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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Wednesday, February 20, 2019 7:57 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, February 20, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=001-bc5&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, February 20, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Appearing At University Of Pennsylvania, Biden Slams Trump Policies, Mum
On 2020 Plans. <#S1>

• ABC News: Sources Say Biden Likely To Run. <#S2>

• Poll: Biden, Obama Tied Atop Hypothetical 2020 Democratic Field. <#S3>

• As Biden Mulls 2020 Run, Rivals Busy Wooing Voters. <#S4>

• Media Analyses: Age Could Be An Issue For Biden, Sanders, Some Other
Democratic Hopefuls. <#S5>

• GQ Identifies “Tough Questions” Biden Would Face In A 2020 Bid. <#S6>

• Article Criticizes Biden Over $150K Paid Speech In Broward County. <#S7>

• Jill Biden To Give Commencement Address For Huntington Ingalls
Industries’ Apprentice School Feb. 23. <#S8>

• WPost A1: As Base Pushes 2020 Democrats Leftward, Trump Casts Candidates
As Socialists. <#S9>

• Trump Welcomes Sanders To Race, But Says, “I Think He Missed His Time.”
<#S10>

• Warren Proposes Universal Childcare. <#S11>

• Politico: Harris Unlikely To Make Strong Play For New Hampshire In
Democratic Race. <#S12>

• O’Rourke Mulling Possible White House, Senate Bids. <#S13>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• House Panel: Kushner Tied To Plan To Sell Nuclear Reactor Technology To
Saudis. <#S14>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump: No Hurry To See North Korea Denuclearize As Long As There Are No
Tests. <#S15>

• Trump: March 1 Deadline For China Trade Talks Not “Magical” Date. <#S16>

• MBS Arrives In India For Meetings With Modi After Visiting Pakistan.
<#S17>

• Media Analyses: Administration Failing To Respond Adequately To Kashmir
Tensions. <#S18>

• Airstrikes Continue To Pound Last ISIS Stronghold. <#S19>

• State Dept. Says American ISIS Fighters Should Be Prosecuted. <#S20>

• Grenell Leading US Effort To Pressure Countries To Decriminalize
Homosexuality. <#S21>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Defends His Border Wall Declaration In Wake Of States’ Suit. <#S22>

• Trump Denies NYTimes Report About Cohen Probe, Lavishes Praise On
Whitaker. <#S23>

• Trump Denies Ever Calling McCabe’s Wife A “Loser.” <#S24>

• Trump Taps Transportation Official To Replace Rosenstein. <#S25>

• Sources: Trump Growing Increasing Frustrated With Coats. <#S26>

• Amid Ethics Probe, Ross Says Inaccurate Financial Disclosures Were
Unintentional. <#S27>

• Trump Signs Directive Launching Plans For New Space Force. <#S28>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• HPV Vaccine Scale-Up Could Eliminate Most Cervical Cancer In Wealthy
Countries Within Three Decades, Study Suggests. <#S29>

• Surveys Find Cancer Patients Face Barriers To Joining Clinical Trials.
<#S30>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S31>

• Washington Post. <#S32>
Biden in the News
Appearing At University Of Pennsylvania, Biden Slams Trump Policies, Mum On
2020 Plans.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=002-bba&t=c>
(2/19, Scherer) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden, speaking on
Tuesday at the University of Pennsylvania, “sure sounded like a
presidential candidate,” saying “he was more optimistic about the country
than ever.” Biden laid “out a vision for reversing President Trump’s
foreign policy” and demanded “new worker protections to build up the middle
class.” However, Biden “would not address the one thing on everyone’s mind:
Would he throw his hat in the ring to challenge [President] Trump” in 2020.
Instead, Biden “continued an act he has practiced for more than a year,
teasing his own credentials and road-testing the messages that would form
his campaign before a friendly audience in an unobtrusive setting.”

Philly (PA)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=003-1e7&t=c>
(2/19, Brennan) reports that Biden “didn’t shed any light on” whether he’ll
enter the 2020 race for president, but “instead offered his signature mix
of caution and courage, repeatedly warning about xenophobia taking hold
here and America’s declining reputation among allies abroad, while
insisting this country can accomplish anything. ‘It’s time to get up. Get
off our knees. Remember who we are,’ Biden told a packed Irvine Auditorium
at the close of more than an hour of remarks. ‘Name me another country that
has the capacity and the ability to do what we can do.’”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=004-134&t=c>
(2/19, Frazin) reported that Biden blasted “Trump’s immigration policies”
during his appearance “at the University of Pennsylvania. ‘It’s about
xenophobia,’ he said. ‘This is not healthy.’ He particularly criticized the
administration’s end to a program that allowed minors from Guatemala,
Honduras and El Salvador to file asylum claims from their own countries.”
In an online article, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=005-f2f&t=c>
(2/19, Memoli) reported, “Days after he attended a major international
summit in Germany, Biden noted the deep concern among allies about the
United States and blasted the Trump administration for in his view
‘rooting’ for the demise of the European Union and diminishment of NATO. It
‘is the dumbest thing in the world,’ Biden said.”

On its website, CBS News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=006-e27&t=c>
(2/19) reported that Biden said Vice President Mike Pence’s “recent chilly
reception at [the] global security conference in Munich was an indication
that ‘the United States cannot be counted on any longer’ under...Trump’s
leadership.” In a brief, online article, KYW-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=007-58e&t=c>
Philadelphia (2/19) reported that Biden was asked by University of
Pennsylvania President Amy Gutman, “As young voters, what important
political issues might we overlook but should actually pay more attention
to?” Biden replied, “You cannot overlook global warming, you cannot
overlook racism, you cannot overlook the xenophobia that exists in this
country, [and] you can’t overlook those things that are basic, basic
American values.” Among the local TV stations which broadcast reports on
Biden’s appearance are KYW-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=008-dfa&t=c>
Philadelphia (2/20), WCAU-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=009-1d3&t=c>
Philadelphia (2/19), and WPSG-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=00a-63e&t=c>
Philadelphia (2/19).
ABC News: Sources Say Biden Likely To Run.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=00b-0c1&t=c>
(2/19, story 8, 0:40, Muir) reported there is “a lot of talk about” whether
former Vice President Joe Biden will run for president, with a video
“getting a lot of attention.” In the video, the President of Armenia asks
Biden about it and “it was really hard to sort of lip read for Joe Biden’s
answer there.” ABC (Bruce) added that Biden “will have a decision to
announce, soon. And sources close to the former Vice President tell us they
get a sense that he is likely to run.”

