Latest / The President's Daily Brief / PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 4th, 2026: Putin’s Popularity Plunges to Wartime Low & Israel Seizes Key Hezbollah Stronghold

Transcript

PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 4th, 2026: Putin’s Popularity Plunges to Wartime Low & Israel Seizes Key Hezbollah Stronghold · The President's Daily Brief

• 0:12
  It's Friday,
• 0:12
  the 4th of September.
• 0:14
  Welcome to the PDB
• 0:15
  afternoon bulletin.
• 0:16
  OK,
• 0:16
  to be fair,
• 0:17
  it's more like the early evening bulletin today.
• 0:20
  I'm Mike Baker,
• 0:21
  your eyes and ears on the world stage.
• 0:23
  Let's get briefed.
• 0:24
  First up,
• 0:25
  Vladimir Putin,
• 0:26
  you remember him,
• 0:27
  is facing signs of growing public frustration
• 0:30
  at home
• 0:31
  as his approval ratings drop amid intensifying attacks from Kiev.
• 0:35
  Could
• 0:36
  growing domestic pressure change his strategy in Ukraine?
• 0:39
  I'll have the details.
• 0:41
  Later in the show,
• 0:42
  Israel says it's cleared Hezbollah fighters from
• 0:44
  a major underground stronghold in southern Lebanon
• 0:47
  despite warnings from Iran against attacking the position.
• 0:51
  But the operation is also exposing just how far the two sides
• 0:55
  remain from implementing the US brokered agreement that was reached in June.
• 0:59
  Now,
• 0:59
  as we've noted repeatedly here on the PDB,
• 1:02
  that agreement
• 1:03
  was with the Lebanese government,
• 1:05
  not Hezbollah,
• 1:06
  so it's always been of limited utility.
• 1:09
  But first,
• 1:10
  today's afternoon spotlight.
• 1:12
  Earlier this week,
• 1:13
  we told you that frustration with Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine
• 1:17
  appeared to be growing inside Russia's political and economic elite.
• 1:21
  Now there are signs that frustration may be spreading beyond the Kremlin
• 1:25
  and the country's elite.
• 1:27
  Putin's approval ratings have fallen dramatically in recent months,
• 1:30
  even according to polling organizations that are
• 1:32
  closely tied to the Russian government.
• 1:35
  The state-run Russian Public Opinion Research Center,
• 1:38
  for example,
• 1:39
  recently put Putin's approval at just 65%.
• 1:43
  Now those are relatively paltry figures
• 1:45
  historically for the 73-year-old autocrat,
• 1:48
  down from levels approaching
• 1:49
  90%
• 1:51
  before the invasion of Ukraine.
• 1:53
  And another polling organization that conducts surveys for the Kremlin,
• 1:56
  the Public Opinion Foundation,
• 1:58
  recorded an even more striking shift.
• 2:01
  According to their survey,
• 2:02
  in July,
• 2:03
  Putin's approval fell 5 points in a single week,
• 2:06
  from 71% to 66%.
• 2:10
  That's the steepest drop since protests erupted
• 2:12
  over Russia's military mobilization back in 2022.
• 2:16
  And his trust numbers are slipping as well.
• 2:19
  What people are trusting Putin?
• 2:21
  The Russian Public Opinion Research Center found that confidence in Putin
• 2:24
  fell from nearly 77% in June to 71%
• 2:29
  in its latest polling.
• 2:31
  Now,
• 2:31
  obviously those are still numbers that
• 2:33
  most political leaders around the world would be thrilled to have,
• 2:37
  but the sharp drop in support in recent months
• 2:39
  does suggest Ukraine's summer assault on Russia's industrial engine.
• 2:43
  Maybe shifting public sentiment against Putin.
• 2:46
  And his handling of the war after more than 4 years of fighting.
• 2:50
  Katerina Stepanenko,
• 2:52
  who leads the Russia team at the Institute for the Study of War,
• 2:56
  says that the real surprise is that Kremlin-aligned
• 2:58
  pollsters are acknowledging the decline at all.
• 3:02
  She told the New York Post that the numbers could reflect an attempt by
• 3:05
  people inside the Russian government
• 3:07
  to warn Putin,
• 3:08
  saying,
• 3:08
  quote,
• 3:09
  Someone is going out there
• 3:10
  to show that interest in the war is waning.
• 3:13
  And there are other indications that Putin's support may
• 3:16
  be softer than the headline approval numbers suggest.
• 3:19
  A separate survey conducted in Russia's Krasnodar
• 3:21
  and Rostov regions asked respondents a different question
• 3:26
  which Russian politician or statesman
• 3:27
  they trusted most?
• 3:29
  Only 39% in Krasnodar named Putin.
• 3:32
  In Rostov,
• 3:33
  it was 37%.
• 3:35
  Now those figures should not be directly compared with Putin's approval rating.
• 3:39
  But taken together,
• 3:40
  analysts say the numbers provide another indication
• 3:42
  that public frustration accelerated sharply this summer,
• 3:46
  particularly as the
• 3:47
  Kremlin struggled to shield ordinary Russians from the consequences of the war.
• 3:51
  Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and other infrastructure have
• 3:55
  contributed to fuel shortages and disruptions inside the country,
• 3:58
  while Western sanctions continue weighing on parts of the economy.
• 4:02
  As we discussed Tuesday,
• 4:03
  there are also signs of growing
• 4:05
  frustration among Russia's political and economic elite
• 4:08
  over the cost of continuing a war that has
• 4:11
  still failed to deliver many of Putin's original objectives.
• 4:14
  That said,
• 4:16
  analysts caution that there's no indication that Putin is
• 4:19
  suddenly losing his kung fu grip on power.
• 4:22
  John Hardy,
• 4:23
  deputy director of the Russia program at
• 4:25
  the Foundation for Defense of Democracies,
• 4:27
  told the Post,
• 4:27
  quote,
• 4:28
  There is a strong desire to end the war,
• 4:30
  but it's not likely that this trend will lead to major unrest or a palace coup.
• 4:36
  And there is a critical distinction we have to parse
• 4:38
  from the polling data regarding public sentiment towards the war.
• 4:42
  A majority of Russians may favor peace negotiations at this point.
• 4:45
  But the public also doesn't want Russia to accept
• 4:48
  defeat or make any major concessions to Ukraine.
• 4:51
  A recent poll captured that contradiction,
• 4:54
  with 68% of Russians
• 4:56
  continuing to support Russia's military operations in Ukraine.
• 5:00
  In other words,
• 5:00
  Putin's problem may not be that Russians are turning against the war
• 5:05
  so much as they're increasingly impatient with how long it's taking,
• 5:09
  and they want him to find a way to decisively end the conflict
• 5:12
  on terms that Moscow can still present as a victory.
• 5:16
  Now if mounting pressure is changing Putin's calculations,
• 5:19
  there's little evidence of that change on the battlefield.
• 5:22
  Russia launched another major attack against Ukraine overnight,
• 5:25
  killing at least 3 people.
• 5:27
  Then on Friday,
• 5:28
  a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security service.
• 5:32
  In central Kiev,
• 5:34
  Ukraine meanwhile continues its assaults on Russian infrastructure,
• 5:37
  hitting the Black Sea resort city of Sochi and
• 5:40
  the nearby Sirius district Friday,
• 5:42
  sparking a fire at an oil depot.
• 5:45
  Still,
• 5:45
  the Trump administration is reportedly preparing for
• 5:48
  another diplomatic push this weekend.
• 5:51
  Hope does spring eternal.
• 5:52
  Axios reports that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner,
• 5:55
  apparently it's
• 5:56
  not a deep bench of envoys,
• 5:58
  are scheduled to meet with Putin in Moscow on Saturday
• 6:00
  before traveling to Kiev for talks with Zelensky on Sunday.
• 6:04
  However,
• 6:05
  Reuters reports those visits do remain uncertain as
• 6:08
  US officials seek security assurances for both Russia
• 6:11
  and Ukraine.
• 6:12
  The Kremlin has so far declined to publicly confirm the Moscow meeting,
• 6:17
  although Putin said Thursday
• 6:19
  that he believes there may still be an opportunity for a peace agreement,
• 6:23
  which is a notable shift from just days ago
• 6:26
  when Putin described negotiations
• 6:28
  as essentially frozen.
• 6:31
  All right.
• 6:31
  Coming up next,
• 6:32
  Israeli forces say they've cleared Hezbollah fighters from
• 6:35
  a sprawling tunnel complex beneath a strategic ridge
• 6:38
  in southern Lebanon
• 6:40
  near the Israeli border.
• 6:42
  I'll be right back.
• 6:44
  Hey,
• 6:44
  Mike Baker here.
• 6:45
  Now,
• 6:45
  we have all heard those radio ads about the IRS,
• 6:49
  you know the ones I'm talking about.
• 6:50
  They,
• 6:50
  they tell you to be afraid,
• 6:51
  be very afraid,
• 6:52
  and they try to frighten you into calling.
