← The President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 8th, 2025: Trump Suggests US Could Take Greenland, Panama Canal By Force & Multiple Wildfires Tear Through Los Angeles County
00:13:56
Loading summary
Transcript2 lines
- [00:00]
A
Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. Recently, I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two year contracts, they said, what the are you talking about? You insane Hollywood. So to recap, we're cutting the price of mint unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch $45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month New customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees, Extra Speed slower above 40GB.
- [00:42]
B
It's Wednesday, the 8th of January. 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 in. President elect Donald Trump gave one of his trademark press conferences on Tuesday when he spoke about his intent to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, saying he would not rule out using military force to seize the territories. We'll discuss the strategic importance of both areas and why President elect Trump is so focused on bringing them under American control. I remember actually that Thomas Jefferson got the same sort of reaction back in the day during a press conference when he announced his plans for the Louisiana Purchase. Then multiple wildfires fanned by unrelenting winds are tearing through Los Angeles county, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate as their homes get engulfed by the inferno. But first, our afternoon spotlight. President elect Donald Trump might have his eye on US Expansion, saying at a press conference on Tuesday that he's dead serious about acquiring both the Panama Canal and Greenland to strengthen America's strategic national security interests. Trump gave the remarks as a delegation of aides and advisers, including his son, Donald Trump Jr. Traveled to Greenland on Tuesday to make inroads on the issue. With just two weeks to go until he returns to the Oval Office, Trump is already testing geopolitical norms as he looks to expand America's global sphere of influence, according to a report from the Associated Press. During the press conference, Trump suggested he could even use military force to seize control of both Greenland and the Panama Canal. When asked about that possibility, Trump said, quote, I'm not going to commit to that. It might be that you'll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country. He added, quote, we need Greenland for national security purposes, end quote. So you ask yourself, why is the president elect so focused on Greenland and the Panama Canal? While it's impossible to know the President elect's full thinking on the matter, the simple answer likely lies with the threat posed by the expansionist minded regimes in China and Russia. Greenland sits on vast deposits of rare earth minerals, oil and gas and is positioned near crucial global trade and military arteries. The supply of rare earth minerals is of particular importance as they're used in everything from phones to electric cars and military equipment. China has been vying for dominance of Greenland's natural resources in recent years while also pursuing expanded shipping routes through the region's waters. Russia, meanwhile, has recently reopened dozens of Soviet era military bases in the Arctic region as tensions with the west deteriorate due to Putin's war in Ukraine between China and Russia. Trump argues that the US Needs Greenland to deter potential threats and ensure America's top adversaries don't end up controlling the strategically important Arctic waters. While highly autonomous, Greenland is still technically a part of Denmark, which governs foreign and security policy on the island. The US Has a decades old treaty with Denmark granting US Access to an Arctic base in southern Greenland which hosts an airfield and advanced radar and missile detection systems. But Trump has cast doubts on the legitimacy of Denmark's claim over their former colonial territory. Trump's national security team has reportedly already held preliminary discussions on how to open negotiations with Greenland and Denmark once he returns to office. At the press conference, Trump said, quote, I'm talking about protecting the free world. You look outside, you have Chinese ships all over the place, you have Russian ships all over the place. We're not letting that happen, end quote. Now turning to the Panama Canal, the top concern there is, well, also China. The American built canal has been solely controlled by Panama For 25 years after the US returned the Panama Canal zone to the country back in 1979 during Jimmy Carter's administration and ended joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway back in 1999. Its economic importance to America, well, that's hard to overstate as roughly 40% of U. S Container traffic relies on that Vital Waterway. In 2021, roughly 73% of all vessels traversing the canal were traveling to or from American ports. Trump feels the US Gave away the canal to Panama for nothing and that China has now moved in to vie for control. Panama established diplomatic relations with China in place of Taiwan in 2017, and Beijing has since undertaken significant infrastructure developments near the waterway. Officials with U. S Southern Command have expressed concern over China's growing activity in the region, particularly their potential influence on two ports on either side of the canal that could enable it to influence canal operations. The ports are operated by Hutchinson Ports, that's a division of CK Hutchinson Holdings. That's one of the world's largest port operators. It's important to note that no direct links have been identified between CK Hutchinson, a Hong Kong and Cayman Islands business, and the Chinese Communist Party, the ccp. But the concern is obviously the potential for the CCP to exert influence over a Hong Kong based company, even one with significant Western ownership and investment, which includes BlackRock and Vanguard. There's also fears that China could introduce surveillance technology into the canal's infrastructure to monitor U.S. naval and commercial movements. Additionally, and this may be a key point, Trump has argued that Panama is charging America too high a price for ships passing through the canal. Despite the media's typical pearl clutching over Trump's comments, some current and former Trump advisers told the Wall Street Journal that his comments are meant as a negotiating tactic and shouldn't be taken at face value. They said his threats on Greenland are meant to secure US Access to rare earth minerals over China, while his threats against Panama are designed to secure lower prices for US Ships sailing through the canal. A former senior national security adviser to Trump said, quote, there is this idea that our number one priority is the defense of the hemisphere and that China and Russia are coming into our backyard. You have to see Greenland and Panama in that context. Coming up, multiple wildfires fanned by hurricane force winds are tearing through Los Angeles county, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Hurricane force winds are fueling three catastrophic wildfires across Los Angeles county, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes as firefighters struggle to contain the raging infernos. The Palisades Fire erupted near the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Tuesday morning, rapidly consuming a minimum of 3,000 acres. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the acreage could, quote, rise drastically as flames spread through homes and businesses along the Pacific Coast Highway. As of now, roughly 30,000 residents have been told to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire erupted near Pasadena on Tuesday night, scorching over 2,200 acres and placing over 32,000 residents under evacuation orders. Compounding the chaos, embers carried by the winds have sparked at least a dozen additional spot fires in northern Los Angeles County. The Hearst Fire also erupted Tuesday night, ballooning to 500 acres in just four hours. Investigators are still probing the causes of these fires. Relentless winds with gusts reaching 60-80 mph and up to 100 mph in higher elevations are creating extreme fire conditions. Of course, Southern California's prolonged drought, when they've received less than 110 of an inch of Rain since May has only exasperated the crisis, prompting red flag warnings across the region. Notably, the winds have also grounded the firefighting aircraft, leaving crews on the ground to battle flames without aerial support. In Pacific Palisades, scenes of chaos unfolded as residents fled the advancing inferno. Abandoned vehicles clogged the narrow canyon roads, forcing some to escape on foot. Emergency crews struggled to clear paths for fire trucks using bulldozers, but gridlock hampered efforts to reach critical areas. Video from the Pacific coast highway reveals the extent of the destruction. With entire stretches of homes and businesses reduced to ashes. The Los Angeles Fire Department issued an unprecedented call for off duty personnel to report, underscoring the strain on resources as the fires rage unchecked. Governor Gavin Newsom, who visited scenes of the Palisades fire, declared a state of emergency and mobilized over 1400 firefighters to combat the escalating crisis. Newsom told reporters, quote, emergency officials, firefighters and first responders are all hands on deck to do everything possible to protect lives, end quote. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed to cnn, quote, a high number of significant injuries among residents who failed to evacuate in time have been recorded. Several firefighters have also sustained burn injuries as flames advance toward Malibu, further straining resources. More than 13,000 structures are currently under threat from the Palisades fire. The fire department officials report that approximately 1,000 structures have already been destroyed. Despite their efforts, containment, well, remains out of reach. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 8 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and of course, as you probably already heard from family and friends, to listen to the show ad free. Well, it's simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting BDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Till then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.