The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 27th, 2024: Mexico's 'Diplomatic Blackmail' & The Meltdown At NBC

Episode Date: March 27, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Mexico’s president recently warned that the flow of migrants across the U.S. southern border will continue unimpeded unless the U.S. bows to his demands, leading to accusations that the leader is engaging in diplomatic blackmail. We’ll discuss former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel’s unceremonious firing from NBC News just four days into her new job with the network, which followed an absolute meltdown from MSNBC talent. 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

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Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, Mexico's president recently warned that the flow of migrants across the U.S. southern border will continue unimpeded unless the U.S. bows to his demands. Amlo, as the Mexican president is known, finishes his six-year term this year, but apparently, well, he wants to make the most of his remaining time. Also, we'll discuss former R&C Chair Ronna McDaniel's unceremonious and very abrupt firing

from NBC News just four days into her new job with the network, which followed this massive, but entertaining, toddler-like meltdown from MSNBC talent or whatever they refer to themselves as. But first, our afternoon spotlight. I want to begin today with recent comments made by Mexico's president that many critics are condemning as diplomatic blackmail, and others are referring to as delusional. Speaking with 60 Minutes, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known widely as AMLO, warned that unless the U.S. complies with a series of diplomatic demands made by Mexico

and other Latin American countries, the flow of illegal migrants across the U.S. border will continue unimpeded. Well, well, that's not very neighborly. The demands were outlined by AMLO back in January and include the U.S. sending Latin American countries $20 billion a year in aid, lifting sanctions on Venezuela, ending the Cuban embargo, and granting some form of amnesty to illegal immigrants in the U.S. He would also like a pony. It's a steep wish list, and one that the U.S. is, frankly, unlikely about to anytime soon.

When he comes to Cuba and Venezuela in particular, of course, there are a few. are historic issues that factor into the U.S. posture in the region. While on amnesty, that's probably the most contentious political issue in American politics. Still, Amlob, said the border crisis will continue to worsen absent any meaningful engagement with Latin America by the U.S. He told the 60 Minutes interviewer, in no uncertain terms that, quote, the flow of migrants will continue unless the U.S. gives in. Well, that does sound like blackmail or extortion, at the very least, bullying, and honestly nobody likes a bully. The interviewer pressed Amlo on his position, noting that many critics see his demands as a form of diplomatic blackmail,

as Mexico has promised to increase their efforts to secure the U.S. Mexico border if the requests are met. Well, unfazed by the suggestion, Amlo said, quote, I'm speaking frankly, we have to say things as they are, and I always say what I feel, I always say what I think, end quote. Well, me too. is on his way out the door soon, given his one six-year term is up, and he's in no position to make these demands. The remarks came just days after he stirred controversy in the U.S. when he implied that the deadly drug trade being facilitated by criminal cartels is fundamentally not his problem. He said he will not fight Mexican drug cartels on U.S. orders, instead doubling down on his so-called

Mexico-first policy. As we discussed Monday on the PDB, the policy is a continuation of AMLO's so-called Abbasos no Balazos or Hugs Not Bullets policy. It puts to focus on social programs and economic development efforts to tackle the root causes of crime, rather than on military or police efforts to combat cartel violence and drug trafficking. Yeah, what they really need are social workers. That'll take care of the cartels. While this might come to you as a shock, the policy has been wildly ineffective at decreasing cartel and gang violence in the country, instead serving to give the cartels essentially free range inside Mexico and virtually rubber-stamping their drug trade inside the U.S.

We should note, Obrador Amlo has long been plagued by accusations that he and his inner circle have intimate ties to the country's drug cartels, allegations which he has, of course, denied. As you may remember, the latest episode occurred in late February when the New York Times published a bombshell report that revealed the U.S. government had spent U.S. government had spent years investigating AIDS and confidence of AMLO based on allegations that those close to him had taken millions of dollars from drug cartels and criminal gangs. Hmm, that's shocking. While the U.S. ended the investigation so as not to disrupt U.S.-Mexico relations amid the border crisis, investigators found ample evidence that at the very least, the Mexican president's inner circle,

if not AMLO himself, had established relationships with powerful cartel operatives. One informant, for example, said a top aide for the Mexican president met with a senior leader of the Sinolawa drug cartel just ahead of the 2018 election that brought Amlo to power. In another example, that hits closer to home for the soon-to-be former Mexican leader, an informant said drug cartels are in possession of videos showing Amlo's sons picking up drug money. Coming up after the break, we'll discuss former R&C chair Ron McDaniel's stunningly brief gig with NBC News, which abruptly terminated her new role as a paid contributor after just four days on the job. Okay, I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Well, the Romano-McDaniel era of NBC News came to an abrupt

ending on Tuesday. If you're keeping score at home, it lasted just four days. McDaniel, the former chair of the Republican National Committee, the RNC, was hired by the news network just two weeks after stepping down from her role at the RNC. She made her debut on Sundays Meet the Press and was met with an immediate backlash from some of the network's top stars. Now, given the network's overall ratings, I'm not sure that Stars is the right term here.

Anyway, a bunch of the talking heads of the network immediately started throwing their tetties out of the crib. Chuck Todd told moderator Kristen Welker, shortly after her interview with McDaniel, quote, I think our boss is owe you an apology for putting you in this situation, adding that McDaniel has credibility issues

that she still has to deal with. End quote. I know. It's horrific. Welker had to sit and talk with someone she disagrees with. Can you imagine? What a hero.

MSNBC primetime host Rachel Maddow devoted 29 minutes of her show. She has a show on Monday to addressing McDaniel's hiring, calling it inexplicable. She likened it to hiring a mobster to work in a DA's office or a pickpocker. to work as a TSA agent. Maddow said to her bosses, quote, take a minute, acknowledge that maybe it

wasn't the right call, end quote. My, if that is, is that more condescending or more self-righteous? I can't tell. It could be both. Other hosts from MSNBC, such as Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzynski, Nicole Wallace, Joy Reid, Jen Saki, and Lawrence O'Donnell, all of them have expressed their criticisms on air directing sharp critiques toward their network. Cesar Conday, the chairman of the NBC Universal News Group, wrote in a staff memo on Tuesday, quote, after listening to the legitimate concerns of many of you, I have decided that Rona McDaniel will not be an NBC news contributor. He went on to say, no organization, particularly a newsroom, can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned. Oh, really? That's another way to say we,

believe in groupthink. Anyway, he added, over the last few days, it has become clear that this appointment undermines that goal, end quote. Now, Conday finished his Manacolpa or ass kissing or whatever you want to call it with, I want to personally apologize to our team members who felt we let them down, end quote. And then, all the angst-ridden talking heads got off the fainting couch and went back to work, broadcasting their shows to dozens of viewers. McDaniel hasn't offered a comment on her abrupt termination yet, but according to reports, she expects to be paid out for her full contract, two years at $300,000 annually. Now, if that happens, that means her single 20-minute interview on Sunday could cost NBC, and this is new math for me, so hopefully I got the numbers right,

it could cost NBC more than $30,000 per minute or $500 per second. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 27 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.