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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Friday, January 4, 2019 7:57 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
January 4, 2019


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=001-634&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, January 4, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Feinstein Says She’d Back Biden For 2020 Democratic Presidential
Nomination. <#S1>

• Insiders: In 2020 Democratic Field, Bloomberg And Biden Likely To Be
Favorites Of Wall Street. <#S2>

• Democratic Strategist Seawright Says Biden “Has A Built-In Constituency.”
<#S3>

• Biden Decision On 2020 Race Expected In “The Coming Weeks.” <#S4>

• Boston Globe Offers Brief Looks At How Potential 2020 Candidates “Are
Stacking Up” In NH Primary. <#S5>

• Freshman Rep. Brindisi Votes For Biden Instead Of Pelosi For House
Speaker. <#S6>

• WTimes Highlights NYTimes Report On Biden’s Speaking Engagement
Requirements. <#S7>

• CQ Roll Call Video Shows Contrasting Styles Of Biden, Pence At Mock
Swearings-In. <#S8>

• Report: Biden Celebrated New Year’s Eve On St. Croix. <#S9>

• Trump Mocks Warren With Suggested Campaign Slogan. <#S10>

• O’Malley Says He Won’t Run For President, Backs O’Rourke. <#S11>

• Axios’ Mike Allen: Potential 2020 Democratic Hopefuls Wooing Hillary
Clinton. <#S12>

• Politico: MSNBC’s Maddow Poised To Play Key Role In 2020 Democratic Race.
<#S13>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Pelosi Returns To Speaker’s Chair As Democrats Take Control Of House.
<#S14>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• WPost Analysis: Trump Syria Comments Show Break With Bolton, Pompeo Syria
Plans. <#S15>

• Pence: Trump Seeking Less Military Commitment In Afghanistan. <#S16>

• Pompeo: Iranian Satellite Launch Would Violate UNSC Resolution. <#S17>

• Saudis Charge 11 In Connection With Murder Of Khashoggi. <#S18>

• Whelan, Officially Charged With Espionage In Russia, Seeks Bail. <#S19>

• US Delegation In Turkey To Discuss Potential Extradition Of Gulen. <#S20>

• North Korean Ambassador To Italy May Have Defected In November. <#S21>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Touts Border Security In White House Briefing Room Appearance.
<#S22>

• Trump Tweets US-China Trade Negotiations “Doing Well.” <#S23>

• Stock Market Drops On News Apple Sales Have Fallen In China. <#S24>

• Hassett: Companies Hurt By Slowing Chinese Economy Will Benefit From
Eventual Trade Deal. <#S25>

• Trump Praises McDaniel After “Fox & Friends” Appearance. <#S26>

• Pence Swears In New Senators As GOP Majority Expands. <#S27>

• Trump Considering Webb For Defense Secretary. <#S28>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• NCI Grant Renewal Continues Cancer Research By Diversifying Scientific
Community. <#S29>

• Researchers Launching Study Of Breathalyzer Cancer Test. <#S30>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• Washington Post. <#S31>
Biden in the News
Feinstein Says She’d Back Biden For 2020 Democratic Presidential Nomination.

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=002-bd2&t=c>
(1/3, Haberkorn) reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on Thursday said
she’d back former Vice President Joe Biden for the 2020 Democratic
presidential nomination, if he enters the race. Feinstein’s stance, says
the Times, could “make things awkward” between her and Sen. Kamala Harris
(D-CA), “who is also considering a run.” Referring to Biden, Feinstein told
reporters, “I worked with him closely on a number of different things. I
have a great respect for his integrity as well as his ability. And I think
experience is really important at this particular point, where our world is
today.”

The Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=003-302&t=c>
(1/3, Blumberg) reported, “When asked by the Los Angeles Times whether she
would also support Harris, who was elected to the Senate in 2016, Feinstein
said, ‘I’m a big fan of Sen. Harris, and I work with her. But she’s
brand-new here, so it takes a little bit of time to get to know somebody.’”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=004-060&t=c>
(1/3, Everett) quoted Feinstein as saying, “[Biden] was chairman of the
Judiciary [Committee] when he came to this place. I’ve watched him as vice
president, I’ve seen him operate, I’ve seen him perform. He brings a level
of experience and seniority which I think is really important.”

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=005-e3b&t=c>
(1/3, Landers) reported that Feinstein said “she has not spoken with Biden
about the matter but it was ‘just my view.’” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=006-f07&t=c>
(1/3, Axelrod) reported that Biden backed Feinstein in “her 2018 reelection
bid, praising her as ‘tenacious’ and ‘accomplished.’” The San Francisco
Chronicle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=007-9b1&t=c>
(1/3, Wildermuth) reports, “Biden, 76, has talked about challenging
President Trump, but hasn’t announced any decision.”

In a brief report for Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=008-f5b&t=c>
(1/3), Marisa Fernandez wrote, “As more people announce their intent to
run, endorsements like Feinstein’s – who was elected to the Senate in 1992
– will only highlight the schism between the establishment and progressive
wings of the Democratic Party.” A number of other media outlets reported
the story, including Talking Points Memo
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=009-78c&t=c>
(1/3, Riga), the Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=00a-a01&t=c>
(1/3, Scher), CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=00b-96c&t=c>
(1/3, Dechiaro), the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=00c-6a7&t=c>
(1/3, Davis), the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=00d-4b7&t=c>
(1/3, Yilek), the Independent Journal Review
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=00e-eb4&t=c>
(1/3, Billinson), and Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=00f-ab3&t=c>
(1/3, Pollak) reports,
Insiders: In 2020 Democratic Field, Bloomberg And Biden Likely To Be
Favorites Of Wall Street.

Politico Morning Money
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=010-114&t=c>
(1/3, White, Weaver) reported that it “talked to a couple of Wall Street
Democrats about where they think the industry will wind up in the crowded
field” of 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls. The report said that
ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D-NY) “tops the list, followed by
Joe Biden and then a wild card. ... Per an email from a plugged in Wall
Street Democrat: ‘Most of them would love a Bloomberg presidency but have
some doubts about his ability to withstand a Democratic primary. Biden not
particularly well known on the Street but a safe pair of hands and has a
credible path to the nomination and a general election victory.’” The
source also mentioned ex-Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-VA) as a possibility.
Politico added, “From another: ‘Bloomberg for sure. Biden too.” That source
also mentioned Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) as
possibilities.

*CNN’s Sally Kohn Criticizes Biden As “Corporate Centrist
Democrat.” *The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=011-59e&t=c>
(1/3, Cawthorne) reported that CNN commentator Sally Kohn on Thursday
jabbed at Biden “for being pro-big business, saying his position is ‘tone
deaf’ and ‘out of step.’” Asked about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-CA)
support of Biden, Kohn replied that “Biden has name recognition. People
like him, and in fairness he’s the most populist-seeming of a long legacy
of centrist corporate Democrats.” Kohn added, however, “The country never
really should have had corporate centrist Democrats, but certainly in this
moment that is so tone-deaf and out of step not only with what the country
needs, but with what the American people across the aisle want. It turns
out we are a fundamentally more progressive, inclusive populist country
that wants things like higher taxes on the rich, solutions to climate
change, and corporations and big business to be held accountable.” The Blaze
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=012-06d&t=c>
(1/3, Garcia) also reported on Kohn’s remarks.
Democratic Strategist Seawright Says Biden “Has A Built-In Constituency.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=013-32f&t=c>
(1/3, Hashmi) reported that Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said in
an interview that former Vice President Joe Biden “has the infrastructure
in place to launch a 2020 bid. ‘Vice President Biden has a built-in
constituency because of who he is and the policies he’s advocated for in
the past,’ Seawright, who’s the CEO and founder of Blueprint Strategy,”
told the Examiner. Seawright “went on to say that because of his
campaigning for Democratic candidates over the past decade, [Biden] has
built the relationships needed to make dividends come a presidential run.”
Biden Decision On 2020 Race Expected In “The Coming Weeks.”

The Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=014-c15&t=c>
(1/4, Goss) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden “is expected to
announce in the coming weeks whether he will join the field of Democrats
vying to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020.” Biden “reportedly told
friends that he and his family would be discussing a potential presidential
bid over the holidays.” Biden “likely would enter the race as the
front-runner – if he gets in soon.” With a crowded field of Democrats
expected to vie for the nomination, University of Delaware political
scientist David Redlawsk said, “I would think Joe needs to make a decision
soon if he wants to be competitive. This isn’t going to be the kind of race
where you can sit back and watch how things play out.”
Boston Globe Offers Brief Looks At How Potential 2020 Candidates “Are
Stacking Up” In NH Primary.

The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=015-e31&t=c>
(1/4, Pindell) runs a piece listing a number of the potential 2020
Democratic presidential contenders “and how they are stacking up in New
Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary.” The piece, which
offers very brief takes on the various candidates, says that former Vice
President Joe Biden “never performed well in NH in his previous
presidential runs, but this time he has the gravitas of being a former
occupant of Observatory Circle. Bonus: the new state House speaker is a
former supporter.”
Freshman Rep. Brindisi Votes For Biden Instead Of Pelosi For House Speaker.

The Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=016-36e&t=c>
(1/3) reports that freshman Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) on Thursday
“followed through on one of his campaign promises and did not vote for
Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House.” Instead, “Brindisi voted for former
Vice President Joe Biden. However, Pelosi, the only woman to have ever
served as House speaker, was re-elected to the post.” Brindisi unseated
now-former Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) in November’s election. During their
race, the Tenney camp aired “negative ads accusing Brindisi of supporting
Pelosi for speaker, while Brindisi repeatedly promised voters that if
elected he would not vote for Pelosi.” Spectrum News Southern Tier (NY)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=017-601&t=c>
(1/3) also reported on the story.

*Kellyanne Conway Broadside Hits Pelosi, Biden Over Their Age.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=018-567&t=c>
(1/3, Swoyer) reports that White House adviser Kellyanne Conway on Thursday
said “it was ‘poor form’ for” Pelosi “to personally attack President
Trump.” Conway Pelosi over her “comments on NBC’s Today Show that Mr. Trump
doesn’t know how to deal with powerful women, citing the number of women he
has placed in the administration. ‘The incoming Speaker – to come in and
say to try to insult the president personally is very poor form,’ Ms.
Conway told Fox News. ‘Nothing really screams youth and energy like a
78-year-old speaker and Joe Biden running for president,’ she added, taking
a swipe at the Democratic Party leadership.”
WTimes Highlights NYTimes Report On Biden’s Speaking Engagement
Requirements.

Drawing from a New York Times article
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=019-744&t=c>
published earlier this week, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=01a-741&t=c>
(1/3, Harper) reports that as he mulls a 2020 White House bid, former Vice
President Joe Biden “leads most opinion polls as the candidate of choice
for Democrats. But he doesn’t want to be known as a “former” anything,
according to” the “Times analysis of Mr. Biden’s emerging campaign
strategy. ‘When officials at the University of Utah invited [Biden] to
speak there in December, Mr. Biden’s representatives listed a number of
requirements for the appearance,’ The Times noted in its report. ‘His
booking firm, Creative Artists Agency, said the school would need to fly
Mr. Biden and his aides to Salt Lake City by private plane. It would have
to buy 1,000 copies of his recent memoir for distribution to the audience.
There would be no insertion of the word ‘former’ before ‘vice president’ in
social media promotions.’”
CQ Roll Call Video Shows Contrasting Styles Of Biden, Pence At Mock
Swearings-In.

In a brief item, CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=01b-56d&t=c>
(1/3, Ouellette) reported that Vice President Mike Pence “facilitated his
first mock swearings-in Thursday for the newly elected senators of the
116th Congress. Pence, however struck a more reserved tone than his
predecessor, Vice President Joe Biden, who was known for goofy antics
during the ceremonial event every two years.” A video that can be accessed
at the above hyperlink offers a look at the contrasting styles of Biden and
Pence at the mock swearings-in.
Report: Biden Celebrated New Year’s Eve On St. Croix.

