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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Friday, January 25, 2019 7:56 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
January 25, 2019


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=000-61f&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=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=001-860&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, January 25, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• WPost: Corsi Emerging As One OF Mueller’s “Most Vexing Witnesses.” <#S1>

• Biden Defends Having Praised GOP Lawmaker In Paid Speech Ahead Of
Midterms. <#S2>

• WPost Analysis: Unclear Whether “Biden Brand” Can Find Traction In 2020
Democratic Race. <#S3>

• Politico Mag: Personal Tragedies Shaped Biden. <#S4>

• Biden Discusses Memoir During Thursday Visit To Grand Prairie, Texas.
<#S5>

• Warren To Propose 2% Wealth Tax On Those Worth Over $50 Million, 3% On
Billionaires. <#S6>

• Harris Hires Brown As Her New Hampshire Campaign Director. <#S7>

• “Draft Beto” Efforts Have Campaign Infrastructure In Place, If O’Rourke
Opts To Launch Bid. <#S8>

• Democrat Hickenlooper “Leaning” Toward Entering Race For President. <#S9>

• McAuliffe Says He’ll Make Decision On 2020 Race By End Of March. <#S10>

• African-American Women A Critical Voting Bloc In 2020 Democratic Race.
<#S11>

• Voter Data Suggest Trump Currently “The Favorite” To Win Florida In 2020.
<#S12>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• White House Preparing Draft National Emergency Order To Build Border Wall.
<#S13>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• US Orders Nonessential Personnel To Leave Venezuela, Some Diplomats To
Remain. <#S14>

• Ross Downplays Expectations For Next Week’s US-China Trade Talks. <#S15>

• Trump Says Media Unfairly Portraying Lack Of Progress In US-North Korea
Talks. <#S16>

• State Department Official: US Offered To Hold Arms Control Talks With
Russia. <#S17>

• Treasury Imposes Sanctions On Iranian Militias, Airlines. <#S18>

• US-Backed Forces Moving Against Remaining Two ISIS Villages. <#S19>

• Progress On Deal For US To Withdraw Troops And Taliban Keep Terrorists
From Afghanistan. <#S20>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Breaking News: Roger Stone Indicted By Special Counsel, Arrested By FBI.
<#S21>

• Trump Would Consider Temporary CR Deal If It Contained “Large Down
Payment” For Wall. <#S22>

• Media Analyses: Ross, Kudlow Show Administration’s Difficulties Showing
Empathy During Shutdown. <#S23>

• US To Return Asylum Seekers To Mexico Starting Friday. <#S24>

• Senate Intelligence Committee Subpoenas Cohen. <#S25>

• Neal Indicates He Will Not Rush Seeking Trump’s Tax Returns. <#S26>

• Census Bureau Survey Finds Americans Fear Citizenship Question. <#S27>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• FDA Recommends Limitations In Using Lilly’s Soft Tissue Sarcoma Drug.
<#S28>

• Suicide Risk Increased In Year After Cancer Diagnosis, Study Suggests.
<#S29>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S30>

• Washington Post. <#S31>
Biden in the News
WPost: Corsi Emerging As One OF Mueller’s “Most Vexing Witnesses.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=002-4a3&t=c>
(1/24, Helderman) reports that “conspiracy theorist” Jerome Corsi has,
“over the past several months...emerged as one of special counsel Robert S.
Mueller III’s most vexing witnesses in his probe of Russian interference in
the 2016 campaign.” The article continues to detail “the now-frayed
relationship between Corsi” and “longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone.”

*Jerome Corsi’s Stepson Appears Before Robert Mueller’s Grand Jury.
*The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=003-e16&t=c>
(1/24, Mordock) reports Andrew Stettner, the stepson of conspiracy theorist
Jerome Corsi, “appeared before special counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury
on Thursday, according to a report.” Stettner was reportedly questioned for
about an hour, as investigators seek to determine if Corsi and Trump
campaign adviser Roger Stone “had advanced knowledge of WikiLeaks’ plans to
release hacked email from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the
Democratic National Committee.” The article reports Corsi “told Fox News
that investigators want to ask his stepson about text messages they
exchanged about whether Mr. Corsi’s computer was being ‘scrubbed.’”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=004-b24&t=c>
(1/24, Balsamo) reports “prosecutors did not ask Stettner about any other
topics and did not question him about Stone,” according to lawyer Larry
Klayman, who represents Stettner and Corsi.
Biden Defends Having Praised GOP Lawmaker In Paid Speech Ahead Of Midterms.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=005-a14&t=c>
(1/24, Burns) reports that during a Thursday speech at the Conference of
Mayors’ winter meeting in Washington, DC, former vice President Joe Biden
“defended his decision to praise an embattled” GOP congressman “during a
paid speech in Michigan last fall,” saying “that it reflected his
philosophy of how to ‘get things done.’” The Times says it reported a day
earlier that Biden “earned $200,000 for an October speaking engagement in
Benton Harbor, Mich., three weeks before the midterm elections.” In that
address, Biden lauded Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), “who joined with Mr. Biden to
increase funding for cancer research and, separately, helped forge
legislation to gut the Affordable Care Act.” On Thursday, Biden gave “a
forceful defense of his supportive remarks about Mr. Upton, signaling that
he has no intention of blunting his instinct toward bipartisanship and
compromise in the event that he runs for president. “

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=006-7e7&t=c>
(1/24, Boyer) quotes Biden as saying, “I read in The New York Times today
that one of my problems is, if I ever were to run for president, is that I
like Republicans. Well, bless me, Father, for I have sinned.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=007-038&t=c>
(1/24, Bowden) reported that Biden’s “remark drew laughter in the room.” In
an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=008-bfa&t=c>
(1/24, Saenz) reported that Biden’s “defense of bipartisanship offers a
preview of a possible message” he “could embrace should he run for
president in 2020. Biden often touts his work reaching across the aisle
during his 36 years in the Senate as well as his two terms as vice
president under President Barack Obama.”

The Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=009-e2d&t=c>
(1/24, Resnick) reported, “During his Thursday speech, Biden referenced
the” Times’ story “as a positive aspect of his belief in bipartisanship.
‘Where I come from, I don’t know how you get anything done,’ he said. ‘I
don’t know how you get anything done unless we start talking to one another
again.’” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=00a-ca9&t=c>
(1/24, Yilek) reports that Biden on Thursday “asked how lawmakers could get
anything done if they’re not reaching across the aisle. ‘This is a pretty
dysfunctional town,’ he said. ‘It’s like we’ve divided the country into
pieces. How can we be one America if we continue down this road? I don’t
care what your party affiliation is.’”

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=00b-b57&t=c>
(1/24, Schwab) reports that Biden “pointed to the Times report and
explained that he had praised Upton ‘about the fight against cancer,’ as
the” Congressman “was among those who supported the 21st Century Cures Act,
which gave $8.5 billion to the National Institutes of Health to bolster
cancer research. ‘And it mattered,’ Biden said. ‘It saved lives. And he
stepped up, he and three other Republicans stepped up and helped us pass
it. And so I acknowledged that and now I’m – I don’t know what I am,’ he
said, seemingly miffed by the criticism.” On its website, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=00c-06c&t=c>
(1/24, Memoli) reported that the remarks “pointed to a theme that would be
at the heart of a potential Biden candidacy – that his long track record of
reaching bipartisan deals with Republicans on thorny policy issues would be
critical after a tumultuous four year presidency of...Trump.”

In an online article, ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=00d-d05&t=c>
(1/24, Nagle) reported, “Many have questioned if Biden’s bipartisan
approach will make it difficult for him to gain support with the liberal
wing of the party, who want to serve as a check on Republicans, rather than
work with them. It could set up for a make-or-break strategy for Biden –
gambling that voters will respond to a seasoned politician who touts his
success at reaching across party lines, and wants to win back blue-collar
voters Democrats lost to President Trump.” Similarly, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=00e-c2a&t=c>
(1/24, Morin) reported that while he “has a longstanding reputation as a
bipartisan deal-maker,” Biden’s praise of Upton “during last year’s heated
midterms could hinder a possible presidential bid in 2020, especially with
an increasingly packed Democratic field.”

Writing for Vox
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=00f-99b&t=c>
(1/24), Dylan Scott says, “Praising a House Republican for their good work
on cancer research isn’t exactly at odds with how Biden views himself or
wants to present himself to the public. He wants people to believe he can
bring Americans together. But if Biden decides to jump into the race, the
question will be whether that’s the message Democratic primary voters want
to hear right now.” In an online article, Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=010-640&t=c>
(1/24, Shaw) reported that Biden “struck a uniquely bipartisan and
pragmatic tone as he joked about criticism he’s received for getting along
with Republicans – perhaps an effort to distinguish himself from a largely
liberal field of candidates vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential
nomination, as he weighs a bid of his own.”

Writing for the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=011-540&t=c>
(1/24), Philip Wegmann said that Biden “offered a rare public confession”
in telling the gathering of mayors, “I read in the New York Times today
that one of my problems is, if I ever were to run for president, I like
Republicans. Well, bless me father, for I have sinned.” Wegmann added, “GOP
voters will see his confession as a nice bipartisan overture. They just
aren’t likely to take it seriously.”

In a very negative piece headlined “Joe Biden Should Run, Just To
Represent The Kind Of Politics Democrats Must Abandon,” Charles Pierce
writes for Esquire Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=012-de4&t=c>
(1/24) that while he hopes Biden enters the 2020 race, the former Vice
President “simply cannot be the Democratic nominee for president. Not in
this Democratic Party and not after those midterms, he can’t.” Asserting
that Biden “is a nostalgia candidate” and “a terrible one,” Pierce goes on
to slam Biden over the Times’ story and his Thursday comments on the
article. The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=013-f74&t=c>
(1/24, Cimmino) and the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=014-03d&t=c>
(1/24, Davis), also report on Biden’s comments about the Times’ story.

*Addressing Nation’s Mayors, Biden Issues Call For National Unity. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=015-ddf&t=c>
(1/24, Gibson) reports that in his Thursday address to the gathering of
mayors, Biden “called for national unity amid political divisiveness.” In a
speech delivered “steps away from the White House, Biden spoke about the
importance of investment in infrastructure and addressing climate change,
delivering veiled criticism of President Donald Trump.” Said Biden, “We are
in trouble, but we were in so much more trouble in the past. The American
people are capable of doing anything.” Biden “did not refer to Trump by
name, but criticized the administration for withdrawing from the 2015 Paris
climate agreement. ‘The administration has walked away but there is no
reason we can’t pull us back on the path,’ Biden said.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=016-1cb&t=c>
(1/24, Beaumont) reports that Biden “said that the country longs to be
united and that he was proud to have worked with Republicans during the
course of his career. Biden also conveyed a sense of optimism about the
path ahead. ‘I think we’ve got to start believing in our people again.
We’re tougher than we think we are,’ he said ,” adding, “We’re looking to
be led.” The Guardian (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=017-496&t=c>
(1/24, Smith) reports that Biden issued “a plea for national unity and
healing, an urgent warning about the threat of climate change and a
counterintuitive pitch that Democrats’ best hope for the future actually
lies in the past.”

*WPost’s Rubin Lauds Biden’s Speech. *Writing on the website
of the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=018-891&t=c>
(1/24), Jennifer Rubin praises Biden’s Thursday speech, saying “he
displayed his considerable, granular grasp of urban policies while
transmitting a remarkably optimistic message. ‘It’s time to lift our
heads,’ he told the attendees.” Rubin says, “Mayors heard a plea for
maturity (you can ask more of the people, he advised) and mastery of
nitty-gritty details. They also saw someone not at war with Republicans,
who he insisted shared many of the goals of Democrats (and will come to
their senses once they’ve dumped a crazed president, I suppose).” Rubin
adds that Biden “makes a solid case that after four years of ignorance,
incompetence and going it alone in the world while neglecting ordinary
Americans’ needs,” he “can provide a familiar, almost paternal voice.”
WPost Analysis: Unclear Whether “Biden Brand” Can Find Traction In 2020
Democratic Race.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=019-e7b&t=c>
(1/24, Viser) reports that as former Vice President Joe Biden mulls a White
House bid, “the open question, asked even by” his “supporters and advisers,
is whether there is a market in 2020 for the Biden brand. The Democratic
Party over the past two years has become increasingly partisan and
sharp-edged,” driven “by a visceral hatred of Trump. And in its sharp
shift, it has turned toward things that Biden, the 76-year-old lifetime
pol, most certainly is not: fresh faces, minorities, and women. His
strategy of casting himself as the bridge from one generation to the next,
and as the one who can win over pragmatic Democrats as well as disaffected
Republicans, would test the limits of Democratic primary voters who have
encouraged the most diverse crop of candidates in history.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=01a-103&t=c>
(1/24, McLaughlin) reports, “He leads in the polls of likely Democratic
primary voters nationally, but activists and analysts still aren’t certain
there’s room for a...Biden presidential candidacy in 2020.” The Times says,
“Activists this year view the presidential race as a chance to prove that
the party’s center of gravity has shifted to the left and see 2020 as a
time to nominate a warrior for liberal causes who will do everything in his
or her power to thwart the Trump agenda. ‘Trotting out old warhorses has
been a failing strategy everywhere,’ said Adam Green, co-founder of the
Progressive Change Campaign Committee, which is gung-ho about Sen.
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who launched an exploratory committee
this month.”

Writing on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=01b-991&t=c>
(1/24), David Weigel said, “Even as Biden leads in speculative polls, even
as some senior Democrats insist he could” defeat “Trump, few in the party –
including his rivals – are treating him like a front runner.” As to why
that’s the case, Weigel said Democratic operatives argued: Biden hasn’t
“turned his popularity into a real network of support”; his age is a
drawback; he’d “struggle to excite the voters who were hardest to turn
out”; and “his long voting record, which put him on the record for
everything from the antiabortion Hyde Amendment (now officially opposed by
the Democratic platform) to crack/cocaine sentencing disparities to
legislation that made it harder to declare bankruptcy.”

*Writer: Biden Gives Democrats Their Best Shot At Defeating Trump. *In
an op-ed that appeared on the website of NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=01c-ae1&t=c>
(1/24), political commentator Ashley Pratte, who serves on the Board of
Republican Women for Progress, wrote, “If liberals, independents and former
Republicans agree on any one thing...it is that finding a Democratic
nominee who can beat Donald Trump in 2020 is of paramount importance.”
Pratte said “that nominee will need to transcend party politics and appeal
to moderate voters, swing voters and independent voters (like me) who no
longer have a political affiliation after that dumpster fire of an
election. That is why Joe Biden is arguably the party’s best hope for 2020.
As the most established, qualified, experienced, likable, popular and
bipartisan Democrat exploring a bid for the presidency, his ability to
relate to blue-collar Americans and his jovial demeanor make him the ideal
candidate to go toe-to-toe with...Trump.”
Politico Mag: Personal Tragedies Shaped Biden.

Under the heading “How Grief Became Joe Biden’s ‘Superpower,’” Michael
Kruse writes of former Vice President Joe Biden in a piece for Politico
Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=01d-be6&t=c>
(1/25), “There is no person in American politics today whose life has been
so shaped by loss and grief. ... In 1972, his wife and baby daughter were
killed in a car accident; in 2015, one of his two sons who had survived the
crash died of a rare strain of brain cancer.” Those tragedies “influenced
major decisions he made about his political career. ... And they defined
him as a person as well, according to longtime friends, former aides and
veteran politicos in his home state.” The tragedies “made him more
relatable, more authentic, more empathetic,” and may also have “contributed
to his propensity for impolitic, loose-lipped gaffes – life is short, let
it rip.” Kruse adds, “Overall, though, and over time, Biden has managed to
turn his grief into a sort of interpersonal gift.”
Biden Discusses Memoir During Thursday Visit To Grand Prairie, Texas.

The Dallas Morning News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=01e-c73&t=c>
(1/24, Jeffers) reports that during a Thursday visit to Grand Prairie,
Texas, “to his talk about his memoir, Promise Me, Dad,” former Vice
President Joe Biden “said nothing about whether he would seek the
Democratic nomination for president in 2020. Instead he stuck to the themes
outlined in his book, a relatively quick read at 260 pages that deals with
the death of his elder son, Beau, his foreign policy work as vice president
and the decision not to run for president in 2016.”
Warren To Propose 2% Wealth Tax On Those Worth Over $50 Million, 3% On
Billionaires.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=01f-2b3&t=c>
(1/24, Ingraham) reports that economist Emmanuel Saez, who has been working
with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on a tax plan, says Warren “will propose
a new annual ‘wealth tax’ on Americans with more than $50 million in
assets.” The Post says Saez and Gabriel Zucman, “two left-leaning
economists at the University of California, Berkeley, have been advising
Warren on a proposal to levy a 2 percent wealth tax on Americans with
assets above $50 million, as well as a 3 percent wealth tax on those who
have more than $1 billion.” According to Saez, “The wealth tax would raise
$2.75 trillion over a ten-year period from about 75,000 families, or less
than 0.1 percent of U.S. households.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=020-2e1&t=c>
(1/24, Pendleton) reports that Jeff Bezos, “the world’s richest person,
would have to pay $4.1 billion in the first year under...Warren’s
soon-to-be proposed wealth tax, based on his current net worth of $137.1
billion.” Bezos “and the other 174 Americans on the Bloomberg Billionaires
Index, a ranking of the world’s 500 richest people, would collectively owe
$61 billion.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=021-b38&t=c>
(1/24, Schor) also reports on the story.

