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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, May 15, 2018 7:54 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, May 15, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=001-863&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, May 15, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Media Analyses: US Embassy Opening Overshadowed By Deadly Palestinian
Protests. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• Media Analyses: Trump’s Overture To China On ZTE Is Stunning Shift. <#S2>

• Trump, Kim Disagree On Whether Disarmament, Sanctions Relief Comes First.
<#S3>

• Pompeo Reaches Out To European Counterparts Amid Iran Tensions. <#S4>

• WSJournal: Israel Strikes In Syria Test Iran-Russia Military Alliance.
<#S5>

• US Moving To Expand Nuclear Arsenal. <#S6>

• Sadr Coalition Remains Surprise Front-Runner In Iraqi Elections. <#S7>

• Increasing Cost Of US Helicopter Flights Reflects Worsening Afghan
Security. <#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Bureau Of Prisons Rolls Back Obama-Era Policy On Transgender Inmates.
<#S9>

• Indicted Russian Company Says Mueller Trying To “Justify His Own
Existence.” <#S10>

• Azar: Private Entities Will Be Allowed To Negotiate Lower Medicare Part B
Drug Prices. <#S11>

• Ross: Citizenship Question Won’t Negatively Affect Census Participation.
<#S12>

• Senate Intelligence Committee To Vote Tomorrow On Haspel Confirmation.
<#S13>

• Trump Says Media Exaggerating Leaks, Calls Leakers “Traitors.” <#S14>

• EPA IG: Pruitt Initiated “24/7” Protection On “First Day He Arrived.”
<#S15>

• First Lady Hospitalized After Treatment For “Benign Kidney Condition.”
<#S16>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Study Identifies Six Genes That Predispose Carriers To Develop
Medulloblastoma. <#S17>

• Senate Approves Firefighter Cancer Registry Act. <#S18>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S19>

• Washington Post. <#S20>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Biden Backs Soderberg’s Bid To Succeed DeSantis In FL6. <#S21>

• Jill Biden Addresses Girl Scouts In Philadelphia. <#S22>
Leading the News
Media Analyses: US Embassy Opening Overshadowed By Deadly Palestinian
Protests.

Media coverage of the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem was
largely overshadowed by protests in Gaza, where at least 55 people were
killed and over two thousand were injured by the Israeli military. Reports
are generally critical of Israel over its use of “excessive force” against
protesters and note the White House blamed Hamas for the violence.

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=002-409&t=c>
(5/14, story 2, 3:10, Holt) reported, “Dozens of Palestinians have been
killed and thousands more wounded as protests erupt over the US Embassy in
Jerusalem.” Matt Bradley reported from Gaza where “tens of thousands of
Palestinian protesters have been trying...to breach that border into
Israel. The reaction from Israel, such as sniper fire and artillery, has
led to more deaths here.” Palestinians are planning to hold more
demonstrations Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=003-1e6&t=c>
(5/14, A1, Schwartz, Jones) reports on its front page that the Gaza
protests are expected to peak Tuesday, on what Palestinians call Nakba Day,
marking the day after the anniversary of Israel’s founding on May 14, 1948.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=004-64d&t=c>
(5/14, story 4, 3:40, Muir) said “tens of thousands of Palestinians
protested” the embassy’s move. At least 55 protesters were killed,
according to Palestinian health authorities, and more than 2,700 injured.
ABC said the images from Gaza are a “stark contrast” from the celebrations
in Jerusalem, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed it as “a great
day for Israel.” President Trump spoke via video, “Our greatest hope is for
peace. The United States remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting
peace agreement.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=005-efb&t=c>
(5/14, Manchester) reports Trump also tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=006-190&t=c>
his congratulations, “Big day for Israel. Congratulations!” The CBS Evening
News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=007-3f4&t=c>
(5/14, story 2, 3:20, Glor) said that while “Trump made good on his
campaign promise to move the US Embassy...the reality today was violence,
especially in Gaza.” Holly Williams reported from Gaza, where “Israeli
soldiers dropped tear gas canisters from drones. They had already dropped
leaflets warning Palestinians not to get too close to the fence. And when
they did, the Israelis used live ammunition.”

The Jerusalem Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=008-265&t=c>
(5/14, Ahronheim) reports that “some 40,000 Palestinians took part in
violent demonstrations at 13 different locations along the fence,” and
the Times
Of Israel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=009-c6b&t=c>
(5/14) reports the Israeli army said that “three of those killed were
trying to plant explosives at the border fence,” and in “three separate
incidents, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at Israeli troops.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=00a-2b0&t=c>
(5/14, Morris, Balousha) says Monday’s protests “appeared to have a more
violent edge than in previous weeks. Some young men brought knives and
fence cutters.” No Israeli soldiers were injured, though, in the protests
and Israel “drew widespread condemnation for an excessive use of force.” USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=00b-70b&t=c>
(5/14, Plachta, Bacon) reports the Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a
statement, “This disproportionate and illegal use of lethal force against
unarmed civilian protesters is criminal.” Israeli military spokesman Lt.
Col. Jonathan Conricus, however, blamed Hamas, saying the group had
“encouraged Palestinians to breach the border fence.” White House Deputy
Press Secretary Raj Shah also blamed Hamas for the deaths, saying the group
was “cynically provoking” the Israeli response.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=00c-4ff&t=c>
(5/14, Hudson) reports Israel, Shah argued, “has the right to defend
itself.” The Post says the Administration’s “refusal to criticize Israel
for the escalating violence was immediately criticized by Palestinian and
human rights groups who said the United States must call on its key ally to
exercise restrain amid the escalating chaos and violence.” In an interview,
Palestinian envoy to the US, Husam Zomlot, said, “The US silence is license
to kill for Israel, and Israel is taking this license to heart and
implementing it in full.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=00d-549&t=c>
(5/14, Miller) reports Shah also insisted that Monday’s violence “did not
signal the peace deal had derailed.” Said Shah, “I don’t think it hurts the
peace plan. The peace plan will be introduced at the appropriate time.”

Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News’ The Story[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=00e-eb9&t=c>
(5/14), “We think these deaths are tragic, of course, any loss of life is.
At the same time, Hamas bears the responsibility for killing these
individuals.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=00f-824&t=c>
(5/14, Davis) says that while the White House “said the violence in Gaza
would not hinder its efforts to seek an end to the conflict,” the
Administration “also made it abundantly clear on Monday that Mr. Trump was
currently siding with Israel” by blaming Hamas for the violence.

To the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=010-a19&t=c>
(5/14, Eglash), Monday’s “joyous ceremony” was “a largely symbolic step
that nonetheless is of deep political significance, here and in the
Palestinians territories.” In his video address, Trump “said that he was
still hopeful for peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” but “at a
hastily convened news conference,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
called the new US embassy “an illegal outpost,” and called Monday’s
killings in Gaza “a massacre.” Abbas, the CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=011-9a1&t=c>
(5/14, story 4, 1:40, Glor) reported, “said he would never accept any peace
deal put forward by the Trump Administration at this point.”

Many reports also contrasted the celebratory scene at the embassy
with the deadly clashes in Gaza. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=012-995&t=c>
(5/14, Noueihed), for example, says the day’s events “produced split-screen
cable television coverage in the US showing the ceremony at the new embassy
and the fighting in Gaza,” and to the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=013-cf4&t=c>
(5/14, Morris, Balousha), the violence in Gaza “was jarring contrast with
the star-studded opening ceremony for the embassy in Jerusalem.” Under the
headline “Deadliest Palestinian Protests In Years Mar Historic Embassy
Opening,” the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=014-0fc&t=c>
(5/14, Frantzman) says Monday was “a day of surreal, split-screen
contrasts” as “the daughter of President Trump headlined a celebration of
the opening of a US Embassy in Jerusalem” and “just miles away more than 50
Palestinians were killed in the deadliest protests against Israeli
occupation in years.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=015-afe&t=c>
(5/14, Nelson) likewise says Monday’s images “made for jarring split
screens beamed worldwide,” and the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=016-495&t=c>
(5/14, Halbfinger, Kershner, Walsh) reports that “even as Palestinians’
anger erupted, American and Israeli officials celebrated President Trump’s
move of the embassy to Jerusalem.” In its lead story, Fox News Special
Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=017-d18&t=c>
(5/14) reported that the opening of the new embassy “is sparking a wide
range of emotions. From jubilation among Israel and it supporters in the
Trump Administration, to deadly rage from Palestinians and their supporters
throughout the world.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=018-ab3&t=c>
(5/14, Flaherty, Lucey) reports Trump “and his top aides on Monday hailed
the opening of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem as a ‘great day.’” Jared
Kushner told the opening ceremony, “While presidents before him have backed
down from their pledge to move the American embassy once they were in
office, this president delivered. Because when President Trump makes a
promise, he keeps it.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=019-517&t=c>
(5/14, story 2, 3:10, Holt) noted that Trump’s daughter Ivanka was also on
hand, “helping...unveil the new embassy seal,” and Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=01a-c81&t=c>
(5/14) reports that during the ceremony, Netanyahu thanked Trump for
“having the courage to keep your promises.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=01b-d39&t=c>
(5/14, Zavis), however, notes that Monday’s ceremony “was shunned by US
allies in western Europe,” and Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=01c-ac8&t=c>
(5/14, Ramadan) reports that while the ceremony was in progress, EU foreign
policy chief Federica Mogherini issued a statement, “The ties of the Jewish
people to Jerusalem are irrefutable, and must not be denied. And the same
is true for the ties of the Palestinian people to the city.”

Jeff Glor reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=01d-a80&t=c>
(5/14, story 3, 3:20) that the UN’s human rights office “criticized what it
called the ‘shocking killing of dozen by Israeli live fire,’ but Israeli
Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel was acting in self-defense.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=01e-7de&t=c>
(5/14) editorializes that Trump “delivered the embassy as a gift without
concession or condition” to Israel, and “the world did not witness a new
dawn of peace and security for two peoples who have dreamed of both for so
long. Instead, it watched as Israeli soldiers shot and killed scores of
Palestinian protesters, and wounded thousands more.” The Times acknowledges
that Israel “has every right to defend its borders,” but officials “are
unconvincing when they argue that only live ammunition – rather than tear
gas, water cannons and other nonlethal measures – can protect Israel from
being overrun.”

Dana Milbank writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=01f-b74&t=c>
(5/14) column, “Here’s a split-screen for our times: While Israeli troops
were killing dozens of Palestinian protesters in Gaza on Monday, Trump
administration representatives were 50 miles away in Jerusalem, celebrating
with Israeli officials the opening of the US Embassy there and praising
their mutual devotion to peace. ... Because nothing says ‘peace’ like 58
Palestinians killed, 2,700 wounded, renewed hostilities between Iran and
Israel, the entire region aflame and US allies reeling.”

*US Boosts Security At Embassies In Region. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=020-d4d&t=c>
(5/14, Lamothe) reports that the US military “dispatched additional Marines
to guard US embassies” as the US Embassy in Israel prepared to move from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Spokesman Marine Capt. Ryan Alvis “said the service
would not disclose the number of additional Marines deploying or where they
are going but said the reinforcements had been requested.” NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=021-a8d&t=c>
(5/14, Kube) reported on its website that the reinforcements “were sent to
Israel, Turkey and Jordan, citing five defense officials.”

*Protest Organizer Decries Violence, Vows To Continue. *Palestinian
journalist Ahmed Abu Ratima, who helped organize the Gaza protests, writes
in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=022-fb9&t=c>
(5/14) that “despite the response from Israeli snipers, I continue to be
committed to nonviolence, as are all of the other people ‘coordinating’
this march. ... We want peaceful, equal coexistence to be our message.” At
the same time, he pledged to continue to protest writing, “We are not going
back to our subhuman existence. We will keep knocking at the doors of
international organizations and our Israeli jailers until we see concrete
steps to end the blockade of Gaza.”

*Pastor Who Said Jews Are Going To Hell Led Prayer At Embassy
Opening. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=023-a5f&t=c>
(5/14, Haag) reports that “a Dallas evangelical pastor who once said that
Jewish people are going to hell and a megachurch televangelist who claimed
that Hitler was part of God’s plan to return Jews to Israel both played
prominent roles” at Monday’s opening ceremony. Robert Jeffress, who is
pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, “delivered a prayer at the
opening ceremony on Monday, while the Rev. John C. Hagee, a televangelist
who founded Christians United for Israel and leads a San Antonio
megachurch, gave the closing benediction.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=024-512&t=c>
(5/14, Nelson) reports Mitt Romney called Jeffress a “religious bigot” who
is unworthy of such an honorary role. On Twitter Sunday night, Romney said,
“Robert Jeffress says ‘you can’t be saved by being a Jew,’ and ‘Mormonism
is a heresy from the pit of hell,. He’s said the same about Islam. Such a
religious bigot should not be giving the prayer that opens the United
States Embassy in Jerusalem.”

*Israeli Ambassador Awards Trump Medal. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=025-7c4&t=c>
(5/14, Moons) reports Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer, at an event
celebrating Israel’s 70th independence Monday night in Washington, “praised
and awarded a medal” to Trump “for recognition of Jerusalem as the capital
of Israel, moving the US embassy there, and for leaving the Iran nuclear
deal.” Dermer “told the crowd of several hundred” that Trump was honored
“because of his bold and historic decision to recognize Jerusalem as
Israel’s capital.” Vice President Pence accepted the award on Trump’s
behalf.

*Iranian Group Offers $100,000 For Destruction Of New Embassy.
*The Washington
Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=026-a31&t=c>
(5/14, Kredo) reports that a “hardline Iranian organization is reportedly
offering a $100,000 reward to any person who bombs the newly opened US
embassy in Jerusalem, according to a translation of Farsi language
reports.” A group known as the Iranian Justice Seeker Student Movement “is
reported to have disseminated posters calling for an attack” on the new
embassy in exchange for a “$100,000 dollar prize.”
Foreign Policy
Media Analyses: Trump’s Overture To China On ZTE Is Stunning Shift.

Following on his Sunday tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=027-2dd&t=c>
about “working together” with Chinese President Xi Jinping “to give massive
Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast,”
President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=028-fb8&t=c>
Monday afternoon, “ZTE, the large Chinese phone company, buys a big
percentage of individual parts from US companies. This is also reflective
of the larger trade deal we are negotiating with China and my personal
relationship with President Xi.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=029-07b&t=c>
(5/14) reports that the Commerce Department “last month blocked ZTE from
importing American components for seven years” before the President’s
“surprising overture” this weekend. White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj
Shah said that Trump has asked Commerce Secretary Ross “to look into
lifting or easing sanctions” against ZTE “as part of a ‘give and take’ with
China.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=02a-d51&t=c>
(5/14, Swanson, Landler, Bradsher) reports under the headline “Trump Shifts
From Trade War Threats To Concessions In Rebuff To Hard-Liners” that “the
shift is an abrupt reversal that reflects another twist in the pitched
battle inside the White House between the economic nationalists...and more
mainstream advisers.” Treasury Secretary Mnuchin “has taken the lead role
in trying to head off potentially harmful tariffs and investment
restrictions on China and has succeeded, at least for now, in persuading
Mr. Trump to adopt a more conciliatory approach.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=02b-649&t=c>
(5/14, A1, Wei, Davis) reports on its front page that the President’s
announcement was not preceded by interagency discussions on the shift.

Bret Baier reported on Fox News Special Report[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=02c-1dc&t=c>
(5/14) that Trump is “raising eyebrows” with the move, while Jim Sciutto
reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=02d-5de&t=c>
(5/14) that “every US intel agency said that ZTE phones...are at risk of
surveillance, electronic backdoors, by the Chinese government.” ZTE also
violated US sanctions against both North Korea and Iran “and lied about”
doing so. Tom Rogan of the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=02e-a45&t=c>
(5/14, Rogan) says ZTE is “a partial front company and cover operation for
the Chinese intelligence community and a critical node by which Beijing
seeks to steal American secrets.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=02f-574&t=c>
(5/14, Sink) reports Trump’s “conciliatory move to help” ZTE “stoked
bipartisan condemnation in Washington Monday, as lawmakers warned the US
president’s concession could endanger national security.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=030-c91&t=c>
(5/14, Jackson) reports that “critics hit President Trump for seeking to
help a Chinese phone company accused of involvement in cyber espionage
against Americans.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=031-b0f&t=c>
(5/14, Paletta, Lynch, Dawsey) reports that “senior Republicans said they
were caught off guard.” Sen. Charles Grassley said, “I’m kind of surprised,
considering the decisions that were made previously on national security;
it kind of surprises me, and I haven’t figured it out.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=032-afc&t=c>
(5/14, Hawkins) reported earlier that Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted that the
“problem with ZTE isn’t jobs & trade, it’s national security & espionage.”
Rubio said on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=033-e00&t=c>
(5/14), “I don’t feel bad for these companies, because frankly they have
benefited greatly and continue to benefit greatly from the theft of
intellectual property. ... To be selling American technology to ZTE is
going to allow them to get it and then reverse-engineer it.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=034-f76&t=c>
(5/14, Sink) reports that Senate Minority Leader Schumer was also critical,
saying, “This leads to the greatest worry, which is that the President will
back off on what China fears most – a crackdown on intellectual property
theft – in exchange for buying some goods in the short run.” Bloomberg
reports Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (D) pointed out that “Trump’s tweets had
highlighted layoffs in China even as autoworkers were losing their job in
his home state.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=035-21f&t=c>
(5/14, Chalfant, Breland) headlines its report “Lawmakers Stunned By Trump
Push To Help Chinese Company.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=036-de9&t=c>
(5/14, Woods, Leonard) reports that hours before Trump’s Monday tweet, Ross
told reporters at the National Press Club that the US was “exploring
alternatives to punish” ZTE. Ross said, “ZTE did do some inappropriate
things. They’ve admitted to that. The question is, are there alternative
remedies to the one that we had originally put forward and that’s the area
we will be exploring very, very promptly.”

