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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 21, 2018 7:52 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, August 21, 2018


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=000-37c&t=c>
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=001-1c7&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, August 21, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• The Hill Highlights Biden’s Endorsement Of Contreras For Arizona Attorney
General. <#S1>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump: Mueller “Enjoying Ruining People’s Lives,” “Looking To Impact The
Election.” <#S2>

• Microsoft: Russian Hackers Targeting Conservative Groups. <#S3>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump: Second Meeting With North Korea’s Kim “Likely.” <#S4>

• Trump Says He’d Consider Easing Sanctions On Russia For Cooperation On
Ukraine, Syria. <#S5>

• Israeli Media Lauds Bolton For His Role In Convincing Trump To Exit Iran
Nuclear Deal. <#S6>

• Turkey Detains Two Accused Of Shooting At US Embassy. <#S7>

• US Officials “Confident” Top Al Qaeda Bombmaker Killed By US Drone In
Yemen. <#S8>

• ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attacks On Police Officers In Chechnya.
<#S9>

• Taliban Rejects Ceasefire Offer As Afghan Forces Free 150 Abducted From
Bus Convoy. <#S10>

• USTR Tariff Hearings Underway As US, Chinese Officials Prepare To Meet.
<#S11>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Trump Dares Brennan To Sue Over Loss Of Clearance. <#S12>

• Trump Slams Democrats While Honoring ICE, CBP Workers. <#S13>

• Media Analyses: Trump’s Tweets Contrast With First Lady’s Anti-Bullying
Message. <#S14>

• Wheeler Signs Plan To Loosen Regulation Of Coal-Fired Power Plants. <#S15>

• Azar Says HHS Could Eliminate Rebates Demanded By PBMs. <#S16>

• Monmouth Poll: 30% Say Trump Hires The “Best People.” <#S17>

• Hogg: “Old” Pelosi, Other “Older Democrats” Need To “Let Us Take Control.”
<#S18>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Black, Latino Children May Be Less Likely To Survive Cancer Than White
Peers. <#S19>

• CDC: Maine Has Above Average Rate Of Childhood Cancer. <#S20>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S21>

• Washington Post. <#S22>
Biden in the News
The Hill Highlights Biden’s Endorsement Of Contreras For Arizona Attorney
General.

Under the headline “Biden Endorses First Latina Attorney General Candidate
In Arizona,” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=002-4c0&t=c>
(8/20, Bernal) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday
backed former prosecutor January Contreras’ (D-AZ) bid to oust state
Attorney General Mark Brnovich (R-AZ). Contreras is seeking to become “the
first Latina to hold the position in Arizona.” In a tweet, Contreras said,
“@JoeBiden endorsed our campaign for Attorney General. I am proud to have
the support of Vice President Biden – someone who knows what it’s like to
follow a calling to public service and the protection of others. I commit
to doing the same as our next AG.”
Leading the News
Trump: Mueller “Enjoying Ruining People’s Lives,” “Looking To Impact The
Election.”

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=003-f0c&t=c>
yesterday, “Disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of
Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Councel, only
with my approval, for purposes of transparency. Anybody needing that much
time when they know there is no Russian Collusion is just someone...[continuing
tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=004-62d&t=c>]...looking
for trouble. They are enjoying ruining people’s lives and REFUSE to look at
the real corruption on the Democrat side – the lies, the firings, the
deleted Emails and soooo much more! Mueller’s Angry Dems are looking to
impact the election. They are a National Disgrace!” Trump said in a third
tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=005-ddc&t=c>,
“Where’s the Collusion? They made up a phony crime called Collusion, and
when there was no Collusion they say there was Obstruction (of a phony
crime that never existed). If you FIGHT BACK or say anything bad about the
Rigged Witch Hunt, they scream Obstruction!”

Mostly unfavorable media reports highlighted what they saw as an
escalation in Trump’s rhetoric about Mueller, with some stories
(particularly on the network newscasts) seeming to cast Trump’s comments as
a reaction to a Sunday New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=006-aca&t=c>
story about White House Counsel Dan McGahn’s meetings with Mueller’s team.
The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=007-f60&t=c>
(8/20, Moore) says, for example, that Trump “has been on a tear since
Saturday about a New York Times report.” Prefacing its coverage of Trump’s
comments, ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=008-699&t=c>
(8/20, lead story, 3:40, Phillips) reported, “We are now learning McGahn
has become one of...Mueller’s most important inside sources.” Likewise, the CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=009-79f&t=c>
(8/20, story 5, 2:20, Jiang) said McGahn yesterday “dodged questions about
his role as a witness in the Russia investigation,” and NBC Nightly News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=00a-4c1&t=c>
(8/20, story 3, 2:05, Jackson) that he was “not talking” Monday, but “he’s
had plenty to say to the special counsel.”

CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=00b-f0e&t=c>
(8/20) that the President is “said to be unnerved and unsettled” by
McGahn’s meeting with the Mueller team. Acosta added, “Despite that, the
President and the legal team are downplaying” McGahn’s cooperation with
Mueller. Acosta also cited “one source familiar with the testimony” who
“tells CNN the President’s team could still try to block Mueller from using
the White House counsel’s testimony.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=00c-a6d&t=c>
(8/20, Dopp) refers to “Trump’s escalation of the war with Mueller,” the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=00d-c29&t=c>
(8/20, Flaherty, Colvin) reports Trump “pressed his criticism of...Mueller”
yesterday, and the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=00e-229&t=c>
(8/20, Wagner) says “Trump’s accusation that the probe could have an impact
on the fall elections comes as his lawyers and Mueller’s team continue a
lengthy back-and-forth over whether Trump will sit down for an interview
with the special counsel’s team.” Trump’s “legal team has sought to take
certain topics, such as possible obstruction of justice, off the table.”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=00f-236&t=c>
(8/20, Murray) reports “control of both houses of Congress is expected to
be up for grabs in November’s election, with many predicting a ‘blue wave’
of Democratic victories prompted by the president’s low job-approval poll
numbers and the near-constant stream of controversy emanating from the
White House.” Trump “offered no evidence to back up his claim that
Mueller’s team would seek to impact the 2018 election.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=010-172&t=c>
(8/20, Kasperowicz) highlights that Trump “accused...Mueller of ‘ruining
people’s lives,’” and the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=011-45f&t=c>
(8/20, Muñoz) that he “accused his team of trying to influence the
election.”

*McGahn Tells Trump Legal Team He “Did Not Incriminate” President
In Mueller Interviews. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=012-9cc&t=c>
(8/20, Leoning) reports McGahn “told Trump’s legal team in recent days”
that he “does not believe that he implicated...Trump in any legal
wrongdoing in extensive interviews he has given the special counsel.” The
Post adds “McGahn’s attorney, Bill Burck, told Trump’s lawyers this past
weekend that McGahn did not assert that Trump engaged in any wrongdoing
when he spoke to Mueller’s investigators in three lengthy interviews since
last November, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.”
Burck wrote in an email, “He did not incriminate him.”

Giuliani was asked on Fox News’ The Story[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=013-8cb&t=c>
(8/20) about the Mueller team’s interest in whether Trump discussed the
possibility of firing Mueller with McGahn. Giuliani said, “The President
says we didn’t discuss it and Don McGahn says we did. It’s not illegal to
have discussed it, so there would be no reason for the President to lie.
That’s just his recollection. But if you have a prosecutor that’s out to
get you and wants to select the truth in the way Chuck Todd thinks you can
determine the truth like that. ... The only way you will know if it’s
discussed or not discussed if there is another witness or a tape recording.
If it is just two people, you don’t know except based on the credibility of
those two people.”

Later[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=014-8db&t=c>
in the interview, said, “When this first came out, I didn’t know any of the
details of what McGahn said. Now, I do. Here’s the most important thing. I
knew not to worry about it because if the President had said anything
criminal to the Counsel to the White House, McGahn wouldn’t be there.
McGahn, as a matter of legal ethics and possibly even law, would have to
quit. He is a very ethical guy. He is a very careful guy. I can’t imagine
him sitting around the White House for six months with a President who he
thinks committed a federal crime. That would be outrageous.”

*Trump Says Mueller Likely To Side With “Best Friend” Comey If
Their Stories Conflict. *In an interview with Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=015-dd8&t=c>
(8/20, Holland, Mason, Oliphant), Trump “echoed the concerns of his top
lawyer in the probe,” Giuliani, “who has warned that any sit-down with
Mueller could be a ‘perjury trap.’” Said Trump, “So if I say something and
he (Comey) says something, and it’s my word against his, and he’s best
friends with Mueller, so Mueller might say: ‘Well, I believe Comey,’ and
even if I’m telling the truth, that makes me a liar. That’s no good.”
The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=016-4bf&t=c>
(8/20, Sonmez) notes Trump also told Reuters, in reference to Mueller’s
probe, “I can go in, and I could do whatever – I could run it if I want.
... But I decided to stay out.” He added, ,”I’m totally allowed to be
involved if I wanted to be. So far, I haven’t chosen to be involved. I’ll
stay out.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=017-bdb&t=c>
(8/20, Griffiths) and the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=018-718&t=c>
(8/20, Schultz), among other news outlets, also note that Trump remark.

Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz said on Fox News’ Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=019-a64&t=c>
(8/20), “In order to fall into a perjury trap all you need is one witness
who contradicts one statement that the person says to the prosecutor. That
witness can be somebody who is singing, composing, who has flipped, who has
a deal, who’s been told either you are going to die in prison or you are
going to tell us what we want to hear and any defense lawyer who would ever
walk a client into a perjury trap under those circumstances has to have his
license reconsidered.”

*Giuliani Makes Similar Point As He Clarifies “Meet the Press”
Remark. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=01a-c67&t=c>
(8/20) reports Giuliani said yesterday “he wasn’t trying to make an
existential point about the meaning of veracity when he declared ‘truth
isn’t truth.’” On Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=01b-116&t=c>,
Giuliani wrote, “My statement was not meant as a pontification on moral
theology...but one referring to the situation where two people make
precisely contradictory statements, the classic ‘he said, she said’ puzzle.
Sometimes further inquiry can reveal the truth other times it doesn’t.”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=01c-ae2&t=c>
(8/20, Murray) says “Giuliani tried to walk back his statement,” the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=01d-c9a&t=c>
(8/20, Wagner) that he “sought to clarify his head-scratching assertion,”
the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=01e-e78&t=c>
(8/20, Muñoz) that he “clarified his weekend comments” during “a now-viral
interview.”

Giuliani was asked on Fox News’ The Story[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=01f-d2d&t=c>
(8/20) what he meant by his comment that truth is not truth. Giuliani said,
“Very simple. ... I’m talking about this particular situation. One person
says the Flynn conversation took place. The other person says the Flynn
conversation didn’t take place. What’s the truth? You tell me how you
figure out the truth.” Giuliani added, “They will possibly charge him with
perjury should he give that answer. In situations like, this the
prosecutors – the truth is relative and it’s not absolute like some
philosophical concept. Maybe through their prejudices the New York Times
and Chuck Todd can figure out the truth, that Comey is telling the truth
but I can’t. I believe the President is telling the truth.”

In a Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=020-ad9&t=c>
(8/20) column, Eugene Robinson wrote that “whenever the Trump
administration ends, we already have its shameful epitaph: ‘Truth isn’t
truth.’”

*Trump Calls Fact Ohr Hasn’t Been Fired By Sessions “A Total Joke.”
*Trump also tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=021-968&t=c>
yesterday, “Will Bruce Ohr, whose family received big money for helping to
create the phony, dirty and discredited Dossier, ever be fired from the
Jeff Sessions ‘Justice’ Department? A total joke!” Trump also posted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=022-144&t=c>
comments by Rep. Darrell Issa on Fox News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=023-643&t=c>,
“Bruce Ohr is at the center of FALSE ALLEGATIONS which led to a
multi-million dollar investigation into what apparently didn’t happen.”
Trump added, “We can take out the word ‘apparently.’”

CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=024-608&t=c>
(8/20, Bennett) reports the remark “was the president’s latest swipe at his
hand-picked attorney general, with whom he remains angry for recusing
himself from the Mueller probe,” and Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=025-701&t=c>
(8/20, Pavlich) that he took “another shot at...Sessions.” The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=026-7ab&t=c>
(8/20, Sullivan) refers to “a one-two punch of sorts, again putting the
longtime civil servant...on notice that his job may be on the line because
of perceived ties to the Russia investigation, and also insulting the
attorney general,” who “has been a favorite target of the president’s
criticism for not putting an end to the inquiry.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=027-27e&t=c>
(8/20, Oprysko) reports “it was the closest Trump had come to calling
directly for Ohr, whose wife was a contractor for Fusion GPS, to lose his
job.” Ohr “is expected to testify before Congress on Aug. 28, Rep. Mark
Meadows said on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=028-549&t=c>.”
Politico also reports “Trump has tweeted multiple times about Ohr, citing
segments on Fox News, wondering aloud why Ohr is still at the DOJ and
calling him a ‘creep.’”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=029-532&t=c>
(8/20, Muñoz) recounts that “Nellie Ohr, Mr. Ohr’s wife, worked at Fusion
GPS.” Democrats “hired that firm during the 2016 election to investigate
then-candidate Trump, which resulted in Christopher Steele’s infamous
dossier.” Republicans “have touted the dossier as the basis for the Russian
investigation and accusations of collusion, though intelligence officials
deny it.”

*Weekly Standard’s Felten: NYTimes Trying To Obscure Ohr’s
Prominence Within DOJ. *Under the headline, “The NYT’s Strange Insistence
That Bruce Ohr Is a Big Nobody: Why Does The NYT Consider The Once-Senior
Official A ‘Midlevel Government Worker’?” Eric Felten of the Weekly Standard
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=02a-88d&t=c>
(8/20, Felten) notes that the New York Times has described Ohr as “a
little-known Justice Department official” and a “midlevel government
worker.” Felten adds, “You’d never think from reading the New York Times
article that until recently Ohr was one of the most senior officials at
Justice Department – associate deputy attorney general. But the Times
really, really wants us to believe that poor...Ohr is a nobody, an unlucky
schlemiel plucked from obscurity by right-wingers to be propped up as a
presidential punching bag.”

In a story this morning, for example, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=02b-686&t=c>
(8/20, Sullivan) describes Ohr as “a law enforcement official who has
worked on antidrug and anti-gang initiatives.”

*As Manafort Jury Deliberates For Third Day, Reports Note Trump’s
Comments About Trial. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=02c-068&t=c>
(8/20, Layne, Freifeld) reports, “The jury in the bank and tax fraud trial
of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort ended its third day of
deliberations on Monday without reaching a verdict.” The judge “said the
jury would reconvene on Tuesday morning.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=02d-82a&t=c>
(8/20, Voreacos, Weinberg) runs a similar story, while ABC World News
Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=02e-25b&t=c>
(8/20, story 2, 2:05, Thomas) reported “Manafort says he’s innocent,” and
Trump has been “weighing in.” The President was shown saying, “I think it’s
a very sad day for our country. He worked for me for a very short period of
time, but he happens to be a very good person. And I think it’s very sad,
what they’ve done to Paul Manafort.” ABC News also cast Trump as “refusing
to rule out an eventual pardon if convicted.”

To The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=02f-0fd&t=c>
(8/20, Wheeler, Chalfant), “the Manafort trial is unusual – in part because
the president of the United States has taken a keen interest in its
outcome.” On Twitter, “Trump suggested Manafort is being treated worse than
American gangster Al Capone and called his former campaign chairman a ‘good
guy’ when speaking to the press.” Trump has also “regularly derided the
Mueller investigation, which is examining whether there was collusion
between his campaign and Moscow, as a politically driven ‘witch hunt.’” The
Hill adds that “such publicity could make it difficult for jurors on the
trial to ignore what’s being said about it,” and that it “casts a political
spotlight on the trial, creating a sense that a verdict of guilty would be
a partisan blow to the president.”

*Prosecutors Reportedly Near Decision On Charges Against Cohen. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=030-698&t=c>
(8/20, Hays) reports Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, “could be
charged before the end of the month with bank fraud in his dealings with
the taxi industry and with committing other financial crimes.” Two “people
familiar with the federal probe” tell the AP that “federal prosecutors in
Manhattan were considering charging Cohen,” and “have subpoenaed records
from Sterling National Bank, one of the institutions that loaned Cohen
money with his ownership in taxi cabs as collateral.” The AP says their
sources “refused to answer questions about speculation that Cohen still
might strike a plea deal with prosecutors requiring his cooperation.”

Giuliani was asked on Fox News’ The Story[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=031-e51&t=c>
(8/20) if charges against Cohen would be a blow to Trump Giuliani said,
“No. You know what it would do? It could kind of indicate they don’t want
his cooperation. Or they don’t think he is telling the truth right now.
Because if you have got a good working relationship with a person who is
going to be your witness, you don’t just bang him with an indictment. Work
out a charge so that they can plead and get a break. So, obviously they are
not satisfied with Cohen at this point, if they hit him with this.”

*House Democrats Ask Kelly For Information On Bolton’s Ties To
Alleged Russian Spy. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=032-c67&t=c>
(8/20, Hosenball) reports that in a letter to White House Chief of Staff
John Kelly, “Representatives Elijah Cummings and Stephen Lynch, top
Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee...questioned the security clearance of” National Security Adviser
John Bolton, and “asked Kelly to turn over documents related to whether
Bolton, in security clearance forms or ‘other White House vetting
materials,’ reported that in 2013 he participated by video in a roundtable
discussion on gun rights organized by Maria Butina,” who has been “accused
of acting as a Russian agent while developing ties with U.S. citizens and
infiltrating political groups.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=033-d5d&t=c>
(8/20, Akin) reports Bolton “reportedly participated at the request of
then-NRA President David Keene,” who “had appointed Bolton to lead the
NRA’s Subcommittee on International Affairs in 2011.”

*Papadopoulos Was Given $10,000 By Israeli Businessman Tied To
Israeli Political Strategist. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=034-052&t=c>
(8/20, Ross) reports Mueller revealed in court documents filed on Friday
that George Papadopoulos received $10,000 from an “Israeli American
businessman named Charles Tawil,” who Papadopoulos “believed was a spy.”
According to the Daily Caller, “On the final page of a memo recommending
that Papadopoulos serve up to six months in jail, Mueller said that
Papadopoulos told investigators about $10,000 in cash that he received from
a foreign national who he suspected to be a foreign spy.” The Daily Caller
says Papadopoulos and Tawil “met through an Israeli political strategist
named David Ha’ivri,” who describes Tawil as “a part time consultant for
companies that operate in Africa and Middle East.” Papadopoulos’ wife,
Simona Mangiante Papadopoulos, was asked on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=035-abe&t=c>
(8/20) if her husband will withdraw his plea deal with Mueller.
Papadopoulos said, “We are discussing now the possibility and the
technicalities behind this possibility with lawyers. ... This plea
agreement is even difficult to uphold in the context of a trial by the
judge. There are many things happened that is completely against the law.
... There were no legal reasons for arresting him.”

*NYTimes: Trump Pulls John Dean “Back Into The Limelight.” *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=036-0d7&t=c>
(8/20, Holson) reports under the headline “Remember John Dean, A Watergate
Informant? He’s Back In The Limelight” that the “pivotal figure in the
Watergate investigation...was dragged back into the limelight on Sunday
with President Trump’s defense” of McGahn. The Times briefly outlines
Dean’s career, and writes that the 79-year-old “did not respond to an email
from The Times seeking comment. But he has been outspoken in his disdain
for Mr. Trump, and is a ubiquitous figure on cable news shows.”

*Former Watergate Investigator Says “I’d Take Nixon Any Day” Over
Trump. *Former counsel to the Watergate special prosecutor Philip Allen
Lacovara, in an op-ed in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=037-5a2&t=c>
(8/20), unfavorably compares Trump to former President Nixon. Both have
“substantial character flaws” that “appear to have led to serious breaches
of the norms of law.” However, “Trump was born with a golden spoon in his
mouth and has exploited his family’s power and wealth from his earliest
days.” He also “entered the Oval Office ignorant of even the rudiments of
American history and world affairs,” lacks a “political core,” and did not
have “experience in public office, civil or military, or familiarity with
the practical art of governing.” In contrast, Nixon “was the archetypical
self-made man,” as well as “brilliant” and “well prepared” to be president.
Also, he “had enough decency and respect for the office to cloak his
conniving in secret.” Lacovara concludes, “I’d take Nixon any day.”
Microsoft: Russian Hackers Targeting Conservative Groups.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=038-d06&t=c>
(8/21, A1, Sanger, Frenkel) reports on its front page that the “Russian
military intelligence unit that sought to influence the 2016 election
appears to have a new target: conservative American think tanks that have
broken with President Trump and are seeking continued sanctions against
Moscow, exposing oligarchs or pressing for human rights.” In a report to be
released today, Microsoft “said that it detected and seized websites that
were created in recent weeks by hackers linked to the Russian unit formerly
known as the G.R.U.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=039-8e4&t=c>
(8/21, O'Brien) reports that Microsoft said “a hacking group tied to the
Russian government created fake internet domains that appeared to spoof two
American conservative organizations: the Hudson Institute and the
International Republican Institute. Three other fake domains were designed
to look as if they belonged to the US Senate.” The AP adds, “The hacking
attempts mirror similar Russian attacks ahead of the 2016 election, which
US intelligence officials have said were focused on helping to elect
Republican Donald Trump to the presidency by hurting his Democratic
opponent, Hillary Clinton.”

On its front page, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=03a-7f4&t=c>
(8/20, A1, Dwoskin, Timburg) reports, “A group affiliated with the Russian
government created phony versions of six websites – including some related
to public policy and to the US Senate – with the apparent goal of hacking
into the computers of people who were tricked into visiting, according to
Microsoft, which said Monday night that it discovered and disabled the fake
sites. The effort by the notorious APT28 hacking group, which has been
publicly linked to a Russian intelligence agency and actively interfered in
the 2016 presidential election, underscores the aggressive role Russian
operatives are playing ahead of” this fall’s elections. CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=03b-bc8&t=c>
(8/21, O'Sullivan) reports that Microsoft “said it executed a court order
giving it control of six websites created by a group known as Fancy Bear.”
The sites “could have been used to launch cyberattacks on candidates and
other political groups ahead of November’s elections, the company said.” USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=03c-175&t=c>
(8/20, Kiggins) reports on the story drawing from other media sources.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=03d-9b3&t=c>
(8/21, Volz, McMillan) reports on its website the International Republican
Institute is a GOP-leaning think-tank that has had Sens. Lindsey Graham,
John McCain and Marco Rubio as members of its board. All three are
advocates of tough policies on Russia.
Foreign Policy
Trump: Second Meeting With North Korea’s Kim “Likely.”

In an interview with Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=03e-47d&t=c>
(8/20, Holland, Mason, Oliphant) on Monday, President Trump said he will
“most likely” meet for a second time with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump “credited his ‘great chemistry’ with Kim for easing a nuclear
standoff,” and said he believed Pyongyang has taken specific steps toward
denuclearization. Said Trump, “I stopped (North Korea’s) nuclear testing. I
stopped (North Korea’s) missile testing. Japan is thrilled. What’s going to
happen? Who knows? We’re going to see.” Trump also told Reuters, “I like
him. He likes me.” He added, “There’s no ballistic missiles going up,
there’s a lot of silence ... I have very good personal relations with
Chairman Kim, and I think that’s what holds it together.” Despite that
optimism, Trump “complained that China was not helping as much as it had in
the past because of its trade dispute with the United States “

A New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=03f-9fe&t=c>
(8/20) editorial says while the “constant and exercised restraint”
displayed by Trump and Kim since their “dramatic” summit two months ago is
“a welcome change from the bellicose rhetoric of last year,” the two
leaders “remain stalemated.” The Times argues that the summit itself
“helped set up this impasse,” because the “concluding communiqué committed
the two leaders to ‘work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula,’ without even defining ‘denuclearization,’ let alone explicitly
agreeing on the sequence of actions to be taken.” The Times acknowledges
that Trump’s outreach to Kim “has yielded some benefits,” but warns that
such benefits “shouldn’t be exaggerated.” The Times recommends “a
step-by-step process in which both sides take mutually reinforcing actions
that begin to build confidence and a more stable security environment.”

*North Korean Media Warns US Criticism Of “Suspected” Nuclear
Facilities May Derail Talks. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=040-926&t=c>
(8/20, Wong) reports the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North
Korea’s Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, said in
commentary that US negotiators have confronted their North Korean
counterparts over “suspected” secret nuclear sites. It “called the Trump
administration accusations ‘fiction’ and said they had led to ‘derailing
dialogue’ between the two nations.” According to the Times, the piece
“marks the first indication that American officials have pointed out
specific nuclear sites to North Korean negotiators and, presumably, asked
Pyongyang to shut them down.” The piece “also beseeched Mr. Trump to hold
onto his ‘dream’ of improving relations,” and called on both Trump and
Secretary of State Pompeo to push aside Administration officials attempting
to derail that mission. The Times says the newspaper’s commentary served,
at least in part, “as an olive branch toward Mr. Pompeo, and appeared aimed
at wooing him ahead of an expected fourth trip to Pyongyang.”

*Elderly Relatives Separated By Korean War Participate In Reunions.
*The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=041-793&t=c>
(8/20) reports that “nearly 90 South Korean families crossed the heavily
fortified border into North Korea on Monday to be reunited with elderly
relatives they had not seen since being separated in the chaos of war
nearly seven decades earlier.” The relatives “cried and embraced each other
in the first family reunions to take place in three years, a symbol of
thawing ties across the Korean Peninsula.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=042-434&t=c>
(8/20, Kim, Tong-Hyung) says the “weeklong event, the first of its kind in
nearly three years, was arranged as the rival Koreas boost reconciliation
efforts amid a diplomatic push to resolve a standoff over North Korea’s
nuclear weapons program.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=043-105&t=c>
(8/20, Chae) reports South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called on North
Korea to permit regular family reunions for humanitarian purposes. Speaking
with advisers, Moon said, “That we have let thousands die without knowing
whether their loved ones are still alive is shameful for the governments of
both North and South Korea. We must make family reunions the No. 1 priority
of inter-Korean humanitarian projects.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=044-ae4&t=c>
(8/20, Choe) says while Seoul “has repeatedly urged the North to hold more
reunions,” Pyongyang “has been reluctant to expand the program, fearing the
impact that meetings with affluent South Koreans might have on its
impoverished population.” North Korea is suspected of selecting people for
the gatherings “on the basis of loyalty to the regime.” The country “is
also thought prepare them extensively for the meetings, when North Koreans
typically insist that they live happy lives as a result of the generosity
of their leader, Kim Jong-un, and often blame the United States for
preventing reunification on the Korean Peninsula.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=045-be5&t=c>
(8/20, Maresca) says for most of the roughly 57,000 South Koreans
“registered with the Red Cross to participate in the reunion program,” time
is “running short” to participate in future reunions. More than 60 percent
of the registered South Koreans “are older than 80,” and up to 3,800 of
those “on the list die every year – about 10 people a day, according to the
Korean Red Cross.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=046-c2c&t=c>
(8/20) reports the story of Sohn Dong-hun, who escaped North Korea in 1950
in the evacuation of Hungnam known as the “Christmas miracle,” one of about
200,000 civilians and troops brought to the South. The Post says that
today, “perhaps 10 times that number or more – at least 1 million South
Koreans – have some family link to those carried on the Hungnam boatlift,
according to South Korean war refugee groups,” including President Moon.
Now, the “elderly survivors of the Hungnam flotilla hope openings between
Moon’s government and North Korea could allow them to cross the border for
the first time in nearly 68 years.”

*Kim Expresses Displeasure Over Country’s Economic Mismanagement. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=047-a70&t=c>
(8/20, Choe) reports that Kim has expressed anger at local officials on
tours of infrastructure projects and other economic projects over
inadequacies, a “jarring contrast to their typical portrayals of such
visits, which show Mr. Kim being mobbed by his adoring subjects.” The Times
adds that since late June, Kim has “devoted almost all of his public
activities to visiting factories, farms and construction sites, rather than
the military units and weapons test sites that he frequented last year. And
instead of boasting of his country’s military prowess, he is lashing out at
poor management at the sites he visits, highlighting his intense focus on
fixing his economy.”

*North Korean Volcano Now Open To Tourists. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=048-cb3&t=c>
(8/19) reports foreign tourists “looking to go off the beaten path in North
Korea can now camp out on the country’s biggest volcano.” New Zealand
outfitter Roger Shepherd of Hike Korea is “leading the first group of
foreign tourists allowed to trek off road and camp out under the stars on
Mount Paektu, a huge volcano that straddles the border that separates China
and North Korea.”
Trump Says He’d Consider Easing Sanctions On Russia For Cooperation On
Ukraine, Syria.

Jim Acosta reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=049-74e&t=c>
(8/20) that in an interview with Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=04a-381&t=c>
(8/20) Monday, President Trump said he “would consider lifting sanctions or
easing them on Russia if the Administration could get Moscow’s cooperation
on Ukraine and Syria.”

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=04b-3a9&t=c>
(8/20) that “getting to a place where we can get along better with Russia
is crucially important.” Smith specifically said it’s “critical” to have a
dialogue with Russia on stopping nuclear proliferation, and when it comes
to military operations in Afghanistan and Syria. However, Smith said that
“if the President basically sells us out to meet Putin’s agenda, instead of
coming to a more balanced combination that protects democracy and protects
eastern Europe, that advances our interests, not just Russia’s – then that
worries me.”

*Kremlin: Putin Still Seeks Closer US Ties Despite Sanctions. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=04c-54a&t=c>
(8/20, Balmforth, Ivanova) reports that on Monday, “Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that the new U.S.
sanctions proposals were unfriendly, illegal and would harm world trade.”
Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin “is hoping for the best and,
despite all this, wants to pull our bilateral ties out of the deep crisis
they are in. He (Putin) still has that desire. But at the same time nobody
plans to go into mourning if our approach is not reciprocated by
Washington.” Reuters explains the State Department “has said it will impose
fresh sanctions by the end of this month, while bi-partisan legislation
from senators calls for other curbs to be widened.” Moscow is also “bracing
itself” for possible US measures aimed at frustrating “its Nord Stream 2
gas pipeline project.”

*Microsoft Alleges Russian Hacking Group Targeted US Political
Institutions. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=04d-e37&t=c>
(8/20, Dwoskin) reports the “notorious APT28 hacking group, which has been
publicly linked to a Russian intelligence agency and actively interfered in
the 2016 presidential election,” allegedly developed phony versions of five
websites “with the apparent goal of hacking into the computers of people
who were tricked into visiting, according to Microsoft, which said Monday
night that it discovered and disabled the fake sites.” The hacking group
targeted “the Hudson Institute, a conservative Washington think tank active
in investigations of corruption in Russia, and the International Republican
Institute (IRI), a nonprofit group that promotes democracy worldwide.” The
group also developed three websites “crafted to appear as though they were
affiliated with the Senate, and one nonpolitical site spoofed Microsoft’s
own online products.” The Post says APT28’s effort “underscores the
aggressive role Russian operatives are playing ahead of the midterm
congressional elections in the United States.”

*WSJournal Interviews Russia’s Influential Central Bank Chief.
*The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=04e-b72&t=c>
(8/20, Kurmanaev) interviews Elvira Nabiullina, who became the head of the
Central Bank of Russia five years ago and has since shuttered hundreds of
weak banking institutions, including a large lender that the top
prosecutor’s office deemed off-limits; thwarted attempts to move Russian
wealth abroad; and brought inflation to a record low by overhauling
Russia’s monetary policy. The Journal says Nabiullina’s ability to keep
Russia’s financial system stable despite the messy and corrupt banking
system has earned her the rare authority to make difficult decisions – even
when such decisions run counter to powerful interests – and the praise of
Russian President Vladimir Putin and financial leaders abroad, such as
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
Israeli Media Lauds Bolton For His Role In Convincing Trump To Exit Iran
Nuclear Deal.

National Security Adviser Bolton’s trip to Israel generated very little
coverage from US media outlets on Monday, but was covered extensively in
the Israeli press, which credits Bolton for his long track record of
opposition to Iranian aggression and the 2015 nuclear accord that President
Trump removed the US from in May.

Under the headline, “Netanyahu Tells Bolton Israel Values ‘All
Manner’ of U.S. Aid,” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=04f-eec&t=c>
(8/20, Ferziger) reported that in Jerusalem earlier Monday, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Bolton that “Israel appreciates ‘all
manner’ of U.S. aid, outlining how he is seeking to boost the country’s
defense budget.” Netanyahu is quoted as saying, “We’ve consistently
increased our defense spending. We insist on defending ourselves by
ourselves and we appreciate all manner of American support.” Bloomberg
identifies Israel as “the biggest recipient of U.S. aid,” and notes
Netanyahu said he and Bolton “planned to talk about joint defense projects
as well as threats from Iran, Syria and the Gaza Strip.” Bloomberg says
Bolton on Sunday “said Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs are
‘at the top of the list’ of Trump administration concerns.”

The Times Of Israel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=050-809&t=c>
(8/20) reports that also on Monday, Bolton met with Israeli Defense
Minister Avigdor Liberman, who “praised the Trump administration for giving
Israel ‘significant maneuvering room’ to operate against its enemies.”
Liberman is quoted as saying, “We have a very supportive president in the
White House and a very supportive administration and this gives us
significant maneuvering room vis a vis our enemies to the north and south.”
The Times adds, “According to Liberman’s office, he and Bolton discussed a
range of security issues, among them Iran, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza
Strip.” In a very brief item on Bolton’s visit to Israel, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=051-b6a&t=c>
(8/19) reports that on Sunday, in an interview with ABC News, Bolton said
the US, Israel and Russia “shared the objective of removing Iranian and
Iranian-led forces from Syria, and ending Iran’s backing of the Lebanese
Hezbollah guerrillas.”

The Jerusalem Post (ISR)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=052-a7d&t=c>
(8/20, Keinon) reports that Bolton said Monday that the Administration is
“working with European countries to convince them of the need to take
stronger steps against the Iranian nuclear weapons program.” Bolton is
quoted as saying, “I think it is of the highest importance for the United
States that Iran never get nuclear weapons capabilities. ... This is why
President Trump withdrew from the wretched Iran nuclear deal. This is why
he has imposed economic sanctions. This is why we are working with our
friends in Europe to convince them of the need to take stronger steps
against Iranian nuclear weapons.” The Post describes Bolton as “long a
strong supporter of Israel and a loud critic of the Iranian nuclear deal.”
The Post also notes that Bolton “began his brief comments by saying it was
a ‘privilege and honor to be in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital,’ to which
Netanyahu joked: ‘Say that again.’”

Likewise, The Times Of Israel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=053-c8f&t=c>
(8/20) calls Bolton “a longtime hawkish advocate for Israel” who “was seen
as a central player in the US decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal in
May.” The Times reports that Bolton “has been a strident critic of the
nuclear deal and has pushed for greater pressure on Tehran to ensure it
halts its support for terror groups in the Mideast and stops development of
ballistic missiles.” The Times also reports that Netanyahu “stated that
Israel’s gratitude for Trump’s decision to walk away from the accord ‘is
shared by all our Arab neighbors… practically everyone in this region,’ and
added that ‘all countries that care about peace and security in the Middle
East should follow America’s lead and ratchet up the pressure on Iran.’”

YNET News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=054-032&t=c>
(8/20) says Bolton “has been a strident critic of the nuclear deal and has
pushed for greater pressure on Tehran to ensure it halts its support for
militant groups in the Mideast and stops development of ballistic
missiles.” YNET says that on Monday in Jerusalem, Bolton “underlined that
Iranian aggression in the region is a threat to the whole world, and that
the threat could be mitigated by reapplying stiff sanctions that were
lifted by the Obama administration.”

*Iran Urges Europe To Expedite Efforts To Salvage Nuclear Deal. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=055-11b&t=c>
(8/20, Hafezi) reports Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi
“urged Europe on Monday to speed up efforts to salvage” the P5+1 nuclear
deal abandoned by President Trump in May. The efforts by Britain, France,
and Germany “plus China and Russia – to avoid the agreement’s collapse are
struggling as Washington has said any firms dealing with Tehran will be
barred from doing business in the United States.” Qasemi said, “Europeans
and other signatories of the deal have been trying to save the deal ... but
the process has been slow. It should be accelerated.”

*China To Evade US Sanctions By Transporting Iranian Oil On Iranian
Tankers. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=056-cdb&t=c>
(8/20, Aizhu, Tan) reports China is seeking to evade US sanctions on Iran
by using Iranian-flagged tankers to transport its crude oil purchases,
“throwing Tehran a lifeline while European companies such as France’s Total
are walking away due to fear of reprisals from Washington.” On Monday,
“sources told Reuters Chinese buyers of Iranian oil were beginning to shift
their cargoes to vessels owned by National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) for
nearly all their imports.”

*France’s Total SA Pulls Out Of Iran. *[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]Fox News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=057-01a&t=c>
(8/20) reported Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh “said the French oil
giant Total has pulled out of the Republic after canceling its $5 billion,
20-year agreement to develop a massive offshore natural gas field.” Total
“cited renewed US sanctions for the move.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=058-891&t=c>
(8/20) reports Zanganeh said since Total “first announced its decision a
while ago, Iran has been in the process of ‘looking for an alternative’ to
Total,” but “didn’t elaborate.”

*Two Iranians Arrested In US For Allegedly Spying For Tehran. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=059-ba0&t=c>
(8/20, Alexander) reports Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, a 38-year-old dual
US-Iranian citizen, and Majid Ghorbani, a 59-year-old “Iranian citizen and
resident of California,” were indicted Monday on suspicion of “spying for
Tehran in the United States, including conducting surveillance at a Jewish
facility and gathering information on backers of the militant Iranian
opposition Mujahideen-e Khalq, the Justice Department said.” The two
Iranians were arrested on Aug. 9. The State Department listed Mujahideen-e
Khalq as a terrorist organization until 2012, and Iran considers it “to be
a terrorist group that seeks the overthrow of the government in Tehran.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=05a-93b&t=c>
(8/20) reports the two men face charges of “acting as agents of Iran,
violating U.S. sanctions and conspiracy,” which “carry maximum statutory
penalties of 10 years, 20 years and five years in prison, respectively.”

*Israeli Officials: Greenblatt, Abbas’ Son Discussed Middle East
Peace Plan. *“President Trump’s special envoy for Middle East peace, Jason
Greenblatt, held a secret meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas’s son,” Tarek Abbas, “last September on the margins of the UN General
Assembly in New York,” according to Israeli officials who spoke to Barak
Ravid of Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=05b-d23&t=c>
(8/20, Ravid). Ravid says according to the officials, the “undisclosed
meeting was an attempt by the White House to strengthen ties with Abbas’s
inner circle and potentially even create channels to promote the Trump
administration’s peace efforts in the future.” During the discussion,
“Tarek Abbas told Greenblatt that, unlike his father, he is against the two
state solution because he thinks the building of Jewish settlements in the
West Bank made it impossible.” According to Ravid, the meeting “shows the
White House heard messages about a one state solution from the closest
people to the Palestinian president.”
Turkey Detains Two Accused Of Shooting At US Embassy.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=05c-f0b&t=c>
(8/20, Toksabay, Karadeniz) reports that “Turkish authorities detained two
men suspected of shooting at the U.S. Embassy in the capital Ankara on
Monday.” Reuters adds, “Nobody was hurt in the attack, which President
Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman condemned as an attempt ‘to create chaos.’”
Reuters also notes that the Turkish Foreign Ministry “said it had increased
security for the embassy and other U.S. missions and employees in Turkey.”
The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=05d-be2&t=c>
(8/20) reports that “a U.S. Embassy statement praised the ‘fast and
professional’ action of the Turkish government and police as well as ‘their
support and protection,’ in a rare moment of solidarity between two
countries whose vitriolic arguments have reverberated around the globe.”

*Turkey Releases German Journalist. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=05e-108&t=c>
(8/20) reports that “an Istanbul court has...lifted a travel ban on
33-year-old German journalist Mesale Tolu,” who “Western countries
considered to be held for political reasons.” According to the Post, “The
announcement came as a surprise to observers, but there were other signs
that Turkey may be looking for ways to repair damaged ties to Europe that
faltered after a 2016 coup attempt, as the United States steps up its
pressure.” However, the Post says “there are reasons to remain skeptical
about whether European hopes of a thaw in European-Turkish ties are
justified. Besides Tolu, Turkey still holds seven more German citizens who
are considered to be political prisoners by Berlin.”

*Erdogan Again Rails Against Those He Blames For Lira’s Collapse. *
Reuters
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(8/20, Butler) reports that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan “appealed to
Turks’ religious and patriotic feelings ahead of a major Muslim holiday on
Monday, promising they would not be brought ‘to their knees’ by an economic
crisis that has battered the lira currency.” Reuters adds, “In a
pre-recorded address to mark the four-day Eid al-Adha festival, which
starts on Tuesday, Erdogan...sounded a characteristically defiant note as
he lashed out at those selling the lira.” According to Reuters, Erdogan
“stopped short of directly naming any countries or institutions, but he
has, in the past, blamed a shadowy ‘interest rate lobby,’ Western ratings
agencies and financiers.”
US Officials “Confident” Top Al Qaeda Bombmaker Killed By US Drone In Yemen.

