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FDD Morning Brief

FDD

The FDD Morning Brief provides timely situational updates on contemporary events. Start your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 8:30am (ET) with digestible analysis and the headlines our experts are watching. The FDD Morning Brief can be streamed on YouTube, X, and is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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  • 395 episodes
  • Updated Monday

Episodes395

Newest first
  • January 23 · 27 min

    Is Venezuela China's reality check? | feat. Craig Singleton

    IS VENEZUELA CHINA'S REALITY CHECK? HEADLINE 1: Israel banned 29 Turkish individuals from entering the country. HEADLINE 2: Iran is reportedly turning to cryptocurrency to resuscitate its economy. HEADLINE 3: The Treasury Department slapped sanctions on a network of nonprofits tied to Hamas. HEADLINE 4: Israel is still schwacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Craig Singleton, senior director of FDD’s China Program. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Over the Barrel of a Gun: Syria’s Deal With the SDF" - Ahmad Sharawi, Real Clear World "The mission behind Trump’s Board of Peace is simple — and critics keep getting it wrong" - Jonathan Schanzer, New York Post "Assessing the China-Russia Threat Nexus in Technology and Information Warfare" - Craig Singleton, David Shedd, Ivana Stradner, and William Evanina, FDD Event

  • January 21 · 27 min

    Where is the "maximum support" when Iranians need it the most? | feat. Emily Schrader

    HEADLINE 1: Israel began demolishing UNRWA’s headquarters in East Jerusalem. HEADLINE 2: U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who also serves as Trump’s Syria envoy, thinks that things are going well in Damascus. HEADLINE 3: The IDF began a sweeping counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Hebron. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Israeli American journalist Emily Schrader. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Persian Puzzles" - FDD's Foreign Podicy "As Iran’s uprising intensifies, Israel cannot afford to sit this one out" - Saeed Ghasseminejad and Navid Mohebbi, Ynetnews "Canada’s Bet on Beijing Puts USMCA at Risk" - Elaine Dezenski and Susan Soh

  • January 19 · 26 min

    How Iran's unfolding revolution tests U.S. policy | feat. Steven A. Cook

    FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Steven A. Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for MENA at the Council on Foreign Relations. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

  • January 16 · 27 min

    The new Syria and Israel's security | feat. Jonathan Hessen

    THE NEW SYRIA AND ISRAEL'S SECURITY HEADLINE 1: Argentina is going after the Muslim Brotherhood. HEADLINE 2: The U.S. Treasury Department rolled out a new sanctions package in support of the Iranian people. HEADLINE 3: It’s official. Phase two of the Gaza ceasefire has begun. HEADLINE 4: Things are still going boom in Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Advisor Jonathan Hessen. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- FDD Featured Pieces: "The quiet way AI normalizes foreign influence" - Leah Siskind, Cyberscoop "Egypt Sentences Christian Researcher Under Blasphemy Law, Underscoring a Recurrent Breach in U.S.-Egypt Relations" - Mariam Wahba, FDD "Made in China, Paid by Seniors: Stopping the Surge of International Scams" - Nathan Picarsic, U.S. Senate Testimony

  • January 14 · 25 min

    Could Maduro's capture reshape U.S. global strategy? | feat. Cliff May

    HEADLINE 1: The Trump administration designated three branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations yesterday. HEADLINE 2: More than a year has passed since the assassination of Hamas mastermind Yahya Sinwar. You’ll recall he was the man primarily responsible for the 10/7 slaughter. HEADLINE 3: The Kurdish National Army — which is the military wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party — captured the IRGC headquarters in the western Iranian town of Kermanshah. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Founder and President Cliff May. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/ -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: January" - FDD Experts "Southern Exposure: Trump’s Arrest of Maduro Brings Opportunities and Dangers" - Cliff May feat. Carrie Filipetti, Foreign Podicy "Mark Dubowitz: The regime clings to its ninth life" - Bill Roggio and Mark Dubowitz, Generation Jihad "Don’t make the mistake Obama did, Mr. President, enforce your Iran ‘red line’" - Ahmad Sharawi, New York Post

  • January 9 · 28 min

    How are domestic politics shaping Israel's national security? | feat. Gadeer Kamal Mreeh

    HOW ARE DOMESTIC POLITICS SHAPING ISRAEL'S NATIONAL SECURITY? HEADLINE 1: A big Gaza announcement is expected. HEADLINE 2: The Lebanese Armed Forces said it completed the first phase of its plan to deploy across south Lebanon and disarm non-state groups. HEADLINE 3: An Iranian hacking group claimed it identified an Israeli agent coordinating Mossad operations inside Iran. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Gadeer Kamal Mreeh, former member of Knesset (Israel's parliament) and founder and CEO of GKM Global Consulting LLC. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Lebanon Must Become Independent of Saudi Arabia Too" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, This is Beirut "Can Iran Hold the Line Against Its Protesters?" - Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, The Wall Street Journal "How the UK Is Undermining US Indo-Pacific Security" - Alexander Gray and Cleo Paskal

  • January 7 · 27 min

    Is Iran next in line after Venezuela? | feat. Carine Hajjar

    HEADLINE 1: Five years after the Abraham Accords, Israel and Morocco are still going strong. HEADLINE 2: Over in Paris, Syria and Israel resumed security talks. And it looks like they might have made a breakthrough. HEADLINE 3: Gidon Saar has landed in Somaliland. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Carine Hajjar, an opinion journalist for The Washington Post. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Why These Iranian Protests Are Different" - Behnam Ben Taleblu, The Free Press "Recognizing Somaliland" - FDD's Foreign Podicy "Why Trump bared his teeth and nabbed Venezuela’s Maduro — and it’s not just drugs" - Jonathan Schanzer, New York Post

  • January 5 · 25 min

    Venezuela's inflection point | feat. RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

    FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI). Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

  • Dec 19, 2025 · 23 min

    Is the Bondi Beach massacre Australia's wake-up call? | feat. Joel Burnie

    IS THE BONDI BEACH MASSACRE AUSTRALIA'S WAKE-UP CALL? HEADLINE 1: The United States just slapped new sanctions on Iran’s shadow oil fleet. HEADLINE 2: Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are mulling a military coalition to deter the Turks. HEADLINE 3: U.S. MidEast envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Gaza ceasefire talks…. In Miami. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Joel Burnie, executive manager of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief --- Featured FDD Pieces: "It’s time for Brussels to designate Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist organization' - Behnam Ben Taleblu and Bridget Toomey, Euractiv "Mostly quiet on the Gazan front" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times "How Turkey Props up Venezuela" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, The National Interest

  • Dec 17, 2025 · 21 min

    Is herd mentality the new norm? | feat. Miriam Haart

    HEADLINE 1: Qatar is once again pushing Washington to sell it F-35s. HEADLINE 2: Israel facilitated the exit of more than 200 Palestinians from Gaza. HEADLINE 3: Hamas is abusing Gazans. Again. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Miriam Haart, who starred in the hit Netflix TV series My Unorthodox Life. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Lebanon Must Pick the Abraham Accords over the Muslim Brotherhood" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, This Is Beirut "How to Finish off the Muslim Brotherhood" - Ahmad Sharawi, The National Interest "Is Bondi Beach a sign that ISIS is making a comeback?" - Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

  • Dec 12, 2025 · 25 min

    Should Israel pardon Bibi? | feat. Aviva Klompas

    SHOULD ISRAEL PARDON BIBI? HEADLINE 1: The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. HEADLINE 2: Israeli and Taiwanese officials recently conducted a series of secret meetings. HEADLINE 3: The U.S. and Israel wrapped up joint naval exercises yesterday. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Aviva Klompas, co-founder and CEO of Boundless. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Trojan Horse: China's Auto Threat to America" - Elaine Dezenski, Congressional Testimony "Fight To Keep China Out of U.S. K-12 Classrooms Comes to Congress" - Jennifer Richmond, FDD "A Free Venezuela Elevates U.S. Energy Security" - Saeed Ghasseminejad, RealClearWorld

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 26 min

    Why do some in Hollywood want freedom for a convicted terrorist? | feat. Noa Tishby

    HEADLINE 1: After taking a beating during the 12-day war, Iran is back to building up its ballistic missile arsenal. HEADLINE 2: Israeli authorities raided a vacant United Nations Relief and Works Agency facility in East Jerusalem. HEADLINE 3: The IDF discovered three crude rockets in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with activist, actress, and New York Times bestselling author Noa Tishby. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "The Widening Gulf Between Iran and the Gulf" - Behnam Ben Taleblu and Norman T. Roule, FDD's Foreign Podicy "Al Jazeera’s Academic Arm Platforms Hamas Denialism and Anti-Israel Propaganda" - Toby Dershowitz, FDD Insight "Anti-Israeli Countries’ Attempt To Ban Israel From Eurovision Song Contest Falls Flat — With Help From Germany, Austria" - David May, New York Sun

  • Dec 5, 2025 · 21 min

    What role will AI play in the future of warfare? | feat. Leah Siskind

    HEADLINE 1: Yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing will provide $100 million to help with reconstruction and ease the humanitarian situation in Gaza. HEADLINE 2: The Pentagon deployed a new type of drone to the Middle East. HEADLINE 3: Iraq added Hezbollah and the Houthis to its asset freeze list. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow analyzes the latest headlines, followed by a pre-recorded conversation between Jon Schanzer and FDD Director of Impact and AI Research Fellow Leah Siskind. Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "America needs to stop being naive in Gaza" - Bonnie Glick, Washington Reporter "China’s Influence Operation in US Education Was Supposed To Be Shut Down, But Did Closing the Confucius Institutes Only Make It Stronger?" - Jennifer Richmond, The Washington Free Beacon "Is Qatari Money Corrupting American Education?" - Natalie Ecanow, Townhall

  • Dec 3, 2025 · 20 min

    What's happening in southern Yemen? | feat. Amr Al Bidh

    WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SOUTHERN YEMEN? HEADLINE 1: Saudi Arabia is providing the Palestinian Authority with a $90 million grant. HEADLINE 2: Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in two separate attacks yesterday. HEADLINE 3: The IDF raided the offices in Ramallah and Hebron of an organization called the Union of Agricultural Work Committees. --- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow, filling in for Jonathan Schanzer, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Southern Transition Council Special Representative Amr Al-Bidh. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief --- Featured FDD Pieces: "Trump is right to crack down on the Muslim Brotherhood" - Edmund Fitton-Brown, The Spectator "Japan Has Changed How the World Must Think About Taiwan" - Craig Singleton, The New York Times "Africa 2025: Things Fall Apart" - Clifford D. May, Foreign Podicy

  • Dec 1, 2025 · 35 min

    U.S. defense policy and strategy in the Middle East | feat. Dana Stroul

    Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dana Stroul, who serves as Director of Research and Shelly and Michael Kassen Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief