← The President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | March 5th, 2026: Tehran’s Big Gamble Backfires & Americans Stranded Abroad
00:16:53
Loading summary
Transcript6 lines
- [00:00]
Experian Advertiser
My dad taught me a lot, including how easy it is to forget to cancel things. So I downloaded Experian, my bff. Big financial friend. Experian could help me cancel my unused subscriptions and lower my bills, saving me hundreds a year. Get started with the Experian app today. Your big financial friends here to help you save smarter. Results will vary. Not all bills or subscriptions eligible. Savings not guaranteed. $631 a year average savings with one plus negotiations and OnePlus cancellations paid. Membership with connected payment account required. See experian.com for details.
- [00:28]
Experian Brand Voice
Experian.
- [00:43]
Mike Baker
It's Thursday, the 5th of March. 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, Iran widens the war again, this time with drone strikes in Azerbaijan. But their strategy may be further isolating the Iranian regime and increasing regional cooperation against Tehran. Later in the show, the latest on the thousands of Americans stranded across the region as U.S. officials work to bring them home. But first, today's afternoon Spotlight. It's the sixth day of the war between the U.S. israel, and Iran, and today we're seeing the latest sign that Iran's strategy may be producing unintended consequences and as it continues to anger friends and neighbors in the region. Overnight, drones believed to have originated from Iran struck the passenger terminal of Nakshivan International Airport. That's in Azerbaijan, damaging the building and injuring civilians. Another drone reportedly crashed near a school in a nearby village. Now, if geography wasn't your favorite subject in school, I don't see how it couldn't have been. But here you go. Azerbaijan sits just north of Iran in the South Caucasus. That's between Russia, Turkey, and the Caspian Sea. Officials in that country say their monitoring systems tracked four drones coming from Iranian territory. And President Ilham Aliyev has called the strike an act of terror. He's now ordered the Azerbaijani military into full combat readiness and warned that retaliatory measures are being prepared. Now, that alone would be a serious escalation. But what makes this moment especially striking is. Is the diplomatic whiplash it's creating. Only a day earlier, Aliyev had made a big public showing of visiting the Iranian embassy in Baku to offer condolences following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In other words, Azerbaijan had been trying publicly to maintain a working relationship with Tehran. And now, less than 24 hours later, its president is threatening to, quote, crush Iran with an iron fist. That is quite the turnaround. But the Azerbaijan incident didn't happen in isolation. Just hours before that drone strike, another alarming development unfolded involving Turkey. Turkish officials say a ballistic missile launched from Iran was detected heading toward Turkish airspace. NATO missile defenses intercepted the projectile before it could reach its destination. According to Western officials, the likely target may have been Insulik Air Base. That's a major NATO facility that hosts US Forces. Now, that's an extraordinary development for another reason. Turkey, of course, is a NATO member, which means that within roughly a 24 hour period, Iran appears to have fired weapons toward the territory of two neighboring countries. One a regional energy power in the Caucasus, the other a member of NATO. Tehran, for its part, has denied responsibility for both incidents. We had nothing to do with it. But those denials are rightly being met with skepticism in both Turkey and Azerbaijan, particularly because, well, Iran is the only country wildly launching drones and missiles across multiple fronts in this current conflict. And that gets to the larger strategic picture. Iran's apparent strategy right now seems to involve widening the battlefield as much as possible. The logic appears to have been that doing so would cause regional actors to pressure Washington and Jerusalem into stopping their attacks. In total, Iran has attacked 13 of its neighboring countries. That includes Turkey, even though the missile was intercepted before it actually made it into Turkish territory. Now, in fairness, the approach isn't entirely irrational. From Tehran's perspective, widening the conflict may have seemed like the only viable option for a military that knows it can't match the US Or Israel in a direct fight. But the risk of that approach is becoming apparent. Instead of rallying neighboring states to Iran's side. And these attacks are having the opposite effect, pushing those same countries toward alignment against Tehran, Azerbaijan has now placed its military on high alert and summoned Iran's ambassador. Turkey has condemned the missile incident, and NATO defenses are already actively intercepting Iranian weapons near its airspace and beyond those two countries. Iran's strikes have already reached multiple states across the Gulf and the broader region. Tehran may have believed it was demonstrating strength by opening new fronts, but the more countries drawn into this fight, the greater the risk that Iran finds itself facing something far more dangerous than it anticipated. And that would be a region that is increasingly united against it. All right, coming up next, the latest on the thousands of Americans stranded across the region as efforts ramp up to bring them home. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment to talk about something very important, and that would be planning for the future. Now, no one wants to talk about dying, right? But the reality is creating an estate plan can provide you and your family with tremendous peace of mind. With Trust and Will, you can create one in as little as 30 minutes to protect the guardianship of children, asset distribution and health care directives. Their online platform provides step by step guidance and offers optional one on one support from attorneys in your state. So, okay, maybe you think to yourself you're not sure if you have enough assets to warrant a will or a trust. And well, the truth is everyone has something to leave behind. Trust and Will was created by legal experts and designed and tailored just for you. It's got bank level encryption, affordability and amazing customer support. So don't wait until it's too late. Protect your loved ones today, tomorrow and beyond with Trust and Will, the most trusted name in online estate planning. Go to trustandwill.com PDB and get 20% off. That's trustandwill.com PDB to get 20% off. Once again, trustandwill.com PDB Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of your time to talk about security, specifically your online security, and to tell you about a great company out there that's working hard to keep people safe online. And that would be Delete Me. Now, Delete Me makes it easy, quick and safe to remove your personal data online at a time when surveillance and data breaches are common enough to make everyone vulnerable. Look, it's easier than ever to find personal information about people online. You know that. But having your address, your phone number, your family members, information hanging out on the Internet, well, that can have actual consequences in the real world and can make you vulnerable to all sorts of scams. If you're like me, privacy and protecting your online presence is important. We all want to stay protected from identity theft or harassment or doxing. And you can do that with the help of Delete Me. Take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Delete Me now at a special discount for PDB listeners. Get 20 off your Delete Me plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com PDB and use the promo code PDB at checkout. Again, to get 20 off, just go to JoinDeleteMe.com PDB and enter code PDB at checkout. Once again, that's JoinDeleteMe.com PDB code PDB
- [08:04]
Lowe's Advertiser
Lowe's has all the supplies you need to get your home spring ready. Inside and out shop ego, the number one rated brand in cordless outdoor power. Plus renew for the season with select cleaning essentials for under $10. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's Lowe's we help you save while supplies last selection varies by location.
- [08:27]
Experian Advertiser
Visit your nearby Lowe's on Colorado street in Kennewick.
- [08:33]
Mike Baker
Hey PDB listeners, Mike Baker here with a quick recommendation for your podcast playlist look. If you like deep, insightful conversations with world class thinkers and who doesn't come on, check out the Jordan Harbinger Show. It's available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Jordan sits down with people who've been in the room at the highest levels, from national security leaders to thinkers reshaping how we understand the world. You'll hear ideas and stories that go way beyond the usual sound bites. Two episodes I'd recommend an interview with our friend Ryan Macbeth on Venezuela's collapse. That's a clear look at how a once wealthy oil state unraveled and what that means of course, for regional stability. And also his conversation with Douglas Murray where they explore the pressures facing Western democracies and and what those trends mean for long term stability. Download the Jordan Harbinger show. That's H A R B I N G E R just like it sounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows or just go to jordanharbinger.com start to dive right in. It's one of those podcasts that makes you smarter, so give it a go. Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. We're getting a clearer picture of the situation facing Americans stranded across the Middle east, and as Iran's retaliatory attacks expand, the State Department says thousands of Americans are looking for a way home as Washington scrambles to evaluate possible evacuation options. Now speaking to reporters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says roughly 1600Americans have now formally asked the government for help leaving the region, a figure that reflects only those who have reached out directly to the government. What Washington is trying to do now is figure out how to evacuate those people safely. State Department officials say they're working to organize charter flights where possible, while also examining whether US Military aircraft could be used to move civilians if threats to American civilians across the Middle east escalate. At the same time, diplomats are trying to help Americans secure seats on commercial flights wherever routes are still operating. U.S. officials say they've also been working with airlines to deploy larger aircraft with more seats to move as many people out of the region as possible. Rubio has activated a State Department task force focused on tracking Americans across the region and disseminating updated security and travel information as the situation evolves. Through that task force, some 10,000Americans have received security guidance as the military operations continue to evolve. As our regular PDB listeners are aware, at least three US Diplomatic missions have now been forced to shut down. Embassies in Kuwait, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are currently closed, and Americans have been warned to stay away from those sites until further notice for safety precautions. Complicating the situation, large swaths of airspace in the Middle east are closed or restricted, which means individuals trying to leave have far fewer flight options than usual. The State Department has issued an urgent warning covering 14 countries and territories across the Middle east, citing what officials describe as serious safety risks. That, of course, would be a statement of the obvious. Meanwhile, Americans who remain stranded in the region say the uncertainty of direction and evacuation has been deeply frustrating. Some US Citizens have taken to social media pleading for evacuation assistance, saying the rapidly evolving conflict and the lack of clear travel routes has left them unsure on how to return home. One American in the uae, the United Arab Emirates, told the Washington Post that the hardest part of the situation has been what she described as, quote, the absence of clarity. Warnings about the security situation, she said, often arrive without clear guidance on what travelers should do next. To be fair, there's also an element of individual responsibility here. What I mean by that is it's never a good idea to imagine that the government is responsible for your well being. Anyone who travels overseas, particularly to an environment like the Middle east, where tensions have been building for months, needs to take it upon themselves to evaluate risk and consider the what ifs should things go south, what options would I have? So being informed, understanding the environment that you're in or traveling to, planning for various scenarios, well, every traveler has that responsibility now. There are options for the US Military to play a role here if conditions worsen further. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, says the Pentagon is considering opening seats on C17 cargo aircraft and other military flights to help move Americans out of the region if necessary. At this point, a large number of Americans have already made it out of the Middle East. In a statement today from the Assistant Secretary of State, since the start of the joint U. S. Israeli operations against Iran, nearly 20,000Americans have safely returned stateside from the Middle East. It's important to note that that number does not include Americans who have relocated to other countries or those who have already departed the region but remain in transit back to the US at the direction of Secretary Rubio, the State Department has launched charter flight and ground transportation options to help move Americans out of the region. The statement from the Assistant Secretary of State says those efforts are continuing to ramp up, with additional flights and ground transport options taking place currently. And in a further lifeline to Americans abroad, the State Department just established a Crisis Intake form for citizens currently in Kuwait, Bahrain, the uae, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel. By completing the form, which can be accessed via my travel.state.gov Once again, that's my my travel state.gov Americans in those countries can receive updates about transportation options. So if you or someone you know is an American citizen and currently in the Middle east, make sure you get online and advise the State Department of your whereabouts. The easiest way to do that is to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program known as Step S T E P. Just go to step.state.gov again. That's a smart traveler enrollment program, step.state.gov that gives you an opportunity to advise the U.S. government of your whereabouts and that allows the State Department to contact you directly as evacuation flights or ground transportation options become available. You can also request emergency assistance by calling the following number 1 202-501-4444. Again, let me repeat that number 1202-501-4444 and that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Thursday 5th March. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and of course, if you want to listen to the show ad free, that is very easy to do. 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. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now let me take a moment to talk about personal finances and the importance of diversifying your assets. So here's the question. Do you own physical gold? Well, in today's world, with its ups and downs and general instability, owning gold is something that everyone should consider. And here's a top tip. Acre Gold makes it simple. That's Acre Acre. With Acre Gold, you pick a plan that fits your budget, you make monthly payments, and when you've accumulated enough, well, they ship you a beautifully designed 24 karat Swiss gold bar. It's that simple. The gold is up 70% year over year, and central banks are still buying at record levels. The reality is, smart money has been moving into hard assets for a reason. An Acre Gold makes investing and owning gold easier than ever. And let me just say this. Once you hold a physical asset like gold in your hands, you understand the difference between owning something real, something physical as compared to investments that are just numbers on a screen. And right now, the folks at Acre Gold are giving away two 5 gram ancient collection gold bars. You can enter for free for a chance to win the gold bars and also subscribe to gold and at getacregold.com PDB Once again, that's getacregold. Com PDB.