The President's Daily Brief - May 6th, 2022: Who Is Entering The U.S. Illegally? China Has Learned Important Lessons From Russia's Invasion of Ukraine.

Episode Date: May 6, 2022

It’s May 6th. 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, Illegal immigration. There have been at least one million illegal immigrants crossing our southern border since Joe Biden came into office. We’re going to talk about who exactly they are. Your second brief, China is learning some big lessons from Russia’s poor performance in Ukraine. We’re going to talk about that, and why you should care. And finally, I’m going to close out the podcast a little different today. And that’s because one of you wrote me a very pointed but respectful email asking about John // Chapter 8 // Verse 32. We’re going to talk about that. 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 6th. 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, illegal immigration. There have been at least one minute. million illegal immigrants crossing our southern border since Joe Biden came into office. We're going to talk about who exactly these folks are. Your second brief, China is learning some big lessons from Russia's poor performance in Ukraine. We're going to talk about that and why you should care. And finally, I'm going to close out the podcast a little different today, and that's because one of you wrote to me a very pointed but respectful email asking about John, chapter 8, verse 32. We're going to talk about that. All up next on the President's Daily Brief.

Your first piece of intel this morning. A report came out earlier this week highlighting a very troubling number. At least one million illegal immigrants have crossed into America in the very first year of Joe Biden's presidency. To put that into perspective, that's about the size of San Jose, California. That's more people than live in Jacksonville, Florida, or Denver, or Austin. And it's a really jaw-dropping number. As I've previously briefed you on, it's a number that's going to get a lot worse in the coming months. upwards of 18,000 people a day. So that begs the question, who are these folks? And I don't mean where they're from, although, you know, that's interesting too. I mean, what benefits do they offer the

country? If I could say this differently, does America need immigrants, legal or otherwise? Now, this brief is going to make the case that immigration has almost always been about economics. We need workers to make the country stronger economically. The expectation is that immigrants will provide value from day one. And that's largely true of legal immigrants because we can vet them, ensure they speak English, or have advanced training or education. But with this latest wave of illegal immigrants, over one million and growing, that's just not the case. So I want you to think about that this morning and imagine that this brief is given to you as though you were in the Oval Office, thinking about how to talk to the American people about this very touchy issue. All right, so let's start with this. So 200 years ago,

America needed people to work on our farms and our ranches, either to settle in the western frontier or to work in our fields. Now, we are all very painfully aware of part of that awful legacy. We shipped in unwilling Africans to our shores to work on our plantations. But there were others who came to America during that time, and they worked in our mines and our mountains. For example, in 1870, there were 63,000 Chinese immigrants in the U.S., three quarters of whom were in California working in the gold mines. At any rate, by the 1900s, things really started changing. Immigrants were flooding into our cities, this time to work in our factories. It was the Industrial Revolution, as most of us recall.

So we need workers with increasing skills to operate machines and the assembly lines. The point is this, immigration in this country has largely been tied to a need for strengthening our economy. Immigrants were expected to be a net financial benefit from basically day one. So notice here that I didn't say anything about enriching our culture. Nothing about new art or music or food or dress. Immigrants unquestionably brought all those things, quite obviously so. In fact, some in my family, who came from the Czech Republic, they brought all kinds of great culture.

But that wasn't the purpose of their arrival. It was a happy unintended consequence of it. And that takes us to today. Now, I'm going to set aside legal immigrants for this moment because that's a process that we actually have a pretty good hold on. What's wildly out of control are the numbers of illegal. immigrants. So who exactly are these folks? And are they providing economic value from day one? So the answer to those questions can change from year to year, and we have to make some assumptions because of all the

godaways, which are people who we actually never arrest and we can't interview. But still, the trend is pretty consistent over the past five to ten years of who's coming here illegally. All right. So here's what we know. First, the vast majority of America's illegals don't speak English. A study a few years ago found that that number is around 70%, 70% of folks who come here illegally don't speak our native language. Now, that's a big deal for a couple of reasons. First, people who can't speak English in America can't participate in our economy very well. That means that they and their families are far more likely to live in poverty.

Lots and lots of studies show that to be true. The second thing that we know about America's illegals of today is that they're not particularly educated. They don't bring skills other than working with their hands. Now, that same study that I mentioned earlier, they found that about 60%, 60%, 0% of illegals from Central America don't have a high school diploma. Now, in years gone by, as we just talked about, those folks could end up doing manual labor in our fields or our gold mines or in our factories. And honestly, a whole bunch of them still do, especially in our fields and meatpacking plans.

But that's actually part of the problem, because studies show that when these illegals take those jobs, they drive down the wages for other immigrants and for native-born Americans who don't have a high school diploma. In other words, they're all competing for the same low-scale jobs, and they're not making enough money because of that. All right, so once you put all this together about illegals speaking very little English, they have very few skills and lots of poverty, well, that means that we're violating the very reason we want immigrants to begin with, to provide economic value on day one. Now, studies show that this is, absolutely true. A report out a couple weeks ago penciled that number of cost at $9.4 billion each

year as the extra burden on taxpayers. Now, that report echoed other reports that have found exactly the same thing. First generation immigrants, especially illegals, take more economic resources than they give. The point of this brief, ladies and gentlemen, is that if you all were in the White House this morning, facing the prospect of millions of illegals streaming into our country, how should you talk to the American people about it? Now, put aside the possibility of terrorists or even known criminals coming in for a second, just to crystallize this issue. And let's get back to the original question.

Does America need immigrants? And if so, what kinds? Do we need the unskilled labor that represents most of the one million illegals that have crossed the border since Joe Biden became our president? Or should our immigrants be legal? So we can ensure that they're net contributors to our economy from day one. Those are the questions that you should be considering, I think, not only this morning, but when you talk to politicians who are asking for your vote next November. I think you should ask them these questions about why we need immigrants and the economic value that they bring.

And then listen very carefully to the answers that they provide. Because whatever their words, it's important that their answers reflect the values that have made America so great for so long. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra, default terms at MintMobile.

Your second brief this morning, Beijing is watching world events very closely today, most especially the war in Ukraine. Here's the reason. Russia is not doing well, and that's a problem for the communists in Beijing. Here's what I'm hearing this morning from people who follow this issue very closely. First, China is growing anxious that Russia's failures means that they, too, might fail in battle. You see, China has been training for many years alongside Russia's military. They've adopted large parts of Russia's structural and command doctrine. They've also bought considerable amounts of Russian military equipment. Without getting into the weeds here about military strategy, the point is this. China has copied a lot of what Russia does. And if Russia is weak against a

smaller opponent like Ukraine, so too might the Chinese be against a smaller opponent like Taiwan. And that's something that they've been long concerned about, even before the Ukraine crisis, namely because Chinese troops haven't been tested in combat since they invaded North Vietnam in 1979. All right. Here's the second lesson that China has learned, and it is this, the importance of shock and awe. So when Russia invaded Ukraine, they went in pretty lightly.

They assumed that their opponents would fold out of fear, or maybe even greet them as liberators, but obviously that did not happen. The lesson for China from what I hear is that their invasion of Taiwan would. need to be launched with shock and awe, an overwhelming use of force from the very first moments of war. Now, there would be some benefits of this shock and awe campaign from Beijing's mind, well, a faster chance of military success, obviously, but also it would likely deter the international community from intervening. So the cost of shock and awe, of course, is that there would likely be a massive loss of civilian lives. The death toll would almost absolutely shock

the conscience of the world as soon as videos started leaking out of what occurred. And that actually leads to the third and final lesson that Beijing is considering this morning. The government of Ukraine has been brilliant at creating war propaganda, twisting the hearts and minds of Europeans and Americans to his and their favor. The Chinese believe that had Russia prevented that, Ukraine probably would have fallen. That's because President Zelensky was able to use propaganda to save his country. Zolinsky also managed to get Western sanctions, the strength and reach of which is far greater than they and Moscow ever anticipated. That's a particularly big deal for China because it effectively is the world's factory, and it has a lot to lose with sanctions.

