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The President's Daily Brief
April 6th, 2026: Inside the Daring U.S. Rescue Mission in Iran & ICE Detains Soleimani Relative
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It's Monday 6th April. For those of you who celebrate, I hope you had a very happy Easter. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, after a tense multi day search behind enemy lines, U. S forces have successfully resc the second crew member of that downed F15E in Iran. I'll have the details later in the show. Fears are growing that Russia is testing a familiar playbook in Estonia as a pro Kremlin campaign pushes the idea of a separatist Narva People's Republic. Inside, of course, a NATO member state. Plus Kyiv may be opening a new front against Russia with reported drone strikes launched from Libya targeting Moscow's shadow fleet in the Mediterranean. And in today's back of the brief, ICE detains the niece of Qassem Soleimani after the Trump administration revokes her green card over alleged ties to Iran's regime. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. The U.S. woke up to some exceedingly good news on easter morning. The second crew member of that F15E downed over Iran on Friday has been rescued. As we reported on Friday, the aircraft was shot down over southwestern Iran, marking a rare loss for the U.S. air Force in this conflict. One of the two crew members, the pilot, was safely rescued shortly after the plane went down. But the second crew member, a weapons systems officer, couldn't be immediately located. And for the better part of the last two days, this became a race, a race between American forces trying to find and extract him and and Iranian forces trying to do the exact same thing. What we know is that the downed officer did exactly what he was trained to do, using survival, evasion, resistance and escape, what's known as sear training. He moved away from the crash site, avoided detection and made his way into mountainous terrain. At one point, officials say he climbed a higher ground, hiding along a ridgeline and later in a crevice, limiting his communications to avoid giving away his position. He was injured and according to reporting, had only his sidearm to defend himself. While Iranian forces attempted to locate him, the governor of the region where he was suspected to be located put the word out to civilians the government would pay a reward to anyone who could capture or kill the American. Iranian Revolutionary Guard units and affiliated militia were actively searching the area. Had Iran gotten to him first, this would have of course, been a major propaganda victory. A captured American airman undoubtedly paraded on state media, used as leverage, it could have changed the conflict overnight. Instead, the US Surged everything it had to prevent that from happening. And what followed appears, based on what we know so far, to have been an extremely complex combat search and rescue operation. It was an operation involving hundreds of personnel, Special Operations forces, Air Force pararescue teams, intelligence assets, and dozens of aircraft operating overhead. The CIA played a key role, not only helping to locate the airmen, but also running a deception campaign designed to confuse Iranian forces, pushing the idea that the pilot had already been recovered and was being moved out of the country. At the same time, US Aircraft were actively shaping the battlefield, conducting strikes and using drones to keep Iranian units away from the area where the airman was believed to be hiding. Eventually, American commandos, reportedly including members of SEAL Team 6, were able to reach him, treat his injuries, and begin the extraction. But that final phase unfolded under fire. We're now learning that multiple aircraft were damaged during the operation. Two rescue helicopters reportedly took enemy fire with crew members wounded. At least one, a 10 providing cover, was lost during the broader mission, though its pilot ejected and was rescued safely. In addition, two US Aircraft on the ground had to be destroyed by American forces when they became unusable, simply to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands. In the end, additional aircraft were brought in and the entire rescue team, including, of course, the downed airmen, was successfully extracted and flown out of Iran to safety, with the officer now receiving medical treatment in Kuwait. But based on what we do know, this was an extraordinary effort. It's a reminder of the level of coordination capability and the risk involved in bringing a single American home from behind enemy lines. All right, before we go to break, just a quick reminder that if you love the PDB and hopefully you do well, and you want to listen to it ad free, just consider becoming a premium member. It's simple, just go to PDB premium.com you'll also get access to my regular Ask me Anything Sessions, our weekly PDB newsletter, and other exclusive content. Again, that speedy premium.com to join. Coming up next, Russia may be testing its Ukraine playbook in Estonia, reminding us of Vladimir Putin's often stated desire to rebuild the Soviet Union in some fashion as Kiev reportedly opens a new front from Libya targeting Moscow's shadow fleet. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with an important message for anyone who owns a handgun. Now, as you know, owning a handgun for self defense comes with real responsibility. And you're always faced with the reality that any weapon has to be stored securely, but for home, defense needs to be accessible. The reality is, far too often people choose between locking it away or leaving it exposed to kids or guests or intruders. StopBox USA addresses this with the StopBox Pro. 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Welcome back to the pdb. I want to move now to Eastern Europe, where there are growing fears that Russia may be attempting to replicate a strategy that it used to destabilize Ukraine, this time in neighboring Estonia, which of course is a NATO nation. At the center of those concerns is the city of Narva. It's a small but strategically sensitive border town of about 50,000 people sitting right along Estonia's frontier. With Russia now on its face, nothing has changed on the ground. But online, a different picture is emerging, one that, well, looks increasingly familiar. In recent weeks, pro Russian social media channels have begun pushing the idea of a so called Narva People's Republic. Posts are calling for autonomy, encouraging residents to arm themselves, and even urging acts of sabotage against the Estonian state. Some feature flags and maps and mock government structures for this imagined breakaway region. Others include videos of masked individuals calling on supporters to, quote, act together now. Estonian authorities are moving quickly to tamp this down, calling it a coordinated disinformation campaign. Intelligence officials say there's no evidence of a genuine grassroots separatist movement. Instead, they see the hallmarks of something much more deliberate, an influence operation designed to create confusion, stoke fear and test the cohesion of Estonian society. And of course, we've seen this playbook before. Back in 2014 in eastern Ukraine, Moscow backed creation of so called people's republics in Donetsk and Luhansk. What started as Online narratives and local agitation quickly escalated. Armed groups emerged, Russian intelligence operatives moved in, and before long, those regions became the focal point of a broader conflict that ultimately drew in conventional Russian military forces. The strategy Russia used is well established. First, you amplify claims that the Russian speaking populations are under threat. Then you introduce the idea of autonomy or outright independence. From there, you encourage unrest, build parallel structures of authority, and create a pretext for intervention under the guise of protection. Narva fits several key elements of that model. Roughly 90% of its population is Russian speaking, making it an obvious target for this kind of messaging. And while there's little indication that residents feel oppressed, that hasn't stopped Kremlin aligned narratives from pushing exactly that claim for years now. To be clear, there are no signs of an imminent Russian military move into Estonia. Most analysts agree that Moscow is unlikely to open a second front while its war in Ukraine continues. Continues. But that doesn't mean that this situation should be dismissed. What we may be seeing instead is the early stage of a longer term pressure campaign, a way to probe NATO's defenses not just militarily, but psychologically. Because Estonia isn't Ukraine, it's a member of NATO. Any escalation here carries far greater risk. And that raises a difficult question. If a crisis were to erupt in a place like Narva, would NATO be prepared to respond decisively? Or would Hesit create an opening? There are already forces positioned nearby. A German brigade stationed In Lithuania, roughly 400 kilometers away, is part of NATO's broader effort to maintain a presence in the event of a conflict. Those units could be called in quickly, but whether they would be and how far that response would go, well, that remains an open question. Timing matters here, too. Estonian officials have noted that this campaign is ramping up as global attention, of course, has shifted elsewhere, particularly toward the ongoing war with Iran. Now, as Russia leans into a familiar playbook in Estonia, we may be seeing Ukraine adopt a page from an entirely different playbook. Kiev has opened a new front against Moscow, and it's nowhere near Eastern Europe. It's in Libya. According to multiple reports, Ukrainian military personnel are now operating inside western Libya. More than 200 officers and specialists working with the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. The Ukrainian troops are reportedly spread across several sites, including a military airbase in Misrata, a drone facility near key energy infrastructure, and a coordination hub in the capital. Now, neither Kyiv nor Libyan officials have confirmed any of this publicly, but if the reporting holds, it points to something much bigger than a quiet partnership. It suggests that Ukraine is expanding its Fight with Russia far beyond its own borders. And here's where it gets more interesting. Some of these Ukrainian units are reportedly involved in launching naval drone attacks in the Mediterranean Sea. One incident in early March targeted a Russian linked liquefied natural gas tanker, part of Moscow's shadow fleet. That's the network of vessels, of course, used to skirt sanctions and keep energy revenues flowing. The strike reportedly damaged the ship's engine room, leaving it dead in the water. If true, well, that's a significant shift. Ukraine isn't just defending territory anymore. It's going after Russian economic targets wherever they operate. And Libya, as it turns out, is the perfect place to do it. The country remains fractured, split between rival governments in the east and west, each backed by different foreign powers. Russia has long supported strongman Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya, while the Tripoli based government maintains ties with Western and regional allies. Add in the presence of Turkish forces, US Africa Command and various European actors, and you've got a crowded, volatile environment where deniable operations can thrive. In other words, a classic proxy battleground. From Ukraine's perspective, this kind of move makes strategic sense. By operating out of Libya, Kyiv can extend its reach into the Mediterranean, targeting Russian ships and forcing Moscow to defend its assets far from the front lines. It's a way of raising the cost of the war without escalating directly inside Russia itself. But of course, as you might imagine, it also carries risk. Libya is already unstable. Introducing another layer of competition, especially one tied to an ongoing war, raises the chances of miscalculation. And while these operations may be deniable, there's always the possibility that things spill over in ways that neither side can fully control. Okay, coming up in the back of the brief, the federal agents arrest a relative of deceased former senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in Los Angeles as Washington moves to expel foreign nationals linked to hostile regimes. We'll have the details. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take a moment to talk about personal finances and the importance of diversifying your assets. So here's the question. Do you own physical gold? Well, in today's world, with its ups and downs and general instability, and I think there's some general instability out there right now, Owning gold is something that everyone should consider. And here's a top tip. Acre Gold makes it simple. That's Acre a C R E. With Acre Gold, you pick a plan that fits your budget, you make monthly payments, and when you've accumulated enough, they'll ship you a beautifully designed 24 karat Swiss gold bar. Gold is up 70% year over year. And central banks, well, they're still buying it at record levels. 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TikTok gives you quick updates and highlights in seconds. Easy to watch, easy to keep up. Download. Tick tock. Now, in today's back of the brief, federal agents have arrested the niece of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in the U. S after the Trump administration revoked her legal status over alleged ties to the regime in Tehran. According to the State Department, Hamade Soleimani Afshar, who had been living in Los Angeles, was taken into custody by U S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or known as ice, along with her daughter and their now facing removal from the country. The move came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally revoked their green cards, citing national security concerns. Officials alleged that Afshar wasn't just a relative of a high profile Iranian figure, but an active supporter of the regime itself. According to the State Department, she promoted Iranian government propaganda, praised attacks against American forces, and openly supported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the irgc, which the US has designated as a terrorist organization. Secretary of State Rubio said Afshar had celebrated attacks on Americans while living what officials described as a comfortable life inside the US Afshar reportedly entered the country on a tourist visa in 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and later obtained a green card in 2021. But according to the Department of Homeland Security, she traveled back to Iran multiple times after receiving that status, raising serious questions about the legitimacy of her asylum claim in the first place. And given the exalted status that her uncle, Qassem Soleimani had within the irgc, one could argue that her claim for asylum was completely bogus. And that's a key point, because asylum is granted based on a credible fear of persecution. If someone is voluntarily returning to the country they claim to be fleeing, well, it tends to undermine that case. And in this instance, officials say it may have been fraudulent. Really? You think so? Her daughter followed a similar path, entering on a student visa, receiving asylum, and eventually becoming a lawful permanent resident. Now, if one were churlish, one could point out how this might be an indication of just how screwed up US Immigration policies are. Both are now in ICE custody, and they're not alone. The State Department says it has recently revoked the legal status of other individuals tied to senior Iranian officials, including the daughter of a former regime figure who already left the US and is now barred from returning. This appears to be part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to tighten security on foreign nationals with ties, direct or indirect, to adversarial regimes, particularly those designated as state sponsors of terrorism. The message appears to be relatively straightforward. Legal status in the US Is a privilege. It's not a human right. And if officials believe that privilege is being used to support hostile actors, now they're willing to revoke it. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Monday 6th April. Now, if you have any questions or comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and I hope you had time over the weekend to catch the latest episode of our extended weekend show. That, of course, is the PDB Situation Report. If not, you can find it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. Just go on over to YouTube and search up at President's Daily Brief. And of course, on podcast platform all over podcast land. This weekend we had great guests, including Benham Ben Taliblu from the foundation for Defense of Democracies to provide insight into the Iran conflict, as well as Gordon Chang providing important analysis of the relationship between China and Iran. I hope you'll tune in. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.