Welcome to the PDB Situation Report. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right. Let's get briefed.

First up, China is escalating tensions with Washington, oh really, by slapping travel bans on a U.S. Commerce Department employee and a Wells

Fargo executive, both of them U.S. citizens, barring them from leaving China. We'll break down

what's happening and what's behind these

provocative moves with Stephen Yates from the Heritage Foundation. Later in the show, there's a

slaughter in Syria. Government forces under the nation's interim president, Al Jolani, or aka Al-Sharah,

as he likes to call himself these days, have been accused of carrying out mass murder,

targeting that nation's Dru's population.

Israeli-Drews politician and journalist Gadir Marie joins us with her insights on the atrocities.

But first, today's PDB spotlight.

China is escalating its pressure on Washington, imposing exit bans on two Americans, a U.S. Commerce

Department employee, and a Wells Fargo banker, preventing both from leaving the country.

According to a State Department spokesperson, the Commerce employee and the U.S. citizen,

working for the Patent and Trademark Office, has been detained since mid-April.

Chinese authorities seized his passport, his cell phone,

and personal belongings during a visit to the city of Chengdu. U.S. officials say they're closely

monitoring the situation, well, that's nice, and have engaged with Beijing in hopes of a swift

resolution. Well, he's been detained since mid-April. Okay, But is this a warning shot from China or a sign of something bigger?

Joining me now is friend of the show Stephen Yates,

a senior research fellow for China and national security policy at the Heritage Foundation.

He served in the White House as deputy assistant to the vice president for national security,

and he's a very good friend of the show.

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