The President's Daily Brief - March 6th, 2024: UN Workers Exposed, Russian Ship Sunk, & Biden’s Secret Migrants

Episode Date: March 6, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The Israeli Defense Forces reveal audio recordings implicating two UNRWA employees in coordinating with Hamas-led attacks, shedding light on the complex interplay between international organizations and regional conflicts. A significant setback for the Russian navy as Ukraine successfully sinks a Russian patrol ship near Crimea, marking another setback for Russia’s naval presence in the Black Sea. The Biden Administration's covert operation of flying 320,000 migrants into the U.S. comes under scrutiny for its potential national security vulnerabilities, sparking a debate on immigration policies and border security. In a bold move against surveillance abuses, the U.S. Treasury Department bans a spyware manufacturer accused of hacking into the smartphones of U.S. citizens, including a senator, highlighting the challenges of digital privacy and security. 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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You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. This podcast is sponsored by Blackout. Coffee. Seriously, it's the best part of starting your day. Pour yourself a delicious cup of American-made Blackout Coffee. It's family-owned, premium coffee, fresh roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first purchase. It's Wednesday, 6 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'll start things off today.

With the rising tensions between the state of Israel and the United Nations, Israel has now withdrawn its UN ambassador after the Israeli defense forces, the IDF, released new audio recordings of aid workers bragging about taking part in the Hamas-led attacks on October 7th. Later in the show, Ukraine delivers another blow to Russia's armed forces, sending a state-of-the-art Russian patrol ship to the bottom of the Black Sea. and that's just the latest embarrassment for Russia's Navy. Plus, we'll take a look at the Biden administration's disturbing admission that they've secretly flown over 300,000 migrants into the U.S.

to reduce the number of crossings at the border. Finally, in today's back of the brief, the U.S. Treasury Department takes a rare step imposing a ban on a spyware company after its products were used to surveil a United States senator. But first, today's PDB spotlight. The rift between the United Nations and Israel continues to grow, with the Jewish state recalling its U.N. ambassador. The recall comes just as a new U.N. report was released that detailed the brutal sexual assaults and depravity committed by Femas during their October 7th attacks in southern Israel. Now, we covered the report yesterday, and if you want more on that, I'd refer you to yesterday's afternoon bullet.

the details, while they're disturbing to say the least. According to Israel's foreign minister, the ambassador was recalled over accusations that the UN attempted to keep the report under wraps and failed to give it the attention it deserved. In a statement, Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan shited the UN for taking so long to recognize that the shocking crimes even took place. Erdan wrote, quote, now that the report on the sexual atrocities and sexual abuse that our hostages in Gaza are going through, the shameful silence by the UN that is not holding even one discussion on the issue screams to the heavens, end quote. The UN is denying that they did

anything to keep the report quiet. Now, if this wasn't all bad enough, the IDF has released new audio recordings of two UN aid workers who participated in the October 7th Hamas attacks. The pair worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, and that's an agency that supports relief efforts in the Palestinian territories. In the audio, one of the employees, a teacher at an UNRWA school, brags about capturing a female hostage. He also claims that Hamas members were shooting Israelis in the eyes and stealing money from the homes they were entering. In another recording, an UNRWA teacher tells his friend that he's captured a Sabaya, a term used by ISIS terrorists to describe sex slaves. As we've reported here on the PDB, a dozen UNROW workers have previously been accused

of participating in the attacks, and the latest two bring that total of 14. However, that's likely just the tip of the iceberg. The IDF said its intelligence shows that some 450 terror operatives in Gaza, mostly Hamas members, are also employed by UNRah. A number of Western nations have pulled their funding from the U.N. Agency since the accusations first surfaced late last year. However, UNRWA is now fighting back, accusing Israel of detaining and torturing some of its staffers, coercing them into making false confessions about their ties to Hamas. Detainees gave testimony of beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual abuse, and threats of sexual violence against both men and women detained by the Israeli military. Now, none of those accusations have been

verified, and accusations by Hamas terrorists and supporters should probably be taken with a grain of salt. The Israeli military responded to the accusations, calling them, quote, another cynical attempt to create a false equivalency with the systemic use of rape as a weapon of war by Hamas, end quote. Now, before we go to the break, I just wanted to remind you that we've launched our president's daily brief premium membership this week. If you want to listen to the show, add-free, and get access to exclusive member content that we've got coming down the pike, you can sign up at PDB Premium.com. That's PDB Premium.com.

All right, coming up, another setback for Russian naval power as Ukraine sinks a cutting-edge patrol vessel in the Black Sea, adding to a series of embarrassments for Moscow's fleet. Also ahead, a startling revelation from the Biden administration, acknowledging the covert transport of over 300,000 migrants into the United States. I'll have those stories when we come 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.

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of the person regimen me the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount. New vehicle discount. Storage discount. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Welcome back. Ukraine has scored another major naval victory against Russia, sinking a sophisticated patrol vessel in the Putin regime's already diminished Black Sea fleet.

Employing high-tech sea drones, Ukrainian forces struck the large Russian patrol ship off the coast of occupied Crimea on Tuesday, causing extensive damage that eventually caused the ship to sink in the Black Sea. It's the latest in a series of targeted drone strikes by Kiev on Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which have crippled their ability to freely operate in the region. As we've previously noted on the PDB, Ukraine's efforts against Russia's Navy have been a singular bright spot for leaders in Kiev as they continue to grapple with Moscow's ground forces on the front lines. Moscow did not confirm their latest maritime loss,

which occurred near the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea's eastern coast from mainland Russia. The vessel was reportedly one of Russia's newest state-of-the-art patrol ships, with a price tag of roughly $65 million, possibly more, if they opted for the luxury package with floor mats and cup holders. It's believed to carry a crew of 60 and can be loaded with cruise missiles, according to a report from NBC News. Now, the attack is adding to the Kremlin's ongoing embarrassment on the naval front. It comes after Ukraine sunk a large Russian landing ship full of weapons. and military equipment in the Black Sea just two weeks ago, also using drones to hit that target. Since the outbreak of the war, Ukraine has destroyed or disabled more than 25 of Russia's naval

vessels along with a submarine. These are believed to comprise nearly a third of Russia's warships. Ukraine's naval dominance in the region has virtually neutralized Russia's ability to disrupt maritime trade in the western part of the Black Sea. And critically, its open, up a shipping corridor in the region, allowing Ukraine to efficiently move their grain exports to the European market. Ukrainian authorities have said that their grain exports have now returned to pre-war levels. It also appears that Ukraine's relentless bombardment of Russian warships is causing Moscow to rethink their approach in the region. A spokesman for Ukraine's Navy recently said that Russian vessels are starting to operate with an unprecedented level of caution

in the highly disputed waters. They recently observed a group of warships that were approaching the Bosporus Strait in Turkey engaged in an unexpected U-turn instead of passing through, fleeing instead to the safety of Turkish territorial waters. While officials in Kiev don't know what caused the about-face, they speculated it was due to Russia's increasing fears

of being left vulnerable to an attack by the Ukrainian Navy. All right, shifting our focus back to the migrant, crisis at the U.S. southern border, a disturbing report has emerged, revealing that the Biden administration has been covertly funneling illegal immigrants into the U.S. in an apparent attempt to cook the books on the number of immigrants entering the country. The revelation comes from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Center for Immigration Studies that found that the Biden administration has been secretly flying hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into at least 43 different American cities, even as millions poured over the poorest U.S. southern border.

The White House has attempted to keep that program under wraps, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to refuse to disclose the specific cities where the migrants were sent, claiming that doing so could create national security vulnerabilities, according to an exclusive report by the Daily Mail. Now, national security vulnerabilities, well, that must be another way to say, an embarrassing revelation that could damage the White House's re-election hopes for November. The program, which operated from January through December of 2023, used a government-operated cell phone app called CBP1 that allowed migrants to apply for asylum from within their home countries. They would then be flown overnight to unknown U.S. cities and released, where they're

allowed to remain and work for up to two years without obtaining legal status. Basically, it was a way to bypass the traditional process of arriving through a border checkpoint. Under the program, at least 320,000 illegal immigrants were flown into American cities under the cover of darkness, despite having no legal right to even enter the U.S. As we mentioned, the Biden administration is refusing to disclose just where these migrants were sent, as well as which foreign airports they came from, citing vague concerns that bad actors would exploit the information, and by bad actors, I imagine they mean Republican strategists. The administration claims the secret flights were intended to reduce migrant foot traffic at the

U.S. border. However, critics, skeptical of the Biden White House's motives, well, they find the explanation a bit convenient. Regardless, it didn't work anyway, as 2023 saw record levels of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. through the border. The backlash to the bombshell revelation was swift, Mark Morgan, a former CBP commissioner, called the secret flights, quote, unconscionable. Others have speculated on the national security risks posed by the program. America is already facing an illegal migrant crisis of unprecedented proportions, which former FBI officials have warned leaves America open to attacks and infiltration by foreign enemies. A record 2.4 million migrant apprehensions occurred along the U.S. border during the 2023 fiscal year.

and there seems to be no indication that their rate will slow down any time soon. As we discussed earlier this week on the BDB, it's estimated that by the end of September of this year, more than 8 million illegal immigrants will be living inside the U.S., that's a 167% increase or so in just five years. All right, coming up in today's back of the brief, the U.S. Treasury Department takes aim at mercenary spyware, sanctioning a company whose surveillance software was found on the devices of multiple members of Congress.

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A 250 milligram per 2 milliliter injection is a prescription medicine used to treat adults in children 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds or 40 kilograms with moderate to severe eczema, also called atopic dermatitis that is not well controlled with prescription therapies used on the skin or topicals or who cannot use topical topical corticosteroids. Don't use if you're allergic to ebbglis. Allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Eye problems can occur.

Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems. You should not receive a live vaccine when treated without. Ebbglis. Before starting Ebbglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about Ebbglus.com or call 1800 lilyrx or 1-800 545-97579. In today's back of the brief, the U.S. Treasury Department made a rare move on Tuesday to sanction the creators of commercial spyware that can hack smartphones and turn them into surveillance devices. The creators of the software, which include a former Israeli military officer, are now banned from doing business in the United States.

The sanctions are the most aggressive action ever taken by the U.S. government against what's often called mercenary spyware. At issue is a commercially sold program called Predator, designed for mobile platforms, including iOS and Android. Developed and sold by a company called Intellica, Predator is a surveillance tool that allows operators to covertly monitor and extract data from targeted devices. This spyware can access sensitive information such as photos, location data, chat messages, and microphone recordings from infected devices. It operates through a web-based system which enables spyware operators to initiate attacks against target phones and manage spyware infections.

If an attack is successful, operators can retrieve and access the collected information through this platform. A concerning aspect of all of this is that an investigation by Amnesty International found that this software has been found on the devices of people at the highest levels of power in the U.S. Victims include a United States senator and at least two sitting members of Congress. The software was also at the center of a scandal in Greece in 2022, where it was allegedly used by the government to spy on the opposition and wiretap a number of journalists. According to our press release by the Treasury Department, governments around the world have also deployed this technology to, quote, facilitate repression and enable human rights abuses,

including to intimidate political opponents and curb dissent and monitoring target activists and journalists. Under the new sanctions, Americans and people who do business in the U.S. are forbidden from doing business with the company that sold the software or any of the software's developers. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 6 March. Now, just a reminder to check out our premium membership. As a member, you'll get an ad-free version of the show, as well as other membership perks, and you can check that out by heading over to pdb premium.com.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.