The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 12th, 2024: US Strikes Back Against Iran-Backed Houthis & Taiwan's Pivotal Presidential Election

Episode Date: January 12, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     A U.S.-led coalition has struck back at Houthi militants in Yemen, launching dozens of airstrikes targeting radar and air defense systems, as well as missile storage and launch sites. We provide a preview of the pivotal presidential election this weekend in Taiwan, which will determine what direction the country moves regarding relations with China at a moment of intensely high tensions in the region. 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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The stylish 2026 Toyota RAV4 Limited. What's your RAV for? It's Friday, January 12th. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Coming to you today from an unidentified airport somewhere in the United States. Apologies for any boarding announcements or crying toddlers that you may hear in the background. All right, let's get briefed.

First, we dive deeper into the U.S.-led coalition strikes on Houthi militants inside Yemen, which represents the most aggressive response yet to Iran-backed attack. in the region, expanding the current battleground in the Middle East. Also, we'll provide a preview of the pivotal presidential election this weekend in Taiwan, which will determine what direction the country moves regarding relations with China. But first, our afternoon spotlight. As we discussed briefly on the PDB this morning, a U.S.-led coalition has struck back at the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen in the strongest response yet to their continued attacks in the Red Sea. U.S. and British forces, supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands,

launched dozens of airstrikes across Yemen Thursday evening, targeting radar and air defense systems, as well as missile storage and launch sites. The response hit targets inside Yemen's capital city of Sana'a, as well as sites within the cities of Daiz and Hajjah. The airstrikes also hit a naval base at the Port City of Haudita. Sana'a has functioned as a weapon store. for Houthi missile supplies, and Houdaida is the port from which the Houthis have carried out their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Officials said a total of 60 targets in 16 different locations were hit during the operation, which dispatched more than 100 precision-guided munitions. Representatives for the Houthi militants said the airstrikes, which they numbered at 73,

had killed five of their fighters. They claimed, however, that the damage to their infrastructure was limited, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The strikes, which are intended to put an end to the Iran-backed Houthi campaign in the Red Sea, came two days after Houthi militants launched their largest drone and missile attack yet on commercial shipping vessels in the region, in defiance of a Western ultimatum to cease their attacks or face retaliation. President Biden and Western leaders hope that they can restore calm to the critical shipping lanes and prevent further global economic disruption after hooty aggression drove many commercial companies out of the area. The impact has been severe with a volume of

container ships moving through the Suez Canal, dropping by more than 60% over the past month when compared to last year. The channel accounts for roughly 15% of all global shipping traffic. Now, President Biden said Thursday evening, quote, these targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical commercial routes." End quote. Hootie leaders were defiant following the strikes and vowed to continue their attacks which they say are in support of Hamas and the Palestinian cause. A statement from the Supreme Political Council of the Houthis said, quote, all American and British

interests have become legitimate targets for the Omeni armed forces in response to the aggression." End quote. Officials with Britain's Ministry of Defense said initial intelligence indicates the strikes have dealt a serious blow to the Houthi's ability to continue their attacks in the regions, but doubts remain. The U.S. led counterstrike was largely expected, and the Houthis were reportedly able to preemptively prepare for the strikes, transporting weapons out of the war. the provinces and fortifying their missile stockpiles and bunkers within their capital city. A spokesman for German shipping giant Hapag Lloyd, AG, said that while the strikes were encouraging, they will, quote, wait and see the effect before sending our ships back through.

The operation also provoked rebukes from the usual suspects. Russian and Turkish officials condemned the strikes as reckless and disproportionate, while the Iranian regime, which is the primary sponsor of the Houthis, with a straight face, said that the action was a clear, quote, breach of international laws. Now, the Iranian and Russian regimes, lecturing anyone on what constitutes a breach of international laws, is an instant contender for the 2024 despots with absolutely no sense of irony award. The Houthis have carried out 27 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since November 19th. All right, coming up after the break, we'll discuss the presidential election this weekend in Taiwan

and how it could impact relations with an increasingly aggressive China. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. All eyes are on Taiwan this weekend as the country prepares for a pivotal election between three political factions at a time of heightened Chinese aggression and regional tensions. The election will see the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party face off against the opposition Quoman Tang Party and relatively young Taiwan People's Party. While plenty of domestic concerns are on the minds of Taiwanese voters, the race will also determine

whether the island democracy moves closer to or further away from China. China is already warning voters in Taiwan to, quote, make the right choice. And that's obviously a not-so-suttle threat against voting for the ruling Democratic progress. Party candidate William Lai. China is eager to see the Democratic Progressive Party, which staunchly favors independence, ousted in favor of Quomentang candidates, who support closer ties with CCP leaders. China has intensified their rhetoric in the run up to the election, framing it as a choice between, quote, war and peace, prosperity and decline. They've called the Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai a destroyer of cross-straight peace, and

and say he will make Taiwan, quote, follow the evil path of provoking independence. The Taiwan People's Party, meanwhile, led by the former mayor of Taipei, is a bit of an outlier, playing on populist sentiments and promising a middle path regarding China relations. The party is still in its infancy formed only in 2019, but has resonated with young voters who no longer trust the mainstream parties and are frustrated by falling wages and rising home prices. The race also promises to have profound ramifications on fragile U.S.-China relations, as Taiwan remains the biggest source of conflict between the U.S. and China. U.S. officials said Thursday they would be sending an unofficial delegation to Taiwan following this weekend's election.

Now, that prompted a rebuke from CCP leaders who chastised the U.S. for what they called their brazen chattering regarding Taiwan. Brazen chattering. A CCP spokesman said the U.S. must refrain from intervening in the elections so as to avoid causing serious damage to U.S.-China relations. Now, the election comes at a time of heightened tension and renewed threats by China regarding retaking the island democracy. They've also increased provocative military activities in the Taiwan straight as the election approaches, including sending balloons over Taiwan and what the island's

Defense Ministry calls a psychological warfare operation meant to influence voters. CCP leader Xi Jinping has made it clear that he intends to reunify Taiwan with mainland China despite the fact that the majority of Taiwanese citizens oppose Chinese rule. In his New Year's speech, she said, quote, reunification of the motherland is a historical inevitability. If China doesn't get their way in the election, they could retaliate by furthering increasing their military activity off Taiwan's coast. Currently, Democratic Progressive Party candidate William Lai remains the frontrunner in the race, but only by a slim margin.

We'll follow up on this important situation in the coming days. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, 12 January. 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 on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Get tickets Thursday, May 7th at Olivia Rodrigo.com. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer?

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