*Branstad: US, China “Still Very Far Apart” On Trade. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=037-60c&t=c>
(5/14) reports that US Ambassador to China Terry Branstad said Tuesday that
the US “wants China to give a timetable on how it will open up its markets
to US exports.” Branstad said, “The Chinese have said, ‘We want to see the
specifics.’ We gave them all the specifics in terms of trade issues. So
they can’t say they don’t know what we’re asking for. We’re still very far
apart.”

*Negotiators Poised To Miss Ryan’s NAFTA Deadline. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=038-3ce&t=c>
(5/14, Martin, Leonard, Wingrove) reports that NAFTA negotiators from the
US, Canada, and Mexico “are poised to miss” House Speaker Ryan’s May 17
deadline, “the latest blown marker for reworking the 24-year-old deal.”
USTR Lighthizer, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, and
Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo are not “scheduled to meet
together in person this week,” after having “met at least bilaterally every
day last week.”

*Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Pause Import Duties On Canadian
Paper. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=039-6f0&t=c>
(5/14, Brody) reports that a bipartisan group of 10 senators led by Sen.
Susan Collins “will introduce a bill that would pause duties on paper
imported from Canada.” The bill would also require the Commerce Department
“to ‘conduct a study of the economic well-being, health, and vitality of
the newsprint industry and the local newspaper publishing industry in the
United States.’”

*Administration Seeks To Shift Small Arms Export Authority From
State To Commerce. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=03a-732&t=c>
(5/14, Taylor) reports that the Administration “took a major formal step
Monday toward officially shifting authority from the State Department to
the Commerce Department over the approval of US small arms exports.” In a
“closed-door briefing for lawmakers, State and Commerce officials outlined
specifics of the shift long sought by small arms manufacturers as a way to
cut red tape and boost exports – but decried by pro-regulation Democrats
who warn the policy change could dissolve barriers designed to keep US-made
firearms from criminals and terrorists overseas.”
Trump, Kim Disagree On Whether Disarmament, Sanctions Relief Comes First.

Bloomberg Politics
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=03b-136&t=c>
(5/14, Tweed) reports President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
“appear to be on a collision course over” whether disarmament should
precede sanctions relief. Both Secretary of State Pompeo and NSA Bolton
said on Sunday that “the U.S. needs proof that North Korea’s
denuclearization is complete, verifiable, and irreversible before sanctions
are lifted,” while “Kim has called for a step-by-step process to rid the
Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons.” Bloomberg adds that reconciling the
two sides “is crucial for” the success of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit.
Still, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, Pompeo said, “America’s
interest here is preventing the risk that North Korea will launch a nuclear
weapon into L.A. or Denver or into the very place we’re sitting here this
morning,” raising “questions about whether the U.S. would accept a deal
that simply prevents North Korea from being able to hit the American
homeland with a nuclear bomb.”

*Defector: North Korea Has Different Concept Of Denuclearization. *The
Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=03c-27a&t=c>
(5/14, Chae, Jeong) reports former North Korean deputy ambassador in London
Thae Yong Ho, who defected to the South, said that Kim has a different
concept of denuclearization than the US. He added that Washington’s
denuclearization demands would challenge the North’s fundamental power
structure.
Pompeo Reaches Out To European Counterparts Amid Iran Tensions.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=03d-456&t=c>
(5/14) reports State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Monday said
Secretary of State Pompeo spoke to German, French, and British counterparts
in recent days to discuss cooperation over Iran after the US withdrew from
the Iran nuclear deal. She added that Pompeo “is hopeful we can continue
strong cooperation.” British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Monday
“said British and European officials would meet in Brussels on Tuesday to
discuss ways to protect companies against U.S. sanctions on Iran, which
will be phased in over the next six months.” Johnson stated, “I want to
stress that that does not mean we are in any sense not going to be working
with the Americans. It’s vital that we continue to engage with the USA and
continue to interrogate our friends in Washington about how they see the
nuclear deal developing.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=03e-92b&t=c>
(5/14, Deyoung) reports that the “impression so far from [NSA] Bolton and
Pompeo is that the administration envisions a broad coalition against Iran,
including Israel, the Persian Gulf states and Iran’s major trading partners
in Asia, and may not even think it needs Europe.” Bolton said on Sunday:
“We’re not going it alone. We have the support of Israel. We have the
support of the Arab oil-producing monarchies and many others. ... I think
the issue here is what the Europeans are going to do.”

*EU: Iran Nuclear Deal Could Be Basis For Future Work. *Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=03f-7e4&t=c>
(5/14, Hayden) reports, “The European Union reiterated its commitment to
the Iran nuclear agreement.” EU spokeswoman for foreign affairs Maja
Kocijancic said, “We believe that this agreement should continue to be
implemented as long as Iran sticks to the nuclear commitments.” She added
that the agreement “could be used as a basis for future work.”
WSJournal: Israel Strikes In Syria Test Iran-Russia Military Alliance.

In an analysis, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=040-48c&t=c>
(5/14, Grove, Abdulrahim) reports Israeli strikes against Iranian forces in
Syria are stressing Russia’s military alliance with Iran. The attack came
just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended Russian
President Vladimir Putin’s annual military parade, and the Journal suggests
the two probably agreed on the targets. Analysts say Russia is also
concerned about Iran’s attempts to use Syria to threaten Israel and
increase its power over Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territories.
However, the issues don’t affect Russia and Iran’s transactional
relationship on Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Caspian region.
US Moving To Expand Nuclear Arsenal.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=041-73b&t=c>
(5/14, Sanger, Broad) reports, “The White House has made clear, in both
statements and strategy, that it envisions the reduction of nuclear weapons
as a one-way street.” In a “striking” contrast, even as President Trump
insists on nuclear disarmament for countries such as Iran and North Korea,
the US has had “a series of little-noticed announcements to spend billions
of dollars building the factories needed to rejuvenate and expand America’s
nuclear capacity.” While the buildup could be “part of a negotiating
strategy,” the “government is doing all it can to make clear it is
preparing for an era of nuclear buildup.” The Pentagon and the Energy
Department announced plans repurpose a partly built complex at the Savannah
River Site in South Carolina “intended to turn old nuclear weapons into
reactor fuel” to instead build “critical components for next-generation
nuclear weapons.”
Sadr Coalition Remains Surprise Front-Runner In Iraqi Elections.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=042-9bd&t=c>
(5/14, Coker, Gladstone) reports Iraqi election officials say “the surprise
front-runner in the Iraqi national elections” is “firebrand militia leader”
Moktada al-Sadr, who “has spent years refashioning his image” into “a
populist outsider intent on fighting corruption.” The Times adds that,
unlike in previous years, “many voters abandoned their traditional
divisions and supported two new political movements groups that promised to
tackle a pervasive everyday problem: corruption.” Sadr’s political
coalition’s victory “could complicate the American strategy in Iraq,” as he
is “vocally anti-American, though he has also been strongly critical of
Iran.” Still, American officials are “not yet worried” on the issue of
allowing American troops to remain on Iraqi soil. Additionally, “there is
no guarantee that Mr. Sadr will have the final say on who Iraq’s next
leader is, or even a major one,” as after the elections “negotiations
between Iraq’s competing parties are expected to continue for the next 15
days.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=043-a70&t=c>
(5/14, El-Ghobashy, Salim) reports Sadr’s strong showing “will force U.S.
officials to recalculate how best to pursue American interests in the
region at an especially sensitive moment.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=044-58f&t=c>
(5/14, Coles, Nabhan) reports that both the US and Iran may have to deal
with a frequent critic of both influencing the selection of Iraq’s premier.
Sadr benefited from the historically low turnout, which the Journal says
reflects a disillusionment with the political elite, due to his As popular
base. Politicians close to Sadr said he is most likely to partner with US
ally Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=045-45a&t=c>
(5/14, El-Tablawy, Ansary) reports, “Coming a close second in the national
vote was the Fateh bloc of Hadi al-Amiri, whose Iran-backed paramilitary
force played a prominent role in defeating Islamic State during years of
fighting.” Also covering this story are Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=046-311&t=c>
(5/14) and the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=047-255&t=c>
(5/14, Emad, Nabeel, Wirtschafter).

In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=048-f6e&t=c>
(5/14) calls Iraq’s elections possibly “the most significant development of
the year thus far” and “a remarkable achievement” due to their being
“competitive, fair and largely free of violence.” The Post adds this could
be “an opportunity to reinforce the incipient shift toward nonsectarian
politics built around support for Iraqi sovereignty – including from Iran.”

*Supreme Court Won’t Hear Blackwater Contractors’ Appeal. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=049-6b7&t=c>
(5/14) reports the Supreme Court won’t hear an appeal brought by four
former Blackwater contractors “convicted in the 2007 slayings of 14 Iraqi
civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad.”
Increasing Cost Of US Helicopter Flights Reflects Worsening Afghan Security.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=04a-d3b&t=c>
(5/14, Capaccio) reports, “The deteriorating security situation in
Afghanistan is” reflected in the State Department’s proposal to increase
the cost of flights from the embassy in Kabul to the airport “to about
$2,250 next year, up from $1,350 currently.” Special Inspector General for
Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko noted the amount exceeds the $1,850
round trip from Washington to Qatar on Emirates Airline. The cost increase
“reflects the cost of doing business in Kabul and the persistent danger to
personnel as the Trump administration increases the U.S. military and
diplomatic presence in Afghanistan.” The deteriorating security situation
makes it “too dangerous for Americans to drive to the airport.”

*Pakistan Allows US Diplomat Involved In Fatal Accident To Depart. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=04b-080&t=c>
(5/14, Masood) reports Pakistani authorities allowed Col. Joseph Emanuel
Hall, a military attaché at the United States Embassy in Islamabad who was
involved in a fatal traffic accident, to leave the country. State
Department spokesman Nolen Johnson said in an email, “We can confirm that
the American diplomat, who was involved in a tragic car accident on April 7
in Islamabad, has departed Pakistan.” While Hall had diplomatic immunity,
“as a furor here grew over the accident, he was barred from leaving the
country, and Pakistani officials said he faced criminal charges.”
Domestic Policy
Bureau Of Prisons Rolls Back Obama-Era Policy On Transgender Inmates.

NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=04c-dab&t=c>
(5/14, Moreau) reports on its website that the Bureau of Prisons is rolling
back an Obama Administration policy “that was intended to protect
transgender inmates in federal prisons.” In a revised version of the
Transgender Offender Manual released Friday, the BOP struck “a sentence
that instructs officials to consider transgender inmates’ ‘gender identity’
when making decisions regarding prison housing,” and instead mandates that
officials “use biological sex as the initial determination” for placement
decisions. Under the new policy, an inmate’s gender identity will “only be
considered in ‘rare cases’ when the inmate’s behavioral history, safety and
‘significant progress toward’ medical transition – as well as the safety
and security of other inmates and prison staff – compel prison officials to
do so.”
Indicted Russian Company Says Mueller Trying To “Justify His Own Existence.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=04d-e4a&t=c>
(5/14, Tucker) reports that Concord Management and Consulting LLC, “a
Russian company indicted” in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s
investigation, “attacked the case in an acerbic court filing Monday that
accused the government of inventing a ‘make-believe crime.’” The company
“was indicted in February on charges of conspiring to meddle in the 2016
presidential election by funding a covert social media campaign aimed in
part” at electing Donald Trump. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=04e-b3c&t=c>
(5/14, Morton) reports that in the court filing, the company “said Mr.
Mueller was trying to ‘justify his own existence’ in the charges and needed
‘to indict a Russian – any Russian’ for the Kremlin’s purported
interference” in the campaign. The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=04f-4d4&t=c>
(5/14, Cohen) reports that the company’s attorneys also “said the charges
‘have a strong odor of hypocrisy’ because the US has interfered in foreign
elections before, and insisted Concord Management never intended to break
federal law.”

*Ukrainian Politician Subpoenaed In Mueller Probe. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=050-ad1&t=c>
(5/14, Sanchez) reports that Ukrainian politician Andrii Artemenko, “who
reportedly worked with Trump associates on a peace plan between Ukraine and
Moscow-backed rebels,” has been subpoenaed to testify in Mueller’s
investigation.

*Mueller’s Team Opposes Hearing On Leaks. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=051-70c&t=c>
(5/14, Gerstein) reports that Mueller’s team argued in a court filing on
Monday that “a series of anonymously sourced news accounts” about the
investigation “don’t amount to evidence of illegal grand jury leaks and
could have come from defense attorneys or others outside the
investigation.” They are also urging US District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III
to turn down a request from Paul Manafort “to hold a hearing in which
witnesses could be summoned to testify about the alleged leaks.”

*WPost Editorial Praises Mueller’s Work So Far. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=052-0a7&t=c>
(5/14) says in an editorial that “by all appearances,” Mueller “has
performed with professionalism, integrity and remarkable efficiency. That
is not President Trump’s view, of course.” But Mueller “has secured guilty
pleas from, or indictments against, 19 people and three firms,” and there
is no evidence that Mueller “has overstepped proper boundaries of
prosecutorial behavior.”

*WPost: Avenatti’s “Take-No-Prisoners Approach” Could Backfire. *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=053-fb7&t=c>
(5/14, Brown, Reinhard) writes in an analysis that Stormy Daniels’ attorney
Michael Avenatti “is using Trump tactics to battle Trump” by launching “an
extraordinarily aggressive media campaign” that “parlayed a narrow dispute
about a one-night stand into a news-cycle-dominating assault” on the
President. While “the take-no-prisoners approach has turned Avenatti into a
darling of the political left,” the Post writes that his “tactics and
visibility may carry risks that could undermine his ability to represent
his client. ... Scrutiny of his business record and of his motives has
provided grist for distracting headlines in recent days,” and his
publication last week of Michael Cohen’s banking history “could jeopardize
his ability to represent Daniels in court, some experts say.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=054-f82&t=c>
(5/14, Gerstein) reports that Avenatti is defending his release of Cohen’s
financial records as a free speech matter, while “Cohen’s attorneys have
blasted the disclosure as an outrageous and reckless act that invaded their
client’s privacy.”

*Swiss Authorities Discussing Novartis’ Payments To Cohen. *Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=055-9dd&t=c>
(5/14, Miller) reports that Switzerland’s attorney general is discussing
Novartis AG’s payments to Cohen with local prosecutors. Bloomberg reports
that “the Office of the Attorney General and Basel Prosecutor’s Office are
both aware of the payments and are in contact about the matter.”
Azar: Private Entities Will Be Allowed To Negotiate Lower Medicare Part B
Drug Prices.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=056-bfc&t=c>
(5/14, Abutaleb, Erman) reports HHS Secretary Azar on Monday said that
President Trump “views tougher negotiation as key to” his plan to control
drug costs, “and that his agency will consider an alternative system for
buying Medicare Part B drugs.” Azar said, “We believe there are more
private sector entities equipped to negotiate these better deals in Part B,
and we want to let them do it.” Azar added, “The President has called for
me to merge Medicare Part B into Part D, where negotiation has been so
successful.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=057-b2d&t=c>
(5/14, Edney) reports Azar said, “If industry isn’t willing to work with us
to lower prices, President Trump and this administration will keep turning
up the pressure.” Bloomberg adds that the plan proposed by Trump “was
dismissed as somewhat toothless by Wall Street,” yet Azar said, “This pen
has a lot of power at HHS.” Azar added that HHS has “incredible authority
to regulate, to modify programs, to do demonstrations, to experiment.”

CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=058-ca3&t=c>
(5/14, Siddons) reports Azar, speaking “in the foyer of the Health and
Human Services Department...took direct aim at the industry.” Regarding
industry’s argument that affordability could undermine “life-saving
innovations,” Azar said, “I’m not interested in hearing those talking
points anymore, and neither is the President.” Azar added, “We are talking
about nothing short [of] the complete and fundamental potential
restructuring of over $400 billion of the American economy and the health
care system.” Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma described changes to
the Part B program including President Trump’s wishing “to merge Part B
into Part D.” Azar also spoke about pharmacy benefit managers, which he
said, often benefit from high prices. Azar said, “It is easily within our
power to forbid remuneration from pharmaceutical companies – to eliminate
rebates, align interests, and end the corrupt bargain that keeps driving
list prices skyward.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=059-9ac&t=c>
(5/14, Pear) reports the Administration “hit back...against critics of
President Trump’s plan to reduce prescription drug prices” as Azar
“dismissed” Democrats’ ideas to have the government “directly negotiate
with drug manufacturers” and allow consumers “to import pills from Canada.”
Azar said that direct negotiation would mean that the government would have
to either deny “access to certain medicines for all Medicare beneficiaries
through rationing,” or establish “prices for drugs by government fiat.”
Azar said that he favored allowing Medicare plans to use “the same
techniques and approaches used for tens and tens – I dare say over 100
million Americans” with private insurance. But Robert E. Zirkelbach, of the
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said the proposals
“could disrupt care and raise costs for Medicare beneficiaries.”

Azar said on Fox Business’ Mornings With Maria[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=05a-690&t=c>
(5/14),”Key elements here are bringing better negotiation to the Medicare
drug program because, of course, that is the program that we control for
tens of millions of Americans and pays for so much, of drug expense here in
this country. We’ve got a retail pharmacy program what’s called medicare
part d, and the President is going to unleash the drug plans to actually
negotiate against Big Pharma in certain categories where right now
negotiation is basically not existent with almost no discounts or rebates
being paid, a no touch zone. We are pulling that off. We are allowing full
negotiation. We are going to have bidding, and real discounting in that
space.”

*Trump Urged To Support Transparent Pricing Mechanism For
Drugs. *Thomas
J. Bollyky, Aaron S. Kesselheim, and Joshua M. Sharfstein write in the New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=05b-e21&t=c>
(5/14) on drug prices, noting that many items cost about the same in Europe
as they do in the US, but prices “for leading medicines” in the US “are at
least twice” what they cost in Europe. They write that President Trump
argued that US prices are high “because others pay too little,” but that
this diagnosis “largely misses the mark.” They argue that the reason prices
are higher in the US is that “it offers strong drug patent protections and
limits the ability of public and private payers to appraise new drugs and
bargain effectively for lower prices.” They urge the President to “support
establishing a transparent mechanism to determine reasonable prices for
innovative medicines that are based on the lives and health care costs they
save.”

*Medicaid Expansion Initiatives May Be On Ballot In Four States
This Fall. *McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=05c-091&t=c>
(5/14, Pugh) reports expanded eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable
Care Act may be “a major election issue” in the four states expected to
have ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid. Those are Montana, Nebraska,
Idaho, and Utah, though in none of those cases is it certain yet that the
initiative will be on the ballot. McClatchy adds that polling by the Kaiser
Family Foundation found that a majority of Republicans oppose Medicaid
expansion while majorities of Democrats and Independents favor expansion.
Generally Republicans worry expanding Medicaid “would limit spending for
other vital services” and would spend Medicaid dollars on childless adults,
while Republicans want to focus on “vulnerable populations like children,
pregnant women and those with disabilities.”
Ross: Citizenship Question Won’t Negatively Affect Census Participation.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=05d-8fb&t=c>
(5/14, Lugo) reports that the Administration is “downplaying concerns” that
the inclusion of a citizenship question in the 2020 census will result in
lower participation. Commerce Secretary Ross said at a National Press Club
event Monday, “Sixty-one million families have already been exposed to the
question and the sky has not fallen. ... So I don’t think the sky will fall
when we add it to the census itself in 2020.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=05e-063&t=c>
(5/14, Okun) says the Commerce Department will spend “roughly $500 million
on census-related advertising, in part to help reassure citizens that their
data by law can’t be used for immigration purposes.”

*First Wave Of California National Guard Troops Arrives At Border. *The
Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=05f-b62&t=c>
(5/14, Prine) reports that the initial deployment of California National
Guard troops has arrived on the US-Mexico border. Gloria Chavez, the new
Border Patrol chief in the El Centro sector, told a news conference Monday
that the troops will be “assisting from behind the scenes so that our
agents are able to get to the front lines and do the border security.”
Chavez added that California National Guard “is expected to send an
additional 22 airmen and soldiers to her sector before the deployment wraps
up at the end of September.”

*Immigration Officials Intensifying Employer Audits. *In what the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=060-74f&t=c>
(5/14, Spagat) says is a sign that the Trump Administration’s “crackdown on
illegal immigration is reaching deeper into the workplace to create a
‘culture of compliance’ among employers who rely on immigrant labor,”
immigration officials have increased audits of companies to verify that
their employees are authorized to work in the US. According to ICE, there
were “2,282 employer audits opened between Oct. 1 and May 4,” marking a
nearly 60% increase “from the 1,360 audits opened between October 2016 and
September 2017.” The AP adds that there were “594 employers arrested on
criminal immigration charges from Oct. 1 to May 4, up from 139 during the
previous fiscal year, and 610 civil immigration charges during the same
period, compared to 172 in the preceding 12-months.”
Senate Intelligence Committee To Vote Tomorrow On Haspel Confirmation.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=061-56d&t=c>
(5/14) reports that the Senate Intelligence Committee will vote Wednesday
morning on Gina Haspel’s nomination to head the CIA. The vote “will take
place behind closed doors, as is customary for the intelligence panel.” So
far, two Republicans, Sens. John McCain and Rand Paul, have announced
opposition to Haspel, while two Democrats, Sens. Joe Donnelly and Joe
Manchin and Joe Donnelly – have said they will support her. CNN’s Manu Raji
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=062-1bc&t=c>
that Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp may also back the nomination. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=063-a9f&t=c>
(5/14, Schor) reports that Haspel “appears increasingly likely to win
confirmation to lead the CIA,” with Democratic Sens. Doug Jones and Claire
McCaskill also still undecided.

In his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=064-c1f&t=c>
(5/14) column, Richard Cohen writes that Haspel “is almost certainly the
most qualified person available” but that “her nomination has to be
rejected” due to her “association and identification with the agency’s
post-9/11 interrogation program.”

*Senate Confirms Two Trump Nominees To Seventh Circuit. *The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=065-fd3&t=c>
(5/14, Swoyer) reports that the Senate on Monday confirmed President
Trump’s nominees Michael Scudder and Amy St. Eve to the Seventh US Circuit
Court of Appeals, and “plans to vote on the confirmation of two other
judicial nominees, one for the 6th and one for the 10th circuit, on Tuesday
in a push by” Senate Majority Leader McConnell “to reshape the federal
bench.”

*Trump Expected To Press Senate GOP Today About “Nuclear Option” On
Nominees. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=066-fe4&t=c>
(5/14, Bolton) reports that during his lunch meeting with Senate
Republicans on Tuesday, President Trump is expected to press senators “to
change the rules to speed up consideration of his nominees for vacant court
seats and executive posts. It has taken an average of 84 days to confirm
Trump’s nominees, far longer than for the four presidents who preceded him,
according to the Partnership for Public Service.” Senate Majority Leader
McConnell “has yet to say whether he will try to implement the change with
a controversial party-line vote known as the nuclear option.”
Trump Says Media Exaggerating Leaks, Calls Leakers “Traitors.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=067-837&t=c>
(5/14, Morin) reports that President Trump tweeted Monday that the media is
exaggerating the leaks coming from the White House but condemned the
leakers as “traitors” and vowed to “find out who they are.” Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=068-7fe&t=c>,
“The so-called leaks coming out of the White House are a massive over
exaggeration put out by the Fake News Media in order to make us look as bad
as possible. With that being said, leakers are traitors and cowards, and we
will find out who they are!” The tweet comes in the wake of a leak last
week “about a rude joke that a White House communications aide, Kelly
Sadler, made about Sen. John McCain’s health.”

*White House Says Sadler Has Been “Dealt With Internally.”
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=069-8a7&t=c>
(5/14, Quinn) reports that the White House is “reeling” from the leak about
Sadler’s comments. However, The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=06a-e90&t=c>
(5/14, Fabian) says the White House has “refused to offer a public apology
for the remarks and Trump’s response is almost certain to further fuel the
controversy surrounding them.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=06b-8bf&t=c>
(5/14, Superville, Colvin) reports the White House said Monday that Sadler
has been “dealt with internally,” but White House Deputy Press Secretary
Raj Shah “refused to say how.” Shah said that Sadler had offered a private
apology to the McCain family and remains in her job. The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=06c-4e2&t=c>
(5/14, Fabian) quotes Shah as saying, “I understand the focus on this
issue, but it is going to be dealt with and has been dealt with
internally.”

Cecilia Vega said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=06d-d69&t=c>
(5/14, story 2, 0:55, Muir) that it does not “look like they’ll be
apologizing despite the fact that Meghan McCain said Kelly Sadler promised
her she would make a public apology.” Katie Rogers writes in the New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=06e-85f&t=c>
(5/14) reports in its “White House Memo” column that “Trump’s apologies are
rare.” Trump’s “combative ethos has stood firm amid an assortment of
insults and missteps,” and it is “again behind the White House’s lack of an
apology” over Sadler’s comment.

*Conway Says She Expects Staff Shake Up After Sadler Leak. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=06f-582&t=c>
(5/14, Samuels) reports that Kellyanne Conway told Fox News’ The Story[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=070-bb3&t=c>
(5/14) Monday that “she expects to see a staff shakeup in the wake of the
furor over leaked comments made during an internal meeting last week.”
Conway said, “I had several discussions with the President on this very
topic today.” Asked if she expects personnel changes to result from the
situation, Conway said, “I do, actually. Yes, I do.” Conway also “defended
Trump’s diatribe against leakers,” saying, “It’s not so much leaking as
using the media to shiv each other, and that was going on quite a bit at
the beginning of this administration and it’s less so now. ... But I think
the President is on solid ground here.”
EPA IG: Pruitt Initiated “24/7” Protection On “First Day He Arrived.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=071-25d&t=c>
(5/14, Biesecker) reports that EPA Administrator Pruitt “demanded and
received unprecedented around-the-clock armed security protection on his
very first day, according to new details” disclosed Monday by EPA Inspector
General Arthur Elkins. In letters to Sens. Thomas Carper and Sheldon
Whitehouse, Elkins said that “Pruitt himself initiated the 24-hour-a day
protection.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=072-663&t=c>
(5/14, Dennis, Eilperin) reports that Elkins wrote, “EPA’s Protective
Service Detail began providing 24/7 coverage of the Administrator the first
day he arrived. The decision was made by the Office of Criminal
Enforcement, Forensics and Training after being informed that Mr. Pruitt
requested 24/7 protection once he was confirmed as Administrator.”

Several Democratic House members criticized Pruitt on Twitter. Rep.
Don Beyer (D) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=073-b6c&t=c>,
“Pruitt spend *three million dollars* on security and travel in his first
year, triple what his predecessors did. Pruitt tried to justify the waste
by citing phony threats, including a mustache drawn on a picture of his
face. It was all lies: Pruitt got 24/7 security on Day 1.” Rep. Dan Kildee
(D) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=074-3ae&t=c>,
“Flint still doesn’t have clean drinking water, but @EPAScottPruitt
requests a $3+ million, around-the-clock security detail. Outrageous.
#BootPruitt”. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=075-972&t=c>,
“I’m not sure about an official 24/7 security detail, but I do agree Scott
Pruitt would benefit from some round-the-clock observation.”
First Lady Hospitalized After Treatment For “Benign Kidney Condition.”

The White House says First Lady Melania Trump will likely be hospitalized
at Walter Reed Medical Center for the rest of the week after undergoing a
procedure Monday to treat a benign kidney condition.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=076-860&t=c>
(5/14, Johnson, Bernstein) reports that a statement from Stephanie Grisham,
the First Lady’s communications director, “vaguely described” the procedure
as “an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition.”
Embolization involves a doctor “insert[ing] a catheter as part of a
procedure to purposely block a blood vessel and cut off the blood supply to
the affected area.” Cecilia Vega said in the lead story for ABC World News
Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=077-aae&t=c>
(5/14, lead story, 1:45, Muir) that it is “is unclear exactly what her
condition is.” CBS chief medical correspondent Jon LaPook said in the lead
story for the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051501biden&r=email-44f4&l=078-b3e&t=c>
(5/14, lead story, 2:20, Glor), “I want to