← The President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 1st, 2026: First Gulf State Ready To Join The War & North Korea Hacks U.S. Software
00:12:48
Loading summary
Transcript4 lines
- [00:00]
A
Morning run. Level it up. TikTok has pacing tips, breathing drills, recovery hacks from 5K to marathon. Real runners, real progress. Train smarter, not longer. Download TikTok now. It's Wednesday, the first day of April. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the war with Iran could be expanding, as new reporting suggests. The United Arab Emirates, the UAE is preparing to join the fight and help force open the Strait of Hormuz. Later in the show, North Korean hackers slip malicious code into software used BY Thousands of U.S. companies in what could become a major crypto heist. But first, today's afternoon spotlight as the White House sends mixed signals about how this war ends. Talking about winding things down one moment and preparing options for boots on the ground the next. America's partners in the region are starting to make their own plans. And now, for the first time, a Gulf state may be ready to enter the fight. New reporting from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the United Arab Emirates, the uae, Is preparing to support a U. S. Led effort to. To reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, a move that would mark a major shift in the war and potentially make the UAE the first country in the Persian Gulf to get on the offensive against the Iranian regime. According to Arab officials, the Emirates are actively lobbying for a United Nations Security Council resolution that would authorize military action to clear the waterway. At the same time, they're pushing the US and its allies in Europe and Asia to form a coalition capable of breaking Iran's grip on the Strait. And importantly, even if that resolution fails because of a likely veto from Russia or China, and by likely, I mean, of course Russia and or China will block the resolution. The UAE is signaling it may still be prepared to take part in a military effort to reopen the passage. This move by the UAE would represent a fundamental shift in posture. Before the war, the Emirates were trying to walk a careful line, maintaining economic ties with Iran and positioning themselves as a mediator and avoiding direct confrontation. Dubai, in particular, has long served as a financial hub with deep links to Iranian business interests. But weeks of Iranian missile and drone attacks have changed that calculus. The UAE has been hit hard. Hundreds of strikes targeting infrastructure, airports and commercial centers. The country's image is a stable, insulated hub in a volatile region has taken a hit. Tourism is down, air traffic has been disrupted, and the sense that they could stay out of the conflict has all but evaporated. Second, this signals a Broader shift. Across the Gulf, Saudi Arabia and other regional players are increasingly aligning against Tehran. Bahrain is already backing the push for a UN resolution. And while some of these countries are still hesitant to commit their own forces, the political direction is becoming clearer. If the UAE steps in, it could provide something that the US has been looking for, more direct regional buy in. Not just quiet support behind the scenes, but visible participation in the fight. And that would change the optics of the war in a significant way. But as we've been saying here on the pdb, reopening the Strait of Hormuz by force is far easier said than done. This isn't just about sending ships through and declaring the problem solved. The Strait is narrow, heavily surveilled, and sits right along Iran's coastline. Tehran has spent years preparing for exactly this scenario, Stockpiling mines and deploying anti ship missiles and building out fleets of fast attack boats and drones. So even if a coalition clears the waterway once, Iran doesn't need to shut it down permanently. It just needs one successful hit at some point to prove that it can shut it down. One successful strike, a tanker, a naval escort, even a near missile, and the entire flow of shipping could grind to a halt again. Insurance markets react, shipping companies pull back, and suddenly the strait is effectively closed, even if no formal blockade exists. That's the reality that the Gulf states are facing. For the UAE and other regional actors, the strain of Hormuz is their economic lifeline. Energy exports, shipping routes, food imports, all depend on it remaining open. Living with a hostile Iran controlling that choke point is isn't seen as a viable long term option. And it's doing so at a moment when the US hasn't fully decided how this war ends. On one hand, there are signals that President Trump may be willing to declare victory without reopening the strait, leaving that problem for regional actors and possibly the EU to handle. On the other hand, the Pentagon continues to develop options for escalation, including sustained bombing campaigns and the possible use of ground forces. All right, coming up next, a major cyber attack linked to North Korea could give hackers access to thousands of US Companies and untold millions in digital assets. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever left the doctor's office feeling like you. Well, you got nothing out of it, Just your basic standard instructions to eat right and exercise. Oh, well, thanks for that information. And that's why I want to tell you about Superpower. Right. It's a tremendous app that can help you stay on top of your health one LabDraw tracks over 100 biomarkers. Their app provides detailed information on your heart, your liver, your thyroid, your hormones, your metabolism, even your true biological age. They send a licensed professional to your home or you can visit a nearby lab. You can essentially access high end concierge level care for only $179 using our special PDB discount. Make this the year you stop guessing about your health with Superpower. Not only did Superpower reduce their price to 1.99Doll for a limited time, our listeners get an additional $20 off when you head to superpower.com PDB and use the code PDB again, that's superpower.com PDB and code PDB at checkout for $20 off your membership. After you sign up, they'll ask how you heard about them. Do me a favor, tell them that PDB sent you. Hey, Mike Baker here with a message for dog lovers everywhere. Now, if you're like me, dogs are an important part of the family, right? We've got two. Our golden retriever, Hendrix, he's going on years old, and Monty are very cute, but somewhat dim. King Charles Spaniel. Now, as you probably know, when it comes to your dog food, there always seems to be a compromise, right? It's either fresh and healthy or it's easy to store and serve. And that's why we love Sundaes for Dogs. With the Sundaes for Dogs brand, you get both fresh and healthy dog food that's easy to store and serve. Founded by veterinarian Dr. Tori Waxman, Sundaes is created with air dried real food made in a human food grade kitchen using the same ingredients that you'd use to cook for your family. Every bite is clean, packed with real meat, fruit and veggies. There's no weird unpronounceable ingredients, no fillers. Compared to other brands, Sundays invests 50 times. That's 5, 050 times more in its ingredients. For true premium quality, there's no cost cutting here. Just scoop and serve. No freezer, no thawing, no prep, no mess. Make the switch to Sundays. Go right now to Sundays for dogs.com PDB50 and get 50% off your first order. Or you can use code PDB50 at checkout. That's 50% off your first order at Sundays for dogs.com Pdb50 Again, Sundays for dogs.com PDb50 or use code PDB50 at checkout.
- [08:00]
B
You know what they say. Early bird gets the ultimate vacation home. Book early and save over $120 with Robo, because early gets you closer to the action, whether it's waves lapping at the shore or snoozing in a hammock that overlooks, well, whatever you want it to, so you can all enjoy the payoff come summer with VRBO's early booking deals. Rise and shine. Average savings $141 select homes only.
- [08:30]
C
The New York Post has been delivering impactful headlines for over two centuries, and every weekday morning, I'll bring them straight to you. I'm Caitlin Becker, host of the New York Post, Cast from Washington to Wall Street. If it matters to you, you'll hear it here. And it wouldn't be the Post without the stories other outlets like to ignore. So ask your smart speaker to play the NY Postcast, listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [08:57]
A
Welcome back to the AFTERNOON bulletin. We're turning now to a major cybersecurity story, one with significant national security implications. New reporting indicates that hackers linked to North Korea have pulled off what's known as a supply chain attack, targeting a piece of software used by thousands of companies across the U.S. now, a supply chain attack doesn't go after one company directly. Instead, hackers compromise a piece of software that many companies rely on. When those companies download or update that software, they unknowingly install the malware into their systems. And that's what appears to have happened here. According to cybersecurity experts, North Korean hackers gained access to a developer account tied to a widely used open source software tool called Axios software that helps companies build and manage their websites. For a window of about three hours, the hackers were able to push out malicious updates, essentially poisoned versions of the software to anyone downloading it during that time. Now, malicious code simply means hidden instructions inside the software that allow hackers to access systems, steal data, or take control of parts of a network. And because this software is used across a variety of industries, from healthcare to finance to tech, the potential reach here is significant. So far, researchers have identified more than 100 compromised devices across a dozen companies. But experts say that's likely just the tip of the iceberg, and it could take months to fully understand how many organizations were affected. The bigger concern here is that this attack wasn't just about stealing data or causing disruptions. Experts say the likely objective is financial cybersecurity. Officials believe this is the opening move in a longer campaign to steal cryptocurrency from compromised companies. And cryptocurrency stored in online wallets can be transferred quickly and in some cases anonymously. That makes it an attractive target, of course, for hackers and especially for North Korea. Over the past several years, Pyongyang has developed a reputation as running one of the most aggressive state sponsored hacking operations in the world, stealing billions of dollars from banks and crypto platforms. In fact, US Officials have previously said that roughly half of North Korea's missile program has been funded through these kinds of cyber theft operations. For Kim Jong Un's regime, crypto theft through state sponsored cyber hacking isn't just about raising much needed currency for the Hermit Kingdom. It's a key revenue stream for advancing their weapons programs. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Wednesday 1st April. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and of course to listen to the show ad free. That's very simple. 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 tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.