The President's Daily Brief - April 22nd, 2025: Beijing Now Targeting Members Of Congress & Hamas Recruits Kids

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   China lashes out—Beijing has sanctioned multiple U.S. lawmakers and officials over what it calls “egregious behavior” on Hong Kong.   Hamas reportedly recruits 30,000 youths to replenish its militant ranks, including untrained minors.   The Trump administration floats a confidential peace deal to Ukraine that would recognize Crimea as Russian and block NATO membership.   And in today’s Back of the Brief—President Trump comes to the defense of Pete Hegseth as the Signal scandal surrounding the Defense Secretary deepens.   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.   Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold StopBox: Get firearm security redesigned and save with BOGO the StopBox Pro AND 10% OFF @StopBoxUSA with code PDB at http://stopboxusa.com/PDB ! #stopboxpod Jacked Up Fitness: Go to https://GetJackedUp.com and use code BAKER at checkout to save 10% off your entire purchase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last night, you spent two hours deciding what to wear to the party. This morning, it'll take you two minutes to list it on Deepop and make your money back. Just grab your phone, snap a few photos, and we'll take care of the rest. The sheer dress and platform heels you'll never wear again, there's a birthday girl searching for them right now. Your one-and-done look is about to pay for your next night out, or at least the right home. Your style can make you cash.

Start selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes taste. It's Tuesday, the 22nd of April. 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 China, and it seems that the Chinese regime, for whatever reason, is a bit testy. Beijing just sanctioned multiple members of Congress and top U.S. officials

in a new tit-for-tat move over what it's calling, quote, egregious behavior on Hong Kong-related issues. Hmm. We'll have those details. Later in the show, Hamas steps up efforts to refill its depleted ranks, reportedly recruiting some 30,000 youths into its militant wing, including untrained minors. Plus, in what appears to be a last-ditch effort to end the war, the Trump administration has presented Ukraine with a confidential peace deal

that would recognize Crimea as Russian, give Russia essentially the land they currently occupy inside Ukraine, and block NATO membership. In exchange, Ukraine gets, uh, well, that's not really clear. And in today's back of the brief, as a second signal scandal surrounding Defense Secretary Pete Hankseth grows, President Trump steps in to defend him. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin with an update on U.S.-China relations, which continue to deteriorate in the wake

of President Trump's terror war against the communist regime. And in their latest diplomatic retaliation, officials in Beijing imposed sanctions on Monday against a number of U.S. Congress members, government officials, and leaders of American non-governmental organizations, NGOs, though they didn't specify exactly who they're targeting. This time, China's anger centers on what they called, quote, egregious behavior on Hong Kong-related issues, that's according to a report from the Associated Press. The action followed sanctions imposed by the U.S. in March on six Chinese and Hong Kong officials over their alleged involvement in what the Trump

administration described as, quote, transnational repression and other activity that threatens to further erode the city's autonomy. Well, here's a hint. Hong Kong doesn't have any autonomy. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry said, quote, China has decided to impose sanctions on U.S. congressmen, officials, and NGO leaders who've performed poorly, oh, on Hong Kong-related issues. spokesman added, quote, any wrong action taken by the U.S. side on the Hong Kong-related issue will be met with resolute and reciprocal counteraction by the Chinese side, end quote. For some background, U.S. officials have grown increasingly concerned in recent years over human rights issues regarding Hong Kong, particularly attempts by the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party,

to crack down on pro-democracy activists. Hong Kong is a special administrative region, of China that in theory, in theory, has a degree of autonomy from the mainland government. But that freedom has been significantly eroded, let's just say erased, shall we, since the historic pro-democracy protests that swept through the city in 2019. Again, it's all window dressing.

The CCP does not allow for any degree of autonomy when it comes to Hong Kong. In 2020, CCP leaders imposed a controversial national security law to quell the anti-government protests, and authorities in Hong Kong subsequently used the law to jail pro-democracy leaders and force activist groups and media outlets to disband. While Hong Kong's legislative assembly once had a strong pro-democracy contingent, many were run out of office or otherwise arrested under the national security law in the years following the 2019 protests. The local election laws were formerly overhauled in 2021, allowing only China

quote, patriots to hold office in the city, further aligning the city's government with CCP leaders on the mainland. With this legislative dominance, lawmakers loyal to the CCP were able to fast-track new national security measures in March of 2024 that further expanded their powers to crack down on those that they deemed to be dissidents, drawing a rebuke at the time from the then-Biden administration. Monday's statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of interfering in the affairs of Hong Kong and violating international law principles, that's the Chinese regime, accusing somebody of violating international law principles, by issuing the sanctions in March, calling the actions, quote, despicable. Frankly, it's cute that the CCP protests about the violation of international law principles.

Turning to the ongoing trade war, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce issued a statement on Monday, day, warning other countries, listen to this, this is very interesting, warning other countries against striking new trade deals with the U.S. that undermine Beijing's economic interests, according to a report from the Hill. CCP officials promised economic retaliation against any country that does not heed this warning. Ooh, bully much, though they did not elaborate on what that might look like. As I'm sure you're all aware, earlier this month, President Trump hit China with a 145% tariff on most of their exports, though certain Chinese products are now subject to tariffs as high as 245%. China retaliated by placing a 125% tax on U.S. goods and has vowed to stand their

ground and, quote, fight to the end. Despite the significant economic fallout already hitting the communist regime's export-dependent economy, it does not appear U.S. and Chinese officials would be coming to the negotiating table anytime soon. All right. Now, before we go to the break, I want to give a quick plug for our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief. Hopefully you've had a chance to visit. We're quickly closing in on 100,000 subscribers.

And if you haven't checked it out yet, well, now's the time. Please do. You can watch full video episodes of the show and catch our weekly program, the PDB Situation Report, with even more in-depth analysis and interviews. hit subscribe and help us cross that 100,000 mark. Well, look, when we hit 100,000, I'll jump in the RV and drive to each and every one of your homes to deliver a fruit basket and, you know, we could take selfies.

Okay, to be fair, that's probably not going to happen, but we will come up with some entertaining ways to celebrate 100,000 subscribers. And thank you very much. All right, coming up next. Hamas reportedly is recruiting thousands of youths, or Utes, as Joe Petchy said in my cousin Vinny. to rebuild its fighting force, while the Trump administration floats a last-digit peace deal to Ukraine

that recognizes Crimea as Russian and blocks NATO membership. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, you've probably heard about the tariffs, right? The trade war? It's thrown the global economy into some chaos. Potential widespread inflation tied to massive supply chain disruptions, well, it's weighing heavily on all of us, but I'm here to tell you that there's a silver and actually a silver and gold lining that I think some people have missed. You see, President Trump specifically exempted gold and silver bullion from the sweeping tariffs. And while the new policies are triggering significant financial chaos, the administration preserved your ability to diversify into precious metals. So if you're concerned about your savings, I encourage you to have a free

consultation with a Birch Gold precious metals specialist. Look, the first step is very simple. Just text PDB to 989-898 and receive your free, no-obligation information kit on gold. Learn how to hold gold and silver in a tax-sheltered account. Birch Gold will help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a gold IRA for no money out of pocket. Find out why so many Americans trust Birch Gold to protect their savings with gold. With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau, and thousands of thankful customers. Text PDB to the number 989-89-8-8-8-8.

Again, text PDB to 9-8-8-8-8-8-8 to claim your free information kit right now. As the Krispy Chicken Sandwich from 7-Eleven, people always call me loud. And I'm like, yeah, I know. I'm crispy. Did you expect me to whisper?

If you want quiet, go eat some soup and reflect. Like, I know I'm a handful. I'm bold, I'm juicy. Throw some pickles and barbecue sauce on me, and baby I'm a whole meal. And with seven rewards, I'm just $4. Quiet, no. Krispy, saucy, and $4?

Very. Only at 711. Valley through 62326 participating stores only while supplies last the app for full terms. Welcome back to the PDB. Hamas is resorting to the recruitment of Gaza's youth to replenish their numbers after having their ranks devastated by Israel over the past 18 months of war. Palestinian sources, who recently spoke to a Saudi-owned outlet, revealed that Hamas's Al-Kasan brigades have allegedly recruited a staggering 30,000 young people from across Gaza to join

their terrorist battalions. Now, it's not entirely clear when the recruitment took place, and of course the numbers have been verified, but the sources said the new members have already undergone training at secret military camps in guerrilla warfare tactics, including the operation of anti-tank missiles and IEDs, according to a report from the Times of Israel. The sources noted, however, that the new recruits lack any specialized military skills beyond what they received in their basic training. But it does mark a massive influx of new fighters, if accurate, and follows reports that the Iranian-backed terror group recruited 15,000 additional fighters back in January. Despite their reliance on recruiting minors to replenish their ranks, the group still reportedly

has significantly less manpower than they did before launching their brutal 7 October attacks on Israel that ignited the war. Their military resources also remain severely depleted. According to the sources, Hamas is running low on long-range missiles and drones. They've resorted to recycling waste from unexploded IDF munitions to manufacture ground-based explosives and other improvised devices. But Hamas's problems don't stop there. As we discussed last week, Israel's renewed military offensive and tightened aid restrictions since the ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, have helped choke off the group's access to cash, leaving them unable

to pay many of their terror operatives and fighters. Meanwhile, while Hamas attempts to regroup, Israel is continuing to press forward with offensive operations across Gaza. On Saturday, the IDF announced that they struck roughly 150 Hamas targets in an effort to further dismantle the terrorist group's infrastructure both above and below ground. On the diplomatic front, well, such as it is, Israel and Hamas remain at an impasse over terms for a new ceasefire, with Hamas rejecting the latest Israel offer last week, holding to their demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. In a speech on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated that he will not end the war

until Hamas is eradicated and the remaining Israeli hostages are returned. As a reminder, the Israeli government believes that 24 of the remaining 15, hostages that were taken captive back on 7 October and 2023 are still alive inside the enclave. Netanyahu said, quote, I will not surrender to murderers. If we yield to their demands, all the tremendous achievements that we've gained will be lost. Okay, shifting gears. In a possible last-ditch effort to bring the war in Ukraine to a halt, the Trump administration has handed Kiev a confidential peace proposal that would reshape the map of Eastern Europe. Europe by recognizing Russia's hold over Crimea and shutting Ukraine out of NATO.

It's basically a proposal that mirrors Russian President Putin's demands. The document, reported by the Wall Street Journal, was delivered to Ukrainian officials during a meeting in Paris on the 17th of April. It sketches out a ceasefire along current front lines, establishes a buffer zone around the Zaporizia nuclear plant, and demands Ukraine formally abandon its NATO ambitions. A formal response from Kiev is expected this week during trilateral talks with U.S. and European officials in London. If the sides reach an alignment, the plan could then be passed on to Moscow. If adopted, the proposal would mark a seismic reversal in American foreign policy. Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, Washington has refused to recognize the Kremlin's claims.

In 2018, then-Secretti, then-Sexecutive, denounced the Putin claim on Crimea as a violation of a quote, bedrock international principle of territorial sovereignty. That's a position later codified by Congress. But now, the White House appears willing to accept Russian control of the peninsula as the reality for the price of peace. Now, I want to point out that the document makes no mention of formally recognizing Russia's claims to the occupied areas that it currently holds, Densk and LaHansk and Kerasan or Zaporizia.

These are territories that Moscow-Pasca. partially occupies, but they annexed in 2022. Then again, the document doesn't call for a Russian troop withdrawal from those regions either. Additionally, it does not address Ukraine's long-term security guarantees. However, American officials have reportedly reassured Keeve that Western military support would continue. Well, that should be very reassuring. The plan doesn't require Ukraine to cut in troop numbers or rule out future deployments of European forces. Perhaps the most geopolitically explosive clause, the proposal would lock Ukraine out of NATO, a non-starter for Kiev and a long-sought trophy from Moscow. Since day one, the Kremlin has framed NATO expansion as a redline provocation

and a central justification for its invasion. The plan also calls for placing the Zaporizia nuclear facility under direct American oversight. In a March phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, Trump touted the idea as the, quote, best protection for the site. Zelenskyy later confirmed the conference but clarified that any U.S. role would be limited to that facility, not Ukraine's broader nuclear infrastructure. From what we know currently, the Kremlin seems intrigued. Well, of course, that might be because, at least from early reporting, the proposal gives in to Moscow's primary demands. Mouthpiece Dmitri Peskov welcomed the U.S. statements on Monday, indicating Ukraine's NATO accession is, quote, out of the question, calling it, quote, something that satisfies us. Well,

that's nice. The U.S. push for peace follows a meeting earlier this month in St. Petersburg between Trump's special envoy Stephen Wyckoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. There, Whitkoff reportedly floated U.S. support for Russia's claim to the four eastern regions as the most expedient path to a ceasefire, complicating the administration's new proposal, although again, the new proposal apparently doesn't say they can't stay there. A senior State Department official was quick to frame the new plan as merely a, quote, list of potential options, not a finalized blueprint.

Secretary of State Marker Rubio warned that if no progress is made in the coming weeks, the U.S. could pull out of its mediation role entirely. Trump, for his part, remained a beat on Sunday, telling reporters, quote, I hope they make a deal this week. But if history now is any guide, and recent

ceasefires are any indication, well, Kiev may find itself staring at the same battlefield lines and the same hard choices by weeks end. All right. Coming up next in the back of the brief, Pete Hegeseth's signal scandal doesn't seem to be going away, but President Trump says he's standing by his defense chief. We'll have those details. Next. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, I know that you know this, but owning a handgun or any weapon for self-defense comes with serious responsibility, right? You know that. You needed to be both secure and accessible

when it matters most. That's what Stopbox USA set out to solve with the Stopbox Pro. It's a lockbox that gives you instant access to your firearm, no electronics, no keys or codes required. The five-button locking system responds to your unique input. It's built for muscle memory, so you're not thinking, you're reacting. I have a Stopbox Pro at home, and let me tell you something, it's an excellent piece of kit, extremely well-made, secure, and easy to use. With the Stopbox Pro, you don't have to trade safety for speed. Your firearm stays secure and always within reach. For a limited time only, not only do you get 10% off your entire order when you use code PDB at stopboxusa.com, but they're also giving you buy one get one free for their stopbox pro. That's right,

10% off and a free stopbox pro when you use the code PDB at stopboxusa.com. Discover a better way to balance security and readiness with Stopbox. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk Maha. Have you heard about that? Yeah, and make America healthy again. Okay, look, at the end of the day, the most important things are good health, family, and of course, time. You get getting into shape and staying in shape, encouraging physical fitness and good health with your family, and being consistent and having enough time during your busy day to actually work out. That's why I'm excited to be working with Don Maston Genselo and his team a jacked-up fitness. Look, their commercial-grade power rack pro has everything you need for a full-body.

workout at home. I've just had a Power Rack Pro installed at my house, and I can't say enough good things about it. The construction and the quality are incredible. Frankly, it's a lot better than most of the machines you see at a professional gym. The cable crossover systems integrated 200-pound weight stacks in the Smith machine allow you to do hundreds of exercises, basically everything and anything that you can do at the gym. And if you're new to strength training, their get-jacked-up program offers full body video workouts, just press play and follow along. My boys and I have been hitting the Power Rack Pro hard since it got set up the other day, and it stands up to the toughest workouts. Frankly, my problem will be keeping my sons and their teammates off the system long

enough each day so I can get my own workouts done. Go to get jacked up.com and sign up for free access to the program. And when you're ready to order your Power Rack Pro, save 10% with my promo code, Baker. Get Busy. Go to getjacked up.com. This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing.

It's built to help you find and own a home. With agents who close twice as many deals, when you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get started at Redfin.com. Own the Dream. I wrote a little song to remind you, Choice Hotels get you more of the experiences you value. The Can Beah Hotels got it all.

A rooftop bar, have a ball. Bring a date, your squad, or even your mom. Book direct at choiceotails.com. In today's back of the brief, Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth remains under fire, following revelations that he used a second-signaled chat group to discuss military operations. But President Trump has made one thing clear. He's standing firmly behind his Pentagon chief, which is a safer place to stand, considering all the arrows being fired at Hegseth currently by the Democrats and the media.

Speaking to reporters at the White House Easter Egg roll on Monday, Hegset dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, calling them, quote, anonymous smears from disgruntled former Pentagon officials. He stated, quote, I've spoken with the president and we are going to continue fighting, adding he in the community. and chief are on the same page. Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that the second chat group was used in March to circulate details of an imminent U.S. strike on Houthi positions in Yemen. The parallel signal chat group was created by Hankseth during his confirmation process. President Trump, when asked about the controversy, brushed aside any criticism telling reporters, quote,

Here we go again, just a waste of time. Trump praised Hesatheh, stating, quote, he's doing a great job. Asked the Houthis how he's doing. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt struck a similar tone during a Monday appearance on Fox and Friends, calling Hegseth, quote, phenomenal at leading the Pentagon and reiterating that, quote, the president stands strongly behind Secretary Heg Seth. Levitt also echoed the Pentagon Chiefs line of attack, accusing former Pentagon officials of orchestrating a smear campaign and praising Hegsaith for cracking down on internal leaks.

She stated, quote, the administration and the president have taken a very, strong stance against anyone who leaks, continuing, quote, especially sensitive and classified information that can put our troops and our warfighters at risk, which may or may not include operational details about planned strikes against Houthis. But the mounting criticism from Democratic lawmakers on X has turned Hegseth into a lightning rod. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer unleashed fiery posts calling for Hegseth's firing. Well, now, to be fair, unleashing fiery partisan posts as kind of Schumer's signature move. It's almost as raison d'etre. That's French for don't get between Chuck Schumer and a TV camera. But for now, Trump's unwavering support to

mute the partisan noise makes one thing clear. No shake-up at the top of the Pentagon appears to be on the horizon. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday the 22nd of April. Look, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And of course, as you've probably read on the Super Secret Signal chat group that I set up, where we relay classified stuff, you can listen to the show AdFree by becoming a premium member of the President's Daily Brief. It's simple. Just visit pdb premium.com. And as I mentioned earlier in the show, don't forget, please check out our YouTube channel, Add President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon

bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile, with a message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch.

Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com.