The President's Daily Brief - April 2nd, 2024: ISIS Alert, Bibi Besieged, & Russian Conscription

Episode Date: April 2, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A retired U.S. general issues a grim warning about ISIS threats following a deadly Moscow concert attack. Unrest in Israel: Thousands march against Prime Minister Netanyahu, demanding his resignation. President Putin's new order: Russia to conscript 150,000 citizens amid military mobilization speculations. Chaos at the border: An El Paso judge responds to a "border riot," ordering the release of numerous detainees. 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

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You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. It's Tuesday to April. to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. In the wake of a deadly attack at a Moscow concert hall, a high-ranking retired U.S. General is warning of the persistent dangers posed by ISIS aimed squarely at American soil and allied nations. The General's stark alert comes as intelligence agencies assess the evolving threat landscape. We'll also follow up on a story. We're first brought to you.

yesterday afternoon. A key Iranian Quds Force commander and several others were killed in an alleged Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria. Later in the program, Prime Minister Netanyahu faces growing internal dissent as tens of thousands of Israelis, including the families of hostages, take to the streets to demand his resignation as Hamas and their puppet master Iran enjoy the popcorn and happily watch the drama unfold. Plus, Russian President Putin, Putin orders the conscription of 150,000 citizens into the military, as the Russian military reportedly considers plans to add at least another 300,000 new recruits to bolster their ongoing Ukraine invasion.

And in today's back of the brief, more trouble at the U.S. border as an El Paso judge orders the release of hundreds of illegal migrants accused in a border riot when a stampede overwhelmed National Guard troops along the Rio Grande. Apparently, most of those folks in the riot just got caught up in the excitement of the moment. Don't worry, rushing the border, overwhelming U.S. troops, and entering illegally, you're all fine. Here's a plane ticket, a phone, some money in a hotel room, good luck. And we'll see you in a few years for your immigration court date. Don't forget to vote early and vote often.

But first, today's BDB spotlight. Retired U.S. general Kenneth McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, is warning that the Islamic State is once again on the rise and is inevitably planning on hitting the U.S. homeland as well as our allies abroad. Now, the warning comes in the wake of an attack that took the lives of 144 people at a concert hall in suburban Moscow.

That attack was claimed by the Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, the group's regional branch located primarily in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Speaking to ABC News, McKenzie said the threat of ISIS began to grow as soon as the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, a move that immediately took the pressure off the terror group. But I thought the Taliban promised to do better this time around, honestly, if you can't trust the Taliban. McKenzie told ABC News, Martha Radd's, quote, I think we should expect further attempts of this nature against the U.S.

as well as our partners and other nations abroad. I think this is inevitable." Well, congratulations to the general. He wins today's PDB statement of the obvious award. The price package is pretty awesome, so well done. McKenzie added that since withdrawing from Afghanistan, America has all but lost what's called over-the-horizon capability in the country. In short, that means we've lost the ability to conduct counterterrorism operations,

such as surveillance and strikes, without having a significant physical presence on the ground. This is despite previous assurances from President Biden, who maintained that America would be able to, quote, act quickly and decisively in Afghanistan should the need arise. General McKenzie's comments were echoed by retired general Mark Quantock, who oversaw intelligence operations for U.S. Central Command. Quontok told USA today that the U.S. remains target number one for ISIS-K, but that, quote, their challenge is penetrating our security, which has proven to be quite resilient, in recent years. End quote.

Has the general checked out the conditions of the southern border? I also wanted to follow up on a story we first brought to you yesterday about the death of a senior member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. According to reports and comments from the Iranian regime, General Mohamed Reza Zahedi, the commander of the IRC's Quds Force for Lebanon and Syria, along with his deputy, General Haji Rahimi,

the chief of general staff of the Quds Force Brigadier, General Hussein Amarola, along with several others, were killed when Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus was flattened on Monday in an Israeli air strike. Iranian state television reported that several Iranian diplomats had also been killed in the attack. Now Zahidi is the highest-ranking Iranian killed since Israel's conflict with Hamas began, and the conflict, of course, began when Hamas entered southern Israel and brutally slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. And Zahed, Zahed. And Zahed, Zahadiqaeda. Zahidi is also the most senior IRGC officer killed since the assassination of Qasem Soleimani by the U.S. in January 2020. He's believed to have been the top liaison between Tecrane and

