The President's Daily Brief - September 7th, 2023: An Alarming Incident on the Romanian-Ukraine Border

Episode Date: September 7, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief":   We begin in Washington DC, exploring voters' growing concerns about the age of our elected officials and a critical debate on age and fitness to serve.   Then, we journey to China, unveiling the mysteries from a clandestine meeting of the communist party elders and what it reveals about the nation's internal dynamics.   As tensions escalate, we analyze an alarming incident on the Romanian-Ukraine border.   In the Back of the Brief, a historic twist--discover why India is thinking of embracing its ancient name, 'Bharat,' in a potential global rebrand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Tickets on sale now at Yamavatheater.com, only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You in? Must be 21 to enter. Ladies and gentlemen, in case you were wondering, It's Thursday, September 7th, and this is the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. Today, our first stop is Shady Acres, otherwise known as Washington, D.C., home to some of the world's

oldest politicians. We'll be looking at the rising concern from voters about the advanced ages of our elected leaders, despite those same voters, constantly casting ballots for the elderly. Then, a little later in the brief, some palace intrigue in China, where details of a secret meeting of Communist Party elders is shedding new light on the possible real state of affairs in the People's Republic. Plus, an incident at the Romanian-Ukraine border is highlighting the danger that the ongoing war poses to neighboring NATO countries. And finally, in the back of the brief, get ready for what might be the biggest rebranding in world history, as India considers swapping out its current name for Barat, not to be confused with Borat. But first, today's PDB spotlight is all about age and fitness to serve. A fresh poll from News Nation Decision Desicions Headquarters has been released, or, as we in the

younger generation say, has dropped, revealing that a whopping 80% of participants feel edgy or uneasy about President Biden's ability to take on a second term. Here's some perspective. If Biden wins re-election, he'd be 82 at the starting line and 86 by the end of the second term. The only other president who came close? Ronald Reagan, and he wrapped up his term at 77. Now, what's really interesting about this poll is that 60% of the Democrats surveyed also share this same concern. So clearly, this isn't just a party thing.

Vice President Kamala Harris attempted to sidestep the delicate issue during her overseas trip in Jakarta, Indonesia, when asked by a reporter if she was ready to assume the presidency if necessary. Initially, she responded with comments about Biden's accomplishments. However, when pressed, Harris answered with a simple yes. Okay. Well, honestly, what else is she going to say? Uh, no, I don't think I'm ready to take over from Biden. I just don't feel like I'm ready for the job. Maybe give somebody else a chance. So the yes answer, frankly, not a surprise. She went on to remind folks that every vice president takes the oath knowing that they might have to step in as president. Now, while that's true, some are concerned that it's never been truer than now. Harris is currently representing the United States at the annual association of Southeast Asian nation. summit, something U.S. presidents have frequently attended in the past. Biden's administration opted to send Harris instead, despite Biden being in the vicinity later this week for G20 meetings in New Delhi and talks in Vietnam. Some have speculated that Biden wasn't up for three

major events in short order, while others suspect the administration is trying to make Harris seem more relevant and statesman-like. Statesman, statesperson. Whatever. But as noted, this isn't a partisan issue. Let's jump to the other side of the aisle for a second. Mitch McConnell, who you may know as, the 81-year-old GOP minority leader of the U.S. Senate, has had a couple of well-publicized on-camera freezes over the past two months, leading to speculation naturally about his health. After a battery of tests, including a brain MRI, doctors are saying that there's no evidence that McConnell has any neurological issues. The Senate's top doctor chalked a temporary lapses up to dehydration, but that hasn't satisfied

some of his colleagues. Fellow Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, himself a physician, said that dehydration is not a valid medical diagnosis. Others have speculated that McConnell is still recovering from an earlier concussion. Now, to be fair, I should mention that the current GOP presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, is only three years younger. than Biden and would turn 83 at the end of a hypothetical second term. Look, the complexity here is that the one thing we all have in common, no matter who you are or what you believe, is that we're all aging. As a good friend of mine says, getting old is a gift. There's no guarantee that we get to a ripe old age, and there's no guarantee that we're going to age well. We all know individuals

who age better or worse, some who remain sharp and spry under their nose. 90s and others who decidedly and unfortunately don't. We're uncomfortable talking about age because we're all in one way or another heading in that direction. But the truth is, one of the few occupations where age doesn't seem to be a real factor is politics. We have mandatory retirement ages for pilots. We retire CEOs of corporations often in their mid or late 60s. Elderly board members are routinely moved out. We rotate out senior military personnel. But politicians? Not so much. Let's take a look at some of the better-known political leaders. Aside from Biden, who is 80, and McConnell, who is 81, well, you've got Nancy Pelosi. She was born in 1940, and before the U.S. entered World War II.

She's now 83. There's steady Hoyer, he's 84. Maxine Waters. She was born in 1938, and she was born in 1938, and she's now 85. Chuck Grassley. He was born in 1933. He's 89. And let's not forget Diane Feinstein. She's 90, with plans to serve out her term through 2025. Now, the old trope in Washington, D.C. is that older politicians have wisdom and experience. That's a line you're hearing a lot from White House Press Chief Corrine Jean-Pierre and others in the administration, whenever recently they're asked about President Biden's age and acuity. He's got that wisdom and experience. As if merely getting to a certain age guarantees wisdom and experience. I don't know about you, but I've met some older folks who lack both. And conversely, I've met younger people with wisdom and experience

despair. Just having a pulse and breathing to a certain age doesn't make you smart and capable. Look at me. Ted Kennedy used to say that the voters needed politicians to stay in office for a long time because it takes a long time to understand how to get things done upon Capitol Hill. It's a bit of a self-serving argument. I think a better argument is that if you're not smart enough to understand how Capitol Hill works inside of, say, 12 months, people shouldn't be voting for you. But voters keep throwing their support behind aging politicians. And really, there's no sign of a serious move to enact term limits.

So as the saying goes, you get what you vote for. Or maybe in Washington, you get what you pay for. All right, when we come back, I've got two more developing stories for you to ponder. Xi Jinping is reportedly finding himself in hot water with communist elders, and a NATO nation admits that a Russian drone hit its territory. I'll be right back. Some 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. Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. We're just a few days away from the G20 Summit in New Delhi. It starts on the 9th of September, and as we've been reporting here on the PDB, China's President Xi Jinping has decided not to take part in this year's conference. And that's a move that has many analysts scratching their heads. That's what analysts do, apparently, when they're confused. They scratch their heads. Well, today, we might be getting some of the backstory on Xi's decision. According to a new report,

Xi recently faced some unexpected and rare criticism from his party's elders during a secretive meeting at Bay Dai, which is a seaside resort in China's Hebei province. The Bay Dai meeting is a yearly thing, where both current and retired leaders of China's Communist Party huddled the talk shop. It took place last month, and though it was usually secretive and rarely discussed, some insight was apparently given to the Hindustan Times from unidentified attendees. This year, apparently, the mood was different at the meeting.

Xi found himself getting schooled by some of the old guard in ways that had never happened before. Even Xi expressed frustration to his inner circle about it. So, what has the party elders complaining? Well, China's dealing with its biggest economic setbacks since the late 70s. Several Chinese-owned real estate companies, including Everground Group, a huge development firm, and country gardens, are grappling with serious debt and financial turmoil. The real estate sector in China is something you need to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, youth unemployment is so bad that the government has stopped publishing relevant data.

Also topping the eldest concerns, personnel shake-ups within the senior military and political ranks. Two top generals from its rocket force have been kicked out, and its foreign minister, Jingang, is mysteriously out of the picture. It seems like the party's elders, the people who were in power during China's economic rise, many of whom are still to this day powerful and well-connected, are raising the alarm about the nation's apparent economic decline. Xi is reportedly unhappy with the criticism, now there's a surprise, expressing frustration to his staff and blaming his predecessors, going all the way back to Den Xiaoping for economic

problems that he is now expected to clean up. We've said it before here on the PDB. The one thing that keeps Xi and his cadre, including the party elders, up at night, is the thought of losing control of the population. The idea of an unruly population losing confidence in the party due to our worsening economy is the regime's worst nightmare. The elders are sending Xi a message. Fix things now before we risk significant instability at home. Now switching gears, if you've been keeping an eye on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, here's a new twist that should grab your attention.

Dron remains, believed to be from a Russian attack on a Ukrainian port, just turned up in Romania. Yeah, You heard that right. A Russian drone, at least the wreckage of the drone, on NATO turf. Now for two days, Romanian officials have simply been denying that the incident ever happened, contradicting Ukrainian officials who were insisting otherwise. But now, the Romanians are acknowledging that Ukraine was right, primarily because Ukraine has photographic evidence. Romania's president, Klausianis, has weighed in, stressing the sheer danger of this attack. After all, an attack on Romania isn't just about Romania. If you're not familiar with the North Atlantic Treaty, Article 5 states that an attack on one

member nation is an attack on all. But before we jump the gun, it doesn't look like this incident is enough for Romanian officials to push that big red NATO button. At least I think it's red. It should be if it's not. While admitting after a couple of days that Russian bits and pieces did land on Romanian territory, the government has been keen to play it down. Still, it's a jarring reminder of how quickly things can escalate. While NATO has been providing massive amounts of military hardware, munitions, and resources to Ukraine,

the organization has no desire to become directly involved in the war with Russia. Putin, for his part, has completely misplayed the NATO angle, believing at the outset of his invasion that NATO resolved would just crack and splinter. One of his key objectives, frankly, was to demonstrate that the weakness of NATO and fracture the organization. Putin's strategy has obviously backfired, as NATO is now more unified than ever and has recently added to its membership. Ukraine, for their part, has demonstrated a willingness in the past and also with this current Romanian incident to try and highlight or amplify Russian threats and antagonism against NATO. An underlying concern since the war began is a potential for NATO border countries in particular to be

inadvertently dragged into the conflict. That, of course, is how world wars touch off. Separately, keep an eye on the Russian military's attempts to attack Ukraine's agriculture sector, particularly their attempt to damage Ukraine's ability to export grain. Russia has effectively now blockaded Ukraine's Black Sea ports, shutting off their primary means of transporting grain to the world. They now are attacking Ukraine's ports on the Danube River, an alternate transportation route. These attacks obviously have an impact on global food supplies. Another example to have just how interconnected the world is today.

All right. Could the world map be on the brink of a monumental change? Well, buzz intensifies as India hints at shedding its English name. I'll have more on that in the back of the brief. Where's your playlist taking you? Down the highway, to the mountains, or just into daydream mode. while you're stuck in traffic. With over 4,000 hotels worldwide,

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In today's back of the brief, I want to talk about what could be the biggest rebranding in world history, and I don't think I'm exaggerating here. You might not know this, but the nation of India officially has two names. In addition to the one we commonly use here in the West, it's also known as Barat, which is an older Sanskrit name. In fact, India's constitution starts with the quote, India, that is, Barat, shall be a union of states. So it's not a new name, but it's been catching more spotlight lately. Recent official media from the Indian government use the name Barat instead of the familiar India. And here's where it gets intriguing. In the official G20 summit

invite, they referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister of Barat. Now, why the change? Some believe it's Modi's way of embracing decolonization, pushing away the last remnants of British rule. After all, the name India is an English invention. One regional official even called it a proud moment for every countryman on social media. But the move isn't without controversy and not everybody is on board. One member of India's parliament noted that it would, quote, be foolish to completely dispense with India, which has immense brand value built up over centuries. Look, honestly, not being from India, I feel pretty confident that my opinion doesn't matter here. Look, it's the most populous nation in the world, a significant player on the global stage.

that won't change with a possible renaming. I actually witnessed this type of event firsthand years ago. I spent a few years in Myanmar back when it was known commonly as Burma, also a name that was a remnant of British colonial times. The military hunter decided to kick the name Burma to the curb and announced that henceforth the country would be known as Myanmar. Unfortunately, that particular name change didn't do much for the population, which continued to live under the yoke of an undemoration.

and corrupt regime. And so it goes. That, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Thursday, 7th September. If you have any questions or comments, and hopefully you do, reach out, and hopefully they're positive, by the way. 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.