The President's Daily Brief - September 12th, 2024: Ohio's Immigration Uproar, Israel’s Sinwar Escape Offer, & AI Nuclear Control

Episode Date: September 12, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We begin in Springfield, Ohio, where a large influx of Haitian immigrants has sparked controversy. We’ll look beyond the headlines to examine what’s really happening in this small town and why it’s causing such a stir. Then, we turn to Israel, where negotiators have reportedly offered Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza in exchange for the release of remaining hostages held by the terror group. Plus, South Africa is pushing to delay its genocide case against Israel at the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers are being urged to convince South Africa to drop the case entirely. And in today's Back of the Brief: China refuses to sign a declaration calling for humans—not artificial intelligence—to have control over nuclear weapon decisions. 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 President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail] ☕ Blackout Coffee: https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The town has been at the center of controversy as a major influx of Haitian immigrants over the past few years has locals reportedly up in arms. We'll go beyond the headlines and take a look at what's actually happening in Springfield, Ohio, and beyond. Later in the brief, we'll turn to Israel, where negotiators have reportedly offered safe passage

out of Gaza to Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages held by the terror organization. Plus, South Africa is pushing to delay its genocide case against Israel at the International Criminal Court, the ICC. Meanwhile, there are reports of U.S. lawmakers being urged to convince South Africa to drop the case altogether. Now, as a counterpoint, let's not forget that Iran's stated objective, is to remove Israel from the face of the earth, which, I don't know, also seems like the pursuit of genocide.

Apparently, the ICC hasn't thought to deal with that issue. And in today's back of the brief, we head to the digital frontier of artificial intelligence, where China has refused to sign a declaration calling for humans, not AI, to make critical decisions about nuclear weapons. Well, that seems reasonable. But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to begin with the alleged migrant crisis in Ohio, where a significant influx of Haitian immigrants into the town of Springfield has sparked widespread outrage among locals and triggered a national conversation about the Biden-Harris administration's border policies. Now, as you may be aware, after Tuesday's presidential debate, perhaps you saw it, the situation has become something of a flashpoint regarding the Biden administration's handling of the social. border. While the viral, unverified claims about Haitian migrants eating pets out of yards and

ducks from public parks have dominated the headlines, I wanted to set aside the duck's pets issue and take a moment to examine the larger implications of this sudden influx. Springfield, a former manufacturing hub with a population of 58,000, now remember that, 58,000 has seen the arrival of tens of thousands of Haitian migrants over the past four years, something that residents say has caused an uptick in violent crime and general community mayhem. Since 2021, Springfield has seen their population increased by 30%, with a number of Haitian migrants totaling some 20,000. Okay, that's according to the New York Post. Again, the town's population was 58,000. So they've now had 20,000 migrants relocated to their town. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand how that

could affect a location. The situation has reportedly put a strain on local resources and exasperated the state's ongoing housing crisis. Community tensions rose in August of 2023, after a 36-year-old Haitian migrant, driving without a valid U.S. license, caused a school bus to crash, killing one child and injuring 20 others. Since then, the situation has only deteriorated. In recent weeks, residents in Springfield have been packing into city council meetings wall-to-wall to fume at local lawmakers, according to a Fox News report. Many residents said they no longer feel safe in their community. They described a chaotic reality on the ground, with migrants crowding public areas, hitting people with cars, and harassing residents

in supermarkets. One resident said, quote, I just wanted to be able to. to make sure that my hometown survives. Another lamented, quote, this is home, although that's a hard word for me to say right now, because it doesn't feel like home, end quote. Some local lawmakers, along with the national media, have condemned the conversation about Springfield as racist. Oh, of course they have. But locals have also vehemently pushed back on these accusations. One resident told the council that the issue is a question about shared culture, not race. explaining, quote, countries are defined by their culture and their language, not the color. When folks stand up here and describe what is happening to them, they're often painted with a broad

brush of racism that has nothing to do with it. Shame on you, end quote. So, how did we get here? Well, the problem lies with the Biden administration's humanitarian parole program, which allows migrants from Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Cuba who pass a background screening I suppose in background screening, to fly directly to the U.S. and be released with work permits and authorization to remain in the country for two years. Roughly 360,000 migrants are entering the U.S. each year under this program. Once here, parolees can apply for temporary protected status, which shields them from removal based on issues within their home country, such as the widespread at gang violence in Haiti.

