The President's Daily Brief - May 30th, 2024: ICC Controversy, RussiaGate Raids, and Mexico's Mayoral Murders

Episode Date: May 30, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: The Biden administration rejects GOP efforts to sanction the International Criminal Court after its chief prosecutor announced plans to seek arrest warrants for high-ranking Israeli officials. This news coincides with a Guardian report detailing a multi-year campaign by Israeli intelligence to undermine and intimidate the ICC. We’ll examine the expanding “RussiaGate” scandal in Europe, where police have raided the offices of several EU Parliament members suspected of being paid to promote Russian propaganda. Plus, more violence in Mexico as another mayoral candidate is gunned down just days before nationwide elections. Lastly, in today’s Back of the Brief, we’ll explore a bizarre event from North Korea—not the launch of rockets or spy satellites, but balloons reportedly filled with trash and excrement. 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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Start selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes taste. It's Thursday, 30 May. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. The Biden administration is rejecting GOP efforts to sanction the International Criminal Court, the ICC, after its chief prosecutor announced plans to seek arrest warrants for high-ranking Israeli officials. Now, this news drops, as the kids say, at the same time as a Guardian report, detailing a multi-year campaign by Israeli intelligence to undermine and intimidate the ICC. Later in the show, we'll examine the expanding Russiagate scandal in Europe, where police have raided the offices of EU Parliament officials suspected of being paid to promote Russian propaganda. Now, the only thing shocking about the idea that the Russian Intel apparatus would be co-opting EU officials is that anyone would be shocked by the idea that the Russian intel apparatus would be co-opting EU officials. Plus, more violence in Mexico,

as another mayoral candidate is gunned down just days before nationwide elections that could put a woman in the presidency for the first time in Mexico's history. And finally, in today's back of the brief, we'll explore a bizarre event from North Korea, and it's not the launch of rockets or spy satellites, but balloons reportedly filled with trash and poop. And yes, that's the first time I've used the word poop on the PDB. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is lashing out at President Biden, saying he's surprised and disappointed that the White House won't support proposed sanctions

on the International Criminal Court, the ICC. This week, the White House ruled out supporting a bipartisan plan in the second. Senate that would formally reject the actions of the ICC and levy visa bans on ICC officials. Last week, the International Tribunal requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yov Golan, alleging the pair had committed war crimes during its war against Hamas in Gaza. During a White House press briefing, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, quote, we don't believe that sanctions against the ICC are the right approach here. He added that the Biden administration does not believe the ICC has jurisdiction and doesn't

support the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Ghalen. This all comes as an expose in The Guardian reveals that Israel has been conducting a near-decade-long espionage campaign against the ICC. This extensive spying operation reportedly involved Israeli intelligence agencies surveilling, hacking, and pressuring ICC officials to obstruct the court's investigations. Former Mossad chief, Yossi Cohen, is even alleged to have threatened an ICC prosecutor over the war crime inquiries. The Guardian's investigation conducted alongside two Israeli outlets, uncovered that Israeli intelligence intercepted communications, including phone calls, messages, emails,

and documents of ICC officials, including Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and his predecessor. This intelligence reportedly gave Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu advanced knowledge of the ICC's plans. The gathered intelligence was also allegedly shared with Israeli Ministries of Justice, foreign affairs, and strategic affairs. Now, the report claims that Netanyahu himself is deeply invested in these espionage efforts, described by Guardian sources as being, quote, obsessed with intercepting information. The operation involved the Shinbet, the military's intelligence branch, and the IDF's Cyber Intelligence Unit 8200. The report goes on to say that the ICC was aware of Israel's activities and was forced to implement countermeasures, maintaining that none of the spying attempts penetrated the

court's core evidence holdings. An ICC spokesperson acknowledged the ongoing intelligence gathering efforts saying they were being carried out by national agencies hostile towards the court. Now, in response to the allegations, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's office dismissed them as false and unfounded, claiming that the accusations are aimed at damaging Israel's reputation. A military spokesperson also denied any involvement telling the guardian, quote, the IDF did not and does not conduct surveillance or other intelligence operations against the ICC, end quote. vote. All right, coming up after the break, we'll examine the expanding Russiagate scandal in

