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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Monday, January 14, 2019 8:04 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Monday,
January 14, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=001-f0e&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Monday, January 14, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Trump Blasts Potential 2020 Rival Biden As “Weak.” <#S1>

• The Hill: Obama’s “New Blood” Comment “A Blow” To Biden. <#S2>

• Axios’ Allen: Biden Appears Likely To Run For President. <#S3>

• NYTimes’ Leonhardt Urge Biden To Enter 2020 Race. <#S4>

• Ex-Sen. Nelson: Among 2020 Democrats, Biden “Would Have The Best Chance
In Florida.” <#S5>

• Democratic Strategist Talks Up 2020 Chances Of Biden, O’Rourke. <#S6>

• Columnist: In Democratic Race, Brown Would Pose “Most Direct Threat” To
Biden. <#S7>

• Firefighters Union Chief Schaitberger Lauds Biden. <#S8>

• Silver Assesses 2020 Democrats’ Odds Of Building Coalitions. <#S9>

• LATimes: Crowded 2020 Race Could Feature Generational Divide. <#S10>

• Vanity Fair Examines Democratic Wall Street Executives’ Take On 2020 Race.
<#S11>

• Rutenberg: Biden Spokesperson Declined Comment On Use Of “Disinformation”
Campaigns. <#S12>

• Biden Slams GOP Rep. King Over “White Supremacist” Remarks. <#S13>

• NYTimes: Unclear Whether 2020 Democratic Race Will Hinge On Policy Or
Electability. <#S14>

• Trump Mocks Warren Video. <#S15>

• Castro Announces 2020 Presidential Bid. <#S16>

• Democratic Rep. Gabbard Announces White House Bid. <#S17>

• Gillibrand Makes Moves Toward Potential Presidential Campaign. <#S18>

• O’Rourke Courts Attention While Mum On Presidential Plans. <#S19>

• Sanders Bolstering Digital Operations Ahead Of Likely 2020 Bid. <#S20>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• As Trump Calls For Wall, Graham Urges Him To Reopen Government Before
Declaring Emergency. <#S21>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Sources: White House Sought Options To Strike Iran. <#S22>

• Trump: US Will “Devastate Turkey Economically” If It Attacks Kurds In
Syria. <#S23>

• Pompeo: Qatar Diplomatic Crisis “Has Dragged On Too Long.” <#S24>

• Venezuelan Opposition Leader Briefly Detained. <#S25>

• Ahead Of Parliament Vote, PM May Warns Halting Brexit Would Be
“Catastrophic.” <#S26>

• Pompeo: US Will Hold Those Responsible For Khashoggi Murder “Accountable.”
<#S27>

• Pompeo: US Counter-Terrorism Mission Will Not Be Compromised By Syria
Withdrawal. <#S28>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Slams FBI’s “Corrupt Former Leaders” Over “Insulting” NYTimes
Report. <#S29>

• Democrats To Question Barr About Criticism Of Robert Mueller Inquiry.
<#S30>

• Democrats Warn Trump Not To Meddle In Their Investigations. <#S31>

• Axios Analysis: Trump May Pull US Out Of Existing NAFTA Ahead Of USMCA
Debate. <#S32>

• S&P 500 Companies Lower Earnings Estimate In New Sign Of Faltering
Economic Momentum. <#S33>

• Trump Mocks “Jeff Bozo” On Twitter. <#S34>

• Jordan Touts Trump’s “Amazing Record.” <#S35>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Opinion: Payors Should Not Be Required To Cover Unproven Medical
Treatments. <#S36>

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Works To Limit Executives’ Ties To Drug,
Healthcare Companies After Conflict-Of-Interest Scandals. <#S37>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• Washington Post. <#S38>

• Wall Street Journal. <#S39>
Biden in the News
Trump Blasts Potential 2020 Rival Biden As “Weak.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=002-a77&t=c>
(1/13, Phillips) reported that President Trump called former vice president
Joe Biden “a ‘weak’ man when asked Saturday night about a growing list of
Democrats seeking to topple him in 2020.” Speaking with Fox News’ Jeanne
Pirro, Trump “resurrected previous insults against Biden.” mocking his “two
unsuccessful attempts for the White House and [saying] former president
Barack Obama ‘took him off the trash heap’ when he” chose Biden as his
running mate. Said Trump, “He’s weak. So we’ll see what happens with him.
... Whoever it is, I think we’re going to do just fine.”

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=003-09a&t=c>
(1/13, Behrmann, Gallagher) reported that Trump “mocked Biden as a
‘1-percenter,’ in the interview with Pirro. ‘He ran two or three times, he
never got above 1%,’ Trump said. ‘And then, Obama came along and took him
off the trash heap, and he became the vice president.’” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=004-7ec&t=c>
(1/13, Balluck) reported that Trump “also said he is ‘not worried’ about
the competition. ‘So far, I love the competition, I love what I see.’” The
Hill added that Biden “late last year said he believes he is the ‘most
qualified’ person to challenge Trump, fueling speculation he might mount a
2020 presidential bid.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=005-925&t=c>
(1/13, Italiano), Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=006-136&t=c>
(1/13, Murdock), Salon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=007-4bb&t=c>
(1/13, Rozsa), and Slate
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=008-737&t=c>
(1/13, Politi) are among the media outlets that also report on Trump’s
remarks.
The Hill: Obama’s “New Blood” Comment “A Blow” To Biden.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=009-c6d&t=c>
(1/13, Parnes) reported that former President Obama’s comments on “how
politics need ‘new blood’ is being seen as a blow to Joe Biden,” who “Obama
did not back to succeed him in 2016. Sources close to” the pair
“acknowledge recent remarks like the one Obama made [last] week in Hawaii
represent a sort of threat to Biden,” though the former President “was
speaking broadly about the need for new blood in politics, not specifically
the need for new blood in the Democratic Party. But coming on the heels of
Obama’s meeting with” ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), “who most political
observers see as competing with Biden for a slice of the primary
electorate, it also sent a signal to the wider political world.” The Hill
quoted an Obama “ally” as saying, “The president loves this guy, loves Joe,
thinks the world of him. ... And I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to
make Joe feel good, but he won’t come out and make Joe his candidate. And I
think that hurts Joe.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00a-3df&t=c>
(1/13, Lim) highlighted The Hill story.
Axios’ Allen: Biden Appears Likely To Run For President.