In an online article, ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=00c-d7b&t=c>
(2/19, Nagle) also reported that Biden “has said publicly he hasn’t made up
his mind on pursuing a presidential run in 2020,” but “sources close to the
politician, who have spoken with him in private, say they believe he will
mount a bid. Robert Wolf, a top Democratic donor and former economic
adviser to former President Barack Obama who has known Biden for over a
decade, spoke with him last week and believes Biden is ‘90 percent there’
on a run.” The Daily Mail (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=00d-991&t=c>
(2/20, Zilber) highlights Wolf’s “90 per cent there” remark about Biden
featured in ABC News story.

*FiveThirtyEight: Statistically, It Wouldn’t Be A Huge Surprise If
Biden Didn’t Run. *Writing for FiveThirtyEight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=00e-e84&t=c>
(2/19), Geoffrey Skelley said Biden “has led or tied for the lead in almost
every Democratic presidential primary poll he’s appeared in so far,” but
he’s yet to enter the 2020 contest. Skelley asked, “How common is it for
candidates to lead in the polls and never enter the race? We found 10
politicians since 1972 who didn’t end up running but who, like Biden, led
the field in at least one question in a national poll conducted one to two
years before the New Hampshire primary.” Consequently, “it wouldn’t be that
shocking if Biden decided against waging a 2020 campaign.”

*Playboy’s Carson Weighs In On Biden’s “Hesitation” About Launching
2020 Bid. *Under the headline “The Futility Of Joe Biden’s Long Game,” Tom
Carson writes in a piece for Playboy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=00f-9b4&t=c>
(2/19) about Biden’s ongoing ruminations on a possible presidential bid,
saying that with a number of contenders already in the race, Biden’s
“belief that he can operate on his own, more traditional schedule risks
making him look less like the heavyweight whose entry everyone is clamoring
for than a latecomer who’s sorely bereft of the requisite sense of
urgency.” Carson adds, “You can’t help suspecting that the real explanation
for Biden’s hesitation about entering the race – whether it’s genuine, he’s
just playing coy, or he’s buffeted by some combination of the two – is
simply that he hates the thought of being rejected for his ultimate dream
job yet again.”
Poll: Biden, Obama Tied Atop Hypothetical 2020 Democratic Field.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=010-fee&t=c>
(2/19, Sheffield) reported that a The Hill-HarrisX poll of Democratic
voters, taken Feb. 17-18, shows former Vice President Joe Biden and former
first lady Michelle Obama tied at 25% each in a hypothetical 2020
Democratic presidential primary, followed by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) at
12%, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at 11%, and a raft of other candidates
lagging in the low-to-middle single digits. When independents are included
in the poll results, Biden leads with 23%, followed by Obama at 22%,
Sanders at 12%, Harris at 8%, and others lagging further behind. The report
did not indicate how many Democratic and independent voters were surveyed.
The Hill added that Obama “has said she is not running, and Biden has not
announced whether he will launch another White House bid.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=011-f83&t=c>
(2/19, Moran) also reported on the results of the poll.
As Biden Mulls 2020 Run, Rivals Busy Wooing Voters.

In an online article, CBS News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=012-451&t=c>
(2/19, Huey-Burns, Erickson) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden
“leads most Democratic primary polls and is so revered in the party that
many voters who have never met him in person refer to him as they would a
longtime friend.” However, as Biden continues to mull a 2020 run,
“Democratic primary voters are getting busy meeting all of the candidates
who have already declared. And the energy surrounding this new crop of
contenders – campaign events in South Carolina and New Hampshire over
Presidents Day weekend drew thousands – is making” Biden “appear more like
a relic than a real contender in the minds of some Democrats.” Amid “one of
the largest and most diverse presidential fields the party has seen, voters
are already measuring up their ‘love for Joe’ against an array of new
options.”
Media Analyses: Age Could Be An Issue For Biden, Sanders, Some Other
Democratic Hopefuls.

In his Dallas Morning News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=013-d00&t=c>
(2/19) column, Carl Leubsdorf writes that Democrats would be better off if
Former Vice President Joe Biden, ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
(D) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) didn’t run for president in 2020, saying
that all three “would be close to 80 if elected. Given a choice, Americans
tend to opt for younger candidates; in five of the six presidential
elections before 2016, the younger candidate won.” Leubsdorf also says that
Biden has political baggage, citing “his strong advocacy of some of the
harsher anti-crime legislation of the 1990s and his mishandling of Anita
Hill’s testimony in the 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination
hearings.” Leubsdorf adds, “Democrats need to draw stylistic, as well as
policy, contrasts with [President] Trump. Picking a nominee who is even
older than the oldest person ever elected to the presidency seems like the
wrong way to do it.”

Writing for the Daily Intelligencer (NY)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=014-1dd&t=c>
(2/19), Ed Kilgore highlighted the ages of Biden, Sanders, and Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the latter approaching 70, and Kilgore then asked,
“Will our budding gerontocracy be an issue during the nominating or general
election stages of the 2020 campaign? The very idea seems to infuriate fans
of Biden and Sanders.” However, “it was an issue in the presidential
campaigns of the two nonincumbent septuagenarian major-party nominees
before Trump (Bob Dole in 1996 and John McCain in 2008 – both younger than
Biden and Sanders will be in 2020), whose other unusual features
overshadowed his age. So it cannot just be waved away as somehow
irrelevant.” Kilgore added that “if a 77- or 79-year-old candidate suffers
from any real or perceived impairment, the issue could take over the
campaign to an extent that makes Hillary Clinton’s email problem look
minor. Do Democrats really want to take that chance given the existential
threat of a second Trump term?”

