The President's Daily Brief - September 24th, 2024: Is Terror Chief Sinwar Dead?, U.S. Troops Head to Middle East, & Migrant Shelters Turn Criminal

Episode Date: September 24, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We’ll start with the growing mystery surrounding the fate of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, as Israeli intelligence investigates whether the mastermind behind the October 7th attack was killed in an airstrike. The Pentagon announces the deployment of additional U.S. troops to the Middle East and urges Americans to leave Lebanon, as an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah looms. Plus, we examine reports that Venezuela’s violent Tren de Aragua gang is using New York City migrant shelters as bases for criminal activities, including gun smuggling and prostitution. In today’s Back of the Brief: some news from the 2024 presidential campaign as Vice President Kamala Harris loses an endorsement from a major world leader.   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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and then here is the second step, as we call it step two. Fill that mug with blackout coffee. That's it. Your day has started off right. Now, Blackout Coffee is a terrific American business. It's family-owned, and they are all about premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first purchase. It's Tuesday, 24 September. Welcome to the president's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed.

We'll start things off today with the growing mysteries surrounding the fate of Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar, as Israeli intelligence investigates whether the mastermind behind the October 7th attacks was killed in an airstrike. Later in the show, the Pentagon announces the deployment of additional U.S. troops to the Middle East. I don't see how this goes wrong, and urges Americans to leave Lebanon as an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah looms. Plus, we'll look at reports that Venezuela's violent Trendenoragua gang, the TDA, is using New York City migrant shelters as bases for criminal activities, including gun smuggling and prostitutes. Well, what are the odds of a violent criminal organization preying upon migrants? Who could have seen that coming? In today's back of the brief, some news from the 2024 presidential campaign

as Vice President Harris loses an endorsement from a major world leader. Oh, did I say leader? I meant despot. Yeah, that's the word I was searching for. But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to begin with a mystery surrounding the terrorist leader of Hamas that could have significant ramifications for the future of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Now, Hamas leader in 7 October mastermind, Yaya Sinwar, has reportedly disappeared off the radar, and Israel's security establishment is now investigating whether Sinwar may have been killed by airstrikes in Gaza in recent weeks, according to a report from the Jerusalem Post. or I suppose another option is that

Sinwar fled Gaza to save his own skin, likely toting bags of cash that he's stolen from the Palestinian people over the years. Someone should check to see if he's just simply shacked up with his other wealthy billionaire Hamas leaders live in the high life in Qatar. But that's just me and maybe I sound very cynical. The news started circulating late Sunday after anonymous sources with the IDF's military intelligence directorate

told reporters that Sinwar was likely dead. Senior officials in Jerusalem said on Monday, however, that they can neither confirm nor deny reports about Sinwar's death. Officials with the Israeli intelligence agency Shinbet also pushed back, stressing that they had no new evidence regarding his possible location and condition. Senior sources who spoke with the Jerusalem Post echoed that there was no new intelligence, definitively pointing to Sinwar's death, but added that there are disagreements within the defense establishment and the investigation is ongoing. So in the absence of hard

evidence, where is this speculation coming from? Well, it reportedly stems from the fact that Sinwar has allegedly been out of contact for several weeks with his top middlemen, who handled discussions with mediators regarding ceasefire negotiations as well as general messaging for the terror group. An Israeli official told Axios, quote, It is all hopes and guesses, which are based on the fact that Sinwar has been incommunicado in recent weeks. While Sinwar has gone radio silent in the past, only to emerge alive and well,

suspicions in Israel increased after officials determined that recent messages attributed to Sinwar were likely written by someone other than the terror leader. Unnamed intelligence officials told Army Radio that Israel recently, analyzed several messages purportedly issued by Sinwar, such as a congratulatory message sent to Algeria's incumbent president, and one praising the Houthis for a missile attack on Israel, and that they bore the hallmarks of impersonation. As a report circulated about Sinwar's possible death on Sunday, the IDF also brought back multiple bodies from Gaza for genetic testing to determine if any belonged to the terror leader. So far, all the tests have come back negative, but they revealed just how seriously

Israel is taking the situation. We should stress again that Sinwar has gone quiet for lengthy periods of time in the past, spurring false rumors about his demise. Sinwar, who was also known by the nickname the butcher of Khan Yunus, was officially named the new leader of the terrorist outfit on August 6th, following the death of their political chief, Ishmael Hanyi, in Tehran on July 30th. Publicly, Israel has vowed to kill Sinwar for his many crimes. While Israeli intelligence has long tried to target Sinwar and at times has located his exact position, the IDF has reportedly been unable to strike due to the risks posed to the hostages. In Israeli intelligence assessment from late August, said that he was still hold up inside

Hamas's extensive tunnel network surrounded by hostages. The reports of his possible death came as U.S. National Security spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday that ceasefire talks with Hamas have not yielded meaningful progress over the past month, which he blamed on Sinwar, saying, quote, it doesn't appear as if he's willing to move this forward. All right, coming up. The Pentagon deploys more U.S. troops to the Middle East and will uncover how. how Venezuela's violent Trenzroagua gang, the TDA, is using New York City migrant shelters for criminal operations. I'll have those stories when we come back.

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Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. Welcome back to the BDB. Sticking with the chaos in the Middle East, as fighting escalates between Hezbollah and Israel, the U.S. is moving to beef up its military presence in the region. Officials with the Pentagon announced Monday that they will deploy a small number, that's in quotes, a small number of troops to the Middle East.

join the roughly 40,000 American personnel already serving in the region. The announcement comes on the heels of massive Israeli airstrikes targeting at least 1,300 Hezbollah military sites in Lebanon on Monday, which killed nearly 500 and injured approximately 2,000, according to a report from the New York Times. Those strikes, which dealt a significant blow to Hezbollah's munitions stockpiles, followed a large attack on border community, in northern Israel by Hezbollah on Sunday, which fired approximately 150 rockets, cruise missiles and drones into Israel's Jazeeraal Valley, enduring at least six people. As the fighting intensifies and anxieties increase over the threat of a wider war, the Biden administration

is desperate to de-escalate the situation. They are particularly concerned that the fighting could cause Iranian proxies, okay, let's just call it the Iranian regime, to target U.S. troops, as they did repeatedly in the months following Hamas' 7 October attacks that kicked off this whole conflict. Regarding the new deployment, Pentagon leadership declined to specify how many troops it involves, citing the need to maintain operational security. A spokesman for the Pentagon said, quote, in light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region.

The spokesman added, quote, there is the potential for a wider regional conflict. Okay, well, there's a statement of the obvious. Thank you, spokesperson. I don't think we're there yet, they said, but it's a dangerous situation, end quote. Wow, there's a whole sentence of nothing there. As I noted, some 40,000 American troops are currently stationed at various bases in Iraq, Syria, and the Persian Gulf countries. The USS Abraham Lincoln is also currently stationed in the Gulf of Oman as a deterrence against escalations by Iran and their many proxies. Separately, the aircraft carrier,

USS Harry S. Truman, and two destroyers left port in Virginia on Monday to head to the Mediterranean, though this is reportedly part of a previously scheduled deployment. All in, the U.S. has at least a dozen warships and four Air Force fighter jet squadrons spread throughout the region to protect allies and guard against attacks, and that's according to an analysis by the military times. Due to the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, the U.S. State Department also issued a warning on Saturday for all Americans to leave Lebanon while commercial flight options still remain available. There's some pretty sound advice there. Israel, meanwhile, is signaling that their campaign against Lebanon will continue and that they have not ruled out the possibility of a

ground invasion. The IDF chief of the general staff said Monday, without elaborating that the military is, quote, preparing for the next phases, end quote. Okay, shifting stateside. The once obscure South American gang Trendlo Agua, TDA, has tightened its grip on New York City, exploiting the migrant crisis to expand its empire. The Venezuelan-based gang has infiltrated migrant shelters building a sprawling criminal enterprise. Well, that's what criminal gangs do, isn't it? In 2018, TDA began expanding beyond Venezuela. As migrants crossed into the U.S., TDA members embedded themselves primarily in New York City within the city's shelter system. The Randall's Island Shelter became one of the operational hubs for the gang as a drug and weapons distribution base.

Now, you might remember that where the Randall's Island shelter is used to be playing fields for the New York City kids. Now, apparently, it's an incubation center for TDA gang activity. Nice work, New York City management. Well done. In July, the Biden administration designated TDA a transcontinental criminal organization. Over the past two years, the NYPD has faced challenges in containing the gang's growing influence due to the surge of over 200,000 migrants in the city. TDA members are notoriously difficult to identify, as they often lack apparent tattoos. However, some have been sporting symbols like crowns, anchors, clocks, and trains, according to police informants. There's an odd gathering of tattoos. The gang's operations have grown more sophisticated over time.