Earlier this week, Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced he had directed his office to pursue legal avenues to prevent the Biden administration from sending, quote, an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities. Meanwhile, Republican Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said Tuesday he would be dispatching the Ohio State Highway Patrol to Springfield to help police deal with traffic issues reportedly caused by the Haitians' unfamiliarity with U.S. traffic laws. The Associated Press reported that DeWine also earmarked $2.5 million to be used over a two-year period to provide more primary health care resources to the town, which have been strained

by the migrant influx. DeWine said, quote, these dramatic surges impact every citizen of the community, moms who have to wait hours in a waiting room with a sick child, everyone who drives on the streets, and and it affects children who go to school in more crowded classrooms, end quote. Many residents, however, are concerned that it may be too late to reverse the damage done to their community. Now, look, no offense to progressives, but if you had 20,000 migrants show up in Southampton or Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket, bastions of progressive thinking, you would have the same complaints or worse. I guarantee those communities would not welcome a 30% increase in their population.

It would not happen. So spare me the self-righteous narrative that somehow the residents of Springfield are racist. All right. Coming up after the break, Israel reportedly offers Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza in exchange for hostages. While South Africa seeks to delay its genocide case against the Jewish state at the the International Criminal Court, the ICC. I'll have those stories when we come back.

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granting Hamas leader in 7 October mastermind, Yaya Sinwar, safe passage out of Gaza in exchange for the remaining 101 hostages being held in captivity. As we discussed earlier this week on the PDB, hopes for a comprehensive ceasefire deal have all but evaporated. A senior negotiator informed hostage families on Monday that there was broad pessimism among Israeli leaders and put the chances for a deal at near zero. But Ngal Hirsch, Israel's chief negotiator for hostages and missing persons, said Tuesday that Israel has one final card to play, albeit one that is likely to be widely controversial within Israel and beyond. In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, Hirsch said, quote, I'm ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, whoever wants to join him. We want the hostages back. We want demilitarization, de-radicalization of course,

course, a new system that will manage Gaza, end quote. According to Hirsch, the proposal has already been on the table for two days, though there's been no official reaction yet from Hamas. Much like with the ceasefire negotiations, Hirsch indicated that Israel would be willing to release Palestinian prisoners if Hamas warmed to the proposal, that's according to a CNN report. Hirsch stressed, however, that it has been incredibly difficult to get Hamas to firmly agree to anything in negotiations and said Israel must prepare for the plan to be rejected. He told Bloomberg, quote, in parallel, I must work on plans B, C, and D, because I must bring the hostages back home. The clock is ticking. The hostages do not have time, end quote.

While reports about Sinwar's desire to stay in Gaza have been contradictory in recent weeks, An anonymous diplomat familiar with the discussions told CNN on Wednesday that Sinwar does not wish to leave Gaza as he feels he's safer in the enclave than he would be in countries like Iran or Lebanon. As a reminder, Sinwar was officially named the new leader of the terrorist outfit on August 6th, following the death of their political chief in Tehran on July 30th. Publicly, Israel has vowed to kill him for his many crimes. While Israeli intelligence has long tried to target Sinwar, whose hold up inside Hamas' extensive tunnel network, and at times has located his exact position, the IDF has reportedly been unable to strike due to the risks posed to hostages. According to a recent report from the Jewish Chronicle, Israeli intelligence believes Sinwar has surrounded himself with 22 of the remaining hostages, holding them in handcuffs and using them as human shields against any potential Israeli assault.

on his location, who, such a brave terrorist. Whatever happened to wanting to be a martyr? All right, continuing our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. South Africa's pursuit of a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, the ICJ, has hit a hurdle. South Africa is seeking more time to gather evidence, as Israel ramps up diplomatic efforts to pressure the country to drop the case. South Africa was expected to submit its evidence by 28 October, but is now requesting several months of extension, citing a lack of sufficient proof to support its claims of genocide in Gaza, oh, according to KAN News on Tuesday.

The case traces back to September 23, when South Africa lodged a formal complaint with the ICJ and the Hague, accusing Israel of violating the 1948 UN Convention, on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide in its conflict with Hamas. The complaint argues that Israel's actions amount to an attempt to destroy the Palestinian population, quote, in whole or in part, which fits the UN's definition of genocide, never mind the fact that Israel's goal is to destroy Hamas, the terrorist organization. Israel consistently rejects these accusations. Since then, the ICJ has issued provisional orders, including a made directive for Israel, to halt military operations in Rafa.

Meanwhile, a classified memo from Israel's foreign ministry obtained by Axios reveals that Israel is lobbying U.S. federal and state lawmakers to pressure South Africa into halting its legal proceedings at the ICJ. Israeli diplomats have been instructed to make this effort public through press and social media to garner support. In addition, the memo reports that Israeli diplomats are encouraged to push for legislation that could harm South Africa economically, such as proposing the suspension of U.S. South Africa trade relations. While such measures are, well, frankly, unlikely to materialize,

due to the U.S.'s interest in maintaining ties with South Africa and part to counterbalance the influence of Russia and China, the threat emphasizes Israel's diplomatic push. South Africa has traditionally aligned with many African nations in its criticism of Israel. However, Israeli officials believe South Africa's new coalition government, formed in mid-2024, after the African National Congress, the ANC, lost its majority for the first time in 30 years, may shift its approach toward dialogue rather than legal action. Israeli diplomats emphasize this potential shift in their lobbying efforts, urging the new coalition to engage in dialogue rather than pursue punitive measures at the ICJ. Despite Israeli efforts, South Africa remains resolute. In a statement on Tuesday, the South African presidency

reaffirmed its commitment to the ICJ case, asserting that it, quote, intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine, end quote. The statement also referenced the ICJ's provisional orders of halting military operations in Rafah calling on Israel to comply. A South Africa's October deadline for submitting evidence, approaches, much depends on whether the ICJ grants the requested extension and how Israel's efforts to block the case play out. And no word as to whether South Africa has any interest in levying the same charges against Iran, which, along with its numerous proxy terrorist groups, have stated repeatedly that their objective is the destruction of Israel, which, to be fair, seems like a

genocidal statement. Maybe that just doesn't fit in with South Africa's political agenda. All right, coming up in today's back of the brief, China says no to signing onto a declaration calling on humans not artificial intelligence to control the release of nuclear weapons. I'll have the details when we come back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line. line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the

money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. This podcast is brought to you by Carvana. Selling your car should feel like one less thing on your list. Not one more. With Carvana, it is. Just go to Carvana.com. And to your license plate or Vin, and get a real offer down to to the penny. No back and forth, no surprises, just an experience you can trust. Like your offer, accept it, schedule pickup, and we'll come to you with a check in hand. Your car, your timeline, your terms. Visit Carvana.com to sell your car today. Carvana. Pick up fees may apply. In today's back of the brief, a global summit on artificial intelligence AI in the military domain concluded with an agreement that humans, not AI, should retain control over critical decisions

regarding the use of nuclear weapons. Well, that seems reasonable. Well done you. Though one country, notably, didn't endorse the agreement. Okay, hands up. Anyone want to make a guess as to that country? Oh, you'd be right. China. During the two-day responsible AI and the military domain summit in Seoul, South Korea, also known as the Ream-R-E-A-I-M summit, because who doesn't love a good acronym, nearly 100 countries, including the U.S. and Ukraine, reached a non-binding agreement in the blueprint for action. Countries declared it essential to, quote, maintain human control and involvement for all actions concerning nuclear weapons employment. What, you had to have a big conference to make that decision? This blueprint comes as AI increasingly integrates,

into military operations, including reconnaissance, surveillance, and analysis. As AI capabilities advance, concerns have grown about its use in autonomous decision-making, especially in critical areas such as nuclear weapon deployment. Yeah, that's a critical area. Notably, China did not endorse the blueprint, emphasizing the complexities of global consensus on AI and warfare. Oh, it's just so complex. What are we going to do? In addition, Russia did not attend the summit. They were barred due to their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Despite these challenges, the Declaration emphasizes that military AI must comply with national and international laws, as well as be ethical and human-centric. However, the blueprint needs

enforcement mechanisms or sanctions, of course it does, reflecting the difficulties in balancing sovereignty with a need for comprehensive policy development. That. That is a pure bureaucratic statement. Participants recognize the declaration as a first step, with much work needed to align global policies with AI's rapid evolution. We're going to need a lot of budget here and a lot of foreign conferences to get this one right. South Korean officials have indicated that they plan to raise the issue of AI in the military domain at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in October,

using the blueprint as a basis for broader international engagement. Well, that should do it. We'll get a UN resolution. I mean, I suppose bureaucrats are going to bureaucrat. We can all rest easy, though, as the government toadies and UN minions work together to draft guidelines for despots to ignore. I sound so cynical. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Thursday, 12 September.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And as the weekend, I'm told, is rapidly approaching, let me just remind you that another episode of the highly acclaimed PDB situation report launches on Friday evening at 10 p.m. on the first TV. Also, of course, available on our YouTube channel at the president's daily brief. That's at president's daily brief. And all podcast platforms, of course, where you obtain your podcast. stuff. Now you have been warned. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB

afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Not loving your AT&T or T Mobile Bill. Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot. Good news. Bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to Verizon and we'll give you a better deal. So get away from that unfortunate phone bill and get to Verizon. Run, ride, canoe. Whatever it takes, we'll be here. Bring your AT&T or T Mobile Bill to a Verizon. in store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network. A better deal. No surprises. That's Verizon. Best network based on root metrics, best overall mobile network performance U.S. second half 2025. All rights reserved. It must provide a recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person regimen the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply.