The President's Daily Brief - August 17th, 2022. Big Five Update: Biden Signs the "Climate" Bill. Electricity Prices Soar in Europe. US is Set to Increase Aid to Ukraine. Tariffs on Chinese Products. Lebanon Bank Robbery Rings Alarm Bells.

Episode Date: August 17, 2022

It’s August 17th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ Welcome to a special edition of the PDB this morning: a Big Five Update. Five critical updates on stories we’ve covered previously that are shaping America — and the world. First, Joe Biden signed the climate change bill yesterday, but there’s a problem already with solar panels and slave labor. We’ll discuss. Second, electricity prices hit a record high in Europe yesterday, and some businesses there are starting to shut down. I’ll explain the latest. Third, the Biden Administration has increased its aid to Ukraine, this time to help them pay down their national deficit. I’ve got those details. Fourth, America’s tariffs on Chinese products are likely to stay put, all because of Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. I’ll explain the connection. Finally, a man robbed a bank in Lebanon last week to get his own money. We’ll talk about how this curious crime illustrates how desperate things are in that Middle Eastern country. And finally, one last thing before I let you go. A question from Brandon and Rafeal on how to persuade in-laws when talking politics. Oh this’ll be fun. ------ 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

It's August 17th. 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. Welcome to a special edition of the PDB this morning, a big five update, five critical updates on stories we've covered previously that are shaping America and the world. First, Joe Biden signed the climate change bill yesterday, but there is already a problem. The solar panels and slave labor is the issue. We'll discuss. Second, electricity prices hit a record high in Europe yesterday, and some businesses there are already starting to shut down. I'll explain the latest. Third, the Biden administration has increased its aid to Ukraine, this time to help pay down their national deficit. I've got those details.

Fourth, America's tariffs on Chinese products are likely to stay put, all because of Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. I'll explain that connection. Finally, a man robbed a bank in Lebanon last week to get his own money. We'll talk about how this curious crime illustrates how desperate things are in that Middle Eastern country. And finally, one last thing before I let you go, a question from Brandon and Raphael on how to persuade people and their in-laws in particular when talking politics. Oh, this will be fun. But first, let's get started with today's main brief. Joe Biden yesterday signed the now $437 billion inflation reduction act. That's actually a slimmed down version of his climate change bill. But regardless of the name, it will fuel a renewable energy revolution in America like it or not. Said Joe Biden, this bill is the biggest step forward on climate ever and is going to allow us to boldly take additional steps all towards my climate goals. But that plan of his is running into some harsh realities this morning to include that a bunch of solar panels are actually bottled up at ports, all because they

are made in China, and they are made by slave labor. And it's that last part slave labor that's creating big troubles. To better understand what's happening here, you have to know that the United States passed a law not too long ago called the Uyghur forced labor prevention act. Now, the Uyghur people are an ethnic minority group in China, that because of their Muslim faith have been locked up in concentration camps and forced to re-educate themselves about how bad their religion is and how great communism is. Well, while at those camps, the Uighur people are forced to work, sometimes in China's cotton fields or sometimes in area factories, and most especially at those factories that make China's solar panels. Now, this has long been the allegation by U.S. and European

governments. China denies it naturally, but on both sides, the Atlantic, governments have adopted restrictions on products coming from that particular region, which means that if a solar company in America wants to import Chinese or even Asian solar panels, they have to prove that none of the panels or the materials came from that restricted area. And that's led to an increasing bottleneck of solar panels sitting at ports and warehouses, with sellers unable to provide the proper documentation to prove that there were no Uyghur violations. Well, in turn, solar farms aren't getting built. So consider this.

There were supposed to be 17.8 gigawatts of new utility scale solar farms in this country, all during the first six months of this year. But because of these slave labor issues and the Uyghur law, the number wasn't 17.8 gigawatts, but 4.2. That's from preliminary data released by the Department of Energy late last week. In other words, what we're seeing is that most Chinese manufacturers are no longer exporting to the United States. And with less supply, that's led to solar panel prices jumping 30 to 40%. So all combined, we could see a very slow rollout of at least this solar piece of Joe Biden's energy revolution

and all because of this Uyghur law. I'll keep you posted. Speaking of energy, let's talk Europe. Our greatest trade partner is, in big trouble this morning as its supply of energy goes from bad to worse. So to remind ourselves of this story, the war in Ukraine led to Europe sanctioning Russia for its invasion. In retaliation, Moscow cut their supply of natural gas, which the continent needs to fuel its power plants and heat its homes. You may recall that the gas supplies from Russia to Europe have been down to 20% of normal, and that's still true. But the energy picture is getting worse. So Europe normally relies on France and its nuclear power to support the many countries on the continent, especially

in times of need. But those nuclear plants are being taken offline for either maintenance or because of high temperatures during this summer's heat wave. That means that France has turned from a net exporter of electricity to a net importer. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe has tried switching from Russian natural gas power to coal, most especially the country of Germany. But the main artery of shipment for coal in that country, the Ryan River, has dropped to record lows because of drought. That means ships with coal and other fuel aren't able to pass through the many shallow parts of the river, and that in turn is jacking up energy prices even further. And finally, Europe's Green energy revolution, now it's not helping as much as they had hoped.

It turns out that wind patterns are not behaving as they normally do this summer, so the wind turbines haven't been moving as much, and they're generating less electricity. So all in all, it explains why Europe's benchmark power price surged this week to a record high, up 500% just in the past year. These energy prices have led a few major companies throughout Europe to close their doors, especially for energy-intensive industries like glassmakers and metal producers. So case in point, a Netherlands-based zinc smelter announced last week that it would be halting operations as of September 1st, blaming energy prices.

So, folks, as this crisis unfolds, I'll continue to keep you posted because there are big implications if Europe's economy goes down. Finally, before we take a break, an update on where your taxpayer dollars are being spent. And this is quite a chunk of money. Last week, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced that it is sending an additional $4.5 billion in taxpayer money to Ukraine to reduce the Ukrainian government's budget deficit. Now, the country isn't collecting as much in taxes, as you would probably guess, all because of the war with Russia. So somebody's got to pay the salaries and the pensions of Ukraine's government workers and the social

benefits to the Ukrainian people, and that somebody to pay for it all is you. So here's a quote explaining that from the Agency for International Development. The United States is providing an additional $4.5 billion in direct budgetary support to the government of Ukraine, all to help alleviate the acute budget deficit caused by Putin's brutal war of aggression. Ukraine will receive the funding in trenches, beginning with a $3 billion disbursement in August. And this contribution, they went on to add, was made possible with generous bipartisan support from Congress. So for what it's worth, America has a $30.6 trillion debt.

So we are issuing more of our debt to pay for their debt. And of course, that debt of ours will cost us additional interest payments, either paid for by higher taxes, eventually, or budget cuts. I'll let you decide if that, is good governance. With that, we're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, two more updates for you on this special edition of the president's daily brief. 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. Welcome back to the PDB and our Big Five update. I've got two more critical pieces. of news for you this morning. First, let's talk China and tariffs, but to understand this one, let's do a quick recap on Chinese espionage. If you recall, Beijing uses spies and computer hacks to steal upwards of $600 billion each year in intellectual property, all from American companies and universities. And that means a loss of ingenuity, of revenue, and of course lost jobs. A few years ago during then-President Trump's administration, He slapped tariffs on thousands of Chinese goods, up to a 25% penalty, all to pressure China to, well, knock it off.

He also made them promise to buy hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of American goods as a way to make up for their past transgressions. Well, unfortunately, Beijing lied. They effectively bought none of the goods that they promised. That's according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. So that brings us to today. Joe Biden and his team have been wrestling with what to do about these tariffs, either keep them or get rid of them. So the reason to ditch the tariffs was maybe that would lower prices during these times of high inflation. That was the argument made by our Treasury Secretary. But on the other side of the argument was our U.S. trade representative. And she said, let's keep the tariffs. It's good leverage

for when we negotiate with them. As for what Joe Biden thinks, well, he's been on the fence on this one, but his team, now they're starting to come to consensus. The belief is now that it is probably a bad idea to waive off the tariffs. And that's because they don't want to look weak after China launched their war games in Taiwan. Now, as listeners will recall, Nancy Pelosi went to Taiwan a couple of weeks ago, and that made Beijing very angry. So China launched warships and fighter jets and actually used live ammunition. So now the Biden folks feel like if they lowered these tariffs, it'll look like they have submitted to the demands of Beijing, which had actually asked of Biden to do something to improve the relationship between our two countries. So for now, the tariff repeal is off the table. I'll keep you posted.

