The President's Daily Brief - July 28th, 2025: Israel Pauses Military Operations Across Gaza & & U.S.-China Tech Rivalry

Episode Date: July 28, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Israel announces a “tactical pause” in military operations across parts of Gaza to allow aid deliveries, following global outrage over reports of starvation and malnutrition. Deadly clashes continue between Thailand and Cambodia along their disputed border, as President Trump steps in to broker peace talks set to take place in Malaysia. It’s America versus China in the battle for AI dominance. President Trump signs a series of executive orders to fast-track U.S. development and combat “woke” AI, while China unveils a global action plan of its own. And in today’s Back of the Brief— Mexico’s government is warning its citizens to steer clear of the state of Florida, citing the opening of a controversial migrant detention center nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” 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 TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://trybeef.com/pdb & get 2 Free Flat Iron steaks Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We are almost at the end of a year. another month. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world's stage, and yes, the longest ongoing game of where's Waldo continues as I'm still on the road. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Israel announces a, quote, tactical pause in operations in Gaza amid global outrage over reports of widespread starvation and malnutrition. We'll have those details. Later in the show, deadly clashes continue between Thailand and Cambodia, and honestly, I did not have deadly clashes between Thailand and Cambodia on my 2025 bingo card. The Trump administration has now stepped in, and leaders are preparing

to meet for peace talks, but the fighting continues. Plus, it's America versus China in the AI race, AI, of course, standing for artificial intelligence, for those of you that were wondering, President Trump signs executive orders to supercharge American technology efforts, while Beijing fires back with its own sweeping AI action plan. Ooh, an action plan. And coming up in the back of the brief, Mexico's government is warning its citizens to steer clear of the state of Florida in the U.S., citing the opening of a controversial migrant detention center nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Israel says it's hitting pause on its military operations in Gaza, at least to some degree.

On Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, announced what it's calling a tactical pause in military operations across several zones in the Gaza Strip. The move comes as international outrage continues to mount over reports of mass hunger, surging malnutrition, and an increasing number of civilian deaths, particularly among children. According to the IDF, the pause is not a full ceasefire. Instead, it applies to specific areas where the Israeli military is not currently operating. Those areas include Almwasi, Diraabala, and parts of Gaza City. Now, the pause is set to run daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and according to the IDF, will remain in effect until further notice. The goal, according to Israel, is to allow UN aid convoys to move safely into Gaza through newly established humanitarian corridors. In addition to the daily pause, the IDF says it's providing secure routes for aid delivery

and has already conducted multiple air drops of food supplies, including flour and sugar and canned goods. Following the announcement, trucks did begin crossing into Gaza from Egypt. The Egyptian Red Crescent reports that over 100 trucks carrying some 1,200 tons of food are now on route to civilian populations inside Gaza.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. It is claiming that 127 people have died of malnutrition since the start of the war that, of course, they started. 85 of them, the fatalities, reportedly children. Of course, as always, those numbers should be treated with a bit of caution. The Gaza Health Ministry is controlled by Hamas, and the group has consistently manipulated data for propaganda purposes,

and likely are not above weaponizing the food crisis for their own purposes. However, there is no doubt that significantly more aid is needed, as long as it, of course, reaches the people of Gaza and doesn't get waylaid by Hamas. Now, despite the international outcry, Israeli officials are flatly denying that there's a hunger crisis in Gaza. In a statement, the IDF said,

quote, the IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip. This is a false campaign promoted by Hamas, end quote. Israel insists it's allowed sufficient aid into Gaza and instead points the finger at the UN, accusing the global body of failing to properly distribute supplies. The UN, meanwhile, says, it's doing what it can, but that Israeli checkpoints, restrictions, and ongoing combat have made

aid distribution nearly impossible in many areas. Still, no matter what the truth of the situation, the imagery coming out of Gaza of emaciated children and long food lines has sparked growing international condemnation, and it's putting pressure on both Israel and, of course, its allies. And while food delivery might be resuming, well, hopes for a broader ceasefire and a hostage release are once again apparently dead in the water. That's not a surprise there. As we reported last week, peace talks in Qatar collapsed on Thursday. Negotiators failed to strike a deal to release the roughly 50 Israeli hostages, both living and dead, still being held in Gaza. According to sources cited by the Times of Israel, Hamas demanded the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners currently serving

life sentences in exchange for just half of the surviving hostages. That offer was rejected. by both U.S. and Israeli negotiators. Now, things may be getting even worse for those still in captivity. A new report by a London-based Arabic outlet claims that Hamas has reinstated a policy of executing hostages if Israeli troops attempt to rescue. The so-called, quote, kill order had been previously suspended during a temporary ceasefire in January. But, according to Hamas sources, the group now intends to enforce it again. Hamas has also reportedly boasted that any Israeli attempt to rescue the hostages will fail.

As of this week, Israeli intelligence believes only 20 of the remaining 50 hostages are still alive. All right, coming up after the break, fighting escalates between Thailand and Cambodia, despite Trump administration-backed peace talks. And the U.S.-China-Tec War heats up as both nations unveiled dueling AI strategies, which is nowhere near as entertaining as dueling banjos or pianos for that matter. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's take a brief moment to talk about ways to protect your hard-earned savings.

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the conflict has so far left 34 dead and displaced more than 168,000 people. Thailand's acting Prime Minister and the Cambodian Prime Minister are expected to attend the ceasefire talks in Kuala Lumpur today. The pressure by the White House to end the conflict follows an invitation by the Malaysian Prime Minister who's acting in his role as the Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN. Notably, Cambodia has yet to formally confirm attendance, but has signaled support for what it called a, quote, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Now, as we've previously discussed, the 500-mile Thai-Cambodian border has been contested for generations, but the current crisis marks the worst escalation of violence in at least 14 years.

Tensions first reignited in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a cross-border skirmish. What followed was a rapid unraveling of diplomatic relations, as both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia. Last week, the renewed fighting followed a landmine blast that injured five Thai soldiers and reignited the centuries-old feud. Thailand went so far as to deploy F-16 fighter jets for the first time in combat operations between the two countries. Then the U.S. administration stepped in. The president's intervention came via Truth Social, where he announced he had spoken directly with both leaders and warned that U.S. trade deals with both countries could be scrapped if violence

persisted. Hours later, he declared that both sides had agreed to enter ceasefire talks. Cambodia's prime minister said he instructed his foreign minister to coordinate with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and with Thailand's foreign minister to finalize further steps toward peace. Thailand expressed support for a ceasefire in principle, but emphasized the need for, quote, sincere intention from Cambodia before any formal deal is reached. The acting prime minister of Thailand thanked Trump for leading both sides to the table, and said he hoped for quick progress. Still, renewed clashes on Sunday cast doubt on whether political pledges are translating into action on the ground. At dawn, Thai officials accused

Cambodian forces of shelling civilian areas and launching rockets at the ancient Tamon Tampt Temple, that's a long-contested ancient site near the border. Thai forces retaliated with long-range strikes targeting Cambodian rocket launchers. A Thai army spokesman said troops were, quote, still following battle strategies. Cambodia, for its part, claimed Thailand had already violated the Malaysian-brokered ceasefire agreed to just days later. Both sides continue pointing fingers. Thailand's military accused Cambodia of reigniting the violence last week. Cambodia's defense ministry shot back, calling the claims, quote, baseless and irresponsible, and insisting it was Thai forces that triggered the recent fighting. So far, the U.S. pressure campaign has brought the two sides

back to the table, but, well, don't hold your breath. Both countries appear more focused, frankly, on jockeying for strategic territorial gains along the disputed border prior to any deal possibly being made. Okay, turning to the U.S. President Trump signed three new executive orders, aimed at turbocharging America's dominance and artificial intelligence. The measures fast-track data center construction, greenlight tech exports, and cracked down on what he called, quote, woke AI. Speaking last week at an AI summit hosted by The Hill, Trump declared, quote, our innovation will be unmatched and our capabilities will be unrivaled as he signed the orders on stage. He told the summit, quote, we will be unstoppable as a nation. Again, we're way ahead and we want to stay that way,

end quote. The order forms the backbone of the administration's newly unveiled AI action plan. That's a three-pronged blueprint to supercharged domestic innovation, cement a national AI infrastructure, assert global leadership in tech diplomacy. Trump cast the plan as a clean break from the Biden era's so-called AI diffusion rule. That policy placed sweeping restrictions on U.S. chip exports. Trump repealed the policy in May after industry pushback, arguing it was a chokehold on American innovation more than it helped contain communist China's tech espionage efforts. The first executive order directs the Council on Environmental Quality to slash permitting red tape

for new data centers by creating fast-track exclusions from environmental review. Projects deemed unlikely to have, quote, a significant effect on the human environment will now bypass a lengthy approval process, part of a broader push to build the physical foundation of U.S. AI dominance. Trump stated, quote, my administration will use every tool at our disposal to ensure that the United States can build and retain the largest, most powerful, and most advanced AI infrastructure anywhere on the planet, end quote. The second order establishes the American AI exports program.

That's a one-stop export toolkit bundling U.S. made chips, software models, and a full stack of AI solutions for allied nations. The goal is to make American tech the default and push back hard against Chinese alternatives. But the third order may be the most politically loaded. It prohibits federal agencies from contracting with vendors whose AI models are deemed ideologically biased. Systems that promote, quote, ideological dogmas such as DEI will be banned outright, replaced with requirements for all federal use AI to be, quote, truth-seeking and committed to ideological

neutrality. The timing, it turns out, was, well, prescient. Just days later, China rolled out its international AI strategy at something called the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. Premier Li Jiang proposed the creation of a global global. AI coordination body, and laid out the CCP's AI Plus plan to embed artificial intelligence across sectors from education to industry, particularly in the global south. According to the Washington-based advisory firm, the Asia Group, China, quote, clearly wants to

stick to the multilateral approach, while the U.S. wants to build its own camp, very much targeting the rise of China in the field of AI. Beijing is leaning on its Belt and Road initiative to rally international support for its tech diplomacy push. Washington, meanwhile, is consolidating its efforts among traditional allies like Japan and Australia, and the chip war remains the critical front. After months of Washington-led export restrictions, NVIDIA this month was cleared to resume shipments of its downgraded H-2O chips to China, though the company warned that the communist regime's homegrown rivals are, quote, formidable. Taken together, Trump's new executive orders mark a no-holds barred pivot in what is

shaping up, of course, to be the defining technology arms race of the 21st century. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, a top Mexican diplomat tell citizens to avoid traveling to the state of Florida, calling conditions they are dangerous.

We'll have the details after the break. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, in case you haven't noticed, we are smack dab in the middle of summer, and that really means one thing, doesn't it? Prime grilling season. Mm-hmm, right? And try tales beef is here to help you make the most of your grilling efforts.

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Upfront 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. In today's back of the brief, in a move dripping with irony, I suppose, a diplomat from Mexico is warning his country's citizens to avoid traveling to Florida, citing the so-called dangers of the state's immigration enforcement. The outcry centers on Florida's new migrant detention facility, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz, tucked to deep in the Everglades. As we've discussed, the facility has been hailed by the Trump administration as a model of no-nonsense. border control. But now it's drawing the ire of Mexican officials who seem more bothered by

U.S. law enforcement than by their own role in allowing in the past the surge of the migrants heading north. Juan Sabinas, Mexico's council in Orlando, well, there's a job, sounded the alarm last week in an interview with Talking Points memo, urging Mexican nationals to steer clear of the sunshine state or take what he called, quote, extreme precautions. Uh, hmm, like don't commit crimes, and don't cross illegally. Those two things hopefully would help. He warned, quote, ICE will detain you here for anything.

It's a state that has more risks than other states, including for people with visas, end quote. Now, this is interesting. The pearl clutching followed the early July arrest of two Mexican nationals, Carlos and Oscar Gonzalez. Carlos, who was reportedly in the U.S. on a tourist visa, was pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol for driving a car with illegally tinted windows.

His brother, who decided to show up to the traffic stop, there's a good idea, and play roadside attorney, oh, another good idea, got himself detained in the process as well. Now, here's a pro tip. Don't play roadside attorney with the police during a traffic stop. According to DHS, Carlos had racked up more than 200 unpaid toll violations and had failed to register his vehicle. Okay, well, both men are now being held at Alligator Alcatraz. Despite the Mexican Consulence outrage, the Trump administration is treating the incident as a simple textible case of law enforcement, where from their perspective, the ends justifies the means. As we've tracked here on the PDB, illegal border crossings last month

dropped to just above 6,000, the lowest number ever recorded. But Mexican President Claudius Scheinbaum has also joined the diplomatic chorus of outrage, demanding that the Gonzales brothers and every other Mexican National detained at Alligator Alcatraz be deported immediately so they can be, quote, repatriated without delay. She also claims that the Mexican consulate is investigating, quote, possible human rights violations at the facility, though they provided no evidence beyond hearsay. A spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management

dismissed those accusations as, quote, completely false, insisting that the facility complies fully with state and federal regulations. What's actually happening, it appears, is that immigration law is now being enforced according to the laws on the books, unapologetically and at scale. Since Trump returned to office, more than 73,500 migrants have been sent back across the border, including 67,000 Mexican nationals. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, the 28th of July.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And now, hopefully, you had a chance over the weekend to check out the latest episode. episode of our extended weekend show the PDB Situation Report. If not, well, you can catch it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. Check that out and subscribe if you can at President's Daily Brief and, of course, on all podcast platforms. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Whether it's the funds fueling AI, or crypto's trillion dollar swings.

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