The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | July 6th, 2026: China Launches One Of Its Most Dangerous Weapons

Episode Date: July 6, 2026

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: China conducts a rare submarine launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific, prompting alarm across the Indo-Pacific. We explain why U.S. allies are calling the test destabilizing—and what it reveals about Beijing's rapidly expanding nuclear capabilities and evolving nuclear strategy. Hamas says it's prepared to step aside from governing Gaza, but the terror group still refuses to surrender its weapons. We'll explain why that missing concession remains the biggest obstacle preventing President Trump's ceasefire plan from moving forward. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief ZBiotics: Go to https://zbiotics.com/PDBand use PDB at checkout for 15% off any ZBiotics probiotics. Acre Gold: Turn your pocket change into physical 24-karat gold and enter to win a limited-edition Hot Wheels gold bar at https://GetAcreGold.com/PDB Superpower: Stop guessing about your health—get $20 off Superpower at https://superpower.com/pdb with code PDB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's Monday, July 6th. 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, China conducts a rare submarine launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile into the Pacific. We'll explain why U.S. allies are calling the test destabilizing and what it reveals about Beijing's rapidly expanding nuclear capabilities and ambitions. Later in the show, Hamas says it's prepared to step aside in Gaza, but

There's a caveat here. The terror group still refuses to surrender its weapons. We'll explain why that missing concession could keep President Trump's ceasefire plan deadlocked. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. China has carried out a rather rare and highly symbolic military test that's raising concerns across the Indo-Pacific. On Monday, the Chinese Navy announced that it successfully launched a long-range ballistic missile from one of its nuclear-powered submarines, sending a simulated warhead into a designated area of the Pacific Ocean. Beijing insists the launch was nothing more than a routine military exercise conducted in accordance with international law. But America's allies in the region, well, they're not buying that explanation, warning instead that the test

marks another step in China's increasingly assertive military posture. According to China's state-run media, the missile was fired just after noon Beijing time and accurately struck its intended target somewhere in the Pacific. Officials did not specify either the launch location or the exact impact point, though outside analysts believe the missile was likely fired from waters near northeastern China before flying thousands of miles into the South Pacific. Experts believe the missile was either the JL2 or, more likely, China's newer JL3 submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Both are capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but the JL3 represents a significant leap in capability. With an estimated range of more than 6,000 miles, it gives China the ability to threaten targets across the Pacific, including much of the continental United States, without its submarines, by the way, needing to venture far from Chinese waters. Now, it's worth noting that countries, including the U.S., do routinely test ballistic missiles. What makes this launch significant isn't simply that China fired another missile. It's where it fired it from and what that says about Beijing evolving nuclear strategy. To understand why, it helps to take a quick look at what's known as the nuclear triad. Every major nuclear power seeks three ways to deliver nuclear weapons, land-based

missiles, strategic bombers, and submarines. And that third leg is often considered the most survivable, because submarines are, of course, difficult to detect and destroy. And having multiple means of launching essentially guarantees a second strike capability, which is a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence. Historically, however, China's submarine force has been viewed as the weakest part of its nuclear arsenal. Chinese submarines have generally been noisier than their American counterparts. And in the world of submarines, noisy isn't good.

It makes them easier to detect and track. For years, that limited the credibility of China's sea-based nuclear deterrent. But Beijing has spent the better part of the past decade now trying to change that. Under Xi Jinping, the People's Liberation Army has undergone one of the most ambitious military modernization programs in the country's history. China has constructed hundreds of new missile silos, expanded its road mobile missile force, upgraded long-range bombers to carry nuclear-capable weapons, and invested heavily in a new generation of submarines and submarine-launched missiles. U.S. naval officials have already warned that China's rapidly expanding shipbuilding and submarine production could allow, allow it to seriously challenge American undersea dominance by somewhere around 2040.

Monday's missile launch appears designed to demonstrate that Beijing is making tangible progress toward that goal. Perhaps just as notable is the fact that China chose to conduct and publicly announce the test. For decades, Beijing generally confined long-range missile testing to remote areas within its own territory, avoiding launches across the Pacific that might alarm neighboring countries. analysts say that this latest test represents a noticeable shift. Rather than minimizing the visibility of its growing military capability, China appears increasingly willing to showcase them. And the reaction across the region was swift. Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, called the launch, quote, destabilizing, arguing that it comes amid China's rapid military buildup and continued lack of

transparency regarding its strategic intentions. Japan issued a formal protest after being notified, the debris from the launch could potentially fall near its exclusive economic zone, expressing what it called, quote, serious concern over China's expanding military activities. And New Zealand likewise condemned the launch, saying Pacific nations have no interest in becoming a testing ground for Chinese missile capabilities. The timing also drew attention. The test coincided with Australia, signing a new defense agreement with Fiji, part of Canberra's broader effort to strengthen security partnerships across the

as China's influence in the region continues to grow. Some analysts believe Beijing wasn't simply testing a missile. It was testing reactions, not just whether the weapon performed as expected, but how neighboring governments and the U.S. would respond to another high-profile demonstration of Chinese military power. If that's the case, then Monday's launch wasn't simply about proving a missile works. It was about signaling that China's nuclear forces, and particularly its submarine fleet, entering a new phase. All right, coming up next, Hamas is reportedly looking to revive President Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan, but without agreeing to the one condition that Israel says is non-negotiable. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, if you're like me, you enjoy the occasional night out,

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Trump's ceasefire plan forward, and that would be giving up its weapons, full disarmament. And that's because this messaging from Hamas appears. aimed less at Israel than at Washington. The terrorist group announced today that it's prepared to dissolve its government in Gaza and transfer administrative authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, or NCAA-G. That's the technocratic body envisioned under the U.S. brokerage ceasefire agreement. But Hamas's announcement made no commitment to disarm, the central requirement of the agreement's

second phase, and the issue that's repeatedly stalled negotiations. So, what's Hamas actually trying to accomplish here? Well, despite what this announcement might suggest, the Iranian-backed terror group isn't suddenly preparing to surrender power. Instead, it's trying to convince Washington that it's politically ready to move Trump's ceasefire plan forward, even while refusing the concession of giving up its weapons that's been demanded by Israel and the U.S. That's why Muhammad Shahada, Gaza analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, says the announcement is really an attempt to, quote, talk over Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's head and appeal directly to Trump. In other words, Hamas appears to be betting that if it can present itself as cooperative

enough, Washington may increase pressure on Israel to implement the agreement's next phase without the disarmament requirement. According to Shahara, Hamas views the NCAA as, quote, the only way to establish a Palestinian government in Gaza that the international community would recognize. In his view, that makes this a rather savvy political maneuver, even if it may have come too late, and that helps explain what happened next. Almost immediately after the announcement, Hamas appealed to Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the broader international community to pressure Israel into allowing the NCAA to enter Gaza. In a statement, Hamas's government media office chief said, quote, we call on all concerned and relevant parties to immediately accelerate the steps for the

National Committee for the Administration of Gaza to enter quickly and assume its national and administrative duties and responsibilities, end quote. Now, the terror group also insisted that it had already completed all administrative and legal preparations necessary for the handover and argued that the existing government employees should simply continue working under the committee's authority. Ah, there you go. what they're saying is that Hamas personnel currently working within the Hamas government should just keep working under the NCAA administration. It's a bit like having Hamas personnel working within the UN. I don't see how that could go wrong.

Now, as I mentioned, Hamas is clearly hoping that their political gambit here, combined with Trump's desire to advance a ceasefire agreement, will increase pressure on Netanyahu to move forward with the plan's next phase, again without giving up their weapons. In that phase, envisions the creation of a socialization. so-called, quote, pilot area or areas where Palestinians would gradually begin living under the technocratic committee's administration while governance transitions away from Hamas. So, if that is Hamas's strategy, what would actually change? And the answer is,

not much. Despite the announcement, Hamas and its security forces still control much of Gaza outside the areas occupied by Israeli troops, which means the fundamental obstacle that stalled negotiations hasn't actually gone away. Those of you who've been following our coverage of Gaza have heard me mention the Board of Peace before. It's the international body overseeing implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and it responded cautiously to Hamas's announcement, saying it had, quote, taken note, but would judge by, quote, actions, not promises. Now, the logic behind the ceasefire plan has always been relatively straightforward. Hamas would relinquish political control,

surrender its weapons, and allow the NCAA, backed by Palestinian security forces, and an international stabilization mission to assume responsibility for governing Gaza. Instead, the broader agreement has largely stalled. The Board of Peace says it's preparing for the NCAA to take over, quote, once the right conditions are met, though those conditions have never been publicly defined. One would assume that those conditions would include Hamas giving up control and disarmament. Likewise, the international stabilization force envisioned under the agreement has yet to material, realize. And frankly, the likelihood that some international force would move into Gaza while Hamas

retains their weapons, well, that likelihood is minimal. So Hamas may be offering to dissolve its government, but until it's willing to surrender its weapons as well, the central obstacle preventing Trump's ceasefire plan from advancing into its next phase remains exactly where it's been for months. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday, the 6th of July. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDP at thefirstTV.com. And of course, to listen to the show ad-free, it's very simple to do. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting PDP Premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever left the doctor's office

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