Under the headline “How Old Is Too Old? Joe Biden And Bernie
Sanders Vie For The Oval Office,” Global News (CAN)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=015-dc0&t=c>
(2/19, Gerster) highlighted the ages of Biden and Sanders, before adding,
“Advisers, past and present, as well as prospective voters, have raised
concerns about the age of presidential hopefuls. They worry over a
candidate’s energy and vitality, whether a septuagenarian can appear fresh
and connect with younger voters.”
GQ Identifies “Tough Questions” Biden Would Face In A 2020 Bid.

GQ
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=016-be0&t=c>
(2/19, Willis) identifies what it describes as “tough questions” former
Vice President Joe Biden would face in a quest for the 2020 Democratic
presidential nominations: “Has the moment passed?”; “Does he have too much
history?”; “When the other party has no interest in civility, would having
a champion of civility in the White House matter?”; “What does
‘electability’ even mean anymore?”; and “How will President Obama factor in
to all of this (if at all)?”
Article Criticizes Biden Over $150K Paid Speech In Broward County.

In a very negative article, the Miami New Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=017-4bd&t=c>
(2/18, Iannelli) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “pocketed a
$150,000 speaking fee for a January trip to the Broward Center for the
Performing Arts.” During his Jan. 28 appearance, said the New Times, Biden
“danced around whether he was going to run for the White House.” However,
Biden’s “hosts knew ahead of time that the former VP wasn’t going to say
anything controversial. That’s because, according to copies of Biden’s
contract and rider obtained by MapLight, a nonprofit that tracks money in
politics, the questions in Biden’s ‘Q&A’ session were actually approved in
advance.” The article added, “The contracts yet again raise questions about
Biden’s morals and alleged self-obsession. He is apparently happy to fly
around the country making huge chunks of change off people who are likely
coming to see him because he might be the nation’s next president.”
Jill Biden To Give Commencement Address For Huntington Ingalls Industries’
Apprentice School Feb. 23.

In an online article, WVEC-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=018-ae2&t=c>
Hampton Roads, VA (2/19) reported that Dr. Jill Biden “will be visiting
Hampton to give a commencement address for The Apprentice School at
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division. The
address will take place at Liberty Baptist Church at 1021 Big Bethel Road
on Saturday, February 23 at 11 a.m. Biden, the sponsor of Virginia-class
submarine Delaware (SSN 791), will be introduced by U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott,
the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.”
WPost A1: As Base Pushes 2020 Democrats Leftward, Trump Casts Candidates As
Socialists.

On its front page, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=019-921&t=c>
(2/19, A1, Sullivan, Linskey) reports that the field of 2020 Democratic
White House hopefuls “is fighting two simultaneous battles: a chaotic
intraparty primary struggle over how far left to push their policies and a
broader question of how to confront the challenge posed by President Trump,
who has already begun casting the Democrats as socialists.” Consequently,
the Democratic hopefuls find themselves “being pressed from one side by
core Democratic voters hungry for leftist policies favored by the most
energized activists and, from the other, by the need to court centrist
voters who could be alienated by the party’s turn to the left. Trump’s
opportunity to define the Democratic field could be long-lasting: The
president will have more than a year to portray the opposing party as
radical before a Democratic nominee is selected.”
Trump Welcomes Sanders To Race, But Says, “I Think He Missed His Time.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=01a-a6e&t=c>
(2/19, Fritze, Jackson, Collins) reports President Trump, speaking to
reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, responded to Sen. Bernie Sanders’
(I-VT) announcement of his presidential candidacy. Said Trump, “Personally,
I think he missed his time. I wish Bernie well. It will be interesting to
see how he does.” Trump also said, “You have a lot of people running. But
only one person is going to win,” and added, “I hope you know who that
person is.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=01b-e30&t=c>
(2/19, Oprysko) reported Trump “welcomed” Sanders to the campaign. Trump
said, “I like Bernie because he is one person that you know on trade, he
sort of would agree on trade, I’m being very tough on trade, he was tough
on trade, the problem is, he doesn’t know what to do about it.” Trump
added, “He ran great four years ago. ... And he was not treated with
respect by [Hillary] Clinton, and that was too bad.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=01c-bc9&t=c>
(2/19, story 7, 2:10, Muir) concluded its story with “the President saying,
quote, ‘Personally, I think he’s missed his time, but I like Bernie,’ is
what the President said.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=01d-37f&t=c>
(2/19, lead story, 2:25, Glor) similarly concluded its story showing Trump
saying, “Personally, I think he missed his time, but I like Bernie, because
he is one person that on trade, he sort of would agree on trade.” NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=01e-bf6&t=c>
(2/19, story 4, 0:45, Holt) reported, “Trump wishing Sanders well,” and
showed the President saying, “You got a lot of people running, but only one
person’s going to win. I hope you know who that person is.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=01f-230&t=c>
(2/19, Samuels) reported that Trump campaign national press secretary
Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday said that Sanders “‘has already won’ the
Democratic primary debate ‘because every candidate is embracing his brand
of socialism.’” McEnany added, “But the American people will reject an
agenda of sky-high tax rates, government-run health care and coddling
dictators like those in Venezuela. Only President Trump will keep America
free, prosperous and safe.”

*Media Analyses: Sanders Faces More Competition On His Left Flank
This Time. *Media coverage of Sanders’ announcement was uniform in saying
that he will face a different challenge than in the 2016 campaign, because
of the number of Democratic candidates also taking up his positions, though
reports also said the candidate has the advantage of a strong small-donor
network and high name recognition. Media also mention accusations of sexual
harassment by women who worked on his campaign against male staff.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=020-e9b&t=c>
(2/19, story 7, 2:10, Muir) reported, “Bernie is back.” He “joins a growing
field, 11 other candidates already in the race on the Democratic side.” ABC
(Bruce) added, “Tonight, Bernie is back.” He “sparked a progressive
movement in 2016, taking on the establishment and Hillary Clinton. ... But
this time around, he’s got more competition. Some who also support his old
rallying cries, like Medicare for all and free college tuition.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=021-75e&t=c>
(2/19, lead story, 2:25, Glor) reported that Sanders is “the only candidate
calling himself a democratic socialist, and his entry stirs new discussion
about whether the country is heading his way or the other.” CBS (Cordes)
added, “In an interview with John Dickerson, and a video online...Sanders
said he’s picking up where he left off three years ago.” And “within four
hours, he had already raised $1 million.” CBS added that “his more moderate
opponents...think some of his plans, like free, four-year college for all,
are a pipe dream.” The segment showed Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) saying, “If
I was a magic genie and could give that to everyone and we could afford it,
I would.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=022-fed&t=c>
(2/19, story 4, 0:45, Holt) broadcast a clip of Sanders saying, “We have a
President who is a racist, who is a sexist, who is a xenophobe.” NBC added
that Sanders “isn’t the only one pushing progressive policies like Medicare
for all and free public college.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=023-78f&t=c>
(2/19, Summers) reports that Sanders in 2016 “reshaped Democratic politics”
and helped “lay the groundwork for the leftward lurch that has dominated
Democratic politics in the Trump era.” But, the AP questions whether
Sanders can “stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential
candidates who also embrace many of his policy ideas.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=024-6a8&t=c>
(2/19, Ember) reports that Sanders’ “populist agenda has helped push the
party to the left,” but his candidacy “will test whether he retains his
anti-establishment appeal or loses ground to newer faces who have adopted
many of his ideas.” Sanders begins “with stronger support from small-dollar
donors and liberal voters than most other candidates,” but “much of his
populist agenda has been embraced by other Democrats.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=025-4f4&t=c>
(2/19, Whitesides) reports Sanders “will have to fight to stand out in a
crowded field of progressives touting issues he brought into the Democratic
Party” and he “will face questions about his age and relevance in a party
increasingly embracing more diverse and fresh voices.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=026-61a&t=c>
(2/19, Otterbein) reported that in this race, Sanders is “a heavyweight
candidate against a crowded field of liberals, instead of the passionate
underdog taking on the anointed nominee.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=027-d5d&t=c>
(2/19, McLaughlin) reports Sanders has “hopes that the party hasn’t left
him behind,” but the large 2020 Democratic field “is far different from
what Mr. Sanders faced in his 2016 bid, when a few less-than-compelling
candidates quickly dropped out, leaving the race to Mr. Sanders and Hillary
Clinton.” This time, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA),
and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “are running on like-minded populist agendas.”

McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=028-d3b&t=c>
(2/19, Roarty) reports, “The party’s lurch to the left might make a 2020
campaign easier for Sanders, but he must now also face a bevy of new,
liberal Democratic candidates who will claim the mantle of progressive
champion.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=029-688&t=c>
(2/19, Schor) reports that “the tension between supporters of Bernie
Sanders and Hillary Clinton resurfaced on Tuesday” with “longtime Clinton
aide Philippe Reines tweet[ing] that the media had given Sanders a ‘WELCOME
BACK!’ reception despite his 2016 primary loss while telling Clinton to ‘go
away.’” Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=02a-989&t=c>
(2/19, John) reports, “Sanders starts his 2020 campaign with a long list of
potential advantages,” but “2020 will be a very different campaign” as
“several Democrats already are echoing his economic message”

Dan Balz of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=02b-ccd&t=c>
(2/19, Balz) writes, “Had [Sanders] been in New Hampshire over the
Presidents’ Day weekend and seen the energy and the crowds who turned out
to see some of his rivals, he would have recognized how much things have
changed.” CNN political commentator Karen Finney said on CNN’s The Lead[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=02c-62d&t=c>
(2/19), “It will be much harder for [Sanders than in 2016]. If you look at
how he runs, it is against the establishment. In this instance, you have 10
or 15 other people, all of whom represent different parts of some of these
ideas. ... I think he will have a hard time convincing voters that he is
the one to deliver versus others that can deliver.”

NPR’s Mara Liasson said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=02d-0a1&t=c>
(2/19), “Why do you need a cranky old guy from Brooklyn when you can get
these young exciting people who agree with them on almost everything? I
think there is something to be said about Bernie at this moment. He did
shape the party and I think he certainly can be proud of that. ... The
point is that a lot of his ideas are being accepted widely and I think the
party does really want someone young and fresh.”

However, writing for The Atlantic
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=02e-6dc&t=c>
(2/19), Edward-Isaac Dovere says that Sanders is “a 77-year-old socialist
who’s abrasive when he’s in a good mood, and who’s still blamed by many
Democrats for Hillary Clinton losing to Donald Trump. But go ahead, try to
argue that” he “isn’t the front-runner in the 2020 Democratic race right
now.” Sanders’ Democratic rivals “assume that this won’t last. But he’ll
raise millions, get 20,000 people at his rallies, and make them all look
junior varsity in comparison. Still, they’re confident that he won’t be
able to maintain that over the next year.”

*Sanders’ Camp Says It Raised Over $4M In 10 Hours. *Business
Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=02f-0de&t=c>
(2/19, Choi) reported, “Ten hours after announcing” his bid, Sanders had
“raised more than $4 million from nearly 150,000 individual donors, the
campaign said in an email on Tuesday.”

*Boston Globe: For Sanders And Warren, It’s “Win Or Die” In New
Hampshire Primary. *Writing for the Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=030-9cb&t=c>
(2/19), James Pindell says that Sanders “enters the 2020 presidential race
with political advantages that his rivals could only dream of having. But
he also has one major obstacle” in the form of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
– “and specifically, her candidacy in the New Hampshire primary. Sanders,
after all, won the New Hampshire primary with more than 60 percent of the
vote in 2016 over the national front-runner, Hillary Clinton.” This time
around, Sanders “only has two options: win or drop out. Warren faces the
same ‘win or die’ proposition in New Hampshire.”

