The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 8th, 2024: Biden Cuts Off Weapons To Israel & Anti-Israel Campus Chaos Erupts Across Europe

Episode Date: May 8, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    U.S. officials are confirming that the Biden administration has halted a large shipment of offensive weapons to Israel in an attempt to pressure leaders in Jerusalem to forgo plans for a large-scale ground operation in the final Hamas stronghold of Rafah.  Anti-Israeli sentiment is spreading throughout the western world, as the chaotic pro-Palestinian student protests that recently engulfed American college campuses begin to erupt across Europe. 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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Well, the answer is everybody wants that. Get up to 40% off at shopbeam.com slash PDB and use the code PDB. It's Wednesday, 8 May. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, U.S. officials are confirming that the Biden administration has halted a large shipment of offensive weapons to Israel in an attempt to pressure leaders in Jerusalem to forego plans for a large-scale ground operation in the final Hamas stronghold of Rafa. Also, anti-Israeli sentiment is spreading throughout the Western world as the chaotic pro-Palestinian student protests that recently engulfed American college campuses begin to erupt across Europe. Geez, hmm, I can't remember, but that does ring a bell.

When was the last time there was anti-Semitism erupting in Europe? But first, our afternoon spotlight, I want to begin with a follow-up to a story where you brought you on Monday's show regarding attempts by the Biden administration. to pressure Israel into stopping plans to launch an offensive operation in Rafah. Anonymous reports, published over the weekend, suggested that the U.S. had suspended shipments of military equipment meant for the Israeli military. An anonymous White House official confirmed the reports to NBC News on Wednesday, revealing that the U.S. chose to halt shipments of powerful bombs, specifically large orders of 2,000-pound bombs and 500-pound bombs, which the White House fears will be used to,

to devastating effect, the decision comes at a time when Israel-U.S. relations are at a historic low and marks the first time since the 7 October attacks, after which Biden promised his, quote, iron-clad support, that the U.S. has prevented weapons shipments from reaching Israel. So, it appears, iron-clad is a subjective term. Still, the move is a largely symbolic one by the Biden administration, as Israel already has a large and diverse arsenal of weapons that they can use to proceed with the various operations in Rafah. U.S. officials reportedly began reviewing future transfers of military equipment to Israel in April as concern mounted within the Biden administration that an assault on Rafa was imminent. According to the officials who spoke with NBC News, no decision has yet been made on

when or if they'll resume the transfer of weapons. Officials also said that the State Department was deliberating on whether they will approve future weapons transfers to Israel. Despite the optics, officials claimed that the decision does not represent a major policy shift by the U.S. Oh, really? Regarding the war in Gaza or U.S. support for Israel. Officials in Israel, for their part, well, they're also downplaying the move, telling NBC news that any issues between the U.S. and Israel would be resolved, quote, behind closed doors. Well, that would require the Biden administration to also be discreet and discuss these things behind closed doors. A senior Israeli official, however, who declined to directly comment on the report, told Reuters, quote, if we have to fight with

our fingernails, then we'll do what we have to do, end quote. Separately, an anonymous Israeli official told NBC news that there is intense frustration within Israel regarding the Biden administration and their increasingly wavering support, whether at the UN or in negotiations for a ceasefire. leaders were particularly irritated by the White House's failure to notify Israel of Hamas's announcement on Monday accepting a watered-down version of a ceasefire proposal, which reportedly left Israeli leaders feeling blindsided. Further complicating matters, the Biden administration warned Congress this morning that they would likely miss a Wednesday deadline to deliver a report assessing Israeli actions in its war against Hamas, specifically whether Israel has violated

international humanitarian law or hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, according to a report in the Hill. The conclusions could end up limiting any future weapons transfers with Israel. Now, many members of the Democrat caucus, who, by the way, apparently don't recall that Hamas started this conflict with the brutal slaughter of civilians and taking hundreds of hostages and maintain their stated goal of removing Israel through future 7 October-style attacks, but I digress, many Democrat caucus members have become increasingly vocal in their opposition to Israel. They've been eagerly awaiting the findings of the report, which could give them and others in Congress who oppose Israeli aid the leverage that they need to sway their colleagues.

Pressure from Senate Democrats on the Biden administration to adopt a tougher posture with Israel is what prompted the White House to undertake the assessment in the first place back in February. Now, amid the diplomatic drama and ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Cairo on Wednesday, the Biden administration also reiterated their opposition to an Israeli incursion into Rafa. A senior administration official told NBC News, quote, the U.S. position has been that Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafa, where more than a million people are sheltering with nowhere else to go, end quote. But, yeah, ironclad support.

as long as it doesn't upset key voting blocks ahead of the November election. Coming up after the break, just as the anti-Israel campus protests have begun winding down in the U.S., pro-Palestinian student protests are now erupting across Europe. I'll be right back. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full. move. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice.

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Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. The anti-Israel protests that began here in the United States are now taking hold in Europe. Now, while anti-Israel protests began on campuses across Europe almost immediately, after the events of October 7th in the beginning of the war, the demonstrations have intensified since Israel launched its military offensive against Hamas and Rafah earlier this week. Student protests across the continent are calling for universities

to sever ties with Israeli institutions in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. These protests, inspired by similar demonstrations on U.S. campuses, and in part funded, fueled and organized by some of the same outside groups and entities, have spread to the Netherlands, Germany, France, Switzerland, Australia and other European countries. Students have occupied university halls and facilities, staging sit-ins and setting up encampments. The protests have varied in scale and intensity, and in some places demonstrators remain largely peaceful, focused on symbolic actions, like waving banners and dressing up in kefias. However, protests are increasingly becoming more like those we saw at Columbia University in New York, with students actively barricading buildings

and disrupting university operations, leading to temporary suspensions of classes and exams. In response to the student and outside activist protests, several incidents of clashes with police have been reported. In Amsterdam, Dutch police arrested 169 protesters after forcefully dismantling an encampment at the University of Amsterdam. A similar scene played out in Paris at the Sorbonne University, where 86 people were arrested following a building occupation by about 100 students. In Germany, Leipzig University witnessed the occupation of a lecture hall by students displaying banners against genocide, which prompted the university to involve the police. Now, there's no word on how those protesters feel about the Iranian regime, along with their

proxies, advocating for the genocide of Israelis. Governments and university administrations have had mixed responses. Some schools have begun negotiations with students, while others, like the University of Lausanne in Switzerland have stated their intentions to maintain their relationships with Israeli institutions, no matter what the protesters demand. That, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 8 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 PDB premium.com. And don't forget, we'll be debuting the PDB-B-Sit-B-Sepremyrm.com. And don't forget, we'll be

debuting the PDB Situation Report, our expanded weekend program on Saturday, 18 May. Every Saturday, the PDB Situation Report will bring you news, commentary, and outstanding guests. It'll be available on podcast platforms as well as a video version available on YouTube. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line. Whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings, there's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe now at

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