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The President's Daily Brief
August 13th, 2025: How Mossad Used Iranian Spies To Sabotage Tehran’s Defenses & Europe’s Arms Race
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- [00:00]
Mike Baker
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Unnamed Speaker
Foreign.
- [00:37]
Mike Baker
It's Wednesday, the 13th of August. Welcome to the president's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, new details on one of Israel's most significant covert missions. Mossad recruited Iranian dissidents to cripple Tehran's air defenses and even pinpointed nuclear scientists. Bedrooms for precision strike will have those details later in the show. Europe is racing to arm itself with defense plants now growing three times faster than before the war in Ukraine. Plus, the latest in the federal takeover of Washington, D.C. law enforcement as National Guard troops arrive and the city's police come under federal government control. And in today's back of the brief, a hitch in Australia's plan to recognize a Palestinian state as the opposition party vows to reverse course. But first, today's PDB spotlight. It's been two months to the day since Israel launched Operation Rising lion against Iran, and we're still learning stunning new details on just how Mossad pulled off what was one of the most audacious covert missions ever conducted by the spy agency. As PDB listeners will recall, on June 13, Israel mounted a sweeping assault on Iran, killing most of the country's senior military commanders and 11 of their nuclear scientists in near simultaneous attacks. Attacks now that ignited what has since been dubbed the 12 Day War. Over the course of the conflict, Israel managed to kill an estimated 786 members of the Iranian military while also destroying nearly half of the Islamic regime's ballistic missile arsenal and up to 80% of their missile launchers. The war culminated with a significant US Bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities. But how was Israel able to strike Iran's most critical military assets with such precision? Well, it turns out they turned the repressive Islamic regime's own citizens against them. A recent expose from the Nonprofit investigative group ProPublica reveals extensive details about how the Mossad infiltrated Iran to establish a network of Iranian dissidents and non Iranian recruits in order to sabotage Tehran's military and nuclear infrastructure from within. According to the report, which cited 10 present and former Israeli intelligence Officials. Israel spent years meticulously planning their operation and cultivating a foreign legion of commandos. The assets were recruited from Iran and neighboring nations such as Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and subsequently trained for the operation by teams of experts from Israel for roughly five months. Some were brought to Israel where they drilled with models that had been built to enable practice runs. Others met with Israeli operatives in countries sharing a border with Iran where they rehearsed the mission. The Iranian regime's cruel treatment of their own citizens reportedly made recruitment relatively easy for Israel. The motives of the recruits were described as a mix of personal and political. Some, including several who had been detained and tortured by the Mullah's Fyrd Basij militia for minor transgressions, sought revenge against the repressive clerical regime. Others were enticed by offers of cash payments, the promise of medical care for sick family members and opportunities to attend college overse. In total, Israeli operatives trained two groups of roughly 70 commandos. Each group was broken up into 14 teams of four to six members. Many of these commandos already resided inside Iran, while others, including anti regime exiles, snuck into the country through border crossings on the eve of the attack. Mossad operatives also created cover stories for each of their agents, which were extensively vetted and rechecked for any inconsistencies that might tip off the Islamic regime to their plans. Meanwhile, Israel established a network of front companies to legally ship the necessary equipment and weapons needed for the attack into Iran. Mossad operatives also developed relationships with smugglers operating along Iran's borders to help bring in additional materials. One Mossad source told ProPublica that bringing equipment in and out of Iran is actually relatively easy. Once the weapons and equipment crossed Iran's borders, it was delivered to infrastructure agents working on behalf of Mossad, who stored the materials until they were needed. When it came time to launch Operation Rising lion, the teams of Israeli trained Iranian recruits were activated, launching drones at Iranian ballistic missile platforms near Tehran and unleashing precision guided missiles at key anti aircraft batteries, crippling the regime's air defenses. Their actions helped disable Iran's protective umbrella, allowing the Israeli air force to carry out their subsequent 11 day bombing campaign without losing a single plane. As you may recall, as the operation got underway, Israeli cyber operatives also hacked into Iran's communications systems, sending a fake message to Iran's top military leaders that lured them to an underground bunker, ostensibly for an emergency meeting. The bunker was then hit with a targeted airstrike that killed all inside, including three military chiefs of staff. Perhaps most impressive, however, was how Mossad and the Israeli Air force leveraged their assets to assassinate the rogue state's top nuclear scientists. They used