*Pollster Maintains Sanders Can Beat Trump In Red States And
Battlegrounds. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=031-dae&t=c>
(2/19, Otterbein) reported that Sanders’ pollster Ben Tulchin has
“circulated a memo about an online survey he conducted in late 2017” in
West Virginia. The survey found “Sanders would beat Trump by 2 percentage
points in the state – despite the fact that Trump won West Virginia,
69-27.” Politico said that “the Sanders team is convinced” his “appeal to
independent voters, the white working class, and people of color is
underestimated – and could pay dividends in unexpected places in a general
election.” Politico added, “Some in the Sanders camp envision possibly
making a play for Iowa, Ohio, and Indiana, as well as states such as
Kansas, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Montana – six states
that, together, have voted for the Democratic nominee just twice in the
past half-century.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=032-f3e&t=c>
(2/19, Weigel) says that “in early polls of Iowa and New Hampshire, where
he won 50 percent and 60 percent of the vote, support for” Sanders “has
ranged from the low teens to 30 percent.”

*Sanders Indicates He’ll Seek A Younger, Female Running Mate.
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=033-f4b&t=c>
(2/19, Lim) reported that Sanders on Tuesday indicated “he would consider a
woman running mate should he win the party’s nomination. ‘I think we would
look for somebody who is maybe not of the same gender that I am, and maybe
someone who might be a couple of years younger than me, and somebody who
can take the progressive banner as vice president and carry it all over
this county to help us with our agenda, and help us to rally the American
people,’ Sanders told The Young Turks, a left-leaning media organization.”

*Conservative Commentators Hit Sanders For His Avowed Socialism. *Sean
Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=034-512&t=c>
(2/19), “Just today, crazy Bernie Sanders threw his hat into the ring
promising even more far-left extreme radical socialism.” He added, “We know
Bernie is nuts, and a socialist. The problem is, his ideas are gaining a
foothold as like the majority of the Democratic Socialist Party.”

Laura Ingraham said on Fox News The Ingraham Angle[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=035-d23&t=c>
(2/19), “It wasn’t any real surprise when Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders
decided to formally enter the race. It is always stunning to hear what the
Muppet-like lefty actually believes.” She added, “Bernie thinks the second
time’s the charm. After all, he was socialist before socialism was cool.”
Ingraham also said, “I will translate for you: Bernie is coming for your
money, and there aren’t enough billionaires to pay for the trillions in
spending he has in mind. And he’s not exactly being revolutionary with this
tired trope.”

*Carlson: Sanders Has Embraced Identity Politics. *Tucker Carlson,
in his opening monologue on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=036-904&t=c>
(2/19), said that Sanders in 2016 campaigned on the themes that got Trump
elected president: concerns about trade, growing division between rich and
poor, and the need for broad-based prosperity. Now, said Carlson, Sanders
is embracing identity politics. Rather than “saving America from predatory
global capitalism, Sanders plans to save us from Donald Trump’s racism and
sexism.” However, Carlson said those aren’t “the biggest problems America
faces, sorry, not even close actually. Growing economic stratification and
a dying middle-class, those are the biggest problems, but nobody in
Washington wants to talk about those things and why would they? People in
Washington are richer than ever.”

*WSJournal Urges Greater Scrutiny Of Sanders And His Wife. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=037-f3e&t=c>
(2/19) says in an editorial that Sanders succeeded in moving the Democratic
Party to the left, with the result that he now faces a number of candidates
running on the issues he used in 2016. The Journal urges greater attention
to Sanders’ wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, particularly her time as president
of Burlington College in Vermont, which closed a few years after she left,
chiefly, according to the Journal, because of the debt she had accumulated
as president.
Warren Proposes Universal Childcare.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=038-fe4&t=c>
(2/19, Astor) reports that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday proposed
universal childcare through “a network of government-funded care centers
based partly on the existing Head Start network.” Care would be free for
families earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level and the
cost would be set on sliding scale for others, with a cap of seven percent
of income. The Times says Warren “framed the issue broadly,” in terms of
access to education, promoting economic growth, and addressing gender
inequality in the work force. The proposal “would be funded by Ms. Warren’s
proposed wealth tax on households with more than $50 million in assets,”
which Mark Zandi and Sophia Koropeckyj, economists at Moody’s Analytics,
say would fully cover the cost of the plan.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=039-6fc&t=c>
(2/19, Stein) reports that “some critics on the right argued that Warren’s
plan would exacerbate already rising costs and represent an enormous
government intrusion in private life in America, while some on the left
argue that it does not go far enough. Others note that the plan may
engender a backlash from social conservatives, noting that the details of
‘national standards’ for Warren’s plan remain vague.”
Politico: Harris Unlikely To Make Strong Play For New Hampshire In
Democratic Race.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=03a-703&t=c>
(2/19, Cadelago) reported, “The question of whether” Sen. Kamala Harris
(D-CA) “will genuinely compete in” New Hampshire’s “primary hung over her
President’s Day town hall in Portsmouth – even after 1,000 people packed
the church to see her, and 500 more were turned away because the space was
too full. Harris, at the event, went out of her way in pledging to be
active in the state.” However, “history is not on her side.” The state “has
been the province of New Englanders back to John F. Kennedy – with the
notable exception of Ted Kennedy in 1980.”
O’Rourke Mulling Possible White House, Senate Bids.

On its website, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=03b-812&t=c>
(2/19, Bradner) reported that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) on Tuesday
confirmed “he is considering runs for president and the Senate in 2020 and
said he plans to decide on ‘what it is we do next’ by the end of February.”
Asked by reporters if he was considering a 2020 bid to unseat Sen. John
Cornyn (R-TX), O’Rourke said, “I’m trying to figure out how I can best
serve this country – where I can do the greatest good for the United States
of America. So, yeah, I’m thinking through that and it, you know, may
involve running for the presidency. It may involve something else.” His
remarks “came after a luncheon, during which El Paso Inc. named O’Rourke
the ‘El Pasoan of the Year.’”

The Texas Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=03c-4c0&t=c>
(2/19, Svitek) reports that O’Rourke “repeatedly expressed hope he could
reach a decision by Feb. 28 but noted he would not be ‘limited by the end
of this month.’” Though O’Rourke “has shown little outward interest in”
challenging “Cornyn next year, some Democrats remain hopeful that he will
ultimately see it as a more winnable race. A recent poll commissioned by
Dallas Democratic consultant Jeff Dalton found O’Rourke trailing Cornyn by
just 2 percentage points in a hypothetical matchup.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=03d-ff6&t=c>
(2/19, Weissert) reports that O’Rourke also said “that he hasn’t ruled out
being a 2020 vice presidential candidate – even as he plans to decide in
the next 10 days if he’ll seek the presidency. Answering a question in
Spanish about the possibility of being another candidate’s running mate,”
O’Rourke “answered in Spanish: ‘I’m going to consider every way to serve
this country. And, yes, that will include anything.’”
Leading the News
House Panel: Kushner Tied To Plan To Sell Nuclear Reactor Technology To
Saudis.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=03e-9c3&t=c>
(2/19, Landay, Layne) says Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are
claiming in a new report that “top White House aides ignored repeated
warnings they could be breaking the law as they worked with...a close
friend of” President Trump “to advance a multi-billion-dollar plan to build
nuclear reactors” in Saudi Arabia. The House panel’s report details an
“effort...[that] began before Trump took office and continued after his
inauguration...despite National Security Council staff warnings that a
proposed transfer of US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia was being
fast-tracked around a mandatory approval process in possible breach of the
Atomic Energy Act.” According to the report, former national security
adviser Michael Flynn “promoted the plan with Tom Barrack, the chairman of
Trump’s inaugural committee, and a consortium of US firms.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=03f-a7a&t=c>
(2/19, Hamburger, Mufson Nakashima) reports that there were “repeated
objections from members of the National Security Council and other senior
White House officials,” including H.R. McMaster, “then the chief of the
National Security Council.” However, the Post says, “the effort to promote
nuclear sales persisted, led by” Flynn and “more recently by Energy
Secretary Rick Perry” and “was discussed in the Oval Office as recently as
last week.” The House report “notes that one of the power plant
manufacturers that could benefit from a nuclear deal, Westinghouse
Electric, is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, the company that
provided financial relief to the family of Jared Kushner, the president’s
son-in-law and senior adviser.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=040-5db&t=c>
(2/19, Fandos) says the report claims “the company backing the nuclear
plan, IP3 International, and its allies in the White House were working so
closely that the company sent a draft memo to...Flynn, to circulate just
days after the inauguration.” According to the report, “at a March 2017
meeting, a National Security Council aide tried to revive the IP3 plan ‘so
that Jared Kushner can present it to the President for approval.’” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=041-40e&t=c>
(2/19, Colman) reports “IP3 organized a meeting with Trump last week where
executives from companies such as Westinghouse, General Electric, Exelon,
Centrus Energy, NuScale, TerraPower and LightBridge pitched the president
to help them win contracts in the Middle East and elsewhere.”

According to the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=042-224&t=c>
(2/19, Hamburger), the committee’s report said “unnamed whistle-blowers
inside the White House came forward because they were distressed at the
continued effort to sell the power plants.” Committee Republicans,
meanwhile, “said Tuesday they were not included in the drafting of the
detailed report and had not received a copy until Monday night.” To the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=043-61c&t=c>
(2/19, Day), the report “raises concerns about whether some in a White
House marked by ‘chaos, dysfunction and backbiting’ sought to circumvent
national security procedures to push a Saudi deal that could financially
benefit close supporters of the president.”

Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=044-9a2&t=c>
(2/19, House) reports the release of the House panel’s report “coincides
with rising bipartisan concerns over the US-Saudi relationship in general
and, more specifically, about whether nuclear technology transfer would add
to an already unstable Middle East.” According to Bloomberg, “Tension has
centered on whether a nuclear technology sharing agreement would strictly
prohibit Saudi Arabia from enriching and reprocessing spent fuel, which
could be used in weapons production.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=045-6f5&t=c>
(2/19, Muñoz) reports Rep. Adam Schiff, who heads the House Intelligence
Committee, “said his panel will work in conjunction” with Oversight
Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to investigate whether the
Administration “broke federal mandates under the Atomic Energy Act in its
dealings with the Saudis.” Said Schiff, “If the allegations are borne out,
such an effort…is precisely the type of dangerous conflict of interest,
serious compromise, and danger to national security that Congress has a
duty to expose and root out.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=046-30c&t=c>
(2/19, Strobel) reports that a spokesman for Barrack said he is willing to
cooperate with the House Oversight Committee.

*Bob Graham, UN Official: Saudi Arabia Still Isn’t Doing Enough To
Fight Terror Financing. *Former Sen. Bob Graham and Fionnuala Ni Aolain,
the UN special rapporteur on the promotion of human rights and fundamental
freedoms while countering terrorism, write in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=047-af9&t=c>
(2/19) that a recent review of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat terrorism
financing “identified a number of serious deficiencies.” They argue that if
Saudi Arabia wants “to appropriately address the risk of terrorist
financing, it must prosecute not just the foot soldiers but also the
financiers who fuel terrorism around the world.”
Foreign Policy
Trump: No Hurry To See North Korea Denuclearize As Long As There Are No
Tests.

Ahead of his summit next week in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim Jon
Un, President Trump yesterday spoke to reporters at the White House about
his expectations for the talks. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=048-969&t=c>
(2/19, Riechmann) reports Trump said “he wants to see North Korea
eventually give up its nuclear weapons program, but adds he’s not in any
rush.” Said Trump, “I have no pressing time schedule.” Trump also told
reporters that next week’s summit would be “very exciting,” and said he
discussed it during a phone call earlier in the day with South Korean
President Moon Jae-in and will speak on Wednesday with Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=049-6f3&t=c>
(2/19, Mason, Smith) quotes the President as saying, “I’m in no rush.
There’s no testing. As long as there is no testing, I’m in no rush. If
there’s testing, that’s another deal. I’d just like to see ultimately
denuclearization of North Korea.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=04a-fc3&t=c>
(2/19, Samuels) reports Trump added, “I think we will see that ultimately.”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=04b-b54&t=c>
(2/19, Morin) reports Trump told reporters he believed “that North Korea
and Chairman Kim have some very positive things in mind” about getting rid
of nuclear weapons and “we’ll soon find out” what it is.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=04c-436&t=c>
(2/19, Jackson) reports that during his call with Trump, Moon said he hopes
the summit “will provide a ‘critical turning point’ to accomplish complete
de-nuclearization, a peace regime on the peninsula and development of NK-US
relations,” according to a statement from his office. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=04d-f11&t=c>
(2/19, Shin, Smith) reports Moon also told Trump “that his country is
willing to open economic engagement with North Korea as a ‘concession’ if
it will hasten Pyongyang’s denuclearization, Moon’s office said.” Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=04e-e8f&t=c>
(2/19, Sebenius), among other outlets, similarly report Trump’s comments.

*North Korea Predicts “Major Breakthrough” At Summit. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=04f-a41&t=c>
(2/18, Martel) reports that “an article at a North Korean government
propaganda site predicted a ‘major breakthrough’ in upcoming talks” between
Trump and Kim. Meari, “a North Korean government propaganda website, posted
an article Sunday claiming that North Korea is seeking ‘to build a
permanent and stable peace regime,’ not to develop more nuclear weapons.”
South Korea’s Yonhap quotes the report as saying, “There’s no reason North
Korea-US relations can’t have a major breakthrough, as we have seen in
inter-Korean relations.”

*Biegun Heads To Vietnam For Pre-Summit Talks. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=050-245&t=c>
(2/19, Brunnstrom) reports US special envoy Stephen Biegun traveled to
Hanoi on Tuesday to continue preparations for a second summit between Trump
and Kim next week, the State Department said. State Department spokesman
Robert Palladino told reporters “he had no details of the meetings Stephen
Biegun would have in Hanoi.”

*Kim Purges Opponents Of US Outreach. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=051-98f&t=c>
(2/19, Jeong, Martin) reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has purged or
executed 50-70 suspected opponents of his diplomatic outreach to the US and
South Korea, according to a new report. Authors of the report from the
North Korea Strategy Center, a Seoul-based think tank founded by a North
Korean defector, the purge suggests Kim is trying to silence critics as he
prepares to meet President Trump in Hanoi next week.

*Former Diplomat: North Korea Won’t Give Up Nuclear Weapons. *USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=052-465&t=c>
(2/19, Maresca) reports a former North Korean diplomat warned Tuesday that
North Korea has no intention of giving up its nuclear weapons. Thae Yong
Ho, Pyongyang’s former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, told
reporters, “No money in the world will convince North Korea to give up its
nuclear weapons.” Thae, USA Today notes, fled his post in 2016 and is the
“highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea.”

*North Korean Envoy In China Ahead Of Summit. *AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=053-e1a&t=c>
(2/19) reports that North Korea’s “special representative for the US
arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, apparently en route to Vietnam to meet his
Washington counterpart” ahead of next week’s summit between Trump and Kim.
Kim Hyok Chol “arrived in the Chinese capital at around 10 am (0200 GMT)
and was expected to board a plane bound for Hanoi later in the day.”

*Vietnamese Barber Offers Free Trump-Kim Haircuts Ahead Of Summit. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=054-43f&t=c>
(2/19, Nguyen) reports that in honor of the upcoming summit between Trump
and Kim, “a Hanoi barber is offering free haircuts to anyone wanting to
copy their distinctive locks.”
Trump: March 1 Deadline For China Trade Talks Not “Magical” Date.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=055-caa&t=c>
(2/19, Mason, Lawder) reports President Trump said Tuesday that trade talks
with China “were going well and suggested he was open to pushing off the
deadline to complete negotiations,” saying March 1 was not a “magical”
date. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “They are very
complex talks. They’re going very well. I can’t tell you exactly about
timing, but the date is not a magical date. A lot of things can happen.”
Referring to the new tariffs, Trump added, “I know that China would like
not for that to happen, so I think they’re trying to move fast so that
doesn’t happen.”

*US Negotiators Ask China To Commit To Stable Yuan As Part Of Trade
Deal. *Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=056-d1c&t=c>
(2/19) reports the Administration is “asking China to keep the value of the
yuan stable as part of trade negotiations,” which Bloomberg says is “a move
aimed at neutralizing any effort by Beijing to devalue its currency to
counter American tariffs.” According to Bloomberg, “Officials from the two
countries are discussing how to address currency policy in a ‘Memorandum of
Understanding’ that would form the basis of a deal that ultimately will
have to be approved by” President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Bloomberg adds, “While the precise wording remains unresolved, a pledge of
yuan stability has been discussed in multiple rounds of talks in recent
months and both sides have tentatively agreed it will be part of the
framework of any final deal.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022001biden&r=email-d2c8&l=057-178&t=c>
(2/19, Lambert, Lawder) reports Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said in October
“that currency issues must be part of US-China trade negotiations and that
Chinese officials told him that further depreciation of the yuan was not in
their interests.”

*China Has Reportedly Stopped Complying With “Hacking Truce” With
US. *Bloomberg
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(2/19, Sebenius) reports that, according to the cybersecurity firm
Crowdstrike, China “largely abandoned a hacking truce negotiated by” the
Obama Administration as President Trump “embarked on a trade war with
Beijing last year.” Bloomberg reports Crowdstrike says “a slowdown in
Chinese hacking following the cybersecurity agreement Obama’s
administration secured in 2015 appears to have been reversed. ... ‘By 2017
they started coming back and throughout 2018 they were back in full force,’
said Adam Meyers, vice president of intelligence at Crowdstrike.”
MBS Arrives In India For Meetings With Modi After Visiting Pakistan.

