The President's Daily Brief - April 22nd, 2022. Philadelphia Reverses Mask Mandate. Border Patrol Morale at All-Time Low.

Episode Date: April 22, 2022

It’s April 22nd. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. I’m your host and former CIA Officer Bryan Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. ------ First up, Philadelphia reinstated its mask mandate, but last night, they dropped it. Second, the US Border Patrol is suffering from low morale. But it’s not just US agents; it’s also something that’s crippling Mexican Patrol Officers. I’ll explain why that’s important. Lastly, the War in Ukraine. I’m going to give you the roadmap for what the Russians intend to do over the next two weeks.  And, as always, I’m keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put these two on your radar, both of them // just for fun today. First, science says you have an excuse if you don’t want to pull out the lawnmower just yet. Lastly, a haunted house in South Carolina that was apparently too scary. Somebody shot one of the actors involved. All up next on the President’s Daily Brief. ------ Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's April 22nd. You're listening to the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA Officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. Before we start, a quick reminder to those new to the show, the brief you're about to hear is in the same spirit of the actual President's Daily Brief, which is a top secret summary of the most critical events in the past 24 hours, all delivered to the president each morning by the nation's spymasters. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I am your spy, and this is your brief. Here's what we're going to be talking about. this morning. First up, do you remember our story from Monday when Philadelphia reinstated its mask mandate? Well, they just dropped it. We're going to cover this breaking news and what it's

really about. The second brief this morning, the U.S. Border Patrol is suffering from low morale. We all know why, but it's not just U.S. agents. It's also something that's crippling Mexican patrol officers. I'll explain why that's important. Lastly, the war in Ukraine. I'm going to give you with the roadmap for what the Russians intend to do over the next two weeks to help you understand the headlines to come. And as always, I'm keeping an eye out for developing stories, put these two on your radar. Both of them, well, just a little bit of fun for today. First story, Spring is here, and that means yard work, but science says you have an excuse if you don't want to pull out the lawnmower just yet. Stay tuned for that. Lastly, a haunted house

in South Carolina that was apparently too scary. Somebody shot one of the actors. Oops. Everybody's fine, mostly, all up next on the President's Daily Brief. Your first piece of intel this morning, there's breaking news out of Philadelphia. Late last night, they rescinded their mask mandate, the one that they put in place on Monday, in fact, of this week. Officials there claim rates of COVID have fallen quickly, and there's simply no need for the masks anymore. Meanwhile, Los Angeles County is reinstituting its mask mandate this morning for all public transportation, including all airports. That means you'll have to have to

mask up while walking around Los Angeles International Airport, but then once on the airplane, you can take it off. Neither of those stories make any sense, obviously. But regarding the silliness in Philadelphia, let's be clear. They did not suddenly experience lower case counts in the span of four days because of masks. There is absolutely no science, no data, and no logic that supports that. But public health officials have the power to reinstate mask mandates, and so they do it, because they can. That's exactly what we discussed on yesterday's PDB. Public health officials want power over you, over your body, no matter what the science or data or common sense might be. If you haven't listened to yesterday's show, please download it now. It'll get you caught up.

Meanwhile, we're seeing the same degree of public health shenanigans in Los Angeles County. They're citing an increase in case counts to justify their new mandate. But as you know, smart science says it's far more critical to look at hospitalization rates and not case counts to judge an outbreak's severity. But no matter. Why? Because ladies and gentlemen, none of this is going to change until you say that it must. People who abuse power will not stop until that power is taken away from them. That includes most especially public health officials. And that's why this November's elections are so very important. Not just the federal elections, by the way, but local elections for mayors and city councils, for county government and state legislatures.

So if you ever had an inclination to run for office or support someone who might, now is the time. That's how you change the absurdity running through the veins of Philadelphia and Los Angeles County this morning and in communities throughout our great nation. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story.

And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Next up, the head of the National Border Patrol Council issued a warning to the American people late yesterday that morale of the agents is at an all-time low. The president of the council shared that these men and women are being mandated to work at least six days a week in some cases and have been for many months. The strain is physical, yes, but it's also emotional. They're encountering three and four-year-old children left alone by their parents.

They're encountering young girls, some not even 10 years of age, who have been raped by scores of men along their route to the U.S. They're also seeing criminals come back to the U.S. after having been deported. Here's an example. Just this week, in just one sector along the border, agents have arrested two gang members and two sex offenders, one of whom was convicted of rape, all previously deported and all coming right back in. By the way, this doesn't count the known terrorists that had been apprehended, a story that we covered here on the PDB just days ago. I'm sorry to say that it's not just U.S. Border Patrol agents who are exhausted and demoralized because of the record illegal immigration. It's also Mexican Border Patrol agents. And we have some new reporting that says they're experiencing much of that same burnout as their U.S. counterparts. They too are being required to work double the hours of the same pay, which in the case of the Mexican agents is only $500 a month. And much like their colleagues to the north, the Mexican officers are encountering violent criminals and aggressive illegal immigrants. In fact, they had to shut down operations at their

border with Guatemala last week because they were virtually overrun by violence. Now, here's something that you probably didn't know. The Mexican Border Patrol agents are not allowed to carry a firearm. That's right. No weapons when going up against cartel members or gangs and such. That's obviously madness. At any rate, you won't be surprised to learn then that agents in both the United States and Mexico are resigning in protest.

The exact number is unclear, most especially in Mexico. But frankly, I think most reasonable people understand why. Their jobs are becoming impossible. Clearly, this story is important because these agents, both north and south of the border, are the critical peace to stopping illegal migrants and illegal material from entering into our respective countries. But they're simply not getting the support that they need. And with record numbers of illegals moving their way north, that's just unacceptable.

The recommendation, ladies and gentlemen, is this. light up the phones of your U.S. representative and senator. You put some fire under their feet and you let them know two things. One, you care about this issue and you want it fixed. Second, if Republicans win in November, you tell these politicians that you expect a firm, resolute effort to hold Joe Biden to account for letting this disaster unfold. Because the data are very clear. We had a good handle on illegal crossings until Joe Biden assumed the presidency. That's the data. That's the truth, no matter your party. Own it all. Pay off your home. Travel for life. Drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot machine by aristocrat gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th.

Don't pass go and own it all. Only at Yamava, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? at Yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. 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. Got that right. Finally, this morning, the war in Ukraine.

You've seen the headlines, and you know from my briefs, that the war is escalating. The Russians are increasing their attacks in the south and the east, while U.S. and European allies are flooding the zone with advanced weaponry and operational intelligence to help strengthen the Ukrainian government. You're going to be seeing a lot of stories and headlines about this back and forth in the coming weeks. And you might be a bit confused without understanding exactly what the Russians are trying to do. So let me brief you on that now, so you're better prepared for the stories to come.

The first of the Russian four goals is to capture the Donbos region. That is a chunk of territory in the southeastern part of Ukraine that borders Russia. Why is that so important? Well, that area has a strong historical connection to Russia, lots of Russian speakers. But it's also critical to the second goal, and that is this. They want to connect Russia and Donbos with Crimea. Now, Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula in the south of the country, and it's currently occupied by the Russians following their invasion of that territory back in 2014. It is currently connected, that is Crimea, to Russia by a bridge across the sea.

But once the city of Maripal Falls, a city you've probably heard a lot about in the news, the Russians will then have a land bridge in addition to their primary bridge across the sea. Now, as all of that is happening, the Russians want to move north from Crimea to target the region of Kerson. Why? That area supplies fresh water to the south, specifically the Crimean Peninsula. And that water has been cut off since the 2014 Russian invasion. In other words, Crimea and Russia need that water to both survive and thrive. All right, once those three main objectives are complete, Donbos and Marrow, pool and the water of Kerson. The Russians will then try to grab whatever additional territory they can as a bargaining chip in future negotiations. Putin wants to make progress on those

four objectives by May 9th, which is in about two weeks. That date is important to Moscow because it commemorates the Russian sacrifices made during World War II. There will be some big parades. Putin wants victories by that date because he wants the propaganda that comes along with it, and his military is very much aware of that deadline. It's unlikely that Putin will achieve all four of those objectives, certainly in the next two weeks, because it would take a total collapse of Ukrainian forces, which we don't anticipate, or some use of horrific weaponry, which at this hour we don't see, but I'm sorry to say, is certainly possible. But the key takeaway, ladies and gentlemen, is that Putin has shifted his goal from the total control of Ukraine to controlling specific

chunks of the country. He's going after those places that have a historical affinity for Russia, local populations that largely speak Russian, and thus won't require Moscow to send lots of Russian troops to keep the peace with a bunch of angry locals. So now you have the strategic Russian game plan for at least the next month. And by the way, the Ukrainians know the same, and they're going to throw everything they have for the Russians to stop those objectives. It's going to be a very bloody few weeks. And now you know why. As always, I'm watching a few other stories this morning. These two, I'm putting them on your radar because, well, they're a bit lighthearted. That's a nice way to start the weekend. First, spring is upon us, and along with it comes new chores,

chores like mowing the yard. For those of you looking for an excuse to get out of that chore, I have one. Wisconsin communities are encouraging their residents to park their lawnmowers for the next month to boost the population of bees and other pollinators. They're calling it no-mo-may. No-mo-May is about giving bees a little extra time to shake off their hibernation and ensure that they have plenty of options for the nectar and pollen that they need. Scientists are backing the effort encouraging people to let it grow. Cities for their part are temporarily waiving enforcement of ordinances that require homeowners to maintain their lawns, so no matter where you are in America. If you've been looking for a reason to get out of yard work, well, now you have it.

So if your wife or husband or cranky neighbor yells at you for an unsightly lawn, just tell them, it's all about the bees. You're welcome. Lastly, I have a haunted house story for you, and it is so good. For my listeners in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, you all know that you have a real treat for visitors. It's called the Hollywood Wax Museum Haunted House. Well, apparently the frights of said house are a little too realistic, so much so that a patron shot one of the actors who was attacking him. Here's how it went down. A gentleman by the name of Mr. Keel-Latrell Brown was part of a group walking through the haunted house when one of the performers startled him, which as I understand it is kind of the point. Well, the whole group he

was with fell to the ground. And unfortunately, for the actor, someone had a gun. And that gun fell into the frightened hands of Mr. Keel-Latrell Brown. Mr. Brown, in a panicked state and somehow forgetting that the zombie attack he was under was not real, he chose to fire two shots, the performer. One landed in the man's shoulder. Mr. Brown is contending this morning that he thought that the gun was a prop, which I believe we call the Alec Baldwin defense. Too soon? Anyway, it was not a prop.

and in fact the blood was real. In the panic that ensued, Mr. Brown gave the gun for some strange reason to a child in his group. That is unfortunate because that added another charge that Mr. Brown now faces, contributing to the

delinquency of a minor. The good news here is that everyone is fine. The actor was shot, yes, but he survived. It's got a cool scar and a great story. Apparently there is surveillance video of all this, and I will be watching for it closely.

By the way, who goes to a haunted house in April? Is spring just not scary enough for some people? I don't know. Anyway, to reach their own. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes your morning intel. And what a great week we've had. Good briefs, good solutions, but I've got even better news for you. The best is yet to come.

I'm looking at a special brief for Saturday morning. Look for it. And then next week, five more days of the president's daily brief. But between now and then, do me two small favors. First, tell one person about this show and why you like it. Have them download just one single episode. They can do it from any podcast platform like Spotify or Apple. I think they'll enjoy it just as much as you do.

And second, send me a short email about why you like the president's daily brief. How did you hear about me or the podcast? What's interesting to you about this program? And what are we missing? What are the stories you like covered? Here's the email address you can write to me at to fill me in on all the details you'd like. It is PDB at thefirsttv.com. Again, that's PDB at thefirsttv.com.

And as always, friends, I remind you of why we are here talking about our country. It's the creed of every good spy and every smart American. It's from John chapter 8, verse 32. And you shall know the truth. The truth shall make you free. Good day. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this,

but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants' assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch.

Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Seeful terms at mintmobile.com.