The President's Daily Brief - March 18th, 2024: Putin Prevails, Haitian Hostilities, & Satellite Spying

Episode Date: March 18, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We open today's show in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin is marking his triumph in the Russian presidential election, securing another six-year term as the nation's head of state. His victory unfolds amidst heightened tensions, with an attack on the small breakaway republic of Transnistria threatening to further destabilize the region. Our focus turns to Port-au-Prince, where a major police operation challenges armed gangs, coinciding with the evacuation of U.S. citizens by the American government. We explore the shifting dynamics in Gaza, where a renewed hope for peace emerges as Hamas withdraws a significant demand from the negotiation table. Delving into space and security, we report on SpaceX's collaboration with the U.S. government to create a vast network of spy satellites for intelligence operations. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. 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 Monday, 18 March. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We open today's show in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin is marking his triumph in the Russian presidential election, securing another six-year term as the nation's head of state. And nobody saw that coming.

And by nobody, I mean everybody. Everybody saw that coming. Apparently, when you kill or jail your opposition, cruising to victory ain't all that tough. Now, Putin's incredibly surprising wind comes at a time of heightened regional tensions with an attack on the small breakaway Republic of Transnistria threatening to further destabilize the region.

Later in the program, our coverage shifts to the Haitian capital of Porta Prince. Haitian police are engaged in a significant operation against armed gangs, concurrent with the U.S. government's evacuation of American citizens from the embattled nation. Plus, the prospect of peace in Gaza sees somewhat renewed optimism as Hamas drops one of its primary demands, potentially smoothing the path to negotiations. And in today's back of the brief, we dive into a new report detailing Space X's partnership with the U.S. government.

The company, led by Elon Musk, is in the process of constructing an extensive network of spy satellites for a U.S. intelligence agency. But first, today's spotlight. Voting has now ended in the Russian Federation's presidential election. And to end your suspense, as everyone expected, Vladimir Putin won. Yay, he gets another trophy, securing another six-year term as the country's president. The official tally hasn't been completed yet,

but Putin is expected to win in a landslide, with early exit polls suggesting he'll walk away with an estimated 88% of the vote. Can you imagine that? exceeding to 77% that he won in 2018. It does make you wonder, how on earth does he do it? I mean, it's almost like he has no competition and is running unopposed. Putin is now Russia's longest serving head of state since Joseph Stalin.

Stalin maintained control for 29 years. Should Putin serve out his full six-year term, he'll match Stalin's tenure. Rumor has it that Putin has his cold heart set on snatching the title of longest-serving despot from Stalin by winning the next election scheduled for 2030. Now the ultimate outcome of the vote was, okay, frankly, never in doubt. But now one of the more interesting aspects of the election was where some of the polling stations were located. According to reports, Moscow decided to open as many as 24 unauthorized polling stations

in the eastern Moldovan region of Transnistria, essentially treating the region, at least as far as the election is concerned, like a Russian province. If you'll remember, Transnistria is the largely Russian-speaking republic on Moldova's border with Ukraine. The region houses a small contingent of Russian military peacekeepers, and as we reported last week, the separatist government there officially appealed to Russia for protection from the Moldovan government. Of course, the Eastern European country took exception to that move, and this vowed to take action in response. The voting in Transnistria is worth mentioning, because of something that happened there this weekend that's frankly not getting much, if any, attention in the mainstream press, but it could

have major implications for the war in Ukraine and for regional stability. On Sunday, there was a drone attack on a Transnistrian military base that resulted in the destruction of an MI8 military transport helicopter. This would represent the first time that the war in Ukraine has spilled over into the breakaway region. Separatist officials immediately rushed to blame the attack on Ukraine, claiming that the drone was launched from the city of Odessa, which is a little over 50 miles or so away. The incident was caught on video, interestingly, and it shows something rather odd. The helicopter that was destroyed in the attack looked to be in fairly poor condition prior to being hit by the drone. For instance, at least one of its front windows already appeared to be missing.

