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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, August 9, 2018 7:53 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, August 9, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=001-5c3&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, August 9, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Media Outlets Highlight Biden’s Launch Of “As You Are” Initiative. <#S1>

• Article Recounts Biden’s Interactions With Teen Cancer Patient. <#S2>

• Univ. Of Maryland Professor: Trump Focusing On Unseating Casey With
Biden, 2020 In Mind. <#S3>

• In Concord Monitor, Retired Teacher Calls For Biden To Be Nominee In 2020.
<#S4>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Touts Tuesday’s Election Results, Predicts “Red Wave” In November.
<#S5>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• US Sanctions Russia Over Nerve Agent Poisoning In UK. <#S6>

• Votel Calls Iranian Naval Exercise “A Message” To US Over Sanctions. <#S7>

• Haley: US “Not Willing To Wait For Too Long” For North Korean
Denuclearization. <#S8>

• China To Impose 25% Tariff On $16B Of US Goods. <#S9>

• Votel Doesn’t Expect Major Change In Afghanistan Strategy. <#S10>

• US Declines To Join Canada In Denouncing Imprisonment Of Saudi Activists.
<#S11>

• In Colombia, Haley Blames Maduro For Venezuela’s Deterioration. <#S12>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Trump Legal Team Offers Mueller Counter-Proposal For Potential Interview.
<#S13>

• Media Analyses: Rep. Collins’ Arrest A Blow To Trump, GOP Ahead Of
Midterms. <#S14>

• Manchin Supports Including $5B For Border Wall In Fall Spending Bill.
<#S15>

• Ross Orders NMFA To Prioritize Water Usage To Firefighting Over ESA.
<#S16>

• Administration Preparing To Repeal Obama-Era Lightbulb Rules. <#S17>

• EPA Proposes Rule That May Allow Use Of Asbestos. <#S18>

• Staff At Treasury Financial Watchdog To Be Laid Off. <#S19>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• FDA Approves Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Treatment. <#S20>

• Memorial Sloan Kettering To Buy Ralph Lauren Cancer Center In East Harlem.
<#S21>

• Cancer Has Sophisticated Ability To Manipulate Immune System To Protect
Itself. <#S22>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S23>

• Washington Post. <#S24>
Biden in the News
Media Outlets Highlight Biden’s Launch Of “As You Are” Initiative.

A number of media outlets on Wednesday continued to highlight former Vice
President Joe Biden’s “As You Are” initiative aimed at promoting acceptance
of LGBTQ individuals by their families and communities. In an online
article posted Wednesday afternoon, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=002-398&t=c>
(8/8, Kacala) reported, “The Biden Foundation on Tuesday announced the
launch of ‘As You Are,’ a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of
family acceptance in the lives of LGBTQ young people.” Biden is quoted as
saying in a statement, “We’ll use our resources to highlight the harms of
family rejection – and lift up research, best practices and personal
stories to powerfully show the significant value of family acceptance.”
Fortune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=003-6a3&t=c>
(8/8, Reints) reports that the Biden Foundation “lists ‘ensuring LGBTQ
equality’ as one of their pillars. In a video announcing the initiative,
Biden, singer Cyndi Lauper, former NFL player Wade Davis, and a number of
LGBTQ advocates and activists note the progress society has made towards
LGBTQ acceptance, but stress the importance of family acceptance as well.”
Fortune adds that Biden “first came out in support of equal LGBTQ rights in
2012, just ahead of Barack Obama, when he said he was ‘absolutely
comfortable’ with same-sex marriage.”

TIME
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=004-81f&t=c>
(8/8, Quackenbush) reports, “According to a recent study from the
University of Chicago, LGBTQ youth experience homelessness are more than
twice as likely experience homelessness than their straight peers. ‘LGBTQ
young people should never have to face rejection from those who love them,’
Biden wrote on Twitter announcing the campaign launch.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=005-c01&t=c>
(8/8, Berry) reported, “As it kicks off its campaign, the Biden Foundation
will be gathering personal stories from young people with sexual
orientation or gender identity issues, as well as parents, educators, and
other professionals, as a way to raise awareness about the dangers of
mental illness when these youth are not immediately affirmed and accepted.”
The Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=006-8c7&t=c>
(8/8, Wong) reported that Biden “has long been an outspoken supporter of
queer rights. In May, the Biden Foundation announced a three-year
initiative with the YMCA aimed at fostering LGBTQ equality.” LGBTQ Nation
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=007-f2c&t=c>
(8/8, Gallagher) also reports on the story.
Article Recounts Biden’s Interactions With Teen Cancer Patient.

Cure Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=008-e9f&t=c>
(8/8, Incollingo) reported, “An Idaho teenager got a boost from one of her
idols – former Vice President Joe Biden – during her treatment for acute
myeloid leukemia. Nurses at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Boise had
invited Biden to attend Cierra Shaffer’s graduation from Fruitland High
School in May.” Biden wasn’t able to attend, but “he called Shaffer for a
15-minute video chat during the last of her monthlong treatments.” The
former Vice President “offered encouragement. ‘You’re going to beat this
thing, because you’ve got to come to see me in Washington. I’ll show you
around,’ Biden reportedly said.” Shaffer “reportedly said after the call,
‘I was like, holy cow – a little Idahoan girl talking to a big-shot vice
president!’ Shaffer’s Twitter account reflects that she has since been
released from the hospital and walked in her graduation ceremony.”
Univ. Of Maryland Professor: Trump Focusing On Unseating Casey With Biden,
2020 In Mind.

In a piece for the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=009-5a6&t=c>
(8/8), University of Maryland professor and “progressive commentator” Jason
Nichols asserted that the main reason President Trump is backing and
rallying support for Rep. Lou Barletta’s (R-PA) challenge to Sen. Bob Casey
(D-PA) this fall is because the Democrat represents “an early test for the
person that the president views as his most difficult possible opponent in
2020, Joe Biden. Biden is also an Irish Catholic from Northeastern
Pennsylvania like Casey and the ‘scrappy kid from Scranton’ is largely
credited with delivering the state to Obama in 2008 and 2012. Biden also
campaigned for Conor Lamb, whose win was one of Trump’s lowest moments.”
In Concord Monitor, Retired Teacher Calls For Biden To Be Nominee In 2020.

In a Concord (NH) Monitor
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=00a-392&t=c>
(8/9) op-ed, “retired educator” Robert L. Fried decries President Trump and
his Administration and says, “What our nation needs is a healer, a
normalizer – someone to help bring us back from the brink;” a person who
can “reach out to working-class and middle-Americans who feel betrayed by
‘coastal elites’”; someone “who deeply embodies the basic tenets of
fairness, of reason and reasonableness, of kindness, and of social
progress.” Fried says that person “is Joe Biden, our former vice president
and the one person who can most quickly and effectively restore our
institutions of good government and our position of leadership in the world
on behalf of democracy and humane values.”
Leading the News
Trump Touts Tuesday’s Election Results, Predicts “Red Wave” In November.

Following Tuesday’s primary elections, President Trump took to Twitter to
tout the apparent victories of the five candidates he had endorsed. Wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=00b-595&t=c>
Trump, “5 for 5!” He later added
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=00c-966&t=c>,
“The Republicans have now won 8 out of 9 House Seats, yet if you listen to
the Fake News Media you would think we are being clobbered. Why can’t they
play it straight, so unfair to the Republican Party and in particular, your
favorite President!” He later tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=00d-b93&t=c>,
“RED WAVE!”

Largely focusing on the OH12 special election, most media analyses
(including some in conservative outlets) sounded a skeptical note on
Trump’s assessment of both Tuesday’s contests and GOP prospects in the
fall. Joel B. Pollak, Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=00e-b10&t=c>
(8/8), wrote that “the Blue Wave is real. That much emerged from Tuesday’s”
OH12 contest. Among the factors he mentioned were Trump’s “failure to keep”
a “core promise,” the border wall, which “could keep Trump voters home.” In
an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=00f-af7&t=c>
(8/8) concludes that there is mounting evidence that Republicans are
heading for major losses, and takes issue with what it sees as a White
House effort to make the midterm contests a referendum on Trump. The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=010-622&t=c>
(8/8, Antle), meanwhile, said that other than Trump, “virtually no other
reputable political observer sees a red wave coming,” and “if anything, the
Democrats’ prospects...have improved in recent weeks.”

On NBC’s Today Show[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=011-1db&t=c>
(8/8), Chuck Todd said Democrats “are now heavy favorites to take control
of the House. I think the question really is the size. Is it 30 seats, 40
seats, 50 seats? They have a night like this, like they did in Ohio, they
could win 40 to 60 seats.” Dana Bash said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=012-c84&t=c>
(8/8) that according to her “sources,” the OH12 race is giving Democrats
“more of a feeling of wind at their back. That is something that is
invaluable when you are looking at the kind of race, the kind of election
that we are going to see in November. It is kind of what the notion of
waves are built on. ... That is certainly the feeling that Democrats have,”
whereas “Republicans are kind of licking their wounds.” NPR’s Mara Liasson
said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=013-dcd&t=c>
(8/8) that OH12 followed “a trend we have seen all year: Democrats
over-performed more than Republicans did.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=014-e48&t=c>
(8/8, story 5, 1:50, Wright) reported that in the Ohio “district where
Republicans have held control for more than 30 years, the Democrat” came
“within one point.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=015-ffc&t=c>
(8/8, story 4, 2:05, O'Keefe) reported the margin “is far narrower than
usual in [the] conservative district, and that has some Republicans
worried. John Kasich is Ohio’s a outgoing Republican governor. What
happened yesterday?” Kasich was shown saying, “Well, the voters here sent a
message to the Republicans to knock it off, stop the chaos, the division.
No more of this family separation that we see at the border or taking
people’s health care away. I think people basically have had enough.”
According to NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=016-f0e&t=c>
(8/8, story 4, 0:30, Holt), “it’s the race many are watching for a hint
whether we’ll see a blue or red wave in the midterm elections,” but it
“remains too close to call.”

On ABC’s Good Morning America[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=017-bd9&t=c>
(8/8), George Stephanopoulos said Republicans “may squeak out a win...but
the fact it’s this close is a real warning sign for them come November.”
Jonathan Karl said that “the closeness of this race in such a solidly
Republican district is a signal of big problems ahead for Republicans.” At
the opening of CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=018-b85&t=c>
(8/8), John Berman said the OH12 was “way, way too close for comfort for
Republicans,” and “a big, flashing, glaring, major warning sign for the
midterm elections.” On MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=019-cad&t=c>
(8/8), Joe Scarborough said of the OH12, “This is another race where
Republicans have underperformed” in a district that is “deep, deep red.”
Scarborough added, “Republicans are bleeding so badly right now in
suburbs.” However, Charles Hurt of the Washington Times said on Fox News’
Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=01a-8a8&t=c>
(8/8), “While conditions are absolutely in the Democrats’ favor and the
Republicans should be very worried right now and working hard – I don’t
really see evidence of a blue tidal wave forming right now.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=01b-b4c&t=c>
(8/8, Costa, Dawsey), along similar lines, says “a new round of lackluster
showings by Republican candidates reignited a debate Wednesday within the
GOP over whether...Trump will be a drag on the party’s chances in November
and should stay out of some of the country’s most hotly contested races.”
Democrats “turned out in droves and significantly overperformed
expectations,” and “many Republican strategists viewed the results as a
dark omen.” The Post quotes “veteran Republican consultant Stuart Stevens,
a frequent Trump critic,” as saying, “Nothing bodes well.” To the New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=01c-5b2&t=c>
(8/8, Lu), meanwhile, “Republicans lost support in every special
congressional election since...Trump took office, and” the OH12 “on Tuesday
was no exception.” Another New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=01d-eae&t=c>
(8/8, Burns, Martin) story describes GOP “leaders” as “alarmed by the tight
Ohio race in a once-reliably red district, taking it as a vivid expression
of the backlash against...Trump in suburban areas.”

