The President's Daily Brief - July 8th, 2025: Trump Targeted By Iran Again—Inside The Regime’s Latest Threat & Putin Tests Trump

Episode Date: July 8, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:   Iran doubles down on its threats against former President Donald Trump, offering a multi-million dollar bounty on his life.   President Trump signals a potential shift on Russia, saying he’s “very unhappy” after a tense call with Vladimir Putin—and hinting at new sanctions.   A heroic rescue in Texas: a rookie Coast Guard swimmer saves 165 people during deadly floods on his very first mission.   And in today’s Back of the Brief—Israel strikes Houthi targets in Yemen after the rebels resume attacks on commercial vessels for the first time in months.   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 Ridge Wallet: Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code PDB at https://www.Ridge.com/PDB#Ridgepod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Tuesday, the 8th 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. First up, the mullahs of the Islamic regime doubled down on their threats against President Trump, now offering a multi-million dollar bounty on the president's life. Well, that doesn't sound like the religion of peace. And we're learning just how close the Iranian regime came to killing one of Trump's top former officials.

Later in the show, Trump's patience with Putin may finally be running out. The president says he's, quote, very unhappy after a tense phone call with the Russian leader and hints that new sanctions could be on the way. Plus, the latest on those deadly floods in Texas. A rookie Coast Guard rescue swimmer is being hailed as a hero after saving 165 people on his very first rescue mission. And in today's back of the brief, the Houthis, well, they're back to their old ways, attacking commercial shipping for the first time in months. Now, Israel is hitting back with airstrikes deep inside Yemen. But first, today's PDB spotlight.

While the Iranian regime is still assessing damage and recovering from Israel's 12-day war and the American bombing campaign on their nuclear facilities, religious leaders and media groups inside the Islamic regime are upping their threats against President Trump and encouraging followers of Islam to wage a holy war against America and Israel. The latest escalation comes courtesy of Iranian regime-linked media outlets and telegram groups, which are now directly calling for the assassinations. of President Trump. According to several Israeli news outlets, these Iranian platforms are circulating assassination bounties

exceeding $18 million as part of a psychological warfare initiative seeking to galvanize their supporters into taking action, while apparently giving the Iranian government some degree, well, okay, minimal degree of plausible deniability. The assassination calls are reportedly accompanied by photos of Trump overlaid with a red bullseye target, along with Quranic verses and religious edicts that frame the matter as a patriotic act of revenge and spiritual obligation. The exact figure being distributed across regime-connected channels is $18,341,623, and is described as a, quote, donation that will be given to any

individual or group that can execute the president. While the Iranian government has not endorsed or even commented on the bounty. Western intelligence officials that spoke with the Israeli publications J-Feed and Israel-Kayom say the campaign marks a disturbing escalation from symbolic threats to direct incitement. They say, quote, regime-adjacent actors are likely pushing the campaign through third parties, so there's no provable link to the government. One unnamed analyst told J-Feed, quote, this is how the Iranian regime exports terrorism without leaving fingerprints. Well, there's fingerprints, really, for anybody with common sense. They let the proxies in civilian media do the dirty work, he said, while Tehran pretends its hands are clean. Counterterrorism experts say this is exactly the

kind of material that seeks to inspire lone wolf actors or extremist militias to take matters into their own hands. While the Secret Service has not commented on the development, President Trump's security detail has reportedly been bolstered since the threats surfaced. As our regular listeners likely know, The assassination bounty comes in the wake of a fatwa issued on the 29th of June by Iran's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Nasir Makaram Shrlazzi. Now, that religious decree stated that President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and anyone who threatens Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamini are, quote, waging war against God and should be punished by death.

The Grand Ayatollah branded Trump and Netanyahu as enemies of God for their roles in the recent 12-day war, which has left Khomeini's hold on power in a questionable state. The decree calls on Muslims around the world to unite and bring down American and Israeli leaders, which Islamic experts said was a not so thinly veiled incitement to terrorism. The Grand Ayatollah even promises that any Muslims that, quote, suffer hardship or loss in their fight against the enemy, will be divinely rewarded by Allah. Hmm. He's since been joined by Ayatollah Ahmed Khatami, another senior Iranian-class.

cleric, who called for the murder of Trump in Netanyahu during a sermon on Friday. Katami is deeply connected to the country's political establishment, serving as a member of the Iranian regime's guardian council and assembly of experts. Well, so much for their plausible deniability. For context, the guardian council oversees all elections and has veto power over legislation, while the assembly of experts is charged with appointing the supreme leader of Iran. Katami told the crowd of attendees on Friday that Trump and Netanyahu must be executed in accordance with Sharia law over the war in Gaza and the 2020 assassination of former Kud's force commander Kassem Soleimani. The crowd reacted with cheers and chants of death to America, death to England, and death to Israel, according to a report from Fox News.

That's quite the church service. I want to stress to while this may all sound like the usual Iranian bluster, these threats are not to be taken lightly. According to an excerpt from a new book called 2024, how Trump retook the White House and the Democrats lost America, recently published in the Washington Post, Iran nearly succeeded in assassinating former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who's long been on the regime's hit list over the operation that killed Soleimani. While the excerpt does not go into detail, it claims Iranian assassins nearly killed Pompeo while he was staying at a hotel in Paris roughly three years ago. As a reminder, the assassination threats in Fahua come at a time, of course, of heightened concerns over the domestic threat from Islamic extremists.

Following the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Department of Homeland Security warned border agents to be on high alert for potential sleeper cells, fearing that individuals loyal to the regime may attempt retaliatory attacks from within U.S. borders. All right. Coming up after the break, Trump signals a tougher stance on Putin after an apparent tense call. And a story of courage amid all the sad stories coming out of the Texas floods. A rookie Coast Guard hero saves 165 flood victims during rescue operations. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, did you know that July is National Grilling Month?

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Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at mintmobile.com. BDB. Another record-setting aerial assault slammed Ukraine Friday, just hours after a tense phone call between President Trump and Russian leader Putin, during which Trump warned that fresh U.S. sanctions could be on the table. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said he was, quote, very unhappy with the call

and made no progress convincing Putin to scale back to Kremlin's military campaign. Well, that might be because Putin has no interest in peace and hasn't ever since he launched this invasion some three years ago. Trump told reporters, quote, Putin wants to go all the way. It's no good, adding that while he's held off on additional penalties for months in hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough, that may soon change. The president said, quote, we talk about sanctions a lot. Putin understands that it may be coming. According to Putin's foreign affairs advisor, the Russian strongman reiterated that he would not abandon his war aims and insisted Moscow is still searching for a, quote, political negotiated solution. Oh, that's a line that Trump seemed to dismiss outright. Well, yes. Hours later, the largest drone and

missile barrage of the war blanketed Ukraine. Over a seven-hour span, Russian forces launched 550 Iranian-made drones and 11 missiles, injuring at least 23 people and striking more than 30 targets in Kiev. Emergency crews scrambled across debris-throne neighborhoods, while the night sky lit up with explosions. Ukraine's air defenses reportedly shot down 270 of the drones, while 208 vanished from radar, likely jammed or there were decoys. Russia claims it only struck eight sites using just 63 drones and nine missiles, saying its targets were military infrastructure.

However, the strikes extended beyond the capital, hitting parts of eastern Ukraine as well. The country's foreign minister posted on X, calling the attack, quote, one of the worst so far, and described a, quote, horrible, sleepless night in Kiev. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy went further, calling the attack, quote, cynical, and accusing Moscow of deliberately timing the bombardment as a show of defiance in the wake of his counterpart's phone call with Trump.

If so, well, it does fit a pattern. As our regular PDB listeners know, recent Russian barrages have been touted as record setting. And that's no mistake. It's escalation. Ukrainian figures, compiled by the Associated Press, show that Russia has launched over 5,400 drones in June alone. That's the most in any month since the invasion began. The bombardment comes amid intensified Russian offensives along the 620-mile front line, indicating that Moscow's long-range strike campaign is increasingly being paired with

battlefield pushes in the east. On the same day, Trump held a separate call with Zelensky, described by both leaders as, quote, strategic and forward-looking. The two discussed areas. defense cooperation, co-producing weapon systems, and perhaps most critically, a potential shipment of Patriot missile batteries. Trump, who's repeatedly praised the Patriot system as, quote, amazingly effective, said Ukraine, quote, needs them for defense. I don't want to see people killed. Zelensky stressed the need for, quote, just lasting and dignified peace. But there's little sign that Moscow is interested. While Keev and Moscow marked another successful prisoner exchange last week, primary diplomatic channels remain frozen. No new talks are scheduled, and Moscow shows no signs of backing

down. Trump told reporters he raised Ukraine's defense needs with German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, but stopped short of announcing any commitments. The president said, quote, Ukrainians have to be protected and we're looking at it. For now, however, Putin remains unmoved and unrelenting. As the war grinds on, Trump's growing frustration could mark a turning point, but whether it translates into new, aggressive, meaningful sanctions, well, that remains to be seen. All right. Now turning to the U.S. The death toll from Texas's catastrophic July 4th floods has now passed 100, with dozens still missing from what is now among one of the deadliest floods in the U.S. in the last century. As we discussed on Monday's PDB, the hardest hit location in central

Texas remains Camp Mystic. It's a nearly 100-year-old Christian girls retreat in Kerr County, with the Guadalupe River rose with astounding speed, swelling into a deadly torrent in less than an hour all before dawn on Friday. Officials confirmed at least 27 campers and counselors died at the site. Ten girls, along with one counselor as of now, remain missing. Among the dead is 70-year-old Richard Eastland, co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, who drowned trying to rescue children from the rising waters. Kerr County continues to bear the brunt of the fatalities, with 75, of the confirmed deaths occurring there alone. Additional casualties have been reported in Travis, Burnett, Kendall, and Tom Green counties. President Trump, who signed a federal disaster

declaration and activated FEMA, said he plans to visit the area on Friday. He told reporters, quote, we wanted to leave a little time. I would have done it today, but we'd just be in the first responders way, end quote. As search and rescue teams race against the clock, a sidebar story of heroism as captured national attention. Petty officer Scott Ruskin, a 26-year-old Coast Guard Rescue swimmer from New Jersey, had just completed months of grueling training and had been on call since November. That call came at sunrise on Friday, as roads were underwater, boats rendered useless due to debris, and terrified campers were stranded. Only helicopters could reach the destroyed summer camp. Ruskin volunteered to stay behind on the ground and triage the rescue effort.

In an exclusive interview with the New York Post, he recalled his response to the mission briefing, saying, quote, sweet, sounds great, I'll be more helpful on the ground than I will be in the air right now. He was right. As Blockhawk 60s and Coast Guard MH-65s circled overhead, Ruskin spent the day navigating wreckage and directing flight crews to survivors. He told the post, quote, I just tried to comfort these kids and counselors. The hardest party added was seeing parents and staff beg for help finding missing. loved ones. In total, Ruskin evacuated 165 survivors from Camp Mystic, many of them barefoot, soaked, and still in pajamas after escaping the rising floodwaters. Homeland Security Secretary

Christy Noem labeled Ruskin a, quote, American hero in a model of the Coast Guard's mission. But as rescue efforts continue, questions are mounting over what wasn't done. The mayor of Curville, a town adjacent to Camp Mystic, said the city never received a flood warning. In an interview with CNN, Joe Herrick Jr. said he only learned of the disaster from the city manager at 5.30 a.m. Friday. He said, quote, when I checked at about 8 o'clock that night, meaning Thursday night, there was a chance of rain. I did not see a flood warning. I did not receive a flood notification. I did not know, end quote. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas has since called for a full review of the state's flood detection emergency alert systems. He said at a news conference, quote, next time there's a flood, I hope we have in place processes. to remove, especially the most vulnerable from harm's way.

With more storms in the forecast, the weather prediction center has issued additional flood warnings for Kerr County and surrounding areas, warning that any additional rainfall could bring renewed flash flooding to already devastated ground. Okay, up next in the back of the brief, the Houthis launched their first attack in months on a commercial vessel, and Israel responds with airstrikes deep inside Yemen. Stay with us. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, have you ever said to yourself, hmm, I need to figure out a better way to carry my credit cards and cash? Well, I suspect you have. I know I have.

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The Liberian flagged vessel, which the Houtis claimed had used Israeli ports, was hit with unmanned boats, missiles, and drones, causing severe damage to its hull, and forcing the crew to abandon ship. That's according to our report from Fox News. Officials with the UAE said they responded to the vessel's distress signal and rescued all 19 crew members, working in close coordination with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Group. The incident came after the Houthis launched at least three ballistic missiles toward Israel on Saturday, which were all successfully intercepted by the IDF's air defenses.

In response, Israel carried out a wave of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen Sunday night into Monday morning, hitting a power station and multiple ports, including in the Houthi stronghold of Houdaida. In a statement, IDF officials said, quote, those ports are used by the Khutti terrorist regime to transfer weapons from the Iranian regime, which are employed to carry out terrorist operations against the state of Israel and its allies. The strikes also reportedly destroyed the galaxy leader vessel, that's a cargo ship, seized by the Khutis, in November of 2023. IDF officials said the Khutis had since installed a radar system on the vessel, which they were using for maritime surveillance and operational planning.

The operation marked Israel's first strikes against the Houthis since the U.S. brokered ceasefire between Jerusalem and Tehran. In total, the IDFs had more than 50 munitions were dropped by Israeli Air Force fighter jets on the Houthi targets. The militants responded by firing two ballistic missiles at Israel, setting off sirens in several southern West Bank settlements, though no impacts or injuries were reported. As a reminder, since Hamas launched its terror attack on Israel on the 7th of October back in 2003, the Houthis have carried out at least 145 attacks on commercial vessels, killing four sailors and sinking two ships. Their attacks have rattled global trade in one of the world's most critical maritime corridors, driving up shipping costs and disrupting critical global supply chains. In early May, following an intense bombing campaign by the U.S. that struck over 1,000

Uti targets across Yemen, President Trump announced a ceasefire agreement with the militants, under which the Iran-backed group pledged to stop targeting American maritime assets in the Red Sea. But the deal did not include protections for Israel, and the Houthis have continued targeting the Jewish state with missile and drone attacks. Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said Monday that Israel's retaliatory strikes are part of a new campaign against the Iranian-backed terrorists, dubbed Operation Black Flag. Katz warned that more strikes will follow if the Houthis continue their attacks, warning, quote, Yemen will be treated like Tehran.

Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have it cut off. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Tuesday, the 8th of July. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com. And if you're so inclined, you know, you can listen to the show ad-free simply by becoming a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. It's that simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.