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Here's a tip for starting your day off the right way. Simply pour yourself a cup of delicious Blackout coffee. That's it. That's the tip. Family-owned premium coffee, fresh-roasted and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackoutcauffy. Com, promo code PDB, for 20% off your first-time purchase. It's Thursday, 15 August. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world's stage. Let's get briefed. We'll start today's show with the latest developments on the war in Ukraine. Well, to be accurate, it's now the war raging in both Ukraine and Russia, as Kyiv's forces launch major strikes against military airfields 500 miles deep into Russian territory. Later in the show, we'll turn Far East, where one of America's key allies, Japan, is facing a major political shakeup. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced his resignation following a series of political scandals. Plus, Iran has been hit with a major cyber attack which targeted the nation's central bank, leading to widespread disruptions and paralyzing the Islamic Republic's financial system. Just in case global instability, wars, and political chaos aren't I'm worrisome enough for you, in today's Back of the Brief, I'll take a look at an event that, frankly, none of us likely had on our 2024 Bingo cards, and that's the return of the Monkeypox virus.

Yeah, let's throw a potential pandemic into the mix, shall we? But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll begin with an update on Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Russia's Khrushchev region as Kyiv doubles down on their offensive, launching their largest long-range strike of the war. As the fighting enters its second week following Ukraine's surprise invasion last Tuesday, Kyiv's military continues to inch forward and expand their offensive strikes on strategic Russian military targets. On Wednesday morning, Ukrainian forces staged their largest attack yet, hitting four Russian military airfields in an unprecedented drone and missile barrage that reached as far as 500 miles into Russia. That's according to a report from the Independent. Russian officials confirmed the strikes, saying Ukraine had fired 117 drones and four tactical missiles across the border, with 37 hitting various targets inside the Kursk region. The strikes on the four air bases were aimed to defang Moscow's defensive measures, limiting their ability to use warplanes for glide bomb attacks on Ukrainian troops positions. It was Kyiv's largest attack on Russian military airfields of the entire war. The strikes came as Ukrainian President Zelenskyy provided an update on their operations, claiming Ukrainian forces were continuing to gain ground, advancing one to two kilometers in various positions along the new front lines on Wednesday morning.

Zelensky hailed their strikes on Russian airfields and used the moment to reiterate his calls to the West to provide more advanced long-range missiles. Zelensky said, We need other weapons, missile weapons, and we continue to work with our partners on long-range solutions for Ukraine. It seems just like yesterday when there was significant trepidation and angst within the Biden administration over the use of American-provided munitions and weapons to strike inside Russia. So far, Ukrainian officials say they have advanced nearly 20 miles into the Kursk region, seizing some 74 settlements, including ones with critical energy infrastructure, and reportedly capturing some 386 square miles of Russian territory. It's hard to overstate the significance of Ukraine's battlefield success, as this is more land than the Kremlin's forces have managed to capture from Ukraine in more than the past eight months. As we mentioned yesterday, the Russian military has struggled to respond to the Ukrainian advance On Wednesday morning, US officials confirmed that Moscow had begun withdrawing some forces from their front lines in Ukraine to redeploy those soldiers and conscripts in Kursk. While the Russian Defense Ministry claimed earlier this week that their forces were inflecting heavy losses on Ukraine's troops, there seems to be little evidence that Kyiv's incursion has been slowed.

Kyiv is now looking to solidify their gains, announcing plans on Wednesday to establish a strategic buffer zone to better protect its border regions from surprise cross-border attacks by Russia. That's according to a Reuters report. Satellite imagery shows a new trench system has already been dug in the region. Ukrainian officials also said they would use this buffer zone to create a humanitarian corridor for those impacted by the fighting, including Russian citizens. Nearly 200,000 are estimated to have evacuated the region since the fighting began. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister said, Our military plan is to open humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, both in the direction of Russia and in the direction of Ukraine. Zelenskyy reportedly met with top officials to discuss the humanitarian situation on Wednesday and arrange access for international humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross and the UN. Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine strictly adheres to humanitarian law. Additionally, Kyiv has reportedly been in contact with Russia regarding the large number of prisoners of war captured by Ukraine over the past week, which they intend to leverage to free captured Ukrainians. While the fighting continues, the incursion has successfully brought Putin's war home to Russia in a very real way, giving the Kremlin a taste of the destruction that Ukraine has endured since Moscow's invasion began back in February of 2022.

All right, coming up next. One of America's key allies Otherwise, Japan is facing a major political shakeup after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his resignation following a series of political scandals. Plus, a major cyber attack brings the Iranian financial system to its knees. We'll have those stories when we come back.

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Welcome back to the PDB. Moving now to Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced that he will not seek re-election in September. Citing a loss of public trust due to scandal and rising living costs. Kishida's resignation ends a three-year tenure and triggers a leadership race within the ruling liberal Democratic Party, the LDP. During his time in office, Kishida to strengthen Japan's relations with the US and South Korea, nearly doubling military spending to counter threats from China. However, his domestic popularity declined due to controversies such as the LDP's Slush Fund Scandal. Yeah, Slush Fund That scandal, that'll do it as far as your popularity goes, involving ruling party heavyweights aligned with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and inflation was outpacing wage growth. Kishida's choice to step down triggered a critical leadership race within the LDP, culminating in a September contest to determine his successor. This election is crucial for the LDP and Japan's political landscape, as the new party leader will automatically assume the role of Prime Minister. Reactions to Kishida's decision have been mixed. At a news conference, Kishida emphasized that his resignation was driven by the need to present a renewed image of the LDP to the Japanese public, stating, politics cannot function without public trust.

