The President's Daily Brief - August 26th, 2024: ISIS Strikes Germany, Ukraine Retakes Territory, & Telegram CEO Arrested

Episode Date: August 26, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: We begin in Germany, where the nation is reeling after a terror attack at a festival in Solingen. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the rampage that left three dead and eight wounded. We'll bring you all the details. As Ukraine continues its incursion into Russia, Kyiv’s forces have now launched a counterattack in eastern Ukraine, reportedly recapturing territory that has been under Russian control since spring. Plus, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire this weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is now vowing more "surprising blows" against the Iran-backed terrorist group. In today’s Back of the Brief: Major news from the world of social media. Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, was reportedly detained by French authorities on Saturday evening. 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. Email: [e-mail] 🏅 Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gold Group. Protect your retirement assets and protect your future. Speak with the experts at Patriot Gold. Now, in case you haven't heard, they've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Monday, 26 August. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

Let's get briefed. We'll start in Germany, where the nation is reeling after a terror attack at a festival in Solingen. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the rampage that left three dead and eight wounded. We'll have the details. Later in the brief, as Ukraine continues their incursion into Russia, Keeves' forces have now launched a counterattack in eastern Ukraine, reportedly recapturing territory that has been under Russian control, since spring. Plus, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire this weekend. Israeli Prime Minister

MinutNiahu is now vowing more, quote, surprising blows against the Iran-backed terror group. And in today's back of the brief, major news from the world of social media, Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and CEO of the popular messaging app, Telegram, was reportedly detained by French authorities on Saturday evening. But first, today's PDB spotlight. Police in Germany have now arrested three individuals in connection with a terrorist attack that took place in the city of Solingen. The attack occurred at around 9.30 p.m. on Friday at the so-called Festival of Diversity, a three-day event marking the 650th anniversary of the city's founding, because, of course, the city was founded on diversity.

According to eyewitnesses, a lone attacker began indiscriminately stabbing people in the crowd with a knife. Three people were killed in the attack, including two men aged 67 and 56, and a woman aged 56. Eight others were injured, including four with life-threatening injuries. The attack kicked off a widespread manhunt for the suspect. According to German police, a 26-year-old Syrian asylum seeker turned himself into police around 24 hours after the attack. claiming responsibility for the incident. North Rhine Westphalia's interior minister, Herbert Ruhl, told the media that the man was affiliated with a home for refugees that had been searched earlier in the day.

Prosecutors said the man, identified as Issa al-H, carried out the attack, quote, due to his radical Islamic convictions and tried to kill as many people as possible, whom he considered to be non-believers, stabbing them repeatedly in the neck and upper body. police have detained two other individuals in connection with the attack, including a teenager who reportedly was aware of the attack before it was carried out. Now, not long after the attack, the Islamic State claimed responsibility. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that as a, quote, soldier of the Islamic State, he carried out the assaults Friday night, quote, to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere, end quote. It's worth noting that the

Islamic State's claim couldn't immediately be verified, and the group provided no evidence. Now, that wasn't the only noteworthy terror incident in Europe this weekend. On Saturday, police arrested a man suspected of setting fires and causing an explosion at a synagogue in France, and what officials suspect was a terror attack. We suspect it. What could be a clue? The attack targeted the synagogue, oh, there it is, of La Grande Malt, a popular seaside resort town along the southern French coast, some 90 miles west of Marseille. The prosecutor's office said two cars were set on fire on the grounds of the synagogue, one of which contained a gas bottle causing an explosion. One police officer was injured. Reportedly, the synagogue was nearly empty at the time. There were just

five people inside, including the rabbi, none of whom were injured. The suspect in the arson attack was tracked down by police a few hours later in the nearby city of Niem. After a brief gunfight, in which he was wounded, he was taken into custody. According to French prosecutors, two people associated with the suspect were also detained. Now, the suspect has not yet been identified, but CCTV footage of the incident showed the perpetrator wearing a Kefya, a traditional Arab headdress, as well as a Palestinian flag around his waist. Well, that's shocking. Anti-Semitic incidents in France have tripled over the last year amid a record surge in hate crimes targeting Jews, and that's according to the nation's outgoing Interior Minister.

In the first half of 2024, 887 such incidents were recorded, almost triple the 304 recorded in the same period last year. All right, coming up next. A new Ukraine counteroffensive is making gains in eastern Ukraine, reclaiming territory that has been under Russian control since spring. Plus, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged heavy fire over the weekend, with Prime Minister Netanyahu promising that more attacks are on the way. We'll have those stories when we come back.

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Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. Welcome back to the PDB. Turning now to the war in Ukraine and Russia, where Kyiv is claiming that its forces have launched a successful counterattack in Kharkiv, advancing into Russian-controlled territory. On 22 August, the third separate assault brigade reported a successful counteroffensive in

Kharkiv, capturing about three-quarters of a square mile of enemy-held territory. A video released by the brigade on 22 August showcased what they described as, quote, the offensive in full swing, marking the first visual evidence of their operations in the eastern region. Now, although the timing, scale, and precise location of the attack remain unverified, the brigade is claiming substantial success, eliminating roughly 300 Russian soldiers over four days. Ukrainian forces also reportedly seized control of a battalion defense area and several Russian strongholds. These gains are particularly noteworthy, given the numerical disadvantage that the Ukrainian troops encountered. According to Beletskaya, the ratio of forces on the battlefield

was two and a half to one in favor of the Russians. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continued their cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk region, utilizing U.S. provided high-precision glide bombs. Ukrainian forces report that they struck a Russian platoon base using U.S. supplied weapons, releasing a video that showed multiple explosions and smoke rising from the site. Ukraine's recent successes have also been bolstered by the arrival of delayed U.S. military aid, which has provided a critical boost to Keeves' capabilities. Now, this new momentum has led to intensified Ukrainian attacks, including a drone campaign targeting military and fuel installations deep within Russia, satellite images, analyzed by the Associated Press on Friday, revealed significant damage to an airbase

in Russia's Volgaard region, which reportedly housed similar glide bombs used by Moscow in the war. On Friday, President Biden announced he had a conversation with Ukrainian President Zelensky, during which he reportedly reaffirmed, quote, America's unwavering support for the people of Ukraine. Biden also revealed a new military aid package for Ukraine, which includes air defense missiles, counterdron systems, anti-armor missiles, and mobile rocket systems. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby stated that U.S. officials have been in almost daily communication with their Ukrainian counterparts, and there have been no recent adjustments to the guidance regarding the use of U.S. weapons in the Kursk offensive.

Ukraine's incursion into Russia has exposed weaknesses in Russian defenses, but has also stretched Ukrainian forces thin. The Russian defense ministry reported to turning back Ukrainian attempts to advance in specific villages within the Kersk region, reflecting the contested nature of the territory. This, combined with the increased Russian use of aircraft and other weaponry in response to Ukrainian gains, well, it simply underscores the uncertainty regarding how long Ukraine can hold the land that it's seized in Russia. Now, if you want to go deeper on this issue, this past weekend, our PDB situation report

included interviews with George Barros from the Institute for the Study of War, as well as Konstantin Somanov, who runs the insightful YouTube program inside Russia, both provided unique insight into the Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory. You can find this situation report on our YouTube channel, at President's Daily Brief, and of course, on all podcast platforms. Okay, shifting focus now to the Middle East. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, announced that it has completed its, quote,

first phase of a retaliatory attack on Israel, in response to the killing of its commander in Beirut last month. On Sunday, Hezbollah fired over 320 Katusha rockets at nearly a dozen Israeli military bases in barracks, targeting key locations such as an intelligence base near Tel Aviv and sites in the Golan Heights. Israel denied that its intelligence facility was hit and there was no immediate independent confirmation of the damage claimed by Hezbollah.

The Israeli military reported that one of its naval personnel was killed and two others were wounded, but added that targeted areas saw minor damage. Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, hinted that the group might hold off on further attacks for the time being and announced it finished the first phase of its response to Israel, killing their senior commander in a July air strike. Hezbollah added that they reserved the right to respond again later if necessary. Nasrallah reassured the Lebanese public that the country could, quote, take a breath and relax for now, despite the border area being declared a military zone.

