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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, June 7, 2018 7:58 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, June 7, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=001-5a8&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, June 7, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Biden Makes “American Promise Tour” Appearance In Durham. <#S1>

• Biden To Deliver Keynote Address At June 30 Maryland Democratic Party
Unity Event. <#S2>

• Biden Backs Oregon Gov. Brown’s Bid For Reelection. <#S3>

• Op-Ed: Biden Eulogy For Thurmond Showed “Hope For Our Polarized Times.”
<#S4>

• Boston Herald: Biden Pursuing Walsh’s Backing In Possible 2020 Bid. <#S5>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Giuliani: Kim “Begged” On “Hands And Knees” For Summit With Trump. <#S6>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Senate Probe: Obama Sought To Sidestep Sanctions To Benefit Iran In 2016.
<#S7>

• Kudlow: Trump To Confront Other G7 Leaders About Trade Inequities. <#S8>

• Afghan Officials Believe Iran Backing Taliban In Western Province. <#S9>

• Israel In Uproar After Argentina Cancels Match Over Threats To Messi.
<#S10>

• Pakistan’s Military Establishment Cracks Down On Critics Ahead Of
Elections. <#S11>

• More US Consulate Workers In China Fall Ill. <#S12>

• New Spanish Government Has More Women Than Men. <#S13>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Trump Commutes Sentence Of Woman Whose Case Was Championed By Kardashian.
<#S14>

• Media Analyses: Ryan Contradicts Trump’s “Spygate” Claims. <#S15>

• IG Report Describes Comey As “Insubordinate,” Chastises Lynch, McCabe.
<#S16>

• Federal Judge Rules Philadelphia Cannot Lose Funding Over “Sanctuary”
Status. <#S17>

• Trump Touts VA Mission Act As “Crucial Step In Fulfilling Our Duty” To
Veterans. <#S18>

• Administration Preparing “Sweeping” Reorganization Of Federal Government.
<#S19>

• Media Analyses: Tuesday Results Boosted Democrats. <#S20>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Johnson & Johnson Partners With BU To Seek Earlier Detection Of Lung
Cancer. <#S21>

• New York Hospitals Receive $4.9 Million To Boost Cancer Detection,
Prevention. <#S22>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S23>

• Washington Post. <#S24>
Biden in the News
Biden Makes “American Promise Tour” Appearance In Durham.

Local media coverage of former Vice President Joe Biden’s Wednesday visit
to Durham, North Carolina is sparse and includes no post-event reports, as
of this briefing’s publication time. Ahead of Biden’s appearance,
WTVD-TV[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=002-cbb&t=c>
Raleigh-Durham, NC (6/6) reported a little after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday,
“He was once second in line for the presidency and in two hours, the former
Vice President takes the stage” In Durham. Biden “making a stop at the DPAC
as part of his ‘American Promise Your.’ You’re going to notice some extra
security at DPAC tonight, including possible metal detectors. Bags will
also be checked airport-style. Tickets start at $49.” Also ahead of Biden’s
appearance, Charlotte (NC) Spectrum News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=003-339&t=c>
(6/6) reported that the former Vice President “is in Durham tonight as part
of his thirty-city tour. It’s happening at the DPAC at 7:30 p.m. Biden
kicked off the ‘American Promise Tour’ late last year in New York City to
support his book ‘Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose.’
The book chronicles his son Beau’s fatal battle with brain cancer as Biden
pondered whether to run for the presidency in 2015.”

*Local TV Stations Highlight Biden’s Scheduled Stop In Louisville
Tonight. *Meanwhile, several local TV stations this morning highlight
Biden’s slated appearance tonight in Louisville, Kentucky. WLKY-TV[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=004-c36&t=c>
Louisville, KY (6/7) reports that Biden “is making a stop in Louisville on
his ‘American Promise Tour.’ Biden will appear at the Kentucky Center for
the Arts to discuss his memoir and other current events. He’ll be
interviewed by former Mayor Jerry Abramson. Since leaving the White House,
Biden [is continuing] his work with several self-named foundations.” In its
broadcast, WHAS-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=005-854&t=c>
Louisville, KY (6/7) reports, “There have been calls for Biden to run for
president. He says he is not ruling out a 2020 bid.” WAVE-TV[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=006-69e&t=c>
Louisville, KY (6/7) and WDRB-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=007-466&t=c>
Louisville, KY (6/7) also report on Biden’s scheduled stop in Louisville.

*Article Highlights Biden’s Slated Appearance In Charlotte. *In a
“BEST BETS” feature, the Burlington (NC) Times-News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=008-f9b&t=c>
(6/7) briefly highlights a number of upcoming events in North Carolina.
Among the events listed: “Former vice president Joe Biden’s American
Promise Tour: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Belk Theater in Charlotte. $25 to $325;
tickets available through Ticketmaster.”
Biden To Deliver Keynote Address At June 30 Maryland Democratic Party Unity
Event.

WBAL-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=009-89b&t=c>
Baltimore (6/6) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “is visiting
Baltimore later this month. He is scheduled to give the keynote address at
a Maryland Democratic Party unity event after the primary. The post-primary
celebration event is scheduled for June 30 at Camden Yards. Democratic
officials say this will serve as the marquee fundraising event of the
year.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=00a-2f6&t=c>
(6/6, Witte) offers a nearly identical report, and adds that Maryland’s
primary elections will take place on June 26. Gov. Larry Hogan (R), up for
reelection this year, is the top Democratic target in the state this fall.

*WTimes’ Simmons Mocks Biden’s Efforts To Help Democrats Oust
Hogan. *In a negative op-ed for the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=00b-c18&t=c>
(6/6), Deborah Simmons says that Biden “isn’t taking any chances when it
comes to Democrats” trying to oust Hogan this fall, highlighting Biden’s
slated appearance at the state Democratic Party’s unity event, which she
describes as a “shakedown.” Simmons says Democrats face an uphill battle to
defeat Hogan, highlighting a recent Washington Post-University of Maryland
poll that showed him with high approval marks and leading the top
Democratic gubernatorial contenders by double digits. To defeat Hogan, says
Simmons “it’s going to take more than monied outsiders” and “more than worn
sermons to preach to the new choirs of Maryland.” Simmons adds that Biden
“can’t possibly spend every week from now until the Nov. 6 general election
writing a new sermon and delivering it from the Catoctins to the Chesapeake
Bay.”
Biden Backs Oregon Gov. Brown’s Bid For Reelection.

KDRV-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=00c-cb8&t=c>
Medford, OR (6/6) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden on
Wednesday endorsed Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s (D) bid for reelection. Biden
“said Brown’s leadership as governor has been strong and progressive. He
also said he likes Brown’s passion to fight for what she feels is right for
Oregonians. He cited how under Brown’s leadership, Oregon led the nation in
passing automatic voter registration and committed to end the use of
coal-fired electricity. Gov. Brown said it’s an honor to have Biden endorse
her and that his leadership inspires her.” In an online article, KATU-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=00d-1e2&t=c>
Portland, OR (6/6) quoted Brown, who faces state Rep. Knute Buehler (R) in
the general election, as saying of Biden, “His humble and steadfast
leadership has always been an inspiration to me. I’m glad to have him on my
team.”
Op-Ed: Biden Eulogy For Thurmond Showed “Hope For Our Polarized Times.”

In a Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=00e-d66&t=c>
(6/6) op-ed, Merion West co-founder Erich Prince – whose group promotes
“civil discourse in the age of polarization” – writes, “Fifteen years ago
this June, then-Senator Joe Biden gave perhaps the most memorable of all
political eulogies” for the late Sen. Strom Thurmond (R), who was “an
ideological rival of the greatest proportions, someone about as far removed
as possible from a self-described ‘Northeast liberal.’” Prince says that
while Thurmond’s “very name was synonymous with defending the racial
policies of the Old South,” Biden said in the eulogy, “I disagreed deeply
with Strom on the issue of Civil Rights and on many other issues, but I
watched him change. We became good friends.” Prince adds that “if Biden can
develop a healthy working relationship with a segregationist, perhaps
there’s hope for our polarized times.”
Boston Herald: Biden Pursuing Walsh’s Backing In Possible 2020 Bid.

The Boston Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=00f-986&t=c>
(6/7, Battenfeld) reports that Mayor Martin Walsh (D) will have “a national
center-stage role at this weekend’s US Conference of Mayors’ meeting in
Boston.” The conference “gives Walsh another chance to shine – or possibly
flop – as he increases his visibility for a potential statewide office bid
in the future.” The event is “also a big deal for Walsh’s political clout,”
as he’s “a highly sought after figure in the 2020 presidential contest,
with former Vice President Joe Biden already wooing him for an endorsement
in his possible White House campaign. If Walsh backs Biden that would put
the mayor in direct opposition to Massachusetts presidential contenders
like US Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Gov. Deval Patrick.”
Leading the News
Giuliani: Kim “Begged” On “Hands And Knees” For Summit With Trump.

Rudy Giuliani’s remarks on North Korea Wednesday at an event in Israel are
being cast by the media as possibly jeopardizing the upcoming summit
between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. For example,
Margaret Brennan said on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=010-862&t=c>
(6/6, story 4, 2:10, Glor) – the only network to report the story last
night – that it “took a diplomatic scramble to salvage the summit, which
had nearly been derailed after North Korea and the White House traded
offending remarks. Yet today, the President’s personal attorney, Rudy
Giuliani, risked upsetting the North Koreans again.” Giuliani was shown
saying, “Kim Jong-Un got back on his hands and knees and begged for it,
which is exactly the position you want to put him in.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=011-8ab&t=c>
(6/6, Schwartz), which first reported on Giuliani’s remarks, says he told
the audience that North Korea does want to denuclearize, “but they do want
probably much too long a timetable for that.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=012-d27&t=c>
(6/6, Muñoz), Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=013-9aa&t=c>
(6/6, Nelson) and the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=014-3e6&t=c>
(6/6, Quinn) also briefly report Giuliani’s remarks, citing the Journal.
The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=015-5e0&t=c>
(6/6, Heller) reports that in an interview after the comments were
released, Giuliani “rejected suggestions that such comments might sour the
atmosphere ahead of next week’s summit, saying that the North Korean leader
must understand that the United States is in a position of strength.” Said
Giuliani, “It is pointing out that the president is the stronger figure.
And you’re not going to have useful negotiations unless he accepts that.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=016-298&t=c>
(6/6, Pettypiece) says Giuliani “defended his description of...Kim,” saying
in a telephone interview, “Those are my comments. They have nothing to do
with the administration, and a metaphor. That is my interpretation.” He
added that he “doesn’t expect them to upset the North Koreans,” adding,
“The only ones sensitive about this are the media.” Rebecca Berg said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=017-93d&t=c>
(6/6) it doesn’t seem like a “wise strategy” to be “insulting” Kim “and
making him look desperate right as the President is set to sit down with
him.” Wolf Blitzer added that Secretary of State Pompeo is “not very happy
with those words himself.” According to Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=018-147&t=c>
(6/6, Lawler), “North Korea has watched statements from Trump’s inner
circle closely in the lead-up to the summit, reacting angrily to previous
remarks from John Bolton and Mike Pence.”

*Administration Sources Downplay Summit Expectations. *Margaret
Brennan reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=019-f5d&t=c>
(6/6, story 4, 2:10, Glor) that while President Trump has publicly said he
thinks he and Kim “can agree to end the 70 years of war on the Korean
Peninsula, Administration sources emphasize nothing is final here, and he
is willing to walk out.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=01a-c9d&t=c>
(6/7, Lucey, Miller) says heading into the summit, Trump “has a record on
the international stage that suggests he’ll seek to charm the dictator and
look for an agreement that he can pitch as a win — even if it’s more a
triumph of appearance than policy. But never bet against the possibility
that he’ll just walk away.”

