The President's Daily Brief - October 25th, 2024: Israel Delays Strike Against Iran, North Korean Troops “Fair Game”, & U.S. Voting System Attack

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Fallout from the Pentagon's classified document leak leads Israel to delay its planned retaliation against Iran, after sensitive details of the operation were allegedly exposed. The U.S. government warns that North Korean troops will be “fair game,” as reports emerge that Pyongyang is sending 12,000 soldiers to Ukraine. A new attack on America’s voting system—Georgia’s Secretary of State confirms a cyberattack targeting the absentee voting website in an attempt to crash it. And in today’s Back of the Brief: a bizarre human interest story from Russia—how a man, famous for his resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio, ended up on the front lines in Ukraine, thanks to his waistline. 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

Fox News is now streaming live on Fox One. When it matters most, turn to the voices you trust. We go beyond the headlines, bringing you the stories you won't hear anywhere else. Live coverage, sharp analysis, real perspective. At home or on the go. Stay connected when it counts. Stream Fox News on Fox One. Download today.

This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gold Group. retirement assets and safeguard your future. Talk with the experts over at Patriot Gold. Now, you may have heard me say this before, but they have been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row, and that's a lot of years in a row. Go to Patriot Gold Group.com or call 1-88-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Friday, 25 October. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Okay, let's get briefed. Coming up on today's show, fallout from the Pentagon's classified document leak as Israel delays its retaliation against Iran after sensitive details of the operation were allegedly exposed. Now, has anybody asked the White House lately what they're

specifically doing to determine the cause of the leak? Just a question. Later in the program, the U.S. government is warning that North Korean troops will be, quote, Fair game, as South Korean intelligence reports that Pyongyang is dispatching 12,000 troops to Ukraine. Plus, we're getting reports on another attack on America's voting system. Georgia's Secretary of State confirms a cyber attack targeting the absentee voting website, which aimed to crash it. And in today's back of the brief, we've got a, well, let's call it bizarre, human interest story from Russia.

Is it a human interest story? I'm not really sure. But we'll tell you how a man who became famous for looking like U.S. actor Leo DiCaprio found himself on the front lines in Ukraine because of his expanding waistline. I did use the word bizarre, didn't I? But first, today's PDB spotlight. I want to examine the fallout from last weekend's leak of classified intelligence detailing Israel's plans to retaliate against Iran over their ballistic missile attack in early October.

While their operations were said to be finalized last week and the attack was thought to be imminent, an exclusive report from the UK's Times newspaper on Thursday reveals that Israel has been forced to delay their response and rethink their potential strategy due to the damaging leak, the source of which U.S. officials apparently are still investigating. Citing an unnamed intelligence source familiar with Israel's military deliberations, The Times report said that even though the leak did not list potential targets inside Iran that Israel planned to strike, they fear Iran could use the documents to predict certain patterns of attack. As we discussed earlier this week, the documents detailed some of Israel's military preparations,

including the movements of munitions and Israeli Air Force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles. The documents also suggested that strikes on Tehran's military, and oil interests could remain on the table. Israeli officials have now reportedly settled on an alternative attack plan with different target packages, but need time to wargame the scenario before they feel confident in proceeding. The source told the Times, quote, The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components.

There will be a retaliation, but it has taken longer than it was supposed to take, end quote. As a reminder, the documents first appeared online last Friday via a Tehran-based telegram channel, sparking speculation, of course, about Iran's involvement. As of Thursday, the White House is still no closer to determining how the disturbing security breach occurred. The FBI is leading the investigation, and despite speculations to the contrary, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has claimed there is no indication that any employees of the office of the Secretary of Defense are being investigated over the incident. That's according to the Times of Israel.

Well, look, I've said it before. I'll say it again, because I do like to beat a dead horse. This isn't complicated. If it's not a hack or cyber breach, then it's an insider threat, an individual with access. So, determine who had access to the leaked documents, and that can be done, create a list of all those individuals, and then immediately polygraph each one, and do a forensic audit of their work and personal devices. It's labor intensive, but it's not rocket science. If the White House is serious about actually finding the perpetrator, well, they could do it.

But given the past three and a half years of appeasement and soft approach from the administration towards the Iranian regime, the problem is, well, they may not be completely motivated to resolve this problem, meaning to find the perpetrator, particularly if it points to one of their own. Now, it appears the Biden administration is still apprehensive about Israel's potential response and is attempting to pressure leaders in Jerusalem to curtail their revised attack plans. During a visit to Israel on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned leaders not to escalate their conflict with Tehran, fearing that it could spark a regional war between the two adversaries. Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv, quote, it's been an imperative for us

to try to make sure that this conflict doesn't spread. We stand with Israel and will always stand with Israel and its defense. It's also very important, he said, that Israel respond in ways that do not create greater escalation and do not risk spreading the conflict, end quote. As a reminder, the White House has been intensely lobbying against Israeli strikes that would target Iran's nuclear program or their oil facilities. When it comes to Iran's energy infrastructure, specifically, well, there are concerns that an attack could cause oil prices to surge globally.

