I break down the new wars and weapons systems that are totally reshaping our world in my show Kappy Army, but we go beyond simply just telling you what happened in a war, we actually investigate deeper into the why and how. At Kappy Army, everything is informed by my experience as an average US Army infantryman in Iraq, and a war correspondent covering the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Just search Kappy Army on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to get weekly open source intelligence reports, and remember to follow today. It's Wednesday the 26th of August, welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker from your eyes and ears on the world stage, and rest in peace to Dolly Pardon, an American country music is lost one of its brightest stars. Alright, let's get briefed. First up, in Iranian state television video, openly discusses how Baron Trump could be killed, claiming the president's son is under surveillance in that a $10 million bounty has been offered for his murder. Now I'll have the details. Later in the show, President Trump sends a nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, winning the door to billions in reactor deals, while raising new fears of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Iranian state television has broadcast a three minute video, openly discussing where and how President Trump's youngest son, Baron, could be killed. The video appeared on Channel 3 of Iran State Control Television Network. The material reportedly originated with media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. That's the IRGC, the branch of Iran's military responsible for many of the regime's covert operations abroad. The video's title was, quote, "Where and how should we kill Baron Trump?" And quote, "It used AI-generated imagery to depict the president's 20-year-old son at locations associated with his daily life. The report claimed that Baron was being, quote, "fully monitored." It referenced his university, vehicles used by his security detail, and the purported location of Secret Service personnel assigned to protect him. The video also claimed that a woman had penetrated Baron's social circle, attended a private meeting with him and passed information to the program's producers. It alleged that Baron uses Xbox to communicate privately through voice and text, supposedly beyond the reach of his security detail. And the video concluded by claiming that a $10 million reward had been offered in connection with Baron's killing. It claims about his movements, communications, and personal relationships have not been independently verified, but the threat is obviously being taken seriously by the US Secret Service. A spokesperson for the agency confirmed that it is aware of the video, adding that the Secret Service investigates anything. They can be perceived as a threat against the people under its protection. The agency declined to provide any additional detail citing concerns about operational security, and the White House has not offered a separate substantive response. Now this video does not appear to be an isolated incident. In July, an outlet affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps released a similar production targeting First Lady Melania Trump. That video also examined locations as she was known to visit New York and presented alleged weaknesses in her security. Iranian state media has previously broadcast material, purporting to map President Trump's travel routes between airports and his homes in Florida and New York. And in July, a billboard displayed in Tehran depicted Trump dead in a coffin beneath the words, quote, "We will kill Trump." End quote. Iran's threat campaign against the President dates back to his decision to authorize the January 2020 drone strike. They killed Revolutionary Guard Commander Kasem Soleimani in Baghdad. The regime repeatedly vowed to avenge Soleimani's death, and those threats have intensified during the current conflict, following the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. And Iran has a documented history of attempting to turn threats like these into operations on American soil. In 2024, the Justice Department charged an Iranian asset accused of being ordered by the Revolutionary Guard to develop a plan to assassinate Trump. According to federal prosecutors, the operative used a network of criminal associates inside the U.S. to conduct surveillance and arrange killings on behalf of the regime. And this past March, a federal jury convicted another Iranian operative of murder for higher and attempting to commit an act of terrorism. The Justice Department said that man admitted the IRGC sent him to the U.S. to arrange political assassinations. He ultimately approached people he believed were professional killers, but who were actually working with American law enforcement. They have also been more recent intelligence warnings. Israel has reportedly want Washington several times that Iran may be plotting to assassinate Trump. One such warning contributed to the recent decision to secretly move the president from Air Force One to another military aircraft during a trip to Turkey. American and Turkish intelligence reportedly could not independently verify some of those of Israeli warnings, and at least one was considered low confidence by U.S. officials. But online, we shouldn't confuse Iran's latest propaganda video with evidence that an assassination team is currently stalking Baron Trump. But an Iranian state broadcaster has openly identified the American president's son as a target, discussed his supposed vulnerabilities, and advertised what it described as a multi-million-dollar reward. Now that message may be designed to show resolve or strength to their population. It may also be an invitation to criminal groups, Iranian sympathizers, or unstable individuals willing to act without direct orders from Tehran. Alright, coming up next, President Trump moves to help Saudi Arabia build a civilian nuclear program, despite concerns that the agreement could leave Riyadh with a pathway toward nuclear weapons. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. With a pro tip for feeling your best and level, let me ask you a question. Have you ever finished breakfast or lunch or dinner? But then find yourself reaching for a snack an hour later? Yes, that's right. That's all you need to know. You'll find yourself reaching for a snack a few days later. You'll find yourself reaching for a snack an hour later. Even when you're trying to eat healthy, that's exactly why Pendulum Metabolic Daily was designed. 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Just head on over to Bubs at B-U-B-S, just like it sounds, Bubs' Natural's dot com and use Code PDB. And you're all set. Now, after you purchase, they'll ask you what you heard about them. If you don't mind, tell them the PDB sent you. I break down the new wars and weapons systems that are totally reshaping our world in my show "Cappy Army," but we go beyond simply just telling you what happened in a war. We actually investigate deeper into the why and how. At "Cappy Army," everything is informed by my experience as an average US Army infantryman in Iraq, and a war correspondent covering the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. Just search "Cappy Army" on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to get weekly open-source intelligence reports and remember to follow today. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. The chop is moving forward with what could become a massive nuclear partnership, sending a deal with Saudi Arabia to Congress for approval that could be worth tens of billions of dollars. But there's a catch. Trump is telling the Saudis that even if this deal clears Congress, they're not going to get it unless they do something the President has been pushing for years. And that would be to recognize Israel. As for the agreement, it was signed last month in Washington by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. Now I want to spend a moment on what the Saudis would actually be getting here because this is a significant offer from the US. The deal would allow American companies to export civilian nuclear technology to the kingdom, with plans to build advanced American design reactors known as AP-1.
thousands. With that, we're potentially talking about tens of billions of dollars in business for American companies and a nuclear partnership between Washington and Riyadh that could last 30 years. On one track, Trump is moving the nuclear agreement forward. The class of ideal was sent to congressional leaders Monday under the Atomic Energy Act, and it's expected to reach the relevant committees today, according to a Trump administration official. Now, that starts a 90-day review period, and if Congress doesn't object, the agreement can eventually go into force. Even if lawmakers rejected, Trump could veto their decision, requiring a 2/3 majority in Congress to override him. On the other track, Trump is making clear that simply getting through Congress is not enough. Saudi Arabia must normalize relations with Israel. As the Trump official told the Associated Press quote, "The president's position is not changed, that the agreement will only move forward if Saudi Arabia joins the Abraham Accords." Now, Saudi Arabia has wanted American help developing its civilian nuclear program for years. Trump is putting that cooperation within reach, but he's also telling Riyadh that if it wants one of the biggest prizes Washington can offer, the kingdom has to help deliver a diplomatic breakthrough that Trump has been pursuing ever since his first term. And there's another wrinkle here. The Saudis apparently were not expecting the two issues to be tied together. Riyadh agreed to the nuclear deal in July, then just days later, Trump announced that completing it would depend on Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords. Those, of course, are the U.S. pro-quart agreements that Trump pushed during his first term that established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries. The UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan joined those agreements in 2020 and 2021, but Saudi Arabia would be the most significant development for the Accords. The problem is that Riyadh continues to insist that there must first be an irreversible path toward the establishment of a Palestinian state before it will normalize relations with Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu rejects Palestinian statehood, arguing that it would threaten Israel's security. Now, this is also not Washington's first attempt. Trump worked on a similar nuclear agreement during his first term, while former President Biden later tried tying nuclear cooperation to Saudi recognition of Israel before the brutal 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and the subsequent war on Gaza changed the entire landscape. There's one more part of this deal that I want to walk you through because it's likely to become a major issue in Congress. Some lawmakers and non-proliferation advocates are criticizing the agreement because it reportedly does not prohibit Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear fuel. The Trump administration, though, says the agreement still contains the non-proliferation safeguards required under U.S. law. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, the 26th of August. If you have any questions or comments and I hope you do, just reach out to me at
[email protected]. And to listen to the show Add Free, it's very simple, just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDPremium.com. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Now, as someone who spends time thinking about uncertainty and preparing for what might happen next, I think there's another kind of preparation that is unfortunately easy to overlook. And that is making sure your family has financial security. If something happens to you, it's not the happiest of the odds, but if something happens to you, you need to be prepared for the unexpected. And that's where life insurance comes in. Look, if you've been putting off life insurance because you assume the process is complicated or time-consuming, let me tell you about ethos. That's ETHOS. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy. The entire process is online. Couldn't be simpler. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes and get same day coverage. There's no medical exam. You just answer a few health questions online. You can get up to $3 million in coverage and some policies are as low as $30 a month. So if life insurance is something you've been meaning to take care of, take 10 minutes to look into coverage through ethos today. It's a step that can help provide financial security and protection for your loved ones. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through ethos. Get your free quoted ethos.com/pdb. That's ethos.ethos.com/pdb. Application times and rates may vary.
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