EMAIL DETAILS

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Friday, October 5, 2018 7:57 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
October 5, 2018


*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=000-036&t=c>
mobile-optimized online version, including download options and an audio
reader.*


[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=001-f90&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, October 5, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*

*Holiday Message*

In observance of the U.S. federal Columbus Day holiday, we will not publish
on Monday, October 8, 2018. Service will resume on Tuesday, October 9,
2018. We wish our readers a safe holiday.


Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Biden Campaigns For Democratic House Candidates In California. <#S1>

• Biden To Hold Indiana Rally With Donnelly Next Week. <#S2>

• Biden Traveling To London For Series Of Events, Including Foreign Policy
Speech. <#S3>

• Vanity Fair: Left’s “Fury Over Kavanaugh” Could Undermine Biden 2020 Bid.
<#S4>

• Themal: Biden Most Qualified Potential 2020 Candidate Among Senior
Generation. <#S5>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Media Analyses: Kavanaugh Appears Headed For Weekend Confirmation. <#S6>

• Media Analyses: “Overreach,” Perceived Media Bias Cutting Democrats’
Midterm Edge. <#S7>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Pence Accuses China Of “Malign” Efforts To Undermine Trump. <#S8>

• New US Counterterrorism Strategy Puts Focus On Iran, Its Proxies. <#S9>

• Votel: Russia’s Deployment Of Missile System To Syria Is Needless
Escalation. <#S10>

• US Service Members Killed In Afghanistan. <#S11>

• White House Briefs Senators On Middle East Peace Plan. <#S12>

• Treasury Department: Turkish Company Violated North Korea Sanctions.
<#S13>

• US, UK, Others Accuse Russian Intelligence Officers Of Hacking Campaign.
<#S14>

• Wartime Sexual Violence Activists Win Nobel Peace Prize. <#S15>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• At Minnesota Rally, Trump Slams Democrats, Says Franken Folded “Like A
Wet Rag.” <#S16>

• After Court Reprieve, TPS Holders Hope Congress Will Grant Them Permanent
Legal Status. <#S17>

• CMS To Increase Oversight Of Hospital Accrediting Organizations. <#S18>

• White House Report: Eroding Defense Industrial Bases Endangers National
Security. <#S19>

• Critics Warn DOD-Funded Food Security Project Could Spark “Biological
Arms Race.” <#S20>

• New York City Officials Join Probe Of Trump Family Finances. <#S21>

• Pence’s Daughter Writes She Was Struck By Trump’s Kindness. <#S22>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• Washington Post. <#S23>

• New York Times. <#S24>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_6>*

• Studies Link Aspirin Use To Lower Risk Of Ovarian Cancer, Liver Cancer.
<#S25>
Biden in the News
Biden Campaigns For Democratic House Candidates In California.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=002-85b&t=c>
(10/4, Marinucci) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden visited
California Thursday and campaigned in “the heart of Reagan Country...riding
a wave of Democratic grassroots anger over the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation
to boost the party’s House candidates.” Speaking at California State
University Fullerton, Biden said, “Our core values, the American story is
being assailed. ... The fabric that has always held us together, in good
times and hard times, is being shredded before our eyes.” Biden added,
“This President has put his own interests before the nation,” and while the
Republican Congress, “to my overwhelming disappointment,” has not acted,
“our kids are listening, our kids are watching. Our children are hearing
all this. And our silence is complicit. ... Folks, America knows who Donald
Trump is – the question for all of us is: Who are we? How do we reassert
what we stand for?”

The Pasadena (CA) Star-News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=003-ba4&t=c>
(10/4) quotes Biden as saying, “This is the most important election you’ve
ever voted in. Our core values, the America story, is being assailed.”
Biden said, “Here’s the good news: The folks with me here today and a
Democrat-controlled Congress are going to take this President on.” The Los
Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=004-246&t=c>
(10/4, Finnegan) reports Biden’s afternoon rally at Cal State Fullerton
“follows a similar event last month in Anaheim, where former President
Obama campaigned for six California Democrats in fiercely contested House
races.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=005-bdd&t=c>
(10/4, Blood) reports Biden “urged support Thursday for Democratic
candidates in a string of California districts to regain control of the
House and help ‘take this president on.’” With a “densely packed crowd
chanting ‘Take it back,’ a reference to the GOP-held House, Biden spent
about 50 minutes denouncing Trump administration policies and calling for a
return of civility and mutual respect in Washington.”

*Biden Raised $100,000 At Fundraiser For American Possibilities
PAC. *Meanwhile, Variety
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=006-66d&t=c>
(10/4) reports Joe Biden “raised about $100,000 for his political action
committee American Possibilities at what was described as an intimate
gathering of Hollywood executives and creatives, including Jeffrey
Katzenberg, Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos, and Sony’s Tom Rothman.” Citing The
Hollywood Reporter, Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=007-4ce&t=c>
(10/4, Caruso) reports that “approximately 25 people attended the
$5,000-per-plate fundraiser, which raised a little more than $100,000,
funds that will be funneled toward Biden’s PAC American Possibilities,
which supports Democratic candidates and causes.” Notable names in
attendance “were Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos, Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman,
producer Byron Allen, ICM Partners’ Chris Silbermann, Gonring Spahn’s Andy
Spahn, Katzenberg, venture capitalist Chris Sacca, entrepreneur Jon Vein
and Meg Whitman.”
Biden To Hold Indiana Rally With Donnelly Next Week.

WTTV-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=008-d10&t=c>
Indianapolis (10/4) reports former Vice President Joe Biden “is coming to
the Hoosier State to campaign for Senator Joe Donnelly.” Biden and Donnelly
“will hold an ‘early vote rally’ in Hammond, Indiana next Friday, Oct. 12”
in northwest Indiana. Officials “say the rally will encourage supporters to
vote early and recruit new volunteers for the Indiana Democratic
Coordinated Campaign.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=009-6cd&t=c>
(10/4, Axelrod) reports, “It is widely speculated that Biden has
presidential aspirations of his own. He is frequently mentioned as a
prospective 2020 candidate and has campaigned with various other Democratic
candidates in their midterm campaigns.” Neighbor Newspapers Atlanta
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=00a-77b&t=c>
(10/4) also reports on the upcoming event.
Biden Traveling To London For Series Of Events, Including Foreign Policy
Speech.

