August 19th, 2026: Russia’s Top Economist Says Putin Is Losing & Iran Fires on the UAE

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: • First—Russia fires a prominent state economist after he warns Moscow cannot win its war of attrition against Ukraine and could face a sudden social crisis as the costs continue mounting. • Later—Iran fires ballistic missiles toward the United Arab Emirates just hours after its diplomatic window with Washington expires. • Plus—the Pentagon awards Raytheon a massive seven-year contract to replenish America’s depleted Tomahawk missile stockpile and dramatically expand production. • In today’s Back of the Brief—a German court convicts a Ukrainian man of participating in an alleged Russian intelligence operation to send explosive parcels across Europe. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Sundays for Dogs: Upgrade your dog’s food without the hassle—try Sundays for Dogs and get 50% off your first order at https://sundaysfordogs.com/PDBor use code PDB at checkout. QUO: Make this the season where no opportunity slips away. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://Quo.com/PDB Thanks to today’s sponsor, Spring Sleep: eXciteOSA is an FDA-cleared, prescription-only device for primary snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Go to springsleep.com/PDB and unlock 20% off with the code PDB.