The President's Daily Brief - July 15th, 2024: Security Lapses, International Outrage, & EU vs. Elon

Episode Date: July 15, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   There are increasing calls for an investigation into the potential security failures that allowed a 20-year-old man to fire multiple shots at former President Donald Trump. We’ll provide the latest details on the incident and discuss the growing demand for law enforcement accountability. The world is reeling from the attempted assassination, with headlines blazing and condemnations pouring in from leaders across the globe. We’ll bring you the latest international reactions. The IDF has reportedly eliminated the highest-ranking Hamas member since the onset of its conflict with the terror group. We’ll bring you the latest developments and what this means for the ongoing battle. The European Union is lashing out at Elon Musk, filing charges against the billionaire under a new social media law, accusing him of deceiving users of X and not living up to transparency requirements. 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. Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, there are increasing calls for an investigation into the security failures that allowed a 20-year-old man carrying a long gun to access a rooftop with line of sight to the rally stage and fire multiple shots at the former president. We'll provide the latest details on the incident and discuss the growing demand for law enforcement accountability. Possibly something else that would be helpful to demand, a demand for the end

of the Democrats' campaign message that Trump is somehow an existential threat. VP Kamala Harris breathlessly stated a couple days before the shooting that if elected, Trump would terminate the Constitution, while President Biden the day before the shooting said that he believes from the bottom of his heart that Trump is a threat to the nation. Yeah, maybe they need to do a little introspection as to their culpability here. Plus, the world is shocked by the attempted assassination, with headlines blazing and condemnations pouring in from leaders of the globe. We'll bring you the latest international reactions. And later in the show, we'll turn our attention to Israel, where the IDF has reportedly eliminated the highest-ranking

Hamas member since the onset of its conflict with the terror group. We'll bring you those developments and what this means for the ongoing conflict and potential ceasefire negotiations. And in today's back of the brief, the European Union is lashing out at Elon Musk, filing charges against the billionaire under a new social media law, accusing him of deceiving users of X and not living up to transparency requirements. But first, today's BDB spotlight. It's been less than 48 hours since Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The attack wounded the former president, killed one spectator, and wounded at least two others. New details about the moments leading up to the attack have emerged, shedding light on potential

lapses and security, and what I say potential lapses, I mean obvious lapses. According to law enforcement sources, speaking to CBS News, Crooks was spotted by bystanders just before the shooting, who reportedly alerted the authorities. However, officials claimed that they briefly lost track of the man. This critical oversight allowed crooks to climb up the side of a shed, pop up on the roof, and start shooting just minutes later. He fired six to eight rounds from an AR-style weapon at a distance of about 400 feet from the podium. That's roughly the length of a football field, including the end zones. This incident raises significant questions about the security failures that allowed the 20-year-old man to get so close to the former president, even as witnesses, were reportedly alerting the authorities

of Crook's presence. House Republican leaders have announced that they will hold a hearing with the U.S. Secret Service and other federal law enforcement officials following the shooting. Kentucky Congressman James Comer, the Republican Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said there are many questions and Americans demand answers. Well, he's not wrong. He added that he's contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and is calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheedle to appear for a hearing with a formal invitation to be sent soon. House Speaker Mike Johnson also affirmed on X that the House will, quote, conduct a full investigation into the shooting. Now, President Biden has also announced an investigation.

In brief remarks on Sunday, he called for an independent review of the security at the rally to assess what took place. He said, quote, I've instructed that this investigation be thorough and swift, and the investigators will have every resource that they need to get this done, end quote. Biden also directed the head of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheedle, to examine security measures for this week's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Yeah, that's probably not a bad idea. In response to the attack, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is reportedly preparing to introduce a bill to enhance secret service protections for President Biden, former President Trump, and independent

candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This proposed legislation aims to address vulnerabilities and ensure the safety of current and former leaders as well as candidates. We'll bring you more details as the facts become available. All right, coming up next. World leaders react to Saturday's attack on President Trump, and the Israeli military, has reportedly eliminated the highest-ranking Hamas official since the beginning of that war. We'll have those stories when we come back. Choice hotels get you more of what you value.

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or crypto's trillion-dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back to the PDB. Of course, the 2024 election, as frankly any U.S. election does, is going to have a major impact on countries and events overseas. So it's not surprising that news of the attempt on former President Trump's life sparked international headlines and drew condemnations from world leaders.

I wanted to give you just a brief sampling of that reaction. We'll start in the UK, where newly installed Prime Minister Kier Starmor said he was, quote, appalled by by the shocking scenes at Trump's rally, adding that political violence of any form has no place in Western society. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Schultz struck a similar tone, calling the attack sickening and despicable, respectively. Ukrainian President Zelensky, who's been the target of around a dozen assassination attempts over the past few years, said, quote, I am relieved to learn that Donald Trump is now safe and wish him a speedy recovery. He added that violence has no justification and no

place anywhere in the world. Arguably, the most forceful condemnation came from Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who's developed a friendly relationship with Trump since his first term in office. In addition to wishing Trump a speedy recovery, Netanyahu declared, quote, this wasn't just an attack on Donald Trump, this was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States, this was an attack on America, and it was an attack on democracy. It was, he said, an attack on all the democracies, end quote. In addition to the condemnations, some leaders were quick to lay blame at the feet of Trump's political opponents. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Ficoke called it a, quote, photocopy of the attempt on his own life just two months ago. In a post on his website, Fico said, quote, political opponents

of Donald Trump are trying to shut him down, and when they don't succeed, they annoy the public so much that some poor guy picks up a gun. Fico himself survived an assassination attempt back on May 15th, when a gunman shot him four times while he was shaking hands with supporters. He's accused the liberal Slovak opposition of inciting hatred against him. Russian President Putin has so far offered no direct response to the event. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that while Russia did not believe the current U.S. administration was responsible for the assassination attempt on Trump, it had created an atmosphere that provoked the attack. Finally, China's response was somewhat muted.

