The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 22nd, 2024: NATO Nukes In Poland & Militants Resume Attacks On US Troops

Episode Date: April 22, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:    Tensions are once again flaring in the Baltic, as Poland’s leaders say they are ready to host nuclear weapons in their country on behalf of NATO to counter Russia’s military buildup along their border. After three months of relative calm, it appears drone and rocket attacks targeting U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria by regional militant groups have resumed. 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 PDB Afternoon Bulletin.  Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Monday, 22 April. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, tensions are once again flaring in the Baltic, as Poland's leaders say they are ready to host nuclear weapons in their country on behalf of NATO to counter Russia's military buildup along their border. Also, it appears that drone and missile strikes on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have once again resumed after a month's long pause. But first, our afternoon

spotlight, as the U.S. prepares to deliver fresh financial aid to Ukraine, members of NATO are gearing up for potential escalation with Russia along their eastern flank. Polish President Andres Duda said Monday that his country is prepared to host nuclear weapons in its territory to counter Russia's increased militarization of Belarus and Kalingrad. Now, leaders in Moscow have been slowly but deliberately reinforcing their armaments in strategic areas along the border with Europe's Baltic states, stoking fears among NATO members that President Putin, ambitions extend beyond the borders of Ukraine. Poland's president noted that Russia has already been relocating tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus. That's a clear political signal that Putin is

not taking escalation with Europe off the table. Then there's the case of Russia's Kalinigrad enclave, which serves as the home of the Russian Baltic Sea fleet. Sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland along the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad has been referred to as Russia's unsinkable aircraft carrier due to its strategic location, and Putin has also reportedly stationed nuclear weapons within the province. Poland's leader said, quote, if our allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons as part of a nuclear sharing on our territory as well, in order to strengthen the security of NATO's eastern flank, well, we are ready for it. End quote. Leaders in Poland, which shares a border with both Belarus and Kaledingrad, are clearly eager to bolster.

NATO's defenses in light of Russia's military buildup in their backyard. Russia, meanwhile, condemned Duda's remarks and promised countermeasures if nuclear weapons are deployed in Poland. A spokesman for the Kremlin said, quote, the military will, of course, analyze the situation, and in any case will take all necessary response steps in order to ensure our security, end quote. Duda's remarks come as NATO has been mulling steps that could expand their role in the war in Ukraine and ensure Kiev has the military and financial support they need for years to come. As we've covered here on the PDB earlier this month, NATO leaders are holding high-level talks about taking over control of a U.S.-led multinational group

that oversees coordination of weapons shipments to Ukraine. Officials want to enslave Ukraine for many shifts in domestic U.S. politics and formalized NATO's position in arming the Ukrainian military. It would, however, mark a significant shift in policy that would pull NATO closer to direct conflict with Russia and risk further agitating and already belligerent Putin. Despite the strategic chess moves happening in the region, Putin maintains that he has no interest in starting a wider fight with NATO countries. And who doesn't believe Putin at this point? Russian officials have warned, however, that the calculus would change if NATO countries ever began sending troops to fight in Ukraine. Coming up after the break, after three months of relative calm,

it appears drone and rocket attacks targeting U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria by regional militant groups have resumed. I'll be right back. Exema is unpredictable, but you can flare less with ebbglis, a once-monthly treatment for moderate to severe eczema. After an initial four-month or longer dosing phase, about four in 10 people taking ebblis achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks, And most of those people maintain skin that's still more clear at one year with monthly dosing.

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You should not receive a live vaccine when treated with Ebbglis. Before starting Ebbglis, tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. Ask your doctor about Ebbglis.com or visit Ebbgless.com or call 1-800-1-800-540Lilly RX or 1,800. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. After nearly three months of relative quiet for U.S. troops stationed across the Middle East, a pair of military bases in Syria and Iraq, housing U.S.-led coalition forces, came under attack late on Saturday. According to U.S. officials, at least one armed drone was launched at the Al-Assad Air Base

in the western Iraqi province of Anbar. Shortly after that, at least five rockets were launched at a base in Syria from a town in northern Iraq. U.S. officials told Reuters that neither of the attacks caused any casualties or major damage. The strike in Syria was described as a, quote, failed rocket attack, though there's no indication as to whether the rockets simply failed to reach their intended targets or if they were taken out by U.S. air defenses. U.S. officials said that following the attack, an aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria carried out a strike against the launcher.

These strikes against U.S. forces are the first since early February when militant groups in Iraq stopped their attacks against U.S. troops. That pause in attacks came after the deadly Tower 22 attack in Jordan, which took the lives of three U.S. service members. The group that's believed to be responsible for Sunday's attack in Syria is the same organization that's suspected of carrying out the attack on Tower 22, and that would be the Iranian-backed Katayib Hasbullah. However, they've been sending out mixed signals over the past 24 hours. In a statement posted to a telegram channel associated with the group, they said they had decided

to resume attacks on the U.S. presence in the country after seeing little progress on talks to remove American troops during Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed al-Sudani's visit to Washington. The prime minister was in D.C. last week, meeting President Biden and other top U.S. officials. The telegram post also said, quote, what happened a short while ago is the beginning that must be escalated, end quote. However, just hours later, the group denied being behind Sunday's attack, calling previous reports, quote, fabricated news. Back in late January, Katay-Bezbullah announced that it was suspending its military operations against U.S. troops in the region, a decision aimed at, they said, preventing embarrassment to the Iraqi government. Now, we've discussed this before on the

PDB, but a group of Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq actually make up a not-insificant element within the Iraqi government. They actually proved important to the Iraqi prime minister's ability to form and maintain a government coalition that keeps them in power. And it's just another example of the complex layers and relationships that make up the Middle East, not to mention another example of the Iranian regime's efforts to increase its influence and reach within the region. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday 22 April. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And be sure to check out our premium membership at pdbpremium.com. The premium subscription, well,

it provides an ad-free PDB experience, along with exclusive content. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. 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.

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