Hezbollah, as well as Syrian intelligence services. And he's also been involved in coordinating weapons shipments to the terror organization, even as it launches rocket attacks on Israel's northern frontier. Now, Israel has not confirmed its involvement in the attack. It's Israel's long-standing policy, not to comment on military actions in foreign countries. Iran, in the aftermath of the attack, has vowed revenge, although since the regime has already stated that its goal and primary objective in life is the destruction of Israel, I'm not sure that vowing revenge has quite the bite that they think it does. This is significantly the first real direct cost that Iran has paid since their proxy Hamas kicked off the conflict in Gaza with their brutal 7 October attacks.

The Mullahs will now need to decide if and how to respond. They've been perfectly willing to allow their various proxies to take hits from Israel, the U.S. and allies, but may not fancy being drawn directly into the conflict. All right, coming up after the break, Prime Minister Netanyahu faces a wave of protests in Israel, with demands for his departure intensifying. And in Russia, a massive conscription, 150,000 citizens called to arms. Could this be a prelude to a larger military move? Well, regardless, those 150,000 new conscripts may be less than enthused with their career change. I'll be right back. Welcome back.

I want to turn now to the domestic discord facing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as Israel saw tens of thousands of demonstrators flood the streets over the weekend to protest his ruling government. The protesters had twin demands, calling for immediate elections, and to more urgently negotiate the release of the roughly 134 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. It's important to note, Hamas has refused to provide any information on the condition of the hostages, so it's unclear how many remain alive. Anger has been mounting for months within Israel against Netanyahu and his ministers, particularly among the families of hostages, who feel Netanyahu is prioritizing military objectives

over the lives of their loved ones, that's according to a report from the Washington Post. The weekend demonstrations which unfolded outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, in Tel Aviv, and in several other cities were led by the hostage families forum. That's an umbrella organization for the relatives of hostages. The protests, which began on Saturday, marked a sharp change in strategy for the families of hostages, who, until now, have basically stayed out of the political fray. After months of failed hostages in ceasefire talks, however, they are taking the proverbial gloves off. One distraught mother, whose 24-year-old son is still being held in Gaza, accused Netanyahu of torpedoing multiple rounds of ceasefire negotiations. She said, quote, you stand between us and bringing our loved ones home, end quote.

Six months after the Savage 7 October attacks on Israel by Hamas, the families of many hostages say they have received no official word on their love. loved one's status, that's, you can thank Hamas for that, because they, again, have refused to provide any information about the current conditions of the hostages, and they've been denied requests to meet with Netanyahu and the War Cabinet. They say they have completely lost their trust in the government, with many calling on Netanyahu to immediately step down. Now, the families of hostages were joined on the streets by tens of thousands of anti-government protesters, who said they've lost their patience with the current government strategy in Gaza. Organizers claimed that a staggering 100,000 people turned out for Sunday's demonstrations.

That number is unconfirmed and maybe about as reliable as Hamas' statistics on casualties in Gaza. The frustration among Israelis was palpable, with one protester telling the Washington Post that Israel is currently being run by a, quote, gang of nut cases that jeopardize not only our existence, but our well-being, end quote. For his part, Netanyahu said he understood the anger. of the families of hostages, saying, quote, The pain of the families of the hostages breaks my heart. I think it breaks all of our hearts.

Anyone who says that I'm not doing everything to bring back our hostages is wrong and is misleading others, end quote. Netanyahu added, however, that any change in leadership at this time in the war would be handing Hamas a victory. He said, quote, the calls for elections right now, at the height of the war, a moment before victory, will paralyze Israel for at least half a year. It would paralyze the negotiations for freeing our hostages.