According to the state-run news organization, the nation's foreign ministry said it was following the story of the attack, and President Xi Jinping has expressed his condolences to Trump. All right, turning to other current events. I want to move things over to Gaza, where the IDF may have eliminated the highest-ranking Hamas official since the beginning of the country. that war. According to reports, Israel targeted Mohammed Dief, the elusive military leader of Hamas, in a deadly strike on Gaza, though it remains unclear if Dief was among the casualties.

Now, Dief is a shadowy figure, known for his resilience and strategic prowess. He's been a high-value target for years and has been responsible for the deaths of many Israelis during the course of his time as a Hamas operative and leader. Dief is understood to be one of the masterminds behind the 7 October attacks, which, of course, resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 Israelis. He has led the Palestinian militant group's armed wing, the Qasamburgades, for more than two decades. The Qasan brigades established to support Hamas and its armed resistance against Israel have carried out many attacks, including suicide bombings. Dief also played a significant role in developing Hamas' network of tunnels. Over the years, Dief has survived at least seven

assassination attempts, including a 2014 strike that killed his wife and children. In May, the International Criminal Court sought arrest warrants for Deif and other Hamas leaders, holding them responsible for the 7 October attacks. Defe's ability to survive and operate from the shadows has earned him the nickname the Cat with Nine Lives. Okay, well, that's not that original. If confirmed dead, Dief would be the highest profile Hamas leader killed since the war in Gaza began nine months ago, and it would be seen as a significant victory for Israel, potentially demoralizing Hamas forces. Now, according to Hamas, controlled local health authorities,

the strike that reportedly took out Dief also killed at least 90 Palestinians. Of course, as with past claims from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, were unable to confirm that number. Yossi, a former Shinbet Israeli security agency official, explained on Sunday the potential impact that the Illinois'Illum, of Dief could have. Amrucci stated that the assassination could bring heightened military pressure on Hamas and potentially lead to the release of hostages. He noted that military actions, such as occupying Rafa, controlling the Philadelphia corridor, a strip of land situated along the entirety

of the border between Gaza and Egypt, and eliminating senior Hamas officials are crucial strategies. Despite the deadly Israeli strike, a senior Hamas official asserted on Sunday that Hamas has not withdrawn from ceasefire talks. However, Izadal Rashik, a member of the political office of Hamas, accused Israel of attempting to disrupt ceasefire negotiations, mediated by Arab nations and the U.S. by intensifying attacks on the enclave. The ceasefire negotiations, which had shown promise, were reportedly halted after three days of intense talks in Doha and Cairo, as per Egyptian security sources. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was expected to meet with his ministers to discuss the ongoing situation.

Israel's goal has been, of course, to dismantle Hamas following the 7 October attacks, but with fighting ongoing and senior Hamas figures at large achieving this goal, well, has proven extremely difficult. All right, coming up, the European Union is bringing its first charges under a groundbreaking new social media law. The target? Oh, it's Elon Musk's X. We'll look at the details of this landmark.

case in today's back of the brief. I'll be right back. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day, like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin. Way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue.

Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Kayak, got that right. In today's back of the brief, the European Union is going after Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly known, of course, as Twitter, in its first filing under the new Digital Services Act, or DSA, the charges accuse X of violating transparency requirements and deceiving users, particularly through its changes in its verification system. You may remember, in 2022, following Musk's

acquisition of Twitter, he revamped the blue check verification system, allowing any user to purchase the badge, previously reserved for public figures, journalists, and organizations. This change resulted in an influx of spoof accounts and misleading information on the platform. The European Commission claimed that this undermines users' ability to make informed decisions about the authenticity of accounts and content. EU regulators, known of course for their love of regulating, state that the new blue check system violates the DSA, which mandates that large social media companies must aggressively manage harmful content and misinformation or face penalties.

regulators love doling out penalties almost as much as they love regulating. Additionally, X was criticized for its failure to maintain a searchable and reliable database of digital advertisements, which is also required under the Act. This database should include details about who finances the ads and their target audience. In the face of EU accusations, Musk took to his platform, vowing to fight the charges, setting the stage for a high-stakes legal battle, EU Commissioner Tierra Burr, Breton, I believe that's how you pronounce it, Breton makes me sound very posh, welcomed Musk's challenge,

signaling the EU's determination to uphold its regulations. The situation escalated when Musk hinted that EU regulators had offered him a secret deal. Musk said, quote, if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us. The other platforms accepted that deal. X did not, end quote.

Now Breton flatly denied these claims, clarifying that any settlement discussions were initiated by X's team and followed standard regulatory procedures. If Musk does not address the issues, X could face fines of up to 6% of its global revenue, that's potentially amounting to tens of millions of dollars. The EU is also reportedly investigating other social media platforms, including TikTok and Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram. for potential DSA violations, though no formal charges have been filed against those platforms as of now. While the EU's charges against X may appear to be a victory for online safety, the conflict exposes the complexities of balancing free speech with content regulation,

leaving room for potential overreach. And, aside from regulating and penalizing, the EU's next most favorite thing is overreach. And that, my friends, is the president. Daily Brief for Monday, 15 July. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, remember, it's simple. Become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task,

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