The attacks by Hezbollah followed the Israeli defense forces launching preemptive strikes against Hezbollah to thwart a larger attack on Sunday. Now, the IDF destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at northern Israel. They shot down drones targeting central parts of the country and deployed over 100 Air Force jets to target over 40 launch areas. Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported three for 10th, maladies, while Hezbollah has confirmed the deaths of two of its fighters. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a stern warning, stating that the conflict was, quote, not the end of the story, signaling that Israel could take further action if provoked. Israel's defense minister, Yov Ghalad, declared a nationwide, quote, special situation for 48 hours.

Meanwhile, Iran, which, of course, has significant influence over Hezbollah, played a more subdued role in this latest round of attacks. While Iranian state media praised Hezbollah's actions, there was no immediate official response from Tehran. As a situation stands, the focus remains on the ongoing ceasefire talks in Cairo, where U.S., Israeli, and Egyptian officials are involved in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The talks, which includes CIA director William Burns and Israel's Mossad chief, David Barnia, focus on not only a truce, but also the release of hostages held by Hamas. All right. Coming up in the back of the brief, the debate over free speech and security heats up in

Europe as French authorities arrest Pavel Duraov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service, Telegram. We'll have more on that after the break. If you're a QuickBooks customer looking to grow your business without the growing pains, you need the Intuit ERP. upgrade to Intuit Enterprise Suite in a matter of hours. It's the AI-native ERP from the makers of QuickBooks. Learn more at Intuit.com slash ERP. Some follow the noise.

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Subscribe now at Bloomberg.com. In today's back of the brief, Russian-born tech billionaire Pavel Duroff, founder of the messaging platform, Telegram, was detained in France on Saturday evening, raising concerns, of course, about free speech in the digital age. Durov's detention is reportedly linked

to alleged offenses concerning the social media app's content moderation practices. Once hailed as the Russian Mark Zuckerberg, Durav fell out of favor with the Kremlin in 2014, after refusing to comply with demands to hand over the personal data of Ukrainian opposition groups during the Miden protests. A dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates and France, Durav was arrested at Paris's Le Bourget Airport on an allegation that Telegram failed to moderate content related to child exploitation, cyber scams, and organized crime.

The Russian embassy in Paris reacted strongly to D'Urov's arrest, demanding consular access, and criticizing French authorities for not cooperating. In a statement posted on telegram, the embassy accused the French government of avoiding collaboration and failing to protect D'Urov's rights. Well, that's rich. A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that a diplomatic note had been sent to France insisting that D'Urov's French citizenship should not override his Russian nationality, and demanding access to the detained tech mogul.

The Russian embassy stated, quote, the French government needs to be reminded that the Kremlin takes the rule of law, civil liberties, and freedom of speech very seriously. End quote. All right, I, fine. That quote was entirely made up. The Kremlin, you know, they don't care about any of those things.

But it is entertaining to see them indignant about behaviors that they engage in constantly. In response to the situation, Telegram issued a statement defending its practices. The company asserts that it abides by all applicable laws within the European Union and that its content moderation policies align with industry standards. The company also dismissed the allegations against him and the platform as absurd. The situation has drawn attention in the U.S. where Elon Musk, the owner of X, commented on Duraub's detention as a warning about the erosion of free speech in Europe. Additionally, a media personality,

Carlson noted the irony of Dharov's arrest by a Western country rather than by the Russian government from which he fled nearly a decade ago. Telegram has maintained that it actively combats illegal content on its platform through proactive monitoring and user reports. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief from Monday, 26 August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at thefirsttv.com. Now, as all the cool kids know, to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB Premium.com. And I hope you did have a chance to catch our latest episode this weekend of our PDB Situation Report. People with real insight and a keen eye for quality have described

the Situation Report as TV Gold. Catch it on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief and, of course, wherever you get your podcast stuff. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.