The President's Daily Brief - November 14th, 2022. Biden Meets with China's Xi and Travels to Egypt to Talk Climate Change.

Episode Date: November 14, 2022

It’s November 14th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ Good Day, America. I’ve got five briefs for you this morning that are shaping America — and the world. First, Joe Biden is traveling the globe. He stopped last Friday in Egypt talking climate change. But there wasn’t much more than talk to those meetings. I’ll discuss that.   Second, Mr. Biden’s next stop is in Indonesia, meeting with China’s president today amongst others. And there’s something very alarming that Pres. Xi said to his troops last week that Biden should be thinking about.   Third, an update on the War in Ukraine, with the US Military talking peace while US diplomats are talking war. I’ll explain that disconnect. Fourth, a judge put a stop to Joe Biden’s debt forgiveness to America’s students. I’ll explain why and what happens next. Finally, if you’re in Colorado, a warning: you’re about to become a border state. Plus, a listener question this morning. ------ 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

It's November 14th. 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. Good day, folks. I've got five briefs for you this morning that are shaping America and the world. First, Joe Biden is traveling the globe. He stopped last Friday in Egypt, talking climate change. But there wasn't much more than talk to those meetings. I'll discuss that. Second, Mr. Biden's next stop and his global tour is in Indonesia, meeting with China's president today, amongst others. And there's actually something very alarming that President Xi of China said to his troops just last week

that Biden should absolutely be thinking about. Third, an update on the war in Ukraine with the U.S. military talking peace while U.S. diplomats are talking war. I'll explain that odd disconnect. Fourth, a judge put a stop to Joe Biden's debt for. given us to America's students. I'll explain why and what happens next. Finally, if you're in Colorado a warning, you are about to become a border state. Plus, a listener question this morning. So, ladies and gentlemen, let's get talking about the world. First, Joe Biden is traveling around the globe this morning. He was in Egypt talking about climate change on Friday. Then onward to

the Asian country of Cambodia over the weekend, which unfortunately Joe Biden twice referred to referred to as Columbia, which is a country in Latin America. So that was awkward. Anyway, he is now in Indonesia, where he will meet with other world leaders, and that includes China's president Xi Jinping. But first, let's talk about that trip to Egypt, where he and other very fancy people from around the world talked about climate change. It was a United Nations meeting with about 45,000 attendees focused on how to solve the climate crisis. But as it turns out, the world doesn't seem to believe it's really a crisis because the data show virtually every country that participated in this meeting or series of meetings, they're all

failing to meet their own climate change goals. So here's that story. Last week, the United Nations issued a report saying that there was only one country in the world that has met their pledge to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, at least to levels needed to keep the planet to its normal. temperatures, they say. Well, that one country is the tiny African nation called the Gambia, bless their hearts, about the size of Connecticut, made up of mostly farmers and fishermen. Anyway, the failure of the other 194 countries who made these climate pledges,

well, their failure is so complete and utter that the United Nations actually said that there is no credible pathway for the world to meet its climate goals. Quote, we are still nowhere near the scale. and pace of emission reductions required to put us on track." The UN added that there are at least two parties especially guilty of these climate failures and the pledges. The first is India, who recently announced that it's going to be increasing its coal-fired power generation by about 25% over the next couple of years.

Second, and of course, we have China. As PDB listeners know, they are the world's number one, emitter of carbon dioxide, more than the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Australia combined. And to really understand the magnitude of what China is putting into the atmosphere, irrespective of whether or not you believe in climate change or not, I want you to listen to this. A recent study from Oxford University, out last week actually, showed that since China signed onto this UN climate pledge back in 2015, they have put more carbon, dioxide into the atmosphere, then the United Kingdom has put into our atmosphere over the past

220 years. So all in all, folks, the climate change meeting in Egypt was a total bust, at least if you're actually concerned about the climate. Although, to be fair, Joe Biden did announce three new initiatives that he will pay for with your taxpayer dollars. The first is that America is going to spend $23 million on climate leadership for Egyptian women. There is also a new $6 million program for a climate gender equity fund. And finally, there is an indigenous people's finance access facility. I have no idea what that is, but it's going to cost us $2 million regardless. Bottom line, folks, no matter what you think about climate change, this climate powwow, I guess we could call it, has proved with data that virtually nobody is taking their climate pledges seriously,

except for the Gambia, bless them. So you might want to keep that in mind when you see those wind turbines and solar panels and electric vehicles. They might make us feel better, but it's not really solving much of anything in terms of the climate crisis. If, of course, you believe in it. All right, second this morning. Let's pivot from Egypt to the country of Indonesia, because that is where Joe Biden is as of this morning. He's therefore meeting with leaders of 20 major countries from around the world, and one of them is China's president Xi Jinping. Now, according to the White House, they plan on talking today about Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and Russia, plus North Korea. Now, not on the agenda, unfortunately, is any talk of compensation or reparations due to Beijing's role and starting the COVID pandemic. I think that's odd and you all can decide if that's good leadership or not. But one item that Mr. Biden should really remember as he talks to President Xi today is a statement that China's leader made last week. According to the South China Morning Post, President Xi told his most senior military officials that his army, that is the Chinese

army must quote, focus all of its energy on fighting. because of the dangerous storms coming, end quote. Now, at some level that might not sound all that concerning, asking for a military to be ready to fight, but actually what he said is kind of a big deal. Because as China analysts are commenting, and I can tell you from personal experience, this specific language is definitely more heated than in years gone by.

So consider back in 2016, there was another appearance where he was with the military. And President Xi told the military at the time, quote, be loyal, courageous, and capable of winning wars, end quote. And so in comparison, that's relatively benign language, again, as compared to the dangerous storms and mustering all of their energy for the fight to come. But it actually makes sense, this switch in rhetoric, if you consider my previous briefs to you on Taiwan.

To refresh our memories there, the Chinese government wants to take back that province of Taiwan. It's occupied by the rebels that the communists defeated many years ago in the civil war. So Beijing wants to take Taiwan back by the 100-year anniversary of the Chinese army, which will be in the year 27. And obviously, they are willing to do it by force. So as ever, I will keep you posted on this issue and watch for these subtle changes in language. because while they don't mean much to the average person, my ears are pretty well tuned to this stuff,

and I'm going to bring you that unique counsel as I hear it. Third, let's stick with the issue of war and peace this morning, but not in Asia. Let's head west to our unfortunate war in Ukraine. I've got three key updates for you. We'll start with this. According to the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, a man named General Mark Millie, both Ukraine and Russia have lost over 100,000 fighters just in the past nine months. That's either men wounded or dead.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has also lost tens of thousands of civilians. General Millie shared that assessment while speaking to a group in New York City last week. And while there are many weapons systems that both sides have used to kill so many people, one system in particular that has been very, very deadly is this. artillery. Russia is actually firing off, and listen to this, 20,000 artillery rounds per day. Ukraine on their part is firing around 5,000 rounds a day. So these numbers are massive, and they help explain my brief last week when I shared that Russia is purchasing artillery shells from North Korea, though we don't know exact numbers. And this issue of artillery also helps

explain this piece of news. American taxpayers are going to be buying 100,000 rounds of artillery shells from South Korea. That's according to folks that I've spoken with, plus some reporting from CNN. Now, I don't have a price tag for you this morning on how much that big purchase is going to cost, but you can rest assured that it's going to be a pretty penny. For what it's worth, when the Biden administration was asked about the cost or the risk that these artillery purchases might cause, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said only that, quote, The United States is going to be with Ukraine for as long as it takes in this fight. There will be no wavering, no flagging, no flinching in our support as we go forward,

which actually takes us to our final update on Ukraine and the prospect for peace. And this, folks, is quite something. According to media reports and people that I know within the intelligence community, there are now two camps of people inside the Biden administration on what comes next in Ukraine. On one side are the diplomats. That includes the Secretary of State and Senior Officials in the National Security Council. Their argument is that the time for peace is not now. They think they've got Russian President Vladimir Putin on the ropes.

And they don't want to talk peace because it could potentially give Putin leverage at a future negotiating table. Meanwhile, there's another camp of people, and they disagree with the diplomats, and they say that, yes, it is time to talk peace. And that camp is oddly and incredibly enough, the U.S. military. So their view is that the winter is bringing a lull and fighting, generally speaking. And when you consider all the mud and snow and cold, well, those poor conditions could push the two parties, that is Moscow and Kiev, to consider a truce, if nothing else, or definitely a negotiated settlement. So here's a quote from last week made by the same joint chiefs that I mentioned just a bit ago, General Millie. And he offered this, quote, when there's an opportunity

to negotiate, when peace can be achieved, seize it. So let's seize the moment, end quote. So what I'll offer you, ladies and gentlemen, in terms of assessment, is that why, While it's pretty common for there to be debate and disagreement about matters of war, it's fairly odd, might I even say peculiar, when the U.S. military is saying, hey, it is time for peace, not war, while the diplomats are pushing for continued conflict. So what that tells you, I think, is that the Pentagon is concerned about other risks. In this case, the escalation of a nuclear war, the financial cost to America. the drain on our own military supplies, which I've talked to you all about a lot.

