The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 20th, 2023: High Sea Houthi Hijacking & Outsider Upset in Argentina

Episode Date: November 20, 2023

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship Sunday in the Red Sea, stoking fears that the Israel-Palestine conflict is at risk of bubbling over into a larger regional war. Libertarian Javier Milei, a self described “Anarcho-Capitalist," won an upset victory in Argentina’s presidential run-off election Sunday, marking a seismic shift in its political scene.    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

Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, hijacked an Israeli-linked cargo ship Sunday in the Red Sea, stoking fears that the Israel-Hamas conflict is at risk of bubbling over into a larger regional war. We'll also discuss the upset victory of libertarian Javier Miele in Argentina's presidential runoff election.

But first, our afternoon spotlight. An Israeli-linked cargo ship was hijacked in the Red Sea on Sunday by Iranian-backed Houthi militants operating from Yemen. The militants rebelled down onto the vessel from the helicopter and took the 25-member crew hostage, marking a significant escalation of activity from the Houthis since the 7 October attacks on Israel. The Houthi militants said they took the vessel due to its links with Israel, although none of the 25 crewmen members were Israeli citizens. They vowed to continue attacking ships operating in the region with ties to Israel or from governments supporting Israel, calling the vessel's legitimate targets.

The militant group said Sunday that the attacks will not end until the Israeli government ceases their military response in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, well, he cut straight to the source of the problem in a statement on Sunday, calling the hijacking an Iranian act of terror. So why this ship? Well, and that's where the details remain a bit murky. Officials in Israel are insisting that the shipping vessel in question, the Bahamian-flagged galaxy leader, has no ties to their country. They say it's a British-owned and Japanese-operated vessel. Now, while it was confirmed that the Japanese company NYK-line operates the vessel, a review of public shipping

databases by the Associated Press linked ownership of the Galaxy Leader to Israeli billionaire Abraham Rami Ungar. The AP reached out to Ungar for comment, but he declined until more details regarding the attack come to light. The ownership of the cargo vessel aside, Israeli officials said the attack by Iranian-backed Houthi militants jeopardizes the security of global shipping routes and, quote, constitutes a leap forward in Iran's aggression against the citizens of the free world. Officials in Japan, they also condemn the actions of the Houthis. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said his government is negotiating for the safe release of the hostages and is in contact with Israel and several other governments in the Middle East.

Now, not to worry, though, the Houthi militants, well, they stressed that they're treating the hostages on board, quote, in accordance with their Islamic values. Yeah, we've taken hostages, but don't worry, we'll treat them according to our values. Now, as we've been discussing on the PDB, attacks from Iranian-back proxy groups are occurring throughout the region with increasing frequency. We learned last Wednesday that a drone from Yemen, likely sent by the Houthi militants, was shot down by a U.S. Navy warship operating in the Red Sea as the drone targeted the vessel. The attack occurred just days after the group threatened to strike U.S. ships operating in the Red Sea. And of course, that happened after the third attempt

by the Biden administration to deter Iranian proxies from further attacks on U.S. personnel. Now, Iran, and there are no surprises here, well, they denied any involvement in the attack or in the operations of the Houthis in Yemen. Move on, nothing to see here. We don't know anything about it. While Iran will continue to issue denials and feign ignorance, the truth is that the IRGC, the Iranian regime's tool for all things terrorist-related, has been escalating tensions with U.S. and Israel forces on multiple fronts since the Israel-Hamas conflict began. A barrage of missiles fired from Yemen were shot down by the USS Carney over the Red Sea as they headed towards Israel on October 19th. And in another provocation, this went on November 9th,

Houthi militants successfully shot down a U.S. MQ9 Reaper drone that was operating over international waters. So American forces in Iraq and Syria have been subjected to repeated drone and rocket attacks by Iranian-backed militias in the region, so far over 60 attacks since 17 October, which have thus far injured at least 59 U.S. service members. The Biden administration has responded with three separate counterstrikes on facilities in Syria linked to the militias and the IRGC, but have been reluctant to respond more aggressively over fears of sparking a wider regional conflict. They continue, however, to offer strong words of rebuke to the Iranian regime in their proxy groups,

warning them against escalation. It appears, however, that these strong words of rebuke are falling on deaf ears, as the Sunday hijacking in the Red Sea sharply illustrates. The continued provocations are raising very tough questions regarding the effectiveness of the Biden administration's strategy to contain the Israeli-Amas conflict and avoid a confrontation with Iran. Now, as an aside, when it comes to Iran's aggressive behavior, the U.S. shouldn't and hopefully doesn't expect any support from the United Nations. After all, the U.N. now has Iran chairing a human rights forum.

Okay, look, not to just pick on the U.N. Let's say that global institutions in general are somewhat useless. at calling out the behavior of despotic regimes. As another example, this received almost no press. North Korea, that Bastion of Benevolence, was recently appointed to a three-year term on the executive board of the World Health Organization, and that was at the encouragement and support of Russia.

Also, another bellwether of human rights and global goodwill. All right, coming up after the break, a closer look at the surprise victory of libertarian Javier Millei in Argentina's presidential runoff election. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I want to turn our attention to the nation of Argentina, which woke up this morning to a seismic shift in the political scene.

Self-described anarcho-capitalist libertarian Javier Mille, a 53-year-old political outsider, stormed a victory in Sunday's presidential runoff, capturing 56% of the vote over. his opponent, economy minister Sergio Massa, who received just over 44%. Known for his flamboyant hair and sideburns, earning him the nickname the Whig, Millet's triumph is seen as a rebuke to the political establishment by an electorate, seething with discontent. So just what led to his upset victory? Well, Millet's search to power

is rooted in Argentina's domestic woes. The country is grappling with a a dire economic landscape, branded by experts as the worst economic crisis in a generation, and for Argentina, that's saying something, with an astronomical annual inflation rate soaring to 143 percent, and the Argentine peso's rapid devaluation against the U.S. dollar, nearly 40 percent of the country's population, is currently living in poverty. During its victory speech, Millet declared, quote, we have monumental problems ahead, inflation, lack of work, in poverty. The time for lukewarm solutions is over, end quote. Now, his prescription for Argentina's ailments is, well, it's nothing short of radical, a so-called economic shock therapy.

Malay's controversial strategy involves dissolving the central bank, abandoning the peso for the U.S. dollar, and dramatically slashing government expenditures. How dramatic? Well, let's just say the symbol of his campaign was a chainsaw. Yeah. Yet it's not just his domestic policies that have drawn attention. Miele's foreign policy stance is equally provocative, and it's a departure from his predecessors. He's pledged to sever commercial ties with Argentina's key trading partners, Brazil and China, in a blunt critique. He has refused to engage with communist nations, even likening trade with China to dealing with an assassin. In contrast, Mille is a pivot towards capitalist allies, notably the United States, as he seeks to reorient Argentina's international relationships.

Now, this marks a significant shift from Argentina's traditional partnerships and signals a potential realignment with global trade priorities under Malay's unconventional leadership. Now, there's two points here that are worth mentioning. Malay's victory goes against the recent trend of nations in the region, such as Venezuela and Brazil, Honduras and others, veering towards the hard left and socialism, and China has taken advantage of the trend and, frankly, through their massive online influence campaigns, have fueled the move towards socialism. While the U.S. has been focused elsewhere during the past several years, China has been busy through its extended Belt and Road initiative, cutting trade, mining,

and finance deals with countries right in America's backyard. Xi's regime will no doubt be concerned with the results in Argentina, and as will, the current U.S. administration, but they'll be looking at it from a political prism. With the 2024 election approaching, Democrat strategists will no doubt draw parallels between Malay's victory and the looming shadow of former President Trump. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 20 November. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at the First TV.com. 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 funds fueling AI or

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