The President's Daily Brief - December 14th, 2022. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says "No More Illegal Immigrants"

Episode Date: December 14, 2022

It’s December 14th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ A good day to you, ladies and gentlemen. I’ve got five briefs for you this morning that are shaping America — and the world. And for today’s podcast, grab those maps because we’re circling the globe. First, we start in Africa, or at least with the 50+ African leaders gathered at the White House. Second, we’re then off to Japan where that otherwise pacifist country is building up its military for a future fight against China and North Korea. Third, we then jump across the Pacific Ocean to Peru. An update this morning on the President who was thrown out of office last week. Protests are erupting across the country. Fourth, we then land in the United Kingdom where the Prime Minister there is saying no more illegal immigrants. His party is calling it an invasion. Sounds familiar. Finally, after our trip, we come home to America, where Joe Biden has announced billions in aid to make our farms more climate friendly. Later, we close out the podcast with an observation I had on the US National Debt. We got new numbers for November — and there’s a warning sign we need to talk about.  ------ 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're listening to the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning Intel starts now. A good day to you, ladies and gentlemen. I've got five briefs for you this morning that are shaping America and the world. And for today's podcast, grab those maps because we are circling the globe. First, we start in Africa, or at least with the 50-plus African leaders gathered at the White House. Second, we are then off to Japan, where that otherwise.

pacifist country is building up its military for a future fight against China and North Korea. Third, we then jump across the Pacific Ocean to Peru. An update this morning on the president who was thrown out of office there last week. Protests are erupting across the country. Fourth, we then land in the United Kingdom, where the prime minister there is saying, no more illegal immigrants. His party is calling it an invasion. That sounds familiar. Finally, after our trip, we come home to America where Joe Biden has announced billions in aid to make our farms more climate-friendly. Later, we close out the podcast with an observation that I had on the U.S. national debt.

We got new numbers for November, and there's a warning sign there that we got to talk about. But before we get to that, we need to get started with this. Joe Biden is hosting a summit of African leaders this week, over 50 African leaders, actually. They're talking about trade, trying to boost it, and things like corruption, trying to lower it. Mr. Biden announced a big, big aid package to Africa yesterday, $55 billion over three years. In case you're wondering of that amount, $20 billion is aimed at health projects, another billion or so for climate change initiatives like solar panels in the country of Malawi, plus billions more for what Biden calls strengthening democracy and good governance.

And what's left unsaid here is that this effort is really designed to re-engage African nations with goodies all to combat China. As PDB listeners know from previous briefs, Beijing has made major inroads throughout the continent, doing things like funding the development of ports in countries like Djibouti or the railroad network in the country of Kenya. But China's not doing this out of their own sort of gracious heart. They're engaged in something called debt-trap diplomacy. That's where Beijing offers up cheap loans to finance these very expensive projects. And then if the African countries default on those loans, which is happening, then China tries to seize those assets or get some pretty sweetheart deals out of it. We've also seen some of this in the mining sectors in Africa. Again, as PDB listeners know, Beijing has made massive investments in key mines throughout the continent to include securing a majority of the world's cobalt in the Congress.

plus lithium mines in places like Zimbabwe. So overall, that is the agenda for the fancy meetings and dinner this week. Although the Biden administration did make one peculiar announcement. He's going to create something called a president's advisory council on African diaspora engagement, which is a D.C. way of saying that Joe Biden will meet with African immigrants to talk about issues that they are concerned about. but what's curious is this. The council will be made up of not just former African citizens, but black Americans too. According to Dana Banks, who's a special assistant to Joe Biden,

these black Americans have to demonstrate a historical connection to the slave trade from Africa to the United States, but not necessarily any current connection. In fact, it doesn't appear that these folks will even have to have ever traveled to Africa or speak any of the languages, which is interesting, I think, if the whole idea is to talk to African folks about African problems. Anyway, there is one other reason that I'm flagging this news for you. The president of South Africa, well, he did not show up this week to all these fancy meetings, and that is because he is fighting off an impeachment effort.

And this is quite a story, so grab some popcorn for this one. So here's the background. Back in 2018, President Cyril Ramaphosa, was elected as president of South Africa, which, by the way, is a gorgeous country, is incredible wildlife, this beautiful wine-growing region, and lots of minerals like diamonds and iron ore that we import. So this country is something that we should definitely care about.

At any rate, Ramaphosa took office promising to clean up the corruption of his country, which is horrific. But then came the Buffalo scandal. According to the results of an internal investigation by the South African Parliament, Mr. Ramaphosta allegedly had some water buffalo on his farm, about 20 or so, and he sold him to a businessman from the country of Sudan. This guy's name was Hazim Mustafa. The president actually made a lot of money on this deal,

over $4 million for these buffalo, which reminds me I need to invest in water buffalo. Anyway, his staff put the money from this deal, not in a safe or in the bank, but rather under the cushions of his couch. So why? Well, he and the staff said that it was better protected there. All right, but unfortunately, it must have been like a lazy boy couch because it did not protect that money. Thieves found out about all that cash in the cushions,

and they stole some percentage of it, and then they fled to the neighboring country of Namibia. Well, President Ramaphosa then did something curious. he didn't report the theft. Instead, he tried to deal with it quietly by calling some friends in Namibia. But why the parliament wanted to know, why not call the police?

And by the way, who is this Mustafa guy? And why are you making so much money off of Buffalo? And also, this is interesting. Why did Mustafa never come to pick up as Buffalo? Because it has been over two years now, and the Buffalo are apparently still on that farm in South Africa. All right. Anyway, Parliament was investigating all of that stuff.

In fact, tipped off initially, anyway, by the former South African spy chief, a man named Arthur Frazier. And then Parliament came out with a report, in fact, not too long ago, saying that, quote, there is a substantial doubt about the legitimacy of the source of the currency that was stolen from the president, end quote. Yeah, the money from Mustafa. And they said, President Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations and misconduct when he failed to report. report the theft to police, and instead, yeah, he called up his Namibian counterpart to apprehend the thieves. Now, if you thought that this would be the political end of President Ramaphosa, oh, you are wrong. Parliament just voted to not impeach this guy by a vote of 214 to 14 to 148.

So as to why they refused to impeach him, well, his party, which is the ANC, they control that country from top to bottom, and Ramaphosa controls his party. So, away the scandal went. Ah, what a fun story. Anyway, I flagged this colorful development for you because Joe Biden is now committing $55 billion of your taxpayer dollars to leaders like this throughout the African continent. Now, maybe some of these guys and gals are earnest good leaders, you know, fighting against corruption. But it does prompt one to ask how much of all that money, your money, will in fact go to good causes, or rather how much if it's going to be going to the feed bill for some buffalo or some shady businessman named Mustafa.

Anyway, I'll keep watching where your money goes in Africa and I'll keep you posted. For our second brief, let's leave the African continent and head east all the way to Japan. And it's there that we have a very important and very sober update to talk about. Tokyo is set to purchase hundreds of U.S. built Tomahawk cruise missiles. It's part of that country's major defense buildup, the largest since the end of World War II. Now, to understand how important this is, this specific purchase of these tomahawks, so consider this. First, the only other country that's been allowed to purchase these missiles is just the United Kingdom. Second, we're talking 400 to 500 missiles in total going to Japan.

In previous agreements with the United Kingdom, total numbers were around 20 to 60 missiles per deal. So this is a very big purchase. In fact, it's a statement. Third, and to that end, it's a statement that Japan is adopting a more aggressive military posture towards its historical enemies of North Korea and China. And that is what this is really about, and it's what you should really know. In the event of a war with China, the United States will need Japan to base additional forces or respond if our Navy should be disabled or destroyed.

