Investigating the Botched Afghan Withdrawal, CIA Going after Cartels & Trump wants Major Reform at FAA

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode Title: Investigating the Botched Afghan Withdrawal, CIA Going after Cartels & Trump wants Major Reform at FAA
Release Date: February 22, 2025

In this episode of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson delves into three critical and timely issues shaping the political and security landscape of America: the ongoing investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal, the CIA's intensified efforts against Mexican cartels, and former President Donald Trump's push for major reforms within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Ferguson provides in-depth analysis, exclusive insights, and sharp commentary, ensuring listeners are well-informed on these pressing matters.

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1. Investigating the Botched Afghan Withdrawal

Ben Ferguson opens the discussion by revisiting the controversial U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, highlighting the tragic loss of 13 American service members during a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. He emphasizes the lack of accountability that has plagued the Biden-Harris administration since the event.

• Key Events and Consequences:

  • Casualties: The attack resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members, including 11 Marines, one Navy corpsman, and one Army soldier, along with over 170 Afghan civilians.
  • Administrative Response: Despite the severity, no high-ranking officials were dismissed in response to the fallout, leading to widespread criticism of the administration's handling of the situation.
  • Support for American Allies: Numerous translators and Afghans who assisted American forces were left vulnerable post-withdrawal, facing threats from the Taliban.

• Emerging Accountability Efforts:

  • Ferguson reports that Defense Secretary, acting on President Trump's directive, has initiated an investigation to dissect the failures surrounding the withdrawal. He cites the Defense Secretary's statement:

    "We've already identified the folks that will be in charge of that full investigation inside the Pentagon. I don't have a time frame on it. We've already waited two and a half years, three years since what occurred. I don't want to wait longer, but I always want to get it right." ([03:15])

• Statements from Leadership:

  • Defense Secretary: Emphasizes the importance of establishing clear factual chains to ensure true accountability.

    "What happened? Why did it happen? Who made the decisions?" ([04:50])

  • Colonel Stuart Scheller: Although his career faced setbacks, Ferguson highlights Scheller's continued commitment to uncovering the truth. Recently appointed as Senior Adviser to the Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness by President Trump, Scheller reinforces the administration's dedication to reestablishing trust within the Defense Department.

• Conclusion: Ferguson underscores that accountability is imminent, promising a thorough examination of the events that led to the disastrous withdrawal and the subsequent loss of lives. This investigation aims to restore faith in the Defense Department and ensure such failures are not repeated.

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2. CIA's Escalated Campaign Against Mexican Cartels

Shifting focus to national security, Ferguson addresses the escalating crisis posed by Mexican cartels and the CIA's strategic response using advanced surveillance technologies.

• Current State of Affairs:

  • Mexico as a Failed State: Ferguson describes Mexico as being effectively controlled by cartels, which manipulate government leadership to serve their illicit interests.
  • Drug and Human Trafficking: The influx of fentanyl, a significant contributor to America's opioid crisis, and rampant human trafficking underline the severity of the cartel influence.

• CIA's Drone Operations:

  • Surveillance Efforts: The CIA has intensified the use of MQ9 Reaper drones over Mexico, primarily to locate fentanyl production facilities. These drones, while currently unarmed, possess the capability to carry out precision strikes if necessary.
  • Operational Shifts: Initiated during the Biden administration, these drone missions were reinvigorated under CIA Director John Radcliffe following President Trump's designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

• Exclusive Interview with Tom Holman:

  • Assessing Mexico's Governance:

    "They don't enforce and they allow illegal ambulance from all the world to transit Mexico without a transit visa, which is against the law... President Trump has already got Mexico where he wants them." ([06:30])

  • Military Interventions:

    "President Trump will wipe them off the face of the earth." ([07:50])
    Holman discusses the potential for direct military action against cartel targets, emphasizing President Trump's unwavering stance against these organizations.

• Strategic Implications:

  • Designation as Terrorist Organizations: This classification empowers the CIA to employ more aggressive tactics, including the potential arming of drones for lethal operations.
  • Border Security Enhancements: With increased military presence on both the southern and northern borders, the administration aims to curtail the flow of drugs and human trafficking activities.

• Conclusion: Ferguson highlights the gravity of the situation, noting that the CIA's enhanced drone surveillance marks a significant escalation in the fight against Mexican cartels. The integration of military strategies signals a robust commitment to dismantling these powerful criminal entities.

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3. Trump's Push for FAA Reform Amid Media Controversy

In the final segment, Ferguson tackles the contentious issue surrounding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the recent media backlash against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

• Incident Overview:

  • Plane Crash in Canada: A fatal aviation accident occurred in Canada, leading to media narratives that inaccurately blame Trump, Musk, and Dogecoin (Doge) for the tragedy.
  • Media Misrepresentation: NBC News erroneously linked the crash to supposed FAA staffing cuts attributed to Trump and Musk, despite the incident occurring under Canadian jurisdiction.

• Critical Analysis of Media Reporting:

  • Incorrect Attribution: Ferguson points out the fallacy in NBC's reporting, clarifying that the crash was outside U.S. control and unfoundedly tied to American figures.

    "NBC News is telling you that this plane was not under the control of FAA. It was under the control of Canada's air traffic control tower and it was under, quote, Canadian authority once it crossed the border." ([10:45])

  • Defense Against Blame: Despite lacking evidence, the media continued to hold Trump and Musk accountable for nonexistent FAA job cuts impacting Canadian air traffic operations.

• Underlying FAA Issues:

  • Systemic Failures: Ferguson acknowledges the FAA's outdated infrastructure and the pressing need for modernization, which both Trump and Musk have publicly recognized.
  • Potential Reforms: Discussions about overhauling the FAA's operations to prevent future incidents and enhance aviation safety.

• Final Thoughts:

  • Media Responsibility: Ferguson criticizes the media for sensationalizing and misattributing blame, urging listeners to critically assess news reports.

    "If you don't hate the media after hearing this, you need to pay more attention to exactly what they're doing." ([12:00])

  • Visual Evidence: He references NBC's imagery of the crash site, emphasizing the misrepresentation by highlighting that the aircraft was clearly identified as an Air Canada plane, not linked to any U.S. entities.

• Conclusion: Ferguson concludes by reinforcing the need for substantive FAA reforms while cautioning against the media's tendency to divert blame onto figures unrelated to the actual incidents. He calls for a more informed and discerning approach to media consumption.

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Closing Remarks

Ben Ferguson wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of staying informed through The 47 Morning Update and encourages listeners to subscribe for more in-depth analyses on critical national issues. He emphasizes the podcast's commitment to delivering unfiltered insights and honest commentary, positioning it as a vital resource for understanding the complex dynamics shaping America today.

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Notable Quotes Highlighted:

• Defense Secretary on Investigation:

  "We've already identified the folks that will be in charge of that full investigation inside the Pentagon. I don't have a time frame on it... I always want to get it right." ([03:15])

• Col. Stuart Scheller on Accountability:

  "What happened? Why did it happen? Who made the decisions?" ([04:50])

• Tom Holman on Mexico's Governance:

  "President Trump has already got Mexico where he wants them." ([06:30])

• Tom Holman on Military Action:

  "President Trump will wipe them off the face of the earth." ([07:50])

• Ferguson on Media Misrepresentation:

  "NBC News is telling you that this plane was not under the control of FAA... It was under the control of Canada's air traffic control tower." ([10:45])

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the episode, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the topics covered without necessitating a prior listen.

Transcript

[Elon Musk]

You've been watching Doge where we found billions, tens of billions of dollars of fraud and waste and abuse. Elon Musk has done an amazing job. I have to tell you. Him and his super geniuses. You know, these are seriously high IQ people.

[Ben Ferguson]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

Good Saturday morning to you. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are some of the stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week on the 47 Morning Update. First up, you may remember the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021 cost the lives of 13 U.S. service members. What was even worse than that is the fact there was zero accountability. No one lost their job under the Biden and Harris administration. What we now have been told, there is an investigation underway to find out exactly what happened and what the COVID up was. I'll explain who's in charge of it in just a moment. Also, the CIA is going after cartels in Mexico using Reaper drones, the same ones we use in Iraq and Afghanistan to spy on the cartels. And finally, Donald Trump is calling for major reform at the faa. So what did the media do? They're now blaming Donald Trump and Elon Musk for a plane crash. Not in America, but in Canada. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now.

Story number one.

One of the main promises that Trump said if he was reelected would be accountability. One of the things on his list was clearly Afghanistan and the botched withdrawal on that arbitrary date from the Biden Harris administration. During that U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021, 13 U.S. service members were killed in a suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. It happened on August 26. The the attack was carried out by ISIS K and also resulted in the deaths of more than 170 Afghan civilians. The 13 U.S. service members that were killed included 11 Marines, one Navy corpsman and one army soldier. Additionally, 18 other U.S. service members were wounded in that attack. And beyond this attack, several other military and civilian casualties occurred throughout the withdrawal. But the bombing was the deadliest single incident for US Troops in Afghanistan in over a decade. Not a single person was held accountable for the decisions that were made on that day or in the days before or after. It was completely whitewashed by the Biden Harris administration because Joe Biden was obsessed at saying he was the president that ended America's longest war and he won the grandstand on the anniversary of 9 11. Well, accountability is coming. The defense secretary at the behest of the President has now said in an interview that he has already picked investigators who are going to be looking into the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Quote, we've already identified the folks that will be in charge of that full investigation inside the Pentagon. I don't have a time frame on it. We've already waited two and a half years, three years since what occurred. I don't want to wait longer, but I always want to get it right, he said. Now, In July of 2021, as I mentioned, the Biden administration launched that chaotic withdrawal of the U.S. troops and the embassy officials from Afghanistan that led to those 13 US service members dying. Part of the other untold story is the fact that there are countless people that helped Americans, those that were translators, those that risked their lives to save American lives, who were then hunted down by the Taliban after we withdrew. Now, in addition to that, hundreds of Americans were actually left behind, despite the Biden administration touting the withdrawal as a success and bragging about conducting the, quote, largest withdrawal in American history. On its way out, the US Military conducted a strike meant to target the suicide bomber. Made things even worse when it ended up killing an aid worker and his family instead. Then chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the time, Mark Milley, touted it as a, quote, righteous strike. No leader was held accountable or fired for any of this. Only Marine Colonel Stuart Scheller, who demanded accountability in a viral video, lost his career. Now, the good news is President Trump tried to right that wrong and appointed him as his senior adviser to the Defense under Secretary for personnel and readiness. Again, thank goodness Donald Trump was reelected. Headset said accountability is coming, and that's what he wants the American people to know about. Quote, the way you establish real accountability is by establishing real fact chains, chains of events, information. What happened? Why did it happen? Who made the decisions? What was the reason they made that decision? Why did they give advice or not give advice? Why did they execute an order a certain way? Did they speak up when they were supposed to, or did they sit quietly? I don't think there's anybody that feels like there's been an honest accounting of what happened in Afghanistan. That is our job, Pete Hedge, Seth said. So we're going to drive the full investigation and get a full sense of what happened. And as I stated to the workforce on Friday, I guess less than a week ago, accountability will be coming for what happened in Afghanistan. And what's important is to reestablish trust at the Defense Department.

Next story number two, it's a sad reality.

Mexico is, in essence, a failed State, it is being controlled and run by the cartels. They choose the leaders, and the leaders do what the cartels say. Well, there's two very interesting reports that are dealing with Mexico now and our safety from drugs coming across our southern border and also human trafficking. Fentanyl, as you know, is one of the biggest killers in this country. We now have confirmation that the CIA is flying surveillance drones over the cartels in Mexico. Multiple outlets are now reporting the CIA is stepping up their drone flights. The currently unarmed flights are said to be searching for fentanyl labs that are run by the Mexican cartels designated by President Donald Trump as foreign terrorist organizations. One US Official saying to the New York Times that the flights will go well into sovereign Mexico, quote, unquote. Now, the flights reportedly began during the Biden administration, but were never really used to stop the flow of the drugs. Then they were stepped up by the new CIA director, John Radcliffe, after President Trump made the foreign terrorist designation. The flights are not authorized. We're being told at this point to use lethal force. However, CIA officers are gathering the intelligence data and they're passing it along to those that may need to see it. Now, Tom Holman was asked about Mexico in general in an interview that he did earlier. I want you to hear what he had to say about the country.

[Tom Holman]

Let me ask you a question. It's against the law in Mexico to traffic children, but they don't do anything about it. It's against the law in Mexico to transit through the country, but they don't do anything about it. Is the Mexican government, in your opinion, anti American?

Look, I agree with you. They don't enforce and they allow illegal ambulance from all the world to transit Mexico without a transit visa, which is against the law. By the end, President Trump has them where he wants them. They've now put military on their northern border and our southern border. They are now participating and beginning to participate and remain in Mexico. President Trump has demanded they take action and we're monitoring them. President Trump, you know, he's a game changer. What we've been in office, what, less than a month? And I noticed in the last 24 hours, total Southwest border apprehensions, 229. Now, I started in the Border Patrol in 1984. I've never seen those numbers. At least I don't remember seeing those numbers. We went from 11,000 a day under Biden to 229. President Trump's already got Mexico where he wants them, and he's going to force more on them in the near future.

Just Quickly, Tom, because I'm up against a break. But I got to ask you, the cartels are very powerful. Is the US Military use of the US Military on the table to hit cartel targets in Mexico?

That's something we're working on now. But I can tell you President Trump made a if Nexon cartels who put a death threat against more patrol agents or our military, if they harm a border in the military, President Trump will wipe them off the face of the earth.

[Ben Ferguson]

There it is. Working on striking cartels in Mexico is a real possibility. Now, President Trump declared those cartels foreign terrorist organizations on his first day in office. And now borders are home and is saying there are active discussions about US Military strikes on terrorist targets in Mexico. This is we're being told that the Reaper drones are already working on full time surveillance. Quote from CNN the CIA is flying the MQ9 Reaper drones. The drones are equipped to deliver lethal payloads but are not currently armed. The MQ9 drones used for the mission are not armed, but they can be equipped with payloads to carry out precision strikes. The US Regularly uses them to target suspected terrorists in Syria, Iraq and Somalia. Well, go back to the very first statement that I said earlier. Donald Trump has already said that these cartels are in fact, foreign terrorist organizations.

And finally, story number three.

There's a very good chance you actually don't hate the mainstream media as much as you should. A perfect example of this is what happened on Monday. There was a news story that broke and that was a story that Elon Musk and SpaceX were coming in to help overhaul the FAA. Why? Well, after the deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C. just a few weeks ago, it is very clear that our FAA and our system that controls airplanes is archaic and in much need of an upgrade. Well, the media cannot stand what's happening with Donald Trump and Elon Musk. So now they're trying to blame the two of them for a plane crash that happened on Monday outside of the United States of America. NBC News went on live TV blaming Trump, Musk and Doge for an airplane flipping while landing in Canada. Not in America, but in Canada. Take a listen.

[Unnamed News Analyst]

I did want to, you know, underscore to pick up on the conversation you were just having, though, in terms of the recent string of aviation incidents. Tom, this is going to yet again raise the concern about FAA staffing, air traffic control staffing. Now, this is a Canadian air traffic control tower and this is under Canadian authority once it crosses the border. And yet, as you know, there has been this talk about maybe staff staff cuts at the FAA as a part of President Trump's effort to trim down the federal workforce. And yet, as you also know, the FAA has been complaining for years that they are understaffed in critical job positions, especially air traffic control. I was having a conversation with somebody today about whether air traffic control in America is being affected by the staff cuts. So far, not to their knowledge. And yet other positions related to maintaining critical equipment appear to have been cut. So this is going to feed into all of these recent incidents and the safety of the total air traffic system is going to be very much a part of the conversation as we go forward, at least on this side of the country, of the border, I should say.

[Ben Ferguson]

So let's be clear about what you just heard. NBC News is telling you that this plane was not under the control of faa. It was under the control of Canada's air traffic control tower and it was under, quote, Canadian authority once it crossed the border. And yet they are blaming Donald Trump and Elon Musk for fictitious job cuts that had nothing to do with what was happening in Canada. They also are saying that even after they looked into this, no one is saying that the people that were being cut by Doge at the Transportation Administration or the FAA had anything to do with unsafe flying conditions or people not being in the tower to control the airplanes. However, they still wanted you to blame Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Doge for a plane that flipped over in Canada, not in the United States of America. If you don't hate the media after hearing this, you need to pay more attention to exactly what they're doing. One final thought on this story. As they're saying this on NBC News, they are taking a picture of the plane as it is flipped upside down. And behind them on the hangar, in massive red letters, it says Air Canada. Hopefully the American people are smart enough to be looking at this crash and realizing this has nothing to do with Donald Trump.

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.