The President's Daily Brief - October 11th, 2022. More Escalation Between Russia/Ukraine as Another Russian Symbol is Attacked.

Episode Date: October 11, 2022

It’s October 11th. You’re listening to the President’s Daily Brief. Your morning intel starts now. ------ A very important update out of Ukraine, with an escalation of strikes on civilian targets over the past few days by both the Russians and Ukrainians. Plus, we’re seeing acts sabotage and cyber attacks in Europe and the United States. Coming up I’ll explain the latest, along with my assessment of why this war is likely to get much worse very soon. As always, I’m keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar. The governors of Texas and Florida have taken a lot of heat for sending illegal migrants to Democrat cities and states. But one liberal Mayor on the border is acknowledging this morning that he has sent even more illegals to New York than they have. ------ Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of the President's Daily Brief. Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's October 11th. You're listening to the President's Daily Brief. I'm your host and former CIA Officer Brian Dean Wright. Your morning intel starts now. First up, a very important update out of Ukraine with an escalation of strikes on civilian targets over the past couple of days, both by the Russians and the Ukrainians. Plus, we're seeing acts of sabotage and cyber attacks in Europe and the United States. Coming up, I'll explain the latest, along with my assessment of why this war is likely to get much worse very soon. As always, I'm keeping an eye out for developing stories. Put this one on your radar.

The governors of Texas and Florida have taken a lot of heat for sending illegal migrants to Democrat cities and states. But one liberal mayor on the border is acknowledging this morning that he has sent even more illegals to New York than they have. But before we get to that, let's get started with today's main brief. A very big update out of Ukraine this week. morning, and it echoes the analysis that I've been offering you for months now. This war of attrition

between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States is bad, and it's getting worse, not just in far away Europe, but here in the homeland, too. First, let's start in the southern area of Ukraine, known as Crimea. And some quick history here. In 1954, the Soviet Union had control over this peninsula, but they gave it to Ukraine. Ever since then, Russia, leaders have regretted that decision. So in 2014, Vladimir Putin invaded that territory and took it back. Most global powers don't recognize what he did officially, but effectively, it's Russian territory. Four years later, in 2018, Vladimir Putin finished construction of a $4 billion bridge to connect Crimea to mainland Russia. But it's not just a bridge for Russians, most especially

Russian nationalists like Putin. that bridge meant that they were fixing history from a mistake made back in 1954. More recently, though, it's played a very critical tactical role for Russia in their war in Ukraine. You see, there's a rail line on that bridge that runs alongside two vehicular lanes. And that rail line has helped move troops and equipment from Crimea in the south to other areas in the east and the north on the Ukrainian battlefield. Well, on Saturday, part of that bridge was blown up. It appears a truck bomb was the culprit, though we'll likely learn more details in the coming weeks and months.

Regardless, the bridge was damaged. It's still somewhat operable and repairs are underway. Nevertheless, it was damaged. So the question remains, who did this? Well, the Russians are blaming the Ukrainians and Ukraine. Well, they're all but saying, yeah, we did it. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense tweeted out a mocking statement on Saturday and made reference to their previous attack on a Russian warship last April when they sunk the ship Moscow.

Then, along with Moscow, they added the bridge to their list. So here's the official statement. Quote, the Moscow and the bridge, two notorious symbols of Russian power in Ukrainian Crimea, have gone down. What's next in line, Ruskies? Meanwhile, the government of Ukraine's official Twitter account sent out a tweet also on Saturday, saying, quote, sick burned, end quote. Well, not surprisingly Russia responded to those mean tweets and the burning bridge, and by that I mean Putin really responded. He fired off at least 84 missiles, some of which were fired from drones, hitting at least six cities all around Ukraine, from areas in the far west where fighting has been pretty.

rare to the south and to the east where most of the war has been confined. The missile struck all sorts of critical infrastructure, bridges, railroad lines, electricity substations, roads, water systems, even a dam. And out of all of that, it killed horrifically 20 people, many more injured. By the way, some apartment buildings and office towers were hit too, although it's unclear if they were targeted or rather they were just nearby infrastructure that was the actual target and the missiles just missed the mark. Regardless, the key takeaway here is that the battlefield has now absolutely and unquestionably extended into Ukraine's civilian populations, into the big cities.

And while that's been modestly true since last February, it's often been in less obvious ways with fewer targets. In other words, the scale and overtness of the attacks on civilians, well, it went from more modest to much, much more aggressive. And that means that we are much more likely to see these kinds of attacks with very heartbreaking consequences for civilians. And if you're wondering how the world reacted to this development, well, it's probably what you would have expected.

China and India, who are supporters of Russia, expressed concern but didn't condemn Moscow for their missile strikes. Meanwhile, the president of the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East announced that he will pay Putin a friendly visit, starting today, a clear sign that Russia still has its friends. Europe and the United States, however, were not pleased. They both condemned the Russian attack. Joe Biden, for his part, said, quote,

these attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Now, I want you to remember that last part, as long as it takes. And I want you to remember it for when we talk about my assessment and what comes next. And speaking of, the Russians promised more of these kinds of attacks. Former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said yesterday, quote, the first episode has been played. There will be others, end quote. Well, not surprisingly, Ukrainian military and political leaders are now asking for more weapons, both in greater number and higher quality.

