Mike Baker

It's Monday, the 1st of June.

Well, look at that, the start of a brand new month.

Welcome to the President's Daily Brief.

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

And I know it won't surprise you to hear that I'm still on the road.

All right.

Let's get briefed.

First up, despite Iran's threats and claims to be controlling the waterway, some commercial ships are quietly slipping through the Strait of Hormuz, reportedly with US help, raising new questions about just how much control Tehran really has over the strait.

Later in the show, President Trump is reportedly demanding tougher terms in a proposed agreement with Iran, sending the framework negotiated by his own envoys back for revisions.

Plus, British intelligence now estimates that nearly half a million Russian troops have been killed in the course of Putin's war in Ukraine.

And in today's Back of the Brief, a rare meeting between senior U.S.

and Cuban military officials at Guantanamo Bay, sometimes known as Gitmo, is raising questions about what Washington and Havana may be discussing behind closed doors.

But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

As negotiations between the U.S.

and Iran supposedly continue, something interesting is happening in the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite Tehran's threats and continued efforts to control the strategic waterway, a small, I emphasize small, number of commercial vessels are quietly slipping through.

Now, to be clear, the strait remains choked off for all practical purposes.

Traffic is still only a fraction of what it was before the conflict.

Many major shipping companies remain unwilling to risk sending vessels through the region.

Insurance rates remain sky high, hundreds of ships remain stranded, and any vessel that enters the area is still taking on significant risk.