It would bring the war to an end before its goals are completely achieved, and the first that would welcome this is Hamas, and that tells you everything, end quote. Well, he's not popular, but that doesn't make him incorrect. Turning our focus to Russia, as rumors swirl that the Kremlin is preparing for another mobilization of troops for Putin's war in Ukraine, the government is calling for a fresh round of military conscriptions. Russian President Putin signed a decree on Sunday enrolling roughly 150,000 new conscripts into the military to bolster their beleaguered ranks,

but with a promise that the forces will not be used on the front lines of Ukraine, and if you believe that one, I've got a bridge to Crimea for sale. We should note that all men in Russia are required to serve one year of compulsory military service, and the government has twice-yearly call-up periods where fresh conscriptions are ordered. Still, it comes as sources close to the Russian Defense Ministry, say the government is preparing for a new wave of military mobilization of up to 300,000 people to replace Russia's decimated ranks in Ukraine. Compulsory military service has long been a thorny issue in Russia, as you can imagine, made all the more controversial now by Putin's war in Ukraine. In September of 2022, for

example, thousands of Russian men fled the country to avoid enlistment after Putin announced partial mobilization. The decreasing number of people willing to go to war has reportedly informed the Kremlin's proposal to engage in another large-scale mobilization. Russia claims to have 1.32 million active military personnel and 2 million reserve military personnel. However, they've suffered staggering losses on the battlefield since the war broke out in early 2022. The latest estimates are that some 355,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded since February of 2022 inside Ukraine. It's a particularly stunning figure, given that Putin began the war with approximately 360,000 ground troops. Putin claims there are currently more than 600,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine,

with roughly 1,500 new recruits signing up each day. However, those figures are impossible to verify. We do know, however, that Russia has had to turn to mining their prison populations for soldiers, which does not exactly give the impression that there are eager recruits among the general population. Human rights observers in the region estimate that at least 100,000 prisoners have been conscripted by the Russian Defense Ministry and sent to the front lines to bolster the ranks of Russia's fighting force. Sources close to the Defense Ministry have said several penitentiaries in the Siberian region will be shut down later this year due to the ongoing recruitment of inmates.

So it's kind of like prison reform, but without the reform part. All right, coming up in tonight's back of the brief, border tensions rise as an El Paso judge releases dozens of illegal migrants following a border riot where National Guard troops faced a surging stampede at the Rio Grande. I'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord, paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir, sweet and romantic

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Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. In today's back of the brief, an El Paso magistrate judge on Easter ordered the release of dozens of migrants accused of taking part in a border riot last month. Now, many of you, probably remember the chaotic video, which showed a stampede of hundreds of illegal migrants

tearing down fencing along the El Paso border and quickly overwhelming National Guard troops. In total, immigration and customs enforcement was holding more than 200 migrants in connection with the incident. Now, the presiding magistrate judge, Umberto Acosta, made his ruling on Sunday declaring, quote, it is the ruling of the court that all the rioting participation cases will be released on their own recognizance. end quote. Well, that's nice. According to the El Paso Times, the judge said that the reason for releasing them was because the El Paso District Attorney's Office had not scheduled individual detention hearings for each defendant. So, in essence, it was a paperwork issue. Well, look,

I didn't know that you could turn this stupid dial up past 11 when it came to border issues, but apparently there's a 12. Some migrants were additionally hit with a solid. Some migrants were additionally hit with a assault of a public servant and criminal mischief charges, but it's not clear if the judge's ruling applies to them as well. In February of this year, the U.S. Border Patrol recorded a total of nearly 190,000 encounters along the southwest border. That's down from the record high of nearly 250,000 encounters in December of 2023. Since President Biden assumed office, CBP has logged nearly 7.3 million illegal border crossings. And those, of course, would be the ones that were encountered by law enforcement.

The actual number, including those referred to as known gotaways, who crossed illegally undetected, is, well, anybody's guess. Conservative estimates put the number of known godaways during the Biden administration at between two and three million, but really, nobody knows. What we do know is that the lack of border security, the inability to monitor and vet who comes into the U.S., well, it's a national security and public security issue of major magnitude. The White House could take some immediate executive actions to make some attempt to improve border security, while both the Democrats and Republicans could stop acting like a pile of rug rats in a poorly run daycare facility and actually work together to improve both border security, and the immigration system. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday to March.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.