The President's Daily Brief - May 16th, 2022. Sweden and Finland Look to Join NATO. Venezuela Asks for Support as Socialism Fails Again.

Episode Date: May 16, 2022

It’s May 16th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. I’m your host and former CIA Officer Bryan Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. First up, Finland and Sweden are joining NATO. Well, maybe. We’re going to talk about what’s happening and how it could impact America. Your second brief, Graduation season is here, but not for some Air Force Academy cadets. And it has to do with the COVID vaccine. We’re going to talk about that. And as always, I’m keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Some Americans think Socialism is pretty great. But there’s a socialist country this morning that’s admitting that its system has failed. We’re going to discuss the latest out of Venezuela. All up next on the President’s Daily Brief. ------ Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's May 16th. 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. The brief you're about to hear is in the same spirit of the actual President's Daily Brief, which is a top secret summary of the most critical events in the past 24 hours, all delivered to the President each day by the nation's spymasters. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I am your spy and this is your brief. Here's what we're going to be talking about this morning. First up, Finland and Sweden are joining NATO. Well, maybe. We're going to talk about what's happening and how it could impact America. Your second brief graduation season is here, but not for some Air Force Academy cadets,

and it has to do with the COVID vaccine. We're going to talk about that. And as always, I'm keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. Some Americans think socialism is pretty great, but there's a socialist country this morning that's actually admitting that its system is failing. We're going to discuss the latest out of Venezuela. All up next on the president's daily brief. Your first piece of intel this morning, Russia's war in Ukraine is causing all sorts of unexpected developments to include this one. The countries of Finland and Sweden are hoping to join NATO. Now, word of that started leaking late last week and then throughout the weekend.

There are some politics over whether it'll actually happen, more on that in a minute, but the announcement in and of itself is a big deal for one reason. Both countries for decades have been afraid of angering Moscow, but that's just not true anymore. understand this moment, we have to understand just a little bit of Nordic history, especially Finland. For about 100 years, Finland was under the rule of Russia, and then in 1917, they won independence. But that didn't last for very long. About 20 years later, in the winter of 1939, the Soviet Union invaded. Now, the reason was land. The two countries shared an 800-mile-long border, give or take, and the Soviets, well, they wanted to take. They wanted some of that territory that stood between them and the Finns. Now, Moscow didn't think that the invasion would be very hard. They anticipated

maybe two or three weeks. They were actually planning for their victory parades before fighting ever even started. Well, it turns out the Soviets were very wrong. There were tens of thousands of Finnish fighters who bowed back. Some strapped on skis and chased after the Soviets through the woods. If you want to read on this, it's really incredible. It's called the Winter War. You should really dig into it. There's a famous Finnish Finnish sniper nickname. the white death, who was an absolute legend. But at any rate, the war lasted a very short time and the Soviets were humiliated. To Finland's credit, they were smart about how they handled themselves after that war in 39. Basically, they were very careful not to poke the Russian bear.

So they avoid joining NATO when it was set up in 1949 and have refused to join ever since. So that delicate dance between Russia and Finland and Sweden, for that matter, had been in place for over 70 years. It's been a key pillar of Finnish politics. In fact, there was a poll done a while back that showed about 80% of Finns wanted no part of joining NATO. And then Russia invaded Ukraine. And that changed everything. The Finnish people now support joining NATO 75% to 25%. In other words, there's been a political earthquake. And for Moscow, that's a strategic blunder because they now have another prospective NATO country on their border. So I spoke with some of my intel friends, and they also pointed out this interesting fact. Russia has three ports on the Baltic Sea,

and if Finland joins NATO, all three ports will now be completely encircled by NATO countries. And for what it's worth, and I think this is interesting, Finland's president actually called Vladimir Putin this weekend to let him know of his plans to join NATO, because, again, they historically have been relatively friendly. Now, apparently, Putin wasn't happy with Finland's decision, but also wasn't particularly outraged. Putin simply said that it was a mistake and promised there would be some vague military consequences. Now, most of my former colleagues that I spoke with think that this means Russia will probably post some more military personnel and equipment along the border between those two countries. But the bottom line for Russia is that at the moment, there's

not a lot they can really do about Finland or Sweden joining NATO. They're getting clobbered in Ukraine. And even if they wanted to fight, they're in no shape to do so with conventional or professional troops because there are just basically very few left. Now, there is absolutely the threat of a nuclear strike or a cyber attack with cyber being the most likely. Now, the Finns are very prepared for this because they have very good cyber defenses. And even if they were bombed, I'm actually going to tell you something that you might not know. Finland has built underground tombs. and shelters throughout the country that can actually house more than 4 million people, which is about 70% of their population.

In the capital city of Helsinki, some of their bigger shelters actually double in peacetime as ice rinks and sports arenas. I mean, these folks are prepared. All right, anyway, so here's what we now know so far. Let's recap our knowledge of what's happening. Finland and Sweden don't trust Russia for very good reason. There's history. And there's also a war in Ukraine.

right now. So they want to join NATO for protection. So that means they're going to join NATO, right? Well, not so fast. You see, in order to join NATO, all the existing members of the alliance have to agree to let you in. And there's one country this morning, the country of Turkey, that is opposed. The president of Turkey, a fellow named President Erdogan, is a bit of a dictator himself, and he has a friendly relationship with Putin. Now, President Erdogan said over the weekend that he's not inclined to let either Finland or Sweden into NATO. So why is that? Well, he's claiming that it's because those two countries harbor terrorists that hate Turkey. Now, those terrorists, quote-unquote, would be the Kurdish people who are originally from Eastern Turkey but have migrated to Europe

over many years. Now, whether or not their terrorist depends on who you ask, honestly, it's a bit political. But nevertheless, it's a problem. All right, so the final question. So the final as always is why should you care about all this? Well, it has to do with some backroom deals that Joe Biden and his team are almost certainly making this morning as you listen to this brief. You see, Turkey wants a bunch of stuff from the United States. Their big ask is for military equipment, specifically F-16 and F-35 fighter jets. The worry, at least in the United States, is how Turkey and its President Erdogan will actually use those fighter jets once they get them. So remember that I just mentioned the Kurds that were in these Nordic countries.

Well, they have relatives back in Turkey. And some of them are actually fighting against Erdogan. Some of them are, in fact, terrorists. So the truth is that Turkey will almost certainly use some of those American jets to kill some of those Kurds in their country, terrorists and innocent people alike. Now, there's a second smaller issue or concern that Turkey could possibly use those jets, too, against its neighboring country of Greece. Now, this brief is already very complicated,

so we'll unpack that story between Turkey and Greece another time. But for now, you should know that Greece and Turkey haven't liked each other for a couple thousand years. So the bottom line of why you should care is this. If Joe Biden makes a deal with Turkey, in other words, Joe gives President Erdogan some of those jets so that Finland and Sweden can get into NATO, then we might accidentally spark an ethnic genocide of the Kurds or fuel a war in the Mediterranean

or Middle East. All right, that's a lot of moving parts to this brief, which is usually how international affairs go. But let's summarize. Sweden and Finland want to join NATO because they don't trust Russia. The war in Ukraine proved that to them. So whether they actually join NATO or not depends on Turkey and whether Turkey gets those jets amongst some other things. but we have to be very careful because those jets could cause all kinds of problems down the road. So let me offer up my counsel to you this morning, just as I would if you were the President of the United States. So I can appreciate why Finland and Sweden both want to join NATO. They've lost confidence that Russia is a partner that they can deal with, and that makes sense.

