The President's Daily Brief - March 19th, 2025: What Trump Said To Putin & Houthi Rebels Remain Defiant

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief:   A high-stakes call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin—after 90 minutes of discussion, the two agreed to kick off negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. We break down what was said and what comes next. Yemen’s Houthi rebels refuse to back down in the Red Sea, despite U.S. airstrikes and pressure from Iran. How their defiance is escalating tensions. Chinese state media is celebrating the White House’s decision to cut funding for U.S.-backed news outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. Why Beijing sees it as a victory—and what it means for America’s influence abroad. And in today’s Back of the Brief—two NASA astronauts, stranded aboard the International Space Station for more than nine months, have finally made it back to Earth. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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. We'll start things off with the high-stakes call between President Trump and Russian President Putin. Now, the two spoke for at least 90 minutes yesterday, discussing an end to the war in Ukraine and agreeing to kick off negotiations straight away. We've got the details.

Later in the show, Yemen's Houthi rebels are doubling down on attacks in the Red Sea, refusing to back off despite U.S. airstrikes and pressure from Iran, or I should say supposed pressure from Iran. Now, there's a chance, mind you, that the Houthi rebels might have an outsized opinion of their capabilities. Plus, Chinese state media is cheering the U.S. White House's move to cut funding for U.S.-backed news outlets like Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. We'll discuss why Beijing sees it as a win and what it means for America's reach abroad. And here's a pro tip.

If the Chinese regime is crowing approval about something that a U.S. administration is doing, well, it may not actually be in the best interests of the U.S. And in today's back of the brief, after more than nine months in space, two NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station since last June have made it back to earth. But first, today's PDB spotlight. We'll begin with President Trump's call with Vladimir Putin as the U.S. President presses forward on his attempts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine

despite Keith's skepticism over the Russian strongman's motivations and intentions. The pair spoke for at least 90 minutes on Tuesday, a conversation that President Trump described as a, quote, very good and productive one. Now, they agreed to commence negotiations, at a neutral site in the Middle East for a comprehensive peace deal immediately, though the pathway forward still remains uncertain. In the interim, however, Putin said he agreed to a more limited ceasefire that will halt attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure for 30 days, provided that

leaders in Kiev reciprocate. So, frankly, not really a ceasefire, just an agreement that in course of waging war on Ukraine, Putin won't target power plants. According to our report from Axios, shortly after the call ended, Putin gave the order for the 30-day pause on power plans to be implemented. The Kremlin also said there'll be a prisoner swap on Wednesday with Ukraine involving 175 soldiers from each side and that Russia would also be returning 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers as a gesture of goodwill. While it could be described in some circles as progress, the measures fall well short of the Trump administration's proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire, which Keev endorsed but Putin rejected last week. Still, the 30-day pause

on energy infrastructure attacks is similar to a previous Ukrainian proposal for a phased approach to peace. President Trump put an optimistic spin on the conversation and a post on truth social, saying there is, quote, an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a complete ceasefire and ultimately an end to this very horrible war between Russia and Ukraine. We will hopefully, for the sake of humanity, get the job done, end quote. The major question is whether Putin, a died-in-the-wall KGB officer, is negotiating with Trump in good faith, or simply biting his time at a moment when his forces have Ukraine on the back foot. Spoiler alert, if all you do is look at his track record, Putin has never negotiated in good faith.

faith. As we discussed on Monday's program, Moscow's forces have all but expelled the Ukrainian military from the Russian Kursk region and are slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine, and intelligence suggests the Kremlin may be preparing for an offensive push in northern Ukraine. Putin appears to feel that he has the upper hand in these negotiations and is already attempting to move the needle in a direction more favorable to the Kremlin's long-term strategic interests. Most notably, and much to the alarm of leaders in Kiev, shortly after the call with Trump, the Kremlin issued a statement saying that a key condition for ending the war is the complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. Putin also reportedly called for Ukraine to cease the mobilization

and rearmament of its military. Putin's demands didn't end there, though we don't yet have all the details of his conversation with Trump, but Putin has previously insisted that any ceasefire must include Ukraine abandoning its NATO ambitions and recognizing Russian territorial gains, terms that Kiev has repeatedly rejected. Putin has also rejected proposals for a European coalition of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine to enforce a potential ceasefire, something that President Zelensky has said is a necessary security guarantee to deter future Russian aggression. Zelensky, for his part, confirmed Wednesday's prisoner exchange, noting that it was pre-planned prior to Putin's call with President Trump.

He said that while he has not spoken to Trump since the call with Putin, he supports a halt on energy infrastructure attacks in principle, and will adhere to that agreement as long as Russia does not violate its terms. But Zelensky expressed skepticism about Putin's true intentions, suggesting he's attempting to use these talks to, quote, weaken Ukraine so that he can, quote, issue ultimatums from a position of strength. Zelensky pointed to Putin's rejection last week of the 30-day full ceasefire proposal, saying, quote, they're not ready to end this war, and we can see that.

They're not ready even for the first step, which is a ceasefire, end quote. Still, the White House appeared hopeful that talks on a more comprehensive ceasefire will rapidly progress. As noted, officials with the Trump administration said negotiations on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, as well as a permanent peace deal will commence shortly in the Middle East. Those negotiations have yet to be confirmed by Moscow. All right. Coming up next, Yemen's Houthi rebels refused to back down despite U.S. air strikes, and China cheers cuts to the U.S. government media outlet, Voice of America. I'll be right back.

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drone strike wave on United States warships just since Sunday. As we've been tracking here on the President's Daily brief, the Iran-backed Khutis resumed targeting vessels in the Red Sea just last week, specifically those linked to Israel in what they call an act of solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. The U.S. responded forcefully, launching a series of airstrikes on Khuti-controlled areas of Yemen over the weekend and into this week, marking the largest U.S. military operation in the region since President Trump returned to office. Now, Iran has stepped in to mediate. Seriously, the Iranian regime, which has trained and funded and armed the Houthis,

claims now that they're stepping in as mediators. In an exclusive report from Reuters, two senior Iranian officials said that Tehran urged the Houthis to de-escalate during a meeting on Friday. Amman, a frequent intermediary in regional conflicts, reported, conveyed a similar message at the request of the Iranian regime. But the Houthis remain unmoved. The terror group publicly rejected the call for restraint, insisting that they will not, quote, dial down their attacks unless Israel lifts its blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza. A journalist in Sanaa reinforced the group's stance telling Reuters, quote, Yemen is at war with the U.S.,

and that means we have the right to defend ourselves with all possible means, end quote. On Tuesday, the Houthis claimed on Telegram that they launched a third missile and drone strike on the USS Harry Truman Carrier Group in the Red Sea. The Pentagon immediately dismissed the claim with a U.S. defense official calling it, quote, false claims and disinformation. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Alexis Grinkewitch added that the terror group's missiles were missing their targets, quote, by over 100 miles. That's quite the miss.

According to NBC News, the USS Truman has not been struck in either of the Khuti's previous two attempts. Meanwhile, tensions flared elsewhere. Houthi terrorists launched a ballistic missile toward Israel on Tuesday evening, triggering air raid sirens across the central region of the country. The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile before it could reach Israeli airspace with no reported casualties or injuries. A senior Khuti official later posted a threatening statement in Hebrew on X, warning, quote, the Yemeni people will not leave Gaza alone, end quote.

President Trump has placed full responsibility for Houthi aggression on Iran, despite Tekron's insistence that it is not directing the attacks. We have nothing to do with anything. While the Houthis deny that their Iranian proxies, they remain aligned with Iran's access of resistance network, which includes, of course, Chesbullah and Hamas terrorists. Washington is ramping up its response, as the Pentagon said it had struck over 30 Houthi cites since a weekend and would continue to use overwhelming lethal force against the terror group until they cease their attacks. Trump is also weighing new sanctions on the Iranian regime.

The Houthi foreign minister stated, quote, the U.S. is threatening Iran and hitting Yemen. Now all scenarios are possible. We will do what they will do to us. Adding if the U.S. strikes Houthi positions from the U.S.S. Truman, the terror group will strike the carrier. All right. Shifting our focus to China, state-run media is celebrating President Trump's decision to cut funding for Voice of America and Radio Free Asia. There should be a clue in there somewhere. The outlets have long served as thorns in the side of authoritarian regimes, with Beijing calling the move a blow to U.S. propaganda. The executive order signed Friday, which halts public funding for the U.S. agency for global media, has already resulted in the furlough. of roughly 1,300 Voice of America or VOA employees, with similar cuts hitting Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe. Chinese state media wasted no time declaring victory. I think there's a clue in there somewhere. The Global Times, a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP, framed the decision as evidence that even Washington had turned its back on the VOA,

quote, lie factory, calling it a, quote, dirty rag that had been discarded. The Chinese papers former editor-in-chief gloated that, quote, Voice of America has been paralyzed, and so has Radio Free Asia, which has been just as vicious to China, end quote. I swear there's a clue here somewhere. The Global Times went on to claim that without these outlets,

quote, demonizing narratives about China would cease to exist. VOA and Radio Free Asia have spent decades exposing Beijing's abuses, from mass Muslim internment camps to the CCP's obstruction and obfuscation. during the early days of COVID-19. Though officially banned in China, their broadcasts still reached audiences via VPNs and shortwave radio. Now, with their funding on the chopping block, the question remains, how much of a dent will this make in the flow of independent reporting into China? With Beijing's iron grip on

information, it's difficult to gauge how ordinary Chinese citizens view these cuts. Well, critics argue that defunding these outlets is a gift to authoritarian regimes. V-O-A director Michael Abramowitz warned the move, quote, hobbles America's ability to counter foreign disinformation at a time when adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran are expanding their state-run media operations. Radio Free Asia's chief executive was even more blunt, calling the cuts a, quote, reward to dictators and despots, including the Chinese Communist Party, who would like nothing better than to have their influence go unchecked in the information space, end quote. The Trump administration, however, defended the decision, arguing that taxpayer dollars

will no longer fund what it describes as, quote, radical propaganda. Hmm. The White House has long accused VOA of editorial bias, and this latest move reflects a broader effort to rein in its direction. Authoritarian leaders outside of China have taken note as well, Former Cambodian leader, Hun Sen, who spent years cracking down on independent media, praised Trump's move, I swear somewhere in here there is a clue, calling it a, quote, big contribution to eliminating fake news.

I'll just repeat that. Authoritarian leaders are praising the move to shudder these U.S. government-funded news outlets. Meanwhile, in Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic is urging the EU to intervene to keep Radio Free Europe operational, warning that the U.S. withdrawal weakens media freedom in a region increasingly targeted by Russian disinformation campaigns. Founded during World War II to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA reaches an estimated 360 million people weekly in nearly 50 languages. Radio Free Asia, launched in 1996, focuses on six Asian nations, where press freedom is virtually non-existent, including Myanmar, formerly known as Burma and Laos, reaching nearly 60 million listeners weekly.

For now, the full implications remain unclear. But with China's state media reveling in the moment, one thing is certain, America's ability to project soft power and shape global narratives has taken a major hit, and Beijing, Moscow, Iran, and other regimes, eager to control information, are more than happy to pick up the slack.

Look, not for nothing, but I've spent most of my life overseas, and in large part, dealing with difficult regions where authoritarian governments work hard to ensure that their populations don't have access to news and information. For many of these people, the VOA over the years was the one outlet that gave them access to the outside world. Now, has the VOA over the decades been used in part to project American opinion and democratic ideals, to project U.S. soft power through its news, broadcasts? Well, absolutely. Has that been important to generations of people hungry for news and information and opinions that differed from what their dictators and authoritarian regimes wanted

them to hear? Absolutely. Look, if the cuts to VOA, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, are simply part of the U.S. administration's doge effort to trim waste, well, they could be well served by reconsidering this value proposition. If your actions are being praised by the Chinese regime, and other authoritarian governments, you probably should rethink your actions. Okay, coming up in the back of the brief, some good news. Two NASA astronauts finally returned to Earth after spending more than nine months stranded aboard the International Space Station. We'll have those details next.

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Two NASA astronauts stuck on board the International Space Station, or ISS since June of 2024, have returned safely to Earth aboard one of Elon Musk's reusable space X-Dragon capsules. The return of Boeing test pilots, Sunita Williams, and Barry Wilmore, comes more than nine months after a series of mechanical failures aboard Boeing's new Starliner astronaut capsule stalled their homecoming. But on Monday, the pair boarded the space X capsule, along with Dragon capsule commander Nick Hague of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Alexandre. Gobinov to begin their 17-hour voyage back home. That's according to a report from the New York Times. The capsule splashed down off Florida's Gulf Coast just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, concluding the 286-day

saga. Commander Nick Hague could be heard saying the crew was, quote, grinning ear to ear upon their return. Now, as you may recall, Boeing, in partnership with NASA, launched astronauts Williams and Wilmore into orbit in early June of last year in what was supposed to be a brief. test flight of the Starliner craft lasting roughly one week. But shortly after launch, the vessel began experiencing a cascade of technical malfunctions, including thruster failures and a radiator link, forcing the two astronauts into an extended stay aboard the International Space Station. After three months of deliberations, NASA ultimately decided it was too risky for the two astronauts to return aboard the Boeing capsule. During their extended stay, Williams and Wilmore took over

responsibilities aboard the ISS from astronauts who departed the station last fall. Now, while they said their ordeal had been, quote, trying at times, they kept in good spirits, stating in a recent interview that at the end of the day, quote, it's work, it's fun. Meanwhile, the fully automated Boeing craft was piloted back to Earth without a crew last September, causing embarrassment for Boeing in their quest to compete with Elon Musk for space dominance. How cool does that sound? Space dominance. Speaking of Musk, well, he was accused of politicizing the situation earlier this month,

when he said he had offered to bring the two astronauts back last fall, but was rebuffed by the Biden administration for political reasons. But Bill Nelson, who served as the administrator of NASA under Biden, said Monday that he was not aware of any conversation with Musk or other space ex-representatives about bringing the astronauts home early. And NASA officials have also consistently stated that the decision to delay their return until March was made solely based on what would cause the least disruption to the operations of the International Space Station. Regardless, setting politics aside, which frankly is never a bad

idea, it's very good news to welcome the astronauts home. And given the state of the world currently, well, a bit of good news is always welcome. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief for Wednesday the 19th of March. If you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at PDB at thefirstTV.com. And as your mother always told you, to listen to the show ad-free, just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. Always remember, listen to your mom. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin.

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