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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Friday, September 14, 2018 7:54 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
September 14, 2018


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=000-88a&t=c>
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=001-841&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, September 14, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• At Wage Summit, Biden Mocks Trump Over Puerto Rico Claim, Blasts “Phony
Populism.” <#S1>

• Biden To Help Raise Cash For DNC In Boston On Sept. 30. <#S2>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Dismisses Maria Death Estimates As Partisan Effort To Smear Him.
<#S3>

• Florence Begins Lashing Carolina Coast. <#S4>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump: Kerry Held “Illegal Meetings” With “Very Hostile Iranian Regime.”
<#S5>

• Syrian Rebels Confident US Assistance Will Allow Them To Prolong Civil
War. <#S6>

• Kushner Defends Actions Against Palestinians, Says It’ll Help Peace Deal.
<#S7>

• Treasury Department Sanctions Two North Korean-Backed IT Companies. <#S8>

• State Dept. Official: US Prepared To Impose Additional Sanctions On
Russia. <#S9>

• US, Cuban Officials Discuss Mysterious Attacks On Diplomats In Havana.
<#S10>

• Trudeau Says He Wants Trade Deal; Kudlow Says Dairy Disagreements Key
Issue. <#S11>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Stumping In Ohio, Obama Says Midterms Can Return “Sanity To Our Politics.”
<#S12>

• Feinstein Refers Letter To FBI Alleging Sexual Misconduct By Kavanaugh In
High School. <#S13>

• Manafort Reportedly Has Tentatively Agreed To Plea Deal. <#S14>

• Republicans Agree To Postpone Debate Over Border Wall Until After
Midterms. <#S15>

• House Panel Votes To Make Trump Tax Cuts Permanent. <#S16>

• Sessions Urges US Attorneys To Resist “Unconstitutional” Nationwide
Injunctions. <#S17>

• NLRB Moves To Make Challenging Workplace Labor Practices More Difficult.
<#S18>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• ACA Increased Insurance Coverage For Those With Head, Neck Cancer. <#S19>

• Boehringer Ingelheim To Buy ViraTherapeutics In Deal For Cancer-Killing
Viruses. <#S20>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S21>

• Washington Post. <#S22>
Biden in the News
At Wage Summit, Biden Mocks Trump Over Puerto Rico Claim, Blasts “Phony
Populism.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=002-ea4&t=c>
(9/13, Kelly) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday
“mocked” President Trump’s contention “that ‘3000 people did not die’ in
hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico last year. ‘By the way, there’s no
problems in America,’ Biden said sarcastically during an economic speech at
The Century Foundation, a Washington think tank. ‘Everybody’s doing well.
Things are fair and decent, and no one died in Puerto Rico.’” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=003-8f4&t=c>
(9/13, Rodriguez) also reported that Biden “mocked” Trump on the issue,
contesting “the pair of tweets that Trump wrote earlier in the day, in
which” he “said that ‘3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that
hit Puerto Rico’ and that Democrats had fabricated the number, engaging in
‘bad politics’ to tarnish his reputation.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=004-fbf&t=c>
(9/13, Chasmar) reports that Biden’s remarks on Puerto Rico came “at the
top of his speech Thursday at the ‘Building a Higher Wage America’ summit
in DC.” Biden “went on to blast the ‘phony populism’ and ‘naked
nationalism’ that has taken the forefront of American politics, and he
criticized ‘charlatans’ who attempt to blame people’s economic woes on
illegal immigrants or ‘the other.’ ‘Without the wage gains we need, we’re
going to see four in 10 families saying they can’t make ends meet, and
they’re going to be susceptible to demagoguery,’ he said.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=005-82c&t=c>
(9/13, Sonmez) reports that Biden “mocked” Trump’s propensity for “boasting
about his intelligence,” offering “one of his most direct critiques of the
president ahead of a potential 2020 White House bid. In a wide-ranging
speech in Washington on labor issues and economic policy,” Biden said “that
he had performed well on standardized tests as a student, then quipped:
‘I’m clearly not as smart as Trump, the smartest man in the world. But I
have a relatively high IQ.’ Trump in January praised himself as a ‘very
stable genius’ and frequently boasted long before his 2016 presidential run
that his IQ ‘is one of the highest.’”

Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=006-d4e&t=c>
(9/14, Sharkov) reports that Biden “dropped the sarcasm afterwards,”
accusing Trump “of willingly ignoring the issues facing the United States.
Speaking about the working families across the country that are not feeling
the boom of the economy, he said many cannot keep up with the rising cost
of living. ‘The lack of a value set, lack of treating people with dignity
is because when things are tough for people economically who work hard,
there are sometimes charlatans who come along who try to find a reason for
those people to blame whatever’s happening to them on the other,’ he said.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=007-0ca&t=c>
(9/13, Samuels) also reports on Biden’s speech, while the C-SPAN Video
Library
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=008-071&t=c>
(9/13) provides video of Thursday’s nearly four-and-a-half hour event.
Biden’s speech begins at the three hour and 37 minute-mark of the video.
Biden To Help Raise Cash For DNC In Boston On Sept. 30.

The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=009-a65&t=c>
(9/13, Pindell) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden “will return
to Boston later this month to headline a fund-raiser for the Democratic
National Committee.” Biden and DNC chief Tom Perez “will appear together at
the Sept. 30 event with tickets starting at $5,000 for an individual and
topping out at $33,900 for a couple, according to an invitation” to the
fundraiser. Biden “was last in Boston nearly a year ago to promote his
latest book, ‘Promise Me, Dad.’”
Leading the News
Trump Dismisses Maria Death Estimates As Partisan Effort To Smear Him.

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=00a-dc6&t=c>
yesterday, “3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto
Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere
from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long
time later, they started to report really large numbers, like
3000...[continuing
tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=00b-d23&t=c>]...This
was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when
I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico.
If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list.
Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!” The CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=00c-578&t=c>
(9/13, story 7, 1:50, Jiang) reported that “in a new statement just out”
last night, the White House said “every death from Hurricane Maria is a
horror, but...the [GWU] study” that came up with the revised death toll “is
just a statistical estimate and not a confirmed list of deaths.”

Reports on Trump’s claim dismiss his contention out of hand,
however, and use it to cast doubt on his Administration’s ability to
respond to Hurricane Florence. Moreover, media outlets present the fatality
estimate released last month by GWU as fully verified. Exemplifying much of
the coverage, the first sentence of a CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=00d-715&t=c>
(9/13, Klein) story on Trump’s claims was, “Nearly 3,000 people died in the
aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico,” and “Trump denied this
reality as a hurricane barrels toward the Carolinas.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=00e-7bb&t=c>
(9/13, Sullivan, Davis, Fandos) says Trump “falsely accused Democrats of
inflating the death toll from Hurricane Maria” and NBC Nightly News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=00f-4b1&t=c>
(9/13, story 10, 1:50, Welker) said that he “is falsely blaming Democrats.”
The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=010-848&t=c>
(9/13, Lucey, Miller, Lemire) casts Trump as “arguing without evidence” as
he “rejected the official conclusion,” and Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=011-e34&t=c>
(9/13, Chiacu) reports that “privately, some White House officials were
exasperated with the president’s focus on Puerto Rico at a time when
Florence is bearing down on the US East Coast.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=012-0e7&t=c>
(9/13, Restuccia, Choi) notes that “asked about the president’s comments,
one former administration official said simply, ‘Surreal.’”

White House correspondent Kaitlin Collins said on CNN’s Situation
Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=013-1c4&t=c>
(9/13) that Trump is “in the middle of a man-made disaster...after falsely
claiming 3,000 people didn’t die when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto
Rico last year.” On CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=014-877&t=c>
(9/13), Jake Tapper called it “a shocking and disturbing false claim
from...Trump,” and CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers, also on CNN’s The
Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=015-78e&t=c>
(9/13), said Trump’s “only focus, and this has been this way since the day
he took office, is on his base. That’s all he seems to care about is what
his base thinks about him, and he knows that his base is not watching us
right now. They are watching Fox News, and over at Fox” the disaster in
Puerto Rico “never happened. I mean, it’s an alternative universe, so they
are never going to hear about this. They get all their information from
Rush Limbaugh, Fox News and Donald Trump’s Twitter feed.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=016-89a&t=c>
(9/13, story 6, 3:00, Karl) reported the 3,000 figure was “accepted by the
government as the official death toll. That’s nearly 3,000 American
citizens, most of them poor and elderly,” and “our team saw the suffering
first-hand.” Earlier, on ABC’s Good Morning America[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=017-8ce&t=c>
(9/13), Jonathan Karl said Trump “is praising his own response and his
government’s response to Hurricane Maria, which, of course, has been seen
by many as a disaster.” At the opening of MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=018-731&t=c>
(9/13), meanwhile, Mika Brzezinski pointed out that “new polling shows more
than half of Puerto Rico’s residents give president trump a negative rating
for his response to the storm. 52% say he did a poor job. Only 15% say he
did an excellent and very good job.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=019-297&t=c>
(9/13, Restuccia, Choi) says Trump “peddled a conspiracy theory” and adds
that “even for a president who has made a career off politically incorrect
pronouncements, Thursday’s tweets were eye-popping.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=01a-80e&t=c>
(9/13, Bennett) refers to a “Twitter rant” by Trump, while in a Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=01b-324&t=c>
(9/13) “Fact check,” Glenn Kessler gives him “Four Pinocchios” for his
claims and Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=01c-312&t=c>
(9/13, Britzky, Freedman) reports, “Reality check: Trump is wrong.” Along
similar lines, a Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=01d-717&t=c>
(9/13, Ballhaus) report also disputes Trump’s conclusions.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=01e-810&t=c>
(9/13, Jackson, Fritze) reports “San Juan’s mayor described the president’s
claim as ‘delusional,’” and the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=01f-796&t=c>
(9/13, Eustachewich) notes her “livid response” Twitter, where she wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=020-5eb&t=c>,
“Simply put: delusional, paranoid, and unhinged from any sense of reality.
... Trump is so vain he thinks this is about him. NO IT IS NOT.” She later
added
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=021-335&t=c>,
“Damn it: this is NOT about politics this was always about SAVING LIVES.”
The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=022-dd4&t=c>
(9/13, Muñoz) reports Puerto Rico’s Gov. Ricardo Rossello also “pushed back
against the president’s comments Thursday,” saying, “Neither the people of
Puerto Rico or the victims deserve their pain to be questioned.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=023-993&t=c>
(9/13) editorializes, “If you’ve stopped being surprised by the flagrancy
of...Trump’s deceptions, you’re not alone. Yet the president’s effort on
Thursday to deny the nearly 3,000 American lives lost in Puerto Rico in the
aftermath of Hurricane Maria last year – and to accuse Democrats of
inflating the death toll for political gain – should amaze even the most
jaundiced Trump-watcher.” The Times further refers to Trump’s “his latest
bit of mendacity” and adds that “for most presidents, thousands of dead
Americans would be a cause for grief. For Mr. Trump, they are evidence only
of his own victimhood.” The Times concludes, “Democrats don’t need to lift
a finger to make him look bad. He is managing that all on his own.”

*Dobbs, Hurt, Breitbart’s Pollack Among Those Agreeing With
Trump. *Trump
yesterday re-tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=024-7b2&t=c>
a post from Lou Dobbs, who wrote, “#FakeNews- The Hurricane Maria death
tolls have been inflated & President @realDonaldTrump was right to call out
organizations who threw out science and statistics to try to discredit his
administration.” Dobbs said on Fox Business’ Lou Dobbs Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=025-824&t=c>
(9/13), “The President, by the way, is right. The study the President
alluded to is one produced last month by the Milken institute at George
Washington yesterday. Almost a year later the number went from 65 people
killed to 2,975 people attributed to the storm. The finding wasn’t a result
of a death toll count, a body count nor a study of death certificates, but
a public health study that subtracted number of people who theoretically
should have died over the same period from the number of people who were
reported dead over that period.” Dobbs added, “The numbers were inflated
and the President was right to call out the organizations who threw out
science, statistics, and evidence to discredit Trump Administration.”

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=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=026-546&t=c>
(9/13), “What he said about the numbers, that is correct. When he left, at
that time, the numbers were and they were revised upwards, six months later
and then a year or more later. ... Donald Trump isn’t the person who
politicized the weather. That’s been going on for a longtime.”

Also taking Trump’s side in the dispute is Joel Pollack of Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=027-960&t=c>
(9/13, Pollak), who says that after multiple studies last year pegged the
death toll at somewhere under 1000, new studies were conducted “based on
statistical models, not on actual death counts.” Pollack says this is “a
rather useless way of comparing death tolls, because in order to evaluate
the relative scale of Hurricane Maria, the same method would have to be
used to measure other natural disasters, likely increasing their estimated
death tolls as well.” Nevertheless, Pollack says “the media reported the
new estimate as if it were an actual confirmed death toll,” and “the Puerto
Rican governor, under heavy political pressure due to the slow pace of the
island’s recovery, officially revised the death toll to match the
estimate.” The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=028-f44&t=c>
(9/13, Crookston) similarly reports that the 3,000 figure “is only an
estimate, however, since they did not study how each individual died,
although they hope to conduct that study in the future.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=029-a57&t=c>
(9/13, Achenbach) reports, meanwhile, that “the GWU study looked at the
number of deaths from September 2017 to February 2018 and compared that
total with what would have been expected based on historical patterns. They
factored in many variables, including the departure of hundreds of
thousands of island residents in the aftermath of Maria.” According to the
Post, “A clear pattern emerged from the analysis: The mortality rate spiked
in the months after the storm, particularly in the poorest areas of Puerto
Rico, and among elderly males.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=02a-844&t=c>
(9/13, story 7, 1:50, Jiang) also explained that “the death toll is based
on the work of George Washington University researchers who looked at how
many people were expected to die in the six months following Hurricane
Maria had the storm not occurred, compared to actual fatalities.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=02b-9cb&t=c>
(9/13, Shields) explains that “more people die in the months after a storm
as vital medical care is cut off – for instance, patients can’t get
insulin, or respirators and kidney dialysis equipment fail as electricity
quits. As months go by chronic diseases worsen, a trend amplified as
qualified doctors and nurses leave because their clinics and practices are
crippled.”

*Florida Republicans, Ryan Dispute Trump’s Claims. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=02c-467&t=c>
(9/13, Dawsey) accuses Trump of “falsely claiming a conspiracy to inflate
the death toll in Puerto Rico,” and adds that his “brash comments...drew
only scattered criticism among Republican lawmakers, underscoring the
trepidation of most GOP politicians to cross a president who enjoys deep
and solid support among the party’s base voters.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=02d-db2&t=c>
(9/13, Bernal, Wong, Zanona), however, says Trump “roiled Democrats and
Republicans alike,” while McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=02e-5f6&t=c>
(9/13, Daugherty, Neal) points out his claims come “after Florida
Republicans have spent the past year courting Puerto Rican voters ahead of
the 2018 election, some of whom relocated to Florida after Hurricane
Maria.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=02f-adf&t=c>
(9/13, Jackson, Fritze) reports Gov. Rick Scott, “a Republican and early
Trump supporter,” also “said he disagreed with the president,” tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=030-519&t=c>,
“I’ve been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. ... The loss
of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is
heart wrenching. I’ll continue to help PR.”

The Naples (FL) Daily News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=031-d0b&t=c>
(9/13, Ceballos) reports Trump’s comments “prompted disagreement from his
biggest Florida allies, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron
DeSantis.” In “a rare instance of disagreement with Trump,” the DeSantis
campaign said, “Ron DeSantis is committed to standing with the Puerto Rican
community, especially after such a tragic loss of life. He doesn’t believe
any loss of life has been inflated.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=032-4dc&t=c>
(9/13, Caputo) says that “facing Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Scott has
increasingly put some distance between himself and Trump,” but “DeSantis,
who owes his Aug. 28 gubernatorial primary win to Trump, hadn’t criticized
the president publicly. That changed Thursday.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=033-bdd&t=c>
(9/13, Jackson, Fritze) reports that “Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida
Republican who has been outspoken on the government’s response to the
storm, lamented in a tweet that the deaths had become political,” and
“repeated the study’s findings that 3,000 more people died on the island
after the hurricane than during comparable periods.” Rubio tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=034-b01&t=c>,
“Both Fed & local gov made mistakes. We all need to stop the blame game &
focus on recovery, helping those still hurting & fixing the mistakes.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=035-60a&t=c>
(9/13, Ferrechio) reports Speaker Ryan “said on Thursday he doesn’t doubt
the latest death toll figures from the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto
Rico, but stressed the storm caused the tragedy, not...Trump.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=036-f5d&t=c>
(9/13, Gaudiano) quotes Ryan as saying, “You couldn’t get to people for a
long time on the island because roads were washed out, power was gone and
the casualties mounted for a long time. ... So I have no reason to dispute
those numbers. Those are just the facts of what happens when a horrible
hurricane hits an isolated place like an island.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=037-0fb&t=c>
(9/13, Cornwell) notes Ryan also said, “Casualties don’t make a person look
bad.”

