The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 8th, 2024: Putin's Chemical Weapons & Nuclear Armageddon In America

Episode Date: April 8, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:     Reports are emerging that Russian forces are using chemical weapons on Ukrainian troops on the front lines of the war, in flagrant violation of international law. In these times of uncertainty and global destabilization, I’ll bring you a chilling glimpse from newly declassified documents into the potential aftermath of a nuclear missile strike on Washington D.C. 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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your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, reports are emerging that Russian forces are using chemical weapons on Ukrainian troops on the front lines of the war, in flagrant violation, of course, of international law. And we all know how much Putin enjoys abiding by international law, which makes the story all the more shocking. Also, as 2024 continues to bring its fair share of conflict, chaos, and global instability, I'll bring you a chilling assessment from newly declassified documents that looks at what the potential aftermath of a nuclear missile strike on Washington, D.C., could look like. So, okay, maybe not our most uplifting segment. But first, our afternoon spotlight. It appears that there may be no line that Russian leader

Vladimir Putin won't cross in his war against Ukraine, as reports emerge that his forces are targeting Ukrainian troops with prohibited weapons of war. An exclusive report from the Telegraph revealed this weekend that Moscow's forces are using chemical weapons to carry out a systematic campaign of illegal attacks inside Ukraine. Citing frontline Ukrainian troops, the paper found that Russia's military are using the chemical weapons in an effort to create panic in the Ukrainian ranks before then launching assaults on their positions. Officials said that the Russian military has struggled to break Ukrainian lines with artillery, so they're turning to chemical agents like tear gas to try to force them out. In one example, Ukrainian officials said the Russians used drones

to drop grenades filled with CS gas, and that's a chemical agent banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The commander of a Ukrainian reconnaissance team told the telegraph, quote, nearly every position in our area of the front was getting one or two gas grenades dropped on them a day. The only way for them to successfully attack us was with gas, end quote. Frontline troops said while the CS gas attacks are not lethal, they cause immediate panic, causing troops to leave their position, potentially exposing themselves to enemy attack by more conventional weapons. In addition to the CS gas canisters, there are also reports, as yet unverified, that Russia is employing deadlier chemical agents, including chlorine and hydrogen cyanide. As of Friday,

Ukrainian officials say they've recorded some 1,400 cases of chemical substances being found in battle fuel ammunition in eastern Ukraine since February of 2023. They also noted that as the brutal fighting on the front lines drags on, the chemical attacks are becoming more and more frequent. In March alone, Ukraine reported more than 370 of these cases up from 90 during the previous month. We should note, Russia has not been shy about their use of chemical agents, at least when it comes to CS gas. Last year, members of Russia's Black Sea Fleet bragged about using them, posting videos showing the gas canisters being dropped on Ukrainian forces by drones to smoke them out of their positions. Compounding the problem for Ukrainian forces is a lack of equipment to deal with these types of

attacks. Even when they have the requisite gas masks, many are reportedly not functional. One frontline commander told the telegraph, quote, We have gas masks, but in almost all cases, they're very old ex-o-euro. Soviet models and they're not very effective." End quote. Here you go, soldier. Here's your 50-year-old gas mask with the fancy asbestos filter. Good luck, son.

I don't know what that voice was. That was sort of my front-line commander voice. The revelation comes as President Zelensky has made a fresh appeal to the U.S. Congress to pass an emergency aid package for Ukraine worth roughly 60 billion, warning that his forces are facing shortages of everything from missiles to ammunition. he's repeatedly warned that without continued U.S. support, Putin will likely gain the upper hand in the conflict. Now, as a reminder, U.S. aid to Ukraine officially dried up in January, and the White House has been trying to get new assistance approved ever since. A previous attempt by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson to tie a $60 billion aid proposal to immigration reform ultimately failed in February.

Coming up after the break, with the world currently dealing with a number of crises in conflict, I thought to myself, what better time to discuss what the potential aftermath of a nuclear missile strike on Washington, D.C. could look like. I'll be right back. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. The biggest prize in Yamaba's history.

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resonant on this day of a total eclipse, an event that always has some folks talking about Armageddon and the end of days, which, if you think about it, is a little odd, given that we've seen total eclipses before. And recently, the last one was in 2021, admittedly really only visible from Antarctica, and before that, 2017. So it's not like we're living in caves and suddenly the sun's going out, and we all have to pray to the moon god to save us. I do think that the world is divided into two types of people. This is just a theory. Those who are fascinated and thralled by an eclipse, and those who think, ne eclipse, whatever. Anyway, I digress. The Daily Mail article draws from newly declassified documents from the U.S. government

and offers a chilling glimpse into the potential aftermath of a nuclear missile strike on Washington, D.C. Now, the narrative imagines a one-megaton thermonuclear bomb detonating in the skies above the Pentagon, what U.S. nuclear command and control has dubbed a, quote, bolt out of the blue attack, which sounds a bit more entertaining than it actually should. As the narrative unfolds, the initial impact of the explosion is described in gruesome detail. It all starts with a flash of light and intense heat. In an instant, according to the assessment, the Pentagon, along with its 27,000 or so employees, are instantly obliterated, setting off a catastrophic chain of events.

This explosion leads to a massive fireball, radiating heat and light far beyond Arlington, Virginia, turning structures to dust and instantly claiming countless lives. The narrative details a harrowing aftermath. Buildings disintegrate, people are obliterated, and a widespread firestorm engulfs the area, extending the zone of total destruction. See, I told you this was not an uplifting segment. Landmarks like Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials are, of course, instantly reduced to ashes. Survivors of any face unimaginable horrors.

Burns, collapsing infrastructure, rapid spread of fires, and the massive electromagnetic pulse caused the bomb means there's no way to coordinate first responders. So there's no phone service, no 911, no radio, no internet, no TikTok, and no TV. Everything that requires electricity will simply stop functioning. Medical facilities like the MedStar Washington Hospital's burn center are overwhelmed, according to the assessment, or destroyed, leaving thousands without critical care. The article also examines the broader implications of the strike, describing how a single nuclear explosion could trigger a domino effect, leading to an uncontrollable firestorm and widespread devastation. It paints a vivid picture of the subsequent chaos, with infrastructure

failure, widespread communication breakdown in the onset of a nuclear winter. In total, the quote, bolt out of the blue scenario envisioned by the Pentagon, will leave at minimum, this is minimum, two billion dead after triggering a nuclear World War III. The Daily Mail's narrative serves as a grim reminder of the threat that nuclear war poses to all of us, frankly, and the ongoing need for global efforts toward the control of nuclear weapons and peace. Now, at times, over the past few years, it almost seems as if various nations and leaders have attempted to rationalize or normalize the idea of a limited nuke strike. Tactical nuclear weapons, as an example, on the battlefield, being a saber that

Russia's Dmitri Medvedev rattles with some regularity. And on a day when folks are excited about the wonders of Earth and space and hoping to get a glimpse of that total eclipse, although hopefully not by staring directly at the sun, remember, that's a bad idea. You should make sure, kids, to have your special Johnny Quest to Solar Glasses on or some other approved solar eye protection. Anyway, on a day when we're reminded of how special our existence is floating around on this big rock as one species called humans, well, maybe it's also a good time to be. reflect on our shared responsibility to not blow it up. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, 8 April. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at at thefirsttv.com. And be sure to check out our new premium membership at pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.