The President's Daily Brief - September 23rd, 2025: NATO Nation Issues ‘Shoot Down’ Order On Russian Jets & Massive Cyber Attack Hits Europe

Episode Date: September 23, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: NATO jets once again scramble over the Baltics, and Poland’s Prime Minister issues a blunt threat: violate our airspace, and you’ll be shot down. Europe’s biggest airports are still in disarray after a cyber-attack took down check-in systems, leaving travelers stranded across the continent. Hamas makes a direct appeal to President Trump, asking for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for releasing half the hostages in Gaza. And in today’s Back of the Brief — a potentially costly mistake for the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recognition of a Palestinian state could leave Britain on the hook for two trillion pounds in reparations. 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 CBDistillery: Visit https://CBDistillery.com and use promo code PDB for 25% off your entire order!Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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First up, NATO jets once again scramble over the Baltic skies, and Poland's prime minister issues a blunt threat to Russia, violate our airspace, and you'll be shot down. We'll have those details. Later in the show, Europe's biggest airports are still in disarray after a chaotic cyber attack took down check-in systems, leaving travelers stranded across the continent. Plus, Hamas makes a direct appeal to President Trump asking for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for releasing half the hostages in Gaza. And in today's back of the brief, a potentially costly mistake for the U.K., Prime Minister Kirstarmer's recognition of a Palestinian state could leave, possibly, Britain, on the hook for two trillion, that's with a T, pounds in reparations. That's a lot of fat stacks. But first, today's BDB spotlight.

We begin today in Eastern Europe, where the space between Russian provocation and confrontation just got thinner. Poland's Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, has issued a blunt warning to Putin. Any aircraft that violates Polish airspace will be shot down. No hesitation, no discussion, cross the border, and you will not fly out. That's the threat. That statement marks a dangerous escalation, of course, in NATO's standoff with Russia, because while we've been talking for weeks now about Russian aircraft playing games near NATO's borders, flying without transponders, ignoring radio calls, dipping in and out of allied airspace,

this is the first time that a frontline NATO country has gone on record promising to use lethal force in response. Tusk's threat comes as we learn of yet another provocation by the Russians, this time over the Baltic Sea. On Sunday, a Russian reconnaissance plane entered neutral airspace without a flight plan, or radio contact, forcing German and Swedish fighters to scramble. NATO called the maneuver reckless, noting that so-called dark flights like this endanger both military and civilian traffic. Just yesterday here on the PDB, we covered another Russian violation from Friday. Three MiG-31s deliberately crossed into Estonian airspace over Vandlu Island.

They stayed there for 12 minutes, the longest breach in years. Italian F-35 scrambled intercept, but the Russian jets ignored the... them until they finally turned away. Now this is the pattern. Provocation after provocation, each one designed to unsettle NATO's eastern flank and test just how far Moscow can push without sparking a real confrontation, what we call the escalation ladder. And now Poland has decided to draw a red line. Prime Minister Tusk's message was unambiguous. He said, quote, we will make a decision to shoot down flying objects without discussion when they violate our territory and fly over Poland. There is no room for debate here, end quote. Now, that's not exactly the language of diplomacy. That's the

language of the rules of engagement. It means the next Russian jet that crosses into Polish skies risks being destroyed. And once that happens, of course, the chances of direct NATO-Russia confrontation spiked dramatically. And the tension is no longer confined to Eastern Europe. It's now playing out on the global stage. At the UN yesterday, Britain's Foreign Secretary of Ed Cooper directly confronted Russia. She told the Security Council, where Russia maintains a permanent seat, despite their three-year invasion of another sovereign nation, quote, your reckless actions risk direct armed confrontation between NATO and Russia.

Our alliance is defensive, but be under no illusion. We stand ready to defend NATO's skies and NATO's territory, end quote. America's ambassador, Mike Walts, followed with an equally stark warning, vowing that the U.S. and its allies will, quote, defend every, inch of NATO territory. He urged Moscow to pull back from its provocations rather than continue down a path that risks confrontation. So, you ask, where does this leave us? Yesterday's story was about provocations, Russian jets crossing borders, drones spilling into allied airspace, NATO scrambling to intercept. Today's story, well, is about the response. NATO's frontline

state, Poland, has now declared its intent to meet the next violation with force. Poland is one of NATO's most militarily capable members, with significant air defenses and a strong record of investing in deterrence. When its prime minister says, we will shoot down, the Russians have to take that seriously. The question is whether Moscow sees that red line as a deterrent, or as perhaps another opportunity to probe and push to test just how serious NATO really is. For NATO as a whole, the credibility of its deterrence is now on trial. The alliance was built on the promise that an attack on one is an attack on all. If Russia violates NATO skies and Poland responds with force,

the rest of the alliance will be under pressure to back Warsaw's play. Because if they don't, the entire foundation of NATO's security guarantee is at risk. All right. Coming up after the break, Europe's biggest airports are still reeling from a major cyber attack. And Hamas appeals directly to President Trump with a 60-day ceasefire proposal to free half the hospital. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, you know those nights when you just don't sleep? You know what I mean.

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From Heathrow to Brussels and Berlin-Brandenburg, operations remain slowed or outright halted. After Collins Aerospace, that's a subsidiary of U.S. Defense Giant R.T.X, was hit by an attack that froze what's known as its Muse software. That system is the backbone that airlines use to share desk and gate operations. When it collapsed, airport staff were forced to revert to the days of pen and paper, if they could find pens or paper. As systems slowly return to operating status, gate agents are now shifting to iPads and laptops, but the whole reboot is moving slowly. As for which airport took the hardest hit from the ransomware attack, that would be Brussels. Europe's combined aviation safety organization, Eurocontrol, ordered airlines.

lines in the Belgian capital to cancel half of all scheduled flights through Monday, and airport officials confirmed 40 of 277 departs were scrapped yesterday alone. Berlin, as of now, is still boarding passengers manually with no timeline for recovery. At London Heathrow, nearly half of departures were delayed over the weekend, though officials there stressed that, quote, vast majority of flights do remain operational. Still, traveler lines remain long and extra staff were rushed in. On Monday, the EU's cybersecurity agency confirmed that ransomware was to blame and said the block's cyber law enforcement is investigating. Collins Aerospace claimed in a statement that it is, quote, in the final stages of pushing fixes, but airports are not rushing back online without proof that the system is now secure.

In other words, Europe's busiest hubs are still limping along far from full operational capacity. As you can assume, the attack rippled through the airline industry. Air Lingus admitted it was, quote, significantly impacted. Virgin Atlantic confirmed disruptions, and British Airways pivoted to a backup system. So, you may ask, who's behind the ransomware attack? Officials and analysts won't commit, but the fingerprints look familiar. If it walks like a big Cold War bear and talks like a big Cold War bear, it could be the Russian bear. Jonathan Hall, the UK's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, told Times Radio,

quote, anything is possible when asked if Russia is a suspect. Now, as an example of the Kremlin's cyber shenanigans, Poland says it now logs 20 to 50 Russian-linked cyber attacks every single day, hammering everything from hospitals to the country's water systems. Romania recorded more than 85,000 cyber strikes in its presidential election just back in May, while Moldova uncovered a Russian-backed cyber effort to stir unrest around its upcoming parliamentary elections next week. The director of threat intelligence

of British security software company Sophos said, quote, disruptive attacks are becoming more visible throughout Europe. As airports struggle to get back online, governments are scrambling to respond. Britain's National Cybersecurity Center is now working with Collins Aerospace and the Department of Transport and Law Enforcement to pinpoint

potential suspects. Meanwhile, UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed she is, quote, getting regular updates, so that That's nice, but as of now, no official timeline for when airline software systems will be fully restored across Europe. Okay. Turning stateside, Hamas has drafted a letter to President Trump, offering a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza in exchange for the terror group, releasing half the hostages still held in the strip.

The letter, according to Fox News, sits with Qatari officials. Now, Gutter froze its role in negotiations after an Israeli airstrike in Doha earlier this month, targeted Hamas leadership. For now, the document has yet to land on Trump's desk, but it is expected to later this week, a gesture that would mark Hamas's most direct appeal to the president since the war began. That would be since they began the war, since they started it. For Trump, the pitch plays directly into the image. He's cultivated as the sole dealmaker who can end the conflict. He's never wavered on the Israeli hostages, demanding their immediate and unconditional release since the 7 October attacks took place on Israel.