The St. Thomas Source
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=01c-822&t=c>
(1/3, Kossler) reported, “There were multiple reports of former Vice
President Joe Biden spottings on St. Croix at dawn Jan. 1. Reader Alice
Henry of St. Croix alerted the Source that her son Devin Boyd saw Biden.
‘My son said that Biden jogged up to Point Udall to watch the sunrise. He
can’t disclose how long he’ll be here.’ Others on Facebook caught photos
of” Biden “out at Point Udall, with a whole scrum of fellow joggers and
onlookers seeking selfies.” The report added, “Biden has been visiting the
territory over the holidays for years now. His brother owns property on
Water Island, the small island just south of St. Thomas’ Crown Bay.”
Trump Mocks Warren With Suggested Campaign Slogan.

Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=01d-8e2&t=c>
(1/3, Brown) reported that President Trump on Thursday issued a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=01e-a08&t=c>
in which he “suggested a campaign slogan” for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
“following her announcement of a 2020 presidential run.” The tweet “mocks
Sen. Warren’s now infamous decision to release DNA test results which found
‘strong evidence’ that she is somewhere between 1/64 and 1/1,024 Native
American.” Trump’s tweet showed a photo with the text “Warren 1/2020th.”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=01f-9f9&t=c>
(1/3, Choi) reported that Trump” has long criticized Warren for a years-old
claim that she had some Cherokee and Delaware ancestry, christening her
with the nickname ‘Pocahontas,’ while drawing substantial criticism for
racial insensitivity to Native history.”

In an online article, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=020-a54&t=c>
(1/3, Thorp V) reported, “Asked Thursday how she plans to navigate constant
barbs like this from Trump, Warren pointed to the issues she wants to focus
on in her bid for the presidency. Trump ‘can bluster forever, but it
doesn’t change the underlying reality,’ Warren said. ‘Across this country
wages are flat, across this country the cost of health care, the cost of
sending your kids to college, the cost of housing, the cost of retirement
are going up, up, up. Those are the things that matter to hard working
families, and the reason that those things are happening are because of bad
decisions being made right now in Washington.’”

*Warren Hopes To Gain Some Traction With Weekend Visit To
Iowa. *Writing
for U.S. News & World Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=021-775&t=c>
(1/3), David Catanese said that Warren, who is set to visit Iowa this
weekend, “has steadily earned progressive accolades and influence in the
Beltway circuit and liberal enclaves beyond.” However, her visit to Iowa
“presents an altogether different challenge, and a significantly more
crucial one, given that her chances at the Democratic nomination will
likely be determined by a top-three finish in the” state’s caucuses.
Catanese said Warren’s “response to questions about her claim of Native
American ancestry and a perception that she erringly played into...Trump’s
hands by releasing results of a DNA test last fall have raised doubts about
her political aptitude.” Her “polling numbers have” dipped “and even her
admirers say the incident injured her standing with Democrats
hypersensitive about electability.”

*Boston Globe: NH Democrats Skeptical Of Warren’s Candidacy.
*The Boston
Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=022-bee&t=c>
(1/3, Pindell) reports that “many Democratic activists in” New Hampshire
“are expressing skepticism about” Warren’s “candidacy and outreach in the
state. In the days following Warren’s announcement that she had formed a
presidential exploratory committee, many top Democratic activists in New
Hampshire said they had concerns about her nascent campaign in more than a
dozen interviews with the Globe. Some in the progressive wing said they are
still firmly” backing Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), “who won the New
Hampshire primary by more than 22 points last time. Others said they are
more excited by some of the newer faces contemplating bids, such as”
ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI). In addition,
“[l]ocal activists described Warren’s outreach to the state as still in the
initial stages.”
O’Malley Says He Won’t Run For President, Backs O’Rourke.

The Des Moines (IA) Register
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=023-fab&t=c>
(1/3, Opsahl) reports that ex-Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-MD), who
unsuccessfully ran for president in 2016, says he will not mount a 2020
White House run. However, in a Des Moines Register op-ed
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=024-7c9&t=c>,
O’Malley writes that he wants Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) to enter the 20202
race. Of O’Rourke, who narrowly lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in November.
O’Malley writes, “The fearless vision and unifying message which brought
people together in Texas also sparked imaginations all across our country.
And, I believe, will again – if Beto O’Rourke runs for president.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=025-850&t=c>
(1/3, Siders) reported that in backing “O’Rourke at the same time he
revealed his own departure from the race, O’Malley significantly advanced
the case for the former Texas congressman in the Iowa crucible that could
determine O’Rourke’s fate if he chooses to run.” Politico added that
“implicitly addressing a major point of criticism of O’Rourke – that at 46
and after three terms in the House, he lacks experience – O’Malley wrote,
‘Because he is of a new generation, O’Rourke understands that a new way of
governing – with openness, transparency, and performance – is called for to
tackle our problems in the Information Age.’”

In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=026-b92&t=c>
(1/3, Merica) reported that in his op-ed, O’Malley contended “that voters
in 2016 were motivated by anger and not in the mood for new leadership.
That has changed,” O’Malley “writes. ‘We were in a mood of anger, rage and
retribution. And in this mood, Donald Trump’s candidacy rose. It was good
for ratings, and good for the Russians; but, bad for America. And, we got
what we got,’ he wrote. ‘But now, there is a different mood in our nation.
People are looking for a new leader who can bring us together.’”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=027-adc&t=c>
(1/3, Wagner) reports that O’Malley, “who dropped out of the 2016 race
after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, had sought to stay in the mix
for 2020, launching a new political action committee and traveling to more
than 30 states to campaign for candidates in the midterm elections.” The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=028-7bb&t=c>
(1/3, Greenwood) also reported on the story.
Axios’ Mike Allen: Potential 2020 Democratic Hopefuls Wooing Hillary
Clinton.

Writing at Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=029-105&t=c>
(1/4), Mike Allen says, “Several possible 2020 candidates have sought
advice from Hillary Clinton, and she has meetings scheduled with additional
hopefuls.” She “has discussed the next presidential race with Sen.
Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Cory Booker, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, according to a longtime Clinton confidant. ...
‘Hillary wants Trump gone,’ the confidant said. ‘She doesn’t know who’s
best able to beat him, but she knows about grueling nomination fights.’ The
potential candidates ‘know tens of millions of Democrats love Hillary and
want her to try again.’ ‘The savvy ones know she’s the most valuable
endorser in the party not named Obama.’”
Politico: MSNBC’s Maddow Poised To Play Key Role In 2020 Democratic Race.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=02a-51d&t=c>
(1/3, Schwartz, Siders) reported that MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, “host of cable
news’ recently crowned No. 1 show,” appears poised to play a key role in
the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Politico said
that “with ratings surging at MSNBC, political strategists and
communications experts say getting air time on the left-leaning network,
and the Rachel Maddow Show in particular, could be crucial for candidates
looking to separate themselves from what is expected to be a crowded
Democratic field.” Candidates “with strong preexisting relationships with
the host,” like Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) – “who chose Maddow for her
first interview after announcing she is formally weighing a run for
president and was rewarded with about half of the show’s one-hour airtime –
could stand to benefit.”
Leading the News
Pelosi Returns To Speaker’s Chair As Democrats Take Control Of House.

Nancy Pelosi was returned to the House speakership on Thursday on a 220-192
vote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=02b-5be&t=c>,
with 15 Democrats voting for others or voting “present.” In addition to
House Minority Leader McCarthy’s 192 votes, seven Republicans backed others
or did not vote. All three broadcast networks led with the opening of the
116th Congress. On ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=02c-a33&t=c>
(1/3, lead story, 3:10), David Muir called it a “historic power shift in
Washington. Democrats taking over the House,” and Pelosi, “the first woman
to ever be speaker of the House, now returning for her second run in the
role. Calling the session to order with her grandchildren, inviting all of
the children and grandchildren in the chamber right up to the podium.”

On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=02d-1b7&t=c>
(1/3, lead story, 3:30, Glor), Nancy Cordes reported, “Pelosi regained the
speaker’s gavel today, announcing a dramatically new direction for the
House after eight years of Republican control. ... Pelosi administered the
oath of office to the most diverse new Congress ever. For the first time,
more than 100 female House members were sworn in today, including the first
two Native American women and the first two Muslim women. Congress
overturning a two-century ban on hats this afternoon, so that Minnesota’s
Ilhan Omar could wear her hijab on the House floor. She and 24 other new
members are under the age of 40.”

Lester Holt said on NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=02e-24b&t=c>
(1/3, lead story, 2:00), “It’s a new playing field in Washington politics
tonight.” NBC’s Hallie Jackson: “Pelosi’s second speakership may be shaped
by...a President confronting a new political universe. ... Sworn in during
a shutdown standoff, Pelosi’s promising progress on climate, healthcare,
and immigration, but with Republicans still controlling the Senate,
Congress still has to compromise. Democrats plan more investigations on the
President’s tax returns, potential conflicts of interest and dealings with
Russia.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=02f-e33&t=c>
(1/3, Davis) writes that Pelosi “finds herself at the fulcrum of a bitterly
divided body politic, poised to do battle with and demand accountability
from an increasingly combative” Trump.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=030-b64&t=c>
(1/3, Mascaro) reports, “Cheering Democrats returned Nancy Pelosi to the
House speaker’s post” as Congress “ushered in a historically diverse
freshman class eager to confront” President Trump “in a new era of divided
government. ... The new speaker invited scores of lawmakers’ kids to join
her on the dais as she was sworn in, calling the House to order ‘on behalf
of all of America’s children.’” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=031-343&t=c>
(1/3, Andrews, Peterson) writes that it is the first time since 1955 that
an ex-speaker has regained the post. The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=032-1f1&t=c>
(1/3, Sonmez) reports, “Pelosi tamped down a challenge from a group of
Democratic rebels clamoring for a generational change in leadership.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=033-51b&t=c>
(1/3, Sherfinski) reports Pelosi “said she will look for areas of
cooperation – but the list of priorities she set before her colleagues made
clear that those chances will be few.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=034-568&t=c>
(1/3, Cowan) reports Pelosi “has pledged to push legislation that would
spark large federal investments in infrastructure projects that Trump also
has expressed an interest in tackling. But Pelosi’s Democrats and Trump’s
Republicans have taken vastly different approaches” on infrastructure.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=035-3de&t=c>
(1/3, Caygle, Bade) headlines its report “Pelosi Elected Speaker As Dem
House Takes On Trump.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=036-4fb&t=c>
(1/3, Edgerton, House) , the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=037-d31&t=c>
(1/3, Wire), and CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=038-2c6&t=c>
(1/3, McPherson) also report.

*On Impeachment, Pelosi Says “We Just Have To Wait And See” What
Mueller Presents. *NBC’s Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=039-5d1&t=c>
(1/3, Kim) reports on its website that during an interview with Savannah
Guthrie, Pelosi “said she wouldn’t rule out President Trump being indicted
while in office, describing the topic as ‘an open discussion.’ ... Although
Democrats have discussed the idea of impeaching the president, Pelosi said
it would not benefit the country to pursue one. But she wouldn’t rule the
idea out either.” Pelosi said, “We have to wait and see what happens with
the Mueller report. We shouldn’t be impeaching for a political reason, and
we shouldn’t avoid impeachment for a political reason. So we’ll just have
to see how it comes.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=03a-d99&t=c>
(1/3, Gaudiano, Collins) reports Pelosi said in an interview that “efforts
to serve as a check on Trump’s power don’t extend to impeachment – at least
not yet.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=03b-91b&t=c>
(1/3, Haberkorn) reports Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) reintroduced articles of
impeachment against the President “that he first rolled out in 2017. But
this year it carries more political significance: The decision of whether
to act on it rests with Democrats – not Trump’s Republican allies.” Sherman
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=03c-6f9&t=c>,
“I believe that Obstruction of Justice is the clearest and most provable
high crime and misdemeanor committed by Donald J. Trump.” Jon Levine of The
Wrap tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=03d-99a&t=c>
a video clip of freshman Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) vowing impeachment of
Trump in vulgar language. Tlaib made her case for impeachment in a
Thursday Detroit
Free Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=03e-18e&t=c>
(1/3) op-ed.

