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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Monday, February 25, 2019 7:58 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Monday,
February 25, 2019


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=000-fd5&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=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=001-1ed&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Monday, February 25, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Biden May Seek To Run On Foreign Policy. <#S1>

• Biden’s Long Record May Present Issues In Possible Presidential Run. <#S2>

• Dowd: Biden’s Appeal Is As “Paternal Figure.” <#S3>

• Witcover: Biden Entitled To Take Time To Consider Presidential Run. <#S4>

• Cupp: Biden Running Important To Keep Democrats From Taking Unwinnable
Policy Positions. <#S5>

• Chanos Will Support Biden Should He Run. <#S6>

• WPost Analysis Has Biden Fifth On List Of Top Potential 2020 Democratic
Nominees. <#S7>

• PolitiFact Rates Biden VAWA Tweet “Half True.” <#S8>

• Biden Book Rated Best Of President Candidates’ Memoirs. <#S9>

• Analysis: Uncertainty In 2020 Field Offers Issues For Polls’ Accuracy.
<#S10>

• Columnist: Democratic Presidential Race’s Odds Can’t Be Determined Until
Biden Makes A Decision. <#S11>

• Paper Examines Biden’s Contract For Florida Event. <#S12>

• Jill Biden Delivers Commencement Address For Newport News Shipbuilding’s
Apprentice School. <#S13>

• Harris Attracts Big Iowa Crowds As Other Democrats Draw Smaller Ones.
<#S14>

• Castro, Harris, Warren Support Slavery Reparations. <#S15>

• Balz: Warren Likely In Competition With Sanders. <#S16>

• NYTimes Details Klobuchar’s “Dehumanizing” Treatment Of Her Staff. <#S17>

• De Blasio Visits Iowa. <#S18>

• Inslee Says Decision On Presidential Bid Coming “Soon.” <#S19>

• Democratic Candidates Divided Over Strategy, Means To Achieve Common
Goals. <#S20>

• Some Democrats Concerned Leftward Movement Will Hurt In General Election.
<#S21>

• NBC Analysis: Small Dollars Increasingly Important For Democrats. <#S22>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Says He Will Delay Tariff Increase After “Substantial Progress” In
Talks With China. <#S23>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump Expresses Optimism Ahead Of Second North Korea Summit. <#S24>

• Pompeo Pledges Continued US Pressure On Venezuela’s Maduro. <#S25>

• Pompeo Describes Putin’s Missile Threats As “Bluster.” <#S26>

• Pompeo Clarifies Administration’s Syria Strategy. <#S27>

• Pompeo Rejects Prospect Of Repatriating US-Born ISIS Bride. <#S28>

• Taliban Deputy Leader Arrives In Qatar For Peace Talks With US. <#S29>

• Saudi Arabia Appoints Princess Bandar As Ambassador To US. <#S30>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Lashes Out At Mueller Probe As Democrats Vow To Make Report Public.
<#S31>

• House Expected To Vote To Block National Emergency Declaration. <#S32>

• Officials: White House Panel To Include Scientists Who Dispute Climate
Consensus. <#S33>

• Lower Tax Refunds, Higher Taxes Drive Push To Eliminate SALT Deduction
Limitation. <#S34>

• Ocasio-Cortez Criticizes Feinstein Over Green New Deal. <#S35>

• Trump Jr. Compares Smollett, Blasey Ford On Twitter. <#S36>

• NRA Magazine Features Photo Of Pelosi And Giffords Under Headline “Target
Practice.” <#S37>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• NCI’s SBIR To Award $173M In FY 2019. <#S38>

• University Of Oklahoma Researcher Receives $1.78M Grant To Study New
Breast Cancer Treatment. <#S39>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S40>

• Washington Post. <#S41>
Biden in the News
Biden May Seek To Run On Foreign Policy.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=002-b10&t=c>
(2/23, Schor, Beaumont) reported that among Democratic presidential
candidates, “foreign policy, one of the chief responsibilities of a
president, is largely taking a back seat,” but former Vice President Joe
Biden “is seizing on that opening to position himself as the sole global
policy expert” in the field, should he run. The AP said that Biden has
“portrayed himself as an authoritative counterweight to President Donald
Trump’s isolationist and nationalistic impulses.” The AP said that in a
field of candidates “decades younger and working overtime to appeal to the
party’s liberal base,” Biden might “carve out space as a battle-tested
statesman with the experience to stabilize America’s role in the world.”
The AP added that the risk in such a campaign is that “it’s not clear that
foreign policy is a top issue on voters’ minds.”
Biden’s Long Record May Present Issues In Possible Presidential Run.

CNN’s New Day[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=003-60e&t=c>
(2/22) reported, former Vice President Joe Biden “remains one of the
biggest unknown factors of this 2020 race,” but his “career of more than 40
years in Washington could be seen as a blessing or a curse.” His “record is
ripe for scrutiny,” with areas he is expected face questions on including
championing the 1994 crime bill, his treatment of Anita Hill, voting to
authorize the use of force in Iraq, and his endorsement of NAFTA. However,
“Biden has said he’s ready to litigate any possible liabilities from his
past,” as and friends of him who have spoken to him recently said he’s
aware that fellow Democrats will target him. CNN Senior Washington
Correspondent Jeff Zeleny said, “With this president, people are looking
for experience how to run the government, so that certainly helps Joe Biden
in that sense.” However, if Biden runs “he is going to have to explain and
clarify and say ‘Based on what we see right now, I may have done things
differently.’” CNN Political Reporter Arlette Saenz said, “One thing that
everyone in Biden world cautions is that you never know what’s going to
happen with Joe Biden until the words come out of his mouth.” On its
website CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=004-974&t=c>
(2/22, Saenz) offers a text version of the segment.
Dowd: Biden’s Appeal Is As “Paternal Figure.”

Maureen Dowd wrote in her New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=005-224&t=c>
(2/23) column that former Vice President Joe Biden’s “appeal for 2020 is
that he comes across as a warm, blue-collar, touchy-feely paternal figure.”
Dowd chronicled some of the family troubles Biden has been through in the
past, and cited Hunter Biden, the former Vice President’s son, as saying
the Bidens are like all families. However, Dowd said that “not all families
have to stomach Donald Trump’s low blows, as Biden will if he runs. And
Biden will have to temper that Irish temper of his.”

A panel on MSNBC Kasie DC[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=006-540&t=c>
(2/24) discussed Dowd’s column. New York Times Political reporter Nicholas
Confessore said, “What’s striking about the column is, which you look back
at his near decision in 2016 and this decision, so much of it is rooted in
the family and feelings about the family and the history and tragedy of the
family. ... . I think it will be hard for him to get in the race in a big
way if my rationale is my family wanted me to run or my family does or does
not.” New York State Democratic Party Vice Chair Christine Quinn said, “I
think there is something about Joe Biden or Uncle Joe, as he’s referred to,
that does transcend to all parts of the Party and does involve and excite
young people. ... I think there’s something special and unique about him. I
agree there is no question Donald Trump will go as low as he has to do for
any candidate and in this case will bring up personal issues. I have to
think that in the case of Biden, bringing up personal issues about a family
that has suffered such tragedy might backfire.”
Witcover: Biden Entitled To Take Time To Consider Presidential Run.

Jules Witcover, in a column in the Chicago Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=007-b11&t=c>
(2/22), wrote that the idea that former Vice President Joe Biden should
soon declare whether he will run for president, lest support for him erode,
“fails to factor in the scope of Democratic loyalty to Biden, or the
advantage to him in holding off until the field of candidates firms up and
informs his own decision.” Additionally, as “voters already are familiar
with him and his political positions,” Biden doesn’t need the time “to
introduce himself, as other candidates do.” Should he run or not, Biden
“can be depended on to be a prominent team player in the Democratic
determination to defeat Donald Trump” and “is a vigorous campaigner who
predictably would get under Trump’s skin, whether as his opponent or as an
effective surrogate for the eventual Democratic nominee.” Witcover
concluded that Biden “retains the high stature that has earned the
breathing space to make a reasoned assessment of his chances.”
Cupp: Biden Running Important To Keep Democrats From Taking Unwinnable
Policy Positions.

SE Cupp said on CNN’s S.E. Cupp Unfiltered[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=008-b29&t=c>
(2/23), “As long as the media keeps zeroing in on these dumb plotlines and
the Democrats keep talking about things that most Americans don’t
prioritize and candidates sound like they’re running for president in 1950
Russia, Trump’s got” the 2020 election “in the bag.” Cupp added that former
Vice President Joe Biden would help the Democrats “sort through all of
this,” and “whether he gets in or out is crucial figuring out what the
Democrats are running on.” If Biden runs, “there’s a clear distinction both
in tone and substance between the far left candidates and a more moderate
one.” While Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “is sort of filling that lane...Biden
would own it.” However, without Biden running “there’s no real governor
keeping the cars at a safe speed. Harrison and Warren will speed off pull
the rest of the candidates with them,” creating “a primary that’s
unrelatable and a Democratic nominee that can’t win a general election.”
Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=009-d93&t=c>
(2/24, Zhao) also reports on Cupp’s segment.
Chanos Will Support Biden Should He Run.

The Seneca Standard
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=00a-c4f&t=c>
(2/23, Wilkins) reported, “Democratic donor Jim Chanos plans to support
former vice president Joe Biden if he runs for president in 2020.” He told
CNBC, “Like many other Americans, I certainly hope Vice President Biden
decides to run in 2020. If he does run, I fully expect to support him any
way I can.”
WPost Analysis Has Biden Fifth On List Of Top Potential 2020 Democratic
Nominees.

In an analysis on its “The Fix” blog, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=00b-e8b&t=c>
(2/23, Blake) offered its quarterly ranking of the top 15 potential 2020
Democratic nominees in order of the most likely to win the nomination. At
number five on the list, Former Vice President Joe Biden “is the
highest-ranking pol on this list who isn’t yet a candidate.” Biden “seems
to be genuinely hesitant about whether to give it one last go, even as the
conventional wisdom is he probably runs.” Should he enter the ring,
“remember that his two previous campaigns didn’t go well at all.” Still,
“many people seem to think he would be Democrats’ best hope in the general
election, but getting to the general election is a big, big if.”
PolitiFact Rates Biden VAWA Tweet “Half True.”

PolitiFact
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=00c-32d&t=c>
(2/22) considered Former Vice President Joe Biden’s Feb. 15 tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=00d-c18&t=c>,
“Since the passage of VAWA, annual rates of domestic violence have dropped
by 63%.” While Biden is “close on the percentage, which was 60 percent
between 1994 and 2012,” the data is six years old. Additionally, “it’s
unclear whether the decline is due to the law itself or to the broad,
societal decline in all types of violent crime.” Therefore, PolitiFact
rates the statement “Half True.”
Biden Book Rated Best Of President Candidates’ Memoirs.

Entertainment Weekly
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=00e-12d&t=c>
(2/22) reported, “Virtually every candidate entering the massive 2020
presidential field has published a memoir,” and offers its take on the
books. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s “Promise Me, Dad” was rated the
best, presenting “the rarest of all political memoirs: a literary
achievement.” The book is “a raw, intimate backstage drama, juxtaposing his
civic duties as President Obama’s deputy with his attempts to come to terms
with the sudden death of his son Beau.” Biden “offers a rare glimpse into a
major public figure’s inner life” as well as an “analysis of his tenure as
veep.” Biden’s “voice – and his heart – always shine through.”
Analysis: Uncertainty In 2020 Field Offers Issues For Polls’ Accuracy.

In an analysis, the Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=00f-172&t=c>
(2/22, Edwards-Levy) reported that while “most early polls of the
Democratic presidential primary show former Vice President Joe Biden –
who’s yet to declare a run – at the top of the pack nationally,” people
should “be careful about overinterpreting early horserace polls of the 2020
Democratic primary.” The reason is that “it’s tough to poll a race when
nobody’s yet quite sure who’s running in it,” as “the choice of names
included in a survey can have profound effects on the results.”
Columnist: Democratic Presidential Race’s Odds Can’t Be Determined Until
Biden Makes A Decision.

Philip Klein, in a column in the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=010-1ef&t=c>
(2/22), wrote that handicapping the 2020 Democratic presidential race is
“effectively pointless until former Vice President Joe Biden announces
whether he is running,” as he “is the 800-pound gorilla in the Democratic
race.” His decision, either way, will “have a dramatic impact on the race
as we currently conceive of it.”
Paper Examines Biden’s Contract For Florida Event.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=011-b0a&t=c>
(2/25, Man) reports MapLight, a national nonprofit organization that
scrutinizes money in politics, distributed the contract and rider for
former Vice President Joe Biden’s appearance at the Broward Center for the
Performing Arts last month. It “left little to chance,” detailing “the
program, the dressing room, the food, the time for each segment of the
performance.” Through his speeches, Biden helps “build suspense about
whether he’ll run for president in 2020.” The contract also specifies a
$150,000 fee for the event. “Biden didn’t become wealthy during his 36
years in the Senate and eight years as vice president.” Since leaving
office he “has spent much of the time talking about public policy – and
providing for his financial future.”
Jill Biden Delivers Commencement Address For Newport News Shipbuilding’s
Apprentice School.

The Hampton Roads (VA) Virginian-Pilot
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=012-d4f&t=c>
(2/23, Dujardin) reported that on Saturday former second lady Jill Biden,
in the commencement address for the graduating class from Newport News
Shipbuilding’s Apprentice School, told the 157 graduates that everyone
comes to the shipyard with different life experiences, adding, “no matter
where life takes you, as of today you are a master of a craft, a
shipbuilder and a leader, and no one can take that away from you.” She told
the graduates they are “part of a family with 100 years of historic
shipbuilders.” Biden “called apprenticeships one of the ‘best investments’
the nation can make” and said, “We’re going to need to see a lot more of
them in the United States if we’re going to keep up with the rest of the
world.” Rep. Bobby Scott, who introduced Biden, also praised former Vice
President Joe Biden for his service, saying, “He has served our nation with
distinction, and I can guarantee you that service isn’t over yet.” The Newport
News (VA) Daily Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=013-067&t=c>
(2/19, Dujardin) also ran the article.

WTKR-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=014-5f8&t=c>
Norfolk, VA (2/23, 6:07 p.m. EST) reported on Dr. Biden’s appearance,
showing part of her address. A text version of the segment appeared on the
WTKR-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=015-ce7&t=c>
Norfolk, VA (2/23) website.
Harris Attracts Big Iowa Crowds As Other Democrats Draw Smaller Ones.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=016-f13&t=c>
(2/24, Wootson, Janes) reports, “Half a dozen prominent Democrats descended
on Iowa this weekend, seeking momentum for a primary presidential campaign
or testing whether to plunge into an already-crowded field.” Sen. Kamala
Harris (D-CA) drew “the large, selfie-seeking crowds she has enjoyed since
announcing her bid,” while others including Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO),
Julián Castro, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, and ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper
drew crowds that “numbered in the double digits.”

*Harris: Democrats Need “Fighter” Who “Knows How To Prosecute The
Case” Against Trump. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=017-99e&t=c>
(2/24, Yilek) reports Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) argued on Sunday in Iowa
“that her experience as a former state attorney general qualifies her to be
president because the United States will need a leader who ‘knows how to
prosecute the case’ against President Trump.” She said, “We’re gonna need a
fighter...and we’re going to need somebody who knows how to prosecute the
case against this President.”

Harris said on MSNBC’s AM Joy[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=018-ce6&t=c>
(2/24), “Middle-class working families are not receiving the benefit of
this economy. One of my highest priorities is lifting American
working-class families up. ... It’s the cost of living that wages are not
keeping up with.” On CNN’s Inside Politics[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=019-b41&t=c>
(2/24), Harris said, “The working class of America, working middle-class
families, are suffering. I have met more people who tout the job numbers
and unemployment numbers. Yeah, people are working, but they are working
two jobs, sometimes three jobs to pay the bills. That’s not right.”

*Columnist Criticizes Questions About Race Of Harris’ Husband And
Parents. *Colbert King wrote in his column in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=01a-158&t=c>
(2/22) that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) was asked, “Why did she marry a white
man? And: Is she black enough?” King said, “It’s hard to keep a civil
tongue in the face of such inanity. But exist it does.” King concluded,
“It’s Harris’s character and record, not the race of her husband or
parents, that should matter.”
Castro, Harris, Warren Support Slavery Reparations.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=01b-426&t=c>
(2/22, Stein) reported that three Democratic candidates for president,
Sens. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and ex-HUD Secretary
Julián Castro, have all “recently signaled their support for some form of
‘reparations’ for black Americans, broadly, if vaguely, backing the idea of
compensating the descendants of enslaved people in the” US. However, “the
extent of their support remains unclear, with the candidates declining to
offer specifics on what the program would entail.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=01c-46f&t=c>
(2/24, Richardson) reports Warren (D-MA) “has one-upped the Democratic 2020
presidential competition by saying she would consider reparations not just
for the descendants of slaves, but for Native Americans.” Asked Friday in
New Hampshire if Native Americans “should be included in the discussion”
about reparations, Warren said, “I think it’s a part of the conversation.
It’s an important part of the conversation.”
Balz: Warren Likely In Competition With Sanders.

Writing in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=01d-69f&t=c>
(2/23, Balz), Dan Balz asked whether Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are “headed for a collision?” Balz said “it seems
inevitable that Warren and Sanders will find themselves in direct
competition,” because “they are seen – accurately or not – as having
overlapping populist messages and therefore potentially overlapping
constituencies.” Balz said that President Trump “has branded the sum of
what Democrats are proposing as socialism,” but “Warren is not worried,”
and “Sanders proudly labels himself a democratic socialist.” Balz added
that Warren “will not shrink from the challenges ahead,” but “her challenge
will be to persuade Democratic voters that her message is the right one and
that she is the most electable messenger in a general election against the
president.”
NYTimes Details Klobuchar’s “Dehumanizing” Treatment Of Her Staff.

