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The President's Daily Brief
January 19th, 2026: U.S. Deploys Bombers Toward Iran & American Forces Kill ISIS Leader In Syria
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It's Monday, the 19th 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, major US Military moves are now underway in the Middle east with bombers, carriers and missile systems being deployed amid rising tensions with Iran. I'll have the details later in the show. The US Launches a third retaliatory strike in Syria, taking out a militant leader tied to an ISIS ambush that killed three Americans last month. Plus, new documents reveal that Venezuela's interim leader, Delsey Rodriguez has been monitored by US Drug agents for years, highlighting her central role in the regime's alleged criminal networks. And in today's Back of the Brief, President Trump announces escalating tariffs on Denmark and other European nations as he pushes for a deal to acquire Greenland. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. The US Is repositioning military assets across the Middle east. Over the past 48 hours, reporting indicates that US strategic bombers have landed at Diego Garcia. That's the joint US UK base in the Indian Ocean. Now, Diego Garcia isn't just another airstrip. It has the lengthy runways designed to support heavy strategic aircraft, including B2 class bombers. At the same time, open source tracking of regional air traffic shows more than a dozen U.S. heavy military transport aircraft flying towards the Gulf region in just the past two days. Now, these are logistics aircraft moving munitions and medical and support equipment. In other words, the less visible but essential pieces of any significant operation. Reports also indicate that non essential American and British personnel have been evacuated from Al Udayd Air Base in Qatar. That's a precaution that you'd normally take when you're preparing for potential retaliation. At the same time, the US Military has reinforced Patriot and Thaad missile defense batteries across several Gulf states. Again, not for messaging, but for protection against an expected response. Put all of that together and you're looking at a familiar pattern. This is exactly what you would expect to see if the US Were preparing for the possibility of an air campaign in the Middle East. Now, this obviously didn't start just today. On Friday, we told you the US Is moving a carrier strike group toward the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln is already underway and expected to reach operational position in about a week. Carrier aviation adds another layer. Sea based strike power, intelligence collection capabilities and flexibility. And against that backdrop, the war of words between Washington and Tehran has been heating up again. Despite what appeared to be a brief detente last week, this weekend, President Trump openly called for an end to ayatollah Ali Khamenei's 37 year reign. In an interview with Politico, the president said it's time to look for new leadership in Iran. Trump added that the best decision Khamenei ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago. That's a reference to the canceled or at least delayed mass executions of protesters that the regime was reportedly planning last week. Khamenei has responded to Trump in kind. Khamenei's X account posted a series of hostile messages aimed at Trump accusing the US President of being responsible for deadly violence and unrest in Iran. Khamenei or whomever is in charge of his ex, and I think also he has a TikTok account stated, quote, we find the U.S. president guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation. The Ayatollah also branded Trump a criminal. And that brings us to a key development. Iranian officials are now acknowledging a death toll of at least 5,000 people as a result of their crackdown on protesters. That number is significant for a couple of reasons. First, it's substantially higher than many Western estimates had been, which had placed the toll closer to 2500. Second, if the regime in Tehran is willing to admit to 5,000 deaths, well, the real number could likely be higher. This is also the first time Ayatollah Khamenei himself has publicly acknowledged the scale of the killings. Now, when regimes admit mass casualties, they are often doing two things at once. They are locking in their version of events and they are preparing the ground for what may come next. In this case, Iranian authorities are already signaling that the judiciary may pursue harsh punishments, including executions against those they accuse of fueling the unrest. The Iranian regime is, of course, under internal pressure, publicly acknowledging bloodshed on a massive scale and escalating its rhetoric against Washington. The U.S. meanwhile, is moving the kinds of military assets you reposition when you want credible, executable options. None of this means that a strike is inevitable, but the infrastructure for one is being quietly assembled. Well, not so quietly, and that may tell us where the decision making process is heading. All right, coming up next, a third US Strike in Syria targets a terrorist leader tied to an ambush that killed three Americans. Plus, new reporting shows Venezuela's Delsey Rodriguez has been on the DEA's radar for years. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, let me take just a moment of your time to talk about personal finances and financial goals. Look, if you're a homeowner, there is no better time than now to call the folks over at American Financing and wipe out that debt that you may have been worried about, right? The Fed dropped rates for the fourth time in December. Did you know that? And American Financing can now help you access the equity in your home at an interest rate in the low fives. Think about that. It's a much lower and of course, much more attractive rate than the average 20% or more credit card rates. Look, American Financing is saving their customers an average of about 800amonth. Now, I'm no mathematician, but that's something like a $10,000 a year raise to start out the new year. There are no upfront fees. That's very important. And no obligation to just see how much you can save. And some are even delaying two mortgage payments. Think about that. American Financing is America's home. For home loans. Call today. It's 866-885-1881. That number again, 866-885-1881 or just visit American financing.net PDB welcome back to the PDB. The U.S. military went back to work in Syria carrying out a third round of retaliatory airstrikes that killed a senior Al Qaeda linked terrorist tied to the December ambush that left three Americans dead. U.S. central Command says the strike eliminated Bilal Hassin, Al Shassim and Northwest Syria as a terrorist that officials describe as directly connected to the Islamic State gunman behind the 13 December ambush in the ancient city of Palmyra. You may remember that attack killed two U.S. service members and an American civilian interpreter. And the way the military is framing it, this strike is about continued accountability. You can hear that message in our CENTCOM commander, General Brad Cooper talks about it. He told ABC News, quote, there's no safe place for those who conduct, plot or inspire attacks on American citizens and our war fighters. We will find you, end quote. That December lone ISIS gunman ambush carried added weight inside the Pentagon. It marked the first U.S. combat deaths since President Trump returned to office. The two service members killed were Iowa National Guard soldiers, Sergeant Edgar Brian Torres Tovar and Sergeant William Howard. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, the response that followed wasn't limited to one strike. The US Launched a broader campaign in Syria under an operation known as Hawkeye Strike, named in honor of the fallen Iowa soldiers. According to centcom, the operation has included multiple large scale strikes carried out with US partners hitting more than 100 Islamic State weapons depots, logistics hubs and infrastructure sites across the country, resulting in dozens of terrorist deaths and captures. US Officials have said the campaign is still ongoing as part of a wider effort to dismantle terrorist infrastructure networks in Syria, particularly the Islamic State, before they can regroup or strike again. And much like the previous strikes, the latest US Military action reinforces that message that those involved in killing Americans, whether they pull the trigger or help enable the attack, remain targets wherever they operate. Okay, shifting gears. The capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro ushered in a new president in Venezuela. And while most folks had never heard of Delsey Rodriguez, US Law enforcement knew who she was because they've been watching her for years now. Here on the pdb, we've profiled the interim Venezuelan leader before, but newly obtained records by the Associated Press and interviews with more than half a dozen current and former U.S. officials show that DEA agents began tracking Rodriguez in early 2018 before elevating her to a priority target status in 2022. Now, that priority target status is an internal label that the agency uses for individuals that it believes have an outsized impact on the drug trade. While the label doesn't automatically translate into criminal charges, it does signal sustained interest at a high level across multiple investigations. In other words, this wasn't a one off tip or a passing suspicion. It's a pattern that kept resurfacing as Rodriguez climbed higher inside the Maduro regime. DEA intelligence files catalog Rodriguez's known associates and allegations ranging from narcotics trafficking to gold smuggling. One confidential informant told investigators back in 2021 that Rodriguez used hotels on Venezuela's Isla Margarita as fronts for money laundering. And as recently as last year, US Authorities were examining her ties to Alex Saab, who is Maduro's alleged financial intermediary. Saab was arrested in 2020 on federal money laundering charges. U.S. officials have long viewed Isla Margarita as a trafficking hub linking Venezuela to the Caribbean and Europe. Over the years, numerous traffickers have operated or taken refuge there, including figures tied to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. Despite the sustained investigation, the US Government never publicly accused Rodriguez of criminal wrongdoing. She's also notably absent from the list of more than a dozen Venezuelan officials charged alongside Maduro. Still, DEA records reviewed by the AP showed Rodriguez's name surfacing in nearly a dozen investigations across multiple field offices from Paraguay to Ecuador, Phoenix, and New York, several of which remain active. Current and former DEA agents say the records reflect consistent institutional interest throughout her tenure as Maduro's vice president, which began in 2018. What the records don't explain is why Rodriguez was elevated to priority target status. That's a move that requires extensive documentation and internal approval. And again, I want to underline this point. That designation doesn't guarantee prosecution, but it does tell you how seriously investigators viewed her position inside the regime. When taken together, the records obtained by the AP reflect how US Authorities have viewed Rodriguez as someone embedded in the power structure which investigators associate with Venezuela's criminal networks. That detail is what makes Trump's praise of the newly named Venezuelan president striking since Maduro's capture. Trump described her as a, quote, terrific person and highlighted her contacts with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. When asked by reporters whether Trump trusts Rodriguez, the White House pointed to his remarks about having a, quote, very good talk with the interim leader before she met in Caracas with CIA Director John Ratcliffe. Concerns about Rodriguez were raised by opposition leader Maria Karina Machado, who met with Trump at the White House last week. Machado, when referring to Rodriguez, said the U.S. justice system has sufficient information on her, and that's an important detail. Much of the DEA's interest in Rodriguez is driven by its elite Special Operations division, notably the same unit that helped build the case against Maduro. Shortly after Maduro's ouster, Trump warned that Rodriguez would, quote, pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro, if she fails to play ball with Washington. All right, coming up in today's Back of the Brief, President Trump ramps up tariffs on Europe in a bid to force a deal on Greenland. We'll have the details. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, I've spent years working in difficult and challenging environments, right? Long hours, tough terrain, no room for gear that can't keep up. That's why I trust and love grunt workwear. Brunt B R U N T Just like it sounds. Brunt's Marin boots, as an example, are rugged, waterproof and comfortable right out of the box. And that's important. There's no break in needed. And Brunt builds more than boots, work pants, jackets, all of it crafted to perform. It's durable, reliable, mission ready for those who get after it. Brunt's got your back now. Brunt was tired of the workwear brands out there cutting corners. You work too hard to be stuck in uncomfortable boots and gear that doesn't hold up. So they built stuff better. It's as simple as that. Boots and clothing that are comfortable and tough. And for a limited time, our listeners of the PDB get $10 at Brunt. When you use code PDB at checkout, just head over to BruntWorkware.com use the code PDB and you're good to go. And after you order, they'll Ask where you heard about Brunt. Tell them the PDB sent you. In today's Back of the brief, Washington continues to push for a deal on Greenland, with President Trump warning that 10% tariffs on Europe are coming unless Denmark makes a deal. Trump is calling the acquisition of Greenland critical for US national security. He first raised this idea back in his first term, then resurfaced it after returning to office. Trump has since steadily elevated it into a core national security priority in this current administration. In a lengthy truth social post, Trump framed the issue less as a negotiation and more as a correction. He argued Washington has spent decades subsidizing Denmark and much of Europe, not just financially but strategically by holding back on tariffs while providing what he described as maximum military protection. So from Trump's perspective, that balance is tilted too far for too long. Trump posted, quote, now, after centuries, it is time for Denmark to give it back. World peace is at stake, end quote. Trump said China and Russia are seeking influence over Greenland, and he made clear he does not believe Denmark can defend the territory on its own. In one of the post's lines, he jokingly wrote that Denmark has limited defenses on the island, writing that Greenland is protected by, quote, two dog sleds, adding that only the US can secure it effectively. From there, Trump played out the consequences. He warned that Denmark, along with Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K. the Netherlands and Finland, will face a 10% tariff on all goods exported to the U.S. effective by the beginning of February. And according to the White House, on the 1st of June, that rate will rise to 25% and remain in place, he said, quote, until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland. Now, if you're wondering why Trump chose those countries in particular, well, he recently said those nations, quote, journeyed to Greenland for purposes unknown, casting that activity as a threat to global safety. As we've framed before, the world's largest island is at a critical Arctic crossroads, hosts a major US Military base, and is becoming more strategically valuable as melting ice opens new shipping lanes and access to natural resources. Trump said the US has sought to purchase Greenland for more than 150 years, but has been repeatedly rejected by the Danes. He also tied his renewed push to advanced weapons systems and his proposed Golden Dome Missile Defense Initiative, arguing that that system can't operate at full capacity without Greenland's inclusion. So, you ask, where do things stand now? Well, Trump made it clear that he's not closing the door on talks. He wrote, quote, the US Is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and or any of these countries. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Monday 19th January. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and hopefully you had a chance over the weekend to check out the latest episode of our PDB Situation Report. As always, excellent guests news and insight, but still no house band. We're working on it. You can catch the situation report on our YouTube channel. That's at President's Daily Brief, as well as on podcast platforms all over podcast land. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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