The President's Daily Brief
February 12th, 2025: Is The FBI Sabotaging The Border Crackdown? & Vance To Meet With Zelensky
Wed, 12 Feb 2025
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: A bombshell accusation—top Trump administration officials allege the FBI deliberately leaked ICE operation details to the media. If true, this would be a direct attempt to sabotage immigration enforcement. Vice President JD Vance prepares to meet with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy as President Trump announces a $500 billion rare earth minerals deal. The United Nations suspends humanitarian operations in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled territory after dozens of UN staff members are abducted. And in the Back of the Brief, a power struggle in the world of artificial intelligence as Elon Musk makes a massive offer to buy OpenAI—only to be rejected outright by CEO Sam Altman. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Ramp: Get $250 when you join Ramp. Go to ramp.com/PDB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What accusation is being made against the FBI?
It's Wednesday, 12 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start off today's show with a startling accusation. Top Trump administration officials are pointing the finger at the FBI. claiming it deliberately leaked details of ICE operations to the media.
Chapter 2: How is the FBI allegedly sabotaging immigration enforcement?
Now, look, if true, this isn't just a bureaucratic blunder. It's a direct attempt to sabotage immigration enforcement by leaking information that, frankly, could endanger the lives of law enforcement officials involved in the operations. However, the big caveat is, if it's true... Later in the show, Vice President J.D.
Vance prepares to meet with Ukraine's Zelensky as President Trump announces a $500 billion rare earth minerals deal. Plus, the United Nations has suspended humanitarian operations in Yemen's Houthi-controlled territory after dozens of UN staff members were abducted by the group. Well, what is the world coming to when an Iranian regime proxy group abducts UN workers? That is shocking.
And by that, I mean it's not shocking at all. And in the back of the brief, a power struggle in the world of artificial intelligence as Elon Musk makes an offer to buy OpenAI, only to be rebuffed with prejudice by the company's CEO, Sam Altman. It's a billionaire slap fight over one of the most important technologies of our time. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.
An extraordinary claim coming from Trump administration's top immigration officials today. Now, they say the FBI has been leaking information to sabotage ICE operations. If that's true, and that's if, it's a major breach of trust that could be putting law enforcement and national security at risk. And look at that. I just won today's PDB Statement of the Obvious Award.
As we've covered here on the PDB, there have been multiple reports of high-profile ICE operations being compromised by leaks to the media. In the most recent case, the Los Angeles Times reported on a planned large-scale ICE operation action in LA set to take place before the end of February. The newspaper claims it learned about the operation after obtaining an internal government document.
Now, this wasn't an isolated incident. Just last week, there was another leak, this time about an immigration raid in a Denver suburb. That tip-off allowed members of the Trenderagua gang, or TDA, a violent Venezuela-linked criminal organization, to escape before ICE could take them into custody. Now, top administration officials are pointing the finger directly at the FBI.
Border Czar Tom Holman told Sean Hannity of Fox News that the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security are investigating the leaks. And he said, quote, some of the information we are receiving tends to lead toward the FBI.
Holman also claimed that investigators have identified the person responsible for leaking details of the Colorado operation, saying this individual will not only lose their job and pension, but will also go to jail. Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem echoed the accusation, going even further in her public statements.
She shared the Los Angeles Times' article on social media, writing, quote, The FBI is so corrupt. We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law, end quote. Now, if, there's that word again, if these accusations are even remotely true, well, it's a massive problem. And here's why.
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Chapter 3: What are the consequences of the alleged leaks?
First, we should note that it's no secret that U.S. law enforcement at the federal and state and local levels, as well as intelligence agencies, they don't always get along. They compete for resources, they guard their information, and frankly, they don't always trust each other. We saw this dysfunction play out, of course, in the worst possible way before 9-11.
The CIA, as an example, knew about al-Qaeda operatives with U.S. visas, but failed to share that intel properly with the FBI, which was tracking terrorist threats inside the country. Meanwhile, the NSA intercepted key communications between al-Qaeda members, but failed to flag them properly.
In short, the intelligence was there, but because agencies were too busy protecting their turf, the dots never got connected. And we all know, of course, that that ended tragically. But this, well, now this current case would be somewhat different. If the FBI really is leaking information to undercut ICE operations, it's not just an interagency turf war or bureaucratic inefficiency.
It's active sabotage. It means the Bureau wouldn't just be withholding intel from ICE. It would be deliberately handing information over to outsiders in a way that compromises and, frankly, endangers law enforcement. Now, that's not incompetence or miscommunication. That's political interference, a breach of operational security and potentially obstruction of justice.
And it's a whole new level of dangerous. Because here's the thing. Leaking details of an upcoming law enforcement operation doesn't just let illegal immigrants slip through the cracks. It gives criminal organizations and violent offenders a heads up. It gives them time to arm themselves, to prepare and to disappear. And that doesn't just mean failed arrests.
It means real risks for the officers on the ground. It means putting the lives of law enforcement at risk, all because someone inside the government is wallowing in their own self-righteousness and decide to play politics. If this is in fact happening, and at this stage, again, it's just if, then the evidence needs to be presented to back up Homan and Noam's accusations and allegations.
They need to come forward with evidence. They can't just make allegations and accusations. You have to back that up for something this serious. But if, in fact, it is correct, then those responsible need to face justice. All right, coming up after the break, VP J.D. Vance prepares for a meeting with Zelensky as Trump announces a $500 billion minerals deal. Plus, the U.N.
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Chapter 4: What is the significance of Vice President JD Vance's meeting with Zelensky?
In a televised speech on Tuesday, the Houthi leader warned, "...our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip." All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, a high stakes battle in the world of artificial intelligence between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. I'll be right back with those details.
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In today's Back of the Brief, a major showdown in the world of artificial intelligence. Elon Musk has made a nearly $100 billion offer to buy OpenAI. But CEO Sam Altman, well, he's not biting. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI before walking away back in 2018, has been a vocal critic of the company's direction. He claims it's abandoned its nonprofit roots and is now chasing profits over AI safety.
To drive the point home, he's even filed lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing it of misrepresenting itself. Now, instead of just competing through his own AI startup, which would be XAI, Musk is trying a different tactic, and that's, well, offering to buy OpenAI outright. His offer? It's a staggering $97.4 billion.
But Altman wasted no time in shutting it down, telling Bloomberg TV, Elon tries all sorts of things for a long time. This is the latest, this week's episode. I think he's probably just trying to slow us down." Now, it's a high-stakes fight with serious implications.
OpenAI has been looking at restructuring its for-profit division under its non-profit umbrella, but Musk's offer just complicated those plans. Even if OpenAI rejects it outright, the massive bid sets a new valuation benchmark, making any future moves more expensive and difficult to justify. Musk's legal battles with OpenAI go beyond financials.
He's also accusing the company of a reckless sprint toward artificial general intelligence, AGI. Now, OpenAI, for its part, insists it's still guided by its nonprofit mission, though it's clear that the company is making serious bank off its AI tools like ChatGPT. And then, well, then there's the personal animosity that always plays a role, doesn't it?
Asked whether Musk is acting out of insecurity, Altman took a swing, saying, quote, Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity. I feel for the guy. I don't think he's a happy person. End quote. Right? I mean, who could be happy with all those billions? Not to mention your own rocket ships.
With Musk throwing legal challenges and business maneuvers and now a massive buyout offer at OpenAI, clearly this battle of the billionaire nerds, well, it won't be cooling off anytime soon. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Wednesday, 12 February. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com.
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Chapter 6: What recent events occurred in Yemen related to the UN?
Chapter 7: How are AI and technology influencing current events?
Trump, for his part, remains confident in his ability to strike a peace deal, stating, But Zelensky made it clear that Trump must meet with him before engaging with Putin, warning that bypassing direct talks with Kiev would effectively sideline Ukraine in the negotiations.
Zelensky stated, "...it's important for people to understand that Ukraine is negotiating, not accepting ultimatums from Russia." Okay, shifting now to Yemen, where the UN has suspended relief operations in the Houthi-controlled Saudi province after the Iran-backed terrorists abducted dozens of UN staffers, further complicating aid efforts in one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
In a statement on Monday, the UN condemned the abductions, well, that's good, as, quote, extraordinary, are they? Emphasizing that the Houthis have made it impossible to guarantee, quote, necessary security conditions and guarantees for relief efforts.
The Houthis, who have a long track record of targeting international personnel, were already holding at least two dozen other UN staffers prior to these latest abductions. The move underscores a broader pattern of aggression by the terror group, who have not only detained foreign aid workers, but have also cracked down on Yemenis, linked to the now-shuttered U.S. embassy in the capital Sana'a.
In response, the U.N. has halted its operations in Houthi-controlled areas, hoping to pressure the terrorists into releasing the abducted staff and restoring the basic security measures necessary to continue aid work. The organization already suspended all travel into Houthi-controlled zones late last month over mounting security threats.
The Houthis, entrenched in a decade-long war against Yemen's internationally recognized government, have built their rule on brutal repression. Since seizing Sana'a back in 2014, the Iran-backed terrorists have imprisoned thousands as part of their broader campaign to silence dissent.
That campaign has only intensified in recent months, with at least 44 people sentenced to death in a wave of crackdowns. And yet, in a calculated move earlier this year, the Houthis released 153 war detainees, an apparent attempt to ease tensions in the wake of the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Similar prisoner releases in the past have been used as bargaining chips to restart negotiations over Yemen's civil war. But as the Houthis tighten their grip on northern Yemen, their ambitions are reaching well beyond the country's borders. The terror group has openly threatened to launch attacks on Israel if it resumes military operations in Gaza and fails to uphold the ceasefire agreement.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, the Houthi leader warned, "...our hands are on the trigger and we are ready to immediately escalate against the Israeli enemy if it returns to escalation in the Gaza Strip." All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, a high stakes battle in the world of artificial intelligence between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. I'll be right back with those details.
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