FDD Morning Brief

4.9 (81)
NEWS COMMENTARY
UPDATED WEEKLY

The FDD Morning Brief provides timely situational updates on contemporary events. Start your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 8:30am (ET) with digestible analysis and the headlines our experts are watching. The FDD Morning Brief can be streamed on YouTube, X, and is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

1D AGO

Will this protest wave rewrite Iran's future? | feat. Behnam Ben Taleblu

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of FDD's Iran Program. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

28 min
4D AGO

How are domestic politics shaping Israel's national security? | feat. Gadeer Kamal Mreeh

HOW ARE DOMESTIC POLITICS SHAPING ISRAEL'S NATIONAL SECURITY? HEADLINE 1: A big Gaza announcement is expected. HEADLINE 2: The Lebanese Armed Forces said it completed the first phase of its plan to deploy across south Lebanon and disarm non-state groups. HEADLINE 3: An Iranian hacking group claimed it identified an Israeli agent coordinating Mossad operations inside Iran. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Gadeer Kamal Mreeh, former member of Knesset (Israel's parliament) and founder and CEO of GKM Global Consulting LLC. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Lebanon Must Become Independent of Saudi Arabia Too" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, This is Beirut "Can Iran Hold the Line Against Its Protesters?" - Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh, The Wall Street Journal "How the UK Is Undermining US Indo-Pacific Security" - Alexander Gray and Cleo Paskal

28 min
6D AGO

Is Iran next in line after Venezuela? | feat. Carine Hajjar

HEADLINE 1: Five years after the Abraham Accords, Israel and Morocco are still going strong. HEADLINE 2: Over in Paris, Syria and Israel resumed security talks. And it looks like they might have made a breakthrough. HEADLINE 3: Gidon Saar has landed in Somaliland. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Carine Hajjar, an opinion journalist for The Washington Post. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Why These Iranian Protests Are Different" - Behnam Ben Taleblu, The Free Press "Recognizing Somaliland" - FDD's Foreign Podicy "Why Trump bared his teeth and nabbed Venezuela’s Maduro — and it’s not just drugs" - Jonathan Schanzer, New York Post

28 min
JAN 5

Venezuela's inflection point | feat. RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI). Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

26 min
12/22/2025

Is United Nations reform a possibility or a pipe dream? | feat. Ambassador Jeff Bartos

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ambassador Jeff Bartos, who serves as the U.S. Representative for UN Management and Reform. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

27 min
12/19/2025

Is the Bondi Beach massacre Australia's wake-up call? | feat. Joel Burnie

IS THE BONDI BEACH MASSACRE AUSTRALIA'S WAKE-UP CALL? HEADLINE 1: The United States just slapped new sanctions on Iran’s shadow oil fleet. HEADLINE 2: Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are mulling a military coalition to deter the Turks. HEADLINE 3: U.S. MidEast envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Gaza ceasefire talks…. In Miami. --- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Joel Burnie, executive manager of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council. Learn more at: fdd.org/fddmorningbrief --- Featured FDD Pieces: "It’s time for Brussels to designate Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist organization' - Behnam Ben Taleblu and Bridget Toomey, Euractiv "Mostly quiet on the Gazan front" - Clifford D. May, The Washington Times "How Turkey Props up Venezuela" - Sinan Ciddi and William Doran, The National Interest

24 min
12/17/2025

Is herd mentality the new norm? | feat. Miriam Haart

HEADLINE 1: Qatar is once again pushing Washington to sell it F-35s. HEADLINE 2: Israel facilitated the exit of more than 200 Palestinians from Gaza. HEADLINE 3: Hamas is abusing Gazans. Again. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Miriam Haart, who starred in the hit Netflix TV series My Unorthodox Life. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief -- Featured FDD Pieces: "Lebanon Must Pick the Abraham Accords over the Muslim Brotherhood" - Hussain Abdul-Hussain, This Is Beirut "How to Finish off the Muslim Brotherhood" - Ahmad Sharawi, The National Interest "Is Bondi Beach a sign that ISIS is making a comeback?" - Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

22 min
12/15/2025

Schrödinger’s Hezbollah: Neither strong nor weak — yet both | feat. Hagar Chemali

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with political satirist and "Oh My World" podcast host Hagar Chemali. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

22 min

See All (309)

4.9

out of 5

81 Ratings

Clarity

11/15/2025

Dr, L

FDD is by far the most important foreign policy think tank in DC. They are unapologetically honest and fair. Listening to one of their podcasts is like taking an hour long master class on the issues. None of the dog whistle antisemitism at the Heritage Foundation. None of the whitewashing of Qatari and Turkish meddling in American politics. Love this group.
May

10/09/2025

Gnome chopper

Love Cliff May and thank him for creating the FDD.
Audio

10/24/2025

Not Murphy!

Audio is terrible!
Great content, but…

10/22/2025

tipzipzee

You’ve gotta work on the sound quality. It sounds like you’re and your mother‘s basement. Sorry, but it’s really hard to listen to.

The FDD Morning Brief provides timely situational updates on contemporary events. Start your Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at 8:30am (ET) with digestible analysis and the headlines our experts are watching. The FDD Morning Brief can be streamed on YouTube, X, and is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.