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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, February 7, 2019 7:57 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, February 7, 2019


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=000-736&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=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=001-07a&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, February 7, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• CNN Poll: 62% Of Democratic And Democratic-Leaning Voters Want Biden To
Enter 2020 Race. <#S1>

• Politico: Biden Wooing Congressional Democrats As He Nears A Decision On
2020 Race. <#S2>

• BuzzFeed: Democratic Leaders In Early-Voting States Have Heard
Little-To-Nothing From Biden. <#S3>

• Mother Jones: Biden-Warren Conflict Could Reemerge In 2020 Race. <#S4>

• Poll: Independent Schultz Bid Would Aid Trump. <#S5>

• Media Analyses: Controversy Over Native-American Claims Imperils Warren’s
2020 Bid. <#S6>

• NYTimes Highlights O’Rourke’s Ruminations On A Possible 2020 Bid. <#S7>

• Potential Democratic Hopeful Hickenlooper Making Two-Day Visit To New
Hampshire. <#S8>

• Ex-New Orleans Mayor Landrieu Says He Probably Won’t Enter 2020 Race.
<#S9>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump To Take Border Wall Push To El Paso Next Monday. <#S10>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump Expected To Formally Declare ISIS Has Been Defeated In Syria And
Iraq. <#S11>

• Moscow Talks With Taliban End With Positive Comments. <#S12>

• South Koreans Welcome Trump’s Announcement About Kim Meeting. <#S13>

• Maduro Moves To Block US Aid To Venezuela. <#S14>

• Mnuchin Talking With Waters About Testimony On Easing Russia Sanctions.
<#S15>

• EU Rebuffs May On New Brexit Deal. <#S16>

• Mnuchin Heading To China, No Plans For Trump-Xi Meeting. <#S17>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Media Analyses: Democrats Respond To Trump “Threat” With Plans To
Scrutinize His Finances. <#S18>

• Mnuchin Says Trump And Powell Discussed Economy Over Dinner. <#S19>

• Malpass Expected To Pursue “Pro-Growth” Reforms At World Bank. <#S20>

• CBS Spotlights Trump’s Efforts To Bring Down Prescription Drug Prices.
<#S21>

• LATimes Analysis: Administration Fails To Enforce Medicaid Work
Requirement Rules. <#S22>

• CFPB Set To Eliminate Rules Protecting Consumers From Payday Lenders.
<#S23>

• Financial Lobbyists Prepare Strategies For Dealing With Ocasio-Cortez.
<#S24>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Trump To Ask Congress For $500 Million In Additional Funding For
Pediatric Cancer Research. <#S25>

• More Diagnoses Of Lymphoma Associated With Breast Implants, FDA Report
Says. <#S26>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S27>

• Washington Post. <#S28>
Biden in the News
CNN Poll: 62% Of Democratic And Democratic-Leaning Voters Want Biden To
Enter 2020 Race.

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=002-77f&t=c>
(2/6, Agiesta) reported that 62% of “Democratic and Democratic-leaning
voters say former Vice President Joe Biden should make a run for president,
according to a new CNN poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=003-938&t=c>
conducted by SSRS, and half of all Americans say they would be at least
somewhat likely to back him should he run for the White House.” CNN said,
“Support for a bid from Biden is higher among Democratic voters this year
(62%) than it was in 2015,” when “only about half of Democratic voters said
they wanted Biden to run (53% in August, 47% in October).” CNN added that
Biden “is one of two candidates in the poll who generate stronger support
among those Democrats who consider the ability to beat [President] Trump
‘extremely important’ in choosing their party’s nominee. About half of
those who prioritize winning say they are very likely to support Biden.”
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) “is the other candidate to garner greater support
among these voters [38%] who prioritize beating Trump.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=004-562&t=c>
(2/6, Wise) reported that the survey of “1,011 adults, including 477
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents,” was taken Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Under the headline “We Want Joe! More Than 60 Percent Of Democrats Want
Biden To Run In 2020 As They Rate His Ability To Beat Trump As ‘Extremely
Important,’” the Daily Mail (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=005-d3e&t=c>
(2/6, Goodin) also reports on the poll results.

*Poll: Edging Harris, Biden Generates Most Excitement Among
California Democrats. *The San Francisco Chronicle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=006-b06&t=c>
(2/6, Garofoli) reports that Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) “generate
the most excitement among Democratic voters in California when it comes to
the field of 2020 presidential candidates, according to a” Quinnipiac
University poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=007-d81&t=c>
of 452 California Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters, taken Jan.
30-Feb. 4. In the poll, 60% of respondents said they “‘would be excited’ if
Biden” won the Democratic presidential nomination, 58% said the same about
Harris, 44% about Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA),
40% about ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), and 21% about Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-NY).

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=008-a4b&t=c>
(2/6, Rodrigo) quoted Quinnipiac’s Tim Malloy as saying of the poll
results, “It’s former Vice President Joe Biden and US Sen. Kamala Harris
neck and neck and everyone else an afterthought in the very early
Democratic presidential race.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=009-778&t=c>
(2/6, Marinucci) reported that in the larger sample of 912 California
voters, 40% said Harris “would make a good president,” while 38% said “she
would not.” No other announced or potential candidates were tested on that
question. The Sacramento (CA) Bee
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=00a-d12&t=c>
(2/6, Anderson) quotes Malloy as saying, “While Sen. Harris gets the nod
for generating excitement among California Democrats, the total pool of
voters is noticeably ambivalent about whether she has what it takes to be a
good president.”

*CNN’s Enten: Pundits My Be Underestimating Biden’s Appeal In
Democratic Race. *In an online “analysis” for CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=00b-41e&t=c>
(2/7), Harry Enten says that he wonders if political analysts are
underestimating Biden’s appeal in the 2020 Democratic race, as was the case
with Donald Trump in the 2016 GOP presidential primary. Enten says “new
polling [from CNN] suggests that what Democratic voters say is important to
them in 2020” coincides “with Biden’s arguments for the nomination pretty
much perfectly. More Democrats (26%) said” defeating “Trump was more
important than anything else,” which will lead Biden to argue “that polls
showing him leading Trump by the most of any Democrats demonstrate that he
is the most electable.” The next two most important qualities for Democrats
were “experience” and willingness “to work with Republicans to get stuff
done,” which Enten says are Biden strong points.
Politico: Biden Wooing Congressional Democrats As He Nears A Decision On
2020 Race.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=00c-94c&t=c>
(2/7, Everett, Caygle) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden is
wooing congressional Democrats as he nears a decision about a White House
bid. Politico says, “In recent weeks,” Biden “has spoken with former
congressional colleagues about how he sees his chances in 2020, his timing
for entering the race, and what it would take for him to compete in a
crowded Democratic primary.” For instance, says Politico, in a Sunday phone
call with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Biden “signaled that he was
sketching out both a campaign apparatus and spoke with urgency about the
race, Feinstein said in an interview. ‘I think we’ll hear from him within a
month,’ Feinstein said.”
BuzzFeed: Democratic Leaders In Early-Voting States Have Heard
Little-To-Nothing From Biden.

Writing for BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=00d-547&t=c>
(2/6), Henry Gomez says that as former Vice President Joe Biden mulls a
White House run, “top Democratic leaders in the first caucus and primary
states have heard little, if anything, from” him. His “plans remain a
mystery to state and county party chairs, as well as other prominent
activists who spoke to BuzzFeed News. Many said they’re not even in touch
with close advisers or allies who would have to spring to action if and
when Biden” enters the race. For example, New Hampshire Democratic Party
chief Raymond Buckley on Wednesday told BuzzFeed, “I am unaware of any
communication by anyone associated with Biden to anyone in New Hampshire in
[the] past year. If it has happened, I have not been told.”

In an online article, WMUR-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=00e-04c&t=c>
Manchester, NH (2/7, DiStaso) reports that state House Speaker Steve
Shurtleff (D-NH) “has been fielding calls from would-be Democratic
presidents,” including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Kirsten Gillibrand
(D-NY). However, Shurtleff “said he has not heard from his old friend
[Biden] since he secured the House Democratic caucus nomination for speaker
in November. Shurtleff backed Biden’s presidential run in 2008 and hopes
Biden gets into the 2020 race. ‘I think it would be good for the campaign,’
he said. But he also said it is ‘too soon for me to say’ whether he would
support Biden this time. ‘There are others who are in the race who I like,
too,’ he said.”

However, in a story that focused on the various 2020 Democrats’
fundraising efforts in California, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=00f-aef&t=c>
(2/6, Cadelago) reported, “In Los Angeles, longtime supporters
of...Biden...said they’d been hearing from the former vice president and
his aides of late. While its Super Tuesday presidential primary is making
the delegate-rich state a pivotal stop, it remains a veritable ATM for
candidates who have spent years cultivating their relationships. Biden
raised money in Southern California in October, after appearing on behalf
of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who is urging him to run.”
Mother Jones: Biden-Warren Conflict Could Reemerge In 2020 Race.

Writing for Mother Jones
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=010-a3a&t=c>
(2/6), Tim Murphy discusses what he describes as a clashes between former
Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), primarily over
“bankruptcy reform.” Murphy says that Warren years ago “called out Biden by
name in op-eds and in her first book, accusing him of carrying water for
the big corporations that called his state home and kept his campaign
coffers full.” Both Democrats have “built a political brand based on a
defense of the American middle class. Biden is fond of saying that he talks
about working families so often his colleagues called him ‘Middle-Class
Joe.’ ... Warren’s 2017 book was subtitled ‘The Battle to Save America’s
Middle Class.’ But there’s a key difference. In Warren’s telling,
politicians like Joe Biden are exactly who the middle class needs
protection from. And as the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign slowly
heats up, the two may be on a collision course once more.”
Poll: Independent Schultz Bid Would Aid Trump.

Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=011-fed&t=c>
(2/7, Green) reports that ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz “is unlikely to
land in the White House if he makes an independent bid for the presidency,
but he would probably pull enough votes away from a Democratic candidate to
strengthen Donald Trump’s prospects for re-election,” according to a
nationwide poll of 1,290 US voters “conducted by Optimus, a data-science
firm that’s studying the effects of independent candidates on the 2020
race.” Schultz draws “7.7 percent of voters overall, but pulls twice as
much support from Democrats (11.6 percent) as Republicans (5.6 percent).”
In a hypothetical one-on-one matchup, former Vice President Joe Biden leads
Trump 50%-43%. However, Biden holds just a four-point lead “when Schultz is
included.” Trump leads Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) 45%-43%, but that edge
increases to four points “with Schultz as an option. Trump also led 3-way
races against” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke
(D-TX).

*Politico Mag Suggests Schultz Created Cult-Like Atmosphere At
Starbucks. *With Democrats worried that an independent White House bid by
Schultz could possibly help Trump win reelection, Derek Robertson pens a
negative piece about Schultz for Politico Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=012-7ea&t=c>
(2/6). Robertson writes that during “his nearly three-decade career with
Starbucks, Schultz used memos, training materials and frequent
communication with his ‘partners,’ as he referred to even the lowliest
employee, to ensure that his personality permeated the company. ...
‘Starbucks puts the ‘cult’ in ‘culture,’’ said Lisa Essett, a former
barista from the Flint, Michigan area. ‘It reminded me of Heaven’s Gate, or
L. Ron Hubbard with Scientology or something.’” Robertson adds that “as
Schultz begins to face stinging criticism in the realm of politics, it is
worth remembering that cults of personality invite not just personalized
admiration, but personalized scrutiny and blame.”

*CNN To Host Televised Town Hall With Schultz In Houston Feb 12. *In
an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=013-716&t=c>
(2/6, Tatum) reported that it “will host a town hall next week in Houston
with...Schultz as he mulls a presidential bid in 2020. Schultz, who said
last month he is considering a run as a ‘centrist independent,’ will take
questions from Texas voters on Tuesday, February 12, in this live event
moderated by CNN’s Poppy Harlow.” The event “will air in prime time and
will take place in front of an audience made up of individuals representing
Texas civic and educational organizations.”
Media Analyses: Controversy Over Native-American Claims Imperils Warren’s
2020 Bid.

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=014-485&t=c>
(2/6, story 3, 1:25), Lester Holt reported that Sen. Elizabeth Warren
(D-MA), exploring a presidential bid, “is apologizing now that her past
claims of Native-American ancestry have once again come back to haunt her.”
NBC’s Peter Alexander added that Warren’s bid “for the White House is again
facing rough terrain. ‘The Washington Post’ revealing
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=015-e6b&t=c>
[a] 1986 registration card for the Texas bar, showing for the first time in
her own handwriting Warren identified herself as ‘American Indian.’” On ABC
World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=016-08a&t=c>
(2/6, story 7, 1:40), David Muir reported that Warren’s “apology comes just
days before she’s officially set to kick off her presidential campaign.”
Warren was shown saying, “It is about an apology from the heart. And
apology for not being more sensitive to tribal citizenship and tribal
sovereignty.”

On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=017-c07&t=c>
(2/6, story 2, 2:10, Glor), Nancy Cordes reported that Warren, who
“launched a presidential exploratory committee in December,” has “been
dogged by her decision decades ago to list herself as Native American at
the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. And she drew fire
from Cherokee tribal leaders last year when she tried to put the issue
behind her with a highly publicized DNA test.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=018-dae&t=c>
(2/6, Schor) reports, “By providing fresh evidence that she had personally
identified her race” as American Indian on the Texas bar registration card,
“the document resurrected the flap just as” Warren is attempting “to gain
momentum for her 2020 presidential bid, which she’s expected to formally
announce on Saturday. Warren didn’t rule out the possibility of other
documents in which she identified as a Native American.”

The Boston Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=019-27b&t=c>
(2/6, Cotter) reports that the latest development in the Warren saga “had
reporters peppering her with questions on Capitol Hill while Cherokees
slammed her and even fellow Democrats questioned her viability.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=01a-efe&t=c>
(2/6, Linskey, Gardner) reports that on “Wednesday, after the bar
registration card was published by The Washington Post, Warren faced new
doubts about her viability in the presidential race, as activists and
strategists evaluated how much damage the issue might do – especially given
Democrats’ focus on finding a candidate who can defeat President Trump –
and what she might do to move past it.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=01b-b15&t=c>
(2/7, Gibson) reports that some Democrats “worried the controversy could
cause her campaign to falter even before she formally announces on
Saturday. ‘They mishandled it from the minute that she was presented with
evidence that she isn’t Native American,’ said Scott Ferson, a Democratic
strategist in Boston.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=01c-d10&t=c>
(2/6, Choi) reported that Warren’s “past claims of American Indian ancestry
garnered fierce criticism from both sides of the aisle, with...Trump
labeling her with a slur, ‘Pocahontas,’ and tribal leaders calling out
Warren for claiming a heritage she did not culturally belong to.”

*RNC Asks Texas To Discipline Warren Over Indian-Heritage Claim. *The
Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=01d-6b5&t=c>
(2/6, Dinan) reports that the RNC on Wednesday “asked the Texas state Bar
to take disciplinary action against...Warren” in the wake of the Washington
Post article revealing “that she claimed Native American heritage on her
bar card.” The RNC argued “that puts her in violation of the bar’s
requirement to show good moral character. ‘It has now been thirty-three
(33) years since she made this representation to the Texas Bar and has
never made an attempt to correct her registration card. Therefore it is
clear that Attorney Warren lacked the ‘Good Moral Character’ required for
admission to the Texas Bar and should be disciplined for her three (3)
decades of untruthfulness,’ RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=01e-4fa&t=c>
(2/6, Samuels) reported, “McDaniel’s letter underscores efforts from the
GOP to seize on Warren’s claims of Native American heritage to undermine
her 2020 presidential bid.”

*Boston Globe’s Vennochi: Controversy Likely Kills Warren’s Chances
In Democratic Race. *In her Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=01f-537&t=c>
(2/6) column, Joan Vennochi that Warren’s “mishandling of” the
Indian-heritage controversy “is now part of her political DNA and apologies
won’t change it. ... In what way has Warren put this mess behind her? She
hasn’t. And that’s her dilemma, in a party that, above all, wants to defeat
Trump.”
NYTimes Highlights O’Rourke’s Ruminations On A Possible 2020 Bid.

Under the headline “O’Rourke Was Once Adrift In New York City. Now He’s
Searching Again,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=020-cd6&t=c>
(2/6, Flegenheimer) reports on how ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), as a
23-year-old in New York City in the mid-90s, “had fallen into the deepest
depression he can remember,” working “for an uncle’s tech business because
it was a job,” and spending “nights alone listening to his cassettes
because it passed the time.” Today, says the Times, “long after what
friends describe as a quarter-life crisis, Mr. O’Rourke has arrived at a
midlife crossroads of enormous consequence, with revealing parallels to his
time in New York. Forty-six and searching – after a narrow Senate loss in
Texas last year that propelled” him “to Democratic stardom – he has been
driving around the country, alone, introducing himself to strangers,
deciding if he wants to run for president.”

In an accompanying piece, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=021-2e5&t=c>
(2/6, Flegenheimer) reports, “In a series of posts on Medium, Mr. O’Rourke
has detailed his somewhat aimless recent travels – seeing sights, thinking
thoughts, dining with strangers – in a confessional style uncommon among
presidential contenders.” The Times goes on to share O’Rourke’s “Medium
post from Jan. 16, and an annotated look at what he might be trying to
say.”
Potential Democratic Hopeful Hickenlooper Making Two-Day Visit To New
Hampshire.

In an online article, WMUR-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=022-932&t=c>
Manchester, NH (2/7, DiStaso) reports that ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
“appears to be moving closer to a run for president, and he’s making a
visit to” New Hampshire. He “will be in the state on Feb. 13 and 14.” On
the first day of the visit, he will drop by “a business in Londonderry and
attend a house party at the home of Eric and Lisa Drake in Manchester. The
following morning, he will speak at New England College as part of the
institution’s ‘Center for Civic Engagement’s Town Hall Meeting’ series.”
Ex-New Orleans Mayor Landrieu Says He Probably Won’t Enter 2020 Race.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=023-379&t=c>
(2/6, Morin) reported that during a Wednesday appearance on CNN, ex-New
Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (D-LA) said “that he does not think he will
seek his party’s 2020 presidential nomination, citing the already packed
field of ‘great candidates.’ ‘I don’t think so,’” Landrieu “responded when
asked whether he would mount a 2020 bid. ‘A lot of people have asked me
that. I never say never, but at this point in time I don’t think I’m going
to do it.’”
Leading the News
Trump To Take Border Wall Push To El Paso Next Monday.

President Trump will travel to El Paso, Texas next week to further his
State of the Union call for funding for a US-Mexico border wall. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=024-d9d&t=c>
(2/6, Superville) reports Trump’s “first campaign rally of the year” will
be in “a city he’s cited numerous times – including in his State of the
Union address – in arguing for the wall he wants built along the
U.S.-Mexico border.” The AP says the Monday rally “will be four days before
a Feb. 15 deadline for congressional bargainers to come up with a
compromise to...avoid another partial government shutdown.” In his State of
the Union address, Trump “cited El Paso as once having ‘extremely high
rates of violent crime,’” and “asserted that once a wall was built there,
‘El Paso is one of the safest cities in our country.’”

The El Paso (TX) Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=025-edf&t=c>
(2/6) reports, “The rally is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at the El Paso
County Coliseum, according to the campaign. It will be his seventh rally in
Texas and his first in El Paso, a city that has often battled the
president’s characterizations of the border.” Trump campaign representative
Michael Glassner said, “As the President continues his fight to secure our
border, there’s no better place to demonstrate that walls work than in El
Paso. President Trump looks forward to visiting with the patriots of Texas
who are on the front lines of the struggle against open border Democrats
who allow drugs, crime, and sex trafficking all along our border every
day.”

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=026-996&t=c>
(2/6, story 2, 2:10, Holt), Kristen Welker said Trump built “the case for
his border wall on a foundation of some flawed facts.” Trump: “The border
city of El Paso, Texas used to have extremely high rates of violent crime.
Now with a powerful barrier in place, El Paso is one of the safest cities.”
Welker: “In fact, violent crime in El Paso declined before the border fence
was built there and increased after its construction.” NBC’s Cal Perry:
“With more than 12 million pedestrian crossings a year between El Paso and
Juarez, it was no surprise when the sheriff of El Paso fired back at the
President, saying that El Paso has always been one of America’s safest
cities, never one of America’s most dangerous cities.”

Rep. Veronica Escobar‏ (D-TX) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=027-fec&t=c>,
“He lies. @POTUS is once again lying and using the #SOTU address to spread
falsehoods about our beloved city of El Paso. Fact is that El Paso has been
one of the safest cities in the nation long before the wall was built in
2008.” Beto O’Rourke tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=028-062&t=c>,
“Our government built a border fence in El Paso in 2008, a misguided
response to 9/11 (no terrorists have crossed the southern border and
attacked this country). It didn’t make us any safer. In fact crime in El
Paso increased after it was built.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=029-d6d&t=c>
(2/6, Cook) reports on the trip under the headline “Trump To Make
Last-Ditch Wall Pitch On U.S.-Mexico Border,” while the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=02a-5fa&t=c>
(2/6, Real) has a feature on the skeptical reaction of border town
residents to Trump’s “dire warnings” about border security.

*Trump Says He Backs Increased Legal Immigration Because “We Need
People.” *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=02b-e63&t=c>
(2/6, Collins) reports the President told a group of reporters from
regional newspapers on Wednesday that he backs increased legal immigration.
Trump said, “I need people coming in because we need people to run the
factories and plants and companies that are moving back in. We need
people.” USA Today says his “remarks followed an unscripted comment in his
State of the Union address Tuesday night in which he called for immigrants
to enter the U.S. legally in ‘the largest numbers ever.’” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=02c-3e4&t=c>
(2/6, Schultz) reports, “Asked if he was changing his stance on legal
immigration, Trump said ‘yes’ because the US needs more workers in a
booming economy.”

NBC’s Benjy Sarlin tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=02d-da9&t=c>,
“If this were functionally true and not something he drops as soon as he
sees Fox react, you could probably have a wall deal. But that first premise
is very very very unlikely.” Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg News tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=02e-331&t=c>,
“The irony is that the overarching goal of restrictionist advocates is to
cut LEGAL immigration by as much as possible. They care less about the
wall.”

*Mulvaney Says Trump Will Build Wall “With Executive Authority” If
Congress Does Not Assist. *Acting Chief of Staff Mulvaney was asked about
the wall on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=02f-70a&t=c>
(2/6). Mulvaney said, “He’s going to get it done. ... We would love to work
with Congress to do that. That’s the right way to do it. It’s the easiest
way to do it. It’s the fastest way to do it. But if Congress won’t
participate or won’t go along, we’ll figure out a way to do it with
executive authority.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=030-9c6&t=c>
(2/6, Werner) reports House Speaker Pelosi said Wednesday that she “would
be willing to support any compromise border security legislation that
emerges from a bipartisan committee and that she has urged the White House
to adopt the same ‘hands-off’ posture.” Pelosi “told reporters that she
thinks the House and Senate negotiators could reach a deal by the end of
this week if ‘left to their own devices.’” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=031-d36&t=c>
(2/6) reports House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey said lawmakers
“should be able to reach a bipartisan agreement by the end of this week.”
The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=032-bbe&t=c>
(2/6, Kasperowicz) reports six House Democrats have “proposed legislation
to prevent the use of any taxpayer money for President Trump’s border wall,
which would block Trump from funding the wall through an emergency
declaration.”

Mark Tushnet of Harvard Law School asks in a Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=033-47c&t=c>
(2/6) op-ed, “If Congress doesn’t come up with an appropriations bill
funding his beloved wall, can President Trump declare a national emergency
and build the wall anyway?” He concludes that while “a law professor can
come up with wild hypothetical scenarios in which the president should be
able to ignore limits Congress puts on his power to spend money and protect
the nation,” those scenarios “are so far from what we face that no court
would let the president get away with this ultimate move.”

*Pentagon: 250 Troops Sent To Texas To Counter Threat From Migrant
Caravan. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=034-9aa&t=c>
(2/6, Dinan) reports the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday that about 250 active
duty troops have been repositioned to Eagle Pass, Texas “to counter the
threat posed by a new migrant caravan that’s arrived on the U.S.-Mexico
border.” According to officials, the troops “include military police,
medical personnel and engineers.”

*Troop Deployment On Border Could Cost $1B This Fiscal Year. *Citing
figures released by the Department of Defense and independent assessments,
the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=035-07c&t=c>
(2/6, Sonne) reports that the cost of the President’s “deployment of
active-duty troops and National Guard forces to the U.S. border with Mexico
could approach an estimated $1 billion by the end of the fiscal year should
the missions continue apace until then.”

*Judge Rules Federal Government Can Survey Texas Church’s Land For
Border Wall. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=036-640&t=c>
(2/6, Zezima) reports US District Judge Randy Crane ruled Wednesday that
“the federal government can begin surveying land for a border wall on
property that houses a small Texas church against the wishes of the local
Roman Catholic Diocese.” The Post says the decision comes as the
Administration “appears to be moving forward with plans to access private
land for a wall it wants to build along the southern border with Mexico.”
The Times adds that the ruling sets up “a potentially lengthy fight as the
church claims a wall would violate its religious freedom.”

*National Butterfly Center Seeking Restraining Order To Stop Wall
Construction. *The Corpus Christi (TX) Caller-Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=037-8ca&t=c>
(2/6, Alvarado) reports Marianna Treviño-Wright, director of the National
Butterfly Center in Mission. Texas, said that “a draft emergency
restraining order against the federal government” to stop it “from erecting
a 36-foot ‘wall system’ topped with steel bollards through” the Center’s
property “awaits a final read before it is filed, possibly as soon as
Thursday.”

*Arizona City Wants Razor Wire Removed From Border Wall. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=038-fee&t=c>
(2/6) reports officials in Nogales, Arizona “passed a resolution Wednesday
night condemning the installation of new razor wire that now covers the
entirety of a tall border wall through downtown.” The City Council “wants
the federal government to remove all concertina wire installed within the
city limits.” Mayor Arturo Garino said if the wire is not removed, the city
will sue.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=039-b77&t=c>,
“More stunts from Trump Administration trying to create the perception of
rampant lawlessness and crime, but Nogales residents aren’t buying it. The
only ‘crisis’ at the border is the humanitarian one created by his
disastrous policies.”

*Pence On Shutdown: “I Never Think It’s A Mistake To Stand Up For
What You Believe In.” *The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=03a-b88&t=c>
(2/6, story 4, 3:10) aired segments of Jeff Glor’s interview with Vice
President Pence. Glor said, “There was no mention [in the President’s State
of the Union address] of the government workers who missed paychecks during
the shutdown. Why not acknowledge their sacrifices?” Pence: “I think
President in a very real sense wanted to say we have great challenges as a
country, but we can come together to solve those challenges, but it will
take a renewed spirit of unity to accomplish that. Focusing not so much on
the past, not so much on the divisions of the past, but focusing on the
opportunities we have to work together in the future.” Glor: “But some of
those workers really suffered. Why not take a moment the thank them and
acknowledge what happened, 35 days?” Pence: “As the government shutdown
came to an end, the President did just that.” Glor: “Do you think the
shutdown was a mistake?” Pence: “I never think it’s a mistake to stand up
for what you believe in. And I think what the American people admire most
about this President is he says what he means and he means what he says.
... He said he was determined to get the funding to build a wall and secure
our border, and he was willing to take a stand to accomplish that.”

*Trump Says Abrams Would Lose To Perdue In Georgia Senate
Challenge. *In other State of the Union coverage, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=03b-2e7&t=c>
(2/6, Hayes) reports Trump told reporters that Stacey Abrams, “the Democrat
who offered a rebuttal to his State of the Union address, wouldn’t win if
she ran for the Senate or president in 2020. ... While the president noted
her successes” in her 2018 campaign for Georgia governor, which she lost by
a narrow margin, “he didn’t think she had a shot” against Sen. David Perdue
(R-GA) next year. Trump said, “I think it’s a mistake for her to run
against him because I don’t think she can win. ... The people of Georgia
love David Perdue.”

*AP Analysis: Pelosi Reacted To SOTU “With A Smirk And An
Eye-Roll.” *Pelosi’s reactions to Trump’s State of the Union comments are
examined by the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=03c-e3e&t=c>
(2/6, Kellman), which says that “with a smirk and an eye-roll, she set the
tone for the new lawmakers who flipped the House from Republican control
and elected her to lead them.” Pelosi “set the tone even before Trump
spoke. When he arrived on the dais, she looked the president in the eye and
applauded, pointing her hands at him even as she made them clap. As soon as
he looked away, she did, too – and smirked.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=03d-fef&t=c>
(2/6, Shannon) reports, “Social media users widely described the clap as
sarcastic. The image also inspired photoshopped memes showing Pelosi
condescendingly clapping in various situations.”

*Additional Post-SOTU Analysis. *A Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=03e-070&t=c>
(2/6, Salama, Andrews) analysis concludes that the President’s Tuesday
speech seemed geared more toward Trump’s reelection run than toward a
governing agenda for 2019. Lance Morrow of the Ethics and Public Policy
Center makes a similar point in a Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=03f-396&t=c>
(2/6) op-ed, writing that Trump deftly set the stage for his 2020 campaign
with a mix of reasonable proposals and lines meant to appeal to his base.
Henry Olsen writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=040-27d&t=c>
(2/6) column, “President Trump delivered the best, most Reaganesque speech
of his tenure Tuesday night. The challenge will be whether this becomes his
leitmotif going forward or whether it is merely a forgotten and missed
moment.”

A Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=041-7db&t=c>
(2/6) editorial examines Trump’s comments on socialism, with the newspaper
arguing that Democrats in both Congress and on the presidential campaign
trail have promoted far-left ideas such as Medicare For All and a Green New
Deal. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said on CNBC’s Squawk Box[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=042-747&t=c>
(2/6), “As the President talked about last night, his economic program is
working. We’re not going back to socialism. We’re going on an economic plan
for America that works.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Expected To Formally Declare ISIS Has Been Defeated In Syria And Iraq.

President Trump yesterday told a State Department gathering of the
coalition fighting ISIS that he expects to make a formal announcement as
early as next week that the terror group has been defeated. Media reports,
however, cast the President’s remarks as odds with other Administration
officials – including Secretary of State Pompeo – and senior military
officials. Moreover, the story received no coverage on the major network
newscasts.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=043-666&t=c>
(2/6, Wroughton, Mason) quotes Trump as saying, “The United States
military, our coalition partners and the Syrian Democratic Forces have
liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by ISIS in Syria
and Iraq,” adding that the achievement “should be formally announced,
sometime, probably next week, that we will have 100 percent of the
caliphate.” Reuters notes that Pompeo addressed the gathering early
Wednesday, and “reassured the coalition partners that the withdrawal of US
troops from Syria was not ‘the end of America’s fight’ and called on them
to help permanently defeat” ISIS. Reuters says such “warnings by Pompeo and
others...fly in the face of Trump’s December declaration that the militants
had been defeated and the United States would withdraw” its troops from
Syria.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=044-c14&t=c>
(2/6, Lee), however, says Trump vowed yesterday that “the US will not
relent in fighting remnants of the extremist organization despite his
decision to withdraw US troops from Syria.” over the objections of some of
his most senior national security advisers. But “even as Trump and...Pompeo
defended the withdrawal decision,” senior US military officials
“acknowledged to Congress on Wednesday that the pullout would complicate
their efforts.” Assistant Secretary of Defense Owen West told the House
Armed Services Committee that he shared former Defense Secretary James
Mattis’ objections to a US troop withdrawal. At the same hearing, Maj. Gen.
James Hecker, vice director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
said the withdrawal means “it is going to be difficult to keep up the
pressure” on ISIS. BBC World News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=045-cd1&t=c>
(2/6, BBC World News (UK)) likewise says that “US military and intelligence
officials say IS could stage a comeback without sustained counter-terrorism
pressure.”

In reporting Trump’s remarks, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=046-d51&t=c>
(2/6, Morin) notes that US intelligence officials also warned in a recent
report to Congress that “ISIS still commands thousands of fighters in Iraq
and Syria, and it maintains eight branches, more than a dozen networks and
thousands of dispersed supporters around the world, despite significant
leadership and territorial losses.” Politico reports that the President
“conceded, however, that even with the caliphate gone,” there would always
be “sick” and “demented” people. Said Trump, “They’re sick. They’re
demented. But you’re going to have them no matter how well we do
militarily. You can’t do better than we’ve done militarily, but you’ll have
people that will be around but we’ll search them out and you’ll search them
out and we’ll find them.”

During what the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=047-b59&t=c>
(2/6, Morello) calls “the coalition’s first get-together since Trump’s
sudden announcement, on Twitter that the Syria mission was over because, he
contended, the Islamic State had been defeated,” Trump “listed what he
described as military accomplishments against the militants over his two
years in office and took credit for reversing the group’s advances.” Trump
told the meeting that “only two years ago,” when he took office, ISIS “had
a vast amount of territory in Syria and Iraq…and it was a mess. It was a
lot.” The Post, however, says that “with the exception of the city of
Mosul, the majority of the populated territory seized by the militants in
Iraq in 2014 had been retaken under the Obama administration.” Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=048-656&t=c>
(2/6, Baumann), among other outlets, also briefly reports Trump’s comments.

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=049-7fd&t=c>
(2/6, Fredericks) and Al Jazeera English
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=04a-6b3&t=c>
(2/6, English) both describe Pompeo as “reassur[ing]” coalition members. The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=04b-716&t=c>
(2/6, Kheel) likewise says “Pompeo sought to assure members of the
anti-ISIS coalition that the United States remains committed to leading the
fight,” but reports that “questions remain about specifics of the
withdrawal.” In a background call Wednesday morning previewing Trump’s
speech, “a senior administration official said officials are continuing to
work out issues including setting up a buffer zone with Turkey and what to
do with foreign ISIS fighters being held by the Syrian Democratic Forces.”

Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=04c-870&t=c>
(2/6, O'Connor) says “Pompeo again, however, added two additional goals to
the US mission in Syria, which was officially limited to defeating ISIS.”
Pompeo said that “in addition to this coalition’s laser-like focus on
defeating ISIS,” Washington sought “a political solution...and the removal
of all Iranian-led forces from Syria.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=04d-226&t=c>
(2/6, story 3, 2:05, Glor) reported that US forces and allies have “reduced
ISIS territory to he point where everything has become close combat.”
However, a commander said “the final fight has slowed to a grind because
the terror group is holding civilians as human shields.”

*Residents Flee From Last Village Held By ISIS. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=04e-823&t=c>
(2/6, Callimachi, Prickett) reports that “in the last two weeks, thousands
of people have been streaming out of the village of Baghuz, the last speck
of land under Islamic State control in Iraq and Syria, an area where the
group once ruled a dominion the size of Britain.” The militants, however,
“are now trapped in an area about the size of Central Park.” The Times says
that “to the west, they are hemmed in by Syrian government forces. To the
south is the Iraqi border,” and “from the north and east, they are being
fought by an American-backed Kurdish and Arab militia known as the Syrian
Democratic Forces.”

*Votel Says US Needs To Protect Syrian Kurds. *Kurdistan24
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=04f-005&t=c>
(2/6, Ismael) reports CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel told the Senate
Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the US “need[s] to protect
America’s Kurdish allies as the US withdraws forces from Syria.” Votel told
the panel that protecting the Kurds “is a key aspect of the ongoing
planning right now.”

*Gabbard: Assad Is “Not The Enemy Of The United States.” *The
Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=050-f48&t=c>
(2/6, Yilek) reports Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), a Democratic presidential
hopeful, said Wednesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad is not “an
enemy” of the US. On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Gabbard said, “Assad is not the
enemy of the United States, because Syria does not pose a direct threat to
the United States.” Hours later on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=051-7f4&t=c>,
she “offered a defense of the interview,” saying, “We heard attacks from
warmongers in politics/media before. Those opposed to Iraq/Libya/Syria
regime change wars are called ‘dicatator-lovers’ or ‘cozy’ with evil
regimes. Rather than defend their position, they resort to name-calling &
smears. American people wont fall for this.”
Moscow Talks With Taliban End With Positive Comments.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=052-14f&t=c>
(2/6, Higgins, Mashal) reports two days of talks in Moscow – “the first
significant public contact between the Taliban and prominent Afghans in
years” – ended with “the Taliban and prominent Afghan politicians” saying
“they had charted a broad road map for ending” the conflict in Afghanistan,
“structured around the withdrawal of American forces from the country and
the Taliban’s commitment to citizens’ fundamental rights.” However, the
final statement released “lacked details” and had no timetable for US
troops to withdraw. Former Afghan president and the leader of the
politicians’ delegation Hamid Karzai called the talks a “big achievement.”
However, with including the Afghan government, “the event was a
brainstorming session.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=053-fd8&t=c>
(2/6, Tsvetkova) reports that while Russia’s RIA news agency quoted Taliban
official Abdul Salam Hanafi “as saying that Washington had promised to pull
out half of its troops from Afghanistan by the end of April,” Hanafi denied
he made the comment, saying that there was no agreement on a timetable and
that negotiations continue.

*Wardak: Afghanistan Should Negotiate With The Taliban. *In a
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=054-af6&t=c>
(2/6) op-ed, former Afghan parliamentary candidate Zakia Wardak argues that
the ongoing US-Taliban negotiations “are a positive development – as long
as they ultimately clear the way for a truly ‘Afghan-owned’ peace process.”
Wardak writes that Afghanistan’s modern history shows how “no era has been
entirely safe for Afghanistan’s people,” and she warns about the
increasingly slim odds of success in eliminating the Taliban. Wardak
suggests the only way forward for reconciliation is to engage the Taliban
as fellow Afghans and not as enemies.
South Koreans Welcome Trump’s Announcement About Kim Meeting.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=055-07e&t=c>
(2/6, Denyermin, Kim) reports that the government of South Korea “welcomed
President Trump’s announcement that he will meet...Kim Jong Un in Vietnam
on Feb. 27, expressing hope...that the pair can build off their first
meeting to make ‘more specific and substantial progress.’” The Post says
“some” South Koreans “give [Trump] credit for opening a dialogue with Kim
after years of drift under his predecessor, Barack Obama. But some also
criticize him for failing to elicit any concrete pledges about
denuclearization...in Singapore last June.” According to the Post, Kim
Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in
Seoul, said Trump’s State of the Union “rhetoric about preventing a war”
was “‘somewhat exaggerated’ but acknowledged Trump’s role in the detente
with North Korea.” Kim is quoted as saying, “It is worth noting that
Trump’s decision to talk directly to Kim Jong-un has marked a dramatic turn
in North Korea’s attitude.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=056-b8b&t=c>
(2/6, Dinh) reports, “Governments across Asia on Wednesday expressed hope”
that the summit “will produce concrete results.” Japan “said it hopes the
summit will be ‘meaningful’ and lead to the complete denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula,” and Vietnam’s foreign ministry “said Vietnam ‘stands
ready to actively contribute to & cooperate’ to ensure the summit’s
success.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=057-c59&t=c>
(2/6, Riechmann) reports that “at the second Trump-Kim summit, some experts
say North Korea is likely to seek to trade the destruction of its main
Yongbyon nuclear complex for a U.S. promise to formally declare the end of
the 1950-53 Korean War, open a liaison office in Pyongyang and allow the
North to resume some lucrative economic projects with South Korea.”

*Morrell: Trump Needs To Make Sure Kim Is Actually Working Towards
Denuclearization. *Appearing on CBS This Morning[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=058-ca3&t=c>
(2/6), former acting CIA director Michael Morrell was asked about Trump’s
remarks on his State of the Union address on his upcoming meeting with Kim.
Morrell said, “I think the President deserves credit for getting us into
negotiations. That’s important. But look at what’s happened since the first
summit. They stopped nuclear testing, but they’ve made no move at all
toward denuclearization. In fact, we know they continue to do activities on
the grounds to advance their program. And sanctions have weakened. ... What
the President has to do at the second summit, is...make clear to Kim that
he’s got to move toward negotiations or he’s not going to get another
summit.”

*Trump Approach To North Korea Praised. *Hudson Institute Senior
Fellow Tod Lindberg, in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019020701biden&r=email-87de&l=059-068&t=c>
(2/6), praises the Trump Administration’s efforts to achieve North Korea’s
denuclearization. Lindberg contrasts it with the Obama Administration’s
handling of Iran, arguing that Trump is better for being stringent on the
nuclear issue while dismissing efforts to change the behavior of the regime
on issues such as human rights. Lindberg concludes that while Trump’s
diplomacy may fail, the US can then turn to more coercive options.
Maduro Moves To Block US Aid To Venezuela.

Kerry Sanders reported on NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
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(2/6, story 5, 1:15, Holt) reported that on orders of Venezuelan leader
Nicolás Maduro the military moved to use “trailers to block desperately
needed food and supplies from the United States.” The CBS Evening News[image:
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(2/6, story 5, 2:05, Glor) reported Maduro said, in NBC’s words, “the US
wants to humiliate Venezuela by sending aid.” CBS (Palmer) added, “Vast
numbers of” Valenzuela’s military are “on a salary of about six dollars a
month [and] have had enough.” An unidentified Venezuelan soldier said, “My
salary isn’t even enough to buy food.” He added, “All we need is a
high-ranking general to rebel, to lead the way” and the rank-and-file will
switch sides.

The Washington Post
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(2/6, Zuñiga) reports Secretary of State Pompeo “blasted Nicolás Maduro” of
blocking the humanitarian aid, tweeting
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“The U.S. & other countries are trying to help, but #Venezuela’s military
under Maduro’s orders is blocking aid with trucks and shipping tankers. The
Maduro regime must LET THE AID REACH THE STARVING PEOPLE.” Additionally,
National Security Adviser Bolton tweeted
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that senior officers with the Venezuelan military could be spared financial
penalties if they recognize “the constitutional government of President
Juan Guaidó. If not, the international financial circle will be closed off
completely.” Meanwhile, “relief agencies and nongovernmental organizations
worry that aid is being politicized and could become a pawn in this and
future political brawls.”

The AP
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(2/6, Armario, Smith) reports Guaidó “described the emergency shipments as
a ‘test’ for Venezuela’s armed forces, which will have to choose if they
allow the much needed aid to pass, or if they instead obey orders.”

*Bloomberg News Analysis: Russia Increasingly Concerned About
Maduro’s Hold On Power. *Bloomberg News
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(2/6, Meyer, Arkhipov) says that “after pledging full support for the
embattled” Maduro regime, “Russia is starting to show signs of doubt about
his ability to survive an opposition challenge.” According to Bloomberg
News, “While Moscow hasn’t given up its public backing of Maduro, it
increasingly recognizes that the disastrous state of Venezuela’s economy is
inexorably draining what remains of his public support.” Bloomberg News
adds, “Moscow remains wary of Maduro’s U.S.-backed opponents but is acutely
aware how few levers it has to rescue a client who’s too deep in financial
distress for the Kremlin to bail him out and too far away for Russia to
deploy significant military force to shore him up.”

*Maduro Reportedly Sold 40% Of Venezuela’s Gold Last Year. *Bloomberg
News
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(2/6, Laya, Vasquez) reports that opposition lawmaker Carlos Paparoni said
the Maduro regime “blew through more than 40 percent of Venezuela’s gold
reserves last year in a desperate bid to fund government programs and pay
millions to bondholders.” According to Bloomberg News, “The government sold
a total of 73 tons of gold to two firms in the United Arab Emirates and
another in Turkey,” which “drained reserves to about 110 tons at the end of
last year from 184 tons.” Reuters
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(2/6, Pons, Armas) reports that Paparoni also said that those opposing
Maduro “would use a U.S.-based fund to receive some of the country’s oil
income.”

*WPost: US Must Not Become “Protagonist” Of Venezuela Drama. *In an
editorial, the Washington Post
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(2/6) warns that while rhetoric by the Administration and some of its
critics “often cast the United States as the instigator” of the crisis in
Venezuela, that isn’t true and for Maduro to be ousted “the Trump
administration must take care not to let the United States become the
protagonist of this drama.” The Post calls for the US to “work closely with
the Lima Group,” created by Canada and a dozen Latin American nations to
address the crisis, “and avoid separating itself from the regional
consensus.” That means not offering talk about “unrealistic” military
intervention that “alienates Latin Americans who otherwise support Mr.
Maduro’s ouster” and ceasing “to focus on urging action by the Venezuelan
military” instead of stressing “the need for a peaceful transition and new
democratic elections.”
Mnuchin Talking With Waters About Testimony On Easing Russia Sanctions.

Politico
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(2/6, Warmbrodt, Desiderio) reports Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is in talks
with House Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters about appearing
before her committee after “Waters called on Mnuchin to testify amid
complaints by Democrats that Treasury failed to deliver documents they
requested regarding the department’s decision to lift penalties targeting
billionaire Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of President
Vladimir Putin.” A Treasury spokesperson said the two are working to find a
“mutually agreeable date.” Politico adds, “Efforts to resist congressional
testimony are becoming somewhat of a pattern among some Cabinet officials
in the new era of House Democratic oversight,” with Mnuchin resisting
appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee and HHS Secretary Azar
refusing to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

*Putin Warns Russia Is Developing Hypersonic Missiles. *The New
York Times
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(2/6, Higgins) reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin, “alarmed by
the Trump administration” dropping the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces
Treaty, increased his warnings that Russia is developing “invincible”
hypersonic missiles.” However, “some experts dismissed Mr. Putin’s program
as a bluff,” and it is increasingly clear” that Russia has “severe limits”
on funds for such weapons. “Putin has long struggled to balance domestic
political calculations with” his ambitions for the country, “apparently
mindful of how the Soviet Union spent itself into oblivion by trying to
match each advance in military technology and hardware by Washington.” Over
the weekend, Putin warned Defense Minister Sergei K. Shoigu against being
“drawn into an expensive arms race.”
EU Rebuffs May On New Brexit Deal.

Reuters
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(2/6, Baczynska, Macdonald) reports European Council President Donald Tusk,
in “pointedly blunt language,” said the EU will not make another offer on
Brexit and that those who promoted it without a plan to accomplish it
deserve a “special place in hell.” Tusk also said he no longer believes
that Brexit can be avoided and has switched priorities to avoiding a
“fiasco” when Britain leaves. Meanwhile, “in another stark indication of
the stakes for Britain of a disorderly Brexit,” Irish nationalists said
that a no-deal Brexit would require “a referendum on Irish unity.” Tusk’s
comments reflect the frustration that “runs deep among European leaders
over the British parliament’s rejection of the divorce deal and May’s
demands that the EU now give up on key principles or face disruption in
just 50 days.”
Mnuchin Heading To China, No Plans For Trump-Xi Meeting.

The AP
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(2/6, Superville) reports that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said “there are
no plans yet” for President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to “meet
soon in hope of finalizing a trade deal.” The AP says Mnuchin and USTR
Lighthizer are “leading a team to Beijing next week to continue the talks,
but nothing is yet on the books for a Trump-Xi meeting.” Mnuchin is quoted
as saying, “I can tell you there’s nothing planned at this time for it. ...
I can tell you one thing about this President. He works very hard. Wherever
he is he ca