Latest / The President's Daily Brief / PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 2nd, 2026: U.S. Strikes on Iran Could Come Within Days & Ukraine’s Nuclear Alert Hack

Transcript

PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 2nd, 2026: U.S. Strikes on Iran Could Come Within Days & Ukraine’s Nuclear Alert Hack · The President's Daily Brief

• 0:12
  It's Monday,
• 0:12
  the 2nd of November.
• 0:14
  Welcome to the BDB afternoon bulletin.
• 0:16
  I'm Mike Baker,
• 0:17
  your eyes and ears on the world stage.
• 0:20
  Alright,
• 0:21
  let's get briefed.
• 0:23
  First up,
• 0:24
  could the US be preparing to strike
• 0:26
  Iran immediately after Tuesday's US midterm elections?
• 0:30
  Well,
• 0:31
  possibly.
• 0:32
  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly
• 0:34
  pushing for renewed military action,
• 0:36
  but now President Trump reportedly wants more time for diplomacy.
• 0:41
  Because as we've seen,
• 0:42
  the hardline Islamic Republic leadership
• 0:45
  is all about diplomacy.
• 0:47
  I'll have the details.
• 0:49
  Later in the show,
• 0:49
  a new twist in the cyber war between Russia and Ukraine,
• 0:53
  as hackers infiltrate emergency warning systems
• 0:56
  and send false alerts about incoming nuclear missiles.
• 1:00
  But first,
• 1:01
  today's afternoon spotlight.
• 1:04
  President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are reportedly at
• 1:07
  odds over the next phase of the war with Iran.
• 1:10
  With the Israeli leader pushing for a more aggressive timeline,
• 1:14
  and Trump reportedly
• 1:15
  wanting to give diplomacy a little more time.
• 1:18
  According to Axios,
• 1:19
  the two leaders discussed the situation during a phone call Saturday,
• 1:23
  with one Israeli source describing the conversation as difficult,
• 1:26
  and an American source calling the conversation direct.
• 1:30
  Netanyahu reportedly believes
• 1:32
  the US and Israel should resume military operations
• 1:35
  as soon as the elections are over,
• 1:37
  which is what President Trump has been hinting at
• 1:41
  for several weeks.
• 1:42
  But now,
• 1:43
  Trump apparently has adjusted his position.
• 1:45
  And wants to see whether supposed ongoing negotiations with Tehran
• 1:50
  can produce an agreement.
• 1:52
  The president
• 1:53
  publicly described the conversation with Netanyahu as quote,
• 1:56
  very good,
• 1:57
  but regardless of whatever differences may exist
• 2:00
  between the two leaders over timing.
• 2:02
  The US is continuing to prepare for the possibility
• 2:06
  of another major military campaign.
• 2:08
  According to Reuters,
• 2:09
  4 European officials say American forces have
• 2:12
  assembled enough military assets in the Middle East
• 2:15
  to launch attacks against Iran with very little warning,
• 2:18
  potentially as early as this week.
• 2:20
  And Trump has been fairly open about what those attacks might involve.
• 2:25
  Speaking to reporters on Saturday,
• 2:27
  the president said there were still one or two Iranian nuclear facilities
• 2:32
  that needed to be addressed.
• 2:34
  He specifically mentioned Pickaxe Mountain again,
• 2:37
  that's the suspected underground nuclear installation
• 2:39
  built deep inside a mountain.
• 2:42
  Trump said,
• 2:42
  quote,
• 2:43
  we can do that in 10 minutes,
• 2:44
  we have that planned,
• 2:45
  end quote.
• 2:46
  Now for those of you wondering,
• 2:48
  Yes,
• 2:49
  it could actually take longer than 10 minutes.
• 2:51
  The president may have been speaking in hyperbole.
• 2:55
  Western officials believe Iran has buried its critical
• 2:58
  portions of its nuclear infrastructure deep underground,
• 3:01
  making those targets particularly difficult to eliminate.
• 3:04
  For now,
• 3:05
  however,
• 3:06
  the White House is reportedly keeping the diplomatic option open.
• 3:10
  Iranian negotiators reportedly met with Qatari mediators over the
• 3:14
  weekend in an attempt to restart direct talks with Washington
• 3:18
  and prevent another round of fighting.
• 3:20
  Those discussions ended Sunday
• 3:22
  without a breakthrough,
• 3:23
  although Iranian officials say
• 3:24
  indirect contacts are continuing.
• 3:27
  Tehran has presented
• 3:28
  a revised proposal that it claims could be implemented within 2 days.
• 3:33
  Among other things,
• 3:34
  the plan calls for the US to end its naval blockade of Iranian ports,
• 3:39
  ease restrictions on Iranian oil exports,
• 3:41
  and allow the Strait of Hormuz to reopen.
