The President's Daily Brief - February 24th, 2025: Twin Islamist Terror Attacks Strike Europe & Trump Shakes Up Military Leadership

Episode Date: February 24, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Islamist terror attacks rock Europe, with a brutal stabbing in Berlin and a violent spree in France, raising concerns about growing threats across the continent. President Trump shakes up the military, firing Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and appointing Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as his replacement. Israel halts the release of Palestinian prisoners after Hamas stages what Prime Minister Netanyahu calls “humiliating ceremonies” during hostage handovers. And in today's Back of the Brief, Mexican authorities arrest two high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, just days before the Trump administration officially designates it and other Mexican gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Monday, 24 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right. Let's get briefed. We'll start today's show with a pair of deadly Islamist terror attacks in Europe this weekend. A brutal stabbing in Berlin and a violent spree in France underscore the growing threat across the continent. Later in the show, President Trump shakes up his military leadership, removing Air Force General Charles Q. Brown.

known as C.Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and appointing retired Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Kane as his top U.S. military officer. Plus, just days after Hamas delivered the remains of the wrong person to Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced a delay in the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners until the terror group ends the, quote, humiliating ceremonies staged during hostage handovers. And in today's back of the brief, Mexican authorities have arrested two high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel just days before the Trump administration designated it and other Mexican gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. It's almost like they've known where the cartel leaders have been all this

time, but didn't have any motivation to arrest them. But perhaps that just makes me sound cynical. All right. First up, today's PDB spotlight. This weekend, Europe was rocked by a pair of Islamist terror attacks that highlight an alarming trend of increasing violence across the continent. The first attack occurred on Friday evening in Berlin near the Brandenburg Gate at the Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. The victim, a 30-year-old Spanish man, was approached from behind by a 19-year-old Syrian refugee who stabbed him in the neck. The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and doctors had to place him in an artificial coma. Thankfully, he's since stabilized and is no longer in critical condition.

The suspect, who arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor in 2023, was carrying a Quran, a prayer rug, and a piece of paper with Quran verses, and the date of the attack written on it. Investigators believe that the motive behind the attack was religious, oh, you think, with authorities revealing that the suspect had been planning to kill Jews for several weeks. The clues are building up. This was confirmed by his statements to the police and the choice of the memorial as his target.

Just one day later on Saturday, a second attack took place in Mulhouse, that's a city in Eastern France, on the border with Germany and Switzerland. The attack site was a local market. It occurred around 4 p.m. when a 37-year-old Algerian man went on a stabbing spree, shouting al-Aqbar multiple times. Well, yeah, that again seems like a clue regarding motivation. The assailant killed a 69-year-old Portuguese man who was attempting to intervene and injured two police officers, both of whom are now in serious condition. The suspect was already on France's terror watch list and had been under house arrest after being ordered to leave the country following his release from a detention center in June. Now, if this sounds wacky, let me just read that to you again.

The suspect was already on Francis Terror watch list and had been under house arrest after being ordered to leave the country following his release from a detention center in June. The French government is treating the attack as an act of Islamist terrorism. Oh, well, well done, Poirot. President Emmanuel Macron was quick to condemn the attack, calling it without any doubt an act of Islamist terrorism, end quote. The assailant's background and actions mirror a disturbing pattern of individuals linked to terrorist activity, underlining the challenges, of course, authorities face in preventing such attacks. Now, if you've been listening to the president's daily brief, you'll know that these incidents are not isolated events.

As we've seen in previous months, terror attacks in Europe have become increasingly frequent. Earlier this month, an Afghan migrant drove his car into a crowd in Munich, killing a mother and her child and injuring dozens more. Just this January, another Afghan National killed a two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man in a knife attack. In December, a Saudi refugee drove an SUV into a Christmas market crowd in Magdeburg, killing six and injuring hundreds. Another attack by an Islamist in Munich in September.

There was another by a Syrian asylum seeker in August in Solingen. Another by an Afghan refugee in Mannheim in May. Well, you get the point. I suppose you're beginning to see a pattern here. The timing of these attacks couldn't be more significant, as they came just days before Germans were set to head to the polls for snap elections, which were held yesterday. The rise in violence has fueled the growth of right-wing anti-immigration parties. And the results of yesterday's elections in Germany reflected that fact. The conservative CDU, CSU alliance, secured the largest vote share of 28.7 percent, positioning their leader, Friedrich Mertz, to potentially become the next chancellor, replacing Olaf Schultz. The far-right AFD achieved a historical result with 19.8%, making them the second

largest party. The ruling social Democrats, SPD, well, they suffered their worst defeat since post-World War II with only 16.4%. All right. Now, before we go to the break, a quick reminder, don't forget that you can always check out the president's Daily Brief on YouTube at our juggernaut of a YouTube channel. You can find that at President's Daily Brief. Just a reminder. It's more of a public service announcement, really. Coming up next, President Trump shakes up his military leadership. and Prime Minister Netanyahu delays the release of Palestinian prisoners until Hamas ends its, quote, humiliating ceremonies during hostage handovers. I'll be right back.

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of service, while signaling a resolute pivot towards his administration's, quote, America First strategy. Now, this sweeping Pentagon shakeup, orchestrated in tandem with Defense Secretary Pete Hegesith, also a critic of what he derides as the, quote, woke drift in military policy, forms the latest chapter in a broader campaign to reorient the armed forces squarely toward warfighting. Hegset, who has long questioned whether military leaders are selected for merit or race, previously called for Brown's removal. In his book, The War on Warriors, Hexeth argued that any general prioritizing DEI or diversity, equity, and inclusion programs should be shown the door. Brown's exit is just one element in a cascade of high-level Pentagon removals,

which also swept out Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franketti, the Navy's first female leader, along with Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force James Slife, and several top military legal advisors as well, just for good measure. In all six Pentagon officials were fired. In the ensuing reorganization, Admiral James Kilby was rapidly tapped as acting chief of naval operations.

So with CQ Brown out, who is going to be the next top military officer? Well, I'm glad you asked. Trump took to truth social to announce his intention to nominate retired Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Kane as Brown's successor. Praising Kane as a, quote, real general, not a television general. Trump contrasted him with what he deems ineffective military leadership, and that's a sentiment he echoed just days earlier at a Miami summit, where the president lamented, and how often do you hear people lamenting, quote, we have the greatest military in the world, but we don't have have the greatest top, top leadership, end quote.

Kane, who retired in December, previously earned Trump's favor during his first administration while in Iraq. Kane was asked by the commander-in-chief why it would take years to end the fight against the Islamic State, and Kane argued that the fight could be wrapped up in as little as a week if executed his way, and that remark essentially is emblematic of the administration's appetite for swift, decisive action. Yet, even as the administration's, Toutes Kane's robust credentials, including his time piloting F-16s, similar to that of CQ Brown, and a stint as associate director for military affairs at the CIA. His appointment is currently in

controversy. Traditionally, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to have served as a combatant commander or service chief and to hold a four-star rank. As a three-star general, Kane does not meet these conventional requirements, and though Trump wheeled, the authority to waive such requirements, Kane's nomination is poised to face intense scrutiny during the Senate confirmation process. In defending the selection, Defense Secretary Hegseth described Kane as the embodiment of a, quote, warfighter ethos and the right leader for the moment. For now, Trump's shake-up underscores a broader effort to reshape the military's leadership,

prioritizing combat effectiveness and aligning the Pentagon's policies with his administration's vision. However, the abrupt dismissals are likely to spark heated debate on Capitol Hill. But to be fair, nowadays, everything sparks heated debate on Capitol Hill. Okay, turning now to the Israel-Khamas ceasefire. The agreement faces new uncertainty. After Israel postponed the scheduled release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners Saturday, citing concerns of what it calls, quote, humiliating ceremonies staged by Hamas during hostage handover.

The decision announced early Sunday by Prime Minister Netanyahu's office following the return of six Israeli hostages deepens doubt about the fragile agreement. The reversal came after more than 600 Palestinian prisoners had been boarded on buses at Ofer Prison, preparing for release in what would have been the largest single-day exchange since the ceasefire began. Instead, Israeli authorities ordered them to disembark and return to their cells, According to a former commander of the Israel Prison Service, Southern Division, the prisoners spent hours waiting before learning that their release had been canceled. Israel's move follows growing outrage over Hamas's handling of both living hostages and the remains of deceased captives. Last week, as reported on the PDB, Netanyahu accused Hamas of committing a, quote, cruel and malicious violation.

After forensic analysis, revealed that the hostage remains returned as those of Shiri Bibas, were not hers, nor did they belong to any other known hostage. While the bodies of her two young children, Ariel, aged four, and Kaffir, just nine months old when taken, were correctly identified upon their return, the deception sparked a firestorm of condemnation in Israel and renewed calls for a tougher stance against the Iran-backed terror group. Adding to the anger, widely circulated footage from Saturday's hostage handovers showed captives paraded before cheering crowds. forced to wear military uniforms, and in some cases, coerced into displaying gestures of gratitude toward their captors. Yeah. The scenes drew swift condemnation, as you might imagine, from the UN

and the International Red Cross, which labeled them exploitative. Yeah, that'd be about right. Notably, these were the last living hostages, expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase. Netanyahu's office stated that Israel will not proceed with additional prisoner releases until Hamas ends the propaganda spectacles and guarantees dignified treatment of hostages. Hamas, predictably, responded by accusing Israel of fabricating pretexts to avoid fulfilling its obligations. A member of Hamas' political wing went so far as to claim that the orchestrated ceremonies were meant to demonstrate humane treatment rather than mistreatment. Oh.

Under the original agreement, Israel was set to release 602 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday, including 50 currently serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis, and 60 others serving lengthy terms. Nearly 100 of those slated for release were to be deported, among them Amar Zaban, a senior Hamas figure sentenced to 27 life terms for orchestrating multiple terror attacks while leading the Al-Axar martyrs brigade during the Second Intifada. Meanwhile, the body of Shiri Bibis was finally returned to Israel. on Saturday after Hamas attempted to pass off another body as hers earlier. In a statement, the family revealed she was murdered in captivity,

though they have yet to receive confirmation on just specifically how she and her children died. Hamas continues to deny responsibility. Really? They captured them, took them hostage on 7 October. They're dead now and Hamas won't take responsibility. Instead, they're blaming an Israeli air strike. the Israel defense forces reject that claim, maintaining that forensic evidence suggests her children were brutally murdered early in their captivity. Negotiations for a second phase of exchanges, meant to include further hostage releases and a long-term ceasefire set to begin one March, have yet to commence, despite initial talks being scheduled for early February. Hamas has made clear that it will not release additional captives without a permanent ceasefire

and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, demands that Netanyahu, with backing from President Trump, flatly rejects. As both sides remain entrenched in their positions, the ceasefire's future and the broader prospects for regional stability obviously remain highly uncertain. All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, Mexico announces the arrest of key members of the Sinaloa cartel. I'll be back with those details. get you more of what you value. Comfort in. It's calling your name.

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There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. In today's back of the brief, just days before the Trump administration officially labels the Sinaloa Cartel and other gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, Mexican authorities arrested two of that cartel's top operatives in what appears to be a direct-executive. response to mounting U.S. pressure. The arrests come at a pivotal moment. Tensions between Washington and Mexico City have steadily escalated over cartel violence and the relentless flood of fentanyl into the United States. On Wednesday, in the cartels' stronghold of northwest Mexico, authorities took

Jose Canobio Insunza into custody. Now, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, Canobio and Sunza was deeply embedded in the operational core of Los Chapitos, that's a faction of the Sinaloa cartel run by El Chapo-Guzman's sons. Prosecutors say he played a key role in drug production and smuggling networks, overseeing the flow of cocaine and fentanyl into the U.S. His arrest, well, didn't come out of nowhere. A Chicago grand jury indicted him in November on charges of drug trafficking and financing a cartel security force responsible for protecting leaders. and engaging in violent turf wars to maintain Los Chapitos dominance in the trade. Then, in a move that emphasizes Mexico's effort to show that it's taking action, authorities scored another major hit less than 24 hours later.

In the same region, they arrested Kevin Alonso, a figure said to be critical to the cartel's security apparatus, overseeing weapons procurement and managing protection for senior cartel figures. But it's the Trump administration's looming decision. to classify the Sinaloa cartel as a foreign terrorist organization that may prove even more consequential. The designation, which places the cartel and other groups, including MS-13 and Venezuela's TDA gang, would give Washington new legal tools to go after cartel assets and members with the same sweeping authority used against international terrorist organizations. Unsurprisingly, the move sparked backlash in Mexico City. President Claudia Shinebaum wasted no

time in slamming the decision, calling it an overreach and warning that it was made without consulting her government. Her remarks underscore a deeper concern within Mexico's leadership that the U.S. could use that designation as a pretext for unilateral military intervention. Trump has openly floated that idea of deploying U.S. forces to fight cartels, an idea that's been met with fierce resistance in Mexico. For now, Mexico is walking a, well, let's call it a delicate tight rope, shall we, seeking to demonstrate a crackdown on cartel leadership without conceding to demands that could be seen domestically as an erosion of sovereignty. Whether these latest arrests will be enough to appease Washington or if the U.S. will intensify matters, well, that

remains an open question. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Monday, 24 February. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, you know what to do. It's very simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief simply by visiting PDB premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe.

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