The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 10th, 2025: Internet Censorship Turns Deadly in Nepal & Ukraine’s Missile Find

Episode Date: September 10, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First up—as we struggle with the issue of internet censorship here in the West, a country in Asia, Nepal, is offering us a glimpse into where that road can lead—straight into violence and political revolt. Later in the show—Ukraine uncovers over 30 foreign-made parts inside a Russian missile. What that discovery tells us about the cracks in sanctions. 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 TriTails Premium Beef: Reclaim dinner from the jaws of school-year chaos Visit https://trybeef.com/PDB. BRUNT Workwear: Get $10 Off at BRUNT with code PDB at https://www.bruntworkwear.com/PDB #Bruntpod American Financing: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Nepal, is offering us a glimpse into where that road can lead, and that would be straight into violence and political revolt. I'll have those details. Later in the show, Ukraine uncovers over 30 foreign-made parts inside a Russian missile. What that discovery tells us about the gaps and loopholes in sanctions. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We're going to start today in a place that we rarely talk about here on the PDB, and that's Nepal. And of course, Nepal is the small mountainous country nestled between India and Chinese Tibet.

Normally, Nepal doesn't really make headlines much outside of its own borders, but this week, the country is in absolute chaos, racked by a Gen Z-led revolt that's producing some of the most disturbing scenes of violence that we've seen in a long while. First, a little background on what's happening there. The spark came, well, just days ago, when Nepal's government abruptly banned 26 major social media platforms, everything from Facebook and Instagram to WhatsApp, YouTube, and X. Officials claimed the ban was about fighting fake accounts, misinformation, and hate speech. But for Nepal's young people, especially Gen Z, and those are kids obviously roughly in their early 20s, it felt like a direct attack on their voice, their identity.

and their only real connection to the outside world. So they took to the streets. At first, it was demonstrations and marches in Kathmandu and other cities in Nepal, but very quickly the protests escalated. Security forces responded with water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and eventually live ammunition. The protests then turned destructive. Crowds torched government buildings, the parliament, even the Supreme Court.

The prime minister's residence, the president's residence, and multiple party offices all came under attack. And tragically, the violence wasn't limited to symbols of the state. The home of the former prime minister was set ablaze by a mob. His wife was trapped inside and died. One of the defining images of the uprising, it's a picture of a trio of young Nepalese boys, taking a selfie in front of the burning parliament building.

By the time the smoke cleared, at least 19 people were dead, and hundreds more wounded. Flights in and out of Kathmandu was shut down. The army took control of the capital's airport. curfews were imposed. Nepal's prime minister, K.P. Sharma Ali, resigned, along with the country's home minister. In the end, the government lifted the social media ban in a desperate attempt to calm things down. But the protests haven't stopped. So, why does this matter? Well, first, the revolt isn't just about social media. That was the spark, but the fuel goes much deeper. Frustration with

corruption, nepotism, and political dysfunction. Nepal has had 13 different governments in just 15 years. Its economy is fragile, jobs are scarce, and young people, the same ones leading these protests, see little future in the system as it is. This uprising is a generational statement, a cry essentially of anger and despair. Second, Nepal sits in one of the most strategically sensitive spots on the planet, wedged between two superpowers, India and China. Both countries watch Nepal closely and compete for influence there. An unstable Nepal could easily become a flashpoint in that rivalry. For India, unrest and Nepal risks spilling across their long open border. For China, chaos and Kathmandu could complicate its belt and road investments in the region. And for the U.S.,

instability in South Asia matters because it affects both allies and adversaries in a region already under strain. Finally, and maybe most importantly, Nepal offers us a potential window into the future. Across the globe, younger generations are challenging entrenched elites. sometimes peacefully, and sometimes violently. All right. Coming up next, Remnants from one of the Russian missiles used in this weekend's massive attack on Keeve, is telling an interesting story about the effectiveness of Western sanctions and Russia's ability to adapt.

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after a Russian Iskender missile slammed in the cabinet of ministers' building last week. After the strike, the warhead on that missile, which failed to fully detonate, was torn apart and examined, and inside, officials found more than 30 foreign-made components. We're talking about parts sourced from the U.S., the United Kingdom, Japan and Switzerland, Texas instruments, analog devices, Fujitsu, and a handful of other companies were identified on the list. Now, this missile is telling us a story that goes beyond Putin's unwillingness to make peace. It's telling us something about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of Western sanctions. For years, the U.S. and its allies have been trying to strangle Russia's

military-industrial complex by cutting off access to advanced technology. And yet, here we are, three and a half years into Putin's war, and a ballistic missile aimed at Ukraine's government buildings is still being powered in part by Western microelectronics. Ukraine's sanctions commissioner set a similar missile examined earlier contained 35 components made in the U.S., along with parts from Japan, the U.K., and Switzerland. This time, investigators also found five components from Belarus and 57 from Russia. That's an important detail. Compared to missiles produced before the full-scale invasion,

The mix has shifted. Fewer western parts, more Russian and Belarusian components. It shows Moscow as adapting, building more at home, sourcing more from its closest ally, and leaning heavily on smuggling networks to fill the gaps. So, what does this mean? Well, for starters, it shows the limits of sanctions in a globalized economy. Microchips and sensors are essentially dual-use technology. The same kind of circuitry that goes into a consumer laptop or a washing machine can also help guide a ballistic missile, and that makes enforcement incredibly difficult. Western companies like Texas Instruments and also Fujitsu aren't selling directly to Moscow. Instead, components are slipping into Russia through middlemen in third countries, China,

Central Asia and the Middle East, places where Western enforcement power is very limited. It also tells us something about Russia's war machine. The Kremlin has boasted of resilience under sanctions, but the reality is that Putin's most advanced weapons still rely on imported parts. The fact that Ukraine is finding Western electronics inside wreckage on the battlefield is proof that Russia has not achieved true self-sufficiency. If sanctions enforcement tightens, if the smuggling routes are squeezed, Moscow will have a hard time maintaining both the quantity and the quality of its missile stockpiles. And finally, this discovery is a messaging tool for Keev and its partners. By publishing the names of companies whose parts

ended up in Russian missiles, Ukraine is putting pressure on the West, close the loopholes, crack down on the networks, and treat these components as strategically vital. Think of it this way. In earlier wars, controlling oil, steel, or rubber could decide the outcome. In today's wars, it's the microchips. Russia's attack on Ukraine's cabinet of ministers didn't just fail to destroy the building. It exposed the cracks in a sanctions regime designed to cripple the Kremlin's arsenal. Sanctions can be effective, but they're not yet breaking Russia's ability to kill. That means the war in Ukraine isn't just being fought on the battlefield. It's being fought in global supply chains, in customs offices, and in the quiet backrooms of trading companies that decide where tiny,

dime-sized pieces of silicon end up. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, the 10th of September. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And to listen to the show, add free, which you can do. Become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. It couldn't be any simpler. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk personal finances. Now, you've probably noticed the cost of everything is, well, kind of out of control. And many folks now are relying on credit cards to cover some of those essentials, gas bills, utility bills, grocery bills,

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