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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Wednesday, June 6, 2018 8:00 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, June 6, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=001-274&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, June 6, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• After Canceling Eagles’ Visit, Trump Hosts “Celebration For America” At
White House. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• CNN: Pompeo Urged Trump To Sideline Bolton Ahead Of Singapore Summit.
<#S2>

• Iran Says New Natanz Centrifuge Assembly Center Is Complete. <#S3>

• Pentagon: No Way To Know Exact Civilian Casualty Numbers In Fight Against
ISIS. <#S4>

• Putin Says He “Regularly” Talks With Trump. <#S5>

• Kudlow: Trump Considering Separate NAFTA Talks With Canada, Mexico. <#S6>

• OAS Paves Way For Venezuela’s Possible Expulsion. <#S7>

• Facebook Gave Chinese Firm Flagged By US Intelligence Access To User Data.
<#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Sessions Defends Separating Families At Border. <#S9>

• Reports: Medicare, Social Security Face Worsening Financial Outlook.
<#S10>

• Blagojevich Formally Asks Trump To Commute Prison Sentence. <#S11>

• White House Aide Who Joked About McCain Illness No Longer With
Administration. <#S12>

• Administration Delays Announcement On Renewable Fuels Standard. <#S13>

• Manafort Given Until Friday To Respond To Witness Tampering Allegations.
<#S14>

• Tuesday Primaries Give Both Parties Reasons For Relief. <#S15>

• Ellison Announces Bid For Minnesota Attorney General <#S16>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Childhood Cancer Treatment Advocates Cheer Passage Of Expanded Access
Bill. <#S17>

• Study: Personalized Vaccine Could Add Years To Glioblastoma Patients’
Lives. <#S18>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S19>

• Washington Post. <#S20>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Biden Brings “American Promise Tour” To New Orleans. <#S21>

• The Hill: Some Democrats Think Biden Right Choice To Battle Trump In 2020.
<#S22>

• Author Brower: Biden Discusses Foreign Leaders With Pence. <#S23>
Leading the News
After Canceling Eagles’ Visit, Trump Hosts “Celebration For America” At
White House.

To mostly unfavorable media coverage, President Trump yesterday hosted a
“Celebration for America” at the White House after canceling a visit from
Super Bowl champs Philadelphia Eagles. Trump, says the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=002-2e2&t=c>
(6/5, Shear), “his hand over his heart, sang along as the United States
Marine Band and the Army Chorus performed the national anthem on the South
Lawn.” After that, “in brief remarks, Mr. Trump did not mention the Eagles
as he urged Americans to always stand for the anthem.” To the Times, “the
message from the president was clear: a denunciation of football players
who knelt during the anthem or have said they would stay in the locker room
when it is played.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=003-c2d&t=c>
(6/5, Holland) quotes him as saying, “We stand to show our love for our
fellow citizens and our magnificent Constitution.”

All three major network newscasts reported on the event. The CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=004-3ed&t=c>
(6/5, story 2, 2:15, Morgan) showed Trump saying, “We love our country. We
respect our flag, and we always proudly stand for the National Anthem.” NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=005-b48&t=c>
(6/5, story 4, 2:30, Alexander) showed footage of White House Press
Secretary Sarah Sanders denouncing “a political stunt by the Eagles
franchise,” while ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=006-610&t=c>
(6/5, lead story, 3:50, Karl), which led with the story, reported that “the
White House said the Eagles ‘disagree with their President because he
insists they proudly stand for the National Anthem,’” though “the Eagles
were one team where no players ever knelt for the National Anthem last
season.”

In tweets earlier yesterday, Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=007-a24&t=c>,
“We will proudly be playing the National Anthem and other wonderful music
celebrating our Country today at 3 P.M., The White House, with the United
States Marine Band and the United States Army Chorus. Honoring America!
NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms!” Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=008-39e&t=c>
(6/5, Lockie) said “Trump’s mention of ‘Locker Rooms’ recalls a new NFL
rule that says all players must either stand on the field during the anthem
or wait in the locker room.” Trump “celebrated the NFL rule at the time.”
Trump also tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=009-505&t=c>,
“We have had many Championship teams recently at the White House including
the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Penguins, New England
Patriots, Alabama and Clemson National Champions, and many others.”

On NBC’s Today[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=00a-072&t=c>
(6/5, 7:02 a.m. EDT, Kotb), Hallie Jackson said that “rather than facing
the spectacle of getting snubbed,” Trump “pulled [an] abrupt about-face,
uninviting the team itself, but allowing fans to visit.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=00b-4df&t=c>
(6/5, Fabian) said, however, that “the event...had a slapdash feeling,” as
“several attendees who spoke to reporters did not appear to have ties to
Philadelphia or the Eagles, even though the White House said the event was
organized for fans of the team.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=00c-361&t=c>
(6/5, Karni, Cadelago) casts “the change of plans” as “a setback for a
White House that has until now viewed its culture war with the National
Football League as a winning issue with its base.” Politico adds “the
internal reaction to the change of plans was also the latest example of the
siege mentality that grips many of the staffers around the president – that
it’s the ever-shrinking West Wing staff against the world.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=00d-2bc&t=c>
(6/5, Colvin, Lemire) says Trump “stoked fresh controversy over players who
protest racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem,” and
the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=00e-40c&t=c>
(6/5, Dawsey, Lowery) that he opened “a new salvo in his culture war over
National Football League players standing for the national anthem.” To Rolling
Stone
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=00f-b87&t=c>
(6/5, Bort), “what used to be routine, apolitical visits from America’s top
athletes are now mired in controversy, if they even happen at all,” and Sports
Illustrated
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=010-cea&t=c>
(6/5, Kahler) reported that “Trump’s ego might have been bruised by the
report that fewer than 10 Eagles players would be attending, so rather than
host a sparsely attended ceremony he uninvited the whole organization.”
Trump’s “vitriol could also be partly motivated by revenge against Eagles
owner Jeff Lurie, who has spoken out against Trump.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=011-be7&t=c>
(6/5, Parker) reports that “Trump’s roughly five minutes of remarks Tuesday
on the South Lawn of the White House in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles
never mentioned the reigning Super Bowl champions by name but seemed
determined to answer some age-old etiquette questions: Is a party really a
party if none of the special guests show up? Or if the host...abruptly
disinvites the special guests in a fit of pique?” To the Post, “the answer,
it appears, is a resounding ‘sort of’ – a gathering more of circumstance
than pomp.” Another Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=012-1df&t=c>
(6/5, Kane) piece notes “just two members of Congress” – Reps. Lou Barletta
(R) and Mike Kelly (R) – attended, and Trump “used some of his 4 minutes of
remarks to promote Barletta’s candidacy in the Senate race against [Sen.
Robert] Casey.”

Under the headline “With No Eagles Around, Trump Acts A Turkey,”
Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=013-20d&t=c>
(6/5), “Patriotism, Samuel Johnson told us long ago, is the last refuge of
a scoundrel. GPS now provides specific coordinates for that refuge: 38° 53’
47.76” north latitude, -77° 02’ 11.76” west longitude. The South Lawn of
the White House.” Trump “ordered the US Marine Band and the U.S. Army
Chorus to ‘loudly and proudly play the national anthem’ – or, presumably,
face court-martial if they played pianissimo.” Milbank adds “Trump used his
solemn patriotic address to give a campaign speech from the White House:
urging the election of a Republican Senate candidate from Pennsylvania,
taking credit for low unemployment and boasting that he has the approval of
deceased Americans.”

Kirsten Powers of USA Today said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=014-f63&t=c>
(6/5), “This is the same thing we see over and over, which is it is the
politics of grievance.” Trump “is always peddling grievance, that he’s been
wronged by people.” Powers added that Trump “should be speaking for
everybody and bringing people together, but the way he won was by dividing
and the way he’ll stay in power is by dividing and that is why he does
this. He does this to stoke grievance and in this case he’s stoking
grievance against black people which is what he does.”

Tom Rogan of the Washington Examiner said on Fox News Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=015-996&t=c>
(6/5), “This is not something that anyone comes well out of. The President
doesn’t come out of this well because he misrepresented the facts in terms
of what happened and that he seems to be reacting in a way that was purely
personal.” The Eagles “don’t come out of this well, at least at the
organizational level, because they were unwilling to come to the White
House. ... One of the issues for the President in terms of having this
back-and-forth is that in a quite obvious way it makes him seem a little
bit petulant unnecessarily.”

An unnamed “source” told Don Van Natta from ESPN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=016-efc&t=c>
(6/5, McManus) that “five or fewer Eagles players [had] committed to attend
the White House ceremony,” whereas the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=017-126&t=c>
(6/5, Dawsey, Lowery) cites a “senior administration official” who “said
the Eagles promised to have about 70 people there last week,” but by Monday
said “only 10 to 12 people might come,” thus “creating a meager
celebration.” According to “aides,” Trump “deemed the smaller crowd
unsatisfactory.” A “second senior administration official” said “some
players had told the White House that they were angry about new NFL rules
on the national anthem, and that spurred their skipping the event.” The
Post adds that Kellyanne Conway, “a die-hard Eagles fan, was helping to
plan the event, according to two White House officials.”

Conway said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=018-98d&t=c>
(6/5), “The President could not be more clear on his position on the
National Anthem. He’s made a simple request that people should stand for
the flag.” Conway added, “I think the President was focused on the right
number and that was the 1,000 eagles fans that RSVPed responded to the
White House, many of whom we were told were already in town expecting to
come to the White House. So, he decided to respect their effort in coming
and their excitement and still welcome them to the White House and convert
it into a celebrate America event. ... But look, there were a lot of Eagles
players who voted for...Trump and support many of his policies. They just
don’t come forward and say that.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=019-270&t=c>
(6/5, Tamari) reports Sanders “said that 81 players, personnel, coaches and
support staff had been confirmed late last week to attend Tuesday’s
gathering...along with more than 1,000 fans – but that the team tried to
reschedule when it became clear many players wouldn’t attend.” Said
Sanders, “Unfortunately, the Eagles offered to send only a tiny handful of
representatives, while making clear that the great majority of players
would not attend the event, despite planning to be in D.C. today. In other
words, the vast majority of the Eagles team decided to abandon their fans.”
The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=01a-80f&t=c>
(6/5, Boyer) also reports the White House said “Trump bent over backwards
to accommodate the Eagles for a celebration.” To the Harrisburg (PA)
Patriot-News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=01b-fae&t=c>
(6/5, Kasinitz), the White House “lashed out against the Philadelphia
Eagles.”

*Two Took Knee During Rendition Of National Anthem. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=01c-bf4&t=c>
(6/5, Schad) reports that “according to a video and photos posted to social
media, at least two...attendees at” the White House “celebration decided to
take a knee.” A TV reporter for “SVT, Sweden’s national public television
broadcaster, posted a video of the event Tuesday in which a man in a
light-blue shirt is kneeling as the United States Marine Band plays The
Star-Spangled Banner.” A CNN reporter “later posted a picture of a second
man and reported that he kneeled during the anthem before yelling at Trump,
which drew boos from other attendees nearby. The second man also could not
be immediately identified.”

*During Last Season, Trump Mused About Using Tax Plan To “Punish”
NFL. *In a story about yesterday’s White House event, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=01d-f54&t=c>
(6/5, Dawsey, Lowery) recounts that “when some players continued to kneel
during the anthem” during the NFL’s last season, Trump “told White House
officials they should punish the NFL as part of a GOP-tax plan, according
to White House and Hill aides.” The Post adds that “some aides even began
researching how to punish the lucrative league, and ideas trickled over to
Capitol Hill.” While “a White House spokeswoman declined to
comment...another White House official noted that Trump’s ideas were never
implemented and described his orders more as venting.”

