← The President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief
January 20th, 2025: Hostages Released in Israel & TikTok In Limbo
00:21:10
Loading summary
Transcript7 lines
- [00:01]
A
This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Forget the frustration of picking commerce platforms when you switch your business to Shopify, the global commerce platform that supercharges your selling. Wherever you sell with Shopify, you'll harness the same intuitive features, trusted apps and powerful analytics used by the world's leading brands. Sign up today for your $1 per month trial period@shopify.com tech all lowercase.
- [00:27]
B
That's shopify.com tech Mike Baker here now. I may still be out in the vastness of the Saudi and Jordanian deserts, making my way towards Aqaba during a trek of 700 miles, but the PDB team, well, they continue working hard to keep you informed. While I'm off the grid. Mike Slater is holding down the fort.
- [00:58]
A
Thanks, Mike. It is my Monday, 20th January 2025. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Slater filling in for the great Mike Baker. Let's get briefed. In today's spotlight, we're tracking developments from Israel, where a ceasefire is now in effect and Hamas has released the first three hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Later in the show, we'll cover TikTok's abrupt shutdown in America after going offline Friday evening. The video sharing platform is now awaiting a potential 90 day extension by President Trump. Plus, Tom Holman, the incoming border czar, is reportedly rethinking immigration raids in cities like Chicago, New York, following media leaks. And then in today's Back at the Brief, a surprising moment of dissent from within the Taliban ranks. A senior official speaks out against the group's harsh treatment of the female population, offering a rare glimpse of hope for Afghanistan's women. But first, we'd be remiss if we did not start with the biggest story in the world, and that's the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Mr. Trump sworn in as the 47th president at 12pm Eastern, marking the beginning of his second term in office. He is only the second president in American history, behind Grover Cleveland, to serve two non consecutive terms. Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president. Donald Trump the 45th and 47th past inaugurations have been held outdoors in front of the Capitol, but Mr. Trump announced on Friday that this year's ceremony is going to move indoors to the Capitol Rotunda, citing extreme cold in the forecast. However, the Capital One arena will be open for live viewing of his inauguration address. The day is going to be filled with lots of pageantry performances lined up from Carrie Underwood, the Village People, who performed last night at a speech that Trump gave Kid Rock and even Snoop Dogg. A military parade and three formal balls are going to round out the festivities. Among the notable attendees will be former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as a who's who of the tech world, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Google and also the CEO of TikTok. On the international front, several world leaders are expected to attend, including Argentina's President Javier Milei, Italy's Prime Minister and also Ecuador's president, all world leaders who are following in the footsteps of Trump more popular populist leaders on the world stage. Notably absent will be the Chinese President Xi Jinping, who declined the invitation but is sending an envoy in his place. It is shaping up to be a historic day in our nation's capital. Now onto our PDB Spotlight, an update on the Israel Hamas ceasefire. The first three Israeli hostages were released from Hamas captivity and reunited with their families on Sunday. This initial release represents a tentative pause in the 15 month war that has devastated the region. The hostages, all women, were escorted through Gaza City. Escorted is a tough word. It was a tense scene. There were armed Hamas terrorists wearing the Iran backed group's signature green headbands and the crowd ballooned into thousands of people. The terrorists escort struggled to maintain control before transferring the three hostages to Red Cross vehicles for medical and psychological evaluations. In Israel, outgoing President Joe Biden confirmed that the hostages appeared to be in good health. That's relative upon their arrival, a moment that brought visible relief and cheers from Israelis gathered around large television screens in Tel Aviv watching the three women reunite with loved ones. The six week truce herald as a fragile yet significant step, outlines the phased release of 33 hostages, beginning with three to four hostages per week. The next group is slated for release on Saturday. Simultaneously, the agreement has opened floodgates for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, with hundreds of trucks delivering supplies to the battered enclave. Displaced Palestinians, some returning to what remains of their homes, now share a rare moment of respite. Meanwhile, Israel has agreed to free between 90 to 95 Palestinian prisoners as a part of this exchange. However, the ceasefire has not erased underlying tensions. Its implementation was delayed nearly three hours due to Hamas failure to produce a list of hostages scheduled for release before the ceasefire officially began at 11:15am on Sunday. Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed 26 people in Gaza, the Hamas run Health Ministry reports. The Israeli military warned Palestinians and Hamas terrorists that to stay clear of their movements as the military retreats to buffer zones inside Gaza. Political ramifications in Israel are already surfacing hardline coalition member Itamar Ben GVIR withdrew his Jewish power faction in protest of the ceasefire agreement, weakening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition. Despite the withdrawal, the agreement between Israel and Hamas will remain intact. Netanyahu acknowledged the precarious nature of the agreement, affirming that military operations could resume if necessary, a position supported by President Elect Donald Trump. Across Gaza, celebrations erupted as Palestinian residents welcomed a reprieve from Israeli airstrikes. Yet the presence of heavily armed Hamas terrorists underscored the precarious stability of the ceasefire, according to the Associated Press. Crowds chanted slogans in support of Hamas as many masked camo fatigued AK47 wielding terrorists rolled through the streets waving flags, donning the crest of the terror group signaling its unyielding dominance in the territory. The slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, his brother Muhammad, has reportedly stepped in to rebuild the terror group's fragmented command structure. The agreement marks the second ceasefire since the war began, following a week long November pause. Talks for phase two of the agreement are scheduled to begin in two weeks, focusing on the release of remaining hostages and broader stability measures. Yet questions linger, such as whether hostilities will resume and how smoothly the remaining hostages will be freed. For now, the region holds its breath as cautious optimism and enduring uncertainty define the fragile peace. Coming up after the break, TikTok's sudden shutdown left users in limbo this weekend, and incoming border czar Tom Holman reconsiders immigration rates in major cities. All of those stories we get back.
- [07:25]
B
Hey, Mike Baker here. I've got a question for you. Have you ever wondered how much of your personal data is out there on the Internet? Well, the answer is a lot more than you think. Your name, your contact info, your Social Security number, even details about your family members are all being collected and sold by data brokers. Now this puts you at risk for identity theft, phishing attempts, and unwanted harassment. That's why I'm happy to recommend Deleteme. It's a subscription service that removes your personal information from hundreds of data brokers. Simply sign up. Provide Deleteme with the info you want removed and their experts will handle the rest. They send you regular privacy reports showing what they found, where it was found, and what they've removed. Deleteme is always working for you, constantly monitoring and deleting personal information from the web. It's the easiest way to protect your privacy and keep your family's data safe. Now take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me now at a special discount for our listeners today, get 20% off your delete me plan by texting PDB to 64000. That's text PDB to 64000. Once again, in case you missed it, that's PDB to 64000. Now message and data rates may apply, so see Terms for details.
- [08:50]
A
Welcome back to the pdb. I'm Mike Slider filling in for the Great Mike Baker. TikTok is back online in the United States just 12 hours after a blackout, with the platform crediting its return to President Elect Donald Trump's intervention and delaying a law banning the app. The app became inaccessible late Saturday night when 170 million American TikTok users were met with the notification that read, quote, a law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. stay tuned. This followed a Supreme Court ruling on Friday upholding the bipartisan legislation mandating that ByteDance, that's TikTok's Chinese parent company, divest its US operations by 19 January due to national security concerns. This blackout extended to TikTok's removal from Apple and Google app stores by early Sunday. However, Trump announced plans to issue an executive order delaying the law's enforcement, providing TikTok with a lifeline. This time, users were greeted with a notification that cheerfully credited Trump for the platform's return, stating, quote, thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S. the move secures a political win for Trump. Even at the dawn of his presidency, Trump urged TikTok's partners to allow the app to be restored, stating, quote, the order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order, citing the law enforcing up to $5,000 per user against companies that host access to the app. The CEO of TikTok, Sho Chu, praised the decision, emphasizing the, quote, clarity and assurance that Trump's intervention provided to service providers. Chu, who's set to attend Trump's inauguration, expressed the company's commitment to collaborating with the incoming administration on a long term solution to remain operational in the United States. The legislation banning TikTok, signed in April by outgoing President Joe Biden, cited national security concerns over ByteDance, potential data sharing with the Chinese government, while Biden delayed its enforcement by a day. The Supreme Court ruling brought the issue to a head, forcing TikTok offline. Trump's executive order, expected shortly after his inauguration, extends ByteDance's divestment deadline on truth Social Trump framed his intervention as a pragmatic and symbolic gesture, stating, quote, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok. Attributing his November electoral success, particularly with young voters, to the platform. Trump proposed a 5050 joint venture between ByteDance and a US based owner, but acknowledged that ByteDance's prized algorithm, central to TikTok's success, complicates negotiations. Meanwhile, potential buyers are circling TikTok's US operations, according to CNN, reports suggest interest from billionaire Frank McCourt and Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary. McCourt floated a plan to purchase TikTok without its algorithm, creating an American only version of the app, a proposition experts regard as technically daunting. As we reported on the PDB last week, Elon Musk has also floated as a potential buyer. According to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, Musk possesses the resources to buy the app, but it's unclear that he would want to, and he's not publicly commented directly on the acquisition reports. On Sunday, Musk posted on his X that he opposes the TikTok ban, stating, quote, because it goes against freedom of speech. Despite Trump's efforts, TikTok's future remains precarious. Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts, vocal critics of the president elect's plan, argue that only a complete severance from ByteDance will ensure Americans data security. In a joint statement, the senator said, quote, now that the law has taken effect, there's no legal basis for any kind of extension calling for an uncompromising stance to protect national security. Moreover, Trump's executive order may face legal challenges, as an executive order cannot override a law passed by Congress. For now, TikTok users can return to creating and sharing content, but the platform remains a tug of war over security and sovereignty. Whether ByteDance will capitulate to US demands or if Congress will revisit the ban remains to be seen. Staying stateside President Trump's administration is reassessing plans for immigration raids in major cities like Chicago and New York after details of the operation were leaked to the media, raising officer safety concerns and compromising secrecy. Tom Holman, Trump's designated border czar and a former acting director of Immigration Customs Enforcement, candidly addressed the leaks in an interview with the Washington Post. Noting that the administration had not yet made a final decision on the operations. Homan said, quote, anyone leaking law enforcement operations puts officers at great risk. The border czar emphasized that ICE's enforcement goals remain focused on public safety and national security threats rather than indiscriminate Sweeps. Homan added, quote, this is a nationwide thing. We're not sweeping neighborhoods. We have a targeted enforcement plan. The proposed operations, initially slated to begin less than 24 hours after Trump's inauguration, centered on Democratic strongholds with large immigrant populations such as Chicago and New York, while extending to other urban centers, including Miami. Sources revealed that the multi day operations would mobilize between 100 and 200 officers. Advocacy groups in Chicago reported an uptick in fears across immigrant communities, with rumors spreading rapidly on social media. Messages circulating on WhatsApp warned of ICE agents patrolling from 5am to 9am on Inauguration Day and detaining immigrants on Tuesday heading to home or work. Local officials in Chicago have met the leaks and the proposed raids with firm resistance. Mayor Brandon Johnson doubled down on the city's pledge to shield immigrant communities, declaring, quote, we intend to stand by and protect Chicago's immigrant communities against threats from ice. This defiance came on the heels of the Chicago City Council rejecting measures that would allow local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, exacerbating tensions between city leadership and the incoming administration. Homan, in response, criticized Chicago's leadership, urging city officials to emulate the approach of New York City's Mayor Eric Adams by engaging in dialogue. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Homan previously told a Republican group, quote, chicago is in trouble because your mayor sucks and your governor sucks, end quote. Homan further warned of potential legal consequences for obstructing federal immigration enforcement, such as Mayor Johnson stating, quote, if Mayor Johnson doesn't want to help, get the hell out of the way. If he knowingly harbors or conceals an illegal alien, I will prosecute him. Despite assurances from the Trump administration that the raids would not intentionally separate families, Homan admitted that such outcomes might be unavoidable. Homan, in his interview with the Post, stated, quote, if you put yourself in that position, it may happen. Underscoring his belief that families facing deportation bear responsibility for their circumstances, Homan elaborated that parents of dreamers, that's children of undocumented immigrants born in the US have two choices, self deport or remain in the US without legal status, risking eventual arrest. The acting director for ICE during the Obama administration, John Sandweg, decried the leaks for jeopardizing officer safety and the success of enforcement efforts. Sandweg described the media leaks as reckless, also saying, quote, historically, this is something we kept very close wraps on for officer safety reasons. Sandweg noted similar breaches allowed fugitives to evade capture, undermining enforcement efforts. But despite the leaks, Homan and Trump's aides remain resolute in their commitment to enforce immigration laws. In a recent interview with Fox News, Homan made the Trump administration's policy clear, declaring, quote, we're going to take the handcuffs off of ICE and let them go arrest criminal aliens. Coming up in the back of the brief, a surprising moment of dissent from within the Taliban ranks. A senior official speaks out against the group's harsh treatment of Afghanistan's women. Be back with more on that.
- [16:32]
B
Hey, Mike Baker here. Ever heard of a data broker? You probably have. Maybe. You don't know exactly what they're up to, though. They're the middlemen collecting and selling all those digital footprints that you leave online, often without realizing it. They can stitch together detailed profiles of your browsing history, your online searches, and even your location data. Then they sell your profile to companies who deliver super targeted ads. No big deal, right? Well, okay, think again. These same data brokers are also selling your information to the Department of Homeland Security and the irs. I kid you not. And that's why many people are now using ExpressVPN to protect their digital footprints. One of the easiest ways for data brokers to track you is through your device's unique IP address, which can reveal your location. With ExpressVPN, your IP address is hidden, making it much harder for data brokers to monitor, track and monetize your private online activity. ExpressVPN encrypts 100% of your network traffic, keeping your data safe from hackers, even on public WI fi. It works seamlessly across all your devices, whether it's your phone, your laptop or tablet. Just tap one button and you're protected. It really is that easy. Protect your online privacy today by visiting expressvpn.com baker that's B A K-E R. That's expressvpn.com baker and you can get an extra four months free once again. Expressvpn.com baker this episode is brought to you by Lifelock. The new year brings new health goals and wealth goals. Protecting your identity is an important step. Lifelock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, Lifelock's restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Resolve to make identity, health and wealth part of your New Year's goals. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast terms apply.
- [18:36]
A
Mike Slater filling in for Mike Baker. And today's Back of the Brief, a rare glimmer of hope for Afghanistan's oppressed women from an unexpected source. A Senior Taliban official SH Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister, publicly criticized his own government's ban on female education. He called it a, quote, personal choice, not an interpretation of Sharia law. In a speech aired Sunday, Stanikzai said there's no justification for denying girls and women access to education. He didn't hold back, declaring that the Taliban's policies are doing a grave injustice to half of Afghanistan's 40 million person population. This isn't the first time he's spoken out, but his comments are the harshest yet and directly challenges the edicts of the Taliban's reclusive leader. Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban chief has enforced strict bans on girls attending school beyond sixth grade and on most women participating in public life. The world has widely condemned these restrictions, which has left millions of Afghan women without basic freedoms or opportunities. International voices like Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai have been equally vocal. Speaking at a summit in Islamabad last week, Malala urged Muslim leaders to reject the Taliban's treatment of women, describing it as a betrayal of Islam's teachings. The United nations and global human rights groups have echoed these sentiments, repeatedly denouncing what they call an institutionalized system of discrimination. The Taliban's deputy foreign minister, his speech did not just focus on education. He also criticized practices like forcing women into marriages and even hinted that the Taliban's treatment of women is one reason why their government remains unrecognized internationally. Also noteworthy, this foreign minister had some kind words for Donald Trump, calling him a decisive leader and expressing hope that the incoming Trump administration will improve relations with Afghanistan. While his remarks are far from a solution, they do offer a flicker of dissent within the Taliban's leadership, something Afghanistan's women desperately need. Whether it leads to real change, and whether or not President Trump believes it could possibly lead to change remains to be seen. And that is the President's Daily brief for Monday 20th January. To listen to the show ad free, you can become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by going to pdbpremium.com I'm Mike Slater from the podcast Politics by Faith, host of the morning show on SiriusXM Patriot. We'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay safe. Spread the word.