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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, February 12, 2019 7:58 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, February 12, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=001-318&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, February 12, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• AP Analysis: Biden Could Be Hurting His 2020 Odds By Starting Late. <#S1>

• Christie: Biden Poses Biggest Threat To Trump’s Reelection Hopes. <#S2>

• Nate Silver Says Harris A Slight Favorite In Democratic Race, Followed By
Biden. <#S3>

• Writer: Most Announced Democratic Candidates Simply Auditioning For VP
Slot. <#S4>

• Trump Criticized For “Trail Of Tears” Reference In Mocking Warren. <#S5>

• Harris Supports “Some Type Of” Slavery Reparations. <#S6>

• WPost Details Klobuchar’s Policy Agenda. <#S7>

• NYTimes: More Than Any Other Woman In 2020 Race, Gillibrand Stressing Her
Gender. <#S8>

• AP: Bloomberg’s Pragmatic Approach To Fighting Climate Change A Hard Sell
With Liberals. <#S9>

• Scarborough: Bennet Could Give Democrats Their Best Chance At Defeating
Trump. <#S10>

• Democrat Moulton “Thinking About Running For President.” <#S11>

• Several Democratic Presidential Candidates Come Out In Favor Of
Legalizing Marijuana. <#S12>

• WPost Analysis: Small-Dollar Donations A Critical Measure For White House
Hopefuls. <#S13>

• NYTimes: 2020 Democratic Field Can Be Split “Into Two Loose Groups:
Fighters And Healers.” <#S14>

• NYTimes Examines “Double Standards” Female Candidates Face In Seeking
Office. <#S15>

• NYTimes’ Bruni Beseeches Democrats To Quit “Groveling” Before Voters.
<#S16>

• Iowa Democrats’ Proposal Calls For “Virtual” Caucuses In 2020. <#S17>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Repeats Call For Border Wall In El Paso As O’Rourke Rallies Nearby.
<#S18>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump: Iranian Regime Has Produced “Only 40 Years Of Failure.” <#S19>

• Coalition Warplanes Hit ISIS’ Last Enclave In Eastern Syria. <#S20>

• Conway: Trump Wants To Meet With Xi “Very Soon.” <#S21>

• Pompeo Warns Governments Against Buying Equipment From Huawei. <#S22>

• Pompeo Seeks To Steer Hungary Away From Russia, China. <#S23>

• In First Trip To Afghanistan, Shanahan Says There Are No Orders To
Withdraw US Troops. <#S24>

• Pompeo: US Will Keep Investigating Khashoggi’s Murder. <#S25>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Calls “Russia Collusion Delusion” A “Hoax.” <#S26>

• Treasury: Reports Of Reduced Tax Refunds “Misleading.” <#S27>

• Cuomo To Discuss SALT Cap With Trump Today. <#S28>

• Bloomberg Analysis: Shutdown Standoff Creating Concern About Debt Ceiling.
<#S29>

• Trump Directs Federal Agencies To Focus On AI Research. <#S30>

• Trump Urges TVA To Keep Coal Plant Open. <#S31>

• Paul Will Vote Against Barr. <#S32>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• STAT Interviews Sean Parker About State Of Cancer Research In US. <#S33>

• Researchers Find Immunotherapy More Effective When Given Before, Rather
Than After Surgery In Glioblastoma Patients. <#S34>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S35>

• Washington Post. <#S36>
Biden in the News
AP Analysis: Biden Could Be Hurting His 2020 Odds By Starting Late.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=002-15f&t=c>
(2/11, Pace, Beaumont) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden “will
headline his first public event in about three weeks on Saturday – in
Munich, Germany.” The AP says that Biden, who is mulling a presidential
bid, “has been conspicuously absent from early voting states, making him an
outlier among Democrats eyeing the White House.” The AP says that “in a
wide-open race, Biden’s take-it-slow approach has given other candidates a
head-start in fundraising, scooping up top tier staff and perfecting their
pitch to voters.”
Christie: Biden Poses Biggest Threat To Trump’s Reelection Hopes.

In an online article, Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=003-016&t=c>
(2/11, Chamberlain) reported that during a Monday appearance on Fox News,
ex-Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) “said the biggest threat to President Trump’s
re-election” is “former Vice President Joe Biden. ‘The one thing I will say
about Biden is that because he has the ability, coming from Scranton,
Pennsylvania, to appeal in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, he
could peel off some of those white, working-class voters,’ Christie said.
‘I know the president’s keeping an eye on Joe Biden. Now, can Joe stay on
the rails? Can he keep his mouth appropriate? … So we gotta see how he
performs, but right now if I were Donald Trump, I’d keep the closest eye on
Joe Biden.’” Christie also said “that former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz
‘will guarantee a Trump victory in 2020 if he gets into the race as an
independent.’”

*Writer: As 2020 Democrats Veer Left, It’s Biden Who Can Beat
Trump. *In a piece for the National Catholic Reporter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=004-333&t=c>
(2/11), retired Baltimore City Public Schools educator Pat Perriello, a
former associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, describes himself
as “a pretty liberal guy,” but says, “It was my understanding that the No.
1 priority for Democrats this election cycle was beating Donald Trump. I
don’t think many on the left are considering that reality when they
fantasize over turning our country into another European socialist
government.” Perriello says that with the field of Democratic presidential
hopefuls running hard to the left, Biden has the ability to “appeal...to
portions of the electorate needed to win, without alienating the more
progressive wing of the party. ... The agenda being enunciated by current
Democratic presidential candidates can turn away independents and
Republicans who will absolutely be needed in 2020 to put Trumpism behind
us.”
Nate Silver Says Harris A Slight Favorite In Democratic Race, Followed By
Biden.