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=00b-957&t=c>
(10/4, Saenz) reports former Vice President Joe Biden “will travel to
London next week for a series of events, including a foreign policy speech
that will offer up a contrast to President Donald Trump on the world
stage.” The trip “comes as Biden himself weighs a presidential run against
Trump in 2020, a decision he says will come after the midterm elections.”
An unnamed source close to Biden “told CNN the former vice president will
arrive in London Monday ahead of a private fundraiser for the McCain
Institute Tuesday.”
Vanity Fair: Left’s “Fury Over Kavanaugh” Could Undermine Biden 2020 Bid.

Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=00c-376&t=c>
(10/4) reports that, following the “left’s fury over Kavanaugh,” the “fate
of the old-guard liberal once in good standing” is uncertain. This figure
“still holds the reins of power throughout the Democratic Party, but the
ride is getting rougher. And few are likely to feel this as keenly in 2020
as beloved old-guard liberal Joe Biden.” A spate of recent articles “on
Biden’s alleged transgressions may be a preview of what awaits him.”

The Economist
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=00d-404&t=c>
(10/4) reports that Biden “has a lot of the qualities Democrats should be
looking for in their presidential candidate for 2020,” but highlights his
time as Senate Judiciary Chairman in 1991 “when it probed Anita Hill’s
allegation of sexual harassment by her former colleague, Clarence Thomas,
then a nominee for the Supreme Court.” Unfortunately for Biden, “the
offhand way that committee treated Ms Hill has been picked over since
Christine Blasey Ford testified to it last week about her alleged long-ago
assault by Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court
nominee.”

Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=00e-6b2&t=c>
(10/4) adds, “If all of this turns out to be enough to cause Biden to pull
back from a run in 2020, it would probably spare him other worries. He has
some fairly serious vulnerabilities as it is: a record of pandering to
predatory credit-card issuers; a very weird episode of plagiarism; a
tendency toward babbling and muddled thinking; and, above all, old age.”
Themal: Biden Most Qualified Potential 2020 Candidate Among Senior
Generation.

Discussing which potential 2020 presidential candidates Democrats would
vote for, columnist Harry Themal writes for the Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=00f-ac8&t=c>
(10/4) that “after eight years as Barack Obama’s very active vice president
and 36 years as the Delaware’s senator, Biden’s experience makes him the
most qualified of the senior generation candidates.”
Leading the News
Media Analyses: Kavanaugh Appears Headed For Weekend Confirmation.

In the aftermath of the new FBI background check into Supreme Court
Justice-designate Brett Kavanaugh, media analyses cast the Senate as
increasingly likely to vote narrowly to confirm him. TIME
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=010-b28&t=c>
(10/4, Abramson, Abrams), for example, reports “Kavanaugh’s confirmation to
the Supreme Court looked increasingly likely on Thursday,” a position
shared by CNN’s political director David Chalian, who said on CNN[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=011-2b4&t=c>
(10/4) yesterday, “I think the ballgame’s over here.” Along similar lines,
the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=012-f8d&t=c>
(10/4, Ferrechio) says “Kavanaugh is on course for the Supreme Court,” The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=013-e7b&t=c>
(10/4, Bolton, Carney) that his “path to confirmation appeared to
solidify,” and the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=014-4b4&t=c>
(10/4, story 2, 0:30, Cordes) that “if all goes well for Republicans, they
will hold a final vote to confirm Kavanaugh on Saturday so he can be seated
on the Supreme Court next week.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=015-3f7&t=c>
(10/4, Fram, Mascaro) reports that “Republican leaders seemed to show
increasing confidence” and Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=016-2be&t=c>
(10/4, Morgan, Becker) that they “gained confidence” following the release
of the FBI report, and that White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah
said the Administration is “fully confident” Kavanaugh will be confirmed.
The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=017-1d7&t=c>
(10/4, Boyer) reports White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders “expressed
confidence Thursday that the Senate will confirm...Kavanaugh in the wake of
an FBI report with no new findings about a decades-old sexual assault
complaint.” Sanders told Fox News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=018-60e&t=c>
(10/4), “We allowed the FBI to do exactly what they do best. ... We haven’t
micromanaged this process. We accommodated all of the Senate’s requests.
The President was very clear about that and allowed the FBI to make those
decisions.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=019-277&t=c>
(10/4, lead story, 3:10, Holt) showed Sanders saying, “Anybody that pushes
back on the fact that Dr. Ford wasn’t given ample opportunity to state her
case has been living in a cave.”

John Roberts said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=01a-eb9&t=c>
(10/4) that “White House officials told Fox News today that they were
confident that Judge Kavanaugh would ultimately be confirmed to the Supreme
Court although they do acknowledge they think the vote will be a squeaker.”
The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=01b-1d7&t=c>
(10/4, A1, Peterson, Andrews) runs a similar front-page analysis under the
headline “Confidence In Kavanaugh Confirmation Grows,” and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=01c-2df&t=c>
(10/4, Everett, Schor) reports that asked in an interview “whether he has
the votes,” Senate Majority Whip Cornyn said, “I’m optimistic. I’m going to
let senators make their own announcements, but I’m optimistic we’ll get
there.”

Congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly, however, said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=01d-69c&t=c>
(10/4), “There is no question there is optimism from Republican leaders,
but here is an important caveat: a senior Republican aide just short while
ago texted me, ‘It’s not locked in yet.’ They know for a fact that at this
moment, they don’t have the 51 votes they need to confirm...Kavanaugh.”

Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=01e-442&t=c>
(10/4), “We are feeling very confident that everything the Democrats and
even Dr. Ford have asked to be done in terms of major accommodations over
the last two and half weeks have been done. The FBI supplemental is
completed. This is the seventh...FBI vetting that is being completed on
Brett Kavanaugh, including two justice calendar years. So, now it’s time to
vote. We feel pretty confident.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=01f-a46&t=c>
(10/4, Megerian) indicates “two swing Republicans said they believed the
FBI investigation was thorough, raising hopes at the White House that they
were falling into line and would back Kavanaugh.” Their votes “could be
enough to end what has become a bitter partisan and legal battle in the
#MeToo era.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=020-d6b&t=c>
(10/4, Kelly, Collins, Gaudiano) reports Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) “told
reporters that the report showed ‘no additional corroborating information’
to suggest Kavanaugh had committed sexual assault,” and Sen. Susan Collins
(R-ME) “indicated that she did not share Democrats’ concerns that the FBI
report was incomplete and inconclusive,” remarking, “It appears to be a
very thorough investigation.”

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=021-af2&t=c>
(10/4, Schwab, Schultz, Fredericks) sees the comments by Collins and Flake
as “an apparent signal of support of his confirmation,” and Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=022-ea6&t=c>
(10/4, Chiacu) notes the Arizona senator “triggered the supplemental
background check last Friday when he said he would not vote to confirm
Kavanaugh unless one was done.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=023-f25&t=c>
(10/4, Bolton) reports Flake said, “I think Susan Collins was quoted saying
it was very thorough but no new corroborative information came out of it.
That’s accurate. ... I wanted this pause; we’ve had this pause. ... Thus
far we’ve seen no new credible corroboration, no new corroboration at all.”
The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=024-a92&t=c>
(10/4, Kim) reports, meanwhile, that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) “told
reporters that she did not yet know whether the FBI had been thorough
enough in its investigation or spoken to enough witnesses.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=025-f29&t=c>
(10/4, Litvan, Wasson, Dennis) reports Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles
Grassley also said the FBI probe found “no corroboration of allegations,”
and added that “Kavanaugh should be confirmed on Saturday.” The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=026-ba3&t=c>
(10/4, Dinan, Swoye) quotes Grassley as saying, “These uncorroborated
accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge
Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any
third parties who can attest to any of the allegations.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=027-950&t=c>
(10/4, Carney) reports, meanwhile, that Senate Majority Leader McConnell
“lashed out at Democrats in a furious floor speech on Thursday
about...Kavanaugh’s confirmation, arguing the allegations against him are
‘uncorroborated mud.’” Added McConnell, “None of these allegations have
been corroborated by the seventh FBI investigation.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=028-556&t=c>
(10/4, Fandos, Stolberg) says “by day’s end, two competing narratives had
emerged about the 46 pages of interview documents. ... While Republicans
pressed on the idea that there was no corroborating evidence in the
interviews, Democrats challenged the legitimacy of the investigation and
the veracity of some of the witnesses.” The Times adds that Democrats
argued that the FBI, “at the White House’s direction, had left key
witnesses off the interview list and left leads unexplored.” Sen. Dianne
Feinstein (D-CA) is quoted as saying, “What I can say is the most notable
part of this report is what’s not in it.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=029-e38&t=c>
(10/4, Daley) quotes Feinstein as saying, “The most notable part of this
report is what’s not in it. ... It looks to be a product of an incomplete
investigation that was limited, perhaps by the White House.” Senate
Minority Leader Schumer also “disputed” the “earlier statement
from...Grassley, who said the report contained no new information.” Said
Schumer, “I disagree with Sen. Grassley’s statement that there was no hint
of misconduct.”

Along similar lines, the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=02a-dcc&t=c>
(10/4, lead story, 4:00, Cordes) showed Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) saying, “In
plain English, what I just read, there are hints of misconduct.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=02b-a96&t=c>
(10/4, Kim) reports, meanwhile, that Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) “seemed to
acknowledge that there was no corroboration for Ford’s charges in the FBI
report, but blamed the scope of the investigation.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=02c-931&t=c>
(10/4, Schor, Everett, Bresnahan) reports that after Sen. Heidi Heitkamp
(D-ND) announced she would oppose the nomination, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
is the only Democrat left still “on the fence.”

*Trump: 100 More FBI Probes “Would Still Not Be Good Enough” For
Democrats *. President Trump weighed in on the matter on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=02d-10c&t=c>,
writing, “This is now the 7th. time the FBI has investigated Judge
Kavanaugh. If we made it 100, it would still not be good enough for the
Obstructionist Democrats.” Trump also tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=02e-30f&t=c>,
“This is a very important time in our country. Due Process, Fairness and
Common Sense are now on trial!”

*Shah: White House “Deferred To The Senate” In Limiting FBI Probe’s
Scope. *Appearing on CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=02f-787&t=c>
(10/4), Shah said, “Just to be clear – this is something that has been lost
in the process – a background investigation is not a criminal probe, for
example. It doesn’t seek to find a specific outcome. It seeks to find
information for decision makers. The Senate has set a scope on what they
are interested in. They have already investigated this matter through their
own Senate process. They wanted interviews of additional individuals. Any
background investigation has to have some form of limiting scope,
and...it’s always, in these matters, set by the White House, but we
deferred to the Senate’s requests.”

*Ford’s Lawyers Slam FBI Probe, See “Stain” On Kavanaugh
Confirmation. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=030-b22&t=c>
(10/4, Dinan) reports “lawyers for...Ford...said Thursday that the FBI’s
updated background investigation was a ‘stain’ on the confirmation process
and the FBI because it wasn’t thorough enough.” In a letter to FBI Director
Wray, the lawyers “listed eight witnesses the said should have been
contacted but weren’t, including longtime friends of Ms. Blasey Ford, her
husband, and the ex-FBI agent who conducted a polygraph exam in August.”
The Times adds that “the FBI interviewed 10 witnesses, including the people
Ms. Blasey Ford has publicly identified as being at the 1982 high school
party,” but “none of those people has corroborated her account.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=031-d00&t=c>
(10/4, story 2, 1:30, Karl) reported, “The FBI never spoke with Ford. In
fact, they only interviewed a total of nine people.” Ford’s lawyers “say
they suggested eight other possible witnesses, but they were never
contacted.” Moreover, “there is Deborah Ramirez, who accused Kavanaugh of
exposing himself to her in college when both were drunk.” Ramirez “did
speak to the FBI, and said she submitted the names of more than 20
potential witnesses, none of whom, she claimed, were investigated.”

*WPost, NYTimes Editorials Urge Senate To Reject Kavanaugh.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=032-833&t=c>
(10/4) editorializes that “unfortunately – and unnecessarily; it didn’t
have to be this way – too many questions remain about his history for
senators to responsibly vote ‘yes,’” and “at the same time, enough has been
learned about his partisan instincts that we believe senators must vote
‘no.’” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=033-946&t=c>
(10/4) also editorializes that “only by voting no, by asking Mr. Trump to
send someone else for it to consider, can the Senate pass its test of
institutional character and meet its obligation to safeguard the
credibility of the Supreme Court.”

*Daines Still Plans To Attend Daughter’s Wedding Saturday. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=034-aa8&t=c>
(10/4) reports that Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) “says he’s going to attend his
daughter’s wedding back home in Montana on Saturday regardless of a
possible weekend Senate vote on...Kavanaugh.” Daines told the AP “in a
statement that two things are going to happen this weekend: There’s going
to be a new Supreme Court justice and Daines is going to walk his daughter
down the aisle.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=035-881&t=c>
(10/4, Lim) says “Daines has supported Kavanaugh throughout his
confirmation process, but his absence from Washington could pose a
mathematical problem for GOP senators hoping to push through the judge’s
nomination,” as the GOP “holds a razor-thin majority in the upper chamber,
51 to 49.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=036-baa&t=c>
(10/4, Everett, Schor) says that if Republicans end up needing Daines, “the
vote could...drag into Sunday.”

*Kavanaugh Expresses Regret For His Tone At Senate Hearing. *In an
op-ed for the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=037-c3e&t=c>
(10/4), Kavanaugh writes that while he may have been too emotional at times
during last week’s hearing, if he is confirmed, he can be counted upon to
be the open-minded, independent jurist he has been throughout his career. USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=038-cd1&t=c>
(10/4, Hayes) reports that Kavanaugh wrote that “he regretted his tone at
times,” and promised “that his tone was not an indication that his
open-mindedness would change if the Senate confirms him to the nation’s
highest court.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=039-683&t=c>
(10/4, Swoyer) also reports on Kavanaugh’s op-ed, saying “the judge
attempted to explain the level of frustration he’s felt since being accused
of sexual assault.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=03a-595&t=c>
(10/4), “That op-ed piece is a pretty obvious effort to clean up the
debacle of his testimony to the Judiciary Committee a week ago. And that
testimony was really profoundly revealing. Almost like taking the mask off
the judge and showing the real person. And what he did this that testimony
was show someone who was angry, vengeful, self-pitying, and threatening.”
Blumenthal added that “this op-ed in no way removes the issue of
temperament and it is the reason that former Justice John Paul Stevens
today said that performance last week was disqualifying, and why thousands
of lawyers and former judges around the country are writing to us, asking
us to disapprove this nomination.”

*WPost: Kavanaugh’s Upbringing Has Protected Him From His Missteps.
*A nearly 3,500-word Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=03b-fcd&t=c>
(10/4, Kranish) story describes “Kavanaugh’s rise – and how his upbringing
amid Washington’s political and social elite has helped protect him from
his missteps.” The report “is based on dozens of interviews with friends,
classmates, co-workers and mentors, including some who think he has been
grievously wronged in the confirmation process and others who think he is
unfit to serve.” The Post says that through the years, Kavanaugh “has been
rich in friends, loyal and true.” But “as bright and kind and wise as
friends say Kavanaugh is, he has also left behind a trail of people who say
that his reckless behavior raises serious questions about his judgment and
veracity.”

*Yale Classmates Say Kavanaugh Should Not Be On High Court. *In an
op-ed for the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=03c-d23&t=c>
(10/4), Charles Ludington, Lynne Brookes, and Elizabeth Swisher, who
attended Yale University from 1983 to 1987 with Kavanaugh, describe
themselves as Kavanaugh’s “drinking buddies.” They write that Kavanaugh
“lied to the Senate by stating, under oath, that he never drank to the
point of forgetting what he was doing. We said, unequivocally, that each of
us, on numerous occasions, had seen Brett stumbling drunk to the point that
it would be impossible for him to state with any degree of certainty that
he remembered everything that he did when drunk.” Noting that Kavanaugh
“belonged to a Yale senior secret society called Truth and Courage,” they
add, “We believe that Brett neither tells the former nor embodies the
latter. For this reason, we believe that Brett Kavanaugh should not sit on
the nation’s highest court.”

*Former Colleague Praises Kavanaugh As “Good And Decent Man.”
*In a Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=03d-496&t=c>
(10/4) op-ed, Mark A. Perry, a partner in the law firm Gibson, Dunn &
Crutcher, writes that he has known Kavanaugh since they both clerked for
Supreme Court justices in 1991 and he has “never known Kavanaugh to act
disrespectfully to any woman (or man, for that matter), or to engage in any
kind of impropriety, ever. I’ve seen him drink beer in social settings on
occasion, but I have never seen him even come close to losing control.”
Perry describes Kavanaugh as a “good and decent man, a principled and
disciplined jurist, and a rigorous and careful thinker. .... And I hope
that the next time I stand at the lectern of the Supreme Court, I have the
honor to address my old friend as ‘Justice Kavanaugh.’”

*Angry Anti-Kavanaugh Capitol Hill Protests Continue, Lead To
Hundreds Of Arrests. *NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=03e-1ee&t=c>
(10/4, lead story, 3:10, Holt) led its broadcast reporting that “protesters
crowded the halls confronting senators who in a secure room got their first
look at what the FBI learned in its five-day background investigation of
[Supreme Court nominee Brett] Kavanaugh,” and went on (Alexander) to remark
on the “tensions on Capitol Hill...where they’re blasting the FBI
background investigation.” NBC showed “women confronting Orrin Hatch.” An
unnamed protested was shown saying, “Don’t you wave your hand at me. I
waved my hand at you.” Hatch replied, “When you grow up --” The protester
retorted, “When I grow up!”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=03f-674&t=c>
(10/4, Williamson) says “Hatch retreated to the back of the elevator car,
then, grinning from behind his aides, waved off the women a final time.”
The group of protesters “rushed the door,” while “again and again” they
repeated, “How dare you?” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=040-28a&t=c>
(10/4, Rosenberg) reports that Hatch’s “grow up” sparked “the ire of
protesters” as “video of the incident ricocheted around social media on
Thursday night, the latest in a string of incidents reflecting the heated
emotions coursing through the Capitol.” The Post adds “Kathy Beynette, the
protester whose voice is the one predominantly heard in the video, said in
an interview that she was deeply offended by Hatch’s remarks.” Said
Beynette, “I was like, How dare you talk to a woman like this? ... When I
grow up? No woman deserves to be talked to like that.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=041-d33&t=c>
(10/4, lead story, 5:10, Muir) referred to “protesters marching in
Washington” amid “hundreds of arrests,” and the CBS Evening News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=042-beb&t=c>
(10/4, lead story, 4:00, Cordes) also reported “demonstrators filled every
floor of a Senate office building and marched to the Supreme Court.” CBS
(Cordes) added “comedian Amy Schumer was among the hundreds detained by
Capitol Police...after protesters unfurled giant banners in support of”
Christine Blasey Ford. USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=043-882&t=c>
(10/4, Henderson) recounts that “in a video posted to twitter by
@bennyjohnson, a Capitol police officer asks Schumer and other
demonstrators if they want to be arrested, including the camera man.”
Schumer “confidently answered, ‘Yes.’”

The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=044-55c&t=c>
(10/4, Rodgers) reports “protesters have continued to confront Republican
members of Congress at restaurants, airports, and their offices,” and
“several members of Congress have also had their private contact
information and home addresses leaked to the public.” Yesterday, “a small
group of protesters” against Kavanaugh “confronted a crowd supporting the
judge in front of the US Capitol.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=045-78c&t=c>
(10/4, Simon, Bacon) reports “20 women from Maine who traveled to the
nation’s capital to join hundreds of other protesters for a rally that
could be a last gasp push against Kavanaugh’s proposed ascension to the
nation’s highest court.” The group “repeatedly chanted: ‘Susan Collins, we
are your voters, Susan Collins, we are your voters!’”

*Graham To Protester: Let’s “Dunk” Kavanaugh “In The Water And See
If He Floats.” *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=046-036&t=c>
(10/4, Johnson) reports Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) was confronted by
protesters yesterday, and “did not take kindly” one of them, who “continued
to yell...Kavanaugh while he was doing an interview at the Capitol.” After
the protester “began yelling that Kavanaugh should take a polygraph,”
Graham retorted, “Why don’t we dunk him in the water and see if he floats?”

*Protester Recounts “Fury” After Flake “Would Not” Look At Her When
Confronted In Elevator. *Maria Gallagher, “a recent college graduate” and
anti-Kavanaugh protester, recounts in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=047-bfd&t=c>
(10/4) her encounter with Sen. Jeff Flake, “When I ran from...Flake’s
office door to the elevator last Friday and put my arm in to stop it from
closing, I wasn’t thinking about what would come next. I had no idea what I
was about to say. But when he would not look at me, or the woman standing
next to me baring her soul, I felt only fury.” Gallagher adds that “if Mr.
Flake had been confident in his decision to vote yes on...Kavanaugh’s
nomination, he would have looked me in the face.” But when he didn’t, “it
was clear that he wished he could have stayed in his office and not faced
those whose lives would be affected by his actions.”

*“Lifelong Republican” Former Justice Stevens Comes Out Against
Kavanaugh. *ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=048-70f&t=c>
(10/4, story 3, 1:50, Karl) reported that former Justice John Paul Stevens,
now 98 years old and “a lifelong Republican nominated to the court by
Gerald Ford,” had “praised” Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh “in the
past,” but on Thursday he said the nominee “disqualified himself with the
confrontational and partisan tone of his confirmation hearing.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=049-63c&t=c>
(10/4, Morin) also calls Stevens “a lifelong Republican,” and the New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=04a-925&t=c>
(10/4, Liptak) refers to “an unusual rebuke from a former member of the
Supreme Court.”

The Palm Beach (FL) Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=04b-67b&t=c>
(10/4, Ramadan) recounts that “speaking to a crowd of retirees in Boca
Raton,” Stevens “said Kavanaugh’s performance during a recent Senate
confirmation hearing suggested that he lacks the temperament for the job.”
The Post also calls Stevens “a lifelong Republican who is known for falling
on the liberal side of several judicial rulings.” The Post notes that
“since his retirement, Stevens has penned a handful of opinion pieces for
the New York Times calling for dramatic liberal reform.” For example,
“following the Parkland high school shooting, Stevens...called for the
repeal of the Second Amendment.”

*WPost: McGahn In “Bunker Mode” Working To Protect Nomination.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=04c-62a&t=c>
(10/4, Costa) reports that outgoing White House counsel Donald McGahn’s
“final bit of business before departing was to get...Kavanaugh seated on
the Supreme Court. It was a prize – moving the court further to the right,
potentially for decades – that made his final months in the White House
worth their trouble.” Now, with the nomination “marred over sexual assault
allegations,” McGahn “is desperately working to save it from collapse as
the Senate prepares for a vote this weekend.” He “has been in bunker mode,
working nearly nonstop to protect the nomination by serving as both lawyer
and crisis communications adviser to Trump and Kavanaugh, often being the
rare person who will speak bluntly to both men.”

*Sullivan Accuses Administration Of “Lies And Obfuscation.” *Margaret
Sullivan argues in her Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=04d-827&t=c>
(10/4) column that we are “in a whole new phase of the Orwellian nightmare
in which black is called white.” As evidence she writes that White House
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Wednesday “blatantly lied in describing
her boss’s ridicule, at a rally the night before, of Christine Blasey
Ford.” Sullivan adds that the “extremely restricted FBI investigation...did
not include the testimony of knowledgeable people who wanted to cast light
on the allegations against Kavanaugh.” Sullivan calls this “classic
gaslighting,” which “extended, too, to Trump’s reaction to a meticulously
reported and far-reaching New York Times investigation of Trump’s crooked
family finances.” Sullivan concludes that it is “hard to maintain a sense
of outrage, or certainty, when the lies and obfuscation just keep coming.”

*Ford Friend “Blindsided” After Being Named As Witness. *The Daily
Mail (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=04e-8a5&t=c>
(10/4, Collins) reports that a family member close to Ford’s high school
friend Leland Keyer was “completely blindsided” and left “reeling” when
Ford named her as a corroborating witness. The family member, who asked not
to be named, told DailyMailTV, “Christine didn’t give her so much as a
heads up – as far as I know they haven’t really spoken for several years
and they’re certainly not close anymore. Leland was completely blindsided
by her name being thrown into it all. The first thing she knew about it was
when she woke up on Thursday morning and her name was just everywhere. It
was crazy. ... It really felt a lot like Christine was the one called to
the principal’s office to give an account of something and just threw her
under the bus. You know, just reached for a name.”

*Liz Cheney: Democrats’ Treatment Of Kavanaugh Has Been “Evil” And
“Abhorrent.” *Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=04f-502&t=c>
(10/4), Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said the Democrats’ treatment of Supreme
Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been “evil,” “disgraceful” and
“cold-hearted.” Cheney added, “What they have done is clearly try to
unleash a whole bunch of false charges to destroy Judge Kavanaugh. ... It
is an absolutely abhorrent. They have tried to weaponize false charges of
sexual assault. And I think they all ought to be ashamed of themselves.”

*Megyn Kelly: Accusers Entitled To “Fair Hearing,” Not Presumption
Allegations Are True. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=050-f67&t=c>
(10/4, Keller) reports “NBC host Megyn Kelly said Thursday that women need
to be careful of how American society and institutions deal with men
accused of sexual misconduct, or run the risk that allegations against men
will lose their weight.” Kelly told NBC’s Today[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=051-731&t=c>
(10/4), “‘Believe women’ may sound like a nice slogan, but it is utterly
inconsistent with the principles of our justice system. ... Women are
entitled to an open mind and a fair hearing, not to a presumption that
their accusations are true.” Kelly also asked, “As Julie Swetnick’s claims
have collapsed against Brett Kavanaugh, where’s the media talking about
that, about the litany of problems this woman has had when it comes to
truthfulness and so on? ... We’ve been covering it here. What do people
say? You’re victim shaming. Come on! We are allowed to look at the
credibility of an accuser.”

*Kelly Defends Interviewing Lauer Accuser. *Us Weekly
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=052-6b3&t=c>
(10/4, Braun) reports, “Nothing will stop her. Megyn Kelly has devoted many
hours in her first year of hosting Megyn Kelly Today to telling the stories
of abuse survivors and showcasing the #MeToo movement.” US Weekly adds that
“shortly after NBC fired 60-year-old Lauer in November for sexual
misconduct, the former Fox News host brought one-time Today production
assistant Addie Zinone on her show to discuss a sexual relationship Zinone
had with Lauer when she was 24.” Asked whether “she received any negative
feedback for featuring Zinone on her hour of the Today lineup,” Kelly
replied, “All I’m going to say is that I feel very strongly about the
#MeToo coverage, the importance of doing it without fear or favor. ... I
didn’t let anyone stop me at Fox, and I’m not going to let anyone stop me
at NBC.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=053-5de&t=c>
(10/4, Jensen) notes that “when asked by the entertainment outlet if she
thought the disgraced journalist could make a comeback, Kelly declined to
comment, but said: ‘I know too much that others don’t know.’”

*National Council Of Churches Speaks Out Against Kavanaugh.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=054-e67&t=c>
(10/4, Zauzmer) reports that the National Council of Churches, which
“usually steers clear of Supreme Court nominations,” on Wednesday “broke
its silence” on Kavanaugh. The group said in a statement, “We believe he
has disqualified himself from this lifetime appointment and must step aside
immediately. ... During his appearance before the Senate Judiciary
Committee, Judge Kavanaugh exhibited extreme partisan bias and disrespect
toward certain members of the committee and thereby demonstrated that he
possesses neither the temperament nor the character essential for a member
of the highest court in our nation. We are deeply disturbed by the multiple
allegations of sexual assault and call for a full and unhindered
investigation of these accusations. In addition, his testimony before the
Judiciary Committee included several misstatements and some outright
falsehoods.”

*Former ACLU Leaders Criticize Anti-Kavanaugh Ad Campaign.
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=055-afa&t=c>
(10/4, Nelson) reports that former ACLU leaders are criticizing the group’s
decision to oppose Kavanaugh “with a $1 million ad buy focused on sexual
misconduct allegations.” Former ACLU vice president Michael Meyers “said
the TV ad campaign, which compares Kavanaugh to famous sex abusers,
violates the civil libertarian principle of presumption of innocence and
shows the ACLU is increasingly guided by partisanship over principle.”
Similarly, Wendy Kaminer, an ACLU national board member, “said the ad
campaign strays from the ACLU’s core civil liberties mission and could
undermine the organization’s work.”

*Facebook Executive Sparks Controversy With Appearance At Kavanaugh
Hearing. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=056-f9c&t=c>
(10/4, Isaac) reports that Facebook Vice President for Global Public Policy
Joel Kaplan apologized to staff in a memo last Friday after sitting “behind
his friend” Kavanaugh “when the judge testified in Congress about
allegations he had sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in high
school.” Kaplan’s appearance “prompted anger and shock among many Facebook
employees, some of whom said they took his action as a tacit show of
support for Judge Kavanaugh – as if it were an endorsement from Facebook
itself.” It “quickly spilled over onto Facebook’s internal message boards,
where hundreds of workers have since posted about their concerns, according
to current and former employees.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=057-4ea&t=c>
(10/4, Hasson) reports that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg “sparked a further
backlash by informing employees that Kaplan hadn’t broken any rules by
supporting Kavanaugh in his personal time.” Facebook “is reportedly
addressing the Kaplan controversy in a town hall on Friday.”

*Professor Facing Criticism For Blog Post Defending Kavanaugh.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=058-f47&t=c>
(10/4, Chasmar) reports that Mitchell Langbert, an associate professor of
business at Brooklyn College “is facing calls to resign after he issued a
‘satirical’ essay in defending Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M.
Kavanaugh that argued ‘sexual assault’ is a rite of passage for young
males.” In a Sept. 27 blog post, Langbert called Democrats the “party of
tutu-wearing pansies, totalitarian sissies” who use have used “anonymity
and defamation” in trying to bring down Kavanaugh. Langbert wrote, “If
someone did not commit sexual assault in high school, then he is not a
member of the male sex.” The post “has outraged students. ... Corrinne
Greene said her campus group, Young Progressives of America, wants the
professor fired.”

*Zakaria: Supreme Court Has Fallen Victim To Washington
Dysfunction. *Fareed Zakaria writes in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=059-268&t=c>
(10/4) that the Supreme Court “was one of the last bastions in Washington
that towered above the political fray. It is now part of the dysfunction
that has overwhelmed almost the entire American system.”

*Trump Critic Stephens Now Praises President For Standing Up For
Kavanaugh. *In a column headlined “For Once, I’m Grateful For Trump,” Bret
Stephens of the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=05a-253&t=c>
(10/4), who has been a persistent critic of Trump, writes, “For the first
time since Donald Trump entered the political fray, I find myself grateful
that he’s in it...because” he “has not backed down in the face of the
slipperiness, hypocrisy and dangerous standard-setting deployed by
opponents of...Kavanaugh’s nomination. ... I’m grateful because ferocious
and even crass obstinacy has its uses in life, and never more so than in
the face of sly moral bullying.” Stephens concludes by saying, “at least
one big bully was willing to stand up to others.”

*CNN’s Sciutto Appears To Dismiss Gang Rape Allegations Against
Kavanaugh As “Politics.” *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=05b-40e&t=c>
(10/4, Baker) reports that on CNN’s Newsroom[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=05c-994&t=c>
(10/4) yesterday, anchor Jim Sciutto “brushed off accusations of sexual
misconduct against...Kavanaugh as simply ‘politics’ as network commentator
Scott Jennings defended the judge’s temperament at last week’s hearing.”
Said Jennings, “To be honest with you, I think Judge Kavanaugh reacted
exactly the way most Americans would react to being smeared. ... If
somebody said the things about me that they said about him, I think I would
have asked somebody to step outside.” Sciutto interjected, “I gotta
challenge that, Scott. Let me challenge that because it’s become a talking
point. Here’s the difference, Scott. ... The fact is, this is Washington.
This is politics. Political candidates have been accused of horrible things
for years, and it becomes – how do you respond to that?” Jennings retorted,
“Gang rape?”

The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=05d-bd5&t=c>
(10/4, Athey) notes that “Julie Swetnick, who is represented by celebrity
lawyer Michael Avenatti, claims that she attended multiple parties in the
1980s where she witnessed Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge waiting in
line for gang rapes.”

*TIME Cover: Ford “Historic Figure” That Shows “Drunken Violence”
Can Shadow Powerful “All Their Lives.” *In a cover story titled “How
Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony Changed America,” TIME
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=05e-c2c&t=c>
(10/4, Edwards) reports that while “Ford’s testimony may not prevent
Kavanaugh’s confirmation...it was a powerful warning that wealth, status
and a record of professional accomplishments were no longer enough to
override credible allegations of sexual assault.” It was also a message to
“young men...that drunken violence could shadow them all their lives. And
to victims, Ford’s testimony was an invitation to speak up, no matter how
powerful the accused, no matter how long ago the attack. People will
listen, the country seemed to reassure them. We will believe you.” Time
also reports that “even if Kavanaugh joins the bench, Ford has cemented
herself as a historic figure,” and that “in her courage, many Americans saw
the opposite of everything they think is wrong with Washington. Politicians
spin, fudge the truth, grasp at power.”

*Robinson To Democrats: “Get Even.” *Eugene Robinson writes in
the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=05f-0bf&t=c>
(10/4), “Pay attention, Democrats. Watch what Republicans are doing. You’ll
see what raw power looks like – and understand why winning in November is
so vital for the nation’s future. ... Get mad about Kavanaugh, and then get
even. What ‘comes around’ must be a Democratic wave.”

*Shapiro: Democrats “Tried” To Destroy Kavanaugh And His Family. *Fox
News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=060-c4a&t=c>
(10/4) showed Ben Shapiro saying of the confirmation battle over Supreme
Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, “This is not merely a job interview right
now. This is a man who has been accused of attempted rape when he was 17
years old. If this goes the wrong way, it’s not just that he doesn’t end up
on the Supreme Court. He probably loses his seat on the D.C. Circuit of
Appeals. He probably never works again and his family is destroyed.
Democrats tried to play it this way.”
Media Analyses: “Overreach,” Perceived Media Bias Cutting Democrats’
Midterm Edge.

Some media analysts are pointing to signs that the heated battle over
Supreme Court Justice-designate Brett Kavanaugh could be hurting Democrats
as the fight for control of Congress enters its crucial final stretch.
McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=061-758&t=c>
(10/4, Glueck, Wollner) reports, for example, that “suddenly, five weeks
from Election Day, Republicans are seeing tangible evidence of a spike in
GOP enthusiasm that has eluded them all cycle,” as “GOP operatives
nationwide” believe “the Democrats’ efforts to block President Donald
Trump’s Supreme Court nominee are backfiring with Republicans who were
previously apathetic about the midterms but are now angry – and engaged.”
McClatchy refers to “conversations with pollsters, strategists and party
officials” that “reveal that Republican voters are circling the wagons
around...Kavanaugh.”

At the opening of MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=062-80b&t=c>
(10/4), Mika Brzezinski said, “We are already seeing the impacts of this
Supreme Court fight with Republican voters appearing increasingly fired
up.” Brzezinski said there appears to be “a backlash on the Democrats
pertaining to these Kavanaugh hearings.” Joe Scarborough added, “A lot of
people seeing them as overreaching,” as well as “media bias. ... People in
the media actually deciding that it was their job, that it was their war.”
Scarborough said new polls “suggest that a lot of Americans believe there’s
been an overreach by a lot of us in the media and also by a lot of
Democrats the on the Judiciary Committee.” Scarborough continued, “We’re
talking about this for a reason: What has happened over the past couple of
weeks has energized a depressed Republican base...and actually put
Democratic seats in danger.”

On Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=063-bfc&t=c>
(10/4), Steve Doocy noted that President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=064-51f&t=c>
Wednesday night: “Wow, such enthusiasm and energy for Brett Kavanaugh. Look
at the energy. Look at the polls. Something very big is happening. ... The
country is with him all the way.” Ainsley Earhardt then highlighted new Fox
News polling showing a spike in interest in the midterms among Republicans
in Senate battleground states.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=065-a8b&t=c>
(10/4, Kim) recounts that “during a Wednesday morning meeting of Senate
Democrats, multiple senators expressed frustration over how Republicans
have successfully energized their base in the Kavanaugh battle, according
to an official in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to
describe the discussion.” The Post adds that “wavering by Democrats
highlight the immediate political challenges the Kavanaugh standoff has
posed to the party, which needs to win races in Trump-friendly states to
have any hope of seizing the Senate in November.”

To Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=066-22a&t=c>
(10/4, Whitesides), meanwhile, “the ugly partisan brawl over...Kavanaugh’s
confirmation remains undecided,” but Trump “appears likely to come out on
top regardless of the outcome.” Reuters adds that “if Kavanaugh is
confirmed...Trump will have succeeded in placing his second justice on the
top US court and fulfilled his pledge to solidify its conservative
majority.” However, if Kavanaugh “is rejected, the battle to save his
nomination in the face of sexual misconduct allegations has jolted a
slumbering Republican base to life just ahead of the Nov. 6 elections,
political strategists and new polls suggest.” Robert Cahaly, “a pollster
and senior strategist at The Trafalgar Group, a Republican-leaning
consulting and polling firm,” tells Reuters, “This has done more to wake up
complacent Republican voters than anything I have seen.”

Gregg Jarrett said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=067-396&t=c>
(10/4), “There is no shortage of media malpractice in the age of Trump.
This is a perfect example. The mainstream media became witting, willing
accessories to character assassination. They demonized Kavanaugh,
corroborating evidence be damned.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=068-cc9&t=c>
(10/4, Peters, Haberman) says “Trump and his conservative allies now see
their effort to confirm...Kavanaugh as central to salvaging the Republican
Party’s fortunes in the midterm elections, and hope to use the fervent
liberal opposition to his nomination to the Supreme Court as a graphic
example of the threat posed by a Democratic return to power in Congress.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=069-c35&t=c>
(10/4, Boyer, Miller) reports “the backlash against the politicization of
the #MeToo movement” has taken “an unexpected turn.” The Times adds
“despite liberals’ predictions that unproven sexual misconduct allegations
against Judge Kavanaugh would galvanize women against Republicans, female
Republican Senate candidates in several battleground states are campaigning
on the pledge that they would vote to confirm the nominee.” Lee Miringoff,
director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said, “The result of
hearings, at least in the short run, is the Republican base was awakened.”
Democratic strategist Brad Bannon “said he still gives Democrats a good
chance to win the House, but with a smaller majority than some have
projected.”

In its cover story this week, however, TIME
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=06a-237&t=c>
(10/4, Edwards) takes issue with “Republican analysts see the confirmation
battle as a winning issue.” While the NRCC “saw its donations spike by
175%, compared with a week earlier,” Meghan Milloy, co-founder of
Republican Women for Progress, “says the GOP isn’t paying enough attention
to the reaction among women.” For example, “among white women with college
degrees...61% believed Ford was telling the truth, according to Quinnipiac.
Overall, the survey indicated women oppose Kavanaugh’s confirmation 55% to
37%, while men support it 49% to 40%.”

Senior political analyst Ron Brownstein was asked on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=06b-46c&t=c>
(10/4) about the political fallout if Kavanaugh is confirmed. Brownstein
said, “On the one hand in the Senate where Republicans are mostly on the
offense against Democrats in states Trump won that are older, whiter, more
Christian, more rural, this is going to be something that is going to
galvanize their base and I think there is evidence of that already in the
polling. On the other hand, the House is going to be decided largely in
these metropolitan suburban districts and if you look at the biggest threat
to Republicans already is the sharp movement away from Trump among college
educated white women. This will just further turbocharge that.”

*Media Say Heitkamp Opposition To Kavanaugh Further Complicates
Reelection Bid. *The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead (ND)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=06c-f5b&t=c>
(10/4, Wallevand) reports that in an “exclusive interview” with WDAY
News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=06d-52f&t=c>,
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (R-ND) announced that she will oppose Brett Kavanaugh’s
Supreme Court confirmation. Said Heitkamp, “The process has been bad, but
at the end of the day, you have to make a decision, and I have made that
decision. ... I will be voting no on Judge Kavanaugh.” The Bismarck (ND)
Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=06e-614&t=c>
(10/4, Dura) notes that in a “press conference call,” Heitkamp also “said
her decision came with the furnishing of an FBI report following an
investigation into sexual assault allegations...as well as the ‘totality of
the evidence and totality of the record.’” Said the senator, “In addition
to concerns about past conduct which have been the subject of a lot of
discussion, I think last Thursday’s hearing called into question his
temperament, his honesty and his impartiality, and I think these are
absolutely critical traits for any nominee on the highest court in our
country.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100501biden&r=email-e249&l=06f-4aa&t=c>
(10/4, lead story, 5:10, Muir) showed Heitkamp saying, “If this were a
political decision for me, I certainly would be deciding this the other
way. But you know, there’s an old saying, ‘history will judge you but most
importantly, you’ll judge yourself.’ and that’s really what I’m saying. I
can’t get up in the morning and look at the life experience