The President's Daily Brief - The PDB Mail Bag: Episode 2

Episode Date: February 24, 2024

In this special edition of The President's Daily Brief, Mike Baker once again dives into the PDB mail bag to answer listener questions. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. You can email your questions to Mike at: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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I'm your host, Mike Baker. Now, we received a great response from last weekend's mailbag episode, where I tried, hopefully, somewhat successfully, to answer some of the many questions and comments that you send to the PDB on a daily basis. So, due to overwhelming demand from our global listening audience, here's another edition of the PDB mailbag. This question comes from Jacqueline, who writes, This might be a ridiculous question, but every time I listen to reports on North and South Korea,

Kim Jong-un gives some kind of reasoning, dare I call it a rationale, well I think you just did, Jacqueline, about never reunifying with South Korea. Does South Korea want to reunify with North Korea? And are they actively trying to force that issue? Well, first of all, Jacqueline, it's not a ridiculous question. I have heard some ridiculous questions in my time, and this is not one of them. The concept of reunification for the Korean Peninsula has, to date, anyway, always been more of a diplomatic talking point than a hard and fast objective, really for either side. The theoretical idea, or the ability to point to reunification as a lofty future goal, has helped on occasion to temper the cross-border rhetoric.

The implementation of that goal, however, would require the North Korean dynasty of the Kim family to give up power and assimilate into the real world. And frankly, that's not likely to happen in our lifetimes. This next one comes from Michael. He has a question about the conflict in the Red Sea, and he asks, how come the U.S. and the U.K. are the only nations that are providing naval support in the Red Sea? It seems to me that the world always expects the U.S. to fix it while everyone else takes a back seat. I haven't heard of any other nations directly helping this conflict. Well, Michael, a lot of people have that same perception that the U.S. and the U.K. are the only nations directly involved in dealing with the Iran-backed Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

And there's no doubt that the U.S. and U.S. and U.K. have led the way, particularly when it comes to counterstrikes against Houthi targets. But there are other nations supporting the effort. Now, some through the participation in the U.S.-led operation named Prosperity Guardian, and some through other already existing naval coalitions and operations that are intended to protect shipping lanes from pirates and others. Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Bahrain, Greece, Australia, and others, some of whom don't want to be identified, are all providing some level of support in various ways. All right, let's open this letter from Dan. He asks, why doesn't the U.S. drop an EMP bomb on Iran? No one dies, but Iran can't.

can't make anything technical like drones and missiles for Russia and Iran proxies. It seems like this would be a long overdue strike against a country who was caused us trouble since the hostage situation in the 70s. Well, Dan, part of the problem with the new warfare scenarios, such as the use of electromagnetic pulses or EMPs, or perhaps a major cyber attack, or taking out a nation's satellites, is that you're essentially opening up Pandora's box or letting the genie out of the bottle, or, you know, I can't think of any more trite sayings, but you get the point. Nobody, barring perhaps non-state actors or a rogue nation despot, wants to be the first to engage in something like this because of the fear that it unleashes similar counterstrikes and normalizes this type

of warfare. Does the capability exist? Well, yes. Do other nations besides the U.S. have the same capability? Also, yes. And if that unfortunate day arrives, when we have a serious global conflict, EMPs and massive cyber attacks on critical infrastructure will definitely be at the pointy edge of the spear. Our next email comes from Daniel, from Oklahoma, where, as you know, the wind comes sweeping down the plane, not to mention that the wind comes right behind the rain, with a nod to Rogers and Hammerstein. But I digress. Oklahoma Dan asks, how does the working class American, living in the boonies of rural Oklahoma, deal with such a changing and threatening world? What is the most important topic of preparedness that I should consider for me and my family

from the perspective of my most accurate eyes and ears on the world stage? Well, first of all, thanks for that subtle yet highly accurate compliment. If you're living in the boonies, though, I suspect you're already far more prepared and able to deal with crisis in the issue of preparedness than them city folk. Whether you're preparing for a natural disaster or a man-made goat rope, the concerns are always the same, how to maintain communications, food, water, power, shelter, and of course, protection of the family. But you've given me an idea, Dan. Perhaps we should put together a special PDB where we talk about being prepared for a crisis.

I mean, given that I seem to spend a fair amount of time talking about just how unstable the world seems nowadays. All right. This one comes from Stefan, who writes, Stephen, Stephen, Stephen, Steve? Hmm. I'm always confused by that. It's S-T-E-P-H-E-N. Stefan, Stephen.

Hmm. Anyway, he writes, Big fan. I'm 35 years old, and my question is simple. With continued distrust in mainstream media, my generation struggles to find reliable, unbiased news outlets, and thus relies on social media,

which, in my opinion, is doing more harm than good. Can you suggest some resources that will allow us to be more educated on world issues? Well, Stefan, Stephen, Steve, Steph, Thanks very much. You've asked one of the most important questions, actually, that anybody, regardless of age, can ask how to sift through the noise and focus on credible fact-based reporting. It comes down in part to being curious, inquisitive, and somewhat skeptical. You should be reading and listening to a variety of outlets. Now, the Financial Times, Reuters, the BBC, they're good at leading with the news and minimizing, for the most part, the opinions. And then you should read opposing viewpoints. For example, read the New York Times. and the Washington Examiner, it will in short order show you how the same story gets sometimes entirely different coverage. And by all means, plow through social media, but take the time to

understand the ultimate sourcing for the stories that you read on social media. And try to avoid the partisan echo chambers that exist out there. People get very comfortable and very complacent, listening to stories or commentary that reinforces their assumptions or current beliefs. All right. I'll be right back after a quick break. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%.

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That's OLLLY.com. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Welcome back to this special weekend edition of the president's Daily Brief Mailbag. Let's jump right back in with a question from Leslie. She's writing us from Hackensack, New Jersey. And you can't really say Hackensack without smiling. It just sounds happy.

It's like hockey puck. I mean, try saying hockey puck without smiling. See, it's impossible. Right now, all of you everywhere. You're all listening in different parts of the world. And right now you're all saying hockey puck. Anyway, Leslie says, I've been a supporter of Israel for my entire life, but I don't understand why they're so resistant to the creation of a Palestinian state. It seems like if the Palestinian people were allowed to have their own country that was internationally recognized, the international community could hold them accountable for things like the October 7th, massacre. What am I missing? Well, congratulations Leslie on asking the most contentious question of the day. If the PDB had branded swag, we would definitely be sending some your way, maybe a PDB coffee mug or a set of PDB martini glasses. The history of the two-state solution scenario is one of the most complex, frustrating, and divisive diplomatic stories in modern times. Arab states, Palestinian leadership, and Israel have all all at various times refused to consider a two-state solution. The current conflict has resurrected the concept, particularly as the U.S. pushes it as the best approach, despite the fact that it's

been unworkable in the past. Israel's recent declaration that they will not consider a Palestinian state is more a statement that they will not allow it to be imposed on them by outside interests. They stated at the same time that any two-state solution must be the result of negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leadership. Right now, they view any talk of a Palestinian state as nothing more than a reward to Hamas for their brutal 7 October slaughter that kicked off this latest conflict.

All right, here's a question I got from Andrew. He's emailing us from Richmond Hill, Georgia. He says, it's pretty obvious where your sympathies lie when it comes to the war between Ukraine and Russia. Yeah, I suppose it is. When the war first started, I think we were basically in the same boat.

but it's been two years, and this thing has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars. At some point, don't we have to say enough is enough? And when does the price become too high? Well, Andrew, okay, you're not alone, meaning at the outset, everybody in the U.S. and elsewhere couldn't wait to put a Ukrainian flag on their porch or an I-Stand-with-Ukraine bumper sticker on their jollope. As it turns out, the bumper sticker should have read, I stand with Ukraine as long as it doesn't take too long, but that's way too many words for a bumper sticker. Folks in the U.S. are still dealing with Iraq and Afghanistan fatigue, as well as the reality that there are a lot of issues on the home front that need attention and resources.

