The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 16th, 2025: US Navy Smokes Another Venezuelan Narco-Boat & IDF Begins Gaza City Ground Invasion

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: The U.S. military strikes a second Venezuelan boat, accused of carrying narcotics toward American shores. Israel launches its largest ground assault of the war, sending tens of thousands of troops into Gaza City. 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 Mando: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code PDB at https://shopmando.com! #mandopod   Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on goldAmerican Financing: NMLS 182334, https://nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.327% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1881 for details about credit costs and terms. Visit http://www.AmericanFinancing.net/PDB   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We'll have those details. Later in the show, Israel launches its largest ground assault of the war with Hamas, sending tens of thousands of troops into Gaza City. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We start today with another Venezuelan narco vessel, now at the bottom of the Caribbean, as President Trump's campaign against cartels notched its second strike on Monday, this time destroying a boat reportedly loaded with cocaine and fentanyl that was bound for American shores. The president released a video on truth social of what he called a kinetic strike, underscoring that he had personally ordered

the attack. The vessel was hit in international waters under U.S. Southern Command's watch, and Trump said three traffickers were killed. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters, quote, all you have to do is look at the cargo. It was spattered all over the ocean, big bags of cocaine and fentanyl all over the place. We know what time they're leaving, when they are leaving, which, okay, admittedly, it's a little redundant, what they had and all the other things you'd like to have, end quote. He added that no U.S. forces were harmed. On truth social, Trump ratcheted up his message, posting in all caps, which means he's serious. Be warned, if you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you, end quote.

He went on to blast cartels as extraordinarily violent and accused him of, quote, wreaking, devastating consequences on American communities for decades, killing millions of American citizens, no longer, also in caps, end quote. As we discussed here on the PDB earlier this month, the first strike came on the second of September when U.S. forces sank what was described as a Trent Aragua or TDA vessel, killing 11 traffickers. That action signaled a break with past doctrine, treating cartels not as smugglers to be arrested, but as terrorists to be targeted and destroyed. For decades, U.S. Coast Guard interdictions relied on boarding vessels, firing warning shots, and arrests. Now the rules have changed. No warnings, no boardings, no arrests, just military targeting and termination.

That ship was made possible by President Trump's executive decision earlier this year, to designate several Latin American cartels as foreign terrorist organizations or FTOs. TDA, most notably, was formally labeled a FTO in February, unlocking Pentagon authorities that go far beyond traditional Coast Guard operations and interdictions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been equally blunt. On a visit to Ecuador earlier this month, he said the U.S. and, quote, cooperative governments of Latin America would identify traffickers and, quote, blow them on. up if that's what it takes, end quote. And in an interview this week with Fox News, while Lana visited

Jerusalem, Rubio reinforced that message, saying cartels have already factored interceptions into their business models. He stated, quote, they don't mind losing 2% or 3% of their drug shipments. Rubio added, what needs to start happening is some of these boats need to be not just intercepted, but stopped, end quote. And so, the administration's argument is relatively simple. Venezuela and cartels. are funneling billions in narcotics into the U.S., fueling addiction and violence. With two strikes already this month, the White House is leaving no doubt that this is not a one-off, but the opening phase of an ongoing campaign to combat narco-terrorism across the Caribbean. All right, coming up next.

Tanks, artillery, and waves of reservists are now storming into Gaza City as Israel begins a massive ground operation designed to finish off Hamas. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, I've got a tip for you for staying fresh. That's important, right? And I'm a bit of a hygiene expert. So here's what you've got to do.

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Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment to talk about protecting your hard-earned assets. That's an important topic. Now, when you hear about inflation worries, or maybe you look around, you see that the U.S. national debt is somewhere around $37 trillion, or you just see all the global uncertainty. Do you ever think to yourself, hmm, maybe now would be a good time to buy some gold? Well, that would be a logical thought. You see, whether as a hedge against inflation or peace of mind during global instability or just for sensible diversification, gold has always been thought of as a safe haven,

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Eyewitnesses describe relentless bombardment as armored units maneuvered towards the city's heart. Defense Minister Israel Katz summed it up bluntly, saying, quote, Gaza is burning, we will not relent or turn back until the mission is complete, end quote. Now, this is not a limited raid. Israel has committed multiple combat divisions, tens of thousands of soldiers, backed by tanks,

armored vehicles, and artillery batteries. That scale of mobilization for this new phase of the offensive shows just how significant this campaign is for Israel's leadership. In total, around 130,000 reservists have been called up, with about 80% of them reporting for duty. The military says the current operation is expected to last months, though commanders admit the timeline is uncertain. That timeline is going to be largely dependent on what remains of Hamas's fighting force. At the start of the war, Hamas could field about 24,000 trained fighters. Israeli officials now claim they've killed roughly 22,000 of them. If accurate, that would leave only a few thousand experienced fighters supplemented by younger,

less trained recruits. These irregulars can still pose a serious threat, though, of course, using guerrilla-style tactics and ambushes in the dense populated streets of Gaza. Urban warfare is grueling. It's complex and it's incredibly challenging. Every building can be fortified. Every alleyway presents potential danger, snipers, ambushes, booby traps, IEDs, and an enemy that knows the turf far better. For Israel, seizing and holding ground in Gaza City means not only overwhelming firepower, but also maintaining a sustained presence against constant hit-and-run attacks. Now, the other side of the story is the scale of civilian displacement,

which will undoubtedly create issues of its own. Roughly 600,000 people have already fled Gaza City since the start of the war, with hundreds of thousands more now under evacuation orders. Israel says it's created humanitarian zones in the south with tents and food shipments, water lines, and field hospitals in operation. At the same time, the IDF accuses Hamas of trying to prevent civilians from leaving in order to use them as human shields. For Israel's leadership, this offensive is meant to be decisive, the culmination of a lengthy campaign to destroy Hamas's ability to wage war. It's an all-in gamble, one that relies on overwhelming military superiority and the political backing of the United States.

The outcome, though, is far from certain. Whether Israel achieves its goal, relatively swiftly, or faces a drawn-out urban battle, or ignites new conflict across the region, well, the truth is, nobody knows how this will play out. And that, my friends, is the BDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday, the 16th of September. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at BDB at thefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, you know you can do that, and you can do it relatively easily, 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 a moment to talk personal finances, right? That's an important subject, obviously. Now, the cost of everything, as you may have noticed, is still a bit out of control. And many folks are relying on credit cards to cover some of the essentials, like gas bills or utility bills or grocery bills.

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