The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 26th, 2024: Baltimore Bridge Collapse & Terrorist Threats At The US Border

Episode Date: March 26, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     We’ll bring you the latest from the horrific scene in Baltimore, where a bridge collapsed into the river overnight after being hit by a large cargo ship, sending people and cars plunging into the water. The chief of the U.S. border patrol is sounding the alarm over the threat posed by illegal migrants, warning that the border crisis is creating opportunities for criminal gangs and terrorists. 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] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Tuesday, 26 March. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, we'll bring you the latest from the tragic scene in Baltimore, where a bridge collapsed into the river overnight after being hit by a large cargo ship, sending cars and people plunging into the water.

Also, the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol is sounding the alarm over the threat posed by illegal migrants, warning that the border crisis is creating opportunities for criminal gangs and terrorists, really? Apparently, when you have millions of unvetted individuals crossing into your country, there's, statistically speaking, a pretty good chance that some will not have plans to become upstanding U.S. citizens. But first, our afternoon spotlight.

Emergency crews are searching for victims in the Patapsco River in Baltimore, after a cargo ship struck a four-lane bridge near the port early Tuesday morning. causing it to collapse. Road repair crews had been working overnight to fix potholes on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which is part of Interstate 695, when the ship struck, sending vehicles and at least eight members of the construction team plunging into the river. Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace estimated that roughly 20 people and multiple cars likely fell in the water. Rescuers were so far able to rescue two survivors, though one was reportedly in very serious condition. Divers were deployed into the river on Tuesday morning and are continuing to search the river for the remaining victims of the

disaster. Baltimore's police commissioner stressed in a press conference Tuesday morning that there was absolutely no reason to think that the vessel had intentionally struck the bridge. Fire Chief Wallace told reporters, quote, we are still very much in an active search and rescue posture at this point and will continue to be for some time, end quote. Rescue crews are using sonar to detect cars in the water as they search for survivors. The river is roughly 50 feet deep, and the water temperature was measured at roughly 47 degrees Fahrenheit before dawn on Tuesday. Maryland Governor Westmore declared a state of emergency following the collapse and is in

close contact with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Officials said that they were treating the situation as a, quote, developing mass casualty event. The incident unfolded at around 130 a.m. when the 948 foot-long cargo vessel reportedly lost power as it approached the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The ship hit the bridge's supports, causing most of the 1.6 mile-long crossing to crumple instantaneously into the water. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott called the incident, quote, an unthinkable tragedy, adding, never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie, end quote.

Officials noted that despite the tragic circumstances, the situation could have been much worse, as the collapse happened well before the morning commute, which normally sees thousands of cars traversing the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Governor Moore also hailed the quick actions of the bridge workers, who responded quickly to the vessels made a call before the ship struck, allowing workers, to stop cars from continuing onto the bridge. Moore said their quick action saved lives, saying, quote, these people are heroes.

Officials in Maryland said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice. The collapse is expected to have a major impact on the port's operations for at least the next four months, which will have a significant knock-on effect for East Coast shipping operations. Officials are also warning of major disruptions for communities, traffic in the months to come. Coming up after the break, the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol is sounding the alarm on the threat posed by illegal migrants, saying more than 140,000 have evaded

capture over just the past five months. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens issued a serious warning regarding the U.S. border crisis in a recent interview with CBS News. The senior official expressed concern regarding the large number of migrants that have poured through the border since the fiscal year began in October, noting that at least 140,000 have evaded capture over the past five months. Owens called the situation at the border a, quote, national security threat as criminal gangs and terrorist networks use the crisis to slip into the country undetected. He noted that the CBP is already closing in on one million migrant apprehensions for the 2024 fiscal year, and that would put

them on track for more than two million apprehensions by the end of the year, the third consecutive year of hitting those record numbers. Owens told CBS News, quote, that number is a large number, but what's keeping me up at night is the 140,000 known gotaways, and that's just what we know. Border security is a big piece of national security, he said, and if we don't know who is coming into our country, and we don't know that what their intent is, well, that's a threat, and they're exploiting a vulnerability that's on our border right now. now, end quote. Owens said the cartels are virtually in control of the U.S. southern border and are dictating the rules of engagement. While he acknowledged that the vast majority of migrants

are fleeing desperate situations or looking for a better life, he said their unimpeded flow across the border is creating opportunities for criminal gangs and terrorist groups. Owens said, quote, there are still people that we're finding in those groups that have criminal backgrounds that have been convicted sexual predators, that have been convicted gang members. It's a very small amount in that population, but they're still there. End quote. Now, he's just the latest senior law enforcement official to warn the public about the growing threats posed by the country's poorest southern border. Earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Ray testified to Congress on the broad range of threats at the U.S. border, including drug smuggling, human trafficking,

violent gangs and a smuggling network with ties to ISIS. We've also already seen these threats manifest. As we previously covered on the PDB, U.S. Border Patrol agents captured a Lebanese national in early March, who told agents he was a member of Hezbollah and was planning to make a bomb inside the United States. In total, Border Patrol has caught at least 60 individuals on the terror watch list crossing between ports of entries since October. According to government data, agents stopped 169 people whose names matched those on the watch list in fiscal year 2023, compared with just 98 in 2022 and 15 in 2021. And in 2020, the number was only 10. Now, it's interesting to note that for a brief moment in time earlier this year, the border situation actually grabbed the attention of the mainstream media. Now,

that moment appears to have passed, along with the Biden administration's focus on the border. Given the dismal poll numbers that they're facing on their handling of the situation, it's an odd look that the White House continues to block Texas from taking action to secure the border, continues to refuse to discuss their program that's flown over 300,000 illegal migrants into the U.S. undercover of darkness, and continues to pretend that the crisis, if they admit that there is one, is the fault of the Republicans. I've said it numerous times here on the PDB, so apologies for the repetition, but you cannot provide for the safety and security of your citizens if you do not know who's entering your country. At some point, and I hate to say this, but we will have a terrorist incident in this country, and after the fact, we will learn that the organizers or attackers entered illegally.

Look, that's not a political or partisan statement. It's a fear that I'm voicing. based on decades of operational experience and working in the world of security and risk mitigation. Both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C. need to unask the sofa, quit blaming each other, and put the security of their citizens ahead of their partisan issues and desire for re-election. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, 26 March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. and be sure to check out our new premium membership at PDBpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow.

Until then, stay informed, stay safe. Stay cool.