The President's Daily Brief - March 22nd, 2024: UN Ceasefire Drama, Iranian Threats, & Timeshare Troubles

Episode Date: March 22, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The Biden administration challenges Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu with a UN ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Escalating threats from Iran and its terror proxies pose risks to U.S. leaders and homeland security. Mexico opposes Texas Governor Greg Abbott's border security measures, planning legal action. American timeshare owners face new threats from Mexican drug cartels targeting their properties. 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

This podcast is sponsored by Blackout Coffee. Get your day off to a great start with American-made Blackout Coffee. Family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. That right there, that's the definition of fresh coffee. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB for 20% off your first purchase. It's Friday, 22 March. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker.

Your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. We'll begin today with a major shot across the bow of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by the Biden administration, as the U.S. submits a draft resolution to the United Nations calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Later in the program, we'll turn to domestic news with new threats from Iran and its terror proxies on the home front, which may include assassination attempts on U.S. leaders. Plus, Mexico is fighting back announcing that they'll be taking legal action in opposition to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's efforts to secure the border.

Finally, in today's back of the brief, a warning to American timeshare owners. You may be the next target of Mexican drug cartels. But first, today's PDB spotlight. The White House is taking a new step in its efforts to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to agree to halt its military campaign in Gaza. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken presented a new UN Security Council resolution, calling for an immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages. The draft says that the UN Security Council, quote,

determines the imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, allow for the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance, and alleviate humanitarian suffering, and towards that end, unequivocally supports ongoing international diplomatic efforts to secure such a ceasefire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages. Apparently all UN Security Council drafts have to be one massive run-on sentence. While the White House is hedging its calls by connecting it to the release of hostages, this does mark a significant change in posture, as it's the first time that the U.S. has called for a ceasefire in the United Nations.

To date, the U.S. has vetoed three ceasefire resolutions in the U.N., objecting as recently as February to the use of the term immediate in the draft resolution that was submitted by Algeria. Speaking of the resolution, the Secretary of State told reporters, quote, Of course we stand with Israel and its right to defend itself, but at the same time, it's imperative that the civilians who are in harm's way and who are suffering so terribly that we focus on them, that we make them a priority, protecting the civilians getting them humanitarian assistance." End quote.

Well, then he added, plus it's an election year, right? And we cannot afford to lose Arab American and youth voters, and you know that Michigan's a swing state. Fine. Okay, that last part is not an actual quote. But there is little doubt that domestic political concerns are playing a role in the Biden administration's handling of the conflict. Support for Israel doesn't appear to play well with the Democrats' left base.

No Security Council vote has been scheduled on this draft, though, and there's no guarantee that it would pass. Meanwhile, Secretary Blinken is in the Middle East this week, working on negotiations between Israel and Hamas in hopes that the two sides can reach an agreement in the coming days. Mediators met for a fourth day on Thursday, but there's little indication of an imminent agreement. While in Saudi Arabia, Blinken told reporters that the gaps are narrowing between the two sides, reiterating that the onus is on Hamas to accept the proposal that is currently on the table.

Well, you'll recall that this wouldn't be the first time that the Biden administration has signaled optimism in the progress of the negotiations, only to be rebuffed by both Hamas and the Israelis, saying that the White House was getting out over their skis. The current proposal being negotiated could lead to a six-week ceasefire in Gaza and to the release of some 40 hostages, women, female soldiers, men over the age of 50, and men in critical medical conditions, in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. According to our report in Axios, there are a few major sticking points that still stand in the way of a deal. That's not a surprise. The first is that Hamas wants to choose which prisoners will be released, and they're especially

focusing on those who are serving life sentences. Israel has rejected that demand. In addition, Hamas is sticking to its demand that the second phase of the deal, which would include the release of IDF soldiers they currently hold as prisoners, includes a permanent ceasefire. And by the way, Hamas has refused to provide any information on the condition of the hostages. All right, coming up next, we examine new threats from Iran and its proxies potentially targeting U.S. leaders. Also, Mexico's legal challenge against Texas Governor Greg Abbott's border policies. More on those stories when we come back. Welcome back. I want to return to our ongoing coverage of Iran and its numerous proxies as Congress warns the public that threats to the homeland from the Islamic regime are intensifying. The House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing on Wednesday discussing Iran's so-called axis of resistance and the implications for domestic security and U.S. interests abroad.

Four high-ranking intelligence officials provided testimony regarding the threat of Iran's proxy forces, warning specifically that cyber attacks on critical infrastructure as well as assassination plots against U.S. officials and residents remain the most pressing concerns. Robert Wells, assistant director of the FBI's counterterrorism division, specifically focused on the threat from Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which he warned has the capability to carry out attacks in the U.S. Wells said, quote, the FBI remains concerned that Hezbollah, Iran's primary strategic partner, could conduct retaliatory attacks against former U.S. officials, not only overseas, but also in the U.S., end quote. Wells noted that unlike the other assorted proxy groups backed by Iran,

Hezbollah is unique in their reach and ability to maintain networks overseas. Wells further elaborated, quote, since its inception in 1982, Hezbollah has been involved in numerous anti-U.S. terrorist terrorist terrorist infrastructure worldwide and are likely to continue conducting intelligence collection, financial activities, and procurement efforts." He also reminded the committee of the active threats facing former Trump administration officials, noting that Iranian leaders continue to promise retribution over the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran's goods force, who was terminated in an American drone strike in Iraq in January of 2020.

As we recently discussed on the PDB, the FBI is currently searching for an Iranian intelligence officer who was allegedly actively recruiting individuals inside the U.S. to participate in these assassination plots. Undiscoreing the seriousness of Iran's threats, the U.S. government has been providing round-the-clock security for several former Trump-era officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Trump's special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook. We know of at least one case regarding Bolton and Pompeo, where authorities disrupted an active plot to assassinate both men. Officials were careful to note that Iranian assassination plots are not limited to U.S. officials.

They pointed to the case of two residents of Maryland, who were targeted for murder by the regime for speaking out against the repressive government's record on human rights. Rounding out the list of threats are cyber attacks backed by the Iranian regime, which, as we discussed on yesterday's PDB, are actively targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, particularly essential water and sewage systems. The Biden administration called on state leaders this week to bolster security defenses of their water systems and to create an action plan in the event of an attack. Turning our focus now to the U.S. border crisis, Mexico has waded into the debate over a controversial law that would empower Texas state law enforcement to arrest and deport individuals found illegally

entering or re-entering the U.S. Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement this week condemning the law and said they planned to file what's referred to as a friend of the court brief with the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opposing the measure. Specifically, they said they said Mexico will not recognize the Texas state law as legitimate and will therefore refuse to accept any migrants that Texas tries to deport if the law ultimately goes into effect. Now, let's take a moment to quickly review where the law currently stands, particularly in light of the widespread confusion caused by U.S. courts earlier this week, and there was a great deal of back and forth. A federal judge in Austin initially blocked Texas from implementing the law in February. However,

the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently sided with Texas granting a stay of the ruling in early March. Okay, then that ruling was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued several pauses on implementation as they considered the legislation. They placed an indefinite hold on the law on Monday of this week, only to issue a ruling on Tuesday that upheld the Fifth Circuit Court's decision. This briefly meant that the law could take immediate effect. However, in an unusual move, the Fifth Circuit Court voted Tuesday night to reverse their previous ruling, once again, leaving the Texas law in a state of legal limbo and the entire country in a state of confusion. The Fifth Circuit Court began hearing additional arguments regarding the law on Wednesday.

Mexico will now be adding their voice to the proceedings. As we've previously discussed, the Texas law would classify illegal entry or re-entry into Texas as a state crime subject to the jurisdiction of local law enforcement. Texas state law enforcement would be empowered to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing while state judges would be granted the authority to deport migrants to Mexico. Now, leaders in Mexico have said that the law risks significantly impacting its relationship with the U.S. and infringes on their own sovereign rights. In a press release, Mexican officials said, quote,

Mexico will not accept under any circumstances repatriations by the state of Texas. Mexico reiterates its legitimate right to protect the rights of its nationals in the United States and to determine its own policies regarding entry into its territory. Hmm. Okay. So what the Mexican government is saying is that they plan on ensuring that the Mexican border is secure. There's a thought. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has not yet publicly responded to this latest wrinkle in the ongoing saga over Texas's border authority. Now, not to point out the obvious, but well, here comes me about to point out the obvious. If the federal government was doing its job, its primary job, protecting its citizens, securing the border, ensuring we know who crosses into the U.S.,

generally enforcing the law of the land, well, individual states such as Texas would not have to be taking extraordinary measures to get the job done. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, one of Mexico's most violent criminal groups is on the hunt for new victims, draining the bank accounts of thousands of elderly American timeshare owners. I'll be right back. In today's back of the brief, when we think of Mexico's drug cartels, we usually think of, well, narcotics, violence, maybe human trafficking. But their latest venture is far more mundane targeting Americans who own resort timeshares. The Khan is being carried out by a group called the Halisco New Generation Cartel.

The cartel was originally formed as an armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, but eventually broke away and became an independent group. They're now one of the most prolific and brutal cartels in Mexico, and as bizarre as it sounds, they've now turned their sights on timeshare owners. Here's how the scam works. First, scammers operating out of dozens of call centers, bribe resort employees in places like Cancun to get guest information. Then they call up timeshare owners looking to sell off assets. Cartel employees pose as sales representatives, offering to buy their investments back for generous sums.

Once the owner agrees to the sale, the cartel employees start demanding upfront fees for things like listing advertisements and government taxes. The fees usually start small, a few hundred here and a few hundred there. But eventually, representatives ramp up the pressure, persuading their victims to wire large amounts of money to Mexico, sometimes as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. And then, of course, they vanish with the money. According to the New York Times, one victim had wired a total of $1.2 million, her entire life savings to Mexico. U.S. officials say that the scheme has pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars already, rivaling the cartel's traditional criminal revenue streams. The scammers particularly target folks who are older, retired, and looking to

sell off their assets. So, the old financial advice certainly applies here. If someone calls you with an offer that sounds too good to be true, well, chances are it is. And if you're retired, if you have limited assets or on a fixed retirement income, please be extra alert for scammers of any kind. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Friday, 22 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.