PDB Afternoon Bulletin | June 5th, 2025: Trump's Sweeping New Travel Ban & Israel Arms Militia Challenging Hamas Rule
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It's Thursday, the 5th of June. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, in his latest immigration crackdown, President Trump signs a proclamation banning the citizens of 12 countries from traveling to the U.S., citing grave national security threats.

Later in the show, Israel is reportedly arming the new militia openly challenging Hamas's dominance in southern Gaza in a bid to further erode Hamas's hold over the enclave. Because, well, things in Gaza apparently weren't difficult enough as is. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

In a return to a defining immigration policy from his first term, President Trump issued a sweeping proclamation on Wednesday banning travel from a dozen countries that the White House argues pose major national security risks to the U.S. The travel ban proclamation applies to 12 countries largely from the Middle East and Africa and also introduces more limited travel restrictions on seven other nations.

As of Monday, the 9th of June, all citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar , Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, and Haiti

will be completely barred from entering the U.S. Meanwhile, citizens from Venezuela, Cuba, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Turkmenistan will be barred from permanently immigrating to the U.S. They'll also be blocked from applying for tourist or student visas, though they'll still be eligible for other temporary visas, such as H-1B temporary work visas. That's according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

Critically, the new order states that any visas issued before the 9th of June will not be revoked, meaning those already in the U.S. from the affected countries can stay. But officials warn that if they travel outside the U.S. following the order's implementation, they risk getting stuck abroad. The travel ban also has a carve-out for any nationals of the affected countries who currently hold green cards and anyone traveling to the U.S. for upcoming sporting events such as the 2026 World Cup.

The White House offered a number of justifications for the sweeping bans and restrictions, arguing the identified countries lack sufficient vetting and screening processes needed to detect foreign nationals who may pose safety or terrorism threats to the U.S. In compiling the list, the administration also weighed a country's information-sharing policies, visa overstay rates, whether citizens who are sent back are readily accepted, and the harboring of known terrorist groups.

Ultimately, President Trump said it was a matter of national security. In a statement on Wednesday, Trump said, quote, we will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, adding, quote, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the U.S.,

The ban had reportedly been under consideration for some time. Trump noted that on his first day back in office, he ordered the State Department to perform a security review of "high-risk regions" and make recommendations on potential travel restrictions. The terror attack on a crowd of peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators in Colorado on Sunday reportedly prompted Trump to fast-track the decision.

Most of the impacted countries have remained quiet on the new bans and restrictions, though officials in Somalia immediately pledged to work with the US to address any security issues. Allies of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, however, were none too pleased with the restrictions, lashing out by calling the US government a "fascist state". Maduro and his allies, as with any good fascists, have no sense of irony or self-awareness.

Venezuela's Interior Minister warns citizens to avoid travel to the US, calling it a big risk and accusing the Trump administration of "baseless persecution".

Predictably, Democratic lawmakers were quick to clutch their pearls over Trump's new proclamation, accusing the Trump administration of pursuing immigration policies rooted in, quote, bigotry and hatred. President Trump issued similar travel restrictions during his first term that banned citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations. It set off a firestorm of controversy and legal challenges at the time, but was eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.

But former President Biden repealed that ban in 2021, which, among others, it involved Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, calling it a, quote, stain on our national conscience. Coming up next, Israel is reportedly arming the new militia that's challenging Hamas's hold over southern Gaza. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. The emergence of a Klan-backed militia in southern Gaza just became more complicated, as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu approved arming the group in a move that bypassed his security cabinet. According to Israeli defense sources, Netanyahu gave the green light for security forces to supply weapons, some of them seized from Hamas, to fighters loyal to Yasser Abu Shabab.

His faction, known as the Popular Forces, operates out of Rafah, in territory that's under Israeli military control, and has been described, the group has been described by some as a security outfit and by others, including Hamas, as a criminal gang. The move had been kept under wraps until Israel's military censor cleared it for publication, and its implications go far beyond tactics.

What's unfolding is the quiet establishment of a rival power base, one Jerusalem is betting can outmaneuver, outgun, and outlast Hamas. As we reported in Wednesday's Afternoon Bulletin, Abu Shabab's fighters declared that East Rafah had been, quote, cleansed of Hamas and was now under their control. His men appear in full uniform, bearing Palestinian flag patches and counterterrorism unit insignias,

and are urging residents to return home with promises of food and protection. Netanyahu's decision to arm the group underscores a broader strategy: to cultivate post-Hamas alternatives in Gaza that can deliver basic security and aid where Hamas has failed or obstructed. But the effort hasn't gone unnoticed.

Hamas has accused Abu Shabab of looting aid convoys and before the revelation of arming the group had hinted that he was working with Israel. That's an accusation that now seems less like paranoia and more like a glimpse of what's to come.

Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, GHF, that's a joint U.S. and Israeli-backed group that delivers aid directly to civilians, has resumed operations after a brief pause to address security concerns. Aid is now being distributed from a new site after the closure of the old hub near the so-called Swedish village on the enclave's southern coast.

The reopening follows a media firestorm sparked by reports sourced exclusively to Hamas' health ministry. As we've been tracking this week, the media claims the IDF massacred Palestinians attempting to reach aid. There was no video and no corroboration outside of Hamas' sources. GHF said it never happened. Surveillance footage, well, backed them up.

But by then, well, the Western headlines had already taken on a life of their own, as they tend to. Dozens dead, hundreds wounded, and another alleged Israeli atrocity. What GHF represents is something that Hamas fears, not just aid, but a working model that cuts them out of the equation entirely. The food comes with no humiliation, no party loyalty, and no oversight from Gaza's ruling faction. That's what makes it dangerous to the Iranian-backed terror group.

The same is true of the popular forces, the militia. Both the GHF and this emergent militia have begun to undercut Hamas's narrative of indispensability. Now, whether the idea of arming the militia in an effort to push Hamas aside is sound long-term strategy, or whether they'll just be creating another problem that will need to be dealt with down the road, that's anyone's guess.

But just when you thought that the Israeli-Khomas conflict couldn't get any more complicated, well, it's gotten more complicated.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday, the 5th of June. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And of course, to listen to the show ad-free, you can do that, you know. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. Also, remember, take a minute out of your busy day, if you get a chance, to check out our YouTube channel. You can find that at President's Daily Brief.

I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.