Ukraine's president Volodomir Zelensky, of course, has already held phone calls with the leaders of the U.S., France, Germany, to get more military aid. Zelensky, in fact, will also address an emergency meeting of Western powers later today. Finally, we are seeing some other alarming developments really around the world, both related to the weekend escalation and also from the war more generally. So, for instance, the prices for natural gas and wheat both spiked. Also, we're seeing what appear to be acts of sabotage and cyber attacks in both Europe and the United States. So let's start in Denmark. So to refresh our memories, that's where we saw the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines about a week ago. Now, that sabotage happened right off the Danish island of Bornholm.

Well, yesterday, that island suffered a power outage with local electricity providers saying there that, quote, there was grave damage to the cable network, end quote, that was connected to the grid. Now, more details to come, but it was a very suspicious event involving cables. Speaking of on Saturday, some important communication cables in Germany were physically cut. They were connected to the train system, and the attack actually disabled a large number of trains and stranded thousands of passengers. German authorities said that the attacks were sophisticated, and they said so, because they happened hundreds of miles apart, and they targeted a key communication system

between operators and trained conductors. And in fact, it served as a backup in case of an emergency. And for what it's worth, the Germans might really have a problem here because also yesterday, they fired their national cybersecurity chief because of, get this, his connections to Russia. Now, that chief and Germany's interior minister were supposed to present a report on German cybersecurity this week but that meeting and that presentation has been canceled. The Cyber Chief is now under investigation. And finally, here in the U.S., some major U.S. airport websites were brought down over the last 48 hours

with a pro-Russia hacking group taking credit. So the group known as Kilnett launched an attack on the websites of the international airports at Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago O'Hare. Now, the attack doesn't appear to have actually impacted operations at the airports themselves, more of a sort of poke at America and to demonstrate cyber capabilities. So that folks gets you updated on a very busy holiday weekend, busy, of course, in Ukraine, Europe and here in America. Unfortunately, none of it was good, I'm sorry to say,

but these facts and developments probably do leave us anxious, wondering what to make of it all and, of course, what comes next. So let's take a quick break. And when we come back, we'll pivot to my analysis. So hang tight. We'll be right back. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new elixir collection, featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique orchid accord paired with vanilla, each with its own distinct attitude, each with its own universe, bold elixir, sensual, woody, addictive, magnetic elixir,

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hitting mostly civilian targets. We're also seeing an avalanche of other fallout from this war, including a spike in commodity prices like gas and wheat, what we're seeing sabotage in Germany, probably cyber attacks in Denmark and here too in the United States. But the one fallout that we haven't discussed, a nuclear fallout, is probably the one of greatest concern to you that, for what it's worth, has gripped my attention too. But before we get there, let me start with this. For months, I've been warned.

that this war will escalate, and when it does, it will increasingly involve civilian targets. And we're sadly seeing that now. So what I predict is that you will see even more of this, both in Europe and here in the United States, because we are caught in this escalation, where there is no off-ramp towards peace and settlement. So let me explain that. On one hand, Joe Biden and some Western nations want Putin dead, and the Russian state forever weakened. Now, it'll refresh our memories on how we know that's true. On March 26th earlier this year, Joe Biden gave a speech in Poland where he said, quote, for God's sake, this man Vladimir Putin, cannot remain in power, end quote.

A month later on April 26th, his secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, said that the goal for America in Ukraine was that, quote, we want to see Russia weakened. Now, at the time, commentators around the world, including myself, heard that message very clearly, and it was America wants regime change. So on the other hand, Vladimir Putin knows all of this. He knows that we want him dead and Russia weakened. So naturally, he is going to do whatever it takes on an escalating basis to keep himself in power and alive. He knows that he's a dead man if he loses this war. And so two are all of his regime friends who surround him. So if you combine those stakes,

and add in Russia's poor performance over the past couple of months on the battlefield, all because of our weapons and intelligence? Well, you more fully understand Joe Biden's warning last Thursday, that the world is facing a nuclear Armageddon. For those of you unaware, Joe Biden was at a fundraiser in New York last week, where he made this Armageddon comment, warning about this very dangerous moment in history. And he added that the last time that we were at this place

was probably the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. So folks, if you're like me, you probably want to know one thing. How do we de-escalate this war or find ways to a peaceful solution, no matter how imperfect or unhappy it might ultimately leave us? Because as much as I don't like Russian aggression and I don't, I also don't want my family to die in a nuclear war over Ukraine. So how do we do it? How do we de-escalate? well first you don't say what joe biden said yesterday remember he said this quote these russian attacks

only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of ukraine for as long as it takes end quote now maybe you believe that or maybe you don't but put aside what you and i might feel our opinion what might the leadership of ukraine think about that statement what will Ukraine likely do with that statement, an affirmation that we will stand beside them no matter what for as long as it takes? Well, in international affairs, here's what happens. The tail ends up wagging the dog. And here's what I mean.

When a dog wags its tail, obviously the dog in its mind or in control and the tail wags as it's directed to do. In this case, America is the dog. and the Ukrainians are the tail. Zelensky and his military are supposed to be our junior partners. They are our proxy force that we are using to weaken Russia and encourage ways to kill Putin. But when Joe Biden says that we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,

no matter what? Well, what happens in the minds of Ukraine's leadership is that they know that we will never leave them, no matter what. And that's made all the more clear by tens of billions of dollars in financial support and weapons. And then on top of that, Biden and other Western leaders have put this war, this fight, in the most existential of terms. It's good versus evil, right?

Putin is the Hitler, goes to the argument. Well, that means for Zelensky, he can do whatever he wants. For instance, he can bomb a really important bridge in Crimea, knowing that it'll escalate things because that's actually the point. because for Zelensky, it tethers us closer together. We can't leave. Now, no matter if you like or hate Zelensky or Ukraine, that's ultimately really bad for America to be effectively captured by a foreign power. Because Zelensky can start doing very risky things, things that will absolutely escalate the conflict. And it forces us to react and follow his lead. The tail starts wagging the

dog. And that's the risk when you start using proxy forces in matters of war. So let me give you another example of this in case you aren't quite convinced. A few weeks back, there was a Russian nationalist in Moscow whose daughter was blown up and a car bomb. Her father was supposed to be in that car, but he wasn't. Well, what we now know, based on multiple streams of reporting, to include the New York Times and the Russian press, is that it was the Ukrainian special forces and intel operatives who conducted that covert operation. Now, maybe you think that that's good. But according to these reports and conversations

that I've actually had with some old friends, America's military and intel communities thought it was bad. They viewed that covert operation as a dangerous escalation and would not have approved it, had the Ukrainians, of course, told them about it, which they did not.

Zelensky just did it on his own. Because he can. Because he knows, as Joe Biden has said, that we will be with him no matter what for as long as it takes. And that, folks, is the tail wagging the dog. America is not the junior partner in this relationship. Zelensky is dictating the terms of whatever comes next, and what he's looking for is escalation.

Four days ago, Zelensky said this, when asked about the prospects of a nuclear war. Preemptive strikes against Russia are needed. Now, honestly, I don't blame Zelensky. He is a Ukrainian defending his country. And he is quite correctly, at least from his perspective, making sure that America and the West will never abandon him. In other words, if he goes down, America goes down too.

So friends, are you okay with that? Look, I can't answer that for you. That's your call. But understand that as of this Tuesday morning, October 11th, that is the path that our great nation is walking and that is why as joe biden correctly said we now face the very real prospect of a nuclear war in ukraine all right ladies and gentlemen let's switch gears after that very heavy brief and take a closer look at what's on my radar one quick brief for you this morning on immigration we'll be right back

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How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. Welcome back to the PDB. As always, I'm watching a few other stories this morning. Put this one on your radar. We've been hearing a lot of the past couple of months about Republican governors loading up illegal migrants onto buses and planes and sending them north to include New York City.

And that town's mayor, Eric Adams, hasn't been too happy with the busing. He has declared it an unprecedented crisis and has attacked Governor Abbott of Texas as being inhumane, unethical, and anti-American for sending the migrants north. But for all the vitriol that Mayor Adams has hurled at Texas, well, it turns out that that Governor Abbott is not the only lone star politician moving his migrant problems to New York. As a matter of fact, the city of El Paso, Texas has reportedly sent more than 7,000 migrants to New York City since just August 23rd. That's more than twice as many migrants as has been sent by Governor Abbott.

So why is it that Democrat politicians like Mayor Adams haven't been complaining about mayors like the one in El Paso? Well, it might have to do with the fact that El Paso's mayor, Mr. Oscar Leaser, is a fellow Democrat. Up until recently, Mayor Adams has actually quietly agreed to keep taking migrants from El Paso. He just never complained about it. But in the past week, that has changed. At a news conference last week, Adams said, quote, El Paso, the city manager and the mayor, should stop sending buses to New York. New York cannot accommodate the number of buses we have coming here to our city.

So one final note here, New York City has a population of 8.4 million people. El Paso has 680,000. So considering those populations, think about this. New York City has taken in 17,000 total migrants since April. El Paso has taken that many in the past three weeks. So as New York and other blue states declare emergencies over illegal migration, it does make you wonder, not just about the hypocrisy, but rather what they'd say if they had to live along the Rio Grande River rather than live along Central Park. And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes your morning brief. As always, we close out the show reminding each other of why we are here, talking about our country and our world.

It's the creed of every good spy and every smart American. It's from John chapter 8, verse 32. And you shall know the truth. And the truth shall make you free. Good day.