The President's Daily Brief - November 1st, 2023: FBI Warnings, Russia's Israel Backstab, & UN Uselessness

Episode Date: November 1, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Israeli forces press on with their deep incursion into Gaza, while America's FBI director raises alarms about escalating threats to the U.S. Vladimir Putin and Russia seem to be changing their stance. We dive into why they're now vocal critics of Israel, in contrast to their historical ties. The United Nations makes another controversial decision. Find out why their recent move highlights their perceived ineffectiveness. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, we dissect the ongoing debate: Is financial aid to Ukraine on the brink of collapse?   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 Wednesday, November 1st. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. In today's PDB, Israeli forces continue their advance deep into Gaza, as America's FBI director warns of heightened threats to the homeland. Later in the program, I'll explain why Vladimir Putin has turned his back on the Jewish state. And we'll ask the question, is the United Nations a completely feckless organization, or is it just useless? Finally, what is the future of Ukraine funding on Capitol Hill? We'll look at that continuing debate in the back of the brief. But first, our PDB spotlight. Intense fighting continues in the Gaza Strip, where the Israel Defense Forces, the IDF, are reporting fierce battles against Hamas terrorists.

As Israeli soldiers and tanks push deeper into Gaza, their efforts against the terror group grow more aggressive, more complex, and more dangerous. According to the IDF, their combined ground and air operations have successfully targeted multiple Hamas positions and anti-tank-guided missile squads. Although Hamas continues its resistance, Israeli forces have killed dozens of terrorists and seized large stockpiles of weapons during confrontations. in the urban zone. Now, as the offensive continues, so does the IDF's efforts to target and neutralize Hamas leadership. On Tuesday, the IDF revealed the elimination of one of Hamas's top commanders, Nisam Abuajina, in a recent air strike. Abwajina was the mastermind behind the attacks on Kibbutzarez and Nativ Haasara earlier this month, and some of the most barbaric acts by Hamas took place at those two sites. It's also been announced that two more members of the IDF have fallen

during clashes with Hamas. The military confirmed that Roy Wolf and Lavi Lipschitz, both 20-year-old soldiers, were killed in the northern Gaza Strip. Two more soldiers were reportedly seriously wounded. The fighting continues to take its toll on Gaza's civilian population as well. A major explosion rocked a refugee camp in northern Gaza yesterday. Now, the IDF has confirmed that they conducted an air strike on a building inside the camp that eliminated a senior Hamas commander. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claimed that the airstrike also took out 25 civilians. Now, while the UN quickly condemned that attack, chastising Israel for targeting a building inside the refugee camp, apparently the UN stopped short of condemning Hamas, which hides their senior personnel, their weapon,

and missile launchers inside that same camp. Meanwhile, American intelligence agencies are raising red flags about potential security threats on the home front. FBI director Chris Ray briefed Congress yesterday, highlighting concerns that the escalating violence overseas could inspire threats on American soil. According to Director Ray, the new concerns echo the menace

that we faced from groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda in previous years. Christopher Ray stated, quote, the reality is that the terrorism threat has been elevated throughout 2023, but the ongoing war in the Middle East has now raised the threat of an attack against Americans in the United States

to a whole other level, end quote. Lastly, Ray described the current threat landscape in the U.S. saying that, it's time to be concerned, we're in a dangerous period. Now, while he advised Americans to remain alert, he emphasized that there's no need for panic. Instead, he said, it's a moment for increased vigilance. Well, it seems that what's old is new again. If you thought that we had put

the post-9-11 days of see-something, say-something behind us, we haven't. As we've discussed in the past on the PDB, counter-terrorism isn't a zero-sum game, meaning you never reduce the risk down to zero. you can never completely remove the threat. While the American public grew decidedly tired of the global war on terrorism, the terrorists didn't. And the current conflict in the Middle East kicked off by the medieval display of brutality by Hamas on 7 October, while that energizes and reinvigorates terrorist organizations.

And aside from Israel, America is the holy grail of targets. Now, the FBI director is correct. There's no need to panic. and, of course, everybody needs to keep busy living. But increased awareness is warranted, especially since, well, frankly, for the past three years, we've been dealing with borders north and south that are, well, let's call them porous. Think of our country in a way. I don't want to oversimplify this.

But think of our country like a large office building or a school. Every facility of any size and importance maintains perimeter security and access controls. meaning they control who comes in and out. That, of course, is for security purposes. Now, imagine if those buildings and your children's schools said, nah, let's leave the doors unlocked, and the badge access gates open, and let's hope we don't have any security issues. Well, that's the attitude the current administration has had toward the border situation.

Mostly, because they hyperventilated during the previous administration over Trump's wall and border policies, so in a classic case of baby and bathwater, they reversed policies, and while the floodgates opened and the number of known gotaways skyrocketed, well, at least the new administration's been able to wallow in self-righteousness. So that's nice. But it's made the job of protecting the homeland, particularly during times of heightened concern, infinitely more difficult. All right. Coming up after the break, Russia is ramping up its hostility towards Israel, claiming that the Jewish state's actions in Gaza violate international law. I'll explain Putin's calculations and his lack of self-awareness.

Meanwhile, the UN once again demonstrates why when you open up the dictionary to the word feckless, there's a picture of the UN, as the self-serving international bureaucracy rejects a motion to condemn Hamas for the brutal October 7th attacks. Apparently, for UN members, Hamas's murderous rampage somehow didn't meet the UN standards for murderous rampages. And just to show that the UN is completely devoid of moral standing, guess which country is now being allowed to chair the UN's Human Rights Forum? The answer in just a moment.

I'll be right back. Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. Russia is amplifying its disapproval of Israel's actions against Hamas. Over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed stark criticism, asserting that Israel strikes on Gaza conflict with international law. Lavrov remarked, quote, While we condemn terrorism, we categorically disagree that you can respond to terrorism by violating the norms of international humanitarian law.

I know. Listening to any Russian official chastise anyone about international law and humanitarian behavior is the height of irony. Now, historically, Russia has maintained a delicate balance concerning Israel. The two nations have been on friendly terms for various reasons. Notably, there's a significant population of Russian-Israeli dual citizens and a considerable number of Russian-speaking Jews who migrated to Israel, mainly in the 90s and 2000s.

That population serves as a cultural link between the two countries. Furthermore, its good relations with Israel have, in the past anyway, allowed Russia to position itself as a potentially influential mediator in the Middle Eastern affairs, and this helps Putin punch above his weight on the world stage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even shares a bond with President Putin. In a memoir released during Russia's conflict with Ukraine, Netanyahu lauded Putin for his sharp intellect and his, quote, particularly friendly attitude towards Jewish individuals.

This relationship has paid dividends for Russia significantly. Israel is among the few Western nations that have refrained from supplying arms to Ukraine. On the other hand, Russia also maintains a warm relationship with Hamas, which it does not classify as a terrorist organization. In fact, a top-tier Hamas representative labeled Russia its, quote, closest friend in recent days, and even pledged to locate eight Russian-Israeli-dual citizens held captive to ensure their release upon Moscow's request. So what's prompting Russia's newfound vocal support for Hamas and Palestine and its increasingly harsh criticism of Israel?

The answer lies in its burgeoning alliance with Iran. This bond was cemented around 2015, when Russia stepped in militarily in Syria, backing the Assad regime alongside Iranian forces, and that was upon Iran's appeal and request. Recent developments have intensified this alliance. With ongoing sanctions and the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's dependence on Iran has escalated. Iran is not only supplying Russia with weapons, including suicide drones, but it's also been an important source of sanctions relief. Putin has very few significant allies at this point, and by significant, I mean countries willing

to buy Russian oil and to purport. provide the Russian military with weapons and ammunition to maintain its invasion of Ukraine. So while Putin likely cares less about the plight of the Palestinians, he decidedly cares about his relationship with Iran. All right. The United Nations, once again, is proving itself to be irrelevant in the real world. The international body has rejected an amendment which would have condemned the October 7th Hamas terror attacks and demanded the humane treatment and immediately release of hostages.