*Philadelphia Mayor: Trump “A Fragile Egomaniac” And “Not A True
Patriot.” *Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=01e-8a4&t=c>
(6/5, Leblanc) reports that Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (D) criticized
Trump Tuesday “as a ‘scary guy’ who had led the United States into ‘a bad
time in our country,’” telling CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=01f-448&t=c>
(6/4, 7:59 a.m. EDT, Berman), “Hopefully by the time he’s gone, we can
recover from this mess.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=020-8bc&t=c>
(6/5, Boyer) notes Kenney also said, “Disinviting them from the White House
only proves that our president is not a true patriot, but a fragile
egomaniac obsessed with crowd size and afraid of the embarrassment of
throwing a party to which no one wants to attend.”

The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=021-b23&t=c>
(6/5, Miceck) reports that former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell also weighed
in, saying “the president’s decision was ‘bordering on idiotic.’” Added
Rendell, “The President should have expected this when he called some of
the players ‘sons of b----es’ and saying they were dishonoring the
military. ... This has nothing to do with the military.”

*Hannity Says He’s “Done” With NFL Until It Gains “Respect For The
Flag.” *Sean Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=022-199&t=c>
(6/5), “The President was right to cancel this event. ... You know what?
I’ve had it. I am supposed to tune into a football game and watch a bunch
of people that make a lot of money making a statement. ... Let me be clear,
I am done with my Jets. In fact, I am done with the NFL. My football day is
Saturday. I like college football and until and unless members of the
National Football League gain the respect for the flag and this country and
those that have sacrificed, bled, and died fighting under that flag, I am
finished.”

*NFL Players Union Announces Cancellation Of DC-Area “Player-Led
Community Service Events.” *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=023-097&t=c>
(6/5, Middlehurst-Schwartz) reports that the NFL Players Association said
in a statement, “Our union is disappointed in the decision by the White
House to disinvite players from the Philadelphia Eagles from being
recognized and celebrated by all Americans for their accomplishment. ...
This decision by the White House has led to the cancellation of several
player-led community service events for young people in the Washington, DC
area.”

*Fox News Apologizes For Use Of “Unrelated Footage” Of Eagles
Kneeling. *The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=024-9c6&t=c>
(6/5, Gallen) reports “Fox News apologized Tuesday for using photos of
Philadelphia Eagles kneeling in prayer in a context that implied they were
kneeling during the national anthem.” On Monday night’s FOX News @ Night
with Shannon Bream, “the network aired photos of multiple Eagles, including
Zach Ertz and Jordan Matthews, kneeling in pregame prayer while Bream spoke
about...Trump rescinding the team’s invitation to visit the White House.”
The clip “seemed to insinuate the players were kneeling during the national
anthem.” Instead, noted Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=025-1f8&t=c>
(6/5, Lauletta), it “showed players kneeling in prayer.”

*James, Curry Say NBA Winners Will Not Visit White House. *The
Hollywood
Reporter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=026-48f&t=c>
(6/5, Parker) reports that “the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry on Tuesday said separately that
neither of their NBA Finals team would visit the White House after winning
the championship.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=027-5cf&t=c>
(6/5, Reynolds) quotes James as saying of Trump, “I’m not surprised. It’s
typical of him. ... I know no matter who wins this series, no one wants the
invite anyway. So it won’t be Golden State or Cleveland going.”

*CNN Commentator: National Anthem “Problematic.” *The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=028-737&t=c>
(6/5, Lim) reports “CNN political commentator Angela Rye suggested Tuesday
the national anthem itself is ‘problematic,’ while responding to a
report...Trump plans to continue complaining about national anthem protests
during the lead-up to the 2018 midterm elections.” Said Rye, “The national
anthem is problematic in and of itself. ... There’s a second verse that
Colin Kaepernick brought attention to that has yet to be discussed on broad
platforms.”

*Democratic House Members Press Bears Chairman On Stance On NFL
Anthem Policy. *The Chicago Sun-Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=029-cd5&t=c>
(6/5, Finley) reports “four Chicago-area Democratic House members are
asking Bears chairman George McCaskey if the team voted for the NFL’s new
national anthem policy and have requested a meeting with the McCaskey
family to discuss free speech issues.” The Sun-Times adds that Reps. Bobby
Rush (D), Danny Davis (D), Robin Kelly (D), and Jan Schakowsky (D) “dated
the letter May 30. They defended the players’ right to protest during the
anthem.” Asked the lawmakers, “Did you vote to affirm this policy, did you
abstain or were you not present at the meeting?” The Chicago Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=02a-c8f&t=c>
(6/5, O'Connell) further quotes from the letter, “It is disappointing that
your franchise voted to silence the players you employ, during this
important national dialogue.” The Bears “declined to comment.”
Foreign Policy
CNN: Pompeo Urged Trump To Sideline Bolton Ahead Of Singapore Summit.

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=02b-bd3&t=c>
(6/5, Liptak, Zeleny, Diamond, Kosinski) reports on its website that within
the Administration, “the voices advocating most forcefully to tighten the
noose on Pyongyang have been sidelined as Trump seeks out a history-making
handshake.” National Security Adviser Bolton was not in the Oval Office
last week when President Trump met with Kim Yong Chol, “Kim Jong Un’s
right-hand man,” but Secretary of State Pompeo was. Citing “two people
familiar with the matter,” CNN reports that Pompeo “told Trump it would be
‘counterproductive’ to allow Bolton to attend the...meeting.” CNN says
Trump was “furious after Bolton raised the so-called ‘Libya’ model to
describe US intentions in North Korea,” and that “the remarks about Libya
also infuriated Pompeo, who angrily confronted Bolton in a heated
conversation at the White House.” According to CNN, Chief of Staff Kelly
“has remained in line with Pompeo, and has come to rely on his ability to
guide the President.”

Jake Tapper said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]CNN’s
The Lead
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=02c-e69&t=c>
(6/5), “Several sources tell CNN that State Department officials believe
that [Bolton] made those Libya model remarks deliberately to get the talks
off-track.” Jeff Zeleny said Trump “was caught off guard by all of this
when he saw his new National Security Adviser on television talking about
this. He was surprised by it. He wasn’t sure why he was doing it.”

Erik Levitz of New York Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=02d-181&t=c>
(6/5) says that when the President temporarily cancelled the summit, it was
a “victory” for Bolton, who “had publicly argued that diplomacy with
Pyongyang was futile – and that the United States needed to deter its
nuclear program militarily, as soon as possible.” Levitz goes on to write
that “some congressional Democrats are hoping to make” the summit “into a
political loss for Trump, by adopting Bolton’s view that anything short of
‘the dismantlement and removal of all chemical and biological as well as
nuclear weapons from North Korea’ is unacceptable.”

*White House Announces Summit To Be Held On Sentosa Island. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=02e-483&t=c>
(6/5, Holland, Aravindan, Sim) reports the White House announced Tuesday
that the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim “will be on Singapore’s
southern island of Sentosa.” Singapore’s government on Monday “declared a
central region that is home to its foreign ministry, the U.S. embassy and
several hotels, as a special zone from June 10 to 14.” In its “online
gazette, the Singapore government amended the area to include Sentosa and
an area of the sea stretching more than 1 km (0.6 mile) off its
southwestern shore.” Via Twitter, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders
said “the venue for the Singapore summit between @POTUS and Leader Kim Jong
Un will be the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island. We thank our great
Singaporean hosts for their hospitality.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=02f-2bb&t=c>
(6/5, Miller, Lucey) reports that the White House revealed that the venue
will be the Capella Hotel, “a luxury resort on Sentosa Island for nuclear
talks next week in Singapore.” According to the AP, Trump “hopes to secure
a nuclear deal with the North Koreans, seeking for Kim to give up his
nuclear program, though he stressed last week that the process would likely
take longer than a single meeting.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=030-1c7&t=c>
(6/5) reports that Kim Chang Son, director of North Korea’s state affairs
commission secretariat, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Joe Hagin
“met at the hotel in late May to work out security and logistics measures.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=031-62c&t=c>
(6/5, Forgey) says various media reports “in recent days had honed in on
the island – home to the Universal Studios Singapore theme park – as a
likely meeting place for the two world leaders after hotels there
experienced heightened security activity.” Singapore’s government “also
recently declared the posh tourist sector a ‘special event area’ in
anticipation of the Trump-Kim meeting.” Still, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=032-e4b&t=c>
(6/5, Swoyer) says, the choice of venue “bucked expectations that Mr. Trump
and Mr. Kim would conduct their historic meeting in the Shangri-La Hotel
that regularly hosts high-level political gatherings.” The Capella Hotel
does, however, place “the summit in a luxurious setting and one that is
easily locked down.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=033-2d2&t=c>
(6/5, Quinn) notes the two leaders “are scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. local
time, and in anticipation of the summit, Trump has started receiving daily
briefings on Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile program, the White
House said.”

A Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=034-680&t=c>
(6/4, Tweed, Kong) analysis outlines key differences between the US and
North Korea on the issue of denuclearization, and how overcoming those
disagreements is “key to reaching a historic outcome.” Bloomberg says
“Kim’s regime is looking for a reduction in US troops, the curtailment of
the U.S.-South Korean military drills, a peace treaty to formally end the
Korean War, US diplomatic recognition and the easing of sanctions that are
starting to hit its economy.” Perhaps most importantly, Bloomberg adds,
“Kim’s regime wants its security guaranteed.” The US, meanwhile, “has long
been concerned that North Korea was developing a nuclear program that would
threaten its allies in the region and eventually America itself.”

A USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=035-0c4&t=c>
(6/5, Dorell) analysis argues that Trump and Kim will “need to get a few
things right for their June 12 summit in Singapore to be considered a
success,” with the first goal being “‘that the summit not fail,’ former
U.S.-Korea negotiator Robert Gallucci said Monday at a press briefing by 38
North.” Gallucci also said both sides must agree on a clear definition of
denuclearization that should detail the removal of all aspects of North
Korea’s nuclear program, including its uranium enrichment capabilities.
Suzanne DiMaggio of the New America think tank said the best – and most
realistic – outcome would be “a general statement that identified
denuclearization as an end goal of a process to be determined.” Then,
DiMaggio said, Trump should “step back from the process and hand it over to
the professional diplomats and negotiators to work out these details.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=036-4d2&t=c>
(6/5, Nakamura) reports that South Korean President Moon Jae-in “has
lobbied to meet Trump and Kim for a trilateral summit the following day,
but the White House has not confirmed such a meeting.” The Post notes that
US negotiators “have continued to meet with their North Korean counterparts
in the Korean Peninsula’s demilitarized zone to hammer out the agenda for
the meeting.”

*Former Officials Caution Against Raising Human Rights At Summit. *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=037-644&t=c>
(6/5, Demirjian) reports Joseph Yun, a former US special representative for
North Korea policy, and Victor Cha, a former National Security Council
official, warned lawmakers Tuesday “against prioritizing human rights
concerns or other non-nuclear matters” at the summit. They said the talks
“cannot reasonably be considered a success unless North Korea agrees to
make a full, detailed declaration of all its nuclear sites and fissile
material.” Sen. James Risch agreed, saying, “We’re all about human rights,”
but “if you try to overload this and try to resolve all these things at
once, I think you’re just setting things up for failure.” The
Administration “has come under fire for not prioritizing the global
promotion of human rights and for distancing itself from like-minded allies
when dealing with aggressor nations,” prompting several lawmakers to raise
“concerns that Trump’s team might similarly sideline the interests of South
Korea and Japan, or give Kim a pass on North Korea’s other aggressive
actions.”

*Mattis: US Troops Stationed On Korean Peninsula “Not Going
Anywhere.” *Jennifer Griffin reported on Fox News Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=038-377&t=c>
(6/5) that Defense Secretary Mattis on Tuesday departed a defense
conference in Singapore, where he “spent much of his time reassuring allies
the US would not be discussing the removal of US military forces from South
Korea in exchange for North Korea shuttering its nuclear program.” Fox
showed Mattis stating that US troops stationed in the Korean peninsula are
“not going anywhere. It’s not a subject of discussion.”

*Rodman Will Reportedly Be In Singapore During Summit. *The New
York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=039-1bc&t=c>
(6/5, Moore) reports that former NBA star Dennis Rodman “will be in
Singapore during” the summit next week, “and sources said he could even
play some sort of role in the negotiations.” The Post notes that Rodman,
“who has struck up an unlikely bromance with” Kim, “has visited the rogue
regime five times in the past,” and “took some of the credit for getting
the two leaders together.”

*China Expected To Expand Dominance Of North Korean Economy If
Sanctions Are Lifted. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=03a-2a0&t=c>
(6/5, Perlez) reports while China has “at least officially enforced the
international sanctions that have been imposed on the North to curtail its
nuclear weapons program,” on its border with North Korea, the signs of that
country’s “economic dependence on China are evident in a shadow economy of
cash couriers, short-term workers and gray-market trading that has
persisted despite the sanctions.” With the June 12 summit “back on track,
excitement is growing about the opportunities that could open up should the
sanctions be eased.” If the summit results in a deal that ends sanctions,
China is “ready to extend its dominance over the North’s small and decrepit
economy, where signs of an emerging market economy are also strengthening
China’s hand.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=03b-17c&t=c>
(6/4, Lee) says China is “controlling some of the key action” in the run up
to the June 12 summit and “may help dictate the ending.” In the short term,
US observes say China’s leaders “feared they might be left on the sidelines
while North Korea’s seemingly impetuous leader struck some kind of deal
with Trump that would change the strategic status quo on the Chinese
border.” While that could “bolster Washington in the contentious trade
disputes that have roiled relations between U.S. and China,” what is “more
worrisome for U.S. policy makers” is that China “seems to have concluded
that any potential nuclear disarmament deal would require some U.S.
concessions – and those are likely to weaken America’s military posture on
the Korean peninsula and throughout Asia.”

*Reuters: Peace Declaration Could Erode US Leverage If North
Doesn’t Budge On Nukes. *In an analysis, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=03c-338&t=c>
(6/5, Spetalnick) says that if the Trump-Kim summit “produces a peace
declaration formally ending the Korean War as he has suggested, it could
give the U.S. president a big headline-grabbing, made-for-TV moment on the
world stage.” However, US officials and analysts say the “public relations
value of such a historic event could quickly fade if Trump fails, in
return, to wring any significant concessions from Kim toward the
dismantling of his nuclear arsenal.” Experts warned that an “end-of-war
declaration – even if short of an actual treaty – could erode U.S. leverage
in future negotiations if North Korea does not give ground on nuclear
issues.”
Iran Says New Natanz Centrifuge Assembly Center Is Complete.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=03d-661&t=c>
(6/5, Erdbrink) reports Iran announced today that it has “completed a new
centrifuge assembly center at the Natanz nuclear site, in a first step to
increasing its enrichment capacity.” Officials said Iran would continue to
abide by the limits on nuclear enrichment set out in the 2015 Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action, but the “center’s opening seemed to signal
that it could swing to industrial-level enrichment if that agreement, which
the United States withdrew from last month, should further unravel.” Ali
Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, “told
state television that the center’s construction had been ‘in line with our
safeguard commitments but not publicly announced.’”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=03e-e2f&t=c>
(6/5, Dehghanpisheh) reports Salehi said the Natanz construction “did not
violate the nuclear deal but that it marked an increase in the pace of the
nuclear programme.” Salahi said, “If we were progressing normally, it would
have taken six or seven years, but this will now be ready in the coming
weeks and months.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=03f-449&t=c>
(6/5) reports Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran, said Tehran has informed the International Atomic
Energy Agency that it “will increase its nuclear enrichment capacity within
the limits set by the 2015 agreement with world powers.” The AP adds that
the “modest steps announced Tuesday appeared to be mainly aimed at
signaling that Iran could resume its drive toward industrial-scale
enrichment if the nuclear accord comes unraveled.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=040-c5f&t=c>
(6/5, Murphy) reports the International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has
informed it that it has “‘tentative’ plans to produce the feedstock for
centrifuges.” An IAEA spokesman said, “The Agency received a letter from
Iran on 4 June informing the Agency that there is a tentative schedule to
start production of UF6.” The statement referred to “uranium hexafluoride,
the feedstock for centrifuges.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=041-c28&t=c>
(6/5, Morello) notes Salehi’s remarks “came one day after Supreme Leader
Ali Khamenei ordered preparations for increasing uranium enrichment if the
nuclear agreement disintegrates” and “vowed not to accept limits on Iran’s
ballistic missile testing.” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert did
not comment on Tehran’s apparent threat to begin enriching more uranium,
but said if “the IAEA believes that that is taking place, we believe that
the IAEA will report that back to its board of governors, and also, to the
United Nations, so we’ll just await that, if that has, in fact, ended up
happening in Iran.” The Post says while the “modest planning steps” that
Salehi “announced do not immediately violate the landmark nuclear deal but
would if new centrifuges were assembled and put into operation,” Tehran’s
“decision sends a strong signal of Iran’s intentions if the deal falls
apart under US pressure, and it complicates the task for Europeans trying
to salvage the agreement after the US pullout.”

*Netanyahu Calls On France To Address Iranian Aggression. *Benjamin
Hall reported on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox News Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=042-c22&t=c>
(6/5) that Tehran’s announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu visited Europe for talks centered on Iran. At a joint press
conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu asserted: “The
greatest threat to the world today in my view is nuclear weapons in the
hands of a radical Islamic regimes like Iran.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=043-83c&t=c>
(6/5, Lewis, Irish) says Netanyahu met Tuesday with Macron in Paris “as
part of a tour to persuade the European signatories – Britain, France and
Germany – to follow Washington’s lead in pursuing a tough stance on Iran
after it pulled out of the accord and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.”
Netanyahu told reporters that he did not need to ask France to withdraw
from the accord because it “is basically going to be dissolved by the
weight of economic forces” anyway, so France should instead address Iran’s
aggression in the Middle East. The French president “did not appear
receptive to Netanyahu’s argument,” however. Macron said he told Netanyahu
“of my deep conviction, which is shared with our European partners, that
the accord needs to be preserved to ensure control of nuclear activity.” He
also called “on all sides to stabilize the situation and not give into
escalation which will lead to one thing: conflict.”

*Treasury Official Urges US Allies To Block Iranian Attempts To
Access Financial Networks. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=044-122&t=c>
(6/5) reports that earlier today, Under Secretary of the Treasury Sigal
Mandelker “called on U.S. allies, partners and the private sector to work
harder to ensure Iran does not exploit them to fund what it described as
Iran’s ‘nefarious activities.’” Mandelker is quoted as saying, “You must
harden your financial networks, require your companies to do extra due
diligence to keep them from being caught in Iran’s deceptive web, and make
clear the very significant risks of doing business with companies and
persons in Iran.”
Pentagon: No Way To Know Exact Civilian Casualty Numbers In Fight Against
ISIS.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=045-375&t=c>
(6/5, Sonne) reports US Army Col. Thomas Veale, the spokesman of the US-led
coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, “said Tuesday that the US
military will never know the exact number of civilians it has killed in the
fight against the Islamic State, an admission that comes as the human
rights group Amnesty International accuses the United States and its allies
of having recklessly killed thousands of civilians in the battle to retake
the Syrian city of Raqqa.” Veale also “said the report’s authors failed to
check the public record, get facts straight or consult the military on
their conclusions,” and that “his biggest objection was the prima facie
argument that the United States had violated international law.”

*Iran-Backed Militias Reportedly Objected To Russian Troop
Movements In Syria. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=046-1c0&t=c>
(6/5, Perry) reports that “a Russian troop deployment in Syria near the
Lebanese border this week caused friction with Iran-backed forces including
Hezbollah which objected to the uncoordinated move.” According to Reuters,
“The situation was resolved on Tuesday when Syrian army soldiers took over
three positions where the Russians had deployed near the town of Qusair in
the Homs region on Monday.” Reuters says “it appeared to be a rare case of
Russia acting out of sync with President Bashar al-Assad’s Iran-backed
allies in the war.”

*Syrian Kurdish Forces To Leave Manbij Under Fragile US-Turkey
Deal. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=047-af1&t=c>
(6/5, Lederman, Issa) reports the US-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia
“said Tuesday it will leave the strategic town of Manbij under a delicate
US-Turkey deal that could ease tensions between the NATO allies and force a
realignment of troops along the volatile Syria-Turkey frontier.” The deal
meets “a long-standing demand by Ankara, which considers the militia a
terror group tied to a Kurdish insurgency within Turkey’s borders.”
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess
Mitchell “said Tuesday that the Trump administration was trying to
‘stabilize the [US-Turkey] relationship’ with concrete, near-term steps, in
hopes of avoiding a wider breach that he warned could ‘do multigenerational
damage’ to ties between the allies.” At the same time, Mitchell “put Ankara
on notice that its partnership with the U.S. on the F-35 fighter jet
program could be imperiled if it goes through with the Russian purchase.”
Putin Says He “Regularly” Talks With Trump.

Brian Todd reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=048-757&t=c>
(6/5) that in a wide-ranging interview this week, Russian President
Vladimir Putin “suggests he is tighter with Trump than many realize.” CNN
showed Putin saying, “We regularly talk over the phone,” and “our foreign
affairs departments and special services are working fairly well together.”
Todd said Putin also “blamed” the ongoing special counsel investigation
into Russian meddling in the 2016 election “as the reason why he and the
President have not had a one-on-one summit, saying Trump is, quote, ‘coming
under attack.’” Meanwhile, Putin, “criticized at home and abroad for
running sham elections, responded harshly when asked if he is a czar.” CNN
showed him saying, “It is false and completely detached from reality,
because Russia is a democracy.”

*Mattis Expected To Urge NATO Allies To Do More To Counter Threat
From Russia. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=049-c0e&t=c>
(6/5, Emmott) reports that the Trump Administration is “pressing its
European allies to get more NATO battalions, ships and planes ready for
combat, officials say, in a fresh move to shore up NATO’s deterrence
against any Russian attack.” According to Reuters, Defense Secretary Mattis
“will seek broad agreement for the plan in Brussels on Thursday when
alliance defence ministers meet, laying the ground for endorsement by NATO
leaders at a summit in July.” Reuters says the plan “lays down a challenge
for European governments, pilloried by” President Trump “for slashing
military spending after the Cold War.”

*Austrian Chancellor, Putin Express Hope That Sanctions On Russia
Will Be Lifted. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=04a-ad5&t=c>
(6/5, Isachenkov, Jenne) reports that in Austria today, Russian President
Vladimir Putin said “sanctions against Russia haven’t worked and both
Moscow and the West would benefit from lifting them.” According to the AP,
Putin “said the restrictions are ‘harmful for everyone – those who
initiated them and those who are targeted by them.’” The AP says Austrian
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz “said his country...stands by EU sanctions but
‘will work to improve relations between the European Union and Russia.’”
Kurz said, “In particular, we hope that there will be progress in eastern
Ukraine, so that sanctions can be removed step by step in accordance with
the Minsk agreement.”

*Putin Dismisses Possibility Of Crimea’s Return To Ukraine.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=04b-28e&t=c>
(6/5, Blake) reports Russian President Vladimir Putin “unequivocally ruled
out returning Crimea to Ukraine” and “subsequently doubled-down on Russia’s
annexation, labeling it a legally sound response” to the 2014 uprising that
resulted in the ouster of “Kremlin loyalist” and former Ukrainian President
Viktor Yanukovych. Putin, “during an interview with Austria’s state
broadcaster aired before his trip to Vienna on Tuesday,” said Crimea gained
independence not because of a Russian military invasion, “but through the
will of the people of Crimea expressed in an open referendum.”

