The President's Daily Brief - August 28th, 2024: Zelensky's Endgame, Israel's Underground Hostage Rescue, & Iran's Nuclear Future

Episode Date: August 28, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     Beginning in Eastern Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he plans on delivering a comprehensive proposal to end the war to President Joe Biden at an upcoming U.N. General Assembly meeting in September, vowing to press their attacks inside Russia to force Putin to the negotiating table. In a rare bit of good news out of Gaza, IDF forces successfully rescued an Israeli hostage taken by Hamas during the 7 October attacks, the first hostage to be reclaimed alive from inside Hamas’s tunnel network. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he is open to restarting negotiations with the US regarding Iran’s nuclear program, though he seems to be of two minds regarding the issue, also warning his countrymen not to place their trust in America. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, Lebanese users of the popular US-based online dating platform Tinder were recently treated to a special message allegedly from the U.S. military: Do not take up arms against the United States and its partners. 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

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It's Wednesday, 28 August. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. Beginning in Eastern Europe, Ukrainian President Zelensky says he plans on delivering a comprehensive proposal to end the war to President Biden at an upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in September, vowing to press their attacks inside Russia to force Putin to the negotiating table. Now, as an aside, there is no worst time of year to visit New York City than during General Assembly Week.

for the UN, avoid it at all costs. Later in the brief, in a rare bit of good news out of Gaza, IDF forces successfully rescued an Israeli hostage taken by Hamas during the 7 October attacks. That's the first hostage to be reclaimed alive from inside Hamas's tunnel network. Plus, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Hamini said he is open to restarting negotiations with the U.S. regarding Iran's nuclear program, though he does. seem to be of two minds regarding the issue, also at the same time warning his countrymen not to place their trust in America. And in today's back of the brief, it appears that the U.S. military is going to unusual lengths to deter attacks on U.S. personnel in the Middle East, recently

leveraging the popular dating app Tinder to flex America's military might. I know. I apologize in advance for putting this story on your radar screen. But first, today's spotlight. We'll begin with our coverage of the war in Eastern Europe, as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy signals that, after a number of recent battlefield successes, Keev is prepared to end the conflict with Russia from a position of strength. Well, yeah, typically you do need to negotiate from a position of strength if you want to obtain a favorable result.

Speaking to reporters at a forum on Tuesday, Zelensky said his military's incursion into Russia's Kursk region is part of their overall, quote, victory plan, and that he will present this comprehensive proposal to end the war to President Biden at an upcoming meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. That's according to an exclusive report from Reuters. Zelensky also intends to discuss the proposal with President Biden's two potential successors. Of course, that would be former President Trump and Vice President Harris. Now, rather mysteriously, Zelensky said the success of his proposal largely depends on the Biden administration,

end quote, whether we will be free to use this plan or not, end quote. Zolensky continued, quote, it may sound too ambitious for some, but it is an important plan for us. The main point of this plan is to force Russia to end the war, and I want that very much, end quote. While Zelensky did not elaborate on the details of his proposal, he acknowledged that any end to the war must eventually be reached through a diplomatic dialogue. He stressed, however, that Kiev would not allow the Putin regime to dictate terms to Ukraine in any settlement of the war, and that his forces would continue to up the military pressure on Moscow in the interim to force them to come to the negotiating table. Zelensky remarked, quote, there can be no compromises with Putin. Dialogue today is in principle empty and meaningless because he does not want to end the war diplomatically. Well, to be fair,

Zelensky isn't wrong. With that in mind, Ukraine is digging in their heels on the battlefield as they continue to press the fight inside Russian territory. Now, as you know, Ukraine launched an incursion into Kyrrhusk on 6 August, and they now control some 500 square miles of Russian territory. officials have stated that a key goal of the incursion was to strengthen the negotiating position for future talks, given that Russia already holds roughly 18% of Ukrainian territory, and that's largely in the east and south. While their gains inside Kursk have slowed, Ukraine has reinforced their position and are working to establish a buffer zone. On Tuesday, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military said that Russia has been forced to redeploy 30,000, troops from other sectors to reinforce the Kursk region, and that thus far Ukraine has managed

to capture 594 soldiers further strengthening their negotiating position. Okay, I'm not sure if it's my place to point out that Putin probably doesn't care what happens to his foot soldiers, so not really sure how much leverage additional POWs might represent. Kiv is also making rapid progress on the development of their own long-range weapons, which will allow them to bypass Western limits, restricting them from striking deep inside Russian territory. As we discussed on Monday, Zelensky recently unveiled a new long-range weapon made up of drone and missile components that has a suspected range of up to 430 miles. During his speech on Tuesday, Zelensky touted another major breakthrough, saying the military has successfully tested their first

