The President's Daily Brief - July 10th, 2025: Running on Empty: America’s Missile Stockpile Problem & FBI Probes Into Brennan and Comey

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: President Trump approves Patriot missile deliveries to Ukraine—but U.S. interceptor stockpiles are worryingly low, raising questions about where the weapons will come from. A Greek cargo ship is sunk in the Red Sea by Houthi militants, leaving four crew members dead and 15 missing in a growing campaign of maritime attacks. The FBI has opened criminal investigations into John Brennan and James Comey over their roles in the Trump-Russia probe, including allegations Brennan lied to Congress. And in today’s Back of the Brief—Germany accuses China of targeting one of its military aircraft with a laser during a European Union mission in the Red Sea, sparking fresh diplomatic tensions. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://trybeef.com/pdb & Get 2 Free Flat Iron steaks DeleteMe: Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you text PDB to 64000. Message and data rates apply Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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989-898. It's Thursday the 10th of July. Welcome to the president's daily brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And yes, apparently I'm still on the road, and apparently I may be losing my voice, so I apologize if I sound a bit crokey. while we're just rambling, yes, I am wearing a cardigan. I'm really working hard to bring the cardigan back. It's a very functional piece of clothing that I think fell out of favor, so I'm really working to make it happen again. But all right, here we go. Before we get started, a quick apology for not being able to upload the afternoon bulletin yesterday. It was a day full of delayed flights, and by the time I was finally finished with travel, yesterday afternoon's bulletin would have,

ended up being yesterday's very late-night bulletin. But fear not, we're back on our regular schedule, and I will continue to try to ensure that my where-as-waldo travel routine doesn't negatively impact our daily programming. All right, enough with the preamble. Let's get briefed. First up, President Trump has greenlit patriot missile deliveries to Ukraine,

but there's a bit of a problem. The U.S. is running dangerously low on interceptors with stockpiles at just 25% of what the Pentagon believes it needs. Later in the show, a Greek cargo ship has been sunk in the Red Sea by Houthi militants. They're added again. Four crew members are dead, 15 are still missing, and it's the second ship that the rebels have taken down in just days. Plus, the FBI has launched criminal investigations into former CIA director John Brennan

and ex-FBI director James Comey. at issue, their role in the 2016 Trump-Russia probe. You remember that. And the question of whether Brennan may have lied to Congress. And in today's back of the brief, Germany says China targeted one of its aircraft with a military-grade laser during an EU mission in the Red Sea. The Chinese regime, of course, denies doing anything wrong, ever. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin today with a look at President Trump's plans to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine in the wake of Russia's escalating aerial attacks. As we've previously discussed, President Trump vowed on Monday to restart arms shipments to Ukraine, including sending Kiev highly coveted Patriot missile interceptors.

But there's one problem. U.S. stockpiles of interceptors and other munitions are reportedly running short, raising the critical question of where exactly these weapons will come from. Just last month, the Trump administration halted deliveries of Patriot interceptors, AIM-120 missiles, Stinger Defense missiles, and other critical munitions that were already scheduled to go to Ukraine, blindsiding officials in Kiev and European allies. But according to a report from The Guardian, the freeze wasn't related to Trump's position on the war. It was tied to an ongoing review of U.S. armaments, meaning are the shelves full, have full, or nearly empty? Specifically, the decision to press pause was based on the Pentagon's global munitions tracker,

which is used to determine the minimum level of weapons required to carry out the Pentagon's operations. Four people directly familiar with the matter told the Guardian that America's weapon stockpiles have been well below their baseline readiness standard for several years due to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. For example, the U.S. has sent roughly 2,000 Stinger missiles to Ukraine, since that war began, which is equivalent to roughly two and a half years of production. Those missiles are increasingly needed to defend against drone attacks in the Middle East and can't be quickly replaced. But the situation regarding Patriot missile interceptors is reportedly the most critical. Currently, the U.S. only has roughly 25% of the interceptors

needed to meet the Pentagon's needs. A good portion of the existing stockpiles were burn through during the campaigns against Rehoutis and Iran. Following the bombing of Iran's nuclear sites, the U.S. was forced to fire its largest ever patriot missile salvo to defend U.S. troops in Qatar from Iran's, well, largely performative retaliation, but using nearly 30 interceptors. To put things into perspective, American military contractors only produce roughly 600 of these interceptors each year. Now, while that may sound like more than enough, If the ceasefire between Israel and Iran were to break down, the U.S. may need to defend against Iranian ballistic missile attacks.

The Mullahs have more than 1,000 ballistic missiles remaining in their arsenal that they could theoretically launch, and any gap in America's stores could leave U.S. bases dangerously vulnerable. One anonymous Trump advisor told Axios, quote, Getting a Patriot missile isn't like going to Walmart and picking 10 off the shelf and going home. end quote. Oh, well, thanks for that. Hopefully the advice that this particular anonymous advisors slings around the White House is a little more sophisticated than that particular gym. So with all that in mind, how does President Trump plan to get around this problem? According to our report from Axios, Trump intends to partially source the interceptors and

other munitions through other countries with existing stockpiles. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset has reportedly identified available Patriot missile batteries in Germany and Greece, which Trump would prefer to transfer to Ukraine rather than further deplete America's reserves. But European nations, well, they're also reluctant to part ways with their stockpiles, given NATO's own dwindling armaments and the threat of Russia expanding their war beyond Ukraine's borders. Sources say conversations about the transfers are ongoing with the Germans and that Trump has proposed splitting the cost of moving these systems with European allies. Still, a final agreement on how to get Kiev the desperately needed air defenses hasn't been reached.

But President Trump appears determined to follow through. His reversal on the issue of army Ukraine followed what Trump described as a, quote, very disappointing call with Vladimir Putin last Thursday. Trump appears to have lost any remaining patience with Putin, while his once frosty relationship with Ukrainian President Zelensky has seemingly thought significantly. The pair spoke last Friday in what both sides described as their friendliest and most productive discussion since Trump returned to the White House. Trump told Zelensky that the weapons freeze was necessary to review U.S. readiness, but assured him that the U.S. is committed to helping Ukraine defend itself. Despite the shortage, Trump pledged to immediately send Ukraine 10 Patriot interceptors. While that was less

than what was promised prior to the freeze, Trump vowed to help Kiev find other means of supply. One administration's source said that Putin gravely miscalculated during his phone call with Trump. The source told Axios that, quote, Putin was a jerk, and his attitude towards peace is what ultimately convinced Trump to reevaluate his support for Ukraine. While the question of how America will arm Ukraine remains complex, the source stressed that when it comes to U.S. support, quote, Ukrainians should feel better than they have at any point during this Trump presidency, end quote. All right. Up next, a Greek cargo ship is sunk in the Red Sea by Houthi militants, and the FBI opens criminal investigations into both John Brennan and James Comey over their roles in the Trump-Russia probe. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Did you know that July is National Grilling Month? It's true.

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Welcome back to the PDB. After months of relative calm in the Red Sea, the Houthis have resumed their maritime attacks, launching back-to-back assaults on bulk carrier vessels that left four sailors dead and 15 others missing. The first strike came Sunday when the Liberian-flagged Greek-owned Magic Seas was hit by a mix of drones, gunfire, and rocket-propelled grenades, roughly 60 miles southwest of Haudaida, that's a port city under Houti control. All 22 crew members were rescued by UAE-operated Abu Dhabi port vessels before the Iran-backed terror group claimed credit for the attack and announced that the ship had sunk. Less than 24 hours later, a second Greek-owned Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, the Eternity Sea, came under sustained attack in that same stretch of water. The vessel, bound for the Suez Canal, was targeted with small arms fire, drones, and grenades on both

Monday and Tuesday. Its security detail reportedly returned fire in the initial assault, but was ultimately overwhelmed. A final drone strike dealt a fatal blow to the hull, forcing the crew of 25 to abandon ship. The Eternity Sea later sank early Wednesday. Rescuers pulled six sailors from the water after a day of drifting, according to maritime security firms Ambray and Operation Atalanta. The rest remain unaccounted for, with 15 missing and four confirmed dead. Security officials have not ruled out the possibility of abduction, warning that the Houthis may have captured some of the missing sailors. The two maritime security firms report that the crew included 21 Filipinos, one Russian, and three armed guards.

The ship had not requested a military escort into the Suez Canal. The renewed attacks and a fragile stretch of tenuous peace in the region, in a pause that followed a hefty U.S. airstrike campaign and a narrow ceasefire deal brokered by the Trump administration back in May. That agreement, as we've reported here on the PDB, required the Iranian-backed Houtis to stand down only against U.S. west-flagged vessels, and in exchange, Washington would suspend air strikes. But the deal didn't apply to foreign ships. The Houthis have claimed more than 100 maritime strikes since late 2023, part of what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's war with Hamas. Shipping data reviewed by Reuters shows that the vessels from both the Magic Seas and Eternity

sea fleets had previously docked in Israeli ports. That alone, may have made them targets. But this week's resurgence also comes on the heels of fresh Israeli strikes on Houthi-controlled territory, fueling speculation that the terror group is once again looking to escalate. Now, the Houthis haven't yet officially claimed responsibility for the eternity sea strike and sinking, but their media arm acknowledged the incident, and the terror group does have a habit of delaying formal responsibility, sometimes for days. Yemen's internationally recognized government, headquartered in the southern part of Aden, quickly condemned the attacks, accusing the Khutis who still control the northern capital of Sana'a of a, quote,

deliberate escalation that threatens international shipping, end quote. Okay, turning to the U.S., the FBI has opened a criminal investigation into former CIA director John Brennan and former FBI director James Comey over their roles in the Trump-Russia probe, including allegations that Brennan may have lied to Congress. According to a Fox News exclusive report, Justice Department sources say investigators are treating the pair's actions as part of a potential, quote, conspiracy, a term that could open the door to charges,

including the making of false statements. The development marks a turn in the years-long controversy over how U.S. intelligence agencies were weaponized during Trump's 2016 campaign. The Brennan investigation stems from a criminal referral by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who flagged evidence of misconduct in Brennan's Bush to include the now discredited Steele dossier. For those unfamiliar, the dossier was compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee as part of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment.

So right off the bat, given the provenance of the report or the dossier, there should have been significant vetting of the report sourcing in Intel. But, well, that wasn't the case. That document rushed out just before Trump's first inauguration, concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit the president. But a newly declassified, quote, lessons learned review revealed the process was riddled with, quote, procedural anomalies and political pressure, chiefly Brennan's insistence on including the dossier over objections of senior CIA analysts.

According to a December 2016 email from Brexler, Brennan's then deputy, including the Steele dossier, jeopardized, quote, the credibility of the entire paper. But Brennan reportedly dismissed those concerns. The CIA review stated, quote, despite these objections, Brennan showed a preference for narrative consistency over analytical soundness. Two CIA mission center leaders challenged the validity of Steele's claims, but Brennan doubled down. In writing, he stated, quote, my bottom line is that I believe that the information warrants inclusion in the report. And yet, in sworn testimony to Congress back in May of 2023, Brennan told the House Judiciary Committee the exact opposite, claiming, quote,

the CIA was very opposed to having any reference or inclusion of the steel dossier in the intelligence community assessment. The dossier, filled with largely unverified allegations against Trump, helped justify foreign intelligence surveillance act warrants against a former Trump aide. despite the FBI acknowledging as early as 2016 that Steele's sources could not verify much of what was in it. Well, that would be because it was essentially page after page of unverified hearsay, speculation, and unvetted comments. If the report had been subjected to unbiased operational standards for producing an Intel report, it would never have passed muster. Comey's role in all this is also under active investigation, DOJ sources confirmed. while details remain under wraps, both Comey and Brennan attended a July 2016 White House briefing,

where Brennan informed then-President Obama that Hillary Clinton's campaign had approved a plan to tie Trump to Russian election interference. The plan allegedly was designed to distract from Clinton's own email server scandal. Huh. Brennan recorded the meeting via handwritten notes, uh-oh, that were later declassified by Ratcliffe in 2020. Those writings were followed by a CIA memo to the FBI, warning that the Clinton plan could be political disinformation, you think? That memo marked Crossfire Hurricane was addressed to Comey. Now, the FBI, ignoring the red flags, went on to launch a counterintelligence investigation into Trump's campaign that was later inherited by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Remember him?

After two years, Mueller concluded that there was no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign. and Russia. Then came special counsel John Durham, whose investigation found that the FBI, quote, failed to act on what should have been a clear warning sign that the FBI might then be the target of an effort to manipulate or influence the law enforcement process for political purposes, end quote. Durham concluded that the Clinton campaign's fingerprints were all over the origin of the Trump-Russia hoax, and that the FBI ignored its own protocols to launch a politically motivated probe. Comy's FBI, Durham found, treated the steel dossier as gospel, despite knowing it had partisan origins and was full of crap. But whether this latest investigation leads to accountability remains an

open question. The Justice Department has a history of letting high-profile misconduct quietly fade. After all, look, Washington, D.C. is where investigations go to die. Just look at the current headlines surrounding the deceased Jeffrey Epstein. This week, the DOJ.S. and FBI issued a two-page memo, concluding that Epstein had no so-called client list and no blackmail material against high-profile individuals allegedly tied to the disgraced financiers' sex trafficking network. So nothing to see here. The memo lands with all the finality of a government rubber stamp reading case closed. The Epstein files, like the Russian hoax, ended not with transparency and justice, but with shrugs and redactions and denials.

Okay, up next in the back of the brief, a German surveillance plane gets lit up by a Chinese military laser. China is calling it nonsense, but the diplomatic fallout is already underway. Stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here. I want to take just a few moments to talk about your online security. Look, right now, the headlines are chock full of data breaches

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Wish me luck. Me again, I put in the license. plate, it gave me an offer. Unbelievable. Okay, I accepted the offer. They're picking it up Tuesday from the driveway. I haven't even left my chair. It's done. The car is gone. I'm holding a check. Anyway, Carvana. Give it a whirl. Love you. So good, you'll want to leave a voicemail about it. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up fees may apply. In today's back of the brief, we turn to a diplomatic flare-up between Berlin and Beijing,

stemming from an alarming encounter between a Chinese warship and a German military aircraft. On Tuesday, Germany accused the communist regime of attempting to disrupt one of its aircraft earlier this month while it was taking part in European Union-led operations in the Red Sea, which are, of course, aimed at protecting ships from missile attacks by Yemen's Houti militants. The German reconnaissance plane was allegedly targeted with a laser fired from the Chinese warship, which was said to be conducting its own operations in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. That's according to a report from the BBC. Due to the laser targeting, the German aircraft was forced to abandon its mission

and returned to a nearby military base, leading officials in Berlin, of course, furious. German leaders accused China of, quote, endangering German personnel and disrupting the operation. In a statement, Germany's foreign ministry criticized China over the encounter, calling it unacceptable, and adding, quote, by using the laser, the warship put at risk the safety of personnel and material. While the incident may sound, well, relatively benign, perhaps, laser targeting an aircraft presents considerable dangers, as it can be used by an enemy to blind pilots. But rather predictably, China is playing dumb over the incident. China's foreign ministry said that Germany's accusations were, quote, totally inconsistent with the facts known by the Chinese side, end quote.

honestly, you do have to admire the Chinese Communist Party's willingness to deny everything, regardless of what the actual evidence may say. They claimed their warship was carrying out escort operations in the Gulf of Aden at the time of the encounter and did not target the German aircraft. Instead, their spokesman lashed out in lectured Berlin, saying German officials should, quote, take a fact-based attitude and strengthen communication in a timely manner to avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment, end quote.

Now, the U.S. has previously accused China of using lasers to target American planes conducting controls in the Pacific, but encounters between China and European NATO members are far more rare. Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador to the foreign ministry on Tuesday to answer for the incident. Well, that should do it. Perhaps a strongly worded memo may be combined with a harsh, disapproving look. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief Thursday, the 10th of July. Now, If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show, add free, while it's 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 later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

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