And then ultimately, what's the end game to this? And by that, I mean, the Pentagon clearly views this war as one that will likely drag on for some time to come, meaning that the risks will only grow over time for all these various escalations and such. So better to end things sooner rather than later. Regardless, I think it's fair to say that this is a pretty notable division. vision within the Biden administration, and I'm going to keep you posted on it. With that, we are going to take a quick break, and when we come back, we are going to pivot to America's domestic affairs. We'll be right back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds

fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back to the PDB. I've got two. two more critical pieces of news for you this morning. First, Joe Biden's plan to forgive student loan debt just hit a brick wall in the form of a judge saying, not so fast, Joe. Last Thursday, a judge in Texas issued a ruling stopping the $400 billion debt forgiveness scheme, saying that when Mr. Biden issued his executive order, again, without the participation of Congress, that that was an act forbidden by the Constitution.

So here's one of the more remarkable lines from the judicial decision. Quote, in this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a phone. Instead, we are ruled by a constitution that provides for three distinct and independent branches of government. In other words, the judge said that Congress has the power of the purse. So, Mr. Biden, if you want to do this, you got to make them pass a bill and you sign it. like always. So what comes next? Well, on Friday, the White House said that they would be appealing the case and that hopefully,

quote, the next judge down the line will see it their way. Regardless, the Department of Education has quit accepting new forgiveness applications. Things are dead for now. But as a reminder, there is still one application being taken to waive student debt. And that is if you join the U.S. military. upwards of $50,000 in debt forgiveness if you want to join the Army, for instance, less in other branches, but still it's an option if folks are so inclined. Finally this morning, an update on America's southern border and whether or not you live in a border state.

And to give you a hint, you do. It's all of us, including folks in Colorado. So here's that brief with a quick start actually in El Paso. Like so many cities in Texas, El Paso has been overrun with illegal migrants. Authorities say that they're dealing with around 1,400 illegals a day. The mayor there, a Democrat named Oscar Leaser. He'd been busing many of those folks to New York City and Chicago, around 14,000 total. But then he was pressured by the Biden administration to stop that.

Plus, the federal government actually initially offered to pay. for some of that busing expense, but then they refused. So now the city is over three million bucks in the whole for that little bit of miscommunication. And that actually takes us to today's update. A charity called the Annunciation House has announced that it will resume these bus trips. They're currently raising money to do so. But this time, the buses are headed to a new city. And if you are in Colorado, brace yourselves. Denver is the new destination of choice. Buses will drop off the illegals probably downtown, although details are currently being worked out. Bottom line, folks, there is no such thing as a border state anymore. This issue of illegal

migrants belongs to all of us. And that, ladies and gentlemen, ends your morning brief. But I've got one more thing before I let you go. So, we're going to be right back. 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,

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Carrie in Phoenix, Arizona wrote in, he asked Brian, you mentioned that egg prices are going up and maybe that we should buy that Thanksgiving chicken or turkey early. But it seems like chicken prices are actually not too bad, or at least not as bad as eggs. So am I imagining things? So, Carrie, two things. You are in Phoenix. What is going with your guys' count there of all the votes because it's... Anyway, nothing to do with chickens. Just curious if you have any idea of what the heck's taking so long. Anyway, you are not crazy about the egg and chicken business.

Here's the deal. There are generally two types of chickens raised in America. One is for the meat. Those are called broilers. And the other one is for the eggs. Those are called layers, like laying the eggs. Now, the broilers don't live for too long, anywhere from six weeks to nine weeks before slaughter.

The layers, on the other hand, are around for a lot longer, a couple years or so. So when America gets hit with the bird flu as we have this year, and I mean badly, that tends to hit the layers harder. In fact, that's why you're seeing high egg prices. And that is because once a flock gets hit with the bird flu, you have to coal or wipe out, kill the entire thing. millions of chickens sometimes. Same is true for the turkeys and the ducks.

That's all according to federal law, by the way. Building up a new flock of layers, for instance, that's going to take you a while, many months before they start laying eggs. But raising that new flock of the broilers, again, the meat, that doesn't take as long, again, six to nine weeks from hatching until slaughter. And that carry is a big reason

for why egg prices are way up this year, while chicken meat prices aren't quite as bad. So there you go, Carrie. Maybe we all learn something today. That is the goal here on the PDB. 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 free. Good day. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari.

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