What A Day - Biden's San Francisco Mission

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping met on Wednesday for the first time in a year. Following their private conversations, it was announced that the U.S. and China will resume military-to-military communications, and the leaders also reached an agreement to curb fentanyl production.The Israeli military stormed Al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday and said they found guns, ammunition, protective vests and Hamas military uniforms at the hospital – claims Hamas called “fabricated.” Meanwhile, Hamas has agreed “in principle” to a tentative deal to release at least 50 hostages in exchange for pauses in fighting and the release of women and children held in Israeli prisons, among other things.And in headlines: Donald Trump will remain on Michigan’s Republican primary ballot, New Hampshire announced that the state’s primaries will be held ahead of South Carolina, and thousands of the people took to the streets of Mexico City on Monday night to demand justice and a thorough investigation into the death of Jesús Ociel Baena.Show notes:WAD: Not On My Ballot - https://crooked.com/podcast/not-on-my-ballot/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Thursday, November 16th. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And I'm Juanita Tolliver. And this is What A Day, where we're just curious, does nobody else want to host the Oscars like anybody else? Truly, this is Jimmy Kimmel's fourth time as host. Maybe time to give the spot up to someone else. Although, I kind of love Jimmy Kimmel. That's a choice. Oh, that was both very diplomatic. goodness and i know what you meant on today's show an update on the israel hamas war plus donald trump will remain on michigan's

republican primary ballot much to all of our dismay but first president biden and china's president xi met yesterday for the first time in a year as the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit took place in San Francisco, California. Take a listen to a portion of President Biden's opening statement. Mr. President, we know each other for a long time. We haven't always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone. But our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful. I've never doubted what you've told me in terms of your candid, straightforward, and useful. I've never doubted what you've told me in terms of your candid nature in which you speak.

I value our conversation because I think it's paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication. We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. For his opening statement, President Xi struck a similar tone in his remarks and stated, quote, remodel the other and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides. She also added, quote, planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed. And one country's success is an opportunity for the other. And in that last line lies one of the big takeaways from the meeting between Biden and Xi, this notion that there's enough space for both of us. That planet Earth comment is a lot. Highly dramatic. I feel not reassured, but overwhelmed by it.

But I do want to know what came out of this. Did they strike any deals? Were there any firm commitments other than just sort of reassuring the world that they don't hate each other? Yes and yes. President Biden went into this meeting with a focus on communications, especially military communications, which have been on the fritz since August 2022, after then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. And following their private conversations yesterday, it was announced that the U.S.

and China will resume military to military communications. So the Secretary of Defense will be able to communicate with his counterpart once identified, and senior U.S. military commanders and service members will also communicate with their counterparts. Additionally, Biden and Xi have reached an agreement to curb fentanyl production, and an administration official described this agreement as the most important deal because it will be a setback for drug dealers. Now, all of this is a huge win for the Biden administration. But what's not clear yet is what commitments the U.S. made to China as Xi went into this meeting focused on a rollback of the U.S. sanctions and restriction against Chinese products and businesses and the U.S. providing defense aid to Taiwan. Okay, so we don't totally know what Biden promised on behalf of America. What we do know is that while she and Biden were in their talks,

there were some protesters outside of the APEC summit. What were they protesting? What can you tell us about it? So hundreds of protesters filled the streets. They blocked traffic and even attempted to block attendees from entering the summit. Later in the afternoon, the protesters were split between a pro-China group and an anti-China group, and police worked to keep the protesters separated on the streets.

Take a listen to the scene outside of the summit. Shame on China! Shame on China! Shame on China! So the anti-China protesters were chanting, Shame on China, and they were holding signs and t-shirts that read, Free Tibet and free Hong Kong. And that protest is in response to the human rights concerns that protesters have about President Xi and his policies, especially as it relates to the Uyghurs and the political prisoners who are being held in China. Thank you for that, Juanita. Meanwhile,

in Gaza, the Israeli military has stormed the Gaza Strip's largest hospital. We've discussed al-Shifa Hospital before on the show as the situation there became more and more dire due to fighting and a lack of resources. The hospital served as a refuge during the first few weeks of war, and as of late October, 60,000 people were sheltering there. That was until, of course, the Israeli military identified the hospital as a target. Now things are very different. As we mentioned yesterday, over the weekend, three newborn babies died after the power failed at the hospital. And the desperation has escalated even more now after Israeli troops entered the complex. According to the New York Times, Israeli troops were, quote, questioning people and conducting searches with explosions and gunfire still rattling windows and nerves. As one witness

stated, quote, there are sounds of explosions, but I don't know what they are blowing up exactly. But the sounds are coming from inside the building. Naturally, everyone is scared. Yeah. And if you're attempting to have any degree of medical care provided or recovery from previous wounds from the bombardments, like it's not happening in this hospital at this moment. So now Israel has claimed that Hamas built a command center at the hospital, and that's why they were treating it as a military target. There was also discussion about hostages possibly being held in tunnels underneath the hospital. So what did they actually find? They didn't find much. Like you said, there was all of this talk, not just from the Israeli government, but also from the U.S. government,

talking about al-Shifa concealing a major Hamas operation, hostages, Hamas leaders, all kind of perhaps in these tunnels under the hospital. But as of yesterday, Israeli forces had not actually encountered any Hamas fighters within the al-Shifa medical complex, according to a senior Israeli official. And so now the Israeli government has kind of changed their story a bit, claiming they were actually interested in, quote, destroying Hamas infrastructure rather than going after Hamas leaders, which it's a pretty big walk back from earlier claims that not just major Hamas leaders,

but also possibly hostages were being held at or under this hospital. And, you know, that claim was the reason given for NICU babies possibly dying and doctors dying and people in the hospital losing their lives. The claim was, well, this is basically collateral damage for the major operation happening under the hospital. And now it doesn't seem like there really was a major operation found under this hospital. The Israeli government did say that they found

about 10 guns, ammunition, protective vests and Hamas military uniforms at the hospital. The Israeli government did say that they found about 10 guns, ammunition, protective vests, and Hamas military uniforms at the hospital. Hamas says that claim that they found the military uniforms and all of the protective vests, et cetera, is, quote, fabricated and theatrics. And at this point, it's unclear what's true or not here. According to the New York Times, Israel's claims that they found this stuff could not be verified. So we don't know at this point. It's worth noting that there has been major pushback on Israel's claims that they found this stuff could not be verified. So we don't know at this point. It's worth noting that there has been major pushback on Israel's decision to storm this hospital, including from the United Nations.

Martin Griffiths, chief of the UN's Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Office, stated, quote, the protection of newborns, patients, medical staff, and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds. Sounds like such a simple concept, but not in this scenario. You also mentioned the hostages. Are there any updates on the efforts to get them released? Yeah, in fact, there are updates.

And I feel like anytime you use the phrase good news in a war, it feels off. But let's say it's more positive news than pretty much any news we've gotten in weeks, right? The Washington Post is reporting that there is a possible agreement, and again, emphasis on possible, that would result in about 50 women and children hostages being released. According to the Post, quote, Israel would agree to a three- to five-day pause in the fighting, increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the release of an unspecified number of women and children held in Israeli prisons. Hamas apparently has agreed to this proposal, quote, in principle.

So I don't know what that means. It's not solid at all. Yeah. It's not solid tentatively. And Israel is seriously considering it, but it's certainly not a guarantee or written in stone at this point. But still, it gives a little bit of hope that some agreement is possible here. We also have some tape from Gaza-based journalist Noor Harazin about what's going on in Gaza right now. Here she is talking

about her evacuation and the current conditions there. I evacuated three weeks ago at the first of the evacuation. And I am now staying in Shahada Al-Aqsa Hospital. And the living condition is not so good, actually. I mean, we do have money, but there is nothing in the markets to buy. Like I'm facing a hardship getting any access to water, any access to food. To say we have money, but there's nothing to buy. Right. There's no market operating. It's literally about bare essentials. Food and water right now are in short supply. Yep. And keep in mind, there's been a ton of rain in the area over the past few days, which makes the conditions even more dire. You know, people are living under tarps. They're living in kind of makeshift structures right now. And so rainy season presents its own problems. Here's Nora Harzine talking

about that. Usually we are very happy, very excited welcoming winter here in Gaza. But this time now, this is one year that we wish that it would never rain. Truly heartbreaking. Yeah, it's very, very devastating. That is the latest for now. We will be back after some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. A state judge on Tuesday ruled that former President Donald Trump will remain on Michigan's Republican primary ballot. Judge James Redford rejected efforts to remove Trump from the ballot under the insurrection provision of the 14th Amendment. We discussed this in more detail on the October 30th show, but a quick summary, the insurrection provision disqualifies anyone from

office who, quote, engaged in insurrection or rebellion. In his 26-page ruling, Judge Redford said that because Trump followed state law for getting on the ballot, he's unable to take him off of it. He also wrote that it should be up to Congress, not the courts, to decide if Trump is qualified or not to serve as president. Free Speech for People, the group behind 14th Amendment cases around the country, said it plans to immediately appeal the ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, Tuesday's ruling comes after the Minnesota Supreme Court last week ruled that Trump could stay on that state's ballot as well. And a state judge in Colorado is set to rule on a similar lawsuit there by tomorrow. So we covered a lot of Republican drama yesterday. And while it's not a straight shot to the kidneys, the Democrats had their own

tiny mess to deal with yesterday. New Hampshire's secretary of state announced that the state's primaries will be held on January 23rd next year, actively going against President Biden and the Democratic National Committee's plans to give South Carolina the party's first primary. So after all that, New Hampshire will go first. And South Carolina's primary will take place on February 3rd, but not without punishment from the DNC. And because the state is defying Biden and the DNC's orders, Biden's name will not be on the New Hampshire presidential primary ballot in January. Plus, New Hampshire could lose delegates to the Democratic convention for not abiding by the new order. Earlier this year, DNC chair Jamie Harrison said that the new switch to

South Carolina first quote puts black voters at the front of the process. Jamie Harrison said that the new switch to South Carolina first quote puts black voters at the front of the process. Harrison also said that South Carolina has been a really important state in indicating who will be the eventual nominee. It was the first contest Biden won in the 2020 Democratic primaries. The power of black voters was so important to Biden that when he won election in November 2020, he on stage that night thanked black voters first and foremost. And so it's really a disheartening reality to see that New Hampshire just won't give up that first spot for the reality and the importance of a core part of the Democratic Party's base, black voters. Now to Mexico. You just heard the sound of the people who took to the streets on Monday night to demand

justice in a thorough investigation into the violent death of Jesus Oseal Bayena, Mexico's first openly non-binary person to assume a judicial post. Bayena and their partner were found dead inside their home in Aguascalientes Monday morning. Bayena, one of the country's most visible LGBTQ plus figures, had reported receiving death threats and hateful messages, and activists have called the deaths a hate crime. Authorities in Aguascalientes, however, described the deaths as a murder-suicide, saying that Baena's partner appeared to have murdered them with razor blades before dying by suicide. But that assessment sparked outrage among some LGBTQ plus groups who said it was yet another effort to dismiss violence against the community.

Baena was among the first to be issued a passport by the Mexican government listing them as non binary. In June, Baena posted on Twitter now X saying, quote, I am a non binary person. I'm not interested in being seen as either a woman or a man. This is an identity. It is mine for me and nobody else except it. Yeah. Hearing this update, I got a lot of questions. I'm with the advocates on this one. It doesn't sound like that's exactly what this is. So I got a lot of questions for these local authorities who are investigating. Yeah. It sounds like more needs to happen to know what actually happened. Exactly. And these are not people I particularly trust to tell the truth.

That part. A tentative agreement between General Motors and the United Auto Workers Union appears to be heading towards ratification, although it was kind of close. The total yes is counted at 54% and no sits at 46%, but that's as of our record time on Wednesday at 9.30 p.m. Eastern. Earlier in the day, it had seemed like the deal might be rejected, but support from the large Arlington, Texas plant, along with some smaller warehouses and parts facilities, has helped this deal move even closer toward approval. If it goes through, it will be the first ratification of a deal and would run through April 2028. Voting for the Ford and the Stellantis deal is still underway,

so TBD on what we see there. But it does appear that workers are favoring approval of those deals with considerable margins. A majority of UAW workers at each company must vote yes before a deal is ratified. And it is possible that one carmaker's deal could be ratified and another is not. Voting officially ends today at 4 p.m. Eastern. And look, the head of the UAW union, Sean Fain, made it very clear that the final decision is in the hands of the workers. And so if 46% of them are saying no to the GM deal,

it kind of emphasizes that there's a lot of other provisions that they would have liked to see included in this contract, even though it sounds like it's ready to be ratified. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. After historic abortion rights victories in Ohio and Virginia, Hysteria sits down with Chrissy Teigen for insight into her personal journey with abortion, the impact of abortion bans, and discussion around the importance of reproductive health advocacy. Watch the full conversation on Hysteria's YouTube out now.

That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, give us more Republican drama, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just how to keep Trump off the primary ballot like me, what it is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Juanita Tolliver. And I'm Josie Duffy Rice.

And let us host the Oscars. But actually. Oh my God, we'd be so good. This would be dope. Look, I would be perfect because I have not seen any movies. Everything's a surprise to Josie. Everything's a surprise. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media.

It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itzy Quintanilla. Raven Yamamoto and Natalie Bettendorf are our associate producers. And our showrunner is Leo Duran. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Thank you.