The President's Daily Brief - June 6th, 2024: Ceasefire In Jeopardy, Ukraine Unleashes US Weapons, Wray's Dire Warning, & Biden's Cognitive State

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     A look at the fraught ceasefire negotiations currently unfolding between Israel and Hamas, particularly how Hamas is approaching these discussions as reports emerge that the group’s leader in Gaza is in no rush to end the war. It appears Ukraine has officially started using American-made weapons to strike targets inside Russia, following President Biden’s greenlight to Kyiv late last week. FBI Director Christopher Wray is sounding the alarm on the heightened threat of coordinated domestic terror attacks similar to the ISIS attack on a Russian concert hall in March that left more than 140 people dead. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, we’ll look at an exclusive report suggesting that behind closed doors, President Joe Biden’s cognitive health is seriously slipping. 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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You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gep. Gold Group. Protect your retirement assets. Speak with the experts at Patriot Gold. They've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row, and frankly, that's a lot of years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-888-6-21-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Thursday, 6 June, the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage.

Let's get briefed. We'll begin today's show with a look at the on-again, off-again, tenuous ceasefire negotiations currently unfolding between Israel and Hamas, particularly how Hamas is approaching these discussions, as reports emerged that the group's leader in Gaza is in no rush to end the war. Later on, it appears Ukraine has officially started using American-made weapons to strike targets inside Russia, following President Biden's green light, to Kyiv late last week.

Plus, FBI director Christopher Ray is sounding the alarm on the heightened threat of coordinated domestic terror attacks similar to the ISIS attack on a Russian concert hall in March that left more than 140 people dead. Now, perhaps, here I'm just spitballing, but part of the concern could be that there have been hundreds of thousands of people who have crossed into the U.S. that we know nothing about. Finally, in today's back of the brief, we'll look at an exclusive report suggesting that behind closed doors, President Biden's cognitive health is slipping. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We've been talking a lot about the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the current ceasefire talks,

so I wanted to take a moment to flip the script and talk about how the terrorists of Hamas are approaching these discussions. For some quick background, senior officials from Qatar and Egypt met with the leadership of Hamas on Wednesday in the Qatari capital of Doha to discuss the Israeli-slash-Washington-D-C proposal which President Biden announced to the world last Friday in a move that has caused, frankly, some confusion. Hamas has said that they have not seen an Israeli proposal that matches what President Biden outlined, and that they will only accept terms that will not allow Israel to resume fighting after the release of hostages. And here, it's worth noting that Hamas has provided no information on the current state of the remaining hostages. There's no understanding as to how many are still alive. Meanwhile, a senior Israeli official said earlier this week that Biden's description of the C-Sussela, fire proposal was, quote, not accurate and that Israel remained committed to their stated objective

of destroying Hamas. After the meeting on Wednesday, the head of Hamas's political bureau said the group would sincerely consider any ceasefire proposal, oh, sincerely, but added that they have not yet reached a breakthrough moment in the negotiations, that's according to a report from Axios. It appears, however, that Hamas is in no hurry to end the war, feeling that they have the upper hand on Israel in terms of global public opinion. Yaya Sinwar, Hamas's chief in Gaza, has reportedly told mediators in Qatar and Egypt that he believes the war has helped turn Israel into an international pariah while breathing fresh life into the Palestinian cause. Well, look at that, a terrorist leader paid for by the Iranian

regime gloating that Israel is getting the negative press. He's apparently happy to wait out Israel if he can't secure a promise from Jerusalem that they won't resume operations in Gaza after an initial prisoner swap, and that's, according to a report out of the Wall Street Journal. He's also confident that Hamas's battalions can withstand a full-scale Israeli incursion in Drafa. It would seem, unfortunately, that he has good reason to feel this way. The IDF has recently struggled to maintain control over Gaza, as reconstituted Hamas battalions, try to retake areas in the north. Furthermore, the U.S. intelligence indicates that despite Israel's campaign since the 7 October attacks, only 30 to 35 percent of Hamas's fighters have been killed, and about 65 percent

