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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 26th, 2026: Cuba Opens Fire On US Boat & Moscow Floods Europe With Migrants
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It's Thursday, the 26th of February. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, a bizarre shootout on the high seas. And as Cuban forces open fire on a US Registered speedboat during an intense standoff that Havana calls a foiled terrorist infiltration. I'll have the details later in the show. Russia's asymmetric playbook appears to be expanding as reports reveal secret tunnels being used to funnel migrants into Europe, allegedly constructed with help from specialists recruited out of the Middle East. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We begin with a deadly maritime confrontation off Cuba's northern coast, one that comes at a moment of heightened tension, of course, between Washington and Havana. According to the Cuban government, four people were killed and six wounded after a Florida registered speedboat entered Cuban territorial waters early Wednesday morning and exchanged gunfire with the island's coast guard. Now, the vessel was reportedly intercepted about 1 nautical mile northeast of the El Pino Channel near Callofalcones in Villa Clara province. Now, it's important to note that at this point, nearly all reporting on this incident is coming from Havana. U.S. officials have acknowledged the incident, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made clear that Washington is currently conducting its own independent investigation, so a dose of skepticism is warranted when evaluating what we know so far. With that said, here's Cuba's version of events. The Interior Ministry says the speedboat was carrying 10 armed individuals, all described as Cuban nationals residing in the US who intended to carry out what it calls armed infiltration for terrorist purposes. Cuban authorities claim that when a border guard vessel approached to identify the boat, the occupants opened fire first, injuring the commander of the Cuban vessel. A firefight followed. Four of the men aboard the US Registered boat were killed and six were wounded and detained. Havana says it seized assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails, bulletproof vests, telescopic sights, and camouflage uniforms. It also alleges that most of those detained have criminal histories and that, too, were wanted for involvement in terrorist activity. One of the deceased has been identified as Miguel Ortega Casanova. His brother told the Associated Press that he was an American citizen who had lived in the US for 20 years. Secretary Rubio described a shootout in the open sea as, quote, highly unusual. Well, that's true, adding that the Department of Homeland Security and the US Coast Guard are investigating. He also noted, as we just did, that most of the information the US has so far is coming directly from Cuban authorities. At this stage, we have no clear picture of the boat's occupants or their intentions. I mean, were these weapons smugglers, drug runners, or, or was this the most ham fisted attempt at a Bay of Pig style incursion that we've seen since, well, since the Bay of Pigs. There's no independent verification yet of Cuba's claim that the group intended a terrorist infiltration. At the same time, if the weapons inventory described by Havana is accurate, it's clear that this wasn't a pleasure cruise gone wrong or a day long chartered fishing expedition. Politically, the incident is already reverberating in Florida. Several lawmakers, both Republican and Democrat, are calling for a full investigation. Some have openly questioned the Cuban government's credibility, while others are demanding clarity on whether any US Citizens were killed. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of rising friction between the Trump administration and Havana, particularly over tightened restrictions on oil shipments. We'll bring you additional details as they become available. All right, coming up next, Moscow is accused of weaponizing migration using covert underground routes and foreign tunnel experts to facilitate movement into the eu. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me take just a moment to talk about personal finances and reaching your financial goals. Very important topics. Look, let's be honest right now. Well, for many folks, it can seem like the math just isn't adding up. You know what I'm talking about. Because between the grocery store bills and the gas bills, utility bills, the skyrocketing insurance premiums, it can be tough to make ends meet. Even with a steady job, more and more families are being forced to rely on high interest credit cards to cover expenses. 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Download the Jordan Harbinger Show. That's H A R B I N G E R just like it sounds R on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your shows. Or just go to jordanharbinger.com start to dive right in. It's one of those podcasts that makes you smarter, so give it a go. Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. For years, Russia and Belarus have pressured Europe through weaponized migration, cyber attacks and sabotage. Now Polish officials say that pressure has gone underground, literally. Border authorities uncovered tunnels dug from Belarus into NATO territory to funnel migrants beneath Europe's eastern frontier. And the Polish officials who detailed the discoveries to the Telegraph don't see this as an isolated covert cross border maneuver that got creative. They see it as another deliberate move in Moscow's broader effort to destabilize Europe without firing a shot. As our regular PDB listeners know, Russia doesn't need tanks rolling across borders to create instability. It applies pressure in other ways, such as drone incursions or sabotage. And increasingly, migration used as a destabilizing act. Belarus, led by Alexander Lukashenko, who is closely aligned with Russian President Putin, has played a central role in executing that strategy. On NATO's Eastern Front, migrants weren't simply appearing at Poland's border. They were being directed toward it. Even before Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Belarus was used as a staging ground to push thousands and at times tens of thousands of migrants toward Poland's eastern frontier. The human wave of migrants became so intense that Warsaw built a 125 mile steel fence equipped with roughly 300 surveillance cameras and electronic monitoring systems. And that's where these tunnels come in, of course. But it's not just about slipping under a fence. The COVID passages required planning and engineering and coordination. And that's why Warsaw sees it as a step up in Moscow's asymmetrical campaign against Europe. The lieutenant colonel of Poland's border guard told the Telegraph that officials uncovered four tunnels beneath the Polish Belarusian border just last year alone. Thermal imaging cameras and underground detection systems flagged activity below the surface, allowing authorities to to intercept migrants as they entered the NATO country. One of the largest tunnels was discovered in mid December of this past year. Polish Officials say roughly 180 migrants, primarily from Afghanistan and Pakistan, passed through it. About 130 of them were arrested after exiting the tunnel. As for the structure itself, it measured less than 5ft tall, but it stretched roughly 160ft on the Belarusian side and just over 30ft into Poland. Authorities say that entrance on the Belarusian side was concealed deep in a forest. Polish police released images of migrants detained after exiting the tunnel. Video footage shows a narrow passage supported by concrete framing. Which raises the next question. Who built the tunnels? Polish authorities alleged that Belarus enlisted specialists from the Middle east with what they described as a, quote, high level of expertise in in tunnel construction. Although no definitive public evidence has been presented, several military analysts note that only a limited number of groups globally are known for building sophisticated underground networks. Dr. Lynette, newsbucker an American military historian, said it was plausible that Iranian backed groups such as Hezbollah could possess that capability. Former British army sapper Major Rob Campbell suggested Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad after reviewing footage of the tunnels. And a former Israeli intelligence colonel noted that Iranian backed proxies are one possibility, although ISIS has also demonstrated similar expertise. Meanwhile, Poland's interior minister previously said some of the tunnelers may have come from Kurdistan. But Warsaw's position is clear regardless of who provided the technical skill. Responsibility rests with Lukashenko's regime, a government that repeatedly acts in tandem with the Kremlin to destabilize the European Union. In Warsaw's assessment, this is part of a broader Russian strategy designed to punish the west for backing Ukraine and to weaken European cohesion from within rather than confront NATO directly. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Thursday 26th February. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at the end at pdb@the first tv.com and to listen to the show ad free. Well, you can do that. It's very simple. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. It.