The President's Daily Brief

The President's Daily Brief

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

PDB Situation Report | January 10th, 2026: Former CIA Caracas Chief Explains What's Next For Venezuela & Iran’s Regime On The Brink

January 10, 2026 • 57 mins
In this episode of The PDB Situation Report: First up—less than a week after a United States special operations mission removed Nicolás Maduro from power, new details are emerging about how the operation unfolded and what comes next for Venezuela. We’re joined by Rick de la Torre, retired Central Intelligence Agency operations officer and former Station Chief in Caracas, with insight into both the mission itself and Washington...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 9th, 2026: Post-Maduro Regime Starts Playing Ball With Trump & Putin Unleashes Hypersonic Missile Near NATO Border

January 9, 2026 • 16 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:  First—Venezuela is making a major concession to the U.S., announcing the release of long detained political prisoners, while signaling it’s ready to talk. But is this real change, or just the actions of a regime trying to buy time under pressure from President Trump? I’ll break it down. Later in the show—Putin responds to ongoing peace efforts by firing off a hypersonic, nu...
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January 9th, 2026: Colombian President Backs Down After Call With Trump & Moscow Says No To Peace Again

January 9, 2026 • 25 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—after days of heated rhetoric and even talk of military action, tensions between President Trump and Colombia appear to be easing, with the two leaders now planning a White House meeting. Later in the show—to the surprise of absolutely no one, Russia rejects the latest peace proposal for Ukraine, dismissing Western security guarantees and hardening its stance aga...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 8th, 2026: Iran’s Protesters Just Crossed a Dangerous Line & ICE Shooting Sparks Outrage

January 8, 2026 • 17 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Violent clashes spread across Iran as nationwide protests enter their twelfth day, with demonstrators crossing a dangerous new line by burning regime symbols—including statues of Qassem Soleimani—signaling that the unrest has moved beyond economic grievance and into a direct challenge to the regime’s legitimacy. Later in the show—an officer with U.S. Immigration and Custom...
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January 8th, 2026: Trump’s Endgame in Venezuela: Forcing Out China, Russia, and Iran & Iranian Protesters Make A Dramatic Plea

January 8, 2026 • 23 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—the Trump administration’s endgame in Venezuela is coming into focus, as Washington moves to push rival powers out of the country and reassert U.S. influence over Caracas’s security services and oil sector. Later in the show—dramatic scenes out of Iran, where protesters have reportedly renamed a street after President Trump and issue a stark plea as security forc...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 7th, 2026: U.S. Military Intercepts Sanctioned Russian Oil Ships & Iran Protesters Seize The Streets

January 7, 2026 • 14 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: The U.S. military seizes two sanctioned oil tankers in the Atlantic, including a Russian vessel that spent weeks trying to evade enforcement tied to illicit Venezuelan oil shipments. We return to Iran, where nationwide protests continue to spread, casualties are mounting, and senior leaders in Tehran are openly signaling that the unrest may be slipping beyond the regime’s ...
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January 7th, 2026: Why Maduro’s Fall Is a Strategic Disaster for Putin & Ukraine’s Postwar Plans

January 7, 2026 • 25 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—Russia lashes out over the fall of Nicolás Maduro, but the outrage may be masking a far deeper strategic loss for Vladimir Putin, as Moscow’s influence in the Western Hemisphere takes a serious hit. Later in the show—the strongman is gone, but the crackdown remains, as Venezuelan authorities detain and deport members of the foreign press, raising fresh doubts abo...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 6th, 2026: Why Trump Refused to Back Venezuela’s Opposition & Iran’s Assassination Plot Against Damascus

January 6, 2026 • 15 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: New reporting sheds light on one of the biggest unanswered questions after Nicolás Maduro’s ouster: why the Trump administration has chosen not to back Venezuela’s opposition leader, despite expectations of a democratic handoff. Israeli defense sources warn that Iran may be plotting to assassinate Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, as quiet contacts begin to open between ...
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January 6th, 2026: Maduro’s Successor Signals Cooperation & Russia Targets U.S. Assets

January 6, 2026 • 23 mins
In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief: Venezuela’s new leader Delcy Rodríguez abruptly softens her tone following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, signaling possible cooperation with Washington—but her past record and the power structures still in place raise doubts about whether a real political transition is underway. Alarm bells ring across the Baltics after a sixth undersea cable outage in less than a week, ...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 5th, 2026: Iran’s Supreme Leader Is Planning To Flee Tehran & Ukraine’s Power Shakeup

January 5, 2026 • 13 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First up— stunning new reporting suggests Ali Khamenei is already planning an escape route out of Iran as nationwide protests enter their ninth straight day—an extraordinary signal of growing concern at the very top of the regime. Later in the show— a major shakeup at the highest levels of power in Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelensky taps military intelligence chief K...
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January 5th, 2026: Inside The Delta Force Raid That Captured Maduro & Iranian Protests Continue To Grow

January 5, 2026 • 25 mins
In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief: First up—remarkable new details are emerging about the operation that captured Nicolás Maduro. Covert CIA teams tracked his movements for months, while Delta Force rehearsed the raid on a full-scale replica of his safe house—leaving nothing to chance. Later in the show—things are just getting started for the deposed dictator, as newly unsealed federal charges lay out alle...
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PDB Special Report | January 3, 2026: The Fall of Maduro: Inside the U.S. Operation That Toppled Venezuela’s Dictator

January 3, 2026 • 13 mins
In this Special Edition of The President’s Daily Brief: The world wakes up to stunning news as the United States captures Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro following a sweeping U.S. military operation deep inside Caracas. We break down Operation Absolute Resolve, including how U.S. intelligence tracked Maduro for months, the scale of the air campaign, and the special forces raid that led to his capture. To listen to the ...
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PDB Situation Report | January 3rd, 2026: Iran’s Streets Erupt & What Comes Next for Israel

January 3, 2026 • 62 mins
In this episode of The PDB Situation Report: Anger spills into the streets of Tehran as nationwide protests turn deadly, transforming economic despair into open defiance of Iran’s clerical regime. Shirin Nariman, a human rights advocate and former political prisoner in Iran, joins us to share her personal story and provide insight into the situation on the ground. Israel closes out a turbulent 2025, marked by war in Ga...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 2nd, 2026: Iran Protests Turn Deadly & China’s Hidden Role in Oklahoma’s Marijuana Boom

January 2, 2026 • 15 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Protests in Iran turn deadly as security forces open fire on demonstrators, escalating an already volatile situation and prompting a sharp warning from President Donald Trump. A surprising U.S. domestic story with global implications, as a New York Times investigation reveals how Oklahoma’s marijuana boom led to hidden ownership networks stretching from rural farms to New...
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January 2nd, 2026: The Brutal Reality For Russian Soldiers In Ukraine & Xi Signals No Retreat on Taiwan

January 2, 2026 • 24 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—new reporting from The New York Times pulls back the curtain on Russia’s war machine, revealing a system built on abuse, coercion, and the ruthless exploitation of its own soldiers fighting in Ukraine. Later in the show—fresh warning signs from Beijing, as Xi Jinping uses his New Year’s speech to double down on Taiwan, declaring reunification inevitable after a r...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 31st, 2025: The 2025 Stories We Didn’t Cover On The PDB

December 31, 2025 • 16 mins
In this special New Year’s Eve edition of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin Mike Baker looks back at the stories from 2025 that didn’t quite make it into the President’s Daily Brief — not because they weren’t real, but because they didn’t fit the daily intelligence picture. From a drunken raccoon with a rap sheet in Virginia, to a Christmas brawl on Nantucket that left police reports looking more like classified documents, to Florida m...
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December 31st, 2025: CIA Carries Out Drone Strike Inside Venezuela & Russian Society Is Starting to Fall Apart

December 31, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: First up—new details emerge on a covert United States strike inside Venezuela, as reporting reveals the Central Intelligence Agency carried out a drone attack on a port facility, signaling a sharp escalation in pressure on the Maduro regime. Later in the show—new reporting from The Washington Post shows how Russia’s war in Ukraine is taking a growing toll at home, with so...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 30th, 2025: Iranian Unrest Explodes & North Korea Goes Nuclear at Sea

December 30, 2025 • 15 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Pressure is building inside Iran, where a collapsing economy has driven protesters into the streets, merchants have shut down key markets, and security forces are struggling to contain growing unrest that is turning increasingly political. Later in the show—North Korea unveils what it claims is its first nuclear-powered submarine, a massive vessel comparable in size to som...
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December 30th, 2025: China’s Military Encircles Taiwan & Russia Accuses Ukraine Of Foul Play

December 30, 2025 • 23 mins
In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: China encircles Taiwan with the largest military exercises in its history, deploying warships and fighter jets in a move that blurs the line between training and real-world preparation. Russia claims Vladimir Putin was targeted by a Ukrainian strike, with Moscow hinting at tougher negotiating positions while Ukraine flatly denies the accusation. Donald Trump meets...
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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 29th, 2025: President Trump Announces Strike Inside Venezuela & Zelensky At Mar-A-Lago

December 29, 2025 • 16 mins
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: President Trump announces that U.S. forces carried out a strike inside Venezuela, targeting what he described as a major drug-related facility. With few confirmed details publicly available, we break down what we know so far—and the key questions that remain unanswered. President Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, striking an optimistic tone as negoti...
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