But other Democrats were more cautious. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=03f-679&t=c>
(1/3), “This President may be impeached. But we’re certainly not there with
the evidence. We’re going to look where Republicans were unwilling to look
before, and build an airtight case, if that’s what is necessary, seek
bipartisan buy-in and make sure if we go that way, the American people
understand why.” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=040-d82&t=c>
(1/3), “My view of impeachment is that like the power to declare war, it is
one of the gravest responsibilities of Congress. It should never be our
first option. We should wait until Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller
completes his investigation.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=041-007&t=c>
(1/3, Swoyer, Dinan) also reports on Sherman’s measure.

*Nadler Legislation Would Protect Mueller. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=042-f17&t=c>
(1/3, Cohen) reports new House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and other
Democrats introduced legislation Thursday “that would protect Mueller from
being fired by President Trump.” Nadler tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=043-f31&t=c>,
“Congress is taking action to protect Mueller’s investigation and the rule
of law.” Asked on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=044-8c8&t=c>
(1/3) about the legislation, Bill Kristol said, “If [Trump] were a
responsible President, he would accept this legislation, which is a
reasonable attempt to make sure that the Mueller investigation is not
interfered with for political reasons.”

*WPost Analysis: “Unpredictable” Trump Could Present Challenges To
Pelosi. *Paul Kane of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=045-f08&t=c>
(1/3) writes under the headline “Pelosi Seeks A Return To Normalcy, But An
Unpredictable President May Not Comply” that during her first stint as
speaker, Pelosi and then-President George W. Bush “maintained a public show
of respect” that “led to several compromises on domestic issues and allowed
them to work hand in hand during the 2008 financial crisis.” Democrats are
not optimistic that Pelosi’s relationship with Trump will follow that
model. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) said, “The difference now between George
W. Bush and... It’s hard to even plan. You don’t know what tomorrow is
going to bring.”

*New Congress Is Most Diverse In History. *The historic diversity
of the new Congress also receives media attention. Kasie Hunt reported on NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=046-2e9&t=c>
(1/3, story 3, 1:45, Holt), “There are more than 100 female members, the
most ever. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez today becoming the youngest woman in
Congress,” and the freshman class “includes the first two Native American
women to serve and the first Somali-American woman. Rashida Tlaib of
Michigan is the first Palestinian-American woman member of the House.”
The Detroit
Free Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=047-8c3&t=c>
(1/3, Spangler) reports Tlaib had originally intended to use Thomas
Jefferson’s copy of the Quran to be sworn in, but she ultimately decided
against it. She told the newspaper, “It’s starting a new era in social
justice. ... It just occurred to me: Why am I not using my own?” Tlaib “did
wear a traditional Palestinian thobe, or dress, which her mother – who was
there for the swearing in – made for her as she was sworn in.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=048-a0a&t=c>
(1/3, Zauzmer) reports Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are the first
female Muslims in Congress. On Thursday, “a crowd of supporters, the
majority of them women, many of them in hijabs,” gathered in Omar’s new
congressional office to celebrate.

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=049-58f&t=c>
(1/3, Jackson) reports on its website, “More than a dozen documents and
books – including the US Constitution, Eastern Orthodox Bible and Quran –
were used to swear in officials of various ethnic and religious
backgrounds.” While “nearly nine in 10 members of Congress (88%) identify
as Christians,” among Democrats, “61 of the 281 party members do not
identify as Christian. About half of those are Jewish, 18 declined to name
a religious affiliation, three are Muslim, three are Hindu, two are
Buddhists, two are Unitarian Universalists and one is not affiliated with a
particular religion.” The two non-Christian Republicans are both Jewish.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=04a-b72&t=c>
(1/3, Viebeck) reports, “When Pelosi arrived on Capitol Hill in 1987, there
were 23 female members. As of Thursday, there are 102, nearly 90 percent of
whom are Democrats.” Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=04b-b0f&t=c>
(1/3) fashion critic Robin Givhan looks at what “Pelosi and the new women
in Congress” wore Thursday, saying “fashion was a defiant statement of
purpose – and resistance,” using their “attire to lure the cameras, to
start tongues wagging and to make viewers reconsider their preconceptions
about how Americans are defined, who has the right to lead and, ultimately,
what power looks like.”

Accountant Jeryl Bier writes in a Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=04c-913&t=c>
(1/3) op-ed that three members of the House Democratic leadership – House
Majority Whip Clyburn and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Maxine Waters (D-CA)
– have some connection to the Nation of Islam or its leader Louis
Farrakhan.

*Conway Criticizes “78-Year-Old Speaker.” *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=04d-daf&t=c>
(1/3, Swoyer) reports that during an appearance on Fox News on Thursday
morning, Kellyanne Conway said, “Nothing really screams youth and energy
like a 78-year-old speaker and Joe Biden running for president.”

*House Passes PAYGO Rules With Few Democratic Defections. *The
Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=04e-bcc&t=c>
(1/3, Wilhelm) reports, “House Democrats passed new rules Thursday
requiring that legislation creating new entitlement programs also include
pay cuts or tax increases to prevent an increase in the federal deficit.
The rule’s imposition is a loss for some liberals,” including Reps. Ro
Khanna (D-CA) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). But “the new
‘pay-as-you-go’ or ‘PAYGO’ rule is not an impossible hurdle for
progressives. House Democrats can elect to waive the rule on future votes.”
The rules passed 234-197
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=04f-3af&t=c>,
with just three Democratic defections.

Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg News tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=050-4f8&t=c>,
“Blue Dogs are happy PAYGO is back.” Several liberal critics of PAYGO also
backed the rules. NBC’s Benjy Sarlin tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=051-90d&t=c>
that Omar voted for the rules despite her reservations, and Rep. Nydia
Velazquez (D-NY) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=052-a07&t=c>,
“I will work with my colleagues in the Progressive Caucus on legislation to
reform the PAYGO requirements that are already in statute. However, voting
against this rules package would allow GOP to choose cuts – and that’s
unacceptable.”

In his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=053-4df&t=c>
(1/3) column, Paul Krugman says Democrats should not have adopted the rule
“requiring that increases in spending be matched by offsetting tax
increases or cuts elsewhere. ... The economics of crude, mechanical rules
about budget deficits are clear: They’re a really bad idea.”

*House To Hold Hearings On “Medicare For All” Legislation.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=054-6f0&t=c>
(1/3, Weigel) reports that the House “will hold the first-ever hearings on
Medicare for All legislation” after Pelosi “lent her support for the
process.” The Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, “first introduced
in 2003 by then-Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, has become the vehicle for
Democrats who want to bring single-payer, Canada-style health care to the
United States.” The Post says the legislation “was typically sidelined,
even when Democrats had power.”

*WPost: House Eyeing “Worthwhile First Steps” Toward Reform.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=055-4ec&t=c>
(1/3) editorializes, “The new Democratic majority House gaveled in on
Thursday with reform on its agenda – not so much of policy but of democracy
itself. Admirably, the majority aims both to repair House rules and to
improve the functioning of democratic institutions more broadly. ... Many
of the House rule changes are incremental, leaving mostly untouched the
power of leaders to ignore the middle of the chamber if they so please. But
all are worthwhile first steps.”
Foreign Policy
WPost Analysis: Trump Syria Comments Show Break With Bolton, Pompeo Syria
Plans.

In an analysis, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=056-491&t=c>
(1/3, Ryan, Hudson) reports that, in “the latest illustration of the
dramatic gyrations that have characterized” President Trump’s “foreign
policy and fueled questions about whether his senior advisers are
implementing his policies or pursuing their own agendas,” his Cabinet
meeting statement that Iran’s leaders “can do what they want” in Syria
“Trump stuck a dagger in a major initiative advanced by his foreign policy
team.” National Security Adviser Bolton planned “to use the country as a
theater to push back against Iran,” a strategy that officials said “the
president never signed off on.” While “Trump had warned his aides for
months that he wanted out of Syria in short order,” Bolton and Secretary of
State Pompeo, “apparently believing like other officials across the
government that the president had softened that demand, continued to relay
bold plans for the country ahead of the surprise withdrawal announcement.”

*Pompeo, Pence: US Will Still Fight ISIS. *Pompeo said on Fox News’
Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=057-675&t=c>
(1/3), “The President has always been very clear that he wanted to get our
soldiers back home. In Syria, he has made that decision and we are working
in that direction.” He added, “The timeline will be consistent with what we
can do to make sure that our soldiers are safe, that we continue the
counter ISIS campaign, that we do all that we can to keep the coalition
against Iran together.” Pompeo also said, “We will manage those threats to
America but we will do so without a couple thousand folks on the ground in
Syria.”

Vice President Pence was asked on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson
Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=058-279&t=c>
(1/3) about the status of plans to bring US troops back from Syria. Pence
said, “President Trump as Commander in Chief and as a candidate made it
clear that our number one priority would be destroying ISIS. The reality
is, we have defeated ISIS,” and what Trump “announced just before
Christmas, is not that we are giving up on the fight of ISIS,” adding, “We
are going to continue to take the actions that are necessary to protect the
American people and our interests in the region.” Asked if the troops can
be expected to come home in the next few months, Pence said, “I think the
President has made it clear. We are going to do this and are doing this in
an orderly way.”

*Syrian Kurds Reach Out To Assad And Putin In Wake Of US Withdrawal
Announcement. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=059-ebb&t=c>
(1/3) reports that “the future of Kurdish-led areas of northern and eastern
Syria has been thrown into doubt by President Donald Trump’s decision to
withdraw U.S. troops who have helped to secure the region.” Reuters notes
that on Wednesday, the President said the US “would withdraw slowly ‘over a
period of time’ and would protect the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters as
Washington withdraws troops, but without giving a timetable.” According to
Reuters, “Kurdish leaders fear Turkey will use the withdrawal as an
opportunity to launch an assault,” and. “as a result, they are in contact
with Moscow and Damascus in the hope of agreeing arrangements to protect
the region from Turkey while also aiming to safeguard their political
gains.”

*Al Qaeda Militants Attack Syrian Rebel Group, Seize Town In Aleppo
Province. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=05a-ce5&t=c>
(1/3, Al-Khalidi) reports that “clashes among rival Syrian rebel factions
have spread across northwest Syria...in the latest bout of tit-for-tat
fighting between opponents of President Bashar al Assad’s rule.” According
to Reuters, “Tahrir al Sham, formerly affiliated to al Qaeda, had launched
an attack on Tuesday against towns controlled by Nour al Din Zinki, a
member of the mainstream National Liberation Front (NLF).” Reuters says
Tahrir al Sham, “which on Wednesday seized the town of Darat Izza in
rebel-held Aleppo province northwest of the Syrian city of Aleppo, said it
was retaliating for an ambush this week that killed five of its fighters.”
Reuters adds that “a rebel source said capturing the town of Darat Izza
would strengthen the Islamist group in talks with Turkey, which has a
military foothold in the northern region and wants to tighten its grip on
the area to secure its border.”
Pence: Trump Seeking Less Military Commitment In Afghanistan.

Vice President Pence was asked on Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=05b-1f8&t=c>
(1/3) if the US “benefits from the continued presence of such a large
number” of troops in Afghanistan. Pence said, “The President is in the
process of evaluating that as we speak.” He added, “It has been a tough
fight,” and, “I think the President is in the process of...determining what
our best options are in terms of putting America first, protecting
America’s interests in the region, making sure we confront terrorism if it
rears its head once again. But, the President is looking at ways in Syria
and perhaps even in Afghanistan where we can have less of a military
commitment and see those resources and those troops coming home.”

*Ghani Criticizes Trump For Failing To Endorse “Holy Jihad” Against
USSR. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=05c-ab5&t=c>
(1/3, Salahuddin) reports that some Afghan officials have “denounced
President Trump’s praise of the 1979 Soviet invasion and occupation of
their country, which he described this week as a fight against terrorism,
breaking with decades of Republican anti-communist tenets.” According to
the Post, “The remarks...raised eyebrows among officials in Afghanistan at
a time when Kabul has voiced frustration with Trump’s sudden announcement
of a plan to withdraw up to half of U.S. troops as peace talks with Taliban
insurgents continue without Afghan government involvement.” President
Ashraf Ghani’s office “described the battle against the Soviets as a
‘national uprising for gaining freedom’ and noted that the Soviet invasion
was condemned by the United Nations and the United States at the time.”
Ghani said, “All presidents of America not only denounced this invasion but
remained supporters of this holy jihad of the Afghans.”

In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=05d-277&t=c>
(1/3) writes that President Trump deserves heavy criticism for his remarks
on Afghanistan at his Cabinet meeting Wednesday, saying his mockery
slanders the other nations that have supported the US effort and had troops
die in Afghanistan. The Journal also blasts Trump’s comments on the Soviet
Union’s involvement in Afghanistan in the 1980’s as a gross misstatement of
history. The Journal concludes that despite Trump’s false narrative, that
invasion, condemned throughout the non-communist world, make clear the
threat of the Soviet Union.

*India Upset At Trump Criticism Of Afghanistan Contributions.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=05e-3e2&t=c>
(1/3, Sands) reports, “A throwaway riff in President Trump’s lengthy
Cabinet monologue,” in which he complained about India’s contributions to
the war effort in Afghanistan, “saying Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
was ‘constantly’ boasting to him of a single library in Afghanistan that
India had funded,” became “front-page news across India.” Trump “clearly
struck a nerve,” leaving Indian officials “upset,” but also “mystified”:
India “invested some $3 billion in Afghanistan since 2001” but none of its
recent projects include libraries. Meanwhile, an Indian government official
told the Hindustan Times that none of its troops are fighting in
Afghanistan because the country only sends it armed forces abroad “under
the specific mandate of U.N. peacekeeping operations.”
Pompeo: Iranian Satellite Launch Would Violate UNSC Resolution.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=05f-e1f&t=c>
(1/3, Chiacu, Wroughton) reports that Secretary of State Pompeo “issued a
pre-emptive warning to Iran...against pursuing three planned space rocket
launches that it said would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution
because they use ballistic missile technology.” According to Reuters,
Pompeo said Iran “planned to launch in the coming months three rockets,
called Space Launch Vehicles (SLV), that he said incorporate technology
‘virtually identical’ to what is used in intercontinental ballistic
missiles.” Pompeo is quoted as saying, “The United States will not stand by
and watch the Iranian regime’s destructive policies place international
stability and security at risk.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=060-f76&t=c>
(1/3, Morello) says Pompeo “stopped short of saying how the United States
might react if Iran goes ahead...but his warning suggested that the move
could lead to new sanctions.” The Post says that “at the end of November,
Iranian media reported that the deputy defense minister, Qassem Taqizadeh,
said Iran would launch three satellites into space ‘on various orbits’
within a few months,” and “more recently, Iranian news outlets have said
the satellites are for telecommunications and suggested a launch is
imminent.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=061-ea2&t=c>
(1/3) reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif “rejected”
Pompeo’s warning, writing on Twitter: “Iran’s launch of space vehicles – &
missile tests – are NOT in violation of (Resolution) 2231. The US is in
material breach of same, & as such it is in no position to lecture anyone
on it.”

*NYTimes Draws Attention To Iran Sanctions Poster Trump Brought To
Cabinet Meeting. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=062-83a&t=c>
(1/3, Tackett) says that “as political props go, the one in the middle of
the conference table during President Trump’s cabinet meeting on Wednesday
was as hard to miss as it was baffling. It was a movie-style poster of the
president...with the words ‘SANCTIONS ARE COMING NOVEMBER 4’ emblazoned
across the middle.” According to the Times, “Mr. Trump did not talk about
the poster. Nor did any of his cabinet members seated around him, or even
Vice President Mike Pence, who was sitting directly in front of it. And he
made no connection to the date on the poster – two days before Election
Day.”
Saudis Charge 11 In Connection With Murder Of Khashoggi.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=063-a2b&t=c>
(1/3, Gambrell) reports the government of Saudi Arabia announced that it
will “seek the death penalty against five suspects” in the murder of
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, “a killing that has seen members of Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage implicated in the writer’s
assassination.” According to the AP, “Prosecutors announced that 11
suspects in the slaying attended their first court hearing with lawyers,
but the statement did not name those in court.” The AP says the statement
“also did not explain why seven other suspects arrested over the Oct. 2
killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul did not immediately face formal
charges.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=064-29f&t=c>
(1/3, Fahim) reports that in November, Saudi prosecutors “said that two
senior Saudi officials had ordered an operation to bring Khashoggi back to
Saudi Arabia alive, using either persuasion or force,” but “the team sent
to Istanbul disobeyed those orders and killed him.”
Whelan, Officially Charged With Espionage In Russia, Seeks Bail.