And the U.S. administration has done a mediocre at best job of explaining where the money is going, why it's important, and how we're ensuring that it's spent properly by the Ukraine government. I suspect more transparency in the process would have tamped down some of the dissatisfaction over how much is too much. It comes down to what you imagine Putin's intentions to be. If you believe that Putin just wants Ukraine and has no intention of expanding his ambitions, then you can make this just about Ukraine. It's a contained issue. And perhaps rationalize that it's not in the U.S. national security interest to spend even more money to defend Ukraine. After all, it's just Ukraine, just one country. Why should the U.S. care? For what it's worth, I wouldn't trust Putin's word on

anything, and I believe that he's spent the past 30-plus years dreaming of rebuilding the former Soviet Union in some fashion. It's a fairly simple calculation. If we don't continue to support Ukraine, if we pull out now, after two years of waving our Ukraine flags, talking about their courage, posting little Ukraine flags on our Twitter sites, then we don't have the right to act amazed, upset, or shopped when Putin defeats Ukraine, and without the U.S. resources, he will eventually defeat Ukraine. And if what you want is a negotiated settlement to end the war, well, the only way to bring Putin to the table is from a position of strength. He needs to feel as if he's losing, and possibly losing popular support in Russia in order to force him to the table.

This next email is from Jeff. Jeff says, Love the PDB podcast and all the others you've been on. Thank you, Jeff. I like the cut of your chib. I have a question, he says. I hear you and others talk about the UN. I understand what the UN is and in theory what their role is.

However, it seems with most news reports, we hear of something happening which is against the UN, so here's my question. Does the UN actually do anything good? Are there any treaties or resolutions that are actually adhered to? or is the UN just a bunch of useless betas that are stealing money to enrich themselves? Well, Jeff, I suppose two things can be true at the same time, meaning parts of the UN do serve a purpose and parts of the UN are self-serving. There are moments, like when the UN appointed Iran

to chair a human rights forum or the UNR office at the UN allowed itself to be populated with Hamas sympathizers, that you can be convinced the UN is a complete. useless, self-righteous, mostly feckless gaggle of high-priced and entitled bureaucrats. But, in today's world, there actually does need to be an entity, a place that brings nations together, even if they're not really together, to at least attempt to foster dialogue and the occasional good work. For now, frankly, the UN is the best we've got. It could do with some revamping and maybe a relocation to Switzerland, but even if it's dysfunctional at most times, it does prove its worth occasionally.

Here's a question from Jordan. He writes, I'm sure you're a busy man, oh, I am. So if you get a moment, I have a question for you. I'm a daily listener, and I was curious, what are some of the books you have recommended most this year? No specific genre, good use of the word genre, just curious about the ones that have caused you to recommend them most. And P.S., when does the merch drop? Oh, good use of the new age term merch. I've got kids, so I know what that means. It's like the old word swag. Jordan, thank you for assuming, first of all, that I read books, and I do.

A few years back when my boys, Scooter and Sluggo and Mugsy were young, I would have recommended where the wild things are, Good Night Moon, and, of course, Winnie the Pooh. I mean, I still recommend them. I just don't read them as often as I used to. I recently finished the three-book series on Winston Churchill, The Last Lion. It's outstanding. It's very detailed, but very readable. And other books that I've recommended lately anyway, at least over the past 12 months or so,

1944 by Jay Winnick, very good. Spy Master's Prism. Now, this is by my very good friend, and former boss, Jack Devine, a great guy, and a great book. The Revolutionary by Stacey Schiff. And a couple I've reread recently, The Wild Blue by Stefan Ambrose, or is it Stephen Ambrose. See, there you go, it's S-T-P-H-E-N, that name is always giving me fits. and The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. I reread that one as well.

The movie's coming out. Fantastic book. All right. I have time for one last question, and that comes from Michael. He says, I love the PDB podcast. Thank you. But commercials make me sad. Oh, is there any ad-free version of the podcast?

Well, Michael, go and be sad no more. While we do have terrific sponsors, I get it. There are times when you just want the news, just the facts, man. as Sergeant Friday used to say. There's a cultural poll. You ask, and the PDB delivers. We'll be starting up a premium membership for listeners shortly. No ads, same great taste.

All right, I just want to thank all the listeners who've sent comments and questions. We're thinking of doing these mailbag episodes on a semi-regular basis, so if you'd like to have your question answered, please send it to PDB at thefirsttv.com. Carl, the talking intern, goes through all the mail, and while big words can confuse him occasionally,

he does a great job of selecting listener questions. That's all the time I have for now. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back on Monday. Until then, stay informed, stay safe. Stay cool. Spring is the season everyone refreshes everything except their blinds. People put it off because they think it's complicated.

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