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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Wednesday, January 16, 2019 7:55 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, January 16, 2019


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Intelligence Briefing]
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*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, January 16, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Catanese: Democrats Awaiting Biden’s Decision On 2020 Race. <#S1>

• Kraushaar: Biden, Sanders “Look More Like Spoilers Than Frontrunners.”
<#S2>

• Iowa’s Democratic Operatives Eager For Biden, O’Rourke, Sanders To Decide
On Race. <#S3>

• Penn Biden Center Officials Could Become Part Of A 2020 Biden Campaign.
<#S4>

• In Lead-Up To Barr Hearing, GOP Circulates Old Video Of Biden Lauding Him.
<#S5>

• Gillibrand Announces Presidential Bid. <#S6>

• Klobuchar Says Her Family On Board For A 2020 Bid For President. <#S7>

• Warren Continues To Beef Up Her 2020 Operation. <#S8>

• Weighing 2020 Run, Brown To Visit Four Early-Voting States. <#S9>

• WPost Analysis: O’Rourke Avoids Specifics When Discussing Immigration
Issues. <#S10>

• Bloomberg, 76, Says His Age Wouldn’t Keep Him From Be Elected President.
<#S11>

• Abrams, Gillum Being Heavily Courted By 2020 Democratic Hopefuls. <#S12>

• Democratic Party Severs Ties To Women’s March Amid Anti-Semitism
Allegations. <#S13>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Centrist Democrats Decline Invite To White House Lunch To Discuss
Shutdown. <#S14>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• NYTimes Report: Trump Discussed Withdrawing From NATO Last Summer. <#S15>

• British Parliament Rejects May’s Plan For Brexit. <#S16>

• Al-Shabaab Claims Responsibility For Nairobi Hotel Terror Attack. <#S17>

• Reuters Report: Briefing From Commanders Slowed Trump’s Rush To Exit
Syria. <#S18>

• North Korea’s Top Negotiator To Visit Washington This Week. <#S19>

• Pentagon: Chinese Military Rapidly Closing Gap With US, Other World
Powers. <#S20>

• Grassley: Lighthizer Says No Progress Towards US-China Deal. <#S21>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Thousands Of Furloughed Employees Ordered Back To Work Without Pay. <#S22>

• Barr Says He Will Operate Independently Of Trump, Declines To Criticize
Mueller Probe. <#S23>

• Democrats Strike Deal With Whitaker For Testimony Before House Panel.
<#S24>

• New Filing Indicates Prosecutors Have Extensive Details On Manafort
Actions. <#S25>

• Senate Republicans Vote On Motion Opposing Lifting Of Sanctions On
Russian Firms. <#S26>

• House Republicans Request Update On Leak Probe Involving Former FBI
Official. <#S27>

• Judge Rules Against Commerce Department On Citizenship Census Question.
<#S28>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Study: Quitting Smoking Before Lung Cancer Surgery Reduces Risk Of
Complications. <#S29>

• USPSTF Draft Recommendation Reaffirms Support For Drugs For Women At High
Risk For Breast Cancer. <#S30>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S31>

• Washington Post. <#S32>
Biden in the News
Catanese: Democrats Awaiting Biden’s Decision On 2020 Race.

Writing for U.S. News & World Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=002-025&t=c>
(1/16), David Catanese says that former Vice President Joe Biden has been
keeping a low profile “during the first couple weeks of the new year” as he
mulls a possible 2020 White House run. Catanese says some “associates
around Biden” maintain “he hasn’t fully made up his mind” on whether to
enter the race “and believe there’s a chance he could again pass up the
opportunity,” as he did in 2016. Catanese says that Biden’s “most potent
allure is the perception he can defeat President Donald Trump.” However,
says Catanese, “The question is if ‘electability’ is antiquated thinking in
an age when a reality television star was able to defeat a former secretary
of state. There’s the chance that Biden could get eaten up and spit out by
the ascendant, aggressively liberal Democratic Party base.”
Kraushaar: Biden, Sanders “Look More Like Spoilers Than Frontrunners.”

Writing for National Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=003-075&t=c>
(1/16), Josh Kraushaar discusses the 2020 prospects of potential contenders
former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), saying
“they hold serious vulnerabilities that make them unlikely to emerge as the
Democratic Party’s eventual presidential nominee.” Kraushaar cites Biden’s
age, unsuccessful White House runs, past stances “on criminal justice and
economic deregulation,” and vote “to authorize the Iraq War,” among other
things, as drawbacks. In Sanders’ case, Kraushaar cites his age and
accusations “of sexual harassment by staff during his last presidential
campaign” as drawbacks. Kraushaar adds that Biden and Sanders “look more
like spoilers than front-runners.”
Iowa’s Democratic Operatives Eager For Biden, O’Rourke, Sanders To Decide
On Race.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=004-dc6&t=c>
(1/16, McCormick) reports, “Iowa Democrats are bracing for a wide-open 2020
presidential race that will spread millions of dollars across the state,
but uncertainty about the plans of a few potential top-tier candidates has
put many political operatives in a state of suspension.” As the race for
the Democratic presidential nomination gets underway, “Iowa’s
well-established political infrastructure is at least partly frozen in
place, awaiting clearer signals from a group one party veteran calls the
‘triumvirate’ – former Vice President Joe Biden,” Sen. Bernie Sanders
(I-VT), and ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX).
Penn Biden Center Officials Could Become Part Of A 2020 Biden Campaign.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=005-f31&t=c>
(1/15, Bianco) reports that “Penn professor Joe Biden continues to flirt
with a possible” 2020 run for president campaign, though “amid the rumors,
the Penn Biden Center is planning as if the following months will be
business as usual.” Even so, “experts say the Penn Biden Center may be
helping to shape” Biden’s “path to becoming the next commander-in-chief.”
For example, Penn political scientist Marc Meredith “said the most
significant aspect of the Biden Center is ‘that it allows some of Biden’s
advisors to remain close to Biden even though he is currently outside of
government.’” Meredith is further quoted as saying, “I would expect that
some of the people who are affiliated with the Penn Biden Center would join
the Biden campaign if he did decide to run for president.”
In Lead-Up To Barr Hearing, GOP Circulates Old Video Of Biden Lauding Him.

In an online article, Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=006-eb3&t=c>
(1/15, Schallhorn) reported that in the lead-up to “William Barr’s
confirmation hearing to” serve as US attorney general, the GOP circulated
“a decades-old video showing then-Sen. Joe Biden praising the lawyer.” Barr
was “attorney general during the late President George H.W. Bush’s
administration. At the time, Biden...was the Senate Judiciary Committee’s
chairman.” Republicans highlighted “the support Barr received in 1991 –
particularly from Biden – ahead of his appearance before the current Senate
Judiciary Committee Tuesday.” The video circulated by Republicans showed
Biden making positive comments about Barr, including referring to him “as a
‘heck of an honorable guy.’”
Gillibrand Announces Presidential Bid.

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=007-cac&t=c>
(1/15, story 6, 0:50, Glor) reported that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
has “joined a growing list of Democrats who said they intend to run” for
president in 2020, announcing her intention on Tuesday “during a taping of
‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.’” CBS broadcast a clip of Gillibrand
saying, “I’m going to run for President of the United States, because as a
young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would
fight for my own, which is why I believe that healthcare should be a right
and not a privilege. It’s why I believe we should have better public
schools for our kids, because it shouldn’t matter what block you grow up
on. And I believe that anybody who wants to work hard enough should be able
to get whatever job training they need to earn their way into the middle
class.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=008-df1&t=c>
(1/15, Johnson) reports that Gillibrand is “a vocal critic of [President]
Trump, and she has voted against his political appointees and positions at
a higher rate than most Democrats. The president responded in December 2017
by attacking her in a tweet that she called ‘a sexist smear.’” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=009-2a0&t=c>
(1/15, Campbell) reports that Gillibrand told host Stephen Colbert that
“she would file to create an exploratory 2020 committee later Tuesday
night.” During the program, Gillibrand pledged “to take on institutional
racism and corruption in Washington, saying that her campaign’s platform
isn’t possible unless you ‘take on the systems of power.’”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=00a-4bd&t=c>
(1/15, Goldmacher) describes Gillibrand as “an outspoken advocate for
women’s causes and electing more women to office,” and adds that she’s
slated “to start campaigning within days, with plans to spend the weekend
in Iowa.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=00b-920&t=c>
(1/15, Schneider) reported that Gillibrand was reelected last year,
finishing the “campaign with $10.5 million in her federal campaign account
– a hefty nest egg to kick-start a presidential run, trailing only” Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “among the half-dozen senators in who could seek
Democratic nomination. Gillibrand’s campaign spent the last two years
building an online army capable of financing a presidential run, spending
heavily with a digital fundraising firm in 2017 and 2018 and gathering
donations from hundreds of thousands of donors nationwide as her profile
rose in opposition to Trump.”

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=00c-732&t=c>
(1/15, Merica) reported that after taping her appearance “The Late Show,”
Gillibrand “officially filed with the Federal Election Commission and
released her first campaign video, which highlighted her work on the 9/11
health bill, women’s rights and fighting...Trump. ‘I am not afraid of him,’
Gillibrand said of the President.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=00d-034&t=c>
(1/15, Greenwood) reported that Gillibrand, “who was first appointed to
succeed Hillary Clinton in the Senate in 2009, has seen her national
profile balloon in recent years, especially with the advent of the ‘Me Too’
movement in 2017. She became the first Democratic senator to call on
then-Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign amid allegations of sexual
misconduct.”

In an analysis, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=00e-e3e&t=c>
(1/15, Schneider) reported that Gillibrand’s “support for hundreds of
female candidates around the country has been a hallmark of her political
rise. Now, more than any candidate for president ever has, she’s putting
gender at the heart of her pitch to voters – a strategy that could bolster
her cause with a sizable slice of the Democratic base and help her stand
out in a sprawling primary.” However, Gillibrand starts the race “behind
several other prominent women – and men – seeking the same bloc of support,
and she will face strong pressure to construct a winning coalition
including all stripes of voters.”
Klobuchar Says Her Family On Board For A 2020 Bid For President.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=00f-b35&t=c>
(1/15, Lim) reported that Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) “family supports her
running for the White House in 2020.” Appearing Tuesday on MSNBC, Klobuchar
said, “I wanted to talk to my family. So big news today, my family is on
board, including my in-laws, showing some momentum.” The Minneapolis Star
Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=010-b2a&t=c>
(1/15, Keen) reports that during her appearance on MSNBC, Klobuchar said
that in her successful 2018 run for reelection, “she carried every
congressional district in the state, including some that [President] Trump
won ‘handily’ in 2016. ‘It is important to have someone who has some
heartland sensibility,’ she said.” The state GOP “criticized Klobuchar’s
comments, noting that she promised to serve a full term if she was
re-elected”
Warren Continues To Beef Up Her 2020 Operation.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=011-5bd&t=c>
(1/15, Korecki, Thompson) reported that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is
filling “out her 2020 team with some of the party’s top talent, adding” a
pair of DNC “officials who were key players in the 2018 midterms as well as
a high-ranking Democratic Senate Campaign Committee operative,” according
to “two sources.” Politico added, “Joining Warren’s exploratory campaign is
Caitlin Mitchell, who most recently served as the DNC’s chief mobilization
officer”; “Tessa Simonds, who served as the DNC’s director of grassroots
mobilization in 2018”; and “Tracey Lewis, who most recently worked at the
DSCC as deputy executive director and chief operating officer and has
experience in New Hampshire and southern states.”
Weighing 2020 Run, Brown To Visit Four Early-Voting States.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=012-425&t=c>
(1/15, Richardson) reports that Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) “will travel to
Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, the latest move in a
possible run for president in 2020.” Brown’s “first stop will be Jan. 31 in
Iowa, with the other early-primary season states following over the course
of February.” The article adds, “The early-state trip – which Brown coined
the ‘Dignity of Work’ Tour – will let Brown see if his populist,
progressive message works on a national level.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=013-26c&t=c>
(1/15, Strauss) reported that Brown “is calling his trips the ‘Dignity of
Work’ tour, touting his 2018 campaign motto that he has repurposed into a
potential presidential slogan emphasizing aid for the working class. ...
‘Dignity of work means hard work should pay off for everyone, no matter who
you are or what kind of work you do. ... It’s what I fight for everyday
representing the people of Ohio and it’s what we will fight for together on
this tour around the country,’ Brown said in a statement.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=014-337&t=c>
(1/15, Hagen) reported, “Some Democrats see Brown as a candidate who could
win over both progressives and Trump voters, especially since the two
overlap on issues like trade.”
WPost Analysis: O’Rourke Avoids Specifics When Discussing Immigration
Issues.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=015-cee&t=c>
(1/15, Johnson) reports that “in a digital ad that recently went viral,”
ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) “tore into President Trump’s desired border
wall,” and “noted that most undocumented immigrants who arrived in the
United States in the past decade came not over the border but on visas that
then expired.” However, when asked “what should be done to address visa
overstays,” O’Rourke replied, “I don’t know,” before adding, “that’s
something that we should be debating.” The Post says “when it comes to many
of the biggest policy issues facing the country today, O’Rourke’s default
stance is to call for a debate – even on issues related to the border and
immigration, which he has heavily emphasized.” The Post adds, “It’s an
approach that puts off specifics that might define him or narrow his appeal
in a presidential race.”
Bloomberg, 76, Says His Age Wouldn’t Keep Him From Be Elected President.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=016-45d&t=c>
(1/15, Gillies) reports that ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
(D-NY) on Tuesday said “that if he decides to run for president he can
still win despite being older.” Bloomberg, 76, “said there is a thought in
America that if you are over 50, white and male you are never going to get
elected, but he disagrees. He said during a question and answer session at
the University of Toronto that people still want maturity, experience and
accomplishment.” Bloomberg, who is considering a 2020 White House run,
said, “There is nothing wrong with people being young. But there is also
nothing wrong with people being older.” The AP adds, “Former Vice President
Joe Biden is 76 and Sen. Bernie Sanders is 77 and both are also mulling it
over. Donald Trump is 72.”
Abrams, Gillum Being Heavily Courted By 2020 Democratic Hopefuls.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=017-4d9&t=c>
(1/16, Caputo, Strauss) reports that ex-state Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-GA) and
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D-FL), “two of the Democratic Party’s
breakout candidates of 2018, despite” falling short in the gubernatorial
bids in Georgia and Florida, respectively, “are looking to parlay their
near-success into the defeat of Donald Trump in 2020.” The two
“African-American pols amassed so much political fame that they’re a
must-call for the growing roster of likely Democratic presidential
contenders. They’re also on some early and unofficial lists as possible
vice-presidential running mates.” The pair also have “valuable donor and
volunteer lists, in the Southeast’s two biggest states that, if won next
year, would almost guarantee a Democratic White House.”
Democratic Party Severs Ties To Women’s March Amid Anti-Semitism
Allegations.

The Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=018-c78&t=c>
(1/15, Kucinich) reported that the Democratic National Committee “has
become the latest group to removed its name from the list of sponsors of
the Women’s March less than 24 hours after one of the March’s leaders
refused to denounce Louis Farrakhan during a nationally televised
interview.” The DNC “no longer appears on the Women’s March partner list on
Monday, after march co-presidents Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland appeared on
The View to address the criticism of their leadership and allegations of
anti-semitism that have been levied against them by former members of their
leadership team.” The Federalist
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=019-f0a&t=c>
(1/15, Osburn) said that “the DNC offered no explanation or condemnation of
several march leaders’ well-documented history of anti-Semitism, yet the
committee’s name is no longer listed as a ‘sponsor’ on the Women’s March
partner list.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=01a-b12&t=c>
(1/15, Ortiz) describes the Women’s March as “beset by controversy,” and
points out “some of the group’s members have been accused of holding
anti-Semitic views.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=01b-556&t=c>
(1/15, Richardson) says that “dozens of top progressive groups, including
the Center for American Progress, EMILY’s List, the Human Rights Campaign
and the Southern Poverty Law Center, ended their partnerships prior to
Saturday’s march amid allegations of anti-Semitism directed at Women’s
March leaders, which they deny.” The Jewish Democratic Council of America
“praised the DNC and progressive groups for separating themselves from the
Women’s March.”

BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=01c-27c&t=c>
(1/15, Cramer) reported that “Democrats eyeing bids for the White House”
also “appear to be steering clear of the once-celebrated annual event, with
no announced plans to attend this Saturday’s march and few candidates
willing to weigh in on the controversy.” BuzzFeed added that “when reached
this week, seven prominent Democratic hopefuls did not respond to questions
about the march. Four said they would be traveling elsewhere or had no
plans to attend.”
Leading the News
Centrist Democrats Decline Invite To White House Lunch To Discuss Shutdown.

Members of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition yesterday declined a White House
lunch invitation to discuss a way out of the ongoing government shutdown.
The story was not mentioned on the major network newscasts. USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=01d-7eb&t=c>
(1/15, Collins, Jackson, Gaudiano) points out Speaker Pelosi “and other
Democratic leaders weren’t invited to meeting, but the speaker had given
her colleagues permission to attend.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=01e-172&t=c>
(1/15, Werner) reports, however, that the invited Democrats “skipped the
meeting amid calls for unity from Democratic leaders and fellow lawmakers
who had voiced concerns the meeting would be little more than a photo
opportunity that bolsters Trump.” Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=01f-245&t=c>
(1/15) told its viewers “the lunch reinforced the mantra that...Trump is
willing to cut a deal but the Democrats only want to obstruct,” and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=020-d46&t=c>
(1/15, Restuccia, Caygle, Bade) quotes White House Press Secretary Sarah
Sanders as saying ahead of the lunch meeting, “Today, the President offered
both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White
House. Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend. ... It’s time for the
Democrats to come to the table and make a deal.” Print and cable coverage,
however, mostly downplays White House and GOP criticism of Democrats’
refusal to sit down with Trump. Instead, media analysis cast the White
House’s invite as a failed gambit to divide its opponents, and highlight
Speaker Pelosi’s seemingly strong grip over her caucus.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=021-d60&t=c>
(1/15, Restuccia, Caygle, Bade), for example, refers to “the latest setback
for a president who is running out of options to reopen the government and
realize his long-standing pledge to build the border wall,” and the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=022-33d&t=c>
(1/15, Mascaro, Lucey, Colvin) casts Trump as “trying to bypass...Pelosi.” CQ
Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=023-f45&t=c>
(1/15, Bennett) sees the Democrats’ decision to skip the meeting as “a sign
of how dug in both sides are with no deal in sight,” and Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=024-bb2&t=c>
(1/15, Vavra)calls the invitation “the White House’s attempt to appeal to
Democrats who are facing pressure in districts carried by...Trump in 2016.”
To The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=025-567&t=c>
(1/15, Fabian, Wong), meanwhile, the spurned invite “signaled that Pelosi
has retained her grip over the Democratic caucus in the wall fight, despite
the White House’s effort to divide the party.”

Along similar lines, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=026-c1b&t=c>
(1/15, Werner) says it was “a snub that underscores the extraordinary
divisions that have brought negotiations over the government shutdown to a
standstill,” and that it “marked another failure in the White House’s
ongoing attempt to splinter Democrats, who instead are holding firm against
Trump’s demands.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=027-a8f&t=c>
(1/15, Enjeti) also says “the Democratic refusal to participate in the
meeting comes as...Pelosi maintains an absolutist position that Democrats
will not negotiate with Trump over funding for a proposed wall along the US
southern border.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=028-d30&t=c>
(1/15, Davis) refers to “the latest indication that the party is continuing
to stand firm against Mr. Trump’s demand that any proposal to reopen the
government must include $5.7 billion for a wall on the southwestern
border.” The Times also reports that “in a closed-door meeting of House
Democratic leaders on Monday,” Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
“said they had no problem with the idea of rank-and-file Democrats meeting
with Mr. Trump,” and Pelosi “said such a session would give lawmakers a
sense of ‘what we’ve been dealing with’ in a series of tense meetings with
the president in the Situation Room since the shutdown began. ‘They’ll want
to make a citizen’s arrest,’ she added at one point.” The Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=029-bfb&t=c>
(1/15, Nicholas, Peterson) runs a similar report.

David Gergen said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=02a-dd4&t=c>
(1/15) that for “the Democrats to...go down to the White House was a fool’s
errand. The last two times he’s had people in from the Hill he’s used it as
a political stunt on television. ... Why should they go back and be TV prop
for him?” USA Today Columnist Kristen Powers said, also on CNN’s The
Lead[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=02b-71e&t=c>
(1/15), “I think that the moderate Democrats felt like it was a photo op
and that they were trying to divide to Democrats and the Democrats were
totally united on this. And so, there was no point to do it even if Pelosi
said ‘go ahead and do it.’ I think that the White House is in a position
now where they’re losing this battle. And I still don’t know what the
negotiation is, because it is basically...Trump saying ‘Give me a wall.’”

On the other hand, Real Clear Politics’ Tom Bevan said on Fox News’
Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=02c-924&t=c>
(1/15), “I think Democrats are starting to run the risk of intransigence –
not even showing up to bargain at all – and even arrogance. Being on
junkets in Puerto Rico while the government to shut down, that is not a
good look for Democrats and that may end up hurting them in the long run.”
Former Trump campaign senior adviser David Urban said on CNN’s The Lead[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=02d-a04&t=c>
(1/15), “I think it is a mistake on the Democrats’ part not to send people
to these meetings. ... If I were the Democrats I would show up every day
and say ‘Look, we are here to negotiate.’ At least you’re participating the
process.”

In his opening monologue on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=02e-8be&t=c>
(1/15), Sean Hannity similarly stated, “Trump invited Democrats to the
White House. He is trying to make a deal. He is offering them every
opportunity, invited them to lunch and a meeting to discuss border
security. That invitation was once again rejected by, oh,
I-will-give-you-a-dollar Nancy Pelosi and company, making it all the more
difficult for the President to negotiate with a group of people. How do you
negotiate when they won’t come to the table to talk?”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=02f-f32&t=c>
(1/15, Fabian, Wong) reports “two of the GOP lawmakers” invited to the
meeting, Reps. Rodney Davis (IL) and John Katko (NY), “have voted for
Democratic bills to reopen government agencies.” After the meeting ended,
“Republicans lambasted Democrats for refusing to attend in an attempt to
pin blame on them for the shutdown.” Said Davis, “He’s put a deal on the
table. ... The sheer fact that no Democrats [were] here to even talk with
us shows the lack of willingness to compromise.” Katko said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=030-c5b&t=c>
(1/15), “I understand there’s a tremendous amount of pressure not to do
anything that might be perceived as caving.” He also said, “The plan from
the President I heard today was that he wanted to continue to engage in
negotiations to find a solution. He is hoping that the other side will get
engaged. ... If I was Nancy Pelosi, I’d be licking my chops because I’d be
able to realize that I have a great opportunity to present a compromise
proposal. ... Just to not negotiate is not helpful.”

Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=031-47a&t=c>
(1/15), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said, “Everybody ought to get in that room
and say, ‘Look we all agree on border security, We voted for it. Let’s get
something done.’ ... If I was the President, what I did when I was the
governor...you look at every option you can you say, ‘it’s my job to make
sure we have a secure border. What are my options?’ ... I worked with my
legislature. Did I get it done exactly the way I wanted things done? No.
But I know they had to win and we had to win to get something done for my
state.”

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=032-a47&t=c>
(1/15), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said in regards tot he standoff over the
partial shutdown, “Here’s how we get out of it. We’ve got to finally look
at this and say, ‘Sometimes both sides can win,’ or maybe ‘Both sides have
to lose.’ We’re going to have to compromise. I would say to my friends on
the Democratic side, there’s going to have to be some kind of a wall and
border security. To my friends on the Republican side, there’s going to be
some things that the Democrats want.”

Sen. Mark Warner, writing in the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=033-6b3&t=c>
(1/15), calls on Trump to negotiate a deal.

*Graham: Democrats “Being Hypocritical.” *Sen. Lindsey Graham
(R-SC) said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=034-823&t=c>
(1/15), “I think Democrats are being hypocritical because they all voted
for more wall funding than the President is asking for. ... Mr. President,
if Democrats come to you in the Senate and say that we would like to work
with you for a few weeks to see if we could solved this problem, give them
a chance and if they don’t deliver, do it by yourself.”

*Trump To State, Local Leaders: “Stay Together – We’re Going To
Win.” *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=035-f71&t=c>
(1/15, Athey) reports “Trump reassured state and local leaders during a
briefing call on border security Tuesday that he is not planning on backing
down on his demands for border wall funding.” According to “a source on the
phone call... the president came on the line after Department of Homeland
Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen to soothe participants’ fears about the
partial government shutdown.” Said Trump, “We’re not going back until the
Democrats do what they know they have to do. ... Stay together – we’re
going to win.”

*Pence: Democrats Refusing To Compromise On Border Wall Funding. *Vice
President Pence writes in USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=036-d71&t=c>
(1/16) that “America has a national security and humanitarian crisis at our
southern border, and...Trump has promised to end it. We’ve already taken
important steps, but rather than work with us to make further progress,
Democrats in Congress have refused to compromise on the wall, leading to
the longest government shutdown in US history.” Democrats, he adds, “have
been unwilling to seriously discuss even partial wall funding. ... It’s
time for Democrats in Congress to do their job, negotiate in good faith,
and reach an agreement that ends the humanitarian and security crisis at
our border and reopens the government. The American people deserve nothing
less.”

*Pelosi Opened Caucus Meeting Reading Quinnipiac Poll Results,
Urging Lawmakers To Stay On Message. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=037-2c0&t=c>
(1/15, Werner) reports that “at a closed-door meeting of the House
Democratic Caucus on Tuesday morning, Pelosi began by reading results of
the latest Quinnipiac University poll, showing voters blame Trump more than
Democrats for the shutdown.” According to an anonymous “aide,” Pelosi “went
on to tell her caucus: ‘We want to talk about our values in terms of
immigration and how that’s always been bipartisan, including George Herbert
Walker Bush, Ronald Reagan and the rest. Not to go into that, but to just
say that I understand you all want to know what’s the next step, but just
the message of ‘Open up government so we can have this discussion’ is a
very important message.’”

*Hill, Bustos, Garamendi Among House Democrats To Support Border
Barrier. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=038-ae4&t=c>
(1/15, Athey) reports that the White House strategy of seeking to peel off
Democratic votes “appears to be a sound one, as a number of Democrats have
publicly stated that they support funding for at least a partial border
wall or fence.” The DC adds that “Freshman Democratic California Rep. Katie
Hill told CNN last week that she would ‘vote for some money for physical
barriers,’” while “Democratic Washington Rep. Adam Smith conceded that ‘the
wall is not in itself a bad idea.’” Rep. Chery Bustos (D-IL) said on CNN,
“If we have a partial wall, if we have fencing, if we have technology used
to keep our borders safe, all of that is fine.” Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA)
“similarly said that he would support a border fence.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=039-b4b&t=c>
(1/15, Davis) also reports that “in the House, some freshman Democrats who
won in districts carried by Mr. Trump in 2016 planned to...talk about
whether – and how hard – to push their leaders to negotiate with the White
House.” Said Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), “Maybe it’s an outlier view
compared to some others in the Democratic Party, but I believe we have a
responsibility to get in a room and negotiate.” However, “Democratic
leaders expressed confidence that their members would not break from their
leaders’ strategy, notwithstanding Mr. Trump’s attempts to entice them.”
Said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, “Is anybody surprised that the
president is trying to get votes anywhere he can get votes? ... We are
totally united – totally.”

*McConnell: Shutdown Is Pelosi’s Fault. *McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=03a-3fb&t=c>
(1/14, Clark) reports Senate Majority Leader McConnell, “who has come under
fire for not doing more to end the government shutdown, sought to target a
new villain this week by blaming...Pelosi for the impasse.” As the Senate
returned to the Capitol “with no sign of the now-record partial government
shutdown ending, McConnell took to the Senate floor” where he charged that
Pelosi, the “very distinguished congresswoman from San Francisco, has
decided that opposing President Trump comes before the security of our
borders.” Pelosi responded via Twitter, “noting McConnell hasn’t held any
votes this year to re-open the government.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=03b-ebb&t=c>
(1/15, Sullivan) says the shutdown has “put McConnell in an unfamiliar role
— spectator. By choice, he has stepped away from the talks to resolve the
impasse over $5.7 billion for President Trump’s border wall...while
refusing to vote on House bills to reopen the government.” Still, the Post
says he has “retained the support of most fellow Republican senators, who
appear to be largely united behind his strategy.”

*Politico Analysis: Group Of Senators Seeking End To Shutdown
Unlikely To Succeed. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=03c-41f&t=c>
(1/15, Everett) reports that a bipartisan group of senators is “trying to
set up a gang to end the government shutdown,” but “few senators believe
the group has a real shot at success, given that its chief goal is at odds”
with President Trump’s “hard-line stance. And party leaders aren’t offering
much encouragement.” Sen. Roy Blunt said, “The gang concept almost never
works. And when it does, the people who were part of the gang are almost
always sorry they were part of the gang.” Blunt added that “he can see no
scenario under which Republicans vote for a bill funding the government
that Trump doesn’t support.”

*House Fails To Pass CR Funding Government Operation. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=03d-95d&t=c>
(1/15, Brufke) reports “House Democrats on Tuesday failed to garner the
two-thirds majority needed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to provide
funding to reopen the government through Feb. 1.” The bill “went down
237-187.” It “was brought to the floor in an effort to pressure GOP
lawmakers to break with President Trump in his demand for border wall
funding amid the partial government shutdown.” The Hill adds “six
Republicans – Reps. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.), Will Hurd (Texas), John Katko
(N.Y.), Chris Smith (N.J.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.) and Brian
Fitzpatrick (Pa.) – joined Democrats in voting for the measure, fewer than
backed similar legislation last week.”

*House Cancels Recess. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=03e-a30&t=c>
(1/15, Collins, Jackson, Gaudiano) reports “the House canceled a recess
that had been planned for next week and will remain in session as lawmakers
look for ways to reopen the government.”

*White House Revises Upward Economic Impact Of Shutdown. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=03f-605&t=c>
(1/15, Holland, Cornwell) reports the US economy is “taking a
larger-than-expected hit from the partial government shutdown, White House
estimates showed on Tuesday.” According to Reuters, the Administration “had
initially estimated the shutdown would cost the economy 0.1 percentage
point in growth every two weeks that employees were without pay. But on
Tuesday, there was an updated figure: 0.13 percentage point every week
because of the impact of work left undone by 380,000 furloughed employees
as well as work left aside by federal contractors, a White House official
said.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=040-12d&t=c>
(1/15, Tankersley) says the revised estimates from the Council of Economic
Advisers, “and other projections from outside the White House, suggests
that the shutdown has already weighed significantly on growth and could
ultimately push the United States economy into a contraction.”

*Barr Calls For Border “Barrier System.” *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=041-278&t=c>
(1/15, Theobald) reports that “during much of his confirmation hearing,
William Barr presented himself as independent-minded and unworried about
any pressure that might come from President Donald Trump if they were to
disagree.” On immigration, however, he “sounded very much like the man who
nominated him to be attorney general but eventually clarified his stance
when pressed further on the matter of a border wall.” Said Barr, “We need a
barrier system on the border in order to get control of the border.” He
later added, “I am advocating a barrier system,” though “in some places it
may not be necessary to have a wall.”

*Texas Governor Does Not Mention Wall Dispute In Inaugural Speech. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=042-bd8&t=c>
(1/15, Weber) reports that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) “made no mention of
President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall after taking the oath for a
second term as Texas governor.” The AP adds, “Texas would be affected by
the wall more than any other state. Still, in separate inaugural speeches
Tuesday, neither Abbott nor Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick mentioned a proposal to
have the state pay for part of the border wall if the federal government
pays Texas back.”

*WTimes Analysis: Effective E-Verify System Little Discussed Amid
Wall, Immigration Debate. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=043-9d0&t=c>
(1/15, Miller) reports, “Nobody in the heated debate over border security
and illegal immigration is talking about requiring businesses to check
whether workers are in the country legally,” despite a 2016 study that
“found reduced numbers of immigrants living in the US illegally in states
with mandatory E-Verify.” In the past, President Trump and Senate Minority
Leader Schumer “both advocated for mandatory E-Verify with tough
enforcement measures to block immigrants from working in the US illegally”
to remove incentives for “border jumpers who come looking for work.” The
Times adds Trump has left E-Verify out of his “‘four pillars’ plan to
combat illegal immigration.”

*Honduran Police Arrest New Migrant Caravan Organizer For Rape. *
Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=044-cf6&t=c>
(1/15, Ortiz, Darby) reports “police in Honduras arrested one of the
organizing members of a new caravan of migrants who are seeking to reach
the U.S. border. Police arrested the caravan organizer – serving a warrant
on the charge of rape.” Breitbart adds “authorities have confirmed the
arrest of 26-year-old Juan Carlos Molina.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=045-ef7&t=c>
(1/15, Martinez) reports that “hundreds of Hondurans trekked out of a
violent northern city Tuesday, part of a new caravan of migrants hoping to
reach the United States or Mexico.” According to the AP, “The first groups
of migrants left San Pedro Sula’s bus station Monday night, with many women
and children boarding buses bound for the Guatemalan border while others
started walking and hitchhiking under a steady rain.” Honduran media
“reported that the country’s authorities had reinforced the border with
Guatemala to make sure everyone had proper documentation.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=046-f81&t=c>
(1/15, Kinosian) says the caravan includes “an estimated 2,000 migrants,”
who “traveled from all over [Honduras] to the bus terminal in San Pedro
Sula this week after learning about the journey from a flier circulating on
social media and local news reports.”

Former ICE Director: Wall Needed, Opposition Only “About Hate For
Donald Trump.”Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=047-5c2&t=c>
(1/15, Starr) reports “families who have lost loved ones at the hands of
illegal immigrants surrounded former Acting Director of Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan on Tuesday as he called for a border
wall to be built.” Said Homan, “There is no manufactured crisis. ... We
need a border wall.” Homan “pointed out during his remarks that until now
Democrats have been in favor of building a border barrier to stop illegal
immigration – before Trump became president.” Added Homan, “This is about
hate for Donald Trump. ... This is about not giving this president a win on
the border.”

*“Angel Families,” “Women For Trump” March On Pelosi’s Office To
Demand Wall. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=048-9a1&t=c>
(1/15, Moons) reports “Angel families, American victims of crimes committed
by illegal aliens, marched on Capitol Hill and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s
office Tuesday, along with legislators and Women for Trump.” The Angel
families “chanted ‘build the wall’ in Pelosi’s office.” Reps. Mo Brooks,
Louie Gohmert, Matt Gaetz “were among the several legislators gathered with
the Angel families and Women for Trump in front of the US Capitol Building,
as they put faces to the statistics of Americans killed or injured due to
illegal aliens and the drugs that flow in the US at the southern border.”
Another Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=049-995&t=c>
(1/15, Caplan) story points out Pelosi “refused to meet with the grieving
family members who lost loved ones to illegal aliens crime.” Activist
Julianne Thompson tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=04a-53a&t=c>,
“At @SpeakerPelosi office asking for a meeting for Angel Families. She was
too busy to meet with them.” Sabine Durden, “whose son Dominic was struck
dead in 2012 by an illegal alien, said of Pelosi’s and other Democrats’
decision not to meet” with Angel Mothers, “It’s a slap, it’s a stab, it’s a
kick in the gut, in the groin.”

*Loomer Live-Streams Set Up Of “Sanctuary” On Pelosi’s Lawn In
California. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=04b-73a&t=c>
(1/15, Chasmar) reports “conservative provocateur Laura Loomer’s latest
stunt included bringing a trio of self-described illegal immigrants to set
up a ‘sanctuary’ on...Pelosi’s lawn in California.” Loomer “live-streamed
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=04c-f18&t=c>
the stunt on Periscope on Monday as a protest against the Democratic
Party’s opposition to President Trump’s proposed southern border wall and
Mrs. Pelosi’s characterization of the wall as ‘immoral.’”

*Menendez Slams Fox News For Coverage Of Photo Showing Him
Shirtless In Puerto Rican Beach. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=04d-d3e&t=c>
(1/15, Chasmar) reports “Sen. Bob Menendez lashed out at a Fox News
reporter Tuesday over the network’s coverage of a photo showing him
shirtless on a beach in Puerto Rico during the government shutdown.”
Menendez “was among a delegation of congressional Democrats who traveled to
Puerto Rico for two days of meetings concerning the damage brought by
Hurricane Maria and a charity performance of ‘Hamilton,’” which “Trump and
others have slammed the trip as a ‘vacation.’”
Foreign Policy
NYTimes Report: Trump Discussed Withdrawing From NATO Last Summer.

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=04e-bb3&t=c>
(1/15, story 2, 1:25, Holt) reported that according to the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=04f-274&t=c>,
“President Trump seriously considered pulling out of NATO last summer, a
move that would have weakened the alliance aimed at deterring Russian
aggression.” NBC said the report comes as Trump defends himself against
revelations the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation into him
last year, and “as Senate Democrats and some Republicans voted on a measure
aimed at blocking the Treasury Department from easing sanctions on three
Russian companies linked to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

Brian Todd reported for CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=050-64c&t=c>
(1/15, 5:50 p.m. EST) that experts say a US withdrawal from NATO could be
“devastating,” emboldening the Kremlin “to act much more aggressively
toward Europe.” Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=051-bde&t=c>
(1/15) showed Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) saying, “I think that act would be
so destructive to our country, it would be a ground for some profound
effort by our part. Whether it’s impeachment or the 25th amendment.”
Likewise, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said, “I don’t agree with him or anybody
withdrawing from NATO, we would certainly have a lot less influence.”

In his opening monologue on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=052-8fa&t=c>
(1/15), Tucker Carlson said the New York Times report “is a huge story. Or
would have been a huge story in 1983 when the Soviet Union still existed
and it was still clear what the point of NATO was. NATO was created to keep
the soviets from invading western Europe and NATO did a very good job of
that all the way until the very day the Soviet Union collapsed. ...
Vladimir Putin runs Russia now. He does not plan to invade western Europe.
He can’t. So why do we still have NATO? Well, nobody really knows. In
Washington, you are definitely not allowed to ask.” He added that the left
is “benefiting hugely from the status quo and they don’t like being
challenged. They consider asking difficult questions a criminal act.”
Carlson also said, “According to saying member of congress, someone there
right now rethinking membership in NATO isn’t treasonous, it is prima facie
evidence of insanity.”

*WTimes Analysis: Trump Has Sided With Ukraine Over Russia Since
Campaign. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=053-e00&t=c>
(1/15, Scarborough) reports that “to Trump campaign veterans, the stories
surrounding the 2016 Republican Party platform debate on Ukraine have fed a
myth as large as the Christopher Steele dossier’s unproven anti-Trump
allegations.” The Times says that narrative “has arisen again” with the New
York Times’ report that the FBI opened an inquiry in 2017 into whether
President Trump was an agent of Russia. One piece of evidence “was the
debate on Ukraine at the Republican National Convention during which the
plank supposedly was weakened to appease Russia” but the Times says “no
public evidence indicates Mr. Trump was involved.”
British Parliament Rejects May’s Plan For Brexit.

Lucy Kafanov reported for NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=054-da3&t=c>
(1/15, story 6, 1:05, Holt) that “America’s closest ally” is “in chaos”
after the British Parliament “overwhelmingly rejected” Prime Minister
Theresa May’s plan for Brexit. According to Kafanov, “Brits are now unsure
how or even if they’ll leave the EU, but tonight, May insists she is
pushing ahead with Brexit.”

Reporting for ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=055-abe&t=c>
(1/15, story 7, 1:20, Muir), Terry Moran called the vote “a moment of truth
for the United Kingdom,” adding that while May will “probably survive” a
vote of no confidence on Tuesday, she will need to come up with a new deal
with just 73 days until a deadline for the UK to leave the European Union.
Likewise, Roxana Saberi reported for the CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011601biden&r=email-2f39&l=056-a20&t=c>
(1/15, story 4, 1:40, Glor) that May has “vowed to then reach across party
lines and present a ‘Plan B’ by Monday.”

In its lead story, Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
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(1/15, 6:01 p.m. EST) described the vote as “a political earthquake in
London.” Greg Palkot reported for Fox that “these numbers are astounding,”
with May losing the vote by “a whopping 230 votes.” According to Palkot, it
was “the biggest political defeat for British government in modern
history.” Likewise, CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender.
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(1/15) called the vote “a defeat of historic proportions.”

The Los Angeles Times
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(1/15, Boyle) reports the vote is “throwing the torturous Brexit process
into new chaos and setting the stage for a parliamentary vote of no
confidence in her government.” The Times also calls it “a devastating blow
to May,” and “the worst parliamentary defeat for a sitting British
government in nearly a century.” In response “European leaders expressed
dismay.” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, “I urge
the United Kingdom to clarify its intentions as soon as possible. Time is
almost up.” The Times also reports that “within moments of the vote,
opposition Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn called a vote of no confidence in
May’s government, to be held within 24 hours.”

Reuters
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(1/15, James, Maclellan, Piper) reports the vote is “triggering political
chaos that could lead to a disorderly exit from the EU or even to a
reversal of the 2016 decision to leave.” Reuters adds that the vote
“appeared to catastrophically undermine May’s two-year strategy of forging
an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit.” EU
chairman Donald Tusk said, “If a deal is impossible, and no one wants no
deal, then who will finally have the courage to say what the only positive
solution is?”

The AP
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(1/15, Lawless, Kirka, Katz) reports the vote is “plunging the Brexit
process into chaos and leading to a no-confidence vote in her government,”
and USA Today
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(1/15, Hjelmgaard) says the vote “could delay or derail Brexit and
threatens May’s leadership.” USA Today adds that should May win the
“confidence vote, she’ll have three days to devise a backup plan.” Bloomberg
News
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(1/15, Krause-Jackson) calls it “a humiliating defeat” that leaves her plan
for Brexit “all but dead,” and to the Washington Post
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(1/15, Adam), “May stood almost alone on Tuesday.”

The New York Times
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(1/15, Castle, Barry) reports the result is “thrusting the country further
into political chaos with only 10 weeks to go until it is scheduled to
leave the bloc.” The Times adds that “there is no clear path forward that
can command a majority in the Commons.”

The Wall Street Journal
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(1/15, Colchester, Douglas) reports the defeat means that all options are
open for consideration, though it adds that a no-deal Brexit is now more
likely. The Journal adds that even after the defeat, May is expected to
remain prime minister as her critics within the Conservative Party have
promised to support the government in a confidence vote.

*WPost, WSJournal View May’s Deal As Best Available. *The Washington
Post
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(1/15) in an editorial says the defeat “was all the more devastating
because no one – not Prime Minister Theresa May, and certainly not her
opponents – has anything with which to replace it.” The Post urges May and
her critics to “make it their overriding priority to avoid that disastrous
outcome” of a no-deal Brexit.

The Wall Street Journal
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(1/15) editorializes that the defeat of the plan gives Parliament the
responsibility of self-government. The Journal adds that the deal
negotiated by May is the best deal possible. The Journal suggests that
replacing May with a strong Brexit supporter like Boris Johnson might
improve the situation by making Brexiteers responsible for the situation.
Al-Shabaab Claims Responsibility For Nairobi Hotel Terror Attack.

In its lead story, the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
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(1/15, lead story, 2:25, Glor) reported that at least 15 were killed when
terrorists stormed a hotel in Kenya on Tuesday, with at least one American
reported to be among the dead. Debora Patta reported the attack began early
Tuesday afternoon “when armed gunmen stormed the plush hotel and office
complex.” CCTV footage shows “the armed gunmen moving through the complex
with military precision, looking for victims.” Al-Shabaab has claimed
responsibility for the attack.

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(1/15, story 5, 1:20, Holt), Bill Neely reported the hotel is “popular with
Westerners,” but it is not clear if Americans were among the victims of the
attack. ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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(1/15, story 5, 1:30, Muir) reported the Kenyan government says the site
has been secured, but more gunshots were heard and families are reporting
loved ones still trapped inside. The AP
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(1/15, Mwihia) notes al-Shabaab is “the Somalia-based Islamic group that
carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people
dead.”

Reuters
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(1/15, Obulutsa, Ratner) reports “Nairobi is a major expatriate hub, and
the compound targeted contained offices of various international companies,
in an echo of a deadly 2013 assault on a Nairobi shopping center in the
same neighborhood.” The Washington Post
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(1/15, Bearak) says that Kenya “has been repeatedly attacked by fighters
from the militant al-Shabab movement based in neighboring Somalia, most
dramatically for Nairobi in 2013 in an attack on the Westgate mall.” The
Post adds that “after Westgate, almost all possible targets around Nairobi
got major security installations where every person was searched upon
entry.” The Post also notes that in 2015, “nearly 150 people were killed
and dozens more injured when al-Shabab militants stormed Garissa University
in northeastern Kenya.” The New York Times
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(1/15, De Freytas-Tamura), among other news outlets, also reports on the
attack.
Reuters Report: Briefing From Commanders Slowed Trump’s Rush To Exit Syria.

Reuters
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(1/15, Holland, Stewart, Wroughton) reports President Trump was “reeling
from sharp rebukes at home and abroad over his surprise announcement last
month to immediately pull American troops out of Syria when he flew into
the al Asad airbase in neighboring Iraq the day after Christmas.” During
the visit, Trump “received operational briefs from US commanders suggesting
a territorial victory against Islamic State was within sight, but the
military needed just a bit more time, US officials said.” Lt. Gen. Paul
LaCamera, commander of the US-led coalition against ISIS, “explained to a
president who had lost patience with the war why too rapid a withdrawal
could not be done without putting troops at risk.” One official told
Reuters, “I definitely think that was a seminal meeting” in terms of
influencing Trump’s thinking. Reuters adds that “nearly three weeks after
the briefing, no troops have withdrawn from Syria and only some equipment
has moved out.”
North Korea’s Top Negotiator To Visit Washington This Week.

CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
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