The President's Daily Brief - February 28th, 2024: Macron’s Big Mouth, Kaliningrad's Isolation, & Kim’s Space Flop

Episode Date: February 28, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We examine President Emmanuel Macron's candid remarks on deploying European forces to Ukraine, a move that could significantly intensify the ongoing conflict. Attention shifts to Kaliningrad, a Russian territory facing isolation as Sweden prepares to become NATO's 32nd member state. We delve into reports about North Korea's new reconnaissance satellite that appears to be inactive in space. In the Back of the Brief, we discuss Mayor Eric Adams' stance on New York City's sanctuary laws and his push to deport migrants convicted of felonies amidst the city's rising crime rates. 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 start today's show with comments from President Emmanuel Macron, who openly discussed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to help Kiev win the war against Russia. Now, that's what you could describe as a potential major escalation in the conflict.

We'll ask the question that's on everyone's mind. What the hell was Macron smoking? Next, with Sweden set to officially become the 32nd nation to join the NATO alliance, the eyes of Eastern Europe are now turning to the small Russian enclave of Kalinandrad, which is all but isolated now from Mother Russia. Plus, we're getting new details about North Korea's recently launched reconnaissance satellite, which, according to reports, doesn't seem to be doing much of anything in orbit. And in today's back of the brief, as crime continues to surge in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams

reiterated his calls to modify the city's sanctuary city laws to allow the deportation of migrants who commit felonies. Now, there's a thought. But first up, the PDB spotlight. French President Emmanuel Macron caused quite a stir this week, or as they say in French, un-curfuffle by hinting at the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine. You didn't know I spoke French, did you? He made his comments at a meeting of European leaders in Paris, convened to discuss boosting support for Ukraine. During a press conference following the meeting, Macron said that although he and the other 21 European leaders present did not agree on deploying military personnel, the prospect was discussed openly. He told the press, quote, nothing should be ruled out,

we will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war." However, the rest of Europe and U.S. leaders were quick to distance themselves from Macron's comments. German Chancellor Olaf Schultz stated, Oh, hell no. No, actually, what he said was, quote, what was agreed among ourselves and with each other from the very beginning also applies to the future,

namely that there will be no ground troops, no soldiers, on Ukrainian soil sent there by European countries or a NATO's states, end quote. Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder added, just to be clear, we have no plans to send U.S. service members to fight in Ukraine. Leaders of Britain, Spain, Poland, and officials from NATO made similar statements. Moscow issued a swift rebuke of Macron's comments. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters, quote, the very fact of discussing the possibility of sending certain contingence to Ukraine from NATO countries is a very important new element, end quote. To his credit, Macron isn't backing down and tells reporters that he stands by his position,

which he described as, quote, strategic ambiguity. Others might describe it as strategically stepping into a big pile of merd. Now, Macron's comments came as Russian forces continue to make gains in eastern Ukraine, and Kiev desperately seeks more weapons from Western nations. While the meeting was overshadowed by Macron's bluster, European leaders agreed to boost ammunition purchases from third country suppliers and to provide more medium and long-range missiles to Kiev. On the American side of the aid question, President Biden held an urgent meeting at the Oval Office yesterday, hosting congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. The summit was called in part with hopes of making progress against a legislative law jam that's holding up foreign aid on Capitol Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer, who surprisingly found a camera to talk to, called a session one of the most intense he's ever encountered, as Democrats in Biden applied pressure on Johnson to allow a vote on aid. All right. Coming up after the break, Sweden is on the brink of becoming NATO's 32nd member, casting a spotlight on Kolenengrad, the Russian enclave now facing strategic isolation. Also ahead, we delve into the latest updates on North Korea's enigmatic reconnaissance satellite that reportedly remains inactive in orbit. I'll have those stories when we come back. This is a Bose moment. It's 10 blocks from the train to your apartment door. 10 basic, boring city blocks until the beat drops in Bose clarity. Streetlights become spotlights as you strut down

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the government of Lithuania is threatening to put the screws to Moscow amid Russia's continued aggression towards NATO countries. The Lithuanian ambassador to Sweden warned on Tuesday that his country would isolate the Russian province of Kaliningrad if the Putin regime moved to start a wider conflict with NATO countries, particularly those in the Baltic region. Kaliningrad is separated from the Russian mainland. It's sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. Now, it receives much of its supplies through channels that pass through Lithuania and Belarus

and has been referred to as Russia's, quote, unsinkable aircraft carrier due to its strategic location. It holds a vital military function for the Kremlin, serving as the home of the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet. Russia has also reportedly stationed nuclear weapons within the province, and he moves by NATO members to squeeze the territory would deprive the Kremlin of a critical foothold within the Baltic region. Now, the Lithuanian ambassador said, quote, after Sweden was integrated into the alliance, the Baltic Sea became an internal NATO sea. If Russia dares to challenge NATO, Klanengrad would be neutralized first. Russia's previous false accusations, he said, that is, surrounded by NATO, are now becoming a reality, end quote.

Well, that's going to be super helpful in tamping down the heated rhetoric. The remarks came just one day after Hungary voted to approve Sweden's ascension into the NATO alliance. Hungary was the last of the 31 members of the alliance to approve Sweden's membership bid. As the NATO alliance spreads its borders, Lithuania has already taken steps to limit the security risk posed by Kalinandrad. Last Thursday, officials in Lithuania announced that they would be banning passenger pickups and drop-offs for trains running to and from Kalinigrad beginning on the 1st of March. Kalingrad is home to more than 1 million people, and officials in Lithuania have been contending with a massive influx of Russian passengers using the railway to pass into Europe. Anthony as Interior Minister said, quote, the new restrictions aimed to manage traffic, choke off smuggling, ensure international sanctions and reduce traffic security risks, end quote.

Now, despite the strategic chess moves happening in the Baltic states, Russian head Vladimir Putin maintains that he has no interest in starting a wider fight with NATO countries, and you can always take Putin at his word. Russian officials have warned, however, that the calculus would change if NATO countries ever began sending troops to fight in Ukraine. All right, shifting our focus to the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Officials in South Korea claimed Tuesday that a spy satellite launched by the North doesn't appear to be functioning. The North Korean regime launched their first reconnaissance satellite into orbit aboard an ICBM with the technical assistance of Russia, and that was back in November of 2023. That triggered international alarm in condemnation.

while the satellite reached orbit, it does not appear to be sending or receiving ground communications. South Korea's defense minister said on Tuesday, quote, it shows no signs of functioning and is merely orbiting without activity. While North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un had since claimed the satellite was monitoring South Korea as well as U.S. troop movements in the region, officials in Seoul remain skeptical. As we know, North Korea occasionally likes to toot its own horn on the world stage, But the technology backing their saber-rattling is often somewhat lacking. As we've recently discussed on the PDB,

North Korea has been sending munitions and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in their war against Ukraine in exchange for the technical assistance that Russia is providing to the Kim regime. Those missiles, however, haven't proven as reliable as Russia had likely hoped. Embarrassingly, reports suggest that of the roughly 24 North Korean missiles used so far by Russia, only two have actually hit their targets. As they say, two times out of every 24 times they work every time. It's not much of a missile marketing pitch. Regarding their reconnaissance program, the North Korean regime has said they plan to launch

three more spy satellites into orbit this year. South Korea expects the next launch to come as early as March. South Korea sent their own reconnaissance satellite into orbit in response to North Korea's launch in November and plans to launch another in April. It is is getting very crowded up there. Relations on the Korean Peninsula have hit new lows ever since the satellite launch in November. Since then, we've seen the collapse of a 2018 inter-Korean pact, renewed military activity along the DMC, and several provocative ballistic and cruise missile launches by the Kim regime. Kim has also made it an almost bi-weekly tradition to threaten South Korea with nuclear annihilation if provoked. And on that cheery note,

Coming up in today's back of the brief, as law and order continues to break down inside New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is doubling down on his calls to curtail the city's sanctuary city status, at least when he comes to migrants who commit felonies. I'll be right back. 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 mintmobile.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. In today's back of the brief, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is stepping up his calls for a

rollback of the Big Apple's sanctuary city laws amidst the city's ongoing. ongoing migrant crisis. At a town hall style event in Brooklyn on Monday night, Adams said, quote, we need to modify the sanctuary city law that if you commit a felony, a violent act, we should be able to turn you over to ICE and have you deported, end quote. The statement was actually met with applause by the audience. Aplause in New York City. There are several reasons why Adams is becoming increasingly vocal on this. First off, New York City is clearly feeling the pinch. on resources caused by the migrant wave. According to the mayor's office, the cost for New York City to shelter and care for tens of thousands of migrants arriving in the city is spiraling and could

exceed $12 billion by July 2025, $12 billion. The city spends an average of $383 a night to provide food, shelter, medical care, and social services to each family seeking asylum within the city. That amounts to $9.8 million a day and almost $300 million a month. But beyond the costs, Adam's hand is also being forced by a recent rise in criminal activity associated with new arrivals. The past several weeks have seen a number of high-profile migrant crimes and arrests in the city. On February 18th, a 15-year-old Venezuelan migrant named Jesus Rivas Figueroa allegedly shot a tourist and fired at police officers in the middle of Times Square.

He was later arrested and charged with attempted murder. Crimes in Times Square are taken very seriously, as it's a major draw for tourists. If the area becomes unsafe, it could have a major impact on the city's tourism. That same week, seven migrants were arrested in a new robbery pattern that's emerging throughout the city, where thieves ride around on mopeds and rob unsuspecting New Yorkers of their cell phones, anyone who's traveled overseas, particularly in Latin America, would recognize that methodology.

After criminals get their hands on these phones, the victim's bank accounts are drained of cash, with fraudulent transactions in both the U.S. and South America, and the phones themselves are then sent to Columbia to be wiped, to reprogrammed, and sold. Now, these thefts are not being committed by random criminals. City law enforcement believes the brazen and snatching grabs are part of an organized crime ring run by a group called Trenda Aragua, which is pretty much Venezuela's answer to MS-13. The gang is involved in robberies, drug dealing, and human trafficking throughout South America, and authorities warned that the group is looking to expand its international empire. The group is sending its members to New York as part of the current migrant wave and recruiting new members in

migrant shelters. Now, there's no word on whether the White House is surprised to learn that now that after releasing millions of unvetted folks, many of them single males, into the country over the past three years, some of them turn out to be criminals. I'm not sure how many times this needs to be said, but I guess I'll be saying it again. Border security is both a national security and public security concern. And while the White House strategists are now flapping their arms and trying to convince people that they're super concerned about border security and that they do something about it if only the Republicans would cooperate, The reality is, they only care now because of poll numbers and the looming election.

President Biden did make a brief noise the other day about taking some executive action on the border, but his hard left flank immediately pushed back, threatening him with polling their support if he dared to do such a thing. And that's the state of U.S. politics these days. Reasonable people on both sides can't find agreement on issues, in this case, to agree that the border issue poses threats that need to be dealt with immediately. But the hard edges rule the day. Nobody lives in the center anymore.

And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Wednesday, 28 February. 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.