The President's Daily Brief - March 21st, 2024: French Troop Furor, SpaceX's Secret Satellites, & Water Warning

Episode Date: March 21, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We delve into the escalating verbal conflict as Moscow accuses Paris of gearing up to deploy 2,000 troops to Ukraine. SpaceX's latest initiative, a secretive pact to develop a network of spy satellites for the U.S. Government, is stirring geopolitical tensions. We analyze how Elon Musk's endeavor has led to stark warnings from Beijing and outright threats from Moscow. The Biden administration issues an urgent plea for enhanced cybersecurity to protect America's water systems from burgeoning cyber threats. We explore the implications for national security. In a candid assessment of national morale, we discuss the United States' fall from the top 20 happiest countries globally, marking a troubling trend in American well-being, particularly among younger adults. 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

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your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll begin today by examining the war of words that's broken out between Moscow and Paris, as Russian intelligence agencies accuse France of preparing to send 2,000 troops into Ukraine. It's almost like Putin is trying to pick a fight with the EU and US. I mean, you'd think he'd be happy with one invasion at a time. Later in the program, we uncover how SpaceX's latest partnership with the U.S. government is sparking international tensions. Elon Musk's company is embarking on a clandestine project to deploy a vast array of spy satellites. Well, it was clandestine until individuals with access couldn't keep their yaps shut and told Reuters about it. That's a move that has Beijing

on edge and Moscow openly labeling SpaceX as a target. We'll also bring you the latest on the Biden administration's urgent call to action as America's water systems face increasing cyber threats. It's a high-stakes race to shield our nation's most vital resources. And in today's back of the brief, we're tackling a sobering shift in the well-being of Americans. For the first time since rankings began, the United States has slipped from its perch falling out of the top 20 happiest countries on Earth. Oh, that makes me sad. Oh, see, there you go. But first, today's PDB spotlight. French President Emmanuel Macron's recent transformation into Europe's leading hawk when it comes to war in the Ukraine is causing quite a bit of tension between Paris and Moscow, with Russia now accusing the French government

of preparing to send thousands of troops into Ukraine. If you remember, Macron's morphing into a manly warrior king began in earnest last month when he refused to rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine. As we reported at the time, his comments prompted a stern response from other European nations and even a brushback from NATO itself. But since then, Macron has refused to back down. During a 30-minute primetime television interview just last week, he once again presented the war in Ukraine as an existential threat and declined to rule out French boots on the ground. Of course, none of those boots would be on Macron's feet. Now, it's worth noting that he did clarify that France would not lead the offensive or take the initiative and go it alone. And here, and here I'll resist the temptation to dunk on French modern history.

However, despite action Macron Jackson's statement that France wouldn't be leading the charge, that's now exactly what Russia is accusing Macron of doing. A report carried by Russian state media's task news agency on Tuesday claims that Paris is already getting ready to put boots on the ground in Ukraine. In the report, Sergei Norychkin, the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, says that he, quote, has data according to which France is already preparing a military contingent to send to Ukraine. Nirishten said the information Russia has received indicates that France is preparing an initial force of 2,000 troops for the operation, adding that, quote, such a large military unit cannot be transferred and stationed in Ukraine unnoticed,

end quote. Well, not unless you fly them into the country at night, like the Biden administration does with illegal migrants. Nauriskin went on to warn that the French troops would be, quote, a legitimate priority target for attacks by the Russian armed forces. This means that they will suffer the fate of all the French who have ever come to the Russian world with a sword, end quote. And that, of course, is an obvious reference to France's last misadventure in Russia, which was led by Napoleon. It's unclear where Russia came across this information, or, and this could surprise you, if they simply made it up. The French Defense Ministry is denying the claim and accusing the Russian intelligence agency of spreading disinformation. What? In the statement, the defense ministry said,

quote, the maneuver orchestrated by Sergei Nrieshchen once again illustrates Russia's systematic use of disinformation. We consider this type of provocation irresponsible, end quote. Well, Russia did invade Ukraine and has been waging war on its neighbor now for over two years, so they probably won't take offense at being called irresponsible. Interestingly, Macron isn't the only Frenchman rattling his saber right now. In an op-ed piece in Le Monde, France's largest newspaper, the nation's army chief, General Pierre Schill, said that French land forces are ready to respond to any threat as they prepare for even, quote,

the toughest engagements. The general wrote, quote, However the international situation may evolve, French people can be certain that their soldiers stand ready to respond. Seems like over there in Europe everybody's flexing on everybody. Coming up after the break, the recent revelation that Elon Musk's SpaceX is developing a network of hundreds of spy satellites

for a U.S. intelligence agency is ruffling feathers in Beijing and Moscow. Plus, the Biden administration is warning of a growing cybersecurity threat against U.S. water infrastructure. More on those stories when we come back. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify.

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have responded to a recent report that Elon Musk's SpaceX is building spy satellites for U.S. intelligence agencies, and the two powers are not amused. But to be fair, neither is known for its sense of humor. Officials in Moscow condemned the activity by America's spy agencies saying their actions threaten global security and make the satellites a legitimate target for Russia's military. Officials with China's CCP were similarly disgruntled by the news, saying America's use of commercial satellite operators for clandestine activities exposed the U.S.'s, quote, shamelessness and double standards, referring to U.S. accusations that Chinese tech companies like TikTok threaten American security. Now, the fact that that's a terrible analogy by the CCP,

since TikTok is a Chinese company operating in the U.S. and SpaceX is a U.S. company operating in the U.S., well, I suppose that's neither here nor there. I'm just being churlish. As we covered on the PDB on Monday, A Reuters report revealed that SpaceX has a classified contract worth roughly $1.8 billion with the National Reconnaissance Office or NRO to develop a network of hundreds of spy satellites. The network, which is being built by SpaceX's Starsheeled Business Unit, will be deployed in low Earth orbit and reportedly be used to support American ground forces. One anonymous source with knowledge of the project who was unable to keep their mouth shut said it would significantly enhance the military's ability to quickly spot targets

or threats anywhere around the world. Officials with the CCP's People's Liberation Army urged U.S. companies, I want you to listen to this. I'm going to start that sentence over again. I may even repeat it again. Officials with the CCP's People's Liberation Army, that's the PLA, urged U.S. companies to avoid doing direct business with the U.S. government's defense sector, claiming the SpaceX contract poses a significant risk to international security and stability. Now, in case I didn't register with you the first time, yes, I'm going to repeat it,

China's military has urged U.S. companies to not do business with the U.S. defense industry. I'm having a difficult time right now deciding if that statement from Xi's regime in China is incredibly arrogant, ridiculously stupid, or possibly just a combination of both. Let's settle on the combo, shall we? State media in China also expressed concerns that the collaboration will inevitably lead to escalation between China and the U.S. Now, China has already been developing their own satellite constellation program in an attempt to rival SpaceX's public Starlink network of about 5,500 satellites.

In a statement, Chinese officials said, quote, We urge U.S. companies to not help a villain do evil. All countries worldwide should be vigilant and protect against new and even bigger security threats created by the U.S. government, end quote. Well, it's nice that the Chinese regime has taken time out from their decades of stealing intellectual property from around the world and then giving it to their state-owned supposedly independent companies to reverse engineer technology in order to lecture U.S. companies on how to behave properly. As I mentioned earlier, the Kremlin has also lashed out over the revelation, but claimed that they were aware of ongoing efforts by the U.S. government to leverage the private

sector for its military space ambitions. A spokesman for the foreign ministry added that, given their use by U.S. intelligence agencies, the satellites are, quote, a legitimate target for retaliatory measures, including military ones, end quote. Officials with SpaceX, the NRO, and the Pentagon, are all remaining tight-lipped about the clandestine program. We'll continue to track this story and bring you any further developments. And as an aside, I'm sure whoever leaked this story didn't do it because they disagree with Elon Musk's politics. All right, turning our focus to threats against the homeland. The Biden administration is sounding the alarm about the dangers posed by foreign hackers

targeting America's critical infrastructure. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and senior officials with the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter on Tuesday to America's governors outlining the threat, warning them that groups are actively carrying out cyber attacks, against water and sewage systems throughout the country, and that they only expect the infiltration attempts to intensify. In the letter, officials singled out Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and China as posing the greatest risk of cyber sabotage. They're already aware of several attempts by hackers affiliated with both nations to target critical U.S. infrastructure, including

drinking water systems. The head of the EPA said the groups are particularly focused on water systems and other essential infrastructure due to their relative vulnerability to cyber intrusions. Now, most water and sewage facilities in the U.S. currently lack the resources and technical capacity to adopt rigorous cybersecurity practices. The letter warns, quote, even basic cybersecurity precautions, such as resetting default passwords or updating software to address known vulnerabilities, are not in place and can mean the difference between business as usual and a disruptive cyber attack, end quote. While the U.S. has so far managed to avoid a destabilizing breach of critical systems, the risk, of course, is

always present. As you may recall, back in November, a group of Iranian backtackers took control of a municipal water station in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, shutting down a pump on a supply line that provides drinking water to two townships in the county. While workers there were able to disable the system and avoid any disruptions, the intrusion served as a disturbing reminder of just how vulnerable America's essential infrastructure is to foreign attacks. The Biden administration is calling on state leaders to bolster security defenses of their water systems, work to identify any remaining vulnerabilities, and create an action plan in the event of an attack. The White House also invited state environmental health and homeland security secretaries to an

emergency virtual meeting on Thursday to discuss the current threat, as well as plans to create a water sector cybersecurity task force. I know you and I are currently asking the same question. You mean the U.S. didn't already have a cybersecurity task force focused on the water sector? Ahead of the meeting, EPA administrator Michael Regan warned, quote, drinking water and wastewater systems are a lifeline for communities, but many systems have not adopted important cybersecurity practices to thwart potential cyber attacks, end quote. Okay, here's the thing. The reality is, if or when there is a major global conflict, you can count on the parties involved to target critical infrastructure, including water systems, power grids, transportation, financial systems,

and telecommunications. That's why every nation with sufficient resources, and here we're basically talking about China, Russia, and Iran, have spent years. probing and testing and mapping out the U.S. infrastructure. They've been creating playbooks for how to target these systems, how to identify the weak links. The objective is to bring the conflict directly to the home front, to damage and weaken morale at home, and to create chaos and instability. And on that happy note, coming up in the back of the brief, for the first time since rankings began, the United States has dropped out of the top 20 happiest country's globally, with a notable decline in happiness among younger adults.

And hopefully, it's not because you hear about global problems and crises here on the President's Daily Brief. I'd hate to think I was contributing to the sullen nature of Americans. I'll be right back. 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. Never fly during a Scorpio full of.

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You knew, of course, that existed. As the name suggests, it's a survey that's meant to measure the happiness and prosperity of countries around the world based on data and analysis by the University of Oxford, and if anyone knows happy, it's those folks at Oxford. The way the index works is that people in 143 countries and territories are asked to evaluate their lives on a scale from zero to 10, with 10 representing their best possible life. The results are then averaged out to create a ranking. Well, the results are in, and for the first time since the report was launched back in 2012, the United States has dropped out of the top 20. falling to 23rd place from 15th place last year. So, what's driving American unhappiness?

Apparently, U.S. numbers are impacted the most by Americans 30 years and younger. They're the least happy group in the country, and they're ranked 62nd globally, trailing under 30s in Ecuador and Brazil and the Dominican Republic, just to name a few. In the 60 and older category, Americans remain relatively happy, perhaps because the the older folks can afford better drugs. The 60 and overs in the U.S. are 10th worldwide in terms of happiness, just behind the Netherlands and Canada and also Australia. Now, if you're wondering where to find the happiest people on Earth, aside from all the folks riding those little boats at the Disney attraction and it's a small world, well, the Nordic countries dominate the list. Finland

remained in the top spot with an average score of 7.7, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden. Now, sadly, at the bottom of the list, well, it's Afghanistan and Lebanon, with scores of 1.7 and 2.7 respectively. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Thursday, 21 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. Spring is the season everyone refreshes everything, except their blinds.

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