Mike Baker

You can catch the Situation Report on our YouTube channel.

That's at President's Daily Brief, as well as on podcast platforms all over podcast land.

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

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It's Friday, the 16th of January.

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, the U.S.

moves a carrier strike group toward the Middle East, signaling that while rhetoric with Iran may be cooling, Washington is keeping military options open.

Later in the show, the Gaza ceasefire enters phase two, at least on paper.

President Trump backs a new transitional governing plan.

But serious questions, of course, remain about whether Hamas will ever agree to disarm.

And, of course, phase two success depends on Hamas disarming.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight.

We briefly mentioned this development in this morning's PDB, but it does deserve a closer look.

The U.S.

is moving a carrier strike group toward the Middle East, a clear signal that while rhetoric between Washington and Tehran may be cooling, at least supposedly,

President Trump is keeping his options open and maintaining military pressure.