• 6:54
  Well,
• 6:55
  tax relief advocates is different.
• 6:57
  Look,
• 6:57
  if you owe money to the IRS,
• 6:59
  whether it's $5000 or $50,000 or $500,000
• 7:03
  TRA has a solution to your tax.
• 7:05
  Problem.
• 7:06
  Don't lose hope.
• 7:07
  TRA could reduce or even eliminate what you owe to the IRS.
• 7:11
  Their passion is taxes and helping individuals and businesses
• 7:14
  fix their IRS problems.
• 7:16
  They've got over 1000 5-star Google reviews and
• 7:19
  an A+ with the Better Business Bureau.
• 7:22
  Here's the thing,
• 7:22
  you do not need to be afraid of the IRS any longer.
• 7:26
  Generous tax relief programs are now available
• 7:28
  that can give you a fresh start,
• 7:29
  so don't wait.
• 7:31
  Simply visit TRA.com.
• 7:33
  That's
• 7:33
  TRA.com
• 7:35
  or call the number 800-583-6515.
• 7:39
  Once again,
• 7:39
  that number 800-583-6515.
• 7:43
  Tax relief advocates,
• 7:45
  real solutions
• 7:46
  for real people.
• 7:47
  Hey,
• 7:48
  Mike Baker here.
• 7:49
  The President's Daily Brief is brought to you by Mod.
• 7:52
  Mod prescribes a once or twice daily modafinil drink that
• 7:55
  can keep you energized,
• 7:57
  focused,
• 7:57
  and alert,
• 7:58
  and that all sounds very good.
• 7:59
  Here's the deal.
• 8:00
  Caffeine energy drinks block what's called adenosine.
• 8:03
  That's a chemical that makes you tired.
• 8:05
  It builds up and when caffeine wears off,
• 8:08
  well,
• 8:08
  you get that crash.
• 8:09
  Modafinil
• 8:10
  works differently.
• 8:11
  It engages pathways in your brain
• 8:13
  dopamine,
• 8:14
  norepinephrine,
• 8:15
  histamine,
• 8:16
  norexin.
• 8:16
  To achieve energy and alertness for 10 to 12 hours.
• 8:20
  Modafinil was invented in the 70s,
• 8:22
  and since then it's been used by soldiers,
• 8:24
  pilots,
• 8:25
  astronauts,
• 8:26
  anybody in high stakes solutions
• 8:27
  for concentration and alertness.
• 8:30
  Visit mod.com.
• 8:31
  That's mod MOD.
• 8:33
  Mod.com
• 8:34
  for a free consultation and get 10% off your first order
• 8:37
  plus free shipping
• 8:38
  with promo code PDB.
• 8:40
  That's promo code PDB
• 8:42
  at mod.com.
• 8:44
  See their website for important safety information and I
• 8:46
  want to thank Mod for sponsoring the PDB.
• 8:50
  Welcome back to the PDB
• 8:52
  afternoon bulletin.
• 8:53
  I want to turn now to Lebanon,
• 8:55
  where Israel says its military has taken control of one
• 8:58
  of Hezbollah's most strategically important remaining strongholds in the south.
• 9:03
  Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz
• 9:05
  announced Friday that Israeli forces had cleared Hezbollah fighters from
• 9:08
  a network of tunnels beneath the Ali al-Taher Ridge.
• 9:11
  Now that's following months of fighting over that area.
• 9:14
  The ridge had emerged as a strategic area in the conflict as it sits roughly
• 9:18
  10 miles from the Israeli border
• 9:20
  and rises about 2000 ft above sea level,
• 9:23
  giving it a commanding view across a broad stretch of southern Lebanon.
• 9:27
  Critically,
• 9:28
  it also connects Hezbollah's positions closer to the Israeli border
• 9:32
  with the Iklim al-Tufa region that's farther north,
• 9:35
  which has
• 9:36
  long served as an important logistical and operational hub for the Iranian proxy.
• 9:41
  And perhaps most importantly,
• 9:42
  Lebanese security officials believe Hezbollah
• 9:44
  had built an underground command center and
• 9:46
  weapons storage facility inside the ridge.
• 9:49
  Given the security threat that it represents near Israel's northern border.
• 9:54
  Officials in Jerusalem had long identified Ali al Taher as
• 9:57
  one of its primary military objectives in southern Lebanon.
• 10:01
  While details of the operation to clear the tunnel complex are scant at this time,
• 10:05
  the Israeli military said a number of
• 10:07
  Hezbollah fighters inside the tunnels were killed
• 10:10
  while others fled.
• 10:11
  A Lebanese military officer confirmed that Israeli troops
• 10:14
  had seized the southern entrances to the complex
• 10:17
  and were using drones to monitor entrances further north.
• 10:21
  However,
• 10:21
  the officers said it remained unclear how
• 10:24
  deeply Israeli forces had penetrated the tunnels
• 10:26
  or whether Hezbollah fighters might still be inside.
• 10:30
  Hezbollah meanwhile has not commented on Israel's announcement,
• 10:34
  and Reuters has not independently verified
• 10:36
  that the entire complex has been cleared.
• 10:39
  But the operation is particularly significant because Iran
• 10:43
  had explicitly warned against an Israeli assault on the ridge,
• 10:46
  threatening last month
• 10:47
  to respond forcefully if Israel attacked Hezbollah's positions there,
• 10:52
  and the battle highlights just how far conditions on the ground remain
• 10:55
  from the agreement that Israel and the Lebanese government reached back in June.
• 10:59
  As we've previously discussed on the PDB
• 11:02
  under that US brokered framework,
• 11:04
  the Lebanese military is supposedly to gradually restore
• 11:07
  government control across the country and disarm Hezbollah,
• 11:11
  while Israel
• 11:12
  progressively withdraws from territory that it occupies in southern Lebanon.
• 11:16
  But as we know,
• 11:18
  the Lebanese government has repeatedly struggled
• 11:20
  to demonstrate that it has any ability to
• 11:22
  rein in or control or otherwise dictate conditions
• 11:26
  to the Iranian-backed proxy.
• 11:28
  The process was supposed to begin with so-called
• 11:30
  pilot zones where Israeli forces would pull back as
• 11:33
  Lebanese troops moved in
• 11:35
  and Hezbollah's weapons were removed.
• 11:38
  But Hezbollah was not a party to the agreement
• 11:40
  and continues to reject demands that it surrender its weapons.
• 11:43
  Israel meanwhile
• 11:45
  says it will not fully withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed
• 11:48
  and no longer poses a threat.
• 11:50
  In fact,
• 11:50
  Ali al Taher had become one of the major obstacles to expanding those pilot zones,
• 11:56
  with Hezbollah maintaining its fortified presence beneath the ridge,
• 11:59
  while Israeli forces controlled the territory around it.
• 12:03
  Still,
• 12:03
  there was at least one small sign of diplomatic progress this week.
• 12:07
  Israel released 5 Lebanese detainees as part of
• 12:10
  confidence building measures agreed during US brokered negotiations,
• 12:15
  and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
• 12:17
  suggested additional releases could follow.
• 12:20
  But the larger security dispute remains unresolved.
• 12:23
  More than 2 months
• 12:24
  after Israel and Lebanon agreed on a process designed
• 12:27
  to replace Hezbollah's armed presence with Lebanese state control,
• 12:31
  Israeli troops are still fighting to clear
• 12:33
  Hezbollah militants from fortified tunnel complexes.
• 12:36
  Hezbollah still refuses to disarm
• 12:39
  and the Lebanese government
• 12:40
  appears unable to control the Iranian proxy.
• 12:43
  And that my friends,
• 12:44
  is the PDB
• 12:45
  afternoon bulletin for Friday,
• 12:47
  the 4th of September.
• 12:48
  Now,
• 12:48
  if you have any questions or comments,
• 12:49
  please reach out to me
• 12:51
  at PDB@thefirstv.com.
• 12:53
  And to listen to the show ad-free,
• 12:55
  well,
• 12:56
  it's simple,
• 12:56
  just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief
• 12:59
  by visiting
• 13:00
  PDBpremium.com.
• 13:02
  And of course it's Friday and as you know,
• 13:04
  Fridays mean new episodes of our extended weekend show,
• 13:07
  the PDB Situation Report.
• 13:09
  As always,
• 13:10
  great guests and insight.
• 13:12
  That comes to you at 10:00 p.m.
• 13:13
  tonight on Friday night,
• 13:14
  just like every Friday night
• 13:16
  on the first TV.
• 13:17
  You can also catch it over the weekend
• 13:19
  on our YouTube channel.
• 13:20
  Just wander on over to YouTube and search up at President's Daily Brief
• 13:24
  and of course on podcast platforms
• 13:27
  everywhere.
• 13:28
  I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back over the weekend with the PDB situation report.
• 13:32
  Until then,
• 13:33
  stay informed,
• 13:34
  stay safe,
• 13:35
  stay cool.