This episode is brought to you by Patriot Gold Group. Protect your retirement assets and protect your future. Speak with the experts over at Patriot Gold. They've been the top-rated gold IRA dealer for seven years in a row. That's a lot of years in a row. Go to patriotgoldgroup. Com or call 1-888-621-3856 for a free investor guide. It's Monday, 26th, August. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, Ukraine has unveiled a new long-range weapon that they plan to unleash inside Russian territory. Actually, reports are that it's already in use. While at the same time, the Putin regime mounted one of their largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure to date. Also, an update from Venezuela. As 10 Latin American governments openly reject the Venezuelan Supreme Court's decision to confirm dictator Nicolas Maduro's widely questioned re-election. When I say widely questioned, I mean it was stolen. But first, our afternoon spotlight. As fighting intensifies between Russia and Ukraine, leaders in Kyiv have unveiled a new top secret long-range weapon that will allow them to strike deep inside Russian territory without the permission of Western allies.

Allies. As you know, leaders in Kyiv have long been asking their allies to remove restrictions on Western weapons when it comes to striking inside Russian territory. Now, the Ukrainian military, apparently, has taken matters into their own hands to bypass those Western restraints, and that's according to a report from the Associated Press. President Zelensky hailed the breakthrough in a telegram post, confirming it was used for the first time on Saturday in an unspecified operation in the occupied territory. Zelensky said Sunday, Yesterday, the first successful combat use of our new weapon took place. It was designed domestically to destroy the enemy's offensive potential. Defenders of life, he said, should have no restrictions on weapons as long as Russia uses all kinds of its own weapons. Now, the new weapon is reportedly a combination of missile and drone components and is said to be launched from a ground platform using a turbojet engine. While the details remain highly classified, a military video, released by Zelensky, suggested it may have a range of up to 430 miles. It's dubbed the Palianytsya, named after a type of Ukrainian bread. Now, reportedly, it's a word so difficult to pronounce correctly, although I think I just did a fair job of it, that the word was used to unmask suspected spies in the early days of the war.

Zelensky said the cost to produce the new weapon is relatively low, estimated at less than $1 million. Well, in war terms, I suppose that is low, and that production is expected to grow rapidly. The breakthrough will be a major boom to the Ukrainian military's defensive and offensive capabilities, particularly in light of the conditions placed on use of Western-supplied long-range missiles in Russia. As a reminder, for the first two years of the war, the US barred Ukraine from using Western-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia, fearing that such activity, of course, 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. The Institute for the Study of War estimates that there are currently roughly 250 Russian military targets within range of Western-supplied missiles, but the constraints only allow Ukraine to strike 20 of them. This new weapon appears to have a comparable range, putting all those Russian targets on the map. Ukraine's technology minister told the AP, I think this will be a game changer because we will be able to strike where Russia doesn't expect it today.

From Ukraine's perspective, it's a particularly welcome advancement in the face of Russia's relentless aerial bombardment of their cities. The Ukrainian military estimates that Russia has launched more than 9,600 long-range missiles into Ukraine since the war began, with Only a quarter of them shot down by aerial defenses. On Monday, with fighting raging inside both Russia and Ukrainian territory, Moscow's forces mounted one of their biggest attacks on Ukraine's power grid to date. They fired some 200 missiles and drones, striking energy infrastructure facilities in at least 15 regions across Ukraine, killing at least five people and injuring dozens. An errant drone was even recorded entering Polish airspace during the attack. That's according to Reuters. While the Ukrainian military was able to shoot down 15 missiles and approximately 20 drones targeting Kyiv, many broke through their air defenses. The damage was reportedly widespread, with water outages and power cuts recorded throughout the country. In a statement, Zelenskyy said, It was one of the biggest combined strikes, more than 100 missiles of various types and about 100 Shakhed drones. Like most previous Russian strikes, this one is just as sneaky targeting critical civilian infrastructure. Ukraine's defense minister said Monday that their new long-range weapon will likely play a part in their response to Russia's latest attack, allowing them to strike deep behind enemy lines.

Coming up after the break, an update out of Venezuela as 10 Latin American governments openly reject the Venezuelan Supreme Court's decision to confirm dictator Nicolas Maduro's re-election. Now, if you haven't been following the situation in Venezuela and you're looking for a brief summary, well, here it is. Maduro and his henchmen stole the election, and the Maduro-controlled Supreme Court, rubber-stamped, his completely made up victory. There you go. Here at the PDB, of course, we pride ourselves on being concise. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin, an update on the disputed election and unrest in Venezuela. Nicolas Maduro's neighbors are lining up against the election verdict last week. Ten Latin American governments alongside the US have openly rejected the Venezuelan Supreme Court's decision to confirm Maduro's controversial re-election. The pro-Maduro Supreme Court's ratification of what it comically called Indisputable presidential election results last Thursday has done little to nothing to stop the protests and international condemnation. The Supreme Court is under the thumb of Maduro and would essentially confirm that he's a ferret if Maduro declared that he's now a ferret. A coalition of Latin American nations and the US issued a joint statement on Friday calling for a impartial and independent audit of the controversial election. This statement, endorsed by conservative governments, traditionally critical of Maduro, as well as leaders from Brazil, Colombia, and Chile, and those countries they were once allies of Venezuela under Maduro's mentor Hugo Chávez, openly questions the legitimacy of Maduro's victory and demands greater transparency through the publication of voting data. Well, good luck with that. Gabriel Boric, Chile's progressive President accused Venezuela's Supreme Court of, quote, consolidating the fraud and insisted, quote, Venezuela's dictatorship is not the left.

Well, actually, it is the left. Even Mexico's President, AMLO, a prominent Latin American leftist, has withheld recognition, insisting on transparency in the voting count. Now, when your behavior is outside the pale, even for the leftists of Latin America, you know that you've hit the far left edge of the spectrum. Diplomats from these countries are reportedly seeking ways to ease the growing tensions. Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Colombian President Gustavo Petro will issue a joint statement later this week. Meanwhile, regional socialist leftist governments are condemning the ruling, arguing it lacks credibility especially with substantial evidence suggesting that Maduro's opponent, Edmundo González, received the most votes in the 28th July election. Basically, they're worried that Maduro is giving hard-lined socialist leftists a bad name. A US State Department spokesperson warned that, Continued attempts to fraudulently claim victory for Maduro will only exacerbate the ongoing crisis. On Saturday, Joseph Borel, the EU's top diplomat, stated that Venezuelan President Maduro has yet to present the necessary public evidence to confirm his victory in July's elections. Well, to be fair, that's because he's still making it up. Burrell emphasized, Only complete and independently verifiable results will be accepted and recognized.

Now, despite mounting international pressure, experts believe Maduro could weather this international opposition challenge thanks to his tight grip on the military. That's a key pillar of his power, not to mention also the fecklessness and short-term attention span of most of the international community. Maduro and his allies remained defiant, dismissing the criticism as imperialist interference. There you go. With the backing of Venezuela's military and the support, of course, of Russia and China, Maduro has intensified his political crackdown under the banner of Operation Knock Knock. Now, he was originally going to go with the name Operation I Stole the Election, so deal with it, losers. But apparently, advisors suggested something less direct, so knock, knock, it is. This campaign marked by the aggressive tactics of Maduro's security forces has led to over 1,600 arrests and at least 24 deaths of demonstrators since the contested July election. The detainees now face serious charges, including terrorism criminal association, which could result in decades-long prison sentences, effectively, of course, silencing a significant portion of the opposition. Maduro is set to be sworn in for his third six-year term as President on the 10th of January, 2025. The situation in Venezuela remains volatile as a potential for political upheaval, whether through a domestic uprising or a negotiated transition similar to that of Chile's return to democracy, is somewhat, if you're being optimistic, still on the table despite Maduro's hardline response.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Monday, 26th, August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@thefirsttv. Com. Now, if you're saying to yourself, Hey, how can I listen to the show ad-free? Well, it's simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium. Com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay stay safe, stay cool.