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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, October 4, 2018 7:50 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, October 4, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=001-be5&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, October 4, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Hollywood Heavyweights Turn Out For Beverly Hills Fundraiser For Biden
PAC. <#S1>

• Biden Raises Cash For Feinstein, To Rally Support For Orange County
Democrats. <#S2>

• Biden Records Web Ad For Ohio Attorney General Candidate Dettelbach. <#S3>

• Visiting Ohio, Jill Biden Discusses Issues Women Face In Workplace. <#S4>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Flake, Murkowski, Collins Criticize Trump’s Comments On Ford. <#S5>

• McConnell Schedules Kavanaugh Cloture Vote For Friday. <#S6>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• US Withdraws From 1955 Treaty With Iran After ICJ Orders Easing Of
Sanctions. <#S7>

• Pompeo Rejects North Korea’s Demand For Eased Sanctions. <#S8>

• Trump: Saudi Monarchy Might Not Last Two Weeks Without US Support. <#S9>

• Pence To Warn China US Won’t Be Intimidated In South China Sea. <#S10>

• Bolton: US To Block Legal Challenge From “So-Called State Of Palestine.”
<#S11>

• Assad: Understanding Reached With Arab States, Civil War To End Soon.
<#S12>

• NYTimes: Trump Has Done Lasting Damage To US-Canada Relationship. <#S13>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Trump, White House Slam NYTimes Tax Story As “Hit Piece,” “Totally False.”
<#S14>

• Judge Blocks Trump From Ending Temporary Immigrant Protections. <#S15>

• WPost: GOP Candidates On Defensive Over ACA Preexisting Condition
Coverage. <#S16>

• Senate Sends Opioid Bill To Trump For Signature. <#S17>

• Sanders Bill Would Cap Size Of Banks, Leading To Break-Up Of Biggest
Firms. <#S18>

• Amazon To Eliminate Stock Options, Performance Bonuses In Its Warehouses.
<#S19>

• EPA Didn’t Consult Own Scientists In Deciding To Limit Studies Used For
Regulations. <#S20>

• Poll: 68% Would Shop At, Support Companies Backing LGBTQ Equality. <#S21>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Hospitals Using Personalized Assessments To Help Women Reduce Their
Breast Cancer Risk. <#S22>

• Risk Of Opioid-Related Death Found To Be Low In Cancer Patients. <#S23>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S24>

• Washington Post. <#S25>
Biden in the News
Hollywood Heavyweights Turn Out For Beverly Hills Fundraiser For Biden PAC.

The Hollywood Reporter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=002-72f&t=c>
(10/3, Gardner, Kiefer) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden’s
“appearance Wednesday night at a Beverly Hills fundraiser – organized by
Gonring, Spahn and Associates along with Jeffrey Katzenberg and held at the
offices of WndrCo – may not have answered the burning question of whether
he will run for president in 2020, but still proved to be engaging, sources
say. Approximately 25 people attended the $5,000-per-plate fundraiser,
which raised a little more than $100,000, funds that will be funneled
toward Biden’s PAC American Possibilities.” Among those who attended “were
Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos, Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman, producer Byron
Allen, ICM Partners’ Chris Silbermann, Gonring Spahn’s Andy Spahn,
Katzenberg, venture capitalist Chris Sacca, entrepreneur Jon Vein and Meg
Whitman.” The Reporter adds, “A source said the event felt more like an
intimate gathering rather than a glitzy fundraiser, adding that it felt
like ‘heartfelt’ conversation among old friends.”
Biden Raises Cash For Feinstein, To Rally Support For Orange County
Democrats.

In an online article, KCAL-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=003-34f&t=c>
Los Angeles (10/3) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “will come
to Orange County on Thursday to help energize the campaigns of several” US
House candidates. Attorney Mike Levin (D), who is battling state Board of
Equalization member Diane Harkey (R) in the race to succeed retiring Rep.
Darrell Issa (R), “said he met Biden ‘many years ago, very briefly,’ so he
is ‘excited he’s coming back to Orange County.’ Levin believes Biden’s
rally will ‘continue to add to the unprecedented level of excitement that
we’re seeing in Orange County.’” KCAL-TV added that Biden “will join
California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman and congressional
candidates TJ Cox, Gil Cisneros, Katie Porter, Harley Rouda and Levin at
the rally, which will be held at 4 p.m. in the Titan Student Union on the
Cal State Fullerton campus.”

In another online report, KCAL-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=004-1d1&t=c>
Los Angeles (10/3) said that Biden “is in Southern California this week for
a couple of fundraisers and a political rally. Biden’s first stop will be
at a $2,700-per-person Westside luncheon benefiting Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s
re-election campaign. The senator will not be at the fundraiser because the
Senate remains in session, her campaign said.” Biden “is also scheduled to
speak at a $5,000-per-person Beverly Hills fundraiser benefitting his
political action committee American Possibilities, hosted by entertainment
executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, according to the Hollywood Reporter.”
Biden Records Web Ad For Ohio Attorney General Candidate Dettelbach.

The Columbus (OH) Dispatch
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=005-4f9&t=c>
(10/3, Schladen) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden “has recorded
a web-only ad in support of Steve Dettelbach, the Democratic candidate for
Ohio attorney general. Biden, said to be a front runner for his party’s
nomination in 2020, says ‘This November, the future of Ohio is on the
ballot; That’s why I’m supporting Steve Dettelbach for Ohio attorney
general.” Dettelbach campaign spokeswoman Liz Doherty said the ad “will be
‘on Facebook/Twitter...part of our substantial online advertising buy.’”
Visiting Ohio, Jill Biden Discusses Issues Women Face In Workplace.

In an online article, WCMH-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=006-bfc&t=c>
Columbus, OH (10/3, Ferrell) reported that Dr. Jill Biden on Wednesday
visited Columbus, Ohio, meeting “with local women at the Columbus Main
Library for a discussion about how to even the playing field for women in
the workforce. Pay equity, harassment and discrimination towards working
mothers were some of the topics at the event put on by the” campaign of
ex-Consumer Financial Protection Bureau chief Richard Cordray (D), who is
bidding to succeed term-limited Gov. John Kasich (R). Biden spoke “about
her own experience as a working woman and how she was treated unfairly.
‘You won’t even believe my salary. It was $7,500 my first year of teaching
and they hired a man in the English department to do the exact same
job...$10,000. That’s how it used to be or how it still is actually,’ she
said.”
Leading the News
Flake, Murkowski, Collins Criticize Trump’s Comments On Ford.

Media coverage of President Trump’s comments about Supreme Court
Justice-designate Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser Christine Blasey Ford during a
rally in Mississippi is highly negative. Reports highlight criticism of
Trump by Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Lisa Murkowski
(R-AK), who are considered swing votes as the nomination goes down to the
wire.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=007-518&t=c>
(10/3, Jackson) reports that “at least three swing-vote Republican
senators...criticized Trump’s performance,” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=008-181&t=c>
(10/3, Becker, Cowan) says that the criticism came from “three moderate
Republicans who could be pivotal in determining whether the Senate
confirms” Kavanaugh, and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=009-8fc&t=c>
(10/3, Bolton) reports that the “backlash by GOP moderates adds to the
headwinds that Kavanaugh faces in the Senate.” The Hill also reports that
“asked if Trump’s comments would impact her vote, Murkowski told reporters
Wednesday: ‘I am taking everything into account.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=00a-cf2&t=c>
(10/3, Kim) points out, however, that Flake indicated later that Trump’s
comments “would not factor into his thinking on the nomination,” saying,
“You can’t take it out on other people, the President’s insensitive
remarks.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=00b-717&t=c>
(10/3, story 4, 2:20, Jiang) reported that Tuesday night, Trump “repeatedly
imitated...Ford during a campaign rally,” and showed him saying, “I had one
beer. Well, you think it was – nope, it was one beer. Oh, good. How did you
get home? I don’t remember. How did you get there? I don’t remember. Where
is the place? I don’t remember. How many years ago was it? I don’t know, I
don’t know. Don’t know. I don’t know! What neighborhood was it in? I don’t
know. Where’s the house? I don’t know.” CBS added, “White House aides
insisted...Trump was not mocking Ford.” Said White House Press Secretary
Sarah Sanders, “It seemed to me that he was stating facts that Dr. Ford
herself laid out in her testimony.” Kellyanne Conway, meanwhile, was shown
saying, “Excuse me, she’s been treated like a Fabergé by all of us,
beginning with me and the President. He’s pointing out factual
inconsistencies.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=00c-e61&t=c>
(10/3, Fabian) notes Sanders also “downplayed concerns that Trump’s
comments will undermine his ability to get key Senate GOP holdouts to vote
to confirm Kavanaugh.” Said Sanders, “I don’t think so. ... The President
is very confident in his nominee, as he has said time and time again.” To
the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=00d-dbb&t=c>
(10/3, Fandos, Stolberg), however, “the president’s mockery of...Ford at a
Mississippi campaign rally on Tuesday injected still more uncertainty into
the confirmation of...Kavanaugh and only served to heighten tensions.”
Murkowski said, “The President’s comments yesterday mocking Dr. Ford were
wholly inappropriate and in my view unacceptable.” Collins called Trump’s
remarks “just plain wrong,” and asked to comment on NBC’s Today[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=00e-a95&t=c>
(10/3), Flake said, “There is no time and no place for remarks like that.
To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right.
It’s just not right. I wish he hadn’t done it. ... It’s kind of appalling.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=00f-0ef&t=c>
(10/3, Wagner) reports that “Flake...harshly criticized...Trump” and USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=010-3bf&t=c>
(10/3, Estepa) says that he “called out” Trump, while the Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=011-563&t=c>
(10/3, Hughes, Carlton) says the upcoming vote on Kavanaugh will be a test
of Murkowski’s independence from GOP dictates. The Journal also reports
that in an interview Tuesday with Alaska Public Media, Murkowski referred
to the high level of constituent feedback on the nomination, saying, “All
of the voice-mail boxes are literally filled within the first hour. ...
We’ve hired additional staff to do nothing more than sort through the
volume of calls that have come in overnight.” Another New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=012-a72&t=c>
(10/3, Baker) story says Trump’s “scathing and derisive impression” of Ford
“could further complicate Mr. Trump’s efforts to confirm...Kavanaugh to the
Supreme Court by winning over three undecided Republican senators who have
insisted that” her “allegation be taken seriously.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=013-7e6&t=c>
(10/3, story 2, 2:50, Holt) and ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=014-94a&t=c>
(10/3, story 2, 4:00, Vega) also showed footage of Trump’s comments, and
ABC noted Ford’s lawyers are calling them “a vicious, vile and soulless
attack, asking, is it any wonder that she was terrified to come forward,
and that other sexual assault survivors are as well?” In a separate report, ABC
World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=015-681&t=c>
(10/3, story 3, 2:20, Bruce) noted that another senator who has not
announced his position on the nomination, Democrat Joe Manchin, said
yesterday, “I don’t think that was good. My goodness, nobody would think
that would be good.” Manchin added, however, “I’m not voting for the
President, I’m voting for the Supreme Court. So, I’m going to look and see
what this report and investigation says.”

Jake Tapper said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=016-0e9&t=c>
(10/3), “We don’t know if President Trump thinks it’s useful to ridicule a
woman claiming she was sexually assaulted or if he just did it because he
thought it was fun, but let’s take a moment to reflect that the President
of the United States believes it’s appropriate. There appears to be no
bottom. ... Whether it’s an attack or ridicule, it certainly did not help
husband case with the three Republican senators on the fence about
Kavanaugh.” Jim Acosta said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=017-430&t=c>
(10/3), “The White House is not only defending Trump’s obvious mocking,
aides to the President are calling the falsehood that the President wasn’t
mocking her to begin with. It’s just the latest example of the White House
playing fast and loose with the facts.” However, “Key GOP senators who may
ultimately decide Kavanaugh’s fate aren’t laughing.”

The Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody said on Fox News’
Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=018-3dd&t=c>
(10/3), “It can be a little ugly at times and it can be a bit exhilarating
at times as well because even though the mainstream media is talking about
this mocking of Dr. Ford, if you checked the evangelical playlist, which I
do every single day, they believe he was just stating facts.” Laura
Ingraham said on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=019-62f&t=c>
(10/3), “‘You are mean, you are attacking victims, you don’t have any
empathy’ – no, he’s making a series of common sense conclusions about
Ford’s very shaky claim and shifting accounts that were based on an
uncorroborated memory. ... President Trump is speaking straight to the
American people.”

E.J. Dionne writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=01a-c76&t=c>
(10/3) column that “Trump regularly and unashamedly reminds us of his
vileness,” and that while his “lying, mocking, despicable verbal mugging
of...Ford...may not be a new low for him because there have been so many
other lows,” his “willingness to suggest that Ford is one of the ‘evil
people’ and his twisted account of her testimony about Kavanaugh before the
Senate Judiciary Committee ripped the mask of respectability off the
campaign to confirm Trump’s appointee.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=01b-13c&t=c>
(10/3) editorializes that “Trump himself said last week that Ms. Ford’s
testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee...was ‘very compelling,’”
but now he “apparently sees more political upside in belittling and
insulting her.” The Post adds that Kavanaugh’s “conspiracy-mongering and
Mr. Trump’s mockery both serve to set back the nation’s progress in
understanding this kind of crime and will discourage victims from coming
forward. Maybe Mr. Trump sees that as a plus. It certainly reveals more to
the nation about his character than about Ms. Ford’s.”

*Flake Says He Understands Why Kavanaugh Was Angry While Being
Questioned By Senators. *On NBC’s Today[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=01c-48c&t=c>
(10/3), Flake was asked, “Do you think that Judge Kavanaugh was truthful
and straight forward in all respects at the hearing before your committee?”
Flake answered, “That’s probably how I would react if I felt that I was
unjustly accused. Some of the comments were sharp, and more partisan than a
lot of us would like to see. Having said that, we’ve seen a record that
he’s had on the court of collegiality and working with other members. I
think you have to give some leeway for the charges that were coming against
him and how he would feel.”

*Graham Agrees With Trump’s Facts, Disagrees With Tone. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=01d-09a&t=c>
(10/3, Kim) reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) “said everything Trump
had said was factual, but took issue with his tone.” Graham is quoted as
saying, “I would tell him, ‘Knock it off, you’re not helping.’”

*Fox & Friends Questions “Wisdom” Of Trump’s Comments. *On Fox
News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=01e-023&t=c>
(10/3), Garrett Tenney reported that in his Mississippi remarks, Trump
“defended [Kavanaugh] and struck a different tone on Dr. Ford’s testimony,
pointing out the gaps in her recollection of the alleged event.” Brian
Kilmeade agreed that there are “huge holes in [Ford’s] story.” However,
Kilmeade added, “The tactic of the President laying low has been lauded by
all sides. Last night, he chose to blow it as the FBI is handing in the
report as early as today. I wonder about the wisdom, as much as the crowd
loved it, I wonder about the wisdom tactically of him doing that.” The
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=01f-ede&t=c>
(10/3, Selk) reports that on Fox & Friends yesterday, Kilmeade said that
when Trump decided to abandon his restrained rhetoric in regards to Ford,
“he chose to blow it.”

*Republicans Want Ford To Address Claims In Ex-Boyfriend’s Sworn
Statement. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=020-33d&t=c>
(10/3, Baker) reports that Senate Republicans “are stepping up efforts to
challenge Christine Blasey Ford’s credibility by confronting her with a
sworn statement from a former boyfriend who took issue with a number of
assertions she made during testimony before the Judiciary Committee last
week.” Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley “cited the former
boyfriend’s statement in a letter sent Tuesday night to Dr. Blasey’s
lawyers demanding that they turn over material that could be used to assess
her veracity.” The Times says Ford’s ex-boyfriend says he saw her “helping
a friend prepare for a possible polygraph examination, contradicting her
testimony under oath.” However, that friend, a former FBI agent, denied
that Ford had helped her with a polygraph test. The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=021-9fa&t=c>
(10/3, Simonson) says that “television news networks have largely refused
to cover” the letter, which “appears to sharply undercut Ford’s remarks
during her testimony, when she claimed to have never given tips to anyone
planning on taking a polygraph.”

As part of a larger report on the confirmation fight, however, the CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=022-729&t=c>
(10/3, story 3, 2:35, Cordes) did mention that according to Ford’s
ex-boyfriend, “despite her testimony, Ford ‘never expressed a fear of
closed quarters,’ to him and that he once ‘witnessed Dr. Ford help her
roommate prepare for a potential polygraph exam.’” On Fox News’ Fox &
Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=023-0c9&t=c>
(10/3), Garrett Tenney said “the contradiction that...Grassley is most
concerned about though is the...allegation that Ford helped a friend
prepare for a polygraph test,” which is “significant because it is very
different from the answer Ford gave when she was asked about this
specifically last week.” Ford was shown replying, “never,” when asked by
prosecutor Rachel Mitchell, “have you ever had discussions with anyone
besides your attorneys on how to take a polygraph?” Steve Doocy pointed out
that the ex-boyfriend, who dated and lived with Ford for years, “says she
never mentioned any sort of sexual assault during their time together,
never mentioned Brett Kavanaugh’s name. She was not afraid of confined
spaces or flying.”

Tucker Carlson said in the open monologue of Fox News’ Tucker
Carlson Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=024-9d3&t=c>
(10/3), “Why has Ford told different stories? It’s significant because it
bears directly on her credibility. And her credibility is the only reason
to believe her story is true. And there are other obvious unanswered
questions, here’s this one: Ford said the assault defined her entire life.
Apparently, she thought about it every day. It defined her academic
performance and all of her personal relationships and yet, she says she
told not a single other human being around about it for a fully 30 years.”

Sean Hannity said in his opening monologue on Fox News’ Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=025-490&t=c>
(10/3), “Professor Ford is facing allegations of her own. Her boyfriend
between 1992 and ‘98 is raising serious issues about her testimony tonight.
... Naturally ABC and CBS, they totally ignore the story. That is called by
a civil omission, shouldn’t shock us. Meanwhile in a case of claimed bias,
the Daily Caller reporting that three different NBC News stories on Judge
Kavanaugh, three of them, face huge accuracy issues.”

*CNN, Daily Caller Identify Redacted Name Of Ford’s Ex. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=026-825&t=c>
(10/3, Mason) reports that “CNN, in its first-ever mention of the sworn
letter potentially discrediting...Ford, identifies the redacted author by
name and offers a denial of the letter’s allegations from Ford’s long-time
friend.” Breitbart adds that “CNN, like several other left-leaning news
outlets, posted no reporting about the potentially narrative-shifting
letter on Tuesday.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=027-841&t=c>
(10/3, Daley, Kerr) reports it “has identified Brian Merrick as the author”
of the letter. Merrick and Ford “dated throughout the 1990s and lived
together for some time, but their relationship ended by the early 2000s.”

*WPost: GOP Launching “Trumpian,” “Blistering” “Personal Attacks”
On Accusers. *Under the headline “Adopting Trumpian Strategy, Republicans
Level Personal Attacks Against Kavanaugh Accusers,” the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=028-01d&t=c>
(10/3, Pogrund) reports “Republicans are aggressively challenging the
credibility of...Kavanaugh’s initial accuser, a turnabout from days of
treating Christine Blasey Ford gingerly after her emotional testimony
alleging sexual assault decades ago.” The GOP’s “blistering
campaign...includes personal attacks on the women who have leveled claims
against the judge, including the release Tuesday of a salacious statement
that purports to describe the sex life of another accuser, Julie Swetnick.”
Such an “effort is shattering Senate norms at a critical moment for
Kavanaugh, and it signals that the GOP is embracing the tactics of
President Trump, who mocked Ford at a political rally Tuesday night days
after calling her credible.” The Post adds “the strategy has drawn
condemnation, and it has even raised questions about whether Republicans
have violated a provision of the Violence Against Women Act by disclosing
Swetnick’s purported sexual preferences.”

*WSJournal: Campaign Against Kavanaugh Shows Left Set On Destroying
Conservatives. *Under the headline “The Never Conservatives,” the Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=029-059&t=c>
(10/3) editorializes that the Kavanaugh confirmation fight – as well as its
handling by the media and Senate Democrats – confirms that the left is
engaged in a campaign to destroy anyone standing in their path to power,
and that in fact their hatred for Trump is just a reflection of their
loathing toward all conservatives.

*Yale Roommate Says He Saw Kavanaugh “Blackout Drunk.” *Jamie
Roche, who was Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s freshman roommate at
Yale, said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=02a-d4c&t=c>
(10/3), “People drank a lot. ... Many, many people did. But there were even
within that environment, there were people who were loud drunks, who were
sloppy drunks, who were belligerent drunks. But even by those standards, my
memory of Brett was that he was on the far edge of this. He was notably
heavier in his drinking than other people. ... I saw him both what I would
consider ‘blackout drunk’ and also deal with the repercussions of that in
the morning.”

*Atlantic Festival Crowd Boos Graham For Criticizing Treatment Of
Kavanaugh. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=02b-d12&t=c>
(10/3, Yilek) reports “a Washington, D.C., audience booed Sen. Lindsey
Graham (R-SC) on Wednesday after he said Supreme Court nominee Brett
Kavanaugh has been treated poorly by those who oppose his confirmation.”
Graham said at the Atlantic Festival, “I thought Kavanaugh was treated like
crap.” As the audience booed, Graham retorted, “Well, boo yourself.”

*Connie Chung Says She’s Sexual Assault Victim, Applauds Ford.
*Broadcast
journalist Connie Chung, in an open letter to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in
the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=02c-93c&t=c>
(10/3, Chung), writes that she also was sexually assaulted and kept quiet
about it for five decades. She adds, “I am writing to you because I know
that exact dates, exact years are insignificant. We remember exactly what
happened to us and who did it to us. We remember the truth forever.” Chung
concludes, “Bravo, Christine, for telling the truth.”

*NPR/PBS/Marist Poll: Democrats’ Edge Evaporating Amid Kavanaugh
Controversy. *NPR
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=02d-a97&t=c>
(10/3, Montanaro) reports that, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist
poll, “just over a month away from critical elections across the country,
the wide Democratic enthusiasm advantage that has defined the 2018 campaign
up to this point has disappeared.” NPR says the controversy over the
Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh “has apparently had the effect
of rousing a dormant GOP base.” NPR reports that in July, “there was a
10-point gap between the number of Democrats and Republicans saying the
November elections were ‘very important,’” but “now, that is down to 2
points, a statistical tie.” In addition, “Democrats’ advantage on which
party Americans want to control Congress has also been cut in half since
last month. Democrats still retain a 6-point edge on that question, but it
was 12 points after a Marist poll conducted in mid-September.” The Daily
Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=02e-b13&t=c>
(10/3, Morefield) also reports the poll shows “Republican voters are now in
a statistical tie with Democrats when it comes to voter enthusiasm
regarding the midterm elections.”

*Trump: “Look At The Polls. Something Very Big is Happening.”
*President
Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=02f-40b&t=c>
last night, “Wow, such enthusiasm and energy for Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Look at the Energy, look at the Polls. Something very big is happening. He
is a fine man and great intellect. The country is with him all the way!”
Trump had weighed in on the controversy on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=030-d04&t=c>
earlier yesterday, writing, “I see it each time I go out to Rallies in
order to help some of our great Republican candidates. VOTERS ARE REALLY
ANGRY AT THE VICIOUS AND DESPICABLE WAY DEMOCRATS ARE TREATING BRETT
KAVANAUGH! He and his wonderful family deserve much better.”

*Trump To Visit Six States In 10 Days To Campaign For GOP House
Candidates. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=031-429&t=c>
(10/3, Rampton) reports Trump “plans to visit six states over the next 10
days to energize his supporters to turn out for Republicans in tight races
for the House of Representatives.” Trump “heads on Thursday to Minnesota
where Republicans want to give a boost to two House candidates: one in an
open race and another, a first-term incumbent, who is running in a
Democratic-leaning district.” Trump “then plans to visit Kansas on
Saturday, Iowa on Tuesday, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Ohio on Friday and
Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 13.”
McConnell Schedules Kavanaugh Cloture Vote For Friday.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=032-25f&t=c>
(10/4) reports Senate Majority Leader McConnell “has taken a key procedural
step to begin voting on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court,”
filing a motion to set up a Friday cloture vote. The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=033-ffe&t=c>
(10/3, Haberkorn) reports that the move “came as the FBI completed its
report into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. Senators are
expected to begin reading the report Thursday, under tight security and
strict rules. Kavanaugh’s fate remains unclear” because Sens. Susan Collins
(R-ME), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) “are undecided. ...
Several Democrats are also said to be wavering.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=034-55f&t=c>
(10/3, Jackson, Collins, Hayes) reports, “Much of Wednesday was a waiting
game as senators prepared for the report and for its aftermath. The
document could be a deciding factor” for those three Republicans.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=035-314&t=c>
(10/3, Kim) reports that the “latest FBI probe updating Kavanaugh’s
background check” was made available to senators late Wednesday. Until the
Friday vote, “senators will be rushing in and out of a secure facility at
the Capitol to review the sensitive FBI report that the bureau has
compiled.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=036-138&t=c>
(10/3, story 3, 0:45, Hunt) said the report “is going to be locked in a
safe. Only senators and a handful of their staff will be able to access it,
and they will have to do it in a secure room or have it taken specially to
their office.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=037-35e&t=c>
(10/3, Ferrechio) reports, “McConnell has pledged that Kavanaugh would get
an up or down vote this week.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=038-afc&t=c>
(10/3, Hulse, Martin) says that “to McConnell, his nearly singular duty
these days is filling federal court vacancies with conservatives, so with a
second Supreme Court confirmation in less than two years in sight, he has a
lot on the line.” The Times adds that “if he is successful, he will have
secured a legacy of reshaping not just the lower courts, but the Supreme
Court itself for years to come.” However, “failure...may leave Mr.
McConnell having to shoulder the blame from President Trump and
conservatives who have always viewed him with suspicion.” The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=039-2ff&t=c>
(10/3, Dinan, Swoyer) headlines its report “Brett Kavanaugh Filibuster Vote
Set For Friday,” and a Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=03a-f70&t=c>
(10/3, Klukowski) item is headlined “It Begins! McConnell Files For Cloture
On Kavanaugh For Supreme Court.”

*WPost: Background Check Apparently “Curtailed In Scope.” *The
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=03b-ba1&t=c>
(10/3, Zapotosky, O'Harrow, Hamburger, Barrett) reports that the FBI
background check on Kavanaugh “appeared to remain curtailed in its scope
Wednesday even as agents neared the end of their work, opening up the
possibility that the bureau would again face criticism over what some will
view as a lackluster investigation.” The Post says the “inquiry seems to
have focused mostly on an allegation” by Christine Blasey Ford that
Kavanaugh “assaulted her decades ago.” The Post “has been able to confirm
interviews with only six witnesses, five of whom have a connection to the
professor or her allegation.”

*White House Has Found No Corroboration Of Allegations In FBI
Interviews. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=03c-881&t=c>
(10/4, Ballhaus, Bender, Peterson, Andrews) reports that the White House
has found no corroboration of the allegations against Kavanaugh after
examining the FBI’s interview reports. In a statement early Thursday, White
House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said, “The White House has received
the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s supplemental background investigation
into Judge Kavanaugh, and it is being transmitted to the Senate. ... With
this additional information, the White House is fully confident the Senate
will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.”

*New Yorker: Ramirez, Others Frustrated By Scope Of Investigation. *The
New Yorker
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=03d-ac0&t=c>
(10/4, Mayer, Farrow) runs a 2,400-word piece by Jane Mayer and Ronan
Farrow that says “several people interested in speaking to the F.B.I.
expressed exasperation...at what they perceived to be a lack of interest in
their accounts. Deborah Ramirez, one of two women who have accused
Kavanaugh of sexual abuse, said in an interview that she had been hopeful
that her story would be investigated,” but “said that she was troubled by
what she perceived as a lack of willingness on the part of the Bureau to
take steps to substantiate her claims.” Ramirez said, “I am very alarmed,
first, that I was denied an FBI investigation for five days, and then, when
one was granted, that it was given on a short timeline and that the people
who were key to corroborating my story have not been contacted.” The New
Yorker reports that “several former Yale students who claim to have
information regarding the alleged incident with Ramirez or about
Kavanaugh’s behavior at Yale said that they had not been contacted by the
FBI.”

*Hannity: “Sources” Say Report Contains “No New Bombshell
Information.” *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=03e-08b&t=c>
(10/3, Lim) reports that on his Fox News program on Wednesday evening, Sean
Hannity said, “Sources are telling us tonight that the FBI supplemental
report on Judge Kavanaugh is now complete. ... My sources are also telling
me tonight, no new bombshell information in this report. It just reiterates
what we already know from the Senate Judiciary Committee investigation and
what they have already found.”

*Democrats: Claim Past FBI Probes Found Nothing On Kavanaugh “Not
Accurate.” *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=03f-0e7&t=c>
(10/3, Kim) reports “Senate Democrats opened a new front in their
objections to the investigations of Kavanaugh’s conduct, suggesting in a
letter” to Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley “that past FBI
background checks of Kavanaugh include evidence of inappropriate behavior,
without disclosing specifics.” The letter, which “signed by eight of the 10
Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, challenged the accuracy of a tweet
from the committee’s Republican staff on Tuesday that said: ‘Nowhere in any
of these six FBI reports, which the committee has reviewed on a bipartisan
basis, was there ever a whiff of ANY issue – at all – related in any way to
inappropriate sexual behavior or alcohol abuse.’” The Democrats “said the
information in the tweet is ‘not accurate,’ urging the GOP to correct it.”
Grassley replied, “The committee stands by its statement, which is
completely truthful. ... More baseless innuendo and more false smears from
Senate Democrats.”

