The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 26th, 2025: Gazans Stage Largest Anti-Hamas Protest Since War Began & Spy Agencies Issue Grave Warning Over Collaboration Between America's Foes

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, in a rare show of public dissent, scores of Gazans took to the streets on Tuesday to protest against Hamas, the largest public demonstration against the terror group inside the enclave since the war began. Later in the show, U.S. spy agencies have issued a 30-page threat assessment warning that China, Iran, North Korea and Russia are increasingly working together to undermine U.S. interests abroad. We’ll have the details. 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 Stash Financial: Go to https://Get.Stash.com/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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turn your big business idea into... Sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. It's Wednesday, the 26th of March. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, in a rare show of public dissent, scores of Gaza residents took to the streets on Tuesday

to protest against Hamas. Now, that's the largest public demonstration against the terror group inside the enclave since the war began. Later in the show, U.S. spy agencies have issued a 30-page threat assessment, warning that the usual suspects, China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, America's four greatest adversaries, are increasingly working together to undercut U.S. interests abroad. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. I want to begin with our coverage

of the Israel-Khamas conflict, as reports emerge that Hamas may be, and I caveat that with a big May, may be losing the support of some Gazans as frustrations mount over the group's handling of the war. On Tuesday, large crowds of Palestinians demonstrated against Hamas in northern Gaza, calling for an end to the war in what reports say is the biggest protest against the terror group in the enclave since their 7 October 23 attacks on Israel. It was a rare show of dissent, with thousands of people marching through the streets of Bait-Lachia in northern Gaza, and that's according to estimates from CNN. Now, protesters could reportedly be heard chanting quote, for God's sake, Hamas out, Hamas terrorists, and we want an end to the war.

A social media post from the protest organizers called for a further nine anti-Khamas demonstrations to take place on Wednesday, with a caption reading, quote, Our voices must reach all the spies who sold our blood. The message continued, quote, let them hear your voice, let them know that Gaza is not silent, and that there is a people who will not accept to be eradicated. Now, there have been small pockets of protests at times among local Palestinian residents of Gaza since the war began, but none matched the scope of Tuesday's demonstrations. While opposition to Hamas among Gazans is very hard to gauge, a poll released last fall

by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research suggests the terror group's popularity has been decreasing for some time. It found that support among Gazans for Hamas to remain as the governing body for the enclave had fallen to just 36% and that's down from 46% in polling that was released in June. One of Tuesday's protesters told a BBC reporter, quote, we refuse to die for anyone, for any party's agenda. Hamas must step down and listen to the voices of the grieving. Another could be heard shouting, quote, we don't want destruction, we don't want war, we want to live, end quote. Well, that seems reasonable. It was, surprise no one to learn that Hamas fighters and supporters reportedly didn't take kindly to the public

show of dissent, and they moved in quickly to suppress the protests. Masked Hamas militants armed with guns and batons moved in on the crowds, assaulting and forcibly dispersing the protesters. Well, huh? That doesn't sound like a group that says they support and promote the best interests of the Palestinian people. It does make you wonder if there'll be campus protests in the U.S. over Hamas's suppression of the Palestinian people. Meanwhile, pro-Hamas supporters throughout Gaza downplayed the significance of the demonstrations, calling the protesters traitors to their cause.

The protests come roughly a week after the fragile seats fire between Israel and Hamas broke down, and Israel resumed ground and air operations in Gaza, targeting the militant group's fighters and leadership. Now, as a reminder, Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, though at least 35 are presumed dead. Coming up next, U.S. senior officials got off their chat group long enough

to issue a 30-page threat assessment, warning that China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia are increasingly working together to undercut U.S. interests abroad. I'll have those details when we come back. This podcast is brought to you in part by Stash. Saving and investing can feel, well, impossible, but with Stash, it's not just possible, It's easy. Stash isn't just an investing app. It's a registered investment advisor that combines automated investing with dependable financial

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American influence and power. That's the sobering warning from America's top intelligence officials in a new threat assessment, released Tuesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, otherwise known by a its acronym O.D.N.I because nobody likes an acronym like Washington, D.C. likes an acronym. In the report, Communist China is labeled the, quote, actor most capable of threatening U.S. interests globally, even as it operates with more restraint than other U.S. adversaries, despite its ambitions to replace the U.S. as the world's superpower. Beijing, for its part, is avoiding direct confrontation, but leaning heavily into coercive tactics, leveraging its economic might, military presence, and a sprawling influence campaign to reshape the

global order, especially in the Indo-Pacific. The ODNI report forecasts that China will ramp up pressure on Taiwan in 2025, while continuing to push aggressive territorial claims in the South and East China Seas. And while there's no kinetic war, the digital front is already active. China remains the most persistent cyber threat to the American government and private sector networks, the report says. Officials believe Beijing is methodically executing a long-term plan to overtake the U.S. in artificial intelligence by 2030. Russia, meanwhile, continues to pose a more immediate military challenge through its war in Ukraine. Putin, the ODNI report, notes, sees the war in Ukraine not just as another battlefield, but as a personal legacy project and a defining showdown with the West.

While Western hopes have lingered around a possible change of leadership in Moscow, the report makes clear that is less likely now than at any point in Putin's 25-year reign. Then there's Iran and North Korea, each sharpening their tools in different but equally dangerous ways. The Iranian regime, according to National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, hasn't restarted formal nuclear weapons development. But, frankly, that's very little comfort. Its uranium stockpile has now reached what Gabbard described as, quote, unprecedented levels for any non-nuclear state. The report also flags increasing domestic momentum inside the Iranian regime to take the final leap and go nuclear.

But at the top of it all, of course, is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, the only man in Iran with the authority to greenlight a bomb. Meanwhile, Tehran's regime scientists continue research into chemical and biological, agents with potential military uses. For Pyongyang, strongman Kim Jong-un, remember him, little rocket man, while he's busy expanding his weapons programs and beefing up his arsenal, all with Russia's help. But perhaps the most chilling takeaway from the 30-page report is the deepening collaboration between America's foes. These regimes aren't just aligned in rhetoric. They're increasingly sharing resources, technology, and strategy. Take China and Russia. Take China and Russia.

for example. Beijing has quietly been keeping Moscow's defense sector alive by sending dual-use goods and key components to help Russia skirt Western sanctions and recover from battlefield losses. Iran, in turn, has become Russia's go-to drone supplier and is now receiving, in return, advanced military and cyber support. North Korea has gone even further, shipping munitions and sending combat troops to support Russia's war effort, all while gaining access to upgraded weapon systems and weapons technology. The Trump administration has acknowledged the shifting landscape. According to officials, these emerging alliances are already shaping the contours of the 2025 national security strategy and will play a central role in American defense planning.

And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 26 March. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show at free, well, it is very simple. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.

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