This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gold Group. Protect your retirement assets and protect your future. Speak with the experts at Patriot Gold. They've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. Go to patriotgoldgroup. Com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Thursday, 22 August. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. We'll start today's show in the Middle East, where The deal to end the fighting in Gaza is on the brink of collapse without any clear alternative in sight, according to US and Israeli officials. Meanwhile, senior US officials accuse the Israeli Prime Minister of making, quote, maximalist statements that are not constructive to securing a ceasefire. Well, you know what? Maybe those US officials should also point out that Hamas not bothering to participate in the negotiations, is also not constructive. Apparently, it's easier to criticize your key Middle East ally than an Iranian-backed terrorist group. Wait, does that make me sound churlish? Later in the brief, Ukraine launched what Russian officials are calling one of the biggest drone strikes on Moscow since the war began, launching at least 11 unmanned aerial vehicles at the capital city.

Plus, a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea earlier this week by walking across the heavily fortified border. This is the latest in a series of similar incidents, possibly signaling broader unrest within the hermit kingdom, you think? I mean, considering the rampant poverty and general malnutrition of the entire population, I can't imagine what the unrest could be about. And in today's Back of the Brief, the latest in DEI Insanity, a recent hire at the nuclear security wing of the Department of Energy has previously called for eradicating white supremacy in the Nuclear Field, as well as, quote, queering nuclear weapons. I mean, I had no idea that nuclear weapons were concerned about their pronouns. Seriously, it's about time to stop pretending that some of this stuff is normal. Anyone who comes up with the phrase Queering nuclear weapons, needs to have their security clearances revoked and shown the door. Apparently, my churlish meter today is pegged. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. Diplomatic tensions between the Biden administration and Israel are once again flaring as negotiators desperately attempt to secure a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, with officials warning that the talks are on the verge of collapse.

Two US and two Israeli officials speaking exclusively to Politico stressed that this is likely the last chance they have to secure a ceasefire in the region for the foreseeable future, saying that if the deal falls through, there's no clear immediate alternative agreement that could be offered up. Once again, it doesn't help that Hamas isn't bothering to participate, well, or that they started the war. Yeah, that didn't help either. While US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, and other members of the administration have been projecting optimism about a deal in public that is their tendency, behind the scenes, it appears progress has completely stalled. Israel and Hamas are still at odds on critical details, and the current, quote, bridging proposal introduced late last week by the US, Egypt, and Qatar, reportedly, doesn't provide much in the way of clarity on the remaining points of contention, according to a report from Politico. Having said that, Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, tentatively agreed to implement the proposal on Monday, while Hamas has said they will not accept the deal in its current form. Now, the main point of disagreement appears to be over who will control the Gaza and Egyptian border, particularly the strategic Philadelphia axis.

Israel has vowed to maintain control of the border region, along with the Netzarim Corridor, separating Northern and Southern Gaza. Stipulations that Hamas fundamentally rejects, primarily because for 17 years, Hamas has used that area to smuggle weapons and other contraband into Gaza for Hamas's benefit. This issue has also sparked a bit of a diplomatic tiff between Israel and the US. Frankly, when was the last time you heard the word tiff? Netanyahu and Blinken met for three hours on Monday to discuss the proposal, after which Netanyahu declared that he had convinced Blinken that the deal must allow Israeli troops to stay in these strategic locations. A senior Biden administration official, speaking anonymously to the BBC, scalded with a has scolded Netanyahu over the remarks on Tuesday, saying such aggressive public statements about specific details within the proposal undermine the work of negotiators and could push Hamas to walk away from the talks entirely. They're not at the talks. What are you talking about. I'm not sure how many times this has to be said. Hamas is a terrorist organization doing the bidding of the Iranian regime, and I'm not sure that we should worry entirely about their sensitivities.

The official said, We're certainly not going to negotiate in public, but what I can say is that the only thing Secretary Blinken and the United States are convinced of is the need for getting a ceasefire proposal across the finish line. We fully expect that if Hamas were to also accept this bridging proposal, discussions will continue on some of the more technical details. Yeah, and unicorns will fly out of my backside. The official pointedly added, maximalist statements like this are not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line, and they certainly risk the ability of implementing level, working level, and technical talks to be able to move forward when both parties agree to a bridging proposal. What language is that? Who talks like that? No wonder we can't get a ceasefire because nobody understands what they're saying. On Wednesday, in the wake of Ndaneahu's statement, an anonymous Egyptian official with direct knowledge of the talks expressed skepticism that a deal would be reached, noting that the language proposal does not specify whether Israel would withdraw its forces from the strategic corridor in Gaza. We should note, Egyptian mediators have reportedly been intensely opposed to allowing Israeli troops to stay in the region.

