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The President's Daily Brief
July 17th, 2025: Iranian Nationals Busted Sneaking Across U.S. Border & North Korea’s War Role
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Mike Baker
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Unknown
Foreign.
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Mike Baker
It's Thursday the 17th of July. 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, an attempted breach on the US Northern border. Federal agents announced the arrest of five Iranian nationals trying to slip into the US From Canada, each with a history of illegal entry attempts. We'll tell you where it happened and the broader implications for America's national security later in the show. Japan issues a stark China is gaining the upper hand in the Pacific. A new report outlines growing threats from Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang and what it means for Taiwan. Plus, North Korea is becoming Russia's big box store for ammunition. New intelligence suggests Pyongyang is now supplying up to 40% of Russia's ammunition in Ukraine and Moscow may soon be pushing for even more assistance, including additional troops. And in today's Back of the Brief, a humanitarian group feeding millions in Gaza is being targeted by Hamas propaganda and slammed by the UN because, well, the UN never met a piece of propaganda from the Iranian backed Hamas organization that they weren't willing to accept as gospel truth. A new report reveals how a US Backed nonprofit became a political scapegoat despite its record breaking aid deliveries. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll begin in the US where the recent arrest of a number of Iranian nationals by immigration authorities is raising fears over the threat of domestic terrorism from radical Islamic sleeper cells. A spokesman for U.S. customs and Border Protection confirmed Tuesday that five Iranians were caught earlier this month while attempting to illegally cross the US Border with Canada. Border agents were tipped off about suspicious activity on 1 July near a place called Moore's Forks, New York, which is situated at the northern tip of the state near Canada. Agents soon located a minivan carrying five citizens of Iran and two citizens of Uzbekistan. That's according to an exclusive report from Fox News. Well, that sounds like a super fun road trip. All seven men had previously been apprehended for unlawful entry into the U.S. according to CBP officials and are now awaiting deportation. Well, I'm sure they won't try it again. The arrests occurred in the northern border area known as the Swanton Sector, which covers parts of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. The area has long been a hotspot of illegal border crossings, particularly under the immigration policies of the former US Administration. The high level of migrant traffic seen in this sector has alarmed national security experts who've warned that open border policies left America vulnerable to infiltration by foreign adversaries. The threat from Iran, of course, is particularly acute following their recent war with Israel and the Trump administration's targeted strikes on the regime's nuclear facilities. Just last month following the operation, the Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin warning of a heightened risk for Iranian backed domestic terrorism. In late June, as security concerns grew, ICE agents arrested some 130 Iranian nationals throughout the US who were living in the country illegally. One of those arrested had previously served as a sniper in the Iranian military. Another was on the US Terrorist watch list, while others had suspected ties to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. While the apprehensions are welcome news, former FBI Special Agent Jonathan Gilliam recently warned Fox News during an interview that that Iranian linked operatives are likely already widely embedded within the U.S. gilliam said, quote, where these sleeper cells may be is in plain sight. And that's the real terrifying part, end quote. In their terrorism advisory, DHS officials said the risk to domestic security would become even more extreme if, quote, Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the US Homeland. Well, as our regular listeners know, over the past two weeks, Iranian religious leaders and former top officials have done just that. Iran's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makaram Shirazi, issued a fatwa in late June calling on Muslims to kill President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and anyone else who threatens the Islamic regime, branding them as enemies of God. The religious decree essentially called on Muslims around the world to engage in terrorism against the US And Israel, promising followers they'll be divinely rewarded by Allah. Now, honestly, I, I guess I'm more in favor of a benign deity that doesn't reward people for killing in terrorism. He was later joined by Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, who called for Trump and Netanyahu's deaths during a recent sermon. That's quite the sermon. As we covered last week, a former senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader has also directly threatened President Trump, claiming the regime could strike him with a drone at his Mar A Lago estate in Florida. Additionally, groups linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC have been raising assassination bounties for President Trump worth tens of millions of dollars. One of those groups calling itself Blood Pact has pledged to, quote, award the bounty to anyone who can bring the enemies of God to justice, end quote. The clear incitements to terrorism have further raised domestic security concerns, of course, and the Secret Service has reportedly bolstered President Trump's security detail since the first threats surfaced. Counterterrorism experts say this is exactly the kind of material that seeks to inspire lone wolf actors or extremist militias to take matters into their own hands. And it's worth remembering that Iran does have a long history of operating on US And European soil in efforts to carry out assassinations and kidnappings against dissidents and other critics of the mullahs. Multiple regime backed plots on US soil have been disrupted since 2020, including foiled assassination attempts in New York and Maryland against Iranian defectors. Then of course, there are the assassination operations that have previously targeted Trump and members of his first administration, including former National Security Adviser John bolton and former U.S. secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Given that over the course of the previous US administration under President Biden, more than 700 Iranian nationals who crossed illegally were reportedly released into the country. DHS officials warn that the threat from sympathizers or operatives acting on Iran's behalf is at an all time high. Alright, coming up next, Tokyo sounds the alarm on China's rising military edge in the Pacific. And new intel reveals North Korea is supplying 40% of Russia's ammunition. Well, what are friends for? I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's take a brief moment, if you don't mind, to talk about ways to protect your hard earned savings. Now look, I know the personal finance talk isn't everybody's favorite, but it is important to your financial health. Look, one of the smartest ways to protect your savings is through diversification. And one way to diversify is with gold from the Birch Gold Group. Now look, gold is up some 40% in the past year. 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Miranda Devine
Power, Politics and the People behind the Headlines I'm Miranda Devine, New York Post columnist and the host of the brand new podcast podforceone. Every week I'll sit down for candid conversations with Washington's most powerful disruptors, lawmakers, newsmakers and even the president of the United States. These are the leaders shaping the future of America and the world. Listen to podforce one with me, Miranda Devine, every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. You don't want to miss an episode.
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Mike Baker
Welcome back to the pdb In a sweeping new assessment, Japan's Defense Ministry has issued its starkest warning in decades that the world is now facing its greatest risk of conflict than at any point since the end of World War II. The annual defense of Japan white Paper, released this week declares the global security environment has entered a dangerous new phase, once shaped by deepening strategic coordination between China, Russia and North Korea and defined by what Tokyo calls the most severe and complex threat landscape in the country's modern history. According to the report, the international order is being seriously challenged and the pace of competition, particularly between the US And China, is accelerating. But it is Beijing that takes center stage in the report's assessment of risk. China's military modernization, the document says, represents the greatest strategic challenge facing Japan and the broader region. Among the most concerning trends is a sharp rise in gray zone coercion near Taiwan and the Japanese controlled Senkaku Islands, waters that have seen a sharp uptick in Chinese incursions. The white paper outlines what officials believe to be Beijing's evolving strategy of attempting to encircle Taiwan using coast guard vessels, not warships, in an effort to avoid triggering open hostilities while still achieving a de facto blockade in the South China Sea. Tokyo accuses China of trying to force through a fait accompli by militarizing disputed territory and establishing dominance over some of the world's most vital shipping lanes, which are essential, of course, to Japan's energy, security and trade. Beijing predictably lashed out. A Defense Ministry spokesman slammed the report as hyping up the China threat and accused Tokyo of meddling in its internal affairs. In a pointed statement, China warned Japan to, quote, learn from history, an unmistakable reference, of course, to Tokyo's militarist past and a thinly veiled accusation that Japan is laying the groundwork to discard its pacifist constitution. But China isn't the sole concern. The paper also underscores deepening Ties between Beijing and Moscow, including joint bomber flights and Navy patrols near Japanese waters as signs of a growing axis of authoritarian force. The statistics are telling. Japanese fighter jets were scrambled 704 times in the last fiscal year period. 460 were in response to Chinese aircraft, and nearly 240 targeted Russian jets. That's nearly two intercepts every day. And the threat from Moscow isn't confined to the skies. Tokyo says Russia has deployed missiles, troops and aircraft to islands seized from Japan at the close of World War II, territory that remains contested to this day. Japan accuses Moscow of turning the islands into military outposts and warns that Europe's war on Ukraine is spilling into the Indo Pacific. As if the China Russia axis weren't enough, North Korea is also ratcheting up pressure. The report warns that Pyongyang's growing nuclear missile arsenal now places the entirety of Japan within range and that the regime is steadily acquiring new surveillance and targeting capabilities. The document made clear that North Korea's military activities are posing an even more grave and imminent threat to Japan's security than ever before. The language mirrors warnings from US Indo Pacific commander Admiral Samuel Poparo, who in his latest statement declared that China's alliance with Russia and North Korea represents a strategic challenge without precedence for the US and its allies. As a result of the report, Tokyo reaffirmed its strategic alignment with Washington, stating it will, quote, further reinforce Japan U. S. Joint deterrence capabilities to counterbalance the growing nexus of authoritarian military power in the region. Okay, well, staying in that region, North Korea is now fueling nearly half of Russia's war machine in Ukraine. This staggering escalation cements the deepening military alliance between the two heavily sanctioned regimes. According to South Korea's Defense Intelligence Agency, Pyongyang has shipped an estimated 28,000 containers loaded with shells and munitions to Russian forces. That translates to roughly 12 million artillery rounds. And that's just the beginning. These shipments now account for as much as 40% of Russia's total ammunition needs on the Ukrainian battlefield. That's according to Kyiv's military intelligence. But it's not just bullets and bombs. South Korean and Ukrainian officials say Kim Jong Un's regime is also funneling ballistic missiles, artillery systems and military engineers into Putin's war effort, solidifying North Korea's role as Moscow's most brazen arms dealer. One Russia expert at the Institute for the Study of War told the New York Post that the alliance gives Putin access to vital materials while preserving and replenishing domestic stockpiles. In other words, Kim is footing the short term war bill while the Kremlin buys time in return. Well, North Korea is reportedly being paid with cutting edge military technology. It's a transactional bromance made official during the June 2024 summit between Putin and Kim in Pyongyang, where the two leaders signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Since then, the relationship has gone from a shadowy back channel to a full blown strategic axis. Over the weekend, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov touched down in Pyongyang for the first time since 2009 to make clear that Moscow would welcome even greater support. We'll have more of that, please, lavrov said at a press conference, quote, if the DPRK offers further assistance, we have no reason to decline this sincere act of solidarity. Well, that's nice. He added that under the terms of the treaty, it would be left to North Korea to define the nature and scope of its support. Now, as we've tracked here on the PDB, some 11,000 North Korean soldiers were dispatched to the Russian border city of Kursk late last year, ostensibly to help repel a Ukrainian incursion. According to Kyiv defense officials, as many as half have since been killed or wounded. Pyongyang has also sent waves of combat engineers and construction crews into Russian occupied Ukrainian territory to clear mines and rebuild infrastructure. Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed the deployments during his trip to North Korea last month. And if that weren't enough, and it should be enough. In underscoring the urgency and speed of the alliance's expansion, Lavrov went even further during his trip defending North Korea's nuclear arsenal as a legitimate counterweight to so called US Aggression. He accused the US South Korea and Japan of ongoing military buildups around the Korean peninsula, even pointing to Israeli and American strikes on Iran in June as evidence of escalating Western provocation. I'm guessing Lavrov doesn't view the invasion of Ukraine as provocation or aggression. As we've discussed here on the President's daily brief, Kim pledged what he called unconditional support for Putin's war. Regional analysts say that the strong language suggests Pyongyang's willingness to dispatch more troops, potentially into direct combat roles. South Korean intelligence has warned that Kim is preparing to send 30,000 more North Korean soldiers to the front lines of the war. North Korea's state run media agency reported that Kim and Putin, quote, share the same views on all strategic issues in conformity with the level of their alliance, end quote. Whatever that means. All right, coming up next in the Back of the brief. A new report shows that the Gaza Humanitarian foundation, or ghf, is facing an onslaught of propaganda from Hamas and the UN Stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here. I want to take just a few moments of your time to talk about your online security that's critically important. Look, right now the headlines are chock full of data breaches and regulatory rollbacks. And all of those things can make us more vulnerable. But here's the thing, you can do something about it. So let me tell you about a company, a great business called Deleteme. Now, Deleteme is here to make it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online. Deleteme constantly monitors and removes your personal information from data broker sites, sending regular reports so you know exactly what's been found and what's been deleted. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me. And now you can get a special discount as a PDB listener. Get 20% off your delete Me plan when you go to delete joindeleteme.combrief and use promo code brief that's B R I E F at checkout. Again, the only way to get that 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com brief and enter code brief at checkout one more time. That's JoinDeleteMe.com brief code brief.
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Bill O'Reilly
Hey, Bill O'Reilly here, host of the no Spin News corporate media programs. They're often lazy and dishonest. You know that the podcast world filled with misleading bomb throwers masking important issues that directly impact you. The no Spin News is here to counteract that we are a fact based, honest and unaffiliated broadcast. Our purpose is to inform you and give the best assessment of the situation of whether it's political or cultural. Please listen to the no Spin News with me, Bill O'Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found. Remember, trust is earned.
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Caitlin Becker
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 worlds of the 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.
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Mike Baker
In today's Back of the Brief one story We've been tracking closely. Here at the PDB is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Now that's the US and Israeli backed group working to deliver aid directly to civilians in Gaza as part of a broader effort to cut Hamas out of the distribution chain and weaken its grip on the population. But that mission has made the ghf, well, a high value target. Of course, as we've reported, Hamas has responded with intimidation, propaganda and in some cases violence, including the murder of aid workers. Well, a new report is revealing just how far the disinformation campaign against the GHF has gone. According to the Network Contagion Research Institute, or ncri, Hamas, alongside elements of the UN have been waging an aggressive propaganda war against the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The report shows that GHF's record breaking aid effort was reframed in online discourse as providing nothing but starvation and gunfire. Much of the negative messaging came through social media influencers, biased NGOs and mainstream media outlets amplified by bot networks. False narratives were often traced back to Hamas's so called health ministry. It's an entity the NCRI says has a proven and systematic history of lies, deceptions, duplicated data and exaggerations. The result? Well, a 70% drop in how often Hamas was blamed for violence near aid sites and a 38% decline in public support for U. S led aid operations in Gaza. Yeah, you wouldn't want to support aid operations in Gaza, would you? The NCRI found that from late May to mid June, negative narratives about the GHF were nearly twice as common as positive ones. And Those posts received 116% more engagement. In perhaps the most outrageous example, a Gazan pharmacist's viral claim that the GHF was lacing flour with oxycodone was picked up and spread by social media. The claim went viral, racking up over 25 million views by gormless saps. It helped to reinforce false narratives, undermining trust, of course, in the entire aid effort. Even more troubling, the disinformation isn't limited to social media posts from Internet cranks. Many false stories are finding their way into mainstream coverage. As we've seen, the Washington Post, cnn, Reuters and msnbc, among others have all had to issue corrections to reports that blame the IDF and GHF for deaths near aid sites. Errors that were often based on Hamas supplied information and also based on lazy journalism. In one case, MSNBC corrected its reporting but left the accompanying video, which cast doubt on ghf, untouched on its website. That's some fine objective journalism right there. At a time when information warfare is shaping global opinion as much as Battlefield developments, the NCRI's findings are an important reminder. Facts are often the first casualty in the propaganda war. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Thursday, 17 July. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com of course, to listen to the show ad free. You can do that. It's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com and if you get the chance, please check out our YouTube channel. You can find that at President's Daily Brief. It's, as the kids say, a humdinger. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.