The President's Daily Brief - April 27th, 2022. U.S. Escalates Intentions in Ukraine. Chinese Border Patrol... Geese?

Episode Date: April 27, 2022

It’s April 27th. 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, Ukraine. Some big news out of our nation’s capital about the escalating war effort. Your second brief, do you remember when we talked about an outbreak of hepatitis in kids? There is a possible COVID connection. And, as always, I’m keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. There’s one country in the world that takes its border very seriously. That’s China. One of the ways they’re doing that: using Border geese. 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 27th, 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 of 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, Ukraine. Some big news out of our nation's capital about the escalating war effort. No longer are we just trying to bog down the Russians in Ukraine. Now we're trying to weaken the entire Russian government. I'll explain why that is a very big deal. Your second brief, COVID. Do you all remember when we talked about an outbreak of hepatitis and kids, there was a possible COVID connection? I'll have an update. And as always, I'm keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. There's one country in the world that takes its border very seriously. That's China. One of the ways they're doing that

using border geese. That's right, geese. We'll talk about that interesting story. All up next on the President's Daily Brief. Your first piece of intel this morning, a big story on Ukraine. America's Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, is setting a new goal for our military efforts in Kiev. It's no longer just about helping the Ukrainians to defend themselves. It's now about bringing Russia to heal. Listen to what Secretary Austin, said just days ago, quote, we want to see Russia weakened, to the degree to which it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine. So however this ends up, Russia will be in a much weaker position. In other words, no longer are we just trying to help the Ukrainian government

maintain their insurgency against an occupying Russian force. Instead, our goal is to bring Moscow to its weak knees. It's important to take this comment by Secretary Austin and combine it with one made by Joe Biden about regime change. Recall that Biden was delivering remarks last month in Poland and said of Vladimir Putin, for God's sake, this man cannot remain in power. In other words, Secretary Austin and President Biden are saying that the U.S. wants a weak Russia and that Vladimir Putin must go. In plain speak, that is regime change. In the hours since Austin made his comments, the White House tried to clarify that he was not articulating a new American position. You'll recall a similar cleanup effort that the White House

did after Joe Biden made his comments, too. So what exactly is going on here? Because no matter the walkbacks, there is a clear message being sent, a shifting of goals, and that's important. So here's what I'm hearing this morning. First, the Pentagon and the CIA believe that Russia is losing this war and badly. They believe correctly that the beginning of the invasion was a debacle for Russia. Ukraine was supposed to fall within days, and it didn't. In the many weeks since, Moscow has lost far more men than they've ever imagined. The exact number isn't clear, but estimates are between 15 to 40,000 men dead. Meanwhile, they've taken notable losses of airplanes and tanks and transport equipment. Again, good estimates are hard to come by, but conservatively, we're talking about over 500 tanks,

for example, 800 trucks and vehicles and jeeps and so on. Their navy is being hit very hard, too, to include the sinking of the Moskoba, which was Russia's flagship vessel in the Black Sea. Now, in the midst of these many losses, it's also fair to say that Russia has had some victories. In other words, they've taken some Ukrainian territory. But it's come at a very high price in terms of an ability to keep fighting, to resupply his war with new men and gear and weaponry, and then to face the challenge of holding all that new territory that he just had captured. So add all of this to the fact that the Russian economy has been battered and you get this prevailing belief in Washington, D.C. Putin, they think, is at the weakest point that he's ever been. So now is the time to push and hard.

And that leads to the second key assessment that I offer you this morning. Our military and intel leaders think that Putin is so degraded in his abilities to respond that Moscow is surprisingly unable or unwilling to strike back at the West, at least for now. Let me give an example. Most observers have anticipated a Russian cyber attack on America or Europe, probably an assault on our banking or utility industries. But that attack hasn't happened. Lots of guesses as to why.

In fact, we have some reporting that the FBI has actually hacked into American companies to patch holes in critical computer systems, sometimes without the knowledge of those companies. We talked about that FBI effort here on the PDB. But the bottom line on Russian cyber attacks is that they just haven't happened. So from our war planner's perspective, that's meant that they have a green light for further escalation because there have been no real costs to previous escalations. So more advanced weaponry, more operational and tactical intelligence, and thus more losses for Russia. And onward, the escalation cycle marches. The more weapons, no Russian response, well, more and better weapons. In other words, America's military and intel leaders

taste blood in the water, and it convinces them and the American people that we can keep escalating without real costs to the homeland. But we should be asking ourselves this morning if this strategy has hidden risks. And is Putin really going to just accept Secretary Austin's assertion that Russia will now be a weak state, just like the United States wants them to be? To answer those questions, I want you to put aside whatever you think about Russia. Instead, I want you to think about this moment from their perspective and plot how you would respond, because that's what good spies do. So let's agree that we are getting crushed in Ukraine. Our economy is struggling, and it's very clear that the West wants our heads on a platter. They want regime change. Now, you're probably not panicking right now

if you're in Moscow. Why? Well, China is still on your side. That's a big deal. India, too, and lots of others. Your economy, although battered, is hanging on. Countries are still buying your oil. Your currency, once collapsed, has recovered. Meanwhile, you've narrowed your goals in Ukraine to seize the areas you can probably take and hold, even with the decreasing numbers of men and equipment that you've got. So that's the strategy that we covered in previous briefs, by the way. The Russians are trying to get big victories by May 9th, which is the annual World War II celebration in Moscow, and it's a big deal there. All right. So what happens, though, if you as this Russian for a moment realize that you aren't just falling short a little bit in Ukraine? I mean, it's a disaster. The escalation by the

Americans and the Europeans goes so well that your military is falling apart, and you've only got one big weapon left. Well, we might start saying things like Russia's foreign minister said just the other day. Quote, NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia, through a a proxy and is arming that proxy to the teeth. So war means war. He then went on to speak of that big weapon, a nuclear bomb. He called the use of such serious, real, and should not be underestimated. In other words, desperate men start to do desperate things. And that takes us back to the shifting goals in Washington, D.C. this morning. We're making one thing very clear to Moscow and the world, especially their partners in Beijing. America and Europe are no longer interested in just supporting a

Ukrainian David against a Russian Goliath. We want more. Russia must be made into a weak paper tiger, and Vladimir Putin must go. So ladies and gentlemen, that's the state of likely play in Washington, D.C. this morning. I'll leave it to you to decide if that makes you feel better or worse about our country's involvement. But make no mistake, the goals of this war are changing. And that means so, too, are the risks of a global conflict. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Your second brief this morning, an update for you on the hepatitis outbreak amongst kids that may have a COVID connection.

Recall that last week I shared with you early details of a curious outbreak that was affecting children throughout Europe and to a lesser degree here in the United States. Investigators weren't sure what was driving this outbreak, but officials in Scotland guessed that it could be linked to the COVID pandemic. Their belief was that parents had kept their kids hyper-protected throughout the pandemic, and that meant less exposure to common virus. like the cold. That in turn weakened their immune systems. Systems made to be stressed by more modest bugs like the cold and flu so they can better respond to more serious viruses. Well, the hepatitis outbreak has in fact expanded both outside of the United States and inside. Previously, it was isolated to cases in Alabama. We now have additional reports in Illinois and North Carolina. Several of the children required liver transplants, I'm sorry to say,

but it appears that all have recovered. The additional good news is that at present, this hepatitis outbreak is small. The immune system of most kids, even if locked up for two years, seems to be doing all right. But it's a cautionary tale that the CDC's pandemic containment efforts may have had unintended consequences. And it's not just this hepatitis outbreak, by the way. Immunization rates for deadly childhood viruses like measles, moms, and rebella and whooping cough, all of those fell because of COVID restrictions. In fact, a recent CDC study showed that some 35,000 fewer kids weren't immunized for these

standard shots. And on top of that, there's another 400,000 kids who didn't enter kindergarten last year, leaving their vaccination status for things like the measles unclear. Obviously, I'll be watching for more data on this story, and I will provide updates as soon as I learn. Exema is unpredictable, but you can flare less with ebbglis, a once-monthly treatment for moderate-to-sphere eczema. After an initial four-month or longer dosing phase, about four and seven people taking ebbglis achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks. And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing.

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You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Ebbglis. Before starting Ebbglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about Ebbglis. And visit ebglis.com or call 1800 LilyRX or 1-800 545-9779. Who cares about your poops? Ollie does. That's why Ali signs back the gut health lineup helps support. your family's regularity. From daily probiotics to fiber gummies, your kiddos will love.

Find it all on ali.com. That's OLLLY.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. And as always, I'm watching a few other stories this morning. Put this one on your radar. And it is interesting. We have a record number of illegal immigrants crossing the border, so finding new ways to protect it are becoming more important. In China, they take their border very seriously. If you try to come in from India illegally, for example, that's likely to get you shot. Well, they've added another creative solution, geese. Yes, the species of cranky, get off my lawn, five pounds of terror, geese. China has deployed a 500-strong gaggle of the creatures to stand guard

across a 300-mile stretch of the Kongzu prefecture. The goal is to stop illegal migration. from Vietnam from coming in. Here's how it works. The geese are placed in a particular zone, and in short order become very territorial. They require no special training. They just squat and make a home. They are one of the more unique animals in that they leave on a part of their brain while sleeping that is directly connected to their eyes. So even when they're sleeping, they're watching too. And so if they are alerted by strange activity, the geese, as you probably know, honk, and they do so loudly. That in turn tips off Chinese Border Patrol agents who bring along dogs to further sniff out whatever illegal activity might have occurred. Now, this story would perhaps just be laughable,

except actually it's working. The geese were placed in their Chinese zones back in October of 2021. After a couple of months of getting settled, a honking goose alerted agents to two illegals crossing into their territory. Agents founded the men. They were arrested and deported. Now, you may be surprised to learn that the idea of guard geese is not new. One gaggle is credited with sounding the alarm and saving Rome from a secret gall invasion in the year 390 BC. Interesting. Another gaggle in Scotland patrolled 14 acres of warehouses that housed 300 million pounds

worth of whiskey. Apparently, they did a very good job. And finally, even the U.S. Army has gotten into the act, historically anyway. In 1986, the U.S. Army tried out 18 geese to safeguard. radar and anti-aircraft installations in then West Germany. It worked. They hired another 900. So if you are in a border state this morning and you are looking to do your part, well, you now have another option. Just don't tell your wife or husband that you got the idea for me. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes your morning brief. We are off to a great start this week

in terms of listeners. Y'all are breaking records out there in terms of our personal bests, more downloads each day than the one before. So whatever you're doing, thank you. Keep it up. The President's Daily Brief is here for you at 6 a.m. Eastern each morning, wherever you get your podcasts. And as always, friends, I remind you of why we are here, talking about our country and our world.

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