The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 11th, 2024: Israel Confronts Tragic Hostage Realities & GOP Turns On Johnson To Defeat FISA

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    As fraught ceasefire negotiations continue between mediators in the Middle East, the head of Mossad is conceding for the first time that Israel must accept that they cannot free all the remaining hostages in a single truce agreement with Hamas. Meanwhile, Hamas has said rather ominously that they don’t have enough Israeli hostages left to trade. The Republican caucus in the House dealt another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday, defeating a bill that would reauthorize the controversial surveillance law known as FISA, citing privacy concerns for American citizens. 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 PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. First, as the on-again-off-again ceasefire negotiations continue between mediators in the Middle East, the head of Mossad is conceding for the first time that Israel must accept that they cannot free all the remaining hostages in a single truce agreement with Hamas. Meanwhile, Hamas has said rather ominously that they don't have enough Israeli hostages left to trade, which could explain in part why Hamas has refused for months now to provide any insight into the status and health of the remaining hostages that they seized on 7 October. Also, the Republican caucus in the House, dealt another blow to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday, defeating a bill that would

reauthorize the controversial surveillance law known as FISA, citing privacy concerns for American citizens. But first, our afternoon spotlight. I want to return to our coverage of the troubled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and reports that indicate Hamas may have far fewer hostages left alive to trade than previously thought, or at least previously hoped for. As we discussed earlier this week, mediators in Cairo from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are continuing negotiations for a potential ceasefire in Gaza. However, the talks have once again hit a brick wall over Hamas's unwillingness to make concessions. A key sticking point for the terror group is the permanent withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and an end to Israeli military

operations. Now, that's a non-starter for the Israeli side as they prepare an offensive into the city of Rafa, according to a report from the times of Israel. Amid the uncertainty, Mossad chief David Barnia told Israel's cabinet ministers on Tuesday night that they must begin to accept that freeing all 133 hostages in a single truce agreement is simply not possible, adding that Hamas does not appear all that serious about making a realistic ceasefire deal. reportedly said, quote, at this point in time, we can't get them all back, end quote. He said that at best, 40 people could be freed, consisting of the remaining women, children, and elderly hostages in some sort of humanitarian deal with Hamas.

He also made it clear that Hamas would not accept a proposal from the U.S. this week for a phased ceasefire deal that would see the remaining hostages released in stages. According to reports, Hamas officially rejected that proposal on Wednesday, and will instead offer its own ceasefire plan by the end of the week. Complicating matters further. Reports emerged on Wednesday that Hamas has told negotiators in Cairo that they no longer have 40 Israeli hostages left to trade who are not male soldiers or men of military age,

raising alarming questions about just how many of the remaining hostages are even alive. They reportedly indicated that they would be lowering the number of hostages that they are willing to release. As we reported back in February, Israeli intelligence indicated that roughly 32 of the hostages were believed to be dead, nearly a quarter of the remaining hostages at that time. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office updated that estimate 36 on Wednesday. However, past reports from the New York Times have suggested that another 20 hostages may also already be dead. Apparently, lacking the ability to return the hostages they kidnapped during their brutal rampage in Southern Israel

on 7 October, it's unclear how Hamas will proceed in the negotiations. Hamas has claimed, without evidence, that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed some of the hostages. We should also note that Hamas has never provided Israel with a comprehensive list of the hostages taken during the 7 October attacks, and even officials within the militant group don't appear to have a handle on where all the hostages are located. Other militant groups in Gaza like the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and even Palestinian civilians and criminal elements are thought to be holding a number of the hostages as well.

The Biden administration says they remain committed to striking a deal for the hostages as well as increasing humanitarian aid deliveries in Gaza. The counterproposal from Hamas is expected by week's end, but frankly, with all the variables involved, the chances of securing the remaining hostages' freedom appears to be shrinking. Coming up after the break, we'll discuss the latest defeat for Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose colleagues broke with him on Wednesday to defeat the controversial

surveillance law known as FISA, citing privacy concerns for American citizens. I'll be right back. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business, from designing a website to marketing, to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and all birds continue to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into, sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. I wanted to give you an update on the story we brought to you yesterday over the fight to reauthorize the controversial surveillance law known as FISA and specifically

Section 702. That's the law that empowers the government to collect the communications of foreign targets outside the U.S. without a warrant, even if their communications are with an American citizen. It's been a key tool for intelligence agencies, particularly when it comes to counterterrorism and drug trafficking investigations. The bill that was introduced by Mike Johnson this week titled the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, would reauthorize the surveillance law for five years and impose a series of reforms. But in a surprising turn of events, 19 Republicans decided to buck their leadership and joined the Democratic Caucus to sink the reauthorization bill during a key procedural vote. The final tally was 193 to 228. Apparently, the privacy reforms included in the bill,

didn't go far enough for the more conservative members of the Republican caucus. They're demanding an amendment mandating more warrant requirements and safeguards against abuse by the federal government. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, who voted against the bill, told reporters, quote, some of us would rather see it expire than see it not reformed properly, end quote, well, okay, Bob, how about you quit with the theatrics and maybe focus on not letting it expire and also reforming it properly. It's worth noting that there's also a political dimension to this.

The vote came after former President Trump blasted the law on truth social, writing in all capital letters, that's how you know you're blasting something. Quote, kill FISA. It was illegally used against me and many others. They spied on my campaign. End quote. Okay, well, no offense. Look, I get the Trump deals in hyperbole in Trumpisms.

But the answer here is not to kill a very important tool in the counterterrorism kit bag. I spent a couple decades focused on counterterrorism and counter-narcotics operations. This is too important to let partisan politics rule the day. By all means, ensure that FISA is properly controlled and overseen. Absolutely. But killing it, well, that's nothing more than a gift to the terrorists. Whatever the reasons are for the failure. The vote was another major blow to Speaker Johnson,

has a motion to vacate looming over his head. The speaker promised to forge ahead with the bill and find a way forward. However, the clock is now ticking. Congress has a little over a week to re-up the law before it expires on the 19th of April. More hawkish Republicans are already sounding the alarm on the consequences of allowing FISA to expire. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner told reporters on Wednesday, quote, we will go blind on April 20th. Now, Whether we're talking about the threats to national security because of the poorest southern U.S. border, or the threats to national security in the event that Congress fails to renew FISA, I'm starting to wonder whether the politicians elected and sent to D.C.

Understand that their primary responsibility is the safety and security of American citizens. Actually, that's not true. I'm not just starting to wonder. I've been wondering about that for some time now. The dysfunction on Capitol Hill, admittedly, can at times be amusing? It's like watching an out-of-control classroom where food fights and overly dramatic squabbles break out daily. But when the dysfunction starts to seriously impact the safety and security of the nation's citizens, it stops being amusing and starts to border on pathetic. With FISA, as we discussed yesterday on the PDB, it is possible for reasonable people to agree that Section 702 is a vital tool to identify and disrupt terrorist activities and all. also that it needs to be overseen properly to avoid misuse.

But the bomb throwers in Congress, and they exist on both sides, they seem incapable of solving problems. Look, I realize it's not a popular concept these days when the hard edges of both sides appear to rule the day. But compromise and mutual respect for each other is how to get crap done on behalf of the American people. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 11 April. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.

And be sure to check out our new premium membership at PDBPremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.