Reuters
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(2/19, Bhardwaj) reports Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “broke with
government protocol to personally welcome Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman to New Delhi on Tuesday.” According to Reuters,
“Ordinarily, the prime minister would not receive a foreign dignitary at
the airport, but instead send an official or a junior government minister.”
Reuters says Modi is “due to hold talks on Wednesday with the crown prince,
who has already visited Pakistan, where he also received a lavish
reception.” Reuters adds that MBS’s trip “has taken on extra dimension
after a bombing in the disputed Kashmir region on Thursday that India
blamed on Pakistan.” According to Reuters, both countries are “keen to
cement ties with Saudi Arabia.”
Media Analyses: Administration Failing To Respond Adequately To Kashmir
Tensions.

The New York Times
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(2/19, Masood) reports that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has
“offered...to investigate allegations by New Delhi that a Pakistan-based
militant group was behind a deadly suicide attack on Indian troops in
Kashmir,” but also “warned that his country would retaliate against any
Indian military action.” According to the Times, “Khan’s comments were the
first formal response by the Pakistani leader since the bombing on
Thursday, the worst in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir in 30
years.” The Ties says Jaish-e-Muhammad, “a Pakistan-based militant group,
claimed responsibility for the attack.”

Emily Tamkin of the Washington Post
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(2/19) writes, “The fraught situation...does not seem to have generated
much concern in...Washington.” However, Tamkin adds, “The Trump
administration, however, has not been entirely silent. Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo tweeted his condemnation of the attack and said Pakistan cannot
‘provide safe haven for terrorists.’” Nevertheless, Tamkin says “the lack
of greater public involvement from foreign policy officials in the Trump
administration and from foreign policy experts in Washington more broadly
could signal a worrying lack of attention.”

*WPost: Pakistan’s Nuclear-Armed Status Limits US-India Response To
Kashmir Attack. *A Washington Post
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(2/19) editorial says the “bloody suicide bombing in Kashmir last week has
confronted the Indian government with a dilemma that both it and the United
States have repeatedly faced: what to do about the sponsorship of Islamist
terrorist groups by Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state.” While diplomacy,
targeted military strikes, and sanctions have not worked, “the failure to
impose accountability or establish deterrence only encourages the Pakistani
military and its intelligence service to continue a policy of backing
extremists in both India and Afghanistan.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi “has vowed ‘a befitting reply’ to the attack,” but the Post says
India’s options are ultimately “limited.” The Post argues that “Modi’s best
course, however unsatisfactory, may be to avoid overreaction – including
against the Muslim population of Kashmir and those in India who speak out
on its behalf.”
Airstrikes Continue To Pound Last ISIS Stronghold.

Reuters
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(2/19, Said) reports that “air strikes targeted Islamic State’s last pocket
in eastern Syria” today “as US-backed fighters pressed for a victory that
would bring the jihadists’ self-proclaimed caliphate to its bloody end.”
According to Reuters, “Dozens of trucks earlier headed toward Baghouz, a
village on the banks of the Euphrates at the Iraqi border where hundreds of
Islamic State militants were making their last stand.” Reuters says the
trucks “were going to evacuate the remaining civilians,” which Reuters
describes as “a crucial step toward taking control of the area.”

The AP
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(2/19, El Deeb) also reports on the “renewed efforts to evacuate hundreds
of civilians trapped in the militants’ last patch of territory along the
Euphrates River.” According to the AP, “A spokesman for the US-backed
Syrian militia that is spearheading the fight against IS said a military
operation aimed at ousting the extremists from the enclave will begin if
they don’t surrender.”

The Los Angeles Times
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(2/19, Bulos) reports that roughly “200 families remain trapped in Islamic
State’s last remaining slice of territory in eastern Syria, the United
Nations said Tuesday.” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle
Bachelet “expressed concern for the families,” saying in a statement that
many “are apparently being actively prevented from leaving” by ISIS. She
added, “Civilians continue to be used as pawns by the various parties.…
They should not be sacrificed to ideology on the one hand, or military
expediency on the other.”
State Dept. Says American ISIS Fighters Should Be Prosecuted.

The New York Post
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(2/19, Schwab, Brown) reports State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert
Palladino “on Tuesday outlined the government’s position on American ISIS
members who’ve been captured in Syria – saying they should be brought back
to the US and prosecuted.” Asked about American “ISIS bride” Hoda Muthana,
Palladino told reporters: “Our policy in this regard would be to repatriate
them – and that’s what we call on all countries to do who have [ISIS]
fighters in Syria.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(2/19, story 8, 1:35, Holt) broadcast Palladino saying, “Repatriating these
foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of origin, ensuring that
they’re prosecuted and detained, that’s the best solution.”

*“ISIS Brides” Discuss Push For Repatriation. *In a more than
2,550-word piece, the New York Times
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(2/19, Callimachi, Porter) interviews Muthana and “Kimberly Gwen Polman,
46, who had studied legal administration in Canada before joining the
caliphate and who possesses dual United States and Canadian citizenship.”
The two women are currently detained in a northeastern Syrian refugee camp.
Both women said “they were trying to figure out how to have their passports
reissued, and how to win the sympathy of the two nations they scorned.”
They also “said they had not been visited by American officials since their
capture last month.” A “small number of Americans – as few as 59, according
to data tracked by the George Washington University Program on Extremism –
are known to have traveled to Syria to join ISIS.” While nearly all of “the
American men captured in battle have been repatriated,” it is “unclear why
some of the American women and their children – at least 13 known to The
Times – have not been.”

In a letter obtained by the New York Post
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(2/19, Musumeci, Brown), “Muthana claims becoming a mother while in Syria
as a member of the terror group ‘changed’ her – and she now appreciates the
‘freedoms we have in America.’” James Longman reported on ABC World News
Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(2/19, story 9, 2:15, Muir) that Muthana says that, once in Syria, her only
choice was marriage. When asked what kind of punishment she deserves for
what she did, Muthana said, “Maybe therapy lessons? Maybe a process that
will ensure us that we’ll never do this again.” Muthana added that she
knows therapy is not enough, and that she is “definitely planning” to speak
out against ISIS and warn people not to make her same mistakes.

Holly Williams reported for the CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
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(2/19, story 7, 2:35, Glo