Jeff Glor reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=060-0b4&t=c>
(8/20, story 4, 1:35, Glor) that “CBS News has learned that US officials
are now confident that Al Qaeda’s chief bomb-maker is dead, killed in an
American drone strike in Yemen last year.” The drone strike killed Ibrahim
Al-Asiri, who “designed the underwear bomb which nearly took down a US
airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day, 2009,” and who “nearly pulled off
another audacious attack, hiding explosive devices in printer cartridges
being shipped on cargo planes to the US.” More recently, Al-Asiri “was
believed to be working on a bomb that could be hidden in a laptop computer
or mobile device. That prompted TSA to ban such items on some flights to
the US.” CBS’ David Martin said that while the US believes the strike
killed Al-Asiri, “his death does not end the threat, since he taught his
bomb-making skills to other terrorists.”

*CNN Report: Saudis Used Lockheed Martin Laser-Guided Bomb To Kill
Dozens Of Yemeni School Children. *On CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=061-e8e&t=c>
(8/20), Alysin Camerota reported that “the bomb used in attack that killed
dozens of children on a school bus in Yemen earlier this month was supplied
to the Saudi-led coalition by the United States.” Nima Elbagir went on to
report that the “half-ton” MK82 bomb was made by Lockheed Martin. Elbagir
pointed out that the bomb that killed the schoolchildren targeted a busy
market, and said “this particular MK82 is a laser-guided precision bomb;
it’s targeting accuracy a particular point of pride for Lockheed Martin.”
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attacks On Police Officers In Chechnya.

The New York Times
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(8/20, Nechepurenko) reports at least four police officers were wounded
Monday in a series of attacks – a knife assault, an attempted suicide
bombing, “and the running over of two officers with a vehicle” – in
Chechnya on Monday, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. ISIS’
official news agency claimed responsibility for the attacks, but “did not
use the phrasing typically employed to describe an inspired attack,
suggesting that it viewed those who carried out the violence as core
members.” In a statement, “Ramzan A. Kadyrov, the strongman who rules
Chechnya,” said the primary goal of the attacks had been “to create an
illusion that some forces can still organize armed actions and terrorist
acts.” The Times says the three attacks raised “fears of renewed violence
in the restive region” and constitute “an embarrassment” to Kadyrov, who
has “a high degree of autonomy to crush dissent” and “has shown little
tolerance” of opposition.
Taliban Rejects Ceasefire Offer As Afghan Forces Free 150 Abducted From Bus
Convoy.

The AP
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(8/20, Shah, Faiez) reports that the Afghan military “rescued nearly 150
people Monday, including women and children, hours after the Taliban
ambushed a convoy of buses and abducted them.” According to the AP, “The
quick response marked a rare if limited battlefield success for the troops
after weeks of unrelenting insurgent attacks.” The AP adds that the Taliban
“escaped with 21 captives following the battle in Kunduz province,” and
“have demanded the national identifications of the captives to determine
their fate.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=064-3f6&t=c>
(8/20, Sediqi, Jain, Ahmad) reports that earlier Monday, the Taliban
“rejected...an Afghan government offer of a ceasefire and said they would
persist with their attacks.” Reuters says that in June, the Taliban
“observed a government ceasefire over the three-day Eid al-Fitr festival,
leading to unprecedented scenes of government soldiers and militants
embracing on front lines, and raising hopes for talks.” However, a Taliban
commander “said the June ceasefire had helped U.S. forces,” and “rejected
the new offer on the grounds that it too would only help the American-led
mission.”

*Taliban Delegation To Attend Regional Summit In Moscow Next Month.
*The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=065-155&t=c>
(8/20, Donati) is reporting that the Taliban have agreed to send a
delegation to a September 4 summit in Moscow that is not expected to
include any US representatives. Countries that will participate include
China, India, Pakistan and Iran, according to the Journal. The Afghan
ambassador to Russia, Abdul Kayum Kuchay, welcomed the development, saying,
“It’s good news that Russia is calling on the Taliban (to come) and wants
them to talk with representatives of the government and find a solution to
the problem of Afghanistan.”
USTR Tariff Hearings Underway As US, Chinese Officials Prepare To Meet.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=066-618&t=c>
(8/20) reports that the Trump Administration is “moving forward this week
with plans to impose tariffs on a wider array of Chinese imports even as it
explores the possibility of a negotiated resolution of its deepening trade
conflict with China.” Today, the US Trade Representative’s office “began an
extraordinary six days of public hearings on President Trump’s plans to tax
an additional $200 billion in Chinese products.” According to the Post, “at
the USTR hearings, sporting goods manufacturers, candle makers, footwear
companies, semiconductor producers and others will plead to be excluded
from the next tariffs.” The Post also says that on Wednesday, “U.S. and
Chinese officials are scheduled to meet for the first time in two months to
discuss potential solutions to the commercial standoff.”

The AP
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(8/20, Wiseman) reports hundreds of American businesses are asking
President Trump not to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods. The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=068-225&t=c>
(8/20, Rappeport) reports, “Executives from American companies flocked to
Washington on Monday to warn the Trump administration that imposing tariffs
on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese goods would cripple their
businesses and raise prices on everything from bicycles to car seats to
refrigerators.” The varied companies appearing before the panel had
“similar” concerns: “The United States is no longer equipped to produce
many materials that they depend on for their products.” Companies relying
on Chinese imports say President Trump “will destroy many of the American
businesses the president has said he is trying to help.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082101biden&r=email-1ba3&l=069-1f6&t=c>
(8/20, Davis, Duehren) reports that the Administration moving forward on
additional tariffs on Chinese goods comes amid broad US business
opposition, and new US-China talks illustrate how Treasury Department
negotiators offer a carrot w