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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | August 5th, 2025: Netanyahu Reveals Gaza Takeover Plan & DOJ Launches Grand Jury Probe Over 'Russiagate'
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Mike Baker
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Unknown
Foreign.
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Mike Baker
It's Tuesday, the 5th of August. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has reportedly decided on an extremely controversial plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip in a bid to free the remaining hostages and deal a final death blow to Hamas. Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that much of the international community will not be thrilled with this plan. We'll have the details later in the show. The Russia scandal intensifies, which, frankly, is what all good scandals do. On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into an alleged criminal conspiracy by members of the former Obama administration to undermine Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has reportedly decided on a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip and expand military operations into areas where hostages are likely still being held. But the plan to essentially annex large swaths of the battered enclave has left a security cabinet and leaders of the Israel Defense Forces, the idf, divided. Obviously complicating internal deliberations. Netanyahu informed government ministers of his proposal on Monday, and the plans subsequently began leaking to the media. According to sources that spoke with the Times of Israel, the prime minister's goal is to, quote, expand the military action to occupy the entirety of Gaza. But other sources said leaders in Jerusalem were hardly united behind the extremely controversial proposal. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar are reportedly among the cabinet members who are skeptical over whether the plan is feasible and have expressed concern that it could lead to further isolation of Israel. The IDF chief of staff is said to have been more blunt in his opposition, arguing it would risk the lives of the hostages and IDF troops and and create a serious logistical problem for the military, particularly as to where to house the roughly 1 million civilians who are now in Gaza City. But despite the pushback from the IDF and members of his cabinet, a senior official close to Netanyahu said, quote, the die is cast. We are going for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip, end quote. Underscoring the deepening divide between the political echelon and the military, the official added, quote, there will be operations even in areas where hostages are being held. If the Chief of Staff doesn't agree, he should resign, end quote. Netanyahu convened a critical meeting of defense officials Tuesday night to discuss the military plans. And despite his alleged doubts, Defense Minister Katz promised to, quote, professionally implement whatever the government ultimately decides. The Prime Minister will then convene a meeting of a security cabinet to seek formal approval for the occupation. That's according to a report from the Washington Post. Now, the reality is, as it currently stands, the IDF already controls roughly 75% of the Gaza Strip. But under the new proposal, the military would move into the remaining territory, including areas where they've never operated since the war began. This is where the major controversy lies. Since the war began, following Hamas's brutal seventh October attacks, the IDF has mostly refrained from operating where Israeli intelligence indicates hostages are being held. Netanyahu believes that by surrounding the areas in Gaza where the remaining hostages are located, the IDF can conduct targeted raids to rescue those captives. But freed hostages have said that their captors are under orders to execute the remaining hostages if they think Israeli troops are approaching. IDF leadership, along with the families of the hostages, oppose any actions that could endanger the lives of the hostages, arguing a negotiated ceasefire is the only viable way to bring them home alive. As a reminder, there are still 50 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, though Israel believes roughly half are deceased. Additionally, the IDF has reportedly expressed concerns over the risk to troops, assessing that it will likely take years to clear all of Hamas's fighters and infrastructure in the enclave, both in, above and below ground. But as we've been tracking here on the pdb, Netanyahu is caught in a extremely difficult position. He's long been under immense pressure from far right members of his governing coalition to unleash the full might of the Israeli military across Gaza. And ceasefire talks with Hamas, well, they've completely collapsed as Hamas has repeatedly scuttled negotiations. Hamas issued a statement over the weekend saying they'll not disarm unless a fully independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital is established. Now, that's an extreme demand that has essentially shut down any hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough, leaving Netanyahu with few options, frankly, outside of continued military operations. The White House has not yet commented on Netanyahu's proposal, but the Prime Minister intimated last week that he has the blessing of the Trump administration to proceed as he sees fit. Leaked comments made by the US Envoy Steve Witkoff to Israeli hostage families over the weekend to suggest a shift in tone from the White House. He told the families that the U S Backed ceasefire proposal had failed and that President Trump now believes in a, quote, all or nothing strategy, adding there would be no more, quote, piecemeal deals. Some observers are speculating as to whether Netanyahu's plan is an attempt at an extreme brinkmanship. But senior Israeli military officials have expressed deep pessimism about the prospects for a comprehensive negotiated deal at this late stage. All right, up next, Attorney General Pam Bondi directs federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into an alleged criminal conspiracy to undermine Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk about protecting your hard earned assets. Now, I suspect you've probably noticed that there's a little turmoil out there in the economy currently. You got trade wars. You got a Federal Reserve in the US that seems a bit at odds with the White House. You've got uncertainty over employment numbers. You've got a volatile stock market. Well, you get the picture. Now, it's at times like these when it's important to think about your assets and how to protect them. And one way to do that is through diversification. So I'm here to suggest that you consider diversifying with gold from the Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metals specialists. For decades, gold has been viewed as a safe haven during times of economic stagnation or high inflation or just global uncertainty. And Birch Gold makes it incredibly easy for you to diversify some of your savings into gold. If you have an IRA or maybe an old 401k, you can convert that into a tax sheltered IRA in physical gold. Or like a lot of folks, you can just buy gold and store it safely at home. First, you want to get yourself educated. Now, Birchgold will send you a free information kit on gold. Just text PDB to the number 989898. Again, text PDB to 989898. Consider diversifying a portion of your savings into gold. Give them a call and check out PDB at 989-898. Mike Baker here. Now, I suspect you already know this, but we are officially deep into the dog days of summer when it's, well, frankly, it's too hot to think. It's oftentimes too hot to just hang outside. And you know what, though? It's never too hot, never too hot to grill. See what I did there? That's considered a smooth segue. And Tritails beef is here to help you push through the heat of summer with a freezer full of amazing tasting pasture raised Black Angus beef. Head over to tribe.com PDB to see what I'm talking about. Look, Tritails is a terrific fifth generation family run Texas ranch and they're all about delivering amazing tasting beef straight from their ranch to your home. It's that simple. Order now and get two free flatiron steaks. It's real beef, real ranchers. There's no middlemen. Go to tribe.com PDB.
