Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Tuesday, May 29, 2018
From: "Kathy Chung" <[email-masked]>
To: "Ashley Blazer Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jill Tracy Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jimmy Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Valerie Biden Owens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 29 May 2018 09:47:18 -0400

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Tuesday, May 29, 2018 7:54 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, May 29, 2018

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=000-b5b&t=c>
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=001-584&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, May 29, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Trump’s Memorial Day Tweet Citing Economy, Low Unemployment Draws
Backlash. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• US Delegations Meeting With North Koreans To Prepare For Trump-Kim Summit.
<#S2>

• Rouhani To Visit China Amid Nuclear Deal Uncertainty. <#S3>

• Israeli National Security Adviser To Meet With Bolton Today In DC. <#S4>

• Gunman Takes Hostage, Kills Three In Belgium. <#S5>

• Taliban Targets Afghans Involved In Minting Medal Honoring Trump. <#S6>

• FBI Issues Router Warning Amid Concern About Russia-Linked Malware. <#S7>

• Ex-IMF Official Tapped To Lead Italy Until Fresh Elections. <#S8>

• China Grants Approval For 13th Ivanka Trump Trademark In Three Months.
<#S9>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Media Analyses: Trump Camp Waging Public Relations Effort Against Mueller.
<#S10>

• NYTimes: Administration Didn’t Separate Immigrant Children From Families,
Lose Them. <#S11>

• Study: Republican-Appointed Judges Give Black Defendants Longer Sentences.
<#S12>

• Five Largest US Banks Lending To Coal Industry Again. <#S13>

• Cindy McCain Likely To Be Appointed To Senate Seat Upon McCain’s Death.
<#S14>

• Former ACLU President: Obama Was “Terrible President” On Free Speech.
<#S15>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Patient Advocates: Drugs Developed With Taxpayer Funds Should Be
Affordable. <#S16>

• Study: Artificial Intelligence Better Than Dermatologists At Diagnosing
Skin Cancer. <#S17>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S18>

• Washington Post. <#S19>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Biden Calls McGrath To Congratulate Her On KY6 Primary Win. <#S20>

• Biden Endorses Feehan’s Bid To Succeed Walz In MN1. <#S21>

• Fletcher Wins “Rare Endorsement” From Biden In San Diego County
Supervisor Race. <#S22>

• Trump Narrows Democrats’ Leads In 2020 Survey. <#S23>

• Kentucky Author Pens Obama-Biden Murder Mystery Novel. <#S24>
Leading the News
Trump’s Memorial Day Tweet Citing Economy, Low Unemployment Draws Backlash.

Coverage of President Trump’s remarks at Arlington National Cemetery on
Memorial Day is eclipsed by reaction to his morning tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=002-9c8&t=c>,
which stated, “Happy Memorial Day! Those who died for our great country
would be very happy and proud at how well our country is doing today. Best
economy in decades, lowest unemployment numbers for Blacks and Hispanics
EVER (& women in 18years), rebuilding our Military and so much more. Nice!”

        All three major network newscasts ran brief stories on Trump’s
speech, but only NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=003-aae&t=c>
(5/28, story 5, 0:45, Alexander) alluded to the controversy, reporting that
he “raised eyebrows with his Memorial Day message on Twitter” and then
reading the entire tweet as part of the broadcast. The CBS Evening News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=004-925&t=c>
(5/28, story 4, 0:20, Golodryga), meanwhile, reported “the
Commander-In-Chief placed a wreath at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and said
we mourn alongside their families and we strive to be worthy of their
sacrifice,” and ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=005-1fc&t=c>
(5/28, story 4, 2:40, Llamas) briefly noted the event as a preface to its
North Korea coverage, reporting that Trump laid “a wreath at the Tomb of
the Unknown Soldier” and paid “tribute to fallen service members and their
families.”

        In its report on Trump’s speech, meanwhile, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=006-374&t=c>
(5/28, Lucey) says his “somber tone contrasted with a self-promotional
tweet earlier Monday,” while Chris Cillizza writes on the CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=007-8bb&t=c>
(5/28) website, “Memorial Day, for politicians, is a no-brainer. You
express thanks to those who have served and condolences for those who have
been lost. That’s it. That’s the statement.” Trump “went in, um, another
direction” with “a tweet about Trump masquerading as a tweet about Memorial
Day. The remembrance of those who fell in service to the country is used
here by Trump as simply a launching pad to tout accomplishments during his
first 16 months in office.” CNN political analyst Ryan Lizza said on CNN’s
Situation Room
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=008-355&t=c>
(5/28), “I thought that if The Onion had tried to write a...Trump tweet
that mocked the President for kind of messing up what is a pretty easy
thing to get right, a Memorial Day message for the American people.” CNN
national security analyst Samantha Vinograd said, also on CNN’s Situation
Room
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=009-ea3&t=c>
(5/28), “I think that this is one day that I had hoped the President would
put his narcissism in check.”

        Daniel Politi of Slate
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=00a-bfe&t=c>
(5/28) writes, “Trump celebrated Memorial Day on Monday in the most
Trumpian way possible, giving himself a pat on the back. ... It didn’t take
long for the backlash as many expressed their shock that even Trump could
go as far as to claim the endorsement of dead veterans.” Former Joint
Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey “wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=00b-bb1&t=c>
a pointed reply to Trump without ever mentioning him: ‘This day, of all
days of the year, should not be about any one of us. No matter how
prestigious or powerful, no matter how successful we perceive ourselves to
be.’” The Atlantic’s David Frum “called
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=00c-7b2&t=c>
Trump’s tweet ‘the grossest, most inappropriate, most self-flattering
Memorial Day message in the history of the US presidency.’” Former CIA and
NSA chief Gen. Michael Hayden “reacted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=00d-46e&t=c>
with three letters: ‘OMG.’” Frum later detailed his criticism in a piece on
the website of The Atlantic
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=00e-ac7&t=c>
(5/28, Frum).

        NPR
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=00f-663&t=c>
(5/28, Wamsley) writes on its website that Trump “laid a wreath at the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier and paid his respects to those who gave their lives
for the country. ... Just a few hours earlier, the president had used the
day’s themes to congratulate himself.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=010-779&t=c>
(5/28, Thomsen) reports that Trump “has often used Twitter to brag about
the state of the economy under his administration,” and the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=011-811&t=c>
(5/28, Enjeti) runs a brief item on the speech that mentions that Trump
“previously tweeted a Memorial Day message lauding the state of the US
under his administration saying the fallen would be happy to see the
country as it is today.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=012-a6f&t=c>
(5/28, Gstalter) reports “a progressive veterans advocacy group
ripped...Trump’s Memorial Day tweet bragging about the economy under his
administration.” VoteVets tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=013-02b&t=c>,
“This is the most inappropriate #MemorialDay comment that a @POTUS has ever
made.” The Hill notes Trump “blocked the veterans group on Twitter in 2017
– though a federal district court judge ruled last week that Trump can’t
block people from viewing his Twitter feed over their political views.”

        The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=014-431&t=c>
(5/28, Fredericks) headlines its report “Trump Visits Arlington After
Critics Slam ‘Appalling’ Memorial Day Tweet,” and USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=015-23a&t=c>
(5/28) quotes the tweet in full in an online report. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=016-274&t=c>
(5/28, Nussbaum), meanwhile, describes Trump as “marking Memorial Day as
commander in chief even as his White House remains embroiled in an
ever-growing list of self-made controversies and Twitter-based conspiracy
theorizing.”

        The tweet received little morning cable discussion, other than an
exchange on MSNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=017-1ee&t=c>
(5/28, 9:27 a.m. ET). Ayman Mohyeldin said, “This Memorial Day, President
Trump seems to be using the occasion to tout his own accomplishments.”
Mohyeldin then read the tweet. Matt Welch of Reason said, “It’s classic
Trump. This is the way he’s behaved his whole public life. He’s always been
sort of a self-promoting narcissist, and this is how he’s treating Memorial
Day too.”

        Trump also took to Twitter after his remarks at Arlington Cemetery,
writing
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=018-344&t=c>,
“Thank you for joining us on this solemn day of remembrance. We are
gathered here on the sacred soil of @ArlingtonNatl Cemetery to honor the
lives and deeds of America’s greatest heroes, the men and women who laid
down their lives for our freedom. ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=019-e34&t=c>
The heroes who rest in these hallowed fields, in cemeteries, battlefields,
and burial grounds near and far are drawn the full tapestry of American
life. They came from every generation from towering cities and wind swept
prairies, from privilege and from poverty. ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=01a-2c9&t=c>
Our fallen heroes have not only written our history they have shaped our
destiny. They saved the lives of the men and women with whom they served.
They cared for their families more than anything in the world, they loved
their families. They inspired their communities.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=01b-e17&t=c>
(5/28, Miller) reports that in his Arlington remarks, Trump “mentioned
several service members in the crowd, including former Sen. Bob Dole, a
World War II veteran.” Trump “also recognized Navy veteran Ray Chavez, who
at 106 years old is the oldest living survivor of the attack on Pearl
Harbor.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=01c-375&t=c>
(5/28, Spiering) reports that Trump also “honored Marine Lt. Colonel David
Green who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2011 at the age of 39 and
pointed out that Green’s son...plans to join the military” after finishing
college. Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=01d-30e&t=c>
(5/28, Singman) reports on its website that Trump “pledged to Gold Star
families on Monday to ‘never forget our heroes.’”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=01e-b22&t=c>
(5/28, Morrongiello) recounts that during his remarks, Trump also “singled
out a young man named Christian who approached him at last year’s Memorial
Day ceremony and asked if he wanted to meet his father. The president said
Christian then led him to a grave site.” Trump said yesterday, “We paid our
respects together. It was a moment I will always remember.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=01f-953&t=c>
(5/28, Brest) quotes Trump as also saying, “Christian, I want you to know
that even though your father has left this world, he’s left it for the
next. He’s not gone, he’ll never be gone. Your dad’s love, courage, and
strength live in you, Christian, and as you grow bigger and stronger, just
like him, so, too, does your father’s incredible legacy. So thank you both.
That’s so beautiful. Thank you.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=020-dfe&t=c>
(5/28, Qiu) notes “Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke before Mr. Trump,”
while “other members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet and White House aides –
including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary; Donald
F. McGahn II, the White House counsel; and John R. Bolton, the national
security adviser – were also in attendance.”

        *First Lady Tweets Memorial Day Message. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=021-bf6&t=c>
(5/28, Caruso) reports, “First Lady Melania Trump delivered her Memorial
Day message on Instagram Monday, reminding us all that ‘freedom isn’t
free.’” She tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=022-cb2&t=c>,
“On #MemorialDay we honor the many Americans who laid down their lives for
our great country. As one nation under God, we come together to remember
that freedom isn’t free. Thank you to all the service members & their
families who sacrifice so much to keep us safe.”

        *Obama Posts Memorial Day Tweet Midway Through Trump’s Speech.
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=023-7c3&t=c>
(5/28, Morrongiello) reports “former President Barack Obama shared a
Memorial Day message on Monday, urging Americans to remember those who gave
that ‘last full measure of devotion.’” Obama’s tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=024-0d5&t=c>
“was posted at 12:02 p.m. to Obama’s 103 million followers, midway
through...Trump’s speech at Arlington National Cemetery.”
Foreign Policy
US Delegations Meeting With North Koreans To Prepare For Trump-Kim Summit.

Coverage of the North Korea story reflected renewed optimism that the
summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un could now be back on track.
Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=025-190&t=c>
this morning, “We have put a great team together for our talks with North
Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim
Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York.
Solid response to my letter, thank you!” Media reports, however, noted the
lingering skepticism about the summit’s prospects for success.

        As the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=026-d4a&t=c>
(5/28, story 7, 1:45, Golodryga) reported, “The forecast is looking a bit
brighter for a summit next month” as “American diplomats have taken the
rare step of crossing the” DMZ into North Korea to meet with their North
Korean counterparts. Yet, “the outcome of the summit between two world
leaders is usually negotiated before they ever sit down at the table,” and
“that usually takes months, if not years, of work and planning.” Trump’s
team, on the other hand, “is now trying to do all of that in the next 15
days.” ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=027-425&t=c>
(5/28, story 4, 2:40, Llamas) also said “there are no shortage of skeptics.
Former CIA Director Mike Hayden says he’s concerned the President is
rushing ahead without being fully prepared,” and “Republican Sen. Marco
Rubio says North Korea cannot be trusted,” that “Kim...will never truly be
willing to give up his nuclear weapons.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=028-3ca&t=c>
(5/28, Bacon) similarly reports that US and North Korean officials met in
Panmunjom “for a second day Monday, hammering out details” of a proposed
summit, and the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=029-bf7&t=c>
(5/28, Salama, Talley) says the White House has also decided to delay new
sanctions against North Korea that were to have taken effect as early as
Tuesday. Greg Palkot reported on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=02a-2e8&t=c>
(5/28) that the US delegation is meeting with “powerful” North Korea
Vice-Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, while deputy White House chief of staff
Joe Hagin and others are meeting with North Korean officials in Singapore
to “plan logistics” for the summit. There “is even talk of one last
meeting” between Secretary Pompeo and a North Korea official “to give the
final go ahead to the summit if all goes well.” Barbara Starr
indicated on CNN’s
Situation Room
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=02b-371&t=c>
(5/28) that the US officials in North Korea are talking to their
counterparts “about substance. In other words, seeing if it’s possible to
develop a communique that both sides can sign after the summit.”

        Tom Rogan of the Washington Examiner said on Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=02c-0a7&t=c>
(5/28) that the Chinese “were trying to test the waters here with...Trump
by telling the North Koreans to play games. Now in the context of ...Trump
playing hardball with them on trade, they want US concessions in the South
China Sea as part of their quid pro quo for pressuring Pyongyang.” The
President, in response, “is playing that game of unpredictability. This is
the one issue where I do think the Twitter feed and strangeness of it all
serves as a positive interest because it throws foreign nations who have a
different political structure to our own off balance in terms of their
perception of what Trump might do.”

        *White House: Trump Will Meet With Japanese PM Ahead Of “Expected”
Summit With Kim. *ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=02d-85e&t=c>
(5/28, story 4, 2:40, Llamas) reported that the White House also released a
statement saying Trump spoke by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, and the two leaders “will plan to have a meeting in advance of what
the statement called ‘the expected meeting between President Trump and Kim
Jong-Un.’ So, while that June 12 summit has not been officially put back on
the White House schedule yet, we do see it referred to here by the White
House as an expected meeting.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=02e-626&t=c>
(5/28) also reports that Abe said Monday that he will meet with Trump
“before planned talks between Trump and...Kim...take place.” Abe said he
and Trump agreed on a meeting in a Monday phone call. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=02f-81f&t=c>
(5/28, Rich) reports, “Abe has been concerned that Mr. Trump might make a
nuclear disarmament deal with North Korea that protects the United States
but does not address Tokyo’s worries about the North’s short-range missiles
that could hit Japan. By offering to meet” with Trump before a summit, Abe
“hopes to be one of the last advisers to have his ear” before he meets with
Kim.

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=030-dc9&t=c>
(5/28, Nakamura) says “a meeting between Trump and Abe could come on the
sidelines of the Group of 7 economic summit in Quebec from June 8 to 9, but
it is also possible that Abe will swing by Washington en route to that
conference, a Japanese official said.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=031-7ba&t=c>
(5/28) and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=032-d4d&t=c>
(5/28, Sanchez), among other news outlets, also report on Abe’s
announcement.

        *Moon Says More Impromptu Talks With Kim Possible. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=033-f31&t=c>
(5/28, Shin) reports, “South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said on Monday
there could be more impromptu talks and summits” with Kim. Moon, who “held
a surprise meeting” with Kim on Saturday, said, “What’s more important than
anything from the latest inter-Korean summit was that the leaders easily
got in contact, easily made an appointment and easily met to discuss urgent
matters, without complicated procedures and formalities, just like a casual
meeting.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=034-eca&t=c>
(5/28, Ye, Lee) writes that “in the tug-of-war” between the US and North
Korea “over the tentative summit,” Moon “is the man in the precarious
middle, trying to broker a high-stakes meeting between two unconventional
leaders.” Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=035-e95&t=c>
(5/28, Kight), among other news outlets, also reports on Moon’s comments.

        *US Expert: North Korean “Denuclearization” Could Take Up To 15
Years. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=036-13d&t=c>
(5/28, Broad, Sanger) reports that “as the Trump administration races to
start talks with North Korea on what it calls ‘rapid denuclearization,’ a
top federal government adviser who has repeatedly visited the North’s
sprawling atomic complex is warning that the disarmament process could take
far longer, up to 15 years.” The Times adds that “the adviser, Siegfried S.
Hecker, a former director of the Los Alamos weapons laboratory in New
Mexico, and now a Stanford professor, argues that the best the United
States can hope for is a phased denuclearization that goes after the most
dangerous parts of the North’s program first.” Hecker’s “time frame stands
in stark contrast with what the United States initially demanded, on what
could be a key sticking point in any summit meeting between” the President
and Kim.

        *High-Level North Korean Official To Visit US For Pre-Summit Talks.
*Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=037-921&t=c>
(5/29, Kong) reports North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “has dispatched one of
his top aides,” former spy chief Kim Yong Chol, “to the US for talks ahead
of his planned summit with Donald Trump next month, according to a person
familiar with the issue who asked not to be named because the trip isn’t
public.” Bloomberg says the high-ranking official’s “trip is another sign
that preparations for the on-again, off-again June 12 meeting in Singapore
are moving forward.”
Rouhani To Visit China Amid Nuclear Deal Uncertainty.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=038-310&t=c>
(5/28) reports that “as major powers scramble to save Iran’s nuclear deal
after the United States pulled out,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani “will
pay a working visit to China” next month “and attend the summit of the
China and Russia-led security bloc the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,”
a “regional summit aimed at avoiding disruption of joint projects.” Chinese
Deputy Foreign Minister Zhang Hanhui said Monday, “Our hope is that China
and Iran will have close consultation on the basis of observing the deal
and push forward development of bilateral cooperation.” He continued, “We
should together look into how to avoid major disruption of joint projects
between the two sides.” Reuters says Moscow “has previously argued that
with Western sanctions against Tehran lifted, it could finally become a
member of the bloc which also includes four ex-Soviet Central Asian
republics, Pakistan and India.”

        *WSJournal: New US Sanctions May Open Iranian Market To China,
Russia. *Chinese and Russian state-backed companies are seeking to profit
from the departure of European firms from Iran over what Secretary of State
Pompeo described as the “strongest set of sanctions in history,” signaling
to the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=039-7d9&t=c>
(5/28, Faucon) in an analysis how the business landscape in Iran – and its
large, growing market – has shifted since President Trump’s decision to
withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal. European executives who began making
inroads in the country under the nuclear deal are now concerned that China
and Russia will seize a significant advantage in the market to the
detriment of both the US and Europe.

        *China Intensifies Nuclear Weapons Development, Raising Fears Of
Looming Arms Race. *The South China Morning Post (HKG)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=03a-76a&t=c>
(5/28, Chen) reports that “China is aggressively developing its next
generation of nuclear weapons, conducting an average of five tests a month
to simulate nuclear blasts, according to a major Chinese weapons research
institute,” the China Academy of Engineering Physics, “in a document
released by the government earlier this year.” China’s rate of monthly
simulated tests has “outpaced that of the United States, which conducts
them less than once a month on average.” Meanwhile, the “Russian government
under Vladimir Putin has in recent years revealed a series of new nuclear
weapon programs,” and the “White House is considering a US$1.2 trillion
plan to upgrade its nuclear stockpile.” With China joining “the US and
Russia in pursuing more targeted nuclear weapons as a deterrent against
potential threats, the looming arms race would in fact serve the opposite
purpose by increasing the risk of a nuclear conflict, experts warn.”
Israeli National Security Adviser To Meet With Bolton Today In DC.

Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=03b-aef&t=c>
(5/28) reports that Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabat “will
arrive in Washington [today] for talks at the White House” with National
Security Adviser Bolton, according to sources. Bolton “has spoken on the
phone several times with his Israeli counterpart since becoming national
security adviser two months ago, but this will be their first face-to-face
meeting.”

        *Abbas Discharged From Hospital. *Fox News’ Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=03c-f32&t=c>
(5/28) reported Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was discharged from a West
Bank hospital after a week-long stay that “drew attention to the
83-year-old’s history of health problems and his refusal to name a deputy
or successor.”
Gunman Takes Hostage, Kills Three In Belgium.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=03d-55c&t=c>
(5/29) reports, “A gunman killed two police officers and a passer-by on
Tuesday before being himself shot dead in the center of the eastern Belgian
city of Liege, public broadcaster RTBF said on its website.” It is unclear
“what lay behind the incident in which the man had also taken a woman
hostage, according to RTBF.”
Taliban Targets Afghans Involved In Minting Medal Honoring Trump.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=03e-546&t=c>
(5/28, Nordland, Abed) reports Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid “said
in a statement on WhatsApp that the insurgents were responsible for the
killing of Gul Nabi in Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar Province, in
revenge for his ‘criminal’ role in making the medal” to thank President
Trump for supporting the country. Assadullah Poya, “who admired the
president so much that he legally named his son Donald Trump,” fled the
country, saying “he no longer feels safe” because of his involvement in the
minting. A third man involved in the minting, local police commander Farhad
Akbari, intends to follow suit. He “said he now regretted the decision to
make a medal for Mr. Trump because those involved had received no support
from the authorities or the American government.”
FBI Issues Router Warning Amid Concern About Russia-Linked Malware.

NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=03f-047&t=c>
(5/28, story 6, 0:20, Alexander) reported that there is an “urgent warning
tonight from the FBI: if you have an Internet router in your home or small
business, reset it.” The warning stems from concern over a “malware system
linked to Russia that infected hundreds of thousands of routers worldwide.”
The “easiest way to combat” the malware is to reboot one’s computer.

        *Poland Wants To Permanently Host Thousands Of US Troops Over
Russia Concerns. *Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=040-381&t=c>
(5/28) reported that Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak says he has
held talks with US officials about having “thousands of American troops
permanently stationed there as a deterrent to Russia” amid concerns about
Russia’s annexation of Crimea, its support for separatists in eastern
Ukraine, and “other steps seen as hostile.”
Ex-IMF Official Tapped To Lead Italy Until Fresh Elections.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=041-2ab&t=c>
(5/28, D'Emilio) reports, “Amid growing political turmoil,” economist Carlo
Cottarelli, “a former International Monetary Fund official and a specialist
in budget slashing,” was selected by Italian President Sergio Mattarella
“to lead Italy to early elections, possibly as soon as after the summer,
after populist parties failed to convince” Mattarella that their Cabinet
selections “wouldn’t destroy international investors’ faith in the
country.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=042-db2&t=c>
(5/28, Horowitz) reports, “Mattarella’s defenders hailed him as the
courageous protector of Italy’s democracy, institutions and financial
health, while fuming populists sought to make the usually revered figure of
the Italian head of state the country’s public enemy No. 1,” saying that he
“had overstepped his constitutional bounds with delusions of grandeur,
blocked the will of the people and destroyed Italian democracy.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=043-bbb&t=c>
(5/28, Scherer) reports that “the far-right League and anti-establishment
5-Star Movement” are now “weighing whether to join forces ahead of a fresh
election.” League leader Matteo Salvini said, “The upcoming elections will
not be political, but instead a real and true referendum...between who
wants Italy to be a free country and who wants it to be servile and
enslaved. Today Italy is not free; it is occupied financially by Germans,
French, and eurocrats.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=044-7bb&t=c>
(5/28, Legorano, Walker) reports that while the League and M5S have not
called for Italy to abandon the euro, both have been highly critical of the
currency.
China Grants Approval For 13th Ivanka Trump Trademark In Three Months.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=045-304&t=c>
(5/28, Kinetz) reports, “Ivanka Trump’s brand continues to win foreign
trademarks in China and the Philippines, adding to questions about
conflicts of interest at the White House.” On Sunday, China granted her
company “final approval for its 13th trademark in the last three months,
trademark office records show,” and has also granted “provisional approval
for another eight trademarks.” Noah Bookbinder of Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told the AP, “Ivanka Trump’s
refusal to divest from her business is especially troubling as the Ivanka
brand continues to expand its business in foreign countries. It raises
significant questions about corruption, as it invites the possibility that
she could be benefiting financially from her position and her father’s
presidency or that she could be influenced in her policy work by countries’
treatment of her business.” Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=046-58d&t=c>
(5/28, Kwong) reports, “Ivanka Trump Marks LLC applied for the recent wave
of trademarks in March 2017, according to CREW.”

        Sui-Lee Wee of the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=047-5e9&t=c>
(5/28) writes that the approvals came “at around the same time” that
President Trump “vowed to find a way to prevent” Chinese telecommunications
firm ZTE “from going bust. ... Coincidence? Well, probably.” But the
“remarkable timing is raising familiar questions about the Trump family’s
businesses and its patriarch’s status as commander in chief.” Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=048-ac5&t=c>
(5/28, Atkinson) similarly writes that “her growing portfolio comes as her
father...is engaged in a bitter back-and-forth battle with China over
trading practices.”

        *WPost: Trump’s Merger Of National Security, Trade Goals Baffles
Allies, Adversaries. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=049-649&t=c>
(5/28, Lynch, Paletta) cites “several Republican lawmakers, business
executives and former US officials” who say President Trump “is merging his
national security and trade goals in a blur of tactical improvisation that
risks alienating U.S. allies and opening American businesses to costly
retaliation.” The potential tariffs on foreign cars Trump announced last
week “are the latest sign of the president’s fluid approach to national and
economic security that has left allies and adversaries baffled over U.S.
intentions, according to foreign diplomats.” While Trump “holds an
expansive view of national security, describing imported products like
steel or passenger sedans as worrisome threats to the United States,” he
“also engages in freewheeling bargaining that treats vital strategic
considerations as the equivalent of commercial factors, leaving negotiating
partners unsure of his true priorities.”

        *Business Leaders See Tough Talk Followed By Concessions From Trump
On Trade. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=04a-c5f&t=c>
(5/28, Zumbrun) reports that as the White House seeks to renegotiate US
trade relationships, business leaders and economists are seeing an emerging
pattern of aggressive talk followed by settling for incremental
concessions. Matthew Goodman of the Center for Strategic and International
Studies said, “The pattern has been: A lot of sound and fury, threats to
withdraw from agreements and negotiate the best ever deal, and then in
reality something a lot less.”

        *Soybean Farmers Troubled By Talk Of Tariffs Between US, China. *The
Minneapolis Star Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=04b-838&t=c>
(5/27, Meersman) reported that Minnesota farmers and “many others in farm
country have been troubled by the on-again, off-again talk of tariffs and
counter-tariffs between the U.S. and China, and they worry that decades of
building mutually beneficial trade relations could be wiped away.”
Minnesota “is the nation’s third largest producer of soybeans with $2
billion worth of exports in 2016, more than half to China.” The Star
Tribune said even “the threat of a tariff has already caused Chinese buyers
to halt orders for U.S. soybeans.” According to the CEO of agricultural
trader Bunge Ltd., a “‘big cloud of uncertainty’ in the market had caused
China to increase soybean purchases from Canada and Brazil at the expense
of U.S. growers.”
Domestic Policy
Media Analyses: Trump Camp Waging Public Relations Effort Against Mueller.

Media analysis across the news cycle Monday cast the Administration as
waging a PR war against Special Counsel Robert Mueller. In the morning, two
broadcast network morning shows discussed comments by President Trump’s
attorney Rudy Giuliani. Jon Karl said on ABC’s Good Morning America[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=04c-f51&t=c>
(5/28, 7:15 a.m. ET, Harris), “Giuliani was quite clear that what they are
trying to do is undermine the credibility of the Russia investigation. He
was asked about the ‘Spygate’ charges and what he’s trying to do and if he
is simply trying to destroy the reputation of the Special Counsel, and this
is what he had to say.” Giuliani: “It is for public opinion. Members of
Congress, Democrat and Republican, will be informed a lot by their
constituents. So our jury is, as it should be, is the American people.”
Karl: “Quite explicitly what he was saying is that they are trying to
undermine Mueller’s credibility. So when you hear the ‘Spygate’ charges,
know, first of all, there is no evidence and, secondly, that they are
trying to wage a public relations campaign here.”

        Paula Reid said on CBS This Morning[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=04d-f02&t=c>
(5/28, 7:13 a.m. ET, Golodryga), “While the President’s lawyers negotiate
the terms of a possible interview between the President” and Mueller, “the
President and his allies are pushing out messages to sow doubt about the
Russian investigation. ... Giuliani says the Mueller probe has come up
empty, despite the fact Mueller’s team has charged 19 people and three
businesses with over 100 criminal counts. He claims it’s been tarnished by
what he and Mr. Trump calls ‘Spygate,’ alleging without evidence that the
Trump campaign was improperly spied on.”

        Jonathan Turley appeared on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=04e-147&t=c>
(5/28, 9:19 a.m. ET) to discuss former Acting Attorney General Sally
Yates’ weekend
criticism
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=04f-ae5&t=c>
of Trump’s call for a DOJ investigation into whether the FBI spied on his
2016 campaign. Turley said that Yates “is part of the concerns that people
have raised about a bias in the Justice Department. She told an entire
department to stand down and not to defend the President’s first
immigration order. At the time I said that she was fired for good cause. I
still believe that. I find her actions to be really quite unbelievable.”
Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=050-80e&t=c>
that last line at 10:08 a.m., and at 10:32 a.m. tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=051-aa8&t=c>
a subsequent Turley statement: “We now find out that the Obama
Administration put the opposing campaigns presidential candidate, or his
campaign, under investigation. That raises legitimate questions. I just
find this really odd...this goes to the heart of our electoral system.”

        Previewing the interview, Abby Huntsman said on Fox News’ Fox &
Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=052-04d&t=c>
(5/28, 9:11 a.m. ET), “A lot of people are saying the President deserves
some answers. Law professor Jonathan Turley, he says he agrees with that.”
Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=053-bba&t=c>,
“‘The President deserves some answers.’ @FoxNews in discussing ‘SPYGATE.’”

        *In Tweet Today, Trump Blasts “13 Angry Democrats,” “People Who
Worked 8 Years For Obama.” *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=054-5c0&t=c>
this morning, “The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for
Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt, will be MEDDLING with the
mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are
taking the lead in Polls. There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats!”
Trump also tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=055-bef&t=c>
this morning, “‘This investigation involved far more surveillance than we
ever had any idea about. It wasn’t just a wiretap against a campaign
aide...it was secretly gathering information on the Trump Campaign...people
call that Spying...this is unprecedented and scandalous.’ Mollie
Hemingway.” Trump added in a later tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=056-a88&t=c>
this morning, “Why aren’t the 13 Angry and heavily conflicted Democrats
investigating the totally Crooked Campaign of totally Crooked Hillary
Clinton. It’s a Rigged Witch Hunt, that’s why! Ask them if they enjoyed her
after election celebration!” Trump then tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=057-f67&t=c>,
“Sorry, I’ve got to start focusing my energy on North Korea Nuclear, bad
Trade Deals, VA Choice, the Economy, rebuilding the Military, and so much
more, and not on the Rigged Russia Witch Hunt that should be investigating
Clinton/Russia/FBI/Justice/Obama/Comey/Lynch etc.”

        *Attkisson Argues Spying On Trump Campaign Was Politically
Motivated. *Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=058-ab8&t=c>
(5/28, Vespa) reports that in a piece
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=059-391&t=c>
(5/23) for The Hill, former CBS News investigative reporter Sharyl
Attkisson listed eight ways that indicate how the FBI’s spying on the Trump
campaign “was politically motivated.”

        *Daily Caller: FBI Agents Afraid To Speak Out Against Superiors. *The
Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=05a-4b3&t=c>
(5/28, Picket) reports that “rank-and-file FBI agents who want to testify
against their superiors to Congress feel they can’t due to an ineffective
whistleblower protection law.” The agents believe the law “exposes them to
an inordinate risk of reprisal, so they have remained in hiding and afraid
to speak the truth.” According to a “former White House official who
maintained direct contact with at least two agents told TheDC they are
‘hunkering down because they see good people being thrown to the dogs for
speaking out and speaking out does nothing to solve the problems.’”

        *Clovis Believes Halper Used Him To Get To Papadopoulos. *The
Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=05b-8fa&t=c>
(5/28, York) reports that Sam Clovis, a former national co-chairman of
Trump’s campaign was “one of three Trump figures known to have been
contacted by FBI informant Stefan Halper during the 2016 presidential
campaign.” Clovis “believes Halper had very specific purposes in
approaching the Trump figures he approached.” He said, “I think [Halper]
was using his meeting with me to give him bona fides to talk to George
Papadopoulos. He used Carter Page to get to me and he used me to get to
George. George was the target. I think George was the target all along.”
Clovis theorizes that Halper “was trying to link Papadopoulos and the
30,000-plus emails that Hillary Clinton unilaterally deleted from her
private email system.”

        *NYTimes: Trump’s Conspiracy Theories Are Undermining Trust In
Institutions. *A New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=05c-a25&t=c>
(5/28, Davis, Haberman) analysis says that Trump’s promotion of “new,
unconfirmed accusations to suit his political narrative: that a ‘criminal
deep state’ element within Mr. Obama’s government planted a spy deep inside
his presidential campaign to help his rival, Hillary Clinton, win” was “the
latest indication that a president who has for decades trafficked in
conspiracy theories has brought them from the fringes of public discourse
to the Oval Office.” His “willingness to peddle suspicion as fact has
implications beyond the Russia inquiry.” Trump’s “baseless stories of
secret plots by powerful interests are having a distinct effect, eroding
public trust in institutions, undermining the idea of objective truth and
sowing widespread suspicions about the government and news media that
mirror his own.”

