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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 22nd, 2025: Who Is Pro-Palestine Activist Who Killed 2 Israelis In DC? & UK Suspends Trade Talks, Sanctions Israel Over Gaza Campaign
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Mike Slater
My name is Mike Slater. I have a podcast called Politics by Faith. I was just talking to a friend of mine who said he hasn't been able to follow the news lately. It's been too much. It's too crazy. It's driving him crazy and he's just checked out. If you feel that way sometimes too, I think you'll really like our podcast Politics by Faith. We take the main story of the day and we run it through the Bible. What does the Bible say about this? It's amazing, but it's all there. And then God tells us what to do. We don't even have to figure it out. The answers are right there. He gives us the answers. Politics by Faith. Please join us over there. You can listen to it wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. Politics by faith.
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Mike Baker
It's Thursday, the 22nd of May. 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, two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed in an anti Semitic attack in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night. The shooter is an alleged far left activist who shouted Free Palestine and I did it for Gaza while being arrested. We'll have those details later in the show. The British government has suspended free trade talks with Israel and issued a wave of sanctions against Israeli settlers in the west bank after promising to take, quote, concrete actions if leaders in Jerusalem did not end their expanded military campaign in Gaza. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We begin with news out of Washington, D.C. where two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed by a gunman Wednesday night in who later yelled Free Palestine while being arrested. The two slain staffers were identified by Israel's Ministry of Foreign affairs as Jerome Leschinsky and Sarah Milgram, a couple that were soon to be engaged. They were attending an event for young professionals at the Capitol Jewish Museum hosted by the American Jewish Committee on Wednesday evening in the heart of Washington, DC. Now as authorities report, they say that around 9pm while standing outside the museum, the gunman approached the couple and opened fire, killing both. That's according to a report from the Jerusalem Post. The shooter has been identified as 30 year old Chicago native Elias Rodriguez, a far left activist and alleged member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. That's a Marxist pro Palestinian group that has an anti genocide pledge posted to their social media pages. Rodriguez reportedly stood inside the museum and pretended to be a witness after the shootings before claiming responsibility for the targeted attack. After police arrived on the scene as he was being handcuffed, bystanders said he shouted, quote, free Palestine and quote, I did it for Gaza while holding a Hamas style red keffiyeh headscarf. In a statement, the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. said quote, Jeron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. This evening a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capitol Jewish Museum in D.C. the entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss, end quote. Israel's ambassador to the U. S. Said Jeron had just purchased a ring earlier this week and was preparing to propose to Sarah next week in Jerusalem. He added, quote, they were in the prime of their lives. They were a beautiful couple who just came to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement saying, quote, my heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman whose lives were suddenly cut short by a vile anti Semitic murderer. The event, hosted by the American Jewish Committee, was attended by roughly 50 people and was reportedly organized to discuss how multi faith organizations could partner in to bring humanitarian aid into Gaza. The shooting, which took place in Capitol Hill, has obviously left the Jewish community shaken and comes amid the backdrop of ongoing violent anti Semitic uprisings taking place on American college campuses. U.S. attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters Wednesday night, quote, we'll be doing everything in our power to keep all citizens safe, especially tonight, our Jewish community. President Trump also offered his condolences to the families of the young couple and saying, quote, these horrible D.C. killings based obviously on antisemitism must end now. Hatred and radicalism have no place in the usa. So what else do we know about the shooter? Well, Rodriguez is alleged to have a long history of far left activism, reportedly participating in various marches over the years with groups like Black Lives Matter, the People's Congress of Resistance and Answer Chicago. That's a group that has organized numerous pro Palestine marches. According to the Jerusalem Post, Rodriguez made a political donation to the campaign of former President Joe Biden in 2020. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, he previously worked as an oral history researcher with the History Makers. That's a nonprofit that describes itself as a, quote, digital repository for the black experience. A biography of him on their website has since been taken down. Now, as I mentioned, he was also allegedly a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the psl. It's a group that advocates revolution against capitalistic systems. We should note, however, that representatives for the party for Socialism and Liberation said that Rodriguez was not an active member of the group, saying he only had a, quote, brief association with one branch that ended in 2017. In a statement, the group said, quote, we reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the D.C. shooting. We know of no contact with him in over seven years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it, end quote. Now, by early Thursday morning, authorities had surrounded the shooter's home address in Chicago, and Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, said the shooting had the full attention of the bureau. Bongino later said, quote, targeted attacks of anti Semitic violence are typically carried out by spineless, gutless cowards and the penalties will be harsh as we tighten up this investigation and run down any additional leads, end quote. Coming up next, the British government suspends free trade talks with Israel and issues a wave of sanctions against settlers in the west bank over Israel's expanded military campaign in Gaza. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk about your financial health. I know that's, that's everyone's favorite subject, isn't it? But it is important. Now look, when your credit isn't perfect, it can, well, it can really feel like the system is stacked against you. But there's a company out there waiting to help, and that company is Kickoff. That's Kickoff without the C. So K I K O F F Kickoff gives you the smartest tools to build real credit fast with transparent, affordable plans starting at just get this $5 per month, no hidden fees and zero interest. Kickoff helps you score big when it comes to credit. And it's simple you make on time payments. Credit bureaus see the good behavior and your credit can grow fast. 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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. UK Israeli relations now have plunged to their lowest level in decades. After British Foreign Secretary David Lammy suspended negotiations over a new free trade deal, escalating pressure over Jerusalem's renewed military offensive in Gaza and restrictions on aid, Lamy announced the suspension of negotiations and citing what he called, quote, egregious policies by the Netanyahu government. As part of the measures, the UK sanctioned three individuals, two so called settler outposts in the west bank, and two organizations accused of inciting violence against Palestinians. The Foreign Secretary said, quote, blocking aid, expanding the war. This is indefensible and it must stop. Adding that history will be Jerusalem's judge. Lammy also summoned the UK's Israeli ambassador to the Foreign Office, where UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer condemned Israel's blockade as cruel and indefensible. Israel fired back. A Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed the sanctions as unjustified and regrettable, brushing off the trade freeze by claiming negotiations weren't progressing anyway. Across the channel, European Commission officials said that they were reviewing the EU's trade agreement with Israel in response to the spiraling humanitarian toll. EU foreign policy chief Gajik Hollis said a majority of member states backed sending a message, though she declined to offer specifics on enforcement or timing. The UK sanctions and diplomatic pressure came just a day after a joint warning from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who vowed, quote, concrete actions if Israel didn't ease aid restrictions or rein in its offensive. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the joint criticism, calling it, quote, a huge prize for Hamas in the uk. Lamy faced mounting calls in the House of Commons to go further. Some lawmakers urged recognition of a Palestinian state and stronger economic measures, while a handful demanded that he label Israel's military campaign a, quote, genocide. Lammy instead described the actions as, quote, monstrous and driven by extremism. Starmer, meanwhile, said, quote, we cannot allow the people of Gaza to starve. He reiterated his call for a ceasefire, framing it as the only viable route to securing the release of hostages still being held captive by Hamas. He also slammed Israel's humanitarian efforts as, quote, utterly inadequate. As we've discussed this week on the pdb, Israel allowed a small convoy of food and supplies to enter Gaza, but the UN humanitarian chief described the shipment as a, quote, drop in the ocean of what is needed. Israeli officials said dozens more aid trucks have since entered the enclave. Macron, meanwhile, indicated that recognizing a Palestinian state is no longer taboo and suggested Paris may revisit its cooperation agreements with Israel. France and Saudi Arabia are expected to co host an international summit on the two state solution in June. While much of Europe ramps up pressure, the US has held back, but US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee lashed out Tuesday, calling UK and French criticism, quote, hypocritical and historically tone deaf. He told an Israeli radio station, quote, these are countries who were attacked by the Nazis. They didn't settle for a draw. They bombed the heck out of Germany. That's what ended the war, end quote. Referencing, of course, Israel's military campaign. Huckabee warned that pushing Israel to halt the war prematurely would let Hamas, quote, claim they won, accusing London and Paris of emboldening the terrorist group while failing to demand the complete dismantling of its operations. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Thursday 22 May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com to listen to the show ad free. Well, you know what to do. I suspect Become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com and when you get a break in your busy schedule, do take a minute to check out our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief. It's chock full of informative stuff. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey Mike Baker here. I want to take just a few seconds to tell you about a great home fitness company. Of course I'm talking about Jacked Up Fitness. Jacked Up Fitness makes amazing gym equipment for home use, making it easier than ever to be consistent with your strength training workouts. And of course strength training is key to your overall fitness. 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