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> From: William Russo <wrusso@vpbiden.org>
> Date: April 4, 2018 at 8:19:26 AM EDT
> To: "Ricchetti, Steven J" <sricch@pbc.upenn.edu>, Michael Christopher Donilon <mdonilon@udel.edu>, Louisa Terrell <lterrell@bidenfoundation.org>, Greg Schultz <greg@americanpossibilities.org>, Greg Simon <gsimon@bidencancer.org>, Danielle Carnival <dcarnival@bidencancer.org>, "Blinken, Antony J" <ablinken@pbc.upenn.edu>, "McLaughlin,Catherine A" <cathymcl@udel.edu>, Valerie Owens <hurricane5155@gmail.com>, Kathy Chung <kchung@vpbiden.org>, Melinda Medlin <mmedlin@vpbiden.org>, Richard Ruffner <rruffner@vpbiden.org>, Sam Salk <ssalk@vpbiden.org>, Anthony Bernal <anthonyrbernal@gmail.com>
> Subject: Fwd: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Wednesday, April 4, 2018
>
>
>
>> Begin forwarded message:
>>
>> From: "Bulletin Intelligence" <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
>> Subject: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Wednesday, April 4, 2018
>> Date: April 4, 2018 at 8:04:40 AM EDT
>> To: Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
>>
>>
>> Click to access mobile-optimized online version, including download options and an audio reader.
>>
>>
>>
>> To: Vice President Joe Biden
>> Wednesday, April 4, 2018 8:00 AM EDT
>> Today's Table of Contents
>> Leading the News
>> • Trump Says Military Will Guard Southern Border Until Wall Is Built.
>> Foreign Policy
>> • US Outlines New Tariffs Against China; China Hits Back, Targeting Key US Exports.
>> • Trump To Baltic Leaders: Better Relations With Russia “A Good Thing.”
>> • Trump Says ISIS Defeat In Syria “Almost Completed.”
>> • Trump Talks To Leaders Of Saudi Arabia, Qatar About Feud.
>> • Officials Prepping For Possible Trump Decision To Withdraw From Iran Deal.
>> • Netanyahu Cancels UN Deal On Asylum-Seekers.
>> • Afghan Military Disputes Reports Airstrike Killed Civilians.
>> Domestic Policy
>> • ACA Enrollments Down 400,000 From Last Year.
>> • White House Says It Is Not Discussing Action Against Amazon.
>> • Mueller Says Trump Not A Criminal Target In His Investigation.
>> • Media Analyses: Trump Offers “Qualified Support” For Pruitt.
>> • Trump, GOP Leaders Considering Rescission Of Some Spending In Omnibus Bill.
>> • Mulvaney, Mnuchin At Odds Over Tax Law Oversight.
>> • Woman Shoots Three, Herself At YouTube Headquarters.
>> Cancer Research
>> • Cancer Researchers To Relax Rules For Participation In Clinical Trials.
>> • Walker Signs Wisconsin Mammogram Breast Density Notification Bill.
>> Editorials/Op-Eds
>> • Washington Post.
>> • New York Times.
>> Biden in the News
>> • Biden-Backed Dallet Handily Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race.
>> • Heitkamp Quizzed About Her Endorsement From Biden, Trump’s Backing Of Cramer.
>> • Biden Backs Sherrill’s Bid For NJ11 Seat.
>> • Media Outlets Continue To Highlight Coming Stops On Biden’s “American Promise Tour.”
>> • Delaware House Committee Passes “Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act.”
>> Leading the News
>> Trump Says Military Will Guard Southern Border Until Wall Is Built.
>> To mostly skeptical media coverage, President Trump said yesterday the US military will guard the border with Mexico until his proposed wall is built. Reports caution that Trump’s move could engender resentment in Latin America, and describe a sense of confusion about his plans both in the Administration and the military. The CBS Evening News (4/3, story 2, 2:30, Garrett), for example, reported that “South American diplomats said the idea of placing the US military on the southern border would generate hostility toward Mr. Trump and solidarity with Mexico at next week’s summit of the Americas in Peru,” while ABC World News Tonight (4/3, story 4, 2:30, Karl) said that among those “most surprised by the President’s idea to use the military” was “the military,” with “multiple officials” telling “ABC News there have been no specific proposals yet developed to use the military on the border.” Politico (4/3, Nelson, Lima), meanwhile, indicates that “a senior official” at DHS said “that putting troops on the US-Mexico border had been under discussion but that no rollout had been planned because of unresolved policy issues.” The official “said [Defense Secretary] Mattis did not want armed troops at the border,” and that “the idea was previously shot down by John Kelly.”
>> NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 3, 1:25, Holt) reported, however, that “the Pentagon [is] now readying options” to fulfill Trump’s request, and Jim Acosta said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (4/3) that he spoke to a “senior Administration official” who “says that the Trump Administration does have a working number of National Guard troops that they want to deploy to the southern border,” but they aren’t releasing a number at the moment. The Military Times (4/3) cites a “defense official” who “noted one option could be similar to the 2006-2008 patrols US military personnel conducted under Operation Jump Start,” in which George W. Bush “called for up to 6,000 National Guard members to secure parts of the border.” Barack Obama also “deployed Army forces from Fort Bliss to the Tucson, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, areas for Operation Nimbus, a joint operation between US Northern Command and Customs and Border Patrol.” The AP (4/3, Colvin, Baldor) notes Texas “has also deployed military forces to its 800-mile border with Mexico.” Then-Gov. Rick Perry, “now serving as Trump’s energy secretary, ordered the deployment of 1,000 Texas National Guardsmen to the Rio Grande Valley in summer 2014 in response to a sharp rise in the numbers of Central American children crossing the border alone.” Newsday (NY)(4/3, Hernandez) indicates that Trump’s “move is not entirely unprecedented,” though “US law bars active-duty military from apprehending and arresting people at the border.”
>> The Dallas Morning News (4/3, Gillman), meanwhile, also says “key questions” remain “unanswered: how many troops, how heavily armed they would be, their mission, or how success will be defined.” The News warns that “militarizing the border would likely escalate tensions with Mexico, which is in the midst of a presidential campaign in which a leading candidate has vowed to ensure that his country is no longer a ‘piñata’ for foreign powers.” CNN (4/3, Watkins) reports “the Mexican ambassador to the US said Tuesday that...Trump’s apparent call for the US military to guard the US-Mexico border is an unwelcome one.” Said Geronimo Gutierrez, “It’s certainly not something that the Mexican government welcomes, but as soon as we have further clarification, we can expect to have a better idea of where we are.”
>> NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 3, 1:25, Holt) referred to “a dramatic escalation” on Trump’s part, Politico (4/3, Nelson, Lima) to “an escalation,” and the New York Times (4/3, Davis, Sullivan) to a “remarkable escalation.” The Times also says Trump made the announcement “at the White House, seated beside the defense secretary at a meeting with visiting leaders of Baltic nations.” Said Trump, “We have very bad laws for our border, and we are going to be doing some things – I’ve been speaking with General Mattis – we’re going to be doing things militarily. ... Until we can have a wall and proper security, we’re going to be guarding our border with the military. That’s a big step. We really haven’t done that before, or certainly not very much before.” The President later tweeted footage of his comments with the message “WE WILL PROTECT OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!”, and Breitbart (4/3, Munro) says “the White House confirmed late Tuesday that it will deploy the National Guard to help contain the rising flood of Central American economic migrants during this spring and summer.”
>> The Wall Street Journal (4/3, A1, Ballhaus, Mauldin) runs a similar story on its front page, and Bloomberg News (4/3, Epstein, Sink) notes Trump has also “previously suggested that he could use money allocated for the US military to construct the border wall for which he has so far been unable to secure congressional funding.” Breitbart (4/3, Spiering) reports Trump “did not detail specific plans for policing the border but appeared eager to make it happen after Democrats stalled progress on his long-promised border wall,” and Townhall (4/3, Pavlich) that his “statement comes just hours after Mexico stopped a caravan of over a 1,000 illegal aliens from Honduras from entering the United States.” The CBS Evening News (4/3, story 2, 2:30, Garrett), meanwhile, said the “so-called caravan of about 1,200 migrants moving through Mexico appears to have sparked the President’s interest in militarizing the border.”
>> The Washington Times (4/3, Boyer, Dinan) says Trump “blamed changes to the law and policy he said happened under President Obama for weakening the immigration system and creating the opportunity for more people to show up on the country’s border to demand admission through asylum or other legal avenues.” Said Trump, “We cannot have people flowing into our country illegally, disappearing, and by the way never showing up for court. ... If it reaches our border, our laws are so weak and so pathetic … It’s like we have no border.” The Daily Caller (4/3, Enjeti) reports Trump’s “comments appear to take aim at current US policy which requires border agents to catch then release family units who arrive at the border from noncontiguous countries.”
>> In Tweet Today, Trump Calls For Change In “Very Weak” Border Laws, Blasts Democrats. Trump tweeted this morning, “Our Border Laws are very weak while those of Mexico & Canada are very strong. Congress must change these Obama era, and other, laws NOW! The Democrats stand in our way – they want people to pour into our country unchecked....CRIME! We will be taking strong action today.”
>> Trump Says Migrant Caravan “Broken Up” After He Pressured Mexico To Act. NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 3, 1:25, Holt) reported that Trump is now “claiming credit for stopping” a caravan of migrants heading through Mexico towards the US. Trump was shown saying, “I have just heard that the caravan coming up from Honduras is broken up and Mexico did that, and they did it because frankly, I said ‘you really have to do it.’” The Washington Times (4/3, Boyer, Dinan) says the development headed off “a major headache for American officials,” and adds the President indicated “Mexico bowed to pressure from the US to take action.” USA Today (4/3, Jackson, Korte) also says Trump “took credit for stopping the caravan, saying pressure on Mexico helped to turn it back,” and “alluded to his threat to kill off the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, saying ‘NAFTA had been a terrible deal for the United States.’” Business Insider (4/3, Woody) quotes Trump as saying, “We will be doing things with Mexico, and they have to do it. ... Otherwise I’m not going to do the NAFTA deal.”
>> Reuters (4/3) quotes him as saying, “As of 12 minutes ago, it was all being broken up. We’ll see what happens.” Reuters adds “Mexican officials intensified efforts to process the dwindling group and determine whether they had the right to stay in Mexico or be returned to their countries of origin.” Mexico “has said such ‘caravans’ of mostly Central Americans, including many escaping violence in Honduras, have occurred since 2010.” The AP (4/3, Spagat), however, disputes Trump’s statement, reporting, “Nothing is being broken up in Mexico. The caravan of largely Central American migrants never intended to reach the US border, according to organizer Irineo Mujica. The caravan was meant to end at a migrant’s right symposium in central Mexico later this week.”
>> At any rate, the New York Post (4/3, Fredericks, Steinbuch) reports, “in a statement late Monday, the Mexican government said about 400 members of the caravan had already been sent back to their home countries.” The Washington Post (4/3, Partlow, Agren) also reports “the caravan...has now halted on a brown-grass soccer field, its participants unsure and anxious about the way forward.” Mujica, “the head coordinator of the migrant caravan,” told the crowd of would-be migrants, “We are scared, just like you. ... Now President Donald Trump has said that he wants to hit us with nuclear bombs.”
>> Earlier yesterday, Trump had tweeted, “The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our ‘Weak Laws’ Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!” The Los Angeles Times (4/3, Bierman) reports Trump’s “threat to Honduras...marks an about-face after his administration has sought close ties with the Central American nation, and illustrates how his impulsive tweets can send confusing signals to allies.” The Washington Post (4/3, A1, Kim) notes “Honduras received about $127.5 million in aid from the United States in fiscal 2016, according to data from the United States Agency for International Development.” Moreover, says the Washington Post (4/3, Morello) in a separate story, “Honduras was among only seven nations that voted with the United States and Israel in December against a resolution condemning the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.” In fact, “Trump and Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, both suggested US aid could hinge on how nations voted.”
>> Trump Says Border Wall Needs To Be “About 700-800 Miles.” The Washington Times (4/3, Dinan) reports Trump “has once again cut the size of his border wall, saying Tuesday that there only needs to be between 700 and 800 miles of barriers.” Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Trump said, “We need to have a wall that’s about 700-800 miles.” The Times says it is “the latest reduction for Mr. Trump, who during the campaign left the impression that his planned wall would stretch along the 1,950-mile border, but last year said it may just be 900 miles.”
>> WPost: Trump Focusing On Border “Problem That Does Not Exist.” The Washington Post (4/3) editorializes, “While the president harps on a problem that does not exist – a weak border – he ignores a problem that does: the United States’ aging population and workforce, long-term trends that are likely to generate demand for more immigrant workers, not fewer. ... Economists say an aging workforce erodes productivity over time, meaning it is in the United States’ interest to allow more young immigrants with their energy and ambition to invigorate the economy. Mr. Trump is determined to do the opposite.”
>> Durbin Slams Trump Over DACA Tweets, Calls Him “Unstable.” The Chicago Sun-Times (4/3, Brown) reports that in a press conference Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin called Trump “unstable” and said he “ought to be ashamed of himself” for his weekend Twitter posts aimed at young undocumented immigrants. Durbin argued Trump was guilty of “either willful ignorance or deliberate misrepresentation” for claiming DACA “continues to draw illegal immigrants to the US because the program only provides protections to those who have been living here continually since 2007.” Said Durbin, “No one can come to the United States border, present themselves and claim DACA protection,” adding, “We offered him his $25 billion whacko wall” but Trump didn’t like the deal.
>> More Than 64,000 DACA Recipients Applied To Renew Status After Judge Ordered Restart. The Washington Times (4/3, Dinan) reports that “more than 64,000” so-called “Dreamers” have applied to renew their status under the DACA program “since a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restart the program, the government said in new numbers released Tuesday. About half of them have already been approved, with the others pending, according to the data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services.” In total, “nearly 694,000 people were being protected from deportation under the DACA program as of last week.”
>> US Visitor Visas Down 13% Under Trump. Politico (4/3) reports the US is “granting fewer visitor visas to people from around the world – not just Muslims – as President Donald Trump ratchets up his anti-immigration rhetoric.” The US granted “13 percent fewer visitor visas over the past 12 months when compared with fiscal year 2016, according to State Department data analyzed by POLITICO – a downward trend that appears to have accelerated in the past six months.” However, it is “unclear whether the drop is due to fewer people applying or more rejections of applications.” The cause, says Politico, “is likely some combination of both.”
>> Carson: HUD “Going To Cooperate Very Much” With DOJ On Immigration Enforcement. In an interview with Breitbart (4/3, House), HUD Secretary Carson said it is his aim to ensure federal contracting jobs and other economic opportunities go to “our people” and that his agency will cooperate “very much” with the Department of Justice to enforce immigration laws. Said Carson, “What we want to do, obviously, is empower people – that’s a major goal that we have – our people, American citizens. Our programs are aimed at that. ... We are putting incentives into that to make sure that it is used to develop our people.”
>> Politico: GOP Seizing On Trump’s Criticism Of California’s Sanctuary Law. Politico (4/3, Siders) reports that Republicans are “seizing on Donald Trump’s strident criticism of California’s so-called sanctuary-state laws, betting that a growing backlash to the new policies will rally the party’s moribund base.” John Thomas, a strategist for Shawn Nelson, who is seeking to succeed retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce, said, “This issue drives intense passion from many people in the district. As this issue grows in prominence, we feel strongly that our voters will show up at the polls to make sure that their public safety comes first.” According to Politico, “Nowhere is the fallout more consequential than here in Southern California, home to a collection of close congressional races that are critical to Democratic efforts nationally to retake the House.”
>> In fact, Orange County Supervisor Michelle Park Steel is critical of the state sanctuary law in a Wall Street Journal (4/3) op-ed, arguing that it endangers the public. Steel says her county is currently reviewing how it can intervene in the federal government’s lawsuit against California.
>> Administration To Check Answers To Census Question On Citizenship. The Wall Street Journal(4/3, Overberg, Adamy) reports that the Administration anticipates that millions of 2020 census respondents will avoid answering the question on citizenship and is planning to check immigration, Social Security and other federal and state records to ensure accuracy. Under an order issued by Commerce Secretary Ross last week, the Census Bureau is required to gather data about citizenship status to match with each census form.
>> Foreign Policy
>> US Outlines New Tariffs Against China; China Hits Back, Targeting Key US Exports.
>> Reuters (4/3, Lawder) reports that on Tuesday, the Administration “raised the stakes in a growing trade showdown with China, announcing 25 percent tariffs on some 1,300 industrial technology, transport and medical products to try to force changes in Beijing’s intellectual property practices.” The US Trade Representative’s office unveiled a list of “mainly non-consumer products representing about $50 billion of estimated 2018 imports that would nonetheless hit supply chains for many US manufacturers.” The announcement drew “a swift threat of retaliation” from the Chinese Embassy in Washington, which said in a statement, “As the Chinese saying goes, it is only polite to reciprocate. The Chinese side will resort to the WTO dispute settlement mechanism and take corresponding measures of equal scale and strength against US products in accordance with Chinese law.”
>> The New York Times (4/3, Swanson) also says the move “is likely to inflame an already-simmering trade war between the countries,” and the Los Angeles Times (4/3, Lee) says it “escalated the brewing trade war with China,” and is “likely to be met with retaliatory action from China and could further rattle stock markets.” Politico (4/3, Behsudi) similarly says Trump “escalated his trade war with China on Tuesday,” in what it called “the latest step in [his] trade offensive that aims to punish Beijing for pursuing policies accused of bolstering its own technological and economic development at the expense of US companies.” The tariffs, it adds, are “likely to invite even more retaliation from China.” The Wall Street Journal (4/3, A1, Davis, Zumbrun, Wei) reports on its front page that Trump said yesterday ahead of the announcement, “We intend to get along with China, but we have to do something very substantial about the trade deficit. I campaigned on that, I talked about that.”
>> Reuters (UK) (4/4, Martina) reports, “China quickly hit back on Wednesday at Trump administration plans to slap tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods, retaliating with a list of similar duties on key U.S. imports including soybeans, planes, cars, whiskey and chemicals. The speed with which the trade struggle between Washington and Beijing is ratcheting up – the Chinese government took less than 11 hours to respond with its own measures – led to a sharp selloff in global stock markets and commodities.” Reuters adds, “Unlike Washington’s list, which was filled with many obscure industrial items, China’s list strikes at signature U.S. exports...produced in states from Iowa to Texas that voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.”
>> Bloomberg News (4/3, Mayeda) reports, “China said it would levy an additional 25 percent tariff on imports of 106 U.S. products including soybeans, automobiles, chemicals and aircraft, in response to proposed American duties on its high-tech goods.” Chinese “officials signaled that the implementation of the proposed measures will depend on when the U.S. applies its own after a period of public consultation. The step ratchets up tension in a brewing trade war,” and Scotiaban strategist Gao Qi, told Bloomberg, “China’s response was tougher than what the market was expecting – investors didn’t foresee the country levying additional tariffs on sensitive and important products such as soybeans and airplanes.”
>> In Tweet Today, Trump Says No “Trade War With China” Because US “Lost Long Ago.” Trump tweeted this morning, “We are not in a trade war with China, that war was lost many years ago by the foolish, or incompetent, people who represented the U.S. Now we have a Trade Deficit of $500 Billion a year, with Intellectual Property Theft of another $300 Billion. We cannot let this continue!”
>> Futures Indicate Stocks To Open Sharply Lower. CNBC (4/4) reports, “U.S. stock index futurestumbled ahead of Wednesday’s open, as concerns over a potential trade war between the U.S. and China intensified. Around 6:20 a.m. ET, Dow futures indicated a drop of nearly 600 points at the start of trading,” while “Nasdaq and the S&P 500 futures also indicated heavy losses at the open.”
>> McConnell Warns Tariffs Are “Slippery Slope.” The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (4/3, Novelly) reports Trump “may think trade wars are ‘good and easy to win,’ but Sen. Mitch McConnell said they’d be disastrous for Kentucky.” Speaking to farmers and business leaders Tuesday in home state, McConnell said, “I’m not a fan of tariffs, and I am nervous about what appears to be a growing trend in the administration to levy tariffs. This is a slippery slope, so my hope is that this will stop before it gets into a broader tit-for-tat that can’t be good for our country.”
>> WPost: Trade War Could Hurt GOP This Year. Michael Scherer writes in the Washington Post(4/3, Scherer) “PowerPost” blog that the tariffs could hurt Republicans in this year’s midterm elections. Democrats “have blamed Republicans for the growing trade dispute’s impact on local farmers, and Republican leaders have been publicly pleading with Trump to pull back from the brinkmanship.” In March, 100 House Republicans sent a letter to Trump “expressing ‘deep concern’ about the prospect of new US tariffs on steel and aluminum.”
>> Trump To Baltic Leaders: Better Relations With Russia “A Good Thing.”
>> USA Today (4/3, Jackson, Korte) reports President Trump on Tuesday told the leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia “that he has been tough on threats from Russia, but said a better relationship with President Vladimir Putin would be ‘a good thing.’” During a meeting with the Baltic leaders, Trump said, “Nobody has been tougher on Russia,” but added that it “would be a good thing, not a bad thing,” if the US had better relations with Russia. “And just about everybody agrees to that, except very stupid people, OK?” he said. Reuters (4/3, Holland) says Trump “reiterated his belief that ‘nobody has been tougher on Russia than I have,’ noting he has pushed for increased defense spending to bolster the US military and has aggressively pushed energy production, enabling the United States to become an exporter in competition with Russia.” Trump also “said he had prodded NATO members to meet their defense spending commitments, generating ‘many billions of dollars’ in additional military spending by NATO allies.” Of the spending increases, the Washington Times (4/3, Miller) reports Trump said, “That is not necessarily a great thing for Russia. But that’s the way it is.”
>> John Roberts reported on Fox News’ Special Report (4/3) that as Trump “dismissed the notion the notion he wasn’t tough on Russia,” he was also asked about whether he views Putin as an enemy or a friend. Fox showed Trump responding, “I think I could have a very good relationship with Russia and with President Putin. And if I did, that would be a great thing. And there’s also a great possibility that that won’t happen. Who knows.” NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 4, 0:55, Alexander) reported that Trump “reinforc[ed] support for Baltic allies” who are “anxious about their own shared border with Russia.” Trump “repeatedly tout[ed] a tough track record, despite having never publicly condemned Vladimir Putin.” Jim Acosta reported on CNN’s Situation Room (4/3) that Trump “tried to sound tough on...Russia in a way that would make Kennedy and Reagan raise an eyebrow.” Trump “pointed to the decision to expel Russian diplomats” after Britain accused the Kremlin of being behind the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil. However, Acosta said “it’s still a difficult comparison for the President to make, not only” because of how Kennedy and Reagan confronted Russia, but also because of Trump’s “well-known reluctance to criticize Putin.”
>> Trump, Politico (4/3, Forgey, Lima) reports, also “said the US will look to strengthen business ties with the three Baltic states.” Politico notes that “representatives from the Department of Commerce and the US Chamber of Commerce are slated to host Baltic political and business leaders at a summit Tuesday,” a meeting Trump said he hopes will “expand the mutual trade and investment between our nations.”
>> Trump: NATO Has Taken In “Billions More” Than If “Crooked Hillary” Were President. The Daily Caller (4/3, Datoc) reports Trump “took a shot” at Hillary Clinton during a press spray with the Baltic leaders. Asked about the US’ relationship with NATO, Trump said the alliance has “taken in…many billions of dollars more than they would have had if you had ‘Crooked’ Hillary Clinton as president. That I can tell you. Many billions of dollars more.”
>> Russia: NATO Crossed “Red Line” By Boosting Air Defenses In Eastern Europe. The Washington Times (4/3, Boylan) reports NATO has crossed a “red line” by bolstering its air defenses in Eastern Europe, according to Russian officials. Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, “NATO countries are trying to find a balance between defense and dialogue, but they have crossed a red line.” He added, “NATO began resorting to Cold War schemes that should have been left in the past.”
>> British Lab Has Not Identified “Precise Source” Of Poison In Spy Case. The New York Times(4/3, Times) reports that “Britain’s military laboratory has not established whether the nerve agent that poisoned a Russian former double agent and his daughter came from Russia, the laboratory’s chief executive said on Tuesday.” Gary Aitkenhead, head of the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory, told Sky News, “We have not verified the precise source,” adding that his lab “had confirmed that the poison was Novichok, or from its family of nerve agents, and that it was of military grade.” In a statement, the British government said the laboratory’s work was “only one part of the intelligence picture.”
>> Russia To Build $20B Nuclear Power Plant In Turkey. Fox News’ Special Report (4/3) reported that as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it was announced that a Russian firm will build a $20 billion nuclear power plant in Turkey. Putin and Erdogan are “setting aside traditional rivalries and differences on regional issues to form closer ties.” The two will soon meet together with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
>> Trump Says ISIS Defeat In Syria “Almost Completed.”
>> USA Today (4/3, Jackson, Korte) reports President Trump “said Tuesday he still wants to pull US troops out of Syria, but will first make sure that the Islamic State has been defeated.” Trump told reporters, “I want to get out, I want to bring our troops back home,” and moreover, “the US has ‘almost completed’ the task of defeating ISIS.” The Washington Times (4/3, Boyer) quotes Trump as also saying, “It’s time. ... Sometimes, it’s time to come back home, and we’re thinking about that very seriously,” as “we’ve had a tremendous military success against ISIS.” At any rate, says Politico (4/3, Lima), Trump told reporters “his administration would look to make a final decision on the status of US troops in the region ‘very quickly.’”
>> Reuters (4/3) reports, however, that “the Pentagon and State Department...suggested a much longer-term effort is necessary,” and the AP (4/3) that “a decision by Trump to withdraw from Syria would conflict with the views of his top advisers.” The Army Times (4/3, Mehta, Copp) indicates that “at almost the exact same time that...Trump” made the comments about Syria, “his top commander for forces there said the US is in for the long haul.” Addressing the US Institute of Peace in Washington, the commander of US Central Command, Gen. Joseph Votel, “said that the next steps in Syria require ‘stabilizing these areas, consolidating gains, getting people back into homes, [and] addressing long term issues of reconstruction.’” Stars And Stripes (4/3, Zendejas), meanwhile, notes that Brett McGurk, “the State Department’s envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition,” also addressed the Institute, and “insisted much work remained for the some 2,000 US forces in Syria.” McGurk, “who has held his position since former President Barack Obama’s administration, indicated the United States remained unflinchingly committed to its mission to destroy ISIS in Syria, which he said has moved faster than expected.”
>> Reporting that Trump is “looking at...shrinking the US profile in Syria,” Fox News’ Special Report (4/3) also indicated that “even the President’s own adviser say the US needs to stay in Syria for the foreseeable future,” and that “experts worry a US pullout could lead to a resurgence of ISIS or remove a counterweight to Russian influence in Syria.” Jim Acosta similarly reported on CNN’s Situation Room (4/3) that Trump’s comments on Syria “seemed to contradict what his own advisers were saying, that the US is staying in Syria to battle ISIS.” Like Fox, CNN showed McGurk saying, “We are in Syria to fight ISIS. ... Our mission is not over. We are going to complete that mission.” Also addressing the event, Foreign Policy (4/3, Dubin) reports, was USAID Administrator Mark Green, who according to the Wall Street Journal (4/3, Schwartz) said one main focus of US efforts in Syria is eliminating improvised explosive devices and restoring services for civilians.
>> Axios (4/3, Sykes) notes Trump made his comments “during a joint press conference with leaders of the Baltic States,” and The Hill (4/3, Fabian, Kamisar) that he also said, “Seven trillion dollars in the Middle East over the last 17 years, we get nothing out of it…except death and destruction. It’s a horrible thing.” Trump also “floated the possibility of extending the US military presence there – as long as other countries, potentially including Saudi Arabia, pay for it,” saying, “Saudi Arabia is very interested in our decision. I said, ‘Well, you want us to stay, maybe you are going to have to pay’ ... It’s very costly for our country and it helps other countries a hell of a lot more than it helps us.” Meanwhile, CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (4/3) showed Trump saying, “I said ‘keep the oil.’ We didn’t keep the oil. Who got the oil? ISIS. That is what funded their campaign. .. And we should have kept the oil then.” Anderson Cooper said the US neither kept nor took oil from Iraq or Syria “because, among other reasons, that is called ‘plunder’ and pretty much went out with Ghengis Khan.”
>> Voice of America (4/3, Seldin) reports that “while the president seemed to leave open the option that US forces could stay in Syria a bit longer, the prospect of pulling all forces from the counter-IS fight is not sitting well with US allies, including the Kurds and Iraq.” Said Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States, at the same conference as Votel and McGurk, “A sudden withdrawal from Syria would send a frightening message. ... These all ring alarm bells for us and I’m sure for the people of Syria.” NPR (4/3, Horsley), meanwhile, says “military experts warn a precipitous withdrawal could create an opening for ISIS or similar groups to regroup.”
>> NYTimes: Trump Reverting To “Campaign Themes,” Sounds Like “Armchair Statesman.” The New York Times (4/3, Landler) says Trump “has been commander in chief for 14 months, but to an uncanny degree, he still sounds like the armchair statesman who ran for the White House in 2016.” His “reversion to his campaign themes comes as he has reshuffled his national security team, ousting aides with more conventional views of American power, like Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the national security adviser, in favor of more hawkish figures, like Mike Pompeo and John R. Bolton.” The Times adds that “Tillerson and... McMaster curbed some of Mr. Trump’s most radical ideas,” whereas Pompeo and Bolton, “analysts predict, will bend more readily to Mr. Trump’s wishes.”
>> Trump Talks To Leaders Of Saudi Arabia, Qatar About Feud.
>> The AP (4/3) reports President Trump had separate phone conversations with the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, “discussing the ongoing disputes between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbors.” During the calls with Saudi King Salman and Qatari Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the White House “says Trump stressed the importance of resolving the Persian Gulf dispute in both calls.”
>> NSC Disputes Reports Summit With Gulf Leaders Delayed Over Qatar Tensions. Reuters (4/3, Strobel) reports that five US officials say the Administration is delaying until September a summit with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that had been planned for May. Two of the officials said the delay “reflects a crowded diplomatic calendar, and the fact that President” Trump currently lacks a secretary of state. Meanwhile, an NSC spokeswoman is disputing a claim by “other sources” that the delay is “also a nod to the fact that Washington has made little progress so far in ending the bitter standoff between Qatar and other Gulf nations.”
>> Officials Prepping For Possible Trump Decision To Withdraw From Iran Deal.
>> The AP (4/3, Lee, Lederman) reports, “Anticipating an unpredictable president’s next moves, US officials have started actively planning for the likelihood” that President Trump will announce next month the US is withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. The AP notes, however, that “no one knows exactly what would happen next, nor how Iran would respond.” Nevertheless, national security officials are “exploring various ‘day after’ scenarios.”
>> Documents Show Bank Aided Iran In Evading Sanctions. The Washington Post (4/3, Mekhennet, Warrick) reports that investigators have uncovered “evidence of a multibillion-dollar corruption scheme by a Persian Gulf bank that secretly helped Iran evade sanctions for more than a decade, according to documents filed in a legal dispute.” Records from a Bahraini government audit reveal that “the now-closed Future Bank — a joint venture partly owned by two of Iran’s largest lenders — routinely altered financial documents to mask illicit trade between Iran and dozens of foreign partners, the documents show.” The bank allegedly concealed at “least $7 billion worth of transactions between 2004 and 2015,” and auditors also discovered “hundreds of bank accounts tied to individuals convicted of crimes including money laundering and terrorism financing.”
>> Netanyahu Cancels UN Deal On Asylum-Seekers.
>> The New York Times (4/3, Kershner) reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “abruptly” announced Tuesday that he was reneging on a deal with the United Nations “to resettle thousands of African asylum seekers in Western countries.” The deal had been made one day earlier, but Netanyahu said that “he was responding to an outcry from members of his conservative Likud party as well as partners in his governing coalition who routinely refer to the migrants as ‘infiltrators’ and want all of them expelled.” The Times says “the capitulation dented Mr. Netanyahu’s image as a master political player.”
>> Afghan Military Disputes Reports Airstrike Killed Civilians.
>> The Washington Post (4/3, Lamothe, Salahuddin) reports the Afghan military “faced a wave of criticism Tuesday as citizens, human rights groups and government officials took stock of an airstrike carried out by the Afghan air force in the northern province of Kunduz, killing dozens of people.” A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, Gen. Mohammad Radmanish, “said Afghan helicopters attacked a Taliban stronghold in a location that was being used as a training camp for the group” near Kunduz city and the Tajikistan border. He claimed that foreign fighters from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were among those killed, “but other Afghan officials disputed that point.” Abdullah Qarloq, a senator from the district, said the airstrike hit the Akhundzada Gojor madrassa during a graduation ceremony. The New York Times (4/3, Rahim, Mashal) reports the UN Mission in Afghanistan said it was “actively looking into disturbing reports of serious harm to civilians,” and the Kunduz governor’s office said, “In these airstrikes, in addition to armed opposition, unfortunately some of our civilian countrymen have also been killed and wounded.”
