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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 29th, 2026: CIA Launches New Venezuela Operation & EU Terror Listing for Iran’s IRGC
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Mike Baker
It's Thursday 29th January. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Still on the road and still battling a hoarse voice. And by the way, thank you to all the folks who have sent me tips on how to deal with this voice and all right, let's get briefed. First up According to new reporting, the CIA is launching a new operation inside post regime Venezuela, putting U S intelligence at the center of Washington's early efforts on the ground. Later in the show, the European Union labels Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, citing Tehran's brutal response to nationwide protests. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. New reporting from CNN suggests the US Is moving quickly to establish a new intelligence footprint inside Venezuela and the CIA, as you might suspect, is leading the way. According to multiple sources familiar with the planning, the CIA is quietly preparing to spearhead America's return to Venezuela in the wake of Nicolas Maduro's capture. While the State Department is expected to re establish a diplomatic mission over time, the early phase will likely be led by US Intelligence, reflecting the political uncertainty and fragile security environment inside the country. Officials say the CIA's immediate focus would be establishing a small operational foothold, potentially through a CIA annex before any formal embassy reopening. That allows U.S. officials to begin building relationships, assessing power dynamics, and quietly engaging with Venezuelan security services and political factions in ways that traditional diplomacy often can't. CNN's reporting also points to a broader strategic aim. Venezuela is no longer being viewed as just a regional issue. U.S. officials expect intelligence briefings with the new leadership to focus heavily on external threats, including, of course, the activities of China, Russia, Cuba and Iran. Those conversations would almost certainly be led by intelligence professionals, not diplomats, given the sensitivity of the material and the need to decide what information can be shared and and when. That strategic signal was reinforced earlier this month when CIA Director John Ratcliffe became the first senior US Official to visit Venezuela following the operation that removed Maduro from power. His message to the interim leadership was that Venezuela will no longer be allowed to serve as a safe haven for America's adversaries. According to the reporting, CIA's officers were already operating inside Venezuela months before Maduro's capture. A small team was reportedly inserted to track the former president's movements and patterns, aided by a source within the Venezuelan government. Intelligence assessments also shaped Washington's decision to back the current interim leadership, weighing the risks of instability against the alternatives. Now the agency's role is shifting from disruption to influence, quietly evaluating the new leadership, maintaining security and helping Washington navigate a delicate transition. But of course, as always, there are still some unanswered questions even as the CIA prepares to move in. U.S. officials involved in early planning say the White House has yet to clearly articulate a long term mission. President Trump has publicly suggested the US Will, quote, run the country during the transition, but the specifics, timelines and benchmarks and exit conditions remain undefined. That uncertainty complicates everything from embassy reopening plans to the scale and duration of the intelligence presence. State Department teams have already begun assessing the US Embassy compound in Caracas. But security conditions and infrastructure challenges could delay a full return for years. Maduro cast the CIA as a convenient scapegoat, accusing the agency of plotting his downfall. Well, there's irony there, I suppose. Now with the regime gone, you, US Intelligence is poised to play a significant role in shaping what comes next. All right, coming up next, the European Union draws up hard line with the Iranian regime, designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization after its violent repression of recent protests. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with an important message for every small business out there. Look, you know this. The small businesses face an uphill battle with big banks, right? Where getting a loan means endless paperwork and delays. But there is a solution. It's called Cardiff. For bank rates without the weight, go to Cardiff Co PDB for up to $500,000 in funding. 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Mike Baker
Welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Europe has taken a significant, well, some would say long overdue step to hold the Iranian regime accountable for its crackdown on recent protests. The European Union went beyond sanctioning senior officials and formally designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the irgc, as a terrorist organization. That decision today was driven by what we've been watching unfold on the ground inside the regime over the past month. Well, it's also driven by the fact that the IRGC is a terrorist organization. EU officials point to mounting evidence of mass killings and arrests while human rights groups say thousands have been killed, with many more missing. As our regular PDB listeners are aware, regime authorities responded to the nationwide protests with violence, near total Internet blackouts and censorship designed to silence the streets of Iran from the rest of the world. At the center of that response was the Revolutionary Guard Corps. EU foreign policy chief Gaia Kalis said the bloc's foreign ministers unanimously agreed on the terrorist designation, citing the Guard's role in suppressing protesters. She said, quote, this will put them on the same footing with Al Qaeda, Hamas, and the Islamic State. For background, the paramilitary force, the IRGC, was created after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and was later written into the country's constitution. It operates alongside Iran's regular armed forces, but wields far greater political and economic power. Over the decades, it has evolved into a state within a state, controlling business interests throughout the country and enforcing loyalty to the regime. And that power has been visible in what we've been tracking on the streets. Human rights groups say that the Guards affiliated besieged militia plays a key role in crushing demonstrations, particularly after authorities cut off international communications earlier this month. Videos smuggled out via satellite connections showed masked men believed to be linked to the guards shooting and beating protesters. That evidence, along with other finally moved the EU to call for the designation. Alongside the listing, the EU also sanctioned six Iranian organizations tied to censorship and online surveillance. The measures come as Iran remains under a near total Internet blackout, now in its third week. While limited connectivity flickered back in some areas, access remains heavily restricted, complicating efforts to verify the full scale of of the regime's violence. But European officials acknowledge the designation carries legal and diplomatic complications. Military service is mandatory in Iran, and some men are conscripted into Guard units regardless of their fuse. Still, the argument from Brussels is that the responsibility lies with leadership, and those directing the violent crackdown should be held accountable. Well, for that brilliant conclusion, Brussels receives today's PDB statement of the obvious award. Now, when it comes to designating the IRGC a terror group, that's not a new action. The US designated the Guard as a terrorist organization back in 2019, but Europe has long hesitated to take the same step, citing concerns about the safety of European citizens detained in Iran, not to mention just the feckless nature of EU decision making. As you can assume, when news of the designation and sanctions broke this morning, the mullah's rhetoric intensified. The regime warned it could launch preemptive strikes or target the region broadly, including U.S. military bases and Israel, as its battered economy takes more punishment. The mullahs also announced a military muscle flex of live fire drills next week in the Strait of Hormuz. That's, of course, a vital choke point for global oil supplies. European officials warn that move could trigger a US Military response foster already evident in the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided missile destroyers to the region. But while the regime looks to emphasize what little military might it has left inside Iran, conditions continue to deteriorate. The US based Human Rights Activist News Agency says at least 6,300 people have been killed and more than 42,000 arrested during the protests, though the true toll is likely far higher. Some sources and analysts believe that the death toll is in the tens of thousands. What we're witnessing is a scale of violence that exceeds any protest movement that Iran has had in decades, drawing sad comparisons to the chaos around the 1979 Islamic Revolution. And that, my friends, is the PDP Afternoon bulletin for Thursday, 29 January. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdp@the first tv.com 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, hopefully with my normal voice. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.