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The President's Daily Brief
May 21st, 2026: China’s Secret Ukraine Role Just Got Exposed & U.S. Pulls NATO Troops
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It's Thursday, the 21st of May. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And apparently I'm off the road for at least a few days, so how about that? Huzzah. All right, let's get briefed. First up, European intelligence agencies now claim the Chinese secretly trained Russian soldiers who later returned to combat operations in Ukraine. I'm shocked that Xi Jinping didn't talk about this to President Trump during their recent summit. Later in the show, new reports suggest that the Trump administration is preparing to reduce the US Military forces available to NATO as alliance leaders quietly brace for a smaller American footprint on the continent. Plus, Israel intercepts another one of those Gaza Bound performative art activist flotillas and detains more than 400 people aboard the ships, bringing the high profile effort to challenge the naval blockade to an abrupt end. And in today's back of the brief, Senate Democrats score a major breakthrough in their push to force an end to the war in Iran after Republican Senator Bill Cassidy joins their effort. But first, today's pdb. China has spent years publicly insisting that it is neutral in the war in Ukraine. Beijing has repeatedly portrayed itself as a potential peace broker, calling for negotiations while accusing the west of fueling the conflict. But now a major Reuters investigation is raising new questions about just how neutral China really is. Well, hint they're not neutral. According to Reuters, European intelligence agencies say that China secretly trained roughly 200 Russian military personnel inside China late last year and some of those troops have since returned to fight in Ukraine. And if true, well, that would mark a major escalation in China's involvement in the war. We're not talking about Chinese companies quietly selling drone components or dual use technology to Russia, which they do. We're talking about Russian troops, troops allegedly receiving operational military training at Chinese military facilities before heading back to the battlefield to train their personnel. According to the report, the COVID training program was outlined in a dual language Russian Chinese military agreement that was signed in Beijing in July of 2025 by senior military officers from both countries. Reuters says the agreement involved around 200 Russian servicemen traveling to Chinese military facilities in locations including Beijing and the eastern city of Nanjing. And this wasn't ceremonial training or some public military exchange program. The agreement reportedly prohibited media coverage and specifically stated that third parties were not to be informed. According to Reuters, much of the training centered on drone warfare, one of the defining features, of course, of the war in Ukraine. The battlefield in Ukraine has become the world's largest laboratory for modern Drone combat and China's People's Liberation army, the pla. They've been intensely watching and learning. Both Russia and Ukraine now rely heavily on first person view drones, commonly known as FPV drones, to strike armored vehicles, infantry positions, artillery systems and individual soldiers. Even cheap drones armed with explosives now dominate huge portions of the battlefield. In many areas, simply moving troops or vehicles in daylight has become extraordinarily dangerous because drones are constantly overhead searching for targets. And according to Reuters, Chinese facilities allegedly trained Russian personnel in everything from FPV drone operations to electronic warfare, counter drone tactics, UAV guided mortar fire, explosives handling, and mine clearing. One internal Russian military report reviewed by Reuters described training exercises where Russian soldiers used drones to identify mortar targets before firing their 82 millimeter mortars. Another reportedly involved interceptors encounter drone systems designed to disrupt incoming drones. And another exercise reportedly focused heavily on flight simulators and FPV drone operations. Now, here's another detail that stands out. Reuters says many of the Russians who underwent training were not low level conscripts. They were military instructors, senior personnel. The methodology, of course, was for the Chinese instructors to essentially train the trainers, meaning Chinese personnel train 200 Russian personnel who then return home to train their own military. It's fairly standard practice. Again, it's called train the trainers. And according to one of the European intelligence agencies cited by Reuters, some of the Russians trained in China have already been linked to combat operations involving drones in occupied Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia region. Now, China's Foreign Ministry. This is a shock. Denied wrongdoing and insisted Beijing remains committed to peace negotiations. Nothing to see here, folks. In a statement to Reuters, the Ministry said China has maintained a, quote, objective and impartial stance on the conflict. I'm sorry, I tried to say that with a straight face. And accused others of trying to, quote, stoke confrontation. Now, I, for one, am shocked that China would not be transparent about this. But for European intelligence officials, this does appear to represent something much more serious than indirect support. For years, Western governments have accused China of quietly helping Russia sustain its war effort economically. And through technology, Chinese firms have allegedly helped provide components for drones and other military systems. China has also become a critical economic lifeline for Moscow by purchasing large amounts of Russian oil, gas and coal, all at a discount, of course, while much of the west tried to isolate the Kremlin. But this latest reporting suggests direct operational involvement. The benefit of the cooperation, of course, goes both ways. The Chinese Communist Party and the PLA typically don't engage in pro bono work. In case you were wondering. The Russians gain access to China's technological and overall military capabilities, while China gains valuable insight and lessons from Russia's four years of battlefield experience. The Ukraine conflict has transformed modern warfare in real time, especially when it comes to drones, electronic warfare, battlefield surveillance, and the use of cheap mass produced technology against advanced military systems. And China, which possesses one of the world's largest drone industries, appears increasingly interested in studying those lessons closely. And that's one reason that European governments are likely to view this report with alarm. To many in the west, the Ukraine war is increasingly beginning to look less like a purely regional conflict and more like a testing ground for a growing military partnership between Moscow and Beijing. Alright. Coming up next, new reports suggest the Trump administration is preparing to scale back America's military role in NATO. And Israel intercepts a Gaza bound activist flotilla detaining more than 400 people aboard the ships, along with an unknown number of Hacky Sachs. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with an important message for every taxpayer out there. Now, I'm sure you've heard those radio ads, right? Talking about the irs. 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welcome back to the PDB There is a new development within NATO as the Trump administration prepares to shrink the military forces that the US Would commit during peacetime and in the event of a European crisis. Now, on the surface, this may sound like the Pentagon simply moving a few thousand troops around Europe or making routine adjustments inside the alliance. But what Washington is actually preparing to do is to begin formally reducing the military capabilities that the US pledges under NATO's broader crisis response structure. It's another major step in President Trump's long running argument that Europe must take primary responsibility for its own conventional in an exclusive report from Reuters citing three sources familiar with the matter, the Pentagon plans to inform NATO allies Friday that the U.S. intends to significantly reduce the pool of forces that it has committed under what is known as the NATO force model. Under the NATO force model, alliance members pre designate the military forces they can rapidly activate in peacetime, during a regional conflict or a major emergency, including a direct Russian attack on NATO territory. In other words, this is effectively NATO's emergency military inventory. And while the precise composition of those wartime forces remains a closely guarded secret, what matters is that Washington is now preparing to shrink its role inside that structure. This is Washington formally telling Europe that the post Cold War security arrangement it has relied on for decades is once again changing. Now, importantly, we're already beginning to see what that shift looks like in practice. Earlier this month, the Pentagon announced plans to withdraw roughly 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany over the next six to 12 months. This major reduction would move America's military footprint in Europe closer to pre2022 levels before Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine reshaped the gatan's security environment. Separately, the Pentagon confirmed this week that it's also reducing the number of brigade combat teams, or BCTs, because of course you need the acronym assigned to Europe from four down to three while canceling a planned army brigade deployment to Poland. That's a decision that reportedly blindsided several NATO allies. The BCTs are essentially large frontline combat formations built for rapid response. Now NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is attempting to project calm about the transition. Rutte admitted the move was quote, to be expected as NATO attempts to end what he described as a quote, over reliance on a single ally for defense, insisting any reductions would happen in a quote, structured way as Washington shifts attention to the Indo Pacific, primarily towards China. And that really gets to the larger concern for European governments. For years, many NATO capitals operated under the assumption that overwhelming American conventional military power would remain the backbone of European security. That assumption allowed large parts of Europe to underinvest in their own militaries for decades, while Washington carried the overwhelming share of NATO's conventional defense burden. Now, having outlined that development, it is worth noting that administration officials argue the US Is hardly abandoning Europe altogether. The Pentagon's policy chief emphasized that America's nuclear umbrella over NATO remains intact even as allies assume greater responsibility for conventional military operations. Meanwhile, European leaders say they are rapidly increasing defense spending, but argue that rebuilding decades of neglected military capacity can't happen overnight. Still, senior NATO diplomats insist there remains an understanding in the alliance that if Russia ever launched a direct attack on NATO territor, the US Would still come to Europe's defense. All right, I want to shift focus to Israel, where IDF commandos intercepted the latest Gaza bound flotilla of activists. As expected, that move surprised no one as the activists, the media and anyone paying attention knew that that was the plan. But there is now political fallout centered on controversial footage showing an Israeli cabinet minister mocking the detainees. Now, I should point out that detainees is a bit of a misnomer. When a flotilla is intercepted, the activists are picked up, they're fed, they're watered and eventually sent back to wherever they came from. It is a bit of Kabuki theater performed by the activists for the sake of publicity, and it works in this case. According to a readout from Israel's Foreign Ministry, the country's navy intercepted 50 plus vessels participating in what organizers called the Global Sumud Flotilla, a multinational activist convoy attempting to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The vessels departed last week from Turkey and were intercepted roughly 170 miles from Gaza's coastline. According to the flotilla's website, a live feed from the convoy showed Israeli commandos boarding vessels as activists wearing life vests surrendered again. Surrendered is a bit of a mischaracterization. They stood around and watched as the ships were boarded. Officials In Jerusalem say 430 activists from more than 40 countries were detained and transferred onto Israeli vessels ahead of what will become a bit of a media frenzy as the activists return to their homes. The flotilla coalition later demanded the so called activists quote, immediate and unconditional release. While that's expected, while calling on foreign governments to provide legal assistance without delay. Again, exactly as with previous flotillas and as with previous flotillas, Israeli officials framed this event less as a humanitarian mission and more as another politically motivated operation tied to organizations accused of supporting Hamas Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X this flotilla has once again proved to be nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas, insisting Jerusalem would continue enforcing what it described as a lawful blockade under international law. Now, I want to point out that an important point here is the organization behind the convoy. This flotilla was led by the Turkish aid organization known as IHH Humanitarian Relief foundation, which Israel designates as a terror linked group. And that matters because IHH also organized the infamous 2010 Mavi Marmara Flotilla, where IDF commandos killed several aboard during a raid that triggered a massive diplomatic crisis between Israel and Turkey. So from Israel's perspective, this latest convoy was never viewed as simply a humanitarian aid mission. This especially rings true as the U.S. treasury simultaneously announced sanctions Tuesday against four individuals allegedly tied to the flotilla movement through the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, which Washington says operates as a front organization connected to Hamas linked networks. Now organizers insist the flotilla was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid that remains in short supply inside Gaza. Despite the ceasefire reached in October 2025. Hamas and flotilla organizers condemned the latest interdiction as an act of piracy. Up to that point, the debate was centered largely on Israel's right to enforce its blockade. But once footage began circulating from inside the detention area, international attention rapidly shifted toward the treatment of the activists. A video posted by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben GVIR showed dozens of activists kneeling on the ground with their hands restrained as Israel's national anthem blasted through loudspeakers. At one point, Ben GVIR is seen waving an Israeli flag and shouting, welcome to Israel. We are in charge here. Another clip showed a female activist yelling free Palestine before officers grabbed her and shoved her to the ground as Ben Giver walked past, shouting at other detainees. Now Ben Giver, it should be pointed out, is a very hard line member of the government, as if you couldn't tell from his behavior. The backlash first exploded across Europe. Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney called the footage, quote, unacceptable, while France, Spain and Ireland either summoned Israeli ambassadors or issued formal protests over the treatment of their citizens across the Atlantic. One of the more remarkable criticisms came from President Trump's administration, reportedly describing Ben Guevara's conduct as, quote, despicable. And of course they would be correct. And perhaps the most politically significant development came afterward. Prime Minister Netanyahu publicly distanced himself from his own senior minister. The Israeli prime minister said, quote, israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters. However, the way that Minister Ben Gaver dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel's values, end quote. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, the Senate advances a resolution aimed at ending the war in Iran, with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy breaking ranks to support the measure. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, spring has finally arrived, which means, of course, gardening and yard work, which means I'm about to tell you about the world's number one expanding garden hose and their brand new product, the pocket Hose Ballistic. Look, don't settle for that typical hose that's out there on the market, right? Heavy, always tangling, getting kinks, not holding up to heavy use. You know what I'm talking about. But the pocket hose ballistic, well, that's the upgrade we've all been looking for. It's the toughest pocket hose ever built, reinforced with a liquid crystal polymer that's actually used in bulletproof vests. 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Hey, Bill O'Reilly here. Please check out my new interview series. We'll do it live. Each Thursday, I sit down with the most influential people in America where a no spin chat, no script, anything could happen. You can find. We'll do it live on BillOriley.com YouTube or wherever you download your podcast.
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In today's Back of the brief, we turn to Washington, where the US Senate has advanced a measure aimed at curbing President Trump's authority to continue the war with Iran without formal approval from Congress for the first time since the Iran war began, The Senate voted 50 to 47 on Tuesday to move forward with a war powers resolution introduced by Democrat Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. This marks a significant breakthrough for the Democrat caucus, which has been seeking to force the White House to obtain congressional authorization for continued military operations against the Iranian regime. It's important to note this was not a final vote on the resolution itself. Tuesday's vote was procedural, meaning the Senate must still hold another vote before the measure could actually pass. And even if it ultimately clears the Senate, the resolution would still face steep odds in the Republican controlled House and would almost certainly be vetoed by President Trump if it ever got to his desk. Still, the outcome revealed some cracks forming inside the Republican Party over the administration's handling of the conflict. Four Republican senators voted alongside nearly every Democrat, with the exception of John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, to advance the measure, including Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who shifted his position just days after losing his primary to a Trump backed challenger. He was joined by Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, who have all backed similar motions since the war started. Cassidy said while he supports efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program, the administration has failed, he said, to adequately brief Congress on Operation Epic Fury. In a statement, Cassidy said, quote, in Louisiana, I've heard from people, including President Trump's supporters, who are concerned about this war. Until the administration provides clarity, he said, no congressional authorization or extension can be justified, end quote. The broader debate centers on the 1973 War Powers act, which was passed in response to the Vietnam War and limits a president's ability to engage in military conflict for more than 60 days without congressional authorization. While that 60 day window expired earlier this month, the Trump administration argues that the current ceasefire with Iran reached on April 8, effectively terminated hostilities, resetting the clock and allowing the White House to continue limited military operations without new authorization from Congress. Critics, however, noted that despite the ceasefire, the conflict has hardly stopped. The US Continues striking Iranian vessels and enforcing a blockade around Iranian ports, while Tehran has continued attacks on Gulf neighbors and shipping, leaving traffic through the Strait of Hormuz disrupted to a near standstill. That's left a growing number of lawmakers arguing that the White House is effectively continuing a war without formally acknowledging it as one. Still, despite Tuesday's vote, the resolution remains unlikely to become law. But politically, the measure underscores a growing concern inside both parties that the conflict with Iran may be drifting toward a far more open ended confrontation than the White House initially claimed. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Thursday, 21 May. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and if you have a spare minute or two in your busy day, I hope you'll check out our YouTube channel. It's what the kids call a humdinger. It's a humdinger of a channel. It's the bee's knees. Just head on over to YouTube and search up President's Daily Brief. If you like what you see, I hope you'll hit the subscribe button. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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It.