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

Jul 9, 2025 · 24 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Roi Kais (Jul. 9)
HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND HTS HEADLINE 1: The Houthis are have resumed attacking ships in the Red Sea. HEADLINE 2: The Trump administration revoked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. HEADLINE 3: Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 more were wounded in an ambush in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and expert analysis, followed by a conversation with Roi Kais, Arab affairs correspondent for Israel's Channel 11. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jul 7, 2025 · 24 min
FDD Morning Brief feat. Col. Richard Kemp (Jul. 7)
FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and expert analysis, followed by a conversation with Col. Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer who has been on the ground in Israel and Gaza following the Hamas-led atrocities of October 7, 2023. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jul 2, 2025 · 21 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Lisa Daftari (Jul. 2)
THE IRANIAN PEOPLE VERSUS THE REGIME HEADLINE 1: President Trump signed an executive order lifting sanctions on Syria. HEADLINE 2: Iranian threats against Donald Trump and his administration keep on coming. HEADLINE 3: While we’re on the topic of suspicious Iranian activity…Danish authorities arrested a man suspected of collecting intel on Jewish targets in Germany. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation between Jonathan Schanzer and award-winning investigative journalist Lisa Daftari, who serves as the editor-in-chief for The Foreign Desk. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 30, 2025 · 25 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Jonathan Panikoff (Jun. 30)
THE STATE OF IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, THE WAR IN GAZA, AND THE AXIS OF AGGRESSORS HEADLINE 1: Hamas issued fresh threats against aid workers in Gaza. HEADLINE 2: Over the last three months, the Shin Bet has arrested over 60 Hamas operatives in the West Bank. HEADLINE 3: Ireland is weighing legislation to ban imports from Israeli communities in the West Bank. BONUS HEADLINE 4: Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi issued a fatwa against President Donald Trump. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Jonathan Panikoff, who directs the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 27, 2025 · 26 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. BG (Res.) Prof. Jacob Nagel (Jun. 27)
IRAN, GAZA, AND THE HOSTAGES FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Brigadier General (Res.) Professor Jacob Nagel, FDD senior fellow and former Israeli national security advisor. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Join our community to receive 24/7 updates on new and original insights into the latest developments and breaking news on national security and foreign policy. Subscribe now to @FDD on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC92qc2WwrEdmJ7ThqGR9yfw?sub_confirmation=1 Follow FDD on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FDD Follow FDD on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/816544/ Follow FDD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/followFDD/ FDD Website - https://www.fdd.org/ The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a Washington, DC-based nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. FDD does not accept donations from any foreign governments. FDD conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries and enemies of the United States and other free nations. Founded shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, FDD conducts actionable research, prepared by experts and scholars from a variety of backgrounds – including government, intelligence, military, private sector, academia, and journalism. It brings proficiency in foreign languages, law, finance, technology, and other skills to its work. FDD regularly provides open-source research and analyses to policymakers and the media. Since its founding, FDD has shared its expertise with the Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations and congressional offices on a bipartisan basis. In addition to its in-house experts, FDD proudly collaborates with and seeks counsel from a range of distinguished advisors. FDD houses three centers on American power, which include FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power, and FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. FDD Experts: https://www.fdd.org/team/fdd-team FDD Advisors: https://www.fdd.org/team/advisors FDD Centers on American Power: https://www.fdd.org/fdd-centers-on-american-power/
Jun 25, 2025 · 35 min
Analyzing the Impact: Tehran's Nuclear Program After the Strikes | FDD SITREP
On this special SITREP episode of the FDD Morning Brief, Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer is joined by FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus and FDD CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman to assess the fallout from Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran with a ceasefire now in effect — and evaluate the current status of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 23, 2025 · 35 min
FDD Morning Brief | Damage Assessment: U.S. Strikes on Iran's Nuclear Sites (Jun. 23)
Tune in to the FDD Morning Brief for a special SITREP assessing the damage from the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer is joined by RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation; Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power; and Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of FDD’s Iran Program for a comprehensive analysis. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 20, 2025 · 27 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Mark Dubowitz (Jun. 20)
ISRAEL'S SUCCESSES AND IRAN'S STRATEGY HEADLINE 1: Hackers stole approximately $90 million from Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. HEADLINE 2: Iran and Israel are slugging it out like two boxers in the 10th round of a heavyweight bout. HEADLINE 3: As Trump considers what to do next, polls are shedding light about what Americans think about Iran. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Chief Executive Mark Dubowitz, who hosts FDD's new podcast, The Iran Breakdown. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 18, 2025 · 22 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Behnam Ben Taleblu (Jun. 18)
THE REGIME IN IRAN'S ARSENAL, ISRAEL'S SUCCESSES AND SETBACKS, AND THE IRANIAN PEOPLE HEADLINE 1: 20 Arab and Islamic countries signed a statement calling on Israel to stop striking Iran. HEADLINE 2: The IDF took out Iranian Maj. Gen. Ali Shamdani. HEADLINE 3: Two Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow fills in for Jonathan Schanzer, delivering timely situational updates and analysis ahead of a conversation with Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of FDD's Iran Program. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
Jun 16, 2025 · 30 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Beni Sabti, hosted by Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus (Jun. 16)
ISRAEL, THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC, AND THE IRANIAN PEOPLE -- As tensions escalate following Israel’s strike on Iran, FDD’s Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus offers timely analysis and is joined by Iran expert Beni Sabti of The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) to assess the fallout. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 13, 2025 · 33 min
EMERGENCY SITREP: Israel Strikes Iran | FDD SITREP
Israel has launched precision strikes against nuclear and military facilities in Iran — just days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) formally declared Iran in violation of its nuclear nonproliferation commitments for the first time since 2005. The Islamic Republic — closer than ever to acquiring a nuclear weapon — had dismissed U.S. diplomatic overtures and accelerated its nuclear program in ways that clearly exceed any plausible civilian use. What are the implications for regional security and America’s allies? How will these developments affect Iran’s nuclear trajectory? And how might continued escalation shift the strategic balance across the Middle East and beyond? To deconstruct, Jonathan Schanzer hosts an all-star lineup of experts: RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, Eyal Hulata, and Mark Dubowitz. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 11, 2025 · 26 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak (Jun. 11)
TURKEY'S NEO-OTTOMAN VISION HEADLINE 1: The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on a network of sham charities that fund Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or “PFLP.” HEADLINE 2: Israel carried out strikes against Yemen’s Hodeida port. HEADLINE 3: The IDF took out two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak — author, researcher, and one of the world’s foremost experts on Turkey — from the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief
Jun 9, 2025 · 22 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Cliff May (Jun. 9)
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND ... GRETA THUNBERG? HEADLINE 1: Iranian intelligence agencies say they’ve acquired a cache of sensitive Israeli documents. HEADLINE 2: Al Qaeda in Yemen is back in the spotlight. HEADLINE 3: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon may soon be a thing of the past. -- 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/
Jun 6, 2025 · 26 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Sinan Ciddi (Jun. 6)
TURKEY'S INTERNAL CHALLENGES AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCE HEADLINE 1: Israel’s defense exports increased 13 percent in 2024. HEADLINE 2: Israel is arming jihadi criminals in Gaza. HEADLINE 3: The Syrian government agreed to give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to former Assad regime nuclear sites. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Sinan Ciddi, director of FDD's Turkey Program. Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
Jun 4, 2025 · 16 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Eitan Fischberger (Jun. 4)
QATAR'S MALIGN INFLUENCE AND ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA HEADLINE 1: The Trump administration okay-ed the integration of foreign fighters into the Syrian army. HEADLINE 2: Rumors are swirling about who will replace Muhammed Sinwar as Hamas’s commander-in-chief. OK, maybe not swirling. We think we know who it is. HEADLINE 3: Chaos is festering on the Gaza aid front. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with writer and Middle East analyst Eitan Fischberger. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
Jun 2, 2025 · 23 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. John Spencer (Jun. 2)
GAZA AID, HAMAS, AND THE 'DAY AFTER' HEADLINE 1: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is talking about normalization with Israel. HEADLINE 2: The United States, Britain, France, and Germany, are planning to submit a resolution to the International Atomic Energy Agency board declaring Iran non-compliant with its non-proliferation obligations. Because it is. HEADLINE 3: A Saudi-led delegation of Arab foreign ministers was supposed to visit the West Bank yesterday. Israel blocked it. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with John Spencer, who serves as the chair of urban warfare studies at West Point's Modern War Institute. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
May 30, 2025 · 22 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Jacob Magid (May 30)
U.S.-ISRAEL TIES, INTERNAL ISRAELI POLITICS, AND THE HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS HEADLINE 1: The IDF announced that it has successfully used lasers to shoot down enemy projectiles. HEADLINE 2: The Lebanese Armed Forces reportedly dismantled most of Hezbollah’s infrastructure in south Lebanon. HEADLINE 3: After 13 years, the stars and stripes are flying again in Damascus. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with Jacob Magid, who serves as the U.S. bureau chief at The Times of Israel. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
May 28, 2025 · 22 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Scooter Libby (May 28)
WHAT'S THE STORY WITH HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA? HEADLINE 1: Israel and Syria are holding direct talks. HEADLINE 2: Germany is starting to change its tone on Israel. HEADLINE 3: The Palestinian flag is about to fly at the World Health Organization. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Distinguished Fellow Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
May 23, 2025 · 22 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Brandy Shufutinsky (May 23)
FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN K-12 SCHOOLS AND BEYOND HEADLINE 1: Israel and Turkey reportedly established a new mechanism to help prevent unwanted military incidents in Syria. HEADLINE 2: Two more Houthi missile attacks were recorded. HEADLINE 3: France is working with Saudi Arabia on a proposal for Gaza that would require Hamas to disarm. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Brandy Shufutinsky, director of FDD's brand-new program on education and national security. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/
May 21, 2025 · 23 min
FDD Morning Brief | feat. Mariam Wahba (May 21)
EGYPT, CHINA, AND THE HORN OF AFRICA HEADLINE 1: The Israeli cabinet approved plans to build a security barrier along Israel’s border with Jordan. HEADLINE 2: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is traveling to Lebanon this week. And the corrupt alta cocker might actually notch a legitimate win. HEADLINE 3: The U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hezbollah financial networks. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Research Analyst Mariam Wahba, whose work focuses on Egypt and minority communities in the Middle East. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/