The President's Daily Brief - September 15th, 2023: Indictments, AI Oversight, and China's Naval Surge

Episode Date: September 15, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief": We start in Delaware, where Hunter Biden faces unprecedented charges, marking the first time a sitting president's child has been indicted by the Justice Department. This explosive development comes after a collapsed plea deal and could severely impact President Biden's 2024 reelection campaign. We take you inside the closed doors of the U.S. Senate, where top tech execs rally behind government regulations on Artificial Intelligence. Plus, a significant attack in occupied Crimea should allay the fears of Space X’s Elon Musk. In the Back of the Brief, a leaked U.S. Naval Intelligence report that reveals China’s alarming naval expansion rate, now outpacing U.S. production. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, we find ourselves in Delaware, where Hunter Biden faces unprecedented charges by Special Counsel David Weiss. This marks the first time a sitting president's child has been indicted by the Justice Department. It's a surprising development after a collapsed plea deal, and it threatens to ignite a high-profile trial during President Biden's 2024 re-election campaign. On the other side of the fence, former President Trump, currently leading in GOP primary polls, faces several trials, also likely to take place during the heat of the campaign. It's fair to say, the 2024 presidential campaign season is looking like none we've ever seen

before, and I don't mean that in a positive way. Later, we delve into an extraordinary closed-door meeting in the U.S. Senate, during which the nation's leading tech executives voiced their support for government regulations on artificial intelligence. One of those executives in attendance, Elon Musk has recently found himself at the center of a controversy involving his starling company and the conflict in Ukraine. We'll have an update, and it involves missiles hitting the Russian port of Sevastopol. And in today's back of the brief. A leaked U.S. Naval Intelligence Report spotlights the alarming speed of China's naval expansion. Spoiler alert, they've surpassed U.S. production rates. But first, today's PDB spotlight.

In an unprecedented legal bombshell, Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has been indicted on three felony counts for allegedly lying about his drug use while purchasing a gun. The indictments come just weeks after the collapse of a police. deal that would have averted a trial and potential jail time. So let's break down these charges. First, Hunter faces accusations of falsifying statements on a federal firearms form. If I felt guilty, he could be looking at a decade behind bars, a hefty $250,000 fine, and then three years of someone keeping a close eye on him after his release, sometimes referred to as court-ordered supervision. Next up, he's on the hook for lying about specific details to a federal firearms dealer.

This one? Well, another potential five years incarceration, an identical $250,000 fine, and an added three years of supervision. And the third strike? Well, having a gun while being involved with controlled substances, specifically crack cocaine. That's potentially another 10 years and $250,000 in fine. If you're keeping score at home, but somewhat math challenged, let me help. Hunter could face up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000.

Naturally, Hunter's defense is pushing back. The first son's lead attorney, Abe Loll, is claiming that it's all political gamesmanship. Lowell argues that just a month and a half ago, prosecutors didn't see a reason to charge Hunter, despite five years of probing. He alleges there is a heavy dose of political pressure at play here, especially from the MAGA Republicans. As the dust settles, this could lead to a high drama trial right in the middle of President Biden's 20-24 campaign for re-election. Quite the backdrop for what promises to be a heated political season. Oh, and did we mention the impeachment inquiry that the Republicans are spitting up,

looking into the Biden family business operations and the alleged pay for play and money laundering? Not to be outdone, former President Trump faces an array of legal contests with four indictments handed down in recent months. Now, both sides, because this is how Washington works, are crying foul, each accusing the other of engaging in nothing more than a political stunt devoid of evidence. You have to wonder what U.S. allies and foes alike are thinking while watching all of this unfold. And this all comes as Democrats continue to share their doubts as to President Biden's fitness to run for re-election. This week, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, not exactly

known as a friend of Republicans or conservatives, urged President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to bow out of the 2024 race. While praising Biden for his successes, Ignatius in the column expressed concern. He believes that, if Biden and Vice President Harris team up for a re-election bid, they might inadvertently undo what Ignatius believes is Biden's most significant achievement, halting President Trump. Now, some are speculating that Ignatius is part of a concerted effort to pave the way for Biden's decision to not seek re-election after all, and to take Harris with him. That would clear the decks and allow for a new ticket to take on the GOP, one with better poll numbers than

the current Biden-Harris team, and given their current low approval ratings, finding a team with better numbers shouldn't be a heavy lift. All right, when we come back, tech titans are sounding the alarm on Capitol Hill, pleading to Congress to keep a tight leash on artificial intelligence, and a bold attack on the Russian Navy docked at a Crimean port took place this week with significant results, and all without the assistance of Elon Musk's Starling Company. I'll be right back. You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band teas, but on Deepop, people are searching for exactly what you've got.

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Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. In the nation's capital this week, senators and 20 top tech executives, including Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, met behind closed doors to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. Based on reports,

the tech titans had a clear message for lawmakers. Washington needs to have a say in the future of artificial intelligence. According to the meetings organizer, Senator Chuck Schumer, every single participant agreed that regulation was needed, although what that regulation would be was a matter of contention. The AI devil is apparently always in the details. Microsoft's Brad Smith emphasized, AI should remain, quote, under the control of people and emphasized the need for a safety break, especially when it comes to AI running vital infrastructure, like our power grids and what. water systems. Frankly, I would also throw weapons-controlled systems and launch codes into the mix as well. Probably should keep a human involved there. Smith told the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee,

let's keep AI in check. For situations like controlling our electrical grid and all the self-driving cars zipping around, Brad Smith's words, we need a built-in safety mechanism. Think of it like the circuit breaker in our homes, ready to cut the power when necessary, unquote. It's a It's worth noting that the tech executives seem to be in strong agreement that the U.S. government should be responsible for those circuit breakers, for putting in place safety protocols and regulations that can ensure that AI doesn't overwhelm mankind or otherwise create danger for society. Now, a concern here is that AI doesn't exist in a bubble, just like the internet.

It's a global thing. Just because the U.S. is concerned with how AI develops and ensuring there are safety, mechanisms, it doesn't mean that others, particularly nations of odds with U.S. interests and security concerns, will play ball. There was talk during the past year. You'll remember that AI development in the U.S. should be halted temporarily, while safety and security concerns can be evaluated and adopted. The problem there is that, as with other technologies, the U.S. is essentially in a race with other nations to become the leader. And it's unlikely that the Chinese regime has one example, is angst-ridden over the same issues regarding AI that U.S. tech execs discussed

this week in D.C. wrapping up the session, Elon Musk summed it up saying the forum was all about tech leaders, finding their, quote, referee in D.C. He even hinted that this meeting could be remembered as pivotal for our civilization's future, not to mention that Musk, when asked about the potential for AI to destroy civilization, didn't say that. that the chances were zero. All right, Musk has made a couple of headlines on the PDB this week. As we've discussed, he recently faced backlash when news surfaced that he rejected an urgent request from the Ukrainian government. They wanted him to activate his Starlink system, the satellite-based internet system, over-occupied Crimea to support an attack on Russia's Black Sea

fleet docked at Sevastopol. Now, Musk refused and later expressed his concerns. saying that such an attack, he feared, could trigger World War III and he even drew parallels to Pearl Harbor. As it turns out, the Ukraine military apparently decided, nah, who needs Musk anyway? This week, they launched a massive attack on naval targets and port infrastructure in Sevastopol, marking one of their most aggressive moves against Russia's Black Sea fleet since the war began last year. Using a combination of Western-supplied cruise missiles and drones, the attack managed to do heavy damage to a pair of Russian ships, a landing ship, the Minsk, and a submarine, the Rostovandan.

The attack also did significant damage to critical infrastructure, specifically dry docks used to repair Russian naval vessels. All right, in today's back of the brief, a leaked intelligence report reveals that China's Navy is now outpacing the U.S. at an alarming rate. full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade.

Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. Welcome back to the PDB. In today's back of the brief, a story that's highlighting China's challenge to America's military supremacy. You might recall that earlier in the week, we mentioned that China now possesses the world's largest navy. The U.S. is holding down the fourth spot behind Russia and North Korea.

Well, a leaked slide from the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence, O&I, has been making waves on the internet. See what I did there? A Navy story? Making waves? Okay. It points to China's soaring shipbuilding power, dwarfing the U.S. by a massive margin. Just to paint a picture, Chinese shipyards can handle around 23.2 million tons, while the U.S. stands at less than 100,000 tons. That's right. China's capacity is reportedly over 232 times that of the U.S. Now, if we talk about actual ships, the O&I highlighted a side-by-side battle force composition between the two nations, showcasing everything from combat ships to submarines. And it turns out that U.S. shipbuilding capacity, basically began dwindling even before the end of the Cold War. Meanwhile, China's Navy, already the

world's largest, keeps upping its game with modern vessels and an expanding fleet of aircraft carriers. This growing gap between the world's two largest economies, at the same time as tensions are building on several fronts, raises the question of how would the U.S. fare against China in any potential maritime showdown? And that, my friend, is the president's daily brief for Friday, 15 September. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday.

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