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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Wednesday, February 13, 2019 7:56 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, February 13, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=001-3cc&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, February 13, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• 2020 Democratic Poll: Biden 29%; Sanders 22%; Harris 13%. <#S1>

• WPost’s Rubin: With Broad Democratic Field, No Real Need For Biden,
Sanders To Run. <#S2>

• Christie Weighs In On Biden, Announced 2020 Democrats. <#S3>

• Biden Eulogizes Dingell. <#S4>

• WPost Analysis: Young Democrats Pushing Party “To The Left On Divisive
Issues.” <#S5>

• Rogers: 2020 Democrats May Have To Be Careful In Criticizing Trump
Policies. <#S6>

• Media Analyses: Border Battle With Trump Boosts Potential 2020 Hopeful
O’Rourke. <#S7>

• Klobuchar Says She Views Green New Deal “As Aspirational.” <#S8>

• Brown Declines To Say If He Supports “Medicare-For-All,” “Green New Deal”
Proposals. <#S9>

• Warren Pays “Surprise” Visit To Native American Conference. <#S10>

• Harris Comments On Smoking Pot In College Draw Scrutiny. <#S11>

• Booker Says He’ll “Be Looking To Women First” For A Running Mate. <#S12>

• Politico: Bloomberg Would Spend At Least $500M Of His Own Cash On 2020
Bid. <#S13>

• Holder Says He Aims To Reach Decision On A 2020 Bid “Within The Next
Month Or So.” <#S14>

• Mulling White House Run, Democrat Bullock To Visit Iowa This Weekend.
<#S15>

• Eyeing 2020 Bid, Swalwell Would Bank Heavily On Doing Well In His Native
Iowa. <#S16>

• CNN: Schultz Won’t Commit To Dropping Out Of 2020 Race If It Appears
He’ll Help Trump. <#S17>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Says He’ll Combine Border Deal Funds “With Lots Of Money From Other
Sources.” <#S18>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Pompeo Warns Europe Against Over-Reliance On Chinese Technology, Russian
Energy. <#S19>

• Trump May Let China Trade Deadline “Slide For A Little While” As New
Round Of Talks Begins. <#S20>

• Trump Reportedly Mulling Sale Of Nuclear Technology To Saudi Arabia.
<#S21>

• US Seeks To Increase Pressure On Iran At Warsaw Meeting. <#S22>

• Shanahan Reassures Iraqi Leaders About Role Of US Troops In Wake Of Trump
Comments. <#S23>

• Top US Commanders In Asia: North Korea Unlikely To Denuclearize Fully.
<#S24>

• US-Backed Forces Continue Push Into Last ISIS Stronghold. <#S25>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Senate Intelligence Committee Probe Finds No Evidence Of Trump-Russia
Collusion. <#S26>

• Trump Says “Anti-Semitism Has No Place” In Congress, Calls On Omar To
Resign. <#S27>

• White House “Condemns” Attack On BBC Cameraman At El Paso Rally. <#S28>

• McConnell To Force Senate Vote On “Green New Deal.” <#S29>

• Barr Nomination Advances On 55-44 Cloture Vote. <#S30>

• Trump Says Whitaker Took “Tremendous Amount Of Abuse” From Hill Democrats.
<#S31>

• National Debt Reaches $22T For The First Time. <#S32>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Pembrolizumab Continues To Improve Survival, Demonstrates Less Toxicity
Than Platinum-Based Chemo In PD-L1-Positive NSCLC, Study Finds. <#S33>

• Research Shows Active Surveillance Tripled For Low-Risk Prostate Cancer
From 2012 To 2015. <#S34>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S35>

• Washington Post. <#S36>
Biden in the News
2020 Democratic Poll: Biden 29%; Sanders 22%; Harris 13%.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=002-57a&t=c>
(2/12, Burke) reported that a Morning Consult poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=003-522&t=c>
(2/12) of 11,627 likely Democratic primary voters, taken Feb. 4-10, shows
former Vice President Joe Biden leading a hypothetical race for the 2020
Democratic presidential nomination with 29%, followed by Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-VT) at 22%, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) at 13%, Sen. Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA) at 8%, ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) at 7%, Sen. Cory Booker
(D-NJ) at 5%, and several others lagging further behind. In a smaller
sample, the survey “also showed Biden with a lead among voters in early
primary states, which include Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and
Nevada.” Biden led that sample with 33%, followed by Sanders at 21%, Harris
at 11%, Warren at 10%, and others lagging further behind. Vox
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=004-4fe&t=c>
(2/12, Stewart) reported, “Morning Consult also asked voters who their
second choice would be. Biden, Warren, and O’Rourke voters said Sanders.
Sanders and Harris voters said Biden.”

Writing for the Daily Intelligencer (NY)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=005-d10&t=c>
(2/12), Ed Kilgore said of the poll results, “Among Biden fans nationally,
the top backup candidate is Sanders with 27 percent. Among Sanders
supporters, a plurality (26 percent) consider Biden their next option. What
this most likely indicates is that support for each of these candidates is
to a significant extent a product of the high name ID they share: 89
percent of Democrats saying that they plan to vote in primaries or caucuses
know enough about Biden to have an opinion of him, with 88 percent saying
the same of Sanders.”

*New Hampshire Poll: Biden Has Highest Favorability Rating Among
2020 Democrats. *In an online article, WMUR-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=006-499&t=c>
Manchester, NH (2/12, Sexton) reported that a St. Anselm College Survey
Center poll of 600 New Hampshire voters, taken Feb. 6-9, shows Biden with
the highest favorability rating among the field of announced and potential
2020 Democratic presidential contenders. The poll pegs Biden’s favorability
rating at 80%, with 12% viewing him unfavorably. Sanders sported the next
highest favorability rating at 65%, with 25% viewing him unfavorably.
Booker, Harris, and Warren all trailed closely behind Sanders.
WPost’s Rubin: With Broad Democratic Field, No Real Need For Biden, Sanders
To Run.

Writing on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=007-262&t=c>
(2/12), Jennifer Rubin said of the 2020 Democratic race for president,
“With such an extremely diverse field (ideologically and otherwise), the
question for [former Vice President Joe] Biden remains: Does he have to run
for Democrats to reclaim the White House? It’s not like there are no
moderates or no white men with Rust Belt appeal or no experienced pols
already in the race or about to jump in.” Rubin said Sen. Bernie Sanders
(I-VT) “suffers from some of the same maladies as Biden; he’s old
chronologically, a well-worn political face...male and white. Why does the
party need Bernie and his baggage with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and
plenty of fresher progressive faces available?” Rubin added that “with a
crowded field now populated with candidates who have some advantages they
don’t have, and without some of their disadvantages, the...question” for
Biden and Sanders “is: Why bother?”
Christie Weighs In On Biden, Announced 2020 Democrats.

Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=008-59e&t=c>
(2/13, Gordon) reports that ex-Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) on Tuesday
weighed in on the 2020 Democratic presidential race, risking “controversy
by describing two black candidates as ‘articulate’ and calling former Vice
President Joe Biden ‘Crazy Uncle Joe.’” At an event promoting his memoir,
Christie described Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA), both
African Americans, as “articulate.” Bloomberg says Biden “himself had to
apologize in 2007 for remarks he made about then-Senator Barack Obama when
both men were seeking the Democratic nomination for president. He’d called
Obama a ‘sort-of mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright
and clean.’” Meanwhile, of Biden, “whom he called the front-runner,”
Christie said, “Is he going to be the adult in the room or is he going to
be crazy Uncle Joe? He could be either. If he’s the adult in the room, I
think he’s got a real shot to be able to distinguish himself in a material
way from the other people.”
Biden Eulogizes Dingell.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=009-205&t=c>
(2/12, Householder, Karoub) reports that the late Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)
“knew that jobs were about more than collecting a paycheck, and that health
care meant more than just good health. Both were about dignity, former Vice
President Joe Biden said
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=00a-64f&t=c>
Tuesday while eulogizing the longest serving member of Congress in US
history.” Addressing “hundreds of people gathered for Dingell’s funeral in
a suburban Detroit church,” Biden said, “He believed without exception that
everybody was entitled to be treated with dignity. Dignity was how John
walked. Dignity was how John talked. Dignity was how John carried himself.
More than that, it was how he treated everybody. And I mean everybody.”

The Detroit Free Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=00b-5bc&t=c>
(2/12, Gray) reports that Biden honored Dingell, “saying that one word
summed up the longest-serving member of Congress: Dignity.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=00c-cbb&t=c>
(2/12, Galioto) reported, “Dignity, Biden said, was at the core of all
Dingell did – recognition and respect for the dignity of every man and
woman.” MLive (MI)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=00d-b33&t=c>
(2/12, Stanton) reports that Biden, “a potential 2020 presidential
candidate, delivered a light-hearted speech that lasted about 30 minutes to
end the two-hour funeral mass, reflecting on what he liked about Dingell
and some of the congressman’s legislative accomplishments.” The Royal Oak
(MI) Daily Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=00e-0dc&t=c>
(2/12, Herndon) reports that Biden called Dingell “an ‘amazing soul.’” The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=00f-36c&t=c>
(2/12, Rodrigo) reported that Biden said “Dingell ‘fought like hell’ for
others and that so many were mourning the Michigan Democrat not because
they necessarily knew him, but ‘because they knew John knew them.’”

On its website, CBS News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=010-f8a&t=c>
(2/12, Tillett) reported that Biden “also remembered” Dingell’s “sharp wit,
his biting tongue and brutal honesty. ‘He knew the difference between a hot
mic and a cold mic, that’s for sure,’ Biden joked.” On its website, ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=011-1fd&t=c>
(2/12, Nagle) reported that Biden “was the only scheduled speaker to make
it to the service.” Reps. John Lewis (D-GA) and Fred Upton (R-MI) “were
also scheduled to speak but the military planes they and several other
members were on were forced to turn around because of bad weather in
Detroit.” Among the local TV stations broadcasting reports on Biden’s
eulogizing of Dingell are WXMI-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=012-ec2&t=c>
Grand Rapids, MI (2/13), WDIV-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=013-bd5&t=c>
Detroit's Early Today (2/13), WEYI-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=014-754&t=c>
Flint, MI (2/13), WJBK-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=015-2a8&t=c>
Detroit (2/13), and WWTV-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=016-dfe&t=c>
Cadillac, MI (2/13). CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=017-4a2&t=c>
(2/12, McPherson) and the Daily Mail (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=018-974&t=c>
(2/12, Griffith) also report on the story.
WPost Analysis: Young Democrats Pushing Party “To The Left On Divisive
Issues.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=019-95e&t=c>
(2/12, Kim, Linskey, Bade) reports that young Democrats are “using
far-reaching policy ideas and a brash social media presence to upend the
party – pushing it to the left on divisive issues such as health care and
climate change.” At the same time, “the liberal shift, and the lawmakers
driving it, are also creating challenges for Democrats in more-conservative
areas, and they are giving President Trump and congressional Republicans
fresh opportunities for political attacks” on topics such as the “broad
‘Green New Deal’ proposal.” The Post adds, “The party’s increasingly
liberal bent is also creating dilemmas for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(D-Calif.), who is trying to manage a band of outspoken new liberal members
while also staying attuned to the needs of moderates hailing from swing
districts.”
Rogers: 2020 Democrats May Have To Be Careful In Criticizing Trump Policies.

Contributor Ed Rogers writes in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=01a-be0&t=c>
(2/12, Rogers) that to date in the Democratic race for president, “the only
unifying theme among all candidates is that President Trump is unfit and he
and his Republican policies must go. ... How will they be wildly anti-Trump
without pledging to do things that would snuff out the robust economy?”
Rogers adds that if Democrats run on “higher taxes” and “socialist” ideas,
they “could produce a referendum on the economy instead of a referendum on
Trump’s character.” He also says Trump’s foreign policy will not be easy
for Democrats to criticize. Rogers concludes: “By fostering bothersome
economic prosperity and making foreign policy moves that no one will want
to undo, Trump is effectively rendering much of the traditional debate
about peace and prosperity off limits to Democrats,” leaving them with
“identity politics, grievances, claims of corruption and comical misfires
such as the Green New Deal.”
Media Analyses: Border Battle With Trump Boosts Potential 2020 Hopeful
O’Rourke.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=01b-785&t=c>
(2/12, Siders) reported that if ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) enters the
2020 White House race, “he should thank President Donald Trump for the kick
in the pants.” Politico said that Trump’s Monday “appearance in O’Rourke’s
hometown” of El Paso “served to elevate the” Democrat “as a potential
rival. And as Trump confronted O’Rourke at a campaign-style rally on an
issue central to both of their political identities – immigration and the
border wall – O’Rourke seized the opportunity to re-establish his footing.”
Speaking with Politico, O’Rourke said, “Yeah, I’m back in the mix around an
issue that could not be more important for our country and for our
community.”

Similarly, The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=01c-b8d&t=c>
(2/12, Parnes) reported, “Democrats say [O’Rourke’s] prime-time fight
Monday night with...Trump likely gave a boost to the potential presidential
candidate, whose stock has fallen in the past six weeks as he has publicly
mulled a bid for the White House.” O’Rourke received “heavy media coverage
for his speech, and Trump himself added to the story by attacking the
former congressman.” The Hill quoted Democratic strategist Eddie Vale as
saying, “For Beto, Trump showing up in his backyard was a hanging curveball
over the plate that he crushed out of the park.” On its website, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=01d-46c&t=c>
(2/12, Todd, Murray, Dann) went so far as to say that O’Rourke got “under
the skin of” Trump.
Klobuchar Says She Views Green New Deal “As Aspirational.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=01e-a71&t=c>
(2/12, Axelrod) reported that during a Tuesday appearance[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=01f-e51&t=c>
on Fox News, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) said “that she views the recently
proposed Green New Deal as ‘aspirational’ but was less committal about
specific legislative proposals. ‘I see it as aspirational, I see it as a
jump start. So I would vote yes, but I would also, if it got down to the
nitty-gritty of an actual legislation as opposed to, ‘oh, here are some
goals we have,’ that would be different for me,’ the Democratic
presidential candidate said.” She added, “I am for a jump-start of the
discussion and a framework as Sen. [Ed] Markey [D-Mass.] has described.”
Markey and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) “introduced companion
resolutions on the Green New Deal last week.”

*Klobuchar Downplays Reports Of Berating Staff. *Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=020-bf2&t=c>
(2/12, Choi) reported that during her appearance[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=021-55a&t=c>
on Fox News, Klobuchar also “played down numerous reports about her
temperament and said she would take responsibility for everything that
‘happens on this campaign.’ Klobuchar faced numerous allegations of
mistreating her staff, including sending them on personal errands and
demeaning them through sharp comments and late-night emails.’” Klobuchar is
quoted as saying that “Yes, I can be a tough boss and push people – that’s
obvious. But that’s because I have high expectations of myself, I have high
expectations of those that work with me, and I have high expectations for
our country.”
Brown Declines To Say If He Supports “Medicare-For-All,” “Green New Deal”
Proposals.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=022-361&t=c>
(2/12, Strauss) reported that Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) “is declining to
say whether he supports ‘Medicare for all’ and ‘Green New Deal’ proposals
pushed by other” Democrats “as he considers a run for president, saying he
doesn’t need to weigh in to underscore that he’s progressive.” Brown “has
said that he broadly supports the philosophies of expanding Medicare and
fighting climate change.” However, speaking on Tuesday at an event hosted
by the Christian Science Monitor, Brown said, “I’m not going to get in the
position every time someone has a really good idea or a big idea I have to
talk in great detail on my position on it. I know the easy thing to do is
say, ‘Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes,’ but I don’t know that that serves
my constituents. As a progressive, I’m not going to get in this race and
change my positions and go like that with people.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=023-2e1&t=c>
(2/12, McLaughlin) reports that Brown also “said he doesn’t think the party
has shifted to the left, saying [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi’s views are
the best barometer for where the party is right now.” Said Brown, “Nancy
Pelosi is the leader of the party. I look to what she says more than I look
to what a handful of members of Congress say.”
Warren Pays “Surprise” Visit To Native American Conference.

The Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=024-b39&t=c>
(2/12, Bendery) reported that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday “made
a surprise appearance at...the National Conference of American Indians.”
Her appearance came “after she apologized to the Cherokee Nation for
releasing a DNA test in October in an attempt to prove she had Native
ancestry. The Washington Post also recently revealed that Warren listed her
race as ‘American Indian’ when she filled out a form for the Texas state
bar in 1986.” Addressing the gathering, Warren “called for Congress to take
more action on Native issues,” though “most of her remarks were spent
praising Native women, saying she was there to lift up Native voices.”
Harris Comments On Smoking Pot In College Draw Scrutiny.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=025-406&t=c>
(2/12, Blake) reports that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a presidential
candidate, “appears to have fibbed during an interview Monday about smoking
marijuana in college while listening to music by Snoop Dogg and Tupac
Shakur. Ms. Harris cited both rappers during an appearance on ‘The
Breakfast Club’ radio program in response to a question posed moments after
she acknowledged smoking marijuana in college. ... Neither of the future
rap legends had released music by the time Ms. Harris completed graduate
school, however.”

The Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=026-cd2&t=c>
(2/12, Moye) reported, “In a clip posted on Twitter, Harris appears to
answer” the host’s “question, saying that she likes Snoop Dogg and Tupac
Shakur (as well as Cardi B), while laughing off the query posed by
Charlamagne Tha God. But the close proximity of the two questions could
make it sound as if Harris were saying she listened to Tupac and Snoop Dogg
in college – which would be impossible since she graduated from Howard
University in 1986, five years before Tupac’s first album and six before
Snoop Dogg’s recording debut.”
Booker Says He’ll “Be Looking To Women First” For A Running Mate.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=027-c35&t=c>
(2/12, Griffiths) reported that during a Tuesday appearance on MSNBC, Sen.
Cory Booker (D-NJ) said “that while he does not want to ‘box himself in’ so
far away from Election Day, he would be ‘looking at women first’ as a
running mate should he become his party’s presidential nominee.” Said
Booker, “We have such a great field of leaders, I think you’ll rarely see a
Democratic ticket anymore without gender diversity, race diversity. It’s
something we should have. I’m not going to box myself in, but should I come
to it, you know I’ll be looking to women first.”
Politico: Bloomberg Would Spend At Least $500M Of His Own Cash On 2020 Bid.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=028-4b8&t=c>
(2/13, Caputo) reports that ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D)
“is preparing to spend at least $500 million from his own pocket to deny
President Trump a second term, according to Democratic operatives briefed
on his plans.” If Bloomberg enters the race for the Democratic presidential
nomination, “he will use that half-billion-dollar stake – roughly $175
million more than the Trump campaign spent over the course of the entire
2016 election cycle – to fuel his campaign through the 2020 primary season,
with the expectation that the sum represents a floor, not a ceiling, on his
potential spending.” Should he opt against entering the White House race,
Bloomberg intends “to run an unprecedented data-heavy campaign designed to
operate as a shadow political party for the eventual Democratic nominee.”
Holder Says He Aims To Reach Decision On A 2020 Bid “Within The Next Month
Or So.”

In an online article, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=029-bdb&t=c>
(2/13, Romero, Hillyard) reports that ex-US Attorney General Eric Holder
(D) on Tuesday said “that he’ll decide on a 2020 presidential run in about
three weeks.” Speaking with “reporters outside the Harkin Institute for
Public Policy and Citizen Engagement at Iowa’s Drake University, where he
had just engaged in a 90-minute discussion on redistricting and voter
rights,” Holder said, “I’m going to decide if I’m going to try to find that
space within the next month or so.” NBC News added, “The key questions,
Holder said, are ‘whether you have the vision, the experience, the ability
to inspire others to deal with the issues of the day. So I’m going to sit
down you know with my family, you know, very soon.’”
Mulling White House Run, Democrat Bullock To Visit Iowa This Weekend.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=02a-0ef&t=c>
(2/12, Thompson) reported that Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT) “will travel to
Iowa at the end of the week as he further explores a run for the Democratic
presidential nomination,” according to “his Big Sky Values PAC.” State
Attorney General Tom Miller (D-IA) “will escort Bullock to a series of
small meetings with local Democrats in Des Moines on Friday and then
Carroll and Fort Dodge on Saturday.” Bullock, who is term-limited in next
year, “has said that he probably won’t make any public announcements about
a 2020” White House bid “until later this spring, when his final
legislative session ends.”
Eyeing 2020 Bid, Swalwell Would Bank Heavily On Doing Well In His Native
Iowa.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=02b-803&t=c>
(2/12, Marinucci, Korecki) reported that Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), “who’s
edging closer to a longer-than-longshot presidential bid,” has “one
advantage in the crowded Democratic presidential field if he chooses to
run: Iowa, the state where he was born. Swalwell is a native of Sac City,
the son of the former police chief of Algona and he’s already been to the
early presidential state 15 times over the past two years.” In an
interview, Swalwell said “he is moving in [the] direction” of mounting a
2020 run, “telling POLITICO, ‘I’m ready to do this.’ ‘I have to make a
decision before April,’ he said.”
CNN: Schultz Won’t Commit To Dropping Out Of 2020 Race If It Appears He’ll
Help Trump.

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=02c-4d9&t=c>
(2/12, Merica) reported that during a Tuesday town hall hosted by CNN,
ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is considering an independent White
House run, bid for president, “would not commit to getting out of the
presidential race if he knows in late 2020 that his candidacy will help
President Donald Trump get elected.” Asked repeatedly about the subject,
Schultz “dodged the question,” saying “he would not run if, in the next few
months, ‘math doesn’t tally up,’” but declining “to say he would do the
same later in the race, should he decide to run.” Schultz did say that “I
will not do anything, whatsoever, to re-elect Donald Trump. No one wants to
see him fired more than me.”

*Schultz Blasts Green New Deal As “Not Realistic,” Criticizes Both
Parties. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=02d-0cf&t=c>
(2/12, Axelrod) reported that during the town hall, Schultz “slammed the
recently-proposed Green New Deal as ‘not realistic.’” Said Schultz, “When I
see politicians start throwing things out that I know is not realistic,
that is not being honest with the American people.” Schultz added, “When I
read the Green New Deal and I try to understand what they’re suggesting, I
don’t understand how you’re going to give a job to everybody, how you’re
going to give free college to everybody, how you’re going to create clean
energy throughout the country in every building of the land, and then tally
this thing up with $32 trillion on Medicare for All. That’s about $40
trillion plus, we are sitting…with $22 trillion of debt on the balance
sheet of America.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=02e-1d8&t=c>
(2/12, Lim) quoted Schultz as saying of the Green New Deal, “I read that by
2030 they’re suggesting that every building in America becomes clean
energy, conforms to clean energy. Just to put that in perspective, because
it’s not realistic, that would mean that between 2,000 and 3,000 buildings
a day would have to be reconstructed to conform to what they’re saying. So
let’s be sensible about what we’re suggesting.” The remarks “are likely to
further raise tensions between” Schultz “and Democrats running against
[President] Trump. Several Democrats have said Schultz’ candidacy would
only split the anti-Trump vote and help Trump win re-election in 2020.”

The Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=02f-dbd&t=c>
(2/13, Visser) reports that Schultz “continually rejected the ‘extreme’
sides of both political parties and repeated that, in his estimation, the
current political system is ‘so broken.’ ‘Both parties today on the far
left and the far right are more interested in partisan politics, revenge
politics,’ Schultz said during the event when asked about his
qualifications. ‘I think we could be doing so much better than we are.”
However, said HuffPost, Schultz “failed to nail down firm positions on
almost every policy question he was asked.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=030-184&t=c>
(2/13, Cadelago) reports that Schultz, a billionaire, said he should be
paying a higher tax rate, but “demurred after repeatedly being pressed by
moderator Poppy Harlow to provide a rate. ‘The headline is here: I should
be paying more taxes,’ Schultz said. ‘And people who make this kind of
revenue, and are of means, should pay more taxes.’” After being pressed on
the subject, Schwartz said, “Poppy, I don’t what the number is,. What I am
saying is we need comprehensive tax reform.” Harlow continued to press, “at
which point Schultz launched into a criticism of Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez’s idea of a top marginal income tax rate as much as 70
percent – calling it ‘punitive.’”
Leading the News
Trump Says He’ll Combine Border Deal Funds “With Lots Of Money From Other
Sources.”

President Trump took to Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=031-73a&t=c>
yesterday to write, “Was just presented the concept and parameters of the
Border Security Deal by hard working Senator Richard Shelby. Looking over
all aspects knowing that this will be hooked up with lots of money from
other sources. ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=032-4ee&t=c>
Will be getting almost $23 BILLION for Border Security. Regardless of Wall
money, it is being built as we speak!” Earlier yesterday, the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=033-12d&t=c>
(2/12, A1, Werner, Sullivan, Paletta, Wagner) reports, Trump similarly
“suggested he could add to” to the funds included in the deal “to build his
US-Mexico border wall.” Trump is quoted as saying of the agreement, “It’s
not going to do the trick, but I’m adding things to it and when you add
whatever I have to add, it’s all going to happen where we’re going to build
a beautiful big strong wall.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=034-86d&t=c>
(2/12, story 3, 2:10, Alexander) also reported that “the President is now
hinting he’ll take executive action to redirect money to pay for the wall,”
the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=035-07d&t=c>
(2/12, story 4, 1:50, Reid) that he “could try to free up some money for a
border wall through executive action,” though “many Republicans oppose this
option,” and ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=036-41f&t=c>
(2/12, story 5, 2:20, Karl) that “he may try to go around Congress, declare
a national emergency and get the extra wall money that way, but the bottom
line is, nobody I have spoken to here at the White House or on Capitol Hill
thinks there will be another shutdown.”

Along those lines, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=037-173&t=c>
(2/12, Dinan) says “the president seemed to signal that he might accept the
deal, then try to flex his powers by going around Congress,” and quotes him
as saying yesterday, “I consider everything.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=038-5cc&t=c>
(2/12, Nelson) reports Trump also said, “Am I happy at first glance, I just
got to see it? The answer is no, I’m not. I’m not happy. But am I happy
with where we’re going? I’m thrilled. ... I’m thrilled because we’re
supplementing things and moving things around and we’re doing things that
are fantastic, taking from far less important areas and the bottom line is
we’re building a lot of wall. ... Right now we’re building a lot of wall.”
Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=039-0d8&t=c>
(2/12, Spiering) also indicates the President “suggested he could use
‘additional methods’ to build the wall,” but “he assured Americans not to
expect another shutdown.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=03a-bac&t=c>
(2/12, Fabian) reports “Trump did not say how he would add to the budget
deal but he appeared to open the door to redirecting certain federal
funding dedicated for other projects toward the wall, a move recently
floated by White House advisers to begin wall construction while stopping
short of making a controversial national emergency declaration.” Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=03b-b9e&t=c>
(2/12, Dennis, Litvan, Wasson, Talev) and the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=03c-130&t=c>
(2/12, Ballhaus, Peterson), among other news outlets, also report the
story.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=03d-d13&t=c>
(2/12, Becker) reports Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) “said he thought Trump
would sign the bill,” telling reporters, “I think he will do so
reluctantly, and then obviously, have to use executive actions to secure
our borders.”

On Fox News Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=03e-6d4&t=c>
(2/12), Bret Baier said, “The big question right now in the nation’s
capital is will President Trump support a compromised budget plan that
gives him some of the money for his border wall and averts another partial
government shutdown. The President said he’s not thrilled with the terms
but he’s thrilled about the direction of construction.”

Pamela Brown said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=03f-132&t=c>
(2/12) that whether the President will sign the deal “is still the big
question looming here at the White House. Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell says he doesn’t know if Trump will sign the funding deal. A White
House official tells CNN, though it is likely that President Trump will
sign the deal, but cautioned it is still not final.”

Kaitlin Collins said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=040-793&t=c>
(2/12), “No one is fully confident about the President signing it. That is
why no one will go and say that the President is going to sign it. I think
Mark Meadows is the only person that has gone so far to say he expects to
President to sign it, which is significant. We know Republicans are
lobbying the President to do so. White House officials think that they can
avoid this shutdown by having the President sign this. They had already
gotten to this conclusion that the President could take whatever deal he
got as long as it wasn’t outrageous and then they could still use some kind
of executive action...to get the wall anyway.”

Jake Tapper on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=041-7fd&t=c>
(2/12) said, “The last deal in December when the President pulled the rug
out and said he wasn’t going to sign it had $1.6 billion. This has $1.375
billion. I have never been strong at math. Is it possible that the
President is ending up with a worse deal for what he wants because of the
government shutdown?” Bill Kristol replied, “Yes. Because Republicans
weren’t going to support him for a second shutdown.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=042-9c8&t=c>
(2/12, Taylor, Fram) indicates, meanwhile, that Trump said he was “unhappy”
with the “hard-won agreement to prevent a new government shutdown,” and the New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=043-761&t=c>
(2/12, A1, Baker, Thrush) that he “gave no indication whether he would sign
or veto” the tentative deal. The Times points out that “the compromise
includes just $1.375 billion for new fencing along the border, far short of
the $5.7 billion he demanded for a wall.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=044-7d1&t=c>
(2/12, Kumar, Everett) says “some Republicans suspect that Trump, a former
reality show star keenly aware of how political dramas unfold on TV, has
already decided to surrender his fight with Congress – but that he is still
working to convince supporters that he got the best of his House Democratic
opponents.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=045-df9&t=c>
(2/12, Stokols) reports that “even as the president has failed to get the
funding he wants for a wall...he has shifted to declaring victory and
claiming credit for the 654 miles of fencing constructed under his
predecessors – the same former presidents he often criticizes for their
border policies, as he did Tuesday by derisively referring to ‘our past
geniuses.’” The Times adds “Trump himself directed campaign officials that
‘Finish the wall’ was to be the theme of the El Paso rally, according to a
person familiar with the planning.” Such “attempted sleight of hand on his
signature issue comes amid both deepening resignation in his circle that
Democrats in Congress are not going to support significant increases in
wall funding and concern about disappointing his core supporters.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=046-832&t=c>
(2/12, Cornwell, Cowan) reports that Republicans in Congress “have shown
little appetite for another shutdown after taking heavy criticism over the
prior one,” and McConnell, “who had counseled Trump against the previous
shutdown, said Democrats had abandoned ‘unreasonable’ demands.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=047-b84&t=c>
(2/12, Collins, Collins, Jackson) reports “McConnell said the Senate could
vote ‘in short order’ on the tentative proposal and urged Trump to sign
it,” saying, “I think he’s got a pretty good deal here. ... I hope he’ll
decide to sign it.” USA Today adds that Senate Minority Leader Schumer
“said the agreement represents ‘a path forward for our country’ and would
help avoid ‘another round of fraught negotiations’ as lawmakers rush to
beat Friday’s fast-approaching deadline.” Said Schumer, “Please Mr.
President. ... Sign it and don’t cause a shutdown.”

On Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=048-52a&t=c>
(2/12), Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) said, “I’m pleased. I wish we had gotten
more, but I’m glad we will help the President build a wall, it will be a
good wall, and we will be able to see that.” She added, “It is a wall. It
was a wall 20 years in the making because they tried different ways to make
some sort of barrier, and most of them were poorly made, not enough
funding, fell down, that sort of thing, but this wall, we went right by
what the border security needs.”

In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=049-28d&t=c>
(2/12) urges Trump to sign the deal and end the standoff. To the Journal,
the President allowed himself to be pulled into the spending fight by
zealous conservative commentators who did him no favors. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=04a-71d&t=c>
(2/12) editorializes, meanwhile, that “whatever path the president is
inclined to take, Republican leaders are sending him a clear message along
with the deal: This is the best offer he’s going to get under the
circumstances, and if he refuses it, he’ll wind up hanging out on that
political limb alone.” The Times adds “Trump finds himself once more walled
in by his border promises, with no clear way out and having exhausted the
patience of his own congressional team.”

On CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=04b-b77&t=c>
(2/12), Jim Acosta said, “Reading between the lines here in the President’s
tweet, it sounds as though he’s going to sign this deal. But of course,
President Trump being President Trump, all bets are off until it actually
happens.”

On CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=04c-1b8&t=c>
(2/12), Kirsten Powers said, “In the end, he came out of this deal in a
less good place than he started.”

*Trump Thanks Republican Negotiators For Tangling With “Radical
Left On Border Security.” *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=04d-5fb&t=c>
last night, “I want to thank all Republicans for the work you have done in
dealing with the Radical Left on Border Security. Not an easy task, but the
Wall is being built and will be a great achievement and contributor toward
life and safety within our Country!”

*Shelby: Deal “Pretty Good” Considering GOP Lost House. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=04e-fc7&t=c>
(2/12, Everett, Bresnahan, Caygle) reports that ahead of his meeting with
Trump, Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby said “the White House
had been kept ‘aware and involved’ throughout the negotiations, though he
had not personally spoken to Trump since Thursday when the president gave
him latitude to try and strike a deal with Democrats.” Shelby “noted the
package would allow Trump to build 55 new miles of wall which, he said is
‘pretty good’ considering the GOP lost the House in November.”

*Progressives’ Reaction To Border Fencing, Detention Beds Deal Not
Yet Known. *The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=04f-8a5&t=c>
(2/12, Haberkorn) reports “many Democrats in the House have not yet weighed
in publicly,” and adds “progressives are unlikely to be thrilled about
providing funding for more fencing.” McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=050-786&t=c>
(2/12, Ordoñez) also reports that “despite promising there would be no new
wall, the Democrats have agreed to pay for 55 miles of new construction
along the southern border,” and the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=051-e22&t=c>
(2/12, Enjeti) that “Democrats notably dropped their demand in the
agreement to limit the number of beds ICE is able to use for criminal
illegal alien enforcement, removing the main poison pill for the White
House in the deal.”

Likewise, CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=052-600&t=c>
(2/12, Bennett) points out “the agreement does not include a cap on
detention beds used for interior enforcement that Democrats proposed and
led to a breakdown in the negotiations over the weekend,” and the Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=053-453&t=c>
(2/12, Sherfinski, Dinan) says “the detention bed fight had turned into an
early test round in Democrats push to rein in ICE – what some on the
party’s left wing call their ‘Abolish ICE’ agenda.”
Foreign Policy
Pompeo Warns Europe Against Over-Reliance On Chinese Technology, Russian
Energy.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=054-f7c&t=c>
(2/12, Lee) reports that in Warsaw on Tuesday, Secretary of State Pompeo
“invoked the 30th anniversary of the demise of communism to implore
countries in Central and Eastern Europe to resist Chinese and Russian
influence.” Speaking on a five-nation tour of Europe, Pompeo “said China
and Russia pose twin threats to the democratic and free-market gains made
since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989,” and “specifically...called out
European dependence on Russian energy, Russia’s backing of the Nord Stream
2 pipeline that many fear will increase that reliance and China’s entry
into Europe’s telecommunications market through the high-tech company
Huawei.”

With regards to Huawei, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=055-943&t=c>
(2/12) reports Pompeo said the US “is fine with companies competing in
global markets but it must be done in an open and transparent way.” Said
Pompeo, “We’re fine with companies competing but they’ve got to do it in a
way that is fair, open and transparent...and they can’t do so with anything
other than any economic motives.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=056-5e3&t=c>
(2/12, Santora, De Goeij) notes that the “Czech government’s cybersecurity
agency issued a directive in December warning that Huawei represented a
potential national security threat,” and the company is also “hitting
problems in Germany and Britain, traditional American allies.”

AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=057-b74&t=c>
(2/12) reports Pompeo also vowed the US “would do everything in its power
to stop Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline,” which he said “funnels money”
to Russia in a way that ultimately hurts Europe. Added Pompeo, “So while
there is certainly a commercial aspect to that kind of transaction, there
is an enormous security risk that is attached to it.” Asked if the US would
consider sanctions, Pompeo said, “I think President Trump has been very
clear that America is going to do what it can within its power to see that
European security is foremost when it comes to energy decisions.”

A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=058-13b&t=c>
(2/12, Tamkin) analysis says that while Pompeo “made clear...that the
United States wants to reengage with the region to counter Russia and
China...experts say that thinking of engagement in the region as a
competition with other world powers encourages Central European countries
not to realign themselves with the United States but to try to encourage
that competition.” Zselyke Csaky, research director for Europe and Eurasia
at Freedom House, told the Post, “While it is definitely a positive
development that there is renewed US interest and engagement – in that
sense the administration is correct that you have to show up first to
achieve anything – it comes at a time when there are mixed messages what
that engagement exactly means.”

*US, Germany Reach Deal On LNG Port. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=059-1ed&t=c>
(2/12, Eddy, Ewing) reports that relations between the US and Germany “have
mostly gone downhill since President Trump took office,” they “took an
unexpected turn for the better” on Tuesday. German officials “agreed to
help finance a port to import liquefied natural gas from America, a key
United States demand.” In return, the US is “toning down its opposition to
an underwater pipeline being built to Germany from Russia.” To the Times,
the “unofficial agreement, announced in Berlin by high-ranking American and
German officials, marked a rare case of rapprochement in a relationship
that has been severely strained.”

*Pompeo Shrugs Off Expected Warsaw Conference No-Shows. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=05a-d14&t=c>
(2/12, Morello) reports Pompeo on Tuesday announced that more than 30
foreign ministers are expected to attend this week’s Middle East peace and
security conference in Poland. “As a measure of its prospects,” however,
“many countries have signaled that they will not be sending their top
diplomats to the meeting – possibly nearly half.” The Post suggests that
the “muted response” is “partly due to concern that Pompeo and Pence would
unleash a full-throttle rhetorical attack on Iran.” The Post says the event
is now “likely to be defined by what it is not – and who is not coming.”
For his part, “Pompeo shrugged off the foreign minister no-shows and said
he hopes much progress can be made.” He also reiterated that “this is going
to be a serious concrete discussion about a broad range of topics that
range from counterterrorism to the malign influence that Iran has played in
the Middle East towards its instability.”
Trump May Let China Trade Deadline “Slide For A Little While” As New Round
Of Talks Begins.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=05b-a60&t=c>
(2/12, Blanchard) reports President Trump said Tuesday that he “could let
the March 1 deadline for a trade agreement with China ‘slide for a little
while,’ but that he would prefer not to and expects to meet with Chinese
President Xi Jinping to close the deal at some point.” Said Trump, “If
we’re close to a deal where we think we can make a real deal and it’s going
to get done, I could see myself letting that slide for a little while. But,
generally speaking, I’m not inclined to do that.” To Reuters, “Trump’s
comments...helped fuel a broad rally in the US stock market.” Also
yesterday, USTR Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin arrived in
Beijing “for high-level talks...as the world’s two largest economies
attempt to hammer out a deal to protect American trade secrets and avoid
another escalation of US tariffs.”

Under the headline “Trump Flexible On China Tariff Deadline As He
Seeks ‘Real Deal,’” Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=05c-858&t=c>
(2/12, Mohsin, Mayeda, Talev) says Trump’s comments “are the strongest
indication that he’s willing to give the Chinese more time to firm up a
deal,” and “also underscore his desire to secure binding commitments from
Beijing to deeper reforms to its state-driven economic model, rather than
simply short-term promises to buy more American goods.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=05d-133&t=c>
(2/12, Solomon) reports Trump’s comments came “as American officials were
in Beijing for a week of talks with Chinese officials,” but “with many of
the biggest issues unresolved and the deadline drawing near,” the Times
says the President “appeared ready to give both sides more time to
negotiate.”

According to the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=05e-b04&t=c>
(2/12, Wei, Davis), sources said US and Chinese negotiators this week are
seeking to reach a deal on a broad outline of a trade agreement for Trump
and Xi to sign at a possible summit. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=05f-7a3&t=c>
(2/12, Bradsher) reports that “a top priority for Mr. Lighthizer and Mr.
Mnuchin, according to several people with detailed knowledge of the
negotiations, is to ensure that any deal they strike has teeth if Beijing
does not live up to its obligations.” According to the Times, “American
negotiators want to create a mechanism that would automatically raise
tariffs on Chinese goods if its exports to the United States keep rising.”
The Times says the “stopgap deal reached by Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi on Dec. 1
in Buenos Aires has proved to be unpopular within the Chinese government”
because it “essentially allowed Mr. Trump to maintain tariffs he had
ordered on Chinese goods while China stepped back from many of its
retaliatory moves.”

*Administration To Issue Executive Order Barring Chinese Equipment
From Wireless Networks. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=060-507&t=c>
(2/12, Barnes) reports the Administration is “moving closer to completing
an executive order that would ban telecommunications companies in the
United States from using Chinese equipment while building next-generation
wireless networks, according to American officials.” President Trump has
been briefed on the proposed ban, which “could be issued in the coming
days, American government and industry officials said.” According to
the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=061-fbc&t=c>
(2/12, Nakashima, Romm), the President is expected to sign the order “by
Friday,” but “officials cautioned that last-minute snags could delay the
new order, which has been expected since last summer.”

*Former US Officials: Trump Trying To Counter China In “Wrong Way.”
*The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=062-070&t=c>
(2/12, Wong) reports that in order “to compete with a more assertive China,
the United States should invest in alliances and multilateral institutions,
which President Trump and his administration have rejected or undermined, a
report issued Tuesday” by group of scholars and former top US officials
concluded. The US and China “find their bilateral relationship at a
dangerous crossroads,” said the report, issued by the Asia Society and the
21st Century China Center at the University of California, San Diego. One
of the report’s authors, Susan L. Shirk, said in an interview that it was
“good to get tougher with China and call out the Chinese policies that are
not keeping with global norms and detrimental to US values.” But, she said,
“we feel more strongly that the Trump administration is going about this in
the wrong way. The way they’re going about it is whack ‘em and push back
for the sake of pushing back.”
Trump Reportedly Mulling Sale Of Nuclear Technology To Saudi Arabia.

Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=063-cdb&t=c>
(2/12) reported President Trump was scheduled to meet Tuesday afternoon
with “US energy industry leaders to discuss issues including the
possibility of providing Saudi Arabia with a path to nuclear power.”
According to Axios, Saudi Arabia “says it wants nuclear power in order to
be able to divert more oil for export, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
(MBS) led negotiations with the US Energy and State departments last year
over a power plants deal ‘worth upward of $80 billion,’ per the New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=064-705&t=c>.”
However, Axios says Saudi Arabia has “reportedly resisted safeguards to
ensure it doesn’t develop nuclear weapons, and MBS said last March that
Saudi Arabia will ‘follow suit as soon as possible’ if its rival Iran makes
a break for the bomb.” Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=065-a75&t=c>
(2/12, Dlouhy, Natter, Jacobs) also reports on the meeting.

*Senate Bill Would Block Saudi Path To Atomic Weapon In US Nuclear
Deal. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=066-5eb&t=c>
(2/13, Gardner) reports Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rand Paul (R-KY)
“introduced a resolution on Tuesday requiring that any deal to share US
nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia block the kingdom from making a
nuclear weapon.” Specifically, the measure calls for “any US civilian
nuclear cooperation agreement, or 123 agreement, with Saudi Arabia” to
“prevent enrichment of uranium or reprocessing of plutonium made in
reactors – two routes to making nuclear weapons.” Reuters says it is
“unclear whether a majority of the 100-member Senate would support the
resolution,” but “with significant support, it would signal concern in
Congress over Saudi-led bombing campaigns in Yemen and over the killing of
US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul in October.”
US Seeks To Increase Pressure On Iran At Warsaw Meeting.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=067-38a&t=c>
(2/13, Wroughton, Plucinska) reports “foreign ministers and senior
officials from 60 nations” will gather in Warsaw “where the United States
hopes to ratchet up pressure against Iran despite concerns among major
European countries about heightened tensions with Tehran.” Reuters,
however, says the “absence of foreign ministers from major European powers,
Germany and France, highlights festering tensions” with the EU over
President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and
reimpose sanctions. EU policy chief Federica Mogherini will also not attend
the two-day conference. Secretary of State Pompeo, who will be joined by
Vice President Pence, “played down the absence of leading European
ministers,” saying, “Some countries are having their foreign ministers
come. Other countries are not. That’s their choice.” He added, “We think we
will make real progress. We think there’ll be dozens of nations there
seriously working towards a better, more stable Middle East, and I’m hoping
by the time we leave on Thursday we’ll have achieved that.”

*Axios Report: Saudis Proposed Uniting With Israel Against Iran In
2014. *According to Barak Ravid of Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=068-f06&t=c>
(2/12), “On the last day of the 2014 Gaza War, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu held a secret meeting with” Saudi national security adviser,
Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, who “proposed a joint diplomatic initiative on
re-launching Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, rebuilding Gaza and
confronting Iran.” Ravid adds: “This was an unprecedented move by the
Saudis – who do not have diplomatic relations with Israel – that could have
profoundly shifted the regional dynamic,” and Netanyahu was initially
“enthusiastic.” However, “Israel presented a draft, and while the Saudis
agreed to many of the points, they asked Israel to show flexibility,” and
Netanyahu “refused to go further and the talks collapsed.” Ravid says the
Saudis “felt angry and humiliated, and held Netanyahu responsible.”
Shanahan Reassures Iraqi Leaders About Role Of US Troops In Wake Of Trump
Comments.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=069-969&t=c>
(2/12, Burns) reports from Baghdad that Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan
“assured Iraqi leaders” on Tuesday that the US “will stick to its limited
military role in Iraq, a message aimed at recent talk by some Iraqi
politicians of forcing a US troop withdrawal.” Shanahan “said that in talks
with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, he stressed US respect for Iraqi
sovereignty, an issue that has become a hot-button topic among Iraqis
since” President Trump “suggested using Iraq as a base for monitoring
neighboring Iran.” Said Shanahan, “I wanted to make clear to [Abdul-Mahdi]
that we recognize our role. We understand that we’re there by invitation,
and that we jointly share the resources and that we clearly recognize their
sovereignty.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=06a-c02&t=c>
(2/12, Ryan, El-Ghobashy) reports that speaking to reporters before his
arrival in Baghdad, Shanahan “said his primary goal of his talks in Baghdad
was to hear directly from Iraqi leaders.” According to the Post, he was
expected to meet with Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi “and other Iraqi and
US officials,” including Lt. Gen. Paul LaCamera, who commands US and
foreign forces in Iraq and Syria.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021301biden&r=email-1c0d&l=06b-5e0&t=c>
(2/12, Rubin) reports that Shanahan’s trip “coincides with plans for an
American troop withdrawal from Syria and questions about whether some of
those troops could instead be based in Iraq, which would be used as a base
for operations in Syria.” According to the Times, Shanahan’s “quest was
complicated – or, perhaps, made necessary – by an interview...Trump gave
this month suggesting American troops could be sent to Iraq to keep an eye
on neighboring Iran, a fellow Shiite state.” The Times says that in the
wake of that interview, “Iraqi politicians, many sympathetic to the
Iranians, have been up in arms, saying that a foreign government has no
right to use Iraqi territory to attack a neighboring state.