The President's Daily Brief - July 29th, 2022. The Senate Introduces Another Bill Aimed at Addressing Climate Change. Biden Tells Pelosi Not To Visit Taiwan...

Episode Date: July 29, 2022

It’s July 29th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ First up, The US Senate announced a big bill yesterday to address climate change. One of the reasons to pass it, supporters are saying, is that it gives America the moral authority to demand other nations to follow our lead. We’ll discuss whether that is convincing.  As always, I’m keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put these two on your radar. First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is flying to Asia today. Will she stop in Taiwan? Joe Biden’s telling her not to. I’ll explain why. Second, we have some new numbers out on who’s trying to cross our southern border. It’s a wave of Cubans. We’ll talk about why. And finally, the last thing before I let you go. Questions from listeners. Five today. Mostly lighthearted, a couple serious. It’s a good mix.  All up next on the President's Daily Brief. ------ 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

It's July 29th. You're listening to the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA Officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. First up, the U.S. Senate announced a big bill yesterday to address climate change. One of the reasons to pass it, supporters are saying, is that it gives America the moral authority to demand other nations follow our lead. We'll discuss whether that is convincing. As always, I'm keeping an eye out for developing stories, these two on your radar. First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is flying to Asia today. Will she stop in Taiwan? Joe Biden is telling her not to. I'll explain why. Second, we have some new numbers out on who is trying to get across our southern border. It's a wave of Cubans. We'll talk about why.

And finally, the last thing before I let you go. Questions from listeners five actually today, mostly lighthearted, a couple serious. It's a good mix. But let's first get started with today, main brief. You probably saw the headlines yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a surprise deal on climate change. He and another senator, the typically conservative Democrat Joe Manchin from West Virginia, announced a record $370 billion to fight climate change. So the package was full of so many goodies long sought by the Biden administration, like $3 billion for the Postal Service to buy new electric trucks. There are tax credits galore to install windmills and solar panels, to buy electric vehicles, to build battery factories, you name it, it is in there.

The next step for this bill is for it to be voted on by the whole Senate, then reconciliation with the House. It will probably pass, but the margin is going to be tight. So the argument by supporters for this bill are twofold. First, we can reduce our climate change emissions by. by 40% with all the various goodies inside of this bill. Second, we will serve as a moral inspiration for the world if they two pass a similar bill. So to the first issue there, I'm waiting for independent analysis on whether or not that 40% figure is real. Putting aside, by the way, the debate whether climate change is even real.

But regardless, I will say this about the 40% number. The United States was already on track to lower our emissions by 20%. even without this bill. But regardless, let's talk about that second piece, the serving as an inspiration for the world. Now, what supporters really mean here is that we will now bring some sort of moral authority to the global table and convince the other world's

carbon dioxide emitters to follow our lead. So two things. First, is that really how the world works? I mean, do you all think that Joe Biden can appeal to the morality of, of China, Russia, and Iran, three big carbon dioxide emitters, and that those folks will just agree with us based on morality? I'll let you decide and wrestle with that question. But second, most countries in the world don't actually need a moral lecture on this issue.

They've already said that they actually think that climate change is real, and they have agreed to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. It's just they're not doing it. In fact, they're emitting more. Consider China, which is the world's biggest carbon dioxide producer. This is what their president said just two years ago. Quote, China welcomes all countries' support for the Paris Agreement and their greater contribution to tackling climate change. We need to raise ambition where every party does its part. All countries need to maximize actions, end quote. So you might assume, naturally, that they are fully on board the climate change morality train, right? Well, no.

As I briefed you all on Tuesday, China has added more coal fire plants, not fewer, since President Xi made that statement. And in May, the Chinese State Council announced a new billion-dollar investment in additional coal-powered generation. Now, following that announcement,

just a couple of months ago, the Deputy General Secretary of the China National Coal Association stated very proudly that, quote, coal's dominant role in China is unlikely to change in the next 10 to 15 years. So, in fact, he said that the nation of China will still be burning around 4 billion tons of coal, which is about the same as now for the foreseeable future. And as the government opens up even more mines as they plan to do, they will have another billion tons of coal to spare. And all of that is on top of China's interstate. international orders for more coal, mostly from North Korea and Russia, with orders up 55% in June

from Russian mining companies. So there you are. That is how serious China is taking climate change. But that raises an interesting question. Why aren't they serious about climate change? Well, first, you could reasonably think that they don't actually believe in it, or that it's not an existential threat. Lots of folks get shouted down for saying that, even though they believe it earnestly. So that is a possibility here. But second, the more likely answer, at least in this case, is that they just don't believe that there's a good replacement for coal. And in fact, as I briefed you on Tuesday, they don't. A man by the name of Wang Zhiguan, who's an official with the China Electricity Council, he said that renewable technologies are unreliable, and that the

the electric grid in his country would collapse if it depended entirely on wind and solar. So to be clear, folks, the climate change morality argument, that somehow our $370 billion investment will move hearts and minds. Well, that's just not true. Certainly not for the world's biggest carbon dioxide emitter, China, nor is it going to be true for other big emitters like India, Indonesia, Russia, and Iran either. They are all ignoring climate change, practically. speaking, the proof is in the fact that they are pumping out more carbon dioxide, not less.

And that's the ugly little truth on this $370 billion bill, whatever you think of the merits of doing it. Because here's the point, folks. Even if we scale back 40% of our emissions, the increases elsewhere in the world, neuter whatever material benefit this bill would have otherwise made. That means that you and I are about to spend nearly $400 billion. on, well, I'm not sure. But I know that it's not going to accomplish the stated goal of stopping climate change. And it's not going to change the hearts and minds of world leaders either. So we are going to skip what I would normally say to you in the White House this morning if I were briefing you.

And instead, we're going to do a little bit of an experiment, irrespective of whether you support or dislike this particular bill. Now, I want you to go to house.gov or senate. I want you to look up your two senators and your representative. And I want you to ask them these three questions. First, do you agree that China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide more than the U.S. and Europe combined? Second, do you agree that China is increasing, not decreasing, its emissions? And three, if you answer yes to both of those questions, how will this $370 billion billion

bill lower global emissions if you can't stop China from increasing theirs. So please let me know how your elected representatives respond to those questions. I am earnestly excited to hear. So we'll talk about it next week. My email address, as always, is PDB at thefirsttv.com. Coming up, a closer look at what's on my radar. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points.

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Small talk's going no. nowhere, but then the Bose speaker kicks in. Music you can feel fills the room and no more chat with Danny from accounts. Your life deserves music. Your music deserves Bose. Find your perfect product at Bose.com. As always on the PDB, I'm watching a few other stories this morning. Put these two on your radar. First, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on her way this morning to the Asia-Pacific region.

She plans on stopping in Japan, Indonesia, and Singapore. or and maybe Taiwan. Now, that would be a big deal, because if Pelosi decides to stop there, she would be the highest ranking elected U.S. official in 25 years. Well, Taiwan would be very happy about that, but there's one person in America who would not be, Joe Biden. Last week, he said of Pelosi's potential stopover in Taiwan,

quote, that is not a good idea right now, end quote. The question is why. Well, as you all probably know, Taiwan is a very touchy subject for both the U.S. government and the Chinese government. So some quick history here. China was in a nasty civil war in the early and mid-1900s. The communists were on one side and the nationalists were on the other. And sadly, the commies won. Well, the nationalists fled to the nearby island of Taiwan in 1949,

and they have been hunkered down there ever since. For years, China has vowed to recapture Taiwan. and has made life just absolutely living hell for anybody who wanted to be friends with them, especially any governments who recognize Taiwan as independent or anything other than as a part of China. Knowing that, you can probably imagine the reaction in Beijing when the House Speaker possibly stops in Taiwan for an official visit. They will be outraged. And that rage will be especially nasty because China's President Xi is up for a re-election of sorts, probably in October.

So naturally, he has to be tough in the eyes of his people. Okay, well, what comes next then? Pelosi isn't saying for sure whether or not she'll go, but if she does, our military is planning for it. They're going to deploy fighter jets and ships, surveillance assets, all kinds of stuff for both her flight to Taiwan and whatever time she spends on the ground. So the risk there is that China will do something out of anger

as a show of disapproval, like a missile test or buzzing some of our jets. And that could lead to an accident with an escalation. No matter what happens, I will be watching this very closely, given the possibility of escalation, and I'll keep you posted. Finally, this morning, we have seen a record number of illegal migrants cross our southern border in the past year. We talk a lot about that on the PDB. But one group that we don't talk a lot about that's actually in that mix is the Cuban

people. Well, this morning we got an update that the number of Cubans has officially crossed 150,000 this fiscal year, all crossing on land via Mexico. But the question is why? Well, most of us know that Cuba is run by a communist dictatorship, so the desire to flee is pretty understandable. But there are some unique things happening that I want to put on your radar because the island is growing more unsteady. First, the economy is in especially bad. shape. They need tourists, but apparently the tourists don't need Cuba. Numbers are down to 700,000 this year, far short of the 2.5 million gold that they need. Meanwhile, the sugar crop, very important for their economy, is half of what was planned. So that's made it harder for Cubans to buy the

critical imports that they need, like food, medicine, and fuel. There are now long lines for all three. And in turn, that's driven inflation to levels that would make your jaw drop. This year, it's running at 28%. Last year, it was officially 77%, but probably well over 100%. On top of all of that, they are dealing with blackouts. So the electricity grid in Cuba is operating at 38% of capacity, in part because, well, the systems are old and broken, but also because they depend heavily on diesel.

They get some of that from Russia and Venezuela, but they're having to buy some of it on the open market too. But without tourists or the sugar harvests, well, they're not able to buy very much. So that limits power. Last summer, these same blackout conditions led to major unexpected protests that shocked the regime. So far, nothing like that has happened again, probably because they jailed so many people last time around. But I flagged this for you because if things deteriorate in Cuba, we could have a real real. migration crisis, and not just via boats that so many of us remember from the 1980s and 90s, but they'll flee to Central America too and up through our southern border. In fact, that's now

the preferred route for Cubans crossing illegally, upwards of 150,000 just this year. Well, the bottom line, folks, is this is a story worth watching, and I will keep you posted. And with that, one more thing before I let you go, five questions mostly lighthearted from listeners around the country. We'll be right back. Who cares about your poops? Ollie does. That's why Ali's science-backed to gut health lineup helps support your family's

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from listeners this morning, mostly lighthearted and a nice way to kick off the weekend. First is from an anonymous writer. Hi, Brian, I'm wondering if you are married. Thanks. Well, Anonymous, I'm not sure if you have someone in mind for me, but thank you for asking. No, I am not married. And by the way, if this is the Chinese or the Russians, I'm not falling for it. No mail order bride for me. Thanks. All right, second question, this one from David in upstate New York. What is your favorite spy book or favorite spy movie? Oh, good questions. My favorite book is one about my CIA class, actually. So the title of the book is called Class 11. The author was a classmate of mine, but he actually refused to get the CIA's permission to print it.

So they sued him and they collected all of the money that he got to write it. Yikes. Well, you can still buy that book, Class 11. and you'll see my name in there a time or two anyway. And as for my favorite spy movie, well, it's actually a book and a movie. It's called Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy. I'm not going to ruin it for you, but you should absolutely see or read it. It's a bit darker in terms of typical espionage books and movies.

It's not really a James Bond or a Jason Bourne thing, but it's still really, really good. And that takes us to question number three, Eric from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Do you think that we need spies anymore? Because it seems like they get it wrong more than they get it right. Plus, after guys like John Brennan, I'm not sure I trust them. Eric, my friend, you raise some very good questions.

So for folks who don't know the name John Brennan, he was a CIA director now totally disgraced. He served under Barack Obama. And he spent years telling America on TV and in newspapers that President Trump was a Russian spy that he would be. removed from office because of it. Of course, that was all a lie. Irrespective of whether you voted for Trump or you even like the former president, it was a lie. There was no Trump-Russia collusion. And John Brennan knew that. He lied all the same. So, Eric, you have every right to be suspicious

of the intelligence community after men like John Brennan destroyed the very sacred wall that existed between politics and intelligence. He single-handedly turned. He single-handedly turned the CIA into a vicious political machine. So for me, it is remarkable and horrifying to really think about what he did. A former CIA director tried to take down a sitting president. So what would I do about it? Well, John Brennan would be in prison if I were king for a day, but more holistically, I would disband the CIA and rebuild something else in its place, something much smaller, much more focused on mission, which I think answers your first question. Do we need spies, which are also known as case officers? Yes, I think that we need honorable

men and women who understand that they take an oath to this country to serve and protect it, and they do it well. In fact, when they do it well, CIA officers help save the world, and that's not hyperbole. That's actually earnestly true. But we do not need many politicians with immense power thinking that they are in charge of America, or that it is their job to choose our political winners and losers like John Brennan did. We need absolutely none of that. All right, fourth question, Ben in Rochester Hills, Michigan, he wrote about a brief that I gave you all on the 150,000 visas that Joe Biden promised to Mexico's president a couple of weeks ago. So here's Ben's question. You brought up that Mexican workers will send back 56 billion each year

to Mexico. But don't we receive the cheap labor of those who come here? and I think that's actually far better than us just giving them aid money, don't you? Oh, man, you are raising such a great set of questions, and I really appreciate you writing. I believe that your point here is, if I can paraphrase, if those migrant workers weren't here supporting their families back home, they would all be poor in Mexico, and we'd probably end up having to send them for an aid instead. So why not let them work and send back their wages, and we get cheap labor. in exchange. So I hear your point, and very smart people make this same argument. But when you say

we, we get cheap labor, who is the we there? Is it all of us? Maybe you mean consumers, because migrants do work for cheap wages and our fields and in our factories, and that makes our groceries and other products cheaper. But I'll tell you, there is one group that absolutely does not benefit from foreign workers, especially illegal workers. Let me explain which group that is. There was a landmark study done back in 2016 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and they looked at the fiscal and economic impact of immigration. Now, of the various things that they discovered, they found that immigrants tended to depress wages for native-born Americans, most namely those without a high school diploma. And you know, Ben, I,

I have friends who fall into that category. Maybe others listening do too. And I want to fight for them. And I will admit that that is my bias. So the upshot here is that, yes, cheap immigrants might save you some money at the checkout line. But as you celebrate your savings, you should know that it comes at a cost

to some of our poorest Americans. Final question this morning. Christina from Florida, she asked, Your family's farm sounds beautiful. How do we see pictures? Well, I might have an option here. I did an interview with Tim Poole, who is a great podcaster and a really interesting guy. Well, he has a live stream of his chicken coop, and it's called Chicken City.

Apparently people love it. They just watch chickens all day on their TVs in the background or on their computer studying. And I got to thinking, maybe I should do a few of those live streams around the family ranch. We've got a horse named Junior. He likes to hang out by the creek. We've got cows and calves in the fields. You know, maybe I could do a live stream of me hanging out with some bummer lambs and some goats. A real wild kingdom.

So, Christina, who knows? Tell me if you think I should. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes your morning brief. As always, we close out the show, reminding each other of why we are here, talking about our country and our world. It's the creed of every good spy and every smart American. It's from John Chapter 8, verse 3.3. And you shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free.

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