The amendment was initially put forward by Canada and would have explicitly condemned Hamas by name and emphasized the importance of international law in the treatment of the hundreds of hostages being held by the terrorist group. Yet nations, including China, Russia, Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia declined to support the condemnation. Now, given that Hamas is Iran's offspring, their refusal to vote is, of course, fully expected. As is Syria's vote. The country is led by Bashir Assad, who remains in power only because of Iran and Russia's intervention on his behalf. China, of course, always votes for whatever displeases or runs contrary to U.S. interests, so their vote isn't shocking. And the Saudis, well, they're in a uniquely delicate position here and they may well be the reason why Hamas launched the

7 October attacks at Iran's beckoning, meaning that Iran was desperate to scuttle the Saudi-Israeli discussions that could have normalized their relationship and could have led to the kingdom recognizing Israel's right to exist. There's still a chance at some point that the Saudis will resume those talks but for right now they're playing a decidedly political political game. Instead, the UN General Assembly opted for an Arab-drafted resolution, which called for an immediate humanitarian truce. This resolution underscores the need for an immediate, full, sustained, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to facilitate a delivery. And notably, it also refers to Israel as, quote, the occupying power, because it was drafted by Arab countries.

would it be churlish of me to mention that the Arab world and the UN have done nothing meaningful over the past few decades to actually better the lives of Palestinians? So they want a truce, which means the status quo, which means you don't have to actually do anything until the next conflict erupts, and then you can posture some more. Yeah, I guess that would be churlish of me to point that out. And if you thought that the United Nations couldn't be any more of a moral catastrophe, Iran is to become chair of the United Nations Human Rights Forum this week. Iran, let me repeat that, is set to become the chair of a United Nations Human Rights Forum this week.

There isn't even anything that I can add to that sentence to make it more bizarre or depressing. So let's leave it at that. In today's back of the brief, the debate over funding Ukraine and Israel continues on Capitol Hill, with Republicans in the House and Senate taking different approaches to the issue. I'll be right back. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance.

With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at USAA.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Welcome back. The debate over military aid to Ukraine is heating up on Capitol Hill,

and it's become one of the most divisive topics in D.C., especially amongst Republicans. Over on the Senate side, Senate Minority Leader McConnell continues to advocate for including aid for Ukraine in the National Security Supplemental Budget. That would tie the issue of Ukrainian military aid directly to aid for Israel, which does have widespread support amongst the Republican ranks. McConnell even drew parallels between the situations in Ukraine and Israel, stating, quote, think of it as an access of evil, China, Russia, Iran. This isn't just about Ukraine. It's a test for the U.S. and the free world. The solution is clear, help Ukraine win the war, end quote. However, over at the House, there's a different narrative

unfolding. While Republicans support aid for Israel, they're hesitant about combining the two issues. This is going to be the first big move for newly elected Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. He's proposed a bill that would send about $14 billion in aid to Israel, and he would pay for it by cutting funding to the IRS tax authority. Absent from that bill? Well, absent is any funding to Ukraine. Now, for those of you concerned, Johnson didn't rule out sending aid to Ukraine. Last week, he said that while he personally supports sending more military aid, there needs to be conditions on it. So while Ukraine continues to battle against the Russian invading forces, future U.S. funding for that effort remains in question.

One thing that the Congress should probably keep in mind, one thing that is not in question is that without significant continued resources from the U.S., the Ukraine military will not be able to maintain the offensive, and they will likely move into a stalemate position and could possibly, depending on Putin's ability, to resupply his troop levels and maintain incoming military support from Iran, North Korea, and possibly China could possibly lose additional territory and the eventual fight. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 1 November. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow.

Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business. From designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need.

There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer.