The President's Daily Brief
December 17th, 2024: CNN Rescues a ‘Torturer’ From Assad’s Prison & Israel’s ‘Earthquake Bomb’
Tue, 17 Dec 2024
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We begin with a strange story out of Syria, where CNN is facing scrutiny for showing the rescue of a man now alleged to be a member of Assad’s military—and possibly a torturer. A troubling report from China reveals that the People’s Liberation Army has released an electronic warfare “kill list” targeting U.S. naval assets. On the Ukraine-Russia war front, Ukraine and the Pentagon report the first combat deaths of North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk region. And in today's Back of the Brief, incoming border czar Tom Homan shares key details about the Trump administration’s deportation plans following his meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 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 Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What controversial story is CNN involved in regarding Syria?
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 things off today with an unusual story and a tale of the importance of due diligence out of Syria, where CNN is facing tough questions about a man they showed being rescued from a Syrian jail. New reports claim, well, he may have been more than just a prisoner.
Chapter 2: What allegations are made against the rescued prisoner?
Allegedly, he was a member of deposed dictator Assad's military and possibly a torturer of political prisoners. Oops. Seems like some fact-checking might have been in order. Later in the show, we'll discuss a revelation out of China. The People's Liberation Army has reportedly released an electronic warfare kill list targeting U.S. naval assets.
Plus, an update from the front lines of the Ukraine-Russia war. Ukraine's military and the Pentagon report that North Korean soldiers have been killed in combat for the first time during clashes in Russia's Kursk region.
Chapter 3: What updates are there on the Ukraine-Russia war?
And in today's Back of the Brief, incoming border czar Tom Holman shared details about the Trump administration's deportation plans during a meeting with New York City Mayor Eric Adams. I'll have those details in the Back of the Brief. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.
I want to begin with what appears to be an embarrassing incident out of Syria involving a CNN reporter who helped rebel forces free a man from a secret prison facility last Wednesday only to later discover that the man was a member of the Syrian military with a long record of war crimes on behalf of the Assad regime.
Now, CNN had visited the prison in question, located at the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Headquarters in Damascus, as part of a search for a missing US journalist. As they toured the facility, the team noticed a locked door, which a rebel guard subsequently shot open.
Inside was a man who gave his name as Adil Glorbal, who claimed to have been left alone without food, water or light after being taken by Assad's intelligence services from his home three months earlier. The CNN segment showing the man's release went viral last week and was described by network representatives as, quote, remarkable when it initially aired.
It was supposed to be an amazing moment caught on video, the kind that could make a journalist's career. CNN even publicly praised reporter Clarissa Ward for finding, quote, a Syrian prisoner left behind in a secret prison alone and unaware the Assad regime was no more, end quote. But the network soon ended up with egg on their face.
In the days that followed, a Syrian fact-checking organization, ooh, they've got one, said the jailed man used a false identity and was actually a man by the name of Salama Mohammed Salama, a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force intelligence with a storied history of brutality against civilians. Once again, oops.
The fact-checkers pointed out some initial incongruities in Salama's story, noting he appeared well-groomed and physically healthy, with no visible signs of torture or injury, hardly the profile of a man who had spent 90 days in solitary confinement. They also pointed out that in the CNN video, when he steps outside, after claiming to have not seen daylight for months, Salama does not even blink.
After some digging, the fact-checkers found no record of an Otto Gerbal in the region, which eventually led them to records that revealed his true identity. Now, in his role in Syrian Air Force intelligence, Salama managed several security checkpoints in the city of Homs, where, according to local residents, he engaged in theft, extortion, and coerced residents into becoming informants for Assad.
He also had a history of detaining and torturing young men on false charges and had killed an unknown number of civilians while taking part in military operations for the Assad regime in 2014. Local residents and homes said his arrest by the regime occurred less than a month ago and actually stemmed from a dispute with a high-ranking officer over how to divvy up extorted money.
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Chapter 4: What is the significance of the 'earthquake bomb' used by Israel?
Late Sunday evening, the IDF launched one of their heaviest strikes in more than a decade, hitting targets in northwestern Syria, near the city of Tartus, including a surface-to-surface missile depot. Now, one of the bombs that was dropped triggered a colossal explosion that was measured as a 3.1 magnitude earthquake by seismic sensors and left a fiery mushroom cloud in the sky.
Dramatic video captured the blast, which analysts said likely set off a large volume of stored armaments.
Chapter 5: What does the Chinese 'kill list' reveal about their military strategy?
Chapter 6: What insights does Tom Holman provide about deportation plans?
I want to begin with what appears to be an embarrassing incident out of Syria involving a CNN reporter who helped rebel forces free a man from a secret prison facility last Wednesday only to later discover that the man was a member of the Syrian military with a long record of war crimes on behalf of the Assad regime.
Now, CNN had visited the prison in question, located at the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Headquarters in Damascus, as part of a search for a missing US journalist. As they toured the facility, the team noticed a locked door, which a rebel guard subsequently shot open.
Inside was a man who gave his name as Adil Glorbal, who claimed to have been left alone without food, water or light after being taken by Assad's intelligence services from his home three months earlier. The CNN segment showing the man's release went viral last week and was described by network representatives as, quote, remarkable when it initially aired.
It was supposed to be an amazing moment caught on video, the kind that could make a journalist's career. CNN even publicly praised reporter Clarissa Ward for finding, quote, a Syrian prisoner left behind in a secret prison alone and unaware the Assad regime was no more, end quote. But the network soon ended up with egg on their face.
In the days that followed, a Syrian fact-checking organization, ooh, they've got one, said the jailed man used a false identity and was actually a man by the name of Salama Mohammed Salama, a first lieutenant in Syrian Air Force intelligence with a storied history of brutality against civilians. Once again, oops.
The fact-checkers pointed out some initial incongruities in Salama's story, noting he appeared well-groomed and physically healthy, with no visible signs of torture or injury, hardly the profile of a man who had spent 90 days in solitary confinement. They also pointed out that in the CNN video, when he steps outside, after claiming to have not seen daylight for months, Salama does not even blink.
After some digging, the fact-checkers found no record of an Otto Gerbal in the region, which eventually led them to records that revealed his true identity. Now, in his role in Syrian Air Force intelligence, Salama managed several security checkpoints in the city of Homs, where, according to local residents, he engaged in theft, extortion, and coerced residents into becoming informants for Assad.
He also had a history of detaining and torturing young men on false charges and had killed an unknown number of civilians while taking part in military operations for the Assad regime in 2014. Local residents and homes said his arrest by the regime occurred less than a month ago and actually stemmed from a dispute with a high-ranking officer over how to divvy up extorted money.
CNN has since addressed the situation, acknowledging they were likely duped, you think, by a man using a false identity. Ooh, that's tough to figure out. The network stressed that the trip to the prison was unplanned and that the decision to release the prisoner was made by one of the rebel guards.
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