Mike Baker

It's Monday, the 25th of May.

Well, for those of you in the U.S., it's Memorial Day, the classic start of summer, end of school for many kids, although some of you still have a few weeks to go.

The beginning of cookout season, lake and beach trips, and of course, most importantly, an opportunity to take a moment and remember all those who served and sacrificed for the nation.

Now, that can get lost in the excitement and activities of a long weekend, but I hope that you'll take that moment to remember and to tell your kids, if you have kids, about the purpose of the holiday.

And then, of course, well, open up the cooler, grab a cold one, and get grillin'.

And with that, 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, the U.S.

and Iran have reportedly agreed in principle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though major questions surrounding Tehran's nuclear program remain unanswered.

And as of now, the two sides are describing the supposed agreement in different terms.

We'll look at what all that might mean.

Later in the show, new details emerge from CIA Director John Ratcliffe's trip to Havana, Cuba, including reports that he brought along a paramilitary operator who was involved in the capture of Nicolas Maduro.

Plus, Russia unleashes one of its largest aerial assaults on Kiev since the start of the war, reportedly using its nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missiles.

And in today's Back of the Brief, a tense standoff erupts between Chinese and Taiwanese Coast Guard ships near the strategically sensitive Pratas Islands in the South China Sea.

But first, today's BDB Spotlight.

After months of escalating conflict, economic warfare, and repeated threats of a wider regional war, the US and Iran now may be closer than they've been in weeks to a deal that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and temporarily ease one of the most dangerous crises facing the global economy.

According to multiple reports from the New York Times and Axios, Washington and Tehran have supposedly now agreed, in principle anyway, to a framework that would reopen the strategic waterway in exchange for a series of preliminary Iranian nuclear concessions and limited economic relief.

But despite the optimism coming from the White House, the agreement has not yet been finalized, and many of the hardest and most contentious issues reportedly remain unresolved.

According to U.S.