The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 2nd, 2024: Chinese Spy Bases In Cuba & Darien Gap Migration Crackdown

Episode Date: July 2, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    An alarming report has revealed that China is pursuing closer defense and intelligence ties with Cuba, leveraging their relationship to build electronic eavesdropping stations for intercepting sensitive U.S. communications. In a major development concerning America’s southern border, the U.S. has reached a landmark agreement with Panama to close down access to the Darién Gap, one of the most used corridors for illegal migration into the United States. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] 🏅 Patriot Gold: https://www.patriotgoldgroup.com Say Mike Baker sent you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Group. Protect your retirement assets. Protect your future. Talk with the experts at Patriot Gold. It's a great American company and they've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Tuesday, to July. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. First, an alarming report has revealed that China is pursuing closer defense and intelligence ties with Cuba, leveraging their relationship to build electronic eavesdropping stations for intercepting sensitive U.S. communications. Also, in a major development concerning America's southern border, the U.S., has reached a significant agreement with Panama to close

down access to the Darien Gap, one of the most trafficked corridors for illegal migration into the United states. But first, the Caribbean and Latin America, once dominated by U.S. interests, are increasingly falling under the allure of the growing eastern power block. And the potential ramifications for U.S. national security, well, they're very serious. It now appears that China is working to significantly expand their covert intelligence capabilities close to America's shores. Using Cuba as a regional foothold, the CCP is working to bolster their ability to spy on American citizens and steal sensitive U.S. intelligence. Satellite images exclusively reviewed by the Wall Street Journal show that four electronic eavesdropping stations in Cuba, linked to China's CCP, have undergone large construction expansions in recent years,

and an additional spying facility is currently being constructed roughly 70 miles from the U.S. U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Intelligence has long suggested that China has been quietly strengthening ties in the Caribbean and Latin America, though the U.S., frankly, has been slow to acknowledge their growing presence. We learned just last month, for example, that China is building a megaport on Peru's Pacific coast. The U.S. intelligence community said publicly for the first time in their February threat assessment report that China was actively pursuing military facilities in Cuba. The Wall Street Journal, however, had confirmed last year that China and Cuba were negotiating closer defense and intelligence ties, and that the agreement included establishing

spy facilities on the island. Unnamed officials in the Biden administration finally confirmed last month the presence of at least one Chinese-linked eavesdropping station in Cuba, and that it's been there since 2019. But the new satellite images, which were compiled by the Center for strategic and international studies, reveal the scope of China's intelligence activity in Cuba is actually much larger than previously believed. Notably, several of the sites used large dish antennas that appear to be used for communicating with satellites. Now, while Cuba doesn't operate any satellites, China, of course, has a prolific space program. Officials are increasingly anxious that given Cuba's proximity to America, China could use these facilities.

to intercept sensitive electronic communications from American military bases, naval vessels, and space launch facilities like those in Florida and Texas. And when I say that they could use these facilities to do those things, that I mean they will. Leland Lazarus, a leading expert on China-Latin American relations,

told the Wall Street Journal that the eavesdropping sites will also, quote, bolster China's use of telecommunications networks to spy on U.S. citizens. The new site currently being constructed near the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay is a particular concern. Construction reportedly began back in 2021, and the facility appears to have something called a circularly disposed antenna array, which is specifically designed for intercepting electronic signals. Analysts with the Center for Strategic International Studies said that once operational, the facility will likely be used to monitor and intercept communication.

from the Guantanamo Bay Base, and for that, the Center for Strategic and International Studies is today's winner of the PDB Statement of the Obvious Award. The developments in Cuba had shades of the Cold War when the island was used by the Soviet Union for their overseas spying operations, hosting hundreds of intelligence officers at various covert sites. And now, it's the CCP's turn to turn Cuba into a listening and observation post. When asked about the report, the spokesman for China's embassy in Washington told the journal, quote, well, there's no denying it. Yes, we're guilty of spying. Sorry about that and we won't do it again.

End quote. Now, actually, that had nothing to do with what the spokesman actually said. The spokesman for China's embassy in Washington actually said, quote, the U.S. is no doubt the leading power in terms of eavesdropping and does not even spare its allies. the U.S. side has repeatedly hyped up China's establishment of spy bases were conducting surveillance activities in Cuba, end quote. You notice he didn't deny their activities. He just said that the U.S. has been talking about them, so full marks for being honest, I suppose, about their spying effort. The Biden White House and senior defense and intelligence officials

have yet to publicly comment on the developments out of Cuba. Coming up after the Brit, in a major development concerning America's southern border, The U.S. has reached an agreement with Panama to close down access to the Darien Gap, one of the most used corridors for illegal migration into the United States. 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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2025. All rights reserved. It must provide a recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person regained me the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Some good news on efforts to secure America's southern border. The U.S. and Bannamol have signed a landmark agreement aimed at stemming the flow of illegal migration through the Darien Gap. The pact, which was unveiled on Monday, signifies a strengthened partnership between the two nations to address the surge in migrants trekking to the U.S. In his inaugural address, Panamanian President Jose Raul Molino highlighted the humanitarian and environmental crisis at the Darian Gap. It's essentially a superhighway of sorts for migrants. It's a treacherous 66-mile stretch of jungle that runs along the Colombian border.

Now, over half a million migrants crossed that route last year. Half a million. in an effort to reach the U.S., with many falling victim to human traffickers and other crime. Over 190,000 migrants from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and China have already used this route this year alone, surpassing numbers from the same period in 2023. President Bolino has raised the alarm about the economic and social costs of this mass migration, as well as its links to international criminal networks. Minutes after Molino's address, Panama's new foreign minister and U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas signed a memorandum of understanding to curb illegal migration through the dangerous area. The agreement outlines U.S. financial support for Panama's efforts, including strengthening logistical capacity to enforce immigration laws and funding return flights for migrants who are determined to be ineligible to remain in Panama.

Now, this marks a significant policy shift for Panama, with President Molino saying that his country would no longer tolerate its territory being used as a conduit for illegal migration. A White House National Security Council spokesperson said that the joint effort would deter irregular migration and disrupt the criminal networks that are preying on vulnerable migrants. We'll keep an eye on this situation here at the PDB to see what the numbers end up looking like over the next few months. Because memorandums and agreements are one thing, actual statistics and results, well, they're another. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday to July. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.

And, of course, if you want to listen to the show ad-free, well, be sure to check out our premium membership at PDBpremium.com. And, if you haven't already, be sure to check out our expanded week. version of the PDB. That's the PDB Situation Report. It's got great guests, news, insight, new episodes launch every Friday evening at 10 p.m. on the first TV. It's also available on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brave and, of course, podcast platforms everywhere. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Whether it's the fun, fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings.

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