On truth social, the president posted, quote, everyone wants the hostages home. Everyone wants this war to end. This is my last warning. There will not be another one, end quote. As PDB listeners will recall, Trump has issued similar warnings throughout the year, vowing that unless Hamas returned both captives and bodies, quote, not a single Hamas member will be safe. Speaking last week in England during a visit, the president sharpened the edge again, insisting the hostages be freed, quote, right now, a message Trump has used in recent months. Israel, meanwhile, has stiffened its position. Prime Minister Netanyahu announced in August that phased hostage deals were off the table. From now on, he said, only a single comprehensive agreement covering every hostage would suffice.

And even then, Netanyahu warned no permanent ceasefire would be entertained until Hamas itself was destroyed. And if you're wondering why a 60-day ceasefire sounds familiar, well, that's because it is. Cairo and Doha proposed a two-month halt of fighting, and for the release of 10 Israeli hostages alive, roughly half of those believed to be living out of the 48 total, along with several bodies. That framework closely mirrored U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitkoff's framework of a 60-day ceasefire plan back in May and July. Obviously, no ceasefire was accepted, and Jerusalem pushed forward with Gideon's chariots too, the grinding military offensive to seize Gaza City, which is, of course, Hamas's last major

stronghold. Israeli military commanders admit that fight could stretch on for months. And so the letter from Hamas arrives against a larger backdrop. In New York, the UN General Assembly opened this week with the question of Palestinian statehood. France moved late Monday to recognize Palestine, of course they did, joining Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal in what was a cascade of recognition that Israel condemned is nothing less than a reward for terror. That recognition had Hamas celebrating and implying that it proves their actions are justified. Trump will address the Assembly later today with its administration making clear that they oppose any recognition of Palestinian statehood. Okay, coming up next in today's back of the brief, the UK's

recognition of Palestine may carry a staggering cost, up to two trillion pounds in reparations. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question about protecting your hard-earned assets. When you hear about inflation worries, or when you just look around and see all the global uncertainty, or maybe you hear about the fact that the national debt in the U.S. is over $37 trillion, do you ever think to yourself, hmm, maybe now would be a good time to buy gold? Well, that would be a logical thought. You see, whether as a hedge against inflation or peace of mind or in global instability or maybe just for sensible diversification, gold has always been seen as a safe haven. And the Birch Gold Group, well, they believe every

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Well, just the feeling of self-righteousness must be worth it alone. As we've already reported, Prime Minister Kier-Starmor has officially recognized a Palestinian state, joining several other Western nations at the U.N. The move has drawn fierce criticism, both in Jerusalem and in Washington. But the biggest shock to the U.K. and Prime Minister Sturmer may not be political. It could be financial. Legal experts are warning that recognition opens the door to massive reparations claims, up to two trillion pounds. For some context, that's nearly the size of the UK's entire economy. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has made clear he'll

press the case, demanding reparations, quote, in accordance with international law. The claims center on land under British control between 1917 and 1948. Territory. the story Palestinians argue was taken from them when Britain withdrew and the modern state of Israel was born. During that mandate period, Britain issued the 1917 Balfour Declaration, promising support for a Jewish homeland, facilitated Jewish immigration and land purchases, and ultimately presided over the chaotic partition and withdrawal in 1948. Palestinians say that those actions left them stateless and dispossessed, and that London bears direct responsibility. Legal experts warn the compensation demands could be pegged to the value of land and resources lost during those three

decades, adjusted to today's economic scale. That's how the eye-watering figure of two trillion dollars emerges, even though it's nearly the size, again, of the UK's entire economy. So here's the bottom line. By recognizing Palestine, Starrmer has aligned Britain with a growing group of Western nations. But in doing so, he may also have exposed his country to one of the most costly legal battles in history. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Tuesday, the 23rd of September. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. Of course, to listen to the show ad-free, it's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdb premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back

later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. I'm just