Yet another New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=01e-5e2&t=c>
(8/8, Shear) analysis says “the presidential braggadocio...ignores another
reality that the White House is loath to acknowledge: Mr. Trump – and his
chaotic, controversy-laden tenure in the Oval Office – is largely
responsible for the toxic political climate that is undermining the
Republican candidates he is trying to save.” While “economic growth topped
4 percent earlier this year,” unemployment “is low” and “stock prices are
high...Republicans speak darkly of the awful environment their candidates
face in midterm elections.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=01f-026&t=c>
(8/8, Jackson) reports that it is a “small wonder that Trump, who prefers
Republican rallies to White House policy meetings anyway, plans to be busy
on the campaign trail,” because “his presidency is likely at stake.” If
Democrats “win a majority of US House seats...Trump can say goodbye to his”
agenda, and “above all, a Democratic House or Senate, or both, would be
able to wield a potent weapon against the Trump White House: the power of
investigation, maybe even impeachment.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=020-4e9&t=c>
(8/8, Peoples, Smyth) reports that though Trump “declared unconditional
victory,” Democrats “could also celebrate their strong showing in the
[OH12] district that has gone Republican for decades.” Moreover, Trump
“claimed to have helped five GOP candidates win, including Bill Schuette
for Michigan governor, John James for Michigan Senate and Josh Hawley for
Missouri Senate,” even though “in Ohio, the Kansas primary for governor was
too close to call.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=021-687&t=c>
(8/8, Moore) reports that “in Kansas, Trump-endorsed Kris Kobach and
incumbent Gov. Jeff Colyer were separated by 191 votes – 126,257 for Kobach
and 126,066 for Colyer.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=022-6a8&t=c>
(8/8, Spiering) said Trump “boasted that the five candidates he supported
in Tuesday’s special elections and Republican primaries won, despite close
margins of victory,” and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=023-a1c&t=c>
(8/8, Fabian) said that Trump “left out a special election in Southern
California to replace former Rep. Xavier Becerra (D) in which no major
Republican candidate ran.” Among other news outlets, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=024-8fa&t=c>
(8/8, Epstein, Duehren) also highlights the closeness of Tuesday’s results.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=025-d9b&t=c>
(8/8, Whitesides, Gibson) reports Tuesday’s “narrow margins” are “serving
as encouraging signs for Democrats heading into November’s elections,” and The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=026-e28&t=c>
(8/8, Wilson, Fabian) that “the close results underscore the political
risks Trump has embraced in anointing favored candidates, even those who
are not seen as the favorites in their own states.” The Hill adds that
“previous administrations have sought to avoid being seen as meddling in
primaries, a caution this president does not heed.” On the other hand,
a Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=027-b72&t=c>
(8/8, Kim) report concedes that “if the current numbers hold,
Trump-endorsed candidates were widely successful on Tuesday night –
although some faced only a nominal primary challenge.”

*Previously Uncounted Votes Narrow Balderson’s Margin Of Victory To
1,564 Votes. *The Cincinnati Enquirer
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=028-357&t=c>
(8/8, Balmert) reports “the tight race between” state Sen. Troy Balderson
(R-OH) and Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor (D-OH) in the OH12 “just
got tighter.” Election “officials in Franklin County found 688 previously
uncounted votes in a Columbus suburb. The result: O’Connor had a net gain
of 190 votes, bringing the race’s margin down to 1,564.”

*Fox & Friends: O’Connor Avoided Attacking Trump, Promised To Work
With Republicans. *On Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=029-11d&t=c>
(8/8), Steve Doocy said, “Even though it’s too close to call, the President
said, ‘my guy won.’” Doocy said, “What’s interesting about Danny O’Connor,
the Democrat there, is he essentially took the playbook of Conor Lamb, who
won as a Democrat in Pennsylvania a couple months ago” by “appealing to
moderate voters,” and “tr[ying] not to demonize Donald Trump. And, so far,
it looks like that was wise.” Brian Kilmeade added, “I think it’s also
important to point out if you go on Danny O’Connor’s website, he has
nothing anti-Trump,” and “also talks about working across the aisle.”
According to Kilmeade, “If you run like a Republican, you might actually do
well in a Republican district.” Abby Huntsman added, “There is a reason why
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn’t go visit this district. I don’t think her
voice would have been well-received there.”

*O’Connor On Pelosi: Democrats “Ready For A New Generation Of
Leadership.” *In an interview with CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=02a-6f4&t=c>
(8/8), O’Connor was pressed by John Berman about his stated opposition to
voting to keep Nancy Pelosi as House Minority leader or Speaker, if
Democrats retake the House. Asked if “support for Nancy Pelosi is toxic
among some voters?” O’Connor replied, “Folks are ready for a new generation
of leadership. ... We need a new voice.”

*Kansas GOP Gubernatorial Primary Remains Too-Close-To-Call.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=02b-c66&t=c>
(8/8, McLaughlin) reports that the result of the GOP gubernatorial primary
between Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) and Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R)
“remained in limbo Wednesday” with Kobach holding “a slim 191 vote lead
over Mr. Colyer.” The Wichita (KS) Eagle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=02c-ec3&t=c>
(8/8, Shorman) reports, “The razor-thin margin could change in the days
ahead as provisional ballots are counted and mail-in ballots continue to
arrive. A recount appears possible.” The Kansas City (MO) Star
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=02d-0c9&t=c>
(8/8, Hendricks) reports that Kobach “may hold a slim lead in the GOP”
contest, “but even he concedes the outcome of Tuesday’s primary could
change after election officials finish tallying thousands of votes that
haven’t been counted a day after the polls closed.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=02e-469&t=c>
(8/8, Smith, Martin) reports that Kobach, who “has long raised concerns
about the integrity of America’s elections,” now “finds himself in charge
of a closely watched Republican gubernatorial primary that is far too close
to call.” The Times says the “awkward coda to the long, tense primary
campaign...threatens to further divide long-feuding Kansas Republicans.”
Kobach faces “an uncomfortable choice: Recuse himself from one of his
office’s most important tasks, or oversee a sensitive and critical process
where conflict of interest questions are unavoidable.”