The UChicago News (IL)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=005-82f&t=c>
(2/11, Wang) reports that during a Feb. 7 event hosted by the University of
Chicago’s Institute of Politics, FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver
discussed the 2020 race for president. Silver said “his slight favorite in
the Democratic” race is Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who “holds ‘1A’ status,
Silver argued, thanks in part to her experienced staff, her fundraising
start and her movement in the polls since announcing her run. Next is
former Vice President Joe Biden, a ‘1B’ option who polls well and could
appeal to moderates.” Silver put President Trump’s “reelection chances at
‘even money.’”
Writer: Most Announced Democratic Candidates Simply Auditioning For VP Slot.

Writing for the New York Observer
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=006-aa9&t=c>
(2/11), Arick Wierson asserted that the current field of announced
Democratic presidential candidates, other than, perhaps, Sen. Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA), “are really only hoping to get enough national recognition
to emerge as a strong enough anchor for the bottom of a presidential ticket
for one of the four big boys: Biden, Bloomberg, Beto or Bernie.” Other than
Warren, said Wierson, none of the announced candidates “has what it takes
to put a pancake block on Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and they know it,”
so those candidates are simply auditioning to serve as a running mate to
former Vice President Joe Biden, ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg,
ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Wierson said
Warren wouldn’t likely be interested in the VP slot.
Trump Criticized For “Trail Of Tears” Reference In Mocking Warren.

Zachary Wolf wrote on the website of CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=007-f0e&t=c>
(2/11) that President Trump this weekend used “the forced migration of
American Indians from Mississippi to present-day Oklahoma” to “poke fun at”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Trump “set the scene by calling Warren
‘Pocahontas’ and then drove the point home with an all-caps, ‘See you on
the campaign TRAIL, Liz’ sneer.”

Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said on CNN[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=008-f80&t=c>
(2/11, 3:43 p.m. ET), “Donald Trump continues to mock Native people, to
belittle their history. The Trail of Tears was nothing short of a genocide
of the forced relocation of Creek and Chickasaw, Choctaw Seminole tribes
from Alabama, Georgia. They had to do a forced march to Oklahoma. They died
of dysentery and frost bite, inhumane conditions. I don’t use the word
‘genocide’ often, but one could say the Trail of Tears was that and such a
loaded word. And here Donald Trump and his son are making fun of it as if
it’s a big joke.”

Rep. Deb Haaland (D-NM) said on CNN[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=009-4c0&t=c>
(2/11, 11:53 a.m. ET), “[Trump] is just completely ignorant when it comes
to Native Americans and Native American history. It’s exhausting, right?
It’s completely exhausting to try to keep up with so much of his ignorance
and racism for Native people. At this point, I feel like he needs to be
ignored because he’s not learning anything. It’d be nice if he picked up a
book and decided to read about Indian history.”

Jamelle Bouie writes in his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=00a-df3&t=c>
(2/11) column, “We don’t need further evidence of Trump’s cruelty or
racism. But there are moments in his rhetorical flourishes when those
qualities come into clear view. ... This isn’t the first time the president
has made light of violence inflicted on Native peoples,” and while it is
“tempting to dismiss these comments as ‘Trump being Trump’ – unworthy of
additional attention or heightened scrutiny” – the “substance of these
particular references makes that calculus untenable.”
Harris Supports “Some Type Of” Slavery Reparations.

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=00b-e97&t=c>
(2/11, Caruso) reported that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said in a Monday
interview that she supports “some type of” reparations to African Americans
for slavery. In an interview with the “Breakfast Club” on New York City’s
Power 105.1, “host Charlamagne tha God asked...Harris about reparations.
She gave a lengthy answer, then when pushed on it, agreed with Charlamagne
that she would support ‘some type of’ reparations.”
WPost Details Klobuchar’s Policy Agenda.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=00c-41f&t=c>
(2/11, Stein) reports that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “is running for
president on a policy agenda of lowering prescription drug costs, expanded
savings accounts to help people save for their educations, and a slew of
internet-related policies, including expanding rural broadband and tougher
privacy laws, according to aides to the senator.” In addition, Klobuchar
will advocate “for automatically registering all eligible voters, an
overhaul of election security, and committing the” US “to the Paris
agreement to combat climate change, aides said.” The Post goes on the offer
a more detailed “look at the policy agenda Klobuchar is hoping will power
her to the White House in 2020.”

*Some Progressive Leaders Skeptical Of Klobuchar Bid. *The Minneapolis
Star Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=00d-61a&t=c>
(2/11, Keen) examines the question of whether Klobuchar is “progressive
enough to win the nomination at a time when the party’s most liberal wing
is ascendant? ‘Her voting record is safe. It’s very centrist and that’s
just not what we’re about,’ said Anita Seeling of Minnetonka, vice chair of
Our Revolution Minnesota’s board.” The Star Tribune highlights quotes from
officials with other liberal groups similarly expressing skepticism about
Klobuchar, then adds that the Democratic lawmaker “hasn’t embraced other
progressive priorities, including a $15 minimum wage and tuition-free
college.”

*WPost’s Olsen Says Klobuchar Is Trump’s “Worst Nightmare.”
*In his Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=00e-047&t=c>
(2/11, Olsen) column, Henry Olsen touts Klobuchar’s candidacy, saying that
she is President Trump’s “worst nightmare.” Olsen says that what Klobuchar
“brings to the race” is a “record as a strong liberal without progressive
zaniness; the example of keeping her head during the Kavanaugh hearings
while all others were losing theirs; eight years as the chief prosecutor
for Hennepin County, Minn.; a stable, more than 25-year marriage; a
daughter.” Olsen adds that Klobuchar “has not had a tough race since,
winning last year by 24 percent. She could only do that by appealing to
both swing groups in America’s volatile electorate, blue-collar Trump
Democrats and white-collar, anti-Trump Republicans.”

*WPost’s Olen Says “Serial Office Bully” Klobuchar Bully Shouldn’t
Be President. *Writing for the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=00f-989&t=c>
(2/11), Helaine Olen says, “Last week BuzzFeed and HuffPost published
reports that...Klobuchar...is a serial office bully.” Olsen blasts Trump as
a bully, but argues, “Let’s not let the desire for a female president blind
us to the reality of all this. When it comes to the matter of treating
others with respect, we should seek to raise the standard men need to meet,
not lower it so women can join in our nation’s bullyfest. We don’t need to
replace one bully with another. We deserve better than that.”

*CNN Hosting Klobuchar Town Hall In New Hampshire On Monday. *In an
online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=010-3c0&t=c>
(2/11, Sullivan) reported that Klobuchar “will head to New Hampshire next
Monday to answer questions at a town hall moderated by CNN’s Don Lemon.”
Klobuchar “will take questions from likely New Hampshire primary voters at
Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire. The town hall will air
at 10 p.m. ET.”
NYTimes: More Than Any Other Woman In 2020 Race, Gillibrand Stressing Her
Gender.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=011-f68&t=c>
(2/12, Lerer, Goldmacher) reports that after President Trump defeated
Hillary Clinton in 2016, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) spent “the next two
months ‘deeply depressed,’” but then “experienced what she called the most
inspiring day of her political life: the women’s march.” Now a White House
hopeful, Gillibrand, in an interview, “described why she believes the
country and the Democratic Party need an unabashedly feminist campaign for
president – and why she thinks she’s the candidate to run it.” While the
2020 Democratic field features a number of female candidates, Gillibrand
“is the only one who is making running as a woman, for women, the central
theme of her candidacy.”

*Gillibrand Woos South Carolina Voters, Democratic Leaders.
*The Charleston
(SC) Post and Courier
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=012-bbf&t=c>
(2/11, Shain) reports that Gillibrand this past weekend made “her first
visit to South Carolina since announcing her presidential exploratory
committee,” wooing voters and “meet[ing] with some of South Carolina’s top
Democrats.” On Friday, Gillibrand held “an event at the Columbia home of
former Democratic National Chairman Don Fowler.” The next morning, “she had
breakfast with Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, who is leading the National
Conference of Mayors, and attended a gathering with women leaders hosted by
a daughter of US Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s most influential Democratic
politician.” Gillibrand also “visited an Urban League awards reception in
Greenville and a pair of black church services in North Charleston.”
AP: Bloomberg’s Pragmatic Approach To Fighting Climate Change A Hard Sell
With Liberals.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=013-85e&t=c>
(2/11, Peoples) reports, “No presidential prospect has done more to
confront climate change than” ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D),
“who measures his progress in the metric tons of carbon emissions he’s
helped eliminate. But as climate change surges to forefront of the 2020
Democratic primary, no issue better illustrates Bloomberg’s political
challenge. A onetime Republican, the pragmatic” Bloomberg “is struggling to
find his place among the increasingly bold ambitions of his adopted
political party. Virtually every top Democratic White House contender
embraced the so-called Green New Deal immediately after it was released
last week.” But while Bloomberg “welcomed more focus on climate change,” he
“questioned the ambitious plan’s feasibility,” telling the AP, “If you say
you’re going to do something, I want to know when, and how, and who’s going
to pay for it. ... Legislators don’t work at that level.”
Scarborough: Bennet Could Give Democrats Their Best Chance At Defeating
Trump.

In his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=014-a15&t=c>
(2/11) column, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough says that the battle for the 2020
Democratic presidential nomination “will ultimately come down to answering
the one all-consuming question: Who can beat President Trump?” Scarborough
touts Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) as possibly giving Democrats their best
shot at defeating Trump, saying that the “low-key centrist” lawmaker has “a
sparkling, diverse résumé that should appeal to a wide segment of the
electorate – Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.”
Democrat Moulton “Thinking About Running For President.”

BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=015-d10&t=c>
(2/11, Villa) reported that Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) said in an interview
that he’s considering a White House run. Speaking with BuzzFeed, Moulton
said, “I’m thinking about running for president. I’m not definitely
running, but I’m going to take a very hard look at it. A very serious look
at it. Because I believe it’s time for a new generation of leadership, and
we gotta send Donald Trump packing.” Moulton, “best known for being a vocal
critic of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, spent the 2018 cycle mentoring and
endorsing Democratic candidates nationwide, work that has taken him through
early presidential states like Iowa and made him a rising Democratic star.
He is fresh off a trip to New Hampshire, where he spoke to Democrats in
Bedford last weekend.”
Several Democratic Presidential Candidates Come Out In Favor Of Legalizing
Marijuana.

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=016-a89&t=c>
(2/11, story 8, 1:35, Holt) reported on “the 2020 campaign for president
and a big change in the way candidates are talking about pot.” Sen. Kamala
Harris (D-CA) tackled the topic in a Monday interview. NBC News (Jackson)
added, “For Kamala Harris, no hesitation and no big deal, it seems, to
acknowledge her pot-smoking past.” Asked if she had ever smoked pot, Harris
responded, “I have. And I inhaled. I did inhale. It was a long time ago.
But, yes.” Harris said that she “now supports legalizing marijuana.” NBC
News said that “for Democrats, it’s a cannabis-friendly field that
includes” Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), “who
sponsored legislation to make it easier for states to legalize pot. Bottom
line: come 2020, any stigma surrounding marijuana apparently up in smoke.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=017-bba&t=c>
(2/11, Itkowitz) reports that Harris’ “unflinching support for legalization
shows the dramatic evolution in the ease in which politicians talk about
pot now. Whereas once policymakers decried marijuana as a gateway drug,
Harris defended its use by saying, ‘It gives a lot of people joy.’ ‘And we
need more joy in the world,’ she said.” ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=018-796&t=c>
(2/11, story 7, 2:20, Muir) similarly said Harris gave “an answer that was
once considered controversial.”
WPost Analysis: Small-Dollar Donations A Critical Measure For White House
Hopefuls.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=019-435&t=c>
(2/11, Lee) reports that early in the battle for the 2020 Democratic
presidential nomination, “the race for small-dollar donations” is underway,
“with about two dozen prospective and declared candidates scrambling to
build online operations focused squarely on individual supporters who may
give in amounts as low as $5. Historically, these early low-dollar
contributions were viewed largely as a sign of grass-roots support and an
indication of potential voter enthusiasm.” However, the ability “to raise a
lot of money from a lot of small donors is now a test – not only of a
candidate’s ability to tap this source of funds, but to go head-to-head
against President Trump and his army of grass-roots donors. ‘It is the
metric, 100 percent. The very simple definition of front-runner status is:
Can you or can you not raise substantial money online?’ said Tom Nides,
former deputy secretary of state under President Barack Obama and longtime
Democratic fundraiser.”

*The Hill Analysis: Many Democratic Donors Taking Wait-And-See
Approach With 2020 Field. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=01a-5c2&t=c>
(2/12, Parnes) reports that “with no clear front-runner” in the race for
the Democratic presidential nomination “and more than a dozen candidates
expected to enter the” contest, “donors are taking their time, according to
half a dozen interviews with major Democratic bundlers and other
fundraisers.” Instead of “writing checks, donors are hosting meet and
greets, or ‘friendraisers,’ behind the scenes that are intended to
introduce candidates to potential donors. For the donor class, the meetings
are a chance to shop for the best candidate.”
NYTimes: 2020 Democratic Field Can Be Split “Into Two Loose Groups:
Fighters And Healers.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=01b-4da&t=c>
(2/11, Burns) reported that over the weekend, a pair of Democratic
presidential hopefuls – Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Warren
(D-MA) – “mapped the philosophical and temperamental fork their party must
navigate as it challenges President Trump in 2020. Down one path, Mr.
Booker’s, lies a mission of healing and hope, with a campaign to bind up
social wounds that have deepened in the Trump era. The other path, Ms.
Warren’s, promises combat and more combat – a crusade not just to defeat
Mr. Trump but to demolish the architecture of his government.” With that in
mind, the Times said that the field of Democratic presidential contenders
can be split “into two loose groups: fighters and healers.”
NYTimes Examines “Double Standards” Female Candidates Face In Seeking
Office.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=01c-3b9&t=c>
(2/11, Astor) reports that “according to researchers and experts on
politics and women and extensive research on double standards in
campaigns,” hesitation to back “female candidates is apparent in the
language that voters frequently use to describe men and women running for
office; in the qualities that voters say they seek; and in the perceived
flaws that voters say they are willing or unwilling to overlook in
candidates. The influence and impact of these stereotypes and double
standards are about to play out in uncharted territory,” as the 2020 race
for the White House features “six women running for the Democratic
nomination, all vying to compete against President Trump, who has a history
of making sexist comments.”
NYTimes’ Bruni Beseeches Democrats To Quit “Groveling” Before Voters.

In his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=01d-3a1&t=c>
(2/12) column, Frank Bruni highlights recent episodes that saw Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-NY) struggle with the proper way to eat fried chicken on the
campaign trail in South Carolina, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) – stumping in
Iowa – misidentify a Swiss reporter as Hispanic and try to and speak to him
in Spanish. Bruni adds that “there’s a line between courting and groveling,
between reaching out and rolling over. And in this early stage of the 2020
campaign, Gillibrand, Booker and too many other contenders for their
party’s presidential nomination may be losing sight of it.” Bruni adds that
“too much self-flagellation and genuflection can look foolish and smack of
fakery.”
Iowa Democrats’ Proposal Calls For “Virtual” Caucuses In 2020.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=01e-a61&t=c>
(2/11, Beaumont, McFetridge) reports that the Iowa Democratic Party on
Monday “proposed the biggest changes to the state’s famed caucuses in
nearly 50 years by recommending Iowans be able to participate virtually.”
The proposal “would allow people to caucus using telephones or smart
devices during the days leading up to the Feb. 3 caucus night.” Currently,
“caucusgoers have to physically show up at a site – often a school, church
or community center-- and show their support for presidential candidates by
standing in groups. If the group doesn’t meet an established threshold, the
participants have to select another candidate.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=01f-c53&t=c>
(2/11, Viser) reports that the proposal would permit “a tele-caucus that is
meant to allay Democratic concerns that too few people can take part in the
stand-in-a-grange-hall version that has been the norm for decades.” The
measure, “which still must pass muster with the Democratic National
Committee, marks the most significant change to the caucus process since
its inception in 1972 and seems likely to complicate the campaigns’
strategies.” While “party officials don’t have estimates, the move could
significantly increase the number of voters involved and bring more
moderates into a process that has long been dominated by liberal activists
willing to show up for several hours on a winter’s night.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=020-674&t=c>
(2/11, Korecki) quoted state Democratic Party chief Troy Price as saying,
“These changes will make the 2020 caucuses the most accessible,
transparent, and secure caucuses ever, and give more Iowans a chance to
have their say in our presidential selection process.” On its website, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=021-e72&t=c>
(2/11, Merica) reported that Price “said there would be no excuse required
to participate in the virtual caucus but those who register for it will not
be allowed to caucus in person. Virtual caucus results will not be released
as they come in on the nights leading up to February 3, Price said, but
will be made public with the broader pool of results from Monday night.”
Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=022-881&t=c>
(2/11, McCormick) also reports on the story.
Leading the News
Trump Repeats Call For Border Wall In El Paso As O’Rourke Rallies Nearby.

Coverage of President Trump’s campaign event in El Paso, Texas, where he
focused his remarks mainly on border security, juxtaposes the event with a
counter-rally held by ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke less than a mile away. Analyses
say the events cast light on the political divide over immigration and may
have previewed some of the debates of the 2020 presidential campaign.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=023-517&t=c>
(2/12, Colvin, Weissert) reports Trump “charged ahead Monday with his
pledge to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border” during a campaign event
on Monday, “skimming over the details of lawmakers’ tentative deal that
would give him far less than he’s been demanding and declaring he’s
‘setting the stage’ to deliver on his signature campaign promise.” The
President’s “‘Finish the Wall’ rally in El Paso went head-to-head against
counterprogramming” by O’Rourke, a possible Democratic presidential
candidate, “who argued that walls cause more problems than they solve.”
Trump “insisted that large portions of the project are already under
construction and vowed to fulfill his 2016 campaign promise regardless of
what happens in Congress.” Trump told the crowd, “Walls work. Walls save
lives.”

KFDM-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=024-416&t=c>
Beaumont, TX (2/11, 10:19 p.m. CT) reported Trump’s rally “comes just days
before the threat of a second partial government shutdown. El Paso’s
Republican Mayor Dee Margo disputed President Trump’s claim that a border
wall made El Paso safer, pointing out that El Paso was safe before the
border wall went up.” KGBT-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=025-45e&t=c>
Harlingen, TX (2/11, 10:16 p.m. CT) reported, “Trump is in El Paso tonight
to rally support for a border wall. The President invited the family of an
elementary school teacher killed in a hit-and-run crash to sit with him.
The alleged driver is an undocumented immigrant.”

KTRK-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=026-8e6&t=c>
Houston (2/11, 10:10 p.m. CT) reported, “Trump touched on dozens of topics
including the economy, as well as pharmaceutical drugs and oil. He spent
the majority of his time on border security, talking about ICE and a plan
to put a cap on detention centers.” KTVT-TV[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=027-9be&t=c>
Dallas (2/11, 10:03 p.m. CT) reported, “Trump said 10,000 supporters were
inside the arena. He told the crowd he loved being along the Rio Grande,
where today the government began expanding a barrier previously approved.
It could shut down if a deal isn’t done by Friday.”

CNN Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=028-05e&t=c>
(2/11, 11:00 p.m. ET) reported, “President Trump held a campaign-style
rally in the Texas border city of El Paso tonight, trying to whip up
support for the wall. Outside that event, a march and a second rally, this
one against a border wall and featuring ex-congressman Beto O’Rourke.
O’Rourke telling his supporters that El Paso is a safe city, not because of
walls but in spite of them.” Fox News At Night[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=029-397&t=c>
(2/11, 11:09 p.m. ET, Bream) reported, “The evening started with some
speeches from outside a nearby high school, where Beto O’Rourke took to the
stage and then went on a march. It went for about a mile through the
streets, ending up out here this baseball field. Once they arrived to the
ballfield, you could hear the crowd chanting ‘No more walls.’ Reportedly
7,000 people here.”

On Fox News’ Ingraham Angle[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=02a-bea&t=c>
(2/11), Trump said of O’Rourke, “Very few people showed up to his rally.
This place is packed with thousands and thousands outside. I guess he
challenged us to an event, so maybe this means he’s going to have to drop
out of the race because this was not a good situation for him. I don’t know
why he did it. It has nothing to do with anything other than safety for the
Americans, safety for our people, safety for our country. And a wall is a
very good thing, not a bad thing.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=02b-645&t=c>
(2/11, Jervis) reports the “Texas border city of 684,000 residents was
rocked Monday with dueling political rallies.” Trump “took a jab at his El
Paso rival, calling O’Rourke ‘a young man who has very little going for
himself except he has a great first name.’ His speech was interrupted
repeatedly by anti-Trump protestors in the crowd.” The El Paso (TX) Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=02c-f41&t=c>
(2/11) reports, “When his rally got underway, the president said that
‘69,000 signed up to be here. The arena holds about 8,000.’” The El Paso
Fire Department said the space “holds 6,500 and that is how many were
allowed in building.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=02d-fc2&t=c>
(2/11, Schultz) reports the O’Rourke rally “attracted between 10,000 and
15,000 people,” according to a Bloomberg estimate.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=02e-14f&t=c>
(2/11, Landler, Romero) says the “dueling rallies, just across the Rio
Grande from Mexico, offered a vivid snapshot of the national debate over
immigration, as well as a tantalizing early glimpse of the rivalry” between
Trump and O’Rourke, who “has seized on immigration as a defining issue.
With a flair for political theater that even Mr. Trump took note of, Mr.
O’Rourke addressed a crowd less than a mile from the El Paso County
Coliseum.” O’Rourke said, “We are not safe because of walls but in spite of
walls. We have so much to give, so much to show the rest of the country.”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=02f-b80&t=c>
(2/11, Siders, Kumar) similarly says “the bitter call-and-response in West
Texas on Monday night crystallized the partisan battle over immigration.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=030-6ca&t=c>
(2/11, Rucker, Olorunnipa, Johnson) reports that during his “meandering,
75-minute speech, Trump tried to paint an image of crime and lawlessness on
the border while claiming falsely that violent crime went down in El Paso
after a wall was built.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=031-f6b&t=c>
(2/11, Stokols) says Trump “falsely told a raucous rally in El Paso on
Monday night that he is already building a wall on the adjacent border with
Mexico,” and “alluded to lawmakers’ announcement of a deal, which came
moments before he took the stage, but did not give it his blessing. Nor did
he disparage it.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=032-e3b&t=c>
(2/11, Dinan) reports the President did say he “would not sign a bill that
would result in the ‘mass release’ of criminals into the U.S., potentially
complicating the new deal negotiators announced on Capitol Hill.” He also
“said he would also build his border wall no matter what the deal
included.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=033-640&t=c>
(2/12, Rosenberg) reports El Paso officials “rebuked President Trump in
advance of his visit to the border city on Monday night, assailing the
president for falsely crediting the Texas city’s safety to the border fence
that was built there 10 years ago.” Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), El Paso
County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, District Attorney Jaime Esparza, and
Commissioner Carlos Leon said at a news conference that Trump’s statements
“threatened to damage the town’s reputation.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=034-303&t=c>
(2/11, Wise) reports Trump said at his event that “‘people were full of
crap’ if they say a border fence hasn’t made a difference in reducing crime
in El Paso.”

Roger Cohen writes in his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=035-7f4&t=c>
(2/11) column that “instead of fanning fear,” Trump should “join the 70,000
people crossing four bridges who daily form the human tissue linking the
United States and Mexico. They work, they study, they eat, they shop, all
part of what” Mayor Margo “calls ‘one region, one culture.’” Margo told
Cohen, “From my vantage point in El Paso there is no crisis. You look south
and you can’t tell where El Paso merges into Júarez.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=036-82e&t=c>
(2/11, story 3, 2:00, Muir) previewed the “dueling rallies. ... All of this
over the border wall, and could this debate shut down the government again
in a matter of days?” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=037-855&t=c>
(2/11, story 4, 1:40, Holt) reported Trump “has traveled to Texas for a
rally in El Paso with the threat of another government shutdown looming
after talks stall over border security. Also holding a competing rally
there, potential Democratic candidate for president Beto O’Rourke.”