Writing for Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00b-548&t=c>
(1/12), Mike Allen said that former Vice President Joe Biden “has told some
top Democrats he’s definitely running for president, and even threw out
Jan. 15 – next Tuesday – as a target announcement date. ‘If I’m walking,
I’m running,’ he has told friends winkingly.” Allen said that Biden “is
‘closer than he ever was in 2016’ and ‘serious in his discussions with
potential supporters,’ one confidant tells me. Yes, but: Jan. 15 will come
and go with no Joe-mentum – I’m told no chance of an announcement by then.
No staff has signed up for a campaign, or been given a commitment of a job.
We’re told authoritatively that Biden hasn’t decided.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00c-141&t=c>
(1/14, Peoples, Beaumont) reports on the expected coming surge in
candidates joining the 2020 race. In the piece, the AP says, “A more
seasoned political star, Biden remains silent about his plans.” He “has
done little to build teams on the ground in key states, instead sticking to
the schedule of huddling with aides while he moves closer to a decision.”
Former Obama strategist Stephanie Cutter is quoted as saying, “At this
point the cycle, it’s a race for money and talent, and unless your name is
Joe Biden or Beto O’Rourke, you’ve gotta get in soon if you want attract
either one of those things.”
NYTimes’ Leonhardt Urge Biden To Enter 2020 Race.

In his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00d-871&t=c>
(1/13) column, David Leonhardt urges former Vice President Joe Biden to
enter the 2020 race for president, saying, “Run because you have strengths
that no other Democratic candidate does, including your depth of experience
and connection to the Obama presidency. Run because your populist image
fits the Democrats’ most successful political strategy of the past
generation. Run because you will never have another chance – and because
you are not afraid of losing.”
Ex-Sen. Nelson: Among 2020 Democrats, Biden “Would Have The Best Chance In
Florida.”

Under the headline “Stung By Florida Midterm Losses, Democrats See A Swing
State Drifting Away,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00e-ae8&t=c>
(1/13, Mazzei, Martin) reports on the losses of progressive gubernatorial
nominee Andrew Gillum (D-FL) and moderate Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) in
November’s midterm elections, saying those outcomes demonstrated that the
“crucial swing state” of Florida is “drifting away from” Democrats. While
not the focus of the story, the Times reports that Nelson “says he has a
preferred 2020 candidate, who he thinks might turn things around: former
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. ‘I would say of the whole crowd, I think
Biden would have the best chance in Florida,’ Mr. Nelson said of the 2020
field, allowing that he has encouraged his former colleague to run and
believes he would be perceived ‘as moderate enough.’” The Times adds,
however, “these sorts of assessments make progressives want to pull their
hair out.”
Democratic Strategist Talks Up 2020 Chances Of Biden, O’Rourke.

The Boston Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00f-71e&t=c>
(1/13, Cotter) reports that in an interview, Democratic strategist Steve
McMahon discussed the nascent 2020 Democratic presidential race. Speaking
with the Herald, McMahon “said the inevitably large field would most likely
help [former Vice President Joe] Biden, who he expects to have a solid
establishment base as the progressive vote ends up split between many
candidates.” However, McMahon “warned not to sleep on former U.S. Rep. Beto
O’Rourke of Texas, who recently lost a high-profile senate race but enjoyed
a meteoric rise in national prominence in the process. ‘It’s either ‘We
know Joe and Joe can win,’ or it’s ‘We want to fall in love and maybe have
the next Barack Obama’ in Beto,’ McMahon said.”
Columnist: In Democratic Race, Brown Would Pose “Most Direct Threat” To
Biden.

In his Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=010-969&t=c>
(1/11) column, Philip Klein argued that if Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) enters
the 2020 race for president, “he would present the most direct threat to
Joe Biden’s potential presidential candidacy than any other candidate.
Aside from name recognition and experience, the biggest argument Biden can
make to a Democratic electorate is that he can recapture working class
voters.” However, Brown has “not only been one of the most liberal members
of the Senate for the past 12 years, but he has done it while winning three
statewide elections in Ohio, which has trended red over his time in the
Senate. And needless to say, it’s hard to see any path to victory for Trump
that does not involve winning Ohio.”
Firefighters Union Chief Schaitberger Lauds Biden.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=011-a45&t=c>
(1/11) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “is exactly the kind
of presidential candidate that members of a prominent firefighters union
would support in 2020, according to the head of the International
Association of Fire Fighters. ‘We have a lot of faith and we’ve had a great
relationship over several decades with the former vice president, Joe
Biden,’ Harold Schaitberger told Hill. TV” in a Thursday interview. Said
Schaitberger, “While he is making that decision [on the 2020 presidential
race], we are watching that very carefully because I will say that he does
fit the philosophy, the ideology, the pragmatic approach to our political
arena and our members are drawn to that kind of candidate.” Schaitberger
“added that most members are looking for middle-of-the-road candidates, and
that Biden fits the bill.”
Silver Assesses 2020 Democrats’ Odds Of Building Coalitions.

Writing at FiveThirtyEight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=012-d04&t=c>
(1/14), Nate Silver says, “Last week, we introduced a method for evaluating
Democratic presidential contenders” that focuses “on their ability to build
a coalition among key constituencies within the party.” Silver says those
constituencies are: 1) “Party Loyalists, who are mostly older, lifelong
Democrats who care about experience and electability.” 2) “The Left.” 3)
“Millennials.” 4) “Black voters.” 5) “Hispanic voters.” Silver said “the
coalition-building model has made me more skeptical about the chances for
Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar” and “more bullish about Kamala
Harris, Beto O’Rourke and Cory Booker.” Silver said that in polls, Biden
“performs worse among those voters who are paying the most attention to the
primary, suggesting that his high name recognition compared to most other
candidates is a significant factor in his lead. And I’m not sure it’s going
to be very easy for Biden to expand his coalition beyond the 25 percent or
so that he’s getting in polls now.”
LATimes: Crowded 2020 Race Could Feature Generational Divide.

Under the headline “Old, Young, Liberal, Centrist: Democrats Will Have No
End Of Choices For President In 2020,” the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=013-a69&t=c>
(1/13, Hook) reported on what’s expected to be a very crowded race for the
2020 Democratic presidential nomination, saying, “The result could be a
divisive, messy set of primaries, but many Democrats are exhilarated by the
prospect of a wide range of choices.” In considering “their choices between
young and old, liberal and more centrist, white men and women and people of
color, Democrats will be deciding not only who they want as a nominee, but
what kind of party they want to be.” The Times adds that former Vice
President Joe Biden would be a “front-runner on the strength of his
experience and vast political network. His entry would also guarantee that
a central question of the primary will be a generational one, as younger
rivals will argue that it is time for the older guard to pass the baton.”
Vanity Fair Examines Democratic Wall Street Executives’ Take On 2020 Race.

Writing for Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=014-14b&t=c>
(1/13), William D. Cohan discussed Democratic Wall Street heavyweights’
takes on the 2020 presidential field, saying, “There...seems to be support,
including from [ex-UBS CEO Robert] Wolf, on Wall Street for Biden, a
youthful 75, if only because he has had a long political career and was
Obama’s loyal vice-president.” A “Wall Street executive” is quoted as
saying, “Joe Biden probably is the best person for the time which we’re
facing. We’re facing a complicated candidate to beat in a general election.
We’re facing the need to reach out to blue-collar workers. We need to get
back to some sort of semblance of normalcy. I know Joe Biden will surround
himself with really smart people. I know he’ll do, quote, the right thing.
He’s liberal enough, but he’s not crazy.”
Rutenberg: Biden Spokesperson Declined Comment On Use Of “Disinformation”
Campaigns.

In his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=015-1ce&t=c>
(1/13) column, Jim Rutenberg discusses the Democrats’ “disinformation”
campaign that took place during the 2017 Senate special election in Alabama
– an effort that was aimed at hurting candidate Roy Moore (R-AL) and aiding
now-Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL). Rutenberg says he “reached out to various
expected 2020 players to see if they would eschew such tactics,” and in
response, Sen Cory Booker (D-NJ) and officials speaking for Sen. Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) condemned the “disinformation”
campaigns. However, Rutenberg says he “never heard back from...Bernie
Sanders, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Julián Castro, the Democratic Party
itself and [President] Trump’s re-election team. The real surprise was
former Vice President Joe Biden. ‘Not going to have any comment on that for
you,’ a spokesman said. Maybe Mr. Biden wants to keep his options open.”
Biden Slams GOP Rep. King Over “White Supremacist” Remarks.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=016-8e1&t=c>
(1/11, Daugherty) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday
blasted Rep. Steve King (R-IA) “for his comments questioning how the terms
‘white nationalist’ and ‘white supremacist’ became offensive.” In a tweet,
Biden said, “White supremacists and their shameful ideology should have no
place in this country in 2019, let alone a voice of sympathy in the United
States Congress.” The Hill added that during a recent interview with the
New York Times, King asked, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western
civilization – how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in
classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
NYTimes: Unclear Whether 2020 Democratic Race Will Hinge On Policy Or
Electability.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=017-2e6&t=c>
(1/14, Martin) reports, “After a 2018 midterm election that energized the
left, perhaps the most consequential political question facing the
Democratic Party is whether liberals will insist on imposing policy litmus
tests on 2020 presidential hopefuls, or whether voters will rally behind
the candidate most capable of” beating President Trump “even if that
Democrat is imperfect on some issues.” The Times says, “The two paths may
help determine the electoral fortunes of potential left-wing candidates
like Senator Bernie Sanders and more moderate ones like former Vice
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as well as Democrats like Senator Kamala
Harris and Beto O’Rourke who have a history of appealing to both liberals
and moderates and drawing ire from some leftists for not being aggressive
enough on policy.”
Trump Mocks Warren Video.

President Trump on Sunday took aim at an Instagram video recorded by Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=018-cd7&t=c>
that it “would have been a smash” if it had been recorded at “Bighorn or
Wounded Knee” and “with her husband dressed in full Indian garb.” In a
second tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=019-292&t=c>,
Trump said the “best line in the Elizabeth Warren beer catastrophe” is when
she thanked her husband for being there, when “it’s their house, he’s
supposed to be there!” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01a-476&t=c>
(1/13, Lam) reports that Trump “mocked...Warren’s nearly two-week-old
Instagram Live video” from the day she announced that she was forming an
exploratory committee for a presidential run.

