The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 5th, 2024: Border Battle Heats Up In Congress & Zelensky Moves To Oust Rival

Episode Date: February 5, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     After a months-long deadlock, the U.S. Senate unveiled a bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill on Sunday despite staunch opposition from Republican leaders in the House. We’ll discuss the latest from Ukraine, where President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to be moving forward with plans to remove Valery Zaluzhny, the head of Ukraine’s military, from power. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail].  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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First up, the U.S. Senate has a very much. has unveiled a controversial bipartisan immigration reform and foreign aid bill supported by the White House. House Speaker Mike Johnson has declared it dead on arrival. Now, that's what we call in political parlance a rather negative assessment. Also, we'll discuss the latest updates regarding the power struggle in Ukraine, where President Zelensky appears to be taking formal steps to oust General Valerie Solutiony, his rival and the current commander-in-chief of Ukraine. armed forces. But first, our afternoon spotlight. After a month's long deadlock, the U.S. Senate unveiled a bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill on Sunday, despite staunch opposition

from Republican leaders in the House. Now, the $118 billion package would dedicate roughly $20 billion for border security, along with roughly $60 billion in fresh aid for Ukraine, and $14 billion in assistance to Israel. The bill, supported by the Biden White House, provoked widespread condemnation from House Republicans, who criticized its sweeping reforms, according to a Reuters report. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called it, quote,

dead on arrival if the Senate passes it and sends it his way. Johnson said on the social media platform X on Sunday, quote, This bill is even worse than we expected, and won't come close to ending the border catastrophe the president has created. As the lead Democrat negotiator proclaimed under this legislation, the border never closes, end quote. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated that he plans to hold a vote in the Senate

as early as Wednesday. In the statement, President Biden urged lawmakers to, quote, come together and swiftly pass this bipartisan agreement. The legislation includes the most sweeping reforms of the U.S. immigration system in decades. While lawmakers are still pouring through the details, meaning they're still trying to understand what's in the proposed bill, it reportedly requires the Department of Homeland Security to temporarily shut down the border if there are more than 5,000 migrant crossing attempts per day over any seven-day period. Such closers could reportedly last for weeks as authorities

wait for the number of immigrants arriving at the border to drop. The legislation would also purportedly end the practice of catch and release, where apprehended migrants are quickly re-released into the U.S., sometimes for years, as they await an asylum trial. Critics allege the highly controversial tactic has helped incentivize illegal immigration. Under the new proposal, the adjudication of asylum cases would reportedly be accelerated and detention centers expanded. It also reportedly increases resources to the border for more frontline personnel and asylum officers, and would increase immigration detention beds from 34,000 to 50,000. Now, Republican Senator James Langford, a lead negotiator on the bill, says it also allocates

funds to build more border wall and expands deportation flights. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asked his colleagues to, quote, carefully consider the opportunity in front of us, arguing that the GOP would not get a better deal under a Republican president. Skepticism of the proposal and the details within remains high, however, among House Republicans. They also argue that sweeping new legislation is not necessary, as President Biden already has the needed authority to crack down on the border crisis. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, echoing Speaker Johnson, said Sunday, quote, let me be clear, the Senate border bill will not receive a vote in the House.

Here's what the people pushing this deal aren't telling you. It accepts 5,000 illegal immigrants a day and gives automatic work permits to asylum recipients, a magnet for more illegal immigration, end quote. As we discussed earlier on the PDB, House Republicans appear committed to handling border security and foreign aid packages separately. On Saturday, speaking, Mr. Johnson announced plans to bring a standalone Israeli aid bill to the floor this week, which provides more than $17 billion in aid to Israel, including $4 billion to replenish Israel's Iron Dome and Missile Defense Systems and a reported $3.5 billion for the procurement of advanced weapons systems. Now the confusion, the angst, the complaints, and the parent disagreements

over the proposed border bill are basically the result of the lack of transparency, that is typical in the bill negotiating and drafting process on Capitol Hill. For the past couple of weeks, both sides have been arguing and making uninformed statements in the press based on almost no specific knowledge of the wording of the proposed bill. What should be an important piece of legislation is essentially nothing more than a prop for both sides to blame the other and attempt to score points with voters ahead of November's election. The bill has just now been released and provided to the full House and Senate, and of course, Chuck Schumer is insisting on a vote as early as Wednesday.

The absurdity of keeping the text secret known only to a small group of Senate negotiators, and then suggesting that a couple days is sufficient time to review and properly assess the wording prior to voting, that's a perfect example of why the general public holds politicians in such low esteem. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss the latest from Ukraine, where President Zelensky appears to be moving forward with plans to remove General Valerie Zillusione, the head of Ukraine's military, from power. I'll be right back. 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.

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Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Last week, we reported on rumors that Ukrainian President Zelensky was on the verge of ousting commander-in-chief general Valerie Zilluzni. Over the weekend, reports emerged that President Zelensky had already informed the Biden administration of his preparation to dismiss Zelushni, a decision that the White House. neither supported nor objected to. This move could pose a significant challenge for Zelensky, as Zolluzni enjoys widespread popularity not only within the Ukrainian military, but also among the general population. Many consider him a hero, credited with halting Russia's offensive when the war began

all the way back in February 2022. It remains unclear if any other commanders in the Ukrainian military could actually command the same level of respect. In addition to a stop, General. It appears Zelensky may be planning a more extensive shake-up of his government. In an interview with Italian media outlet Rai News that aired on Sunday, President Zelensky stated that a broad overhaul of the country's military and civilian leadership was necessary to rejuvenate the war effort against Russia. Zelensky told the media outlet, quote, A reset, a new beginning is necessary. I have something serious in mind, which is not about a single person, but about the direction of the country's leadership, end quote.

Zeletsky's comments come days after the revelation that Ukrainian intelligence services uncovered massive fraud in its efforts to procure weapons. According to the Ukrainian SBU security service, five defense officials embezzled about roughly $40 million meant for the purchase of mortar shells for the military. The scandal shows a corruption, which has long been an issue in Ukraine remains a problem within the upper echelons of the government. On the battlefield, Ukraine finds itself in an increasingly precarious position, running low on both personnel and weapons, as U.S. funding for its efforts has dried up. However, the country did receive some positive news last week, as the European Union agreed on a 50 billion euros aid package. Negotiations in Washington

and D.C., well, they remain deadlocked over future funding. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 5 February. If you have any questions or comments, please 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. 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 usa a.com slash bundle restrictions apply.