Latest / The President's Daily Brief / October 19th, 2026: Europe Erupts in Riots & Trump Delays Russia Sanctions

Transcript

October 19th, 2026: Europe Erupts in Riots & Trump Delays Russia Sanctions · The President's Daily Brief

0:12
It's Monday,
0:13
the 19th of October.
0:14
Welcome to the President's Daily Brief.
0:16
I'm Mike Baker,
0:17
your eyes and ears on the world stage.
0:20
All right,
0:21
let's get briefed.
0:22
First up,
0:23
a weekend of widespread chaos and protests
0:26
erupts into some of the worst violence that France has seen in years,
0:30
with nearly 1800 arrests,
0:32
hundreds of injured police officers,
0:34
and an historic town hall set on fire.
0:37
I'll have the details.
0:39
Later in the show,
0:40
President Trump puts a hold on sweeping new bipartisan sanctions against Russia,
0:45
waiving most of the penalties
0:47
just before they were set to take effect.
0:49
Plus
0:50
the latest from the war between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis,
0:53
where Egypt
0:54
is signaling it may be prepared
0:57
to take up the fight on behalf of the Saudis.
1:00
And in today's back of the brief,
1:02
a Russian satellite has been spotted
1:04
maneuvering unusually close to a US satellite
1:07
that provides support to Ukraine's military,
1:11
raising concerns
1:12
about Moscow's intentions in space.
1:15
But first,
1:15
today's PDB spotlight.
1:18
We've been tracking the growing unrest in France,
1:20
but this weekend the situation took a dramatic turn
1:23
when demonstrations erupted into some of the worst street
1:26
violence that the country has seen in years.
1:29
Rioters torched an historic town hall,
1:31
looted businesses,
1:33
and battled police in cities across the country
1:35
because nothing says peaceful protests and legitimate grievance
1:39
like looting luxury stores and burning down town halls.
1:43
Nearly 1800 people were arrested and hundreds
1:46
of police and emergency personnel were injured
1:49
and France wasn't alone.
1:50
Violent clashes also broke out in Brussels and Milan
1:54
while Albania
1:55
faced another wave of anti-government unrest.
1:59
But let's start in France,
2:00
where the
2:00
scale of violence has reached new levels.
2:03
According to French authorities,
2:04
roughly 550,000 people participated in demonstrations nationwide.
2:09
Labor organizers
2:10
put the figure closer to 800,000.
2:13
Now the majority marched peacefully,
2:15
but as you might expect,
2:17
masked groups with their own agenda took advantage of the situation,
2:21
breaking away from the crowds,
2:22
attacking police,
2:23
smashing storefronts,
2:25
and setting fires in cities across the country.
2:27
In Paris alone,
2:29
police arrested 855 people.
2:31
Shops were looted,
2:32
barricades burned,
2:33
and the streets around the famous Place de la Republique
2:36
were left covered in broken glass and debris.
2:39
In Bordeaux,
2:40
businesses were ransacked.
2:42
In Lyon,
2:43
rioters set fire to the city's tourism office,
2:46
and in Marseille,
2:47
black-clad demonstrators forced their way into City Hall,
2:50
vandalizing the building
2:52
before police drove them out.
2:54
But some of the most disturbing scenes came from Limoges,
2:56
a city in central France
2:58
where rioters set fire to the historic 19th century City hall.
3:03
Flames consumed much of the building,
3:04
causing its roof to collapse.
3:06
Officials say the fire was deliberately set,
3:08
and the building was nearly destroyed.
3:10
Some employees and members of the public
3:12
were reportedly inside when the attack began.
3:15
By Sunday morning,
3:16
authorities reported more than 500 injured police officers,
3:19
security forces,
3:20
and firefighters.
3:22
Business groups estimated that roughly 1500
3:24
commercial properties have been damaged,
3:26
with losses potentially reaching hundreds of millions of euros.
3:30
As we've reported,
3:31
the unrest began last month with demonstrations involving high school students
3:35
protesting deteriorating classroom conditions,
3:38
teacher shortages,
3:39
and inadequate education funding.
3:41
But those demonstrations quickly attracted a much broader coalition,
3:46
including labor unions,
3:47
public sector workers,
3:48
and activists
3:50
associated with France's Yellow Vest movement,
3:52
not to mention,
3:53
of course,
3:53
anarchists and others
3:55
looking to hijack legitimate demonstrations for their own purposes.
3:59
Demonstrators complained about rising living costs,
4:02
stagnant wages,
4:03
and government plans to reduce public spending.
4:06
France is struggling with serious budget problems,
4:09
and President Emmanuel Macron's government
4:11
has been attempting to rein in spending
4:13
while facing growing resistance from voters who believe
4:16
public services are already stretched too thin.
4:19
Well,
4:19
that's what happens
4:20
when folks get used to free stuff.
4:23
They don't like it
4:24
when it's taken away.
4:26
For many French citizens,
4:27
the demonstrations are an expression of legitimate economic frustration,
4:31
but Saturday also demonstrated how easily
4:33
large protests can be overtaken by groups
4:36
interested less in political reform than confrontation and destruction.
4:40
Prime Minister Sebastian Lecono has blamed radical far-left groups
4:44
and opportunistic criminals for much of the violence.
4:47
Macron
4:48
condemned those responsible and promised they would face prosecution
4:52
while also defending the right of peaceful
4:54
demonstrators to make their voices heard.
4:56
Well,
4:56
perhaps it would help
4:57
if the French authorities would publicize the identities of those that
5:01
have been arrested for arson and for looting and assault.
5:04
Eh,
5:04
that might do the trick,
5:05
perhaps.
5:06
The timing is especially difficult for Macron.
5:09
France faces a presidential election next spring,
5:12
and his government is already under pressure from
5:14
political opponents on both the left and right.
5:17
The violence is now fueling another bitter argument over public order,
5:20
economic policy,
5:21
and whether the country's political leadership can restore confidence.
5:25
And while France experienced the worst of the weekend's destruction,
5:28
similar scenes unfolded elsewhere in Europe.
5:31
In neighboring Belgium.
5:33
Several 100 demonstrators,
5:34
many of them young people,
5:35
clashed with police in Brussels.
5:37
The protests were partly inspired by events in France,
5:41
with Belgian students raising their own complaints
5:43
about education costs and proposed reforms.
5:46
Masked protesters threw objects at officers and overturned vehicles,
5:50
prompting police
5:51
to deploy tear gas and water cannons.
5:54
In Italy,
5:55
Violent demonstrations erupted in the heart of Milan.
5:58
What began as a protest against rising living costs and ongoing wars
6:02
descended into clashes with police,
6:04
looting,
6:05
and fires near the city's famous Piazza del Duomo.
6:09
Prime Minister Giorgio Maloni
6:11
condemned the destruction.
6:12
Well,
6:12
that's good,
6:13
accusing violent groups of exploiting
6:14
legitimate demonstrations to create chaos.
6:18
And in Albania,
6:20
student-led protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama
6:24
entered their 5th day.
6:26
Demonstrators angry over corruption,
6:28
unemployment,
6:28
and poor educational conditions
6:31
have attacked government buildings and banks.
6:33
Police responded with tear gas and water cannons and rubber bullets,
6:36
while the prime minister insisted he would not resign.
6:40
Now these demonstrations aren't all part of one coordinated movement.
6:44
The grievances vary.
6:45
The political circumstances are different,
6:47
and the overwhelming majority of those
6:49
protesting have not participated in violence.
6:52
But there are some common threads rising living costs,
6:56
frustration with public services,
6:58
distrust of political leaders and
6:59
governments struggling to balance economic pressures
7:02
against public expectations
7:04
and desires for social welfare.
7:07
And an element within each society,
7:08
of course,
7:09
looking to hijack otherwise peaceful protests
7:12
to sow chaos and destruction.
7:15
Europe is also confronting the economic consequences of two major wars,
7:19
one in Ukraine
7:20
and another involving Iran,
7:21
of course,
7:22
adding to existing concerns about energy prices and economic stability.
7:27
The immediate challenge for these governments is restoring order,
7:31
but after a weekend that saw
7:33
historic buildings burning,
7:34
thousands arrested,
7:35
and
7:36
violent confrontations across several countries,
7:39
European leaders are facing an increasingly difficult question
7:42
Are these isolated temporary explosions of public anger,
7:46
or are they confronting a much deeper crisis of public confidence
7:50
that could become harder to contain?
7:53
All right.
7:53
Coming up next,
7:54
President Trump puts sweeping new sanctions against Russia on hold,
7:58
and Egypt signals it may join Saudi Arabia
8:01
in its battle against the Iran-backed Houthis.
8:04
I'll be right back.
8:07
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8:07
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9:23
President Trump is putting sweeping new sanctions against Russia
9:26
on hold just weeks after signing them into law.
9:30
The penalties were supposed to take effect this weekend,
9:32
but Trump issued a last minute waiver,
9:35
and now Secretary of State Marco Rubio
9:38
says the administration could spend another two
9:40
months deciding whether to enforce them,
9:42
which is Washington DC speak for,
9:45
well,
9:45
let's see how the midterm elections go.
9:47
The decision to take it easy on Vladimir Putin and his grinding
9:50
invasion of Ukraine is drawing criticism from lawmakers in both parties,
9:55
while raising new questions about Washington's strategy
9:57
towards Moscow.
9:59
Back on September 18th,
10:01
Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Russia sanctions bill,
10:04
legislation designed to increase economic pressure on Moscow
10:07
by targeting its ability to sell oil and gas overseas.
10:11
The measure passed the Senate
10:12
by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 86 to 11.
10:16
And when was the last time you saw any bipartisan activity in Washington DC?
10:21
The legislation
10:22
authorized tariffs of up to 500% on Russian
10:25
imports along with additional penalties targeting Russian officials,
10:28
financial institutions,
10:30
and energy companies.
10:32
It also threatened tariffs of 100% on goods
10:34
from major purchasers of Russian oil and gas,
10:37
potentially including China and India.
10:40
The objective
10:41
was to make it considerably more expensive for Russia to finance
10:44
its war while discouraging other countries from doing business with Moscow.
10:49
But
10:49
late Friday,
10:50
just before those penalties were scheduled to take effect,
10:53
President Trump issued an executive order waiving most of them.
10:56
The president invoked a provision in the legislation
10:59
allowing him to suspend the measures if he
11:01
determines doing so is in America's national interest,
11:05
or in the interests of trying not to lose the midterms,
11:08
whichever.
11:09
Now,
11:09
Trump's move doesn't eliminate the sanctions altogether.
11:12
The law remains in place and existing
11:14
restrictions against Russia are largely unaffected.
11:17
But the new harsher penalties
11:20
will not be enforced unless the president decides to activate them.
11:24
And on Saturday,
11:25
Marco Rubio offered some insight into why the administration is holding back.
11:30
Speaking with reporters before departing for Uzbekistan.
11:33
Rubio said the president wants up to 60 days
11:35
to evaluate the economic consequences of imposing the sanctions.
11:39
He pointed out that the legislation
11:41
doesn't just punish Russia,
11:43
it also threatens major American trading
11:45
partners that continue purchasing Russian energy,
11:48
including India.
11:49
Ah,
11:49
so
11:50
the idea is maybe we should be more magnanimous.
11:53
The concern is that sweeping tariffs could create additional economic problems
11:57
at a time when global energy markets are already
11:59
under considerable strain from the Middle East conflict.
12:03
Now Rubio described a 60 day review,
12:05
but Trump's executive order
12:07
doesn't actually establish an expiration date for the waiver.
12:10
The penalties can remain suspended
12:12
until the administration decides otherwise,
12:15
and all of this brings us back to something we've been reporting on extensively
12:19
President Trump's agreement with Putin
12:22
to help Russia export diesel fuel into American and global markets.
12:26
As we've discussed,
12:27
the administration negotiated that agreement in an
12:30
effort to bring down energy prices,
12:32
which have surged as the war with Iran continues disrupting supplies.
12:36
Although Trump has blamed Ukrainian President Zelensky rather
12:39
than the Iran conflict for rising fuel prices.
12:42
Trump said Russia would initially provide more than
12:44
300,000 metric tons of diesel to the US
12:47
with additional shipments to follow.
12:49
Rubio defended that arrangement over the weekend,
12:52
arguing that Russian diesel would be sold somewhere regardless,
12:55
and the administration wanted to make sure
12:57
American consumers could benefit from those supplies.
12:59
Although,
12:59
to be fair,
13:00
if the sanctions had not been postponed,
13:02
well,
13:02
the point was to restrict Russia from selling diesel somewhere else.
13:06
Regardless,
13:07
consider.
13:07
The competing priorities here.
13:09
On one hand,
13:10
Washington has spent years trying to reduce Russia's energy revenues,
13:14
depriving Putin of the money needed to sustain his war.
13:17
On the other,
13:18
the Trump administration is now turning to Russia
13:20
to help stabilize prices at home,
13:23
while delaying new sanctions that could complicate those purchases.
13:26
The White House argues that immediate enforcement could damage the economy
13:29
and interfere with efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.
13:33
Critics see the decision differently,
13:35
arguing that Washington is surrendering economic
13:37
leverage without securing meaningful concessions,
13:40
well,
13:40
any concessions from Moscow,
13:42
and those critics include some prominent Republicans.
13:45
Senator Thom Tillis called the waiver irresponsible,
13:48
questioning why the administration
13:50
would set aside legislation that received such overwhelming support in Congress.
13:55
Senator Darlene Graham,
13:56
who succeeded her late brother Lindsey Graham,
13:58
said she would personally prefer to maintain pressure on Russia,
14:02
adding that she doesn't trust Putin.
14:04
Well,
14:04
that's probably good instinct.
14:07
Democrats have been equally critical,
14:08
while Ukrainian President Zelensky warned
14:10
that easing economic pressure could encourage Moscow to continue its attacks.
14:16
The timing is also attracting attention.
14:18
Rubio's proposed review
14:20
would extend beyond the November midterm elections when high
14:22
fuel prices have become a major political concern.
14:26
And with Congress in recess until after election day,
14:30
lawmakers have limited opportunities to
14:32
challenge the president's decision immediately.
14:35
For now,
14:35
President Trump insists he has not
14:38
made a final decision on the sanctions.
14:41
All right,
14:41
I want to shift to Saudi Arabia,
14:43
where continuing Houthi attacks have prompted a pledge of support from Cairo.
14:47
Egyptian President al-Sisi is seeking parliamentary approval
14:51
to help defend the kingdom if the Saudis request that assistance.
14:55
On Sunday,
14:56
President Sisi brought together Egypt's National Defense Council,
15:00
including the parliamentary speaker,
15:01
prime minister,
15:02
and army chief,
15:03
to discuss the crisis.
15:05
A parliamentary vote is expected today,
15:07
and they would join a coalition that now includes Saudi Arabia,
15:11
Pakistan,
15:11
and Turkey,
15:12
with Syria also possibly joining the effort,
15:15
but the message after those discussions was clear.
15:18
The Egyptian presidency pledged quote all necessary and possible forms of support
15:23
to defend Saudi Arabia's security and stability,
15:25
its resources,
15:26
territorial integrity,
15:28
and Islamic holy sites.
15:30
So
15:31
how much help could Egypt bring to the table?
15:33
Well,
15:33
I'm glad you asked.
15:35
Egypt has one of the largest and most powerful militaries in the Middle East,
15:39
but Cairo
15:40
hasn't yet said which forces or capabilities it would offer.
15:44
Egypt has been involved before.
15:46
It joined the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in Yemen back in 2015
15:51
to support the internationally recognized government,
15:53
though its direct combat role remained limited.
