The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 17th, 2025: Russian Spy Ship Intercepted Off U.S. Coast & Terror Label for Cartel de los Soles

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: A Russian intelligence ship is spotted just 15 miles off the coast of Hawaii. We’ll look at what it was doing there and what it may have been gathering. The State Department is preparing to designate Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization — a major step that increases pressure on Nicolás Maduro and his inner circle. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.  YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Beam: Visit https://shopbeam.com/MIKE and use code MIKE to get our exclusive discount of up to 50% off. TriTails Premium Beef: Feed your legacy. Visit https://trybeef.com/pdb 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 https://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, and your eyes and ears. on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, a Russian ship was detected just 15 miles off Hawaii. We'll explain what it was doing there and what it may have been collecting. Later in the show, the State Department is preparing to designate Venezuela's Cartel de la Sol as a terrorist organization. We'll look at how this ramps up pressure on the Maduro regime. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. A Russian military intelligence ship, was detected just 15 nautical miles off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii,

prompting a rapid response from the U.S. Coast Guard and raising fresh questions about Moscow's surveillance efforts in the Pacific. The vessel, identified as the Kerala, is a Vichnia-class intelligence collector, one of Russia's dedicated signals intelligence ships. These vessels are equipped with arrays of antennas, masks, and electronic monitoring systems designed to intercept communications, map radar patterns and gather data on military movements. Their only job, frankly, is information

gathering. And according to reports, the Kerala was operating close enough to Hawaii to potentially monitor activities tied to several of America's most important military assets. Now, it's important to note that Oahu, as beautiful as it is, isn't just a honeymoon spot. It's the nerve center of U.S. power in the Pacific. It's the headquarters of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, along with the U.S. Pacific Fleet, submarine facilities, missile-range instrumentation, long-range radar networks, and communications hubs that link the U.S. to allies throughout Asia. When a foreign intelligence ship positions itself this close, the concern isn't the legality. After all, international law allows ships to operate outside the 12-mile territorial limit.

The concern is what the ship is seeing and hearing and recording. According to the Coast Guard, an HC-130 Hercules aircraft, was dispatched to conduct an overflight, while the cutter William Hart moved in for surface monitoring. Officials described the encounter as, quote, safe and professional, meaning there were no dangerous maneuvers, no interference, and no warnings issued. Now, this wasn't an isolated case. Russian intelligence vessels have appeared off Hawaii before, including a similar incident in 2021. In the broader Pacific, Russian military aircraft have increased flights near Alaska, often prompting U.S. interstate, around Europe, Russian activity near undersea cables and offshore infrastructure has raised

alarms among NATO members. And while Russia continues its war in Ukraine, its global intelligence collection operations have not slowed. In fact, this latest move near Hawaii highlights a strategic reality. Moscow is still interested in probing U.S. defenses, gathering data on America's military posture, and signaling, of course, that it can operate close to U.S. territory when it chooses. So what could the Carolia actually collect from that position? The answer is, in simple terms, well, quite a lot. Intelligence ships like this collect signals intelligence or siggint. It specializes in intercepting radio and electronic communications,

and that includes military transmissions, unclassified radar sweeps, and even the electronic signatures of aircraft and ships and missile systems. They can also observe patterns, how often aircraft take off, what frequencies are active during exercises and which naval assets are entering or leaving port. For any foreign military, competing with the U.S., especially a country that wants insight into submarine movements or missile defense sensors or Indo-Pacific command operations, those details are valuable. There's also the question of undersea activity. In the Pacific region, hosts key communications cables, data links, and naval transit routes. Mapping those networks

or documenting acoustic conditions can contribute to future intelligence campaigns. A vessel positioned 15 miles out could also gather environmental data useful for submarines or underwater drones. So far, Washington's response has been fairly muted. It hasn't issued a diplomatic protest, nor has it publicly escalated the encounter. But behind the scenes, analysts are digging into the telemetry, trying to determine what systems the ship activated, which frequencies it monitored and how long it stayed.

It also raises questions about timing. Why now? Well, why indeed. Russia is under intense strain from the war in Ukraine, yet it continues to commit resources to long-range intelligence missions. One possibility is simple. Intelligence collection is a constant job, regardless of battlefield pressures.

Another possibility is signaling, messaging. It's a reminder that Russia remains a global actor with the ability to approach U.S. shores, even if its army is bogged down elsewhere. And, of course, it could be connected to broader coordination with China, which has increased its own maritime operations around Japan, Taiwan, and the South China Sea. The bottom line, a Russian intelligence ship operating just outside U.S. territorial waters, is not illegal, but it is strategically significant. It shows that Moscow is still willing to test out closely.

It can approach American military strongholds and it forces the U.S. to assess what information may have been gathered. All right. Coming up next, the U.S. moves to label Venezuela's Cartel de Los Souls or Cartel of the Sons as a foreign terrorist organization. We'll explain what this designation means for the Maduro regime. I'll be right back. Exema is unpredictable, but you can flare less with ebbglis, a once-monthly treatment for moderate-tissaphyr Exema. After an initial four-month or longer dosing phase, about four and seven people taking Ebbglis achieved itch relief and clear or almost clear skin at 16 weeks, and most of those people

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According to the State Department's announcement, U.S. officials say the organization is not just a narcotics operation. They describe it as a network that blends high-level corruption, drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and political violence with participation from senior Venezuelan military officers and current and former government officials. In their view, this is more than a cartel. It's a state-protected criminal enterprise embedded inside the Maduro regime. For years, U.S. intelligence has tracked the cartel's movements through Venezuela's armed forces, especially the National Guard and military officers who allegedly facilitate cocaine shipments to the U.S. and Europe. The new designation signals that Washington now considers those activities to rise to the level of terrorism,

not just criminality. The new designation has a number of important ramifications. First, it triggers new legal authorities that allow the U.S. to seize assets, block financial networks, and prosecute anyone providing material support to the group. That includes individuals, companies, foreign facilitators, and even state entities if the evidence connects them to the cartel's operations. Second, it increases the potential for expanded U.S. operations in the region. Labeling a cartel as a terrorist organization opens the door to a much wider set of response tools. from intelligence sharing with partners in the region to more aggressive maritime and airborne introductions. Third, it complicates the geopolitical landscape for Maduro. If parts of his military

and security services are now officially linked to a designated terrorist organization, it raises serious questions about Venezuela's international standing and may isolate the regime even further. U.S. officials told CNN that the goal is to apply maximum pressure without closing off diplomatic channels entirely. But the the designation will make it harder for any third country to openly support or work with Venezuelan security institutions. Of course, the move comes at a time of rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. As we've been tracking closely here on the PDB, American naval and air assets have increased activity in the Caribbean and the South Atlantic, and U.S. intelligence

officials say they're monitoring growing cooperation between Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. By designated the cartel as a terrorist organization, Washington is second. sending a message not just to Caracas, but to its partners as well. Now, the designation does raise some questions. One is just how unified the cartel actually is. Analysts note that the cartel is often described less as a single centralized organization and more as a collection of corrupted officials and military factions operating under the same umbrella. That means the impact of the designation may vary.

Some networks may be exposed and disrupted quickly, while others could continue operating in the shadows. Another question is Venezuela's response. Maduro has previously denied the cartel's existence, what cartel, and accused the U.S. of weaponizing sanctions for political purposes. Now that the terrorist label is being used, the regime may attempt to rally support from allies like Cuba and Nicaragua, or even Russia and China. And finally, there's the question of regional stability. neighboring countries may be forced to reassess their own policies toward Venezuela,

especially regarding cooperation with U.S. law enforcement and U.S. military. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Monday the 17th of November. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And of course, to listen to the show ad free. That is perfectly doable. And it's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdb premium.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 to talk about personal finances. Now, I suspect you already know this, but the holidays are going to be here before you know it, right? And for many families, that, of course, means excitement. But for some, it means perhaps a little stress.

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