        *Swalwell: Trump Should Be “Impeached” At Ballot Box. *Rep. Eric
Swalwell was asked on CNN’s The Lead
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=05d-25b&t=c>
(5/28) if Democrats are looking to impeach the President, Swalwell said,
“No. Actually...I’d rather see the President impeached at the ballot box to
prove democracy works. No one is above the law, but right now, we’ve not
had a thorough investigation to find any wrong doing because Republicans
are not willing to use the subpoena power.”

        *Pavlich Says Clinton Campaign Gave Money To Russia During
Campaign. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=05e-4f2&t=c>
(5/28, Mayfield) reports that Fox News contributor and “longtime Trump
defender” Katie Pavlich “claimed Monday that Hillary Clinton ‘gave’ money
to Russians during the 2016 presidential election.” Said Pavlich, “We have
seen the result of all of this boomerang on the other side, on the Clinton
campaign, which was more directly connected to the Russians than we’ve seen
any evidence of with the Trump campaign.” When former Clinton
communications director Adrienne Elrod “burst out laughing,” Pavlich said,
“They gave them money,” to which Elrod replied, “The Clinton campaign did
not have any collusion with Russia, let’s just put that forward.” Pavlich
interjected, “They paid someone working with Russians money for opposition
research on Donald Trump,” and Elrod responded, “It was a dossier, it was
opposition research, it was a very standard part of the campaign.”

        *Clapper: After Early Retirement, Flynn Became “An Angry Man.” *Dave
Lawler writes on Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=05f-e6d&t=c>
(5/28, Lawler) that in an interview, he asked former Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper about Michael Flynn. Clapper “saluted Flynn’s
military service and noted that he had supported his appointment as
director of the Defense Intelligence Agency before playing a role in
removing him from that post.” Said Clapper, “I think it ate at him that he
was terminated early and retired early, and I think he became an angry man.
He was trying to reach out to several Republican candidates and latched
onto Trump – and the rest was history.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=060-6b1&t=c>
(5/28, Morrongiello) also reports on Clapper’s comments to Axios.

        *Avenatti’s Past Financial Dealings Could Affecrt Daniels Case. *The
Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=061-2a1&t=c>
(5/28, Daley) reports that Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti “has
said little about the body of reporting relating to his past bankruptcies
and mounting back taxes,” and has “asserted the episodes have no bearing on
his representation” of Daniels or her lawsuit against the president.
However, the DC, which outlines the incidents from Avenatti’s past, says
“the details those reports describe could substantially bear on his ability
to intervene in other legal proceedings essential to the success” of her
lawsuit.

        *Giuliani Booed At Yankee Stadium. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=062-fef&t=c>
(5/28, Morrongiello) reports that Giuliani was booed by the crowd at Yankee
Stadium Monday as he “arrived to watch the game for his 74th birthday.”
According to a reporter, when the announcer wished Giuliani a happy
birthday, “thunderous boos rained across the stadium.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=063-dfb&t=c>
(5/28, King, Brown) also reports on Giuliani being booed.
NYTimes: Administration Didn’t Separate Immigrant Children From Families,
Lose Them.

Amid “confusing” reports about what happened to more than 1,000 immigrant
children reportedly lost by federal authorities, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=064-aaa&t=c>
(5/28, Harmon) provides answers. The Times says the Trump Administration
did not “separate nearly 1,500 immigrant children from their parents at the
border, and then lose track of them.” While the government did lose track
of the children, “it had placed with sponsors in the United States,
according to testimony before a Senate subcommittee last month,” the
children “had arrived alone at the Southwest border – without their
parents.” DHS officials “began making calls last year to determine what had
happened to 7,635 children the government had helped place between last
October and the end of the year.” It is possible the children who were
unaccounted for are with adult sponsors who “chose not to respond to the
agency.”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=065-a6a&t=c>
(5/28, Langford) reports that HHS Said Monday that the children in question
“were turned over caretakers who didn’t respond to the government’s
follow-up contacts.” Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan said in a statement,
“These children are not ‘lost.’ ... Their sponsors – who are usually
parents or family members and in all cases have been vetted for criminality
and ability to provide for them – simply did not respond or could not be
reached.”

        *In Tweet Today, Trump Hits Democrats Over Obama-Era Border Child
Detainee Photos. *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=066-064&t=c>
this morning, “Democrats mistakenly tweet 2014 pictures from Obama’s term
showing children from the Border in steel cages. They thought it was recent
pictures in order to make us look bad, but backfires. Dems must agree to
Wall and new Border Protection for good of country...Bipartisan Bill!”

        *Left Blames Trump For Conditions At Immigrant Detention Centers
Under Obama. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=067-ac5&t=c>
(5/28, Caplan) reports that while Democrats, journalists, and former Obama
Administration aides “whipped themselves into a frenzy Sunday, attributing
‘disturbing’ photos of migrant detention centers to President Donald
Trump,” the photos “were taken during Obama’s second term as president.”
Among other examples, Breitbart cites Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, who
“admitted to sharing photos taken under his former boss’s watch — but still
found a way to shift blame onto the Trump administration.” Favreau wrote,
“These awful pictures are from 2014, when the government’s challenge was
reconnecting unaccompanied minors who showed up at the border with family
or a safe sponsor. ... Today, in 2018, the government is CREATING
unaccompanied minors by tearing them away from family at the border.”
The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=068-22c&t=c>
(5/28, Morton) reports that while Favreau deleted his tweet, “other liberal
activists and journalists, such as Shaun King of Black Lives Matter, Linda
Sarsour of the Women’s March, and Muslim activist Qasim Rashid still had
the fake news up Monday afternoon.”

        *Poll: 76% Of GOP Voters Approve Of Trump On Immigration. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=069-764&t=c>
(5/28, Binder) reports that the latest Harvard/Harris poll shows that “more
than three in four Republican voters say they approve of the job President
Trump is doing on the issue of immigration thus far.” According to the
poll, “76 percent of GOP voters said they approved of Trump’s handling of
immigration, where a crackdown enforced by the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) agency has opened job opportunities and grown wages for
American workers.” Conservatives and Trump voters “are even more
supportive.” The poll found that “around 77 percent of conservatives said
they approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, while 85 percent of Trump
supporters said the same.”

        *Bipartisan Group Of Senators Renewing Work On DACA. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=06a-46c&t=c>
(5/28, Everett, Schor) reports that “a group of senators in both parties is
beginning to restart back-channel talks across the aisle and with the White
House” to deal with DACA “if the House or the courts throw the issue back
to the Senate this summer.” Sen. Cory Gardner, who leads the National
Republican Senate Committee, told Politico that he told President Trump
earlier this month, “The sweet spot for getting an immigration deal remains
now. The closer we get to the election and certainly post-election, the
more difficult it will be. If we wait longer, the more difficult it
becomes. They’ll blame it on both parties at that point.” However, the
House seems unlikely to act on any version of immigration legislation that
could pass the Senate.

