The President's Daily Brief - December 20th, 2022. Trump Immigration Plan “Title 42” Is on Its Last Leg, Some Democrats Are Fighting to Keep It

Episode Date: December 20, 2022

It’s December 20th. 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 four briefs for you this morning that are shaping America — and the world. First off, we start today on America’s southern border, with a story about a migrant that reminds us of the real challenge to stopping illegal migration. Next, we travel to Vietnam, with that country replacing the United Kingdom on a very special list. Third, we head to Japan where the CEO of Toyota has some very blunt words to share about Dirty Green Energy. Finally, we stop in Canada where Chinese diplomats are there, encouraging world leaders to save the planet’s wildlife and wilderness. I’ll explain why that’s patently absurd. Later, we close out the podcast with a listener question about spy vs spy games in Africa. Lee-Uh wants to know, Would France really kill a Russian official with a mail bomb?  ------ 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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Officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. A good day to you, ladies and gentlemen. I've got four briefs for you this morning that are shaping America and the world. First off, we start today on America's southern border with a story about a migrant that reminds us of the real challenge to stopping illegal migration. Next, we travel to Vietnam with that country replacing the United Kingdom on a very special list. Third, we head to Japan where the CEO of Toyota has some very blunt words to share about dirty green energy. Finally, we stop in Canada where Chinese diplomats there are encouraging world leaders to save the planet's wildlife and wilderness. I'll explain why that is patently absurd. Later, we close out the podcast with a listener question about spy versus

spy games in Africa. Leah wants to know, would France really kill a Russian official with a mail bomb? Well, before I answer that, we got to get started with this. We had some serious whiplash yesterday regarding America's immigration policy, and we're going to see a lot more of that today. So here's what I mean. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, yesterday, temporarily blocked the scheduled ending of something called Title 42. So as PDB listeners know, that is a Trump-era border restriction that allows the U.S. guys. government to very quickly toss out asylum seekers at the border. Now, that was scheduled to end tomorrow, but a group of states led by Arizona appealed to

the Supreme Court for an emergency administrative order to keep Title 42 on the books. Chief Justice Roberts agreed with those states, putting temporarily this freeze on things, and giving Joe Biden's administration until 5 p.m. today to respond. Well, as that was happening, the White House press secretary, Corrine Jean-Pierre blasted those Republican states who want to keep Title 42. And then she compared Americans, maybe people like you, to human traffickers for disagreeing with the administration. So here's what she said. The removal of Title 42 does not mean that the border is open. Anyone who suggests otherwise is simply doing the work of human smugglers. So that was kind of outrageous, but it gets worse or

at least more awkward. And that's because as the press secretary was speaking. New York City's mayor, a fellow Democrat, Eric Adams, was asked about Title 42 and what will happen in his city if it's ended. And he said that, quote, every service that we provide is going to be impacted by the influx of migrants in our city. It's going to impact the dollars that we're using to clean our streets. It's going to impact public safety. Everything is now on the table. This is an unprecedented emergency, end quote. He then added that if Title 42 is set aside, New York might again be forced to set up a tent city to deal with all the thousands of illegals. So meanwhile, another fellow Democrat was blasting Joe Biden for his border policies too.

Representative Henry Quaylor of Texas said on CBS that, quote, with all due respect, I've looked at Joe Biden's border plan and it hasn't worked, end quote. So you can all keep that in mind as Joe Biden and his administration. respond to the deteriorating situation on the border, one that even members of his own party are saying is partially or largely his fault. So with that, I'd like to switch now to analysis and opinion. And I want to do that by telling you this next story. With one warning, if you have little ones around, this next piece might not be suitable for their little ears. All right, with that quick warning aside, let me tell you this. Last Wednesday, a migrant from

India died when he tried jumping over the border wall near Tijuana, all to gain a lawful entry into the United States. He died, unfortunately, of a head injury. So in his arms when he landed was his three-year-old son. The boy survived. Now, the man's wife also jumped with him. And she broke her hip when she landed, but otherwise she survived. So as we wrestle with this border issue and what to do about it. Let me ask you this morning. Whose fault is it that this man from India died? It said differently, why did a man from India think that his odds were good, that he could travel seven to eight thousand miles all the way to Mexico, cross illegally and successfully into the United States, and start a new life? Because somebody made him believe that he could do it.

Somebody incentivized that man to travel halfway around the world and put himself and his family in jeopardy. Now, the White House this morning is effectively arguing that the Republicans did it. They have blood on their hands because Republicans are like human traffickers, telling people that we have an open border, and so illegals then come. If I could say that differently, Joe Biden and his team are effectively arguing that the man from India would be alive today if everybody, especially Republicans, just kept quiet about the crisis on the border. But it's not open. And that's a pretty remarkable argument because to my mind, Joe Biden is suggesting that, for instance, illegals don't talk to each other when, of course, they do.

Or that activists don't organize mass caravans to bum rush the border when, of course, they do. Or that human smuggling networks aren't working every day to get new clients when, of course, they are. As PDB listeners might remember, last December, human smugglers in Mexico, made $1 billion in that month alone in human smuggling operations. That's according to eternal documents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. So my point and my counsel to you is that Republicans aren't driving people to the border by acknowledging truth. Of course not.

So what is? Well, as you answer that question for yourselves, I'd like to offer you this. I think it's all about incentives. American governments at the federal state and city level have promised migrants, especially illegal migrants, that if you can get here, you can stay here. And when you do, you get freedom and liberty, and you also get access to free housing, food, education, medical care, jobs,

even free cash. It doesn't matter, of course, that none of those things are actually free. somebody has to pay for them and by the way that somebody is you but folks poor people hear about all that liberty and those many free goodies and of course they want to come

not because some all powerful Republicans told them about an open border but because they heard about those many incentives from sanctuary cities and states who proudly talk about it they hear of course from media groups and activist groups friends family cartels

gangs, all of it. And yes, of course, they come, including a man from India, who died with his son in his arms. So, folks, I think that if we are really serious about our border, it can't just start and stop with fences and walls and more agents. Yes, we need all of those things, please. But we also have to adopt policies that address these incentives. Because maybe politicians of all stripes had adopted these kinds of reforms to our incentive structures, well, maybe folks like that man from India would have never tried to come in the first place. It's a shame that we'll never know for sure. And it's a shame that his son will now grow up without a father and his wife without her husband. With that, ladies and gentlemen, let's take a quick break.

For my paid subscribers on Apple platforms, no ads for you, but for everybody else, not to worry, we will be back shortly. And when we do, I've got three more critical pieces of news for you. We'll be right back. 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 see. Do. Instant room upgrade.

Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak. And get your trip right. Kayak. Got that right. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.

Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at MintMobil. 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. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Welcome back to the PDB. I've got three more critical pieces of news for you this morning. First off, we are heading to Vietnam. And that's because Hanoi is set to become America's seventh largest trading partner. Now, to explain what a big deal that is,

Vietnam has now replaced the United Kingdom as our seventh largest trading partner. According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Hanoi's share of goods imported into our country is now at 2.7%. That's, of course, the total goods that we get from abroad. The United Kingdom slides down a notch to 2.6. It's a pretty remarkable moment, isn't it, given the history of our countries? And, of course, it's not just economic trade that's binding our two nations. closer. As I briefed you on last week, U.S. military weapons manufacturers are in negotiations

with Vietnam to sell them military gear, ranging from helicopters to drones to postguard ships. And as we know, Hanoi wants all these goods because they see a profound threat to their north in China. And they're currently leaning on Russia for their military gear, which of course is a problem given the war in Ukraine. That's why they're looking to us, their very old enemy. For what it's worth, America's top countries that trade with us also include Canada at number one, then Mexico, then China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and now, of course, Vietnam. And by the way, speaking of Japan from that list, let's take a quick flight from Hanoi to Tokyo, where we really need to hear from the CEO of Toyota this morning for our next brief. So on Sunday, Toyoro's chief executive, Akio Toyoro, said that there's a bit of a hysteria right now in his auto industry. It's a dirty green hysteria, if I can say that.