The fact that the chopper didn't look like it was in flyable condition has led some to suspect that Ukraine might not have been behind the attack at all, but rather it was a false flag meant to justify Russian intervention in the breakaway region. Of course, that's just speculation right now, but considering the Transnistrian government's recent agitation for Russian intervention, it's not out of the realm of possibility. And don't put anything past Putin when it comes to making land grabs in this effort to cobble together some version of the former Soviet Union. All right, coming up after the break, we return to Haiti, where a massive police offensive meets gang resistance amid U.S. efforts to evacuate citizens.

Also, a potential breakthrough in Gaza as a key Hamas demand is withdrawn, setting the stage for critical peace negotiations. I'll be right back. Welcome back. Let's turn now to the capital of Haiti, Porta Prince, where authorities are striking back against armed gangs that still control approximately 80% of the city. According to officials on the island, special forces, soldiers and police officers and Porta Prince have also launched a major offensive against the stronghold of Jimmy Barbecue Cherisei

and his coalition of gangs, the so-called revolutionary forces of the G9 family and allies. The head of the Haitian police union confirmed that several gang members were killed during the action. Government forces also carried out several raids intending to retake the Capitol's main port, which has been closed since the 7th of March. The gangs that have been in control of the area have been busy looting shipping containers and are preventing much-needed foreign aid from entering the country. Now, some 1.4 million Haitians are said to be on the verge of famine. And meanwhile, efforts to evacuate American citizens from Haiti finally began over this weekend.

The U.S. government announced on Saturday that it's arranging a charter flight from Haiti to the U.S. for those with valid passports. Since the airport in Pota Prince remains closed due to sporadic fighting in the area, the State Department is instructing Americans wishing to leave to travel to Kappesian, a city some 130 miles north of the capital. The situation there is a little more stable, but getting there is still quite dangerous. The State Department said rather ominously that, quote, the security situation in Haiti is unpredictable and dangerous. Travel within Haiti is conducted at your own risk. The U.S. government cannot guarantee your safety traveling to airports, borders, or during any onward travel, end quote. Republicans in Congress have been critical of President Biden for failing to evacuate Americans saying Haiti is just the latest in a long line of incidents where his administration has a bad.

citizens living abroad, including in Israel and, of course, Afghanistan. As we reported previously, Florida Congressman Corey Mills organized a helicopter rescue operation into Haiti last week, extracting 10 U.S. citizens who were trapped. Mills blasted the Biden administration following the rescue, saying his administration has shown a, quote, clear pattern of abandonment when it comes to Americans living in foreign countries. Now, it's worth noting that if you're in Haiti, looking to get out, your rescue does come with a price tag.

U.S. citizens who choose to depart using U.S. government-coordinated flights have to sign a promissory note agreeing to reimburse the U.S. government for the cost of the flight. Okay, turning now to the Middle East, where a new round of talks have begun in the hopes of achieving a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. These would be the first indirect negotiations between Israeli officials and Hamas leaders since the start of Ramadan on March 10th. In a significant development, Israel announced that it would send a delegation to Qatar for more discussions after Hamas proposed a new plan. The proposal includes a temporary ceasefire and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The word temporary, of course, is very important.

In return, Hamas would commence the release of Israeli hostages, prioritizing women, the sick, the elderly, and female soldiers. A subsequent phase would see the release of all remaining Israeli hostages and soldiers. Leading the Israeli delegation is David Barnia, head of Mossad, while Prime Minister Netanyahu is set to deliberate on the offer with his security cabinet. Although the new proposal from Hamas has been dismissed by Netanyahu's office as rooted in, quote, unrealistic demands, it does mark a departure from Hamas's prior insistence on a permanent ceasefire, as they now signal a willingness. for a 40-day temporary cessation of hostilities.