*Conway: Bolton Not “Sidelined” For Summit; Trump “Preparing
Extensively.” *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=01b-ad0&t=c>
(6/6, Boyer) reports White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Wednesday
that National Security Adviser Bolton “has not been sidelined in the
preparations for next week’s denuclearization summit.” Conway told a
breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, “He’s going to
Singapore. Secretary of State Pompeo has clearly taken the lead. But the
national security adviser is going.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=01c-808&t=c>
(6/6, Karni) reports that “when pressed on the president’s prep regimen”
for the summit, Conway “insisted Trump has been preparing extensively, but
offered few details that helped explain what, exactly, that entails.” Said
Conway, “This president prepares in many different ways for many different
major summits. He’s been quite active on the international stage with these
foreign trips.” She added that Trump has “tons and tons of written material
that he reviews… . It’s not on the fly. It is structured, it is extensive,
it is, at this point, intense.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=01d-d6c&t=c>
(6/6, Jackson), however, says that “a president who prides himself on being
unpredictable is scrambling his way toward one of the hardest-to-figure
events in diplomatic history.” Less than a week away, “there are still many
unknowns surrounding this sudden summit.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=01e-1bb&t=c>
(6/6, Miller) reports that according to sources, “conversations at the
White House about how to conduct the negotiations are developing day by
day,” but Trump “has made it clear that he will lead the deal-making when
he gets to the Singapore summit.”

*WPost: White House “Point Person” On Summit Preparing To Step
Down. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=01f-fc2&t=c>
(6/6, Leonnig, Parker, Rucker, Dawsey) reports Deputy Chief Of Staff Joseph
Hagin, President Trump’s “point person arranging the North Korean nuclear
summit, is preparing to leave his West Wing post soon, according to four
people familiar with White House planning.” Hagin, “who was in Singapore
earlier this week and has been negotiating logistics” for the summit, “may
leave his job...shortly after returning from the historic visit, two of the
people said.” One “close Trump adviser said Hagin is eyeing the job of
deputy director of the CIA and plans to leave his White House post almost
immediately after returning from the Singapore summit.”

*Ahead Of Summit, Other Nations “Scramble For Influence.” *The
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=020-b40&t=c>
(6/6, Nakamura) reports as Trump prepares for next week’s summit with Kim,
other nations are “scrambling for influence — and alarmed at the prospect
of sweeping changes across East Asia.” The leaders of China, South Korea,
Japan and Russia are “determined to make their presence felt” at the
summit, “lining up their own meetings with Trump and Kim and pushing
agendas that are, in many cases, at odds with one another.” Shannon Bream
reported on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=021-afa&t=c>
(6/6) that Russian President Putin “says he hopes” the summit “produces
positive results,” but he also “says the US will have to offer North Korea
solid security guarantees if it wants to strike a deal.”

*NYTimes: Kim Has Undergone “One Of The Most Striking
Transformations In Modern Diplomacy.” *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=022-759&t=c>
(6/6, Choe) reports Kim has carefully rehabilitated his image, achieving
“one of the most striking transformations in modern diplomacy.” The man
“described by critics as a murderous dictator and nuclear lunatic has held
hands and had heart-to-heart talks with South Korea’s president, Moon
Jae-in, who has encouraged and abetted Mr. Kim’s makeover.”

*Rodman Seeks Presence At Summit. *Greg Palkot reported on Fox
News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=023-53e&t=c>
(6/6) that as the summit site in Singapore is readied, “more folks are
getting into the act. ... Even former basketball star Dennis Rodman says he
is coming to Singapore. No word on what, if any, role Rodman might play.”
Brian Todd reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=024-1e5&t=c>
(6/6) that “we’ve been corresponding with...Rodman’s agent who tells us the
former NBA star is considering a trip to the summit.” Todd said Rodman is
one of “very few people” who personally know both Trump and Kim. Rodman was
on “The Apprentice” and has visited North Korea “several times.” Rodman is
“likely the only American” who Kim “considers a personal friend.”

*Kristof: Democrats “Childishly” Resisting Trump’s North Korea
Efforts. *Nicholas Kristof writes in his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=025-9ec&t=c>
(6/6, Kristof) column, “Shock! Horror! President Trump is actually doing
something right. Sadly, Democrats in Congress are responding in a quite
Trumpian way: They seem more concerned with undermining him than supporting
a peace process with North Korea. They are on the same side as National
Security Adviser John Bolton, quietly subverting attempts to pursue peace.”
Kristof continues, “While international security is complicated, here’s a
rule of thumb: When you find yourself on the same side as Bolton, go back
and re-examine your position.”

*Bipartisan House Bill Would Require Detailed Assessment Of North
Korea Nuclear Program. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=026-937&t=c>
(6/6) reports that a bipartisan group of House members introduced a bill
Wednesday that would “require” the Trump Administration “to provide a
detailed report on North Korea’s nuclear program to set a ‘baseline’ for
progress on talks with Pyongyang.” According to Reuters, the “North Korea
Nuclear Baseline Act” was introduced by Rep. Eliot Engel (D), the top
Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Mike McCaul (R), the
chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, among others. The bill “would
require the administration to transmit to congressional national security
committees within 60 days of its enactment a report on the status of North
Korea’s nuclear program.”

*Alaska Base Responsible For Intercepting North Korean ICBMs. *NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=027-c23&t=c>
(6/6, story 5, 2:50, Holt) reported on a “remote” Alaska base where US Army
Missile Defense teams are “at the ready” in case North Korea launches an
ICBM at the US. The 49th Missile Defense Battalion is in charge of 40
ground-based interceptors, “each a $75 million shot,” that are “locked and
loaded.” Col. Kevin Kick: “We send enough GBIs up there to make sure that
we negotiate any sort of threat.” While test records show the GBIs have
“only a 55 percent success rate, last year interceptors shot down this mock
ICBM designed from models,” and Kick said he has “absolute confidence”
they’ll work in the event of a real attack.
Foreign Policy
Senate Probe: Obama Sought To Sidestep Sanctions To Benefit Iran In 2016.

According to The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=028-56e&t=c>
(6/6, Lederman, Lee), a report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations said the Obama Administration “secretly sought to give Iran
access – albeit briefly – to the US financial system by sidestepping
sanctions kept in place after the 2015 nuclear deal, despite repeatedly
telling Congress and the public it had no plans to do so.” The report said
the Treasury Department “issued a license in February 2016, never
previously disclosed, that would have allowed Iran to convert $5.7 billion
it held at a bank in Oman from Omani rials into euros by exchanging them
first into US dollars.” The effort failed because US banks refused to
participate in the transaction, even after Obama Administration officials
approached two institutions. The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=029-63a&t=c>
(6/6, DeYoung) reports the GOP investigation found the Obama Administration
“went out of its way in early 2016 to help Iran recoup previously
sanctioned oil revenue stranded in an overseas account after the nuclear
deal went into effect and actively misled Congress regarding those
efforts.”

The Republican majority of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on
Investigations has found, according to Shannon Bream on [image: Image
removed by sender. Video]Fox News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=02a-30b&t=c>
(6/6), that “the Obama Administration deliberately misled Congress and the
public in its efforts to funnel billions of dollars to Iran as part of the
nuclear deal.” Fox’s Rich Edson [image: Image removed by sender. Video]
explained
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=02b-344&t=c>
that the Senate report found that the Obama Administration “bypassed
existing sanctions and cleared the way for Iran to use the US financial
system, even as officials claimed that would never happen.” US officials
“tried to persuade two US banks to facilitate Iran currency conversion,”
but the report says the banks declined “primarily due to the...legal and
compliance risks.” According to Edson, the report “says Iran likely
retrieved” the money in Oman “gradually using European banks.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=02c-45f&t=c>
(6/6, Datoc) reports Sen. Ted Cruz said in a statement, “The Obama Iran
nuclear deal was a devil’s bargain, but one exclusively designed to help
the devil.” He added, “The Obama administration covertly greased the
nuclear deal with bribes and secret agreements that made it even worse for
America.” Cortney O’Brien writes in a blog on Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=02d-121&t=c>
(6/6), “Republican senators like Rob Portman (R-OH) were frustrated with
new proof that the Obama administration broke its promise.” Portman said,
“The Obama administration during the negotiation of the Iran deal misled
the American people.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=02e-a11&t=c>
(6/6, Taylor) reports that, meanwhile, “the Trump administration issued its
harshest warnings to date to foreign governments and companies to avoid
doing business with Iran.” Treasury Department Undersecretary for Terrorism
and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker said in a speech at the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies, “Companies doing business in Iran
face substantial risks, and those risks are even greater as we reimpose
nuclear-related sanctions.”

*Iran: No More Nuclear Cooperation During Deal Standoff. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=02f-841&t=c>
(6/6, Murphy) reports Iran’s UN envoy, Reza Najafi, said the country won’t,
in Reuters’ words, “cooperate more fully with atomic inspectors until a
standoff over its nuclear deal is resolved.” He said, “No one should expect
Iran to go to implement more voluntary measures.” Meanwhile, French Foreign
Minister Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio that while that Iran’s plans to
increase uranium enrichment capacity “remained within the framework of the
nuclear deal, it was unwelcome and risked sailing close to a ‘red line’.”

In an analysis, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=030-221&t=c>
(6/6, Erickson) reports, “Tehran’s willingness to stay the course” on the
nuclear deal “seems to be wearing thin.” Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei “said that Europe’s current efforts do not go nearly far enough to
justify keeping the deal in place.” He said that laboring under both
sanctions and nuclear restrictions is a “bad dream [that] will not come
true.” Experts say Iran’s announcement that it is building a new
centrifuge-assembly center at the Natanz nuclear site “is a shot across the
bow, an indication that Khamenei was serious when he promised to step up
enrichment if the deal fell apart.” Meanwhile, “European officials are
struggling to come up with a package of incentives that will appeal to
Tehran.” However, should Iran pull out of the deal and sanctions are
reimposed, “it will not be bad just for Iranians. Sanctions have a way of
neutering movement toward democracy, rewarding radicals and dictators and
silencing dissent.”

In an analysis, Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=031-c8c&t=c>
(6/6, Taleblu) reports that since the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear
deal, “Iran has doubled down on its diplomatic strategy to pressure Europe
into offsetting the effect of American sanctions” and “also appears to be
hedging its bets” by “professing interest in boosting its enrichment
capabilities and centrifuge manufacturing.” Iran is “leveraging fear,
stating its intent to incrementally increase its nuclear capacity so that
European politicians, banks and businesses provide Iran with sufficient
incentives to abide by the deal,” but “it’s not clear how successful
Europe’s initial efforts have been, as most banks remain risk-averse.”

*European Leaders Seek “Security Interest” Exemptions From US Iran
Sanctions. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=032-730&t=c>
(6/6, Erlanger, Schreuer) reports that in a “letter to senior Trump
administration officials, European foreign and finance leaders this week
tacitly acknowledged that their efforts to preserve the West’s nuclear deal
with Iran were failing.” In a letter to Secretary of State Pompeo and
Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, the European leaders “cited ‘security
interests’ in requesting that companies in Europe be granted an exemption
from United States sanctions that would be imposed as a result of President
Trump’s decision to withdraw from the pact.” The ministers said that if
Iran pulls out of the deal because the EU was unable to provide promised
sanctions relief, it would “further unsettle a region where additional
conflicts would be disastrous.” The letter was first reported in the Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=033-cbc&t=c>
(6/6, Horobin, Norman). Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=034-a9d&t=c>
(6/6, Koerkemeier) reports the ministers “from Germany, France and Britain
have written to senior US officials urging them to protect European
companies working in Iran from getting caught up in Washington’s new
sanctions on the Islamic Republic.” The foreign and finance ministers
“singled out key areas where they expected exemptions for EU firms,
including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, energy, automotive, civil aviation,
infrastructure and banking.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=035-ab5&t=c>
(6/6, Pylas) reports British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson, French Finance
Minister Bruno Le Maire and German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said they
“want the U.S. to ‘grant exemptions’ for European Union companies that have
been doing business with Iran since the nuclear deal took effect in 2016.”
The letter said, “As close allies, we expect that the extraterritorial
effects of U.S. secondary sanctions will not be enforced on EU entities and
individuals, and the United States will thus respect our political decision
and the good faith of economic operators within EU legal territory.”
The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=036-821&t=c>
(6/6, Deyoung) also covers this story.

*Merkel To Raise Iran, Trade Issues With Trump At G7 Summit. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=037-058&t=c>
(6/6, Chambers, Carrel) reports German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she
would “try to talk to US President Donald Trump about their differences on
Iran and trade tariffs during a Group of Seven summit in Canada on June
8-9.” Merkel said, “I will of course try to speak to the US president about
the current problems that we have overall, in particular on Iran and on
trade tariffs.”

*In Talks With Netanyahu, May To Discuss Preventing Iran From
Acquiring Nuclear Weapon. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=038-310&t=c>
(6/6, Piper) reports Prime Minister Theresa May will “discuss how best to
prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon in talks with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, her spokesman said, reiterating Britain’s
support for the Iran nuclear deal.” May’s spokesman said, “You can expect
the PM to raise Iran, and how best we can prevent them from developing a
nuclear weapon. The UK, like France and Germany, continues to believe the
Iran nuclear deal is the best way to prevent this.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=039-37e&t=c>
(6/6, Boylan) reports, “May, who supports saving some form of the
agreement, is expected to tell Mr. Netanyahu that it has helped make the
world a safer place by curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”
Kudlow: Trump To Confront Other G7 Leaders About Trade Inequities.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=03a-1f2&t=c>
(6/6, Paletta, Gearan) reports that President Trump “plans to confront
other world leaders at a summit in Quebec on Friday over what he believes
is a global economic system tilted against the United States,” which the
Post says will “escalat[e] tensions with US allies who have expressed
outrage at his pivot toward protectionism.” NEC Director Larry Kudlow is
quoted as saying, “There are disagreements. He’s sticking to his guns, and
he’s going to talk, talk to them. Talk is the best remedy here.” According
to the Post, “Most of the other countries represented have a trade beef
with Trump that is unlikely to be resolved at the summit – and for each the
standoff is one more sign that the United States is pulling back from
traditional global leadership roles.”

In what The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=03b-cd8&t=c>
(6/6, Elis) calls a “tough signal” ahead of this weekend’s summit, Kudlow
also “implied that the US may not abide by any rulings from the World Trade
Organization.” Kudlow told reporters, “International, multilateral
organizations are not going to determine American policy.” The Hill says
his comments “paint an unyielding stance on trade” ahead of the G7. The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=03c-bb5&t=c>
(6/6, A1, Zumbrun, Salama) reports in a front-page story that trade is
expected to dominate this weekend’s summit, with the immediate focus on the
Administration’s decision last week to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum
imports from fellow G7 countries.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=03d-bcc&t=c>
(6/6, Delfs) reports German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday,
meanwhile, “vowed to challenge...Trump on trade and climate at this week’s
Group of Seven summit, saying the lack of room for compromise means leaders
may fail to agree on a final statement.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=03e-c5c&t=c>
(6/6, Sink) also notes that “finance ministers from the six other nations
participating in the summit issued a rare public rebuke during a
preliminary meeting last week, saying they would retaliate against Trump’s
decision to impose duties on steel and aluminum imports from the European
Union, Canada, and Mexico.” Bloomberg says “the criticism has been
particularly acute from the summit’s host, Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=03f-22e&t=c>
(6/6, Editorial) notes Kudlow said the President will hold bilateral
meetings with Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron in Quebec.

CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=040-6e0&t=c>
(6/6) reported that Canadian officials are expressing anger “over new US
tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports.” CNN showed Canadian
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland saying, “Seriously? Do you really
believe that Canada, that your NATO allies, represent a national security
threat?” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also “called out” Trump for
using national security to justify the tariffs in a phone call last month.
In an exclusive, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=041-332&t=c>
(6/6, Acosta, Newton) reports on its website that Trump and Trudeau “had a
testy phone call on May 25 over new tariffs imposed by the Trump
administration targeting steel and aluminum imports coming from Canada.”
According to sources, Trump “made an erroneous historical reference,”
quipping to Trudeau, “Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?” referring
to the War of 1812. CNN notes that it was British troops that burned down
the White House during the War of 1812. H

*WPost: Trump Fears Meeting Will Distract From North Korea Summit. *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=042-0d7&t=c>
(6/6, Dawsey, Rucker, Parker) reports Trump has “complained to aides about
spending two days in Canada for a summit of world leaders, believing the
trip is a distraction from his upcoming Singapore summit with North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un, according to three people familiar with Trump’s views.”
Specifically, the President “said Tuesday to several advisers that he fears
attending the Group of Seven summit in rural Charlevoix, Quebec, may not be
a good use of his time because he is diametrically opposed on many key
issues with his counterparts – and does not want to be lectured by them.”

*US Allies Move To Coordinate Retaliation Efforts For US Metals
Tariffs. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=043-1be&t=c>
(6/6, Peker, Vieira, Pancevski) reports that in the wake of the
Administration’s new metals tariffs, US allies Canada, Japan, and the EU
are joining together to increase pressure on Washington ahead of this
weekend’s G7 summit where trade will likely dominate talks. Japanese Trade
Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters, “Japan and the EU will team up on
this issue and call on cooperation from other countries.”

Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett was asked on CNBC’s
Closing Bell[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=044-a88&t=c>
(6/6) if US allies are being “used as pawns” in trade negotiations with
China. Hassett said, “Nobody is being used as a pawn. I think the President
just wants reciprocal trade deals with all of our trading partners. He is a
person who knows how to negotiate. ... We’ve got to get people to the
table. I’ve spoken in the past with previous CWA chairs about how
frustrated they were about the fact that other countries aren’t as open to
US imports as we are to their imports into our country. And they’ve wanted
to fix it and they’ve failed. This is a President who’s really serious
about fixing it.” Hassett added that “if everybody else reduced their trade
barriers to our level...it would increase global prosperity and our
prosperity as well.”

*Corker Says Trump Asked Him To Back Off Tariff Bill. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=045-827&t=c>
(6/6, Werner) reports Sen. Bob Corker said Trump called him Wednesday
morning and “asked him not to file a bill asserting congressional authority
over tariffs.” Corker declined, saying he told Trump, “I’m a United States
senator, and, you know, I have responsibilities, and I’m going to continue
to carry them out.” Corker “said that during the lengthy conversation the
president argued that Corker’s bill would limit Trump’s negotiating
authority.” However, he argued, “It’s a difference of opinion. [Trump]
feels that this takes away his negotiating ability, and this in no way
takes away his negotiating ability.” Asked on Fox News’ The Ingraham
Angle[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=046-7a1&t=c>
(6/6) about legislation to require Trump to get congressional approval
before imposing tariffs, Senate Majority Leader McConnell said, “Frankly, I
am not thrilled about the tariff path that we seem to be on, but we are not
going to be in the Senate passing a bill preventing the President from what
he can legally do.”

*NYTimes: Emails Show White House’s NAFTA Approach Frustrates
Businesses. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=047-e74&t=c>
(6/6, Swanson) reports that a “rocky process has plagued President Trump’s
attempt to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement from the
start, as internal divisions and a thinly staffed bureaucracy often left
big American companies with much at stake shut out of deliberations,
according to internal administration emails.” Documents show “corporations
and trade groups – such as the US Chamber of Commerce and the National
Association of Manufacturers, or NAM – struggling to get their voices heard
within a supposedly business-friendly administration and sending
increasingly panicked emails to the United States trade representative’s
office about its approach to rewriting the pact.”

*Family-Owned Factory Seeking To Bring US Jobs Back From China
Stung By Tariffs. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=048-f72&t=c>
(6/6, Lynch) profiles Bill Adler, owner of metal-parts maker Stripmatic
Products who “was invited last year to bid on a contract to make commercial
sausage stuffers for a company that wanted to replace its Chinese
supplier.” But “instead of taking business from China, Adler worries about
hanging onto the work he has” following the Administration’s new metals
tariffs. The Post says Stripmatic’s “plight is an example of the hidden
costs of Trump’s ‘America First’ protectionism.”

*House Panel Rejects Asking DHS For Information About ZTE.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=049-104&t=c>
(6/6, Blake) reports that the House Homeland Security Committee rejected a
resolution of inquiry Wednesday that would have required the Administration
to offer more information about the cybersecurity threats posed by Chinese
telecom ZTE. The resolution sought further information from DHS “about the
potential risks posed by ZTE’s products in the wake of President Trump
considering lifting sanctions on the company in the face of warnings from
US military and intelligence officials.” The panel voted 16-11 along party
lines to reject the resolution.

*Perdue: Trump, Congress Working To Protect US Intellectual
Property. *Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=04a-43b&t=c>
(6/6), Sen. David Perdue (R) said that in response to instances of
intellectual property theft by the Chinese, Senate Republicans are “passing
a bill to strengthen the CFIUS [Committee on Foreign Investment in the
United States] bill, which is where we review what they’re doing. Look,
they’re stealing our technology. ... We have to protect ourselves. We know
what their mission is, they have written out in the ‘China 2025’ plan.”
Perdue added, “This President is on to it.”

*WSJournal A1: Western US Cities Seeking To Slow Chinese Home
Buying. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=04b-dab&t=c>
(6/6, A1, Vieira, Pannett, Fong) reports in a front-page story on the flood
of Chinese home buyers in Western cities around the world, which local
officials allege distort prices and anger residents. Despite their efforts
to curtail the Chinese buyers, according to the Journal, officials aren’t
succeeding.

*WSJournal: Dow At Three-Month High “As Investors Weigh Latest
Trade Signals.” *Under the headline “US Stocks Rise as Investors Weigh
Latest Trade Signals,” the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=04c-2d5&t=c>
(6/6, Ramkumar, Gold) reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed
Wednesday at its highest in nearly three months amid the Administration’s
latest trade moves. Wednesday’s close above 25,000 marks the second for the
index since March 13. The Dow rose 346 points to 25,146.
Afghan Officials Believe Iran Backing Taliban In Western Province.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=04d-f52&t=c>
(6/5, Constable) reports Afghan and US officials “declared a decisive
victory after driving out” hundreds of Taliban insurgents in the western
city of Farah “with airstrikes and troop reinforcements, but residents and
officials say the city remains vulnerable to attack.” Security forces “are
stretched thin across Farah province, a huge, rugged and sparsely inhabited
region where Taliban fighters still move freely in many districts and enjoy
support from some fellow ethnic Pashtuns.” But even as Afghan officials
“last week put on an impressive display of weapons confiscated during the
36-hour street battle, some complained that arms are being sold back to the
insurgents, that political feuds are weakening the government’s side, and
that Iran – which shares a lengthy border with the province – is backing
and advising the Taliban.”

*30,000 Afghan Police Officers Have Been Denied Pay For Months. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=04e-4dd&t=c>
(6/6, Mashal, Shah, Rahim) reports that some 30,000 Afghan police officers
battling the Taliban “have been denied their modest salaries for months,
officials said on Wednesday, as the American-led coalition funding the
force holds back their pay out of fear that much of it is going into the
hands of corrupt leaders.” NATO coalition officials “hope the move will
shock the leadership into expediting a nationwide inventory of the
officers.”
Israel In Uproar After Argentina Cancels Match Over Threats To Messi.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=04f-025&t=c>
(6/6, Heller) reports, “Israel was in uproar” after Argentina abruptly
canceled a Saturday World Cup warm-up match in the wake of pro-Palestinian
protests. A call from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Argentine
President Mauricio Macri failed to reverse the decision. Some Israeli
leaders accused star player “Lionel Messi and his teammates of caving to
terrorism.” However, Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football
Association, said that the decision was made to protect the players. The
head of the Palestinian football association, Jibril Rajoub, “accused
Israel of playing politics with the game, by moving it from its original
location in Haifa to Jerusalem, and by trying to link it to celebrations
surrounding Israel’s 70th anniversary.” Similarly, Israeli opposition
figures “accused Israel’s headline-seeking sports minister Miri Regev of
bringing on the politicization of the sporting event by insisting on moving
the game from Haifa to contested Jerusalem and by trying to orchestrate a
politicized photo-op with Messi.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=050-54b&t=c>
(6/6, Eglash) reports in a news conference, Miri Regev “said it was threats
on star player Lionel Messi’s life, against his family and other members of
the team that had prompted the team to cancel the game.” However,
Palestinians and their supporters reacted to the news with “jubilation” and
praise for the decision, which “was seen as the biggest victory yet for the
boycott, sanctions and divestment (BDS) movement.”
Pakistan’s Military Establishment Cracks Down On Critics Ahead Of Elections.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=051-45c&t=c>
(6/6, Schorzman) reports that a month and a half ahead of Pakistan’s
national elections, the country’s “powerful military establishment has
mounted a fearsome campaign against its critics in the news media, on
social networks, and in mainstream political movements.” The Times says
“interviews with journalists and political analysts in recent days have
been dominated by concerns that a military campaign of intimidation and
crackdown on dissent is intensifying ahead of the vote – and nearly
unanimously, none dared discuss it on the record.”
More US Consulate Workers In China Fall Ill.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=052-8af&t=c>
(6/6, Myers, Perlez) reports that a “crisis over a mysterious ailment
sickening American diplomats and their families – which began in Cuba and
recently appeared in China – widened on Wednesday” as the State Department
evacuated “at least two more Americans who fell ill in China after hearing
strange noises, officials said.” Officials said other employees at the US
Consulate in Guangzhou and their family members “are also being tested by a
State Department medical team that has been flown in,” but it is “unclear
how many of them are exhibiting symptoms.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=053-b7a&t=c>
(6/6, Morello, Sonne) reports that “more diplomats and their dependents are
expected to be sent home in coming days,” but US officials “declined to
specify exactly how many people are likely to be returned for more testing
after initial screenings.”

Christian Caryl writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=054-63c&t=c>
(6/6) column that the situation in Guangzhou is “eerily reminiscent of an
episode in Havana, where, starting in the fall of 2016, at least 24
staffers at the US Embassy incurred brain injuries after exposure to an
equally mysterious source.” He warns that if “the number of those affected
will turn out to be higher than Washington expects,” US-Chinese relations
“could start to enter a rocky patch.”

*Chinese Persecution Of Christians “At Highest Level Since Mao.” *The
Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=055-4fe&t=c>
(6/6, Richardson) reports that “watchdog groups say the persecution of
Christians and other religious minorities in China is at its most intense
since the Cultural Revolution, as churches are shuttered, Bibles
confiscated and believers arrested at rates not seen in decades.” According
to ChinaAid, an advocacy group that documents human rights abuses in the
communist nation, 3,700 Christians were arrested in 2017, up from 3,500 the
previous year.

*Senators Probing US Environmental Group Over China Connections. *The
Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=056-525&t=c>
(6/6, Johnson) reports that two senior Republican members of the House
Natural Resources Committee – Rob Bishop and Bruce Westerman – have “opened
a probe into the Natural Resources Defense Council’s connections to the
Chinese government, indicating that the environmental group must register
as a foreign agent because of its work to influence US policy on behalf of
Beijing.” In a letter sent Tuesday to NRDC President Rhea Suh, the senators
“ordered the organization to turn over any documents related to its
dealings with China.”
New Spanish Government Has More Women Than Men.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=057-08a&t=c>
(6/6, Minder) reports new Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez “unveiled a
government that has more women than men and includes a foreign minister
from Catalonia who has led the fight against the region’s independence
movement.” Sánchez said his team was “a government for an equal society,
open to the world but anchored in the European Union.” As Sánchez’s
Socialist party holds just a quarter of the seats in Parliament, his tenure
could “be short-lived,” and “his first challenge is to keep together his
unwieldy alliance with a far-left party and nationalist parties from the
Catalonia and Basque regions.”
Domestic Policy
Trump Commutes Sentence Of Woman Whose Case Was Championed By Kardashian.

President Trump’s decision to commute the life sentence of Alice Marie
Johnson – whose case had been championed by Kim Kardashian – led all three
major network newscasts last night. Both on TV and print media, the tone of
the coverage was mostly unfavorable toward Trump.

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=058-2d9&t=c>
(6/6, lead story, 2:50, Reid), for example, said “some conservatives are
worried that instead of being tough on crime, the President is practicing
celebrity clemency,” and NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=059-701&t=c>
(6/6, lead story, 2:15, Holt) that his “use of the pardon power” is
“fitting a pattern, most rewarding political allies...or pleasing celebrity
friends.” To ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=05a-22e&t=c>
(6/6, lead story, 2:15, Muir), meanwhile, “all of this raises the question
of whether the President is sending a message to those caught up in the
Russia investigation.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=05b-e66&t=c>
(6/6, Colvin, Miller) similarly muses that Trump has been “drawn to cases
in which he believes there was a political motivation to the prosecutions –
situations that may remind him of his own predicament at the center of
special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election
meddling.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=05c-7fa&t=c>
(6/6, Oliphant) reports “a White House official familiar with the clemency
process said that Trump continues to examine the cases of people who he
believes have been victims of the criminal justice system,” but Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=05d-c5e&t=c>
(6/6, Norwood) remarks on “concern among some activists that the president
will focus on famous and well-known individuals and may not significantly
address the backlog of more than 10,000 applications for judicial relief
that are pending at the Justice Department.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=05e-06d&t=c>
(6/6, Baker) says that “although short of a full pardon,” Trump’s decision
freed Johnson, who had been “locked up in federal prison in Alabama since
1996 on charges related to cocaine distribution and money laundering.” The
Times says Kardashian “thanked Mr. Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner,
for showing mercy to Ms. Johnson.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=05f-9a0&t=c>
(6/6, Wagner, Parker) indicates that Kushner “helped arrange the meeting
with Kardashian in the Oval Office last week,” and “had pushed for leniency
for Johnson within the West Wing.” The Post says “others in the West Wing,
including White House counsel Donald McGahn, had cautioned against the
action.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=060-9dc&t=c>
(6/6) notes that in April, Kardashian West’s husband, “hip-hop mogul” Kanye
West “praised Trump in a tweet,” and “Trump later credited the April 25
West tweet with raising his approval rating among African Americans, a
group that has shown scant support for the president.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=061-0dc&t=c>
(6/6, Miller, Muñoz) notes “White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee
Sanders stressed that Ms. Johnson had already served almost 22 years for a
first-time criminal office.” Said Sanders, “Ms. Johnson has accepted
responsibility for her past behavior and has been a model prisoner over the
past two decades. ... While this Administration will always be very tough
on crime, it believes that those who have paid their debt to society and
worked hard to better themselves while in prison deserve a second chance.” The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=062-c63&t=c>
(6/6, Sanchez) reports, meanwhile, that “the White House said Johnson’s
warden, case manager and vocational training instructor all wrote letters
supporting Johnson’s clemency and speaking to her rehabilitation while in
prison.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=063-12d&t=c>
(6/6, Enjeti) and Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=064-049&t=c>
(6/6, O'Brien), among other news outlets, also report the story.

*Obama Had Denied Johnson’s Plea For Clemency. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=065-853&t=c>
(6/6, Korte) reports “Johnson’s plea for clemency was denied by President
Obama weeks before he left office in 2017, despite an initiative aimed at
freeing drug offenders serving long mandatory minimum sentences.” USA Today
adds “case files are not public, so it’s unclear why Obama found her
petition undeserving.” At any rate, “a long list of officials – Congress
members, the US attorney and even the warden at her prison – asked the
pardon attorney to reconsider.”

*CNN: Trump Could Be Getting Ready To Pardon At Least 30 People. *
CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=066-db8&t=c>
(6/6, Collins) reports “the White House has assembled the paperwork to
pardon dozens of people, two sources with knowledge of the developments
tell CNN, signaling that...Trump is poised to exert his constitutional
power and intervene, in some instances, where he believes the Justice
Department has overstepped.” CNN adds “the administration has prepared the
pardoning paperwork for at least 30 people.”

*Free Press Columnist: Trump Might Want To Pardon Former Detroit
Mayor Kilpatrick. *In his column for the Detroit Free Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=067-9f9&t=c>
(6/6, Dickerson), Brian Dickerson writes that Trump “has discovered his
presidential pardon power,” and although his “promiscuous impulsivity”
makes it “difficult to predict who might be next in line for his
unpredictable largesse,” ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick “must surely be
making his way to the front of the line.” According to Dickerson,
Kilpatrick’s “case for clemency remains a strong one, if for no other
reason than pardoning him would prompt the heads of the people Trump
despises most to combust (or perhaps even explode) spontaneously.” A pardon
“would lend legitimacy to Kilpatrick’s largely unsupported claims that FBI
investigators and federal prosecutors conspired unjustly to secure his
conviction, amplifying the president’s evidence-free assertions that the
Department of Justice is the corrupt tool of his political enemies.”
Media Analyses: Ryan Contradicts Trump’s “Spygate” Claims.

Media reports portray House Speaker Ryan’s comments about the evidence that
the FBI improperly surveilled the Trump campaign as a clear contradiction
of President Trump’s “spygate” claims.

Under the headline, “Ryan Contradicts Trump’s Claim That The FBI
Planted A ‘Spy,’” the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=068-4eb&t=c>
(6/6, Jalonick) reports that Ryan is “breaking with” Trump, and “agreeing
with others who say there’s no evidence that the FBI planted a ‘spy’ in
Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to hurt his chances at the
polls.” Ryan was with House Oversight Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy at a
“classified briefing last month following reports that the FBI used an
informant in its Russian election meddling investigation to speak to
members of the Trump campaign who had possible connections to Russia.”
After the briefing, Gowdy said, “I am even more convinced that the FBI did
exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the
information they got.” According to the AP, Ryan “told reporters on
Wednesday that he thinks Gowdy’s ‘initial assessment is accurate,’ and he
has seen ‘no evidence to the contrary’ of what Gowdy said.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=069-8bb&t=c>
(6/6, Demirjian, Debonis) quotes Ryan as saying, “We have some more digging
to do. We’re waiting for some more document requests. We have some more
documents to review. We still have some unanswered questions.” The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=06a-d48&t=c>
(6/6, Fandos) says Ryan “contradict[ed] President Trump’s assertions of a
broad conspiracy by federal law enforcement,” while Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=06b-998&t=c>
(6/6, Cheney) calls Ryan’s comments “another blow” to Trump’s “‘Spygate’
theory.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018060701biden&r=email-893b&l=06c-679&t=c>
(6/6, Demirjian, Debonis) says that af