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Piers Morgan
I'm Piers Morgan, the host of the Piers Morgan Uncensored podcast. We do big interviews and we do big debates about whatever's getting people talking. We make news, we make noise, and we make a little bit of trouble too. Come and see what all the fuss is about. You can listen to Piers Morgan uncensored on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Caitlin Becker
Hey, I'm Caitlin Becker, the host of the New York Post Cast and I've got exactly what you need to start your weekdays. Every morning I'll bring you the stories that matter, plus the news. People actually talk about the juicy details in the worlds of the politics, business, pop culture and everything in between. It's what you want from the New York Post wrapped up in one snappy show. Ask your smart speaker to play the NY Postcast podcast. Listen and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Mike Baker
Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. The Russiagate conspiracy is back in the headlines, although I'm, I'm not sure if it ever left. This time it's back in the headlines with subpoenas. Attorney General Pam Bondi boarded a grand jury investigation this week into what federal officials are now describing as a criminal conspiracy against Donald Trump during the 2016 election. The probe follows a criminal referral from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who last month declassified intelligence materials suggesting that the then Obama administration knowingly advanced a false narrative to delegitimize Trump's then bid for the presidency. As part of the investigation, Bondi has instructed a federal prosecutor whose identity has not been made public to begin presenting evidence to a grand jury. That's a step that Justice Department officials say could result in criminal indictments. In a statement, the DOJ said Bondi believes that there is, quote, a clear cause for deep concern and confirmed that the referral is is being treated with the utmost seriousness. While no charges have been filed against any potential defendants, the DOJ's decision to proceed marks a sharp escalation in the long running controversy over the Trump Russia collusion claims. The referral itself, reviewed exclusively by Fox News, includes a memorandum titled Intelligence Community Suppression of Intelligence showing Russian and criminal actors didn't impact the 2016 presidential election via cyber attacks on infrastructure, according to officials familiar with its contents. The memo alleges that the exculpatory intelligence was deliberately buried to bolster the narrative that Trump colluded with Moscow. At a recent press briefing, Gabbard directly accused former President Barack Obama and senior members of his national security team of orchestrating a post election intelligence assessment which she claims was later, quote, weaponized and to paint Trump as a Kremlin asset. She bluntly said, quote, the American people were sold a fabrication. According to the declassified documents, Obama directed his top aides in December 2016 after Trump secured an election victory to compile an intelligence report on Russian influence efforts. While the final assessment concluded that Moscow sought to sow distrust in American democratic institutions, which frankly, they've been doing for generations, it found no evidence that Russia altered the outcome of the election. Gabbard argued that those findings were later spun to create the illusion of collusion. Among those reportedly under federal scrutiny are former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. As we've discussed here on the pdb, DOJ sources confirmed that Brennan and Comey are subjects of an ongoing criminal investigation which could yield charges related to conspiracy or false statements. Brennan notably is also being investigated for allegedly lying to Congress. Although nearly a decade has passed since the events in question, DOJ officials note that conspiracy charges could still be brought under statutes that apply to coordinated, ongoing efforts. What's more, the grand jury probe draws new attention to a newly declassified annex to Special Counsel John Durham's report released by the Senate Judiciary Committee. That annex, which we covered last week on the PDB, reveals a July 2016 plan personally approved by Hillary Clinton to link Trump to Russia in a move that was intended to distract from her email scandal. The strategy, reportedly pitched by Clinton's then foreign policy advisor Julianne Smith, aimed to inject long term suspicion of Russian influence into American political discourse. Taken together, the grand jury probe, although in its early stages, marks a dramatic legal and political inflection point in what Trump allies have long characterized as a multi agency intelligence operation to discredit the 45th and now 47th president of the U.S. now, as I've said for years, Washington, D.C. is where investigations go to die. So I will be completely unsurprised and if all of this comes to nothing. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday 5th August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and if you get a free minute or two in your otherwise busy day, I hope you'll check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel. You can find that on YouTube at Presidents Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk online security and privacy. Now, it's a critically important issue, right? And it's one you need to take very seriously. So I want to tell you about a great business out there that's looking to protect you. It's called delete me. DeleteMe makes it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. There are data brokers out there buying and selling your private information, which of course can lead to identity theft, phishing attempts, and even harassment. 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