The President's Daily Brief - February 6th, 2024: Allies at Odds, Iran Strikes Back, & Solidarity with Texas

Episode Date: February 6, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   A war of words has erupted between the US and Israeli governments after President Biden reportedly launched into an expletive-laden tirade against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An Iranian-supported militant group has executed a deadly drone strike on an American base in Syria. A united front in Texas: over a dozen US governors join forces with Governor Greg Abbott. Together, they show support for Abbott's new initiatives to strengthen the border security of the Lone Star State. New York City's latest measure in the immigration debate: the distribution of prepaid debit cards to newly arrived migrants.   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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It's Tuesday, 6 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. A war of words has erupted between the U.S. and Israeli governments after President Biden reportedly launched into an expletive-laden tirade against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. We'll bring you the latest on what may be a deteriorating relationship between Washington and Jerusalem. Later, militants, backed by Iran, launched a deadly drone attack on a U.S. base in Syria,

marking their first such action since the U.S. retaliated against Iranian back groups for killing three U.S. service members in Jordan. Apparently, the Iran-backed proxy group did not get the memo that the U.S. strikes were designed to be a deterrent and a strong message. Plus, more than a dozen U.S. governors have visited Texas to stand in solidarity with Governor Greg Abbott as he announces plans to expand his efforts to secure the state's border with Mexico. And in today's back of the brief, some sad news for the British monarchy as Buckingham Palace today announces King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer. But first up, the PDB spot.

President Biden's patience with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu seems to be wearing thin and a recent outburst has sparked considerable discussion. Politico reported that President Biden privately labeled the Israeli Prime Minister a bad effing guy. I'll let you fill in that blank there with your own imagination. In discussions with his staff, the White House, however, contests this claim. Nah, he never said bad effing guy. Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates emphatically stated to the press, quote, the president did not say that, nor would he. When anybody in Washington emphatically states anything, just assume the opposite could be true. Yet this denial comes amidst other reports,

suggesting that President Biden has previously made similar expletive-filled comments about former President Trump. No, really? So the idea that he might hold some contempt for his adversaries, well, it's not out of the realm of possibility. It would not be the first time that the president has appeared to be, what's the word, thin-skinned, testy, or inclined towards an occasional angry outburst or retort. This report comes at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Jerusalem, as the president, the White House staff, and the Biden campaign team worry that the longer the Israeli offensive drags on, the more of a negative impact Biden's continued support for Israel

will have among Democratic voters come November. Now, on the other side, some Israeli officials have begun to lash out at President Biden. Israeli national security minister, Edomar Ben-Gvur, has openly criticized President Biden's approach to the Gaza conflict, claiming it inadvertently. certainly supports Hamas and opining that relations with a re-elected Trump administration would have been preferable. Ben Giver told the Wall Street Journal, quote, instead of giving us his full backing, Biden is busy with giving humanitarian aid and fuel, which goes to Hamas. If Trump was in power, the U.S. conduct would be completely different, end quote. For his part,

whether he means it or not, openly anyway, Prime Minister Netanyahu appears bullish on his relationship with the White House. During a recent cabinet meeting, Netanyahu thanked Biden for his continued support since the outbreak of the war, adding that the two were making efforts to overcome any disagreements they may have. Meanwhile, Netanyahu remained steadfast on his ultimate goal of eliminating Hamas completely, no matter how long it takes. During a Lycud Party meeting, the Prime Minister told his colleagues that defeating Hamas, quote, will take time, months, not years. He went on to say, quote, Our goal is to complete victory on Hamas.

We will kill the leadership of Hamas. That's why we need to continue to operate in all areas of the Gaza Strip. We must not end the war before then, end quote. All right. Coming up after the break, Iranian back militants have launched a deadly new attack on a U.S. base, this time in Syria. And a little later, the latest from the U.S.-Mexico border, as over a dozen governors arrive in the lone start,

our state to stand in solidarity with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. I'll be right back. Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with Visible. It's one-line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot, powered by Verizon for $25 a month, taxes and fees included. Plus, for a Limited time, new members pay just $20 a month for one year on the Visible plan, using the code Fresh Start. Refresh your wireless with Visible. Tap the banner to switch today. Terms apply, limited time offer subject to change.

See Visible.com for plan features and network management details. Welcome back. Despite the U.S. retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria, intended, of course, to deter further aggression from Iranian-backed militants and the Iranian regime, U.S. and Coalition have again come under attack by Iranian proxy groups in the region. Officials said that a base, housing U.S. troops and allied Kurdish forces in eastern Syria, suffered a drone attack on Sunday evening. The drone reportedly hit a training ground at the base, resulting in the death of six Kurdish soldiers. It marked the first significant attack by Iranian-backed militias in the region since the U.S. began

retaliatory strikes on Friday in Iraq and Syria. Now, the Kurdish-led Syrian-democrats, Democratic forces announced the deaths on Monday, which they blamed on Iran-backed militias. There's a surprise. The Islamic resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Shiite Muslim militias with close links to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, claimed responsibility for the attack and reportedly released a video showing them launching the drone. No U.S. troops were killed or injured during the attack on Sunday. Now, the Islamic resistance in Iraq previously claimed that.

responsibility for that deadly attack on U.S. troops in Jordan, which killed the three soldiers and injured more than 40 others. A key player in this coalition is Qatayyib Hezbollah, and while the U.S. has acknowledged the attack had their fingerprints on it, they have not ruled out the involvement of other militant groups in Iraq that are part of the Islamic resistance. Regardless, not to state the obvious, but the common denominator here is the Iranian regime. All right, fine. I did just state the obvious. The U.S. began launching retaliatory airstrikes on Friday in response to that deadly attack, targeting more than 85 sites associated with groups affiliated with Iran's IRGC Quds Force. U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed casualty figures linked to those strikes. However,

the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the deaths of at least 29 pro-Iran fighters, including members of Lebanese Hezbollah. Separately, officials with Iraq's popular mobilization forces, that's a security force that includes Iranian-backed groups, they said 16 of their fighters had been killed. Officials in Iraq expressed displeasure at the U.S. strikes and summoned the U.S. Sharjad Afr in Baghdad to discuss the operations. The Iraqi foreign minister said in the statement, quote, Iraq reiterated its refusal that its lands be an area for settling scores or showing force between war and countries. A sidebar story of some significance in this current conflict is the Iraqi government and how they

navigate the conflict between the U.S., Iran-backed militant groups in Iraq, and the Iranian regime. U.S. retaliatory strikes are expected to continue in both Iraq and Syria in the coming days. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said this will include action against the IRGC and their affiliated groups. Now clearly, given the continued attacks from the Iran-backed militants, the initial effort by the U.S. at deterrence did not hit the mark. Given the statements leading up to the retaliatory strikes during the past week by U.S. officials, it's clear that they understand that just focusing on the proxy groups and their assets will not solve the problem. The White House, basically, so far, has not engaged in an actual deterrence strategy.

It's more of a reactive stance. The bottom line is that the IRGC and the Iranian regime are perfectly willing to let their proxy groups bear the brunt of the U.S. retaliation. That, in fact, is why they spent years building up these proxy groups. They act as a buffer zone of sorts, allowing the Iranian regime to pursue their objectives without suffering direct consequences. All right. I want to turn our attention back to the crisis at the U.S. southern border. as officials in Texas doubled down on their defiance of the Biden administration. Flanked by a number of Republican governors, Texas Governor Greg Abbott

vowed at a news conference on Sunday to continue to use his authority to defend the state against what he describes as a migrant invasion, despite claims from the Biden administration that he's overstepping his authority. Abbott said that he would expand the Texas National Guard's control of the southern border in the weeks ahead, particularly at Eagle Pass, and that's been a hot spot for illegal crossings. Abbott said Sunday, quote, President Biden has abandoned his constitutional duty to protect Americans by refusing to secure our southern border. We're here to send a loud and clear message that we're banding together to fight to ensure

that we'll be able to maintain our constitutional guarantee that states will be able to defend against any type of imminent danger or invasion." End quote. A total of 13 Republican governors joined Abbott at the news conference on Sunday. Abbott remains locked in a battle with the Biden administration as the state pursues their own solutions to the migrant crisis in the absence of federal action, and that has led to a back and forth in federal courts

between Texas and the Biden administration. Now, on January 22nd, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that U.S. Border Patrol agents had the authority to remove razor wire fencing that Texas erected along their border. Notably, that ruling was issued without any additional explanation, leaving a lot in question. Abbott has since said that Texas's right to defend itself, quote, is the supreme law of the land, and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. Amid calls by Democrats for Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard, 25 Republican governors issued a joint statement on January 26th, giving Abbott their full support.

Abbott said on the Sunday, he said, quote, half of America's governors, including those here with me today, have banded together to make one thing clear, Americans stand with Texas, and our right to protect and defend our state from the crisis at our southern border, end quote. In a show of support, Florida Governor Ronda Santis announced on Thursday that he's sending as many as 1,000 Florida National Guard and State Guard members to Texas to assist with unprecedented levels of migrant crossings. All right. Buckingham Palace has announced that 75-year-old King Charles is suffering from an unspecified form of cancer. I'll have the details in today's back of the brief.

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See you on the roof. In today's back of the brief, King Charles faces a significant health challenge less than a year after his coronation, with a cancer diagnosis confirmed by Buckingham Power, today. The palace's statement to the media stated, quote, during the King's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, doctors identified a separate issue of concern. Further diagnostic tests have discovered a form of cancer, end quote. The statement clarifies that while treating the prostate condition, the cancer was detected, but that it's not prostate cancer.

Following this diagnosis, King Charles has already begun a regimen of regular treatments. His medical team has recommended he reduced public engagements during this period. As of Monday, the King has initiated outpatient treatment in London. Details regarding the stage or specific type of cancer remain undisclosed. This health scare for the monarch comes amid a series of medical issues in the royal family. Last week, both King Charles and Kate Middleton were released from a private London clinic after undergoing medical procedures. The nature of Kate's abdominal surgery on January 17th, has not been shared publicly. The UK press is, of course, heavily focused on this news. Reports state that Prince Charles has informed his sons of his health status in private.

Prince Harry, who currently lives in California, with his wife Megan Markle, in case you haven't heard, is reportedly making a swift return to London to support his father. Now, I happen to be in London at this very moment, and I watched as the news unfolded today. It consumed the talk shows at evening news programs. There was a definite appreciation was very interesting for the relative openness shown by the palace in releasing this health news. Reportedly, Charles himself said he wanted to be transparent regarding his situation in an effort to promote the importance of cancer screening. The PDB wishes him all the best and as a dual U.S. British citizen, God save the king. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday 6th February.

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. How many discounts does USA Auto Insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount? New vehicle discount. Storage discount. Legacy discount.

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