So here's what Mr. Toyota said on Sunday in Bangkok when he was speaking with reporters. Quote, people involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority right now. They wonder whether electric vehicles are really okay to have as a single. option, but they think it's a trend, so they can't speak very loudly. End quote. So here's why he offered that pretty blunt and frankly honest assessment. So in many parts of the world, especially in poor countries and in rural areas, electricity is limited, he said, and charging stations will forget it even more so.

Plus, he continued, it'll take decades before the necessary infrastructure is ever ready to build out for electric vehicles. And that's why, he said, sensible car companies like his should continue to make gas and hybrid vehicles too. Why, he asked, would you just abandon poor nations and all those poor people who really don't have the ability to buy and use electric vehicles? It's just, it's wrong, he said. And it's a dumb business decision, if I can paraphrase that. Well, all in all, it sounds reasonable and informed. But, of course, those comments from Mr. Toyota,

not going to come as a big surprise to PDB listeners. As I briefed you on back in October, the Toyota chief said then that for every fully electric vehicle, he could make eight hybrid cars with the same amount of batteries. And those eight cars would not only dramatically cut carbon emissions globally, it would also ensure that poor people could continue to access reliable transportation. Plus, he said, it would reduce the massive amount of mining needed globally for things like lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

So for what it's worth, Mr. Toyota obviously knows what he's talking about, about a lot of things, but especially when it comes to encouraging hybrids. There have been more hybrids sold this year than fully electric vehicles. That's according to data from research firm Motor Intelligence. So all in all folks, and in my opinion, I think that Mr. Toyota is a very smart man, one with a backbone. I wish we had more like him. So finally this morning, we are going to take a long flight from Japan over the Pacific Ocean,

all the way to actually another name on that list that I mentioned earlier of America's top trade partners. Yeah, we're going to go to Canada. It is there in that maple syrup covered country in the city of Montreal that the world has been debating how to save the planet's wild animals and nature just in general. So it's a UN conference of pretty fancy people. It's called COP15, but the name doesn't match. matter. What does matter is that they have come up with this very big, very non-binding global plan that says that countries have to agree to conserve 30% of their land, and that includes

their inland waterways like rivers, plus coasts and their oceans. And for my farmers, I want you to listen to this. They also agreed to limit pesticides and cut nutrient runoffs from farms. Regardless, this plan is going to require tens of billions of dollars. to fully implement, with large countries like the United States, which means you, taxpayer, funding the conservation efforts for poor countries. Now, it is true that the United States did not agree to this plan. Actually, it couldn't because the U.S. Senate has never signed off on the treaty that brought all these nations together.

Still, Joe Biden and his team announced yesterday that they would still work towards the 30% goal regardless. And folks, I bring this news to you for three reasons. and I now want to pivot from facts and data to analysis and opinion. First, it's interesting, isn't it, that Joe Biden signed off on this just a week after his administration announced that they're planning to develop tens of thousands of acres in the American West, all for solar and wind farms. And these are largely areas that are unspoiled by development. It's almost all raw nature.

So agreeing to conserve nature while ripping out nature, This seems kind of counterproductive, silly. No, no, you pick the word. Second, I'm reminded of what's happening in the Netherlands, where they are planning to seize upwards of 3,000 farms all because of their climate change goals and their campaign to what's called rewild their country. And that's a phrase that a lot of folks in the environmental community like to use

that means that you take farms and ranches and you turn them back over to nature. So I suspect that we are going to see a lot more of that all around the world using this Canadian agreement as justification. Finally, actually I should have said Chinese agreement, not Canadian, because this whole affair was led by China. The framework for the agreement was actually written by Chinese diplomats. So why is that interesting?

Well, as it just so happens, China is telling the world how to protect land and animals. All the while, it's arguably the world's most destructive force of killing animals and destroying land. Let me just give you some examples. According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, 13,000 donkeys each day are slaughtered globally for their skins, which are then sent primarily to China to create traditional medicines. Poor donkeys. Meanwhile, Chinese buyers were also working with African poachers to target endangered rhinos and elephants,

with their horns being used for Chinese potions and lotions that allegedly cure things like cancer and erectile dysfunction. Oh my. Or we could also highlight how China is wrecking the global supply of fish. According to Bloomberg News analysis, 90% of global fishery stocks are over-exploited or depleted, all because of illegal activity. And guess who's responsible for most of that?

Yeah, China. China's fishing flea. has grown from about a dozen ships in the 1980s to 17,000 ships today. Now to understand how big that is, the next two closest countries in terms of total ships are Taiwan and South Korea, with a combined grand total of 2,500 ships. Compared that to 17,000 out of China, all of which operate off the coasts of Latin America, Africa, and Asia. All of that, by the way, is according to London-based researcher Overseas Development Institute. Folks, this is just scratching the surface of the damage caused by China, and only on animals.

I haven't even touched what the Chinese do with nature, like in how they operate their minds in places like the Congo or Indonesia. The point of all this is that the world just signed off on China's leadership for preserving nature and animals, while they are arguably the world's worst destroyer of both. Anyway, lots of shenanigans to come on this. Of that, I promise you, because we've got billions of dollars going to poor nations. Of course, we've got China inevitably cheating or lying about their progress. But no matter what, I will be watching for it and I will share those dirty details as I learn them. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we conclude your morning brief.

But I've 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. Leah or Leah from somewhere in the world wrote in about the mail bomb that we talked about yesterday in the Central African Republic. So to refresh our memories on that one, a Russian official last week received a package that he opened and it exploded. The Russians are blaming the French for what they call an assassination attempt. Now, when I told you of all that news, Leah seemed surprised, but mostly by my tone. So here's what she said. In your story today about the Russian official and the Central African Republic, you didn't seem that surprise. that Russia was blaming France for this.

And that made me wonder, is it a credible allegation that the Russians are making, or just a suspicion? I mean, are the French really engaged in threatened beheadings and package bombs? Well, I will say this. I would not be surprised if any country in the world engaged in covert action that involved, well, in someone dying, and that includes the French.

Let me explain. In the world of sort of spy versus spy, there are some general rules or gentleman's agreements about who you target or who you won't. To give you an example of that, let's say that I as a CIA officer am in the field. I'm operating as a clandestine officer and I'm meeting with my clandestine sources or agents. The gentleman's agreement by most governments anyway is that I won't be targeted for death. Now, maybe I'll be captured and jailed for a while. Maybe I'll earn a new scar on my cheek or somehow mysteriously lose some teeth. But governments generally aren't going to kill me. Why?

Because they fear revenge attacks on their officers, on their people. But that's not the case for, say, the agents that I was meeting with, the foreigners who were my spies. Those folks can and are killed with much greater frequency. It's a pretty horrific part. of the work. And it's why officers like me spend so much time and effort ensuring that I and they are never, ever caught. So what happened in the Central African Republic? Did the French kill that Russian official, or at least try to? Because if so, that would kind of be breaking the gentleman's agreement. At least one could argue. Well, maybe. It is certainly possible that the French were responsible. Now, if that's true, the president of France would probably have to weigh in on this one

because, well, we have the potential revenge attack issue that might come along with it. But yeah, sure, rules can be broken, especially in times of war, like the war in Europe right now, between Russia and everybody else, to include the French. It's a nasty business, this thing of war. The longer that they go on, by the way, the fewer jobs. The fewer jobs. gentlemen there are to implement these agreements. And that is when you tend to get more mail bombs in their place. 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.

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