The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 25th, 2024: Netanyahu Addresses Divided Congress & US Intercepts Russian, Chinese Bombers Near Alaska

Episode Date: July 25, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a deeply divided Congress in a joint session on Wednesday, his first foreign trip since the 7 October attacks, where he warned of the existential threat posed by Iran and their proxies. The U.S. intercepted a number of Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace near the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, marking the first time that Russian and Chinese aircraft have crossed into Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone. 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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Start your day off right with a great taste of Blackout coffee. Family-owned, premium coffee, fresh-roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Thursday, 25 July. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a deeply divided Congress and a joy

Point session on Wednesday, his first foreign trip since the 7 October attacks, where he warned of the existential threat posed by Iran and their proxies. Also, the U.S. intercepted a number of Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace near the coast of Alaska on Wednesday, marking the first time that Russian and Chinese aircraft have crossed into Alaska's air defense identification zone. But first, our afternoon spotlight. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a landmark address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday, standing defiantly in the face of large-scale anti-Israel protests and congressional Democrats

accusing his government of genocide. An impassioned Netanyahu defended his handling of the war in Gaza while making appeals to both President Biden and former President Trump to stand firm in their support for Israel, warning Iran's axis of terrorist proxies seeks to destabilize the entire Middle East, in their quest for regional dominance. That's according to our report from the Wall Street Journal. Netanyahu framed the current war as a battle on behalf of all democracies against radical Islamists who wished to tear down the West and implored President Biden to fast-track additional weapons shipments to Israel.

The Prime Minister warned, quote, this is not a clash of civilizations. It's a clash between barbarism and civilization. It's a clash between those who glorified death and those who satirmed. sanctify life, end quote. He added, that were Israel to fail in its mission, quote, America is next, and I'll tell you what else is next, the ability of all democracies to fight terror. That's what's on the line, end quote. That line earned raucous applause from Republicans and Democrats in attendance. However, not everyone in the chamber was pleased. Michigan representative Rashida Thelib,

oh, there's a surprise, a member of the so-called squad, was stony-faced throughout the speech, while holding up a double-sided sign that read, quote, guilty of genocide and also war criminal. Well, at least she kept her, I support Hamas signs at home. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for Netanyahu to be replaced in March, also looked unhappy with the address. Netanyahu, however, appeared unflappable, hitting back directly at critics who accused he and his government of war crimes. He called such claims from the International Criminal Court, the U.N. and human rights groups, quote, utter nonsense, noting Israel has gone to unprecedented lengths in a time of war to get Palestinian

civilians out of harm's way. We should note, Taleb was an outlier among progressive Democrats, meaning, well, she was an outlier because she actually attended, with roughly half of all Democrats in the House and Senate choosing to boycott the speech. How brave of them! Including notable names, such as New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, shocked that neither one of them would have the courage to actually sit there and look statesman-like. Following the address, Pelosi issued a blistering statement calling it, quote, the worst presentation of any foreign dignitary in the chamber's history. And she should know she's been there since the chamber started.

Well, that should at least play well, though, with her anti-Israel and anti-Semite supporters. Vice President and presumptive Democrat nominee Kamala Harris also chose to skip the address. How very presidential of her. She will meet privately with Netanyahu on Thursday in her first major solo sit down with a foreign leader since Biden left the race. That move allows her to avoid being photographed in public attending the Netanyahu's speech, and again, keeps the anti-Semites in her party happy. It was a sign of the deep divisions within the Democrat Party over the war in Gaza, which has frankly fractured their caucus. The seats of missing Democrats were filled by families of Israeli hostages, freed Israeli hostage, Argamani, as well as notable guests such as Elon Musk. As far as America's anti-Israel protesters

go, who were seen burning American flags, raising Palestinian ones, and graffitiing things like Hamas is coming on monuments in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, well, Netanyahu had a very simple message. You are Iran's useful idiots. He noted that Iran and other foreign groups have quietly funded and encouraged the discord seen in U.S. cities and on college campuses earlier this year. And we've discussed this in the past on the PDB, noting that the useful idiots on college campuses during the protests were indeed funded, resourced, organized, and encouraged by a variety of outside organizations, including some with ties to Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. In a line that earned big applause in the chamber, Netanyahu said, quote, I have a message for these protesters. When the

tyrants of Tehran, who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair, are praising, promoting and funding you, well, you have officially become Iran's useful idiots. Some of these protesters hold up signs proclaiming gaze for Gaza. They might as well hold up signs saying, chickens for KFC, end quote. Netanyahu delicately avoided waiting too far into U.S. domestic politics, but used moments to praise former President Trump's policies towards Jerusalem, while also thanking President Biden for his support since the 7 October attacks. Netanyahu is no stranger to American politics, as it was the veteran politician's fourth time addressing a joint session of Congress, officially surpassing Winston Churchill's record. He did not speak in depth about current

ceasefire talks, but said Israel's military campaign has helped pressure Hamas into coming back to the negotiating table. He vowed to bring every last hostage home and keep fighting until Hamas's total defeat. He declared, to a standing ovation, quote, Our fight is your fight and our victory will be your victory. Ladies and gentlemen, he said that victory is in sight. Israel's defeat of Hamas will be a powerful blow to Iran's axis of terror." Coming up after the break, the U.S. intercepted a number of Russian and Chinese bombers in international airspace near the coast of Alaska on Wednesday. We'll have the details when we return. I'll be right back. How many discounts does USA 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 usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. In a significant military development, Russian and Chinese warplanes were intercepted in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets on Wednesday. It marked the first occasion where strategic bombers from both nations operated together

near North America. For some context, the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone is a region extending beyond U.S. sovereign airspace, where identifying all aircraft is crucial for national security. While it's part of international airspace, any incursion is closely monitored by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, by national command between the U.S. and Canada. On Wednesday, two Russian TU95 bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers, which took off from a Russian air base, conducted a joint air patrol over the Tchewski Sea, the Bering Sea, and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. The patrol, part of Russia and China's 2024 military cooperation plan, lasted over five hours before the planes returned to their respective bases. These aircraft were detected, tracked, and intercepted

by U.S. F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, along with Canadian CF-18s. In a press release, Norad stated, quote, this Russian and PRC activity in the Alaska identification zone is not seen as a threat, and NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence, end quote. Moscow and Beijing reported the Joint Patrol is, quote, not aimed at any third party. Oh, the Russian defense ministry added, quote,

at certain stages of the route, the aviation group was accompanied by fighter jets of foreign countries, but did not elaborate further. This incident follows a pattern of growing military collaboration between Russia and China. In August, 2003, a combined naval force of Russian and Chinese ships patrolled near Alaska, constituting the largest such flotilla to approach American shores, and when was the last time you heard anybody used the word flotilla? China has also been supporting Russia's military industry by supplying microelectronics and other components crucial for weapon production. In 2023, approximately 90% of Russia's microelectronics imports, essential for manufacturing missiles, tanks, and aircraft originated from China. Earlier this month, NATO urged China to

halt all material and political support for Russia's war efforts. Despite China's denials of supplying weapons to Russia, it has provided significant assistance, including satellite imagery used for military operations. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 25 July. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And of course, to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting bdbpremium.com. It's that simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back to Tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with Visible. It's one-line wireless with

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