This shift from Hamas may indicate a recognition of their weakened position, particularly as their call for mass protests in the West Bank and East Jerusalem during Ramadan failed to materialize. Furthermore, the group is believed to have lost its highest-ranking official since the beginning of the war. Israeli security officials report that Marwan Issa, the second-in-command of Hamas' military wing in the Central Gaza Strip was killed in an IDF strike last week. Issa, a significant figure within Hamas, was the deputy to Muhammad Dief, leader of the military

wing. Alongside Yakhya Sinwar, Hamas's Gaza leader, Issa was implicated in orchestrating the 7 October massacre in southern Israel, which of course started the current war. Despite the renewal of a dialogue, Prime Minister Netanyahu is advancing an offensive in Rafah, That's a city, of course, on the Egyptian border, which has become a sanctuary, of sorts, for over 1.3 million Palestinians amidst the Israeli bombardments and operations. Despite international calls for de-escalation, Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that the military offensive against Hamas will persist with intentions to extend operations into Rafah.

This stance underscores the ongoing tension and the complexity of achieving any lasting peace in the region. Despite pressure from the Biden administration, in part to placate their base during that election year, the Israeli government is sticking to its pledge to ensure that Hamas is never allowed to rule in Gaza again. Now, in a classic case of sticking one's nose where it doesn't belong, during the past week, Democrat Senate leader Chuck Schumer decided it was somehow a good idea to call for a change in leadership within the Israeli government. Apparently Schumer and some Democrats are now in the regime change business,

hoping it appears to be seen as accommodating to their far-left base and Arab-American voters while knowing that the Israeli government, rightly, will pay no attention to their inane pronouncements. There is no doubt that in the U.S., the left's efforts, in part, led by Congresswoman Rashida Talib, and Arab-American leaders in the swing state of Michigan,

well, their efforts to convince voters in primaries to vote uncommitted instead of for Biden, that's rattled the White House. Although, to be fair, it's not like those voters are going to vote uncommitted or stay home in November, given that the official alternative now is former President Trump. The chance that the far left would do anything that could possibly benefit Trump is about the same as the chance that I would ever turn down a martini at the local steakhouse. It's not going to happen. All right.

Coming up in the back of the brief, we're taking a closer look at SpaceX. as deepening ties with the U.S. government as Elon Musk's company takes on a significant project to construct a vast array of spy satellites for an American intelligence agency. I'll be right back. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill?

Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot. Good news. Bring your AT&T or T Mobile Bill to Verizon and we'll give you a better deal. So get away from that unfortunate phone bill and get to Verizon. Run, ride, canoe. Whatever it takes, we'll be here. Bring your AT&T or T Mobile Bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network. A better deal. No surprises. That's Verizon.

Best network based on route metrics, best overall mobile network performance U.S. second half 2025. All rights reserved. It must provide a recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person for giving me the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. In today's back of the brief, I wanted to take a quick look at the relationship between Elon Musk's aerospace company SpaceX and the U.S. intelligence community. According to the Reuters report, the company is constructing a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with the U.S. intelligence agency.

The contract was first referenced in a Wall Street Journal report in February of this year, but without much detail. According to this latest report, the network is being built by Space X's Starshield Business Unit, under a $1.8 billion contract that was signed originally in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office, or otherwise known as the NRO. The NRO isn't a security agency that we hear about often. In fact, if ever, but it's incredibly important to intelligence gathering. They are the proverbial eyes in the sky. They design, build, and operate reconnaissance satellites to support a variety of national security objectives. The NRO provides satellite intelligence to several government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency,

helping to provide a comprehensive picture of the global environment. It plays a key role in global surveillance and reconnaissance, contributing to awareness of everything from missile launches to monitoring of military activities, assessing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and providing a warning on clear potential threats to the United States. The agency was established in the early 1960s, and its existence was classified until the early 1990s. Much of its mission, capabilities, and operations, of course, remained secret. SpaceX's partnership with the government, though, is not new. For example, the Department of Defense routinely launches military equipment using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets.

The company is also responsible for building missile tracking satellites that detect and track threats, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles. The latest developments further solidify the Pentagon's trust in Elon Musk's ability to fulfill their growing requirements, not to mention his company's ability to operate within the shadowy world of classified government contracts. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Monday, 18 March. 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.