The President's Daily Brief - February 7th, 2024: Spy Ships, Hostage Tragedy, & Border Bill Blockade

Episode Date: February 7, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We delve into the resilience of Houthi militants in the Red Sea, despite intensified airstrikes by the US and UK. Discover the role of an Iranian spy ship providing the Houthis with real-time intelligence. Tragic updates from Gaza reveal the grim fate of hostages held by Hamas, with Israel announcing the presumed death of nearly a quarter of those captured. On Capitol Hill, the deadlock persists as Senate Republicans unite to obstruct bipartisan border legislation. Our Back of the Brief segment brings you the latest on the deadly storm sweeping through California, which has claimed at least three lives and left hundreds of thousands without electricity. 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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You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. This podcast is sponsored by Black. Coffee. Start your day off with a tasty piping hot cup of American made blackout coffee. I'd just like to say piping hot because it makes me feel like I'm in a coffee ad from the 50s. It's family owned, premium coffee fresh roasted and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com promo code PDB for 20% off your first purchase. It's Wednesday, 7 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world's

stage. Let's get briefed. Recent strikes by the U.S. and UK show no signs of deterring Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. So how has the group remained so resilient and capable at identifying and targeting ships in the Red Sea? To answer that question, will shine a spotlight on an Iranian spy ship suspected of feeding real-time intelligence to their proxy group in Yemen. Later in the show, some tragic news regarding the remaining hostages in Gaza. with Israel, believing that nearly a quarter of those being held by Hamas are dead. Plus, hopes of any compromise on the U.S. southern border continue to fade on Capitol Hill as Senate Republicans mobilized to block the bipartisan border legislation.

And in today's back of the brief, an update on the massive storm system battering California, leaving at least three people dead and a quarter million people without power. But first up, the PDB spotlight. Despite recent air strikes by the U.S. and UK against Houthi rebels in Yemen, the group shows no signs of slowing down its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, continuing to target vessels in recent days, including Greek and British ships just yesterday. The latest incidents mark the 50th occasion on which Houthi militants have targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Now, these Houthi attacks are obviously nothing new, and frankly, you're probably going tired

or hearing me even talk about them, although how anyone can get complacent over Houthi missiles is anyone's guess. But while we've mostly been talking about why the group is working to destabilize global commerce, the question I want to look at today is how the Houthis are targeting these ships. Of course, the Houthis have their own land-based radar, but they don't control any coastline along the Gulf of Aden where many of the attacks are occurring. This territory is under the control of a separate secessionist organization. So the Houthis are clearly getting help from somewhere, and as you probably guessed, if you're a listener to the PDB, that would be the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. More specifically, there's an Iranian ship known as the Bashad that's been loitering

in the Red Sea and is very likely providing real-time intelligence for these attacks. Officially, the Bashad is registered as a commercial cargo ship owned by a Tehran-based shipping company. In reality, it's one of two spy ships that the Iranian regime has been using for several years to gather intelligence for their Houthi allies and to act as a forward operating base for the IRGC. Now, Tehran usually remains silent about the Bashad's operations, but recently issued a video statement, cautioning the U.S. against targeting the ship following an attack in Jordan. A spokesperson for the IRC stated, quote, Seriously, fellas, nobody better think about messing with the Bichad.

It's nothing to do with spying. No way, just a cargo ship, definitely not a spy ship. End quote. Okay, okay, it's a made-up quote. But in that video, it's an English language video from the Iranian Army's telegram channel, they do warn that actions against the Bashad were similar vessels threaten international maritime security and carry global responsibility for future risks. The video labels the Bashad as a floating armory on missions to counter-piracy in the Red Sea in Gulf of Aden,

so Iran is claiming that they're worried about threats to international maritime security, and the Bashad is just out there trying to keep the seas safe from pirates. Iran's messaging, though, interestingly, indicates concern from their regime that the Bashad could be targeted by U.S. counter-strikes, potentially undermining the Houthi's capability to attack vessels near the Gulf of Aden. All right, the families of Israelis being held hostage in Gaza received tragic news yesterday, with the Israeli government confirming that many of those still held in the Palestinian enclave will not be coming home.

And political wrangling over the U.S. southern border continues upon Capitol Hill. I'll have more on those stories when we come back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new Elixir Collection, featuring three perfum intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir,

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AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back. Hamas has responded to a proposed ceasefire framework that could potentially see the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, or at least some of the remaining hostages in Gaza. Officials in Qatar, who have mediated discussions along with Egypt, said Tuesday that they are, quote, optimistic about the prospects of a ceasefire following Hamas's reply. That reply has since been delivered to Israeli officials who said they were reviewing it thoroughly. Katari Prime Minister, Mohamed Altani, noted on Tuesday that, quote, the reply includes some comments, but in general, it is positive. The remarks came at a press conference with U.S.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Doha on Tuesday. Blinken tempered the optimism of Qatar officials, saying that while the news is positive, there is still, quote, a lot of work to be done. Regarding the comments given by Hamas, the militant group reportedly repeated their demands for a permanent ceasefire, the removal of all Israeli forces from Gaza, a reconstruction of Gaza, and the release of all Palestinian prisoners. Hmm. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has already said a permanent ceasefire is not on the table, and that Israel would never agree to a deal.

that leaves Hamas any foothold in Gaza. President Biden seemed to allude to the unrealistic nature of Hamas' demands, saying Tuesday the response, quote, seems to be a little over the top. President Biden added, we are not sure where it's going, and we continue to negotiate. So as a reminder, the proposed framework would include a six-week pause in fighting for the release of roughly 40 Israeli hostages. Israel, in turn, would release a number of Palestinian prisoners. Now, the first phase of hostage releases would include women, men over the age of 60, and those with serious medical conditions. There are plans, or have been plans proposed, for an extended ceasefire and a second round of exchanges that would include the release of Israeli soldiers

and civilian men under the age of 60, but those terms have not yet been agreed upon as part of the framework. The optimism around a potential deal was muted somewhat, however, by a tragic update from the Israeli intelligence. IDF officials said Tuesday that their intelligence indicates that 32 of the 136 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza are believed to be dead, nearly a quarter of the remaining hostages. That's according to a report by the New York Times. Officials said the families of the 32 hostages, whose deaths are confirmed, have been informed by the Israeli military. Four officials told the New York Times that they are reviewing unconfirmed intelligence, suggesting another 20 hostages may also already be dead. Israeli military officials said they believed

most of the deaths occurred during the 7 October attacks by Hamas that ignited this current conflict. Officials said they will continue to, quote, deploy all available resources to locate and retrieve as much information as possible regarding the hostages currently held by Hamas." Okay. I want to turn our attention back to America's border crisis and the controversial Senate proposal on border security that already appears doomed to fail. Senate Republicans rallied in opposition to the proposal on Tuesday, which had only just been announced Sunday evening with the backing of Republican Senator James Lankford and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The blowback from Republicans was swift, with many of them objecting to the lack of time they were given to review the package. Washington, D.C., frankly, is ground zero for lack of transparency. It's a rich tradition, whether from the White House, which typically releases any bad news on a Friday afternoon when they assume all of America is already at happy hour

getting ready for the weekend, or whether it's up on Capitol Hill, where any time you want to hide the details of a proposed bill, while you keep the details secret, and then you spring the bill on the Congress and Senate with only a day or two before insisting on a vote. Democrat Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had already scheduled the bill for a cloture vote on Wednesday, which would end debate and force a vote on the proposal. This obviously gives members very little time to debate the specifics of the bill, much less read the specifics of the bill, or offer amendments. And the little time they did have to

review the proposal, Senate Republicans did not appear to be impressed with what it offered. Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso said Tuesday, quote, the proposed legislation does not meet most American standard of securing our border now. It doesn't force the Biden administration to end its abuse of current law, and it leaves in place a number of the Democrat created incentives that are fueling the crisis. Republican Senator Bill Haggerty echoed those sentiments, saying, quote, they put forward this legislation, ask for more authority, more funds, and frankly, more flexibility, and they say if we don't go for it, Republicans are now responsible for the crisis at the southern border. It's preposterous, end quote.

The $118 billion package would dedicate roughly $20 billion for border security, along with roughly $60 billion in fresh aid for Ukraine, and $14 billion in assistance to Israel, By Tuesday morning, it was clear that a majority of the Republican caucus was either already committed to voting against the package or was leaning towards voting no. Acknowledging his party's growing opposition, McConnell indicated he may also vote against the cloture motion on Wednesday. McConnell said, quote, we had a very robust discussion about whether or not this product could ever become law. And it's been made pretty clear to us by the Speaker, that's the Speaker of the House, that it will not become law. so I want to congratulate Senator Lankford on a remarkable job of negotiating with the side getting the sport of the border council, but it looks to me and to most of our members,

as if we have no real chance here to make a law, end quote. Senate Democrats and the Biden administration blasted Senate Republicans for opposing the bill, particularly since it throws emergency funding for Ukraine and Israel back into question. House Republicans are holding a separate vote on funding for Israel and have promised one on Ukraine, However, Senate Democrats have shown no indication that they plan to detach the aid packages from their border security proposals. Now, the one thing you can count on here is that the White House, the Biden campaign team and Democrats, will seize the narrative on the border, with, of course, the assistance of cooperative media. By now, claiming that the Republicans are responsible for the border mess,

and they'll use that theme all the way to the November election. The Republican senators and congressmen have legitimate concerns over the provisions for the border in this bill. And the reality is, the crisis is down to the Biden administration's policies or lack of policies over the past three years that created a porous border and now is causing strain on cities across the country, contributing to the fentanyl crisis and creating unprecedented levels of human trafficking. But it's an election year, and facts don't matter. matters is who can best create and manage spin, and that award definitely goes to the Democrats. They've taken away a key campaign issue from the Republicans, and headlines from now until November

will cry breathlessly that President Biden did everything he could to secure the border, but the Republicans just wouldn't let him. You can usually count on the Republican Party to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Strategic thinking and messaging is not exactly their strong suit. Coming up in the back of the brief, an update on the deadly atmospheric river that's currently lashing California with torrential rain and widespread flooding. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, I wanted to take a moment to highlight the winter storm, the so-called atmospheric river that's slammed Southern California over the past few days,

causing a significant amount of damage. The storm unleashed record rainfall, heavy snow, and even hurricane force winds in some areas. In parts of the last, Los Angeles County, more than 11 inches of rain drenched the area from Saturday night to late Monday. This amounts to more than 75% of the average annual rainfall for downtown L.A. Let me repeat that because that's really quite stunning. Between Saturday night to late Monday, and that's about two days for those keeping score at home, downtown L.A. received more than 75% of its average annual rainfall. Now, Los Angeles authorities reported nearly 400 muds. slides during the storm, and tragically, at least three people lost their lives to falling trees.

The storms cut power to nearly a million people, and as of Tuesday evening, over 100,000 Californians were still without electricity. Early estimates place the total damage and economic loss from the severe storms and record rainfall in California this week between $9 billion and $11 billion. Now, the storm has mostly passed and moved east into Arizona and southern Utah. As Californians start the cleanup from this recent storm, meteorologists are already monitoring the next one set to strike the state on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. It may not be as powerful, but the additional rain and wind could hinder recovery efforts and cause further floods. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 7 February. If you have any

questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB 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.