Last week on the PDB, we reported on the NYPD's raid of the, quote, market of sweethearts. That's an open-air black market of prostitution rings and stolen goods. The NYPD now believes TDA is tied to the brothel activity, expanding its criminal enterprise. According to NYPD chief detective Joseph Kenney, TDA has been using food delivery services as fronts for criminal activity. Many gang members pose as delivery drivers, carrying out attacks with a driver-gunman scooter duo, while covertly transporting guns and drugs, including pink cocaine, and cocaine cut with ketamine, MDMA, or fentanyl. The number of scooter-related crimes doubled from 415 in June to nearly 830 by 10 September, and that's according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

The NYPD has made some headway, arresting nearly two dozen migrant teens tied to 21 robberies. However, TDA continues to recruit teenagers. Some crime crews, composed of teens as young as 15, have been linked to violent attacks on businesses and individuals. One particularly brutal incident involves six teens assaulting a man in Central Park, robbing him while beating him into submission. TDA's willingness to engage violently with law enforcement, has been underscored by cases such as the arrest of Bernardo Castro Mata, who allegedly shot two NYPD officers in Queens back in June. This boldness reflects the gang's growing confidence and their reach within the city. In a troubling development, TDA has also begun to branch out into

New Jersey. Well, who could have seen that coming, using New York as a recruitment hub? Recruiters often target young migrants, threatening their families back home in Venezuela, to coerce them into joining the gang. TDA's rapid rise in New York City serves as a grim reminder of how quickly criminal organizations can exploit crises, like the ongoing migrant influx,

to expand their power and influence. Now, for many years, we've been watching MS-13 expand their reach until now, well, they have operations in every state in the union. A question for law enforcement is to what degree MS-13, and TDA can or will or could coexist, or will they get sideways with each other as they chase

the same illegal revenue streams. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, the Kremlin clarifies Vladimir Putin's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. I don't know. You'd think with a years-long war that he started, that he has to deal with, not to mention an increasingly restless population due to the war that he started, and the international condemnation, don't forget that, due to the war that he started, you'd think that Putin wouldn't have time to meddle in U.S. politics, but of course, you'd be wrong. I'll have the details when we come back. In today's back of the brief, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov saw two downplay President Putin's recent comments expressing a preference for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming

U.S. election, clarifying that Putin's remarks were made in jest. Lavrov stated, quote, boy, that Putin, such a kidder, L.O.L., end quote. Earlier this month, Putin suggested that Harris's, oh, by the way, that was a fake quote, I'm sorry, I made that up. Earlier this month, Putin suggested that Harris's election could lead to a shift in U.S. sanction policy against Russia, a statement that raised eyebrows, especially given Harris's track record or lack thereof on handling foreign policy issues. This was a surprise given Putin's previous statements favoring President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump, who he criticizes for being less predictable.

Now, by the way, despots around the world hate an unpredictable U.S. leader. That is just a fact proven out over decades and decades. In an interview with Sky News Arabia on Friday, Lavrov attempted to walk back Putin's comments, claiming, quote, it was a joke. Putin often jokes during his statements and interviews, end quote, emphasizing the Russian president's humor, Lavrov went on to recount that time that Putin slipped a whoopee cushion under Kim Jong-un's seat. Oh boy, what a prankster. Lavrov went further, downplaying the importance of U.S. elections altogether,

claiming that no matter who wins, the U.S. is ruled by, what he referred to as the, quote, notorious deep state to shift focus from the potential implications of Putin's remarks. The White House responded, rejecting any form of endorsement from Putin, well, that's good, and reminding the Russian leader to stay out of U.S. elections. Well, that should do it. That's, I don't know why we didn't think about that before. We should have just told Russia to stay out of meddling in U.S. elections. The exchange comes during ongoing tensions between Washington and Moscow, worsened by U.S. sanctions following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which Putin started. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky is gearing up

for a week of meetings with U.S. leaders, including Biden and Harris. Zelensky will present his, quote, victory plan for defeating Russia after nearly three years of conflict and is expected to press for continued military and financial assistance. Zelensky's visit, as American support for Ukraine faces political scrutiny from various factions within Congress. Zelensky also hinted at a possible meeting with former President Trump, who recently suggested he would, quote, probably meet with the Ukrainian leader if given the chance. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could end the war through negotiations. I believe he actually said he could end it on day one of his administration, though his hints

at cutting aid to Ukraine have raised alarm among some U.S. allies. lies. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 24 September. My, what a complex and chaotic world we seem to be living in. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Now, here at the PDB compound, we love receiving your messages, your faxes, your telegrams, your unsolicited packages, your occasional edible displays that look like flour baskets but are actually fruit. Those are really tasty. Now, you and I know that also, to listen to the show ad-free, you just need to become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. It couldn't be any simpler, and I do hear that it's the

hottest ticket in town. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.