Podcast Summary

Show: Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw
Episode: SITREP 17: Kyiv Strikes Back, Pardon the Autopen, & Operation Liquid Death
Date: June 6, 2025
Host: Dan Crenshaw

Overview

This SITREP episode delivers a fast-paced, in-depth update on significant national and international events, analyzed by Congressman Dan Crenshaw. The episode covers Ukraine’s new military tactics against Russia, high-profile Supreme Court decisions, a DOJ investigation into Biden’s last-minute pardons, Mexican cartel oil smuggling, President Trump’s new travel ban, and a series of headline- and media-critique “quick hits.” Crenshaw breaks down each topic, providing context, insights, and editorial commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb and Escalating Drone Warfare

[01:12] Crenshaw details the second round of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul, noting Russia’s repeated “non-starter” demands (withdrawal from occupied regions, halting mobilizations, ceasing Western arms shipments, snap elections, neutrality, and abandoning NATO ambitions).
[03:45] Ukraine launched “Operation Spiderweb,” a large-scale, long-range drone offensive targeting Russian military bases—including those “above the Arctic Circle and in the Russian far east, almost 4,500 miles away.”
[04:23] Ukrainian forces “smuggled the drones into Russia using trucks carrying containers disguised as prefabricated homes,” using these to cripple 41 of 100 nuclear-capable Russian bombers.
[05:14] Russia retaliated the same evening with “472 drones in the biggest drone attack of the war,” causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
Implications: Crenshaw emphasizes,

“Ukraine’s ingenious use of low-cost drones has vast implications not only for this war, but for modern warfare as we know it... the country has become a proving ground for merging tactics and tech—lessons that we cannot afford to ignore.” (05:40)

2. Supreme Court: Weapons Ban Decisions

[07:25] The Supreme Court declined to hear legal challenges to Maryland’s assault weapons ban (2013) and Rhode Island’s high-capacity magazine ban (2022), leaving the state restrictions in place.
Dissenting Justices (Thomas, Gorsuch, Alito) expressed intent for future AR-15-related cases to be heard.
Crenshaw’s perspective:

“The term ‘assault weapon’ is political and designed to exploit public confusion while the weapons themselves are common and fully protected by the Second Amendment. I agree with that.” (08:10)

3. DOJ Investigation: Biden’s Autopen Pardons

[09:42] In Biden’s last moments as president, he pardoned high-profile individuals (Hunter Biden, General Milley, Dr. Fauci, January 6th Committee members, and others) and commuted ~2,500 nonviolent drug offenders.
The pardons were “issued using an autopen.”

“An autopen is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a device that mechanically replicates a signature and can learn your handwriting.” (10:38)
Trump’s DOJ, led by Ed Martin, is now investigating these pardons, focusing on Biden’s fitness and if others exploited him by using the autopen. There is currently no law prohibiting its use for pardons.
Biden responded,

“I made the decision about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.” (12:04)

4. Operation Liquid Death: Cartel Oil Smuggling

[12:53] Crenshaw reveals a Utah father and son were indicted for smuggling $300 million in stolen Mexican crude oil, supporting the Jalisco New Generation cartel.
Operation Liquid Death led to asset seizures—oil tankers, vehicles, bank accounts, real estate.
Insight: Oil smuggling is now as profitable for cartels as drug trafficking, facilitated by tapping pipelines/refineries, U.S. front companies, and financial networks.

“...the cartel’s oil operation would collapse without US-based buyers... highlighting the central role of American enablers and the fragility of the cartel’s revenue stream.” (14:38)
Pop-culture aside: Crenshaw references the TV show “Landman,” saying its depiction, while exaggerated, is “not totally crazy.” (15:40)

5. Trump’s Expanded Travel Ban

[16:07] President Trump announced a travel suspension for citizens from 12 countries seen as supporting terrorism or lacking border control systems.
Additional seven countries face new visa restrictions.
Crenshaw critiques “left-wing media” for calling the move xenophobic, suggesting:

“It’s just a very rational restructuring of a system that was often abused and under enforced.” (17:55)

6. Quick Headlines & Media Critique

[19:18] FBI & CBP discovered two Chinese nationals smuggling a dangerous agroterrorism agent into the U.S.—one was a University of Michigan researcher.
Supreme Court unanimously barred the Mexican government from suing gun manufacturers for cartel violence; “manufacturers are not liable for misuse of their products.” (20:22)
Boulder, Colorado: Illegal immigrant attacked a charity event with Molotov cocktails, injuring 15; judge blocked deportation of suspect’s family.
[21:40] Weekly “Media Bias Highlight”: Washington Post blamed Israeli troops for deaths at a Gaza aid distribution point, sourcing Hamas’s health ministry. The story “quietly changed” after new facts emerged, with no editorial correction.
In closing, Crenshaw plugs a Breitbart op-ed (co-written with Chloe Cole) supporting his amendment to ban taxpayer-funded gender transition procedures.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Ukraine’s ingenious use of low-cost drones has vast implications not only for this war, but for modern warfare as we know it… lessons we cannot afford to ignore.”
— Dan Crenshaw, 05:40
“The term ‘assault weapon’ is political and designed to exploit public confusion while the weapons themselves are common and fully protected by the Second Amendment. I agree with that.”
— Dan Crenshaw, 08:10
“An autopen is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a device that mechanically replicates a signature and can learn your handwriting.”
— Dan Crenshaw, 10:38
“Any suggestion that I didn’t [make the decision] is ridiculous and false.”
— Joe Biden (written statement), 12:04
“The cartel’s oil operation would collapse without US-based buyers… highlighting the central role of American enablers and the fragility of the cartel’s revenue stream.”
— Dan Crenshaw, 14:38
“It’s just a very rational restructuring of a system that was often abused and under enforced.”
— Dan Crenshaw (re: travel ban), 17:55

Notable Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:12 | Ukraine-Russia Istanbul peace talks, Russian demands | | 03:45 | Operation Spiderweb: Ukraine’s drone offensive | | 05:14 | Russia’s retaliatory drone barrage | | 07:25 | Supreme Court, Maryland/Rhode Island weapons bans | | 09:42 | DOJ investigates Biden’s autopen pardons | | 12:53 | Operation Liquid Death: Cartel oil smuggling bust | | 16:07 | Trump’s new travel ban—affected countries | | 19:18 | FBI/CBP: Biological agent smuggled by Chinese nationals | | 20:22 | SCOTUS: Mexican lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers | | 21:40 | Media bias highlight: Washington Post Gaza coverage |

Final Thoughts

Dan Crenshaw delivers concise, pointed commentary on current events, emphasizing the strategic importance of Ukraine’s expanding drone warfare, scrutinizing executive branch powers, and highlighting how U.S.-based networks play into international crime. He closes by challenging media narratives and sharing further resources for listeners to explore.

Transcript

A (0:00)

We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created. As a member of Congress, I get to have a lot of really interesting people in the office, experts on what they're talking about. This is the podcast for insights into the issues. China, bioterrorism, Medicare for all in depth discussions, breaking it down into simple terms. We hold. We hold. We hold these truths. We hold these truths. With Dan Crenshaw. The eagle has landed. Welcome to SITREP 17 situation report. Just the news so you can be well informed. We're going to talk about the Ukraine and Russia drone attacks and some peace talks. We're going to talk about the Supreme Court's decisions and the DOJ investigating Biden pardons as well. So let's get started. On Monday, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul for their second round of direct talks. Moscow came prepared with a set of demands that the Ukrainians have repeatedly rejected. This includes withdrawing from Russian occupied regions, who halting troop mobilizations, cutting off Western arms shipments. Russia also insisted Ukraine hold snap elections, declare neutrality and give up its NATO ambitions. So these conditions have always been non starters for Ukraine, which Moscow already knew. But despite making no meaningful progress toward actually ending the war, they did manage to agree on exchanging 6,000 dead and seriously injured wounded soldiers through a newly established commission. These talks unfolded amid escalating drone warfare on both sides. Probably heard about this one. So the day before those talks on June 1, Ukraine initiated created Operation Spiderweb, a meticulously planned drone offensive that targeted Russian military bases. Several of these air bases were above the Arctic Circle and in the Russian far east, almost 4,500 miles away from Ukraine. Ukrainian forces smuggled the drones into Russia using trucks carrying containers disguised as prefabricated homes. Once positioned near their targets, the drones were launched from the containers and deployed against nuclear capable Russian bombers, reportedly crippling 41 out of 100 aircraft. That same evening, Russia retaliated with 472 drones in the biggest drone attack of the war, resulting in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. I think we can all agree Ukraine's ingenious use of low cost drones has vast implications not only for this war, but for modern warfare as we know it. And the country has become a proving ground for merging tactics and tech lessons that we cannot afford to ignore. And we are not, by the way, we're learning a lot. In other news, the Supreme Court declines review of weapons bans. So that came as a bit of a surprise. The Supreme Court declined to hear challenges to Maryland's assault weapons ban or Rhode Island's high capacity magazine ban, thus leaving those restrictions in place. On Monday, the court declined to hear appeals to Maryland's 2013 ban on assault weapons that was enacted after Sandy hook and Rhode Island's 2022 ban on magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Now, in the Maryland case, a plaintiff argued the term assault weapon is political and designed to exploit public confusion while the weapons themselves are common and fully protected by the Second Amendment. I agree with that. The Richmond, Virginia based Fourth Circuit declines the challenge. In the Rhode island magazine capacity case, four gun owners and a registered firearms dealer sued, but the Boston based First Circuit rejected the claim. Justices Thomas Alito and Gorsuch dissented from the decision to reject the appeals, and Justin Kavanaugh said that the court ordered would address the AR15 issue soon. So more to come another news the DOJ is investigating Biden's pardons, so take a quick trip down memory lane. Just days before leaving office, and even within the last 20 minutes of his presidency, Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to his son Hunter, the rest of his family, General Mark Milley, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and members of the House January 6th Committee. He also commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 non violent drug offenders. At the same time, lawmakers and commentators from both sides of the aisle agree that these final actions by then President Biden were unprecedented and well beyond the established norms of executive authority. We later learned that these pardons were actually issued using an auto pen. For those who don't know, an auto pen is exactly what it sounds like. It's a device that mechanically replicates a signature and can learn your handwriting. Even now, President Trump's Department of Justice is opening an investigation into these pardons, specifically examining Biden's mental fitness during the last months in office and whether others were taking advantage of him by using the auto pen. That probe will be led by Ed Martin, the Justice Department's pardon attorney. As of now, there's no law prohibiting the use of an auto pen for pardons. But then again, we've never had an aged and ailing president like Joe Biden. Wednesday, former President Biden defended himself in a written response. I quote, I made the decision about the pardons, executive orders, legislation and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false. End quote. In other news, it's worth informing you about how the cartels operate in the oil smuggling business. There's a recent story where a Utah father and son were indicted for smuggling approximately $300 million worth of stolen Mexican crude oil into the United States, allegedly providing material support to the Jalisco New generation cartel. That's a designated foreign terrorist organization. Federal agents raided their residence and seized their assets, including oil tankers, vehicles, bank accounts and luxury properties as part of of what they called Operation Liquid Death. So this is just one story that marks a new trend by the cartels. The U.S. treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, now warned that all smuggling has become a major revenue source for Mexican cartels, generating billions annually and rivaling drug trafficking even in profitability. So they obtain the oil by tapping pipelines or stealing from refineries, and then they use front companies to move the oil across the border, often through Texas and New Mexico. But without the US based buyers and distributors and financial networks, the cartel's oil operation would collapse, highlighting the central role of American enablers and the fragility of the cartel's revenue stream. And of course, the necessity of the FBI to be targeting this. You might seen glimpses of this in that show, Landman. Although it's a little bit exaggerated, it's not totally crazy. As we can see from here, President Trump has issued a new travel ban. Yesterday, President Trump announced a suspension on travel to the United States for citizens from 12 countries that either support terrorism, can't control their borders, or treat our visa system like a free for all. The countries named in the order are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen say all that fast. If they're currently outside the United States and don't have valid visas, they are subject to the band. Another seven countries, Burundi, Cuba, leos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will have tighter restrictions moving forward as well. That's why these countries maybe starting with the obvious, Iran, Somalia, actively supporting terrorist groups like Hamas and isis. It's, it's maybe not exactly the tourist traffic that we want. Other countries like Congo, Chad and Equatorial guinea have visa overstay rates as high as 50%. They're abusing what's historically been a very generous visa system. Who can blame them? Under President Biden, there was no enforcement for some like Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, they don't just have high rates of visa overstay in the United States. They're also lacking the central institutions that our agencies would normally work with to approve visas. If a country doesn't have a competent or cooperative central authority to issue passports, it's just impossible to verify the identity of that national. So if you can't verify that an applicant is who they claim to be you can't roll out the welcome mat and give them a visa. It's not as controversial as I think many people are trying to make it seem, left wing media included, calling it xenophobic. Don't let them fool you. It's just a, I think a very rational restructuring of a system that was often abused and under enforced. In other headlines, we'll give you a few quick ones. Number one, FBI Director Cash Patel released information on a joint FBI CBP investigation that found two Chinese actually smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the U.S. the pathogen is an agroterrorism agent. And one of these smugglers, a researcher at the University of Michigan, claimed they brought it to the US to study it. Second, number two, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the Mexican government could not sue American gun manufacturers for cartel violence. Mexico had argued that American guns were responsible for cartel violence, but the court held that American manufacturers are not the ones who can be held liable for the misuse of their products. Number three on Sunday, and you've certainly heard this story on Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, a charity event to promote freeing hostages from Hamas was attacked by an illegal immigrant who threw Molotov cocktails at participants. Injured 15 people. Judge blocked the deportation of the suspect's family. That family remains in ICE custody while the suspect awaits trial. Again, our media bias highlight that we're starting now. Again, we want to give you straight news, no spin, but also want to give you examples of the opposite of that. And so this week's dishonor goes to Washington Post ran a headline claiming Israeli troops opened fire on a Gaza aid distribution point and killed 30 Palestinians. Turns out their source was none other than Hamas's Gaza health ministry. WAPO then quietly changed the headline without any editorial note or correction after it came out that it was a masked gunman, likely someone from Hamas, who opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians at a different aid distribution site. And if you read nothing else, check this out from Breitbart, an op ed written by myself and Chloe Cole who is a D transitioner. This was about my amendment to ban taxpayer funded gender transition surgeries and treatments in the one big beautiful bill. So check it out. That's all for today. Thanks.