The President's Daily Brief - September 27th, 2023: Shocking Ovations, A Commander's Resurrection, and The EU’s Warning to Musk

Episode Date: September 27, 2023

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   We delve into the shocking incident from Canada where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ensnared in controversy after a Nazi SS veteran received a standing ovation in Parliament. As Trudeau issues an apology, the clamor for accountability and resignations grows nationwide.   We follow up on the surprising revelation that Russia’s Black Sea Fleet Commander Viktor Sokolov may be alive, contradicting Ukraine’s claims of his death in a missile strike. As a video surfaces from Russia's Defense Ministry, Ukraine hurriedly works to clarify its earlier statements.   Switching gears, we explore the European Union’s stern warning to Elon Musk and his social platform X, amid allegations of a high disinformation ratio, highlighting the intensifying scrutiny of large social media platforms.   In today's back of the brief segment, we break down the landmark lawsuit against Amazon by the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states, a legal battle that has the potential to revolutionize your online shopping experience.   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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halfway there, wherever there is. Regardless, it's Wednesday, September 27th. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Today, we're opening with a shocking event from north of the border. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who's had a rocky time of it lately, is now caught in a storm of controversy, as he apologizes for a deeply unsettling incident in Parliament. Nazi SS veteran Yaroslav Honka, yes, an actual Nazi, received a standing ovation,

sending shockwaves nationwide. Now, demands are mounting for accountability and resignations. A little later in the show, a follow-up on a story we touched on yesterday, as Russia's Black Sea Fleet Commander, Viktor Sokolov, has been shown alive, contradicting Ukraine's previous claim of his death in a bold,

missile strike. With the emergence of a video from Russia's defense ministry, questions swirl, and Ukraine now scrambles to clarify their earlier assertions. Clarification would be that either they were wrong or Sakhalov has risen from the dead, which by most measures would make it the story of the millennium. Then switching gears, we'll look at the European Union's stern warning to Elon Musk and his social platform X, formerly known, of course, as Twitter, after the EU claims, that X has the highest disinformation ratio among large social media platforms. Finally, in today's back of the brief segment, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states are taking on e-commerce giant Amazon in a groundbreaking lawsuit that could reshape how you shop online, changing everything from

scoring that budget toilet paper deal to snagging the latest gadgets. Now, honestly, I had no idea folks were buying toilet paper on Amazon. Is there nothing? that Jeff Bezos can't sell. But first, today's PDB spotlight. In Ottawa, the Canadian government is currently reeling from one of its most embarrassing episodes in recent memory. Just days after the nation's parliament and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy gave a standing ovation to a Nazi veteran.

Yeah, you heard that right. Honestly, it's been at least, I don't know, 78 years, perhaps, since any Nazi has received a standing ovation. I mean, even Nazis don't say. stand up and applaud Nazis. It's considered extremely problematic and a sure sign. It all kicked off last week during Ukrainian President Zelensky's visit to the Canadian Parliament. House Speaker Anthony Roda, probably with the best intentions, perhaps, although clearly without any concept of due diligence, introduced 98-year-old Yeroslav Juncker as a Canadian-Ukrainian war hero. Everybody stood up and

clapped, and even Zelensky waved. It was a touching moment. But, only for a moment. Because here's where it all goes sideways. It turns out that Hunca served in the first Ukrainian division, a division that was under Nazi command during World War II. Now, for some historical context, these weren't your run-of-the-mill soldiers. The division in which Hunca served was also known as the 14th Woffin-Gronadier division, the SS, which any student of history knows, was responsible for countless horrendous crimes and atrocities during the war. This bombshell was dropped by Canada's Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and now, well, Canadian lawmakers are doing the political equivalent of running around like headless chickens.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, already facing sagging poll numbers, and currently embroiled in a major diplomatic battle with India, is more than a little red-faced. He's called the whole affair quote, extremely upsetting, yeah, yeah, it would be, and quote, deeply embarrassing. Again, he's correct, for Canada's parliament. And in true political fashion, he's thrown a good chunk of the blame on House Speaker Rhoda. Roda saying sorry and admitting he messed up. By recognizing the Nazi veteran, yeah, he messed up. Sorry for applauding the Nazi. But for many, I'm sorry, just isn't cutting it. The buzz in Ottawa and beyond? Well, people are calling for Roda to pack up and resign. from his position. Even Trudeau's government and two opposition parties are jumping on that bandwagon,

all saying it's time for the House Speaker to step down. So, as you can imagine, Ottawa's in quite the frenzy, as everyone tries to navigate this storm of controversy and calls for accountability. Look, we live in a time when politicians keep testing the limits of what they can get away with. But in the age of corruption, extreme partisanship, and general boorish behavior, none of the politicians, well, until the Canadian Parliament broke ranks, thought to ask themselves, huh, I wonder what the public would think if we give a nice round of applause to an aging Nazi. Well, we're about to find out. All right, after a quick break, we're diving back into a mysterious turn of events.

Remember the story of Russia's Black Sea Fleet commander, Victor Sokolov, whom Ukraine declared dead this week in a missile strike? I hope you remember it. we talked about it just yesterday on the PDB. Well, hold the obituaries. Sokolov has been shown alive in a new video from Russia's defense ministry, stirring a whirlwind of course of questions. And then we're switching gears, turning our attention to Elon Musk and his social platform X. The European Union isn't mincing words, hitting Musk and X with a stern warning, clean up the disinformation, or pay the price. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the President's daily brief. Yesterday, we reported on claims by the Ukrainian government that Russia's Black Sea

Fleet commander, Victor Sokolov, had met his end in a missile strike on Russian naval headquarters in Sevastopol, Crimea, a shocking announcement, which, if true, would have had some serious implications on the conflict and could mark a significant escalation. But today, well, today there's a twist in the tale. Russian state media hit the airwaves broadcasting footage they say shows Admiral Sokolov a and in a meeting of top defense officials via video conference. They claim the meeting took place on Tuesday, which, if true, would be four days after the Admiral was reportedly killed, and that, my friends, would be a neat trick.

Now, the authenticity and timing of this video, released by Russia's Ministry of Defense, can't be confirmed just yet. And while Sokolov doesn't utter a word in the video footage, viewers noticed him blinking and putting on a pair of spectacles, for whatever that's worth. Beyond the video, the Russian government remains tight-lipped about the admiral's fate. Putin's spokesperson, dodging questions and offering no comment when asked about Sakhalov's condition, adds to the uncertainty. After the video's release,

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces found themselves backpedaling, stating they are now, quote, clarifying the information regarding the Admiral. They are holding their ground, still asserting that, according to their sources, Sokolov is among the dead. This unfolding saga leaves us with more questions and answers, as conflicting reports continue to cloud the truth about Sokolov's fate. As noted yesterday in the PDB's initial coverage of the story, if the reports of Sokolov's demise are true, it's a massive turn of events,

pointing to weaknesses in Russia's air defenses, possible intel leaks allowing Ukraine to target the high-level meeting, and yet another senior commander in Putin's. ranks being taken off the playing field. But the video of Sakhalov raises questions about the accuracy of Ukraine's reporting, or more importantly, the accuracy of their intel sources involved in the operation. At the same time, the potential does exist that the Russians are using a deep fake, meaning the video isn't real and Sakhalov is in fact dead. So, color me cynical, but Putin's apparatus has been known to deal in disinformation and deep fakes in the past. Stay tuned as we keep

our eye on this developing story. All right, speaking of the spread of inaccurate information, a top European official declared on Tuesday that the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, stands as the largest source of fake news and misinformation of all the major social media platforms. The EU is urging its owner, Elon Musk, to align with the bloc's laws aimed at combating such disinformation, specifically referring to the so-called European digital social. Services Act, which became operational at the end of August. European Commission Vice President, Vieira Jorov, accused X of enabling Moscow's, quote,

weapon of mass manipulation to run rampant on the platform. She went on to deliver a clear warning to Musk, saying, quote, you have to comply. We will be watching what you do. Yeah, that's a clear warning. She emphasized that noncompliance could lead to X facing a ban in the EU. Not one to stay silent, as you might imagine, Musk fired back from his ex-account, questioning the criteria that defines disinformation

in the eyes of regulators. He pointed out the headlines from numerous news outlets that had falsely claimed the COVID-19 vaccine to be 100% effective as an example of widespread disinformation. For that matter, could spreading unverified claims about Ukraine taking out the commander of the Black Sea Fleet also be categorized as disinformation? And there lies the problem when an organization or bureaucratic entity decides they will be the operators of what is and isn't disinformation.

Look, in an ideal world, the consumers of the information, the general population, would be curious and inquisitive and proactive in understanding the credibility of whatever it is they listen to or read. But that requires that each individual takes the time to question what they consume. And that does take time. And frankly, with the spread of social media, the speed with which information is spread, and the rise of AI and deep fakes, it is increasingly difficult and concerning for the average person to accurately identify the origin of information. But putting some faceless, unaccountable bureaucracy in charge of determining what is and isn't accurate, what you should or shouldn't believe, is no less concerning. All right, in today's back of the brief segment, the Federal Trade Commission and 17 U.S. states have launched a massive lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of monopolistic practices. The coming legal battle could alter the way that people shop online for everything from toilet paper to electronics online.

I have no idea why I'm so fascinated that people shop for toilet paper online. I'll be right back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom 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. Welcome back. In today's back of the brief, we live in a world where, e-commerce reigns supreme. A staggering 59% of American adults have shifted their shopping habits, preferring to make their purchases online rather than from brick-and-mortar stores. There's a pretty good chance you've had an Amazon package or two on your doorstep recently, and by recently, I mean at least several packages of the day. Jeff Bezos, frankly, should personally

stop by my house to thank my family for keeping him in yachts and fancy private jets. But has the company been inflating the prices that you've been paying amid this digital shopping surge? That is the claim from the Federal Trade Commission and 17 states in a broad lawsuit launched against the e-commerce behemoth. Filed on Tuesday of this week in Amazon's home turf of Washington, this lawsuit is the culmination of a year's long investigation into the company's business operations. The FTC claims that Amazon is actively stifling competition, pushing merchants into a corner and prioritizing its own services, all leading to, quote, artificially higher prices for you, the consumer.

The suit alleges that the online giant buries listings from other sites that offer lower prices and that they impose hefty fees on sellers, triggering a cascade of price hikes, not just on Amazon, but across various e-commerce platforms. Despite the heavy allegations, Amazon stands firm in its denunciations. asserting the FTC is, quote, wrong on the facts and the law. Its General Counsel warns that bending to the FTC's demands would paradoxically yield fewer product choices, escalated prices, and deceleration in deliveries, which, of course, would be against the objectives of antitrust laws. Look, I don't know whether Bezos is the Dark Lord or whether the FTC is overstating its case.

For me, all I know is I would much rather physically walk into a state. store, stroll around, see people, look at whatever stuff I'm thinking about buying, maybe get an orange Julius, look at the latest gadgetry at Radio Shack, play a game of Pong at the arcade, basically have an interactive experience with something other than my computer. God, how I miss the 1980s. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Wednesday, 27th September. If you have any questions or comments, reach out to us at PDB at the first TV, I'm Mike Baker. Until tomorrow, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with Visible. It's one-line wireless with

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