Ooh, and nobody wants that before an election. But Israel has said, while they respect the concerns of the White House, they will proceed based on what's in their best national interests. In fact, Israeli leaders have suggested that the scope of the response could be widened due to last weekend's drone attack on Prime Minister Netanyahu's residence in Cessaria. by Iranian proxy Hezbollah, which caused extensive damage. A defiant Netanyahu blamed Iran for the attack, saying, quote, the agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake, end quote. Now, despite the delay, Israeli defense minister Yov Ghalant, speaking to troops at an airbase on Wednesday, promised that any enemy that tries to harm the state of Israel will pay a heavy price.

He told the troops, quote, after we strike in Iran, everyone will understand what you did in the preparation and training process. Everyone who dreamed a year ago of beating us and attacking us paid a heavy price and are no longer in that dream, end quote. All right. Coming up next, the U.S. government warns that North Korean troops will be, quote, fair game, as Pyongyang plans to send upwards of 12,000 troops to Ukraine. And in the U.S., Georgia's Secretary of State confirms a cyber attack targeting the absentee voting website.

I'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 millions of companies like Mattel, Heinz, and Allbirds can do. to trust and use them. With Shopify on your side, turn your big business idea into sign up for your $1 per month trial at Shopify.com slash special offer. You tell yourself, no one wants your college-era band teas, but on Deepop, people are searching for

exactly what you've got. You once paid a small fortune for them at merch stands. Now, a teenager who calls them vintage will offer that same small fortune back. Sell them easily on Deepop. Just snap a few photos and we'll take care of the rest. Who knew your questionable music taste will be a money-making machine? Your style can make you cash. Start selling on Deepop, where taste recognizes taste. Welcome back to the PDB. Turning now to Ukraine, and a topic that we've been highlighting here on the PDB for a couple of weeks. Reports have now emerged that North Korea is deploying upwards of 12,000 troops. Initial estimates were only up to around 10,000 at most, to fight alongside Russia on the front line.

That's a move that the U.S. and its allies are calling a major provocation. Well, they're not wrong. Over the course of the past few months, South Korea's National Intelligence Service has revealed that since August 23, North Korea has been quietly bolstering Russia's war effort with more than 13,000 containers of military equipment supplying munitions and artillery, but now, well, now it's sending troops. According to U.S. and South Korean officials, thousand North Korean soldiers have arrived in eastern Russia, with 9,000 more expected, including special forces, military engineers, and artillery troops. On Wednesday, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed these soldiers a, quote, fair game on the battlefield

and could suffer casualties alongside their Russian colleagues. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin echoed the sentiment, calling the deployment a, quote, very, very serious issue. Well, there's a understatement, emphasizing that North Korean troops would be treated the same as Russian forces by Ukrainian defenders. South Korean defense minister Kim Jong-hun added to the urgency, revealing that North Korean soldiers are being disguised as Russians, acting under the Kremlin's command in a bid to obscure their presence. The defense minister blasted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for, quote, selling North Korean

soldiers as cannon fodder mercenaries, end quote. The Kremlin dismissed the North Korean troops reporting as, quote, fake and hype, yet refrained from issuing a direct denial, of course, deepening suspicions. North Korean state media has also remained silent, and intelligence reports indicate that the regime may be sequestering the families of deployed soldiers to prevent any backlash at home. Meanwhile, concerns are mounting in Seoul that this deployment could provide untested North Korean troops with valuable combat. experience, which may strengthen their military back home on the Korean Peninsula and have long-term ramifications for regional security. On Thursday, the South Korean president hinted at a potential policy shift, signaling that Seoul may begin supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine, stating, quote, we will not sit idle in the face of this major North Korean provocation,

noting that South Korea's longstanding policy against providing lethal aid could be reconsidered. The global response is beginning to take shape. China, which has developed increasingly close ties with both Russia and North Korea, is calling for a peaceful settlement to the war. Beijing has opposed unilateral sanctions and expressed concerns about escalating tensions. You can always count on the Chinese regime under Xi Jinping to talk out of both sides of their mouth, claiming they're neutral and just want peace. We just want peace. while providing economic and military support to Putin that in large part has kept his war machine

operating. When asked about Pyongyang's deployment of troops, Chinese officials claimed that they were, quote, not aware of the situation. We had no idea. Yes, entirely believable that Kim Jong-un would just send thousands of troops to Russia, a country, by the way, that has a no-limits partnership with China, and somehow Xi Jinping would know nothing about it. Next up, they'll tell us, they have no idea how the coronavirus pandemic started. Anyway, despite these supposed calls for diplomacy from the Russian regime, Chinese companies have been accused of helping Russia with weapons technology, further complicating China's role in the ongoing war.

Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions on two Chinese companies for collaborating with Russia on the development of drones that are used in Ukraine. For Ukraine, the involvement of North Korean troops provides an opportunity opportunity to reinforce its appeals for more Western military aid. By drawing attention to North Korea's role in the conflict, Ukrainian President Zelensky has strengthened his case for additional support from the international community. All right, shifting to the U.S. A major cyber attack targeting election infrastructure in the state of Georgia was thwarted earlier this month, preventing an attempt to crash the state's absentee voting website. That's according to the Secretary

of State's office. The attack, detected on 14 October, involved over 420,000 access attempts from global IP addresses in a coordinated effort to overwhelm the system. Despite the massive assault, cyber security experts working in partnership with the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency, hmm, do you think that agency has an acronym? Of course it does. CISA, CISA. Experts working with CISA were able to swiftly neutralize the threat, reporting that the website slowed for just a short period of time. Gabrielle Sterling, Chief Operating Officer for the Secretary of State's office, praised the rapid response in a social media post, stating, quote, this was a big win for our cybersecurity team and our partners,

adding, quote, we work every day to protect Georgia voters and our systems. The attack was detected and mitigated quickly, end quote. It's important to note that although the identity of the attackers remains unknown, Sterling suggested that the attack bore the hallmarks of a foreign entity acting on behalf of a nation state. Both CISA and the FBI are actively investigating the breach, but U.S. officials have not yet confirmed any foreign involvement. Election security has become obviously an increasingly urgent issue, particularly in swing states like Georgia, which has ramped up its defenses against foreign interference.

A Wednesday report from the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center emphasized ongoing cyber efforts by adversaries, including Russia, Iran, and China to undermine the democratic process in the U.S. Despite the cyber attack, Georgia voters turned out in record numbers on the first day of early voting, which began on 15 October, which was just one day after the thwarted attack. That first day saw over 310,000 ballots cast, and that's more than doubling the early voting numbers from the first day of the 2020 election. All right. Up next in the back of the brief, I'll bring you the strange story of Fat Leo, the Russian

Leo DiCaprio lookalike who ate his way to the front lines in Ukraine. Hmm. I'll have the details after the break. How many discounts does USA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount. New vehicle discount.

Storage discount, legacy. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit usaa.com slash auto discounts. Restrictions apply. This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin,

saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home. With agents who close twice as many deals, When you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get started at redfin.com. Own the dream. Welcome back to the PDB.

All right. Every now and then, here at the PDB, we do decide to let one of our crack interns choose the story for our back of the brief segment. And then we usually regret that decision. And this would be one of those times. This story comes courtesy of the New York Post, and it takes us to Russia,

where a man famous for his uncanny likeness to American actor Leo DiCaprio is now being unceremoniously thrown to the front lines of the war in Ukraine after, well, gaining too much weight to pass as his celebrity doppelganger. Roman Burtsev, a Russian computer programmer dubbed Fat Leo. That's a great nickname, isn't it? Rapidly rose to fame across Russia back in 2016 after posting his picture on a dating website, where users were struck by his uncanny resemblance to the Hollywood A-lister Leo DiCaprio.

Much to his surprise, users quickly became enamored by Bertsev's appearance, calling him the, quote, Russian fat version of Leo DiCaprio. Then, 33 years old at the time, he parlayed his likeness to Leo into lucrative modeling gigs, of course he did, despite being a bit heavier than his American look-alike. In one famous imitation, he ventured into the snowy Russian wilderness, to recreate scenes from DeCaprio's Oscar-winning performance in The Revenant. Look, you're not going to get this sort of news from any other podcast, let's face it. For a time, Fat Leo was in hot demand, of course he would be,

and earned a good living leveraging his celebrity resemblance, eventually ditching his programming job to impersonate DeCaprio full time. But then, hmm, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, causing his career to sink faster than the Titanic. And I apologize for that last line. As his waistline expanded, Fat Leo found himself living in isolation. The modeling gigs quickly dried up. Broke, he was reportedly forced to move in with his parents,

where he apparently packed on even more weight. According to the New York Post, after falling out of favor with the Russian public due to the weight gain, well, that seems rather fattest, and facing no job prospects, he was drafted to fight in Ukraine. But instead of attempting to dodge conscription and engage in a game of Catch Me if you can, I did it again. With Russian authorities, Fat Leo apparently is taking his fate in stride. Now 41 years old, he was reportedly eager to accept the roughly $21,000 bonus that conscripts receive upon completing their training, along with a monthly stipend equivalent to roughly $2,100. It's unclear exactly where Fat Leo is serving, but photographs show him dressed in fatigues

and holding a rifle somewhere on the front lines of the war. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, 25 October. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief, simply by visiting PDB Premium.com. And, of course, well, today is Friday, but you knew that already. And, well, we've made it to Friday. And as you may recall, every Friday evening at 10 p.m. on the first TV, we delight the viewing audience with a new episode of our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report.

This week's most excellent guests include former CIA officer and co-host of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show, the esteemed Buck Sexton, along with China expert and author Gordon Chang. Now, we cover a lot of ground on this week's show. So tune in. It's informative. It's educational and has just a touch of whimsy. It's also on our YouTube channel. Check that out. It's at President's Daily Brief. And of course, as also on the podcast platforms, wherever you get your podcast stuff. 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 from IntMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get

the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities, so do like I did and have one of your assistants' assistants to switch you to MintMobil today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. 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.