>> Domestic Policy
>> ACA Enrollments Down 400,000 From Last Year.
>> The New York Times (4/3, Goodnough) reports that the Administration announced Tuesday that at 11.8 million, the number of people who signed up for health insurance on the ACA marketplaces for 2018 was “roughly 400,000 fewer than last year.” According to the Times, the decline “was relatively small, given that Mr. Trump had sharply cut federal outreach efforts and the open enrollment period was half as long as in past years.”
>> Consumers Who Qualify For ACA Subsidies Paying Less For Coverage Despite Premium Hikes.The AP (4/3, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports that data show Americans who qualify for ACA subsidies “will pay lower premiums this year, even though the ‘list price’ for their health insurance shot up.” According to Bloomberg News (4/3, Tracer), the net cost of coverage for those who receive subsidies fell “to $89 a month this year, on average, in the 39 states where the federal government runs the sign-up process.” By comparison, that figure was $106 in 2017.
>> White House Says It Is Not Discussing Action Against Amazon.
>> President Trump continued his attacks on Amazon on Tuesday, writing in a tweet, “I am right about Amazon costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their Delivery Boy. Amazon should pay these costs (plus) and not have them bourne by the American Taxpayer. Many billions of dollars. P.O. leaders don’t have a clue (or do they?)!” The CBS Evening News (4/3, story 3, 2:40, Glor) reported that since Trump started criticizing the company last week, its stock “has fallen seven percent, a loss of $60 billion in market value.”
>> Bloomberg News (4/3, Jacobs, Soper) says Trump “appears to have the knives out for Amazon” but “inside the White House, there are no active discussions about turning the power of the administration against the company, according to five people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.” None of those people “was aware of any ongoing discussion about turning Trump’s tweets into action against Amazon, not on the legal or regulatory fronts, or even regarding its reliance on the U.S. Postal Service, which has drawn the lion’s share of Trump’s wrath.” Eamon Javers said on CNBC’s Closing Bell (4/3) that there is “a lot of confusion here inside the White House about whether or not the President plans on taking any action at all on Amazon whether there is any real policy heft behind the President’s tweets that we’ve seen today I’ve been asking a number of officials throughout the day. I haven’t gotten any specific example of any specific action the President wants to take.”
>> The New York Times (4/3, Shear, Kang) highlights other companies Trump has attacked including Verizon, which he accused of making “a STUPID deal” for AOL, Coca-Cola, which he called “garbage,” both H&R Block and Nordstrom, which he called “terrible,” Sony which he said had “really stupid leadership” and S&P Global, whose executives he described as “losers.”
>> Kasich: Trump Comments On Amazon “Inappropriate.” Dana Bash said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (4/3) that in New Hampshire Tuesday, Gov. John Kasich “weighed in on...what the President is saying about Amazon.” Kasich: “I have just seen a few of the reports and I don’t think what is being said is accurate. But we don’t want to be in a position where our leaders are just pounding down over and over and over again to drive their stock down. I don’t think that’s appropriate for a public official.”
>> Mueller Says Trump Not A Criminal Target In His Investigation.
>> The Washington Post (4/3, Leonnig, Costa) reports Special Counsel Robert Mueller told President Trump’s lawyers last month “that he is continuing to investigate the president but does not consider him a criminal target at this point, according to three people familiar with the discussions.” Mueller “described Trump as a subject of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.” Subject is a term prosecutors use when a person “has engaged in conduct that is under investigation but there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges.” The Post adds that Mueller also told Trump’s lawyers “that he is preparing a report about the president’s actions while in office and potential obstruction of justice, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations.” CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (4/3), “I don’t think that is particularly good news for [Trump]. It is a big deal to be under criminal investigation by the FBI particularly if the you are the President of the United States.” Sean Hannity took a different view of the news, saying on Fox News’ Hannity (4/3) that while Trump “is not currently a criminal target,” the “witch hunt continues.”
>> Rosenstein Authorized Mueller To Investigate Collusion Allegation Against Manafort. The Washington Times (4/3, Scarborough) reports that in a court filing Monday, Mueller “disclosed for the first time written authorization” from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein “to investigate an allegation against Paul Manafort that is found in the infamous anti-Trump dossier.” In the memo, dated Aug. 2, 2017, Rosenstein “cites unsourced ‘allegations’ against Mr. Manafort” that he “committed a crime or crimes by colluding with Russian government officials with respect to the Russian government’s efforts to interfere with the 2016 election….” The Washington Post (4/3, Hsu, Helderman) says additional sections of the memo “were blacked out by prosecutors, indicating that Rosenstein authorized other lines of investigation that remain a secret.”
>> Flight, Credit Card Records Show Stone Was In US At Time Of Alleged Assange Meeting. Roger Stone released to the Daily Caller (4/3, Enjeti) “boarding passes and credit card records” which “show him arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after a two day trip to California on August 4, 2016.” Stone released the records in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report which “claimed that special counsel Robert Mueller is examining an email he sent to former Trump campaign official Sam Nunberg claiming he met with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on August 4, 2016.” In a statement to TheDC, Stone said, “It is not what you said you did, but what you actually did that matters.” Stone added that the email to Nunberg “was simply a continuation of the same joke I had sarcastically made to Nunberg as I ended a prior phone call with him, after it had dragged on for far too long.”
>> Van Der Zwaan Sentenced To 30 Days, Fined $20,000. USA Today (4/3, Johnson) reports that Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan, “who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Trump campaign deputy Rick Gates and a former Russian intelligence agent was sentenced to 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine Tuesday.” Van der Zwaan, who is the first person to be sentenced in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, “acknowledged making false statements about communications with Gates and the unidentified agent who prosecutors referred to as ‘Person A.’” The Wall Street Journal (4/3, Viswanatha) reports that van der Zwaan initially told investigators that he had no contact with Gates after mid-August 2016, but he had discussed work in Ukraine with Gates later in the year. In a filing last week, prosecutors said those conversations were directly relevant to Mueller’s probe.
>> The Los Angeles Times (4/3, Megerian) reports that US District Court Judge Amy Berman rejected a request from defense lawyers that van der Zwaan not serve person time, saying, “This was more than a mistake. ... This was more than a lapse or a misguided moment.” On ABC World News Tonight (4/3, story 5, 0:25, Llamas), Tom Llamas said that the sentence is a signal from Mueller “that he is taking a tough line.” The CBS Evening News (4/3, story 4, 0:20, Glor) also reported briefly on van der Zwaan’s sentencing.
>> Facebook Removes Russian Troll Farm Accounts. According to Axios (4/3, McCabe), Facebook said Tuesday that “it had removed more accounts operated by the infamous Russian troll farm that allegedly ran a widespread online campaign to interfere with the 2016 president election on the platform.” Facebook security official Alex Stamos said in a blog post, “We removed this latest set of Pages and accounts solely because they were controlled by the IRA – not based on the content,” and that Facebook “will let users check to see if they followed the Russian pages.”
>> Steyer Group Providing Guide To Impeachment To More Than 5,000 Democratic Candidates.Axios (4/3, McCammond) reports that the “civil war” between the Democratic Party’s “far-left progressives and moderates is about to get more intense.” While Democrats “increasingly believe moderate platforms and candidates – not progressives calling to remove the president – will help them take back the House of Representatives in November,” Tom Steyer’s Need To Impeach organization has “mailed 5,171 candidates a guide to impeachment to reference while campaigning.” The moderate stance “is reflected in everything from the DCCC helping candidates fight for more than 100 GOP-held seats this cycle to the topics candidates are advised to talk about, like the economy and health care.” Although impeachment “is not on the list of talking points,” all “Democratic, Independent, and third-party candidates running for office in 2018 will receive an impeachment guide.”
>> Poll: 67 Percent Support Second Special Counsel To Probe FISA Abuses. The Hill (4/3, Easley) reports that the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey found that “more than two-thirds of voters support appointing a second special counsel to investigate allegations of abuse at the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ).” According to the survey, “67 percent support a second special counsel, including 75 percent of Republicans, 60 percent of Democrats and 69 percent of independents.” The survey also found that 57 percent said the firing of former FBI Director Comey “was an attempt by [President] Trump to obstruct justice” and 54 percent “said that [special counsel Robert] Mueller should pursue obstruction charges against Trump even if the special counsel does not find any evidence of an underlying crime pertaining to collusion.”
>> Media Analyses: Trump Offers “Qualified Support” For Pruitt.
>> While EPA Administrator Pruitt “has been under fire over revelations that last year he rented a Capitol Hill condo from the wife of a prominent energy lobbyist whose firm has clients regulated by the EPA,” President Trump gave him “qualified support Tuesday,” telling reporters, “I hope he’s going to be great,” the Washington Times (4/3, Boyer) reports. According to “an anonymous administration official,” in a phone call Monday night, Trump told Pruitt to “keep your head up” and “keep fighting,” and that the White House has “got your back.” Politico (4/3, Restuccia, Lima, Cook) says White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed Trump’s conversation with Pruitt on Monday night and that White House Chief of Staff Kelly spoke with him Tuesday morning. While “reports said the message to Pruitt was that ‘we’ve got your back,’” Politico adds that in the Trump White House, “messages of support do not always carry much weight and can quickly be followed by an ouster.” Politico also cites a “White House official” who said “on Tuesday that Pruitt’s future in the administration was uncertain.”
>> Mary Bruce said on ABC World News Tonight (4/3, story 6, 2:20, Llamas) that “privately, sources say the President is frustrated with all the controversy,” while Hallie Jackson on NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 5, 1:50, Holt) cited “a spokesperson” who said that Pruitt “is focused on advancing President Trump’s agenda, and under his leadership, the EPA is doing just what the President wanted.” The New York Times (4/3, Davenport) reports that Pruitt on Tuesday “formally announced his most sweeping regulatory rollback to date: a plan to weaken President Barack Obama’s stringent rules on planet-warming tailpipe emissions.” While it should have been Pruitt’s “finest moment,” instead of “basking in glory,” he is “caught up in a swirl of allegations of impropriety.” A Washington Post (4/3) editorial says the “emerging picture is of a chief environmental officer not only fighting a war on science as he promotes oil and gas interests but also arrogantly betraying the public trust.” The Post says Trump’s expression of support for Pruitt “prov[es] once again the emptiness of his campaign promise to clean up Washington. Time and again, Mr. Trump has accepted arrogance and incompetence on his staff as long as loyalty remains beyond question.”
>> Mara Liasson of NPR said on Fox News’ Special Report (4/3), “I haven’t talked to a single person at the White House who would not put money on the fact that he is on thin ice and will be gone. Now, to stipulate, the President’s personnel decisions are always unpredictable, but there is a sense that there is just one too many ethics problems. Look, Donald Trump’s brand was draining the swamp. He doesn’t like it when somebody is acting like they are repopulating the swamp instead of draining it, and that is the problem here.”
>> Pruitt Says Washington Is “Toxic,” Critics “Resort To Anything” To Stop Trump’s Agenda. The Washington Examiner (4/3, Bedard) reports that in an interview, Pruitt “forcefully pushed back against criticism that he won a short-term sweetheart rental deal from a lobbyist friend, claiming it’s just the latest attempt by his and the president’s attackers to ‘resort to anything’ to stop their agenda.” Pruitt said, “There are people that have long in this town done business a different way and this agency has been the poster child of it. And so do I think that because we are leading on this agenda that there are some who want to keep that from happening? Absolutely. And do I think that they will resort to anything to achieve that? Yes. ... It’s toxic here in that regard.”
>> Curbelo Calls For Pruitt’s Resignation. Politico (4/3, Holden) reports that Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo on Tuesday called for Pruitt’s resignation, tweeting, “Major policy differences aside, @EPAScottPruitt’s corruption scandals are an embarrassment to the Administration, and his conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers. It’s time for him to resign or for @POTUS to dismiss him.”
>> Democrats Seek Investigation Of Pruitt’s Rent Deal. USA Today (4/3, Estepa) reports that Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu and Don Beyer “are calling for an investigation into the administrator’s rent deal with the wife of an energy lobbyist.” The lawmakers wrote Tuesday to the EPA’s IG, asking him to look into Pruitt’s lease.
>> WPost: Pruitt Used Obscure Law To Hire Former Lobbyists, Others. The Washington Post (4/3, Grandoni) highlights Pruitt’s hiring of “at least two ex-lobbyists and several other aides for noncritical positions through an obscure provision” in the Safe Drinking Water Act. According to the Post, the “unusual hires” are raising questions about whether Pruitt “is circumventing President Trump’s ethics directives or using his emergency hiring authority as intended.”
>> Trump, GOP Leaders Considering Rescission Of Some Spending In Omnibus Bill.
>> CQ Roll Call (4/3, McPherson) reports that President Trump and Republican congressional leaders are considering “ways for their party to effectively cut some of the funds they just approved” in the 2018 omnibus spending measure. Roll Call Trump and Republicans are “frustrated they had to work with Democrats” to pass the measure and are eyeing the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 “to roll back spending by impounding some of the appropriated funds.” Politico (4/3, Bresnahan, Everett) cites “sources familiar with the plan” who said White House officials and House Majority Leader McCarthy “are working closely” on the rescission package. It is unclear “which programs could be targeted or when the House would vote, although the White House had targeted dozens of programs in Trump’s 2019 budget proposal.” The Washington Examiner (4/3, Lawler) cites an “administration official” who “said rescissions are being discussed and that the White House is a few weeks away from developing a package of potential cuts.” The AP (4/3, Mascaro) says the move would be “highly unusual,” but it would “offer Republicans a way to save face amid the backlash over the bill that conservatives, and Trump himself, complain gives too much money for Democratic priorities.”
>> Mulvaney, Mnuchin At Odds Over Tax Law Oversight.
>> The New York Times (4/3, Rappeport, Tankersley) reports that a “power struggle” between OMB Director Mulvaney and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin “threatens to delay implementation of the new tax law and could give lobbyists and political hands in the White House greater ability to shape critical decisions about which types of businesses benefit from the law.” Mulvaney and Mnuchin “are at odds over whether to end Treasury’s traditional independence in writing tax regulations and to give the budget office more oversight of those rules.” How the dispute plays out “could affect several big decisions that will define the breadth and scope of the new tax law, including whether small businesses like veterinary clinics and dentists may claim a new 20 percent tax deduction, and to what degree multinational corporations such as Microsoft and Eli Lilly will be hit with a new minimum tax on the profits they earn overseas.”
>> Businesses Seek Ways To Take Advantage Of New Tax Law. The Wall Street Journal (4/3, Simon, Rubin) reports that lawyers, accountants and businesses are seeking ways around provisions of the new tax law aimed at them and to extend the reach of tax breaks in the law.
>> Woman Shoots Three, Herself At YouTube Headquarters.
>> All three networks led their broadcasts last night with a shooting at YouTube headquarters outside of San Francisco. NBC Nightly News (4/3, lead story, 2:00, Holt) reported a woman opened fire this afternoon, injuring several employees before turning the gun on herself. According to law enforcement, the suspect “is a woman in her mid-30s, and the motive appears to be a domestic dispute.” The CBS Evening News (4/3, lead story, 2:20, Glor) reported the suspect “wounded three people, one critically,” and ABC World News Tonight (4/3, lead story, 2:35, Llamas) reported San Francisco General said it “received one male in critical condition, another female in serious condition, and a third person, another female, in fair condition.” On ABC World News Tonight (4/3, story 2, 1:05, Llamas), Pierre Thomas said, “It’s rare to hear women involved in this type of mass shooting,” and NBC Nightly News (4/3, story 2, 1:45, Holt) similarly said that “this workplace shooting stands out from many others because the suspect is a woman. With only a few exceptions, nearly every other workplace or school shooting was carried out by a man.”
>> Cancer Research
>> Cancer Researchers To Relax Rules For Participation In Clinical Trials.
>> Nature (4/3, Ledford) reports that cancer “researchers are pruning the lengthy lists of eligibility criteria for trials, in the hope of nixing unnecessary rules that might be hindering research.” Later this month, representatives of the FDA “will meet stakeholders...to discuss how restrictive eligibility criteria for clinical trials could be limiting patients’ ability to access experimental treatments – and the quality of the data generated by the studies.” Nature points out that “David Gerber, a lung-cancer specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and his collaborators have found that 80% of clinical trials sponsored by the US National Cancer Institute excluded people with previous cancer diagnoses.” But, “in many cases, he says, the previous cancer might have been caught early and removed successfully before the person developed lung cancer.”
>> Walker Signs Wisconsin Mammogram Breast Density Notification Bill.
>> The AP (4/3, Richmond) reports that on Tuesday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) signed legislation “that will require mammogram providers to notify women if they have dense breast tissue.”
>> Editorials/Op-Eds
>> Washington Post.
>> “Trump’s Immigration Tweetstorm Is A Lesson In Fact-Free Fearmongering.” The Washington Post (4/3) editorializes, “While the president harps on a problem that does not exist – a weak border – he ignores a problem that does: the United States’ aging population and workforce, long-term trends that are likely to generate demand for more immigrant workers, not fewer. ... Economists say an aging workforce erodes productivity over time, meaning it is in the United States’ interest to allow more young immigrants with their energy and ambition to invigorate the economy. Mr. Trump is determined to do the opposite.”
>> “The EPA’s Swamp Monster Gets Even More Toxic.” A Washington Post (4/3) editorial says the “emerging picture is of a chief environmental officer not only fighting a war on science as he promotes oil and gas interests but also arrogantly betraying the public trust.” The Post says Trump’s expression of support for Pruitt “prov[es] once again the emptiness of his campaign promise to clean up Washington. Time and again, Mr. Trump has accepted arrogance and incompetence on his staff as long as loyalty remains beyond question.”
>> “Costa Rica Shows An Admirable Resistance To Demagoguery.” The Washington Post (4/3) editorializes that, “in a world where populism of all stripes is on the rise, and liberal democracy seems to be on the defensive,” Costa Rica “continues to embrace tolerance and civility.” The editors assert that if Costa Rican voters had not “reject[ed] the candidacy of right-wing populist Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz...which was based almost exclusively on opposition to same-sex marriage,” the country may have been left “in the unusual position of lagging behind Latin America in individual freedom.” Instead, although the country is “showing some of the same signs of wear and tear that better-known counterparts in Europe and North America exhibit,” its “people showed an admirable resistance to demagoguery and single-issue politics,” and the new president now must show they were right to put their trust in democratic values.
>> New York Times.
>> The New York Times did not publish editorials on Wednesday.
>> Biden in the News
>> Biden-Backed Dallet Handily Wins Wisconsin Supreme Court Race.
>> Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Dallet, backed by national Democrats, on Tuesday handily defeated Sauk County Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock, who had the support of Republicans and GOP-friendly groups, in the closely watched race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Analyses cast the outcome as a sign of Democratic enthusiasm and as boding ill for the GOP heading into the midterm elections. In addition, nearly every report mentions that former Vice President Joe Biden, among other high-profile Democrats, backed Dallet in the race.
>> The AP (4/4, Bauer) reports that Dallet’s “runaway” win “cheered Democrats eager for more evidence their party is ready for a winning fall in midterm elections.” The outcome also led Gov. Scott Walker (R), “who had endorsed Screnock, to warn his fellow Republicans that more losses could be coming.” Walker, up for reelection this fall, said in a tweet, “Tonight’s results show we are at risk of a #BlueWave in WI. Big government special interests flooded Wisconsin with distorted facts & misinformation. Next, they’ll target me and work to undo our bold reforms.” The AP adds, “The race for a 10-year seat was nonpartisan in name only, with millions in ad spending and public endorsements from the likes of Joe Biden, Eric Holder and the National Rifle Association.”
>> WBAY-TV Green Bay, WI (4/3) repor