The President's Daily Brief - April 1st, 2024: Israel Targets Iranian Weapons Smuggling, Putin's Gambit On North Korea, & Biden's Radical Environmental Agenda

Episode Date: April 1, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     Israel is stepping up airstrikes against Hezbollah militants in Syria in an effort to disrupt the flow of Iranian weapons to regional proxy groups amid the war in Gaza. President Joe Biden is threatening Russia with repercussions for the ongoing imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Russia is lashing out at the west over their treatment of North Korea, accusing the U.S. of "strangling" the repressive regime and calling for a sharp change in western policy. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, President Joe Biden is coming after the trucking industry in his push for radical environmental policies aimed at reducing emissions, sparking a warning from the industry of dire economic repercussions. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Bad advice? You talking to me? Kayak, got that right.

It's Monday, the 1st of April. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, Israel is stepping up airstrikes against Hezbollah militants in Syria in an effort to disrupt the flow of Iranian weapons to their regional proxy groups as the war in Gaza against Hamas continues. Later in the program, we'll have an update of our coverage of detained Wall Street Journal

reporter Evan Gerskovich, as President Biden threatens Russia. Russia with repercussions for his ongoing imprisonment. Plus, Russia is lashing out at the West over their treatment of North Korea, accusing the U.S. of strangling the repressive regime and calling for a sharp change in Western policy. I mean, despots have to stick together. Putin's just standing up for his bro, or bruh, however it's pronounced. And in today's back of the brief, President Biden is coming after the trucking industry in his push for environmental policies aimed at reducing emissions,

sparking a warning from the industry of serious economic repercussions. Well, it's kind of cute that truckers think President Biden cares more about the economy than placating his progressive base that's bent around the axle over fossil fuels. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Israel unleashed a barrage of airstrikes in Syria's Aleppo province on Friday as they attempt to impede Iranian efforts to flood the region with weapons. They were the deadliest Israeli airstrikes seen in Syria in recent years,

with more than 40 people believed to have been killed, including an estimated six Hezbollah militants and at least 36 Syrian soldiers. The strikes targeted a weapons depot and factory, controlled by Hezbollah, which have been used to funnel weapons to the militant group's main base of operations in Lebanon. That's according to a report from the war. Street Journal. Israel remained tight-lipped about Friday's airstrikes, though we should note that the Israeli military does not usually publicly comment on their activity in Syria. Israeli officials have previously stated that the main focus of their targeted air campaign in Syria is to

disrupt Iranian weapons deliveries to Hezbollah. Iran has been aggressively smuggling weapons through Syria since the Israel-Hamas conflict began. Ronan Solomon, an Israel-Iroman, an Israeli military analyst who tracks the flow of weapons, told the Wall Street Journal that Israel is increasingly concerned about a wider regional conflict and wants to ensure that they cut off, quote, all the routes from Iran to Hezbollah in Syria. Solomon added, quote, Israel is believing that it is maybe going to war, end quote. The offensive military action came in the wake of Israeli air strikes on Wednesday in southern Lebanon that reportedly killed some 16, Hasboh, Fibullah fighters. That prompted a retaliatory rocket strike from Hezbollah that killed one Israeli civilian.

It marked the deadliest day along the Israeli border since the brutal 7 October attacks by Hamas. Israeli defense minister Yovgalan, who visited northern Israel to oversee the strikes on Hezbollah, said, quote, we will exact a price for every action that comes out of Lebanon and will increase the pace, end quote. Tensions along Israel's northern border with Lebanon have been intensified, ever since the 7 October attacks, the back and forth between Hezbollah militants and IDF forces had previously been a deliberate one with both sides containing their strikes to areas close to the border in order to avoid the conflict spilling into an all-out war. Well, the situation has been deteriorating in recent weeks, as Israel, faced with a near-daily barrage of Hezbollah rockets,

has been increasingly launching strikes deep inside Lebanese territory. As pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to directly confront Hezbollah, U.S. officials have reiterated their calls for de-escalation. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, quote, Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration. We've also been very, very clear, we do not support a war in Lebanon, end quote. Oh, as we've regularly discussed on the PDB, The not-so-shadowy force behind all this regional instability and violence continues to be Iran.

Just as weak, Israeli intelligence officials thwarted an Iranian weapon smuggling operation aimed at arming Palestinians in the West Bank, seizing a massive cache of advanced weaponry. The operation was being quarterbacked by a known Hezbollah and Iranian operative, who had allegedly been working to recruit Palestinians to carry out attacks against Israelis. All right, coming up next, President Biden is threatening Russia with repercussions for the ongoing imprisonment of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich. Plus, Russia is admonishing the U.S. and international allies over their treatment of North Korea. Oh, Putin is admonishing us, calling for a major shift in Western policy.

Well, I'm sure Putin's actions have nothing to do with the fact that Russia is increasingly dependent and North Korea for munitions and missiles to fuel their continued war in Ukraine. I'll be right back. Welcome back. As we discussed last week on the PDB, it's been more than a year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskiewicz was jailed by the Putin regime on espionage charges. Marking the one-year anniversary of Gerskiewicz's detention, President Biden vowed on Friday to impose costs on Russia for their, quote, appalling attempts to use innocent Americans as bar

targeting chips on the global stage. Now, when he was arrested in March of 2023, the 32-year-old American became the first U.S. journalist imprisoned in Russia on spying charges since the Cold War. The Putin regime has never offered a shred of evidence to back up their claims. It's because they have none. And Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal and U.S. government have all denied the allegations as baseless Russian propaganda. In a statement on Friday, Biden said, quote, Journalism is not a crime, and Evan went to Russia to do his job as a reporter, risking his safety to shine the light of truth on Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine. As I have told Evan's parents, I will never give up hope either.

We will continue working every day, the president said, to secure his release. We will continue to denounce and impose costs for Russia's appalling attempts to use Americans as bargaining chips, end quote. Now, despite the strong rhetoric, it's entirely unclear, what the president means when he references imposing, quote, costs on the Putin regime. The statement went on to say that Biden has been working tirelessly to free all Americans held hostage, were wrongfully detained abroad, though it did not elaborate further. Biden also referenced the case of Paul Wheelan, a former Marine and corporate executive from Michigan, who was detained in Russia in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, also for alleged espionage.

Like with Gerskiewicz, Wieland and the U.S. government have consistently and strongly denied the charges. As we mentioned last week, there may be possibly good reason to hope that at the very least, Gerskiewicz's imprisonment will soon be resolved. Speculation is mounting about a potential prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich, and Vladimir Putin has publicly shown openness to a trade involving the detained journalist. Last Thursday, the Kremlin acknowledged the possibility of a prisoner swap. However, they didn't elaborate, saying that complete silence was required when it came to any ongoing diplomatic discussions. All right, sticking with Russia, top Kremlin leaders admonished the U.S. and Western allies on Friday over their treatment of North Korea,

claiming America has been inflaming regional tensions with the Hermit Nation. Look at that, the Kremlin leaders moralizing from high atop their self-righteous peak. The provocative comments came after Russia vetoed the renewal of UN sanctioned monitors for North Korea on Thursday, which effectively defanged a key element of the UN strategy to isolate the belligerent nuclear power. As we've regularly discussed, Russia and North Korea's unsavory bond has been tightening ever since the war began in Ukraine, much to the alarm of Western leaders. The veto of sanctioned monitors and Russia's public statement of support

for Kim Jong-un's regime, however, are some of the most consequential developments to come out of this romance so far, that in the exchange of friendship bracelets, of course. Russian officials went as far as to call on the West to fundamentally change their diplomatic approach to North Korea. A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday, quote,

Council can no longer use old templates in relation to the problems of the Korean Peninsula. The United States and its allies have clearly demonstrated that their interest does not extend beyond the task of strangling the DPRK by all available means and a peaceful settlement is not on the agenda at all." And we know how the Russian foreign ministry loves peaceful settlements. The Kremlin also accused the U.S. of deliberately stoking tensions with the North Korean regime and of causing severe humanitarian harm to the North Korean people through international sanctions. Now, the irony of these remarks is probably lost only on Putin and his minions. As we've extensively covered on the PDB, since November, North Korea has made a sport out of

antagonizing South Korea and violating UN sanctions regarding their weapons program. They've conducted regular ballistic and cruise missile tests since the fall and cut off all diplomatic ties with South Korea, ending their decades-long commitment to reunification. Kim Jong-un has also made a habit out of casually threatening South Korea with nuclear annihilation. And that's not very neighborly. Russia's veto promises to have long-term consequences regarding any hopes for regional stability. Observers called it a full frontal assault against the Western sanctions regime, which they said was at risk of collapse. It came on the heels of reports that Russia is now directly supplying the reclusive North Korean

regime with oil in exchange for ongoing weapons shipments for use in Ukraine. A spokesman for the U.S. State Department hit back at Russia on Friday, saying, quote, Russia alone will own the outcome of this veto, a DPRK more emboldened to reckless behavior and destabilizing provocations, as well as reduced prospects for an enduring peace on the Korean Peninsula, end quote. All right, and coming up in the the back of the brief. The U.S. trucking industry is warning of serious economic consequences as President Biden moves to impose a stringent environmental agenda on the trucking sector. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, President Biden is gunning for the trucking industry with a set of draconian environmental restrictions that experts say will devastate the

sector and the small businesses that rely on them. The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled new regulations on Friday, and they love nothing more than new regulations, that will force the industry to begin going electric starting in 2027. The restrictions are a centerpiece of the Biden administration's efforts to significantly reduce carbon emissions across all industries to address what they consider to be their existential threat, the thing that sends them lunging for the fainting couch, and that would be the climate. The zero-emission manufacturing standard will begin gradually for model years between 2027 and 2029. However, come 2030, restrictions will ramp up. Ultimately, the EPA has said that under the regulations, 50% of vocational trucks, 35% of short-haul tractor trailers, and 25% of long-haul

tractor trailers will need to be electric by 2032. The Biden administration claims these rules will eliminate a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Look at that. Where did they pull that number out of, and provide $13 billion in annualized net societal benefits. However, the trucking industry is warning of dire consequences. They also say the targets are wholly unachievable given current technologies. Well, that's okay, because those targets are probably also wholly made up. Not to mention, have you ever seen a coal bolt mine in Africa? The reason I bring that up is because the minerals needed for the batteries that the progressives are clamoring for are obtained from mining operations that are rarely regulated overseas. And God forbid the Biden administration would allow for

relatively cleaner mining operations to be permitted in the states. Apparently, it's far better for one's self-righteous attitude to let the mining for all your batteries be done out of sight and out of mind. Not to mention, of course, you still have to generate electricity. So yeah, let's not turn off the fossil fuel spigot just yet. Anyway, currently less than 1% of new truck sales, in the U.S. are zero emissions. Todd Spencer, president of the Independent Drivers Association, said, quote, small business truckers who happen to care about clean air for themselves and their kids as much as anyone, make up 96% of trucking. Yet this administration, he said, seems dead set on regulating every local mom and pop business out of existence with its flurry of unworkable environmental mandates,

end quote. Yeah, Todd, that's pretty much it. There may yet be hope. that the proposed carbon restrictions could be pulled. Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska has promised to introduce a resolution to rescind the standards. He said, quote, hardworking families across the country will pay the price if this rule is allowed to stand. The cost of this rule would be felt in the rising price of gas, bread, eggs, and other life essentials, end quote. Now, the crackdown on trucks comes on the heels of regulations from Biden's EPA that seek to phase out up to 67% of new gasoline-powered cars by 2032. Well, there is nothing that Americans like better

than to be told by the government what they can and cannot purchase, particularly when it comes to something as a motive, personal and important to daily life, as your car. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, 1 April. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

Hey, honey, it's mom. Did you know if we switch to Verizon, we can get four phones for $0, plus four lines for $25 a line? Call me back. Me again, that's just $100 a month for four lines on Unlimited Welcome, plus four phones, no trade in needed. Call me. It's Mom. America's Best Network, Verizon.

the one we're talking about. I'll send you text. America's Best Network based on Root Metrics, best overall mobile network performance U.S. second half 2025. Four new lines and a limit and welcome and auto pay. See Verizon.com for details.