Iranian recruits to conduct a long term surveillance campaign that tracked 11 Iranian nuclear scientists, detailing their daily routines and even the layout of their homes down to the location of their bedrooms. In the early morning hours of June 13, as their commando teams assaulted Iran's air defenses, Israeli warplanes fired air to ground missiles at the coordinates of the nuclear scientists homes, killing all 11 with pinpoint accuracy. Now Israel's deep infiltration of Iran has not gone unnoticed or unpunished by the mullahs. Last week, the regime executed an Iranian nuclear scientist accused of spying for Israel, alleging he passed key information to Basad on his fellow scientists that helped Israel carry out the assassinations. And on Saturday, Iranian officials said they had arrested another 20 people allegedly linked to the Israeli espionage Networks. Since the 12 Day War, officials in Tehran have executed at least 10 individuals accused of spying for Israel and arrested hundreds more. The intensifying purge underscores just how deeply Israel penetrated into the regime's most guarded institutions and the significant damage that Operation Rising lion dealt to the Mullah's grip on power. Alright, coming up after the break, Europe's arms industry is growing exponentially since Russia's invasion. And the Federal takeover of D.C. s police intensifies as National Guard troops hit the streets in the nation's capital. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now here's a bit of trivia that you can roll out to impress folks at cocktail parties and barbecues. August 13th is national filet Steak day because apparently someone out there decided steaks deserve a holiday. And honestly. Well, frankly, we agree. And the excellent folks at Tritails Beef are celebrating by giving you a free 8 ounce choice fil on orders over $349. No gimmicks, just real beef coming from real ranchers. Well, Tritails is a fifth generation family run Texas ranch. It's a great operation. They raise cattle the old fashioned way. Pasture raised, grain finished and dry aged. There's no middlemen, just great tasting beef delivered straight from the Tri Tails ranch to your home. Look, I've got a freezer full of tri tail steaks at home. It's the only beef I'll put on the grill. Do yourself, your family and friends a favor. Visit tribe.compdb that's tri beef.compdb I guarantee you'll taste the difference. What do you think makes the perfect snack?
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Unnamed Speaker
Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.
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Mike Baker
Could you be more specific when it's cravenient?
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Unnamed Speaker
Okay, like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter available right down the street at am, pm Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at a.m. pM.
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Mike Baker
I'm seeing a pattern here.
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Unnamed Speaker
Well yeah, we're talking about what I.
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Mike Baker
Crave which is anything from AM, pm.
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Unnamed Speaker
What more could you want? Stop by AMPM where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience ampm. Too much good stuff.
- [09:20]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the PDB in one of the fastest military buildups in Europe in decades, the continent's defense manufacturers are now expanding at triple their pre war pace since Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. The surge is driven in part by President Trump's push for NATO allies to spend more on defense and take more responsibility in arming. According to a Financial Times analysis of satellite imagery released this week, 150 facilities tied to 37 defense companies, most specializing in ammunition and missile production, have collectively added more than 7 million square meters of industrial space just since 2022. For reference, that's roughly 120 football fields worth of new floor space. As European capitals scramble to restock their own arsenals while keeping Ukraine supplied against Russian aggression, the largest project is taking shape in western Hungary at the Varpalata plant, a joint venture between state owned N7 holding and Germany's Rheinmetall. Once complete, it will turn out ammunition for Rheinmetall Link's infantry fighting vehicles, 155mm artillery shells and German Leopard 2 tank rounds, underscoring the scale of Europe's rearmament drive. Now, I'd like to point out that Rheinmetall is Germany's largest defense contractor and is no stranger to this role. Known for armored vehicles, ammunition and other battlefield hardware, the company opened its first military vehicle factory in Ukraine last year and plans to build three more in the country. The FT also flagged expansion at 20 other sites benefiting from the EU's act in Support of Ammunition Production. That's a $580 million program aimed at breaking through years of industrial bottlenecks that had left Europe's fragmented arms industry lagging behind Ukraine's battlefield needs. That lag all but vanished after Trump returned to the White House. At June's NATO summit in the Hague, his first since beginning his second term, Trump secured an agreement to raise the bloc's defense spending target from 2 to 5% of GDP, with military aid to Ukraine. Counting toward the new benchmark, the EU has since rolled out its $750 billion rearm Europe program, along with $170 billion in defensive investment loans. The EU's defense chief says the funds can be used to both send weapons to Ukraine and to invest directly in its own defense sector, an approach the Trump administration as openly encouraged as part of the president's push to shift more of the security burden off of America and onto Europe. Okay, I want to shift focus to the US to the nation's capital, where National Guard troops have started arriving following President Trump's unprecedented move to place Washington, DC's law enforcement under federal control. As a reminder, Trump took many by surprise on Monday when he announced that he was invoking Section 740 of the district's Home Rule act, which allows a president to federalize the D.C. police in emergency situations for up to 48 hours without congressional approval. Under the emergency order, Trump said he would deploy around 800 National Guard troops to the city and place the Metropolitan Police Department under federal command. The president dubbed it Liberation Day in D.C. saying the federal government needed to step in to re establish law, order and public safety. Now, despite members of The Democrat dominated D.C. council decrying the move as a power grab, Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser has struck a more conciliatory tune. She's vowing to make the most of the additional resources to fight violent crime across the city. Following a meeting with U.S. attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday, Bowser told reporters, I won't go into the details, details of our operational plan at this point, but you will see the Metropolitan Police Department working side by side with our federal partners in order to enforce the effort that we need around the city, end quote. According to a report from the Guardian, Bowser has cultivated a delicate working relationship with the president since his return to office, avoiding any direct confrontations with the White House. She declined to directly critique Trump's order when speaking to reporters on Tuesday, saying, quote, what I'm focused on is the federal surge in how to make the most of the additional officer support that we have, end quote. Bowser added that she's working to ensure National Guard members are, quote, being well used and all in an effort to drive down crime. But Democrat leaders in states across the country have not held back. Well, there's a shock with mayors of Baltimore, Oakland and Los Angeles all condemning the move as an abuse of power and warning Trump may come for their cities next. Ooh, well, not to be churlish, but Baltimore, Oakland and Los Angeles could use the help they're all dealing with. Their own rampant crime issues and city mismanagement. And of course, here comes California Governor Gavin Newsom. Never one to avoid the spotlight, he was swift to denounce Trump's crackdown in D.C. claiming the president will soon seek to militarize other cities in America. But J.B. pritzker, the governor of Illinois and apparently looking to outdo Governor Newsom, went the furthest, hysterically comparing Trump's actions to the tactics of Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Now Pritzker and Newsom both have solutions of running for president, and both are busy trying to stake some claim to being leaders of the Democrat Party. But putting the histrionics, the pearl clutching and the angsty meltdowns aside, just how bad is the situation in the Capitol? Well, that's a good question to ask. You've likely heard the talking point that Washington DC's crime is somehow at a historic low. But that claim largely falls apart under scrutiny. For example, in 2023 the homicide rate in the nation's capital reached a 20 year high, with more 270 murders. In 2024, the city saw a homicide rate of 27.3 per 100,000 residents, leaving D.C. with the fourth highest murder rate among the nation's largest cities, outpacing New York City, Atlanta, and even Chicago. In fact, if Washington, D.C. was a state, it would have the highest murder rate in the entire country. So yes, the city is currently plagued by violent crime and has a homicide rate more comparable to Mexico's. And other metrics paint a similar picture. Juvenile arrests in the city have steadily increased every year since 2020, and carjackings increased by nearly 550% between 2018 and 2023. The rate of vehicle theft in Washington, D.C. is now more than three times the national average. Let me just repeat that. The rate of vehicle Theft in Washington, D.C. the nation's capital, is now more than three times the national average. To make matters worse, the statistics we're basing this off of may be severely understating the reality on the streets. Earlier this year, a D.C. police commander was placed on administrative leave over an investigation alleging that he was doctoring crime statistics in his district to make them lower. The officer in question oversaw enforcement in DC's third district, which includes the bustling neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights. Members of the Fraternal Order of Police, which represents D.C. officers, told the outlet, Police One, that such practices, meaning doctoring the statistics, are widespread in the city. The chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police alleges that officers are frequently instructed by their supervisors to reduce serious felony reports to lesser offenses. Union officials say the orders come down from the Metropolitan Police Department's command staff in an effort to keep reported crime figures low. All right, here's a thought. How about A challenge to Governor Kevin Newsom and Governor J.B. pritzker, in fact, to anyone who claims DC's crime is at an all time low and the city doesn't need the extra help. I tell you what, let's see you take a nice leisurely stroll on your own without your security detail at night across the various quadrants of D.C. northeast, Southeast, Southwest and even northwest. Just you out for an evening's walk through the streets of the nation's capital on your own. Just like the residents have to seriously give it a go. Let me know how it turns out. All right. Coming up next in the back of the brief, Australia's recognition of Palestinian statehood could be short lived if the opposition party wins the next election. More on that story when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk about protecting your hard earned assets. That's a very important issue. Look, you've probably noticed that out there in the big wide world, there's some turmoil in the economy, right? Trade wars, tariffs back and forth, a US Federal Reserve that seems a bit at odds with the White House. Uncertainty over employment numbers, a volatile stock market. Yeah, you get the picture. And at times like these, it's important to think about your assets and how to protect them. Now, one way to do that is through diversification. And I'm here to suggest that you consider diversifying with gold from the Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metals specialists. Look, for decades, gold has been considered a safe haven in times of economic stagnation and global uncertainty. And Birch Gold makes it incredibly easy for you to diversify some of your savings into gold. If you've got an IRA or maybe an old 401k, you can convert that into a tax sheltered IRA in physical gold. Or like a lot of people, you can just buy gold in store safely at home. First, you want to get yourself educated and Birchgold can send you a free information kit on gold. All you have to do. Text PDB to the number 989898. Again, just text PDB to the number 989-898. Consider diversifying a portion of your savings into Gold. Text PDB to 989898.
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Piers Morgan
I'm Piers Morgan, the host of the Piers Morgan Uncensored podcast. We do big interviews and we do big debates about whatever's getting people talking about. We make news, we make noise, and we make a little bit of trouble too. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can listen to Piers Morgan uncensored on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Mike Baker
In today's Back of the Brief Australia's opposition pledged to scrap recognition of a Palestinian state if it wins power in three years, setting up one of the sharpest foreign policy divides in the country for decades. The vow from the coalition, which is Canberra's main conservative opposition bloc made up of the Liberal and National parties, came after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's left wing government stated that they would join France, the UK and Canada in recognizing Palestinian statehood at the UN General assembly coming up in September. The announcement is a whiplash moment for Albanese, who barely two weeks ago told reporters that Australia would not be making such a declaration imminently. Now he's calling it part of a, quote, coordinated global effort to revive the two state solution after more than seven decades, saying the decision was influenced by his phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu last week. Well, probably that call and of course the fear of his left wing party members. In the call with Netanyahu, Albanese said the Israeli prime minister repeated an argument from a year earlier that more military action in Gaza would deliver a better outcome. The Australian prime minister dismissed the stance as refusal to acknowledge the suffering of innocence. As we discussed, Netanyahu has been openly dismissive of recent Western recognition campaigns as shameful and warning they would not alter Israel's war aims. Before Australia's announcement this week, he singled out Canberra, saying quote, we will not commit national suicide to get a good op ed for two minutes amid scrutiny from Albanese. The move also ends Australia's decades old bipartisan approach to the Middle East. The coalition insists Palestinian recognition should only come after Hamas releases Israeli hostages and a peace agreement is in hand. Opposition leader Susan Lee put it bluntly, stating the coalition party would never have made this call and we do not agree with it, adding that Palestinian statehood should follow a proper peace process. That's a line straight out of longstanding US Policy. Coalition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaela Cash went further questioning whether recognition was even possible under current conditions. She told the Australian Broadcasting Company, you don't actually recognize any state until that state exists, pointing out that Prime Minister Albanese was committing Australia to recognizing an entity with no agreed borders, no single government in effective control of its territory, end quote. Now Lee also accused the Australian Prime Minister of snubbing Washington, noting that, quote, any peace that happens in Gaza will be brokered by the U.S. making clear that with Albanese's move, the chance of a ceasefire just got worse. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Wednesday 13 August. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and of course, to listen to the show ad free, which I suspect you know you can do. Well, just become a Premium member of the President's Day of brief by visiting PDB premium.com It's really that simple. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.