Kate Baldwin said earlier on CNN[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=038-88d&t=c>
(2/11, 3:07 p.m. ET), “You have the President going to El Paso. … It’s his
first big rally of the year. And you juxtapose that with this sort of
opening or opportunity he’s maybe inadvertently given Beto O’Rourke. This
is his hometown. So while Trump is speaking, Trump is essentially gifting
him like a megaphone and a stage in prime-time cable news coverage, because
the two of these guys are going to be going head to head.” KDBC-TV[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=039-5a4&t=c>
El Paso, TX (2/11, 5:35 p.m. MT) and KTSM-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=03a-87e&t=c>
El Paso, TX (2/11, 6:03 p.m. MT) also previewed the events. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=03b-efc&t=c>
(2/11, Reid) and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=03c-26c&t=c>
(2/11, Fabian) also have reports.

*Congressional Negotiators Reach Agreement, But Trump Has Yet To
Endorse Or Reject It. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=03d-5cf&t=c>
(2/12, Lemire, Fram) reports that as Trump and O’Rourke were preparing to
speak, congressional negotiators reached an agreement “to prevent a
government shutdown and finance construction of new barriers along the
U.S.-Mexico border, overcoming a late-stage hang-up over immigration
enforcement issues that had threatened to scuttle the talks.” However,
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=03e-b55&t=c>
(2/11, Cowan, Cornwell) reports, “it was far from clear” if Trump “would
embrace the agreement.” A congressional aide “said the outline of the deal
included $1.37 billion for erecting new fencing along the southern border.
That is about the same amount Congress allocated last year and far below
what Trump has demanded.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=03f-bdf&t=c>
(2/11, Collins, Fritze, Collins) reports Trump said at his rally, “They
said progress is being made. We probably have some good news. But who
knows?”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=040-a5e&t=c>
(2/11, Cochrane, Thrush) reports, “The agreement would allow for 55 miles
of new bollard fencing, with some restrictions on location based on
community and environmental concerns, according to two congressional
aides.” That is a “fraction of the more than 200 miles of
steel-and-concrete wall that Mr. Trump demanded – and 10 miles less than
negotiators agreed on last summer.” The negotiators “also agreed to reduce
the number of migrants and undocumented immigrants who can be held in
detention.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=041-19f&t=c>
(2/11, Haberkorn) reports, “Over the weekend, top members of Congress and
an administration official said the talks had broken down. But coming off a
record 35-day shutdown, there has been little appetite in either party in
Congress for another halt in federal operations.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=042-823&t=c>
(2/11, Werner, Paletta, Sullivan) reports House Appropriations Chairman
Nita Lowey “said she hoped the negotiators would have a finished product by
Wednesday. She said she ran the proposal” by House Speaker Pelosi “and she
signed off on it.” Referring to her fellow Democrats, Lowey said, “Some may
be happy, some may not be happy. We did the best we could.” The Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=043-5ab&t=c>
(2/11, Peterson, Andrews) reports Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard
Shelby said, “We reached an agreement in principle between us on Homeland
Security and the other six bills. Our staffs are going to be working
feverishly to put all of the particulars together.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=044-d98&t=c>
(2/11, Ferrechio) reports, “Democrats are rejecting a backup proposal to
temporarily fund the government if a broader border security deal falls
through. A senior Democratic aide said Monday that Democrats will not agree
to a yearlong spending bill” to keep DHS funded because Democrats believe
it would allocate too much money for ICE “and too much money for barriers
along the southern border.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=045-b2e&t=c>
(2/11, Sherfinski), Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=046-573&t=c>
(2/11, Everett, Ferris, Caygle), and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=047-f60&t=c>
(2/11, Carney) also have reports.

Before the announcement, the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=048-682&t=c>
(2/11, lead story, 2:50, Glor) reported that there was an “increasing
possibility there is going to be another government shutdown just weeks
after the longest in US history.” ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=049-200&t=c>
(2/11, story 4, 0:40, Muir) and NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=04a-7ff&t=c>
(2/11, story 5, 0:20, Holt) had briefer reports before the outline of an
agreement was made public.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=04b-67d&t=c>
(2/11) editorializes, “Few Americans are much interested in the minutiae of
congressional bargaining, but plenty are dead set against another descent
into the dysfunction of a government shutdown. ... The lives of hundreds of
thousands of federal workers would again be upended in the event of another
shutdown,” and “the image and prestige of the United States itself would be
further battered as people around the world took in the spectacle of a
nation incapable of fulfilling basic functions of governance. ... Lawmakers
are paid to resolve problems. Let them resolve this one and present a deal
to the president.”

*Ninth Circuit Backs Trump On Authority To Build Border Barriers. *The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=04c-125&t=c>
(2/11, Wheeler) reports that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals “sided with
the Trump administration in lawsuits brought by states and environmental
groups challenging the US government’s authority to expedite construction
of barriers along the border with Mexico.” In a 2-1 ruling, the court “said
the Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 gives the
Department of Homeland Security broad authority to construct the border
barriers and waive environmental laws in the process.” The ruling “affirms
a district court’s decision that allowed the federal government to
construct wall ‘prototypes’ and replace 14 miles of primary fencing near
San Diego and replace similar fencing along a three-mile strip near
Calexico, Calif.”

The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=04d-443&t=c>
(2/11, Pearce) says “the ruling is another legal victory for Trump in the
case after US District Judge Gonzalo Curiel ruled against California in
February 2018.” Curiel “found ‘Congress delegated to its executive
counterpart, the responsibility to construct border barriers as needed in
areas of high illegal entry to detect and deter illegal entries.’” Trump
“accused Curiel of being biased against him in an earlier case involving
Trump University.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=04e-c77&t=c>
(2/11, Dinan) notes “Monday’s decision was 2-1, with two Democratic
appointees rejecting the environmentalists’ challenge.” However “a third
judge, a Republican appointee, dissented, saying the courts didn’t even
have jurisdiction to hear the challenge in the first place. She said if the
courts did have jurisdiction, she would have agreed with her two
colleagues’ reasoning.”

*Newsom Vows To Withdraw Troops Assigned To Guard Border. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=04f-7d3&t=c>
(2/11, Szekely, McKay) reports Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said Monday he is
“ready to withdraw hundreds of the state’s National Guard troops from the
US-Mexico border,” which Reuters says would be “a rebuke of” the
President’s “stance that a national security crisis is unfolding there. ...
‘The border ‘emergency’ is nothing more than a manufactured crisis – and
California’s National Guard will not be part of this political theater,’
Newsom said on Twitter.” Reuters adds Newsom wants to “reassign about 360
California National Guard troops at the border to address the ‘real
threats’ faced by the state, including drug trafficking and wildfires.” The Los
Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=050-2e6&t=c>
(2/11, Ulloa) calls “Newsom’s move...an escalation of a long-running battle
over immigration between California and the federal government, with the
state’s Democratic majorities pledging to serve as a buffer to Trump’s
hard-line rhetoric and policies.”
Foreign Policy
Trump: Iranian Regime Has Produced “Only 40 Years Of Failure.”

President Trump marked Monday’s 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic
Revolution on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=051-a40&t=c>
writing, “40 years of corruption. 40 years of repression. 40 years of
terror. The regime in Iran has produced only #40YearsofFailure. The
long-suffering Iranian people deserve a much brighter future.”

*Amid “Death To America” Chants, Rouhani Vows To “Victory,” Effort
To Boost Iranian Military. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=052-e0f&t=c>
(2/11, Erdbrink) reports President Hassan Rouhani, speaking to a “sprawling
crowd” in Tehran to mark the anniversary, said the country was in the
middle of “a psychological and economical war, waged by cruel enemies,” a
“clear reference to the United States and the sanctions the Trump
administration reimposed.” He added, “We will stand against these sanctions
together, and gain victory over America.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=053-44c&t=c>
(2/11, Taylor) reports that “at a ceremony to mark the 40th
anniversary...Rouhani boasted about the country’s military strength and
told a large crowd that foreign powers would never dominate Iran again.”
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=054-564&t=c>
(2/11, Hafezi) reports that Iran’s “ballistic missile capabilities were on
display” during the ceremony. Rouhani said, “We have not asked and will not
ask for permission to develop different types of...missiles and will
continue our path and our military power.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=055-421&t=c>
(2/11, story 8, 1:45, Glor) reported Monday’s celebrations “featured the
inevitable flag burning and, of course, chants of ‘Death to America.’”
Elizabeth Palmer continued, “It’s part of a ritual salute to a revolution
that four decades on still has true believers.” Palmer added that while the
Iranian regime “looks just fine” under US sanctions, “the Iranian people
are having a very rough time.”

*Iranian Official Threatens Retaliation Against Israel If US
Attacks. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=056-950&t=c>
(2/11) reports that a “senior Revolutionary Guards commander said on Monday
that Iran would demolish cities in Israel to the ground if the United
States attacked the Islamic Republic.” Yadollah Javani, the Revolutionary
Guards’ deputy head for political affairs, was quoted by state-run media as
saying, “The United States does not have the courage to shoot a single
bullet at us despite all its defensive and military assets. But if they
attack us, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground.”

*US Urging Iraq To Stop Buying Energy From Iran. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=057-e7f&t=c>
(2/11, Wong) reports the Administration is “pressuring Iraq to stop buying
energy from its neighbor and sole foreign supplier, Iran, in what has
become a major point of conflict between Washington and Baghdad.” However,
“Iraqi leaders, fearing that a further shortfall in power would lead to
mass protests and political instability in their electricity-starved
country, are pushing back on the demand.” According to the Times, the
dispute has “frayed American diplomacy with Baghdad,” and Iraq’s “defiance
further jeopardizes Mr. Trump’s goal of getting all nations to comply with
sanctions after withdrawing” from the Iran nuclear deal last year.
Coalition Warplanes Hit ISIS’ Last Enclave In Eastern Syria.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=058-644&t=c>
(2/11, Said) reports US-led coalition warplanes struck ISIS’ “last
stronghold in eastern Syria and hundreds of civilians fled the besieged
enclave on Monday as US-backed fighters pressed their campaign to seize
it.” The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) “launched an offensive on Saturday
to capture the enclave in Deir al-Zor province,” but ISIS militants are
“putting up stiff resistance and had sought to counter-attack again on
Monday morning, according to Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF media office.”
The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021201biden&r=email-f180&l=059-02b&t=c>
(2/11, Mroue, Karam) reports ISIS militants, “cornered in their last
foothold in eastern Syria. fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and
booby traps Monday, slowing Kurdish fighters advancing under the cover of
US-led coalition airstrikes.”

Charlie D’Agata reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
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(2/11, story 7, 1:20, Glor) that, according to a military spokesman, “there
may be 500 to 600 fighters left, but they are among the most experienced
and battle hardened and determined within the ISIS ranks.” US-backed forces
“also underestimated the amount of civilians trapped inside” the village,
where they are essentially a human shield and “are slowing down the
offensive.”

*Iraqi Christians Fear Returning Home. *The AP
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(2/11, Abuelgasim) reports from the northern Iraqi town of Bartella, which
“was historically Christian” but is now “split between Christians and an
ethnic group known as Shabak, who are largely Shiites.” When ISIS overran
the town in 2014, Bartella’s “entire population fled – since both
communities were persecuted by the radicals.” Two years after Bartella was
liberated from ISIS, “fewer than a third of its 3,800 Christian families
have come back. Most remain afraid, amid reports of intimidation and
harassment by Shabak, who dominate the Shiite militias now controlling the
town.”
Conway: Trump Wants To Meet With Xi “Very Soon.”

Bloomberg
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(2/11, Mayeda, Han, Donnan) reports the White House said Monday that
President Trump still wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping “in an
effort to end the trade war, a sign of optimism as negotiators from the
world’s two-biggest economies start their latest round of talks this week.”
Kellyanne Conway said Monday on Fox News, “He wants to meet with President
Xi very soon. This President wants a deal. He wants it to be fair to
Americans and American workers and American interests.”

*WSJournal Analysis: Fourth-Quarter Earnings Show Impact Of Chinese
Slowdown On US. *The Wall Street Journal
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(2/11, Hufford, Francis) reports that fourth-quarter earnings from US
companies highlight how China’s slowing economy is impacting American
businesses. The Journal also reports some analysts expect the impact of
China’s slowing growth on US companies will worsen in the first quarter.
Pompeo Warns Governments Against Buying Equipment From Huawei.

Reuters
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(2/11, Wroughton, Szakacs) reports that in Budapest on Monday, Secretary of
State Pompeo “warned US allies...against deploying equipment from Chinese
telecoms gear manufacturer Huawei on their soil, saying it would make it
more difficult for Washington to ‘partner alongside them.’” Said Pompeo,
“If that (Huawei) equipment is co-located where we have important American
systems, it makes it more difficult for us to partner alongside them.”

To Bloomberg
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(2/11, Wadhams, Simon), Pompeo “came close to issuing an us-or-them
ultimatum to nations buying from Huawei...saying in Hungary that contracts
with the Chinese networking giant could limit the availability of US
equipment.” Said Pompeo, “They get to make their own decisions with respect
to these things. What is imperative is that we share with them the things
we know about the risks that Huawei’s presence in their networks present.”

The AP
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(2/11, Lee) reports Pompeo is “on the first leg of a five-nation European
tour during which he said he would raise American concerns about China and
Russia’s growing influence in Central Europe.” The Wall Street Journal
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(2/11, Hinshaw, Woo) reports that during Pompeo’s visit to Europe this
week, US officials are planning to present their case against Huawei to
both governments and private companies, a State Department official said.
Pompeo Seeks To Steer Hungary Away From Russia, China.

AFP
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(2/11) reports Secretary of State Pompeo “voiced hope Monday that renewed
American engagement with Hungary’s Viktor Orban would help steer the
increasingly authoritarian leader away from Russian and Chinese influence.”
Said Pompeo, “We must not let Putin drive wedges between friends in NATO.
An authoritarian Russia will never be a friend to the freedom and
sovereignty of smaller nations.” In what AFP says was a reference to former
President Obama, Pompeo said the US had pushed Hungary into the arms of
“folks who didn’t share our values” and vowed to “compete for positive
influence in the region.”

In what Bloomberg
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(2/11, Simon) calls a “sign that the US policy toward Hungary is switching
gears,” Pompeo was “scheduled to meet with civil society leaders in
Budapest” and also announced “a new program to support independent media in
central Europe.” The Washington Post
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(2/11, Morello) says Pompeo “began his re-engagement trip to central Europe
by meeting with civil activists who have run afoul of the government and by
taking a subtle swipe at the Obama administration.” Pompeo is “the first US
secretary of state to visit Hungary in more than seven years, a point he
and Hungarian officials raised repeatedly in public remarks.” Said Pompeo,
“When America’s absent, that won’t be in America’s best interest. So we’ve
taken a fundamentally different approach in the Trump administration. We’ve
now had 14 senior-level US visits to central Europe in just the first two
years of this administration. I won’t tell you how many there were in the
previous administration, but it starts with a Z.”

The AP
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(2/11, Gera), meanwhile, reports that Poland “has joined forces with the
United States to co-host an international conference on the Middle East,
hoping to strengthen its ties with Washington as its seeks greater
protection from Russia.” The AP adds that the event “comes as Poland is
lobbying the United States for a US base on its territory.”

*Orban Proposes Eliminating Income Taxes For Mothers Of Four Or
More Children. *The New York Times
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(2/11, Kingsley) reports, “Faced with a plummeting population, rising labor
shortages and widespread emigration,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban
“has long taken an unconventional approach to increasing the size and
productivity of Hungary’s work force.” On Sunday, Orban “announced one of
his most ambitious plans yet: Any Hungarian woman with four or more
children will no longer pay income tax.” The Times says Orban is willing to
do “anything to avoid immigration.” Orban, the Washington Post
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(2/11, Witte) reports, “has built his political brand on saying ‘no’ to
immigration. But his stalwart resistance – when combined with an exodus of
young workers and low birthrates – has created a demographic nightmare.”
In First Trip To Afghanistan, Shanahan Says There Are No Orders To Withdraw
US Troops.

The Washington Post
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(2/11, Ryan) reports Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan met with Afghan
leaders in Kabul on Monday during a surprise visit to the country. Shanahan
“made his first visit to Afghanistan six weeks after he became Pentagon
chief.” Speaking to reporters ahead of his arrival, Shanahan said he had
not received orders to withdraw US troops. Said Shanahan, “I think the
presence we want in Afghanistan is what assures our homeland defense and
supports regional stability, and that any type of sizing is done in a
coordinated and disciplined manner.” The Post says that “talk of any
substantial troop reduction appears to be on hold for now as the White
House tries to give diplomats a chance to foster peace talks.”

The AP
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(2/11, Burns), however, reports that while Shanahan “said he has no orders
to reduce the US troop presence...officials say that is at the top of the
Taliban’s list of demands in exploratory peace negotiations.” The Wall
Street Journal
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(2/11, Nelson) reports Shanahan also told reporters that it was important
for the Afghan government to participate in peace talks. Said Shanahan,
“The Afghans have to decide what Afghanistan looks like in the future. It’s
not about the US, it’s about Afghanistan.” The Washington Times
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(2/11, Wolfgang), however, notes that “so