*In Emails, First Responders Recount Finding “Mass Graves” In
Puerto Rico. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=038-fa5&t=c>
(9/13, Wilhelm) reports “emails released Thursday by congressional
Democrats show correspondence between first responders that appears to
undermine the Trump administration’s public reporting of the human toll
from Hurricane Maria last year.” For example, “in one email, dated Sept.
29, 2017, a first responder – whose name has been redacted – describes
‘finding mass graves in mud slide areas,’ and requests counseling support
for federal first responders in the area.” Politico adds “the emails were
released as part of a call from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) for a full
congressional investigation into the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and
federal government’s response to the disaster.”
Florence Begins Lashing Carolina Coast.

As the southeastern coast of the US began to feel the early impacts of
Hurricane Florence Thursday night, the storm received extensive media
coverage – including more than 16 minutes reporting on the network news
broadcasts Thursday evening and heavy print and online coverage this
morning. Coverage focuses almost exclusively on potential for flooding due
to storm surges, estimates of rainfall totals, and predictions on how long
it will take to restore power and other services when the storm passes.
President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=039-5d5&t=c>
Thursday morning, “I was just briefed on Hurricane Florence. FEMA, First
Responders and Law Enforcement are supplied and ready. We are with
you! https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-florence
…
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=03a-1c2&t=c>”


ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=03b-d27&t=c>
(9/13, lead story, 3:00, Muir) reported in its lead story that a track from
the National Weather Service showed the storm “slowing down, which means it
will sit here and pound the coast, dangerous winds and several feet of
rain.” The storm is “also growing in size. ... This hurricane is 500 miles
wide.” In its lead story, NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=03c-01e&t=c>
(9/13, lead story, 1:05, Holt) reported from along the Cape Fear River in
Wilmington, North Carolina that the “monster storm” was “already lashing
the Carolina coast even as the hurricane’s powerful eye [was] still hours
away from landfall.” NBC (Roker) reported wind gusts of 64 miles per hour
and said, “We’re looking at storm surges from seven to one 11 feet. We’re
talking about anywhere from ten to 20 inches of rain, some places getting
40 inches and what we have to worry about, the possibility of tornadoes. We
have a tornado watch up for the next several hours.” In another story for NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=03d-a29&t=c>
(9/13, story 3, 0:50, Holt), Lester Holt described “significant flooding as
the rivers swell from the storm surge.”’

Reporting from Radio Island, North Carolina, which is about 100
miles northeast, Gadi Schwartz said on NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=03e-db6&t=c>
(9/13, story 2, 1:00, Holt) that winds were “gusting 50 to 70 miles an hour
but tonight, they are going to get up into the 100 mile an hour plus and
it’s going to coincide with the storm surge. We’re going to see a high tide
at around 11:30. The storm surge is expected to come up significantly 7.5
feet.” On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=03f-959&t=c>
(9/13, story 2, 1:10, Glor), Mark Strassman reported on storm surge on
North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

An AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=040-255&t=c>
(9/14, Drew) story posted around 9 p.m. Thursday said “Florence’s leading
edge battered the Carolina coast Thursday, bending trees and shooting
frothy sea water over streets on the Outer Banks, as the hulking storm
closed in with 100 mph (155 kph) winds for a drenching siege that could
last all weekend. Tens of thousands were without power.” According to
forecasters, “conditions will only get more lethal as the storm smashes
ashore early Friday near the North Carolina-South Carolina line and crawls
slowly inland.” The AP Adds that while the storm “was downgraded from a
terrifying Category 4 to a 2,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) warned:
“Don’t relax, don’t get complacent. Stay on guard. This is a powerful storm
that can kill. Today the threat becomes a reality.”

In a story posted at 10 p.m., the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=041-62f&t=c>
(9/13, Samenow) called Thursday “the beginning of a prolonged assault from
wind and water,” and predicted that conditions would “deteriorate through
Thursday night: Winds will further accelerate, the rain will intensify,
rivers will swell, and the angry, agitated ocean will surge ashore.”
According to the National Weather Service, “nearly 5 million people could
witness at least 10 inches of rain over the next five days as the
slow-moving storm made little headway.” Reporting from Snead’s Ferry, North
Carolina, Victor Oquendo said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=042-737&t=c>
(9/13, story 2, 0:45, Muir), “We’re bracing for potentially catastrophic
storm surge, possibly up to 11 feet. ... Emergency officials tell me they
are expecting an unprecedented amount of rain, possibly up to three feet,
and they say if you live in this area and you haven’t evacuated, that
window has closed.”

Meteorologist Megan Glaros said on the CBS Evening News[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=043-242&t=c>
(9/13, story 3, 1:50, Glor), “The problem is it may meander long enough
that we have impacts of hurricane force for a long time, potentially here
through Saturday. It will not leave that area for quite some time.”

A USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=044-940&t=c>
(9/13, Bacon, Gross) story posted Thursday night reported, “Federal
Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long urged people in
mandatory evacuation areas to get out. And he warned that the storm cleanup
will take time and patience.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=045-e26&t=c>
(9/13, lead story, 1:55, Glor) reported in its lead story, “Tens of
thousands of homes and businesses have already lost power. That number
could climb into the millions.” David Muir said on ABC World News
Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=046-cfd&t=c>
(9/13, story 3, 4:05, Muir), “Authorities are telling residents here to
prepare for days without power. Perhaps weeks. They also fear the hurricane
could flood some 16 nuclear reactors across three states.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=047-024&t=c>
(9/13, Scheyder, Paperny) reports, “North Carolina will see up to eight
months of rain in a two- to three-day period, National Weather Service
forecaster Brandon Locklear said in a video briefing.” According to the
state’s emergency management agency, “at least 88,000 people were without
power in North Carolina with the brunt of the storm yet to come,” and
“millions of people were expected to lose power from the storm.”
Restoration “could take weeks.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=048-8ed&t=c>
(9/13, Sullivan) reports, “The total bill for damage from Florence could
eventually reach $10 billion to $20 billion, said Chuck Watson, a disaster
researcher at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia.”

