russia’s ‘readiness for joint work to consider mutual
complaints regarding the treaty’s implementation,’ the Security Council
said.” Bolton and Patrushev “also discussed a possible five-year extension
of another pivotal arms control agreement between Russia and the U.S. – the
New START Treaty that went into force in 2011 and is set to expire in 2021,
the statement said.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=056-54c&t=c>
(10/22) reports Bolton told Russian officials that the US has “yet to
finalize its position on extending the New START arms control treaty.”

Kaitlin Collins of CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=057-878&t=c>
(10/22) reported Bolton received a “frosty welcome” from Lavrov, who is
“demanding an explanation” for Trump’s threat to withdraw from the INF “and
warning Russia will retaliate.” CNN showed Lavrov saying, “Any action in
this area will be met with counter action.” Bolton “said Russia was
violating its commitments under the pact,” and “denied Russian allegations
the United States was using the threat of treaty withdrawal to blackmail
Russia,” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=058-c82&t=c>
(10/22, Osborn, Rodionov) reports. Meanwhile, “Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov called Trump’s withdrawal plan a matter of deep concern for Moscow,”
and “said President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly warned that the demise of
the treaty would compel Moscow to take specific military steps.”

Brian Todd of CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=059-372&t=c>
(10/22) said Trump’s remarks on Monday “could be the first real sign” that
he “is souring on” Putin. Todd added that “analysts say...privately, Putin
is happy the US will get out of” the agreement, because “now he will have
an excuse to build up his weapons and do it more openly than before.”

A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=05a-b76&t=c>
(10/22, Cameron) analysis says that a US withdraw from the INF “is likely
to be controversial with U.S. allies in NATO, further splitting the
alliance at a difficult time for transatlantic relations.” On Monday,
“German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described Trump’s announcement as
‘regrettable’ and has urged Moscow to resolve its compliance issues,” while
“British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson declared Britain stands with
the United States but also hopes the treaty will ‘continue.’” According to
the Post, “Central and Eastern European states may align more closely with
Trump’s stance, though their positions are unclear.”

*China Urges Trump To Reconsider Treaty Exit. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=05b-a95&t=c>
(10/22, Tweed) reports that the Chinese government has “called on the U.S.
to reconsider pulling out of a three-decade-old arms control treaty with
Russia, saying the move would generate ‘multiple negative effects.’ ... ‘I
want to stress that it is completely wrong to use China as an excuse for
pulling out of the treaty,’ Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told
reporters Monday in Beijing.” According to Bloomberg News, “The prospect of
a U.S. weapons buildup would underscore concern in Beijing that the U.S. is
intent on thwarting China’s rise, be it via a trade war or a systematic
program of military containment.”

In an analysis under the headline “Trump May Revive The Cold War,
But China Could Change The Dynamics,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=05c-c09&t=c>
(10/22, Sanger, Erlanger) says, “Over the past few days the shape of what
many in Europe and the United States call a new Cold War has begun to
emerge – with threats and nuclear weapons that resemble the old one,
punctuated by new dynamics, in part because of the rise of a rich,
expanding and nationalist China.” According to the Times, Trump “argued
correctly that the arms treaty...left China free to build up its own
nuclear and conventional missiles of all ranges.” The Times adds, “And
while China appears to be the reason for Mr. Trump’s decision to pull out
of the missile treaty with Russia, it is causing new anxieties in a Europe
already mistrustful of Mr. Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign and trade
policies.”

*Bolton To Russians: Meddling Had No Real Effect On 2016 Election. *NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=05d-fdc&t=c>
(10/22, story 7, 1:15, Holt) reported Bolton is “raising eyebrows” after
telling Russian officials in Moscow that “he does not think their meddling
in the 2016 election had any real effect.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=05e-87f&t=c>
(10/22, Rodionov) reports Bolton asserted, “Today, I told our Russian
colleagues that their meddling in our election process had hardly had any
real effect.” Bolton stressed, however, that “the important thing is the
desire for interfering in our affairs itself arouses distrust in Russian
people, in Russia. And I think it should not be tolerated, it should not be
acceptable.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=05f-ee8&t=c>
(10/22, Kramer) reports that in an interview with Russia’s Echo of Moscow
radio station, “Bolton said he had been blunt with the Russians, according
to a transcript of his interview, which the radio station translated into
Russian for broadcast and posting on its website.” Bolton said that the US
had indicted Russians for the election interference, and that such a
“coldblooded, blatant intrusion into the electoral process will be
discussed with American legal entities.”
US Army’s Study Of Iraq War Remains Unpublished Two Years After Completion.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=060-140&t=c>
(10/22, Gordon) examines the history of the US Army’s study of the Iraq
War, ordered in 2013 by Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno. The report
was supposed to be unclassified, and as part of work towards the project he
had 30,000 pages of documents declassified. Over the next three years,
teams examined these documents and conducted more than 100 interviews,
until a 1,300-page, two-volume history was ready in June 2016. The work
remains unpublished, in part due to Gen. Odierno’s retirement, which led
the work to remain under review. Then, new leadership at the Pentagon meant
shifting priorities towards China and Russia. Debate has continued in
recent months among top Army officials over whether the study should be
disavowed or supported. As of last month, orders were issued to remove a
forward that indicated the Army commissioned the study, along with other
signals the work had had high-level supporters.
Coalition Soldier Killed In Afghan Insider Attack.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=061-2f1&t=c>
(10/22, Constable) reports that “a soldier from the U.S.-led military
coalition in Afghanistan was killed Monday and two others were injured in
an apparent insider attack by a member of the Afghan security forces.”
According to the Post, “The victims were not immediately identified, and no
other details of the incident were released.” The Post adds that “Afghan
military sources said they were trying to confirm reports that an Afghan
special operations forces commando had opened fire on US. troops in the
Shindand region of western Herat province, killing one.” However, a
Pentagon spokesman “said later that the fatality in Herat was not an
American,” according to the Post.

*Pentagon Expresses Confidence in Afghan Security Forces Despite
Latest Insurgent Attack. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=062-080&t=c>
(10/22, Muñoz) reports that despite recent news of “another insurgent
attack against US. and NATO coalition troops,” the Department of Defense is
“standing firm behind Afghanistan’s security forces, saying the country’s
military and police are successfully containing the Taliban through the
ongoing parliamentary election process.” Monday’s attack in the western
Afghan province of Herat left one coalition member dead and three others
wounded, and followed another insurgent attack against coalition forces in
Afghanistan less than a week prior. Still, in comments to reporters at the
Pentagon, Col. Rob Manning “said efforts by the Afghan security forces to
maintain order in the country were succeeding.”
US Outpost Along Key Highway Assumes Larger Role In Trump’s Syria Strategy.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=063-61d&t=c>
(10/22, Ryan) reports that the Tanf outpost in Syria, strategically located
along a highway that links “the Syrian regime in Damascus to its backers in
Tehran,” is now a possible “locus in White House plans to confront Iran’s
reach across the region.” US Central Command leader Gen. Joseph Votel
“described Tanf as a key element in the continuing military mission to
extinguish the Islamic State and ensure that the group cannot stage a
comeback.” In comments at the base on Monday, Votel “said it also had
additional benefits in hindering Iran, as the U.S. presence there makes it
harder for Tehran to build up its military presence in Syria and help the
Assad regime claw back areas outside its control.”

*US-Led Coalition Once Again Strikes Mosque Used By ISIS. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=064-c05&t=c>
(10/22) reports that “the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State
militants in Syria said it struck a mosque on Monday that was being used by
the group as a command center, the second such incident in less than a
week.” Reuters adds that on Sunday, the coalition announced it “had killed
militants in eastern Syria by striking a mosque that Islamic State used as
a base.”
Trump: Foreign Nations Now “Pay A Big Price For Doing Business” With US.

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=065-45f&t=c>
yesterday, “The Fake News Media has been talking about recent approval
ratings of me by countries around the world, including the European Union,
as being very low. ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=066-99e&t=c>
I say of course they’re low – because for the first time in 50 years I am
making them pay a big price for doing business with America. Why should
they like me? – But I still like them!”