first domestically produced ballistic missile, though further details were unavailable. Officials in Kiev have impressed allies to remove limits placed on Western-supplied munitions that currently restrict their use to targets just along the border. They've said that the success of the Kursk incursion exposed Putin's arbitrary red line says utterly meaningless, and that the dictator's threats should no longer be taken seriously by the West. Now, Speaking of threats, Russia is, once again, of course, rattling the nuclear saber, warning that the West risks triggering a world war if they allow Ukraine to launch long-range strikes into Russia with Western weapons.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday, quote, We are now confirming once again that playing with fire, and they are like small children playing with matches, is a very dangerous thing for grown-up uncles and aunts, who are entrusted with nuclear weapons in one or another western country. We should note that despite Ukraine's many successes since the start of August, Russia has remained focused on making further territorial gains

in Ukraine's eastern Dynetsk region, where they continue to advance on a critical logistics hub for Ukrainian troops. They also unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on 15 regions across Ukraine on Monday and Tuesday, hitting more than half the country in one of their largest attacks on Ukraine's power grid to date. The strikes hit multiple civilian targets, killing at least six people, injured dozens, and triggered widespread water outages and power cuts. All right, coming up after the break,

IDF forces successfully rescued an Israeli hostage taken by Hamas during the 7 October attacks, and that's the first hostage to be reclaimed alive from inside Hamas's tunnel. network. Plus, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali-Hamini, said he is open to restarting negotiations with the U.S. regarding Iran's nuclear program, though he does appear to be of two minds regarding the issue. We'll have those stories when we come back. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify. They have the tools you need to start and grow your business, from designing a website to marketing, to selling and beyond, Shopify can help with everything you need. There's a reason

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network. The team, led by Flotilla 13, Israel's version of the Navy SEALs, was combing the tunnels beneath Gaza for signs of Hamas fighters when, to the forces surprise, they found al-Qaeda on his own, without captors present, in a room roughly 25 yards underground. That's according to officials speaking on the condition of anonymity. IDF Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military chief spokesman, said Tuesday the team was acting on, quote, precise intelligence collected by Israel's security services regarding Hamas fighters when they discovered al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda identified as a member of the country's Bedouin minority, that's a Muslim semi-nomadic and ethnically Arab group, was assessed to be in stable medical

condition and was transferred to a hospital for further evaluation. During a phone call to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, al-Qadhi said from the hospital that he, quote, couldn't believe it when he heard Hebrew being spoken in the tunnels when the team found him. His family, who had endured nearly a year of uncertainty and fear, expressed overwhelming relief, as you can imagine, and gratitude. In a video shared by Israel's official account on X, Al-Qaeda's brother said, quote, I can't explain these feelings, it's better than being born again, end quote.

Al-Qaeda was one of approximately 250 hostages, taken by Hamas during the cross-border terror attacks on Israel, on 7 October. Now, was an assault, of course, that left over 1,200 Israelis dead. Al-Qaeda is the eighth hostage to be rescued alive by the IDF, but this was the first time that a hostage was retrieved from Hamas' extensive tunnel network beneath Gaza. Now, since his rescue, the total number of hostages still held by Hamas is 104, and of these, well, 34 are presumed dead. That's according to figures from the Israeli Prime Minister's office. and the hostages and missing families for him.

The rescue operation was widely praised by Israeli leadership. In a recorded statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed Ahmedes' release, emphasizing that Israel is pursuing a dual approach to freeing hostages in Gaza through negotiations and rescue operations. Netanyahu says the approach requires, quote, military presence on the ground and unending military pressure on Hamas. The Prime Minister added that the approach, would continue until everyone returned home.

In recent weeks, there has been increasing momentum in negotiations for a potential ceasefire deal in Gaza. Talks facilitated by U.S., Israeli, and Egyptian officials in Cairo have reportedly progressed with negotiations focusing on the, quote, final details of a potential agreement that could bring an end to the fighting and secure the release of those still held by Hamas. Now, having said that, well, despite regular optimistic missives from the White House over the various negotiations, the reality has been that the most recent negotiations have been one-sided,

given that Hamas has refused to participate. All right, shifting to Tehran. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Hamini has signaled a willingness to reopen negotiations with the U.S. regarding Iran's advancing nuclear program, stating that there is no issue engaging with the, quote, enemy, while also cautioning against placing trust in Washington. Khomeini's comments are reminiscent of the period leading up to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. In return for lifting economic sanctions, Tehran agreed to supposedly strict limits

on its nuclear activities. Now, at this point, it might be worth noting that the 2015 agreement did not allow for international inspectors to access Iranian military sites. That was a condition that Iran insisted on, so the whole trust-but-verify thing was, well, flawed from the start. After former President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions, Iran progressively abandoned the agreement's uranium enrichment limits. In a recent meeting with Iranian President Masoud Peschkian's cabinet, Khomeini made a pivotal statement, suggesting that engaging in talks with the U.S. over Iran's nuclear program is not off the table.

However, the Supreme Leader emphasized that Iran should remain skeptical in any future discussions. Howmane's endorsement of potential negotiations, albeit with clear red lines, could provide the necessary political cover for Pasechkian's government to pursue a dialogue with the West. Possackian, a self-styled reformist, who assumed the presidency following the death of his predecessor, Ibrahim Reisi, in a helicopter crash in May, has expressed a desire to re-engage with the West, particularly regarding nuclear negotiations. His appointment of Abbas Arachi as foreign minister, a key figure in the 2015 nuclear deal negotiations, signals a potential shift towards diplomatic efforts. The potential for new negotiations is under scrutiny as the U.S. approaches its presidential election.

Iran is currently ramping up its uranium enrichment, reaching levels of up to 60% purity, which is just short of weapons grade. The country has also reduced its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, that's the IAEA, disrupting surveillance and barring some of the agency's most experienced inspectors. This escalation has, of course, raised alarms internationally, especially as Iran has hinted that it can rapidly build a nuclear weapon if necessary. Now, the U.S. State Department responded to Khomeini's comments by emphasizing that Iran's actions, not words, will determine any future diplomacy. They reiterated that while diplomacy remains

the preferred route for resolving issues related to Iran's nuclear program, the current situation marked by Iran's escalations and lack of cooperation with the IAEA, well, makes such a resolution seem distant. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, the U.S. military appears to be getting creative in their efforts to deter attacks on U.S. personnel in the Middle East, recently leveraging the popular dating app, Tinder, to flex America's muscle. Okay, fair enough. That phrasing sounds a little sketchy. I'll be right back.

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Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. In today's back of the brief, overseas Arabic users of the popular U.S.-based online dating platform Tinder, were recently treated to a special message, allegedly from the U.S. military. Do not take up arms against the U.S. and its partners. Hmm, that's not the usual Tinder message, is it? The messages appear as advertisements on the dating app last week for users in Lebanon, popping up just days before Hezbollah launched their planned retaliation against Israel over the death of a senior commander in Beirut.

And that's according to an exclusive report from the White. Washington Post. Instead of pictures of potential matches, Lebanese users seeking romance found themselves looking at thumbnails of U.S. warplanes with messages saying America was ready to, quote, protect its partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies. Other messages said that U.S. Central Command was, quote, fully prepared to use the F-16 and A-10 aircraft to defend their allies in the region. While the origin of the advertising, campaign remains unconfirmed, a U.S. official familiar with this situation told the Washington Post that it came directly from U.S. Central Command, also referred to as Centcom. The anonymous official

said it was part of a psychological operation campaign meant to deter attacks on U.S. military personnel and our allies in the Middle East. Now, as some of you may know, and I think you know who you are, Tinder allows users to swipe right to approve a potential match and then swipe left to reject it. Now, those who swiped right on the pictures of U.S. warplanes were then taken to a post on X from Centcom containing similar pictures and warnings. Hmm, sounds hot. A spokesman for Tinder confirmed the existence of the ads and said they removed them following an inquiry from the post. The spokesman said the ads violated their company policies on political. messaging and violence. Now, while the Pentagon remains tight-lipped, an official told the post that

they regularly conduct military information operations in support of our national security priorities. The campaign left former military personnel puzzled over the intended effect. A retired army sci-ops officer told the post that it was a ham-fisted attempt to intimidate our adversaries and said using Tinder as the vehicle was either an unforced error or laziness, given the demographics of its users. He told the post, quote, I'm guessing that the average belligerent is probably among a very small subset of Tinder users, end quote. To push back against adversaries, he continued on, in the information space, we need more trained-influenced professionals, and we need to hold their leaders accountable when they mess up, end quote.

And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Wednesday, 28 August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Now, to listen to the show ad-free, well, you know the drill, become a premium member of the president's daily brief by simply visiting PDB premium.com, and it couldn't be simpler. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil, the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop.

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