Meanwhile, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=02f-23e&t=c>
(8/8, Hanna) reports that Kansas Democrats “smelled opportunity Wednesday,”
and Kobach “moved to both cement his status as the presumptive nominee and
blunt any advantage Democrats might gain from the short-term uncertainty
about the GOP nominee,” saying he is “launching the fall campaign
immediately and will turn it over to Colyer if further vote-counting makes
Colyer the nominee.” The eventual GOP nominee will face state Sen. Laura
Kelly (D) in the general election.

In an editorial, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=030-7b6&t=c>
(8/8) calls Kobach “quite possibly the most pernicious public official in
America,” and says that in him, President Trump “clearly sees a kindred
spirit.” The Times argues that if his primary win holds up it “will be
another reminder that the political currents that delivered us this
president still rage within the Republican base.”

*Politico Magazine: Democratic Left Failed In Midwestern Primaries.
*Writing for Politico Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=031-d9b&t=c>
(8/8), Bill Scher said that most every liberal candidate backed by Sen.
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York congressional candidate Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in Tuesday’s primaries went down to defeat. Scher said
the “largely Midwest primaries produced a near-shutout for the
anti-establishment left.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=032-f5a&t=c>
(8/8, Siders) also reported that “Sanders missed the boat on Ocasio-Cortez,
then watched his endorsed candidates fall on Tuesday – a sign that his sway
is limited heading into 2020.”

*Ocasio-Cortez: “Soccer Moms” Are “Not America Anymore.” *The
Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=033-504&t=c>
(8/8, Muñoz) reports “Ocasio-Cortez said Tuesday that an upper-middle class
‘with soccer moms with two vans and stuff’ no longer exists in America.”
Said Ocasio-Cortez, “Their heyday was in the ‘90s when kids had like
Furbies and you had like soccer moms with two vans and stuff. ... That’s
not America anymore!”
Foreign Policy
US Sanctions Russia Over Nerve Agent Poisoning In UK.

The Administration’s announcement Wednesday of new sanctions to be imposed
on Russia over its poisoning of a former spy and his daughter in Britain
earlier this year is receiving heavy media coverage — including reports on
all three networks last night. Reports cast the move as the latest in a
series of actions by the Administration over the poisoning and note that it
comes as President Trump is seeking to repair US-Russian relations.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=034-3e3&t=c>
(8/8, story 6, 0:15, Muir) reported the US on announced new sanctions
against Russia for the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei
Skripal and his daughter in England. The two “nearly died from exposure to
the nerve agent known as Novichok, which UK authorities have blamed on
Russia.” To the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=035-79f&t=c>
(8/8, Harris), the sanctions “are part of a raft of anti-Russian efforts by
the United States despite President Trump’s own efforts to forge warmer
ties through direct talks with President Vladimir V. Putin.” According to a
senior Administration official, the sanctions “could potentially halt
nearly half of the $7 billion in exports the United States sends to Russia
every year.” A front-page story in the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=036-341&t=c>
(8/8, A1, Donati, McBride) casts the new sanctions as an escalation in US
efforts to punish Russia, noting that Moscow is already under a US
sanctions regime for its 2014 invasion of Crimea.

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=037-cd9&t=c>
(8/8, story 3, 1:45, Glor) said the new sanctions “block Russia from
purchasing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons,
electronics, and aviation-related equipment from the US.” According to
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=038-6b4&t=c>
(8/8, Wroughton), a “senior State Department official” told reporters that
there would be exemptions “for space flight activities, government space
cooperation, and areas covering commercial passenger aviation safety, which
would be reviewed on a case by case basis.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=039-7bd&t=c>
(8/8, DeYoung, Morello) likewise says that “a State Department official
said the sanctions could have a significant impact on trade with Russia.”
According to the Post, “they are structured to fall in two halves. The
first part includes a prohibition of licenses on sending some goods to
Russia,” but if Russia “does not agree to stop using chemical and
biological weapons within 90 days and agree to let UN monitors conduct
inspections, a second, more punishing round of sanctions kicks in.”

According to NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=03a-b1d&t=c>
(8/8, story 5, 2:10, Holt), “A second more painful wave could ground
Russia’s airline from entering the US if the Kremlin doesn’t demonstrate it
won’t use chemical weapons again, and refuses on-site inspections by the UN
– conditions unlikely to be met.” While the decision “could fortify
President Trump’s argument that his administration has cracked down on
Moscow,” NBC’s Peter Alexander said it came after “political pressure” from
“some top Republicans” to “unleash the penalties after blowing past a
congressional deadline to take action.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=03b-b71&t=c>
(8/8, Wilkinson) says the sanctions “will go into effect in about two weeks
while Congress is notified,” and the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=03c-358&t=c>
(8/8, George, Lee) reports that the State Department said the sanctions
“would take effect on or around Aug. 22, when the finding is to be
published in the Federal Register.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=03d-d7a&t=c>
(8/8, Morin) reports “a State Department official said the Kremlin was
notified on Wednesday afternoon about the sanctions.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=03e-979&t=c>
(8/8, Chalfant) notes the Administration “missed the statutory deadline for
deciding whether to sanction Moscow for the poisoning, prompting a rebuke
from the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee last month.”
However, a senior State Department official said yesterday “that it was the
‘norm’ for Administrations to be late on making the official determination
with respect to sanctions under the law, citing government
bureaucracy.” Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=03f-ff0&t=c>
(8/8, Wadhams) reports the Department said in a statement that under the
1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act,
Russia was found to have “used chemical or biological weapons in violation
of international law or had used lethal chemical or biological weapons
against its own nationals.”

