The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 22nd, 2024: World Reacts To Biden Exit & Russia Sentences WSJ Journalist To 16 Years

Episode Date: July 22, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    Reactions are pouring in from across the world to President Joe Biden’s decision to step down as the Democrat nominee for president, as leaders adjust to the bombshell development in U.S. affairs. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Putin regime in an unprecedented first since the Cold War. 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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Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, the world reacts to President Biden's decision to listen to the growing chorus of Democrats asking him to drop out of the U.S. presidential election, which he did yesterday. Also, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkevich has been sentenced to 16 years in prison by the Putin regime, a move strongly reminiscent of Soviet Cold War tactics. We'll discuss his sham tribut. and the implications of Russia's attacks on foreign journalists. But first, our afternoon spotlight.

Reactions are pouring in from across the world to President Biden's decision to step down as the Democrat nominee for president as leaders adjust to this latest development in a bizarre American political season. The move by President Biden and the Democrat Party promises to have wide-reaching consequences on American foreign policy,

particularly now that Biden is facing questions about his fitness for office, given the decision to drop out. Apparently, while he's essentially admitting that he's not up to the task of running for office and possibly being president for the next four years, he and the White House team have stated that he will stay in office for the remainder of his term. Biden's exit from the race comes as the world continues to grapple, of course, with the conflict in Gaza and undaunted Putin in Eastern Europe and an increasingly aggressive China in Asia.

Global leaders struck a tone of respect, thanking President Biden for his support amid the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, according to a report from NBC News. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised Biden as a, quote, true friend and partner to Canadians, adding that Biden is, quote, guided by his love for his country. UK Prime Minister Kirstarmer echoed those sentiments, saying he believed Biden made the call based on what he thought was best for the American people. He added that he looked forward to working with Biden through the remainder of his term. The Australian Prime Minister concurred, praising Biden as a lifelong public servant. Leaders from Eastern Europe, closest to the impacts of Putin's aggression, acknowledged how difficult the decision must have been for Biden, but thanked him for his ongoing support amid Russia's war on Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, quote, You've taken many difficult decisions thanks to which Poland, America, and the world are safer and democracy stronger. I know you were driven by the same motivations when announcing your final decision, he said, probably the most difficult one in your life. Ukrainian President Zelensky also expressed major gratitude to Biden for his, quote, unwavering support. Zelensky added that we will always be thankful for President Biden's leadership. He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war, end quote. To round things out, leaders in Israel also chimed in

with Israeli Defense Minister Yov Golan saying, quote, your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable. Now, on the domestic front, an error of uncertainty remains. As we noted yesterday, Biden did give his endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris. Former President Barack Obama, however, well, he raised eyebrows with a carefully worded statement on Sunday, which artfully danced around the question of his successor. Obama didn't even name Vice President Kamala Harris in his statement, let alone back Biden's endorsement of her. Instead, the former president called for the party to, quote, create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges, end quote. That could be considered a blow to Harris's early hopes for the nomination to be sure,

though it does appear that other power brokers within the party, the party elite, are beginning to warm to Harris' prospects, including the Clintons who endorsed Harris Sunday evening. And when I say that they're warming to Harris's prospects, what I mean is they're shying away from stating the obvious for fear of being attacked by the DEI grifters and the woke mob. I don't think I'm going on on a limb here. When I say that polls and general common sense indicate that Harris is not the most competent or competitive candidate, but the Democrats, well, they built their religious altar to DEI over the past few years, and now they have to keep praying to it. The most democratic solution here is exactly what Obama is suggesting, an open, or at least sort of an open, convention,

where at least the delegates get a say in who heads the ticket. The fact that the party elite may try to anoint Harris as a nominee without opening up the process to other potential candidates, well, it's another example of just how stupid the American political system has become. Look, Pelosi, Clinton's, Gavin Newsom, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democrat elites now endorsing Harris, or they're not doing it because they honestly believe she's the best person to lead the country. Joe Biden, when running for president in the last election, promised he would select a woman of color as his VP. Harris is the vice president because she qualified as the DEI pick.

Now, you could argue, oh, that's fine, it's the VP job. And what harm can the VP do? But now, well, now we're talking about the choice of commander-in-chief, the leader of the free world. Coming up after the break, we'll give you the latest on the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskevich by the Putin regime, as the Russian court overseeing his sham trial hands down a sentence. I'll be right back. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money, whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion-dollar swings.

There's a money side to every story. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Evan Gerskovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter, has been found guilty of espionage by a Russian court and sentenced to 16 years in prison. This conviction marks the first time an American journalist has faced such charges in conviction in Russia since the Cold War. The U.S. government and various supporters condemned his detention and the case as a complete fabricated sham, which it is. Gerskovich was arrested in March 2023, while reporting in Yacotarineberg and accused of collecting classified information on orders from the CIA about a plant that manufactures military equipment for Ukraine. Russian authorities,

of course, have not provided any public evidence to support these claims, mainly because they have no evidence. The U.S. State Department swiftly designated him as wrongfully detained, calling for his immediate release. Gerskovich's trial, which began less than a month ago, was shrouded in secrecy and moved at an unusually fast pace. This lack of transparency fueled speculation that the journalist could be used as a bargaining chip by the Kremlin. Gerskovich's defense team has 15 days to appeal the conviction, but for now, the court has ordered him to pay procedural costs and for personal items to be destroyed. The journalist's 480-plus days already in detention, will be counted towards his 16-year sentence.

Now, the conviction created a firestorm of responses. President Biden condemned Russian's treatment of Gershkovich as, quote, completely illegal. Dow Jones CEO, Almar Latour, and Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker, released a statement vowing to continue efforts for Gershkovich's release. And U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas Greenfield, also addressed the sentencing, emphasizing his imprisonment as a punishment for his American nationality. Now, Paul Wheelan, another American detained in Russia since 2018, expressed solidarity with Gerskiewicz and hoped for a deal to secure their release. President Putin suggested the

possibility of an agreement with the U.S., potentially involving the case of a Russian national convicted of assassination in Berlin. In previous years, the two countries have engaged in high-profile exchanges, including the 2022 swap of WNBA basketball player Brittany Griner for the notorious arms dealer Victor Boot. Evan Gerskovich's conviction obviously further exposes the Kremlin's disregard for due process, not that anybody thought Putin and his regime had any regard for the rule of law. And it also raises the stakes in an already strained relationship with the U.S. And that, my friends, is the BDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 22 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, well, it's very simple. Become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. See, I told you it was simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here from MintMobil, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much.

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