Finally this morning, a very unusual bank robbery in the country of Lebanon. But before we get to that, let's remind ourselves about why we care about this country. It was a nation caught up in the wheat wars. They used to buy a whole bunch of wheat from Ukraine for themselves and lots of Syrian refugees in their country taking safety from a civil war across the border. Well, thankfully, there's been a lot more wheat showing up in Lebanon recently, but unfortunately, lots of other problems have been showing up too. The political system is massively corrupt. Inflation is at 890%.

The currency has lost 90% of its value over just. the past couple years. There are fuel shortages, electricity blackouts, the health care system has virtually collapsed. So you get the idea here, it is an absolute mess. Well, one thing that the government did in response to all this chaos as an attempt to fix things was actually preventing people from withdrawing certain assets out of their bank accounts, effectively freezing them. Well, that made one man very desperate. He had over $200,000 trapped in his business. bank. And his family desperately needed some of that money to buy medicine, but he just couldn't access it. So he robbed the bank for his own money. Basam al-Shay Hussein, he's a 42-year-old Lebanese man.

He entered the bank with a shotgun and a canister of gasoline. He fired three warning shots and he locked himself inside the bank with the employees and customers. He then threatened to set himself on fire unless he was allowed to withdraw his savings. So negotiations, ended peacefully, thank God, but here were the terms. He got $35,000 for his family's medical needs, and in exchange, he agreed to be arrested. So his wife told reporters that he did what he had to do, while his brother called him a decent man. Now, I raised this story for you, not only to flag how desperate things are getting in Lebanon, but also that events like this, these acts of defiance that go public, they can change the history of a nation.

Back in 2010, there was a fruit vendor in the Middle Eastern country of Tunisia who grew so tired of corruption in that nation, so desperate in his poverty, that he set himself on fire. And that man died weeks later, but it set off outrage in his country. And it led to the dictator of Tunisia to resign and flee. So we are actually seeing some protests this morning in Lebanon over this desperate bank robbery. people there are calling him a hero. So depending on how this plays out, it could be either just another sad story or something that ignites a far bigger movement in a country that desperately needs it. And with that, one more thing before I let you go. I got an email from Brandon and Raphael, both asking for tips on how to change people's minds when it comes to politics, including their in-laws.

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Hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion. Welcome back to the PDB, ladies and gentlemen. I've got one more thing for you before I let you go. I got the nicest of emails from Brandon G from somewhere in America and Raphael and Westland, Michigan. And they both wanted to know how to change people's minds when it comes to politics. Let me read part of what Brandon in particular wrote. I have family members mostly in-laws of very different political beliefs, and they're always very dismissive or scoff about my ideas or some of the talking points that I

learned from your show. Even when I'm being very respectful during our conversations, that's what they do. So how do we get others of different political beliefs to change their perspectives? So Brandon, gosh, part of me feels so bad for you here. It sounds like your in-laws need a lifetime vacation to Antarctica. But I do love this question because it's all about the art of persuasion. And that fits so nicely into the series that I kicked off a few weeks back on how to think like a spy. Because at heart, CIA officers are trying to persuade people into agreeing to commit espionage to break laws of their country to benefit ours. So Brandon and Raphael, let's have some fun and think like spies. So first, understand that you can't persuade everyone.

You can't recruit everyone. So set that expectation for yourself aside. You do not have to bat a thousand when you try to persuade people. But I get it, Brandon. It's your in-laws. So the stakes here are pretty high. So tell you what, let's take Brandon's in-laws as our guinea pigs. They are our persuasion targets.

So using some amended spy craft here, your first step is to understand your targets. So I want you to understand what they think about the issue you're discussing. understand when they came to embrace that position. Why is it important to them? You know, their motivations for embracing that position. Also, understand how they came to think about it. In other words, where'd they get that information from a friend, a TV, a college, a random article? Now, as you're asking these questions, again, what they think and why they think, remember, don't tell them what you believe, at least not yet. The focus, is on them. You are learning, absorbing, and understanding. Now, as you do that, you have to be both

neutral and earnest, because if you ask your questions of what and why they believe with, you know, snark and judgment, they will see right through it, and your persuasion effort is over. So the point of doing all of this is that you are trying to understand, not just their position on some issue, but who they are and what makes them tick. And that in turn leads to the best path to persuasion. For instance, by asking these questions, you'll get a feel for what kind of thinker they are. Are they logical or emotional, for instance? Are they deeply influenced by group think? Or do they really embrace their individualism? Maybe they'll give you one set of answers in front of a group, but discreetly another set of answers in private. And all of that helps you determine

if persuasion is possible, and if so, the tactics and the setting that might work best. So with that information in hand, you know, understanding your target, you next have to develop what's called an approach plan. Because if you're going to have a big conversation about tough topics, you want to do it when they are most ready, most receptive. So for instance, if they are logical and factual thinkers, your approach plan should have lots of facts and data, maybe even printed out on a piece of paper in a folder. And then you rehearse your argument, well, almost like an attorney. You also have to think about the place and the time for your persuasion talk. If they're a morning person who likes to converse on the front porch, well, your approach plan

should probably not include, well, just before nap time in the afternoon. In other words, your approach plan should contain all of the details big and small that go into that first conversation. You know, how you'll discuss the topic, the time of day, the setting, maybe even what drink they like to have in their hand as they're talking. Every little detail that gets them into that place of where they're the most ready, the most receptive to persuasion. Okay, so now that you have an understanding of your target and you have developed your approach plan, now it's time to initiate contact. So this is sort of like your opening line with that pretty girl or handsome guy that you want to ask out for the first time. It's how you tee up and, well, manipulate a conversation for

persuasion. Let me act out an example for you. All right, here we go. You know, I really appreciated when you told me about your thoughts on climate change. You know, I read that piece that you mentioned in the Atlantic magazine. It was really fascinating. But it left me with some questions, though, One expert, they said, and then, Brandon, you ask what's called a challenge question. They're respectful, but they're designed to gently challenge your target's assumptions or their beliefs. And then, when the moment's right, you have a counterpoint or a counterfact. So let me react that out, but add in my challenge question. All right, here we go.

You know, I really appreciated when you told me about your thoughts on climate change. In fact, I read that piece that you mentioned in the Atlantic magazine. really fascinating. But it left me with some questions. So I read that we are going to reduce our carbon emissions by 40% with this new bill. And that's great, of course. But it's also true that China's increasing their emissions by at least that amount or more. So it cancels out everything we're doing since we all share the same atmosphere. So Brandon's mother-in-law, how should I reconcile those two things? All right, Brandon, the key here is that you are gently challenging someone. You're not telling them what to do or to think. They are left to defend

themselves and their belief or be stumped by your gentle challenge. And with that opening, you were off to the fourth and the final part of persuasion, the respectful debate. Now, if the debate is going well, your questions are good, your tone is friendly, you can see that they're receptive and they're thinking, well, then great. Now, it might take you many days or months, but you've got some persuasion going on. But if the debate isn't going well, then something probably went wrong with your understanding of your target, your approach plan, or how you initiated contact. So you're going to have to either scramble on your feet or regroup and restart. Now, it is also possible that you've tried all of this and it's just not going well no matter what you do. Your target is

just not persuadable. They are as stubborn as mules and it's not worth your time to try. sometimes that's the conclusion, unfortunately. But let's hope that that's not true for you, Brandon. And maybe if you start now by, well, maybe Thanksgiving or so, your in-laws will drive you slightly less crazy. Keep me posting. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes your morning brief. As always, we close out the show reminding each other of why we are here,

talking about our country and our world. 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. And the truth shall make you free. Good day.