*Macron Compares Calls With Trump To Making Sausages. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=04c-d06&t=c>
(6/5, Rose, Irish, Pennetier) reports that at a joint press conference
Tuesday alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, French
President Emmanuel Macron “was asked about a CNN report on Monday saying
that a phone call between the French leader and Trump last week had been
‘terrible.’” Macron responded, “As Bismarck used to say, if we explained to
people how sausages were made, it’s unlikely they’d keep eating them.” He
continued, “So I like it when people see the finished meal, but I’m not
convinced the kitchen commentary helps with delivering the meal or eating
it.” Macron also told reporters “that he would have a ‘useful’ and ‘frank’
exchange with Trump at the next G7 summit in Canada on June 7-8 about both
issues on which they agree and those where they disagree.”

*State Department Defends Grenell After Backlash Over Remarks On
European Politics. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=04d-329&t=c>
(6/5, Greenwood) reports State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert
“defended US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell on Tuesday after he said
in an interview that he wanted to ‘empower’ conservatives in Europe.” She
“told reporters in a press briefing that Grenell ‘was merely highlighting
that there are some parties and candidates in Europe who are doing well
right now.’” The Hill says “Grenell’s comments, made in an interview with
the conservative Breitbart News, were highly unusual,” as “American
diplomats rarely if ever weigh in on the domestic politics of the countries
where they are posted.”
Kudlow: Trump Considering Separate NAFTA Talks With Canada, Mexico.

Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=04e-2bb&t=c>
(6/5), National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said that President
Trump “is very seriously contemplating kind of a shift in the NAFTA
negotiations. His preference now – he asked me to convey this – is to
actually negotiate with Mexico and Canada separately. He prefers bilateral
negotiations and he is looking at two much different countries. Canada is a
different country than Mexico; they have different problems and...he has
believed that bilateral have always been better.” Kudlow also said Trump
“will not withdraw from NAFTA. He is just going to try a different
approach.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=04f-80b&t=c>
(6/5, Wiseman, Superville) reports that Kudlow “said Trump doesn’t plan to
abandon NAFTA” but he “is just going to try a different approach.” However,
the AP says it is unclear “that separate discussions by the United States
with Mexico and Canada could leave the three-nation NAFTA deal altered but
intact.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=050-dec&t=c>
(6/5, Swanson, Tankersley) says Kudlow’s comments, which “echo previous
musings by Mr. Trump,” are “only likely to inflame tensions with Canada and
Mexico, which are already reeling from Mr. Trump’s imposition of steel and
aluminum tariffs and his suggestion that tariffs on autos might come
next.” Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=051-553&t=c>
(6/5) cites a “Canadian government official” who said that Trump “has
regularly raised the prospect of a bilateral deal so Tuesday’s comments
aren’t new.”

*Mexico Releases List Of US Goods Facing Retaliatory Tariffs. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=052-de7&t=c>
(6/5, Harrup, Pérez) reports that the Mexican government has published a
list of US goods that will face retaliatory import tariffs as a result of
US tariffs on steel an aluminum. Mexico’s Economy Ministry said the duties
will remain in place as long as the US continues to impose tariffs on
Mexican steel and aluminum.

*China Offers To Buy $70 Billion In US Goods To End US Tariff
Threat. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=053-5c8&t=c>
(6/5, Wei, Davis) reports that China has offered purchase nearly $70
billion in US goods in exchange for the Trump Administration suspending
threatened tariffs. During talks with US negotiators in Beijing over the
weekend, Chinese negotiators proposed a package that would have Chinese
companies buy more US soybeans, corn, natural gas, crude oil, coal and
manufactured goods. However, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=054-109&t=c>
(6/5, Swanson) says the offer “could fizzle quickly” as Chinese officials
“have said publicly that any agreements would be void if the United States
continued with plans to impose tariffs and other restrictions, and American
officials have given no indication so far that they intend to halt the
tariffs.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=055-5d2&t=c>
(6/5, Kasperowicz) cites “a government source familiar with the talks,” who
“said that the U.S. side didn’t offer anything to China in order to
generate that offer, and that no agreement has yet been struck.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=056-dc7&t=c>
(6/5) reported Tuesday afternoon that the President was expected to “meet
with his trade advisers” to discuss the offer.

*Corker To Unveil Bipartisan Bill That Would Block Trump From
Imposing Tariffs. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=057-7f7&t=c>
(6/5, Zengerle) reports that Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker
said that Senate Republicans and Democrats “plan to introduce...that would
force” President Trump “to obtain Congress’ approval before imposing
tariffs on national security grounds.” Corker “said legislation would be
introduced on Tuesday or Wednesday that would pare back the president’s
authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.” According
to Reuters, Corker “declined to say how many other senators supported the
legislation, but said there was ‘a big list’ of both Republicans and
Democrats.” The Tennessean
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=058-651&t=c>
(6/5, Collins, Collins) reports that Corker, who “pitched the proposal to
his fellow Republicans during their weekly policy luncheon on Tuesday,”
told reporters “that the legislation had been well-received by several GOP
senators.”

*WPost Editorial: Congress Should Show Some Leadership On Trade. *In
an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=059-b54&t=c>
(6/5) says the tariffs are a threat to “vital economic and political
relationships,” and calls on Congress to “show some independence and
leadership” on trade.

*Ignatius: Trump Tariffs Are An Opportunity For His Political
Opponents. *David Ignatius writes in the Washington Post
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(6/5) that Trump’s “tariffs on America’s allies” are “a showy attempt to
stoke his base.” Ignatius adds that Trump has created “a big opportunity”
for his opponents, but “the politicians calling for sane trade policies are
mostly Republican. The Democrats need to find their voice on tariffs, too –
and start crafting a trade policy that’s about the future, not the past.”

*Navarro Defends Steel, Aluminum Tariffs. *White House Director of
Trade Policy Peter Navarro said on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=05b-80a&t=c>
(6/5), “As President Trump has said, without steel and aluminum industries
in this country, we don’t have a country. So the challenge we faced from a
policy point of view is how do you do that? The problem we had is that we
have about 20 countries flooding our markets with steel and about 15
flooding our markets with aluminum. So tariffs were the answer. These
tariffs are not aimed at any individual country, whether it is a strategic
rival like China or an ally and friend like Canada. They’re simply a
defensive measure in order to bring about a strong stand.”

*Trump, GOP Senators Discuss Bill To Tighten CFIUS Oversight. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=05c-f57&t=c>
(6/5, Cowan) reported Tuesday afternoon that according to Senate Majority
Whip Cornyn, President Trump and Republican senators were to meet at the
White House “to discuss a measure before Congress aimed at tightening
investment rules to better protect national security.” The measure “to
tighten oversight by the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in
the United States, or CFIUS,” is “aimed at keeping China from acquiring
high-end U.S. technology.” It “has been put into a must-pass defense policy
bill called the National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA.”

*Reuters: ZTE Signs Agreement In Principle To Lift Commerce
Department Ban. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=05d-313&t=c>
(6/5, Freifeld) reports that ZTE Corp “has signed an agreement in principle
that would lift a US Commerce Department ban on buying from US suppliers.”
According to “sources,” the deal “includes a $1 billion fine against ZTE
plus $400 million in escrow in the event of future violations.” The
agreement would allow ZTE, which “ceased major operations and has been on
life support since the seven-year ban was imposed in April,” to “get back
into business.”

In the wake of the Reuters story, Politico
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(6/5, Behsudi) reports, a spokesman for the Commerce Department said the
Administration has not reached a “definitive” deal that would roll back the
sanctions on ZTE. A spokesman for the Department said in a statement, “No
definitive agreement has been signed by both parties. ... We have no
updates at this time.”
OAS Paves Way For Venezuela’s Possible Expulsion.

The Miami Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=05f-0d6&t=c>
(6/5, Emmott) reports the Organization of American States passed a
resolution Tuesday that “paved the way to expel Venezuela.” It also said
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was re-elected in a vote that “‘lacks
legitimacy’ and represents an ‘unconstitutional alteration of the
constitutional order.’” After the Tuesday vote, Venezuelan Foreign Minister
Jorge Arreaza denounced the US “and Vice President Mike Pence for
‘extorting’ members to sign onto the resolution, which he called
‘fraudulent.’” He also announced that Venezuela will withdraw from the OAS,
which he said “has never done anything for our people of the Americas,” and
accused representatives of “supporting military intervention.” Carlos
Trujillo, the US representative to OAS, “said the region’s firm stance
against Venezuela was long overdue,” and that “he was sorry that the
Venezuelan delegation hadn’t stayed to hear his comments.” Noting Venezuela
was not up-to-date on its OAS membership dues, Trujillo added, “I’m more
upset that they left without paying their bill.”
Facebook Gave Chinese Firm Flagged By US Intelligence Access To User Data.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=060-ea5&t=c>
(6/5, Laforgia, Dance) reports, “Facebook has data-sharing partnerships
with at least four Chinese electronics companies” – Huawei, Lenovo, Oppo,
and TCL – that date to at least 2010 and gave them access “to some user
data.” Huawei “has been flagged by American intelligence officials as a
national security threat.” In an interview, Facebook officials “said...that
the company would wind down the Huawei deal by the end of the week.” Senate
Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark Warner said, “I look forward to learning
more about how Facebook ensured that information about their users was not
sent to Chinese servers.”

*NYTimes Editorial Suggests Breaking Up Facebook. *In an editorial,
the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=061-846&t=c>
(6/5) calls Facebook “the most powerful communications and media company in
the world,” and says “that power is being abused.” The Times says that
while the company “has adamantly argued that it treats our data, and who
has access to it, as a sort of sacred trust,” it has “continued to
undermine privacy by making it cumbersome to opt out of sharing, trying to
convince users that we actually do want to share all of our personal
information (and some people actually do) and by leaving the door unlocked
for its partners and clients to come in and help themselves.” The Times
suggests the company could use some competition, citing the government’s
break-up of the telephone system in 1984, says that “at some point a
government agency might be willing to break away some of its components and
chop it down to size.”
Domestic Policy
Sessions Defends Separating Families At Border.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=062-f72&t=c>
(6/5, Hesson) reports Attorney General Sessions “defended the increase in
family separations” at the border, telling conservative radio host Hugh
Hewitt, “[Y]ou can’t be giving immunity to people who bring children with
them recklessly and improperly and illegally.” Meanwhile, President Trump
“repeated his baffling Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=063-240&t=c>
claim that the” family separation policy was caused by “bad legislation
passed by the Democrats.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=064-55d&t=c>
(6/5, Rosenberg) reports Sessions, in a lengthy interview, “delivered a
vigorous defense of the hard-line Trump administration policy.” Sessions
told Hewitt, “If people don’t want to be separated from their children,
they should not bring them with them.” He added, “We’ve got to get this
message out. You’re not given immunity.” Hewitt said he was “disturbed” by
the separations and added, “I think it’s traumatic and terribly difficult
on the child.” Sessions also “tried to draw a parallel to how the legal
system dealt with American citizens,” saying that when American citizens go
to jail, “they’re separated from their children.”

*Hundreds Of Migrant Children In Crowded Facilities. *NBC Nightly
News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060601biden&r=email-c3e1&l=065-c45&t=c>
(6/5, story 5, 1:40, Holt) reported, “Hundreds of children are stuck after
many were separated from their parents.” NBC (Almaguer) added that hundreds
of migrant children “are in facilities so crowded, they often lack adequate
bedding, nutritional and med