*Some Nursing Homes Evacuate While Others Shelter In Place. *The CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=049-785&t=c>
(9/13, story 6, 1:45, Glor) reported, “Up and down the coast, hospitals and
nursing homes in Florence’s path are being evacuated. Health officials are
determined not to repeat some of the mistakes made in past hurricanes
here.” On ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=04a-27e&t=c>
(9/13, story 5, 1:45, Muir), Tom Llamas reported that at the Davis
Community Nursing Home And Assisted Living Facility in Wilmington, North
Carolina, “some 600 residents, staff and their families are sheltering in
place.” Charles Long, CEO, The Davis Community: “Those people who are
critical care, it would be difficult for us to move them hours away.”
Llamas: “Medical professionals...do not want a repeat of scenes like these
in Texas during Hurricane Harvey. And in Florida, nearly 150 evacuated from
this sweltering nursing home that lost power during Hurricane Irma. Twelve
of its residents lost their lives.”

*Florence Could Increase Pork Prices. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=04b-e1e&t=c>
(9/13, Meyer) reports considers the effect Hurricane Florence will have on
the price of pork because North Carolina, the nation’s second-largest hog
producer, is in its path. While there is “concern that extreme weather
could kill enough animals to impact supply.” if the hogs “remain unharmed –
in some cases, farmers have relocated them – the issue then becomes how
soon after the hurricane the area’s slaughterhouses can re-open. Otherwise,
the animals can get too big and produce too much meat.”

*Many Homes In Florence’s Path Lack Flood Insurance. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=04c-f49&t=c>
(9/13, Scism, Jones, Bauerlein) reports in a front page story that concerns
about Florence are exacerbated by the recent development in the area and
residents’ lack of sufficient insurance. While much of the population and
development growth has been near the coast, fewer homeowners have flood
insurance now than five years ago.

*Avlon: Trump Climate Policy Could Cause 80,000 Deaths Per Decade. *
Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=04d-ecd&t=c>
(9/13, Baker) reports political analyst John Avlon “weighed in on” the
President’s “complicity with hurricanes” during a “Reality Check” segment
for CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=04e-467&t=c>.
Avlon contends that if the US continues to ignore climate science, “the
cost of lives and dollars will escalate.” Avlon said, “On the same day
Trump was discussing [Hurricane] Florence, his EPA proposed rolling back
restrictions on emissions of methane. That’s just the latest environmental
policy targeted by the Trump administration.” Avlon “went on to note how
two Harvard scientists claimed Trump’s policies and getting the country out
of the Paris Climate Agreement could lead to 80,000 deaths every decade.”

*Hannity Blasts WPost For Saying Trump Is “Complicit” In Hurricane.
*Sean Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=04f-97d&t=c>
(9/13), “Sadly we have people in this country on the left, they are trying
to make the storm a political issue, if you can believe that. Some
literally blaming President Trump for the extreme weather. Like he had
control over a hurricane. The editorial board over at the Washington Post
literally claiming that Trump is complicit in causing the hurricane. You
cannot make this up, because of his ‘efforts to dismantle environmental
protections’ that caused the hurricane. The left won’t give President Trump
credit for the booming economy or moving towards energy independence or the
progress with North Korea, and no missiles over Japan or the victory over
ISIS, or tax cuts or so much more, but somehow they want you to believe
that he is responsible for mother nature.”
Foreign Policy
Trump: Kerry Held “Illegal Meetings” With “Very Hostile Iranian Regime.”

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=050-ca0&t=c>
on Thursday, “John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian
Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of
the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was
he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD!”

Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=051-d2d&t=c>
(9/13, Pappas) reports Kerry is “being slammed for conducting shadow
diplomacy with Iran after admitting to multiple meetings with Iranian
officials behind the backs of Trump administration officials – including
over the scrapped nuclear deal.” An Administration official “on Thursday
told Fox News Kerry’s meetings are ‘shameful,’ pointing out what
Iranian-backed militias are doing to kill and injure people in Syria, Iraq
and Yemen,” while other Republicans “suggested it may not even be legal.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=052-e0a&t=c>
(9/13, Gehrke) reports a “senior State Department official” also warned
Kerry on Thursday that he should not try to undermine Trump’s Iran strategy
“through his own outreach to the regime.” Assistant Secretary of State for
Economic Affairs Manisha Singh told a House panel, “I don’t have personal
knowledge of those meetings, but, if that is happening, again, I would find
it very inappropriate.” According to the Examiner, Kerry “has confirmed in
recent days that he has met ‘three or four times’ with Iranian Foreign
Minister Javad Zarif since leaving office.”

*Iran Crude Exports To China Slow. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=053-605&t=c>
(9/13, Lee) reports Iran dispatched two supertankers of crude oil to China
on Wednesday, the first such shipments in 18 days, according to Bloomberg
data. The period was the “longest gap without sending oil to its biggest
customer in at least three years as imminent US sanctions pile pressure
onto Tehran.” While the “pause in shipments probably doesn’t mean China
will to bow to pressure” from the Administration, it “might indicate that
the Asian country’s refineries want better terms for Iranian cargoes.”