These missiles will certainly help with that. They've got a range that can strike well into North Korean and Chinese territory, certainly further than what Japan currently has with their short-range missiles. But these tomahawks also serve as a deterrent. Much like all the weaponry that we are sending to Taiwan, we're turning that region into a porcupine of sorts, making Beijing realize the very high cost that they will pay if they attack. And so now with these missiles, Japan will have a deadly second strike tool at their disposal,

assuming that Beijing strikes first. One other important thing to highlight here, ever since the end of World War II, Japan has largely avoided building up its military, in part because it was banned from doing so by its own constitution, which actually was written by the Americans in 1947 after the war. But this purchase is a very clear step away from that pacifist. history. And it's only possible because back in 2014, the Japanese reinterpreted their constitution. So now they're allowed. And they are. So beyond these Tomahawk missiles, Japan has promised to bulk up its military, meeting the NATO standard of 2% of gross domestic product on military

spending. And that will ultimately give Japan the third largest military budget in the world. That's according to analysis done by the Washington Post. If you're wondering, the Japanese people think about all of this, given the history of them being pacifist. Well, two years ago, only 37% of the public was in support. Now it's over 60%. And the reason really is the war in Ukraine, of all things. Respondents in that poll said that they were disturbed to see China's partner, Russia, invade Ukraine. And now they're worried that Beijing might strike next, either in Taiwan or elsewhere. So all and all, for my history buffs, my veterans of World War II. Bless you. Thank you, by the way. This is quite a development,

isn't it? Times, times have changed. Regardless, I will keep you posted as this deal with Japan. Our one-time enemy moves forward. With that, let's leave Japan and head across the Pacific Ocean to the South American country of Peru. We've got an update to a story that we first talked about last week. So to refresh our memories here, one week ago today, the president of that nation tried to dissolve the Congress, all because he was going to be impeached by them. But they ignored his order, and they impeached him anyway, and it swore in a new president. Then the national police arrested the old president, who is now sitting in jail. Also, as a reminder of why we care about this, in fact, there are lots of reasons, but most especially,

because that country is the number two world producer for copper. That's a mineral that analysts believe will be in very short supply in years. to come, so we've got to keep our eyes on places like this. And that refresh of things takes us to the latest out of Peru. Folks, protests are popping up all over that country to include shutting down the main road to the largest copper mine in the nation. At least seven people have died in those protests with folks demanding that the new president actually stepped down and allowed the old one back into office. So will that happen? Not likely, but anything's possible. and that's because of this.

The approval rating for Congress is at 11%. And the old president, his approval rating is at 24%. In other words, nobody's very happy in Peru with their ruling class, and frankly, everybody is divided. Plus, the old president, again, his name is Pedro Castillo. He's a very proud leftist. He's been releasing letters from jail telling his supporters to rise up against the government, which is now led by his former vice president.

One final note here. The president of Mexico, Mr. Lopez Obrador, weighed in on what's happening to this former president. Lopez Obrador has vowed to support the old guy, again, Mr. Castillo, saying that relations between Mexico and Peru are now, quote, on hold, end quote, until the old guy is back in power. And if you're wondering why, well, here it is. Both the Mexican president and the old Peruvian president are radical leftists. so birds of a political feather are flocking together on this one. So overall, a real mess in Peru with important implications for the global economy and your checkbook, given the importance of copper.

Either way, and regardless, I will keep you posted. With that, ladies and gentlemen, let's take our quick first break for my paid subscribers on the Apple platform. No ads for you. And by the way, thank you. It might only be $5 to some folks, but it's a demonstration to me that you. You all believe in me in this podcast and the value that it provides. So just thank you. And for everybody else, not to worry, we'll be back shortly.

And when we do, we have got two more critical pieces of news to talk about. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB. I've got two more critical pieces of news for you this morning. We are taking off from our last brief in Peru, flying across the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the United Kingdom. We're going to talk about the issue of immigration there. And let's see if you hear anything that's. sounds familiar. The prime minister of that country, Rishi Sunak, said that it is time for illegal

migrants to go home. Quote, enough is enough, end quote. That's what he said, in fact, just recently to Parliament. Meanwhile, his home secretary, sort of like our Department of Homeland Security at some level, is calling the recent wave of illegals an invasion and that they are inherently criminals for breaking immigration laws. The prime. Prime Minister further told Parliament that, quote, if you enter the UK illegally, you should not be able to remain here. Instead, you will be detained and swiftly returned either to your home country or to a safe country where your asylum claim will be considered, end quote. The prime minister, by the way, is a conservative, which means predictably that his liberal opponents are crying foul.

They are saying that he is bigoted and racist, although he is an ethnic Indian. which makes that accusation a bit awkward. So for those unaware, the immigration debate in the UK is being driven mostly by illegals taking boats across the English Channel and mostly from the European country of Albania. Regardless, a record 44,000 illegals have crossed over the channel, and the Prime Minister has frankly just had enough. He went on to blast the criminal gangs that operate human smuggling networks on the coast of England and also located in France.

It's a racket that has made these guys, these guys, these guys, gangs, many, many millions of dollars. Ultimately, the prime minister has promised to speed up the judgment of these asylum applications, currently at 150,000, knowing that the vast majority of those will be rejected. Finally, folks, and this is interesting, the UK is trying to deport illegal migrants to the African country of Rwanda, again, irrespective of where these illegals actually come from. Well, Rwanda is doing this because they have agreed to a deal where they will accept the illegals for a hundred million dollars, give or take. So there you have it. Perhaps some of that sounds familiar to listeners of the PDB, at least here in America. And by the way, Rwanda is absolutely

beautiful. The capital of Kigali is one of the cleanest cities that I have ever been to. The nation is led by a dictator who doesn't mess around with people who litter. So that probably explains it. All right, my friends, we have been around the world, so let's come home for our last brief. Now let's imagine that we're heading back to the family ranch. We open up our mail from our time away. And inside, we find a letter from the Biden administration. They have cash for us all to stop climate change. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it will distribute an additional $325 million for projects encouraging farmers to cut back on their greenhouse gas emissions. So this latest bucket of cash brings the total aid for climate-friendly farming to three

billion dollars so far. So the money will fund 71 projects in total, ranging from 250,000 to just under 5 million. And it's set up to fund things like crop rotation programs, installing solar panels in farm fields, plus reducing fertilizer application. See what happens to yields next year. By the way, if you are white or male, I am so sorry to say that this money is not for you. It's largely going going to black farmer associations, Native American tribes, and organizations that serve women, veterans, and beginning farmers. So if you are white or male, you may want to start identifying as black or female for the next few months. Okay, that was, that was, I'm getting sassy. Let's move on. So one other thing to note here, the money is coming from you, the taxpayer, yes, but also from the

federal government's commodity credit corporation. By law, that entity is supposed to help create new market opportunities for farmers. So it's not clear how this climate change cash fits the mission or the law. That's a concern expressed by Republican Representative G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania. He's the incoming chairman of the House Agricultural Committee. He thinks that this whole scheme is just hogwash and he's going to audit it when he takes over the committee in January. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we wrap up this morning's trip around the world and we

conclude your morning brief. But I got one more thing before I let you go. We'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB folks. I've got one more thing before I let you go. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department released budget numbers for America. They laid out how much revenue we're bringing in and how much we're spending, again, all for the month of November. So here's how your government is doing fiscally.

Revenue fell 10% last month to 252 billion. Meanwhile, expenses rose 6% to $5001 billion. Again, just to restate these figures, we're taking in about $250 billion, but we're spending double that at $500 billion. Those are both record amounts, by the way. So what explains these record numbers? Well, on the expense side of things, Medicare was a big driver, but so too was the student debt transfer program, which is Joe Biden's scheme to take debt from students and make you pay for it. it. Now, most of that scheme is caught up in the courts, but some has been allowed to move forward.

But there's another expense that you should know about. Payments on a national debt. We got to talk about this, folks. The U.S. Treasury's interest costs on U.S. public debt grew 53% last month, or 19 billion in all. And in case you're wondering, no, that is absolutely not sustainable. We are spending far more than we take in. And with interest rates going up, we're going to be paying out the nose for that debt. Folks, we are setting ourselves up for a debt crisis. Now, I don't know if it's going to happen sooner or ever. Lots of folks have predicted it will eventually. And others say, well, poohy. It never will. But it's quite something that we just don't know for sure that our policymakers are gambling with the country's future on spending of all kinds from the war in Ukraine to

to maybe buffalo feed in South Africa. Anyway, that's just my opinion. But it is something for you to think about. 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.