We must show the people the face of LDP that is changing, that is born a new. Some experts drew comparisons to President Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race in July, underscoring a trend of leaders stepping aside when their tenure may hinder their party's success. A market strategist suggested that Kishida's resignation had been anticipated, noting that he was essentially a dead man walking, primarily due to the weakness of the Yen. Us ambassador to Japan, Ram Emmanuel, praised the Prime Minister as a genuine ally of the US, emphasizing Japan's role as a key global partner, fostering partnerships and security alliances throughout the Endo-Pacific region. Now, the race for Kishida's successor is wide open and expected to be highly competitive. Among the leading candidates is Taro Kono, the current digital minister, recognized for his efforts to modernize Japan's technology infrastructure. Kono is seen as a reformist with a strong public profile, making him a formidable contender. That's according to the Wall Street Journal. Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, who could make history as Japan's first female Prime Minister, if elected, is another strong candidate. Kamikawa gained recognition for her work on international issues and improving Japan's diplomatic relations. Additionally, Shinjiro Kizumi, a 43-year-old rising star within the party and the son of a former Prime Minister, represents a new generation of leadership within the LDP.

Known for his charisma and appeal to the youth, Kizumi's candidacy could signal a shift towards a more energetic and dynamic image for the party. Despite the impending leadership change, none of the leading candidates are expected to make significant alterations to Japan's core policies. The country's military alliance with the US, aimed at countering the growing influence of China, is very likely to remain intact. In the coming weeks, the LDP candidates will focus on addressing the economic concerns that have affected Prime Minister Kishida's popularity. The new leader will need to convince voters that the LDP can effectively manage the economy while maintaining Japan's strategic alliances and security commitments. Okay, I want to turn your attention to Iran, which was just hit by one of the largest cyberattacks in the nation's history. The Saudi-affiliated outlet, Iran International, exclusively reported that the Islamic regime's Central Bank, along with several other financial institutions, were hacked Wednesday morning in an attack that shut down all their computer systems and caused widespread disruptions in the country's banking system. The hackers reportedly stole sensitive data belonging to account holders in Iran's largest bank, including credit card details for millions of Iranians. Activists also apparently used the moment to troll Iran's theocratic regime.

According to a report in the Times of Israel, anonymous activists stuck notes to ATM machines reading, Gear customers, it is not possible to withdraw draw money from the bank because all of Iran's budget and national resources have been invested in the war for the benefit of the corrupt regime of the Islamic Republic. We should note, there's very little information, of course, coming out of Iran regarding the hack, and media coverage, of course, has been sparse. Somewhat surprising, Iran has not yet lashed out at the West or blamed Israel for the breach as they typically do when facing internal embarrassment. Well, just give them some time. I'm sure they'll get around to At least initially, though, according to a reporter from Iran International, the regime has been frantically trying to cover up a cyber attack and limit details to the outside world. The reporter said he expects Iranian leaders to surface soon and, of course, deny that any hack took place at all. As I mentioned, the attack is reportedly one of the largest hacks in the country's history. Given the regime's stated plans to retaliate against Israel of the death of Hamas's leader in Tehran two weeks ago, officials are likely eager to avoid looking vulnerable.

Despite the more than two week delay in their response, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hamini reiterated his promise of retaliation on Wednesday, saying Iran has a religious duty to strike back against Israel. Both the US and Israel have said a significant attack by Iran could take place as early as this week, though other reports suggest Iran may hold off if progress is made today at emergency negotiations being held in Qatar for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Well, not to sound cynical, but there's little hope of a diplomatic breakthrough with the ceasefire negotiations, as the Iranian-backed Hamas said Wednesday that they will not directly participate in the talks. All right, coming up in the back of the brief. The World Health Organization, the WHO, declares a global public health emergency as Monkeypox makes a major comeback. I'll be right back. In today's back of the Brief, the World Health Organization, the WHO, declared the rapid spread of Monkeypox in African countries as a global health emergency on Wednesday, marking the second time in three years that such a designation has been made. Now, Monkeypox was previously declared a global health emergency in 2022 due to its spread across continents.

However, the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the DRC, is proving more severe. The cases especially impact women and children under 15 years old, where over 14,000 1,000 cases, and 524 deaths have been reported this year due to the lack of immunity and malnutrition. The WHO reports that the virus is spreading to countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, where monkeypox has never been detected before. The Africa centers for Disease, Control, and Prevention has taken the unprecedented step of declaring a public health emergency of continental security for the first time. The WHO's designation of a global global health emergency is intended to galvanize international efforts, urging member countries to prepare for the virus's likely spread beyond Africa's borders. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, It's, We can no longer be reactive. We need to be proactive and aggressive. Yeah, you think? With a potential pandemic? However, the global community's response has been hampered by a critical shortage of vaccines. Oh, good. The story just keeps getting more concerning. Only 15,000 doses are available for distribution. What? 15,000? Who's in charge? That's a mere fraction of the 10 million doses urgently needed to contain the outbreak.

Vaccine manufacturers are only now being invited to apply for emergency use listing, a process that, frankly, should have been expedited months and months ago. The inaction of global health leaders is particularly concerning given the lessons supposedly learned from the 2022 outbreak where delayed responses allow the virus to spread unchecked. And this time, the stakes are even higher. The so-called clade LB variant has a mortality rate of approximately 3%, 10 times higher than the 0.2% observed in the 2022 Monkeypox outbreak. Adding to the crisis is the virus's new transmission methods, including, oh, yeah, of course, sexual transmission. The chairman of the WHO Emergency Committee stated, We're only seeing the tip of the iceberg, emphasizing the dire need for a robust international response. Experts warn that without immediate, decisive action, the world could be facing a health crisis on a scale not seen since the early days of the COVID teen pandemic. And on that cheery note. That, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, 15 August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@thefirsttv. Com. And as I'm sure your parents have told you, to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.

Com. It's very simple. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool..