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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, July 12, 2018 7:51 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, July 12, 2018


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=000-ad7&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=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=001-5db&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, July 12, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Washington Free Beacon: Biden, Kerry Warned Against Nord Stream 2 In 2016.
<#S1>

• Idaho Teen Who Beat Leukemia Gets Her Wish To Meet Biden. <#S2>

• Author Discusses “Hope Never Dies” On Kentucky Local TV Station. <#S3>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Demands NATO Allies Double Defense Spending, Slams Germany-Russia
Pipeline. <#S4>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Senate Passes GOP-Sponsored Non-Binding Rebuke Of Trump Tariffs 88-11.
<#S5>

• In Nod To Détente With North, South Korea Cancels Civil Defense Drills.
<#S6>

• WSJournal: Rouhani Taking Harder Line Under Domestic Pressure. <#S7>

• Netanyahu In Moscow To Discuss War In Syria With Putin. <#S8>

• Canadian Forces To Lead NATO Military Adviser Mission In Iraq. <#S9>

• UK Sending Additional 400 Troops To Afghanistan. <#S10>

• WPost: Americans Bringing Legal Marijuana From Canada Could Face
Prosecution. <#S11>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Manchin: Kavanaugh “Has All The Right Qualities.” <#S12>

• Senate Confirms New Head Of DOJ Criminal Division With Manchin’s Support.
<#S13>

• House Democrats Preparing Legislation To Abolish ICE. <#S14>

• Trump Blasts Page For Denying House Subpoena. <#S15>

• Shine’s Wife Suggests Women In Military Should Expect Sexual Harassment.
<#S16>

• Acting EPA Chief Says He Will Continue Pruitt Policies. <#S17>

• DNC Panel Moves To Reduce Power Of Superdelegates. <#S18>

• Pew Poll: Respondents Rank Obama As Top President “In Their Lifetime.”
<#S19>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Gene-Editing Method Could Lead To Treatments For Cancer. <#S20>

• “Rehoming” CRISPR’d Cells Found To Improve Survival In Mice With Brain
Cancer. <#S21>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• Washington Post. <#S22>
Biden in the News
Washington Free Beacon: Biden, Kerry Warned Against Nord Stream 2 In 2016.

The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=002-647&t=c>
(7/11, Rutz) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden and former
Secretary of State John Kerry “both warned about the negatives of the Nord
Stream 2 pipeline in 2016, respectively saying it would ‘have an adverse
impact’ and was a ‘fundamentally bad deal for Europe.’” President Trump
“attacked Germany over the pipeline during remarks at a bilateral NATO
breakfast on Wednesday in Belgium, saying the country was ‘totally
controlled’ by the Russians because of how much natural gas it purchases
from them.” Biden is quoted as saying in August of 2016, “Speaking for
ourselves, speaking for the United States, Nord Stream 2 pipeline, we
think, is a fundamentally bad deal for Europe. ... Europe needs diverse
sources of gas, not, in our view, a new Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and to lock
in greater reliance on Russia at this moment...I know will fundamentally
destabilize Ukraine.”
Idaho Teen Who Beat Leukemia Gets Her Wish To Meet Biden.

KTVB-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=003-517&t=c>
Boise, ID (7/11) offered an update on reported on Cierra Shaffer, an Idaho
“teen who beat her cancer. But while she was still in the hospital battling
leukemia, she had a special request: She wanted to meet former Vice
President Joe Biden. He couldn’t make the trip to Boise at the time, so
instead he surprised her on FaceTime. Biden told Cierra to keep fighting,
and invited her to Washington, DC when she was feeling up to it. And since
Cierra beat leukemia – guess what? It happened! Not only did she get to
meet” him, “she got to hug him too. Cierra tweeted that meeting him was
magical and that this is one experience she will never forget.” The
broadcast showed a photo of Biden hugging Shaffer.
Author Discusses “Hope Never Dies” On Kentucky Local TV Station.

Author Andrew Shaffer was interviewed on WTVQ-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=004-005&t=c>
Lexington, KY (7/11) about his new book “Hope Never Dies,” a novel in which
former President Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden are cast as a
pair of amateur sleuths. Shaffer described Obama as playing “a really cool
Sherlock” to Biden’s “Watson.” The Guardian (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=005-ed8&t=c>
(7/12, Flood), meanwhile, reports on “Hope Never Dies,” saying, “Obama and
Biden have yet to comment on their new venture.”
Leading the News
Trump Demands NATO Allies Double Defense Spending, Slams Germany-Russia
Pipeline.

Media coverage of President Trump’s first day of talks at a NATO summit in
Brussels cast him as taking a confrontational approach to the issues facing
the alliance and suggest that his incendiary rhetoric threatens to weaken
NATO’s efforts to counter Russian aggression. Much of the coverage focuses
on his comments about defense spending. On Twitter Wednesday morning, Trump
wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=006-0af&t=c>,
“What good is NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas
and energy? Why are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their
commitment? The U.S. is paying for Europe’s protection, then loses billions
on Trade. Must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025.” Wednesday evening,
Trump again took to Twitter, writing
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=007-97c&t=c>,
“Billions of additional dollars are being spent by NATO countries since my
visit last year, at my request, but it isn’t nearly enough. U.S. spends too
much. Europe’s borders are BAD! Pipeline dollars to Russia are not
acceptable!”

Trump continued to take aim at NATO and Germany on Twitter this
morning, writing
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=008-f37&t=c>,
“Presidents have been trying unsuccessfully for years to get Germany and
other rich NATO Nations to pay more toward their protection from Russia.
They pay only a fraction of their cost. The U.S. pays tens of Billions of
Dollars too much to subsidize Europe, and loses Big on Trade!” He added
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=009-66f&t=c>,
“....On top of it all, Germany just started paying Russia, the country they
want protection from, Billions of Dollars for their Energy needs coming out
of a new pipeline from Russia. Not acceptable! All NATO Nations must meet
their 2% commitment, and that must ultimately go to 4%!”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=00a-248&t=c>
(7/11, lead story, 3:50, Muir) opened its broadcast, “We begin with
President Trump on the attack,” and on the CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=00b-595&t=c>
(7/11, lead story, 3:10, Glor), Major Garrett said Trump “confirmed
Europe’s worst pre-summit fears by using the NATO stage to criticize
allies.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=00c-b40&t=c>
(7/11, lead story, 2:40, Holt) likewise said the “President’s combative
tone” is “threatening to further strain long-standing relationships,” and
to the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=00d-ea5&t=c>
(7/11, Lemire, Colvin), Trump “jolted” the summit by “turning a spotlight
on Germany’s ties to Russia and openly questioning the value of the
military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades.”
The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=00e-436&t=c>
(7/11, Miller) says he “blasted Germany,” while the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=00f-705&t=c>
(7/11) says his remarks “upended generations of American diplomacy,
antagonizing and belittling traditional allies.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=010-21e&t=c>
(7/11, Bennett) says he “took his war of words with America’s allies to a
new level,” to Politico Europe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=011-30f&t=c>
(7/11, Nelson) he “threw a tantrum,” and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=012-d99&t=c>
(7/11, Greenwood) says the “comments are reflective of his skepticism” of
the NATO alliance.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=013-f44&t=c>
(7/11, Emmott) reports that “having lambasted NATO members for failing to
reach a target of spending 2 percent of national income on defense, Trump
told fellow leaders in Brussels he would prefer a goal of 4 percent,
similar to US levels.” Reuters says such a move “would represent a massive
upheaval of budgetary priorities in Europe.” According to the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=014-f12&t=c>
(7/11, Birnbaum, Kim), “an official present when Trump made the demand said
that ‘the room was aghast,’ even though Trump was actually more cordial in
private than in his public remarks.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=015-cd0&t=c>
(7/11, Okov, Talev, Donahue) similarly says “Trump’s suggestion was
informal and made in a closed-door session...but it did little to ease
tensions at an already charged meeting.” Citing a French official,
Bloomberg reports that Trump “said it would be a good thing if everyone
spent around 4 percent on defense, which was presumed to be a generous
rounding up of the US budget of some 3.57 percent of GDP.” The French
official said “it wasn’t a demand.” Nevertheless, Bulgarian President Rumen
Radev said “the atmosphere in the hall ‘wasn’t the most pleasant,’” as
“leaders were left ‘in a confused state,’ wondering how serious Trump was
and what the ramifications might be.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=016-b8f&t=c>
(7/11, Lemire, Colvin) reports that “in a testy exchange” with NATO
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg “that kicked off his visit,” Trump also
“took issue with the US protecting Germany as it strikes deals with
Russia,” and “repeatedly described Germany as ‘captive to Russia.’”
Chancellor Angela Merkel “pushed back firmly, insisting that Germany makes
its own decisions.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=017-eb1&t=c>
(7/11, Ballhaus, Peker, Pop) reports Merkel, recalling her own experience
living in Soviet-controlled East Germany, said, “I am very happy today that
we are united in freedom. … Because of that, we can say that we can make
our independent policies and make independent decisions.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=018-36d&t=c>
(7/11, Erlanger, Davis) says Merkel, “politically weakened at home, reacted
mildly but pointedly to Mr. Trump’s remarks,” while German Foreign Minister
Heiko Maas “gave a much sharper response,” writing on Twitter that saying,
“We are no captives – neither of Russia nor of the United States.”

German Ambassador to the US Emily Haber said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=019-38a&t=c>
(7/11) about Trump’s comments, “Words may matter, but what matters much,
much more than words is what you do and what you achieve. And NATO has
achieved a lot on this day.” Asked about Trump’s push for allies to
increase defense spending to four percent of GDP, Haber noted that Germany
has “increased our defense spending by 30% over the past four years. And
this year alone, we’ll increase it by 11%. And by 2025, we will have raised
our budget by 80%.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=01a-d5f&t=c>
(7/11, Korte) says Trump “unleashed his harshest broadside yet,” accusing
Germany of being “totally controlled by Russia” and of not meeting its
obligations to the NATO alliance, and to the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=01b-42b&t=c>
(7/11, Stokols), Trump “upended the show of unity” Wednesday’s summit “as
many allies had feared,” claiming that Germany “is totally controlled by”
and “captive to Russia” and increasing his demands that they spend more on
defense “to an unrealistic level.” Trump’s “harsh and unexpected attack” on
Germany, the Times adds, “overshadowed the alliance’s ostensible business
and undercut its ultimate summit declaration of NATO allies’ commitment to
shared values and a joint defense against Russian aggression.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=01c-c06&t=c>
(7/11, Noack) reports German officials “were already prepared for what they
considered to be an inevitable attack by President Trump over their low
defense spending. But on Wednesday morning, Trump took aim at the Germans
for a very different reason: an 800-mile long, planned pipeline beneath the
Baltic Sea.” Trump “renewed the long-standing US criticism of the
project...and doubled down by tying it to the future of NATO.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=01d-21b&t=c>
(7/11, Tan) reports that as Trump criticized Germany during a breakfast
meeting with Stoltenberg, US Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison and
Chief of Staff Kelly appeared “uncomfortable.” According to the Post, video
of the meeting shows that Hutchinson “appears to avert her gaze from her
NATO colleagues sitting across from her, while Kelly looks down, then
shifts his body and glances away, lips pursed tightly.” White House Press
Secretary Sarah Sanders, however, said in a statement that Kelly “was
displeased because he was expecting a full breakfast and there were only
pastries and cheese.” Bill Kristol tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=01e-d23&t=c>,
“John Kelly serves his country as a Marine for over forty years. And Sarah
Huckabee Sanders thinks nothing of demeaning and infantilizing him.” The
Week
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=01f-bc6&t=c>
(7/11, Lange) too says Kelly “looked wickedly uncomfortable on Wednesday as
he listened to Trump go to town on Germany,” adding that “to be fair to
Kelly...Hutchison doesn’t look any more comfortable.”

Steve Bannon said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=020-7f2&t=c>
(7/11) that Trump “is a practical, pragmatic businessman and he is saying,
‘If we are going to make this alliance work, people have to step up and
fully participate as far as the two percent go, and it can’t be 10 years.
It has got to be today.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=021-37d&t=c>
(7/11, Birnbaum, Kim), meanwhile, says that “even as Trump hit allies, he
also signed on to efforts to strengthen the alliance against the Kremlin
and other rivals, as well as a statement that the alliance does not accept
Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.” The Post adds, “Despite the
contentiousness, Trump agreed to a 23-page declaration that” Stoltenberg
“said would guide a more robust NATO defense for years to come.” According
to the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=022-070&t=c>
(7/11, Fredericks), Trump “chatted up Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan as they headed for a group photo” at the summit, and “unlike the
NATO summit in May 2017 – where the president famously shoved Montenegro’s
Prime Minister Dusko Markovic out of the way so he could be in the front
row of the group photo – other leaders gave him plenty of space and he
stood alone, front and center.”

Sabrina Siddiqui of The Guardian said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=023-963&t=c>
(7/11), “It’s important to remember that NATO is a treaty obligation that
was ratified by a two-thirds majority of the Senate and any structural
changes to the agreement would ultimately have to go through Congress. So,
while the President might talk tough about America and its commitment to
NATO, I think lawmakers in Washington are sending a very clear message that
he does not speak on behalf of the entire US government in this case.”

Susan Page of USA Today said on Fox News Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=024-68c&t=c>
(7/11), “It’s entirely true that both of these concerns about the gas
pipeline and about the levels of defense spending by NATO countries has
been an item of concern for a series of US presidents. ... I think what
makes this different is the President’s tone. It’s so much more disruptive
than the criticism that previous presidents have made and it raises
questions about whether we have a commitment to the alliance that
transcends differences over things like levels of defense spending and the
concern I think of some leaders and critics, including some of the
Republicans we have heard in the Senate, including Sen. Corker, is that the
President is not conveying support for this alliance that has served us
well for seven decades.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=025-70e&t=c>
(7/11) editorializes “there is nothing new” about Trump’s complaints, but
his “criticism...is uniquely poisonous,” because “he has repeated his
critiques without offering clear support for NATO and its strategic mission
– leading many European officials to suspect he is trying to destroy an
alliance he doesn’t believe in.”

*Grassley Praises Trump For Drawing Attention To Germany’s Reliance
On Russian Gas. *Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=026-280&t=c>
(7/11), Sen. Charles Grassley said, “Other presidents have made the same
statements, but not as forcefully and not having the proper follow-up. This
President is following through with something he said during the campaign,
something he said last year at the same meeting. It ought to be sinking in
that he means business.” Grassley added, “I think the most important thing
that he brings up” is: “if NATO is to protect from Russia’s advancement
westward, then, quite frankly, why are you helping the [Russian] economy
and helping Putin by buying natural gas from him?” On CNN’s New Day[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=027-23a&t=c>
(7/11), Grassley credited Trump for “pointing out that the previous
chancellor of Germany was on the payroll of Russian gas companies.”
Grassley added, “Germany is helping the Russian economy by buying gas from
them. That’s why [Trump] is over saying you shouldn’t be buying gas [from
Russia], you should be buying it from us, and they can get it from us.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=028-c6d&t=c>
(7/11, Psaledakis) reports Trump’s comments about Germany were well
received by “some Republican lawmakers” who “said they believe Donald Trump
is right to shame one of America’s most important allies into spending more
on defense.” Senate Majority Whip Cornyn said, “I think the President is
right to raise the issue of whether they’re meeting their responsibilities
to NATO and whether they are perhaps pulling their punches with regard to
their support for NATO because of their dependency” on Russia.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=029-2e3&t=c>
(7/11, Williamson, Kaplan), however, says “Republicans on Capitol Hill for
the most part declared themselves neutral. Or, at least, they tried to
uphold the alliance as they remained silent on the president’s bashing of
it.” House Speaker Ryan told reporters, “NATO is indispensable. It’s as
important today as it ever has been.” Asked about Trump’s remarks, he said,
“We should not be criticizing our president while he’s overseas.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=02a-771&t=c>
(7/11, Cadelago) reports that Republicans are “growing nervous” about
Trump’s “high-risk, high-reward approach to global diplomacy.”

An AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=02b-b55&t=c>
(7/11, Woodward) “Fact Check” says Trump “misrepresented Germany’s energy
picture, asserting coal and nuclear power are gone from the mix.” According
to the AP, “coal remains a bedrock energy source for Germany despite its
hope to wean itself from that mineral and nuclear plants have several years
of life before they are to be phased out.”

*Schumer, Pelosi Denounce Trump’s Behavior As “An Embarrassment.” *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=02c-af8&t=c>
(7/11, Wagner) reports Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority
Leader Pelosi issued a joint statement in response to Trump’s comments,
which they called “an embarrassment.” Said the two top Democrats,
“President Trump’s brazen insults and denigration of one of America’s most
steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment. His behavior this morning
is another profoundly disturbing signal that the President is more loyal to
President Putin than to our NATO allies.”

Other Democrats also weighed in on Trump’s comments. Sen. Ben
Cardin said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=02d-024&t=c>
(7/11) that Trump’s rhetoric is “hurting the unity” of NATO. Cardin said he
spoke with a European diplomat Wednesday “who said when the President uses
those words, that type of bullying, it only makes it more difficult for our
government to respond to what we need to do with NATO, because it looks
like we’re giving in to that type of tactics by the President.”

Rep. Adam Schiff said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=02e-f19&t=c>
(7/11) that Trump questioning “what good is NATO” is “breathtaking.” Schiff
said NATO allies “have fought side-by-side with us in places like Iraq and
Afganistan,” and the alliance has “been responsible for the collective
peace in Europe and the prosperity...and the security we have enjoyed at
home. The question is not what good is NATO. The question is what’s wrong
with a democratic leader that doesn’t understand NATO’s value?”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=02f-cc3&t=c>
(7/11, Birnbaum) reports Sen. Elizabeth Warren “said that, despite his
repeated attacks on allies,” Trump “seems all too happy” to help Russian
President Vladimir Putin. Warren tweeted, “America is strongest when we
work together with our allies – including the 28 NATO members who share our
democratic values. Undermining NATO is a gift to Putin that
@realDonaldTrump seems all too happy to give.”

*House Unanimously Passes Resolution In Support Of NATO. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=030-c72&t=c>
(7/11, Samuels) reports the House on Wednesday “unanimously passed a
resolution expressing support for NATO.” The House measure, which was added
the schedule this week, calls NATO “the most important and critical
security link between the United States and Europe.”

*Kerry: Trump “Steadily Destroying Our Reputation In The World.” *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=031-6e4&t=c>
(7/11, Wagner) reports that former secretary of state John Kerry has
“accused President Trump of ‘strange’ and ‘counterproductive’ behavior at
the outset of a NATO gathering and said Trump is ‘steadily destroying our
reputation in the world.’” The Post calls Kerry’s remarks an “unusually
harsh assessment from the country’s former top diplomat.”

*Trump To Be Greeted Today With Red Carpet, Protests In UK. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=032-27e&t=c>
(7/11, Katz) reports Trump “will get the red carpet treatment on his brief
visit to Britain beginning Thursday: Military bands at a gala dinner, lunch
with the prime minister at her country residence, then tea with the queen
at Windsor Castle before flying off to one of his golf clubs in Scotland.”
Trip planners, however, may have to “go out of their way to shield Trump
from viewing another aspect of the greeting: an oversized balloon depicting
the president as an angry baby in a diaper that will be flown from
Parliament Square during what are expected to be massive gatherings of
protesters opposed to Trump’s presence.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=033-45a&t=c>
(7/11, Hinde, Plackett) reports that while protests are planned, “some are
ready to welcome Mr. Trump, and the dramatic meltdown over the future of
Brexit this week gives a sense that the US may be the only good alternative
the UK has in the coming years.”

*Kremlin Anticipates Trump Will Try To Pressure Putin To Produce
More Oil. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=034-ec8&t=c>
(7/11, Arkhipov, Mazneva) reports that Russian officials expect Trump, when
he meets with President Putin in Helsinki on Monday, to “raise the issue of
adding crude supplies to the market in a bid to lower gasoline prices
before the US elections in November.” Bloomberg says the Russian government
“has blamed US policy – especially in Iran – for creating the risks of a
deficit in the oil market.” The Russian Finance Ministry “earlier this week
called it ‘the decisive factor’ pushing up crude prices now, echoing
comments from Iran,” according to Bloomberg. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=035-259&t=c>
(7/11, Mohammed) reports the two leaders are also “likely to touch on
whether to extend” the “New Start” treaty to 2026 and “what to do about
another pact, the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).”

Under the headline, “For Putin, Helsinki Talks With Trump A Win
Before He Even Sits Down,” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=036-823&t=c>
(7/11, Osborn) reports that the upcoming summit “is seen by Moscow as US
recognition of Russia’s status as a great power and an overdue US
realization that its interests must be taken into account.” According to
Reuters, “Kremlin critics at home and abroad see Trump’s decision to grant
Putin a summit against that backdrop as conferring international legitimacy
and status on Putin, something they say he doesn’t deserve given the lack
of meaningful change in Russia’s policies internationally.”

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=037-e05&t=c>
(7/11), Sen. Robert Menendez said, “It’s so upsetting to see that Putin,
whose number one goal is to divide the west, particularly in NATO, has an
American President doing his work for him in a way that all of his cyber
attacks and Twitter disinformation and trolls have been unable to achieve.
Putin made a great investment in the 2016 presidential election and it’s
paying off for him in Brussels today.”

*NATO Offers Membership To Macedonia Over Russian Objections. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=038-a4a&t=c>
(7/11, Pamuk) reports that in Brussels today, “NATO leaders agreed...to
invite Macedonia to begin accession talks to join the Western alliance,
extending its reach in the Balkans in defiance of Russia.” According to
Reuters, “The invitation to the small Balkan state of two million people
comes despite opposition from Russia, which sees its influence in the
region diminishing.” Reuters says “a small pro-Russian party in Macedonia
also opposes NATO membership.”

Sen. Rand Paul argues in a USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=039-795&t=c>
(7/11) op-ed against the expansion of NATO to include nations such as
Albania and Montenegro. Paul writes, “I prefer we think of our interests
first, and that the U.S. Senate return to being a deliberative body on
foreign policy, where ideas are considered, and dissent is heard and
debated.”

*Macron, Putin To Meet Sunday At World Cup Final. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=03a-1aa&t=c>
(7/11) reports French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Putin on
Sunday, the same day that France plays in the World Cup final against
Croatia.

*First Lady Returns To International Stage In Brussels. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=03b-c7a&t=c>
(7/11, Gera) reports that First Lady Melania Trump “returned to the
international stage Wednesday as she mingled with the spouses of America’s
closest allies over classical music, fashion and chocolate” in Brussels.
The First Lady “and 10 other spouses were given a tour of the Queen
Elisabeth Music Chapel, a training center for gifted young musicians housed
in a modernistic glass building.” the AP says the trip marked the First
Lady’s “return to the international stage after she dropped out of public
sight in May for nearly a month, including five days in the hospital
following surgery for a benign kidney condition.”
Foreign Policy
Senate Passes GOP-Sponsored Non-Binding Rebuke Of Trump Tariffs 88-11.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=03c-178&t=c>
(7/11, Zengerle) reports that the Senate “overwhelmingly approved a
non-binding motion...backing an effort to give Congress a role in President
Donald Trump’s decisions to impose tariffs for national security reasons.”
Reuters says the 88-11
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=03d-c83&t=c>
vote is “part of an ongoing effort led by some of Trump’s fellow
Republicans who support free trade to push back against the president’s
escalating effort to address what he sees as unfair foreign trade.” The
bill’s “main sponsors – Republican Senators Bob Corker, Jeff Flake and Pat
Toomey – said they considered Wednesday’s action a ‘test vote’ for
legislation introduced in June to require congressional approval of any
tariffs imposed for national security reasons.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=03e-d74&t=c>
(7/11) notes the measures “directs Capitol Hill negotiators trying to
reconcile separate spending bills to include language giving Congress a
role when such tariffs are put in place.” Negotiators, however, “are free
to ignore the Senate’s guidance.” Under the headline “Senate Delivers Mild
Rebuke to Trump on Trade,” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=03f-d1c&t=c>
(7/11, Lesniewski) notes the measure “does not have a binding effect,” and The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=040-94b&t=c>
(7/11, Carney) that it amounts to “a symbolic shot at...Trump’s trade
policy.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=041-681&t=c>
(7/11, Wasson) calls the vote “a display of frustration over Trump’s
tariffs,” but adds it also shows GOP lawmakers’ “reticence to open
themselves to criticism from the president before November’s congressional
elections that will determine whether the GOP maintains control of the
House and Senate.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=042-da2&t=c>
(7/11, Werner) says that “although the provision has no power to force any
changes from the White House, it represents Republicans’ first concrete
step toward reining in a protectionist agenda that has upended decades of
GOP support free trade.” Flake is quoted as saying, “Let’s be clear. This
is a rebuke of the President’s abuse of trade authority. I’m so glad that
Congress is finally, finally pushing back on this. We have neglected our
constitutional role.” To USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=043-7c3&t=c>
(7/11, Collins), meanwhile, the vote “signaled for the first time Wednesday
that it is ready to push back on recent tariffs imposed by...Trump.”
The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=044-e34&t=c>
(7/11, Weaver) and Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=045-ad2&t=c>
(7/11, Hughes, Salama), among other news outlets, run similar reports.

*Brown Votes In Favor, Says “It’s Not A Vote To Rescind Steel
Tariffs.” *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=046-078&t=c>
(7/11, Boyer) reports, “Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who supports
the administration’s tariffs, said he was voting in favor of the measure
because Congress should have a greater say on trade in general.” Said
Brown, “It’s not a vote to rescind steel tariffs.”

*Flake Drops Threat To Block Judicial Nominees After Vote. *National
Review
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=047-b0e&t=c>
(7/11, Severino) reports that “for the past several weeks...Flake has been
threatening to block...Trump’s circuit court nominees unless the Senate
votes on legislation that would restrict the President’s ability to impose
tariffs.” But after “the Senate passed” its “nonbinding resolution,” Flake
“is dropping his threat to hold up the President’s circuit court nominees.”

*Ryan, House GOP Leaders Increasingly Opposed To Corker’s Binding
Measure. *The Weekly Standard
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=048-08e&t=c>
(7/11, Byrd) reports that “even as Republican leaders in the Senate have
become more open to a measure that would roll back some of...Trump’s
unilateral trade powers, GOP leadership in the House is sounding
increasingly skeptical of the idea.” House Speaker Ryan yesterday “told
reporters that while he doesn’t believe tariffs are the right way to
approach international trade disputes, he still sees downsides to requiring
congressional approval for Trump’s broad national security tariffs.” Said
Ryan, “Yeah, I don’t want to hamstring the President’s negotiating
tactics.”

*“Shocked” China Vows “Necessary Counter-Measures” In Response To
US Tariffs. *The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=049-b5f&t=c>
(7/11, Lee) reports that in response to Trump’s latest threat of tariffs
against China, China’s Commerce Ministry said Wednesday the nation would
act with “necessary counter-measures,” but “did not say that the government
would retaliate in commensurate fashion, as it has promptly done in the
past.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=04a-2d6&t=c>
(7/11, Wei) reports the Ministry described Beijing as “shocked” by the US
action. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=04b-c2f&t=c>
(7/11, Scott, Curran) says China has “seven weeks to make a deal or dig in
and try to outlast” Trump. President Xi Jinping is “facing his own
political pressures to look tough” and has “vowed to respond
blow-for-blow.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=04c-55e&t=c>
(7/11, Stevenson) reports that while China has threatened to match US
tariffs “dollar for dollar,” it has “other ways to retaliate beyond
tariffs,” including using its dominance in the rare earth minerals “to cut
off key parts of the global supply chain.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=04d-039&t=c>
(7/11, story 3, 1:55, Holt) said the “trade war carries the risk of
inflicting real economic damage and costing Americans real money.” Trump on
Wednesday “tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=04e-3b8&t=c>...’I’m
fighting for a level playing field for our farmers and will win,’ but
tonight, there is growing bipartisan concern about the cost of an
escalating trade war.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=04f-349&t=c>
(7/11, story 4, 1:30, Glor) reported, “By imposing additional tariffs of
10% to $200 billion of Chinese goods, the next round of Trump tariffs could
hurt consumers,” but the “White House is defending this, saying it’s in
response to China’s continued unfair trade practices.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=050-46f&t=c>
(7/11, A1, Schlesinger) reports that the latest list of goods targeted for
possible US tariffs includes consumer products, like appliances, vacuums
and tools.

*House Democrat Defends Tariffs. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=051-09c&t=c>
(7/11, Gehrke) reports Rep. Brad Sherman (D) said Wednesday that Trump
“isn’t to blame for the outbreak of a trade war with China.” Sherman said
during a House hearing, “We’re now told that this is Trump’s trade war. No,
China declared trade war on the United States, 18 years ago.” According to
the Examiner, Sherman traced the trade war “back to 2000, when lawmakers
formalized China’s privileged economic relationship by voting in favor of
‘permanent normal trade relations’ with” Beijing.

*Bloomberg News: Talks Have “Ground To A Halt.” *According to Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=052-7b8&t=c>
(7/11, Mohsin, Leonard, Jacobs, Mayeda), “High-level trade talks between
the US and China have ground to a halt as the Trump administration
threatens to escalate a trade war that shows little sign of abating,
according to five people familiar with the matter.” The countries held
three rounds of talks since May, but “communications between senior members
of the Trump and Xi administrations have petered out, and there’s no
immediate plan to restart the formal talks, said the people.”

*ZTE Moves Closer Toward Escaping US Ban. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=053-521&t=c>
(7/11, Freifeld) reports the Commerce Department has “signed an agreement
with ZTE Corp that paves the way for the Chinese tech company to resume
operations after a nearly three-month old ban on doing business with
American suppliers.” According to the Commerce Department, the ban “will be
removed once the company deposits $400 million in an escrow account...which
it can do now that Commerce officials signed an escrow agreement.” The
escrow agreement is “part of a $1.4 billion settlement ZTE reached...last
month to regain access to US suppliers.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=054-f9b&t=c>
(7/11, Jacobs, Leonard) reports that “a bipartisan group of US lawmakers
remains concerned about ZTE’s threat to US national security and is pushing
for legislation aimed at restoring harsher penalties.”

*China Turning To German Automakers For Driverless, Electric Cars. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=055-8c9&t=c>
(7/11, Condliffe) reports that a “series of deals announced over the past
week is designed to help German car manufacturers take a bigger slice of
the world’s largest automobile market – and China develop its vision for
the future of cars.” Beijing has “been vocal about its desires for electric
and driverless cars,” and the Times say the “flurry of announcements from
German companies shows that they are keen to take advantage of the
situation.”

*FBI: Ex-Apple Engineer Attempted To Flee To China With
Self-Driving Car Secrets. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=056-cfc&t=c>
(7/11, Snider) reports that a former Apple employee was captured at the San
Jose International Airport by FBI agents “just before boarding a flight to
China, after apparently stealing some of the tech giant’s secret plans for
self-driving cars.” The ex-employee, Xiaolang Zhang, had been “a person of
interest, already interviewed several times by Apple, and also by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

*NAFTA Talks Not Expected To Resume Until Next Month At The
Earliest. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=057-599&t=c>
(7/11, Martin) says “hopes for quickly resuming Nafta talks following
Mexico’s election earlier this month may prove unrealistic due to
scheduling conflicts for the top negotiators.” According to Bloomberg, US
Trade Representative Lighthizer “is set to go on vacation through July
22...while Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland is in Europe this
week.” Bloomberg adds that “when Lighthizer returns, Mexican Economy
Minister Ildefonso Guajardo will be busy at a Latin American trade summit.”
As a result, “time is now running out to meet Freeland’s promise that
negotiators would ‘make a real push over the summer,’ though they could
still meet in August.”

*López Obrador: Mexico To Cancel Planned US Helicopter Order. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=058-b58&t=c>
(7/11, Graham, O'Boyle) reports Mexican President-elect Andrés Manuel López
Obrador “said he would cancel the planned purchase of eight military
helicopters from the United States as part of cost-cutting measures.” López
Obrador, who has pledged to cut government waste, told reporters on
Wednesday, “This purchase is going to be canceled because we can not make
this expenditure.” Reuters notes the State Department “approved the sale of
the helicopters, which are built by Lockheed Martin,” in April.

*US On Pace To Become World’s Biggest Oil Producer. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=059-269&t=c>
(7/11, Press) reports that the US on the verge of surpassing both Saudi
Arabia and Russia to become “the world’s biggest oil producer.” According
to the latest forecast from the US Energy Information Administration, “US
output will grow next year to 11.8 million barrels a day.” Agency head Lisa
Capuano said, “If the forecast holds, that would make the U.S. the world’s
leading producer of crude.”
In Nod To Détente With North, South Korea Cancels Civil Defense Drills.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=05a-f17&t=c>
(7/11, Malek) reports “South Korean officials have canceled annual civil
defense drills designed to prepare the population for a potential North
Korean attack, the first time the drills will not be conducted in nearly
three decades.” The Times adds “the move, reported by the Korean Chosun
Ilbo newspaper Wednesday, is a sign that Seoul is pressing ahead with its
rapprochement policy toward the North even after a trip” by Secretary of
State Pompeo “to Pyongyang over the weekend that appeared to make little
visible progress on ending the North’s nuclear weapons threat.”

*CNN: Pompeo Made No Progress On Denuclearization With Pyongyang
Visit. *CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=05b-ef5&t=c>
(7/11, Tarabay) reports Pompeo’s trip to Pyongyang last week “failed to
demonstrate any progress on denuclearization talks, leading one source with
knowledge of the discussions to say the White House felt it went ‘as badly
as it could have gone.’” In an interview with CNN’s Michelle Kosinski, the
source said, “The North Koreans were just messing around, not serious about
moving forward.” CNN adds Pompeo had been “promised a meeting with North
Korea’s Kim Jong Un, and so not getting that meeting sent a big message.”
Meanwhile, in Brussels, Pompeo “sought to mitigate any frustration that
North Korea has still not publicly declared what it will or will not do in
regards to its own nuclear weapons program.”

*US Official Says No New Remains Repatriated From North Korea Yet. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=05c-564&t=c>
(7/11, Kelly) reports Kelly McKeague, Director of the Defence POW/MIA
Accounting Agency, said North Korea “may allow the United States to resume
a search for thousands of American war dead from the 1950-53 Korean War,
but it will be months before excavations can begin and years until bone
fragments are identified.” McKeague said, “It takes anywhere from a few
months to, in many cases, years, before we can make an identification.”
After his June 12 summit with Kim, President Trump said Pyongyang “had
already ‘sent back’ the remains of 200 U.S. troops,” but McKeague said “no
new remains had been returned since the Trump-Kim talks.” McKeauge said,
“We have yet to see any specifics from that commitment.”
WSJournal: Rouhani Taking Harder Line Under Domestic Pressure.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=05d-605&t=c>
(7/11, Rasmussen) reports Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is responding to
an increasingly challenging domestic political and economic environment by
adopting hardline positions and abandoning efforts to build international
ties that had conservative critics chafing. Rouhani last week threatened to
disrupt oil export traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that drew
praise from military leaders who previously had been at loggerheads with
his Administration. The Journal says Rouhani’s change of tone is the result
of pressure caused by the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

*Iran Launches Secondary Foreign Exchange Market For
“Non-Essential” Importers. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=05e-0c1&t=c>
(7/11, Nasseri) reports Iran has “launched a secondary market for foreign
exchange to ease a dollar shortage ahead of the return of US sanctions.”
The Central Bank of Iran announced the initiative to “provide foreign
currency to importers, who can’t access the central bank’s preferential
rate of 42,000 rials, which is available to energy-related businesses and
traders in other ‘essential’ goods.”

*Iranian Diplomat Suspected In Paris Bomb Plot Charged In Germany. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=05f-fe9&t=c>
(7/11, Grieshaber) reports Vienna-based Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi,
who is “suspected of involvement in a bomb plot against an Iranian
opposition rally in France,” was charged in Germany “with activity as a
foreign agent and conspiracy to commit murder.” German federal prosecutors
says Assadi is “suspected of contracting a couple in Belgium to attack an
annual meeting of an exiled Iranian opposition group in Villepinte, near
Paris.”

*US Designates Iran-Backed Group In Bahrain A Terror Group.
*The Washington
Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=060-56d&t=c>
(7/11, Lovell) reports the US “designated an Iran-sponsored militant group
in Bahrain a terrorist organization Tuesday in an effort to stop the
Islamic Republic from extending its grip in the Middle East.” Al-Ashtar
Brigades “was established in 2013 with the primary objective of toppling
the government of Bahrain,” and “has received weapons and explosives from
Iran in its efforts to desolate the Bahraini regime.” The group also
“adopted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in January 2018 to mimic
the Islamic Republic’s military strategy and further demonstrate Iran’s
influence.”

*Lawmakers Pushing To Designate Muslim Brotherhood A Terror Group. *The
Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=061-a54&t=c>
(7/11, Kredo) reports “lawmakers on Capitol Hill are renewing a years-long
push to designate the international Muslim Brotherhood organization as a
terrorist organization due to its support for terror organizations that
threaten US security interests across the globe, according to conversations
with US officials spearheading the effort.” The Free Beacon adds that “the
congressional effort to target the Muslim Brotherhood will kick off early
Wednesday, when lawmakers on the House’s Subcommittee on National Security
gather for a hearing to ‘examine the threat that the Muslim Brotherhood and
its affiliates pose to the United States and its interests and how to most
effectively counter it, including potential next steps for US policy,’
according to the committee.”
Netanyahu In Moscow To Discuss War In Syria With Putin.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=062-209&t=c>
(7/11, Williams) reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
announced yesterday that Israel “shot down a Syrian drone that penetrated
its airspace.” According to Reuters, the incident “highlight[ed] an
escalation of volatility near the frontier which Netanyahu discussed in
Moscow with Damascus’s biggest ally,” Russian President Vladimir Putin, who
Reuters says “has turned a blind eye to Israeli strikes on Iranian and
Hezbollah targets in Syria while making clear Russia does not want Assad’s
rule endangered.” Reuters adds that the Israeli government “has signalled
openness to eventual ties with Assad, a tacit acknowledgment that he is
re-consolidating power as he routs Syria’s rebels.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=063-476&t=c>
(7/11) notes that both Netanyahu and Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior Iranian
official, “headed to Moscow on Wednesday for separate meetings with” Putin
as “part of Syria-focused diplomatic efforts days ahead of the U.S.-Russian
summit.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=064-281&t=c>
(7/11) reports that Velayati “hailed his country’s ‘strategic relationship’
with Russia on Wednesday,” and “also took a swipe at” President Trump,
“saying his ‘unreliable’ actions made Tehran’s close ties with Moscow all
the more necessary.” Reuters notes that Velayati “is also expected to visit
China in the near future.”
Canadian Forces To Lead NATO Military Adviser Mission In Iraq.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018071201biden&r=email-f3de&l=065-755&t=c>
(7/11, Muñoz) reports “Canadian forces have been tapped to lead NATO’s new
military adviser mission in Iraq, as the alliance looks to expand and
extend its operations in the war-torn country.” The Times adds “roughly 250
Canadian troops alongside other NATO forces, along with four Griffon combat
helicopters, will be deployed to new alliance outposts in Baghdad and
surrounding areas to help stand up the new mission, Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday.”
UK Sending Additional 400 Troops To Afghanistan.

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(7/11, story 2, 1:20, Holt) reported the UK announced Wednesday “it is
sending over 400 more soldiers to fight alongside US troops in Afghanistan,
part of NATO’s mission there.”

*ISIS Suspected After Suicide Bombers Kill At Least 12 In
Jalalabad. *The New York Times
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(7/11, Ghazi, Mashal) reports “suicide bombers targeted an Education
Department building in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday,
striking the commercial hub for the second time in 24 hours and killing at
least 12 people.” While “no group immediately claimed responsibility for
the attack...suspicions quickly fell on the Islamic State.”
WPost: Americans Bringing Legal Marijuana From Canada Could Face
Prosecution.

The Washington Post
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(7/11, Turnbull, Zezima) reports that while recreational marijuana will be
legal in Canada starting in October, “U.S. citizens who try to cross back
into the United States carrying marijuana bought legally in Canada to
states where it is legal to have it could be arrested at the border
crossings for possession – or drug smuggling – and face stiff fines or
years in jail.” Attorney General Sessions “has made clear that he is
reopening the door to greater federal enforcement against marijuana, and
that agents on the U.S. border will continue to enforce federal law.”
Domestic Policy
Manchin: Kavanaugh “Has All The Right Qualities.”

The Washington Times
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(7/11, Boyer) reports that Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday told the radio
network West Virginia Metro News that Supreme Court Justice-designate Brett
Kavanaugh “has all the right qualities” to serve on Court. Manchin, who did
not reveal how he plans to vote, said, “No, I don’t have a lean. ... I
think he seems to be a very fine person of high moral standards, a family
person who’s very involved in his community, has all the right qualities.
He’s well-educated.”

*White House “Pretty Confident” Kavanaugh Will Be Confirmed. *On ABC’s
Good Morning America[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(7/11), George Stephanopoulos said the White House is “pretty confident”
that Kavanaugh will be confirmed, “but Democrats are promising the fight of
a lifetime.” Jon Karl went on to report that Democrats are “launching an
all-out war to try to defeat this nomination” that “will focus on three key
areas: trying to portray Kavanaugh as somebody that would overturn Roe v.
Wade, somebody that would rule against Obamacare, and somebody who would
protect Donald Trump against the independent counsel.”

Sen. James Lankford said on Fox News Special Report[image: Image
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(7/11), “No one knows what a judge is going to be like once they get on the
bench. ... What you look for is a judge that’s going to follow the law. ...
Do they believe that the law means what the law says at the time it was
written or does it mean what they want it to mean based on the words right
now? That’s the key aspect. So far, Brett Kavanaugh has come out pretty
clearly saying the law means with the law says at the time it was written.”
Asked if Kavanaugh will get some Democratic support, Lankford said, “I
think we will have Democrat support if Republicans have enough votes to be
able to pass him. If we have our 51 votes to be able to pass him, then I
think some Democrats will jump on board but I think Democrats will be very
hesitant to be the final vote on it.”

*Kavanaugh’s Former Clerks Aiding His Confirmation Effort. *The New
York Times
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(7/11, Williamson) reports that part of the campaign to secure Kavanaugh’s
confirmation “began only seconds after President Trump nominated him, when
Judge Kavanaugh gave a shout out to his former law clerks and effectively
called on them as character witnesses.” The Times notes that “of the 48
clerks who worked for Judge Kavanaugh over 12 years on the United States
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 25 were women,” and
“many of those women – and men – are now deployed to vouch for Judge
Kavanaugh in a campaign coordinated by CRC Public Relations, a Washington
firm whose conservative clients include the Federalist Society.”

*Kavanaugh’s Ties To Washington Area, Assets Detailed. *Under the
headline, “The Elite World Of Brett Kavanaugh,” the Washington Post
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(7/11, A1, Schwartzman, Boorstein) says Kavanaugh “is that rare
high-profile appointee who is pure Washington, a product of its most
prestigious addresses: the all-boys Georgetown Preparatory School, where he
was taught by Jesuits before attending Yale; the White House, where he was
deputy counsel to President George W. Bush; and the Shrine of the Most
Blessed Sacrament, the Catholic parish just off Chevy Chase Circle, where
he and his family attend services.” Bloomberg News
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(7/11, Allison) reports that Kavanaugh “listed just two assets worth a
maximum of $65,000 on his 2017 personal financial disclosure, plus a debt
of as much as $15,000,” which Bloomberg says is “a departure from several
of the sitting justices, who report assets in the millions of dollars.”

*White House: Kavanaugh Incurred Credit Card Debt Buying Nationals
Tickets. *The Washington Post
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(7/11, Brittain) reports that a review of Kavanaugh’s financial disclosures
and information provided by the White House shows that the nominee
“incurred tens of thousands of dollars of credit card debt buying baseball
tickets over the past decade and at times reported liabilities that could
have exceeded the value of his cash accounts and investment assets.”
According to White House spokesman Raj Shah, Kavanaugh “built up the debt
by buying Washington Nationals season tickets and tickets for playoff games
for himself and a ‘handful’ of friends. Shah said some of the debts were
also for home improvements.”

*Democrats, Outside Groups Seek Access To Kavanaugh Documents.
*The Washington
Examiner
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(7/11, Quinn) reports that Senate Democrats are “calling for access to all
documents compiled during [Kavanaugh’s] tenure in government in an effort
to uncover any landmine that could possibly derail his nomination,” and
they “are getting help from outside groups.” The “Democratic-aligned
organization” American Bridge has “deployed staff to the George W. Bush
Presidential Library in Dallas to begin sifting through records related to
Kavanaugh.” The group “has also sent staff to Yale University, where
Kavanaugh attended undergraduate and law school, the Clinton Presidential
Library in Little Rock, Ark., given Kavanaugh’s work on Starr’s
investigation, and the National Archives.” In addition, “Fix the Court, a
nonpartisan group advocating for transparency at the Supreme Court, has
filed lawsuits in federal court in an effort to extract records related to
Kavanaugh’s work on Starr’s investigation and in the White House.”

The Washington Times
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(7/11, Boyer) reports that Democrats lack “the votes to stop the nomination
outright,” so “efforts to go after the nominee’s reputation are well
underway.” A women’s group called UltraViolet “called on the Judiciary
Committee to investigate Judge Kavanaugh’s knowledge of more than a dozen
sexual harassment allegations leveled at former 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals Judge Alex Kozinski, for whom Judge Kavanaugh worked as a law clerk
in 1991.” The Times adds that liberals also mocked Kavanaugh’s name. NARAL
tweeted, “We’ll be DAMNED if we’re going to let five MEN – including some
frat boy named Brett – strip us of our hard-won bodily autonomy and
reproductive rights.”

*Rosenstein Calls On Federal Prosecutors To Review Kavanaugh
Documents. *In what the New York Times
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(7/11, Benner) calls “an unusual insertion of politics into federal law
enforcement,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein “has asked federal
prosecutors to help review” Kavanaugh’s government documents. In an email
this week to US attorneys nationwide, Rosenstein “asked each office to
provide up to three federal prosecutors ‘who can make this important
project a priority for the next several weeks.’” The Times adds that former
law enforcement officials called the d