So those are the big three lessons for China this morning, combat effectiveness, a shock and awe campaign, and the importance of good propaganda. All right, so all this is interesting from an academic level, but why would most Americans care about this? Why should you care? Well, if China were to invade, and most observers expect them to do that within our lifetime, there would be a high degree of likelihood that America would get involved. Your children and grandchildren would thus pay the price for that war, through either blood or treasure or both, regardless of how that war was fought. So understanding these lessons that China is learning is really important.

And I think as of this morning, the lesson for all of us is that it appears that the fight would be very, very gory, especially in the first few days. Now, if Taiwan could hang on with all the military equipment that we've already sold them, then perhaps the fight would bog down, much like it has for Moscow. For what it's worth, the talk right now in military and intel circles is that America should turn Taiwan into the world's porcupine, so barbed and unwelcoming that the cost of attacking just isn't worth it. So we'll see if that's enough of a deterrent to ward off the Chinese from ever invading Taiwan. I'll keep you posted. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th.

The powerful vocals of Demi Lovato on May 17th and the signature Southern Country Rock of Eric Church on July 19th. Tickets on sale now at Yamavada Theater.com. Only at Yamava Resort and Casino celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. The unraveled us North America with special guests. Get tickets Thursday, May 7th at Olivia Rodrigo.com. All right, normally, this is the part of the brief where I share a few more stories that I'm watching that I think that you should put on your radar. But today we're going to do things a little bit differently, all because one of you wrote me an email.

The listener's name is Mindy. I'm not sure where she's at this morning in America. But she wrote to me because she had concerns about how. I end every podcast by my referencing of the Bible verse John chapter 8 verse 32. She didn't like that I was using a part of her faith, our shared faith, to talk about politics. I'm going to read you what she wrote. Jesus, she said, is speaking to Jewish believers and telling them that he is the truth that sets them free, the freedom to follow God and not to sin. The passage is thus not about discerning the political landscape like you're trying to do.

Now, I love that Mindy wrote me, and she felt free enough to criticize me. And I loved her note in particular because people of faith, of any faith, honestly, have every right, maybe even the obligation to set the rules for how their faith can be used or reference. And I love how protective that Mindy was and is of her Christian faith. It's the sign of true conviction of heart. But what I told Mindy and what I offer to you all is something that maybe most people don't realize. That Bible verse came from my career at the CIA. So let me explain.

When you walk into CIA headquarters, the original building, or OHB, as it's called, you see a few different things. The most moving to me is the wall of stars. Each star represents a CIA officer who died in the line of duty. I'm sorry to say that I knew a few of them. One was my first real boss at the agency. She was an absolutely wonderful woman, an incredible mother. She led a task force that I was a member of, focused on finding a very bad terrorist in the Middle East. That mission was her life's mission to counterterrorism. And sadly, she died at the hands of a suicide bomber.

But when she was still alive and we were all sitting around a table, we got news that another colleague of ours had died. He was a few years ahead of me in the training pipeline, but we all knew him. He was such a good man, big heart, gregarious, and people were just drawn to him. and that was a hard loss too. Both of those individuals are on the wall as stars. So when you walk in, you see that. But you also see something else. Not far from that wall of stars is another set of carvings, letters and words in this case.

And this is what that carving reads. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. That is an inscription that was chiseled into the wall of CIA headquarters in 1961. The director at the time, Alan Dulles, wanted that verse in the lobby. He wanted to use his faith and the shared faith of other Americans to remind them of the importance of truth, of seeking truth and of giving truth to American policymakers. And that became the unofficial motto of the CIA.

It represented a covenant in this case between a spy and the American people, and ultimately their representatives in the White House and Congress. And with whatever truth that we found out as we operated around the world, it would hopefully be used to make the world more free. Lots of people might argue that that covenant has been violated, certainly in history. In other words, that the CIA has peddled in lies or deception, not to set America free, actually, but anchored it in some pretty terrible things, all in the pursuit of power or greed or ego. And truthfully, those critics aren't entirely wrong. That has happened. People the CIA have at different times in its history abused their authority and hurt people that deserve no such thing. But it's also true that there were and are good men and women who've done incredible things for our country, things that you and I will never know about. And yes, I'm actually including myself in that. Because even while I was at the CIA, I wasn't privy to all of our successes because I didn't have a need to know. It's a world that is purposely built to hide in the shadows. But I think that we're facing a new era at the CIA. Perhaps more on this concern another time, maybe a special brief, but in the meantime, I want to share this.

In the years since I've left, I've watched the CIA become increasingly political, involved in our nation's politics and helping to decide the winners and losers of political debates. There's a previous CIA director, John Brennan, who is unquestionably the most viciously political beast of them all. and if you followed my work, you know that I have absolutely no love for that man, largely because he has told every American person over and over again that President Trump was and is a Russian traitor, that special counsel Bob Mueller would prove that to be true. In fact, he went so far to say that Trump would be removed from office in chains.

In other words, he used the power of his authority, the aura of his CIA leadership, to help ignite and stoke Russian panic throughout this country, a panic that we still haven't fully put to bed. And in my view, that's clouded the judgment of a whole bunch of people as we try to hold Putin to account in places like Ukraine, all while avoiding World War III. So sometimes I will get flashes of anger about this, and if any of you've seen me on TV or you've read some of my other work,

you'll know it. But when that happens, I try to remind myself of what is, perhaps, perhaps my last mission in whatever time I have left on this planet. I want to seek truth and I want to know truth. And most importantly, I want to share truth. Folks, I have been wildly blessed to go from being a child of very modest means in rural Oregon to walk in the corridors of power with some of the nation's most fearsome fighters and influential politicians. But now my life has changed.

I've gone from avoiding cameras to steal secrets. now sitting in front of cameras and in front of mics to record a podcast. Now, what I'm hoping to build with you all in the President's Daily Brief, I want it to fit very tightly to this goal of sharing truth. I want this podcast to be something different than what you might hear anywhere else. I want to bridle my own passions and opinions as much as I can and instead bring you facts and data to encourage you to ask your own questions, of me, of politicians, and maybe even yourself.

to challenge your own assumptions, your own biases. Because if that's something that you and I can do here at the President's Daily Brief, then maybe that's something that we can take into the discourse of our Great Republic. And if we do it right, ladies and gentlemen, we won't just be doing our part to encourage truth amongst each other. If you think about it, we'll be doing our part to accomplish the goal set forth by our forefathers and mothers. when they wrote in such simple but eloquent words in the preamble to our Constitution, we are here to create a more perfect union, not just for us, but for our posterity. And so to Mindy and others who've wondered, that is why I end each show with a call for truth

from the Book of John. And with that, your morning brief has concluded. A quick programming note, you may have enjoyed the last. last two Saturdays when I've offered up briefs specifically about fake news. For this Saturday, well, if you wouldn't mind, I'm going to take the day off because it is Mother's Day weekend and I have a pretty great mom. I'd like to celebrate it with her. So look for the PDB on Monday unless something absolutely monumental occurs and then let's hope that my mom can forgive me for recording a Saturday show. Meanwhile, please do send me an email. As you all and Mindy know, I'll respond.

Let me know what's on your mind, what more you want to learn about. I'll consider it for a future brief. So let's recap that somewhat tricky email address of mine. It is PDB at thefirsttv.com. Again, that's P as in presidents, D isn't daily, and B is in brief. So PDB at thefirsttv.com. And so we close out the show today,

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, and now you know why I choose it. It's from John, chapter 8, verse 32. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Good day. How many discounts does USA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount.

Safe driver discount? New vehicle discount. Storage discount. Legacy. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply.