The President's Daily Brief - September 22nd, 2023: Arms Race Alert, Diplomatic Duels, and Workers on the Warpath

Episode Date: September 22, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief" with Mike Baker: We begin by unpacking Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's resolute declaration: Should Iran pursue nuclear ambitions, Saudi Arabia will not be left behind. This remark, voiced in a recent Fox News interview, ignites growing apprehensions of a looming Mideast arms contest. We then revisit our lead story from Thursday. As Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky seeks support from US lawmakers, Poland makes an unexpected decision, halting weapon provisions to Ukraine due to deepening grain import disputes. In a separate segment. We discuss the spiraling diplomatic row between Canada and India, marked by the suspension of visa services for Canadians in the wake of contentious assassination allegations. Rounding up our episode, we return to the ongoing strike saga of the United Auto Workers. The pay and benefits impasse escalates, with the UAW now considering the extension of its strike to additional plants.   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

And here we are, the end of the week. Boys and Girls, it's Friday, September 22nd. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Today, on the PDB, we're shaking things up a bit. We're diving back into some of the key stories from this week to see how they've developed. Welcome to what we're calling follow-up Friday.

And yes, we've trademarked that phrase and we'll soon be selling it on PDB t-shirts and beer coosies. Up first, Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS, as he's often called, sends a stark message. If Iran goes nuclear, so will Saudi Arabia. His statement in a recent television interview is, of course, raising new concerns about a potential Mid-East arms race. Next, a follow-up to Thursday's lead story. As Ukrainian President Zelensky meets with U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C., Poland makes a major move. The country announces a halt in weapon supplies to Ukraine amidst deepening grain import disputes. Meanwhile, the diplomatic tit-for-tat continues between Canada and India, as India suspends visa services for Canadians following allegations from

Justin Trudeau that Indian government agents were involved in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian turf. Finally, we're going to follow-up our reporting from earlier this week on the ongoing strike of the United Auto Workers. The standoff over pay and benefits intensifies as the UAW threatens to expand its strike to new plants. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Earlier this week, we highlighted a bold move by Iran, and by bold, I mean unfortunate, denying access to several UN atomic energy inspectors who were set to scrutinize its nuclear facilities. That denial became even more significant when considering recent comments from Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. On Wednesday of this week,

the Crown Prince dropped a bombshell. Addressing Iran potentially acquiring a nuclear weapon, he declared, quote, if they get one, we have to get one. During an interview with Fox News Brett Behr, he emphasized that Saudi Arabia might pursue nuclear capability for, quote, security reasons, and to maintain balance in the Middle East. However, he quickly added, we don't hope for that outcome. Turning back to Iran's actions, they not only restricted UN inspectors, but also strategically reduced the presence of about one-third of the agency's most experienced inspectors. This move seems to be a direct retaliation against the U.S., Britain, France, and Germany, who united in calling on Tehran to cooperate immediately with the IAEA.

Their primary concern, uranium traces found at undisclosed Iranian nuclear sites. Now, Saudi Arabia doesn't have currently a nuclear program of their own, but that might be on the verge of changing. The Biden administration is in the midst of negotiating a deal aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. And Saudi Arabia has set its terms clear. one of its primary demands in these peace negotiations with Israel is its very own uranium enrichment program. And if the U.S. isn't involved in that program, the Saudis have already threatened to go to China for their nuclear power needs, a country that would frankly be much less likely to ensure guardrails against weaponization of a potential Saudi civilian program. The implications of these developments are severe. The Middle East might be,

on the brink of a regional nuclear arms race, positioning Saudi Arabia and Iran on opposing ends. Now, admittedly, this isn't the first time that the Saudis have pointed out that if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, it could unleash a regional arms race, the implication being anything they can do, we can do better. But the difference now is the passage of time and the suspected advancements made by the Iranian regime, resulting in what Intel services believe may be now a much shorter breakout period to becoming a member of the global nuclear weapons club. All right, up next on this follow-up Friday, Poland says it's pulling the plug on weapon supplies to Ukraine amid its grain dispute, putting a strain, to say the least, on a critical alliance.

Meanwhile, Canada and India's diplomatic split deepens, leading to a freeze on visa services, escalating rhetoric from both sides and growing concerns over the international. implications. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. Ukrainian President Zelensky is in Washington, D.C., actively urging the American president and lawmakers from both parties to continue their support for Ukraine as it battles the Russian incursion. Meanwhile, a significant shift in Europe's alliance with Ukraine has emerged. As we touched on yesterday, a dispute over grain imports has been building in Europe over the past few months, involving Ukraine on one side and several EU nations, including Poland on the other.

The danger for Ukraine has been the potential for this tension to spill over and impact Allied support for their struggle against Russia. And that is exactly what has just happened. The Polish Prime Minister took to social media during the past 24 hours and made a very clear statement, quote, we no longer transfer weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland. The sudden pivot came after tensions arose from a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports imposed by several EU countries. Government spokesman Pyotr Muler highlighted Ukraine's recent

absolutely unacceptable statements and diplomatic gestures as contributing factors. The Polish government, in particular, took exception to Zelensky's comments made during his attendance at the UN General Assembly this week, where he implied that Poland's support for Ukraine was just political theater, and that their actions related to the grain dispute play into Putin's hands. Highlighting the significance of this development, you might recall that Poland was the first NATO country to send fighter jets to support Ukraine. It supplied over 300 tanks, nearly 350 infantry fighting vehicles, and at least a dozen attack helicopters, among other vital equipment and aid. In addition, much of the military hardware and supplies destined for Ukraine are trained.

transported through Poland. And finally, Poland currently plays host to over a million and a half Ukrainian refugees. It would seem that Zelensky shouldn't be opening up another front, this one against his allies. It is in his country's best interest to resolve this grain dispute as quickly as possible. Parallel to this, President Zelensky's current D.C. visit has received a cooler response compared to previous ones. While Democrats have extended a warm welcome, Republicans, at least Some display mixed feelings about offering blanket support to Ukraine. In a notable move, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy declined Zelensky's request to address Congress, referencing time limitations. Now, there are legitimate concerns being raised in D.C. over how this conflict could or might

end. Given the significant amount of money and material being provided by the U.S. and NATO, it was only a matter of time before the emotive, unquestioned support for Ukraine took a more pragmatic turn. Zelensky's difficult task, possibly the most difficult he will face as the war approaches the end of its second year, is keeping the allies unified and supportive. Okay, earlier this week, we brought your attention to an escalating rift between Canada and India. This came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly announced that his government had significant allegations of India's role in the June 18th murder of a Sikh activist, who was also a Canadian citizen, in Canada. India has fervently denied these claims,

branding them as absurd. Now, this situation is escalating into a crisis with international implications. In a striking move, India has ceased issuing visas to Canada. That comes on the heels of diplomatic expulsions and travel warnings being issued. The escalating battle has a potential to impact trade, tourism, and educational exchange programs between the two countries, and Canadian businesses with operations in India could face logistical challenges. Also, India has advised Indian citizens now living in Canada to watch for any signs of anti-Indian sentiment or actions. India's decision on the visa, came on the heels of Canada's announcement that it's downsizing its staff in India due to threats

received by its diplomats on social media. So this keeps going back and forth. Now Trudeau remains firm in his stance. Just yesterday, he emphasized to the media that there are, quote, credible reasons to believe that agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil. He stressed that revealing these accusations was not done lightly, urging India to cooperate with Canada's ongoing investigation. However, the problem for Trudeau is that he has not provided any evidence or specifics regarding the allegations, and that has only fueled Indian government anger and created doubt about what evidence the Canadian government may have. The West, and in particular the U.S., is watching this situation with growing concern. India, after all, is the most populous nation

in the world and just happens to possess the fifth largest economy. Despite that, if Trudeau were to provide solid evidence supporting the allegations, the U.S. would have little option except to join Canada in condemning India for its actions. As it stands now, the U.S. and allies are sitting on the sidelines, attempting to be neutral and not anger India, which, frankly, they view as a potential bulwark, or at least ally, against China's efforts. to reshape their global order. All right, in the back of the brief for this Friday edition, we'll have the latest on the UAW strike against the Big Three automakers.

I'll be right back. Welcome back to the PDB. The standoff between the United Auto Workers and Automakers is now officially a week old. As both sides engage in negotiations, they seem fairly entrenched in their positions, meaning were unlikely to see an end to this anytime soon. While proposals have shuttled back and forth between the Big Three and the Union,

no common ground has reportedly been reached yet. Currently, the strike remains limited, with about 12,700 of the Union's 146,000 members, or less than 10%, if my math is correct, participating. But this figure may soon rise. UAW President Sean Fane is expected to announce an expansion in the number of plants joining the strike today. General Motors and Stalantis in response have started implementing layoffs.

GM cut roughly 2,000 jobs at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas. Meanwhile, Stalantis released 68 workers at an Ohio machining facility and may have plans to lay off around 300 employees at its Indiana plants. As we've discussed here on the PDB, an extended strike situation will have significant impact on the U.S. economy. The Biden White House has thus far talked to, rocked up their pro-union position, feeling that right now it's politically in their favor to lambast corporate profits and beat the union drum. However, if the strike drags on, it's likely the White

House calculus will change. In the face of layoffs, supply a chain and inventory issues, and a potential economic downturn, political expediency heading into an election year will temper their position. Look for the White House in that case to be more accommodating to the automakers in an effort to find a solution. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, 22 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. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. 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

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