Under the headline “How Amy Klobuchar Treats Her Staff,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=01e-cc5&t=c>
(2/22, Flegenheimer, Ember) reported that “more than two dozen former staff
members and internal emails” reveal that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “was not
just demanding but often dehumanizing – not merely a tough boss in a
capital full of them but the steward of a work environment colored by
volatility, highhandedness and distrust.” The Times said Klobuchar “feared
sabotage from her own team: In an email, she once raised the prospect of an
in-house mole.” The Times added that Klobuchar “and her top confidantes”
also “could complicate the future job opportunities of some staff members
who sought to leave...sometimes speaking to their would-be employers to
register her displeasure.”

*Klobuchar Endorses Legalizing Marijuana. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=01f-5c8&t=c>
(2/22) reported that Klobuchar on Friday said in a statement “that she
supports legalization [of marijuana] and that states should have the right
to determine how to handle marijuana in their territory.”

*Klobuchar Could Face Early Test In South Carolina. *The Minneapolis
Star Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=020-b01&t=c>
(2/24, Keen) writes that Klobuchar could face her “first big 2020 test” in
South Carolina. While “nine in 10 residents” of Iowa and New Hampshire “are
white,” Nevada on February 22 will test “Klobuchar’s appeal to Latinos will
be tested. In South Carolina, which votes Feb. 29, six in 10 Democratic
presidential primary voters are black.” Klobuchar made her first stops in
South Carolina this weekend.

*Klobuchar To Visit Georgia, Meet With Carter, Abrams. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=021-9ef&t=c>
(2/22) reported Klobuchar will visit Georgia, where she will meet with
former President Jimmy Carter and Democrat Stacey Abrams, “who lost a bid
for governor last year and delivered the Democratic response to President
Donald Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this month.” Klobuchar
also will attend a roundtable discussion on voting rights with local
leaders and activists and a fundraiser. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=022-217&t=c>
(2/22, Bluestein) reported the fundraiser will be held “at the home of
Gordon Giffin, a former U.S. ambassador, with ex-Gov. Roy Barnes and other
prominent Democrats serving as hosts.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=023-6b4&t=c>
(2/22, Greenwood) also covered this story.
De Blasio Visits Iowa.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=024-938&t=c>
(2/24, Mays) reports under the headline “Mayor De Blasio Returns To Iowa,
Playing The Role Of Coy Presidential Aspirant” that Bill de Blasio this
weekend made what “was believed to be his fourth trip to Iowa since he
became mayor of New York City in 2014. ... Even if he hasn’t declared, Mr.
de Blasio was acting and was treated like a candidate.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=025-0e4&t=c>
(2/24, Marsh, Golding) reports, “Iowans got a taste of [de Blasio’s]
penchant for tardiness when he showed up 11 minutes late to a
campaign-style event on Sunday.”
Inslee Says Decision On Presidential Bid Coming “Soon.”

On CBS’ Face The Nation[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=026-19b&t=c>
(2/24), Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) was asked when he will decide if he will run
for president. Inslee said, “At the right moment, which will be soon. ...
It could be as soon as [next week]. ... People want a president that will
act on a real emergency, which is climate change.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=027-225&t=c>
(2/24, Balz) reports, “Inslee is on the cusp of declaring his candidacy for
the 2020 Democratic nomination – at times, he speaks about running in the
present tense – and makes clear that his intention is to build his campaign
almost entirely around a message highlighting the urgency of dealing with
threats caused by the changing climate.”

*Inslee: Decision On 2020 Presidential Run Could Come This Week. *
CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=028-41b&t=c>
(2/24, Bernard) reports Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) told CBS’s Margaret Brennan
on Face the Nation that he could announce a decision on a 2020 presidential
run “as soon as” this week. He said, “Stay tuned.” Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=029-347&t=c>
(2/24, Brody, Bass) reports Inslee “said he’s been hearing ‘that people do
want a president that will act on a real emergency, which is climate
change.’”
Democratic Candidates Divided Over Strategy, Means To Achieve Common Goals.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=02a-4be&t=c>
(2/22, Pace) reported that while the field of Democratic presidential
candidates “largely agree on the end game,” they are divided into two
factions: “Those who want to quickly overhaul economic systems that have
existed for decades and those who favor more gradual change.” Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-VT) is “pitching an economic and political ‘revolution,’” while
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “is calling for ‘systemic change’ to
everything from health care to who pays for a college education.” Sen. Cory
Booker (D-NJ), meanwhile, has cautioned that a single-payer healthcare
system “might not get through Congress.” The divisions stem from differing
strategies: Whether to seek to “win back some moderate voters,” or to boost
“turnout among liberals and young voters who weren’t enthusiastic about the
party’s last nominee.”
Some Democrats Concerned Leftward Movement Will Hurt In General Election.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=02b-f03&t=c>
(2/23) reported that some Democrats are worried that the “rush to embrace
the left’s most ambitious proposals” will have negative consequences in the
general election, resulting in “a nominee who will not appeal to centrist
working and middle-class voters who voted for Trump in 2016.” Trump may
face someone relatively unknowing on “the national stage, and he is looking
to brand that candidate before she or he emerges as the nominee.” He and
his allies have argued that “the Democratic 2020 field as outside the
American political mainstream – a claim the president plans to make
throughout his re-election campaign, according to sources with knowledge of
his strategy.”
NBC Analysis: Small Dollars Increasingly Important For Democrats.

In an analysis, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=02c-bc4&t=c>
(2/23) reports that small dollar donors “are a bigger deal than ever
because they can help organize and engage a large and committed group of
supporters who invest more than just money in a campaign.” Additionally,
“there is now more opportunity than ever for left-leaning candidates to tap
into grassroots fundraising – if they know how to.” For Americans, “digital
financial transactions have become second nature” and, “as donating online
has become frictionless for Democrats, the party has grown increasingly
hostile to traditional modes of funding campaigns and to big money in
politics.” Large donations can come with the expectation of indebtedness,
as well as, for Democrats, “a political cost, especially if they’re written
by people who work in certain industries that have been targeted by the
left, such as finance, fossil fuels and pharmaceuticals.”
Leading the News
Trump Says He Will Delay Tariff Increase After “Substantial Progress” In
Talks With China.

President Trump’s announcement in a pair of tweets late Sunday afternoon
that as a result of “substantial progress” in trade talks with China, he
will delay an increase in tariffs on Chinese imports due to take effect on
March 1 receives largely – but not universally – positive media coverage.
While several reports indicate that financial markets will welcome the
news, other reports cite concern from analysts that Trump’s eagerness to
reach a deal could lead him to accept a weak agreement and skepticism that
the US will be able to transform its economic relationship with China.

Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=02d-df3&t=c>,
“I am pleased to report that the U.S. has made substantial progress in our
trade talks with China on important structural issues including
intellectual property protection, technology transfer, agriculture,
services, currency, and many other issues. As a result of these very ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=02e-285&t=c>
productive talks, I will be delaying the U.S. increase in tariffs now
scheduled for March 1. Assuming both sides make additional progress, we
will be planning a Summit for President Xi and myself, at Mar-a-Lago, to
conclude an agreement. A very good weekend for U.S. & China!”

Earlier Sunday, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=02f-2b3&t=c>
(2/24, Mason, Singh) cited “a source familiar with the talks,” who said US
and Chinese negotiators “were discussing the thorny issue of how to enforce
a potential trade deal...after making progress on structural issues that
have divided the two countries as they work to end a trade war.” According
to the source, the US and China “were discussing tariffs on Sunday as well
as commodities.” The source “add[ed] that progress was being made across
the board.” The President “lauded progress between the two sides in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=030-552&t=c>
on Sunday morning,” writing, “Very productive talks yesterday with China on
Trade. Will continue today!” An updated version of the Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=031-c06&t=c>
(2/24, Mason, Singh) report says Trump “had planned to increase tariffs to
25 percent from 10 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports into
the United States if a deal were not reached by Friday.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=032-c19&t=c>
(2/24, Lynch) says Trump has “hinted” at the announcement in recent days,
while USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=033-d74&t=c>
(2/24, Hayes, Collins) reports Trump “has said he was open to extending the
March 1 deadline for reaching a new trade deal.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=034-a6a&t=c>
(2/24, Moore) reports Trump last week “lauded the pace of high-level talks
between his administration and a contingent of Chinese officials” and
“suggested he and Xi could work out the final details together.” Trump
said, “Ultimately, I think the biggest decisions and some even smaller
decisions will be made by President Xi and myself. ... I think President Xi
and I will work out the final points. Perhaps and perhaps not.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=035-79b&t=c>
(2/24, Palmer) says the announcement “marks the second time he has extended
the deadline for China, since the tariff hike was originally scheduled to
take place at the end of last year.” However, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=036-1ff&t=c>
(2/24, Davis, Wei) reports Trump did not indicate how long the extension
would last or a date for the possible summit with Xi.

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=037-2ee&t=c>
(2/24, Lee) cites “concerns by analysts that Trump is so eager for a deal
that he would accept a weak trade agreement.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=038-2d8&t=c>
(2/24, Swanson) reports that “in a sign of how fluid the talks remain, the
two sides did not sign an official agreement and Mr. Trump said he hoped to
sign a final deal in person in a meeting with President Xi Jinping of
China, most likely in March.” The Times adds that “while some analysts said
Mr. Trump’s advisers appeared likely to secure greater concessions than
past administrations have been able to achieve, others remain skeptical
about the ability of the United States to significantly transform the
economic relationship with China.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=039-172&t=c>
(2/24, Chaitin) reports NEC Director Kudlow said at the winter meeting of
the National Governors Association Sunday “that tariffs are just a
negotiating tool for Trump and his ultimate goal is not have them at all.”
Kudlow said, “His goal down the road is zero tariffs. .. Tariffs are a
negotiating tool. They are part of his quiver. No president, past or
present, has stayed on China’s case as we have and he has used tariffs to
bring China to the table.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=03a-927&t=c>
(2/25, Wiseman, Lucey) says Trump’s announcement “is likely to be greeted
with relief by financial markets.” Likewise, Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=03b-e32&t=c>
(2/24, Axios) says, “Global markets will likely breathe a small sigh of
relief.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=03c-0cb&t=c>
(2/24, Leonard, Mayeda) reports, “U.S. stock futures climbed at the open in
Asian trading Monday following the news, while the offshore yuan extended
gains and the yen – which typically weakens when investors’ appetite for
risk grows – edged lower. Contracts on the S&P 500 Index were up 0.3
percent as of 8:20 a.m. in Tokyo, while the yuan rose 0.2 percent to 6.6936
per dollar. The yen slipped 0.1 percent.”

*Trump, Lighthizer Growing Frustrated With One Another. *Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=03d-11a&t=c>
(2/24, Jacobs, Leonard, Mohsin, Donnan) cites “people inside and close to
the administration” who say the President and USTR Lighthizer “have grown
increasingly frustrated with each other.” Bloomberg News says “people close
to the administration” say Trump’s “disappointment with his trade czar has
built in recent months...fueled by the stock market’s precipitous drop in
late 2018 as the trade war with China escalated.”

*US May Limit Information To Countries With Chinese 5G, Graham
Says. *Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning
Futures[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=03e-6a1&t=c>
(2/24), “If you’re a European country thinking about going on the 5G
Chinese network, what [Secretary of State] Mike Pompeo is saying to you is
that we believe this is a spying platform, that we’ll not be able to share
information with you that we would have otherwise because you’ll be giving
it to China and the technology you’re buying for China will basically crowd
you out of the American market. ... I think what Mike is saying pretty
clearly, if you pick Chinese technology like the 5G systems are trying to
sell, you’ll wind up losing access to American information and systems.
Make a wise decision.”

*WSJournal: Huawei Charges Should Not Be Part Of Trade Talks. *In
an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=03f-48a&t=c>
(2/24) argues against using the criminal charges against Chinese telecom
company Huawei as a negotiating tool in trade talks with China.

*China Seeks To Take Lead In Manufacturing Of Electric Cars. *Holly
Williams reported on CBS’ 60 Minutes[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=040-0ce&t=c>
(2/24) that “in the race to dominate the auto industry of the 21st
Century,” China is “vying for the pole position. It’s Chinese automakers
building the smart cars of tomorrow. And, the energy fueling them is
electric. Today, US automakers are caught between a tariff-fueled trade war
and threats of cuts to electric car subsidies by the Trump Administration.
At the same time, Beijing is trying to win the race by ensuring the
electric vehicles of the future are made in China.” The rest of the story
can be seen here[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=041-687&t=c>.


*Chinese Tech Firms Developing Facial, Voice Recognition For Pigs. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=042-38a&t=c>
(2/24, Wee, Chen) reports Chinese companies are developing “facial and
voice recognition and other advanced technologies as ways to protect the
country’s pigs.” According to the Times, “many Chinese hogs are dying from
a deadly swine disease, threatening the country’s supply of pork, a staple
of Chinese dinner tables.” China’s tech sector “is applying the same
techniques it has used to transform Chinese life – and, more darkly, that
the Chinese government increasingly uses to spy on its own people – to make
sure its pigs are in the pink of health.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Expresses Optimism Ahead Of Second North Korea Summit.

Ahead of this week’s summit in Vietnam with North Korean leader Kim
Jong-un, President Trump took to write
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=043-93c&t=c>,
“So funny to watch people who have failed for years, they got NOTHING,
telling me how to negotiate with North Korea. But thanks anyway!” Hours
earlier, the President tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=044-a01&t=c>,
“Chairman Kim realizes, perhaps better than anyone else, that without
nuclear weapons, his country could fast become one of the great economic
powers anywhere in the World. Because of its location and people (and him),
it has more potential for rapid growth than any other nation!” Trump also
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=045-a78&t=c>,
“President Xi of China has been very helpful in his support of my meeting
with Kim Jong Un. The last thing China wants are large scale nuclear
weapons right next door. Sanctions placed on the border by China and Russia
have been very helpful. Great relationship with Chairman Kim!”

Media reports point out the President’s optimism ahead of this
week’s meeting. NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=046-839&t=c>
(2/24, story 4, 1:50, Snow), for example, said “Trump is playing up the
possibility that the US and North Korea can come to an agreement on
denuclearization as he prepares for a second face-to-face meeting” with
Kim, and that in a series of tweets, he “says he expects the continuation
of the progress he and Kim made after the first meeting in Singapore.” To The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=047-10b&t=c>
(2/24, Samuels), likewise, the President “expressed optimism ahead of his
summit...even as experts have cast uncertainty on how productive the
meeting will be.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=048-96f&t=c>
(2/24, Moore) similarly reports “Trump suggested North Korea would be
willing to ditch its nuclear weapons because of the economic benefits that
would come with the move.”

However, some major outlets are casting the Administration as
downplaying expectations for the summit. ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=049-b29&t=c>
(2/24, story 7, 1:05, Llamas), for example, said that while “Trump will try
to keep the focus on his attempt to do what no US president has done
before: denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,” only “days ago” he “was already
lowering expectations for this event, saying there’s no rush to
denuclearize.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=04a-c4a&t=c>
(2/24, Kim, Smith) similarly reports that “in recent days Trump has
signaled a possible softening,” saying he “was in no rush and had no
pressing schedule for North Korea’s denuclearization, hinting at a more
gradual, reciprocal approach, long favored by Pyongyang.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=04b-2b1&t=c>
(2/24, story 4, 1:50, Snow) said the President also “seemed to play down
any new breakthroughs in this exclusively obtained video message shared
last night with his supporters at his private Mar-a-Lago club.” Trump: “We
have a terrific relationship and we’ll see where it goes. Who knows where
it goes? But we’ll see.”

Under the headline “White House Manages Expectations For Second Kim
Summit,” the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=04c-828&t=c>
(2/24) too says Trump “is trying to manage expectations for his second
summit with...Kim...predicting a ‘continuation of the progress’ made last
time.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=04d-010&t=c>
(2/24, Denyer), meanwhile, reports that when Trump meets Kim in Hanoi this
week, the Administration “will point to their host country as a model.”
Experts, however, say that while “it is enticing to think that North Korea
could transform in a similar way...it is hardly realistic.”

The CBS Weekend News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=04e-dd9&t=c>
(2/24, story 5, 2:10, Begnaud), moreover, said last year’s summit “produced
a thin and vaguely worded document, promising to work towards the
denuclearization,” and “despite the President’s claims, there has been no
actual progress” on that front. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=04f-ef1&t=c>
(2/24, Boyer) reports that “eight months after his breakthrough meeting
with...Kim,” Trump “heads into the second denuclearization summit under
greater scrutiny to bring back more tangible results.”

*Pompeo Expects “Substantive Step Forward,” But “It May Not
Happen.” *Meanwhile, in a pair of Sunday morning show interviews, Secretary
of State Pompeo expressed doubts that this week’s summit would result in a
comprehensive denuclearization deal. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=050-8bc&t=c>
(2/24) reports Pompeo said on Fox News Sunday[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=051-ea4&t=c>
(2/24) that he was hoping for a “substantive step forward,” but cautioned,
“it may not happen, but I hope that it will.” Said Pompeo, “President Trump
has also said this is going to take time. There may have to be another
summit. We may not get everything done this week.”

An Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=052-ed2&t=c>
(2/24, Fernandez) report highlighted Pompeo’s comment that “there may have
to be another summit,” and the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=053-868&t=c>
(2/24, Moore) likewise says “Pompeo downplayed the summit...warning that
full denuclearization of the peninsula may not be decided this week.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=054-a84&t=c>
(2/24, story 7, 1:05, Llamas) reported that “after the first summit in
June, President Trump declared North Korea was no longer a threat. This
morning, Mike Pompeo says they’re still a danger because they have not
taken significant steps to dismantle their nuclear arsenal.” To USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=055-f4f&t=c>
(2/24, Hayes), “Pompeo was confronted” about the President’s claim during
an interview on CNN[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=056-b5d&t=c>,
and the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=057-365&t=c>
(2/24, Olorunnipa) reports “Pompeo said Sunday that North Korea remains a
nuclear threat, contradicting a tweet last year by President Trump.” The
Post adds that after last year’s summit in Singapore, Trump tweeted, “There
is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea,” but Pompeo “disputed that
Trump had said as much.” Said Pompeo, “What he said was that the efforts
that had been made in Singapore – this commitment that Chairman Kim made –
have substantially taken down the risks to the American people.”

*NYTimes Analysis: Pompeo Faces “Greatest Test” During This Week’s
Summit. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=058-7f0&t=c>
(2/24, Sanger, Wong) reports that almost a year into his tenure as
secretary of state, Pompeo “has managed to pull off what few other
Trump-era senior cabinet members have accomplished – staying in the
president’s good graces and wielding power without countering White House
pronouncements or policies.” The Times warns that “how he faces his
greatest test” during this week’s summit as he tries “to keep an effort to
rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons from going off the rails.” Pompeo,
the Times says, “must keep Mr. Trump...from being duped by” Kim, “who is
half the president’s age. He also needs to prevent the president from
undermining the American negotiating position on denuclearization.”

*Graham: “Give Trump The Latitude He Needs To Get The Result We All
Want.” *Asked on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=059-f28&t=c>
(2/24) what a positive outcome would look like, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
said, “A roadmap to get to denuclearization. A roadmap to change the North
Korean economy to make it more prosperous and to give the assurances to
Chairman Kim he needs to give up his nukes. ... They give up their nukes,
we help them develop their economy, and all ends well. The goal is to get a
roadmap to accomplish those tasks. ... Let’s give Trump the latitude he
needs to get the result we all want.”

*Senate Democrats Demand “Serious Diplomatic Plan” Ahead Of Summit.
*Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=05a-3db&t=c>
(2/24, Forgey) reports “senior Senate Democrats on Sunday demanded” that
this week’s summit “demonstrate tangible, verifiable progress on
denuclearization and reducing tensions” with the rogue state, and urged the
President to “execute a serious diplomatic plan” when the two leaders meet.
In a letter, eight “high-ranking” Democrats – Senate Minority Leader
Schumer, Senate Minority Whip Durbin, and Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH),
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jack
Reed (D-RI), and Mark Warner (D-VA) – wrote, “We believe your next meeting
with Kim thus must demonstrate tangible, verifiable progress on
denuclearization and reducing tensions with the North.”

Appearing on CBS’ Face The Nation[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=05b-7c6&t=c>
(2/24), Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) said, “Right now it’s pretty clear that
Kim wants to have a personal meeting with Trump with hopes that he can, in
fact, elicit concessions from President Trump that otherwise might not be
possible if it was just our diplomats talking one-on-one. So I think
there’s apprehension. In fact, among President Trump’s own diplomats,
heading into this summit. Nothing is clear, and I think as a result we
could run the risk that Kim is given concessions, which are not accompanied
by real concessions that the United States is receiving in return from Kim
and his regime.”

*WTimes Analysis: North Korean Negotiator Aims To Outwit US
Officials. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=05c-7bc&t=c>
(2/24, Taylor) reports Kim Yong-chol, Pyongyang’s former intelligence
chief, has emerged as North Korea’s lead nuclear negotiator. The Times
describes him as “a sharklike operative Trump administration insiders know
they will have to outsmart if they are to persuade the regime to truly and
verifiably give up its nuclear bombs and long-range missiles.” US and South
Korean sources, say it is “Kim Yong-chol who deserves credit – and blame –
for the dearth of concrete action since the first summit in Singapore in
June.”

*NYTimes Analysis: Kim Taking “The Long Route” To Vietnam. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019022501biden&r=email-a40a&l=05d-368&t=c>
(2/24, Perlez) reports Kim “likes to present himself as a modern man
projecting his isolated country onto the world stage.” But for this week’s
summit, Kim “is traveling south through China in an armored train – not
even a high-speed one – and then planning to drive the last leg to Hanoi,”
a journey that “is expected to take as long as two days from the starting
point in Pyongyang...instead of a few hours by plane.”

*Zoellick Urges Trump To Hold Kim To Specific Promises. *Former
Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick argues in the Wall Street
Journal
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(2/24) that now is the time to hold Kim to specific promises and warns
President Trump against appeasing Kim in order to strike a deal.
Pompeo Pledges Continued US Pressure On Venezuela’s Maduro.

The AP
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(2/24) reports that in Sunday appearances on CNN’s State Of The Union and
Fox News Sunday, Secretary of State Pompeo said the US “will continue to
pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro until he understands his days
are ‘numbered.’”

On CNN’s State Of The Union[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(2/24), host Jake Tapper asked Pompeo exactly what action the US is
prepared to take against those who oppose Venezuela’s peaceful restoration
of democracy. Pompeo responded: “America’s policy has been very clear. We
have supported the Venezuelan people. We will continue to do that. There
will be a meeting of the Lima Group on Monday where further action will be
contemplated. There’s more sanctions to be had. There’s more humanitarian
assistance, I think, that we can provide.” Pompeo continued, “I think we
will find other ways to make sure that food gets to the people who need it.
And we will. We will ultimately, I believe, and the Venezuelan people will,
ultimately, I believe, hold accountable those who have done so much harm to
the fundamental basic rights of the people of Venezuela.”

The Washington Examiner
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(2/24, Gehrke) quotes Pompeo as telling Tapper, “The American taxpayers
provided several hundred metric tons of food supply, medical kits, hygiene
kits that we delivered to Brazil and to Curacao and to Colombia trying to
get it to the place that it is so desperately needed.” He added, “That was
our objective yesterday. It’s our objective today. It’ll be our objective
tomorrow as well.” Pompeo also warned that there are “more sanctions to be
had,” and “more humanitarian assistance I think that we can provide. I
think we’ll find other ways to make sure that food gets to the people who
need it. And we will. We will ultimately, I believe, and the Venezuelan
people will ultimately, I believe, hold accountable those who have done so
much harm to the fundamental, basic rights of the people of Venezuela.”

Pompeo similarly told Fox News Sunday[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
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(2/24), “The Venezuelan people are speaking loudly and clearly, they
understand that Juan Guaidó is the legitimate president of the country. We
are supporting that...countries all around the world have seen the
devastation that has been wrought in Venezuela by this tyrant Nicolas
Maduro, who was been stopping food to starving Venezuelans and medicine to
sick Venezuelans. Burning trucks with – this is the worst of the worst of a
tyrant.” Pompeo continued, “I think the Venezuelan people are seeing that.
We saw yesterday the military begin to see it as well. Some of this
violence was clearly – these collectivos, these gangs, the military wasn’t
as certain they wanted to lean into this violence. We are very hopeful that
in the days and weeks and months ahead the Maduro regime will understand
that the Venezuelan people have made its days numbered. ... We’ve already
taken action. Action to support the Venezuelan people, and we will continue
to do that.” Asked whether the US would resort to military force, Pompeo
said that “no options” are off the table, the New York Post
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(2/24, Moore) reports. Pompeo told Fox News, “We’re going to do the things
that need to be done to make sure that the Venezuelan people’s voice, that
democracy reigns and that there’s a brighter future for the people of
Venezuela.”

The CBS Weekend News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(2/24, story 7, 0:20, Begnaud) reported Pompeo’s comments come after
“violence erupted” Saturday “between anti-government protesters and the
national guard over access to US-backed humanitarian aid.” The AP
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(2/24, Goodman, Armario) says as Pompeo “stepped up the belligerent
rhetoric,” Venezuelan opposition leader and interim President Juan Guaidó
“called on the international community to consider ‘all options’ to resolve
Venezuela’s crisis.” The AP calls Guaidó’s remarks “a dramatic escalation
in rhetoric that echoes comments from the Trump administration hinting at
potential US military involvement.”

Guaidó’s representative to the US, Carlos Vecchio, similarly told CNN’s
Fareed Zakaria GPS[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(2/24), “We need to keep the pressure in different levels. On the streets,
using our national assembly as the only elected institution in Venezuela
and also put pressure on the international community.” Vecchio also
stressed the “need to the crease the pressure and force the military to
back what we are trying to achieve which is democracy.” Vecchio continued,
“The only puppet is Maduro. He’s a Cuban puppet. That’s the reality.”
Vecchio added that “what we have seen is a fight between democracy and
dictatorship, and the free world is supporting our movement, and we need to
see it in that way. We are not a problem of nationality. This is again a
fight between democracy and dictatorship, and this is clear Venezuela
movement led by Venezuela with a clear agenda set by Venezuelans.”

Julia Macfarlane of ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
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(2/24, story 5, 1:40, Llamas) said that Venezuela is “a nation on edge”
after “soldiers loyal to President Nicolas Maduro” launched tear gas and
opened fire on civilians. However, Macfarlane added that “more than 100
troops defected” across the border to Colombia. For his part, “Maduro is
standing his ground, warning the United States to stay away.”

*Pence To Announce “Clear Actions” On Venezuela. *The Washington
Post
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(2/24, Olorunnipa) reports Vice President Pence on Monday will travel to
Colombia “to meet with regional leaders” including Guaidó “and discuss
potential options for a more muscular front against” embattled President
Nicolás Maduro. Pence is expected “to announce ‘clear actions’ to respond
to the weekend’s clashes, though he is not likely to address whether the US
military would get involved, a senior administration official, who spoke on
the condition of anonymity to discuss the plans, told reporters Sunday.”
Tammy Leitner of NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(2/24, story 6, 1:30, Snow) similarly reported that Pence is scheduled to
meet with Guaidó on Monday, where “he is expected to announce concrete
steps in support of Guaidó and the people of Venezuela.” Leitner further
reported that “it is unclear if any US aid has made it into Venezuela.”

The Miami Herald
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(2/24, Ordoñez) reports that while in Bogota, Pence will “address leaders
of the 14-nation Lima Group who are wrestling with a regional response to
the standoff between” Maduro and “the US-backed coalition trying to force
humanitarian aid into Venezuela.” According to the Herald, “The Lima Group
is under pressure to stake out a strong position on the crisis, which has
led to millions of Venezuelans flooding across the region.” While the US
“has taken a leading role, Trump officials say they will be looking to
Latin American leaders for a statement defining the region’s position that
can be used to build global support. “

In an analysis, the New York Times
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(2/24, Rogers) says “with at least 10 diplomatic trips to six continents
under his belt, Mr. Pence appears to have mastered the art of stepping out
of Mr. Trump’s shadow on his own terms.” The Vice President “avoids taking
any perilous steps into the president’s limelight by staying relentlessly
on message, whatever the diplomatic cost.” Pence and Trump’s “contrasting
styles will be on display again this week” during Trump’s summit meeting
with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Pence’s visit to Colombia. The
Times says that the “urgent situation in Latin America will present a
thornier challenge to the vice president than his four-day trip this month
to Poland and Germany, where he was sent to deliver earnest, eloquent
entreaties in support of Israel and accuse Iran of trying to perpetrate
another Holocaust.”

*NYTimes Analysis: Aid Standoff A Turning Point For Venezuela’s
Opposition. *A New York Times
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(2/24, Casey, Linares) analysis says with the “human