Have you ever wondered what dictators do in their spare time?

Well, I'm sure you have. Come on.

That's what we're exploring in this week's subscriber-exclusive episode of the PDB dictator files.

From Kim Jong-il's obsession with Hollywood to Saddam Hussein's career as a novelist,

it's a fascinating look at how absolute power turns personal hobbies into matters of state. You can listen by going

to PDB Premium.com. Now more on that later, but first, let's get on with a PDB. It's Wednesday, the 8th of July.

Welcome to the President's Daily Brief.

I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage.

All right, let's get briefed.

First up, troubling signs out of Moscow suggest the Kremlin may soon order up another military

mobilization, and that is a move that could carry enormous political risks for Vladimir Putin.

Later in the show, one of NATO's biggest defense disputes may soon be over as President Trump

considers restoring Turkey's access to the F-35.

Plus, as Syria tries to convince the world that it's turning the page after Assad, a pair of

bombings in Damascus threatens to pull the country right back into chaos.

And in today's back of the brief, the Pentagon appears to be reversing course as a U.S.

troop deployment to Poland that was previously canceled is suddenly now back on track. But first, today's PDB spotlight.

Vladimir Putin may be preparing to make one of the riskiest political decisions of his presidency.

According to multiple reports from independent Russian media,

the Kremlin is actively discussing another large-scale military mobilization as early as this

October after elections to Russia's state Duma. No final decision has reportedly been made,

but if it happens, it would mark the first nationwide call-up of

...