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=065-319&t=c>
(1/3, story 7, 1:30, Holt), Andrea Mitchell reported Russia officially
charged former US Marine Paul Whelan with espionage. He remains in solitary
confinement in a Moscow jail. Experts say Whelan’s use of a Russian social
network site caught Russian investigators’ attention, and a Russian news
agency with ties to the country’s security service alleged Whelan was
apprehended “while meeting with a Russian citizen...allegedly receiving a
thumb drive containing the name of security agency employees.” Secretary of
State Pompeo said that “they are focused on Whelan’s plight at the most
senior levels of the US government.” He also said earlier this week, “If
the detention is not appropriate, we will demand his immediate return.”
However, Mitchell reported speculation is increasing that Whelan “could be
a bargaining chip” for Russia to negotiate the return of Maria Butina, the
Russian agent who failed to register as a foreign agent in the US.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=066-56b&t=c>
(1/3, Tétrault-Farber) reports that Russia’s FSB state security service,
which detained Whelan on Friday, has “opened a criminal case against Whelan
but gave no details of his alleged espionage activities.” Reuters adds that
Interfax “said the Russian authorities had brought formal charges against
Whelan on Thursday.”

According to ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=067-c5b&t=c>
(1/3, story 7, 1:30, Muir), Whelan’s Russian lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov
“says he will fight the charges.” ABC’s Martha Raddatz reported Zherebenkov
called the “charges ‘baseless’” but “believes Whelan will be convicted to
facilitate a prisoner exchange,” potentially for Butina.

On CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=068-05a&t=c>
(1/3), correspondent Matthew Chance reported that Zherebenkov provided “the
first public account of the condition of Mr. Whelan, where he’s languishing
behind bars in a former KGB prison in a suburb of Moscow. He said that
[Whelan] looks cheerful, he’s got no depression, and he said...that he’s
holding up pretty well despite everything that he’s going through.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=069-92d&t=c>
(1/3) reports that Zherebenkov says he is “trying to get the American
released from the Moscow prison.” Zherebenkov “applied for Whelan to be
released on bail that would be set at an amount determined later.”

In an analysis, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=06a-b10&t=c>
(1/3, Taylor) reports, “There are few acts in which President Trump takes
as much visible pride as freeing U.S. citizens held by foreign nations,”
and he “has portrayed such rescues as a particular mission for his
presidency.” However, “despite Trump’s 2016 pledge and his focus on the
detainees being held in Iran, Washington has made little headway in
securing the release of a number of American citizens being held in the
Islamic Republic.” With Whelan, “Trump’s reaction...will be scrutinized
closely,” given his efforts “to maintain cordial relations with Vladimir
Putin.” Former US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson “said
that in Whelan’s circumstances, Trump’s personal involvement may in fact
hurt the American’s chances of getting released” and instead he recommended
keeping negotiations “low-profile.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=06b-fd7&t=c>
(1/3, Bacon) reports Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who represents the district
where Whelan lives, “is trying to get the State Department to appoint ‘a
dedicated attache to work on this going forward.’”

According to the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=06c-86b&t=c>
(1/3, Macfarquhar), Whelan, “the head of global security for the Michigan
auto parts maker BorgWarner...has emerged as a curious figure in the days
since his arrest.” Whelan is described as “a former Marine who was
court-martialed for several misdeeds, including larceny and passing bad
checks.”

On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=06d-9eb&t=c>
(1/3, story 7, 1:55, Glor), correspondent Jan Crawford reported Whelan was
arrested while allegedly meeting with the Russian citizen at “the historic
Metropol Hotel in Moscow on Friday.” His family claims he was only in the
country for a friend’s wedding.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=06e-41e&t=c>
(1/3, Ferris-Rotman) reports that Whelan was born in Canada, and it is
“believed Whelan also has Canadian citizenship.” The Post notes that on
Wednesday, US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman “visited Whelan...marking
the first contact U.S. officials have had with him since he was arrested at
a hotel during a visit to attend a wedding in the Russian capital.” The
Post adds, “The visit came a few hours after [Pompeo] said he expected
officials from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to be given access to Whelan
within hours.”

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=06f-515&t=c>
(1/3, Kantchev, Simmons) also covers this story.
US Delegation In Turkey To Discuss Potential Extradition Of Gulen.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=070-a03&t=c>
(1/3, Cunningham) says Turkish state media is reporting that “a US
delegation met with Turkish officials Thursday to discuss requests to
extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who Turkey says plotted a coup
attempt in 2016.” According to the Post, “U.S. officials did not
immediately confirm the talks, which the state-run Anadolu news agency said
included FBI agents,” and are expected to continue tomorrow. The Post says
President Trump “said late last year he would consider Turkish demands to
expel the cleric, a permanent U.S. resident who lives in exile in
Pennsylvania,” and “in recent weeks, Turkish officials have stepped up
pressure on the Trump administration to extradite Gulen, whose arrest they
first demanded in 2016.”
North Korean Ambassador To Italy May Have Defected In November.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=071-9e9&t=c>
(1/3, D'Emilio, Tong-Hyung) reports that North Korea’s acting ambassador to
Italy, Jo Song Gil, “has gone into hiding along with his wife...raising the
possibility of a defection of a senior North Korean official.” According to
the AP, “The news came from South Korea’s spy agency, which briefed
lawmakers in Seoul on Thursday” on the status of Jo, who “went into hiding
with his wife in November before his posting to Italy ended late that
month.” The AP says “a high-profile defection by one of North Korea’s elite
would be a huge embarrassment for” Kim Jong-un.

Similarly, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=072-422&t=c>
(1/3, Pitrelli) reports, “Such a high-profile break would be a humiliating
blow to” Kim. South Korean lawmaker Kim Min-ki briefed reporters about Jo’s
possible defection and said that Jo had not contacted South Korea’s
National Intelligence Agency, “suggesting that he could be seeking asylum
in a different country.”

On CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010401biden&r=email-35b5&l=073-deb&t=c>
(1/3), correspondent Brian Todd reported Jo was “North Korea’s liaison to
the World Food Program in Rome, which supplies food to millions of starving
North Koreans,” and Kim could “well have counted on Jo to deliver personal
items to him and his cronies,” avoiding sanctions. Experts say Kim would
likely downplay the defection, which would be seen as an embarrassment to
the regime.

*Pompeo: Conditions Good For Progress If Trump Meets With K