The President's Daily Brief - September 19th, 2023. Prisoner Exchanges, Political Gatherings, and Mystery in the Skies

Episode Date: September 19, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Five Americans make their way home after a significant prisoner exchange in Iran — but there's a catch, as the nation pushes back against nuclear oversight. The political arena heats up in New York City with the United Nations General Assembly, and we'll break down what's on the agenda. Over in Ukraine, it's out with the old as President Zelensky makes sweeping changes in the defense ministry. In the 'Back of the Brief' segment: a state-of-the-art U.S. fighter jet goes AWOL, while a Chinese 'spy' balloon's secrets float to the surface.   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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For those of you who might be calendar challenged, let me provide some assistance. It's Tuesday, September 19th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Up first, five American citizens imprisoned in Iran are now safely out of the country and in the U.S. after a landmark prisoner exchange deal that saw the U.S. government release five Iranians held on federal charges and the return.

or payment of $6 billion to the Iranian regime. Now this happened just as Iran has dismissed about a third of the designated UN nuclear inspectors, potentially hindering crucial oversight on their weapons program activities. Next, we're off to the Big Apple, where the gridlock traffic, blocked roads, and fully booked restaurants can only mean one thing. Yes, it's the return of the United Nations General Assembly Week to New York City. Now, any true New Yorker will tell you, it's the best time of year to not be in New York City. We'll look at what we can expect from this annual gathering

of diplomats, U.N. staff, and world leaders. Then, we shift to Ukraine, where in a dramatic reshuffling, President Zelensky fired all six of the nation's deputy defense ministers, coming just weeks after his longtime defense minister also got the boot. Finally, in our back of the brief segment, we turned to the skies, We turn to the skies. Two interesting stories. A USF-35 jet went missing over South Carolina on Sunday after the pilot had to eject, and the military authorities then turned to the public for help in tracking down their high-priced plane. And we get an update on that Chinese spy balloon that meandered

across the U.S. earlier this year. But first, today's PDB spotlight. An aircraft carrying five American citizens imprisoned in Iran, touched down in Doha Gutter on Monday, before then flying onward to the U.S. Their release is the culmination of a broader agreement we've been covering here on the PDB that saw the U.S. release $6 billion of frozen Iranian assets. In addition, the U.S. government released five Iranian nationals who were in U.S. custody on various federal charges, including theft of sensitive intelligence, sanctions busting, and other actions in aid of the Iranian regime. Three of the Americans are being released after more than five years, with one having been detained since 2015. In a statement released, just before their arrival in Doha, President

Joe Biden expressed his relief and joy, saying, quote, today, five innocent Americans who were imprisoned in Iran are finally coming home. But while this release is certainly a great moment for the families of those involved, and one that's gained a lot of media attention, others, particularly on the Republican side of the House, have heaped criticism on the White House for essentially paying for the release of hostages. The State Department and White House operatives have been at pains to note that the $6 billion released to the Iranian regime is simply oil revenues that Iran had previously earned and then was frozen under sanctions. Now, that's in an effort to say that this wasn't a payment for the release of the hostages. However, the White House has also stated that the release of the

funds was necessary in order to gain the release of the hostages. You can put lipstick on this pig, but it's still the transfer of money for the return of hostages. The difficulty here is that, of course, you can celebrate the release of the individuals from an awful situation in Iran, but at the same time, it's fair to note that the U.S. government's longstanding tradition of not negotiating with terrorists has been abandoned with this deal, given that Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism. Meanwhile, another pivotal story concerning Iran has seen. slip through the cracks. It's a story that is definitely worth highlighting, especially considering

the significant amount of funds that were just handed over to the country. In a dramatic move, Iran has pushed out several of the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors, a move that could severely obstruct the agency's capability to monitor selected nuclear sites within Iran's borders. To put this another way, Iran has effectively barred about one-third of the agency's principal, team of experienced inspectors assigned to the nation. Offering some insight, Iran's foreign ministry associated this move with their claim that the United States and three European nations have been misusing the IAEA for, quote, their own political purposes. While Iran continually asserts that its nuclear program has solely peaceful objectives, the reality

is stark. Reliable sources confirm that Tehran currently possesses enough enriched uranium to produce several nuclear weapons if they decide to take that route. And as we ponder the ramifications of these actions, let's not forget a critical detail about the funds the U.S. just released. Though the deal stipulates that Iran should allocate the $6 billion for humanitarian endeavors, Iran's leaders have made it clear. They'll utilize these funds as they deem fit, regardless of Western expectations or stipulations, and that could also mean spending on their weapons programs. The State Department and the White House have noted repeatedly that they will be able to monitor the unfrozen assets now sitting in a Qatari bank, and that any shenanigans on the part of the Iranian regime will not be

tolerated. The money, we're told, is only to be spent on humanitarian needs. Aside from the fact that the Iranians can always circumvent this situation by now spending $6 billion they already have in their accounts that's not under the watchful gaze of the U.S. Treasury Department and then use the release $6 billion for humanitarian needs, we are also somehow to believe that the U.S. government, which was unable to accurately account for COVID relief funds inside the U.S., that they're somehow going to have a kung-foo-like grip on money that's now sitting in gutter and accessible to the Iranian government. All right, like the swallows returning to Capistrano,

traffic chaos in New York City signals the return of world leaders to the Big Apple for the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week. I'll explain what you can expect from the Global Summit, and then a dramatic shake-up of the Zelensky government as he reshuffles his entire defense ministry. I'll be right back. Not loving your AT&T or T-Mobile bill? Yeah, we've been hearing that a lot.

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Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. drivers brace yourselves for a week of gridlock. The United Nations General Assembly launches its 78th session today. And for UN jargon enthusiasts, this year's theme is, well, let's call it comprehensive. It goes, and I quote, rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity, accelerating action on the 2030 agenda and its sustainable development goals towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all. End quote. I'd like Rokeford on the side with my word, Salad.

How about you? So what's on President Biden's agenda? He's slated to address the assembly later today. Plus, he's penciled in a Ted A Tet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It's a story about the U.S. and I'm obligated to say pretentious diplomatic things like Ted Atet. And given the somewhat contentious relationship between Biden and Bebe, sparks just might fly. Here's something interesting, though. This year's assembly is expected to be a bit of a snoozer in terms of global bigwigs showing up. Out of the leaders of the five permanent members

of the UN Security Council, that's the U.S., Russia, China, France, and Britain, only President Biden will be in attendance. Other major leaders skipping out on the event include India's Prime Minister Moldi, who recently led the G20 and Mexico's president Manuel Lopez Oberliners. So with many of the world's most powerful leaders, not on the dance card this year, how much can the summit expect to achieve? Well, if the recent G20 summit is any indication or barometer of things to come, we can, for one, expect little to no mention much less condemnation of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The Russian and Chinese delegations, not to mention India, which still has yet to officially condemn

the invasion, they'll work to suppress. any significant actions or even harshly worded statements. Speaking of the Ukraine conflict, one world leader confirming his attendance at the UN General Assembly is Ukraine's President Zelensky. He's not only hitting up New York, but also D.C., aiming to address Congress and likely requesting more aid. Now, while Zelensky gears up for his American tour,

back home there's been quite the shake-up. Zeletsky didn't just trim the hedges. He's uprooted the whole garden, firing all six of his deputy defense ministers, and he's keeping tight-lipped about why. But we can make some educated guesses. Here's some context. This sweeping move follows the ousting of his wartime defense chief, Alexei Reznikov. We've talked about that previously on the PDB.

Word on the street? Reznikov greenlit a few questionable defense deals, including an overpriced uniform contract with a Turkish firm. Reznikov, for his part, denies any wrong. doing. There's a surprise. But his successor, Defense Minister Rustam Umanov, tease the nation on Facebook, hinting at fresh beginnings, quote, rebooted, here we go, getting it done. Zelenzky is fully aware that he has to be seen as being aggressive and proactive and rooting out any appearances of corruption within his government. The country's very future depends on his ability to maintain the confidence of the U.S. and NATO. Without their support, they cannot win.

the current conflict with Putin. Any indications of corruption within the military or elsewhere in the system need to be addressed visibly and quickly. All right, in today's back of the brief segment, we're turning to the skies as the U.S. government looked for assistance today in tracking down a missing F-35, and the mystery of China's spy balloon drifts back into the news. I'll be right back. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to see. say here. Multi- Vehicle discount, Safe Driver Discount, New Vehicle Discount, Storage Discount, Legacy. How many discounts will you stack up?

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These statements have not been involved. by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Welcome back to the PDB. In today's back of the brief, a strange story from the skies above South Carolina. The U.S. military went on an intense scavenger hunt over the past two days, scouring every nook and craddy for an F-35 jet that seemingly disappeared after a so-called mishap near an air base on Sunday. Misap is the buzzword right now, leaving folks wondering what exactly happened. There's been no word on why the pilot, who, safely ejected, opted to ditch the aircraft. The military is not releasing any details as they continue

their own investigation into the event. The bizarre part of this story was that Joint Base Charleston, where the missing jet took off from, took to social media on Monday, asking the public to help in the search. They tweeted out a call to action, quote, If you've got any clues on the F-35's whereabouts, give the base defense operations center a ring, and then they provided a phone number. But why all the fuss, you ask? I mean, after all, it's only a missing F-35.

Well, Lockheed Martin, the company behind the jet, says it's tricked out with top-of-the-line gear and is a ninja when it comes to dodging radar. Apparently, despite having an $80 million price tag, though, they forgot to install the Find My Fighter Jet app. Monday evening, the mystery was solved when the military announced that they had located the missing jet in a debris field north of Charleston. Again, the good news is that the pilot was able to eject safely during the unspecified mishap. But it is surprising to learn that the military's method of retrieving a top-of-the-line asset is to ask the public to, I don't know, keep an eye out.

Look, my cat Gus goes missing regularly. we've got an air tag on his collar. It's not that tough. And here's a quirky tidbit to wrap things up. Recall in January when that Chinese balloon drifted over U.S. skies, at times loitering over sensitive U.S. military facilities, only to meet its end eventually off the South Carolina coast. Turns out, at least according to U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Millie, that it was a bit of a dud mission. After the Navy fished a debris from the Atlantic's depths, tech gurus found that its sensors were switched off while cruising over the continental U.S. Now, again, that's what we're being told. When asked if the balloon was spying on the U.S.,

chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley, replied, quote, I would say it was a spy balloon and that we know with a high degree of certainty that it got no intelligence and didn't transmit any intelligence back to China. So nothing to see here. Move on, folks. I'd like a bit more clarity from the military as to why they believe the balloon was inoperable while spending several days over the U.S. I don't expect we'll get that clarification, but color me skeptical that China's military and intel apparatus came up empty-handed from this balloon caper.

And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 19th September. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker. Until tomorrow, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. All. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot machine by aristocrat gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale May 29th.

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