The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 9th, 2026: Post-Maduro Regime Starts Playing Ball With Trump & Putin Unleashes Hypersonic Missile Near NATO Border

Episode Date: January 9, 2026

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:  First—Venezuela is making a major concession to the U.S., announcing the release of long detained political prisoners, while signaling it’s ready to talk. But is this real change, or just the actions of a regime trying to buy time under pressure from President Trump? I’ll break it down. Later in the show—Putin responds to ongoing peace efforts by firing off a hypersonic, nuclear-capable missile at a target in Ukraine near the border with NATO—a clear message of intimidation aimed at the entire European continent. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief American Financing: Call American Financing today to find out how customers are saving an avg of $800/mo. NMLS 182334, https://nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB.ZBiotics: Visit https://zbiotics.com/PDB for 15% off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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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, Venezuela is making what appears to be a major concession to the U.S., announcing the release of long- detained political prisoners and supposedly easing pressure on the opposition, all while signaling that the new regime, under newly named President Delci Rodriguez, is ready to talk. But is this real change or just, the actions of a regime, still run by Maduro cronies, simply trying to buy time while under pressure from President Trump. I'll have the details. Later in the show, despite ongoing peace efforts, Moscow is opting for intimidation firing off a hypersonic nuclear-capable missile near NATO's

border on Friday during their latest bombardment of Ukraine. And that, frankly, doesn't sound like something you'd do if you were seriously interested in peace. But first, today's after new spotlight. The post-Moduro leadership in Venezuela is making what appears to be a public show of cooperation with Washington. This week, Delci Rodriguez, the newly named president, and the remnants of the former Maduro regime announced a release of a large number of political prisoners, presenting the move as a deliberate gesture aimed at easing tensions with the U.S. and opening the door to what they called a, quote, path toward peace. Now, this release of prisoners was not done quietly or behind the scenes. It was a calculated public signal and one that the White House immediately

took note of. According to Venezuelan officials, the prisoner releases are part of a broader effort to demonstrate good faith following Nicholas Maduro's capture by U.S. forces. Among those freed are several well-known opposition figures, people whose imprisonment had long been held up by human rights groups as proof of just how politically repressive the Maduro regime had become. One of the most prominent names is Biago Piliotti, a longtime opposition leader and political organizer who played a role in the 2024 election cycle before being detained. Also freed is Sanrique Marquez, a former member of Venezuela's electoral authority, and a vocal critic of the regime's manipulation of elections. Marquez had been detained amid accusations widely viewed as politically motivated.

Another notable release is Rosillo San Miguel, a well-known human rights lawyer and defense analyst, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Her detention sparked international backlash, particularly from European governments. Along with San Miguel, several other foreign nationals were also released. The total number of people released is currently unknown, but according to the Watchdog Group 4OP now, as of Monday, 806 people were detained for political reasons, including 105 women, a teenager, and 85 foreign nationals, 85 foreign nationals. Now, it's important, to be clear about what this is and what this isn't. This move does not mean that the leopard has changed its spots. Human rights organizations estimate that hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars

in Venezuela. There's been no announcement of judicial reform, no dismantling of the security apparatus, and no indication that repression has fundamentally ended. But the prisoners released by the Venezuelan government so far include most of the high-profile opposition figures who were in jail, which means this was more than just a token release. This is one of several concessions that the post-Maduro leadership has made in recent days. Alongside these prisoner releases, Venice-Welan officials have softened their rhetoric toward Washington, signaled openness to discussions on energy cooperation, and refrained from retaliatory actions following recent U.S. military operations.

Now, President Trump publicly welcomed the releases and pointed to them as evidence that sustained pressure, political, economic, and military, is producing results. In a social media post, Trump called the move, quote, a very important and smart gesture. Administration officials have suggested that these concessions played a role in decisions to pause additional military strikes and explore limited diplomatic engagement. The regime, at least on the surface, seems to understand that it's in a precarious position. Its power base is weakened, its international allies are limited, and its economy remains fragile. Publicly releasing political prisoners

costs them little in the short term, but it buys time, legitimacy, and potentially relief from further U.S. pressure. Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corino Machado also hailed the announcement, saying in an audio message on social media, quote, injustice will not last forever, and truth, although it be wounded,

ends up finding its way, end quote. Now Machado will reportedly be meeting with Trump next week. So the bottom line is this. Venezuela's post-Modoro leadership is signaling cooperation. They're making visible concessions, and they're engaging with the Trump administration, at least for now. But history, of course, tells us to stay somewhat skeptical. This may be the opening chapter of a genuine transition, or it may simply be a tactical pause by a regime that wants to survive. All right. Next up, Putin responds to ongoing peace efforts by firing off a hypersonic nuclear-capable missile near NATO's border. That sounds super peaceful.

It's a clear message of intimidation aimed at the entire European continent. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, I have been known in my time to enjoy a nice, ice-cold gin martini or two on a somewhat regular basis, right? But here's the thing. And the truth is hard to admit, but the older I get, the more I start to regret my martinis the next morning. That's why I'm a big fan of Zbiotics pre-alcohol probiotic drink. You may have heard me talk about this stuff before. Zbiotics pre-alcohol probiotic drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking, and who knows more about rough mornings after drinking than PhD scientists. Here's the deal. When you drink,

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a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile known as the Ereschnik overnight at a target in Western Ukraine near the border with Poland. Of course, Poland being a member of the EU and NATO. It was only the second time since the war began that Russia has used this missile, and the choice of location appeared calculated to send a message well beyond Ukraine's borders. Ukraine's foreign minister immediately decried the strike, calling it, quote, a grave threat to the security of the European continent and a test for the transatlantic. community. According to Ukrainian officials and Western allies, the strike was part of a wider hours-long bombardment that included more than 240 drones and 36 missiles. Keeve was hit hardest.

At least four people were killed, including a medic responding to the attack, and more than 20 others left wounded. Strikes damage department buildings and critical infrastructure, knocking out water in some areas, and cutting heat to more than half a million homes in the capital amid sub-freezing temperatures. The strikes also damaged the Katari embassy in Kiev. Russia's defense ministry said the Arrashnik strike was retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian attempt last month to attack one of Vladimir Putin's residences inside Russia. But as we discussed earlier this week, Ukrainian officials have flatly rejected that claim, calling it a fabrication aimed at derailing peace talks, and U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that there's no evidence

that the attack ever occurred. It's worth remembering that the Ereschnik is nuclear capable, and leaders in Kiev say that it's impossible to intercept with current air defenses. While in this case it was carrying only inert dummy warheads, it can also be outfitted with conventional warheads. Russia first used the missile in a largely symbolic strike on central Ukraine back in November of 2024, after the U.S. and Britain authorized Keev to use Western-made weapons deeper inside Russia. It was a calculated demonstration aimed at telling Europe that Moscow is willing to raise the stakes on the battlefield at any time, particularly if they feel that Western powers are becoming too involved in the conflict. This latest launch follows that same logic.

By firing a hypersonic missile toward NATO's frontier, while peace efforts remain underway, well, at least underway between Kiev and Western allies, Moscow appears to be warning European governments that deeper involvement, including post-war security guarantees, will not be tolerated. Ukrainian and European officials were explicit in their reading of the attack, calling it an escalation and an attempt to intimidate Europe out of continued support for Kiev. EU foreign policy chief, Kayakalis, framed the strike as a, quote, warning to Europe and to the U.S., adding that EU countries must, quote, raise the cost of this war to Moscow. The attack came just days after a summit where Washington endorsed giving concrete security guarantees

to Kiv, and European leaders pledged to deploy Western peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event a ceasefire is reached. As we discussed earlier on the PDB, Russia responded with blunt threats over the proposal from Europe's so-called Coalition of the Willing, declaring that any potential Western security forces would become legitimate military targets. Friday's missile strike reinforced that message, driving home that Moscow will regard such security guarantees as simply a continuation of the war by other means. Ukrainian President Zelensky, meanwhile, demanded a firm international response on Friday, urging the U.S. and its allies to impose harsh consequences to force Russia into taking diplomacy seriously. European leaders echoed that call, arguing the strike underscored the urgency,

supplying Ukraine with additional air defenses and increasing sanctions pressure on the Kremlin. And on that score, there might be some movement in Washington. As I touched on earlier, Senator Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that President Trump is green-lit a long-stalled bipartisan sanctions bill that would authorize tariffs of up to 500 percent on countries that knowingly purchase oil or uranium from Russia, as well as ban U.S. energy exports to Russia altogether. According to Graham, that bill could be put to vote as early as next week. Still, given Moscow's behavior, I wouldn't expect a pivot to peace from Putin anytime soon.

And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Friday, the 9th of January. 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, well, that is very simple to do. Just become a premium member of the president's daily brief by visiting pdb premium.com. And today, of course, is Friday, but, well, you knew that already. which means that a brand new episode of America's favorite weekend news show, I don't know if that's scientific research or not, hits the airwaves, as usual at 10 p.m. on the first TV.

You can also catch it and past episodes of the Situation Report on our YouTube channel. Just head on over to YouTube and search for at President's Daily Brief. You can also find it on podcast platforms everywhere. This weekend's guests include former CIA Caracas station chief, Rick Deloogetore, and Benem Ben Taliblu, from the founding. Foundation for Defensive Democracy's Iran program. We're talking everything Venezuelan, Maduro's capture, what's next for Venezuela, and we're also moving over to the Middle East and talking about the Iran protests and the fate of the Iranian regime. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over

the weekend with the PDB Situation Report. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply.