The President's Daily Brief
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
Thu, 22 May 2025
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed in a horrific antisemitic 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 the latest 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 “concrete actions” if leaders in Jerusalem did not end their expanded military campaign in Gaza. 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 President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Kikoff: Build credit fast and get your first month for just a dollar at https://GetKikoff.com/mike today. Thanks to Kikoff for sponsoring us! Jacked Up Fitness: Go to https://GetJackedUp.com and use code BAKER at checkout to save 10% off your entire purchase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What happened in the shooting of Israeli embassy staff in DC?
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.
Chapter 2: Who were the victims of the DC shooting?
We begin with news out of Washington, D.C., where two Israeli embassy staff members were shot and killed by a gunman Wednesday night who later yelled, free Palestine, while being arrested. The two slain staffers were identified by Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Yaron Lashinsky 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, D.C. Now, as authorities report, they say that around 9 p.m., 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.
Chapter 3: What are the details surrounding the shooter Elias Rodriguez?
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, "...Yaron 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."
Israel's ambassador to the U.S. said Yaron had just purchased a ring earlier this week and was preparing to propose to Sarah next week in Jerusalem. He added, "...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."
Chapter 4: How has the Israeli government responded to the attack?
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement saying, "...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 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, saying, quote, These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, 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.
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Chapter 5: What actions did the UK government take regarding Israel?
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.
Lamy 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, quote, 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 U.S. has held back. But U.S.
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee lashed out Tuesday, calling U.K. 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, the 22nd of May.
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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.
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