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The President's Daily Brief
January 21st, 2025: Putin Issues ‘World War III’ Warning to Trump & Houthi Rebels Back Down
00:19:18
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Mike Slater
Everybody. These are violent criminals, so they're not gonna go down easy.
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Unknown Host
ABC Tuesdays Cops.
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Mike Slater
Let's get this done.
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Unknown Host
The rookie is back.
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Unknown Advertiser
We have two new rookies starting today.
- [00:12]
Mike Slater
Howdy. Being a cop is stressful. 24, 7. Every year on the job is different. And training day, we have a serial killer at large.
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Unknown Host
Never ends.
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Mike Baker
We need an ambulance.
- [00:24]
Unknown Host
The rookie. All new Tuesdays on ABC and stream on Hulu.
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Mike Baker
Hey, Mike Baker here. I'm currently on an epic camel trek through the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, 700 miles in about four weeks, all to raise awareness for the UK Special Forces Benevolent Fund. And if you're wondering, well, there are very few comfortable ways to sit on a camel. Now, while I'm away, my good friend Mike Slater is stepping in to keep you informed here on the PDB.
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Mike Slater
Foreign Thanks, Mike. It's Tuesday, the 21st of January, 2025. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. Mike Slater filling in for Mike Baker. Let's get briefed. Coming up. In today's spotlight, the world reacts to Donald Trump's inauguration, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who appeared on Russian television to congratulate Trump on his win and urge him to avoid starting World War iii. Later in the show, Yemen's Houthi rebels announce a shift in strategy, stating they'll stop targeting international shipping and focus solely on Israeli affiliated ships in the Red Sea. Wonder if that has anything to do with the new President of America. Plus, 80 people lost their lives in Colombia's Katatumbo region during three days of escalating violence. We'll have the details from South America and in today's Back of the brief, President Trump has reportedly ordered US troops to the southern border following his designation of the Tren de Aragua gang as a foreign terrorist organization. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. Donald Trump was sworn into office Yesterday as the 47th President of the United States, and reactions from world leaders have begun pouring in, including from Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, who urged Trump to avoid starting World War iii. During a televised meeting of Russia's Security Council on Monday, Putin offered his congratulations to Trump on his return to office, specifically praising the president's desire to reestablish direct diplomatic ties between the US and Russia, which were severed following Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It was a marked departure from the Kremlin's stance back in early November when they refused to congratulate Trump on his victory, citing what they described as the US's unfriendly stance towards Moscow. According to a Report from Reuters. Putin said he was now ready to engage with the Trump administration on the subject of reining in nuclear arms and ending the war in Ukraine, though he qualified his statements, warning that Russia's territorial gains in eastern Ukraine must be accepted by the west if they want talks to get off the ground. Putin said, quote, we see these statements by the newly elected President of the United States and members of his team about the desire to restore direct contacts with Russia. We also hear his statements about the need to do everything possible to prevent World War iii. We of course welcome this attitude and congratulate the elected President of the United States of America on taking office. Relations between the US And Russia have, of course, significantly deteriorated over the last three years, falling to their lowest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis due to Russia's war on Ukraine. But Trump's return has fostered a cautious sense of optimism in international circles that the two global powers can begin mending fences. Tackling the issue of Ukraine will be easier said than done for President Trump, as we've been tracking on the pdp. Trump has previously stated that he could end the war within 24 hours of assuming office, though he walked back those lofty ambitions earlier this month, telling reporters he hoped to resolve the conflict within six months. Separately, retired General Keith Kellogg, Trump's nominee for special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has set a goal of ending the war within Trump's first 100 days. Putin claims he's long been open to dialogue and diplomacy regarding the nearly three year old conflict, though many in the west remain skeptical that his supposed interest in a peace deal is genuine. Those concerns are compounded by the fact that so far, the Kremlin's rough proposals for peace amount to little more than a full Ukrainian surrender. Putin reiterated on Monday that Moscow has no interest in a limited ceasefire and will only accept a long lasting peace deal that allows Russia to keep the roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory that they've seized since 2022 and prevents Ukraine from ever joining the NATO alliance. Officials in Ukraine, meanwhile, warned President Trump not to rush into negotiations with the Putin regime, saying it would be a catastrophic mistake to begin talks while Ukrainian forces are fighting to gain the advantage on the battlefield. A senior adviser to the Ukrainian president, Zelensky, noted that Kiev's forces are currently having great success targeting Russian energy infrastructure and that they need time to let that campaign play out. The advisor said, quote, we need to be able to keep up this kind of pressure if we are to enter negotiations from a position of strength. Only if Russia is suffering losses. Will it be willing to negotiate meaningfully? How Trump's return will impact the conflict is anyone's guess. But the president has indicated he plans to meet with both Zelensky and Putin shortly to begin peace talks. Zelensky also congratulated Trump on his inauguration and said he looks forward to engaging in, quote, active and mutually beneficial cooperation. Late last night, among the signing of many executive orders, Trump said to reporters, I have to speak to President Putin and we're gonna have to find out. But he can't be thrilled. He's not doing so well. He's grinding it out. He made the point that many people thought Russia would defeat Ukraine in just a week. And here we are, many years later. Moving on from the war in Ukraine. Trump was inundated on Monday by well wishes from heads of state and leaders across the world, whether from European allies, the Vatican, NATO leadership, or eastern powers like India. The messages were universally positive. Notably, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for helping to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza and said he and Trump will work together to, quote, raise the US Israel alliance to even greater heights. We expect the congratulatory messages to continue pouring in over the next few days as Trump kicks off his second term. Coming up after the break, Yemen's Houthi rebels announced that they'll stop targeting international shipping in the Red sea. And over 80 are dead after violent clashes in Colombia's Katatumbo region. Details ahead.
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Mike Baker
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- [08:07]
Mike Slater
Welcome back to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Slater filling in for Mike Baker. Turning to the Middle east, the Iranian backed Houthi militants of Yemen are shifting their strategy in the wake of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The terror group said Sunday that they would stop their attacks on international commercial vessels and American and British naval ships in the Red Sea and instead limit their strikes to only Israeli affiliated vessels. Regarding Israeli ships, they said their attacks would only stop upon the full implementation of of all phases of the ceasefire agreement, according to an exclusive report from the Associated Press. The group warned, however, that any breakdown in the fragile truce or direct attacks in Yemen would prompt them to resume wider assaults on international ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which they described as a form of, quote, sanctions. The militants said, quote, we affirm that in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom or the usurping Israeli entity, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor. The Iranian backed Houthis delivered their message in an email to international shippers on Sunday, though analysts say it will likely do little to encourage global firms to re enter the critical shipping route, which prior to the Houthi attacks accounted for more than 12% of global trade volume and 30% of global container shipping volume. Over the past year, Houthi attacks have significantly disrupted this vital economic lane, causing commercial traffic through the region to drop by half. Many shipping companies have instead been diverting their ships around southern Africa to avoid being attacked, leading to longer shipping journeys and, of course, higher costs. For now, shipping companies appear to be taking a wait and see approach. The head of security for Bimco, the largest international ship owners association, told the ap, quote, the ceasefire is considered fragile. It is assessed that even minor deviations from the ceasefire agreements could lead to hostilities, which would subsequently prompt the Houthis to again direct threats against a broader range of international shipping. Remarks on Monday from the Houthis supreme leader also left doubt over whether it is safe to return to the troubled waters. The group's leader warned, they're, quote, ready to return to escalation again alongside our brothers should the ceasefire break down. As a reminder, the Houthis began relentlessly attacking Israel and international shipping vessels. And in the wake of last year's seven October attacks by Hamas to date, they fired more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at the Jewish state and carried out more than a hundred attacks on merchant ships in the red Sea, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing four mariners. Shifting to Colombia, more than 80 people have been killed in just three days of escalating violence in the country's northeast after fallout from collapsed peace talks between the government and and the terrorist guerrilla group, the National Liberation army, also known as eln. This outbreak has plunged the Katatumba region into chaos, placing thousands of civilians who now huddle in shelters or seek refuge in remote mountainous areas. One displaced resident captured the desperation of the moment, stating, quote, we had no time to grab our things. We're helpless here. Government officials are calling this one of the deadliest spirals of violence in recent memory. So why this happened? Well, the violence erupted last week after the ELN launched a coordinated assault on ex members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or farc, who have resumed armed activities to annex drug trafficking routes. Despite a 2016 peace deal, the Catatumbo region, a strategic nexus for drug trafficking, has long been a flashpoint as guerrilla groups vie for control. For the eln, securing this area is central to expanding its communist ideology and operations. Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who campaigned on advancing peace, suspended negotiations with the ELN on Friday, accusing the group of war crimes. In a post on X the same day, Petro stated, quote, the ELN has no will for peace. It's the second collapse of talks in less than a year, underscoring the fragile nature of attempts to end Colombia's decades long international conflict. With an estimated 6,000 fighters across Colombia and Venezuela, the ELN has long sought recognition as a political entity, a demand that would embolden the group as the government moves to stabilize the region. More than 5,000 soldiers have been deployed. The defense minister underscores the urgency, pledging to, quote, guarantee the security of communities. But civilians remain in the crossfire, according to a government official's report. Among the dead are a community leader and seven individuals who sought to sign the ELN and government peace deal. While the ELN denies targeting civilians, claiming its operations focused solely on former FARC guerrillas, their rhetoric offers little solace. On Saturday, the ELN issued a statement accusing FARC factions of initiating violence against civilians, warning that continued attacks left, quote, no other way out than armed confrontation. The humanitarian toll is staggering. Over 8,000 people have been displaced. Many Lacking necessities, government relief efforts sent 10 tons of aid. Yet the scope of the crisis threatens to overwhelm resources. Compounding the instability, the violence risks spilling over into neighboring Venezuela, which remains mired in a political crisis under Nicolas Maduro's regime. Meanwhile, in northern Colombia, the ELN is also clashing with the Gulf clan, the country's largest drug cartel. These skirmishes, part of a broader struggle to control lucrative drug trafficking corridors, have left at least nine dead in recent days. As territorial disputes escalate, Colombia's fragile peace hangs by a threat with a resolution remaining elusive. Coming up in the back of the brief President Trump orders US Troops to the southern border after labeling the trende Aragua gang a foreign terrorist organization. We'll be back with more on that. Shake, shake, shake, senora. Shake it all the time.
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Mike Slater
Mike Slater Filling in for Mike Baker and today's back at the brief. Among the executive orders that President Trump signed while taking office were 11 orders overhauling America's border policy. The orders include the deployment of troops to the border and designating violent migrant gangs like Venezuela's Train de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, according to Fox News. These actions will place unprecedented emphasis on the military's Northern Command with an undisclosed number of troops tasked with securing the southern border. A Trump transition source emphasized the administration's resolve to assert sovereignty over U.S. territory, which, by the way, is the point of Northern Command. The source said, quote, the armed forces have a role to play in protecting our borders. The designation of Tren de aragua and el salvador's Ms. 13 as a foreign terrorist organization marks a fierce escalation in the fight against transnational criminal networks. This move grants the federal government expanded legal tools to prosecute gang members and their associates. This action follows her coverage here on the PDB of growing concerns over Trend Agua's violent activities, including gang bangers violently seizing an apartment complex in Colorado, which captured national headlines, flooding the streets of New York City with crime and the alleged rape of murder of a 12 year old in Houston, just to name a few sinister acts here in America. Texas Governor Greg Abbott in October publicly called on then border czar Vice President Kamala Harris to address the national security threat posed by Trende Aragua. Yet under the Biden Harris administration, the gang remained undisturbed, a choice that Trump is determined to reverse. Trump's orders also dismantle key Biden era immigration policies. The CBP1 app Customs and Border Patrol 1 app which facilitates migrant entry requests will be scrapped. It's gone. It's already gone. If you open the app, it says, sorry, this doesn't exist anymore. The humanitarian parole program, which grants special consideration to migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, it's also over. Meanwhile, Trump plans to reinstate the remain in Mexico policy requiring asylum seekers to await hearings in Mexico and resume border wall construction. Trump's administration will also halt the catch and release policy, which allows detained migrants to enter the US While awaiting their court proceedings. Whether or not they show up, no one knows. Speaking to supporters at a rally on Sunday, Trump pledged swift action starting quote, by the time the sun sets Monday, the invasion of our country will have come to a halt. The 47th president's rhetoric signals a return to the hardline measures that defined his first administration, with national security and immigration enforcement at the forefront of his policy agenda. And that is the President's Daily brief for Tuesday 21st January. To listen to this show ad free, you can become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting pdbpremium.com I'm Mike Slater, filling in for the great Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay safe. Spread the word.