The President's Daily Brief - December 21st, 2023: Ceasefire Prospects, Clock Ticking for Kyiv, & Taiwan Tensions

Episode Date: December 21, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief":   We start in Cairo where Hamas leaders are engaging with Egyptian intelligence to discuss a ceasefire and potentially release more hostages in the conflict with Israel.   The White House issues a stark warning that aid to Ukraine could run out by month's end, with congressional leaders expressing doubt over reaching a new funding agreement in 2023.   We delve into the Biden administration's recent prisoner swap with Venezuela, which sees a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro exchanged for several Americans detained by the Maduro regime.   In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, we explore reports of Chinese President Xi Jinping's conversation with President Biden about Beijing's intentions to reintegrate Taiwan with mainland China.   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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Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll lead off today's show in Cairo, where Hamas leaders are meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials to negotiate a pause in fighting with Israel and potentially the release of dozens more hostages. Later in the program, the White House is warning that aid to Ukraine is going to dry up by the end of the month as congressional leaders admit they're unlikely to reach a deal for new funding in 2023. Plus, the Biden administration has finalized in exchange with Venezuela, trading a close ally of President Nicholas Maduro for at least eight Americans detained by the Maduro regime. And finally, in today's back of the brief, we'll take a look at reports that

Chinese President Xi Jinping informed or advised President Biden that Beijing plans to reunify Taiwan with mainland China. But first up, the PDB spotlight. In the latest developments in the Middle East, it's looking like a pause in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict is potentially on the horizon, with both sides throwing some chips on the table. Egypt is helping to facilitate these negotiations, and sources there have revealed that Israel has proposed an opening offer, a one-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of dozens of hostages currently held by Hamas and associated groups in Gaza. Israel's demands are specific. They're looking to get back 40 hostages from the over 100 still detained in Gaza. This group includes all women and children who've been abducted,

as well as elderly male hostages in need of urgent medical care. In return, Israel is willing to halt its military operations, both ground and air, in Gaza, for a week. This truce would also facilitate the entry of additional humanitarian aid into southern Gaza. Hamas has reportedly come to the table as well, although seemingly less inclined to negotiate. The organization's political leaders, Ismail Hanya and Khaled Meshall, are in Cairo, discussing Israel's offer with Egyptian intelligence officials. As we reported yesterday on the PDB, Hamas is playing hardball, adhering to their policy of, quote, no negotiations under fire. A senior official from Hamas told the New York Times that any discussion about releasing more hostages would only begin after Israel commits to a new sustained ceasefire and permits unrestricted aid flow into Gaza.

Now, an intriguing new element in these discussions is the inclusion of representatives from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second most influential terrorist group in Gaza. Islamic Jihad participated in the brutal October 7th attacks and took hostages. The position of Islamic Jihad mirrors that of Hamas, their spokesperson asserted that before any negotiation can begin, Israel must first enact a ceasefire and release all-power. Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. As these negotiations are in their initial stages, the current positions of both sides appear essentially to be their opening bids. The situation is very dynamic, with the potential for significant shifts as talks progress. The White House is closely

monitoring these developments, indicating a cautiously optimistic outlook. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated, quote, these are very serious discussions and negotiations and we hope that they lead somewhere. And yes, that's a statement of the obvious. When we come back, the White House is warning that aid to Ukraine is going to dry up by the end of the month. And the Biden administration finalizes an exchange of prisoners with the Maduro regime in Venezuela. I'll be right back. The Unravel Cross North America with special guests. Get tickets Thursday, May 7th at Olivia Rodrigo.com. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill?

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best overall mobile network performance U.S. second half 2025, all rights reserved. It must provide a recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person who gave me the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. Welcome back. Congress remains at an impasse over negotiations to get a critical aid package to Ukraine, despite warnings from the White House that current U.S. aid will dry up by the end of the month, meaning the end of December. The aid package, which was proposed in October by the Biden administration and includes $61 billion in fresh assistance for Ukraine has languished in Congress for weeks. Republicans have demanded that any aid package be tied to significant immigration policy reforms to address the crisis on the U.S. border.

Despite indications from the Biden administration in recent days that they are willing to compromise on border concessions to Republicans, the Democrats in Congress have balked at the idea. idea. There was some hope that Congress could reach a last-minute deal this week, but lawmakers said on Tuesday that no substantive progress has been made and any deal would have to wait until the new year. Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday, our negotiators are going to be working very, very diligently over the December and January break period, and our goal is to get something done as soon as we get back, end quote. Meanwhile, Republican Senate Minority Whip John Thune put the blame squarely on Democrats,

saying Tuesday that, quote, Democrats have run out the clock to the point where getting a substantive border security deal passed before Christmas is impossible. White House officials have warned that any lapse in funding could leave Ukraine vulnerable in their efforts against Russia. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday urged lawmakers to, quote, act without delay, saying Ukraine still needs our help. Now, if you're keeping score at home, that is another statement of the obvious from Mr. Kirby. Mike McCord, comptroller of the Department of Defense, sent a letter to Congress this week saying the Pentagon was transferring the last