Europe, where police have raided the offices of EU parliament officials suspected of promoting Russian propaganda. Plus, just days before the Mexican voters are scheduled to head to the polls in a nationwide election, yet another candidate is gunned down. We'll have those stories when we come back. Welcome back. Continuing with our ongoing coverage of Vladimir Putin's shadow war against NATO, authorities in Europe have announced a flurry of raids against government officials with suspected ties to the Kremlin. As regular listeners of the PDB will know, Russia's shadow campaign targets not only Ukraine, but also its allies, employing infiltration, espionage, cyber attacks, and targeted assassinations in a bid to divide the continent regarding the war. In the latest example,

federal prosecutors in Belgium announced Wednesday that authorities had conducted a series of raids in connection to, quote, Russian interference in the European Parliament. The raids were carried out at a private residence in Brussels, along with European parliamentary offices in the city, that's according to a report from Politico. Of specific interest to investigators is the activity of an unnamed parliamentary assistant who currently works for a far-right Dutch member of the European Parliament, but who also previously served with the right-wing alternative for Germany political party. While officials are keeping details of their investigation close to the vest, the raids are said to be linked to their overarching Russiagate investigation, which involves

members of the European Parliament or MEPs, allegedly being paid to promote Russian propaganda through a now-sanctioned website called Voice of Europe, particularly regarding the upcoming EU elections in June. An official with Belgian law enforcement told Politico, quote, there are indications that the European Parliament employee concerned played a significant role in this, end quote. The assistance connection to the alternative for Germany political party is notable, as the group has been the subject of intense scrutiny in recent months, over their potential ties to subversion efforts by Russia. Russia and China. Back in April, an assistant to German MEP Maximilian Kraw, a leader of

alternative for Germany, was arrested on suspicion of being an agent of the Chinese Secret Service. German authorities later searched Kraw's offices over suspected ties to the Kremlin, and he subsequently stopped campaigning and stepped down from his party's leadership board over the allegations he was a Russian spy. The raids in Belgium also came just a week after German authorities conducted a massive search of the offices and property of Petter Beistran, a top candidate for the alternative for Germany party in June's EU elections. Officials suspect he's been accepting bribes from Russian officials in relation to the propaganda campaign on the website Voice of Europe. While verified details regarding Beistran are hard to come by, the Czech Secret Service

is believed to have audio of him accepting bribes from a Russian-friendly Ukrainian oligarch with ties to the sanctioned Voice of Europe website. Now, Russian infiltrations in Germany should come as no surprise, given the wide-ranging tactics that the Putin regime is known to use. You may recall that in April, a pair of German-Russian nationals were arrested on charges of espionage and for preparing attacks on critical military infrastructure, including U.S. military installations, in an attempt to undermine Western military support for Ukraine. The incidents are a reminder that as fighting continues on the battlefields of Ukraine, Russia is also working full-time from the shadows to undermine Western resolve through influence operations, disinformation campaigns, and, of course, good old-fashioned espionage.

All right, shifting gears. Mexico's violent election season is entering its final stretch this week as the nation prepares to elect its first female president. Sunday's elections will be the largest in Mexico's history with more than 20,000 congressional and local positions up for grabs, along with, of course, the presidency. The current frontrunner is Claudius Scheinbaum, the former mayor of Mexico City, and a member of outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's ruling Morana Party, according to his current. report from the Associated Press. She is considered a populist, like her political mentor, and Obrador is known as Amlo. However, observers say she will likely take a more leftist approach than her predecessor if she manages to win on Sunday. While she has two challengers, Scheinbaum has maintained double-digit leads for months and is widely expected to ascend to

the position. Now, while he's not on the ballot, much of the election has centered on Amlo and his controversial crackdowns on the judiciary and independent journalists, as well as his expansion of the military for domestic use. While Amlo still enjoys widespread popularity in Mexico, Shinebaum is expected to distance herself from such politics, which critics have said represent a creeping authoritarianism. Now, Amlo has also faced widespread criticism both at home and abroad for his soft-on-crime approach, which he dubbed Hugs Not Bullets. And which many say has empowered regional drug cartels. They say that because it has. Mexico's drug kingpins have been extremely busy during the election cycle, using violence to sway municipal and

local races in their favor. And with time winding down, unfortunately, the violence is only intensifying. On Tuesday, a mayoral candidate in the central Mexican state of Morelos was murdered, while another mayoral candidate was seriously wounded in a shooting in western. Halisco. That followed a cartel attack on two mayoral candidates in the southern state of Jopas last week, which resulted in nine deaths, though the candidates survived. Earlier this month, six people, including a child and a mayoral candidate, were killed by gunmen in an ambush after a campaign rally near La Concordia. Now, while Mexico often contends with political assassinations and cartel threats when the nation heads to the polls, this year has been the most violent elections

season ever recorded. It's estimated that some 30 candidates have been murdered during the 2024 electoral process. At least 27 other killings have also occurred of family members, political organizers, and community leaders linked to political candidates. The focus for cartels tends to be on local elections, particularly candidates for mayor or the state legislature, where they can more effectively exert their influence. Now, the government plans to deploy some 27,000 troops on Election Day this weekend to protect the integrity of the polls. And frankly, well, the people of Mexico, they deserve better. Finally, in today's back of the brief, North Koreans are celebrating after a successful launch

into the neighboring south of balloons carrying trash and manure. Seriously, Kim Jong-un's regime appears to have engaged in the nastiest balloon drop. ever. Details on that when we come back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. In today's back of the brief, South Koreans living along the border with North Korea remain on high alert today

after government officials accused the Kim regime of launching massive balloons containing what appeared to be trash and poop into their territory. The South Korean military began noticing large amounts of balloons arriving from the north, starting on Tuesday night, detecting more than 150 as of Wednesday morning. All told, around 260 of these balloons were from. found scattered across the country. Now, some of the balloons have traveled long distances, reaching as far south as hundreds of miles from the North Korean border. Photos released by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff show plastic bags carried by two giant balloons, with some broken packages spilling scraps of plastic, sheets of paper, and what appears to be human waste

onto roads and sidewalks. In a statement, the Joint Chiefs wrote, quote, North Korea's actions clearly violate international law and seriously threaten the safety of our citizens. All responsibility arising from the North Korean balloons lies entirely with North Korea. Well, that makes sense. And we sternly warn North Korea to immediately stop its inhumane and low-level actions, end quote. Now, this might sound bizarre, but the North Korean government sees this as a form of retaliation. You see, South Korean activists, well, they send balloons across the border into North Korea, primarily to distribute information and materials that are censored by the North Korean government. These balloons often carry leaflets, USB drives, and other media containing

news and information about human rights and messages critical of the North Korean regime, and of course also, K-pop music. I mean, seriously, who doesn't love K-pop? The goal is to provide North Korean citizens with access to outside information and to undermine and the propaganda and censorship imposed by the Kim regime. Activists believe that this information can help to inform and potentially inspired change among the North Korean population. Now, as you probably suspect, Kim Jong-un and the North Korean government, well, they don't quite see it that way,

viewing the balloon launches from South Korea as a direct threat to their power. In a statement published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister, Kim Yiu-jong, called the balloon launch, quote, Freedom of Expression. She added, we've done some of the things that they always do, but I don't know why they're making a big deal like they've been hit by a shower of fire and, quote, more like a shower of crap. She added, hey, this crap is better than some of that K-pop. No, she didn't actually say that, but those would be fighting words. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for things.

Thursday 30 May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And as I'm sure you know by now, to listen to the show ad free, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. And of course, don't forget, every weekend we produce and send your way the PDB situation report. It's like a North Korean balloon heading in your direction, but filled with news, analysis, and comment from excellent guests. No poop, no rubbish. It's the extended weekend version of the PDB, available on all podcast platforms and, and through the magic of moving pictures and stereophonic sound, on the first TV, and also on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief.

It's informative, it's educational, and non-fattening. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.