The President's Daily Brief - January 16th, 2024: Houthi Defiance, Texas Border Standoff, & Controversial Migrant Measures

Episode Date: January 16, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Houthi Militants in Yemen escalate tensions in the Red Sea, launching an attack on a US Navy destroyer and targeting a privately-owned commercial shipping vessel with a missile. A significant victory for Ukraine as its military reports the downing of one of Russia's most advanced aircraft amidst the ongoing conflict. The Biden administration confronts Texas Governor Greg Abbott, challenging his decision to deny U.S. Border Patrol access to a busy section of the state's border. In today’s Back of the Brief, discover the innovative and sometimes controversial methods cities across the nation are adopting to manage the escalating migrant crisis. 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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This podcast is sponsored by Blackout Coffee. Start your day off with a delicious cup of American-made Blackout Coffee. 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 Tuesday, January 16th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world's stage.

Let's get briefed. Up, Houthi militants in Yemen continue to terrorize the Red Sea, attacking a U.S. Navy destroyer, and striking an American-owned commercial shipping vessel with an anti-ship ballistic missile. Apparently, neither the Houthis nor their Iranian sponsors got the message that the White House meant to deliver with recent strikes inside Yemen. Later in the program, the Ukraine military claims it's dealt a major blow to Russia, downing one of the country's most valuable air assets. Plus, the Biden administration is setting its sights on Texas Governor Greg Abbott after the Lone Star State blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing a heavily trafficked stretch of the border.

Finally, in today's back of the brief, we'll spotlight how some cities around the country are being forced to find creative and sometimes controversial ways to manage the migrant crisis. But first up, the PDB spotlight. In a significant escalation of hostilities in the Red Sea, Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have launched two separate attacks over the past 48 hours, now seemingly targeting U.S. ships with deliberate intent. The Pentagon has confirmed that U.S. fighter aircraft successfully intercepted and neutralized, an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels towards the U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Laboon. This attempted strike took place off the coast near Haldives,

a strategic red seaport controlled by the Houthis. Fortunately, the interception resulted in no casualties or damage to the vessel. However, the Houthis struck again less than 24 hours later. On Monday, the militants managed to hit a U.S.-owned container ship. The vessel, identified as the Eagle Gibraltar under the flag of the Marshall Islands, was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden, operated by Eagle Bulk shipping of Stanford, Connecticut, the incident marks the first successful attack by the Houthis on a U.S. maritime asset. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors

Middle Eastern maritime routes, reported the attack occurred approximately 110 miles southeast of Aden, with the missile striking the port side of the Eagle Gibraltar. The impact caused limited damage to one of the cargo holds, but the ship remained stable and proceeded to navigate away from the danger zone. The operator confirmed that no crew members were injured, and the ship, which was carrying steel products at the time, continues to operate on its own power. U.S. Central Command reports that they detected another missile launch towards the Southern Red Sea on Monday. This missile failed during flight and didn't pose a threat as it impacted on land within Yemen. In a televised statement, a Houthi military spokesperson took responsibility for these

attacks, warning that all American and British ships partaking in the coalition against Yemen are considered hostile. Now, on yesterday's PDB, we noted that President Biden, following recent U.S. and allied strikes inside Yemen, told reporters that the strikes sent a message both to the Houthis and to their patrons the Iranian regime. The president commented that, quote, Iran knows not to do anything, end quote. Well, apparently, the Iranian regime and their proxies, the Houthis, are not picking up what the White House is putting down.

This is not rocket science. If the Iranian regime took the White House's attempts and deterrence seriously, and they instructed the Houthis to stop their attacks on international shipping lanes, well, the Houthis would stop. Now, President Biden may think that he and U.S. allies have delivered a message to Iran, but the continued actions of the Houthis would seem to indicate that either the message was garbled or they simply stamped the message with return to sender, taped it to an anti-ship missile, and fired it out into the Red Sea.

Look, Iran and the IRC understand that the Biden administration is loath to take any direction, action against the Iranian regime. And the regime is perfectly willing to continue destabilizing the region, disrupting global trade, and now indirectly targeting U.S. military and commercial vessels, knowing that any counterstrikes will be directed at their proxies. That's a price that Iran has been and continues to be willing to pay. And if more proof was needed that Iran hasn't gotten the memo. Yesterday, the IRGC, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, took credit for launching a barrage of missiles into Erbil in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The IRGC claimed that they were targeting what they described as secret Israeli spy bases. All right, coming up after the

break. Ukraine claims it's dealt a serious blow to Russia's Air Force, taking out one of only a handful of Putin's high-price surveillance planes. And Texas squares off with the Department of Justice after it takes the task of securing the border into its own hands. I'll be right back. Welcome back. Ukraine has reportedly dealt a serious blow to Russia's Air Force, destroying one of only a handful of surveillance planes used to facilitate missile strikes. Ukrainian army chief Valerie Zelluzni announced Monday on telegram that they had successfully destroyed a Russian A-50 surveillance plane as well as an Ilyushan-22 airborne command post during an operation in the Sea of Azol. The Ukrainian military did not provide details on how it took

down the sophisticated aircraft, and the Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the incident. Ukrainian officials said intelligence indicated that the Ileusian aircraft was able to return to a Russian air base, but suffered significant damage and with the Russian airbase. But suffered significant damage and was beyond repair. These officials stressed that the A-50 aircraft was their primary target. Officials with the Ukrainian military said the A-50 surveillance plane has been a key tool for Russia in preparing and executing long-range missile strikes on Ukraine. It also provides the Russian military with early warning and targeting information about Ukrainian low-flying aircraft. Officials said its destruction will seriously hamper Russia's ability to conduct.

future aerial operations, according to a report by Reuters. Natalia Humanyuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's southern military command, said, quote, we expect such a strike on the A-50 to be fairly painful and at least to delay powerful missile strikes, end quote. The A-50 surveillance plane is a large airborne early warning and control aircraft that first came into use towards the end of the Cold War. Its instruments scan for enemy aircraft, ships, and missiles across an area of up to 400 miles and can detect more than 300 targets at once.

Now, its price tag is somewhere in the $330 million range, more if you get the deluxe interior package with floor mats and cup holders. And the Ukrainian Defense Ministry estimates that Russia only has eight of the planes left in service. The Ilyushan aircraft, on the other hand, serves as an airborne command post and oversees military operations communicating in real-time with frontline troops. Prominent Russian military commentators, who spoke to Reuters, said the destruction of the A-50 plane represents a major loss for the Putin regime's already significantly degraded military. One popular Russian military blogger called it, quote, another dark day for the Russian aerospace forces and air defense. They added that, quote, there are not many A-50s, and the specialists operating them are generally rare. If an aircraft of this type is hit, the crew will not be able to escape.

Ukrainian cities have suffered renewed aerial attacks from Russia in recent weeks. Russian missile strikes on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities have killed more than 90 civilians since December 29th and left more than 400 injured. any successful efforts by the Ukrainian forces to damage or decrease Russia's ability to inform and direct missile strikes will have an immediate positive return for Ukraine. All right, let's add to the U.S. I want to turn our attention to the Texas border, where a battle between state officials and the Biden administration is heating up. The Biden administration sent a cease and desist letter to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Sunday, demanding that state authorities stop impeding U.S. Border Patrol access to a two-and-a-half-mile stretch of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, according to an NBC news report. For some context, Texas Governor Greg Abbott mobilized the Texas National Guard on January 10th,

directing them to take full control of Shelby Park, and that's a 47-acre area in Eagle Pass that's been a hotspot for illegal migrant crossings. They have indefinitely, close to the United States. They have indefinitely closed public access to the park and installed wire and fencing to block entry. The Biden administration says that since the park's closure, federal border patrol agents have been denied access to the area by state troopers and the Texas National Guard, impeding their ability to carry out their operations. The situation reached ahead on Friday evening after a woman and two children drowned in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol agents were prevented from accessing the area to provide emergency assistance.

Now, Texas officials disputed the DHS narrative, saying that while they were made aware of the emergency situation, they were unable to locate the migrants in question. In the letter to Texas A.G. Ken Paxton, DHS General Counsel Jonathan Meyer said, quote, the recent actions by the state of Texas have impeded operations of the Border Patrol. those actions conflict with the authority and duties of border patrol under federal law and are preempted under the supremacy clause of the Constitution, end quote. The White House also chimed in calling Governor Abbott's policies cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. Now, the White House added, quote, Governor Abbott's actions have negatively impacted our ability to maintain an open border and allow the processing and entry of whoever wants to come in. Now, I'll double check, but that actually may not be a real quote.

Abbott has defended his use of state resources to address the spiraling crisis on the U.S. border, particularly in the absence of federal assistance. A spokesman for Abbott said last week that, quote, Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers, and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden's ongoing border crisis. The cease and desist letter gives Texas until January 17th to comply or face further action from the U.S. Department of Justice. It comes after the Justice Department filed a complaint on Friday with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking them to intervene over a recent court decision that prevents

border patrol agents from cutting a razor wire fence along the Rio Grande in Texas. You heard that right. The Justice Department is upset because they can't instruct the Border Patrol to remove fencing along the border. The Justice Department also sued Texas on January 3rd, challenging a recently passed law that allows Texas state law enforcement to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the border. As we've extensively covered on the PDB, border states are currently contending with the highest rates of illegal migrant encounters on record. In December, Border Patrol officials recorded 300,000 migrant encounters. or an average of about 8,400 apprehensions each day.

Okay, coming up, as the migrant crisis continues, overwhelmed cities around the country are being forced to find creative ways to deal with the new arrivals. We'll spotlight a few of those efforts in tonight's back of the brief. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, as the migrant crisis continues, it's not just border states that are being overwhelmed.

According to recent DHS numbers, during the last three months of 2023, there were 785,000 known encounters. And, according to DHS admissions, 85% of those known encounters were allowed into the states, almost 670,000 people landing not only in border states, but increasingly arriving in sanctuary cities around the country. The social safety nets in New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois are all being stressed from the sheer number of new arrivals, and major cities have started implementing creative measures to deal with the crisis, sometimes at the expense of their own citizens. Let's start in New York City, where the Big Apple's shelter system has been stretched to the breaking point, with many migrants now being forced to live in tent cities. This led to a major problem last week when Mayor Eric Adams was forced to bust hundreds of migrant families to a school five miles away in anticipation of a

winter storm. Asylum seekers were forced to sleep on a gym floor before being returned to the tent city. The move ended up displacing hundreds of students who were forced to then do remote learning from home. The decision was decried by parents, of course, who held a rally at the school the following morning. The situation is similar in Chicago, where many migrants are being housed housed in 10 cities as well. And with temperatures dropping in the windy city, migrants are being boarded onto what they call warming buses to escape the cold. The local government is also facing a backlash from Chicagoans, as the city plans to spend millions on new housing facilities for the new arrivals while the city's homeless population takes a backseat, and not even a backseat

on a warming bus. It's just a figurative backseat. You can't even sit down on a, figurative backseat. Finally, there is the sanctuary state of Massachusetts, which is so overwhelmed that the state can no longer guarantee housing for illegal immigrants, so the state has turned to a new idea, housing them in private homes. Last year, officials began seeking residents willing to host newly arrived individuals or families in need of shelter. Hosts are asked to provide a room or apartment for a few days, until longer-term accommodation. can be arranged. Towns around the state are being given guidance on how to encourage residents to open up their homes to migrants. It's sort of like an Airbnb program, except you don't get to

ask questions about your renters, and they don't pay rent. Massachusetts officials have clarified in recent days that nobody will be forced to house any of the new arrivals. Oh, that's nice, so the officials felt it necessary to explain that nobody would be forced into taking strangers into their homes. I'd like to think that some of the progressive elites living in and around Boston, maybe Martha's Vineyard and other Tony spots where the swells hang out, who were happy when this was just a border state's issue, could now lead the way here. I mean, seriously, I'm sure they've got room. Just take in some single men or a couple of families, and they'll be super impressed with the guest wing and the colonial antique furniture. The state government could hand out yard signs

to the posh progressives when they take in migrants. The sign could say, come on end. And they could put that sign right next to their somewhat aging yard sign that they've righteously displayed over the past few years that says all are welcome here. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 16 January. 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.