The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 22nd, 2024: European Nations Recognize Palestinian State & Biden's Election Year Student Loan Gambit

Episode Date: May 22, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    In a shocking move, three European nations have announced plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state, sparking intense backlash from Israeli leaders who say the west is giving Hamas and Iran exactly what they want. In what is almost certainly an election year consideration, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he would be cancelling another $7.7 billion in student loan debt. 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, in a surprising move, three European nations have announced plans to formally recognize a Palestinian state, sparking intense backlash from Israeli leaders who say the West is essentially giving Hamas and Iran exactly what they want. Also, in the latest effort to attract voters, President Biden announced Wednesday that he would be canceling another $7.7 billion in student loan debt. Watch it disappear.

While some might say it's just a blatant vote-buying scheme, Others call it, well, just a scheme to buy votes. But first, our afternoon spotlight, Israel is becoming increasingly isolated on the global stage among once stalwart Western allies as three European nations moved to formally recognize a Palestinian state. In an unprecedented move, the governments of Ireland, Norway, and Spain all announced on Wednesday that they plan to make the formal recognition regarding Palestine in a ceremony on May 28th, something that analysts say could spur other European nations to follow suit. Now, it was just the latest diplomatic blow for Israel,

which has increasingly seen their Western support falter amid ongoing operations in Gaza, and that's according to an NBC news report. Officials in each of the three European countries put out statements that tried to balance their historic support for Israel with their goal of ending the conflict. They attempted to frame their decision as something that, was actually in Israel's long-term interests. The Norwegian Prime Minister said, quote,

the terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel. Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state, end quote. Now, the Spanish Prime Minister attempted to address the diplomatic concerns head on, saying, quote, this recognition is not against anyone. It's not against the Israeli people. It's an act in favor of peace, justice, and moral consistency.

Oh, end quote. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, meanwhile, called the action historic and said it offered, quote, hope and encouragement to the people of Palestine at one of their darkest hours, end quote. The coordinated announcements, which came in quick succession, drew a fiery rebuke from Israeli leaders who said Ireland, Norway, and Spain were playing into the hands of Hamas and their backers in Iran. They also said it jeopardizes the lives of the remaining hostages by making a ceasefire less likely, essentially, quote, rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the European countries, quote, intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world that terrorism pays. Katz added, quote, history will remember that Spain, Norway, and Ireland, decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists.

Israel moved to immediately recall their ambassadors to Oslo, Dublin, and Madrid, and ordered a formal reprimand of Ireland, Norway, and Spain's diplomatic envoys in Israel. In a subsequent statement, Katz also said the three countries' ambassadors would be expected to, quote, watch a video of the brutal and cruel kidnapping of our daughters by Hamas terrorists to emphasize the distorted decision their governments have made, end quote. The Biden administration also signaled their opposition to the, move in a statement to NBC News, arguing a two-state solution can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition. As a reminder,

Israeli leaders voted in February to formally oppose the unilateral creation of a Palestinian state, sending a clear message to the international community that Israel fundamentally rejects foreign dictates on the issue of Palestinian statehood. We should note that the announcements from Ireland, Norway, and Spain are largely symbolic, but they reveal the deepening isolation facing Israel as they press ahead on the ground in Gaza. The diplomatic dispute comes in the wake of the International Criminal Court's announcement on Monday that they're seeking arrest warrants for senior members of the Israeli government for war crimes, including Prime Minister Nanyahu and Defense Minister Yov Ghalant, along with three senior members of Hamas. The White House reacted to

that announcement quickly, with President Biden calling any moral equivalency between Israel and Hamas outrageous. Coming up after the break, in what could be construed as a move to shore up the enthusiasm of young voters ahead of the November elections, President Biden announced Wednesday he would be canceling another $7.7 billion in student loan debt. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. President Biden announced today that his administration is canceling student debt for another 160,000 individuals, or Biden voters, as the White House likes to think of them. The new plan wipes out $7.7 billion in student loans. Now, the 160,000 borrowers affected are part of the Biden administration's saving on a valuable education or save plan

and include public service workers such as teachers, nurses, and law enforcement officials. In a statement, Biden said, from day one of my administration, I promised to fight a to ensure higher education is a ticket to the middle class, not a barrier to opportunity. I will never stop working to cancel student debt, no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us, end quote. He added that, well, as vote buying schemes go, sure, it's pricey, but hey, that's for the taxpayers to worry about. Okay, he didn't say that last part out loud. This latest move brings the total student debt relief from Biden's efforts to $167 billion, affecting 4.75 million Americans, not to mention the millions of taxpayers who eventually,

and one former another, will cover the cost. This comes as part of a broader effort to address the student debt crisis, and that debt is now somewhere north of $1.7 trillion nationwide. The cancellations are moving ahead despite several legal challenges. Attorneys general from 18 states are suing the Biden administration over the saved plan, arguing that he needs Congress to overhaul federal repayment plans. Critics claim that bypassing Congress sets a dangerous precedent and could lead to further legal battles. Last year, the Supreme Court overturned a previous plan to cancel student loan debt. That attempt would have erased up to $20,000 in federal student loans for those with annual incomes below $125,000 or couples with incomes below $250,000. It was estimated to cost roughly

$400 billion, but who's counting, and would have canceled at least some student debt for over 40 million people. And that's a lot of voters. However, the court held that the Biden administration had overstepped its bounds. Last month, Biden outlined a new mass cancellation proposal to cut student loan debt for nearly 30 million Americans, signaling his administration's determination to cancel the debts despite legal setbacks. According to the Department of Education, one out of every 10 federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for debt relief. However, the ongoing legal disputes and political opposition indicate that the future of large-scale student debt cancellation well, remains uncertain. But for now, Big Joe's Fat Stacks Warehouse is still

up and running, so stop on by and take advantage of great deals. Trade in your vote for some debt relief while it lasts. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 22 May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And if you want to listen to the show ad-free, be sure to check out our premium membership at pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Thank you.