The President's Daily Brief - July 25th, 2025: Chinese Hackers Breach US Nuclear Weapons Agency & Zelensky Backs Down

Episode Date: July 25, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Microsoft sounds the alarm after revealing that Chinese hackers breached a U.S. agency tied to America’s nuclear weapons stockpile.   Mass protests and European Union backlash force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to propose a new anti-corruption bill.   Voice of America is under scrutiny following claims that executives met with Chinese officials to discuss more favorable media coverage.   And in today’s Back of the Brief—Iran agrees to host U.N. nuclear watchdogs… but refuses to grant them access to any actual nuclear sites.   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 DeleteMe: Visit https://joindeleteme.com/BRIEF & Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan. TriTails Premium Beef: Visit https://trybeef.com/pdb & get $10 off 20 Lbs Ground Beef Special Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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and you'll learn how to convert an existing IRA or a 401k into a gold IRA. Again, it's simple. Just text PDB to the number 989-898. It's Friday the 25th 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. Coming up, Chinese hackers breach the U.S. nuclear weapons agents, Oh, that sounds good. Microsoft is sounding the alarm over a major cyber attack tied to Beijing.

We'll have those details. Later in the show, mass protests and European Union warnings force Zelensky's hand, as the embattled Ukrainian president, proposes a new anti-corruption bill following a major political backlash. Plus, Voice of America is under fire. New claims, say executives from the taxpayer-funded media outlet met with China. Chinese officials to discuss softening their coverage of Beijing. And in today's back of the brief, Iran invites nuclear watchdogs to talk, but not to look. Inspectors are welcome to visit Iran, but it's not an all-access pass. There'll be no ogling the sites recently targeted and hit by the U.S. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin with a look at China's unrelenting cyber attacks on U.S. infrastructure,

following an alarming report that the communist regime recently gained access to the agency responsible for maintaining America's nuclear stockpile. Earlier this week, Microsoft sounded the alarm on a significant breach by Chinese state-sponsored hackers, warning that they exploited security vulnerabilities in the company's SharePoint document-sharing servers to infiltrate some 400 agencies, businesses, and other groups, mostly in the U.S. But the most alarming intrusion involved the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees a maintenance and modernization of the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons. That's according to a report from the New York Post.

The semi-autonomous agency, which operates under the umbrella of the Department of Energy, also provides the Navy with nuclear reactors for submarines and response to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and overseas. Their servers were accessed by two Chinese hacking groups, on the 18th of July that used the Microsoft vulnerability to spoof authentication credentials and execute malicious code remotely. I know, you and I are both shocked that the Chinese Communist Party would engage in these types of shenanigans. Now, it does appear that the breach was plugged before any real damage was done, at least so they

think. Officials with the Department of Energy told Bloomberg that no sensitive or classified information was known to be stolen in the cyber attack and that all impacted. systems have since been restored. Still, the fact that Chinese hackers were able to get so close to accessing America's nuclear secrets underscores the rapidly growing sophistication of the communist regime's cyber capabilities. As I noted, at the center of the breach are Microsoft's SharePoint document sharing servers, which are widely used in both the public and private sector to organize and distribute internal web content across an organization, essentially an intranet.

SharePoint is deeply integrated with Microsoft's ecosystem, including services like office and teams, OneDrive, and Outlook. Microsoft said they've patched the vulnerabilities, but warned that hackers will likely continue to exploit the system in future attacks. Yeah, that's probably a safe bet. The Director of Security Intelligence, a trusted SEC, a group that has trained U.S. military cyber protection teams, warned the independent, quote, this is a critical vulnerability with wide-reaching implications. It enables unauthenticated remote code execution on SharePoint servers, which are a core part of enterprise infrastructure. It is already being actively exploited at scale, and it only took 72 hours from the time a proof of concept was demonstrated for attackers to begin mass exploitation campaigns,

end quote. All right, hands up if anyone understands what that meant. In the wake of the breaches, which began on July 7th, Microsoft is recommended that all organizations using the software install new security updates. Yeah, that is a good idea, saying they have high confidence that those who don't will be targeted again by the hacking groups. Well, thank you, Captain obvious. They added that the full extent of the breach and its consequences are still being investigated, which is IT security speak for we actually don't know just how bad this was. The representative for trusted sec explained to the independent, quote, what makes it even more severe is the way it exposes cryptographic secrets, effectively

allowing attackers to convert any authenticated SharePoint request into remote code execution. That's a dangerous capability to put into the hands of threat actors, end quote. Aside from the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Chinese hackers also breached the U.S. Department of Education, Florida's Department of Revenue, and the Rhode Island General Assembly.

Uh-oh, not the Rhode Island General Assembly. Internationally, the hacking campaign has reportedly compromised more than 100 government servers across Europe and the Middle East. Microsoft identify the cyber actors as belonging to two Chinese-based hacking collectives, known as Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon. What charming sounding names? Which both have deep ties to the Communist Chinese Party. Unsurprisingly, Chinese officials have said they are unaware of any hacking activities linked to the government.

We have no idea how this could have happened, saying, quote, China opposes and fights hacking activities in accordance with the law, end quote. Of course they do. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry then lashed out naturally at the U.S. over the incident, saying, quote, we oppose smears and attacks against China under the excuse of cybersecurity issues, end quote. We're outraged, that you're outraged.

But as our listeners will know, China's government-backed hacking operations regularly target American infrastructure, and the regime has even admitted to that activity in the past. Thanks to a Wall Street Journal report back in April, We learned that during a closed-door meeting at a summit in Geneva last December, Chinese officials tacitly acknowledged pursuing a years-long cyber campaign that's hacked into computer networks at U.S. ports, water treatment plants, airports, and other strategic targets.

While they didn't directly state that their government was behind the hacks, the Chinese implied to high-ranking U.S. national security officials that the cyber campaign was a response to increasing U.S. support for Taiwan and was meant to scare the U.S. into backing off from involving itself in that situation. That campaign was spearheaded by a Chinese-based hacking collective dubbed Volt Typhoon, which since 2021 has been connected to numerous breaches at U.S. naval ports, internet service providers, and utility companies. U.S. officials continue to warn that Chinese-based hacking groups

are working overtime to steal American military secrets and undermine U.S. readiness. All right. Coming up after the break, Zelensky, caves to political pressure, and Voice of America faces claims of cozying up to Beijing. Hmm. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. I want to take just a few moments of your time to talk about your online security, because that is critically important. Look, right now, you may have noticed the headlines are chock full of stories about data breaches and also regulatory rollbacks, and frankly, all those things can make us more vulnerable. But here's the thing. There is something you can do about it.

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Welcome back to the PDB. Facing mass protests and European Union backlash, Ukrainian President Zelensky on Thursday, made an abrupt about-face, unveiling new anti-corruption legislation less than two days after signing a law that critics say gutted the very institutions tasked with rooting out graft and corruption. As we previously discussed, Zelensky's initial move, a fast-track measure rammed through Parliament on Tuesday, handed sweeping oversight powers to Ukraine's prosecutor general over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor's office. Once held up as flagship supposed to made on reform, both agencies, would now, under that new legislation, fall under the thumb of Zelensky's political allies. Zelensky initially defended the bill as a necessary move to, quote, remove Russian influence

and speed up corruption investigations, though he offered no specifics to support the Kremlin interference claim. Within hours of the bill's passage, though, thousands poured into the streets of Kiev and other cities, denouncing the move was a blatant power grab. Protesters chanted, quote, shame in the largest anti-government demonstrations since Russian, Russia's full-scale invasion back in early 2022. Brussels was also quick to weigh in. EU enlargement Commissioner Marta Koss slammed the new law as, quote, a serious step back,

warning it could jeopardize Ukraine's EU candidacy and threaten access to billions in foreign aid. That pressure appeared to land. By Thursday, Zelensky reversed course, announcing that a replacement draft was already in the works, one that he claimed would, quote, guarantee the real strengthening of the law and order system in Ukraine. In posts across Telegram and X, Zelensky reiterated that the new proposal would preserve,

quote, the independence of anti-corruption agencies and reliable protection of the law enforcement system against any Russian influence, end quote. However, I'd like to point out that he stopped short of saying whether it would override or nullify the legislation that he signed just the other day, nor did he release the full text of the new legislation, leaving critics and allies alike, guessing as its substance. What's more, Zelensky's pivot raised eyebrows for its timing. Just one day earlier, he told anti-corruption officials that they would have two weeks to submit recommendations before any new draft would be considered. That timeline has now been abandoned entirely, raising questions about who exactly shaped this new bill. The protests, meanwhile, haven't let up. Demonstrations

continued into Thursday night. Now, at the same time, Russian forces intensified their push along Ukraine's Eastern Front, just as Keev faces mounting uncertainty over long-term U.S. military aid and European capacity to fill that gap, all with little end to the war in sight. For Ukraine, the integrity of its anti-corruption institutions isn't just a domestic issue, it's a strategic necessity. Credible reform is essential to the country's EU ambitions and to maintaining Western financial and military support, both of which hinge on trust in Ukrainian institutions. As of now, Zelensky seems to be in damage control mode.

He wrote on X, quote, It's important that we are preserving independence. It's important that we respect the position of all Ukrainians and are grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine, end quote. Now, whether that message will satisfy his fellow countrymen or if the protests continue, well, that remains to be seen. All right, turning to the U.S., senior Trump advisor, Carrie Lake, is sounding the alarm over what she calls a covert Chinese Communist Party influence campaign

inside U.S. media. She accuses voice of America, or VOA, executives, of secretly collaborating with Beijing to shape taxpayer-funded coverage that favors China and undermines America. In an interview with Just the News this week, Lake revealed that senior VOA managers held undisclosed meetings with CCP representatives in Washington, D.C., and on Chinese soil. She described as part of a year's long effort by foreign adversaries to subvert America's public broadcasting apparatus from within. Lake said, quote, we found out the CCP, operating out of the embassy in Washington, were meeting regularly with VOA management to tell them how they should be covering China.

She added, quote, over the years, it got more brazen. For some background, founded in 1942 to counter access propaganda during World War II, VOA then became a Cold War mainstay, beaming messages of American Liberty into closed regimes across the globe as a beacon of U.S. soft power. But Lake says that mission has now been turned on its head. The meetings came to light during a months-long internal probe with the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA. Lake, who's overseeing the agency's dismantling under orders from President Trump,

said the findings confirmed VOA leadership coordinated with CCP officials to steer coverage in a direction that was, in her view, pro-China. She added that one VOA employee in the Mandarin Language Division went so far as to pledge loyalty to the CCP during one of their secret encounters. But the problem, like said, runs even deeper. The investigation also uncovered that the agency had quietly hired hundreds of foreign nationals through what's known as the J1 Cultural Exchange Visa Program, some of whom, Lake said, had direct ties to CCP-controlled state media outlets.

From 2009 to the end of the previous presidential administration, the agency sponsored more than 400 foreign nationals using the J-1 visa program, nearly 100 of them from high-risk countries. Lake told just the news, quote, this agency started hiring non-Americans, brought them into our country to tell America's story, adding that we, the taxpayers, footed the bill. Now, the J-1 program was originally intended as a temporary exchange opportunity, but it instead became a back-to-or-reported. pipeline for foreign influence. And China wasn't the only concern. V-OA's coverage of Russia, she said, also showed a disturbing tilt. What she described is, quote, largely pro-Russian and anti-American. Lake, in her interview, said the J-1 program would soon be terminated, and the agency is undergoing a, quote, 85% reduction in staff in the near term. The goal she made clear is to eliminate the agency altogether. Lake argues that the agency has strayed far from its original mission. What was once

designed as a spotlight of American values, she says, has now become a vehicle for foreign influence and authoritarian propaganda, quote, to the detriment of America. Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, Iran agrees to talk with UN nuclear officials, but won't allow access to its nuclear facilities. Some things never change. Stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, here's a little fact that you might have missed in your busy day. July, when we're still in July, is National Grilling Month. It's true. And Triedales beef is here to help you celebrate it, the American way. I mean, over a fire with real beef raised by real ranchers. Look, Triedails is a terrific business. It's a fifth generation family-run ranch in Texas, delivering pasture-raised, grain-finished beef with zero shortcuts. I mean, no middleman. It couldn't be simpler. It's just great-tasting beef, delivering. from their ranch straight to your door. Now, right now, you can get $10 off their 20-pound ground beef bundle plus two free flat iron steak.

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In today's back of the brief, Iranian leaders have agreed to allow a technical team from the UN's nuclear watchdog to visit Tehran in the coming weeks, but there's one major catch. Inspectors won't be granted access to any of the Islamic regime's actual nuclear sites. The announcement was made by Iran's deputy foreign minister,

who said the country, wants to discuss a path forward on cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, following the recent U.S. bombing campaign that struck the regime's three main nuclear facilities. After those strikes, Iran indefinitely suspended any further cooperation with the IA, expelling inspectors and disabling any remaining on-site surveillance systems used by the agency to monitor Iran's nuclear program, that's according to our report from Reuters. Iranian officials have not elaborated on what they plan to discuss with the watchdog or whether they're willing to reopen their damaged nuclear sites to inspections in the future.

While on a trip to New York for meetings to the UN, Iran's deputy foreign minister simply said, quote, the delegation will come to Iran to discuss the modality not to go to the nuclear sites, end quote. Officials for the IAEA have not directly commented on the development, but issued a broader statement saying IAEA chief Rafael Grossi was, quote, actively engaging with all parties involved in the Iran nuclear issue. Well, that's nice. The UN nuclear watchdog has previously said that it's essential that they be allowed to resume inspections inside Iran,

particularly given the threat of the Islamic regime rebuilding their enrichment capabilities. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, international observers are particularly concerned about the status of Iran's existing stopgile of enriched uranium, which has been the subject, obviously, of much speculation since the U.S. strikes. An Israeli intelligence assessment from earlier this month said some uranium enriched to 60% purity, but just below the 90% weapons-grade threshold, survived the strikes and remains intact inside hardened casks at the Isfahan facility. Israeli officials warned that the material could be recovered by Iranian engineers

and used enough future push toward a nuclear weapon. During his New York trip, Iran's deputy foreign minister refused to comment on whether any of that stockpile survived the strikes. He told reporters, quote, our atomic energy organization is assessing, actually, the damages to the nuclear installations, and we are waiting to receive their report. In this regard, it's very dangerous work. We do not know what has happened there because of the risks of the radiation, end quote. The deputy foreign minister will travel to Istanbul on Friday to meet with. officials from Britain, France, and Germany to discuss the future of Iran's nuclear program.

The meetings come after an interview given on Monday by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbasarachi, who claimed to Fox News as Brett Baer that the U.S. strikes left Iran's three nuclear facilities severely damaged. While he reiterated the regime's longstanding claims that their nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes, he said that leaders in Tehran fully intend to rebuild the damaged sites and resume uranium enrichment in the future. He also stated that they fully intend to continue supporting and resourcing their various proxy groups, including Chasbalah and the Houthis. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday the 25th of July. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And of course, if it's

Friday, which I believe it is, that means that a new episode of our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report hits the airwaves this evening at 10 p.m. on the first TV. You can also catch it and past episodes on our much beloved YouTube channel. Is it beloved or beloved anyway? It's our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief and, of course, on

podcast platforms everywhere. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Ryan Reynolds here from Mittmobile. The message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month.

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