The President's Daily Brief
The First TV
Each morning, the President of the United States receives a highly classified briefing on the most important issues facing the country -- The President's Daily Brief. Now you can hear your very own PDB, in the form of a podcast, every morning at 6am Eastern, and every afternoon at 4pm Eastern. You'll get 20 minutes of the most important topics of the day and why you should care, arming you with what you need to know to help solve America's most pressing challenges. Former CIA Operations Officer Mike Baker hosts new episodes daily.
Episodes
Mentioned books
26 snips
Oct 8, 2026 • 13min
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 8th, 2026: CENTCOM Finalizing Plans for Renewed Iran Fighting & Mall of America Terror Plot Foiled
CENTCOM is reportedly finalizing options for renewed strikes against Iran as questions persist over the status of its nuclear stockpile. U.S. authorities also say they foiled an ISIS-inspired attack targeting Minnesota’s Mall of America, arresting an 18-year-old after an undercover weapons operation exposed the alleged plot.
22 snips
Oct 8, 2026 • 21min
October 8th, 2026: Iran’s Oil Lifeline Weakens & Turkey Backs Saudi Arabia
U.S. pressure is squeezing Iran’s oil lifeline to China as refiners look elsewhere for crude. Turkey steps up military backing for Saudi Arabia in the intensifying fight against Yemen’s Houthis. Drone strikes on commercial vessels near Bulgaria push the Black Sea conflict toward NATO waters. The WHO seeks answers after pneumonia cases emerge at a Russian anti-plague institute.
41 snips
Oct 7, 2026 • 13min
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 7th, 2026: The U.S. Just Laid Out Its Terms for Ending the Iran War
Washington outlines the nuclear concessions Iran would need to end the war, while uncertainty grows over who can negotiate for Tehran. Iran’s leverage around the Strait of Hormuz faces new challenges as energy shipments recover. In France, school protests erupt into nationwide unrest, with violence, arrests, police injuries and allegations of hard-left coordination piling pressure on Emmanuel Macron before elections.
30 snips
Oct 7, 2026 • 22min
October 7th, 2026: Iran’s Alleged Bomber Plot & China Expands in Southeast Asia
U.S. bombers are abruptly pulled from Britain amid an alleged Iranian plot targeting American personnel. Satellite imagery reveals Chinese military aircraft and vehicles at a new facility in Laos. Germany’s former intelligence chief faces treason allegations, while a rare Moscow Communist rally erupts into anti-Kremlin dissent and mass detentions.
31 snips
Oct 6, 2026 • 13min
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 6th, 2026: Pakistan and Turkey Join The Fight Against The Houthis & Ukraine Hits Moscow
The Yemen conflict widens as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey activate a defense pact amid intensifying Houthi attacks. The alliance’s intelligence and air-defense support raises questions about the boundary between defense and offensive operations. Ukraine unleashes a major drone assault near Moscow while targeting Russia’s fuel network, deepening pressure on its strained refining industry.
28 snips
Oct 6, 2026 • 21min
October 6th, 2026: Iran Is Losing Control of Its Biggest Bargaining Chip & U.S. Moves B-1 Bombers
Iran’s leverage over global shipping may be slipping as Gulf oil exports rebound and pressure mounts on the Houthis near Bab el-Mandeb. The U.S. relocates B-1 bombers from a British base amid suspected plots. A Russian serviceman accused of torturing Ukrainian POWs dies in a car bombing, while the FBI arrests a woman accused of spying on Taiwan’s president’s son.
24 snips
Oct 5, 2026 • 12min
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 5th, 2026: The Yemen Offensive Just Became Much Bigger & Russia’s Mysterious Lab Death
Saudi-backed forces broaden their Yemen offensive, opening multiple fronts in a push toward Sana’a and putting new regional partnerships under pressure. Meanwhile, a researcher’s mysterious death at a Russian anti-plague laboratory prompts quarantines and renewed scrutiny of the facility’s dangerous pathogen work.
36 snips
Oct 5, 2026 • 22min
October 5th, 2026: The Yemen War Is Exploding Back Open & Putin’s New Strike Doctrine
A Saudi-backed offensive against the Houthis threatens to pull American forces deeper into Yemen’s volatile conflict. Ukraine warns of a Russian winter campaign targeting civilians and critical infrastructure. A suspected flydubai hijacking raises troubling questions about pilot screening, while a suspected hacker’s detention in Jordan sheds new light on a massive FBI data breach.
36 snips
Oct 3, 2026 • 1h 15min
The PDB Situation Report | October 3rd, 2026: Neil deGrasse Tyson: Are We Ready for What AI Becomes Next?
Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and science communicator, explores AI’s rapid evolution, creative disruption, military accountability, regulation, superintelligence, and humanity’s assumptions about alien life. Bill Roggio, a terrorism and national-security analyst, examines the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, ISIS remnants, Iranian influence, Houthi threats, aviation security, and Tehran’s negotiating strategy.
28 snips
Oct 2, 2026 • 12min
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 2nd, 2026: Thousands More U.S. Troops Are Heading Toward Iran & Ukraine’s New Ballistic Missile
The U.S. is moving thousands more sailors and Marines, with a possible third carrier group headed toward the Middle East as tensions with Iran intensify. Ukraine has deployed its homegrown FP-7 ballistic missile in combat for the first time, while Kyiv pursues cheaper, independent precision-strike capabilities and plans for an even longer-range system.
