Mike Baker

Welcome to the PDB Situation Report.

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

All right, let's get briefed.

First up, just days after the U.S.

and Iran signed a framework agreement or a memorandum of understanding, the first round of follow-on negotiations was called off following a deadly exchange of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah.

That didn't take long.

We'll be joined by Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defensive Democracies to discuss what happens next.

And it is a very fluid situation.

All right.

Later in the show, the battle over AI data centers is becoming a major flashpoint across America, raising questions about energy, infrastructure and national competitiveness.

Investigative journalist Joshua Phillip joins us to discuss whether China may be helping fuel opposition to these projects and what's at stake in the race for AI dominance.

But first, today's Situation Report Spotlight.

Just days after the U.S.

and Iran signed a framework agreement aimed at reducing tensions across the Middle East, the first major test of that deal arrived.

Planned U.S.-Iran negotiations in Switzerland were abruptly called off by the Iranian side after a deadly exchange of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah left dozens dead, including four Israeli soldiers.

The cancellation shows just how fragile the situation remains, of course, with key questions still unresolved about Iran's nuclear program, regional proxy groups, and whether the broader agreement can survive renewed violence on Israel's northern border.

To help us break this down, we're joined by Jonathan Schanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Jonathan, welcome back to the PDB Situation Report.

I suspect we have some things to talk about.

Great to be back with you.