of the funds allocated for Ukraine and said once those funds are gone, the department will have exhausted their options. McCord argued that continued funding it for you, Ukraine is, quote, in our clear national interest and our assistance is vitally needed so Ukraine can continue its fight for freedom and to ensure Russia continues to fail in Ukraine, end quote. Now, last week's visit to Congress by Ukrainian President Zelenskyy obviously wasn't enough to break the current stalemate. With Christmas right around the corner, there is virtually no chance that Congress will get this aid package approved prior to the end of the year. Zelensky's problems are compounded by the similar dithering going on within the European Union,

although, to be fair to the EU, their inability to approve a $53 billion aid package for Ukraine is a result of member country Hungary vetoing the aid. You'll recall that Hungary's leader Viktor Orban is a longtime pal of Vladimir Putin. Okay, I want to turn our attention now to South America, where the U.S. has made a diplomatic breakthrough with Venezuela for the release of detained Americans. An unnamed senior official for the Biden administration confirmed the deal yesterday, which will involve exchanging a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro for 10 Americans, including six that were, quote, wrongfully detained in Venezuela, according to a report by CBS. Now, four of the

Americans being released were identified as Ivan Hernandez and Jarrell Kenmore, Joseph Cristella, and Savoy Wright. Representatives for Wright's family expressed profound relief with the news, calling the last few months the most difficult of our lives. Malaysian businessman Leonard Francis, known as Fat Leonard, will also be released into U.S. custody as part of the exchange. Now, he fled the U.S. to Venezuela in 2022, while under house arrest after pleading guilty to engaging in a vast bribery scheme with high-ranking Navy personnel. The U.S. has been trying to get its long arms of the law around the substantial Fat Leonard for some time now. Other individuals that a part of the prisoner swap were not named by White House officials.

Now, in return, the U.S. will release Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab, who was charged with money laundering in Florida in 2019, and subsequently arrested in 2020 while trying to travel to Iran. Saab is considered a close ally of Maduro, and his arrest sparked outrage in Venezuela. His supporters argued that he was acting on behalf of Venezuela as a special envoy to Iran and should therefore be granted diplomatic immunity. President Biden reportedly granted Saab clemency to ensure the release of the American prisoners went forward, senior officials from Qatar served as mediators for this exchange, which took several months to

successfully negotiate. The exchange also includes the release of 20 Venezuelan political prisoners being held by the Maduro regime. Venezuela's authoritarian government continues to pose complex problems for American foreign interests, particularly due to their close ties with Iran and Russia. Under the Trump administration, for example, Maduro and other high-ranking officials in Venezuela were indicted for their ties to narco drug trafficking and money laundering operations. In October, Norway helped negotiate the Barbados Agreement with Venezuela, which saw the Maduro regime agree to allow opposition candidates to run in its upcoming 2024 elections. Following this deal, the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions on oil and gas and gold exports,

reports, though this was contingent on releasing American prisoners and following through on its promises to run a more open election next year. While the release of the jailed Americans is encouraging, it remains to be seen if Maduro will make good on his promises regarding free and fair elections in Venezuela. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, Chinese President Xi had some blunt words for President Biden about the future of Taiwan. I'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.

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Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Epglis. Before starting, Abglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about Ebglis and visit eBglis.Lillie.com or call 1800 LilyRX or 100545-997-9. In today's back of the brief, remember that meeting in San Francisco a few weeks back between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping? Well, we're learning some interesting new details about what transpired between the two leaders

during their summit. During this high-profile encounter, President Xi delivered a blunt message to Biden. According to three current and former U.S. officials, she said that reunifying Taiwan, with mainland China is not a matter of if, but of when. Now, to be fair, this matches what she has always said publicly, and it tracks with official CCP policy. What makes it so interesting is that she was sufficiently emboldened to say it so bluntly at a summit that was ostensibly meant to thaw relations between the U.S. and China. Interestingly, according to the sources, she expressed a preference for a peaceful reunification.

rather than a forceful one. Now, mind you, that's not because Xi is a peace-loving, benevolent individual. It's because a peaceful reunification would be much less costly and chaotic than a military takeover. The Chinese leader also addressed the public estimations by U.S. military leaders who have speculated that she plans to integrate Taiwan into mainland China by either 2025 or 2027. She dismissed these timelines, emphasis. to President Biden that he is not set a specific time frame for this action. Well, that's considerate. This revelation follows CIA Director William Burns' earlier statement this year,

noting that U.S. intelligence has indications that Xi has instructed as military to be prepared for a potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Prior to the summit, and in another signal that she feels emboldened and essentially in the alpha-dog seat here, Chinese officials requested that President Biden publicly endorsed China's ambition for a peaceful unification with Taiwan and to disavow support for Taiwanese independence. Really? This request, however, was turned down by the White House. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief. for Thursday, 21 December. I hope that you're all having a very safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.

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.