The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | August 15th, 2025: Ukraine Delivers Major Blow To Russian Economy & White House Expands Federal Takeover Of DC

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:  First—Ukraine is hitting the Putin regime where it hurts most, mounting a punishing campaign against Russia’s oil industry that has disrupted an estimated 22% of Moscow’s total refining capacity since the beginning of August. Later in the show—the political war over Washington, D.C. intensifies, as local leaders move to sue the Trump administration, challenging the White House's federal takeover of the city’s police department. 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. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Jacked Up Fitness: Get the all-new Shake Weight by Jacked Up Fitness at ⁠https://JackedUpShakeWeight.com⁠ American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. 866-885-1881 or visit https://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB - NMLS 182334, https://nmlsconsumeraccess.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Now, if anything, we'll get Putin's attention and possibly force him to make a deal, it will be the targeting and damaging of his energy industry. We'll have those details. Later in the show, the political war over Washington, D.C. intensifies. On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi named the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as the capital's, quote, emergency police commissioner, expanding the Trump administration's federal takeover of the district's law enforcement. D.C.'s Attorney General is pushing back, filing a lawsuit on Friday, challenging the president's crackdown on crime. It's a strange but not unexpected look for the progressive Democrat D.C. Attorney General, arguing against the federal government's efforts to

combat crime. First, today's afternoon spotlight. Keev is turning the pressure up on Moscow with a series of destructive strikes on the Putin regime's number one source of wartime revenue, and that, of course, would be oil. Since the beginning of August, the Ukrainian forces have launched near daily drone attacks against Russia's refineries and hydrocarbon distribution centers as part of an effort to show the Kremlin that it is vulnerable in its own territory, particularly ahead of President Trump's summit today with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The drone strikes have been coordinated by Ukraine's Defense Ministry and Security Service and have managed to hit targets more than a thousand miles inside Russian territory. That's according to our report from the Spanish

language newspaper El Pice. The results have been significant, undermining the cornerstone of Russia's economy. The campaign began on the night of August 1st, with near simultaneous strikes across three Russian provinces that hit two refineries in a fuel depot, some 600 miles from Ukraine's borders. Two days later, Keev struck again, hitting the largest refinery in Sochi near the coast of the Black Sea. Then on the night of August 7, Ukrainian drones set ablaze one of Russia's key oil refineries near the village of Afifsky. Black smoke billowed into the sky for hours near the plant, which is responsible for producing some 6.5 million tons of oil per year. Kiev then set their sights on an even more ambitious target,

a refinery in the Komi Republic owned by the Russian State Energy giant Luke oil. The plant, which is located more than 1,200 miles from Ukraine's borders, was struck on August 10th in an attack that set a record for the furthest Ukrainian drone assault on Russian energy interests since the war began. That same night, Ukrainian drones also saw. swarmed the largest Rossnef refineries in Saratov, halting production completely for at least two days. That's according to anonymous Russian sources, who spoke with Bloomberg. Finally, on Wednesday and Thursday, just ahead of Putin's face-to-face with Trump and Alaska,

Keevdiv delivered their most crippling blow yet, hitting luke oils refinery in the Russian city of Volgaat, sparking a number of powerful fires. That refinery processes more than 15 million metric tons of oil every year. That amounts to a price. approximately 5.6% of Russia's total refining capacity, that's according to the Kiev Independent. In addition to being a cornerstone of Moscow's foreign oil trade, the refinery also produces diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuel critical for Russian military logistics. Officials in Kiev have been relatively quiet about the August campaign against Russia's energy interests, but the results largely speak for themselves.

