The President's Daily Brief - December 5th, 2023: New Frontline in Gaza, COP28 Conflict, & Ukraine’s Aid Crisis

Episode Date: December 5, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We delve into the escalating conflict in the Middle East, examining the Israeli Defense Forces' expansion of their ground offensive into southern Gaza.   A surprising twist emerges at the COP28 Climate Summit, as the conference president openly questions the science behind climate change, sparking a wave of controversy among attendees and observers.   We explore the precarious economic situation in Ukraine, where financial instability looms large. The US and EU face mounting challenges in sustaining their aid to the embattled nation, raising concerns about Ukraine's future.   In the Back of the Brief, we uncover the shocking arrest of a former U.S. ambassador. The charges? Acting as a clandestine agent for the Cuban government for over four decades, a revelation that shakes the diplomatic community.   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 Tuesday, December 5th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Kicking off today's PDB, we'll take a look at the latest from Israel as the IDF expands its ground offensive into southern Gaza. Later in the program, controversy ignites at the COP28 climate summit as the conference president casts doubt on the science behind climate.

climate change. And Ukraine teeters on the financial edge as the U.S. and EU struggled to keep aid flowing to the beleaguered nation. Finally, in the back of the brief, a former U.S. ambassador is arrested, accused of acting as a secret agent for the Cuban government for more than 40 years. But first up, the PDB spotlight. The Israeli Defense Force made a significant announcement declaring that their operations in northern Gaza are nearing completion, and a ground offensive into the southern part of the enclave has begun. Now, the IDF has been active in the Gaza Strip, targeting approximately 200 Hamas positions with airstrikes.

These overnight operations have been complemented by ground force operations. In a notable development, Israeli ground troops have engaged in combat within a school that was reportedly housing terrorist infrastructure. At the same time, Israeli fighter jets have conducted strikes against a variety of military targets, including vehicles laden with missiles, mortars, and other weapons. Now, the intensity of these operations matches the ferocity of the initial phase of the conflict prior to the week-long ceasefire. Israel's advancement into southern Gaza is a cause of increasing concern for the civilian population, obviously. Many of these civilians had previously fled the northern regions following Israel's advisories, only to find themselves in the midst

of renewed conflict. Now, that concern was probably at the forefront of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's mind when he cautioned Israel about the risk of a, quote, strategic defeat if it fails to take more substantial measures to safeguard civilians amidst the Congress. Now, mind you, it's easy for outside elements, whether it's the U.S. administration, the Pentagon, the U.N., or the EU, to admonish the IDF to safeguard civilians. They're not the ones involved in the fight against Hamas. The IDF does take steps to avoid civilian casualties, but Hamas embeds itself within the civilian population. Look, Yaya Sinwar and Mohamed Iff, leaders of Hamas in Gaza, are now reportedly hiding out in southern Gaza, along with other Al-Qasah military brigade leaders and

Hamas fighters. Apparently, the only folks required to play by the rules of war and worry about civilian casualties are the IDF. The fact that Hamas's actions directly lead to the death of innocent Palestinians is not of concern or relevance to much of the international community. In a separate development, the New York Times reported a concern, incident involving a Hamas rocket. Likely launched during the October 7th attack on Israel, the rocket struck the Stadmika military base in central Israel. That base is believed to house a portion of Israel's nuclear-capable missiles. Now, while the missiles themselves were not directly hit, the impact caused a fire that neared missile storage facilities and other sensitive

equipment. Israel has never officially confirmed its possession of nuclear weapons, but there is a consensus among whistleblowers, U.S. officials, and satellite imagery analysts that it maintains a nuclear arsenal. One more interesting development over the past 24 hours. Ronan Barr, head of Israel's domestic security agency, Shinbet, has declared that Israel is prepared to pursue Hamas members, not only within Gaza and the West Bank, but also in other Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon, Turkey, and Qatar. He likened this pursuit to Israel's historical operation targeting militants responsible for the 1972 Munich Olympic team killings. Now, this statement reflects Israel's determination to address threats beyond its immediate borders, considering that a significant

portion of Hamas leadership resides outside of Gaza in cities like Doha and Beirut. It should be no surprise that given Israel's stated objective of degrading or destroying to the degree possible, Hamas' command and control structure, that political and military leaders residing outside Gaza are considered fair game. Now, at least the political leaders living in Qatar, with their billions of dollars in money that they've stolen over the years from the Palestinian people, well, at least they can afford good security. I suspect it won't be good enough. When we return, controversy at the UN Climate Change Conference and the White House warns Congress that it's running out of money and time to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

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The top 28 climate change summit is currently underway right now in the United Arab Emirates. Now, the event officially titled the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and that rolls right off the tongue, has been marked by controversy from its launch last week, largely due to the appointment of a guy named Sultan Al Jaber as its presiding figure. Now, Al Jaber, who simultaneously serves as the UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the head of its national oil company has ruffled some feathers with his claim that there's, quote, no science backing the need to ditch fossil fuels to keep global temperatures from soaring. This statement is, well, as you can imagine, fairly controversial,

especially since the summit's main goal is to do just that, phase out fossil fuels. Speaking of phasing out fossil fuels, U.S. Special Envoy John Kerry announced a significant commitment by the United States to an international coalition dedicated to eliminating coal power. Now, this move aligns with the Biden administration's policy to stop building new coal plants and gradually phase out existing ones. Kerry told the press conference, quote, There shouldn't be any more coal-fired power plants permitted anywhere in the world. End quote. Okay. A far cry from the views expressed by the conference as president.

Now, coal remains a substantial energy source in the U.S., powering nearly 20% of the nation's electricity as of October, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Now, the U.S. can make all the pledges at once, but the global picture on fossil fuel use is far more complicated. China, the world's largest emitter of CO2, shows no signs of relinquishing coal, which accounts for about 70% of its emissions. The country's heavy reliance on coal is demonstrated by its continued expansion in coal-fired power, with reports indicating that its government has approved construction of two new plants each week throughout the first half of 2023. As with much of the climate change agenda and moralizing that takes place,

COP28 is basically about allowing participating countries to get together, feel self-righteous, and insist that the U.S. and other gullible administrations cough up funds to smaller nations as part of the Feelings Over Fax Movement. John Kerry, he's just the poster child for pomposity and moralizing when he comes to climate change. Perhaps he would like to explain how he intends to convince China to quit shoveling coal and building new coal plans. Or perhaps he can answer how he intends to replace the 20% of energy that coal provides in the U.S. Well, the answer is, basically, he doesn't have those answers. All right. Ukraine is standing on the edge of a financial cliff, and both the U.S. and Europe

are struggling to keep the country solvent. In Washington, D.C., the debate intensifies over further funding for Ukraine's defense against the Russian and invasion. Now, the White House is sending a dire message to Congress. The U.S. is rapidly depleting its resources and we're running out of time. White House budget director, Shalanda Young, highlighted the urgency in a letter, stating, quote, without congressional action, by the end of the year, we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks. Young emphasized the absence of the of alternative funding sources

stressing, quote, we are out of money and nearly out of time. Now, President Biden's request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other needs, faces significant challenges on Capitol Hill. Although Speaker Mike Johnson says he's hopeful that the House can pass a requested funding,

Republicans are increasingly questioning the scale of assistance for Ukraine. To date, Congress has already allocated $11 billion to Ukraine, including $67 billion for military procurement, $27 billion for economic and civil assistance, and $10 billion for humanitarian aid. To manage resources, the Biden administration has slowed the pace of military assistance to Kiev, aiming to extend supplies until further funding is approved. However, the U.S. is not alone in its struggle. The European Union is also facing difficulties in securing funds for Ukraine.

The Financial Times reports internal divisions within the EU are delaying a $53 billion aid package for Kiev. Now, this package, primarily financial assistance rather than military aid, includes billions in new loans and funds for interest payments on existing loans. The delay is largely attributed to Hungary, which has threatened. to block the planned aid package to Ukraine. The new leadership in Hungary has also been clear that they will object to Ukraine's efforts to join NATO. Additionally, increasing skepticism within the EU is becoming evident, particularly with the recent election of populists like Robert Fico in Slovakia and Gyr Walters in the Netherlands. In summary, both the U.S. and EU are at critical junctures in their efforts to support Ukraine, with financial

financial resources dwindling and political challenges mounting, the future of aid to Ukraine hangs in the balance. Okay. Coming up in the back of the brief, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia is currently sitting in federal prison in Florida, accused of acting as a secret agent for the Cuban government for more than 40 years. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, a former U.S. diplomat was arrested in Miami, and a former U.S. diplomat was arrested

in Miami on Friday for allegedly spying for Cuba's Secret Intelligence Service for decades. Victor Manuel Rocha, who once served as a U.S. ambassador to Bolivia during the early years of the Bush administration, is accused of using his position and access to pass classified information to Cuba's general director to intelligence, the DGI, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday. Now, the deception reportedly began in the early 1980s and allegedly went on for more than 40 years. Rocha reportedly sought out high-profile positions within the State Department to affect U.S. foreign policy and promote Cuban interests within the U.S. and in Latin America. Investigators accuse him of regularly providing false information to the U.S. government to hide his deception

and using fraudulently obtained travel documents to liaise with Cuban agents outside the U.S. In interactions with undercover FBI agents, Rocha would allegedly refer to the U.S. as the enemy while calling his contacts within Cuba his comrades. His career spanned Democrat and Republican administrations and saw him hold multiple influential roles. The former ambassador held a position on the National Security Council in the 1990s, and from 2006 to 2012, he served as an advisor to the head of U.S. Southern Command. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland called Roach's case, quote, one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the United States government

by a foreign agent, end quote. Now, if true, these allegations are shocking. While the DGI, the Cuban Intel Service, is very well-resourced and very aggressive, It is remarkable that Rocha could engage in this deception for four decades. Look, counterintelligence operations are notoriously difficult, and the agency is responsible for ferreting out traders should receive real credit when they identify someone working against the U.S. But 40 years is a very long time for an individual to outwit the U.S. Intel apparatus,

and the damage that someone in Roach's position could do to U.S. national security is an enormous. And don't forget, anything that the DGI is able to obtain is shared with their Russian comrades. After all, the Russian intel apparatus built and trained and resourced the Cuban service over many decades. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 5 December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. 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

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