of its tunnels are reportedly still intact. Now, Sinwar is believed to be hiding out in these tunnel networks, where he feels he can outlast Israeli operations as the international backlash mounts. There are, however, signs of division within the ranks of the ranks of the Iranian-backed terror outfit. While Sinwar may be content to continue the war, Hamas' exiled political leaders who live luxurious existences in Qatar are reportedly eager to end the conflict, provided their offered a deal that allows the group to hold on to their governing power in Gaza and to continue to stuff their own pockets with billions of dollars meant for actually improving the lives of Palestinians. As we've discussed in the past, Israeli leaders have made it clear they will

not accept a situation that leaves Hamas in political power. Officials in Israel reconfirm their support for the current ceasefire offer on Wednesday, saying it was up to Hamas to accept it. So, what is actually on the table regarding a ceasefire? According to the Wall Street Journal, which has reviewed aspects of the Israeli proposal, the plan from leaders in Jerusalem calls for a six-week ceasefire with a temporary withdrawal of Israeli military units and the release of a number of hostages. No longer than 16 days into the initial truce, the plan calls for negotiations about a second stage, which could potentially involve a permanent end to the war. Now that's at odds with what President Biden outlined in his speech last Friday, which suggested Israel had proposed a permanent deal to end hostilities.

A senior Israeli official said Wednesday that there will not be a better ceasefire offer from the Israeli side, saying, quote, we went as far as possible. And the Biden administration has yet to explain how they imagine a new governing authority will be put into place in Gaza as long as Hamas remains active and operational. All right. Coming up after the break, it appears Ukraine has officially started using American-made weapons to strike targets in the United States. inside Russia. Plus, FBI director Christopher Ray is sounding the alarm, again, on the heightened threat of coordinated terror attacks inside America's borders. Those stories when we come back. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount, safe driver discount, new vehicle discount, storage discount, legacy. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply.

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provided initial confirmation on Tuesday of the limited use of the weapons to strike Russian forces targeting Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine after Kiev. The official stressed that their use of the weapons was in line with guidance from the Biden administration. Now, as a reminder, President Biden quietly approved for the use of American-made weapons by Ukraine inside Russian territory last Thursday, although the White House limited their use to targets that are actively involved in the ongoing attacks on Kharkiv. While senior leaders in Kiev have not directly commented, the deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on National Security confirmed the reports on Tuesday. He said Ukrainian forces used high-mobility

artillery rocket systems, or Hymars, provided by the U.S. to strike Russian missile launchers in the Belgarod region, roughly 20 miles into Russian territory, according to a report from the New York Times. The missile systems destroyed in the strikes have been used recently by Russia to attack the city of Kharkiv, which lies just 45 miles west of Belgarod. It marked the first acknowledged use of U.S. made weapons inside Russia, which came after officials in Kiev had intensely lobbied America and other Western allies to ease restrictions in the face of Russia's incursion into their northeastern territory. Russia, which as threatened to retaliate over the issue, has yet to publicly comment. As we've been covering here on the PDB, Russia officially opened up

a new front in their war against Ukraine on the 10th of May when they mounted a cross-border offensive in the northeast region of Ukraine, throwing some 30,000 troops at Ukraine's frontline defenses. They managed to penetrate much of Ukraine's border defenses in the region and capture a number of Ukrainian border villages to the northeast of Kharkiv city. They advanced roughly three to six miles along the northeastern border before Ukrainian reinforcements stopped their advances. Since then, Russian forces have been intensely bombarding the city of Kharkiv, while Ukrainian forces work to push them back and retake territory. While verified details are hard to come by, Kiev's efforts appear to be working.

Ukrainian forces recently retook parts of the border city of Vovchansk, and while intense fighting in the region continues, Ukrainian officials have said Russia is no longer making any progress while suffering severe casualties. On the flip side, officials have suspected that Russia's current offensive may be geared at testing Ukrainian defenses, and that it's likely just the opening salvo of a wider summer offensive that Russia has planning in the Northeast. With that threat looming, Ukrainian authorities have begun evacuating children from border villages in the Kharkiv region, and their fearing fresh attacks from Russian forces could be imminent. Okay, turning now to Washington, D.C., where FBI director Christopher Ray is raising new alarms about the threat of an attack on American soil, urgently requesting that lawmakers

increase funding for the Bureau's efforts to prevent terrorist activities. During testimony, before a Senate Appropriation Subcommittee, Ray told lawmakers that he was, quote, hard-pressed to think of a time where so many threats to our public safety and national security were so elevated all at once, end quote. Ray went on to say that over the past several years, the FBI has disrupted multiple terrorist attacks

in cities and communities around the country. Now, the Bureau's most pressing concern is an attack that could mirror the ISIS-K attack in Russia earlier this year, If you'll remember back in March, four members of ISIS K, a branch of the Islamic State, carried out a deadly terrorist attack at the Krokes City Hall music venue in suburban Moscow. 145 people were killed in the attack and over 550 others were injured. In addition to ISIS, the FBI director also drew attention to other foreign terror groups, including Shiye militants and their potential to target American Jews,

especially relevant, considering the same. 60% surge in hate crimes following the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. Ray informed lawmakers that the FBI is currently facing a manpower issue and is finding it challenging to fill around 1,000 positions which could hamper their ability to combat domestic terrorism. Over on the other side of the Capitol, Ray's boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland, was testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, expressing his own concern about potential terrorist threats. Specifically, he was asked about the increased risk posed by the influx of migrants entering the country due to President Biden's border policies, or lack thereof. Echoing FBI director

Ray's testimony, Garland said, quote, I am worried about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the country after 7 October. The threat level, he said, for us, has gone up enormously. And finally, Coming up in today's back of the brief, we'll look at an exclusive report suggesting or implying that behind close doors, President Biden's cognitive health or mental acuity is slipping. I'll be right back. Fox News is now streaming live on Fox One. When it matters most, turn to the voices you trust. We go beyond the headlines, bringing you the stories you won't hear anywhere else. Live coverage, sharp analysis, real perspective.

At home or on the go, stay connected when it counts. Stream Fox News on Fox One. Download today. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds-fueling AI 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. In today's back of the brief, I want to draw your attention to a report from the Wall Street Journal that's raising new questions about the president's cognitive health. While this is not our usual focus of the PDB, the implications of a commander-in-chief who's not operating at full mental capacity are far-raching, and I think it does warrant some attention.

At 81, President Biden is the oldest president in U.S. history, a fact that's loomed over his every move since he took office in 2021. That is not agist to point out. And it's also true that it's not necessarily the years. People age differently. The journal interviewed more than 45 people over several months for the report, which highlights a number of specific incidents in which President Biden had difficulty communicating and didn't appear to have command of the issues.

One notable example occurred during a crucial White House meeting with top lawmakers discussing Ukraine's defense funding. The meeting was noticeably delayed as President Biden took his time greeting each attendee individually. Once the meeting started, President Biden began reading from a stack of notes, leading to confusion and difficulty in conveying key points. When questions were directed at him, Biden reportedly returned to his staffers for assistance as if he had tuned out. One top lawmaker recounts the meeting saying, quote, you couldn't be there and not feel uncomfortable.

Another incident highlighted in the report was Biden's involvement in debt-sealing negotiations in May 2023, where some lawmakers found his demeanor in command of the details while they seemed to shift from one day to the next. Then House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Biden tended to ramble, always relying on on his note cards. McCarthy told the journal, quote, I used to meet with him when he was vice president. I'd go to his house. He's not the same person, end quote. The journal report also draws attention to Biden's apparent reluctance to face the media these days or have any unscripted moments with the public. His last major town hall with an independent news outlet was back in October 2021.

Additionally, his small meetings with lawmakers have dwindled over time, dropping from over three dozen in his first year to just a dozen in his third year. Of course, the White House is firing back at the report, accusing the Wall Street Journal of smearing the president. Now, if that's the case, they should also be concerned with a just-released Time magazine interview with the president, that I suspect also didn't turn out quite the way the White House would like. PDB listeners should take the time to read the full transcript of that time interview. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday 6 June. 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, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the BDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but, Anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistance assistants

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