*White House Said To Be Drafting Sanctions Order To Punish
Interference In US Elections. *According to the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=040-fc3&t=c>
(8/8, Harris, Dawsey, Nakashima), the White House is “drafting an executive
order that would authorize President Trump to sanction foreigners who
interfere in US elections, the administration’s latest effort to
demonstrate it is serious about combating Russian disinformation and
hacking.” An eight-page draft order, a copy of which was reviewed by the
Post, “appears to be an effort to stave off aggressive legislation,
including a bill introduced in Congress this month — and to quell criticism
that Trump seems to give more credence to Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s denials of interference than to US intelligence agencies’
conclusion that the Kremlin sought to undermine the 2016 election.”

*White House Says Paul Asked Trump For Letter Of Introduction To
Putin. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=041-36c&t=c>
(8/8, Chiacu, Mason) reports that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Wednesday that
he delivered a letter from President Trump to Russian President Vladimir
Putin “proposing cooperation.” The White House later “said Trump had
provided Paul with a ‘letter of introduction’ for his trip at the senator’s
request.” According McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=042-0ac&t=c>
(8/8, Clark), however, the White House “said...that it was Paul who had
requested the letter — and that Trump mentioned issues that Paul has
raised.” Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said, “At Senator Paul’s
request, President Trump provided a letter of introduction,” adding that
Trump in the letter “mentioned topics of interest that Senator Paul wanted
to discuss with President Putin.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=043-2de&t=c>
(8/8, Korte) reports Paul’s office “did not respond to questions about the
contents of the letter or how it was delivered,” and the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=044-4ea&t=c>
(8/8, Muñoz) says Paul shared that the letter touted Trump’s desire to work
with Russia on “countering terrorism, enhancing legislative dialogue and
resuming cultural exchanges.”

According to Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=045-0f3&t=c>
(8/8, Moran), Paul delivered the letter “to representatives of Putin
because the Russian leader has been away from Moscow all week.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=046-1fd&t=c>
(8/8, Demirjian) calls reports of the letter “the latest surprise
diplomatic overture to the Kremlin at a time when the two countries are
locked in an intensifying dispute over Russian election interference.”

*Condoleezza Rice: Bush Responded To Russia’s Invasion Of
Georgia. *Former
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, writing in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=047-886&t=c>
(8/8), says “ten years ago this week, during the final year of George W.
Bush’s presidency, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Georgia.” Rice
writes that “when the Russians launched their invasion, the United States
focused first and foremost on protecting the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, and
the duly elected Georgian government.” The US, she argues, “is sometimes
constrained in what it can do in circumstances such as the Georgian
conflict,” so “we focused our energies on stopping Moscow from overthrowing
a new democracy that then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hated with
a virulence that is hard to overstate.” She concludes “that It is still a
sad story — and perhaps Putin did take the wrong lessons from it. In order
to deter him in the future, however, we need to first get the facts right
about the past.”

*Russian Warships Pass Through English Channel. *The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=048-3b2&t=c>
(8/8, Taylor) reports Britain’s Royal Navy “closely monitored two Russian
warships and their support vessels that passed through the English Channel
overnight Tuesday, claiming the development ‘routine’ despite tension
between London and Moscow.” According to the Times, “it was the second time
this summer that Moscow has sent ships through the passage and the third
time since January.”
Votel Calls Iranian Naval Exercise “A Message” To US Over Sanctions.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=049-112&t=c>
(8/8, Mitchell) reports CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel said Wednesday
that the military remains “extraordinarily vigilant” about Iranian
movements in the Persian Gulf following last week’s naval exercise in and
around the Strait of Hormuz. Votel “said he believes that the exercise was
meant to be a message to Washington over re-imposing economic sanctions on
Iran.” Votel told reporters at the Pentagon, “It’s pretty clear to us that
they were trying to use that exercise to send a message to us that as we
approach this period of the sanctions here that they had some
capabilities.”

*US Bracing For Possible Iranian Cyberattacks. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=04a-a76&t=c>
(8/8, Riechmann) reports that the US is “bracing for cyberattacks Iran
could launch in retaliation for the re-imposition of sanctions this week”
by the Administration, cybersecurity and intelligence experts say.
Priscilla Moriuchi, director of strategic threat development at Recorded
Future, “a global real-time cyber threat intelligence company,” said,
“While we have no specific threats, we have seen an increase in chatter
related to Iranian threat activity over the past several weeks.”

*Investments In Iranian Oil Run Into Banking Problems. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=04b-d2b&t=c>
(8/8, Faucon) reports that China, India, and Russia all have said they will
continue to trade with Iran though US sanctions will create some obstacles
as they will not be able to rely on banks in the Gulf states. The Journal
says China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. recently negotiated a $3 billion
investment in Iran’s Yadavaran oil field, but is having troubles finding
banks for the transaction in the UAE. In addition, the China National
Petroleum Corp. is facing similar difficulties, as Total SA of France may
abandon negotiated deals in Iran.

*Germany, China Vow To Defy Trump Over Iran Sanctions. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=04c-907&t=c>
(8/8, Blanchard, Martin) reports China and Germany “defended their business
ties with Iran on Wednesday in the face of” President Trump’s “warning that
any companies trading with the Islamic Republic would be barred from the
United States.” According to Reuters, “The comments from Beijing and Berlin
signaled growing anger from partners of the United States...over its threat
to penalize businesses from third countries that continue to operate
there.” Reuters reports that the German government said US sanctions “that
have an extra-territorial effect violate international law.”

*Zarif: US Cannot Stop Iran From Exporting Oil. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=04d-2a7&t=c>
(8/8) reports Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted
Wednesday in an Iranian newspaper saying, “If the Americans want to keep
this simplistic and impossible idea in their minds they should also know
its consequences.” Zarif added, “They can’t think that Iran won’t export
oil and others will export.”

*Italian PM Says He Asked Trump For Intelligence On Iran’s Nuclear
Program. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=04e-d15&t=c>
(8/8, Thomas) reports Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday said Italy
is considering taking a “more rigorous” stance toward Iran, adding that he
had asked Trump for information about Iran’s nuclear program. He also said
that Italy is “waiting” for intelligence that it can evaluate with other EU
countries.
Haley: US “Not Willing To Wait For Too Long” For North Korean
Denuclearization.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=04f-abb&t=c>
(8/8, Cobb) reports Ambassador Haley on Wednesday said the US is “not
willing to wait for too long” for North Korea to take steps toward
denuclearization. Said Haley, “They have to understand that the
international community still expects them to denuclearize and so we’re
willing to wait if they want to wait, but we’re not willing to wait for too
long.” Reuters adds that “Haley said [Secretary of State] Pompeo had
delivered ‘solid’ US demands to North Korea and that Washington would not
weaken those or ease sanctions on Pyongyang.”

According to Vox
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=050-843&t=c>
(8/8, Ward), the Administration “has presented North Korea with a formal
timeline for starting the process of denuclearization – and Pyongyang has
rejected it several times.” The US-proposed timeline is said to call for
North Korea to hand over “60 to 70 percent of its nuclear warheads within
six to eight months; the US or a third party – likely another country –
takes possession of them and removes them from North Korea.” However, it’s
“unclear what concessions, if any, the US would offer in exchange beyond
sanctions relief or removing North Korea from the state sponsors of
terrorism list.” According to two sources familiar with the discussions,
“this is the plan that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has presented to
North Korean negotiators multiple times over the past two months. But each
time, the North Korean negotiators...have turned down Pompeo’s proposal.”

Wolf Blitzer, meanwhile, reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=051-66a&t=c>
(8/8) that there’s “growing pressure for the Trump Administration to show
it is making progress with North Korea...amid signs Kim Jong-Un is not
delivering on his promise to get rid of his nuclear weapons.” Brian Todd
added that there’s “a palpable sense that President Trump and Pompeo and
the team have to take back the momentum in this process. Pompeo is taking a
pounding recently while Kim Jong-Un predictably is exuding confidence.”

*Iran Warns North Korea Not To Trust US. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=052-396&t=c>
(8/8, Taylor) reports Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “warned North
Korea’s top diplomat Wednesday to be wary of embracing a denuclearization
deal with Washington, arguing the Trump administration’s pullout of the
2015 Iranian nuclear deal shows the US can’t be trusted to keep its word.”
During a meeting in Tehran with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho,
Rouhani said, “The US government’s behavior in these years [has] been such
that today America is known in the world as an unreliable and untrustworthy
country that does not honor any of its commitments.”

*Dog Tag Returned To US Given To Soldier’s Children. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=053-816&t=c>
(8/8, Ruane) reports that a dog tag “was one of the artifacts that came
with the 55 boxes of remains returned to American authorities last month by
the North Koreans, and the only one that could be connected to a specific
soldier.” It belonged to Army Master Sgt. Charles Hobert McDaniel Sr., who
was killed in 1950 on the battlefield near Unsan. The dog tag has been
returned to McDaniel’s two surviving sons.
China To Impose 25% Tariff On $16B Of US Goods.

China’s Commerce Ministry on Wednesday announced that it will impose
additional 25 percent tariffs on $16 billion of American goods beginning
Aug. 23. The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=054-f52&t=c>
(8/8, Puzzanghera) reports that the new tariffs “will hit 333 categories of
US imports, including some vehicles, fiber optic cables, industrial
chemicals, gasoline and other fuels.” China’s move “came a day after the
Trump administration formalized its own additional tariffs of the same size
and on the same value of Chinese goods, effective on the same date.” In a
statement the Commerce Ministry called the new US tariffs “very
unreasonable.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=055-0dd&t=c>
(8/8, Muñoz) calls China’s announcement an escalation of the US-China trade
war, while the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=056-c41&t=c>
(8/8, Erickson) describes it as “a sign that Beijing and Washington are
digging in for what could be a long and bruising trade conflict.” The Post
adds that the Administration is “also...moving forward with plans to tax a
further $200 billion in Chinese products as soon as September and has
threatened to eventually impose tariffs on all Chinese imports, which
totaled $505 billion last year, unless China capitulates.”

*Analysts Say Short-Term Resolution Of US-China Trade War Is
Unlikely. *Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow and trade expert at the Peterson
Institute for International Economics in Washington, tells Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=057-d48&t=c>
(8/8, Woo, Lawder) that he “expected that there would be little to stop
further escalation of the US-China tariff war as both sides dig into
entrenched positions.” Hufbauer is quoted as saying, “My expectation is
that US tariffs on $250 billion of imports from China will be in effect
about a month prior to the November US elections. That’s soon enough to be
used by Trump as a rallying argument, but late enough so that adverse
effects will not occur before January 2019. Of course, China will
retaliate, probably dollar for dollar.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=058-346&t=c>
(8/8, Han, Hamlin, Mayeda, Lung, Kearns) quotes Wang Tao, head of China
economic research at UBS AG in Hong Kong, as saying, “We’re not yet past
the point of no return but we’re edging closer to it. The risk is that the
US administration’s gamble to strong-arm China into giving into all U.S.
demands without some compromise only leads to successive rounds of higher
and higher tariffs.” Bloomberg also notes that Reserve Bank of Australia
Governor Philip Lowe “warned” today that “escalation of the dispute could
be ‘very damaging for the world economy.’” Oxford Economics has predicted
that “a US-China trade war will reduce global output by 0.7 percent by
2020, with China’s economy taking a 1.3 percent hit and US GDP dropping 1
percent,” according to Bloomberg News.

*USA Today Lists Companies Affected By Trade War. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=059-9ce&t=c>
(8/8, Hayes) says the list of companies affected by the trade war, “either
by planning to close plants, laying off employees, tossing out plans for
new jobs or raising prices continues to grow.” USA Today provides “a list
of some of the companies, sorted by state, who have announced effects from
the tariffs.”

*Chinese Intelligence Sought To Recruit Feinstein Aide. *The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=05a-367&t=c>
(8/8, Gertz) reports that while China’s intelligence service “sought to
recruit a Chinese-American staff member” of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA),
“who had access to the most sensitive US secrets,” it “gained no secrets in
the case.” In a statement, Feinstein said the FBI told her five years ago
that a member of her staff in California was “potentially being sought out
by the Chinese government to provide information.” Feinstein said, “He was
not a mole or a spy, but someone who a foreign intelligence service thought
it could recruit. ... The FBI reviewed the matter, shared its concerns with
me, and the employee immediately left my office.” Feinstein added that the
aide did not have access to classified or sensitive information.

*Administration To Seize Majority Stake In Chinese-Owned Building
In NYC. *The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=05b-13c&t=c>
(8/8, Weiss) reports that as part of “a crackdown on certain US investments
made by Chinese companies,” the Administration “is set to snatch a majority
stake in 850 Third Ave.” in New York City. HNA, “the deep-in-debt Chinese
conglomerate” owns the stake, The Post says the move, which has been “in
the works for months, is believed to be the first move by the Trump White
House since Congress on Aug. 1 approved expanded authority of CFIUS — the
Committee on Foreign Investors in the United States.”

*Poll: Majorities Say Trump Has Cut US Global Standing, Approve Of
Him On National Security. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=05c-27d&t=c>
(8/8, Korecki) reports President Trump’s “political stumbles on Russia, his
protracted trade war and his overall ‘impulsive’ behavior have deeply
rattled potential voters, according to a new poll” conducted by Hart
Research from July 17-23. “A majority of respondents to the survey,
commissioned by the nonprofit group National Security Action” – which
Politico desribes as “a left-leaning group” – said they “believe the
president has diminished America’s standing in the world and that he’s made
the country less safe.” Politico adds, “Just two in five respondents
believed Trump did a good job of representing America’s interests when the
president met with Putin last month in Helsinki.” Still, 56% of respndents
said they “approved of Trump’s overall handling of America’s national
security.”
Votel Doesn’t Expect Major Change In Afghanistan Strategy.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=05d-2b6&t=c>
(8/8, Baldor) reports that a year after the Administration “unveiled a
broad new strategy for the 17-year war in Afghanistan,” Army Gen. Joseph
Votel, the top US commander in the Middle East, “said he doesn’t expect any
major change in the strategy to end the conflict as a new general takes
over the campaign.” Votel told reporters “that the campaign to use
military, social and political pressure to force the Taliban to the peace
table is still valid.” Votel added that Army Gen. Scott Miller, the
incoming Afghanistan commander, will assess the progress of the war and may
make tactical changes, “I don’t think that that will result in a relook at
the strategy of the overall approach here.”

*US Efforts To Undermine Taliban Drug Trade Have Come Up Short. *The
Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=05e-819&t=c>
(8/8, Nissenbaum) reports that US officials say efforts to curtail the
Taliban drug trade in Afghanistan have come up short. According to US
military figures, after nine months pf targeted airstrikes on opium
production sites across the country, the drug trade has not been
significantly impacted.

*Afghan Officials: Captured ISIS Fighters Will Be Treated As
Prisoners Of War. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=05f-5db&t=c>
(8/8, Stewart) reports the Afghan government has informed the US that
“Islamic State fighters who surrendered last week will be treated as
prisoners of war, and not honored guests, despite the warm welcome they had
initially received.” US officials emphasize that “while pressure has been
building for peace talks between the Western-backed government in Kabul and
the Taliban, an Afghan affiliate of Islamic State, which has gained a
reputation for brutality, is not part of any reconciliation push.”
Nevertheless, “last week, an Afghan governor’s office floated the
possibility of amnesty for a group of Islamic State fighters, including two
senior commanders, who gave themselves up after being driven from their
strongholds by Taliban insurgents.”
US Declines To Join Canada In Denouncing Imprisonment Of Saudi Activists.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=060-7a3&t=c>
(8/8, Algethami, Onoszko) reports that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel
Al-Jubeir said Wednesday that his government “will continue to ratchet up
pressure on Canada for criticizing the recent arrests of women activists,
as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upheld his stance on human rights.”
Al-Jubeir said “the next wave of retaliatory steps could affect investment
flows between the countries.” According to the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=061-703&t=c>
(8/8, Parasie, Stancati, Said), Saudi Arabia’s central bank has instructed
its fund managers to sell off their Canadian holdings, three sources
familiar with the matter said. USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=062-ca2&t=c>
(8/8, Stanglin) reports Saudi Arabia also “ruled out mediating the
dispute.” Said Jubeir, “There is nothing to mediate. Canada made a big
mistake...and a mistake should be corrected.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018080901biden&r=email-9843&l=063-b57&t=c>
(8/8, Hubbard) says “the unusually strong reaction shows that Saudi Arabia,
under the day-to-day leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, is
willing to wield its wealth to deter Western countries from criticizing how
its absolute monarchy is run.” According to the Times, “The United States,
which has strong diplomatic and economic ties with both countries, has
taken a neutral posture on the dispute.” State Department spokeswoman
Heather Nauert is quoted as saying, “Both sides need to diplomatically
resolve this together.”

Reuters
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(8/8, El Yaakoubi, Barbuscia) reports that in response to “a question about
the reason for the activists’ arrests, Jubeir said that charges against
them would be made public once their cases reach the courts, repeating
earlier allegations that they had been in touch with foreign entities. ‘The
matter is not about human rights; it is a matter of national security,’ the
minister said.”

*Saudi Arabia Crucifies Burmese Man Convicted Of Murder. *The AP
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(8/8) reports Saudi Arabia “says it executed and crucified” a man from
Burma convicted of killing a woman and “carrying out other crimes.”
State-run media reported on the execution Wednesday, saying it was carried
out in Mecca. The New York Post
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(8/8, Brown) reports that according to Amnesty, “crucifixions” in Saudi
Arabia “typically involve beheading the condemned, then sewing their head
back on and putting their body on public display – hanging them from a pole
or a cross.”
In Colombia, Haley Blames Maduro For Venezuela’s Deterioration.

The Washington Post
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(8/8, Gearan) reports that during a visit Wednesday to neighboring
Colombia, Ambassador Haley said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “is to
blame for his country’s economic and humanitarian ruin, and indirectly for
a recent drone assassination attempt on him.” Haley announced an additional
$9 million in US aid for Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia,
“beyond some $60 million already committed. The money will go toward water,
medical supplies and other immediate needs, Haley said.” Said Haley, “The
Maduro regime is doing this to the Venezuelan people.”
Domestic Policy
Trump Legal Team Offers Mueller Counter-Proposal For Potential Interview.

Bloomberg News
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(8/8, Pettypiece) reports President Trump’s “lawyers sent a written
response on Wednesday to Special Counsel Robert Mueller with their latest
counter-proposal for the terms of a possible interview with the president
as the two sides move into the final stages of negotiations.” Jay Sekulow
“confirmed that the letter was sent but declined to provide details on the
content of the letter.” The New York Times
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(8/8, Schmidt, Haberman) says Trump’s legal team has “rejected the special
counsel’s latest terms for an interview in the Russia investigation,
countering on Wednesday with an offer that suggested a narrow path for
answering questions.” The Times adds that “Trump’s lawyers did not reject
an interview outright but included the narrower counteroffer,” and “do not
want him answering questions about whether he obstructed justice.” ABC
World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(8/8, lead story, 3:00, Karl) said the Trump team’s counter-offer “sets up
a potential constitutional showdown between the President and...Mueller.”
The counter-offer “is unlikely to satisfy Mueller,” and a subpoena
“absolutely is a possibility. In fact, the Trump legal team has been
preparing to fight a subpoena on the belief that one could well be coming.”

The Los Angeles Times
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(8/8, Megerian) points out “the back-and-forth over an interview has
dragged on for months,” and adds that “the latest letter from Trump’s team
is unlikely to resolve the issue once and for all.” The Washington Post
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(8/8, Leonnig) reports the “letter from Trump’s lawyers sent to Mueller
around noon on Wednesday significantly lessens the possibility of a
voluntary presidential interview, according to two people familiar with the
discussions.” The “multipage response represents what Trump’s lawyers
expect to be their last word on Mueller’s request for a sit-down interview
with the president in his Russia investigation, according to the people,
who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of
the negotiations.” The Post adds that “on a live radio program Wednesday,
Trump attorneys Rudolph W. Giuliani and...Sekulow declined to elaborate on
their rejection of Mueller’s interview terms, but both said the special
counsel should finish his probe soon.” Said Giuliani, “We have now given
him so many of the answers he has been seeking.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(8/8, story 5, 2:10, Holt) showed Giuliani saying, “We do not want to run
into the November elections. So back up from that, this should be over with
by September first.” The Washington Times
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(8/8, Boyer) notes Giuliani said in a separate statement, “Millions of
pages of documents, along with testimony from dozens of witnesses, have
been provided. We are restating what we have been saying for months. It is
time for the Office of Special Counsel to conclude its inquiry without
further delay.” The AP
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(8/8, Tucker) notes Giuliani also said, “We’re re-stating what we have been
saying for months: it is time for the Office of Special Counsel to conclude
its inquiry without further delay.”

Giuliani said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
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(8/8), “I think of it isn’t over by September than we have a very, very
serious violation of the Justice Department rules. You shouldn’t be
conducting one of these investigations in the 60-day period [before an
election]. He’s got plenty of time. ... We offered him an opportunity to do
a form of questioning. He can say yes or no. We can do it. If he doesn’t
want to do it – he knows the answers to every question that he wants to
ask. He’s going to ask him, did you tell Comey to go easy on Flynn? The
President will say no I didn’t. Hey, Bob, you know it. Why do you want to
get him under oath? Do you think we are fools? They want to trap him into
perjury. We are not going to let you do that.”

Sekulow said on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
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(8/8), “If you lined up 100 lawyers, there are 100 who will say don’t sit
for an interview and there’s a reason for that. Not just the perjury issue
but the fact that you would ask questions potentially of the President
regarding Article II powers? ... The answer to that is no.” Sekulow added
that “if there was an issuance of a subpoena, which is a serious question
and I do not think the Justice Department has the authority in this case
and would authorize it because Bob Mueller is not an independent counsel,
he can’t do that himself. Are we ready to go to court if we had to? You
bet. Do I think we are going to have to? I don’t think so. If we do what we
will do it.”

Politico
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(8/8, Cheney) reports, meanwhile, that “if Trump declines to sit for an
interview, it could prompt Mueller to issue a subpoena, which could launch
a months-long court fight that could wind up in the Supreme Court.”

Former US Attorney Preet Bharara was said on CNN’s Situation
Room[image:
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(8/8) that he probably would not have accepted the terms reportedly offered
by Trump’s team as a prosecutor. Bharara added, “At some point it becomes
an exercise in futility and gamesmanship mostly on the part of the Trump
team. ... There comes a point where it is silly and absurd I think
particularly when there continues to be the back and forth by t