• 3:44
  But there is a major sticking point.
• 3:47
  Washington wants Iran to make meaningful concessions
• 3:50
  concerning its nuclear program,
• 3:52
  while Tehran insists that American restrictions must be lifted.
• 3:56
  Before those negotiations can even begin,
• 3:59
  Iranian officials also have rejected suggestions
• 4:02
  that they transfer their stockpile of highly enriched uranium to another country.
• 4:06
  So,
• 4:07
  in reality,
• 4:08
  Tehran is not offering anything new in terms of concessions,
• 4:12
  and in reality,
• 4:13
  there is a distinct possibility
• 4:15
  that they're simply continuing their strategy of block and delay,
• 4:19
  dragging out negotiations in an effort to wear down Washington.
• 4:23
  Determine what changes occur as a result of the midterm
• 4:26
  elections and essentially outlast the patience of the US.
• 4:31
  But Iran at the same time is also preparing
• 4:33
  for the possibility that military strikes will resume.
• 4:36
  According to Reuters,
• 4:37
  Iranian officials have drawn up detailed retaliation plans targeting American
• 4:42
  military bases and other critical infrastructure throughout the Persian Gulf.
• 4:46
  Potential targets
• 4:47
  reportedly include energy installations,
• 4:50
  desalination facilities,
• 4:51
  and undersea communications cables.
• 4:54
  And of course,
• 4:54
  that does have America's Gulf allies concerned.
• 4:58
  Countries including Saudi Arabia,
• 4:59
  Qatar,
• 5:00
  Bahrain,
• 5:01
  and the UAE
• 5:02
  host important American military facilities,
• 5:05
  and those bases,
• 5:06
  of course,
• 5:07
  would likely be targets if the US launches another attack.
• 5:10
  During earlier rounds of fighting,
• 5:12
  Iranian missiles and drones struck American military
• 5:15
  installations and energy infrastructure across the region.
• 5:19
  Now,
• 5:19
  Gulf officials are warning that another military
• 5:22
  confrontation could produce even greater destruction,
• 5:25
  particularly if Iran expands its attacks
• 5:28
  to civilian infrastructure.
• 5:30
  And of course,
• 5:31
  meanwhile,
• 5:31
  the Strait of Hormuz remains an active conflict zone.
• 5:35
  On Sunday,
• 5:35
  Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps,
• 5:37
  the IRGC,
• 5:38
  claimed that two oil tankers exploded after striking mines while
• 5:42
  traveling through what Tehran described as an unauthorized shipping route.
• 5:47
  Those claims have not been independently verified,
• 5:50
  but a separate incident involving a Qatari
• 5:52
  liquefied natural gas carrier has been confirmed.
• 5:56
  The vessel called the Al Mayeda was attacked
• 5:59
  Friday while sailing through the Persian Gulf.
• 6:01
  Qatar has condemned the incident and launched an investigation,
• 6:05
  although
• 6:05
  the identity of those responsible,
• 6:08
  they claim,
• 6:08
  remains unknown.
• 6:10
  Well,
• 6:10
  who could it be?
• 6:11
  If only,
• 6:12
  if only we had some clues.
• 6:14
  And as previously mentioned,
• 6:15
  Qatar is one of the countries
• 6:17
  trying to negotiate an agreement between Washington and Tehran.
• 6:21
  Alright.
• 6:22
  Next up,
• 6:22
  a nuclear scare in Ukraine and Russia,
• 6:25
  after hackers compromised emergency alert systems,
• 6:28
  sending false warnings to millions of people
• 6:30
  about incoming missiles,
• 6:32
  radiation,
• 6:33
  and chemical attacks.
• 6:35
  I'll be right back.
• 6:36
  Hey,
• 6:36
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• 6:40
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• 6:43
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• 6:43
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• 6:45
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• 6:47
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• 6:48
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• 6:51
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• 6:51
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• 6:51
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• 6:52
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• 6:53
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• 7:48
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• 7:49
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• 7:49
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• 7:52
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• 8:00
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• 8:00
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• 8:05
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• 8:25
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• 8:56
  Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin.
• 8:59
  Late Sunday brought a shock to millions of Ukrainians.
• 9:03
  Their phone app emergency alerts began warning that
• 9:05
  a nuclear-capable Russian missile was on the way,
• 9:09
  but
• 9:09
  it was a hoax.
• 9:10
  The emergency alert systems
• 9:12
  had been hacked.
• 9:13
  The notifications started rolling in shortly before 11 p.m.
• 9:17
  Sunday in Kiev and other parts of Ukraine.
• 9:19
  One message claimed Russia had launched an Erenik hypersonic missile
• 9:23
  and claimed that a nuclear alert had been declared across the country.
• 9:27
  Other messages told them there were radiation and chemical threats
• 9:30
  and even possible firefights in the streets of Kiev,
• 9:34
  but there was one problem with these alert messages.
• 9:37
  They were written in Russian.
• 9:39
  Ukraine's official communications are required to be in Ukrainian,
• 9:43
  so that was a clue.
• 9:44
  The country's air force picked up on that detail,
• 9:46
  good for them,
• 9:47
  and soon posted on telegram that the emergency
• 9:49
  alert phone app appeared to have been hacked.
• 9:52
  Suspicion immediately,
• 9:53
  obviously,
• 9:54
  fell on the Kremlin.
• 9:56
  It described the app as having been subjected to enemy influence,
• 9:59
  and then it addressed the threat directly.
• 10:01
  Quote,
• 10:02
  There is no radiation threat,
• 10:04
  stay calm
• 10:05
  and follow our updates on our channel,
• 10:07
  end quote.
• 10:08
  From there,
• 10:09
  officials moved to contain the problem.
• 10:11
  All clear messages went out for each of the false alerts,
• 10:14
  and Ukraine's Ministry for Digital Transformation
• 10:16
  temporarily suspended the targeted app.
• 10:19
  The ministry said other alert channels were still working,
• 10:22
  including the normal air raid sirens.
• 10:25
  As for how people reacted,
• 10:27
  one Kei businessman told Reuters he was briefly surprised by the messages
• 10:31
  before realizing what had happened.
• 10:33
  He checked with his family and friends,
• 10:35
  and they had not panicked.
• 10:36
  In his words,
• 10:37
  quote,
• 10:37
  This did not trigger the kind of reaction in society that they expected,
• 10:41
  end quote.
• 10:42
  Still,
• 10:43
  he wasn't dismissing what had happened.
• 10:45
  Quote,
• 10:46
  You can laugh about it,
• 10:47
  but on the other hand,
• 10:48
  they did gain a certain level of access and were able to hack the program,
• 10:52
  end quote.
• 10:53
  And across the border today,
• 10:55
  Russian authorities were reporting a breach of their own.
• 10:58
  Russia's state news agency Tsk quoted the Ministry
• 11:01
  of Emergency Situations in Moscow,
• 11:03
  who knew they had a Ministry of Emergency Situations,
• 11:07
  as saying its mobile app had been hit
• 11:08
  by a cyberattack and was spreading false information.
• 11:11
  In this case,
• 11:12
  the message claimed nuclear warheads were headed toward every Russian region.
• 11:16
  It told people to gather enough food for 3 weeks
• 11:19
  and take shelter in their cellars.
• 11:21
  Now,
• 11:21
  unlike the alerts in Ukraine though,
• 11:23
  this message made little effort to pass itself off as an official announcement.
• 11:27
  Reuters reviewed it and found slang,
• 11:29
  profanity,
• 11:30
  and insults directed at Russia.
• 11:32
  The message even called Russian regions,
• 11:34
  quote,
• 11:34
  swamps.
• 11:36
  It wasn't until later today that a pro-Ukrainian hacking group called Attash
• 11:40
  posted a screenshot of the warning on Telegram.
• 11:43
  Its announcement read,
• 11:43
  quote,
• 11:44
  The Ministry of Emergency Situations app
• 11:46
  has been hacked.
• 11:48
  Moscow,
• 11:48
  meanwhile,
• 11:49
  tried to downplay the impact.
• 11:51
  The aforementioned Ministry of Emergency Situations said the
• 11:54
  app was only a supplementary source of information
• 11:57
  rather than one of its main public warning channels.
• 12:00
  Its technical specialists
• 12:01
  were working reportedly
• 12:03
  to get it running normally again.
• 12:05
  And that my friends,
• 12:06
  is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday,
• 12:08
  the 2nd of November.
• 12:09
  Now,
• 12:10
  if you have any questions or comments,
• 12:11
  and I hope you do,
• 12:11
  just reach out to me
• 12:13
  at PDB@hefirstv.com
• 12:15
  and to listen to the show ad-free,
• 12:17
  it is simple.
• 12:18
  Just become a premium member
• 12:20
  of the President's Daily Brief by visiting
• 12:23
  PDBpremium.com.
• 12:25
  I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow.
• 12:27
  Until then,
• 12:28
  stay informed,
• 12:29
  stay safe,
• 12:30
  stay cool.
• 12:45
  Hey,
• 12:46
  Mike Baker here.
• 12:46
  Well,
• 12:47
  tomorrow is election day in the US.
• 12:50
  It's finally here.
• 12:51
  In control of the House,
• 12:52
  possibly the Senate,
• 12:53
  and the future of President Trump's agenda,
• 12:55
  well,
• 12:55
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• 12:57
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• 13:11
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• 13:11
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• 13:16
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• 13:21
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• 13:26
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• 13:29
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• 13:29
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• 13:30
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• 13:33
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