*Iranian Revolutionary Guard Leader: Missile Attack On Kurdish Base
In Iraq A “Warning.” *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=054-23a&t=c>
(9/13, Hafezi) reports Major Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the chief of Iran’s
elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, “said on Thursday that Tehran’s missile
attack on an Iranian Kurdish rebel base in northern Iraq last week was a
warning to hostile powers, Iranian state television reported.” The IRGC
“fired seven missiles at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of
Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), an armed opposition group that fights for greater
autonomy for Iran’s Kurdish community,” and Iranian media reported 11
people were killed. Jafari said, “The attack against the terrorists in
Iraq’s Kurdistan conveys a message to the enemies, particularly those
superpowers who think they can impose their evil plots on Iran and bully
us.”
Syrian Rebels Confident US Assistance Will Allow Them To Prolong Civil War.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=055-c31&t=c>
(9/13, Al-Khalidi) reports that Colonel Muhanad al Talaa, identified as a
“commander of the Pentagon-backed Maghawir al Thawra group,” said Thursday
that “rare military exercises with US marines in southern Syria sent a
strong message to Russia and Iran that the Americans and the rebels intend
to stay and confront any threats to their presence.” According to Reuters,
the “live-fire air and ground assault” exercises “involv[ed] hundreds of US
troops and rebel fighters.” A “US military spokesman said the exercises
were a show of force and that the Pentagon had notified Moscow through
‘deconfliction’ channels to prevent ‘miscommunication or escalate
tension.’”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=056-c94&t=c>
(9/13, Karam) reports that “the Syrian army, backed by allies Iran and
Russia, is preparing for a military offensive to retake the country’s last
major rebel stronghold – the province of Idlib.” Fox News’ Special
Report[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=057-fdf&t=c>
(9/13) reported Turkey is sending military reinforcements to bolster its
positions inside “Syria’s last rebel bastion of Idlib,” while the US is
warning Russia it will be responsible for the resulting humanitarian crisis
in Syria if the Russia-backed Syrian military attacks the province. Turkish
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar is “still talking with Russia and Iran to try
to prevent” the Syrian government offensive.
Kushner Defends Actions Against Palestinians, Says It’ll Help Peace Deal.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=058-3d6&t=c>
(9/13, Landler) reports that three days after the Administration “evicted
the Palestine Liberation Organization from its offices in Washington, Jared
Kushner defended the latest in a string of punitive actions against the
Palestinians and insisted that none of them had diminished the chances of a
peace accord between Israel and the Palestinians.” In an interview
Thursday, Kushner “said President Trump had actually improved the chances
for peace by stripping away the ‘false realities’ that surround Middle East
peacemaking.” Said Kushner, “There were too many false realities that were
created — that people worship — that I think needed to be changed. All
we’re doing is dealing with things as we see them and not being scared out
of doing the right thing. I think, as a result, you have a much higher
chance of actually achieving a real peace.”
Treasury Department Sanctions Two North Korean-Backed IT Companies.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=059-cd8&t=c>
(9/13, Pennington) reports the Administration “blacklisted two North
Korean-controlled information technology companies based in China and
Russia on Thursday as it pushed for progress by Kim Jong Un’s government on
denuclearization.” The Treasury Department announced it “was designating
China Silver Star, its North Korean CEO Jong Song Hwa, and its Russia-based
sister company, Volasys Silver Star.” Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said “the
sanctions were intended to stop the flow of illicit revenue to North Korea
from overseas IT workers hiding behind front companies and aliases.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=05a-9ec&t=c>
(9/13, Talley) reports the Treasury Department says the two IT companies
are directed by North Koreans, and provide Pyongyang with millions of
dollars of hard currency contrary to international sanctions. Said Mnuchin,
“These actions are intended to stop the flow of illicit revenue to North
Korea from overseas information technology workers disguising their true
identities and hiding behind front companies, aliases, and third-party
nationals.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=05b-1dc&t=c>
(9/13, Ahmann, Wroughton) reports Mnuchin warned companies “to take
precautions to ensure that they are not unwittingly employing North Korean
workers for technology projects.”

*South Korea Accepted Shipments From North Korea In Violation Of UN
Sanctions. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=05c-662&t=c>
(9/13, Jeong) reports South Korean ports accepted seven coal shipments and
one shipment of pig iron from North Korea, including three shipments made
after US intelligence warnings that North Korea was seeking to export coal
in violation of UN sanctions. Analysts said while the violation was not
intentional, it exposes some of the loopholes in the sanctions regime.

*North Korea’s “Mass Games” Rely On Child Labor. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=05d-81d&t=c>
(9/13, Smith) reports, “Packed into Pyongyang’s giant stadium this week
with thousands of other tourists, Australian Mitchell Hamilton marvelled at
the return of North Korea’s ‘Mass Games,’ a huge pageant that has produced
some of the most iconic images of the isolated country.” Hamilton said, “My
thought sitting there was that it was a show fit for a god. You can’t help
but get swept up in the spectacle.” Reuters adds that a “sobering reminder
of the power of the state in North Korea, however, was the realisation that
many of the thousands of performers on the field were young children.”
State Dept. Official: US Prepared To Impose Additional Sanctions On Russia.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=05e-942&t=c>
(9/13, Zengerle, Wroughton) reports that members of Congress have “kept up
their push for the Trump administration to push back harder against
Russia’s ‘nefarious activities.’” On Thursday, Assistant Secretary of State
Manisha Singh “reiterated to a congressional hearing that Washington would
adhere to its August pledge to impose ‘very severe’ sanctions on Russia if
it does not meet a November deadline to comply with international chemical
weapons law.” Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Singh
said, “We are looking at this November deadline as absolutely, we plan to
impose a very severe second round of sanctions under the (chemical and
biological weapons law).” However, according to Reuters, Singh “noted
Russia would not be subject to sanctions if it meets conditions including
allowing inspections and providing a ‘verifiable’ assurance that they will
not use nerve agents against their own people again.”

*Media Analyses: Alibi Offered By Russians Suspected In UK
Poisoning Improbable. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=05f-51b&t=c>
(9/13, Osborn) reports that “two Russians resembling men Britain accuses of
jetting to England to try to murder a former spy said on Thursday that they
were innocent tourists who had flown to London for fun and visited the city
of Salisbury to see its cathedral.” UK officials countered that “it was
clear the two men, who appeared on Russia’s state-funded RT television
station, were agents of Russia’s GRU military intelligence who carried out
the attack, and called their interview an example of ‘obfuscation and
lies.’” Reuters goes on to report that the two “appeared acutely ill at
ease,” and “identified themselves as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov,
the names British prosecutors said were used by the poisoners.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=060-ca0&t=c>
(9/13, Higgins) reports that in the RT interview, the two “insisted they
were simple tourists who had traveled to the ‘wonderful’ English city of
Salisbury to look at its cathedral spire and 14th-century clock.” However,
the Times says neither of them “offer[ed] any explanation for how the
London hotel room they had stayed in came to have traces of Novichok, the
military-grade nerve agent that Britain says was used in the Salisbury
attack. Nor did they explain why two sports nutritionists would travel all
the way to Britain on March 2, make two trips to Salisbury on consecutive
days, and then fly back to Moscow on the evening of March 4, just hours
after the attack on the Skripals.”
US, Cuban Officials Discuss Mysterious Attacks On Diplomats In Havana.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=061-eea&t=c>
(9/13, Lee) reports that as “American authorities search for answers into
mysterious ‘health attacks’ that began two years ago in Havana,” US and
Cuban officials on Thursday “renewed efforts to determine the method and
motive behind incidents that have left some diplomats with brain injuries.”
Cuba’s foreign ministry “said nine members of the scientific team it
assembled to look into the incidents met with US lawmakers and the National
Academy of Sciences before the talks” at the State Department on Thursday.
The State Department said the meeting is “part of our ongoing effort to
investigate and better understand the health conditions of our diplomats,”
but “did not offer additional details.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=062-776&t=c>
(9/13, Harris), however, reports that “some of Cuba’s top scientists and
medical specialists denounced on Thursday claims that two dozen American
diplomats in Havana had been the targets of mysterious attacks over the
last two years.” The experts were “careful not to offer a definitive
explanation for the episodes,” but they “complained that the United States
had concluded, with no evidence, that an attack had been carried out to
start.”
Trudeau Says He Wants Trade Deal; Kudlow Says Dairy Disagreements Key Issue.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=063-e37&t=c>
(9/13, Ljunggren) reports Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said
Thursday “he wanted a good NAFTA deal as soon as possible, but did not
answer directly when asked if he agreed with Washington that the end of
September was the final deadline for talks.” Asked by reporters whether he
felt that the end of September was the final deadline, Trudeau said, “We
have seen various deadlines put forward as markers to work for,” adding,
“We’ll do the work and try and get there as quick as we can, but we’re
going to make sure that we’re doing what is necessary to get the right deal
for Canadians.”

KOLD-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=064-67b&t=c>
Tucson, AZ (9/13, 6:36 a.m. MST), meanwhile, reported that NEC Director
Kudlow weighed in on the trade talks with Canada, saying that “the talks
could be summed up in a four letter word.” Kudlow: “All I got to say is, as
I’ve said many times with Canada, the US would like a deal but the obstacle
is a four letter word, M-I-L-K, ok? M-I-L-K. And if we can get through milk
and dairy, where some of these tariffs are 300%, probably that would
advance the cause.”

*Trump Says He Wants To Rebrand NAFTA As “USMC.” *The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=065-3b3&t=c>
(9/13, Higgins) reports President Trump has said that he “wants to rebrand
the North American Free Trade Agreement as the United States-Mexico-Canada
agreement or USMC for short, but may limit it to just the USM pact if he
cannot reach an agreement with Canada regarding the deal he negotiated with
Mexico.” The Examiner says Trump spoke about his views “during a private
meeting with a small group of Republican donors.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=066-19e&t=c>
(9/13, Bender) covers Trump’s remarks in an article titled, “Trump Plans To
Rebrand Nafta, Warns Canada.”

*Trump: US “Under No Pressure To Make A Deal With China.” *Trump
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=067-6f2&t=c>
yesterday morning, “The Wall Street Journal has it wrong, we are under no
pressure to make a deal with China, they are under pressure to make a deal
with us. Our markets are surging, theirs are collapsing. We will soon be
taking in Billions in Tariffs & making products at home. If we meet, we
meet?” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=068-00e&t=c>
(9/13, Lynch) says the tweet “is consistent with his recent bravado toward
China, but it could make Chinese leaders dubious that Trump will be willing
to negotiate a deal.” A front-page Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=069-4b8&t=c>
(9/13, A1, Lynch) analysis says Trump’s statement “sought to downplay any
hope that the United States would extend a hand toward reconciling the
trade conflict, amid word that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had
invited Chinese officials to return to talks.” The Post says Trump’s “view
that the Chinese are suffering while the US thrives helps explain his
confidence that Beijing ultimately will buckle. But the president’s
expectation that financial hardship will prompt Chinese President Xi
Jinping to cave in a fresh round of diplomatic talks is misplaced, analysts
said.”

*WSJournal: New iPhones Made To Appeal To Chinese Buyers. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=06a-2ef&t=c>
(9/13, Kubota, Mickle) reports that the latest iPhones revealed Wednesday
by Apple included features aimed at appealing to China consumers as the
company seeks to expand its sales in the country. However, the Journal says
Chinese rivals already offer similar features at a cheaper price point.

*ECB: Trade War With US Is Slowing Economic Growth In Europe. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=06b-37c&t=c>
(9/12, Ewing, Tsang) reports that due to the ongoing “trade war” with the
US, “European factories are producing fewer goods, automobile exports are
plunging and surveys show that business managers around the Continent are
nervous.” The Times adds, “Soon, that will have a measurable impact on
economic growth across the region. At least, that is what the European
Central Bank expects.” According to the Times, the ECB has “lowered its
projections for economic growth across the 19-nation euro area, and warned
that any potential escalation of the dispute — which threatens to ensnare
the European automotive industry – could create further headaches.”

*Secret Service Buying Harley-Davidsons, Despite Trump’s Calls For
Boycott. *CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=06c-38b&t=c>
(9/13, Tully-McManus) reports that the Secret Service “is still buying
Harley-Davidson motorcycles,” even though Trump “has supported a boycott of
Harleys if the company moves some motorcycle production overseas.” The
Secret Service earlier this week posted their intention to purchase a
Harley-Davidson motorcycle “on a website for businesses who contract with
the federal government.” The Secret Service’s “justification for the
purchase says that choosing another make and model would cost thousands of
dollars,” because their technicians are trained on the Harley-Davidson
bikes.
Domestic Policy
Stumping In Ohio, Obama Says Midterms Can Return “Sanity To Our Politics.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=06d-13f&t=c>
(9/13, Smyth) reports that President Obama “delivered a simple message
Thursday headed into the fall midterm elections: Vote. Speaking to an
enthusiastic crowd of several thousand in Cleveland, Obama said the
consequences of sitting on the sidelines during November’s midterm
elections ‘are far more dangerous’ than in the past. Without mentioning
Republican President Donald Trump by name, Obama said, ‘This is not normal
what we’re seeing. It is radical.’” He added, “On November 6th, we have a
chance to restore some sanity to our politics. We can flip the balance of
power back to the American people. Because you are the only check on bad
policy, you are the only real check on abuses of power. It’s you and your
vote.”

The Cincinnati Enquirer
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(9/13, Balmert) reports that during his appearance in Cleveland, Obama
“showed why he might be the Democrats’ biggest asset this fall, drumming up
enthusiasm by condemning fearmongering from Republicans, chastising
apathetic voters,” and praising ex-federal consumer watchdog agency chief
Richard Cordray (D-OH), who is battling state Attorney General Mike DeWine
(R-OH) in this fall’s race to succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich (R-OH).
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=06f-0d7&t=c>
(9/13, Strauss) reported that Obama “took thinly veiled shots at...Trump
and congressional Republicans, saying they’re taking too much credit for
the country’s low unemployment rate.” Obama repeatedly “referred to
Republicans as ‘leaders just yakking and yakking every day.’”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=070-16e&t=c>
(9/13, Sonmez) reports that Obama “ridiculed Republicans” during the event,
“mocking members of the party for being ‘still mad’ even though they
control the White House and both chambers of Congress. ... ‘Even the folks
who won don’t seem happy. Have you noticed that?’ Obama” said, “decrying
the country’s ‘broken’ politics. Republicans won the presidency, House and
Senate, he said, but ‘they’re still mad, which is interesting.’ He went on
to criticize the ‘forces of retrenchment and backlash and anger’ as well as
‘some media outlets that like to do the fanning,’ without naming any
names.”

*USA Today’s Bovard: Obama Presidency Fueled Current Distrust Of
Washington. *Columnist James Bovard writes in USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=071-843&t=c>
(9/13) writes that Obama’s return to campaign politics with “a blistering
attack on the Trump administration” is “akin to the kid who killed his
parents and then sought mercy from the judge because he was an orphan.”
Bovard argues that while Obama declared “cynicism” the biggest threat to
democracy and called for “a restoration of honesty and decency and
lawfulness in our government,” his “eight years as president fueled the
distrust of Washington that Obama now condemns.” Obama, Brovard writes,
“has never admitted how his policies made the federal government more
dangerous at home and abroad. Nothing that Trump can do or say should be
permitted to expunge Obama’s derelictions.”

*Cuomo Trounces Nixon In Democratic Primary. *As expected, Gov.
Andrew Cuomo (D) on Thursday demolished
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=072-087&t=c>
actress Cynthia Nixon (D) 66%-34% in New York’s Democratic gubernatorial
primary. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=073-2ef&t=c>
(9/13, Smyth) reports that Cuomo thwarted Nixon’s “attempt to become the
latest insurgent liberal to knock off an establishment Democrat.” The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=074-c1e&t=c>
(9/13, Goldmacher) reports, “The race cemented both Mr. Cuomo’s standing as
an unmatched force in New York politics and a merciless tactician with
little regard for diplomacy.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=075-7b0&t=c>
(9/13) reports that Cuomo’s “big victory allows him to continue his bid for
a third term and sets up a” general election matchup against Dutchess
County Executive Marc Molinaro (R), who was unopposed in Thursday’s GOP
primary. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=076-71e&t=c>
(9/13, Allen) reports that Cuomo is a “heavy favorite” to win reelection.
The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=077-622&t=c>
(9/13, Fredericks, Gonen), the Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=078-999&t=c>
(9/13, Marans), the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=079-756&t=c>
(9/13, Vielkind), and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=07a-e6b&t=c>
(9/13, Wilson) are among the media that also report on the primary result.
Feinstein Refers Letter To FBI Alleging Sexual Misconduct By Kavanaugh In
High School.

In the latest twist in the partisan free-for-all regarding Judge Brett
Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said yesterday
she has referred allegations about the judge to the FBI. As the Los Angeles
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=07b-c67&t=c>
(9/13, Haberkorn) points out, however, “anyone can make a referral to the
FBI,” and Feinstein’s action “does not mean Kavanaugh is under federal
investigation.” Meanwhile, BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=07c-439&t=c>
(9/13, Villa, McLeod) cites “a source” who confirms “there is no criminal
investigation into the” matter, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fdd3&l=07d-b21&t=c>
(9/13, Mascaro) says that “an FBI spokeswoman declined to comment,” and NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018091401biden&r=email-fd