January 16th, 2026: Why President Trump Changed His Mind On Striking Iran & Ukraine Faces Manpower Strain

The President's Daily Brief

The First TV

News, Politics

4.7 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: U.S.–Iran tensions appear to ease after days of escalating rhetoric, and new reporting reveals why—President Trump’s closest Gulf allies are quietly urging him not to strike Iran, warning that the regional fallout could be severe. Ukraine’s new defense minister delivers a stark assessment of the war effort, acknowledging widespread desertions and millions avoiding the draft as Russian forces continue pressing their offensive. President Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act, signaling he may deploy federal troops to Minneapolis amid persistent protests tied to federal immigration enforcement. And in today’s Back of the Brief—European nations send troops to Greenland as Denmark moves to strengthen NATO’s presence on the island, while President Trump continues pressing his claim. 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 Joi + Blokes: Go to http://joiandblokes.com/PDB and use code PDB for 50% off your labs and 20% off all supplements Mars Men: Boost energy and strength naturally with Mars Men—get 50% off for life + 3 free gifts at https://MenGoToMars.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
0:03.0	Security and compliance done wrong is a headache.
0:06.0	Done right, you build trust and grow faster.
0:08.0	That's Vanta.
0:09.0	For startups, Vanta acts as your first security hire,
0:13.0	using AI to get you compliant fast.
0:15.0	For enterprises, it's your AI-powered hub for compliance,
0:18.0	risk and automating workflows.
0:20.0	From startups like Cursor to
0:21.8	enterprises like Snowflake, top companies choose Vantor. Do security and compliance right. Get
0:27.1	started today at Vantor.com. It's Friday, the 16th of January.
0:44.5	Welcome to the President's Daily Brief.
0:46.8	I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.
0:50.1	All right, let's get briefed.
0:52.9	First up, after days of escalating rhetoric, U.S. Iran tensions on the surface anyway appear to be easing.
1:01.3	At least that's how the White House is playing it. And now we're learning about one potentially
1:06.0	contributing factor. President Trump's closest Gulf allies are quietly urging him not to strike Iran,
1:13.9	warning that the fallout could be severe. Of course, that's while the U.S. is moving a carrier
1:18.9	group into the region. I'll have the details. Later in the show, Ukraine's new defense minister
1:24.7	offers a stark assessment of his nation's war effort, revealing
1:28.8	widespread desertions and millions avoiding the draft, as Russia continues to press its offensive.
1:35.5	Plus, President Trump is threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act and deploy federal
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The First TV, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The First TV and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.