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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 12th, 2024: Biden Warns Trump Over New 'Axis Of Upheaval' & Suspect in CEO Slaying To Plead Not Guilty
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Mike Baker
You know, people often ask me, mike, how do you start your day? Okay, well, to be fair, no one's ever asked me that. But if they did, I'd say I start the day with a hot, tasty mug of Blackout Coffee. Blackout Coffee is a terrific American family owned business and they're focused on producing premium coffee. That's it. Fresh roasted and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com promo code PDB for 20% off your first time purchase. They would be just about to. It's Thursday, the 12th of December. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, ahead of President Elect Trump's return to the White House, the Biden administration has issued a final national security memorandum warning of the stark dangers posed by China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, who they dubbed as the new, quote, axis of upheaval. Then an update on the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as we learn that the accused shooter, Luigi Mangione, intends to plead not guilty despite a mounting pile of evidence tying him to the killing. But first, our afternoon spotlight. President Biden is using his final days in office to offer the incoming Trump administration some advice on the pressing threats posed by the warming relations between America's chief adversaries, namely China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. The Biden administration issued a new national security memorandum on Wednesday outlining essentially a roadmap on how to counter this growing alliance in the east, which the White House dubbed the new axis of upheaval. They also referred to it as a quartet of chaos. But I'm going to stick with the axis of upheaval. According to a report from Voice of America, two senior White House officials said the classified national security document was designed to help the incoming Trump administration understand the new geopolitical landscape and build its approach so they can hit the ground running on day one. While Trump could reject the guidance, a senior administration official said the document is nonpartisan, telling reporters, I don't think they'll see anything in it that is trying to box them in or tilt them toward one policy option or another. The classified memo was described in general terms to reporters during a briefing on Wednesday, but has not been publicly reviewed due to its sensitive findings. It reportedly outlines four broad recommendations aimed at containing Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. It calls for improving US Government interagency cooperation, faster sharing of information among allies regarding these adversaries, bolstering preparations to manage simultaneous crises involving these countries, and better calibrating and coordinating sanctions and other economic tools to leverage them for maximum impact. Well, after reading that list, I'd argue that you don't need to be a senior national security official to come up with those suggestions. The White House officials said that despite their warming ties, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea have not yet coalesced into a cohesive bloc that directly threatens U.S. security. And the U.S. must lead a full court press with our allies to ensure the status quo doesn't change. The memo notes that Russia's main goal is to meet its wartime needs for military equipment and manpower in Ukraine, which of course, has caused them to rapidly expand their ties with North Korea and Iran, who are again, as reported here on the pdb, providing the Kremlin with military aid. As you know, North Korea in particular has become deeply involved in the Ukraine war recently, sending some 10,000 combat troops to bolster the ranks of the Putin regime. In return, North Korea, which seeks to diversify its alliances, avoid sanctions and crawl out from China's shadow. They are receiving fuel, fighter aircraft, missile defense and space technology from Russia. According to the memo, the Putin regime has also, quote, de facto accepted North Korea as a nuclear weapon state. Iran, also eager to find new ways to dodge Western sanctions, primarily seeks to bolster their flailing economy. But the memo singles out China as the wild card, describing them as the economic and military heavyweight of the group that poses the biggest direct challenge to the US on the global stage. Again, I don't think you need to be a national security official to come up with that assessment. China is benefiting from Russian technical know how, partnering with the Putin regime on building next generation military technology. Russia is also currently conducting joint patrols in the Arctic region with China. But the officials noted that unlike the other three nations, China is economically interdependent with the rest of the world, which could be leveraged by the incoming Trump administration to create fissures within the group. The White House also pointed to the recent upheaval in Syria where both Russia and Iran failed to come to the aid of their ally Assad, as evidence that cooperation between these countries still has its limits. An unnamed administration official said, quote, this realignment sort of raises for China the question about what kind of future it wants to see and if it really wants to be all in with this grouping. The Trump transition team has yet to respond to the memo, but has promised sweeping foreign policy changes when the president elect returns to office in January, including an economic crackdown on both Iran and China. Coming up, an update on the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson as we learn that the accused shooter, Luigi Mangione, intends to plead not guilty. I'll be right back.
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- [06:59]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Luigi Mangione, accused in the high profile killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, intends to plead not guilty despite mounting evidence tying him directly to the crime. Police arrested Mangione on Monday at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He's facing forgery and firearm related charges while battling extradition to New York where he's charged with second degree murder for Thompson's shooting outside the Manhattan Hilton on the 4th of December. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mangione's lawyer, Thomas Dickey said his client will plead not guilty to all charges. Dickey firmly stated, quote, I haven't seen any evidence that Manjoni is the shooter. Well, apparently then the lawyer hasn't looked at the evidence. The NYPD commissioner offered a starkly different perspective on Wednesday, as you might imagine, pointing to forensic evidence that seems, well, well, fairly damning. The commissioner revealed that a 3D printed ghost gun recovered during Mangione's arrest matches the shell casings found at the crime scene. So, okay, step one, that would qualify as evidence. These casings were inscribed with phrases critical of the health industry, including, quote, delay, deny and defend. The evidence doesn't stop there. Investigators discovered Mangione's fingerprints on a water bottle and a kind bar left at the scene. That would be more evidence. A cell phone found in a nearby alley also bore his prints. Huh. The evidence keeps Mounting, though further NYPD analysis is still underway on that device. According to CBS News, a notebook found during Manjoni's arrest could be a game changer. What was his lawyer thinking of when he made that claim? That he hasn't seen any evidence? The notebook allegedly contains grievances against the health insurance industry and a chilling claim of responsibility for Thompson's murder. Well, that also would be, I suppose, a clue. Law enforcement suggests Mangione initially considered using a bomb, but opted for a firearm to avoid harming bystanders. NYPD officials have called the document key to understanding his motive. Meanwhile, the shockwaves from Thompson's assassination are reverberating throughout the healthcare industry. In Manhattan, ominous posters targeting healthcare executives have appeared carrying messages like, quote, wanted denying medical care for corporate profit. Healthcare CEOs should not feel safe, end quote. The slogans on some posters eerily mirror the phrases found on the bullet casings, sparking fears, of course, of copycat violence by psychotics. These posters, now widely shared online, have stirred alarming conversations. As you may have seen on social media, some users have celebrated Thompson's murder, even encouraging further attacks on healthcare leaders. In response to these online threats, the NYPD issued a bulletin Tuesday warning that the posters could represent a potential, quote, hit list and urging executives to ramp up security measures. Health insurance companies are taking these threats seriously. While that's good, many have removed images of their leadership from public websites and are reexamining their safety protocols due to the growing public resentment towards the industry. The tension is palpable, with health care executives across New York City on high alert as investigators continue to connect the dots in this still ongoing case. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday 12th December. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB. The first tv.com to listen to the show ad free. Well, you know what to do. You become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by simply visiting pdbpremium.com See, it's very simple. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay co.