September 3rd, 2024: Knives Out for Netanyahu, UK Arms Suspension, & Putin Defies the ICC
00:00Kayak 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 moon.Just tell the manager you'll sue.Instant room upgrade.Stop taking bad travel advice.Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right.Bad advice?
00:24You talking to me?Kayak, got that right.This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gold Group.Protect your retirement assets and safeguard your future.Speak with the experts at Patriot Gold.Now, they've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer.Forget this.Seven years in a row.
00:43That is a lot of years in a row.Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-888-6213-3-6 for a free investor guide.It's Tuesday, 3 September.Welcome to the President's Daily Brief.Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, we'll examinethe turmoil in Israel, where the nation ground to a halt yesterday following a general strikecalled by the country's largest trade union. This upheaval comes with renewed demands for aceasefire after the tragic killing of six hostages by Hamas terrorists. Later in the brief,
01:35more news related to Israel, as the British foreign minister announces that he says that he saidhis country would immediately suspend some arms exports over fears that weapons could be usedto breach international law. Well, how very self-righteous of them. Plus, another blow to theinternational community's credibility, as Vladimir Putin visits Mongolia. And Mongolia is a memberof the International Criminal Court, the ICC, and they are technically required to arrestthe Russian president if he steps on their soil. Now, the chances.that the Mongolian authorities would arrest Putin are on par with the chances that Putin willapologize for his invasion of Ukraine and resign. So I guess what I'm saying is it's not going to happen.
02:23And in today's back of the brief, Elon Musk remains defiant, refusing to comply with a Braziliancourt order to block access to a social media platform X through his satellite internet serviceStarlink. But first, today's PDB spotlight.The proverbial knives are out for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the aftermath of Hamas's massacre of six hostages late last week, including an American, with critics blaming his government for allegedly failing to secure a hostage deal in Gaza. I don't know. How about you blame Hamas, the terrorist organization? That would seem simple enough. Schools, offices, airports, and other sectors of Israeli society came to a grinding halt on Monday as Israel's large.largest trade union organized the first nationwide strike seen inside the country since the brutal7 October attacks. The strike followed massive demonstrations in Tel Aviv and some other citieson Sunday evening, they were the largest since the start of the war, decrying Netanyahustands on a potential ceasefire. According to a report in the Financial Times, tens of thousands
03:32of Israelis poured into the streets for a second day on Monday as the strike kicked off, blocking roadwaysas they demanded Netanyahu agree a deal with Hamas for the return of the hostages.I'm sure they're aware that Hamas has not been playing a role in the negotiations for a ceasefirefor some time now. The protesters blame the government for being too hard liedand accused Netanyahu of preventing a deal to free the remaining 101 or so hostages for political purposes.Now, as we've reported, Netanyahu and the ruling Israeli government have agreed to implementa bridging ceasefire framework that was proposed by the U.S. and mediators in Qatar and Egypt.But Hamas, who has refused to directly participate in any further negotiations,
04:21will they continue to sabotage the efforts repeatedly accusing the U.S. of colluding with Israelto undermine the terrorist group's position.Undermine their position?Seriously?Hamas's position is the same as the position of their puppet masters in the Iranian regime.and that is they want to see Israel removed from the face of the earth.That's their position.Sorry for pointing out the obvious.
04:48Now, while larger protests are reportedly being planned,the Tel Aviv Labor Court officially ordered an end to the strike on Mondayjust eight hours into the demonstrations,declaring that it was politically motivated and unrelated to economic concerns.We should note, Netanyahu still does have strong support,while the strikes, relatively speaking, completely shut down Tel Aviv,well, Jerusalem and other municipalities more supportive of Netanyahu were largely unaffected.At a cabinet meeting Monday, Netanyahu called the strikes a, quote, disgrace,
05:22saying such open discord only served to strengthen the hand of Hamas.He added, quote, weakness will not bring back the hostages.Well, he's not wrong.Later Monday, Netanyahu addressed the country in a televised speech,where he struck a conciliatory tone,acknowledging the tragedy, of course,regarding the six hostageswho were summarily executed
05:43by the terrorists in cold bloodas a terrorist fledjust before the arrival of Israeli troops.Their bodies were recovered on Sunday.Netanyahu recounted speaking to the familiesof the hostages, saying,quote, I told the families and I repeat it here tonight,I ask for your forgiveness that we did not succeed
06:03in bringing them back alive.We were close.but we didn't succeed, end quote.He reiterated that Israel is in an existential war for their existence against Iran and its proxies,and that in order to prevail against such barbarity, Israel must present a united front.The Prime Minister remarked, quote,We must stand united as one person against a cruel enemy that wants to destroy all of us,all of us without any exceptions.
