← The President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief
August 6th, 2025: Iranian Nuclear Scientists Busted in Covert Russia Visit & Putin’s ‘Secret Daughter’ Blasts Dad
00:25:35
Loading summary
Transcript9 lines
- [00:00]
Mike Baker
Looking to diversify and protect your hard earned assets. Well, schedule a free consultation call with the Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metals specialists. Just text PDB to the number 989898 and you'll receive a free no obligation information kit. And you'll learn how to convert an existing IRA or a 401k into a gold IRA. Again, it's simple. Just text PDB to the number 989898.
- [00:32]
Unknown
Foreign.
- [00:38]
Mike Baker
It's Wednesday 6th 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. We'll get things started with news of a secret visit by Iran's nuclear scientists to Russian research labs just last year. That's according to a new Financial Times investigation. Western intelligence agencies are now raising serious concerns about the technologies that they were shown, some of which are directly tied to nuclear weapons development. Later in the show, Russia says it's walking away from the last remaining restrictions on intermediate range missile. So that sounds positive. The move further erodes what's left of decades old arms control agreements between Moscow and the West. Plus, cyber experts say North Korean agents have slipped into hundreds of companies by posing online as remote it warrants workers. The scheme is helping fund Kim Jong Un's regime and potentially giving it access to very sensitive information. And in today's back of the brief, Putin's secret daughter has gone rogue. What? She's blasting her father for quote, killing millions and says he ruined her life. Sounds just like when Dr. Evil Son Scott turned on him in Austin Powers, international man of mystery. Now I've often said that if you gave Putin a Nehru jacket and a hairless cap, he would look just like Dr. Dr. Evil. But I digress. Alright, today's PDB Spotlight. We start today with a story that's triggering alarm bells inside Western intelligence agencies. According to an investigation by the Financial Times, a team of Iranian nuclear scientists secretly traveled to Russia last year on what appears to have been a covert mission to acquire technologies tied to nuclear weapons development. The secret visit took place on the 4th of August of 2024 and consisted of a small delegation led by a man name Ali Kalvand. Now he's an Iranian nuclear physicist with close ties to Tehran's military research apparatus. Iran went to great lengths to keep this travel off the books. Kalvan and four associates boarded a flight to Moscow under the guise of being employees of a Tehran based consulting firm. But the business story, well, was a complete fabrication. In Fact, all five men are believed to be tied to the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research or known by its acronym of spnd. It's a shadowy entity under Iran's Ministry of Defense. Now, SBND is widely viewed by Western intelligence as the direct Successor to Iran's pre 2004 nuclear weapons program that was known as the Ahmad Plan. Now the group has been sanctioned by the US for its role in developing nuclear weapons technology and it's considered one of the most secretive branches of Iran's defense establishment. The delegation also carried diplomatic service passports issued just weeks before their departure, including several with sequential numbers. Now that is essentially a red flag in intelligence circles. Sequential passports suggest the documents were issued in a batch as part of a coordinated state run operation, not just routine travel. It's an indication that the mission wasn't improvised, that it was likely planned, sanctioned and covered from the top. The delegation itself included some highly concerning figures. One member is a specialist in neutron generators, devices used to trigger nuclear explosions. Another as a senior SBND scientist. A third previously ran a company sanctioned by the US for acting as a procurement front for nuclear components tied to SBND's weapons work. Once the group arrived in Moscow, they toured a series of scientific institutes known for producing what are called dual use technologies, equipment with civilian applications that also happened to be useful in developing and testing nuclear weapons. According to the Financial Times, the Iranians visited two facilities tied to a Russian scientist named Oleg Maslennikov, a longtime expert in nuclear diagnostics. Among the systems being developed there, high powered X ray devices used to simulate nuclear blasts without an actual detonation. Now here's where it gets even more troubling. If it could be more troubling just two months before the visit and Calvin sent a letter to a Russian supplier requesting several radioactive isotopes, among them tritium. According to non proliferation experts, tritium has virtually no civilian use and is most commonly associated with boosting the explosive yield of nuclear warheads. As one arms control official told the Financial Times, and I quote, anybody asks for tritium and I automatically assume weapons, end quote. Well, you and me both, pal. The documents don't indicate whether Iran ever received the materials it was seeking, but the intent appears clear. And that intent, well, has Western analysts worried. In fact, the timeline is hard to ignore. This secret visit took place In August of 2024, less than a year before Israel launched a series of strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure. That operation, which sparked the 12 day war, targeted multiple facilities believed to be tied to Iran's suspected weapons program, including enrichment sites at Natanz and for and of course, research complexes near Isfahan. At the time, Israeli officials said the strikes were based on intelligence showing that Iran had taken unprecedented steps toward actual weaponization. And now with this new reporting from the Financial Times revealing Iran's interest in tritium neutron generators and high powered diagnostic tools, well, those claims suddenly look a lot less speculative. This wasn't about enrichment levels or IAEA inspections. It was about a regimental quietly, covertly reactivating the most dangerous parts of its nuclear program, the parts specifically designed for building a bomb. Iran, for its part, of course, this will shock you. Denies any pursuit of nuclear weapons, citing a religious fatwa against their use. Okay. Russia too has long claimed it opposes nuclear armed. Iran wouldn't have anything to do with that. And of course, who doesn't believe Putin? He always has struck me as an honest and peace loving cat. All right, coming up after the break, Russia ditches the last limits on mid range missiles. And North Korean spies are infiltrating companies by posing as remote IT workers. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with some very exciting news from Ridge. You know them, the terrific company that makes all your favorite wallets and luggage. Now it's that time of year again, right? The company is launching their legendary sweepstakes. Two lucky winners will get to choose between a $300,000 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, $150,000 Hennessey Velociraptor, or $100,000 in cash. Yes, you heard me correctly. And you can enter for free@ridge.com it's that simple. And while you're at the site, check out Ridge's wallets, key cases, luggage and more sleek, durable designs built to last and to look great with free shipping, a 99 day risk free trial and a lifetime warranty. So are you ready to upgrade your wallet and possibly your ride for a limited time only? Head to ridge.com and use code PDB at checkout for 10% off your order and a chance to win Ridge's biggest sweepstakes ever. A Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato, a Hennessey Velociraptor or a hundred thousand dollars in cash. There's no purchase necessary to enter. Every dollar you spend gets you more entries. That's ridge.com and use the checkout code PDB. After you purchase, they'll ask you what you heard about them. Do me a favor. Tell them PDB sent you with Robinhood.
- [08:30]
Piers Morgan
Not only can you trade individual stocks and ETFs, you can also seamlessly buy and sell crypto at low costs. Trade all in one place. Get started now on Robinhood Trading. Crypto involves significant risk Crypto trading is offered through an account with the Robinhood Crypto llc. Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Crypto held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC Protected. Investing involves risk including loss of principle. Securities trading is offered through an account with Robinhood Financial LLC member sipc, a registered broker dealer.
- [09:01]
Mike Baker
Welcome back to the PDB Nearly four decades after the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty known as the inf was signed to halt the Cold War arms race, the pact is now, well, officially dead, buried this week by Moscow in a move that Washington says codifies years of Kremlin violations. In a statement issued Monday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it no longer considers itself bound by the INF pact, citing US Plans to deploy similar range missiles in Europe and Asia. The move, Kremlin officials insisted was not a provocation but a direct response to the West's anti Russia policy for background. Signed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the INF banned ground launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 3, 310 and 3400 miles. The agreement led to the destruction of more than 2,600 U.S. and Soviet missiles and was hailed at the time as a breakthrough in arms control diplomacy. But that foundation has been, frankly, crumbling for years. The US formally withdrew from the treaty in 2019 during President Donald Trump's first term, citing Moscow's deployment of cruise missiles in violation of the accord allegations which Russia denied. However, concerns first surfaced under the Obama administration as early as 2014. Moscow's formal exit this week comes on the heels of Trump's decision to reposition two US Nuclear submarines following last week's nuclear saber rattling from Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and now Putin's current deputy chair of the Russian Security Council. As we tracked here on the pdp, a war of words erupted between Trump and Medvedev, which played out in full view on social Medvedev threatened Trump with doomsday weapons. The president shot back with a warning to Medvedev that he should choose his words carefully. In a more recent post on X, Medvedev cheered the decision to exit the INF and warned the west to, quote, expect further steps, end quote. What didn't appear in Russia's Foreign Ministry statement conspicuously was any mention of The November launch of the Oreshnik intermediate range ballistic missile. Now, that missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, struck a city in Ukraine, blatantly violating the INF's now defunct range restrictions. On Friday, Putin confirmed the Ereshnik entered active service and would be deployed to Belarus, effectively placing the missile on NATO's doorstep. That's raised alarms, of course, across Europe, especially after Russian state media didn't bother to hide their intent, claiming the missile could hit Ramstein Air Base in Germany in about 15 minutes. The base serves as a vital hub for US and NATO air operations across Europe and Africa and the Middle East. As Moscow expands its missile footprint, Washington is preparing to return the favor. I don't see how this ends badly. The Pentagon confirmed plans for episodic deployments of intermediate range missiles to Germany beginning in 2026. That decision, made after the US exited the INF, was driven in part by fears that the treaty became a strategic handicap, blocking US Missile deployments in Asia at a time when countering China and defending Taiwan have become top tier priorities. The demise of the INF marks, well, another collapse in the already fragile arms control architecture between the two nuclear armed superpowers. Only one major treaty remains. That would be the new START Agreement, which limits each country's deployed strategic nuclear warheads to a total of 1,550. Oh, so you can only have 1550 nukes. Any more than that and, well, that would be one nuke too many, apparently. But that deal, too, is hanging by a thread. Putin suspended Russia's participation back in 2023, leaving the treaty effectively in limbo ahead of its scheduled expiration next year. With fewer guardrails in place, fears of a renewed arms race are, of course, once again on the rise. Western analysts warned that Russia's missiles could reach European capitals in minutes, shrinking NATO's reaction time and now forcing a recalibration of its def posture. Okay. Turning to cyberspace and espionage, North Korean operatives masquerading as remote IT workers have quietly burrowed into hundreds of American companies in a fast growing scheme to bankroll leader Kim Jong Un's nuclear weapons program. Damn. Is there anybody not working on a nuclear weapons program? In its latest annual threat hunting report, cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said it had logged more than 320 such incidents over the past year. That is a staggering 220% spike from the previous year. The North Korean operation, according to Crowdstrike, pulled in hundreds of millions for Pyongyang by embedding fake IT workers across the Fortune 500. The scheme relies on a cocktail of stolen identities, generative AI deception, and a growing network of enablers, both abroad and stateside. Investigators say operatives are now using tools like ChatGPT to craft resumes, polish cover letters, and generate believable small talk during lock interviews. In some cases, the deception actually gets visual. According to a CNN report, North Koreans have been caught deploying deep fake headshots, posing as the opposite gender at times, and even using real time face and voice masking software to pull off entire job interviews in disguise, all in a bid to pass as Americans. Many North Koreans run multiple fake Personas in parallel, flooding job boards with thousands of applications per week. One investigator with cybersecurity firm detects put it bluntly, stating they're everywhere, end quote. Physically, these operatives are actually based in China, Russia and Laos, locations with reliable Internet, limited US Legal cooperation, and sympathetic to Kim's regime. But digitally, they look and sound American, thanks in large part to domestic facilitators who help launder identities and credentials. These middlemen run so called laptop farms, rooms packed with American laptops and IP spoofed connections to create the illusion of a US Office. In June, federal prosecutors unsealed indictments showing one such ring hijacked the identities of at least 80Americans and secured jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies between 2021 and 2024. Most positions were in software development, meaning that these workers, they weren't just drawing salaries, they were sitting inside corporate systems with admin level access. In an effort to combat the threat, the Department of Justice conducted coordinated raids on 29 suspected laptop farms across 16 states, seizing roughly 200 devices. But officials can see that the core operators remain well beyond their reach, far outside of American jurisdiction. And the financial pipeline is just as elaborate. US Companies unknowingly deposit wages into bank accounts held by domestic facilitators, who then transfer the funds to overseas accounts controlled by the North Korean workers before the money is funneled back to Pyongyang in Kim Jong Un's pockets. According to investigators, most employers remain unaware that they are violating U.S. sanctions by hiring under false pretenses. But some firms have resorted to extreme screening tactics. One unorthodox screening method involves requesting applicants to insult Kim Jong Un, little rocket man during the interview, banking on the assumption that North Koreans, even abroad, simply won't take the risk of denouncing their supreme leader. Now, it's a clever thought, but probably not a foolproof due diligence effort. While the operator's main goal is to bankroll the Kim regime. U.S. national security officials warn that it could morph into something far more dangerous. If authorized, these embedded operatives could use their privileged access to launch internal cyber attacks. Unlike the regime's past history of flashy crypto heists seizing millions at a time, this operation plays the long game, embedding operatives deep inside corporate America to fund a sanctioned nuclear program. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, Vladimir Putin's rumored daughter just broke her silence and, well, she's not happy with Papa Putin. Stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk about protecting your hard earned assets. Now, you've probably noticed there might be a little bit of turmoil out there in the economy, right? Trade wars, a US Federal Reserve that seems a bit at odds with the White House. Uncertainty over employment numbers, a volatile stock market. You get the picture. At times like these, it's important to think about your assets and how to protect them. And 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. Look, for decades gold has been viewed as a safe haven in times of economic stagnation or high inflation or just global uncertainty. And Perchgold, well, they make it incredibly easy for you to diversify some of your savings into gold. If you had an IRA as an example, or an old 401k, you can convert that into a tax sheltered IRA and physical gold. It's really that simple. Or like a lot of folks, well, you can just buy gold and store it safely at home. First, you want to get yourself educated. And Birchgold can send you a free information kit on gold. Just text PDB to the number 989. Again, text PDB to 989898. Consider diversifying a portion of your savings into Gold. Text PDB to the number 989898. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now let me ask you a question. What if you could delay your next two mortgage payments, right? Think about that. Intriguing, isn't it? Imagine putting those two payments in your pocket and finally getting a little breathing room. It's possible when you call American financing today. Look, if you're feeling stretched by everyday expenses, you know what I'm talking about. Gas bills, food bills, groceries, utility bills, other bills piling up. Well, you're not alone. And many Americans are putting those expenses now on credit cards. And for many, they don't seem to see a way out. American financing can show you how to use your home's equity to pay off that debt. So give American Financing a call today to see what your options are. Their salary based mortgage consultants are helping homeowners just like you restructure their loans and consolidate debt, all without upfront fees. And that's very important. And their customers are saving an average of $800 a now. I'm no mathematician, but I think that's something like $10,000 a year as a raise. It's fast, it's simple and it could save your budget. Call now 866-885-1881 that's 866885,1881 or visit americanfinancing.net PDB.
- [20:06]
Caitlin Becker
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. We make news, we make noise, and we make a little bit of trouble too. Come and 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.
- [20:32]
Elizaveta Rudnova
Hey, I'm Caitlin Becker, the host of the New York Post Cast, and I've got exactly what you need to start your weekdays. Every morning I'll bring you the stories that matter, plus the news. People actually talk about the juicy details in the world worlds of politics, business, pop culture and everything in between. It's what you want from the New York Post wrapped up in one snappy show. Ask your smart speaker to play the NY Postcast podcast, listen and subscribe on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [21:03]
Mike Baker
In today's Back of the Brief Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a new public enemy his own daughter, or at least the young woman believed to be his daughter, elizaveta Klivenowczyk, a 22 year old living in Paris, posted a striking message this week on her private Telegram channel. Alongside a selfie, she wrote, quote, it's liberating to be able to show my face to the world again. It reminds me of who I was born to be and who destroyed my life, the man who took millions of lives and who destroyed mine. End quote. She never named Putin directly, but the German newspaper Bild, which obtained the posts, say the context is clear. This was a personal and very public rebuke of her alleged father. Now Elizabeth is believed to be the love child. Well, that's the first time we've used that phrase on the PDB of Vladimir Putin. And Svetlana Grivenojik, former cleaning woman who, after reportedly becoming romantically involved with Putin in the early 2000s, went on to become a shareholder in Bankruptcia and was estimated to be worth $100 million. The cleaning business, apparently in Russia, pays well. Since moving to Paris, Elizaveta, who now uses the surname Rudnova, has been working at an art gallery that showcases work from Russian dissidents and critics of the war in Ukraine. Last year, a Russian artist publicly called her out, accusing the gallery of harboring a Putin family member. Elizaveta responded, am I really responsible for the activities of my family who can't even hear me? End quote. Until Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Elizaveta lived a much more public life, posting photos of designer clothes, private jets and LA lavish parties. In 2021, she was even rumored to have DJed at a Moscow nightclub. But now her tone appears to have shifted. Elizaveta's social media rebuke adds a new and unexpected voice, frankly, to the growing number of Russians, both public and private, who are rejecting the war and the man behind it. Now, just to be clear, Vladimir Putin has never officially confirmed that Elizaveta is his daughter. He's famously secretive about his private life and has never acknowledged the relationship with Kleivanojik. Now, however, look, I'm no facial recognition expert, but if you've seen the photos of Elizaveta, take a look at some point when you get a free moment. And she basically Vladimir with a long wig. She has what we might call resting Putin face. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Wednesday 5th August. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com of course. Don't forget what your mother told you to listen to the show ad free. Well, just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
- [24:08]
Unknown
It.