It's Tuesday, the 5th of May. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the U.S. is continuing with Operation Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz, opening a protected pathway for commercial ships after coming under fire from Iran. But it all raises questions. What exactly is the long-term solution for this critical waterway? With the Iranian regime of the Islamic Republic still in charge of Iran, how long does the U.S. maintain this costly and complex operation? And will the insurance and shipping industries accept this as the new norm for the strait and return to business as usual. Later in the show, both Russia and Ukraine are signaling a temporary ceasefire, but conflicting timelines may scuttle the plan before, well, it even starts. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Following yesterday's confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. forces are pushing ahead with Operation Freedom. According to U.S. Central Command Chief Admiral Brad Cooper, American forces have successfully cleared a navigable pathway through the strait, despite the presence of Iranian sea mines. And that's a critical detail, because one of the biggest open questions surrounding this operation was whether Iran had made the waterway effectively impassable. Mining the strait has long been one of Tehran's most effective tools for shutting down global shipping. But according to CENTCOM, that threat, at least for now, is being managed. Cooper says U.S. forces have been using drones and specialized mine-clearing capabilities to carve out a safe corridor. Not across the entire strait, but along a defined route, a narrow passage close to the coast of Oman, where U.S. destroyers are now actively guiding commercial vessels through. So for the time being, there is a functioning transit lane, and we now have our first real proof of concept. Shipping giant AP Molar Maersk confirmed that one of its vessels, the Alliance Fairfax, successfully crossed the Strait of Hormuz under U.S. military protection. According to the company, the ship was contacted by the U.S. military and offered escorted passage out of the Persian Gulf. It's one of the several ships that have made it through, and it sends a signal to the broader shipping industry that movement through the strait, under the right conditions, of course, is still possible. although several ships passing through is a distant cry from the 130 or 140 vessels per day that transited the strait prior to the conflict. As of right now, more than two months into the Iran war, some 1,600 ships remain stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, with roughly 20,000 seafarers on board. Now, whether more ships follow in the coming days is another question, because while the U.S. is demonstrating that it can open a path, Iran is just as clearly signaling that it does not accept that reality. State media in Tehran is pushing a very different narrative, claiming that Iranian control over the strait has actually intensified, and that both domestic and foreign vessels are still waiting for Iranian permission to pass. In other words, the regime is framing this not as a breach of their control, but as a managed environment that they still dominate. On the water itself the confrontation remains limited but deliberate Iran has continued to test U forces using small fast attack boats lightly armed with machine guns and rifles and by launching coastal cruise missiles from shore But so far, those efforts have been contained. U.S. destroyers have intercepted the incoming fire and neutralized the approaching vessels before they could pose a serious threat. And notably, according to U.S. officials, Iran has not yet deployed more advanced or higher-end capabilities. That suggests that Tehran is still calibrating its response, probing, applying pressure, but staying just below the threshold that would trigger a broader U.S. military response. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the early phase of this as, quote, frothy, initial contact, quickly handled. And the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Kane, made it clear that while Iran has fired on vessels and even seized ships in recent days, those actions don't yet rise to the level of restarting the war. At least, well, not yet. But the pressure isn't confined to the strait. The United Arab Emirates, UAE, says its air defense systems are once again engaging incoming Iranian missiles and drones, following another wave of attacks from Tehran. Interceptions have been reported across the country, along with explosions tied to those defensive operations. And that brings us back to the ceasefire, or what's left of it. Officially, it's still holding. That's the narrative coming out of the White House. But what we're seeing is something much more unstable, sort of a faux ceasefire, where both sides are actively engaging, but just carefully enough to avoid crossing into full-on conflict again. For now, the U.S. appears to be achieving a limited objective. It has carved out a narrow passageway. It's demonstrated that ships can move under protection, and it's responded forcefully to early challenges. But, you could argue, this is a fragile success. Because maintaining that corridor doesn't just depend on American capability, it depends on Iranian restraint. And so far, Tehran is choosing to push, just not too far. And the reality is, this current situation is not any kind of long-term solution. The U.S. military escorting ships through the strait in small numbers does not remotely resemble freedom of navigation, and the shipping and insurance industries are not likely to return to anything resembling business as usual in the waterway until there is a long-term resolution and a full cessation of hostilities. And the existing regime, particularly the generals of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, likely see no upside to giving up their only point of leverage with the U.S. As long as that regime continues to call the shots, Operation Freedom or any other temporary effort to reopen the strait, well, is simply putting lipstick on a pig. All right, coming up next, Russia and Ukraine say a ceasefire is coming, but they can't seem to agree on when it begins. Ceasefires are just not what they used to be. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. How many times during the week do you drop $10 or $20 or $30 on essentially meaningless items? 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They start on different days, and their timelines don't overlap, raising doubts about whether any of it will lead to a meaningful pause in the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a two-day pause in fighting, set for the 8th through the 9th of May. It's time to coincide with Russia's celebrations, marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. This year marks the 81st anniversary. Victory Day carries enormous symbolic weight in Moscow, especially under Putin, who has effectively elevated it into the country's most important national holiday, something roughly comparable to the 4th of July in the United States. It's typically marked by a massive military parade with missiles and armored vehicles and thousands of troops marching through Red Square. It's like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, without the charm or the entertainment or fun or whimsy. So not really a day out for the kids. But this year, as we've been reporting, that celebration is expected to be far more muted. Fewer heavy systems, tanks, armored personnel carriers, missile platforms are likely to appear, a reflection of the ongoing war effort and the strain that it placing on Russia military resources Not to mention that the Russian military is worried about lining up all that hardware and potentially giving an attractive target to Ukrainian drones But Russia isn't the only one saying that they are willing to pause the fighting temporarily. Ukrainian President Zelensky proposed his own ceasefire, calling for it to start at midnight tonight and run through the 6th of May. So right away, well, you can see the issue. Two ceasefires, two different timelines, and no overlap. That split timing, well, that split timing defines the entire moment. Because while both sides are using the language of de-escalation, they're operating with completely different objectives. For Moscow, this is about securing a symbolic day. Victory Day is one of the most important events on the Russian calendar, and according to the Kremlin, the pause is meant to ensure the safety of those commemorations, as Ukraine continues to expand its long-range strike capabilities. Putin doesn't want Kiev to rain drones on his parade. Now, in addition to ceasefire proposals, Moscow is also sending a warning to Kiev. You give a ceasefire proposal on one hand, you give a warning on the other. Russia's defense ministry says it expects Ukraine to honor the ceasefire, making clear that any attempt to disrupt the celebrations would trigger retaliation. specifically what it describes as a, quote, massive missile attack on the center of Kyiv. Kremlin officials are urging civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to leave the Ukrainian capital, while also claiming that Moscow had previously refrained from carrying out those kinds of attacks, quote, on humanitarian grounds. Zelensky has dismissed Putin's proposal as, quote, not serious. And there's good reason for the skepticism here. Just weeks ago, a ceasefire tied to Orthodox Easter collapsed almost immediately, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Ceasefires these days don't seem to be worth the paper that they're written on. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Tuesday, the 5th of May. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, you can do that. It's very, very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment of time to talk about something very important for anybody who's on Medicare or about to sign up for Medicare. Here's the thing. When folks get Medicare guidance, they rarely consider this fact. 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