06:32Israel will not let this massacre simply pass on by.Hamas will pay a very heavy price for it." End quote.Now Netanyahu has reported the order to security forces to present plans to respond toHamas within the next 48 hours. Meanwhile, the international pressure is mounting on Netanyahuto make further concessions to Hamas in order to secure a ceasefire deal.Netanyahu has vowed to maintain control of the Strategic Philadelphia Corridor on the Gaza-Egyptian border,which functions essentially as Hamas's pipeline or lifeline, allowing them to smuggle weapons into the enclave.This issue has reportedly caused disagreements between Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yov Ghalent,
07:16who reportedly favors foregoing border concerns to secure a deal.Hamas, for their part, continues to demand that any deal must require Israel to withdraw their troops from the border region,along with the rest of Gaza and include promises that Israel will formally end the war.President Biden, remember him?Well, he waited into the situation on Monday ahead of a meeting with the U.S. negotiating team,accusing Netanyahu of not doing enough to secure a ceasefire deal.Biden claimed negotiators were very close to a deal, remarking, quote,Hope Springs Eternal.
07:55Well, that was worth coming out of hiding for.Netanyahu defiantly said Monday, quote,No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me,but no one will preach to me, end quote.All right.Now, before we go to break, a quick reminder,if you're enjoying the show and perhaps Jones and twolisten without commercial interruptions,
08:15well, it's easy.Sign up for a premium membership at PDBprem.com.Along with an ad-free experience,you'll receive our weekly newsletter,and that's the PDB intelligence checklist,and have access to our monthly Ask Me Anything sessions.Again, you can check that all out at PDB Premium.com.Coming up next, Israel faces new challenges as the UK halts arms exports.
08:41And Putin's visit to Mongolia raises questions about the international criminal courts authority.I'm sorry, did somebody think that the ICC had any authority?No, how charming.We'll have those stories when we come back.sandwich from 7-Eleven, people always call me loud.And I'm like, yeah, I know.I'm crispy.Did you expect me to whisper?
09:05If you want quiet, go eat some soup and reflect.Like, I know I'm a handful.I'm bold, I'm juicy.Throw some pickles and barbecue sauce on me, and baby, I'm a whole meal.And with seven rewards, I'm just $4.Quiet, no.Krispy, saucy, and $4?Very.
09:20Only at 7-Eleven.Valley 362326, participating stores only well supplies last the app for full terms.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.
09:47Get the money side of the story.Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com.Welcome back to the BDB.sticking with the international pressure, mounting against Israel, leaders in the UK appear to be wavering in their support.Now, breaking with their tightly coordinated policy on military support for Israel with the Biden administration,the UK's foreign office announced Monday that they were suspending the sale of certain arms to Israel.They said there was a clear risk that their weapons could be used by Israel to commit, quote,a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
10:25and that's according to a report from the Guardian.Officials with the Foreign Office said that a two-month internal review of Israel's conductduring their operations in Gaza raised serious questions about the IDF's treatment of Palestinians.Now, while no definitive conclusions have been reached about whether UK-supplied armshave contributed to the destruction in Gaza, they said the scale of civilian deaths have given them pauseand prompted them to indefinitely suspend some arms export licenses.The suspension, which applies to military aircraft, helicopters, drones, and targeting equipmentis likely to cause friction with the Biden administration, which has rejected claims that Israel
11:07is using Western weapons to violate the conventions of international law.UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the crackdown applies to 30 of the 350 existingarms licenses that they have with Israel, but would exempt UK components for the F-35fighter jet program. Lammy stressed that the decision was reached with deep regret and appeared anxiousto quell fears that it could destabilize Anglo-Israeli relations. Now, in reality, this will not havemuch of a material effect on Israel's operations as UK arms sales make up just 1% of Israel's armsimports. So if you're thinking that the UK government might be doing this just to placate those opposedto Israel and support of a Hamas within their party, well, yeah, you could be right. It does smell
12:00of self-righteous performative art. Still, the move is being seen as a symbolic rebuke of Israel'songoing operations against Hamas from an ally that has long-chided Israel's strategy.Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz expressed disappointment at the decision, saying it, quote,sends a very problematic message to Hamas. Katz linked the latest decision. Katz linked the latest decision,with the UK's move in July to restart funding for the UN's Palestinian Relief Agency UNRWA,despite their infiltration by Hamas,and the UK's failure also to challenge arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Israeli leaders.Israeli defense minister Yoav Golan also slammed the decision, saying in a fiery statement,
12:44quote, this comes at a time when we fight a war on seven different fronts,a war that was launched by a savage terrorist organization,unprovoked."We should note, the UK government has faced intensifying pressure from the progressivewing, oh, of course, of their labor party to curtail support to Israel.Conservative lawmakers in Britain accused the ruling party of caving to the demands ofanti-Israeli protesters and warned the government that they would regret playing into the handsof Hamas.