The Egyptian official told the Guardian, The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees. Hamas won't accept this because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent ceasefire. That's even, frankly, if Hamas leaders and 7 October mastermind Yaya Sinmar actually want a ceasefire. The terror leader has a history of scuttling past negotiations by tacking on unworkable last-minute demands and has indicated to negotiators in the past that he's happy to sacrifice the civilian population in Gaza for his cause as he hides in the group's underground tunnel network. The militant group has also announced a resumption of suicide bombings inside Israel, warning that such attacks will, quote, return to the forefront if Israel continues its campaign inside Gaza. An unnamed US official, familiar with the talks, told Politico, quote, We don't know if Sinmar wants this deal. But if we don't get the deal, there's a chance that Iran attacks and this escalates into a full-blown confrontation. He added, And that would be bad for the re-election chances of the Democrats. Okay, fine. I made up that last quote, but that It doesn't necessarily make it untrue.

All right, coming up after the break, Ukraine launches one of its biggest drone attacks against Moscow since the start of the war, and defections appear to be on the rise in North Korea. We'll have those stories when we come back.

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Welcome back to the PDB. I want to turn now to the war in Eastern Europe as Ukraine launches one of their largest direct attacks on Moscow since the conflict began. The attack occurred early Wednesday morning, with Russia's Defense Ministry claiming to have shot down at least 11 incoming Ukrainian drones targeting the Russian capital. Some of the drones were reportedly shot down over the city of Podolska, just 24 miles south of the Kremlin, while others made it closer to Moscow. All were reportedly intercepted by Russia's air defenses, according to a report from Reuters. Even after more than two years of fighting, drone attacks on Moscow have been a rare occurrence, with the last incident occurring in May, though that attack only involved one drone. As Kiv's forces gained ground inside Russia's Kershk region, their military has expanded their reach and appear to be getting bolder in their offensive strikes. Including the 11 drones intercepted over Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said they had logged a total of 45 drones over Russian territory on Wednesday, shooting down 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgarod region and three over the Kaluga region, with a remaining two over the Kursk region.

The Moscow mayor said, This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever. I don't know. Maybe, and here I'm going out on a limb, maybe next time, don't invade another country. Russian officials and citizens on the ground inside Moscow seemed largely unbothered by the aerial incursion, saying the incident showed the supposed superiority of Russia's air defenses. The streets reportedly remained crowded on Wednesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Premier Li Kyung at the Kremlin. Still, the incident suggests Ukraine is eager to free themselves of Western restrictions regarding attacks inside Russia as they continue to find success with their incursion into the Kursk region. As we discussed on yesterday's show, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is using the moment to reiterate his calls to Western allies to supply long-range weapons and to lift restrictions on current munitions. For the first two years of the war, the US barred Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, fearing, of course, that such activity could escalate the conflict. While the US and NATO allies loosened the restrictions earlier this year, they're still limiting the use of these weapons to targets along the border region.

Russia continues to struggle to respond to the Ukrainian incursion launched on the sixth of August, though Kyiv's progress within the region has slowed. Russian forces are also advancing inside Ukraine's Donetsk region, and US officials expressed concern on Wednesday that if Kyiv's operations continue for much longer, they do risk over-extending their supply lines and making themselves vulnerable to further offensive operations by Russia in Eastern Ukraine. All right, moving on to a daring escape. A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea by crossing the heavily fortified military demarcation line that divides the Korean Peninsula. Now, this marks the second defection in August, pointing to potential discontent within Kim Jong Un's regime and economic troubles inside the hermit kingdom. On Tuesday morning, the South Korean Defense Ministry reported that the North Korean soldier, believed to be a staff sergeant, successfully crossed into Gosyung County on the country's East Coast. South Korean guards observe these soldiers' movements across the and upon entering South Korean territory, the military swiftly took him into custody. South Korean authorities are treating the soldier's defection with great caution, according to a report by South Korean news agency, Youngha. The authorities are questioning the defected soldier to determine his motives and gather any intelligence that he may possess.

The South Korean Defense Ministry confirms that the investigation is ongoing. Now, this defection is the second reported case this month, following the earlier escape of a North Korean resident who defected via the maritime border in the Han River on the West Coast. The incident emphasizes the growing desperation among North Koreans, even those within the military, to escape the harsh policies of the Kim regime. Despite North Korea's efforts to tighten border security with new barriers and landmines, researchers at the Korea Institute for National Unification doubt that these measures will prevent future defections due to the military's outdated equipment and lack of resources. Ahn Chanil, a defector-turned researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, suggests that the surge in defections is due to cracks within the Kim regime. Ahn believes that the stranglehold Kim possesses is weakening as more North Koreans, including military and ruling elites, become, quote, disillusioned due to the regime's failure to provide for its people. Additionally, South Korea's intensified anti-Pyong-Yang efforts, including loud speaker broadcasts across the DMZ, leaflet distributions that expose North Koreans to news, and popular South Korean music, aim to undermine the Kim regime, encouraging defections. Okay, coming up in the back of the brief, DEI gone wild at the Department of Energy as the Biden administration announces a new hire who once called for the, quote, querying of nuclear weapons.

I'll be right back.

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In today's Back of the Brief, I want to draw your attention to a recent appointee by the Biden administration. Now, her name is Ms. Nehannar, and she was appointed as Special Assistant of the National Nuclear Security Administration, the and MSA, which falls under the Department of Energy. It appears, at least from available information, that Ms. Nair wants to inject queer theory into nuclear disarmament policies. Look, I'm not making this up. She has talked about the importance of querying nuclear weapons. Now, advocating for nuclear disarmament isn't new. It's been a left-wing dream for ages. But Nair's take on it is where things go off the rails. Nair is not solely talking about getting rid of nukes. She's saying that queer theory, I wasn't aware of it, a framework traditionally used to challenge norms about gender and sexuality, can also be used to inform the struggle for national security and what she calls nuclear justice. I swear I'm not making this up. Nair argues that by emphasizing the hidden stories of displacement, illness, and trauma caused by nuclear weapons, queer theory can help us see these weapons not as tools of security, but as symbols of harm, leading to eventual US disarmament.

Okay. All right. I suspect that most people, at least the folks that have any experience in life, most people already see nukes as symbols of harm. That, of course, is the point, the threat of maximum harm to create deterrence. Now, if that wasn't enough, Nair argues that a more diverse workforce can better sniff out threats, especially from, radical white supremacist groups, which she suggests are overlooked by predominantly white security staff. Nair suggests that diversity, equity, and inclusion, there you go with that DEI, more broadly, is essential for creating effective nuclear policy. Again, I'm not making this up. Good God. She's actually been given a job by the Biden-Harris Administration. Now it's basically the Harris Administration. People, frankly, they ask me why I drink. Nair's agenda is not just equal parts naive and moronic. It's dangerous and disconnected from the harsh realities of global politics. The reality is that the US does not exist in a vacuum, and then the nation's adversaries, such as, I don't know, China, Russia, and North Korea, are unlikely to be swayed by ideological arguments about nuclear disarmament. And by unlikely, I mean they won't be. Nair's policy in the highly unlikely event that they would ever be implemented would weaken America's nuclear deterrent and embolden adversaries.

Now, being an optimistic glass-half-full guy, look, every a young person, and it appears that this individual is in their mid-20s, should have the luxury, at least for a while, of being cocooned in the naiveté of youth and an experience. That's the right and the passage of being young. You could honestly believe that your academic experiences prepare you for dealing with real life. But they don't. Our adversaries don't give a rat's ass about your feelings on the challenges facing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the nuclear security field. It should have no part to play when it comes to US national security. Call me a curmudgeon, but I've seen too much of this world and its bad actors to waste time pretending that ridiculous ideas are somehow relevant. That, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, 22 August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@thefirsttv. Com. Now, to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium. Com. And of course, as the weekend approacheth, well, that means the PDB team is busy preparing another new episode of America's favorite weekend news program, the PDB Situation Report.

It's available starting every Friday evening on the first TV, and it's on our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief, and of course, wherever you satisfy your podcast cravings. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until informed, stay safe, stay cool.