But practically speaking, those countries don't really have to join NATO because both are already very close partners of our NATO alliance. Their military hardware is very compatible with ours. Their military personnel have been long-time training partners. So if, God forbid, the Russians were to attack either Finland or Sweden, the world would absolutely erupt in protest, to include here in the United States. But instead of an automatic war, like a NATO membership would require, our Congress would instead have to debate whether or not to join that conflict. And that is actually a good thing, I think.

and it's what the founders would have wanted us to do. If you recall, I give you a brief where I talked about President George Washington that in his farewell address, he told us to avoid foreign entanglements and commitments and only involve ourselves in these foreign affairs after very careful debate. Now, I suspect that our Congress would very quickly join a war in support of Finland or Sweden, no matter if they were a member of NATO or not. So the bottom line is, if Turkey tries to squeeze us by agreeing to let us, Finland and Sweden into NATO only after they get those fighter jets. Well, to my mind's side,

that's not a trade worth making. Even if that means that Finland and Sweden have to sit on the NATO sidelines, at least for now. But as always, the choice is yours. 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 moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade.

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Find your perfect product at Bose.com. Your second brief graduation season is upon us, but not for everybody and certainly not at the U.S. Air Force Academy. That's the message from the Department of Defense to four students at the Academy, which is in Colorado Springs. These four young people have refused to get the COVID vaccine, and that means they're going to be kicked out of the military and the school because Joe Biden has made it a requirement for service. Now, the students have declined the shots out of religious concerns, and they've applied for a religious existence. but so far no luck. And that means that these seniors have about two weeks before graduation to make a choice. Either they get the shots or they lose their career. And in all likelihood, they'll be forced to pay back over $200,000 in tuition. Now, their attorney is pleading with the government that these young folks have

earnest, reasonably held religious beliefs that should preclude them from having to take these shots. And by the way, there are other younger cadets who haven't gotten the shots either and stand to be ejected as well. There are a couple of juniors, one sophomore, and six freshmen, all seeking religious exemption, by the way, and all denied so far. Now, it's possible that there may be a deal reached in the next couple of days because the Department of Justice could authorize those exemptions, but they've been very reluctant to do this so far across all the branches of service. So if you were the president this morning, here's how I'd encourage you to think about this. First up, let's talk about risks. For my previous briefs to you, you'll recall that only one to five percent of

people who get COVID end up in a hospital. Of that group, the vast majority of people are obese, over 70 percent, and the rest are largely those age 65 and up. Now, in this case, we're talking about four kids, all of whom are 22. They are fit-ass fiddles. Statistically, they are not at risk for COVID at all. Now, could they be a wild exception to the rule? Sure. Is that how public health policy works? No, it is not, or it shouldn't be. Public health policy is supposed to be set based on what most people are likely to experience, not the 0.0001% of people. And that actually takes us to the second key consideration this morning, and it's one that we haven't talked about on the PDB. It's called public versus private benefit. So let me explain this. When a government mandates someone get a vaccine or do

anything pretty much, it's long been understood that there has to be a compelling, private, and public benefit. And by that mean, if I get vaccinated, the assumption is that the jab protects me, that's the private benefit, but that it also protects you and the rest of America because I won't spread the virus to you, right? That's the public benefit. But think about the measles, mumps, and Vela vaccines here. There's a private and a public benefit. It protects me and everybody else. But let's consider the flu vaccine. If I get that shot, it may provide me some private benefit. My symptoms generally aren't going to be as severe and I probably won't be as sick for as long as I might otherwise have been. Now, that's why I would get the shot, again, because there's a private

benefit. But I can still catch the flu and I can still spread it. In other words, there's little to no public benefit. And that's why we've never mandated flu vaccines. There's just no public benefit. And that takes us to COVID vaccines. COVID vaccines at best appear to provide a private benefit. They appear to lessen symptoms in the elderly and the obese, most especially, and prevent those higher risk groups from dying. But you can still catch COVID and spread it even after taking the vaccine. So there's no public benefit. And that means that ethically and historically speaking, the government should not mandate these shots. Now, we still have a lot to learn about these vaccines. I brief you last week on the weird rise in cases and hospitalizations in New England,

all amongst vaccinated people. But regardless, as of today, COVID vaccines only provide a private benefit. So the question in this case of the Air Force cadets, is whether you should mandate that these kids be injected with something when there's no public benefit. Should you ruin someone's career and violate their bodies and ultimately steal their liberty when there's no public benefit to be gained? I mean, shouldn't a person decide if a jab is or isn't appropriate for them because, at least in this case, they're 22, they're fit, and there's virtually no risk? This is when I think we should adopt what I call the Tony Fauci standard. If you remember a couple weeks ago, Tony Fauci, of course, of the NIH, declined to go to the White House correspondence dinner because of what he said was, quote,

my individual assessment of my personal risk. Yes, that is correct. Fauci is 81 years old and he made the best decision for him, his body, his risk, his choice. And that's exactly what America should be doing in this case with these four seniors at the Air Force Academy. let them decide and then let them graduate and for Pete's sake let them serve their country so if you agree with my counsel on this one i want you to reach out to your representative and senators that's especially true if you're in colorado your senators are michael bennett and john hickleupper both democrats both have the ear of joe biden but regardless go to senate.gov click on the

senators button you'll find their contact information there also go to house.gov and you'll find your there as well. Tell them all what you think. Be polite, but be firm. Because if you feel moved, I think that these kids and their families would really welcome your support. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29. Don't pass go and

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Ask your doctor about Ebbglis.com or call 1-800 lilyrx or 1-800-545-9709. As always, I'm watching a few other stories this morning. Put this one on your radar. Venezuela is a socialist country in South America that's having some second thoughts this morning about, well, socialism. They're actually looking to the stock market for some cash. So here's what's going on and why you should care, starting first with some very quick history. And many years ago, Venezuela had a president named Hugo Chavez. He took over the nation and began a socialist revolution. He took ownership over a number of businesses, because that's what socialists believe in.

The government should control a nation's means of production, according to them. And that includes the utility companies, the factories, the mines, and so forth. And then the government decides where everybody will work in that, a country. economy. All right, so that's socialism. But unfortunately for the people of Venezuela, that's caused the economy to absolutely collapse. Investors fled or were forced out. And now, many years later, all those companies that Hugo Chavez took over have ended up in ruin. So now the new socialist president, Nicholas Maduro, understands that he needs some cash to fix those companies back up. But the government doesn't have it. So he's going to the stock market to private capitalist investors.

to see if they'll buy a small stake. He's looking to sell 5% to 10% of each of the companies he's thinking of, specifically utilities and cell phone and internet service providers and so forth. But there's a catch. Investors will have no ability to choose the company's leadership team or influence any business decisions. All of that would still be left up to the government. What's more odd about this news is that it's a total surprise to the stock exchange involved.

They hadn't heard a single word about this until, reporters started calling after the Maduro government announced it. And then there's also the fact that Venezuela is heavily sanctioned, which prevents many global investors from putting any of their money into these various state-owned enterprises. So in short, it doesn't sound like this idea is very well baked, which is frankly sort of how socialism works. All right, so now that we know what's going on, why should you care about this story? Well, it's because of a poll that came out a few months back.

not in Venezuela, but here in the United States. 65% of Democrats have a positive view of socialism. To say that differently, 65% of Joe Biden's party, the party that's currently in charge of the nation, well, they think that socialism is great. And that number, 65% is going up, not down, by the way. It's up about 15% over the past 10 years. And that helps explain, in part, the rise of socialists,

like Alexandria Kasia Cortez or Bernie Sanders. You see, they're not some sort of mistake or aberration. Democrats kind of like socialists because they kind of like socialism. And that's really frightening, because every nation that's tried socialism has failed or slaughtered its people to stay in power. And that's true of the Soviet Union and North Korea. It's true of Cuba and now Venezuela. So it's alarming that an overwhelming majority of Democrats think that socialism is

pretty neat idea, and we should try it here. And that's worth putting on your radar this morning, no matter your party affiliation. 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 32. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you spring is the season everyone refreshes everything except their blinds people put it off because they think it's complicated but at blinds.com we've spent 30 years proving it's not right now you can save big during the spring cyber Monday sale whether you want to DIY it or have a pro to handle everything from measure to install we've got you free samples real design experts and zero pressure just help when you need it shop up to 50% off site wide huge savings on special buys plus a free professional measure now during the spring cyber Monday sale. Rules and restrictions apply.