13:17And frankly, you have to admit that bending to pressure from anti-Semites isn't a particulara good look for the Labor Party. Okay, turning our attention now to Mongolia, and frankly,we don't often turn our attention to Mongolia here on the PDB. Russian President Putin made an officialvisit on Monday, marking his first trip to a member country of the International Criminal Courtat the ICC, since the court issued an arrest warrant for Putin nearly 18 months ago. In March ofFor 2020, the ICC established by the Rome Statute indicted Putin for war crimes, citing, quote,reasonable grounds to believe that he's responsible for the unlawful deportation of thousandsof Ukrainian children to Russia. Now, under the Rome statute, signatory countries are obligated
14:08to arrest individuals like Putin with the ICC issued warrants. Putin had previously canceled a tripto South Africa back in August of 2023 for a BRICS summit, not due to international resolve,but because a South African court made it clear that they would have to act on the ICC warrant,and that was something clearly that the South African government was reluctant to do.But then there's Mongolia, another signatory to the Rome statute,and yet showing zero intention of executing the arrest warrant,reflecting its close economic and political relationship with Russia.It's worth pointing out, the ICC lacks any enforcement mechanism to compel Mongolia to act on the warrant.
14:52So, in other words, the ICC is just about as feckless as the United Nations.In other words, it issues warrants, but it can't enforce them.Despite this, Ukraine has called on Mongolia to arrest Putin, good luck with that,and hand him over to the ICC in the Hague, the Kremlin, knowing, well, frankly, full well,that these demands are little more than background noise, has shrugged off.any concerns about the visit. International Justice Senior Council at Human Rights Watch,Maria Aleneveni, criticized the government of Mongolia, stating, quote,Mongolia would be defying its international obligations as an ICC member if it allows
15:30Russian President Putin to visit without arresting him, end quote. At the invitation of theMongolian president, Putin's visit to Mongolia commemorates the 85th anniversary of the Mongolian andSoviet victory over Japanese forces at the Kalkenkongol River, and that was in the late 1930s.This event is of a great historical significance in Russia and Mongolia, symbolizing a periodof close military cooperation between the two nations.Now, Putin's visit to Mongolia is seen as a, well, a calculated move, testing the limitsof ICC enforcement and the willingness of member states to act on international warrants.The visit coincides with Putin's increase in isolation on the international.
16:12national stage due to the, of course, ongoing war in Ukraine. Despite this, Putin has continuedto engage in diplomacy with a small, select group of countries. His posse is, frankly, small. It'sprimarily made up of China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and India. They're the primary crew members.They're like the backup dancers. And they have been able to alleviate sanctions concerns andkeep his war machine ticking along. In the past month, Putin has visited North Koreaand Vietnam, solidifying Russia's relationship with those nations. And additionally, Putin traveled toChina twice in the past year, underscoring the importance of the Kremlin's alliance and,and reliance on Beijing in the face of Western sanctions. All right. Coming up in the back of the
17:01brief, Elon Musk stands firm, defying a Brazilian court order to block access to social mediaplatform X via his Starlink satellite service. I'll be right back.USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance.With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%.Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle.Restrictions apply.This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection featuring three perfumeintense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord paired with vanilla,
17:38each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir.sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic,sweet and romantic like a lingering touch, solar elixir,a radiant expression of joy, ultra-concentrated for amplified impact and lasting power.Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein.In today's back of the brief, continued legal drama for Elon Musk in Brazilas his satellite internet provider Starlink has taken a stand against a court orderdemanding the shutdown of his social media platform X.
18:14The company reports that they will not comply with the court orderuntil its bank accounts in the country are unfrozen.Now, the dispute occurred when Brazil's Supreme Court Justice, Alexander de Moresh,issued an order requiring all telecom providers in the countryto block access to X, and then we reported on that on the PDB.The order was based on the platform's failure to appoint a legal representative in Brazil,and that's a requirement under Brazilian.law to ensure companies can be held accountable. Starlink, which serves some 200,000 customers in
18:47Brazil, informed Brazil's telecom regulator, Anatole, of its decision not to comply with the courtorder until its accounts are unfrozen. The message was passed on to Brazil's top court as a directchallenge to the judicial order. The issue of the frozen accounts is further complicatedby a separate legal matter involving X. The platform has been embroiled in a legal,dispute over its failure to turn over certain documents required by the court. This failure led to theimposition of fines, which X has yet to pay, further straining the already fraught relationshipbetween Musk's enterprises and Brazilian authorities. A five-member court panel is scheduled toreview Justice Mauritius' ruling. Now legal experts consulted by Reuters suggest that the panel
19:34will likely uphold the original decision and potentially intensifying the standoff,between Musk's companies and the Brazilian authorities. Now, if you're wondering why the BrazilMusk scrap is newsworthy, in part, well, in part, there's a much bigger issue at play here.And that is the ability of a government and its judiciary to shut down an open free speech platformunder the guise of protecting its citizens from disinformation and what they deem to be harmfulcontent. So, I suppose if you're comfortable with your government telling you what you can andcan't read or see, then perhaps the story isn't newsworthy from your perspective. And that, my friends,is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, 3 September. If you have any questions or comments,
20:27please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And don't forget, the PDB is available on allpodcast platforms, and of course, the behemoth, that is our YouTube channel. Please check this out,and that is at President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with thePDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, well, hopefully you know the drill. Stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much.Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premiumthem wireless for just $15 a month.Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird.
21:24Okay, one judgment.Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch.Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required.Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available.Taxes and fees extra.See full terms at mintmobile.com.
There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click any sentence in the transcript to leave one.