According to Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, the fires and explosions triggered by Ukraine's drones have knocked out an estimated 22% of the country's total refining capacity. It's a staggering blow, frankly, to Moscow's largest source of wartime revenue. As a reminder, Russia still remains one of the world's largest oil producers, with oil and natural gas exports, accounting for roughly a quarter of their entire federal budget. Meanwhile, economic headwinds and a U.S. tariff squeeze on one of Moscow's key oil buyers are further damaging their energy sector. As we discussed last week on the PDB, over the past few months, Russian exports of both crude and refined products have fallen to their lowest seasonal levels

in five years. A recent report from the International Energy Agency said the slump raises serious doubts about Russia's ability to sustain long-term production capacity should the war continue. And last week, President Trump signed an executive order hitting India with an additional 25% tariff over its ongoing purchases of Russian oil, raising the country's total tariff rate to 50%. India is Moscow's second largest oil customer after China, and their purchases have helped Moscow bypass existing sanctions and sustain their oil industry, propping up, of course, Putin's relatively fragile economy. China could face a similar fate, meaning. with the secondary tariffs. Though due to ongoing trade negotiations with the communist regime,

the Trump administration has yet to impose a secondary tariff on their oil purchases from Russia. But the threat is there. All right. Up next, officials in Washington, D.C. moved to sue the Trump administration, challenging their federal takeover of the city's police department. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, you've heard me talk about jacked up fitness, a great company, and they're amazing all-in-one home gym. It's a complete game-changer when it comes to home fitness. And now, well, I've got some more exciting news from Don and his terrific team over a jacked-up fitness. Look, they know that many people are short on time and short on money, but still want to get fit, right?

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Enforcement Administration, the DEA, as the, quote, emergency police commissioner of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, the MPD, everything's got an acronym. The directive grants Cole, quote, all the powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia at Chief of Police and mandates that MPD's existing leadership must receive approval from coal before issuing any new orders. That's according to a report from Reuters. Bondi's directive also rescinded several of the D.C. Police Department's standing orders, including one issued by Police Chief Pamela Smith on Thursday, allowing law enforcement to share limited information with immigration agencies regarding migrants residing in the city. But Smith also instituted a policy limiting federal

inquiries into immigration status and preventing arrests based solely on federal immigration warrants. Bondi argued that those orders were contradictory and still allowed the district to enforce sanctuary city policies. Bondi told Fox News on Thursday, quote, D.C. will not remain a sanctuary city actively shielding criminal aliens, end quote. As a reminder, Trump launched a highly controversial anti-crime crackdown in Washington on Monday, federalizing the D.C. police and ordering the deployed of some 800 National Guard troops to the city. Trump's executive order invoked Section 740 of the District's Home Rule Act, which allows a president to federalize the D.C. police in, quote, emergency situations for up to 30 days before his actions must be reviewed by Congress. Under federal orders,

authorities have since established checkpoints across the city and have so far carried out at least 45 arrests, including nearly 30 people who were living in the country illegally. D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowser, has been moving cautiously, cooperating with federal agents, but disputing the White House's assertion that crime in the city has become rampant. But Thursday's moved by Bondi appeared to be a bridge too far for Bowser and other leaders in the district. Bowser decried Bonnie's directive is, quote, unlawful, saying, quote, there's no statute that conveys the district's personnel authority to a federal official, end quote. On Friday, D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwab filed a lawsuit in federal court, arguing that the Trump administration has far exceeded the authority granted him in D.C.'s

Home Rule Act. Specifically, Schwab is seeking a temporary restraining order to block Bondi's directive, putting DEA head Terry Cole in charge of the local police department. Schwab accused the White House of attempting, quote, a hostile takeover of the MPD, saying, quote, the administration is abusing its limited temporary authority under the Home Rule Act, infringing on the district's right to self-governance and putting the safety of DC residents and visitors at risk. The irony there is pretty good. The administration's unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who called DC home, he said, end quote. Well, you know what, crime and the DC government's failure to deal with it

seriously and effectively, that could also be considered an affront to the dignity of DC residents. The DOJ has not yet commented on the lawsuit, but it promises to further escalate, of course, tensions between the city's leadership and the Trump administration. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday the 15th of August. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And remember to tune in to the first TV this evening, Friday evening, as with every Friday, at 10 p.m. for our latest episode of the extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report. You can also catch it, and past episodes, on our juggernaut of a YouTube

channel. You can find that by going to YouTube, of course, at President's Daily Brief, and on podcast platforms all over podcast land. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over the weekend with the PDB's Situation Report. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. 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 Yamava's history. Club Serrano members can earn daily instant prizes

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