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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 31st, 2025: The 2025 Stories We Didn’t Cover On The PDB
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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 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 989898. Foreign. 31st December. The clock is ticking on 2025. Is it just me or did the past year go by in a complete blur? Welcome to the year's final episode of the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And I cannot wait to see what 2026 brings. And the PDB team will be here morning and afternoon and to keep you informed as we make our way through the new year. All right, let's get briefed. Now, usually when I say all right, let's get briefed, that means we're about to take a look at the most pressing international and national security stories of the day. But since it's the last afternoon bulletin of the year, the PDB Board of Advisors decided that we should do something a little different. We're going to set aside our usual coverage and highlight some of the year's more bizarre and entertaining stories that obviously didn't make the cut for coverage in 2025. Our first story takes us to Virginia, the state of Virginia, where a drunken crime spree went viral. And of course, I'm talking about everyone's favorite liquored up raccoon. You may have seen this story by now. Earlier this year, police responded to reports of a break in at a liquor store, only to discover that the suspect was still inside. Surveillance footage showed the culprit helping himself to alcohol, knocking over bottles, and generally behaving like a customer who'd been overserved. Officers eventually found the suspect hiding in the ceiling. The suspect, it turned out well, was a raccoon, a trash panda, a wash bear, and he was very, very drunk. At the time it seemed like a one off, maybe a bizarre encounter between law enforcement and a raccoon who'd been made some poor life choices that the animal was safely removed. Reportedly, the police took his car keys and had him Uber home. No humans were harmed and and the story quickly went viral for obvious reasons. But as it turns out, the liquor store break in wasn't his only crime. Police later revealed that the raccoon had a bit of a rap sheet. Investigators connected him to at least two other break ins in the area, including incidents at a nearby karate studio and another business. In those cases, the raccoon forced entry, rummaged through the premises and caused property damage before disappearing back into the night. Authorities believe it was the same animal based on timing, location, and this part's important, the method. Apparently the raccoon had a consistent approach to crime, which is something that most humans never quite manage. The liquor store incident just happened to be the one where he stayed long enough to get caught on camera and intoxicated enough to forget his escape plan. Police described the animal as disoriented when found. We can all. We can, we can all relate to that. And yes, intoxicated. From his evening rager, it appears that peanut butter whiskey, by the way, was a particular favorite. He was taken into custody briefly and then released back into the wild, presumably to sit and reflect on his choices. There were no charges filed, no mugshot released, just a hungover, masked marauder sleeping it off in the woods, dreaming of his next caper. All right, our next story finds us in Nantucket. Now, Nantucket, of course, is a small island off the coast of Massachusetts. It's known as a haven for posh, wealthy folks. There's a saying apparently that millionaires live in Martha's Vineyard, billionaires live on Nantucket. Full disclosure, I have been to Nantucket numerous times. Oh, how posh am I. And. And it is indeed a remarkable, lovely place with more than its fair share of high end compounds. Now, normally, Nantucket is known for quiet beaches, of course, expensive real estate, and people who wear sweaters tied loosely around their shoulders. And of course those Nantucket red trousers, you know, the ones I'm talking about, that fancy dudes wear to cocktail parties. But earlier this month, during the island's annual Christmas stroll, all that went straight out the window. The Christmas stroll is typically a festive holiday tradition on Nantucket. Shops decorated, carolers singing. You get the picture. It's like a Hallmark movie. Streets packed with people enjoying the season. Both locals and the swells from out of town, mixing and mingling, full of Christmas spirit and goodwill towards men. Until this year. This year the stroll turned into a full on street brawl. According to police reports. The melee. Can we. I think that might be the first time I've used the word melee all year. Began inside a crowded bar called the Boarding House and quickly moved outside. How familiar does that sound? Witnesses described pushing, punching, slapping, slapping and people being thrown to the ground as the situation escalated. The video that exists, because of course nowadays video always exists. Shows what appears to be a geriatric version of the Sharks versus the Jets. Older fellows with the occasional younger dude engaging in that type of fighting that tells you that none of them have actually ever been punched in the nose. Now, if you're hoping for clarity on who was involved, well, you're out of luck. The police reports are so heavily redacted that they read less like incident summaries and more like classified intelligence documents. Names are blacked out, key details are missing, even basic explanations for how the fight started or obscured. Let me give you a little taste from. From one of the reports. And it goes, quote, due to the boarding house being crowded, she accidentally bumped into Redacted, in which Redacted requested she stop pushing up against him in the bar. She then stated, Redacted's friends began to get aggressive. End quote. You. You get the idea here. Forget the Epstein client list. This is the redaction mystery that we. We actually need to solve. Anyway, despite the chaos and despite videos circulating online, no charges were filed, no arrests were made, and no one involved is pursuing charges. Well, it is Nantucket, after all. Which means the entire incident, apparently, has been swept under a presumably very expensive Persian rug. But for one magical night, the image of Nantucket as a perfectly polished holiday postcard gave way to the realities of booze mixing along with douchebaggery. And while I can't be sure and clearly the reports aren't detailed enough, it does appear that somewhere in the middle of the melee, a raccoon was seen mixing it up. All right, coming up next, Florida man outdoes himself. That's saying quite a bit. And an animal in disguise but not a raccoon triggers a police response. I'll be right back. As we move into the new year, many of us, of course, are looking to build more intentional lives 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. Look, 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, and they also have sleep meditations to help you wind down and reflect on your day. Over 20 million people get that. 20 million people have used Glorify to deepen their relationship with God. They've provided an opportunity for PDB listeners to get full access to Glorify for less than $30 for the entire year. When you download the app now@glorify-app.com PDB that's glorify-app.com PDB. Feel closer to God this year with Glorify. Get full access all year for just 29.99 at glorify-app.com PDB Mike Baker here with a message from our friends at Birch Gold Group. Now, did you know gold is up around 40% this year? That's true. It's not speculation, it's it's just reality. And if a portion of your savings aren't diversified into gold, well, you could be missing the boat. Here's the facts. Inflation is still too high, the US Dollar is still too weak, and the government debt at times seems insurmountable. And that's why central banks have been flocking to gold and they're the ones driving prices up to record highs. But it's not too late to diversify your savings and buy gold from Birch Gold Group. Birch Gold can help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA in gold and and you don't pay a dime out of pocket. Just text PDB to 989-898 and claim your free information kit. There's no obligation, it's just useful information. Remember, the best indicator of the future is the past. And gold has historically been a safe haven during times of uncertainty and instability. That's why I urge you to consider diversifying into gold with the Birch Gold group. Again, text PDB to 989898 to claim your free information kit on gold. That's PDB to 98989 8. Protect your future today with Birch Gold.
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Welcome back to the final PDB afternoon bulletin of 2025, where we're taking a look at stories that didn't make the cut for coverage during the past year. Next up, we got Florida man and he was busy this year. Although to be fair, when is Florida man not busy? And as usual, he did not disappoint. Our next story takes us to Lake City, Florida where police say a man walked Into a local meat market and committed a robbery while wearing absolutely nothing. Nothing except for a face mask. Well, at least he's still following pandemic protocols, so that's. That's very considerate. According to investigators, the suspect entered the store completely naked, approached the counter and demanded money. Employees initially believed he was armed after noticing something wrapped in cloth in his hand. What's that package you've got there, fella? It turned out there was no weapon, Just a man in his wiener. A meat market making some very questionable decisions. Police say the suspect took more than $1,000 from the cash box before fleeing the scene, still naked, still masked, and apparently confident in his getaway plan. Officers responded quickly, setting up a perimeter, or erecting a dragnet, if you will, and using the description of naked man with face mask and bag of cash, located the suspect a short time later. Apparently, he wasn't that difficult to spot. Although it's Florida, so there could have been more than one naked man roaming the streets. He was taken into custody without incident. Police reportedly took him for a medical evaluation before booking, which, you know, feels appropriate under the circumstances. The suspect was later identified as a 24 year old Florida man now facing a long list of charges. Those include armed robbery, grand theft, criminal mischief and. And exposure of sexual organs. Yes, that is a legitimate charge. Exposure of sexual organs. He faces possible jail time and stiff fines. Knock on wood. He won't be back on the streets anytime soon. Now, just a thought. If this dude teams up with the booze raccoon, think of the ensuing crime spree. Nevertheless, the meat market bandit joined the long and ever growing archive of Florida man headlines. Now our final story brings us to Ramapo, A quiet suburb just north of New York City. And if I'm mispronouncing Ramapo, maybe it's Ramapo. Ramapo. You never know where to place the accent. Sometimes. With these small, quiet suburbs outside of New York City, well, it's the kind of place where not much happens. Which is why this story caught the attention of our PDB editorial team. Police there received a call reporting a suspicious situation. A homeowner believed there was a masked intruder on their property, Someone lurking near the house. Harshly obscured, the homeowner advised the police that the intruder appeared to have covered their face, A sure sign that a caper, maybe a heist, was in the making. Naturally, officers responded when police arrived. They didn't find a burglar, they didn't find a suspect. They certainly didn't find anyone casing the house. Instead, they found a deer More specifically, they found a deer with a plastic bag stuck on its head, wandering around and apparently doing its best impression of a masked intruder. Now, admittedly, from a distance, especially in low light, the deer could have been mistaken for an intruder, except for the four legs and the fluffy white tail and. And fur. But otherwise, well, it seems reasonable the officers were able to safely approach the animal and remove the bag. So, kind of turning the expression bagging a deer on its head, if you would. The deer wasn't injured, just confused, apparently not inebriated, and once freed, it ran off into the woods. Police thoughtfully later shared the incident as a reminder for residents to properly secure trash and loose plastic bags, which can easily end up, of course, blowing into yards and becoming hazards for wildlife. Okay, for maybe for. For really gormless wildlife, I guarantee you won't find a raccoon with a bag stuck on its head. Anyway, no arrests were made, no charges were filed, and the streets of Ramapo, or however you pronounce it, were once again safe. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday 31st December, the very last day of 2025. We'll resume our regular coverage of international events, national security concerns and all things crisis related on Friday morning. In the meantime, from me and the entire team here at the pdb, we want to wish you a safe, healthy and happy New Year. Look, if you're heading out on the town for New Year's Eve, please take care, drink responsibly, drive carefully, and have a great time welcoming in 2026. Thanks for being part of the PDB community. We do really appreciate it. And as always, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the first tv.com and to listen to the show ad free. Well, I think you already know this. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief simply by visiting PDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and we'll be back on Friday morning. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. It.