15:56
On Saturday,
15:57
President Sisi said Cairo would act in accordance with guidance from King Salman
16:02
and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
16:04
The two countries are close strategic and economic partners,
16:07
and the Crown Prince visited President Sisi in Cairo
16:10
on 15th of September after fighting in Yemen reignited.
16:14
As I discussed in recent days,
16:16
the Houthis have struck Riyadh's international airport
16:19
and facilities belonging to the state oil giant Saudi Aramco.
16:23
The airport attack
16:25
was the deadliest assault on the kingdom in more than a decade,
16:28
and that airport remains closed.
16:31
Those attacks also threatened Crown Prince Mohammed bin
16:33
Salman's efforts to move the Saudi economy beyond oil
16:36
and attract businesses and tourists.
16:39
Authorities have already canceled or postponed
16:42
many high profile sporting tournaments and conferences
16:44
that have been scheduled for recent weeks.
16:47
The attacks on Aramco put another Saudi economic pillar under threat,
16:51
with the kingdom still the world's largest oil exporter.
16:54
Strikes on that infrastructure have consequences
16:57
that extend well beyond Saudi Arabia.
17:00
The kingdom and its Yemeni partners are now trying
17:02
to stop missiles and drones from reaching Saudi cities
17:05
while pushing back against Iranian-backed Houthi advances inside Yemen.
17:10
Saudi-backed government forces clashed with Houthi militants.
17:12
A Saudi-led coalition spokesman said government forces had destroyed
17:16
two ballistic missile launch pads in Sa'ada province.
17:19
That's a Houthi stronghold in northern Yemen.
17:22
Coalition air defenses also intercepted ballistic missiles and drones
17:26
fired toward Riyadh and Yanbu,
17:27
the Saudi port city on the Red Sea.
17:31
Now the Houthis also struck Aden.
17:32
That's the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government.
17:36
According to Yemen's Information minister.
17:38
Two missiles landed inside its international airport late Friday
17:42
as a passenger jet prepared to take off.
17:45
Farther north,
17:46
Houthi fighters have established positions in
17:48
the mountains around government-controlled Taiz,
17:50
allowing them to
17:51
monitor roads and troop movements.
17:54
Yemen's 3rd largest city Taiz sits
17:56
at a strategic crossroads between government-held territory
17:59
and the Red Sea coast.
18:01
Capturing it
18:02
would let the Houthis increase pressure on government forces farther south.
18:06
On the humanitarian side,
18:08
the World Health Organization,
18:09
the WHO,
18:11
warns that the city is being cut off,
18:13
with hospitals running short of essential medicines and fuel
18:17
across Yemen.
18:17
The casualty figures
18:19
reflect the escalating fighting.
18:21
The WHO said last week that at least 2,007 people were
18:25
killed or wounded between the 3rd and 11th of October,
18:29
roughly double the recent average daily casualty toll.
18:32
The UN Security Council condemned the Houthi attacks on
18:35
Saudi Arabia and called for enforcement of a 2015 resolution
18:40
demanding the militants surrender captured territory and weapons.
18:43
Yeah,
18:43
that'll happen.
18:44
Saudi officials welcomed the statement though and reaffirmed
18:47
the kingdom's right to self-defense under international law.
18:51
All right.
18:52
Coming up in the back of the brief,
18:53
a Russian satellite
18:55
is caught stalking an American spacecraft,
18:58
raising concerns about a potential new threat in space.
19:01
More on that
19:03
when we come back.
19:05
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In today's back of the brief
21:47
here on the PDB we've
21:48
often talked about Russian warships edging closer to Alaska and
21:52
Russian drones repeatedly violating NATO airspace.
21:55
Now,
21:56
the only encroachment is in the final frontier.
21:59
According to new reports,
22:01
a Russian spacecraft has pulled within just a few miles of a US orbiting satellite,
22:06
and that approach appears to have been deliberate.
22:08
What makes this concerning is just how
22:10
quickly the Russian spacecraft closed the gap and
22:13
which satellite it appears to have singled out.
22:16
According to the space intelligence company Leoabs,
22:18
the two spacecraft were more than 200 miles apart on Thursday.
22:22
By Friday afternoon,
22:24
the separation had shrunk to roughly 3 miles.
22:27
Now the Russian satellite is called the Cosmos 2612.
22:31
The spacecraft had approached,
22:33
ICIX 36.
22:35
It
22:35
is an American-owned imaging satellite belonging to
22:38
a network that supplies intelligence to Ukraine.
22:41
Ah,
22:41
the plot thickens.
22:42
I'm sure it's just a coincidence.
22:44
Aerospace analysts say Cosmos 2612 appears to have changed its altitude,
22:49
orbital plane,
22:49
and speed
22:50
to approach
22:51
the US satellite.
22:52
OK,
22:53
fine,
22:53
maybe it's not a coincidence.
22:55
Those adjustments burn fuel,
22:56
meaning Russia appears to have spent some of its satellite's finite resources
23:01
to bring it closer
23:02
to the US satellite.
23:04
Leo Labs described that behavior as relatively uncommon in low Earth orbit.
23:09
An analyst with Integrity ISR was more direct,
23:12
saying,
23:12
quote,
23:13
This points to a purposeful engagement between Russia
23:16
and a Western-run satellite that's supporting Ukraine.
23:20
Now 3 miles
23:21
might sound like plenty of room,
23:23
but a senior space fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies
23:27
described that distance as essentially bumper to bumper.
23:31
A space law professor,
23:32
oh,
23:33
I had no idea we had space law professors
23:35
at the University of Mississippi.
23:37
Ole Miss hotty totty
23:39
says that while there's no strict legal separation requirement,
23:41
countries generally avoid bringing satellites within 6 miles of each other.
23:46
At closer distances,
23:47
the likelihood of a collision increases significantly
23:50
if both spacecraft maneuver at the same time.
23:53
ISA,
23:54
which was founded in Finland,
23:56
operates radar imaging satellites that can see the
23:58
Earth's surface at night and through cloud cover.
24:02
For Ukraine,
24:02
that means monitoring Russian troops and equipment
24:05
without waiting for daylight or clear skies.
24:08
In January,
24:09
ISA announced an agreement with a customer within Ukraine's
24:12
Defense ministry to expand their cooperation in space-based intelligence.
24:17
Whether this particular satellite currently supports Ukrainian operations
24:21
remains somewhat unclear,
24:23
but Russia has approached it before.
24:26
Back in May,
24:27
tracking data showed several Russian satellites maneuvering near ISI X-36.
24:32
The US Space Force described them as
24:34
operating close to a Western commercial radar satellite
24:37
used by Ukraine
24:38
for imagery intelligence.
24:40
A Ukrainian official told Axios that Kiev had been
24:43
informed about similar movements during the spring and summer
24:46
but was apparently unaware of this latest approach.
24:49
What remains unclear
24:50
is Moscow's objective.
24:52
Cosmos 2612
24:54
could be gathering intelligence,
24:56
testing its maneuvering capabilities,
24:58
or demonstrating an ability
25:00
to interfere
25:01
with another spacecraft.
25:03
And that my friends,
25:04
is the President's Daily Brief for Monday,
25:06
the 19th of October.
25:08
If you have any questions or comments,
25:09
and I hope you do,
25:10
just reach out to me
25:11
at PDB@hefirsttv.com,
25:14
and I hope you had a chance over the weekend
25:16
to catch the latest episode of our extended weekend show,
25:19
the PDB Situation Report.
25:21
As always you can find it on our YouTube channel,
25:23
which you can find by wandering over to YouTube,
25:25
of course,
25:26
and searching up at President's Daily Brief
25:28
and it's also available wherever you get your podcast stuff.
25:32
I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today
25:34
with the PDB afternoon bulletin.
25:36
Until then,
25:38
stay informed,
25:39
stay safe,
25:40
stay cool.