        *Black Discusses Border Wall Crowd-Funding Proposal. *On Fox News’
Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=06b-880&t=c>
(5/28, 7:17 a.m. ET, Huntsman), Rep. Diane Black (R) outlined a proposal to
create a trust fund to help finance a US-Mexico border wall. Black said,
“Setting up a dedicated fund where people who truly believe what the
President believes, that we should secure our borders, would have an
opportunity to be part of that in crowd-funding. And because the Democrats
will not go with the Republicans in funding the wall, we thought this was a
good idea to give the American people to have a chance to have a voice in
it.” Fox’s Todd Piro: “It’s a very interesting idea, but has anything like
this ever been done before?” Black: “Well, actually, there has been
crowd-funding before for something in our country that we all love, and
that’s the Washington Monument. ... And if you go to the Washington
Monument, you’ll see those plaques along the wall that show that the
American people wanted that project to be completed.”

        *LATimes: Trump Has Reignited Debate Over Speaking Spanish In US. *The
Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=06c-235&t=c>
(5/28, Mejia) reports that Spanish “has established itself as perhaps the
most relentlessly polarizing language in the United States.” The Trump
presidency “has reignited the linguistic divide,” as the President “has
railed against illegal immigration, attacked the character of those who
cross the border and once said ‘this is a country where we speak English,
not Spanish.’” Since the 2016 election, “dozens of Latinos have reported
verbal assaults for speaking Spanish through Documenting Hate, a project
that tracks bias incidents and hate crimes around the country,” but it is
“hard to know whether there has been an uptick in confrontations over the
speaking of Spanish.”

        *Celebrities Call Trump’s Immigration Policies “Torture,”
“Un-American.” *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=06d-904&t=c>
(5/28, Binder) reports that in a series of tweets this week, actor Jim
Carrey and other celebrities described President Trump’s efforts to stop
illegal immigration as “torture,” “inhumane,” and “un-American.”

        *Ivanka Photo Holding Her Son Draw Fire From Twitter Users.
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=06e-9ce&t=c>
(5/28, Mayfield) reports that a photo
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=06f-40c&t=c>
posted by Ivanka Trump holding her son “in the midst of new reports
detailing how authorities lost track of nearly 1,500 immigrant children in
custody,” drew fire from Twitter users. Many “pointed out that her father’s
administration recently floated the possibility of housing children who
illegally crossed the border without an adult guardian, or who will be
separated from their immigrant families, on military bases.”
Study: Republican-Appointed Judges Give Black Defendants Longer Sentences.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=070-692&t=c>
(5/28, Liptak) reports that a study conducted by Harvard Law School
professors Alma Cohen and Crystal S. Yang found that “judges appointed by
Republican presidents gave longer sentences to black defendants and shorter
ones to women than judges appointed by Democrats.” The study, which
“examined the sentencing practices of about 1,400 federal trial judges over
more than 15 years, relying on information from the Federal Judicial
Center, the United States Sentencing Commission and the Transactional
Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University,” found,
“Republican-appointed judges sentence black defendants to three more months
than similar nonblacks and female defendants to two fewer months than
similar males compared to Democratic-appointed judges. ... These
differences cannot be explained by other judge characteristics and grow
substantially larger when judges are granted more discretion.”

        *Robinson: Prison Reform Bill Isn’t Perfect, But Worth Voting For. *In
his column for the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=071-c84&t=c>
(5/28), Eugene Robinson writes that “when it comes to prison reform, a
little something is better than a lot of nothing,” and “that is why the
bipartisan First Step Act, passed last week by the House, deserves to be
approved by the Senate and signed into law.” According to Robinson,
“progressives are sharply divided on the measure, mostly because of what it
doesn’t do.” According to Robinson, the bill “does nothing to address the
main problem, which is that this nation sends far too many people to prison
and keeps them locked up far too long.” Robinson argues that “if Democrats
take control of the House in November, they will be able to revisit the
issue anytime they want,” and that “nothing in the current bill precludes
bolder, more comprehensive action when the votes, and the president’s pen,
are lined up and ready.”
Five Largest US Banks Lending To Coal Industry Again.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=072-2e1&t=c>
(5/28, Flitter) reports that while the nation’s largest banks vowed three
years ago “to cut back on lending to the coal industry,” they “never
actually promised to walk away from coal completely” and with “coal
companies enjoying a small resurgence under the Trump administration, banks
are again embracing the industry.” Five of the largest banks in the country
“are lending tens or hundreds of millions of dollars to coal companies
again, in one case eclipsing what they lent in 2014, before the industry
entered a nose dive.” In all, “the five banks issued about $1.5 billion in
new coal-related loans last year, according to Rainforest Action Network.”
Cindy McCain Likely To Be Appointed To Senate Seat Upon McCain’s Death.

Newsmax
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=073-489&t=c>
(5/28, Gizzi) reports that Republicans and political pundits in Arizona
“privately tell Newsmax they expect” Sen. John McCain’s wife, Cindy, to be
appointed “to succeed him in the Senate.” While no one would “go on record
discussing what will happen when the ailing McCain no longer holds his
seat,” those who spoke to Newsmax “agree almost unanimously, Cindy McCain
following John in the Senate through appointment by Gov. Doug Ducey,
R-Ariz., is a near certainty.”
Former ACLU President: Obama Was “Terrible President” On Free Speech.

The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=074-50e&t=c>
(5/28, Shimshock) reports that former ACLU president Nadine Strossen
suggested in an interview that former President Obama was a “terrible
president” on free speech issues. Strossen said, “I still think a lot of
liberals aren’t aware [of] what a terrible president [Obama] was,”
referring “to the fact that the former president used the Espionage Act to
pursue whistleblowers more times than all previous presidents had
combined.” However, when she was asked to compare free speech on campus
under Obama to that under President Trump, she said, “I would say many
people are more deeply engaged about politics and more concerned about
their civil liberties.”
Cancer Research
Patient Advocates: Drugs Developed With Taxpayer Funds Should Be Affordable.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=075-98b&t=c>
(5/28, Pear) reports consumer advocates and health policy experts argue
that the government should demand “reasonable prices for drugs developed
with taxpayer funds.” Citing the cancer treatments Kymriah
(tisagenlecleucel), which “grew out of research conducted and supported by
the National Institutes of Health,” and Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel),
which “got its start right here at N.I.H.,” according to NIH Director Dr.
Francis Collins, and cost $475,000 and $373,000 respectively, the Times
says patient advocates argue that while “new pharmaceuticals can seem
miraculous...they are useless if unaffordable.”
Study: Artificial Intelligence Better Than Dermatologists At Diagnosing
Skin Cancer.

U.S. News & World Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=076-a85&t=c>
(5/28, Lardieri) reports that research has shown for the first time that
artificial intelligence known as “deep learning convolutional neural
network (CNN)” may be better than “experienced dermatologists at detecting
skin cancer,” according to a study
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=077-790&t=c>
published Tuesday in the Annals of Oncology. The researchers trained the
CNN with more than 100,000 images of malignant melanomas and compared the
AI to trained dermatologists. The dermatologists accurately detected an
average of 86.6 percent of melanomas while the CNN identified 95 percent.
The Telegraph (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=078-821&t=c>
(5/28, Donnelly) reports the AI “also misdiagnosed fewer benign moles as
malignant melanoma, meaning fewer patients would be forced to endure
needless surgery.”
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

*“Mikie Sherrill For New Jersey Democrats.”* In an editorial, the New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=079-e4a&t=c>
(5/28) endorses Mikie Sherrill in the Democratic primary to replace
retiring Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional
District. The Times says Tamara Harris, “a social worker with a background
in finance, is another impressive candidate with substantial support,” but
while both are “capable of serving their constituents well,” it believes
“Ms. Sherrill is the strongest candidate, and endorse[s] her with
confidence.”
Washington Post.

*“The World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis Could Get Even Worse.”* A Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=07a-102&t=c>
(5/28) editorial says the humanitarian crisis in Yemen “may be about to get
worse,” as “Yemeni forces backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi
Arabia are seeking to cut off and eventually capture Hodeida,” its “most
important port.” The Post says that the Administration, “as part of its
stepped-up campaign against Iran,” is now “pledging more support for the
Saudis and Emiratis” and “seeking to sell another $2 billion in munitions
to the allies.” Instead, the Post argues, the US should “use its leverage
to stop this reckless venture” and “be insisting that the Saudis take the
peace talks seriously – and that the Emiratis halt their advance on
Hodeida.”

        *“Our Endorsements For Prince George’s County.” *A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=07b-42a&t=c>
(5/28) editorial.
Biden in the News
Biden Calls McGrath To Congratulate Her On KY6 Primary Win.

The Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=07c-e4f&t=c>
(5/28, Clark) reported that retired fighter pilot Amy McGrath (D), who
defeated Lexington Mayor Jim Gray (D) in the KY6 Democratic primary, on
Thursday “was sitting in the parking lot of a Lexington Wendy’s when the
phone rang.” The Herald-Leader said that Vice President Joe Biden called to
congratulate McGrath and tell her that “she offered a path that other
Democrats should take notice of, said McGrath’s campaign manager Mark
Nickolas. Biden said he was impressed with how” McGrath “performed in the
rural counties outside Lexington and said that other Democrats should be
working to connect with rural voters, Nickolas said. Biden was especially
pleased that McGrath was successful in doing so and offered to help in any
way, Nickolas said.” McGrath will face Rep. Andy Barr (R) in the general
election.
Biden Endorses Feehan’s Bid To Succeed Walz In MN1.

The Worthington (MN) Daily Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=07d-c91&t=c>
(5/26) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden has endorsed ex-Obama
Administration official Dan Feehan’s (DFL) 2018 bid to succeed Rep. Tim
Walz (D) in the MN1. In a statement released Thursday by the Feehan camp,
Biden said, “I’m supporting Dan Feehan because he never stops fighting for
America and our values. Right now, too many Americans feel left behind.
From his experiences in Iraq, in the classroom in underserved communities,
and in the Pentagon, Dan knows that nobody gets left behind.” Walz is
running for governor this year.
Fletcher Wins “Rare Endorsement” From Biden In San Diego County Supervisor
Race.

Under the headline “Nathan Fletcher Gets Rare Endorsement By Former Vice
President Joe Biden,” the Times of San Diego
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=07e-bc2&t=c>
(5/25, Jennewein) reported that former California Assemblyman Nathan
Fletcher (D) won “the rare endorsement of one of the nation’s top Democrats
Friday in his race for San Diego County supervisor. Former Vice President
Joe Biden announced he is endorsing Fletcher.” Biden, “who rarely makes
endorsements in local races,” is quoted as saying in a statement, “Nathan
Fletcher served his country and was one of California’s most effective
legislators, bringing people together to expand healthcare for workers,
protect children from violent crimes and pass scholarships for middle class
kids. On the county board, Nathan will stand up for our values and fight to
help working families.”
Trump Narrows Democrats’ Leads In 2020 Survey.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=07f-86a&t=c>
(5/28, Bedard) reports that a new survey from Zogby Analytics shows that
President Trump “has chipped away at big Democratic leads” in 2020
match-ups. According to the survey, former Vice President Biden’s “lead
over Trump has dropped 5 points, to 48 percent to 38 percent.” Sen. Bernie
Sanders’ lead “also dropped and is at 48 percent to 42 percent.” Sen.
Elizabeth Warren “also saw her lead over Trump cut by three points, and is
now 43 percent to 37 percent.” Meanwhile, “Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala
Harris, struggle against Trump.” Harris trails Trump “36 percent to 39
percent,” and Booker “is tied at 38 percent.” The Examiner adds that “Oprah
Winfrey and former first lady Michelle Obama also do well over Trump.
Winfrey leads 53 percent to 47 percent. Obama’s lead is 48 percent to 39
percent.”

        *Gulf News Op-Ed: Biden “Early Favorite” To Win 2020 Democratic
Presidential Nod. *In an op-ed for the Gulf News (ARE)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=080-157&t=c>
(5/27), Andrew Hammond, an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of
Economics, said that Biden, speaking on Friday at the New York State
Democratic Party convention, “slammed the Trump presidency.” Biden, said
Hammond, “is fast emerging as the early favourite to win his party’s
nomination, and this latest speech has fuelled speculation he will make a
2020 White House run.” Should Biden mount a 2020 bid, added Hammond, he
“will be a formidable candidate, despite being 75 years of age, in what
could ultimately be the first ever clash of septuagenarian Democrat and
Republican candidates in US history if 71-year-old Donald Trump seeks
re-election.”
Kentucky Author Pens Obama-Biden Murder Mystery Novel.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=081-df1&t=c>
(5/26, Truman) reported, “Picture it: Former Vice President Joe Biden is
puttering around his Delaware manse one fine day when he is thrust into a
murder mystery. Along comes the man who will become his partner in solving
the crime: the unflappable Barack Obama.” The AP added that Andrew Shaffer,
a Lexington, Kentucky-based writer, has a book coming out in July titled
“Hope Never Dies.” The book, according to the author, is “an Obama Biden
mystery which will get a second volume in the series next year. ... The
second volume will be set on Obama’s home turf, in Chicago.” Publishers
Weekly
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018052901biden&r=email-e59f&l=082-187&t=c>
(5/25) offered a transcript of a recent interview it conducted with
Shaffer. Asked if he’s “run the idea by Biden,” Shaffer replied, “I met Joe
Biden on his American Promise Tour this past December at a meet-and-greet
for Biden Foundation donors. I had planned to mention the book to Biden
then, but the person who was in line ahead of me told him an incredibly
moving, personal story. Everyone within earshot was on the verge of tears.
When Biden greeted me, the last thing on my mind was pitching my book to
him.”

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