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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 9th, 2026: Post-Maduro Regime Starts Playing Ball With Trump & Putin Unleashes Hypersonic Missile Near NATO Border
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It's Friday the 9th of January. 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, Venezuela is making what appears to be a major concession to the US Announcing the release of long detained political prisoners and supposedly easing pressure on the opposition, all while signaling that the new regime under newly named President Delsey Rodriguez is ready to talk. But is this real change or just the actions of a regime still run by Maduro cronies simply trying to buy time while under pressure from President Trump? I'll have the details later in the show. Despite ongoing peace efforts, Moscow is opting for intimidation, firing off a hypersonic nuclear capable missile near NATO's border on Friday during their latest bombardment of Ukraine. And that, frankly, doesn't sound like something you'd do if you were seriously interested in peace. But first, today's afternoon spotlight the Post Maduro leadership in Venezuela is making what appears to be a public show of cooperation with Washington. This week, Delsey Rodriguez, the newly named president and the remnants of the former Maduro regime announced the release of a large number of political prisoners, presenting the move as a deliberate gesture aimed at easing tensions with the US and opening the door to what they called a path toward peace. Now, this release of prisoners was not done quietly or behind the scenes. It was a calculated public signal and one that the White House immediately took note of. According to Venezuelan officials, the prisoner releases are part of a broader effort to demonstrate good faith following Nicolas Maduro's capture by U.S. forces. Among those freed are several well known opposition figures, people whose imprisonment had long been held up by human rights groups as proof of just how politically repressive the Maduro regime had become. One of the most prominent names is Biagio Pigieri, a longtime opposition leader and political organizer who played a role in the 2024 election cycle before being detained. Also freed is Enrique Marquez, a former member of Venezuela's electoral authority and a vocal critic of the regime's manipulation of elections. Marquez had been detained amid accusations widely viewed as politically motivated. Another notable release is Rocio San Miguel, a well known human rights lawyer and defense analyst who also holds Spanish citizenship. Her detention sparked international backlash, particularly from European governments. Along with San Miguel, several other foreign nationals were also released. The total number of people released is currently unknown, but according to the watchdog group Foro Pinal, as of Monday, 806 people were detained for political reasons, including 105 women, a teenager, and 85 foreign nationals. 85 foreign nationals. Now, it's important to be clear about what this is and what this isn't. This move does not mean that the leopard has changed its spots. Human rights organizations estimate that hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars in Venezuela. There's been no announcement of judicial reform, no dismantling of the security apparatus, and no indication that repression has fundamentally ended. But the prisoners released by the Venezuelan government so far include most of the high profile opposition figures who were in jail, which means this was more than just a token release. This is one of several concessions that the post Maduro leadership has made in recent days. Alongside these prisoner releases, Venezuelan officials have softened their rhetoric toward Washington, signaled openness to discussions on energy cooperation, and refrained from retaliatory actions following recent US Military operations. Now, President Trump publicly welcomed the releases and pointed to them as evidence that sustained pressure, political, economic and military, is producing results. In a social media post, Trump called the move, quote, a very important and smart gesture. Administration officials have suggested that these concessions played a role in decisions to pause additional military strikes and explore limited diplomatic engagement. The regime, at least on the surface, seems to understand that it's in a precarious position. Its power base is weakened, its international allies are limited, and its economy remains fragile. Publicly releasing political prisoners costs them little in the short term, but it buys time, legitimacy, and potentially relief from further US Pressure. Venezuela's opposition leader, Maria Corino Machado also hailed the announcement, saying in an audio message on social media, quote, injustice will not last forever, and truth, although it be wounded, ends up finding its way, end quote. Now, Machado will reportedly be meeting with Trump next week. So the bottom line is this. Venezuela's post Maduro leadership is signaling cooperation. They're making visible concessions and they're engaging with the Trump administration, at least for now. But history, of course, tells us to stay somewhat skeptical. This may be the opening chapter of a genuine transition, or it may simply be a tactical pause by a regime that wants to survive. All right, next up, Putin responds to ongoing peace efforts by firing off a hypersonic nuclear capable missile near NATO's border. That sounds super peaceful. It's a clear message of intimidation aimed at the entire European continent. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. 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And while I'm no mathematician, I believe that's like a $10,000 raise to start the new year. There are no upfront fees. That's very important. And there's no obligation just to see how much you can save. And some folks are even delaying two mortgage payments. American financing is America's home. For home loans, call today 866-885-1881 that's 866-885-1881 or just visit American financing.net PDB welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, we Russia is once again demonstrating through force rather than words how it views the idea of peace. On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that their forces fired a hypersonic intermediate range ballistic missile known as the Ereshnik overnight at a target in western Ukraine near the border with Poland. Of course, Poland being a member of the EU and NATO, it was only the second time since the war began that Russia has used this missile. The choice of location appeared calculated to send a message well beyond Ukraine's borders. Ukraine's foreign minister immediately decried the strike, calling it, quote, a grave threat to the security of the European continent and a test for the transatlantic community. According to Ukrainian officials and Western allies, the strike was part of a wider hours long bombardment that included more than 240 drones and 36 missiles. Kyiv was hit hardest. At least four people were killed and including a medic responding to the attack and more than 20 others left wounded. Strikes damaged apartment buildings and critical infrastructure, knocking out water in some areas and cutting heat to more than half a million homes in the capital amid sub freezing temperatures. The strikes also damaged the Qatari Embassy in Kyiv. Russia's Defense Ministry said the Arashnik strike was retaliation for an alleged Ukrainian attempt last month to attack one of Vladimir Putin's residences inside Russia. But as we discussed earlier this week, Ukrainian officials have flatly rejected that claim, calling it a fabrication aimed at derailing peace talks. And US Intelligence agencies have concluded that there's no evidence that the attack ever occurred. It's worth remembering that the Ereshnik is nuclear capable and leaders in Kyiv say that it's impossible to intercept with current air defenses. While in this case it was carrying only inert dummy warheads, it it can also be outfitted with conventional warheads. Russia first used the missile in a largely symbolic strike on central Ukraine back in November of 2024 after the US and Britain authorized Kiev to use Western made weapons deeper inside Russia. It was a calculated demonstration aimed at telling Europe that Moscow is willing to raise the stakes on the battlefield at any time, particularly if they feel that Western powers are becoming too involved in the conflict. This latest launch follows that same logic by firing a hypersonic missile toward NATO's frontier. While peace efforts remain underway, well at least underway between Kyiv and Western allies, Moscow appears to be warning European governments that deeper involvement, including post war security guarantees, will not be tolerated. Ukrainian and European officials were explicit in their reading of the attack, calling it an escalation and an attempt to intimidate Europe out of continued support for Kiev. EU foreign policy chief Kayakalas framed the strike as a, quote, warning to Europe and to the U.S. adding that EU countries must, quote, raise the cost of this war to Moscow. The attack came just days after a summit where Washington endorsed giving concrete security guarantees to Kiev and European leaders pledged to deploy Western peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. The event a ceasefire is reached. As we discussed earlier on the pdb, Russia responded with blunt threats over the proposal from Europe's so called Coalition of the Willing, declaring that any potential Western security forces would become legitimate military targets. Friday's missile strike reinforced that message, driving home that Moscow will regard such security guarantees as simply a continuation of the war by other means. Ukrainian President Zelensky, meanwhile, demanded a firm international response on Friday, urging the U.S. and its allies to impose harsh consequences to force Russia into taking diplomacy seriously. European leaders echoed that call, arguing the strike underscored the urgency of supplying Ukraine with additional air defenses and increasing sanctions pressure on the Kremlin. And on that score, there might be some movement in Washington. As I touched on earlier, Senator Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that President Trump has greenlit a long stalled bipartisan sanctions bill that would authorize tariffs of up to 500% on countries that knowingly purchase oil or uranium from Russia, as well as ban US Energy exports to Russia altogether. According to Graham, that bill could be put to vote as early as next week. Still, given Moscow's behavior, I wouldn't expect a pivot to peace from Putin anytime soon. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Friday the 9th of January. Now 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, that is very simple to do. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting PDB premium.com and today of course is Friday. But, well, you knew that already. Which means that a brand new episode of America's favorite weekend news show, I don't know if that's scientific research or not, hits the airwaves as usual at 10pm on the first TV. You can also catch it and past episodes of the Situation report on our YouTube channel. Just head on over to YouTube and search for at President's Daily Brief. You can also find it on podcast platforms everywhere. This weekend's guests include former CIA Caracas station chief Rick de la Torre and Benham Ben Taliblu from the foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran program. We're talking everything Venezuelan, Maduro's capture, what's next for Venezuela. And we're also moving over to the Middle east and talking about the Iran protests and the fate of the Iranian regime. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back over the weekend with the PDB situation report. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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