Cozy Earth Representative (7:38)

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Mike Baker (8:04)

Look, no more wandering around a nursery.

Cozy Earth Representative (8:06)

Trying to figure out how you're going.

Mike Baker (8:08)

To schlep home a bunch of plants. And this spring, well, they have the.

Cozy Earth Representative (8:11)

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Mike Baker (8:41)

Welcome back to the pdb. After weeks of quiet U. S led mediation, Israel and Lebanon have agreed to negotiate their long disputed land border. That's a development that comes just months after Israel's invasion of Lebanon as part of its war against Hezbollah. The talks spearheaded by the Trump administration seek to stabilize the ceasefire brokered last November under the then Biden administration and addressed long standing territorial disputes that have fueled decades of conflict. A senior US Official confirmed on Tuesday to Axios that after extensive diplomatic efforts to shore up the ceasefire and generate momentum for a political resolution. Both sides have now agreed to formal negotiations, which could begin as early as next month. The discussions will center on 13 contested points along the Blue Line, and that's the the boundary drawn by the United nations back in 2000 to track Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon after its occupation. These disputed zones have been a persistent flashpoint for hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah terrorists, complicating efforts to maintain stability. To structure the negotiations, trilateral working groups consisting of representatives from the US Israel and Lebanon will be formed. Their focus will be resolving land border disputes, addressing the status of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, and negotiating conditions for Israel's withdrawal from five remaining outposts in southern Lebanon. In a sign of goodwill, Israel has already released five Lebanese prisoners, including Hezbollah terrorists captured during last year's fighting. Now, U.S. deputy Middle east envoy Morgan Ortegas underscored the urgency of the negotiations, stating that Washington looks forward to quickly convening discussions to, quote, resolve outstanding issues. For Lebanon's newly formed government, the agreement marks an early diplomatic test, one that could set the tone for its regional posture moving forward. In preparation for the upcoming talks, a high level quadrilateral military meeting took place in southern Lebanon, bringing together representatives from Israel, Lebanon, the United States and France. The meeting, held behind closed doors, was designed to lay the groundwork for negotiations by hashing out key security concerns along the border. A White House official reaffirmed the US Commitment to enforcing the ceasefire and and ensuring its full implementation, stressing that Washington and its international partners remain dedicated to securing a peaceful resolution. The negotiations will build on the 2022 maritime border deal between Israel and Lebanon, which helped to de escalate tensions over offshore gas fields. Still, while the talks mark a significant diplomatic leap, they offer no guarantees of lasting peace. Hezbollah's entrenched presence in southern Lebanon and Israel's deep rooted security concerns, well, they remain formidable obstacles. However, if successful, the negotiations could significantly reduce the likelihood of future hostilities. That's an optimistic perspective and for the first time in decades offer a potential breakthrough in Israel Lebanon relations. All right. Shifting stateside Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has revoked the security clearances of dozens of Biden administration officials at President Trump's direction, escalating tensions over access to classified intelligence. Gabbard confirmed the decision in a post on X, stating that she had formally revoked the clearances of former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. Monaco notably played a central role in prosecuting Trump supporters involved in the 6 January Capitol insurrection, making her inclusion in the purge especially pointed. Trump had long signaled that multiple officials would lose their security clearances, hinting at the move through a series of executive orders and social media statements since returning to the White House. Among the names on the list are New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, both of whom spearheaded legal actions, of course, against Trump, including criminal and business related investigations. Bragg, of course, made history as the first prosecutor to indict a then former US President on felony charges. The purge extends well beyond Trump's legal adversaries, though. Also stripped of clearance are former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic Norm Eisenhower and former FBI General Counsel Andrew Wiseman. Both have been high profile critics of Trump, frequently appearing in in the media as vocal opponents of his administration. Now in line with Trump's decision, former President Biden will no longer receive the President's Daily Brief. What? The Classified Intelligence Summary. Oh, that President's Daily Brief. The classified intelligence summary typically provided to former presidents. While such briefings have historically continued post presidency, Biden himself revoked Trump's Access back in 2021, setting a precedent that now appears to be coming full circle. Now, to be fair, I will not revoke President Biden's access to our pdb, although it would be appreciated if he'd pony up for the premium access to our podcast. Just a thought. Gabbard also confirmed that security clearances had been revoked for the 51 former intelligence officials who signed a controversial 2020 letter implying that Hunter Biden's laptop could be Russian disinformation. Trump had signed an executive order on his first day back in office directing their removal, though it remains unclear just how many of them still had active access to classified information. Unsurprisingly, Trump's opponents are framing the move as politically motivated crackdown. I told you it would be unsurprising, accusing him of wielding national security protocols as a tool for retribution. Well, that's never been done before. His earlier decision to strip Biden's clearance sparked fierce debate, and now the administration has taken steps to revoke security access for lawyers at firms such as Covington and Burling and Perkins Coey, both of which played key roles in legal battles against him. But Trump's security shakeup isn't just about settling political scores. It's also about restoring accountability in a system that, in his view, has been weaponized against him and his supporters. Even some of his former allies are now caught in the crossfire. His first administration's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a once loyal Republican who has since emerged as a sharp critic of Trump's foreign policy, also lost his clearance. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, the Department of Homeland Security has launched a new app. Oh, they've got a new app that officials say will allow immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally to report when they self deport. We'll have those details next.

Cozy Earth Representative (16:02)

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Mike Baker (16:58)

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Cozy Earth Representative (17:01)

Sanctuary awaits at Cozy Earth.

Progressive Insurance Representative (17:04)

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Mike Baker (17:32)

Welcome back to the pdb. In today's Back of the Brief, the Trump administration is revamping a controversial immigration app from the Biden era, adding a feature that encourages migrants living illegally in the U. S To quote self deport. The U S. Department of Homeland Security launched the new app on Tuesday, which is a repurposed version of of the CBP1 app that the Biden administration first introduced back in January of 2023. Under that program, migrants were able to use the CBP1 cell phone app to claim refugee status, which allowed at least 936,000 illegal immigrants, that's almost a million, to apply for asylum from within their home countries before flying to the U.S. once they arrived in the U.S. the vast majority of migrants were released into the country on parole, allowing them to get work permits and stay in the country for up to two years. But that program was shut down through an executive order within minutes of Trump being sworn into office, along with virtually every other Biden era program that facilitated the influx of nearly 8 million migrants into the US over the last four years. And that's just those that we know about the known gotaways? Well, that's a whole nother question. The White House has now officially rebranded the app, dubbing it CBP Home in an attempt to accelerate the removal of illegal migrants as they work to secure more resources from Congress to enact Trump's mass deportation agenda. The app contains a self deportation reporting feature which lets migrants submit their intent to depart the US to the dhs. Officials with DHS said the app will be the centerpiece of a broader $200 million domestic and international ad campaign that will encourage undocumented migrants to, quote, stay out and leave now. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued a statement saying, quote, the CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now in self deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream. If they don't, we'll find them, we'll deport them and they'll never return, end quote. But according to a report from Axios, the app is already causing controversy among immigration advocates. Well, again, there's not a surprise there. Who denounced it as a mean spirited attempt to scare and confuse migrants who came into the country under what was then a lawful federal program. A representative of the advocacy group America's Voice said it will, quote, only add chaos and cruelty to an already broken system. Others said they're advising migrants to avoid the app, warning it will be used to collect their personal data with no guarantees of securing a legal pathway for residency or citizenship in the future. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Wednesday 12th March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and of course, as you may well know, if you happen to be in the know to listen to the show ad free, just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

Progressive Insurance Representative (21:05)

It.