*Warren To Visit Nevada Today. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=022-383&t=c>
(1/24) reports that Warren is set to make “her first visit to Nevada since
launching her exploratory bid for president. Warren will hold an event at 7
p.m. Friday night at the Springs Preserve gardens, museum and events center
in Las Vegas.”
Harris Hires Brown As Her New Hampshire Campaign Director.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=023-e4f&t=c>
(1/24, Cadelago) reported that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who is exploring
a run for president, “has made her first big staff hire in an early primary
state, bringing on Craig Brown to be her state director in New Hampshire, a
campaign aide” said. Brown most recently managed the campaign of state Sen.
Molly Kelly (D-NH), who was defeated by Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) in
November’s election. Politico added, “A Manchester, N.H., native, Brown has
spent years climbing the ranks of Granite State politics, rising from
deputy field director for former Gov. Maggie Hassan’s 2012 campaign to
helping direct Hillary Clinton’s New Hampshire operation in 2016.”

The Concord (NH) Monitor
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=024-d43&t=c>
(1/24, Steinhauser) reports, “There have been questions and concerns since
Harris declared her candidacy Monday regarding whether she would emphasize
other early voting states at the expense of New Hampshire.” However, “the
Harris campaign indicated that Brown’s hiring showed that” she “will be
taking New Hampshire seriously.” The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=025-e00&t=c>
(1/24, Pindell) describes the securing of Brown as “a significant hire” for
Harris.
“Draft Beto” Efforts Have Campaign Infrastructure In Place, If O’Rourke
Opts To Launch Bid.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=026-b3f&t=c>
(1/24, Siders) reported that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) hasn’t entered
the 2020 race for president, “but he has a campaign-in-waiting. And if he”
opts to run, “he’ll be handed an existing infrastructure that could help
mitigate the effects of a late entry into the” contest. Politico said, “Two
separate ‘Draft Beto’ efforts have become a significant force to keep
public attention focused on him as a potential presidential candidate. And
their groundwork in early primary states could prove critical if O’Rourke
enters the race, delivering a roster of consultants and supporters for him
to tap into if he runs.”
Democrat Hickenlooper “Leaning” Toward Entering Race For President.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=027-ffb&t=c>
(1/24) reported that ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) on Thursday “said he
is ‘leaning’ toward running for president in 2020 and that he’s looking to
make a decision in the coming weeks. ‘We’re certainly looking at it very
closely and I think in the next few weeks we’re going to decide whether
we’re going to run in 2020, but I’d say we’re leaning in that direction,’
Hickenlooper told Hill. TV.” The Democrat “said he still has a ‘long list’
of considerations to make before throwing his name into the mix, including
the impact it would have on his family.”
McAuliffe Says He’ll Make Decision On 2020 Race By End Of March.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=028-de7&t=c>
(1/24, Bedard) reported that ex-Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA), “who is
inching toward a 2020 Democratic presidential bid,” on Thursday blasted
“President Trump’s leadership, blaming him for expanding racial division in
America.” McAuliffe “initially joked about his 2020 plans. ‘I’m going to
announce right here,’ he said at a conference on the Trump presidency at
the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics in Charlottesville, Va.
More seriously, he said, ‘I will make a decision by March 31.’ And he
promised, ‘I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure that Donald
Trump is not in office in 2020.’” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=029-eda&t=c>
(1/24, Burke) reported that McAuliffe said “he doesn’t believe Trump ‘has a
moral core.’ ‘I don’t think he does anything to try and bring people
together or to try to uplift our country. Everything is about Trump, is
about him,’ he said. McAuliffe, a close ally of the Clintons and the former
chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said last month that he was
‘obviously thinking’ about running for president and that Democrats need a
‘realistic’ candidate.”
African-American Women A Critical Voting Bloc In 2020 Democratic Race.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=02a-26c&t=c>
(1/24, Jamerson) reports that African-American women will be a key
demographic in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. The Journal says
that 37% of voters in South Carolina’s 2016 Democratic presidential primary
were African-American women, the biggest slice of the electorate in that
contest. The Journal says that African-American women also make up
significant chunks of the Democratic primary electorate in other states,
particularly in the South.
Voter Data Suggest Trump Currently “The Favorite” To Win Florida In 2020.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=02b-20c&t=c>
(1/25, Caputo) reports that Florida “looks even more like Trump Country
heading into 2020. Newly released Florida voter data suggest President
Donald Trump will begin his reelection campaign as the favorite,” powered
by “white voters who broke Republican and showed up in such big numbers in
2018 that it looked as if they were casting ballots in a presidential
election and not a midterm. That amped up turnout came despite an
unprecedented Democratic effort in 2018 and record turnout numbers for
young, African-American and Hispanic voters in a midterm election,
according to new figures from the Florida Division of Elections. As a
result, Republicans managed to hold on to the governor’s mansion for the
sixth midterm in a row, defeat a three-term incumbent U.S. senator and
dominate the state legislature. ‘Florida is Trump’s state to lose,’ said
Matthew Isbell, a Democratic data analyst who crunched the newly released
voter numbers.”
Leading the News
White House Preparing Draft National Emergency Order To Build Border Wall.

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=02c-07b&t=c>
(1/24, Alvarez, Kupperman) reports on its website that the White House “is
preparing a draft proclamation” for President Trump “to declare a national
emergency along the southern border and has identified more than $7 billion
in potential funds for his signature border wall should he go that route.”
The President “has not ruled out using his authority to declare a national
emergency and direct the Defense Department to construct a border wall as
Congress and the White House fight over a deal to end the government
shutdown. But while Trump’s advisers remain divided on the issue, the White
House has been moving forward with alternative plans that would bypass
Congress.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=02d-e8a&t=c>
(1/24, Samuels) reports, “The draft declaration argues that the ‘massive
amount of aliens who unlawfully enter the United States each day is a
direct threat to the safety and security of our nation and constitutes a
national emergency,’ CNN reported.” Funding would be expected to come “from
military construction and Pentagon civil works funds, with additional
funding coming from treasury forfeitures” and DHS. Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=02e-476&t=c>
(1/24, DeMarche) reports on its website that White House Director of
Strategic Communications Mercedes Schlapp confirmed Trump “is considering
the option to declare a national emergency to force the construction of his
long-promised border wall.”

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=02f-397&t=c>
(1/25, Schultz, Fredericks) reports a draft of the order reportedly reads,
“The massive amount of aliens who unlawfully enter the United States each
day is a direct threat to the safety and security of our nation and
constitutes a national emergency.” However, the Daily Intelligencer (NY)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=030-e72&t=c>
(1/25, Stieb) reports Trump “reportedly views the national emergency option
as a ‘last resort,’ suggesting he may be ready for a less constitutionally
fraught exit strategy.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=031-efc&t=c>
(1/24), the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=032-7d2&t=c>
(1/24, Giaritelli), the Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=033-8db&t=c>
(1/24), and Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=034-be6&t=c>
(1/24) have reports based on the CNN story.

Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=035-281&t=c>,
“The White House is desperate. They: -Shut down the government -Threatened
a national emergency -Backed off of the national emergency threat -Proposed
a sham ‘compromise’ -Deal fails in the Senate – And now back to declaring a
national emergency? Just. Open. The. Government.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=036-f45&t=c>,
“It wasn’t an emergency last week. It wasn’t an emergency when the GOP
controlled Congress & the White House. It’s not an emergency now. Trump
invented this emergency when Mexico & 70% of Americans said no deal.”

Politico’s Burgess Everett tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=037-83e&t=c>,
“Rs and WH aides say national emergency last resort but still on table.
Some trying to discourage it.” CNN’s Paul Begala tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=038-695&t=c>,
“If @realDonaldTrump declares a ‘national emergency’ to fund a wall
Congress has refused to appropriate money for, there will be enormous
pressure on the next Dem President to declare emergencies and bypass
Congress on, say, gun safety, climate change, etc.” George W. Bush
Administration ethics counsel Richard Painter tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=039-00c&t=c>,
“If he was going to do this (and take his chances of being overruled in the
courts) why didn’t he do this a month ago instead of shutting down the
government? What a stupid waste of taxpayer money.”

*CRS Analysis: Statute Allows Trump To Use DOD Resources To Build
Wall. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=03a-584&t=c>
(1/24, Rosiak) reports “the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service
(CRS) released a paper
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=03b-ca8&t=c>
internally that suggests President Donald Trump may have the authority to
use Department of Defense resources to build a wall without obtaining
congressional approval or declaring a state of emergency.” CRS “internally
published a paper Jan. 10 titled ‘Can the Department of Defense Build the
Border Wall?,’ which The Daily Caller News Foundation has obtained.” It
states a “statute that authorizes the Secretary of Defense to assist
civilian law enforcement with counterdrug activities may provide some
authority for the construction of barriers along the border.” 10 U.S.C. §
284 (Section 284) provides that the Secretary of Defense “may provide
support for the counterdrug activities or activities to counter
transnational organized crime” of any law enforcement agency, including
through the “[c]onstruction of roads and fences and installation of
lighting to block drug smuggling corridors across international boundaries
of the United States.”
Foreign Policy
US Orders Nonessential Personnel To Leave Venezuela, Some Diplomats To
Remain.

The US said that its diplomats will not withdraw from Venezuela, despite an
order from President Nicolás Maduro, although non-emergency employees will
withdraw. NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=03c-910&t=c>
(1/24, story 5, 1:45, Holt) showed Secretary of State Pompeo saying, “The
regime of former President Nicolás Maduro is illegitimate. We therefore
consider all of its declarations and actions illegitimate and invalid.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said, “If any harm should come to these
diplomats from the United States, I want everybody to know that the
consequences, I believe, from this Administration, that they’ll impose will
be swift and decisive.”

Likewise, Martha Raddatz reported for ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=03d-e54&t=c>
(1/24, story 7, 1:00, Muir) that “the US has made clear that the Maduro
regime does not have the authority to order American diplomats out of
Venezuela since the US no longer recognizes Maduro as President.” However,
“the State Department is ordering non-emergency employees to leave
Venezuela because of growing security concerns.” In its reporting on
Venezuela, the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=03e-555&t=c>
(1/24, story 5, 2:00, Glor) briefly mentioned the embassy remaining open.

CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=03f-013&t=c>
(1/24) showed National Security Adviser Bolton saying, “Our personnel are
still there. They have been invited to stay by the legitimate government
and consistent with their safety, that’s our intention. But we’re working
really, around the clock here to do what we can to strengthen the new
government.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=040-1ba&t=c>
(1/24, Krygier) reports, “Experts said Pompeo’s refusal to comply with
Maduro’s order is unique in State Department history,” and the Post calls
the move “a risky gambit, effectively turning embassy personnel into pawns
in what is an unpredictable international crisis.” Meanwhile, Maduro said
he will recall the of from Venezuela’s embassy and consulates in the United
States. He also “reiterated his demand that all U.S. Embassy personnel in
Caracas depart by this weekend, calling Washington ‘infantile’ for
rejecting his order,” and he “belittled President Trump.” The Post adds,
“The rapid escalation of the crisis into a global issue suggested the
strategic importance of” Venezuela.

McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=041-9f5&t=c>
(1/24, Johnson, Hall, Ordoñez) reports the embassy staff who remain “could
face harassment on a daily basis as they travel” to and from work.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to the Organization of American States Carlos
Trujillo said, “If there is any threat to their safety, it will be
addressed accordingly,” but did not “offer details on any steps being taken
to ensure the safety of U.S. diplomats.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=042-876&t=c>
(1/24, Wadhams, Cancel) reports, “Pompeo’s initial decision to keep the
embassy open drew criticism from some members of Congress.” House Foreign
Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel and committee ranking member Rep. Michael
McCaul (R-TX), in a joint letter, “said diplomats’ safety shouldn’t be
compromised simply to make the ‘political point that the United States no
longer recognizes Maduro’s legal authority.’”

However, Rubio, on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=043-533&t=c>
(1/24), when asked about the safety of US diplomats, said: “We are never
going to allow our men and women in the foreign service to be in danger.
Maduro or people around them harm any of them there will be severe
consequences.” He continued that interim President Juan Guaidó “sent a
letter to the Secretary of State earlier today requesting humanitarian
assistance. The Secretary of State has now approved $20 million of
immediate humanitarian assistance and they’re working through the logistics
of how to position that in a way so it reaches the Venezuelan people.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=044-982&t=c>
(1/24, Wong, Baker) says the Administration’s “intervention in Venezuela
represents a sharp departure for Mr. Trump, who has generally articulated a
foreign policy aimed at pulling the United States out of overseas quagmires
and staying out of the internal affairs of other countries.” According to
the Times, “White House officials were vague about plans going forward.”
The Times says the President “has said that the United States would not
scold other countries about human rights and he has made friends with some
of the world’s leading autocrats in places like Russia, Saudi Arabia,
Egypt, Turkey, China, North Korea and the Philippines.”

In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=045-dd9&t=c>
(1/24) writes, “There are some encouraging signs” that Venezuelan may
finally “free themselves from the disastrous regime founded by Hugo
Chávez.” The country’s “National Assembly’s assertion of itself as an
alternative government and the multilateral support it has attracted have
created at least the potential for the latest Venezuelan crisis to take a
different course.” The Post calls for “skillful U.S. diplomacy,” warning
against the US “allowing itself to become isolated in a confrontation with
the Maduro regime,” and in particular, “unless the lives of Americans are
endangered and there is no other recourse, military intervention would be
folly.” The Post also warns that any talks will just be used, again, by the
regime “to buy time and divide the opposition,” and that a boycott of
Venezuelan oil could hurt ordinary Venezuelans. The Post calls for the US
and its allies to move to “help Venezuelans while bolstering Mr. Guaidó,”
concluding, “if Venezuela’s nightmare is to end, the change must come from
inside.”

In an editorial, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=046-c57&t=c>
(1/24) writes, “The Trump administration is right to support Mr. Guaidó,”
but warns, “the confrontation of two presidents raised terrifying prospects
of carnage” and “American intervention also carries risk.” In particular,
“Any military intervention could prove catastrophic, especially if Russia”
stepped in. Additionally, “sanctions on Venezuelan oil would risk worsening
the humanitarian disaster.” Due to “the history of American support for
right-wing dictatorships in Latin America,” the Times argues the United
States needs to “be seen as participating in a broad coalition of South
American and other democratic nations seeking to help Venezuelans achieve a
peaceful end to a destructive dictatorship.”

In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=047-83f&t=c>
(1/24) write that to help Guaidó countries need to pressure Cuba and Russia
over their support for Maduro. The Journal also calls for the US to protect
its diplomatic personnel in Caracas by making Cuba responsible for any harm
to Americans by Maduro or his paramilitaries.

Ethics and Public Policy Center Senior Fellow Henry Olsen, in an
op-ed in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=048-9ff&t=c>
(1/24), writes that Trump’s recognition of Guaidó as Venezuela’s president
“is justified for both humanitarian reasons and as an expression of an
‘America First’ foreign policy,” as it is best for the country’s people and
America’s interests. Despite criticism of Trump’s foreign policy, Olsen
maintains he “is moved by humanitarian crises” and “always maintained that
his administration would directly and swiftly defend American interests.”
Olsen adds, “Odds are that increasing financial pressure on the regime will
finally bring about its collapse,” which would mean “Trump’s resolute and
restrained moves will once again shock his critics by proving to be
surprisingly successful.”

*Pompeo Urges OAS States To Recognize Guaidó As Venezuela’s
President. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=049-de8&t=c>
(1/24) reports that in an address to the Organization of American States,
Pompeo “urged Latin American governments to recognize Juan Guaido as
Venezuela’s interim president and to declare President Nicolas Maduro’s
government illegitimate.” Pompeo is quoted as saying, “All member states
who have committed to uphold the inter-American democratic charter must now
recognize the interim president.” According to Reuters, the members of the
OAS “are divided as to whether to back Guaido’s claim.” Reuters reports
that “while the majority of OAS member countries – including Canada,
Brazil, Peru, Chile, Colombia and Argentina – have recognized Guaido as
interim head of state, others including Mexico, El Salvador and Nicaragua
have said they will stay neutral or continue to support Maduro.”

On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=04a-18d&t=c>
(1/24, story 5, 2:00, Glor), Manuel Bojorquez reported Pompeo pledged $20
million in humanitarian aid to the new government.” Pompeo said, “The
tyranny of the now-defunct Maduro regime has for far too long, choked the
country and its citizens. CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=04b-161&t=c>
(1/24) reported Pompeo “urged other countries to declare the Maduro regime
illegitimate.” Pompeo said, “His regime is morally bankrupt, it is
economically incompetent, and it is profoundly corrupt.”

*Bolton: US Seeking To Have Oil Revenue Go To Guaidó. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=04c-b72&t=c>
(1/24, Holland, Ellsworth) reports Bolton said the US is “seeking to ensure
that Venezuelan oil revenue goes to opposition leader Juan Guaidó.” Reuters
says that “although short on details, the announcement signals that
Washington is willing to go beyond traditional diplomatic measures and will
seek to drain cash from Maduro’s government which is already struggling
under an unprecedented economic meltdown.” Bolton is quoted as saying,
“What we’re focusing on today is disconnecting the illegitimate Maduro
regime from the sources of his revenues. ... We think consistent with our
recognition of Juan Guaidó as the constitutional interim president of
Venezuela that those revenues should go to the legitimate government.”

Similarly, Rich Edson reported for Fox News Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=04d-fbe&t=c>
(1/24) that Bolton “says the Administration is examining ways to divert
international funding from the Maduro regime to Guaidó’s government” and
that “it will continue to use the full weight of American economic power
against Maduro.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=04e-41b&t=c>
(1/24, Heath) reports that while “American oil refiners based on the Gulf
Coast still rely on supplies from Venezuela to keep their operations
running efficiently,” Venezuela’s “economic collapse has made it virtually
impossible for Maduro to use oil exports as a diplomatic weapon.”

*Russia Backs Maduro. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=04f-a06&t=c>
(1/24, Shesgreen) reports, “Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday
warned against ‘destructive interference’ in Venezuela from outside forces”
and, in “a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s efforts to undercut the
Venezuelan president,” called Maduro “to reaffirm Moscow’s support for the
embattled leader.” Russia’s state-owned media outlet Tass said that on the
call Putin “stressed that destructive outside interference grossly violated
the fundamental norms of international law.” Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with International Affairs
magazine, a Russian media outlet, that military intervention “would be a
catastrophic scenario that would shake the foundations of the development
model we see in the Latin American region.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=050-a04&t=c>
(1/24, Herrero, Macfarquhar) reports Putin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov told
reporters, “We consider the attempt to usurp the top power in Venezuela as
going against the foundations and principles of the international law.” As
part of “a series of blistering statements, particularly concerning the
possibility of American military intervention in Venezuela,” Russia’s
Foreign Ministry said, “We warn against such reckless actions, which
threaten catastrophic consequences.” Lavrov “said the United States was
being hypocritical in accusing Russia of meddling in American elections
while blatantly interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs.”

CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=051-d6b&t=c>
(1/24) reported Russia is “ripping into the Trump Administration’s decision
to recognize Maduro’s opponent, Juan Guaidó, as the interim president.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, “It’s just pouring gas
on the fire. There is a very, very dangerous moment and everyone should
show utmost responsibility.”

In an analysis, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=052-b1e&t=c>
(1/24, Vasilyeva) reports that in the standoff between Maduro and Guaidó,
“the geopolitical fault lines look familiar,” as “Russia, China, Iran,
Syria and Cuba have come down on one side,” and “the United States, Canada,
and countries in Western Europe are on the other.” The AP says
“Washington’s adversaries are issuing warnings against U.S. intervention,”
and “Russian officials have called the move a ‘coup’ orchestrated by the
U.S.” The AP adds that, with the world’s largest underground oil reserves,
Venezuela’s “political instability has deep implications globally,” and
“Russia has taken a special interest.”

*Venezuela’s Military Cleaves To Maduro. *On the CBS Evening
News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=053-be3&t=c>
(1/24, story 5, 2:00, Glor), Manuel Bojorquez reported Venezuela’s military
leaders have “pledged their support to President Nicolás Maduro.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=054-413&t=c>
(1/24, Smith, Armario) reports that “a half-dozen generals belonging
largely to district commands and with direct control over thousands of
troops joined Maduro in accusing the United States of meddling in
Venezuela’s affairs and said they would uphold the socialist leader’s
rule.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=055-397&t=c>
(1/24, Herrero, Macfarquhar) reports diplomats backing Guaidó “hoped that
key members of the armed forces would switch sides” after street protests
and pledges of support by several Latin American countries, but in “a
setback for” Guaidó Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López’s declared his
support for Maduro. Flanked by several high-ranking officers, Padrino said
in a televised address, “We’re here to avoid a clash between Venezuelans.”
He added, “It’s not a civil war, a war among brothers, that will resolve
Venezuelans’ problems.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=056-6cc&t=c>
(1/24, Luhnow, De Córdoba, Otis) reports that while there is evidence of
some opposition to Maduro in the military, it is closely watched by Cuban
intelligence services, which has stopped a number of plots.
Ross Downplays Expectations For Next Week’s US-China Trade Talks.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=057-05f&t=c>
(1/24, Chiacu) reports that Commerce Secretary Ross, in an appearance on
CNBC[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=058-bf1&t=c>
(1/24), said the US and China are “‘miles and miles’ from resolving trade
issues but there is a fair chance the two countries will get a deal.”
Reuters says Ross “tried to tamp down expectations for the high-level
talks” scheduled for next week. Ross is quoted as saying, “There is a very
large group coming. There’s been a lot of anticipatory work done but we’re
miles and miles from getting a resolution and frankly that shouldn’t be too
surprising. ... Trade is very complicated, there’s lots and lots of issues
– not just how many soybeans and how much LNG.” According to Reuters, Ross
said the “more important” matters are “the structural reforms that
Washington believes are needed in the Chinese economy, as well as
enforcement mechanisms for failure to adhere to whatever is agreed to.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=059-b43&t=c>
(1/24, Mayeda, Leonard) also reports that Ross “downplayed expectations”
ahead of next week’s talks. Ross told Bloomberg Television[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=05a-7ba&t=c>,
“The harder issues are the ones that deal with structural reforms,
particularly intellectual property rights. ... The equal market access is
another very big issue. The idea of forced technology transfers is a huge
issue.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=05b-d37&t=c>
(1/24, Boyer) reports “China’s economy had its worst year in nearly three
decades in 2018, Beijing reported on Monday,” and “unless both sides strike
a deal to end their trade war, U.S. tariff rates on $200 billion worth of
Chinese goods will rise to 25 percent from their current 10 percent.”

*Collins: China Makes History With Approval Of Five GMOs. *In a Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=05c-87c&t=c>
(1/24) op-ed, James Collins, CEO of Corteva Agriscience, praises Chinese
regulators for their approval of specific genetically modified crops in a
move that he argues is a major development for American, Canadian and
Brazilian farmers. He states that the decision is important because the
modified crops are designed to resist issues like pests, but the lack of
export approvals denied farmers the option to grow the modified soybean,
corn and canola plants as widely as desired. He calls on other governments
to follow China and cease politicizing GMOs in order to work in their
citizens’ best interests.

*Rogin: US Should Reject Huawei Partnership. *In his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=05d-e96&t=c>
(1/24) column, Josh Rogin argues that the Federal Trade Commission is out
of line in its efforts to work with “China’s leading tech firm against its
US competitors” and that it goes against the Trump Administration’s overall
strategy of “confronting the economic and national security threats that
Chinese state-linked technology firms pose to the United States and its
allies.” Rogin cites the FTC’s usage of Chinese technology firms as primary
witnesses in its ongoing case against Qualcomm, which is accused of
threatening to “cut off its supply of chips unless Huawei agreed to renew a
patent license contract on Qualcomm’s terms.” Rogin expresses his agreement
with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who previously stated that “federal agencies
cannot allow hostile foreign governments to manipulate our laws at the
expense of American businesses.”
Trump Says Media Unfairly Portraying Lack Of Progress In US-North Korea
Talks.

President Trump blasted the media for reporting the lack of progress in
US-North Korea denuclearization talks. Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=05e-6ea&t=c>,
“The Fake News Media loves saying ‘so little happened at my first summit
with Kim Jong Un.’ Wrong! After 40 years of doing nothing with North Korea
but being taken to the cleaners, & with a major war ready to start, in a
short 15 months, relationships built, hostages & remains...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=05f-f92&t=c>
back home where they belong, no more Rockets or M’s being fired over Japan
or anywhere else and, most importantly, no Nuclear Testing. This is more
than has ever been accomplished with North Korea, and the Fake News knows
it. I expect another good meeting soon, much potential!”

*Kim Orders Start Of Preparations For Second Summit. *Fox News
Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=060-984&t=c>
(1/24) broadcast, “North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is taking steps toward a
second summit with President Trump.” Benjamin Hall reported Kim has ordered
preparations for the summit “to get underway, adding that he would wait
with patience and in good faith to work toward a common goal.” Meanwhile,
“President Trump addressed critics of the summit, saying, ‘The fake news
media like saying so little happened, wrong! … I expect another good
meeting soon, much potential.’” However, Hall reported, “the two countries
remain at odds over fundamental issues.”
State Department Official: US Offered To Hold Arms Control Talks With
Russia.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=061-259&t=c>
(1/24, Landay) reports that Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson said
that the Trump Administration “offered to hold arm control talks with
Russia during a United Nations meeting in Beijing next week that almost
certainly would include a feud over a Cold War-era treaty.” According to
Reuters, Thompson “reiterated that the Trump administration will ‘suspend
our obligations’ under the disputed pact if Russia fails to return to
compliance by Feb. 2,” but added that “the move is ‘reversible’ and
Washington has made no final decision on announcing a full U.S.
withdrawal.” Thompson is quoted as saying, “I’m not particularly
optimistic.” Reuters says “the dispute over the 1987 Intermediate-Range
Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty has added to the gravest U.S.-Russia tensions
since the end of the Cold War in 1991.”
Treasury Imposes Sanctions On Iranian Militias, Airlines.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=062-051&t=c>
(1/24) reports that the Treasury Department “targeted two Iran-backed
foreign fighter militias in Syria and two airlines that help send weapons
to Syria in fresh sanctions.” Reuters says “all four groups are linked to
Iran’s Mahan Air and Iran’s elite military unit, the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps-Quds Force, both of which are already blacklisted.” Treasury
Secretary Mnuchin released a statement reading: “Treasury’s targeting of
Iran-backed militias and other foreign proxies is part of our ongoing
pressure campaign to shut down the illicit networks the regime uses to
export terrorism and unrest across the globe.”

*Amnesty International Details Iran’s “Campaign Of Repression”
Targeting Journalists. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=063-684&t=c>
(1/24, Gambrell) reports that Amnesty International said that the
government of Iran “arrested more than 7,000 people last year, including
dozens of journalists, in...a ‘shameless campaign of repression’ as the
U.S. released an American anchorwoman for Iranian state television held for
days as a material witness.” The AP adds, “While Iranian officials and
state media have widely condemned the arrest of Marzieh Hashemi of the
broadcaster’s English-language channel Press TV, the figures released by
Amnesty highlight the widespread campaign of arrest and harassment those in
the media face in the Islamic Republic. Even as Hashemi was released, Iran
sentenced prominent whistleblower journalist Yashar Soltani to five years
in prison after his series of exposes alleging massive corruption in land
deals linked to Tehran’s former mayor.”
US-Backed Forces Moving Against Remaining Two ISIS Villages.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=064-614&t=c>
(1/24) reports the Islamic State’s failure to break a siege by US-backed
Syrian Democratic Forces led to “fierce fighting,” Syrian opposition
activists said, leaving 34 militants and 16 SDF fighters dead. The
extremists only hold two villages and “are likely to lose the areas they
control in Deir el-Zour in the coming few weeks as SDF fighters press their
offensive under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=065-f42&t=c>
(1/24, Callimachi) reports, “Local officials say the militants have been
surrendering by the dozens, repeating a pattern observed in other cities
shortly before the group was overrun.” However, “Western officials caution
that this is not the end of the violent threat posed by the group.”
Analysts say that large numbers of its members “have simply melted into the
population” and recent attacks show ISIS is returning to its “insurgent
roots.” A majority of those surrendering are foreign fighters, who “cannot
blend in with the local population,” and they “are bitterly complaining
that their local counterparts were able to slip away, leaving them to fend
for themselves.”

*Pending US Withdrawal Spurs Dialogue Between Kurds And Assad
Government. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=066-a13&t=c>
(1/24, Said) reports that Sipan Hemo, the commander of the Syrian Kurdish
YPG militia, “believes talks with the government over the future of the
northeast region will begin in days after a ‘positive’ reaction from
Damascus.” Reuters says “dialogue attempts have revived in the wake of”
President Trump’s “decision to withdraw troops from the Kurdish-led
region.” Reuters reports that Hemo “said U.S. moves to withdraw were
over-hasty and could not happen while the battle against Islamic State
militants still rages.” According to Reuters, “Any deal between the YPG and
President Bashar al-Assad’s state could piece together the two biggest
chunks of a nation splintered by eight years of conflict.”
Progress On Deal For US To Withdraw Troops And Taliban Keep Terrorists From
Afghanistan.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019012501biden&r=email-d3a6&l=067-098&t=c>
(1/24, Nordland, Mashal) reports senior Taliban officials and Western
diplomats said that US negotiations with the Taliban “are making headway on
a deal” for the US to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in exchange for
Taliban promised “not to allow the country to host terrorist groups like Al
Qaeda.” Add