The President's Daily Brief - September 8th, 2023: Tensions Rise as Moscow's Concerns Grow

Episode Date: September 8, 2023

In this episode of "The President's Daily Brief":   We kick off in New Delhi, India (or should we say, Bharat?), setting the stage for the G20 summit and discussing its key highlights and potential implications. The labor front heats up with the top dog of the United Auto Workers taking aim at management…and the president. As tensions rise, we examine Russia's concerns about the U.S.'s latest armament commitment to Ukraine. In our Back of the Brief segment, we dissect the call from African leaders for a global carbon tax and its implications. 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

Well, sports fans, we've made it to the end of the week. Look at that. It's Friday, September 8th. And 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 going to start in New Delhi, India, or Barat, if you're so inclined. Loyal listeners of the PDB will recall that yesterday, we discussed that India may be rebranding, ditching the name India

and going with the older Sanskrit name of Barat. But I digress. Even as we speak, world leaders are arriving in New Delhi for the G20 summit. I'll give you a preview of what's on the table and what's at stake during this year's summit. Then, a little later in the brief, we've got the most solid indication yet that the UAW, the United Auto Workers Union, is likely to strike when their contract expires next week. Plus, Russia is crying foul over a deadly new weapon that the U.S. will be supplying the Ukraine in the coming days. And finally, in the back of the brief, African leaders are demanding a global carbon tax to finance green energy in developing nations. We'll take a closer look. But first, today's

PDB spotlight. Leading dignitaries from all corners of the globe are touching down in New Delhi for the annual G20 summit that kicks off this Saturday. U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to join the party this evening. For some perspective, we should probably understand why the G20 is so important. The 20 nations attending the summit are, essentially, the engines of the global economy. They represent almost 85% of the world's GDP, 75% of international trade, and account for 2 thirds of our global population. So yeah, that's some serious influence. And as Ron Burgundy would say, the G20 is kind of a big deal. Supposedly, there are summit meeting rooms actually smell of rich mahogany. And now I'll stop with the anchorman comments. Of course, much of the buzz has been

about who won't be attending the G20. As we've covered on the PDB, there are two high-profile empty seats this year. Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a rain check for the second straight year. You know, you can't blame him entirely. He hasn't stepped out of Russia since the international criminal court slapped him with an arrest warrant due to allegations of war crimes in Ukraine. And by allegations, I mean, yeah, he's committed war crimes. Chinese president Xi Jinping is also missing in action. And honestly, his absence has been the headline story for much of the lead-up to the summit. This is the first time he skipped the G20 since becoming China's leader in 2013.

And naturally, there's a massive amount of speculation as to what that means and how it should be interpreted. So what you ask is on the summit's agenda. broadly speaking, the key topics up for discussion will be the Russia-Ukraine conflict, global economic shifts, and of course the needs of developing countries. Did I forget climate change? Also climate change. Now the U.S. contingent to the G20, led by Biden, will be focused on one key objective, countering China, or more specifically, the economic influence China has been building over developing nations for the past decade plus. China's been spreading around billions, backing big-time infrastructure projects and developing countries through their so-called Belt and Road Initiative.

That sounds good, right? Well, call me cynical, but I don't think China has been doing this out of the kindness of the Communist Party's heart. Many of these nations are now finding themselves deep in debt to Beijing, owing massive amounts for these projects. China, according to the White House, often wields these loans like a weapon. almost like predatory lending but on a much grander scale. And they've made inroads across the globe, using their money and occasionally the lure of access to China's market

as a sledgehammer to strike deals everywhere from Honduras and Central America to Argentina, Kenya, Pakistan, Mongolia, and Turkey. Now many of those countries and others are struggling to make payments to China. Biden's stated game plan for this G20, well, the goal is to revamp the World Bank and other global development banks, making them more adept at investing in low and middle-income countries. The aim? It's to offer these nations another route to fund their infrastructure and climate projects,

reducing China's grip and at the same time amplifying the U.S.'s influence. In a nutshell, it's all about giving developing nations an attractive alternative to China. It's often said that China plays the long game, whereas in the West we tend to have shorter attention spans and think more in terms of immediate results. I like to think of us as raccoons chasing every shiny tinfoil ball that rolls by. As an example, China for years now has been busy locking up mineral rights from Africa to South America, understanding that controlling critical and rare earth minerals, both the mining and refining,

will be critical to future production of everything from electric vehicles to smartphones, missile control systems, and other key technologies. This has been a decades-long strategy on their part, while the West, now waking up to it, faces the reality that without access to lithium, cobalt, and other minerals, the dream of an all-ev future, as an example, is unlikely to become a reality. And the reality for the G20 this year is that little of substance is likely to be agreed upon, despite an ambitious agenda. Russia's top representative, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov,

will he'll be there looking to ensure that criticism of Russia's actions in Ukraine is minimized. host India, meanwhile, is in the awkward position of having not condemned Russia's invasion, while at the same time they're looking to strengthen ties with the U.S. And China, without Xi's presence, is unlikely to agree to any declarations or agreements of substance. Now, every G20 typically ends with an agreed declaration from all participants in order to show the appearance of unity in forward progress, hazaar. Usually, those declarations are watered down, beer. bureaucratic mush. But this year's agreement, if they can reach one, maybe even musher than usual.

Thank you. I believe the PDB is now the first podcast to use the term musher. All right, when we come back, I've got two more developing stories that you should keep on your radar. UAW chief Sean Fane is indicating that his workers are ready to walk off the job next week, and he's clapping back against recent comments from President Biden. Also, Russia is crying foul over a U.S. promise to supply controversial, depleted uranium rounds to Ukraine. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong.

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Earlier this week, we reported that President Biden sounded optimistic that a potential strike by the United Auto Workers Union would be averted. To refresh your memory, Biden stated that he wouldn't be worried about a strike until it happened and added that he didn't think it would actually happen. Apparently, that comment didn't sit well with UAW President Sean Fane. When dressed about Biden's Labor Day comment, meant, Fain was pretty clear. The union's goal, he said, is to find common ground with the automakers, but he won't be, quote, playing by the old rules. In past talks, Fain implies that the automakers would drag their feet and then try to drop a ton of changes at the 11th hour. This time, Fane says

he's not having it. Here's where the rubber meets the road. The UAW's contracts for about 150,000 auto workers expire on September 14th. Fain wants a deal with a deal with. by then and warned, if they don't get one, there will be action. Now, that sounds like a strike's not only on the table, but becoming likely. And here's another wrinkle in it for the White House. The UAW had Biden's back in the 2020 presidential race, but when it comes to a re-election endorsement, they're pumping the brakes. Fane said the union will consider endorsing Biden again if and only if he addresses the auto industry's switch to electric vehicles. We're talking job security. pay, organizing rights. According to feigned, endorsements will be earned not freely given. So this isn't

just any labor dispute. It does appear to be a signal of bigger shifts, possibly in the industry, and maybe even in politics. Okay, let's turn our attention to the conflict in Ukraine. On Wednesday, the Pentagon unveiled a fresh security aid package worth up to $175 million. dollars. As a reminder, since the start of the war back in February 2022, the U.S. has provided roughly $80 billion, give or take a billion or two, in primarily military assistance, but also humanitarian and financial aid. But what's making this latest aid package a bit different is that it includes a fairly controversial item, depleted uranium rounds for Abram tanks. So what's the fuss about depleted uranium rounds? I mean, well, they're not a lot of it.

The name alone sounds rather benign. Depleted uranium is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process needed to create nuclear weapons. The rounds are so heavy and dense, they can penetrate pretty much anything and can make mince meat out of armored vehicles. The rounds also retain some radioactive properties. Now, while Britain had sent them over to the Ukraine earlier this year, it's the U.S. move that's causing a stir. Russia is expressing outrage, arguing that this isn't just escalation, it's, in their words, irresponsible, especially considering the environmental impacts. Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergey Rybukov, labeled it a criminal act. Now, that's an interesting statement, given that Russia produces depleted uranium rounds for

its military use. Okay, let's ignore the dark humor of pretending that Putin and his cadre are outraged over the environmental impact the rounds could have, or the irony of Russia labeling anyone else's actions in Ukraine as criminal. What's got the Russians torqued is the continued resolve and willingness of the U.S. and our allies to keep the supply of weapons and munitions flowing to Ukraine. Recent moves to provide more sophisticated systems such as the Abrams, Patriot missile batteries, and now F-16s, likely as the Russian leadership increasingly concerned over what the endgame of Putin's misadventure will look like.

All right. Finally, some African leaders are calling for a global carbon tag. to promote green energy development on their continent, and insisting that developed nations pay a previously pledged $100 billion annually to developing nations. I'll have more on that in the back of the brief. This is a Bose moment. It's 10 blocks from the train to your apartment door, 10 basic, boring city blocks until... The beat drops in Bose clarity. Streetlights become spotlights as you strut down the sidewalk, your own personal runway.

With Bose, you get every note, every basic. line every detail just as you should. Those 10 blocks, they could be the best part of your day. Your life deserves music. Your music deserves Bose. Find your perfect product at Bose.com. Welcome back to the PDB. In today's back of the brief, it's a season of summits. As we discussed earlier, the G20 is about to kick off in New Delhi. Over in Jakarta, East and Southeast Asian countries are wrapping up the Ozian summit. And in Kenya, they just closed out the first African climate summit. I want to draw attention to that last one,

because African leaders made a significant demand, the implementation of a global carbon tax. The declaration that the summit produced in part called on the world to, quote, rally behind the proposal for a global carbon taxation regime, including a carbon tax on fossil fuel trade, maritime transport, and aviation that may also be augmented by a global financial transaction tax.

In other words, they're calling for a tax on everything. Problem is, as the African leaders have pointed out, past pledges of climate-related financing and development money to developing nations have yet to be paid. Not to mention, well, there is that self-righteous tendency of developed nations to try and push costly green energy solutions on developing nations, while the developed countries obviously benefit from their own past and present use of fossil fuels.

The African Summit highlighted a variety of significant concerns and also highlighted some significant differences between African government leaders, environmental groups, and human rights organizations on the continent. While they all agree that Africa should become a renewable energy powerhouse, there's a sense that their goals and what they perceive as the best interests of the African nations are at odds with current actions and policies of developed nations. That seems like a familiar refrain. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Friday 8th September.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at PDB at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back on Monday. Until then, 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 buck slot 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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