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Looking to diversify and protect your hard earned investments? Well, you know, schedule a free consultation with the Birch Gold Group. That just makes sense, doesn't it? They're the precious metals specialists. Text PDB to the number 989-898 and you'll receive a free no obligation information kit. And you'll learn how to convert an existing IRA or a 401k into a gold IRA. Again, text PDB to 989898. Foreign. It's Monday, the 24th of November. 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, Washington is set to launch a new phase of its Venezuela campaign and the country's dictator, that would be Nicholas Maduro, is responding with heightened paranoia and tighter security. And we'll explain what Washington may be planning later in the show. US Ukrainian and European officials meet in Geneva to discuss Washington's new peace proposal for Ukraine. But Kiev says the plan gives up far too much. Well, they're not wrong. The current peace proposal would be like, okay, now this is not a perfect analogy, but it would be like if hypothetically Mexico invaded the US and after a period of time, the international community told the White House, just, just give them Texas and Arizona and reduce the size of your military, at least you'll have peace. I told you it wasn't a perfect analogy, but maybe you get the idea. Plus, Israel launches a strike in Beirut aimed at Hezbollah's top military commander, marking a major escalation in its ongoing efforts against the terror group. And in today's Back of the Brief, disturbing news to say the least, out of central Nigeria, where more than 300 students were abducted in one of the country's worst mass kidnappings. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We're starting things off today with new reporting that the U.S. campaign against Nicolas Maduro's government in Venezuela is about to shift gears. According to A Reuters exclusive, four U.S. officials say Washington is preparing to launch what they describe as a, quote, new phase of Venezuela related operations in the coming days. And while officials aren't publicly outlining what that phase involves. The signs suggest a growing pressure campaign on a regime already showing clear signs of stress. The Reuters reporting describes internal conversations across several U.S. agencies pointing toward more direct efforts aimed at Maduro's political and security apparatus. Now, this isn't just about narcotics trafficking or disrupting drug routes. Those are areas where the Pentagon and DHS have already been active in the Caribbean. This new phase appears tied specifically to the Maduro government itself, one official told Reuters. It reflects Washington's assessment that the current posture hasn't shifted the regime and that next steps may be needed to apply pressure more directly. At the same time, the US Continues expanding the tools that legally justify more assertive action. As we reported last week, organizations connected to the Venezuelan security state were labeled terrorist entities, opening new avenues for financial targeting and military options. Options. So what might this quote, new phase look like? Well, we don't know for sure, but another report out this weekend gives us a clue about at least one option on the table. CBS News says officials in the Trump administration discussed dropping leaflets that's right, leaflets on Caracas, an old school psychological operation aimed at undermining Maduro's public narrative. The discussions reportedly focused on using the leaflets to highlight corruption inside the Venezuelan government and to encourage military defections. Sources also described a debate over timing and messaging, suggesting this is more than a theoretical conversation. While no final decision has been made, the fact that it's being seriously considered hints at how Washington views the role of psychological pressure within this next phase, creating instability inside the regime without immediately escalating to military action. And that brings us to a third piece of reporting from this weekend. Nicholas Maduro appears to be feeling the pressure. According to the Financial Times, Maduro has quietly tightened his personal security in recent days. His public appearances, which are normally a central part of his political Persona, have been shortened, choreographed, and in some cases relocated at the last minute. The report cites people familiar with his movements who say his protective detail has grown substantially with increased involvement from Cuban security personnel. Maduro has been limiting his routes, avoiding night appearances and reducing contact with large crowds. The tone of the FT report is notable. It describes a leader who appears concerned about both external threats and internal stability. This shift coincides with the US Planning a new operational phase, and it follows several incidents inside Venezuela, including unexplained arrests and movements within the military that point to a regime increasingly worried about infiltration and coup plotting. So you ask yourself, where does all this leave us? Well, on one hand, Washington is signaling that the status quo isn't producing results. And officials are preparing for tactics that apply more direct pressure, potentially psychological, potentially covert, potentially military. On the other hand, Maduro's behavior suggests that the pressure is having an effect. Leaders who feel secure don't typically redesign their security perimeter or cut down their public exposure. But the escalation, of course, isn't without risk. Any increased U.S. activity, whether leaflets or something more aggressive, raises the chances of miscalculation. Venezuela's neighbors, including Colombia and Brazil, are, of course, watching closely. Russia and China, both of whom have vested strategic interests in Maduro's survival, are likely weighing how to respond as well as and ordinary Venezuelans may find themselves caught between a cornered regime and a more forceful U.S. strategy. All right, coming up next, high stakes talks in Geneva over Washington's Ukraine peace plan. And Israel carries out an airstrike targeting Hezbollah's top military commander in Beirut. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with a message from my friends at Trytales Beef. All right, here's the deal. Trytails Premium Beef, a terrific fifth generation Texas ranching family is running their biggest Black Friday event of the year. Now, you've got to check out tractails. I'm serious. They're all about raising cattle the right way and delivering delicious beef right to your door. I love their steaks and roasts. So here's the deal. 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The offer is valid for a limited time and term supply. Check the link below or in the show notes. That's fast growing trees. Welcome back to the pdb. I want to return to the ongoing White House push to bring the war in Ukraine to a close. As representatives from the U.S. ukraine and several European governments met in Geneva to go over Washington's proposal, officials spent Sunday dissecting the Trump administration's peace framework, a plan that many EU capitals are obviously uneasy with. Even so, the effort to press Kyiv and Moscow toward his settlement is only intensifying. Although to be fair, at this stage, from what we've been told, the pressure is on Kyiv rather than on Moscow. As we've been tracking, President Trump sharpened his message this weekend, telling reporters that Ukrainian President Zelensky can either accept his 28 point plan by Thursday day, which in the US is Thanksgiving, or, in his words, continue to fight his little heart out. It was one of the clearest signs of how the White House is framing the choice for Kyiv accept a peace that Ukrainians see as deeply unfair or risk losing the weapons and intelligence that have kept the country in the fight with Russia for nearly four years. At the same time, Trump signaled he hasn't completely locked the door on Ukraine. When asked by reporters whether this was his final offer, the president answered no, adding that he wants to get the peace and that the war, quote, should have ended a long time ago. Well, maybe talk to Putin about that. The Thanksgiving date, he said, as we covered last week, remains a target meant to keep talks alive, not a hard cutoff, apparently. But what's changed since then is where the diplomacy is happening and who's trying to rewrite the script. In Geneva, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special envoy Steve Witkoff were face to face with Ukrainian officials and key European partners trying to hammer the Trump drafted plan into something that Kiev could live with. An anonymous US Official close to the talks said the goal is to, quote, iron out the final details. Aren't they far down the road and produce a deal that is, quote, advantageous to Ukraine, stressing that nothing will be agreed on until Trump and Zelensky get together. Zelensky, for his part, welcomed the diplomatic push and said he hoped the discussion would lead to a meaningful result this week. His message stayed careful, supportive of the process, but without signaling acceptance of the terms. But if Washington is trying to reassure Kyiv that nothing has been finalized, Europe is making it clear that it's not going to rubber stamp Trump's blueprint. As we previously discussed, European leaders were blindsided by the original framework and were furious that they weren't consulted. That frustration spilled into the open over the weekend prior to meeting in Geneva. On the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, more than a dozen European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, huddled to draft a supposed counter proposal. They called the US document a basis for which will require additional work. Essentially, diplomatic language for this is nowhere near acceptable in their eyes. Yet in a joint statement, European leaders warned that the proposed limits on Ukraine's armed forces would leave the country exp to future Russian attacks and by extension, threaten European security as well. EU capitals also reminded Washington that any clauses touching on the European Union or NATO can't simply be written in from the White House. They require the consent of member states. Even European Commissioner and President Ursula von der Leyen laid down her red lines. She said any credible peace plan cannot allow borders to be changed by force, cannot impose military limits that leave Ukraine vulnerable, and must reflect the EU's central role in securing peace. She also emphasized that Ukraine has chosen, quote, european destiny, a clear signal that Brussels expects Kiev's long term alignment with Europe to be baked into any final settlement not treated as a bargaining chip. These responses from EU leaders come as the core of the US framework hasn't changed much since our last update. The 28 point plan still demands major concessions from Kiev, such as ceding territory that Russia doesn't even have, accepting strict limits on the size of its army and renouncing NATO membership while offering only vague U.S. assurances of security guarantees. That's why yesterday's Geneva talks carried weight. Mertz said the goal was to shape a peace plan acceptable to Ukraine that can eventually be put in front of Russia and warrant he's not yet convinced Washington will get the outcome it wants in the next few days. So where does this leave things in simple terms? Well, the US Is racing to keep its Thanksgiving target alive, Europe is racing to blunt the sharpest edges of Trump's proposal, and Zelensky is racing to protect both Ukraine dignity and its lifeline in Washington. And Putin, well, he appears to be supportive of the terms of the White House proposal. After all, it it essentially mirrors long standing Russian demands. Now, perhaps this is apropos of nothing, and I guess it's in the category of for what it's worth, but Neville Chamberlain's peace for our time approach didn't do much for his legacy. Turning to Lebanon in what was the most consequential hit on Hezbollah's senior ranks since last year's ceasefire, the Israeli air force struck deep inside Beirut Sunday, targeting the terror group's military chief, Haitham Ali Tabatabai. It was the first Israeli strike on the Lebanese capital in five months, killing at least five Israel. Slater said that the operation hit its mark, eliminating Tabatabay, who essentially kept Hezbollah's military operations stitched together. But I'd like to point out that Hezbollah still hasn't confirmed whether he was injured or killed, asylum's officials in Jerusalem says speaks volumes. Typically, the Iran backed group rushes to deny Israeli claims when a senior commander survives, but this time it has not. And in the region that kind of hesitation is widely read as a sign that Hezbollah is scrambling internally, likely working to contain the fallout from a successful Israeli hit deep inside Lebanon. According to Axios, Israeli missiles struck the fourth and fifth floors of a 10 story building in Beirut's southern suburbs. It's an area long regarded as the heart of Hezbollah's command infrastructure. Now the strike didn't happen in a vacuum. As longtime PDB listeners know, Hezbollah has been chipping away at the year old ceasefire, building its forces in the Lebanon south and moving weapons back into the territory that they had agreed to pull out of. As the Lebanese government has made almost no progress under the ceasefire's framework in disarming the group, Israel argues it's acting now to keep Hezbollah from rebuilding, rearming and restoring its old frontline posture. Israeli officials said Taba Dubai had been a central figure pushing Hezbollah to reject the Lebanese government's call to disarm and had agitated inside the Tehrag organization to end the ceasefire and resume hostilities with Israel. Now as for Tabatabai, he's been pursued by the US for years. The State Department designated him a specially designated global terrorist back in 2016 and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he approved yesterday's operation on the recommendation of Defense Minister Israel Katz and the IDF's chief of staff. Netanyahu described Tabitha by as the man who led the terror organization's build up and armament efforts, adding that Israel's determined to pursue its objectives anywhere and at any time. And the Jewish state's pursuit of any time anywhere proved true, as a senior US Official said Washington was unaware of the operation, according to Axios. Israel did not give the White House advanced warning, the US Official told the outlet. We were informed immediately after the strike was carried out. Another US Official backed up that claim, saying the Trump administration knew Israel planned at some time to escalate operations in Lebanon, but did not know the timing, location or target. According to Israeli officials, Tabatabai was the number two figure inside Hezbollah after political leader Nassim Qasem. He assumed military leadership after Israel assassinated several of his predecessors, underscoring how central he had become to the terror group's military apparatus. Okay, coming up in the back of the brief, a grim report from Nigeria, where armed gunmen kidnapped more than 300 students and teachers in one of the largest abductions the country has ever seen. I'll have those details when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, I suspect you've heard that Black Friday is right around the corner and you've probably asked yourself at one time or another, I wonder if doctors have Black Friday sales. I'm sure you've asked that question. 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