← The President's Daily Brief
The President's Daily Brief
October 27th, 2025: America’s Most Powerful Warship Deployed To Venezuela & Trump & Xi Reach “Consensus”
00:24:52
Loading summary
Transcript6 lines
- [00:00]
A
Looking to diversify and protect your hard earned assets. Well, schedule a free consultation with the Birch Gold Group. They're the precious metals specialists. Just text PDB to the number 989898 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 the number 989898. Foreign 27 October we are almost finished with October. Can you believe it? Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And a big shout out to Ole Miss for another great win, this time over Oklahoma. And they are now standing at six and one, I believe, ranked number seven in the nation. Well done. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the waters off of Venezuela are getting crowded. The Pentagon has deployed the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and accompanying strike group to South American waters as part of the ongoing campaign targeting drug running vessels. Almost all the US Military seems to be sailing around the Caribbean at this point. Later in the show, President Trump kicks off his Asia tour with a bit of progress. Washington and Beijing say they've reached, quote, basic consensus on trade cooling tensions as Trump prepares to sit down, possibly with Xi Jinping. Plus, Russia says it successfully tested a new nuclear powered cruise missile. Oh, good. Claiming the weapon can evade any defense system. And in today's back of the brief, well, the jig is up. French police crack the case of the $100 million Louvre heist. This story will give me a chance to show you how clever I am with French pronunciation. Two suspects are in custody, including one caught at a Paris airport trying to flee the country. But first, today's BDB spotlight. The USS Gerald R. Ford, considered by many to be the most powerful warship in the world, has arrived in the Caribbean. The Pentagon confirmed the deployment late Friday, describing it as part of its ongoing campaign to disrupt narcotics trafficking across the hemisphere. But the timing and the firepower tell a bigger story. Perhaps the Ford isn't just another ship. Of course, it's the Navy's most advanced carrier, powered by two next generation nuclear reactors and capable of launching up to 90 aircraft. Its power systems produce enough electricity to support future technologies like lasers and railguns, while its new electromagnetic catapult system allows faster and smoother aircraft launches than ever before. And now it's steaming just off the coast of South America, joining the rest of the assets that are already operating in the region. For months, Washington has been building up its presence in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The stated goal is to stop narco boats smuggling cocaine and fentanyl precursors and other narcotics through the hemisphere. But sending the Gerald R. Ford complete with its full strike group, marks a significant escalation. This is not a Coast Guard patrol. This is power projection on a global scale. In a statement released Friday night, the Pentagon said the deployment, quote, enhances our ability to detect, monitor and interdict illicit activity that threatens the security of the US and our regional partners. But even inside Washington, that phrasing raised eyebrows. Because if this mission is purely about drug smuggling, why send a carrier that can project forests hundreds of miles inland? Which brings up the second piece of the story. Because as the Ford sails south, President Trump is continuing to weigh a much bigger step in this campaign. According to multiple U.S. officials who spoke with CNN, the president is considering strikes on land, specifically against cocaine processing facilities and trafficking routes inside Venezuela. No decision has been made yet, but senior defense planners have been tasked with drawing up options. Those could include precision airstrikes or special operations raids targeting labs and stockpiles or key logistics hubs used by Venezuelan cartels and their allies. Sources told CNN that the President has grown increasingly frustrated with what he views as Venezuela's, quote, complicity in fueling the US Drug crisis. His argument, if the cartels use Venezuelan soil as a safe haven, then striking them there is an act of self defense. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro lashed out again this weekend. He does a lot of lashing, accusing the United States of, quote, fabricating a new war. He said the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford proved Washington's imperialist intentions and vowed that Venezue Venezuela would defend itself by every means necessary. Speaking on state television, Maduro claimed the US Was using the war on drugs as a pretext for regime change. He said, quote, they want to create an excuse for aggression, an excuse to invade Venezuela, just as they've done to others. Now, Maduro often uses this kind of rhetoric to rally his base, but this time, there's no denying the optics. A 100,000 ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier parked near your coastline does tend to send a message. Regional analysts say the move puts both governments in a high stakes game of signaling. For Washington, it demonstrates capability and resolve. For Caracas, it's a rallying cry against foreign interference. Privately, defense officials acknowledge that the carrier's presence also gives the US Flexibility. Should the President authorize land strikes, the Ford and its air wing could provide surveillance, logistics, and, if necessary, combat support in minutes, not hours. As one retired Navy admiral put it you don't move the Gerald R. Ford just to chase go fast boats. Meanwhile, intelligence sources continue to report that several Venezuelan state run security units have been co opted by criminal networks. Shocking. The Treasury Department has sanctioned multiple officials tied to drug trafficking operations and US Southern Command has documented shipments moving directly from Venezuelan ports to Central America and West Africa. All of that reinforces the administration's argument that Venezuela has become a hub in the hemisphere's narcotics trade and that the US has every right to act. But the political cost could be steep. Any American strikes inside Venezuelan territory would almost certainly draw condemnation from regional blocs like the Organization of American States, not to mention Russia and China, both of which maintain economic and security ties to Caracas. China in particular has been busy over the years working to get control over the country's vast energy and mineral resources. So their condemnation, of course, would be self serving. Coming up next, President Trump kicks off his Asia tour with progress on trade talks, while Russia test fires a new nuclear powered cruise missile that Putin claims can outsmart any defense system. We'll have those stories after the break. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment to talk about your personal finances. Now, I suspect that you've noticed the cost of everything is, frankly, still too high, and many folks have been relying on credit cards to cover the essentials. If that debt is piling up for you, well, you're not alone. Listen to this. Americans collectively owe over $1 trillion in credit card debt. So you might have already considered reaching out to my friends at American Financing, but perhaps you hesitated because you didn't want to give up. Low mortgage rate well, there's good news. American Financing has created what they're calling the Smart Equity Loan. It's a solution designed to help you take control of your finances without touching your current mortgage. Unlike a heloc, which can have, of course, varied interest rates, the Smart Equity Loan from American Financing offers a fixed rate that means one predictable monthly payment. Giving you peace of mind. The loan allows you to leverage the equity in your home to pay off high interest debt, free up your cash flow and keep your existing low mortgage rate intact. It only takes 10 minutes to get started with no upfront or hidden fees, and that's very important. Call American Financing today and start saving. 866-885-1881. The number again, 866-885-1881 or just visit american financing.net PDB hey there, it's your buddy, Craig Carton.
- [08:47]
B
And if you're like me, you could use a timeout from the chaotic news cycle, a pause from the politics, a break from from the bedlam. I'm inviting you to join me every day on the Craig Carton Show Podcast where we tackle the biggest sporting events of the day and give honest, hot takes on and off the field. Sports talk should be fresh, informative and fun and that's what we deliver every single day. So give your ears a much needed vacation. It's time to tune out the noise and take a break from the non stop news cycle. Subscribe now to the Cray Carton Show Podcast, available on Apple Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [09:31]
A
Welcome back to the PDB it's been an eventful start to President Trump's Asia diplomacy tour, with Washington and Beijing suddenly finding common ground in what's been an otherwise turbulent trade war. The talks began even prior to the President's touchdown in Kuala Lumpur, talks led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and his team. In what was a warm up to Trump's broader Asia diplomacy push, Chinese state media said negotiators from both Washington and Beijing reached a so called quote, basic consensus on how to address their, quote, respective concerns. The talks brought together the Chinese Vice Premier Besant and U S Trade Representative Jameson Greer. A readout from Beijing described the meetings as candidates in depth and constructive, covering everything from shipbuilding penalties, agricultural trade, defense tariffs and export controls. Really, the full array of issues that have been straining relations between the world's two largest economies ever since Trump's trade war kicked off back in April of this year. Both sides, the statement said, agreed to, quote, further finalize the specific details and fulfill their respective domestic approval processes, end quote, whatever the hell that means. While Washington insists that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Thursday on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea, Beijing has yet to formally confirm that meeting. Still, the progress in Kuala Lumpur suggests a rare cooling of tempers and a potential reset. Bessen told CBS News that the talks were very good, confirming that Trump's threat to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods had effectively been shelved. The Treasury Secretary said, I would expect that the threat of the 100% has gone away, adding that China's plan to impose a worldwide export control regime on rare earth minerals was also off the table. So progress. In a follow up interview with ABC News, Bessant said Beijing was now expected to delay its export restrictions for at least a year while it re examines its economic fallout. He said, quote, we've set the stage for the leaders meeting in a very positive framework, an outcome that appears to be a diplomatic win for Trump, whose team had been pressing for movement ahead of the APEC summit. For regular PDB listeners, you'll remember this easing of tensions follows months of economic sparring between the two powers. Washington had expanded its export blacklist to limit Chinese access to US Semiconductor technology, while Beijing retaliated with sweeping export controls on minerals critical to the global supply chain. This new apparent calm marks a rare pause in a trade war that saw tariffs soar as high as 145% on Chinese imports and 125% on US goods just earlier this year. It's a battle that Trump has long argued was necessary to rebalance what he calls decades of one sided trade. Trump's team hopes his meeting with Xi will lock in an extension of the current trade truce, which expires on 10 November. When asked whether the pause would be renewed, Bessant said, I would say yes, but the final decision is the president's. The easing of tariffs comes as Trump embarks on his first Asia trip since returning to office, already marked by a blitz of trade diplomacy. Upon arriving in kl, he presided over a ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, praised Malaysia for its, quote, cooperation on trade, critical minerals, and announced new tariff reductions on Southeast Asia exports to the us the truce with China is only one piece of Trump's broader regional push, which also includes a framework trade pact with Thailand, Japan and renewed talks with Vietnam. It's a rare moment of optimism in a trade relationship, at times defined by distrust, and the Trump administration calls it proof that his pressure strategy is paying off as Asian leaders come to the negotiating table. And not to mention, but I will, there's talk that Trump's itinerary may culminate with a possible meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters he was open to meeting Kim at the dmz, calling their relationship still, quote, very good. It would be the first time the two leaders have met since 2019, when talks broke down over a familiar impasse, Pyongyang's demand for recognition as a nuclear power and Washington's insistence on total disarmament. Sources say there's no confirmation of talks between the two leaders, but with Trump and neighboring South Korea, a possibility of a meeting remains alive. So as the president's Asia trip unfolds, the tone from both Washington and Beijing suggests a reset, at least for now. Okay, the shifting gears Moscow is flexing its muscles again. Oh boy. This time with a missile that it says can outfly and outsmart every defensive system on earth. Sounds like Putin's compensating for something. The Kremlin announced a successful test of its nuclear powered Burevestnik missile. That's a weapon that Russian President Putin calls proof that his arsenal remains unmatched. It was classic Putin theater. Dressed in camouflage, apparently wearing a shirt and not riding a tiger, and flanked by his top general. Sunday, he told a meeting at a military post that the long range nuclear capable missile had completed what he called its, quote, crucial testing phase and would soon move toward deployment. Putin couldn't resist boasting that Russian scientists had once told him such a weapon was impossible. Now, he said, it exists and it works. Putin is ordering Valeriy Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of Russia's armed forces, to get infrastructure ready for deployment of the new weapon. Gerasimov, who delivered the technical rundown, said the missile traveled some 8,700 miles and stayed airborne for about 15 hours. Powered by a nuclear reactor, he said the missile has, quote, essentially unlimited range and an unpredictable flight path that makes it almost impossible to intercept. The missile was first unveiled in 2018. The Burevestnik was conceived as Moscow's answer to the US missile defense network. It's a project that Putin has railed against ever since Washington withdrew from the 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty some two decades ago. Putin claimed Russia's nuclear forces now surpass any other nuclear power, boasting that the capabilities of his arsenal, quote, at the highest level. Just days after our coverage of Putin's latest nuclear drill, the Burevestnik launch, became the sequel. The timing was hard to miss. Coming right after Trump indefinitely delayed his summit with Putin last week. It was Moscow's way of attempting to show strength. The earlier exercise, which Putin personally oversaw, rehearsed every leg of Russia's nuclear Triad, land based ICBMs, submarine launched missiles and strategic bombers, underscoring the Kremlin's determination to keep its deterrent visible to the world in an effort to not look upstaged by Trump. But Trump's tougher stance has only deepened Putin's frustration. The president's decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long range missiles to hit Russian infrastructure has clearly rattled Moscow. Putin has since fired back with a warning that any such strikes, he said, would trigger a, quote, very serious, if not overwhelming response. That's a threat aimed at Kyiv and Washington. But it only underscores the dynamic that Trump has been driving all along. Russia's saber rattling doesn't project dominance, it exposes desperation. As Trump himself put it, Russia has proven a paper tiger, unable to subdue Ukraine or dictate peace on its own terms. All right, coming up in the back of the brief, French police appear to have cracked the loo for a caper. How about that? Two suspects are under arrest after the $100 million jewel robbery, including one picked up at a Paris airport as he tried to flee the country. More on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here with a great offer from our friends over at Birch Gold Group. Now you can buy gold and get free silver. That's right. For every $5,000 purchased from Birch Gold Group this month in advance of Veterans Day, they'll send you a free patriotic silver round that commemorates the Gadsden and American flags. Look, gold is up some 40% since the beginning of this year and Birch Gold can help you own it by converting an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA in physical gold. Plus, they'll send you free silver honoring our veterans on qualifying purchases. And if you're current or former military, well, Birch Gold has a special offer just for you. They're waiving custodial fees for the first year on investments of any amount with an A plus rating from the Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers, many of whom are PDB listeners. I encourage you to talk with birchgold to see if diversifying into gold is right for you. It's simple. Just text PDB to the number 989898 for a free information kit and to claim your eligibility for Free Silver with a qualifying purchase before the end of the month. Again, text PDB to 989898.
- [18:53]
C
It'S okay not to be perfect with finances. Experian is your big financial friend and here to help. Did you know you can get matched with credit cards on the app? Some cards are labeled no Ding Decline, which means if you're not approved, they won't hurt your credit scores. Download the Experian app for free today. Applying for no Ding Decline cards won't hurt your credit scores if you aren't initially approved. Initial approval will result in a hard inquiry which may impact your credit scores.
- [19:20]
D
Experian I usually ask potential criminals to have a seat, but now I'm asking you to join me, Chris Hansen, for my new series, have a Seat with Chris Hansen. Guests each week are fascinating personalities who are grabbing headlines, making waves, or changing our lives for the better. Have a Seat with Chris Hansen. Available wherever you get Your podcasts.
- [19:45]
A
In today's Back, the Brief. It was a heist that captured headlines around the world. A 100 million dollar Louvre robbery that's now unraveling after French police arrested two men, one of whom was trying to flee the country. French authorities captured one of the alleged thieves Saturday night at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport as he attempted to board a flight bound for Algeria. That's according to Le Parisienne. The second suspect was picked up shortly afterwards, still in the French capital. They're being held on charges of, quote, organized gang robbery and criminal conspiracy. Both men, from a northern Paris suburb, are in their 30s and are previously known to police for past robberies. And you would have to imagine that if one of the suspects was trying to flee to Algeria, perhaps he had some ties to the region. The two suspects can be detained for up to 96 hours without formal charges. As the investigation unfolds, two other members of the four man crew remain at large and police have yet to recover the stolen jewelry. So you ask, in case you weren't aware of this, what happened? Well, the break in itself could have been lifted from a script, although it wasn't so sophisticated as. Let's go with Ocean's Eleven as more of a brute force break in. Dressed in yellow vests and motorcycle helmets, the thieves rolled up to the Louvre with a cherry picker, scaled the museum's Apollo Gallery, which is home to Francis Crown Jewels, and went to work. Museum visitors watched in disbelief as a men smashed glass displays with chainsaws. I told you it wasn't that sophisticated. Scooped up priceless artifacts and left in under four minutes. The gang made off with eight royal pieces, some of which were Queen Marie Amelie's sapphire tiara, Queen Hortense's necklace and a single earring, and Empress Eugenie's diamond crown and brooch. Not the brooch. Yes, the brooch. One artifact. Eugenie's emerald set imperial crown adorned with more than 1300 diamonds. That's a lot of diamonds. Was later found outside of the museum, damaged but recoverable. Apparently the numpties dropped it on their way out. According to Le Parisienne, investigators believe the heist was carried out on commission, likely for a private collector. Police say the crew descended from the Louvre's facade in the same cherry picker that they used to enter and then fled on two scooters. Yeah, not exactly the big car chase from the Italian job. All right, inside, forensic teams recovered nearly 150 DNA traces, fingerprints and hair samples. And those are currently, of course, still under forensic analysis. Museum and government officials later moved what remained of the collection to a secure bank of France vault A. There's a good idea. A forthcoming report by Francis Court of Auditors is expected to criticize the Louvre security lapses. You think? Revealing that video surveillance systems across the museum's galleries are inadequate and that security spending in 2024 was dramatically lower than two decades earlier. But with two suspects still on the run and the jewels still missing, well, of course the investigation continues. We'll keep an eye on it. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Monday, 27 October. Now, I hope you had a chance over the weekend to catch our latest episode of the PDB Situation Report. That's our extended weekend show with great guests and insight and in depth conversations about key issues around the world. You can find it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. Just go to YouTube and search ResidentsDaily Brief. And while you're there, if you get a chance, please go ahead and subscribe. Hi, Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.