*Merkel Embraces US LNG Imports. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=067-45c&t=c>
(10/22, Pancevski) reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has decided
to support efforts to open her country to US LNG. The move is a win for
President Trump, who is looking to divert European natural gas reliance
away from Russia. Merkel said her government will co-finance the
construction of a $576 million LNG shipping terminal in north Germany, and
that LNG cooperation with the US will pay off in the long term. The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=068-d5a&t=c>
(10/22, Keller) adds that “a German government spokesman told the Journal
that the move was made because of Germany’s economic interests, not US
pressure.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=069-af7&t=c>
(10/22, Parkin, Shiryaevskaya) reports that “two small Elbe River ports are
competing to build Germany’s first liquefied natural gas import terminal
and help shake up Europe’s biggest gas market.” The ports, Stade and
Brunsbuettel, are “battling for federal approval and hundreds of millions
of euros in investment.” The German government “may announce a winner next
year, ending dithering about the need for such a facility and pressure by
President Donald Trump to import US fuel to cut reliance on Russian gas.”
Trump’s pressure on Germany “to dump its support for Russia’s Nord Stream 2
pipeline project in favor of US shale gas in ships is a boon to ports
jockeying to become a LNG hub.”

*Canada Declined To Invite US Officials To Meeting On WTO Updates. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=06a-f06&t=c>
(10/22, Keaten) reports that amid the trade war between the US and China,
Canada and the European Union are “quietly working to update the laws of
international commerce, which have not been changed since the internet
boom.” The AP says later this week, Canadian officials will host their
counterparts from the EU, as well as “about 12 other countries.” According
to the AP, Canada “said it wants a meeting of ‘like-minded people’ – and
didn’t invite the United States.” However, the AP says the US has “largely
self-exiled itself in the process,” and is “sitting back as others work on
a compromise.”

*WSJournal: Steel Industry Finds Success At Receiving Requested
Tariff Line Removals. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=06b-b44&t=c>
(10/22, Pacheco, Zumbrun) reports that data indicate the US steel industry
has been more effective than other industries at lobbying for the removal
of trade tariffs. In September, the steel industry sought relief on 132
tariff lines from the US Trade Representative, largely involving chemicals
and raw materials imported from China and used to make steel. The industry
was able to receive 66 of the tariff line removals it sought. All told, the
US removed almost 300 tariff lines from its final list, meaning the steel
industry had about 20 percent of all removals. Comparing other industries,
the Journal’s data analysis indicates the National Association of Home
Builders received only two of almost 500 requested exemptions, while the
National Retail Federation and National Restaurant Association were granted
less than five percent of their requests.

*Ford Executive Complains About High Cost Of US Steel, Aluminum Due
To Tariffs. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=06c-111&t=c>
(10/22, Klayman) reports that Ford Motor Co EVP Joe Hinrichs says Ford “has
seen higher steel and aluminum costs driven by trade tariffs bite into
profit, but is hopeful the United States and China can avoid further
tensions that could make things more costly.” According to Reuters,
Hinrichs says “US. steel costs are higher than anywhere else in the
world.” Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=06d-e4c&t=c>
(10/22, Naughton, Deaux) also covers Hinrichs’ comments.

*Democratic Majority In House Or Senate Could Alter Path Forward
For US-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal. *CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=06e-3f4&t=c>
(10/22, Ferguson) reports that a Democratic majority in the Senate or House
following the midterm elections may make for a “more complicated” process
moving forward with the new US trade deal with Mexico and Canada. President
Trump will likely “sign the agreement in principle on Nov. 30 and send
implementing legislation to Congress sometime later.” However, many
Democrats in Congress could seek leverage on the issue of trade if they win
control of either chamber. For example, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) anticipates
being the Senate Finance Committee chair should Democrats gain control of
the Senate, and “has shown a willingness to needle Trump.” He introduced
legislation “that would require a president at the start of US trade
negotiations with a country to disclose personal business or other economic
interests in that country.”

*Journal Sentinel: Tariffs Affecting Wisconsin Manufacturers.
*The Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=06f-e18&t=c>
(10/22, Barrett) reports on the concerns of Wisconsin manufacturers as US
trade tariffs linger. Several companies are highlighted in the piece,
including the Marquis-Larson Boat Group, located in Pulaski, which makes
Carver yachts. Boat building materials now cost as much as 40 percent more,
sending “a shock wave” through the industry and leading to order
cancellations. The manufacturer employs around 450 people in a town with
3,600 residents. Great Northern Distilling in Plover, which makes a bourbon
infused with ginseng, has been “clobbered” by tariffs China has implemented
on US bourbon and ginseng. The company has lost 25 percent of its sales.
While some manufacturers in the state “say they’re planning for the worst,
not knowing whether the new tariffs are temporary or permanent.”

*Trade War Affecting Chinese Pet Owners’ Ability To Buy US-Made
Cat, Dog Food. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=070-d9f&t=c>
(10/22, Tang, Bradsher) reports that the trade war is affecting the ability
of dog and cat owners in China to purchase US-made pet food brands like
Canidae. In addition to Chinese officials “delaying shipments at customs
since May to get back at the United States,” a new round of tariffs
implemented in July “also made imported pet food more expensive.” Although
“choosy pet owners” may be “a small minority in China,” the Times reports
that “their pain could presage broader tensions as the trade war deepens,”
and “China’s retaliatory tariffs” affecting things like meat and soybean
prices “in a country that depends on imports for many of its food needs.”
Xi-Abe Meeting Expected To Showcase Closer China-Japan Relationship.

Under the headline “Japan’s Prime Minister, A Trump Buddy, Now Tries To
Cozy Up To China’s President,” the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=071-99c&t=c>
(10/22, Denyer) reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet
with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday “for their first
bilateral meeting in more than seven years.” According to the Post, on
Thursday Xi and Abe “will have a day of meetings...during which they will
pledge to work together on economic cooperation projects in third countries
such as Thailand.” The Post adds, “It’s a far cry from 2014, when friction
over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea raised fears the two
countries would become involved in a military conflict.” The Post says that
“over the past year, the two countries have started to repair their
relationship, at least superficially.”

*US Navy Ships Travel Through Taiwan Straight. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=072-dc3&t=c>
(10/22, Lee, Ali, Stewart) reports that the US Navy “sent two warships
through the Taiwan Strait on Monday in the second such operation this year,
as the U.S. military increases the frequency of transits through the
strategic waterway despite opposition from China.” Reuters adds, “The
voyage risks further heightening tensions with China but will likely be
viewed in self-ruled Taiwan as a sign of support” from the Trump
Administration, “amid growing friction between Taipei and Beijing.”

*WPost: Xi’s Intensified Anti-Corruption Crackdown Heightens
Anxiety Among Chinese Leaders. *A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=073-548&t=c>
(10/22, Shih) analysis says the string of arrests, investigations, forced
disappearances, and “posthumous humiliations” reported under “eye-catching
headlines coming out Beijing in October is a reminder that President Xi
Jinping’s hallmark anti-corruption drive is showing few signs of letting up
in its sixth year.” While the targeting of “suspected fraudsters, influence
peddlers and others remains popular with the public,” Xi’s campaign also
unveils “other tumult within the upper ranks of China’s leadership,
business world and security apparatus.” The Post says Chinese leaders are
“grappling” with the “internal upheavals at a time when Beijing is juggling
mounting challenges, from trade frictions with Washington to economic
stress at home.”
Domestic Policy
Media Analyses: Trump Fear-Mongering Over Caravan For Midterms Gain.

Media reports cast strong doubt on President Trump’s claims about
“criminals and unknown Middle Easterners” being part of the migrant caravan
making its way to the US border, and accused Trump of exacerbating tensions
over “immigration and race” in order to help Republicans in the upcoming
midterm contests. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018102301biden&r=email-e749&l=074-fe1&t=c>
(10/22, Burns, Herndon) reports, for example, that Trump “sharply
intensified a Republican campaign to frame t