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The President's Daily Brief
January 13th, 2026: UK Joins U.S. in Seizing Russian Shadow Fleet Tankers & Trump Threatens Cuba
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It's Tuesday the 13th of January. 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, the United Kingdom prepares to join the US in seizing Russian shadow fleet oil tankers at sea as Moscow's reflagging PL raises the risk of direct confrontation between Western forces and Russia. Later in the show, Russian made air defense systems in Venezuela failed to stop US Aircraft during the Maduro operation, raising fresh questions about their real world effectiveness. Plus, President Trump issues a stark warning to Cuba following Nicolas Maduro's ouster, urging Havana to make a deal with Washington. And in today's Back of the Brief, a viral eyewitness account from Venezuela raises questions about a mysterious weapon used during the US Raid to capture Maduro. But first, today's bdb. The United Kingdom appears to be quietly preparing to join the United States in seizing Russian linked shadow fleet oil tankers at sea, with British officials determining that they now have the legal authority to do so. Under existing sanctions law, that authority would allow British forces to detain vessels believed to be evading sanctions, particularly ships operating under false flag or fraudulent flags in international waters. The UK move comes as Russia has altered its own strategy at sea, reflagging large portions of its shadow fleet with Russian flags, often in the middle of an active voyage. These are tankers used to move sanctioned oil, of course, from Russia and Iran and Venezuela using deceptive tactics, false paperwork, manipulated tracking data, frequent name changes and flags of convenience from countries with little enforcement capability. We've discussed the shadow fleet extensively here on the pdb. What's new is Moscow's decision to stop hiding behind obscure registries and instead hoist the Russian tricolor. The logic is straightforward, I suppose it's a Russian flag is meant to raise the political and military cost of enforcement. Boarding an anonymous tanker attempting to fly under the radar is one thing. Boarding a ship that Russia claims as its own is something else entirely. The reflagging strategy appears designed to force Washington and now potentially London, to weigh the risk of direct confrontation with Russian forces. But so far that strategy has failed. As we've reported in recent weeks, U.S. forces have seized multiple sanctioned tankers, despite Russian naval escorts and aircraft operating nearby. In one high profile case, American military boarded the tanker while Russian vessels were communicating with its crew and Russian aircraft flew overhead. The boarding went forward anyway. Russian forces ultimately backed off rather than escalate. This all demonstrated that flying a Russian flag does not automatically grant immunity, especially when vessels are deemed to be Operating under false or fraudulent colors. It also showed that Moscow, when confronted directly, may prefer restraint over escalation. Still, while reflagging hasn't stopped seizures, it has undeniably raised the stakes. Every future boarding now carries a higher risk of miscalculation. Close encounters between ships and aircraft and special forces operating in contested spaces, well, they always do. That's why the UK's decision to clarify its legal authority is such a consequential step. By establishing a domestic legal basis to seize sanction evading vessels, London is signaling that it may soon move beyond diplomatic support and intelligence sharing into direct enforcement. And this would not be symbolic participation. The UK brings a blue water navy, of course. Global basing access, sophisticated maritime surveillance, and deep operational integration with US forces. It would be part of a coordinated Western enforcement effort. And that changes the risk calculus for everyone involved. For Moscow, it complicates deterrence. It's one thing to posture against Washington alone. It's another to confront a multinational enforcement effort where responsibility and escalation risk is shared. For the west, it represents a shift from sanctions as policy to seizures as practice. For years, shadow fleets were tolerated in a gray zone. Governments sanctioned ships and companies on paper, while allowing illicit oil to keep moving. That appears to be ending. What we're seeing now is the physical enforcement of economic pressure. Ships stopped and boarded and taken, not just listed on a spreadsheet. As you're likely aware, energy exports are the lifeblood of Russia's economy. Every tanker seized is a direct challenge to Moscow's ability to sustain revenue under sanctions. That's why Russia decided to try and shield these vessels behind its flag. And it's why the outcome of this standoff matters far beyond the decks of a few aging tankers now. More enforcement, of course, means more encounters. More encounters mean more chances for miscalculation. A radio call misunderstood, an aircraft flying too close, a captain who refuses to comply. But the fact that Russia has already backed down during live enforcement operations suggests the seizure operations may be working, at least for now. Moscow tested the boundary, found it firmer than expected, and pulled back. The UK appears to be drawing conclusions from that behavior. The broader takeaway is this. Russia tried to raise the cost of enforcement by making the shadow fleet more visible, national, and confrontational. The US tested that assumption, and now the UK appears ready to test it as well. All right, coming up next, Russian made air defenses in Venezuela failed to stop US aircraft during the Maduro operation. And President Trump is now warning Cuba to make a deal with Washington before it's too Late. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now you probably know me as the host of the PDB of course, But I'm also a bit of a hygiene expert. Well, expert might be a bit much. Let's just say I'm a hygiene savant. How's that sound? Which is why I want to tell you about Mando Whole body deodorant. Have you heard about mando? It's safe anywhere. You can use it on pits or thighs or feet or even hard to reach areas in case you have any of those. It's doctor created and clinically proven to block odor up to 72 hours. Come on, 72 hours. Now I'm no math expert, but I believe that's three whole days. It's baking soda aluminum or aluminium free and paraben free. They've got multiple scents and it comes in glide on stick or spray. It's powered by mandelic acid and proven to control odor far better than soap. Mando gets the job done right, as they say. Don't mask it, Mando it. It's available in retailers near you or head to shopmando.com because for a limited time now, new customers get 20 off site wide with our exclusive code. Use the code PDB@shopmando.com for 20 off site wide plus free shipping. Shopmando.com you can tell them that PDB sent you. Mando's got you covered with deodorant plus sweat control. Say goodbye to sweat stains and hello to long lasting freshness. Welcome back to the pdb. We're learning more about just how exposed Venezuela's airspace was when U. S Helicopters swept into Caracas to capture Nicolas Maduro. The picture that's emerging is the regime's Russian made air defenses weren't just overwhelmed, they were barely online to begin with. According to four current and former U.S. officials. The Russian S 300 and BUKM2, known as the Bukum Systems that Venezuelan leaders spent years touting as a shield against American intervention, were not fully connected to radar and in some cases had never been deployed at all when operation Absolute resolve began. A report by the New York Times that reviewed satellite imagery and videos and social media footage reveals critical BUK components sitting in storage rather than positioned for combat. The result of a military unprepared for the fight that it long claimed to expect. In short, incompetence and decay played an important role in the operation. And this was a failure years in the making. Venezuela's air defense network existed more on paper than reality. As former CIA Station Chief Rick de la Torre, a recent guest, by the way, on the PDB situation report, told the New York Times, quote, after years of corruption, poor logistics, sanctions, all those things would have certainly degraded the readiness of Venezuela's air defense Systems, end quote. U.S. officials say the breakdown went well beyond faulty equipment. Even Venezuelan troops were not properly dispersed. Detection radar was not fully activated and basic readiness measures were, were absent a chain of errors that allowed American forces to operate over Caracas with minimal resistance. And it's not just a failure for Venezuela. This collapse also reflects poorly on Russia. Russian technicians were responsible for sustaining the systems, but that support appears to have faded as Moscow diverted attention and resources, of course, to Putin's invasion of Ukraine. To understand how far things fell off, it's worth going back to the beginning. When former socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced the purchase of Russian air defense systems in 2009, it was done with great fanfare as part of a military modernization drive. Chavez portrayed the weapons as a deterrent to keep US Aircraft at bay. He said at the time, with these rockets, it's going to be very difficult for foreign planes to come and bomb us and quote, apparently not in practice. Venezuela struggled almost immediately to sustain the sophisticated hardware. U.S. officials familiar with classified assessments say Caracas repeatedly ran short on spare parts and personnel. Over time, what had been built as a formidable deterrent eventually degraded into a little more than a static asset. And on the ground, the breakdown was visible. Satellite imagery and video footage shows US Aircraft striking locations where BUK systems were stored rather than deployed. In Laguayra, warehouses containing BUK systems were destroyed. Similar scenes played out in Katia Lamar, where bombed storage facilities revealed launchers and command vehicles parked inside. Even Venezuela's widely publicized stockpile of Russian made portable surface to air missile systems failed to alter the outcome of the American operation. Maduro had repeatedly boasted that his regime possessed thousands of them ready to defend Venezuelan skies. Only one apparent launch of those systems was captured on video, followed by overwhelming American counter fire. U.S. officials say that that American response likely discouraged further attempts. Okay, shifting gears, President Trump issued a fresh warning to Cuba's communist government as the island braces for unrest after the US Capture of Maduro and the loss of the Venezuelan oil lifeline that long had kept Havana quietly afloat. For years, Cuba depended on heavily subsidized Venezuelan crude trading, security assistance and intelligence support for cheap oil that helped keep the lights on back home. That arrangement is now, of course, severed as US Forces move to seize sanctioned tankers and clamp down on Venezuela's production. Refining and exports that snapped. Oil lifeline has left Havana exposed with very few options. That's the context for Trump's message on Truth Social, which was anything but subtle. The president fired off a post reading, cuba lived off Venezuelan oil and money for years, and then in all caps, he wrote, there will be no more oil or money going to Cuba 0. I strongly suggest they make a deal and again in all caps, before it's too late, end quote. Trump didn't spell out what kind of a deal he had in mind, but the post Maduro order, as Washington sees it, is not going to subsidize Havana or tolerate what the Trump administration views as a protection racket between authoritarian regimes. And it didn't take long for a response from the island to emerge. Cuba's president Miguel Diaz Canel posted on the X well accusing Washington of cynicism, quote, those who turn into a business, even human lives, have no moral authority to point the finger at Cuba in any way, end quote. But Trump was framing the moment through a very different lens. He posted, quote, venezuela doesn't need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years. Venezuela now has the US the most powerful military in the world, to protect them and protect them we will, end quote. Now that framing matters, because Cuba was already wobbling long before Maduro fell. I've talked before about how black and fuel shortages and empty supermarket shelves have pushed daily life on the island to the brink. Cuba right now is enduring its worst economic crisis in decades, and Venezuelan oil wasn't fixing those problems, it was masking them. Now that cover is gone. Diaz Canel blames Washington's pressure campaign for the island's collapse, claiming recent US sanctions cost Cuba more than seven and a half billion dollars between March 2024 and February of 2025. Still, the Cuban president insists his country's political model is a sovereign choice and denounced what he called draconian measures imposed by Washington. But Trump has been blunt about where his trajectory will lead. Havana posting it's going down is going down for the count. Diaz Canel acknowledged Havana is not currently in talks with Washington. Any reset, he said, would require an end to what he described as hostility, threats and economic coercion. In other words, Cuba wants relief first without all offering much, if anything, in return. As we've been tracking before the US operation to oust Maduro took place, Cuba had been receiving roughly 35,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela. And without it, Havana is left facing shortages that it cannot easily replace. All Right, coming up in today's Back of the Brief, we take a closer look at claims of a so called sonic weapon allegedly used by US forces during the Maduro operation. So is Washington deploying secret technology or could the explanation be far more mundane? We'll have those details. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, as we move into the new year, you know, right, because we're into 2026 now already, many of us are looking to build more intentional lives and, and to live deliberately and better aligned with our purpose and values. That's why I want to tell you about Glorify. It's the number one Christian daily devotional app. Glorify can help you lead a more intentional life. They've got a 21 day challenge that helps build that simple but powerful habit of seeking wisdom and guidance every day. You can start your morning with a Bible passage, a daily devotional or an immersive daily walk with God. In the middle of a busy day, you can listen to a curated playlist for quiet reflection. 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In today's back of the Brief A strange claim that's been lighting up social media since the U.S. raid that captured Nicholas Maduro. The story centers on an eyewitness account from a Venezuelan security guard who says he was on duty the night American forces moved in. His account has been shared widely online, including by White House press secretary Caroline Levitt, which unsurprisingly, helped to travel faster. According to the guard, the operation began with confusion. Radar systems suddenly went dark. Then came drones overhead, reportedly lots of them. Moments later. That's a technical term, lots of them. Moments later, a small number of U.S. helicopters arrived, inserting what the Guard estimated were roughly 20American troops. What followed, he said, wasn't a firefight so much as a route. His forces were outmatched, outmaneuvered and overwhelmed almost immediately. But the detail that's grabbed the most attention came next. At one point, the guard claims the Americans deployed something he couldn't describe other than to say that it felt like an intense sound wave. He said it felt as if his head was, quote, exploding from the inside. He claimed soldiers around him began Bleeding from the nose, vomiting, collapsing to the ground, unable to stand or fight. Almost instantly, the speculation began. Was this some kind of secret US Sonic weapon? Now, let's be clear. Is it possible that the US has advanced capabilities? It doesn't advertise. Well, of course, every major military does. Directed energy systems, electronic warfare, sound weapons, and other classified tools have been under development for decades. But before we jump straight to the conclusion, there are some far more mundane and far more likely explanations. One of the simplest is possibly the use of flashbangs. These are standard tools in raids like this. They're designed to overwhelm the senses with a blinding flash, a deafening blast, and a pressure wave that disorients anyone nearby. Used indoors at night or in rapid succession, they can cause ringing ears and intense head pressure and loss of balance, nausea, and even nosebleeds. Add in electronic jamming, drones, buzzing overhead, explosions echoing in confined spaces, and the psychological shock of being completely outgunned. It's not hard to see how memory and perception might blur into something far more exotic. So, do directed energy or sound weapons exist? Well, absolutely. Now, a series I hosted for Discovery Network called Black Files Declassified featured an episode on less than lethal weapons, including long range acoustic devices, or LRADs. What's not known is whether this type of weapon was deployed during the Maduro capture. Sonic weapons can be used to incapacitate targeted crowds or individuals. But whether the military would decide to use such a weapon during such a dangerous operation rather than rely on lethality, well, that's not known. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Tuesday 13th January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@bdbhefirsttv.com and remember to check out and subscribe, hopefully to our YouTube channel. You can find that on YouTube, of course, just search at President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.