The President's Daily Brief - January 2nd, 2024: IDF Drawdown, Houthi Boats Sunk, & Epstein Associates Exposed

Episode Date: January 2, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Israel rings in the New Year with a strategic pivot, announcing the withdrawal of several thousand troops from Gaza, the most substantial de-escalation since the ongoing conflict erupted. Tensions mount in the Red Sea with a significant US military action against the Houthi forces, sinking three boats during an attempted maritime hijacking. A natural disaster in Japan leads to widespread destruction; thousands find themselves in shelters following a massive earthquake that demolished buildings, with the human cost yet to be fully ascertained. In the Back of the Brief, we delve into the expected release of a vast collection of documents which are anticipated to reveal connections between over 150 individuals and the late Jeffrey Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton.   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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Start selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes taste. It's Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024. Happy New Year and welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, here we are in 2024. Let's get briefed. Israel rings in the new year with a significant announcement. It will withdraw several thousand troops from Gaza.

Now, this marks the most substantial pullback since the conflict began. Later in the program, escalation in the Red Sea as the U.S. sinks three Iranian-backed Houthi militant boats attempting to hijack a commercial ship. Plus, thousands of Japanese people remain in shelters after a massive earthquake that leveled buildings and cost a still unknown number of lives. Finally, in today's back of the brief, a huge trove of documents is set to be released today, unmasking over 150 associates of the late Jeffrey Epstein, including former President Bill Clinton. But first up, the PDB spotlight. The Israeli military said on Monday that it would begin with drawing several thousand troops from the

Gaza Strip, at least temporarily, marking the most significant reduction of combat forces in the enclave since Hamas started this war on 7 October with their brutal attacks in southern Israel. In total, five brigades are set to leave Gaza in the coming weeks. So why the sudden drawdown? Well, analysts are speculating that it could be Israel's first move towards a more limited and targeted approach against Hamas. That would certainly be in line with the pressure that Israel is receiving from the U.S. and Europe for a change in tactics.

However, the Israeli military is pointing to a more practical concern as the primary driver for this decision, and that would be the nation's suffering economy. In a statement to the press, an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, stated that the return of reservists would provide, quote, considerable relief for the economy and allow soldiers to, quote, gather strength for the next activities in the coming year. Now, this is a very interesting aspect of the conflict, I mean the economic impact. Israel has drafted approximately 400,000 reservists, many of whom were actively employed and are now engaged in the Gaza conflict. That kind of mass mobilization of young working-aged men, well, that has big implications for an economy, especially in a country as small as Israel, which has a population comparable to that of New Jersey.

The Wall Street Journal reports that roughly 20% of Israeli employees are currently not working due to military duties or not. necessary relocation, and that's according to the Israeli Ministry for Economy and Industry. That figure doesn't account for the over 100,000 Palestinian workers who've had their work permits suspended and are now barred from entering Israel, again, thanks to Hamas' decision to attack on 7 October. By mid-November, the economic toll from the absence of Israeli workers alone has soared to an estimated 13 billion shekels, which is equivalent to approximately 3.6 billion dollars. For a country the size of Israel, that's not sustainable in the long term. As a matter of fact, the Bank of Israel has already lowered its growth forecast, estimating that the economy would grow

2% annually down from the previous forecast of 3% annually. Now, that might not sound like a lot, but for a modern economy to lose one third of its predicted growth in just three months, well, that's a major blow. The troop withdrawal may signal the beginning of a new strategic phase in the conflict, but it doesn't suggest an end to the fighting anytime soon. These troops are largely being withdrawn from northern Gaza, but heavy fighting continues in other parts of the enclave, particularly in and around the southern city of Khan Yunus. Just this weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated that the military campaign is expected to continue for many more months.

All right, when we come back, a surge in tensions in the Red Sea, where U.S. forces have sunk three Houthi vessels attempting to hijack a commercial ship. Also ahead, the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Japan leaves thousands seeking refuge in shelters as rescue efforts continue amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings. I'll be right back. Welcome back. We turn our attention back to the Red Sea, where continued Iranian-backed Houthi attacks on shipping vessels led to a deadly engagement with U.S. warships on New York.

years eve. Following a distress call from a Merisk container ship on Sunday, U.S. Navy helicopters sank three Houthi ships, killing 10 militants. It's the most aggressive response yet from the U.S. to the rampant attacks on shipping vessels by Iran-backed Houthi militants operating out of Yemen. Officials for U.S. Central Command said in a statement Sunday that the Merrish vessel reported four Houthi boats targeting them and attempting to hijack the ship on Sunday, morning. The U.S. Navy dispatched helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely and issued verbal calls to the Houthi boats to cease their attack. Now, while they were attempting to de-escalate the situation, the Houthi militants began firing on the U.S. helicopters, prompting the Navy to return

fire and sink three of the vessels, killing all on board. Officials said the fourth Houthi boat fled the area after the engagement. Houthi militants issued a fiery statement. condemning the U.S. response saying they would, quote, not hesitate to confront any aggression in the Red Sea. Now, the fact that they themselves are responsible for the aggression, well, along with their puppet masters in the Iranian regime, apparently that escaped their thinking. The Sunday morning incident was reportedly the second time in under 24 hours that the Marisk vessel had to issue a distress call. In response, Marisk, who had only just resumed shipping activity in the Red Sea, halted all transits in the area for at least 48 hours. As we've recently discussed here on the PDB, disruption of this critical shipping lane is already having a significant impact on the global economy. According to our recent Bloomberg report, roughly half of the container ships that usually move through the Red Sea and Suez Canal have fled the region, opting to take the path.

around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope. Now, this means added time and costs for the shipping companies, which translates to higher prices for goods and commodities. Adding to the already soaring tensions in the region, Iran's Albor's warship reportedly entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab straight over the weekend. Now, there are no further details regarding this ship or its mission at this time, but its presence is adding to fears that a wider regional... conflict with Iran could be on the horizon. It's been roughly 35 years since the U.S. and Iran have had a

direct confrontation in the region. During the 1980s, Iran was engaged in a similar disruption of oil tankers in the Persian Gulf during their tanker war conflict with Iraq. After the near destruction of a U.S. warship by an Iranian mine in 1988, the U.S. Navy launched Operation Praying mantis. During the one-day operation, the U.S. decimated the Iranian Navy, sinking two warships, partially damaging a third and destroying two Iranian surveillance platforms. That operation was the largest U.S. naval action since World War II. For now, U.S. leaders are hoping to contain the situation in the Red Sea and avoid a direct confrontation with the Iranian regime. Now, the Iranian regime and its IRGC leaders, they're not stupid.

Well, okay, actually, that fact can't be confirmed. But they likely haven't forgotten the events of 1988 when their efforts to disrupt international shipping and commerce resulted in humiliating losses. But they have apparently made the calculation that the current U.S. administration lacks the same resolve as that of the administration of President Reagan back in 1988. Their strategy is to carry out their various efforts,

to destabilize the region through their proxies, whether Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthi militants, or others, under the thinking that doing so, using their proxies, will keep the Iranian regime itself out of the direct firing line. Now, so far, at least with the Biden administration, their strategy appears to be working. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby renewed his calls for de-escalation in the Red Sea

following the incident on Sunday, but he did say that if the attention, attacks continued, the U.S. would not rule out a preemptive strike on Houthi militants in Yemen. All right, I want to turn our attention to Japan, which was rocked by a massive 7.6 magnitude earthquake on New Year's Day. They killed at least six people and sparked tsunami warnings in the region. The earthquake struck at roughly 10 after 4 p.m. on Monday in the Noto Peninsula of the Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan, causing a number of buildings and highways to collapse, sparking fires and causing power outages for roughly 33,000 people. Rescue personnel have been

pouring through the wreckage, but said blocked roads were making it difficult to reach the hardest-hit areas. Officials said there's also a risk of landslides in Toyama, Ishikawa, and Negata, as aftershocks continue to hit the area. The death toll is expected to rise in the coming days as the full scope of the destruction becomes clear. The earthquake initially prompted a tsunami warning along parts of the western coast of Japan, with Japanese authorities saying that waves in the Noto Peninsula could reach as high as 16 feet. Monday evening, the government evacuated some 97,000 people in nine prefectures on the western coast. The Japanese government subsequently downgraded the warning, but continued to urge residents

to stay away from the coastline. The highest waves so far were roughly three and a half feet tall, impacting Japan's western coast and South Korea. The disaster triggered memories of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan in 2011 and caused a tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people and triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. President Biden said Monday that the U.S. was standing by to provide Japan with any assistance needed in the wake of the disaster.

Biden said in a statement, quote, as close allies, the United States and Japan share a deep bond of friendship that unites our people. Our thoughts are with the Japanese people during this difficult time, end quote. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, a trove of documents is set to be released, unmasking over 150 associates of the late Jeffrey Epstein, including former president Bill Clinton.

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Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. In today's back of the brief, it's going to be an uncomfortable start to the new year for some associates of the late Jeffrey Epstein and his partner in crime, Gislai, Maxwell, as hundreds of sealed court filings related to a 2015 civil lawsuit are released for public consumption. According to reports, over 170 individuals connected to the disgraced financier are expected to be identified following a ruling by Manhattan Federal Judge Loretta Preska last month. The source of these documents is a 2015 lawsuit against Maxwell by Virginia Jufrey,

who has been identified as a victim of Epstein and Maxwell's sex trafficking ring. The documents are said to include a list of affiliates of Epstein, purported abusers, collaborators, victims, witnesses, and former employees. Among the first notable figures to be named is identified as John Doe No. 36, who is none other than former President Bill Clinton. An ABC News investigation indicates that Clinton appears in a, substantial portion of the redacted records being mentioned in at least 50 documents. Now, Clinton himself has not been formally accused of any misconduct. However, flight logs

maintained by one of Epstein's pilots revealed that Clinton and members of his staff made extensive use of Epstein's private aircraft for trips to destinations like Paris, Bangkok, and Brunei between 2002 and 2003. The documents also implicate Britain's Prince Andrew. He was accused by the victim of being one of the men to whom Epstein and Maxwell directed her for sexual encounters. Prince Andrew has consistently denied these claims, stating he does not remember meeting Jufrey. Despite this, he's reached a settlement in a lawsuit Jufri filed against him. Now, it's worth noting that these documents do not reportedly include the flight logs and passenger manifests for Epstein's infamous private plane and its trips to his island getaway.

Given Epstein's apparent efforts over his years to collect famous contacts and associates, there will likely be a bizarre range of persons from a wide range of social, political, and business circles included in this release. 2024, it seems, is starting off with a bang. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, the 2nd of January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at the first day. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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