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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What is the 'axis of upheaval' mentioned by Biden?
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 UnitedHealthcare 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.
What update do we have on the CEO slaying case?
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 refer 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.
What are the key threats outlined in the national security memorandum?
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, quote, 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, end quote. 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 U.S.
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're 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 U.S.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the 'axis of upheaval' mentioned by Biden?
0:50–1:24
2
What update do we have on the CEO slaying case?
1:24–2:02
3
What are the key threats outlined in the national security memorandum?
2:02–8:23
4
How are China and Russia cooperating in military efforts?
8:23
5
What is the significance of North Korea's involvement in Ukraine?
7:05–8:42
6
How does the Biden administration view China's role among adversaries?
8:42–11:58
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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