*Collins Guarded By Security Detail As Angry Anti-Kavanaugh
Protests Continue. *Reporting on the angry Capitol Hill protests against
Kavanaugh’s nomination, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=040-8d9&t=c>
(10/3, Daly) says “the impassioned fight...has led to heightened security
at the Capitol, with some senators using police escorts to shield them from
protesters eager to confront them.” The AP adds “capitol police have
arrested dozens of people in recent days,” and Sen. Collins, “who is a key
undecided vote on Kavanaugh, was escorted out of a hearing Wednesday by
three police officers.” A Collins spokeswoman “declined to comment on her
security detail.” The AP also reports that “the stepped-up police presence
come as senators – especially Republicans – have expressed unease over
protesters who have confronted them at their Senate offices, restaurants,
airports and even their homes.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=041-e13&t=c>
(10/3, story 3, 2:35, Cordes) similarly reported that “undecided [Collins]
was surrounded for the first time...by a police detail as other Republicans
tried to shrug off the protesters.”

CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=042-3d9&t=c>
(10/3, Tully-McManus) says “tensions over...Kavanaugh...have driven the
Senate to a heightened security posture, as some lawmakers fended off
protesters and others saw their personal information released online.”
The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=043-466&t=c>
(10/3, Dinan) points out, meanwhile, that the “anti-GOP efforts have
included posting personal details such as senators’ home addresses and cell
phone numbers online.” The Times adds “hallway confrontations with
senators, meanwhile, have become must-film events for cable news networks.”

The Week
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=044-692&t=c>
(10/3, Meza) reports, “Protesters are confronting senators left and right
this week to question their support” for Kavanaugh. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
“reportedly lost his patience with them when they followed him as he
walked.” According to a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=045-9cb&t=c>
from The Hill’s Alex Bolton, Kyl said to the protesters, “Would you please
leave me alone!” Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) “duck[ed] into a men’s restroom
when women introduced themselves as survivors of sexual assault on Monday.
‘Don’t touch me,’ he said
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=046-71a&t=c>
when a woman tried to shake his hand.”

*Former Democratic Aide Arrested For Posting Senators’ Private
Info. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=047-f2d&t=c>
(10/3, Everett) reports, “The US Capitol Police on Wednesday arrested a
27-year-old man for posting addresses and private information of senators.”
The USCP said “it arrested Jackson A. Cosko for allegedly posting ‘private,
identifying information (doxing) about one or more United States senators
to the Internet.’” Cosko “has been working as an intern in the office of
Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas and has been fired, according
to her chief of staff Glenn Rushing.” Cosko previously worked for Sen.
Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and then-Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. Cosko “most
recently worked for Hassan as a ‘legislative correspondent/systems
administrator,’ according to Legistorm.” Politico also reports that the
postings “were made from a computer on Capitol Hill on the House side.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=048-d3c&t=c>
(10/3, Lim) calls Cosko “a Democratic aide” and the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=049-230&t=c>
(10/3, Dinan) notes he “has a LinkedIn profile saying he’s a Democratic
operative who worked in the Senate until earlier this year.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=04a-7c8&t=c>
(10/3, Villalobos), however, describes him as “a Washington man.”

*McConnell: “We Will Not Be Intimidated.” *The CBS Evening News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=04b-8f1&t=c>
(10/3, story 3, 2:35, Cordes) last night showed McConnell saying, “I don’t
care how many members they chase, how many people they harass here in the
halls, I want to make one thing perfectly clear-- we will not be
intimidated by these people.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=04c-934&t=c>
(10/3, Carney) adds McConnell also said, “If facts and evidence couldn’t
get the job done, then intimidation tactics and bullying would have to do.
... The far left tried to bully and intimidate members of this body,
Republican United States senators.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=04d-3d5&t=c>
(10/3, Lesniewski) reports “McConnell also alluded to the recent incident”
in which Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and his wife “were confronted by opponents of
the Kavanaugh nomination at the DC restaurant Fiola.” Said McConnell, “It’s
time to put this embarrassing spectacle behind us. ... The Senate will vote
on this nomination this week.”

*Paul’s Wife Urges Booker To Retract Call For Activists To “Get Up
In The Face” Of Lawmakers. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=04e-af2&t=c>
(10/3, Lim) reports the wife of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) “demanded Wednesday
that a Democrat take back his comments imploring activists to ‘get up in
the face of some congresspeople’ after Paul was mobbed by protesters this
week at an airport.” In an open letter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=04f-945&t=c>
to Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kelley Paul wrote, “Preventing someone from
moving forward, thrusting your middle finger in their face, screaming
vitriol – is this the way to express concern or enact change? ... Or does
it only incite unstable people to violence, making them feel that
assaulting a person is somehow politically justifiable?” She added, “I
would call on you to retract your statement. .. I would call on you to
condemn violence, the leaking of elected officials’ personal addresses (our
address was leaked from a Senate directory given only to senators), and the
intimidation and threats that are being hurled at them and their families.”

*Republicans Call For Ethics Investigation Of Feinstein, Eshoo. *The
Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=050-b1a&t=c>
(10/3, Muñoz) reports “seven Republican congressmen formally requested on
Wednesday that the House and Senate Ethics Committees investigate
Democrats’ handling” of Christine Blasey Ford’s “letter detailing sexual
assault allegations.” The seven “sent two letters to each chamber’s Ethics
Committee” targeting Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-CA). They “requested that both California Democrats and their staff be
investigated in other to determine how Ms. Blasey Ford’s letter was leaked
to the press.”

*Conway Warns Red-State Democrats About “Being Complicit” In
Feinstein Moves. *CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=051-86b&t=c>
(10/3, Bennett) reports that Kellyanne Conway “sharply criticized Senate
Judiciary ranking member Dianne Feinstein for an ‘unpardonable sin’ to have
kept a letter from” Christine Blasey Ford “with accusations against”
Kavanaugh “to herself.” Said Conway, “She wanted to remain anonymous.
They’ve made her a household name. People recognize her now. It’s not fair
to her. It’s not fair to Judge Kavanaugh.” Conway also said, “If I were one
of these red-state Democrats, including but not exclusively the three who
voted for Justice Neil Gorsuch…I’d be very concerned that I am stuck being
complicit in a process that is trying to destroy a man that revealed the
identity of a woman who wanted to remain anonymous.”

*Rasmussen: 40% Of Democrats Say Kavanaugh Opponents On “Search And
Destroy” Mission. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=052-436&t=c>
(10/3, Harper) reports that a new Rasmussen
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=053-063&t=c>
poll “finds that most voters now agree that the process has turned shameful
– including a surprising number of Democrats.” The poll asked respondents
to react to the following statement, “An angry Brett Kavanaugh told the
Senate Judiciary Committee late last week: ‘This confirmation process has
become a national disgrace. The Constitution gives the Senate an important
role in the confirmation process, but you have replaced advise and consent
with search and destroy.’” Rasmussen “found that 56 percent of all likely
U.S. voters agree” with the statement. Forty percent of Democrats “agree
with Kavanaugh’s statement, and only slightly more (43 percent) disagree.”

*Reuters/Ipsos Poll: 41% Oppose Confirming Kavanaugh, 33% Support. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=054-e39&t=c>
(10/3, Hurley, Kahn) reports that a new Reuters/Ipsos poll has found that
“opposition among Americans to...Kavanaugh...has increased in the wake of
his testimony last week.” According to Reuters, “In the latest seven-day
average in a survey of U.S. adults, 41 percent of respondents opposed
Kavanaugh, 33 percent supported the conservative federal appeals court
judge and 26 percent said they did not know. Opposition to Kavanaugh grew 4
percentage points after the Sept. 27 Judiciary Committee hearing.”

*Law Professors: Kavanaugh Lacks Judicial Temperament Required Of
Any Judge. *A letter signed by more than 650 law professors and published
in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=055-024&t=c>
(10/3) says, “At the Senate hearings on Sept. 27, Judge Brett Kavanaugh
displayed a lack of judicial temperament that would be disqualifying for
any court, and certainly for elevation to the highest court of this land.”
Kavanaugh has “exhibited a lack of commitment to judicious inquiry” and
acted “in an intemperate, inflammatory and partial manner, as he
interrupted and, at times, was discourteous to senators,” instead of
seeking “to sort out with reason and care the allegations that were
raised.” The professors concludes, “He did not display the impartiality and
judicial temperament requisite to sit on the highest court of our land.”
Foreign Policy
US Withdraws From 1955 Treaty With Iran After ICJ Orders Easing Of
Sanctions.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=056-97e&t=c>
(10/3, Simons, Cowell) reports that in a “rebuke to the Trump
administration, the International Court of Justice ordered the United
States on Wednesday to ease some sanctions against Iran, including those
related to the supply of humanitarian goods and the safety of civil
aviation.” The order, “unanimously handed down by its 15 judges, amounts to
an injunction while Iran’s July lawsuit challenging the sanctions winds its
way through the court – a process that could take years.” In response,
Secretary of State Pompeo announced that the US would cancel the US-Iran
Treaty of Amity of 1955 that “had provided a basis for friendly diplomatic
exchanges and economic relations.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=057-029&t=c>
(10/3, Morello) reports Pompeo called the treaty “an ‘absolute absurdity’
given the tensions between the two countries.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=058-8c2&t=c>
(10/3, Hjelmgaard, Shesgreen) reports Pompeo said the action was “frankly,
39 years overdue.” Pompeo also said Iran was “trying to interfere with the
‘sovereign rights of the United States’ by going to the ICJ.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=059-3ca&t=c>
(10/3, Wong, Sanger) calls Pompeo’s decision a “largely symbolic move,” and
quotes Pompeo saying about the treaty, “The Iranians have been ignoring it
for an awfully long time.” He added, “Iran is abusing the I.C.J. for
political and propaganda purposes.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=05a-5cc&t=c>
(10/3, Morin, Choi) described the action as “the latest move in a series of
warnings to Iran.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=05b-6d4&t=c>
(10/3, Lee) reports officials “said the administration also will withdraw
from an amendment to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that
Iran or others, notably the Palestinians, could use to sue the U.S. at The
Hague-based tribunal.” A White House announcement “was expected, and the
officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t publicly
authorized to discuss the development.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=05c-51f&t=c>
(10/3, Cunningham) called the UN court’s ruling “a diplomatic victory” for
Iran, adding that the “verdict is binding,” but the court, “located in The
Hague, lacks the power to enforce its decisions.” Iranian Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif “called the directive ‘another failure’ for the United
States and a ‘victory for the rule of law.’” In its order, the court said
the US “‘must remove’ any impediments to the free exportation to Iran of
goods required for humanitarian needs, as well as spare parts for civil
aviation safety,” and that US assurances “that its sanctions would have
limited humanitarian impact were ‘not adequate to address fully the
humanitarian and safety concerns raised by’ Iran.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=05d-c83&t=c>
(10/3, Norman) calls the ruling largely symbolic, because the US accepts
its jurisdiction case-by-case and US courts have ruled the ICJ’s decisions
don’t legally bind American officials. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018100401biden&r=email-452b&l=05e-fbe&t=c>
(10/3, Corder) reports the “ruling by the International Court of Justice is
legally binding, but it remains to be seen if the administration of
President Donald Trump will comply.” The Washington Times
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(10/3, Sands) reports Pompeo “noted that the court refused to grant Iran
much more sweeping relief from U.S. sanctions that Tehran had demanded. He
also said the U.S. sanctions policy already took into account exceptions
for humanitarian transactions with Iran, and accused the regime in Tehran
of spending money on military adventures abroad rather than on the needs of
its own citizens.”

Reuters
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(10/3, Berg) reports the ICJ judges “handed a small victory to Tehran,” and
in a separate story, Reuters
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(10/3, Sharafedin) reports Iran “welcomed” the ruling, saying through its
Tasnim news agency, “The decision proved once again that the Islamic
Republic is right and the U.S. sanctions against people and citizens of our
country are illegal and cruel.”

*Pompeo Says Iran To Blame For Threats To US Missions In Iraq. *
Reuters
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(10/3, Wroughton) reports Pompeo “blamed Iran on Wednesday for threats to
American missions in Iraq.” Days after announcing the “closing of the U.S.
consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra,” Pompeo said, “Iran is the origin of
the current threat to Americans in Iraq. ... Our intelligence in this
regard is solid. We can see the hand of the ayatollah and his henchmen
supporting these attacks on the United States.”

*Rouhani Praises EU For Working To Continue Trade With Iran. *
Reuters
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(10/3, Sharafedin) reports Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “praised Europe
on Wednesday for taking a ‘big step’ toward maintaining business with Iran
after the unilateral U.S. withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal and
re-imposition of new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.” In addition,
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif “told the BBC on Wednesday that
support from Europe to preserve economic ties with the Islamic Republic in
the face of U.S. pressure was ‘better than expected.’” Rouhani referred to
the Special Purpose Vehicle that the EU is considering to facilitate trade
with Iran.

*UAE Appears To Be Taking Steps To Comply With US Sanctions. *Bloomberg
News
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(10/3, Cheong, Dipaola, Sergie) reports the United Arab Emirates, “which
has a history of talking tough on Iran while still buying its oil, appears
to be taking steps to comply with looming U.S. sanctions against the
Islamic Republic’s energy industry.” Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei
said the UAE is “committed to abiding by the sanctions and will look for
condensate supplies from countries other than Iran.” Mazrouei said, “The
alternatives are available in the market.”

*Energy Minister: Russia Remains Interested In Cooperation With
Iran. *Reuters
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(10/3, Astakhova, Kobzeva) reports Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak
said Moscow is “interested in continuing cooperation with Iran.” At the
Russian Energy Week forum, Novak said, “Iran is our longtime economic
partner... Of course, we need to find (new) forms (of cooperation) and work
together further by implementing joint projects.”
Pompeo Rejects North Korea’s Demand For Eased Sanctions.

The Washington Post
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(10/3, Denyer) reports President Trump “may have fallen ‘in love’ with his
North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un, but Pyongyang wants more than just
beautiful words. It wants Washington to prove its affection – by lifting
sanctions.” As Secretary of State Pompeo prepares for a weekend trip to
Pyongyang to lay the groundwork for a second summit between Trump and Kim,
North Korea “appears to have upped its demands, arguing that the United
States should show that it is serious about dialogue by easing sanctions,
before North Korea takes steps to denuclearize.” Fox News’ Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
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(10/3) reported North Korea is “pushing for sanctions relief,” but Pompeo
“rejected that appeal,” reportedly “saying the Kim regime must make the
progress toward dismantling its weapons.” Fox showed Pompeo stating,
“Economic sanctions continue to remain in place. The core proposition, the
thing which will give us the capacity to deliver denuclearization, isn’t
changing.”

*South Korean Foreign Minister Suggests US Accept Verified Closing
Of Nuclear Facility. *The Washington Post
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(10/3, Hudson) reports that in an interview with the Post, South Korean
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said that the US should “hold off on a
demand for an inventory of North Korea’s nuclear weapons and accept the
verified closure of a key North Korean nuclear facility as a next step in
the negotiations.” He said that would help to “break the impasse” and is,
the Post adds, “one of the options available” to Pompeo. The foreign
minister suggested that in return for the verified closing of the
facilities at Yongbyon, the US would declare the Korean War at an end. He
said, “North Korea has indicated...they will permanently dismantle their
nuclear facilities in Yongbyon,” and “[i]f they do that in return for
America’s corresponding measures, such as the end-of-war declaration, I
think that’s a huge step forward for denuclearization.”

*North Korean Hackers Said To Have Stolen Hundreds Of Millions
Through Attacks On Banks. *The AP
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(10/3, Pennington) reports North Korea’s “nuclear and missile tests have
stopped, but its hacking operations to gather intelligence and raise funds
for the sanction-strapped government in Pyongyang may be gathering steam.”
FireEye, a US security firm, “raised the alarm Wednesday over a North
Korean group that it says has stolen hundreds of millions of dollars by
infiltrating the computer systems of banks around the world since 2014
through highly sophisticated and destructive attacks that have spanned at
least 11 countries.”
Trump: Saudi Monarchy Might Not Last Two Weeks Without US Support.

Bloomberg News
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(10/3, Noueihed) reports President Trump said Tuesday night that Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman “may not last two weeks without U.S. support.” At a
rally in Mississippi, Trump said, “How about our military deals where we
protect rich nations that we don’t get reimbursed? I love the king, King
Salman, but I said, ‘King, we’re protecting you. You might not be there for
two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay.’”
Bloomberg says the comments were “unusually harsh and appeared to question
the stability of a monarchy in power since the 1930s.” Bloomberg also
reports that Trump “appeared to be referring to a telephone call he had on
Saturday with King Salman.”

*Disappearance Of Saudi Journalist In Turkey Tied To His Criticism
Of MBS. *The AP
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(10/3, Gambrell, Wieting) reports that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,
“who has written Washington Post columns critical of” Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman, “has gone missing while on a visit to the Saudi
Consulate in Istanbul.” The AP says the Saudi government claims Khashoggi
“left immediately after visiting the consulate,” while Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s spokesman “told reporters that authorities believed
the journalist was still there.” According to the AP, Khashoggi “went into
a self-imposed exile in the United States following the ascension of Prince
Mohammed.” Reuters
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(10/3, Dadouch, Coskun, Bayoumy) reports that “Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancée
as well as a close friend contacted by Reuters said he had disappeared
after entering the diplomatic mission on Tuesday to secure documentation of
his divorce so that he could remarry.”

The Washington Post
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