*Visiting New Hampshire, Warren Calls For “Systemic Change.” *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01b-22b&t=c>
(1/12, Murray) reported that Warren on Saturday “called for ‘systemic
change’ ranging from eliminating for-profit prisons and legalizing
marijuana to establishing more equitable housing programs during her first
New Hampshire swing of the 2020 presidential campaign.” According to
Politico, Warren “is seen as a strong contender in the neighboring Granite
State’s early 2020 primary, where her closest competition could be Vermont
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won the state’s 2016 Democratic primary and is
weighing another run.” The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01c-332&t=c>
(1/12, Pindell) said that “politically speaking, the one day trip to New
Hampshire will serve as something of a marker for other candidates planning
for their trips to the state.”
Castro Announces 2020 Presidential Bid.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01d-1d4&t=c>
(1/12, Astor) reported that ex-HUD Secretary Julián Castro (D-TX) on
Saturday announced “that he would run for president, one of the most
high-profile Latino Democrats ever to seek the party’s nomination.”
Castro’s first campaign appearance “will be in Puerto Rico, where he will
speak on Monday at the Latino Victory Fund’s annual summit and meet with
residents still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. Later in the
week, his campaign said, he will go to New Hampshire.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01e-ad3&t=c>
(1/12, Hayes) reported that Castro, “who made remarks in both English and
Spanish, also rolled out his campaign slogan: One Nation. One Destiny.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01f-8c9&t=c>
(1/12) reported that Castro, “who could end up being the only Latino in
what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic field,” on Saturday “made
immigration a centerpiece of his announcement in his hometown of San
Antonio, less than 200 miles from the US-Mexico border. Two days after
[President Trump] visited the border to promote his promised wall, Castro
mocked Trump for claiming that the US faces an ‘invasion’ from its ally to
the south.” Said Castro, “He called it a national security crisis. Well,
there is a crisis today. It’s a crisis of leadership. Donald Trump has
failed to uphold the values of our great nation.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=020-e03&t=c>
(1/13, Zakrzewski) reports that during a Sunday appearance on CBS’ “Face
the Nation,” Castro blasted Trump “for ‘playing games’ with people’s right
to seek asylum and said the nation needs to get serious about recognizing
this right.” Said Castro, “I don’t believe that we should have family
detention for people that are seeking asylum or refugee status solely. We
should develop other ways to ensure that people are processed and we’re
able to keep track of them in the country.” Castro also “said he would
‘look at things like ankle monitors’ to track where individuals are in the
United States as an alternative to deportation.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=021-c16&t=c>
(1/12, McCaskill) reported that Castro becomes “one of the youngest
candidates in the 2020 Democratic field — and the first major Latino
candidate. That could give Castro an edge in a key early presidential state
– Nevada has the highest percentage of Hispanic voters of the four early
voting states. And it’s likewise an asset in California, which stands to
cast a long shadow over the Democratic presidential nomination battle now
that its primary has been moved forward to early March. Together,” Castro’s
“youth and background offer a profile built to appeal to the Democratic
Party’s diverse and ascendant Obama coalition.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=022-071&t=c>
(1/12, Johnson) said that “Castro’s campaign promises fall within the
current Democratic mainstream. He said he wants to make the first two years
of college, a certification program or apprenticeship ‘accessible and
affordable,’ though he stopped short of calling for free college, as some
Democrats have done.” He has also “called for ‘Medicare-for-all, universal
health care for every American,’ but did not get into the details of how he
would pay for such a program. He promised to reinstate the Paris agreement
on climate change in collaboration with other nations, and work to pass the
Green New Deal that would invest in environmentally friendly jobs.”
Democratic Rep. Gabbard Announces White House Bid.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=023-5af&t=c>
(1/11, Weigel) reported that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) on Friday on
announced “that she will seek the 2020 Democratic nomination for
president.” In an interview with CNN, Gabbard “listed criminal justice
reform, climate change and health care as issues that she was interested in
solving.” The Post said, “Gabbard, 37, arrived in Congress six years ago
after an underdog campaign for Hawaii’s mostly rural 2nd District. She had
been a force in Hawaii politics for years, making news by becoming the
youngest person – just 21 at the time – ever elected to the state
legislature. She made news again when she left the seat to serve in Iraq
with the Army National Guard.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=024-578&t=c>
(1/11) reported that Gabbard’s bid “would not be without controversy. In
2016, she alarmed fellow Democrats when she met with Donald Trump during
his transition to president and later when she took a secret trip to Syria
and met with President Bashar Assad, who has been accused of war crimes and
genocide. She questioned whether he was responsible for a chemical attack
on civilians that killed dozens and led the US to attack a Syrian air
base.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=025-b16&t=c>
(1/11, Astor) reported that Gabbard in 2015 “startled the Democratic
National Committee by calling for more presidential debates than the party
wanted to hold. And just this week, she wrote an op-ed accusing fellow
Democrats of ‘religious bigotry’ for sharply questioning a judicial
nominee, Brian Buescher, on his membership in the Knights of Columbus.
(Though she did not name names, her targets were clear: Senator Kamala
Harris of California, another likely presidential candidate, and Senator
Mazie Hirono, who also represents Hawaii.).” And she backed Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-VT) “in the 2016 primaries – resigning as vice chairwoman of the
DNC to do so – when most party officials were circling the wagons around
Hillary Clinton.”
Gillibrand Makes Moves Toward Potential Presidential Campaign.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=026-15b&t=c>
(1/11, Thomas) reported Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is moving towards
running for president in 2020, hiring staff and planning a visit to Iowa.
The campaign is expected to be headed by her chief of staff, Jess Fassler,
and Dan McNally, who formerly worked on the campaign of Sen. Michael Bennet
(D-CO). Gillibrand, said the Journal, has over $10.6 million in her Senate
campaign, fund which can be used for a presidential campaign. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=027-b53&t=c>
(1/11, Schneider) reported that the hires are “the latest sign of movement
toward a 2020 campaign” from Gillibrand. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=028-164&t=c>
(1/11, Burns) described the hirings as “part of a flurry of activity by Ms.
Gillibrand in recent weeks as the 2020 campaign gets underway.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=029-204&t=c>
(1/11, Connolly) said that “virtually all she has left to do now is
announce she’s jumping into the race.”

*BuzzFeed: “Source” Says Gillibrand Indicated She Will Mount 2020
Bid. *BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02a-354&t=c>
(1/12, Sands) reported that Gillibrand “on Saturday signaled to a group of
about 20 influential women that she will run for president, according to a
person familiar with the meeting. Gillibrand made her intentions clear,
said the source, who asked not to be identified to speak about the event.
Gillibrand said that she needed their help if they would offer it to her.
The closed-door gathering was attended by feminist Gloria Steinem, the
source said. A second source...confirmed the meeting took place but would
not elaborate on what was said.”
O’Rourke Courts Attention While Mum On Presidential Plans.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02b-63d&t=c>
(1/13, Weissert) reports that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) is “doing almost
anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a
presidential campaign for 2020,” even as “influential activists in Iowa and
elsewhere are clamoring for him to get in the race while some potential
rivals move their timelines earlier.” The AP adds that Democratic “anger
over President Donald Trump,” Democrats seeking “to go on the political
attack,” and with impeachment “unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may
become necessary.” Meanwhile, “a string of announcements from top Democrats
could come this month,” and as more contenders formally launch their
candidacies, the pressure on O’Rourke increases.

*O’Rourke To Be Featured In Conversation With Oprah. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02c-509&t=c>
(1/11) reported that O’Rourke will be Oprah Winfrey’s guest for an
interview on “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square” February
5. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02d-aa4&t=c>
(1/11, Siders) reported that the interview “comes as O’Rourke edges closer
to a presidential campaign.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02e-cbc&t=c>
(1/11, Siders) also reported “Democratic activists working to lay campaign
groundwork for...O’Rourke if he decides to run for president are ratcheting
up their efforts in Iowa,” according to organizers who are planning “Draft
Beto” meetings for this week.
Sanders Bolstering Digital Operations Ahead Of Likely 2020 Bid.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02f-094&t=c>
(1/14, Otterbein) reports that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) “is adding
firepower to his political team ahead of a potential 2020 campaign, locking
down digital alumni who were key to his surprise performance in 2016 and
recruiting the media production company that helped launch Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez to prominence. The flurry of activity, detailed by four
people familiar with the campaign’s thinking, is the latest sign” Sanders
“is closing in on a decision on a second run for the White House. Means of
Production, the filmmaking cooperative that created the viral campaign
video that propelled Ocasio-Cortez’s House campaign, is in talks with the
Sanders team about a major role in 2020. And two people who powered
Sanders’ record-breaking small-dollar fundraising operation in 2016 have
agreed to join a subsequent presidential bid if it materializes, according
to a Sanders campaign aide: Tim Tagaris and Robin Curran, his digital
fundraising director and digital production director in 2016,
respectively.”
Leading the News
As Trump Calls For Wall, Graham Urges Him To Reopen Government Before
Declaring Emergency.

As the President stood firm on his demand for a border wall over weekend,
Sen. Lindsey Graham argued on Fox News Sunday[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=030-585&t=c>
(1/13) that Trump should agree to reopen the government then declare a
national emergency if talks with Congress about the wall do not prove
successful. Graham was among several lawmakers to discuss the ongoing
government shutdown on the Sunday talk shows. While comments concerning who
is to blame for the continuing impasse largely broke along partisan lines,
members of both parties stressed the need to return to the negotiating
table.

In an interview on Fox News Justice[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=031-97e&t=c>
(1/12) Saturday, President Trump reiterated his call for a wall on the
southern border and highlighted that another migrant caravan is now forming
in Honduras. Trump said, “We have a humanitarian crisis, to put it mildly.
People are trying to get in by the tens of thousands. They’re rushing the
border. There’s right now in Honduras – a country we pay a lot of money to,
I think foolishly because they don’t help us, but right now you have
another caravan forming, and it’s going to be the biggest one yet. ... We
need a wall, very simple. Whether you call it a steel barrier, wall,
doesn’t matter, but we need a very strong structure.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=032-920&t=c>
(1/13, Chiacu) says the President “continued to blame Democrats for the
impasse.” In a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=033-df4&t=c>
Sunday morning, he wrote, “I’m in the White House, waiting. The Democrats
are everywhere but Washington as people await their pay. They are having
fun and not even talking!” Meg Oliver said on the CBS Weekend News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=034-7c3&t=c>
(1/13, story 3, 1:35, Begnaud) the President “now says he doesn’t know if
he can strike a deal with Democrats to get the government open again.”

In a pair of tweets Sunday night, Trump referred to a column
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=035-c77&t=c>
by Pat Buchanan which highlighted the arrest of 266,000 illegal aliens by
ICE officers in the last two years. Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=036-be4&t=c>,
“The Trump portrait of an unsustainable Border Crisis is dead on. ‘In the
last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with Criminal
Records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000
sex crimes & 4000 violent killings.’ America’s Southern ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=037-ab8&t=c>
Border is eventually going to be militarized and defended or the United
States, as we have known it, is going to cease to exist...And Americans
will not go gentle into that good night. Patrick Buchanan. The great people
of our Country demand proper Border Security NOW!”

Stephanie Ramos said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=038-62d&t=c>
(1/13, story 4, 2:30, Llamas) while Trump is “lashing out at Democrats as
he renews his threats to build the wall without Congress,” Graham is
“pressuring the President to end the shut down before taking drastic
measures.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=039-791&t=c>
(1/13, Sonmez) says Graham “argued that reopening the government and
attempting to find a legislative solution, then declaring a national
emergency if those talks don’t bear fruit, is the best way forward.” Said
Graham, “I would urge him to open up the government for a short period of
time, like three weeks, before he pulls the plug. See if we can get a deal.
If we can’t at the end of three weeks, all bets are off. See if he can do
it by himself through the emergency powers.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03a-3c1&t=c>
(1/13, Swoyer) reports Graham “said Democrats thus far have not been
willing to budge.” Said Graham, “Nancy Pelosi says even if you open up the
government we won’t fund a wall. ... That’s why I’m depressed.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03b-55a&t=c>
(1/13, Key) reports Graham said, “It really does perplex me how you expect
this to end when you tell the President of the United States, you can’t get
$1 for a wall when in the past Democrats have appropriated billions for the
wall. What’s he supposed to do, just give in? He’s not going to give in.”

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03c-4ae&t=c>
(1/13, Schwab) says Graham “apologized to the federal workers – who are
either working without pay or furloughed,” but he said the shutdown caused
“less damage than if we don’t fix our broken immigration system.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03d-f0a&t=c>
(1/13, Samuels) says Graham “said he believes the president may be willing
to reach a deal that would include border wall funding and protections for
beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program,
as well as those receiving temporary protected status.” Graham told NBC, “I
don’t want to speak for the president ... but I’m confident what I just
described with a few other things would be a deal acceptable to the White
House and a lot of Democrats, and I’m just so frustrated we can’t get in a
room and hammer it out.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03e-189&t=c>
(1/13, Lim) reports Graham “said he had spoken to Trump earlier Sunday
morning and the president told him he considered the emergency route to be
his last option.” Said Graham, “I think there is a crisis at the border, I
think it fits the definition of a national emergency. It’s the last option,
not the first option, but we’re pretty close to that being the only
option.” Washington Post conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin was critical
of Graham’s idea, arguing in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03f-563&t=c>,
“When you use it as a last resort It. Is. Not. An. Emergency.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=040-19a&t=c>
(1/13, Armour, Nicholas, Peterson) says Graham is among many Senate
Republicans who have been working to break the stalemate, but so far, none
have seen success. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=041-b14&t=c>
(1/13, Litvan, Brody, Shields) reports Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on NBC’s
Meet the Press[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=042-743&t=c>
(1/13) that the President is “willing to meet in the middle” to end the
shutdown.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=043-52a&t=c>
(1/13, Superville) reports Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told Fox News Sunday[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=044-7ff&t=c>
(1/13) Graham’s idea to reopen the government is a “great place to start.”
Coons said, “I do think if we reopen the government, if the president ends
this shutdown crisis, we have folks who can negotiate a responsible, modern
investment in technology that will actually make us safer.”

House Minority Whip Scalise said on ABC’s This Week[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=045-538&t=c>
(1/13), “Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, in every meeting I’ve been in –
we’ve had three meetings in the situation with all of the principal
negotiators. Many times I’ve seen the President willing to negotiate on the
definition of a wall. He even said he would be willing to let them ban
cement wall structures. He would be willing to negotiate on how much it
would cost. He’s got, from our security experts, a detailed breakdown of
what it will take to secure America’s border. Not one single time has Nancy
Pelosi or Chuck Schumer put a counteroffer on the table except a dollar.
Nancy Pelosi said a dollar. That’s not serious. We all know that. It’s time
for them to come to the table.”

House Minority Leader McCarthy said on CBS’ Face The Nation[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=046-1a5&t=c>
(1/13), “The President has made reasonable offers. ... There is not one
offer from the Democrats. It’s unacceptable that 800,000 US employees are
not being paid. You know what we’re arguing over. One tenth of one percent
of the federal budget. We’re not asking the Democrats to do something they
haven’t done before. They have voted for boarder wall and fencing.”

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) said on Fox News The Journal Editorial
Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=047-e51&t=c>
(1/12), “The President’s asking for one-tent of one percent, not just the
wall and barriers but for technology, agents and to deal with the
humanitarian challenges we’ve got because we do on the border right now.
And to his credit, he has shown flexibility in how we achieve that. I
really think it really is time to find common ground here. This can’t be
that hard. And reopen the government as we do it.”

On Fox News Sunday Morning Futures[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=048-8ea&t=c>
(1/13), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, “My hope is that the Democrats
will come to the table and we’ll be able to resolve this, Congress should
be the ones to take the lead. ... I hear it from Tennessee every single
day. Look, stop the drug traffickers, the human traffickers, the gangs from
coming in this country, because until that southern border is secure, you
are going to have every state a border state and every town a border town,
and they want to get this issue resolved, securing that border. And it’s
important to realize walls work. Ask Israel. Walls work. Look at the border
patrol, they say they need three things, and they tell us this regularly,
they need a barrier, they need technology, and they need more border agents
and officers that are there on the ground to help with this situation.”

Democrats were unified in their calls to reopen the
government. On ABC’s
This Week[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=049-1b0&t=c>
(1/13), Senate Minority Whip Durbin said it is “time for the centrists to
speak up in their own Republican senate caucus and tell Mitch McConnell the
party’s over. We want this to end. There’s no excuse for this shutdown. The
Republican-controlled Senate and handful of senators will make that
decision.” Durbin added, “Open up the government tomorrow. The President
can do it. One phone call from Mitch McConnell can get it started.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04a-905&t=c>
(1/13, Zakrzewski) reports Sen. Joe Manchin issued a statement Sunday
saying that the President has indicated that he does not plan to
immediately issue an emergency declaration, “it’s time for Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell to bring up the House passed appropriations bills
that would finally reopen government. ... As an equal branch of government
we have the authority to override the President’s veto, if that’s what he
chooses to do.” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) “also called for the president to
reopen the government before debating the issue of border security.” Kaine
said on NBC’s Meet the Press[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04b-f46&t=c>
(1/13), “What we don’t want to do is waste taxpayer money on a vanity
project that’s ineffective, that the president said Mexico would pay for.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) discussed, on CNN’s State Of The Union[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04c-e78&t=c>
(1/13), the continuing government shutdown. Warner said, “There is already
700 miles-plus of wall that’s been built, some for more than a decade. That
was decided by border security experts. I’m for additional border security.
But that border security ought to be driven by the experts, not by the
political whims of a campaign promise where Trump said the wall was going
to be built and paid for by Mexico. This guy doesn’t tell the truth. So
more border security, let’s have at it. While we’re having that debate,
let’s reopen the government.”

*Trump Targets Democrats For Not Wanting To Include DACA In Wall
Talks. *On Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04d-2a3&t=c>
Sunday morning, Trump wrote, “Democrats are saying that DACA is not worth
it and don’t want to include in talks. Many Hispanics will be coming over
to the Republican side, watch!”

*Trump: Border Wall Will Reduce Crime Nationally. *The President
also wrote on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04e-ddc&t=c>
Sunday, “The building of the Wall on the Southern Border will bring down
the crime rate throughout the entire Country!”

*Trump, White House: Democrats “Not Even Talking” As They Vacation
In Puerto Rico. *President Trump took to Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04f-233&t=c>
Sunday morning to write, “I’m in the White House, waiting. The Democrats
are everywhere but Washington as people await their pay. They are having
fun and not even talking!” Elsewhere on Sunday, the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=050-5d4&t=c>
(1/13, Enjeti) reports White House press secretary Sarah Sanders “harshly
criticized Democratic lawmakers for flying to Puerto Rico for a political
event and vacationing during a partial government shutdown.” Democratic
lawmakers “were spotted on the beaches of Puerto Rico during a meeting for
a political action committee which supports the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus.”

The lead story on Drudge.com Sunday evening was a Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=051-3e2&t=c>
(1/11, Bedard) report from Friday that said “some 30 Democratic lawmakers
left the government shutdown behind Friday on a chartered flight to Puerto
Rico for a winter retreat with 109 lobbyists and corporate executives
during which they planned to see the hit Broadway show ‘Hamilton’ and
attend three parties including one with the show’s cast.”

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=052-ca5&t=c>
(1/13, Pollak), meanwhile, reports that the “mainstream media have largely
ignored a Democratic Party trip to Puerto Rico this weekend, in the midst
of a partial government shutdown that journalists are doing their best to
describe as a tragedy for federal workers.” To Breitbart, the “only
significant coverage or commentary has been in conservative media.”

*Border Patrol Agents Say Number Of Illegal Border Crossings
Unsustainable. *On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=053-9b2&t=c>
(1/13, story 4, 2:10, Begnaud), Mireya Villarreal reported, “Border patrol
agents say the number of daily illegal crossings is unsustainable.” In
December, DHS “says they apprehended more than 50,000 people trying to
enter the US illegally along the southern border. But thousands more are
waiting to make a legal claim for asylum.”

*A New Migrant Caravan Forming In Honduras. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=054-8b2&t=c>
(1/13, Ernst, Malkin, Villegas) reports that a “new caravan of migrants is
forming in Honduras, and even ahead of its scheduled departure at dawn on
Tuesday, battle lines were being drawn to the north, with some vowing to
help them on their journey north, and others to block them.” For President
Trump, the Times says the “timing of the caravan offered fresh ammunition
in his fight with Congress over the $5.7 billion he wants for an enhanced
border wall between Mexico and the United States.”

*Pompeo: Border Security A Component Of National Security. *Secretary
of State Pompeo said on CBS’ Face The Nation[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=055-cdd&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan), “Make no mistake about it, keeping the southern borders
secure is a national security component. There is a risk to the United
States of America. We need to take this seriously, secure our border and
make sure those who want to do us harm don’t have a way to access us in
that way. One of the reasons I’m in the Middle East is to work against
terror. Border security is a important component.”

*Pompeo Hopes For Quick Resolution To Government Shutdown. *Asked
about the government shutdown on CBS’ Face the Nation[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=056-106&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan), Secretary of State Pompeo said, “It’s unfortunate we’re in
the shutdown. I wish we weren’t too. I hope it’s resolved quickly. I told
our teams that. You have to know the great Americans in our embassies
across the world, they understand the mission, they understand it’s
importance. They understand whether the government is open or closed they
have a task to do. They are hard at it. ... Make no mistake about it,
keeping the southern borders secure is a national security component. There
is a risk to the United States of America. We need to take this seriously,
secure our border and make sure those who want to do us harm don’t have a
way to access us in that way. One of the reasons I’m in the Middle East is
to work against terror. Border security is a important component.”

The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=057-18c&t=c>
(1/13, Kredo) reports that “US diplomats and personnel stationed abroad are
being hit hard by the ongoing shutdown of the federal government in
Washington, DC, and are expressing frustration to their boss.” During a
“meet and greet session with US staff in Doha on Sunday, Pompeo sought to
allay concerns while acknowledging that the longest government shutdown in
history has impacted foreign staff.” Said Pompeo, “I know it’s especially
difficult at this time when not everybody is at work. We want to get
everybody back so we have everyone working hard” to advance the
Administration’s agenda.

*Sources: Trump Dressed Down Mulvaney During Meeting With
Congressional Leaders. *Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=058-031&t=c>
(1/13, Swan) reports President Trump “chastised” Chief of Staff Mulvaney
“over his handling of shutdown talks, creating an awkward scene in front of
congressional leaders of both parties, according to two sources who were
present.” Sources said the encounter came “near the end of a meeting in the
White House Situation Room on Jan. 4” when Mulvaney “inserted himself into
the conversation and tried to negotiate a compromise sum of money,
according to the sources in the room.” A “White House official, who was in
the room,” told Axios, “This is an exaggerated account of the exchange that
doesn’t reflect the good relationship Mulvaney has built over the last two
years with the president.”

*Some House Democrats Frustrated Over Perceived Lack Of Strategy To
End Stalemate. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=059-5b8&t=c>
(1/13, Andrews, Peterson) reports some House Democrats are concerned by
what they see as the absence of a clear strategy from party leaders over
how to end the government shutdown. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said,
“There’s a number of us on the Democratic side who are quite concerned that
we’re not working on negotiated positions and taking the bull by the horns
and trying to think about what it would look like.”

*WTimes Analysis: Democrats Favor “Virtual Fence” They Once
Opposed. *In an analysis, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05a-f80&t=c>
(1/13, Miller) says that while DHS “spent seven years and more than $1
billion trying to create” President George W. Bush’s so-called “virtual
fence” at the border, it “was a bust.” However, the idea has now “returned
as the main ante for congressional Democrats in the border security
spending fight.” Democrats oppose the physical barrier the President
supports. Instead, they favor “drones, sensors and other electronics...a
‘technological wall,’ in the words of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
California Democrat.” This despite the fact that Democrats “cheered” former
President Obama’s 2011 decision to pull the plug “on the Bush-era Secure
Border Initiative Network, or SBINet, which was envisioned as an integrated
system of radar, sensors and video cameras along the entire U.S.-Mexico
border.”

*Castro: Trump Has Created A Tragedy At The Border. *2020
Democratic presidential hopeful Julian Castro, on CBS’ Face The Nation[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05b-de6&t=c>
(1/13), said, “What I believe is he [Trump] has created a tragedy at the
border. This policy of separating children from their parents and the
terrible way that customs and border protection has managed it’s
responsibility including the deaths two of children in the last few weeks,
it’s a tragedy. ... I don’t believe we should have family detention for
people seeking asylum or refugee status. We should develop other ways to
insure people are processed and we’re able to keep track of them in the
country.”

*Gingrich: Trump Should Pay Pelosi, Schumer To Go On TV More.
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05c-755&t=c>
(1/13, Lim) reports former House Speaker Newt Gingrich joked Sunday that
the President should urge Pelosi and Schumer “to do more joint TV
appearances.” Gingrich’s comments followed Pelosi and Schumer’s response to
the President’s Oval Office address on border security. Their response was
“mocked online” for its “awkward[ness].” Gingrich told John Catsimatidis on
AM 970’s “Cats Roundtable” radio program, “[Schumer] and Pelosi were so bad
the other night that the president ought to sort of pay them to go on TV
once a week.”

*GOP Lawmakers: Shutdown Won’t End With Border Wall Resolution. *The
Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05d-c00&t=c>
(1/13, Sherfinski) reports that “even if the wall debate is resolved, it’s
not necessarily the end of the shutdown that has gone well into its fourth
week.” Lawmakers said “plenty of other lingering questions are tucked
inside the spending bills, including abortion policy, immigration detention
— even horse slaughter inspections — all of which will complicate the
fight.” Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) said border security is the big hurdle,
but those other issues are still “major concerns.” Rep. Bradley Byrne
(R-AL) likewise said, “Even if we had a deal on the border wall, we don’t
agree to the Senate appropriations bills.”

*TSA: Eight Percent Of Agents Calling In Sick Amid Shutdown. *NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05e-6a5&t=c>
(1/13, story 2, 1:55, Snow) reported, “The Transportation Security
Administration said today that nearly eight percent of airport security
screeners are calling in sick. That is more than double the rate from one
year ago. In fact, one checkpoint at Houston’s main airport is closed
tonight due to a shortage of TSA workers.” NBC (Leitner) added that Miami’s
airport was “forced to close one terminal because of a shortage of TSA
agents.”

*NYTimes Analysis: Sharpest Effects Of Shutdown Only Beginning To
Emerge. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05f-259&t=c>
(1/13, Blinder) reports that “in many parts of the United States, the
shutdown has underscored how deeply the federal government is connected to
everyday life.” But the Times says the “sharpest effects of the longest
shutdown in the nation’s 242-year history are only beginning to emerge
across the country.”

*Polls Show Americans Blame Trump, Republicans For Shutdown. *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=060-07a&t=c>
(1/13, Levine, Bresnahan) reports President Trump and Republicans are
“losing the messaging war on the government shutdown” as two new polls show
“the majority of Americans think Trump and Republicans are at fault.” A
Washington Post-ABC News poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=061-df0&t=c>
“found that 53 percent of respondents blamed Trump and Republicans in
Congress for the shutdown, while 29 percent blamed Democrats. Thirteen
percent of respondents said both sides were equally to blame.” Another poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=062-4a3&t=c>
from CNN “found that 55 percent of respondents blamed Trump, while 32
percent blamed Democrats. Nine percent blamed both sides.”

Reporting the Washington Post-ABC News poll, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=063-9f3&t=c>
(1/13, Cummings) says, “Unsurprisingly, there was a wide partisan divide in
opinion. While 85 percent of Democrats blamed Trump and congressional
Republicans, 68 percent of Republican voters blamed congressional
Democrats. Among Republicans, 15 percent blamed Trump and their own party
and another 15 percent blamed both sides equally.” Independents, however,
“blamed Trump and Republicans over Democrats by a 30-point margin.” ABC
World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=064-360&t=c>
(1/13, story 4, 2:30, Llamas) said that “while the majority don’t believe
there is a crisis at the border, and most reject calls for the wall, 42
percent support it.”

Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=065-792&t=c>
(1/13) columnist James Downie writes, “President Trump has been in a
petulant mood this weekend. ... But the president’s crankiness is no
surprise: As a new Washington Post-ABC poll shows, Trump is losing the
argument over the government shutdown and building a wall at the southern
border. And he’s losing it badly.” Downie says the “usual fallback here for
those determined to find good news in bad polls for the president is ‘at
least his base is holding.’ And yes, Republican support for the border wall
has ‘jumped 16 points in the past year, from 71 percent to 87 percent’ in
the Post-ABC poll. But Trump’s digging in on the border wall hasn’t
actually improved his support among Republicans, just their support for the
wall itself.”
Foreign Policy
Sources: White House Sought Options To Strike Iran.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=066-893&t=c>
(1/13, Nissenbaum), citing both current and former US officials, reports
that the National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White
House with military options to strike Iran last year. The request
reportedly came after militants fired three mortars into Baghdad’s
diplomatic quarter, home to the US Embassy, in early September. While they
caused no damage, the rocket attacks triggered alarm at the White House,
where National Security Adviser Bolton conducted a series of meetings about
a possible US response, including options to strike Iran.

Citing the Journal, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=067-04c&t=c>
(1/13, Lynch, Chiacu) reports the request “sparked deep concern among
Pentagon and State Department officials,” and Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=068-7d9&t=c>
(1/13, Motevalli) reports Secretary of State Pompeo “declined to comment
when asked by reporters in Qatar if he could confirm the report.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=069-ace&t=c>
(1/13, Schmitt, Landler) reports “senior Pentagon officials are voicing
deepening fears that...Bolton could precipitate a conflict with Iran at a
time when Mr. Trump is losing leverage in the Middle East by pulling out
American troops.” Bolton’s request “alarmed then-Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis and other Pentagon officials.” In response to the request, the
Pentagon “offered some general options, including a cross-border airstrike
on an Iranian military facility that would have been mostly symbolic.”

Asked about the Journal’s report on Fox News Sunday Morning
Futures[ima