PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 11th, 2025: U.S. Sends Ground Forces To Panama's Jungle & Trump Meets With Syrian President

Summary

The President's Daily Brief – Afternoon Bulletin

Date: November 11, 2025
Host: Mike Baker (Former CIA Operations Officer)
Episode Topline:

• U.S. ground forces return to Panama's jungles for the first time in decades, signaling a new military focus in Latin America.
• President Trump hosts Syrian President Ahmed Al Shira—a former jihadist—in a historic first White House meeting, marking a dramatic shift in U.S.-Syria relations.

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Mike Baker provides an incisive briefing on two significant developments: the revival of U.S. jungle warfare training in Panama and the unprecedented White House visit of Syria’s new president, Ahmed Al Shira, formerly a high-profile jihadist. Both segments highlight shifts in U.S. foreign policy under President Trump and their implications for America’s role in global security and diplomacy.

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1. U.S. Ground Forces Train in Panama’s “Green Hell”

Begins at 00:48

Key Discussion Points

• The U.S. military has resumed jungle warfare training in Panama for the first time since the late 1990s, at Cristobal Colon base (formerly Fort Sherman).

  • Training: “A brutal three-week training course in Panama’s dense, unforgiving terrain, a place so hostile that American troops once nicknamed it Green Hell.” (01:05–01:15)
  • Course Details: The Combined Jungle Operations course covers survival skills (foraging, water purification, building shelters) and combat tactics in extreme jungle conditions with low visibility. (01:31–01:42)
  • Graduates: First cohort included 18 US Marines, one Army soldier, and 27 Panamanian security personnel. (01:43–01:46)

• The training signifies more than readiness—it’s a geopolitical message.

  • Growing U.S. military footprint in Latin America, with conventional troops appearing where they haven’t for years.
  • Strategic geography: Panama is situated between Colombia (home to narcotrafficking networks) and Venezuela (a regime hostile to the U.S.).
  • Baker’s analysis: “At first glance, this might sound like a simple training exercise. But it’s happening against a very different backdrop, one that suggests that something larger is at play.” (01:47–02:03)

• Official vs Actual Motivations

  • The Pentagon claims: “The training is, quote, unquote, not tied to any potential conflict. Instead, they frame it as part of a broader effort to strengthen regional partnerships and improve readiness for any environment.” (02:24–02:32)
  • Baker points to a larger pattern: Since President Trump returned, there’s been “a renewed focus on Latin America... a signal that Washington isn’t ceding its influence in its own backyard, especially as China expands investments across that region and Russia deepens ties with Caracas and Havana.” (02:44–03:14)

• Historical Context and Potential Risks

  • U.S. hasn’t trained in the jungle since pre-9/11; Iraq/Afghanistan shifted focus to deserts and mountains.
  • This training is set to expand with more international participation.
  • Regional criticism: “Critics in Latin America are already warning that the US could be reestablishing a military presence under the guise of training, stirring memories of Cold War era interventions.” (03:40–03:55)
  • In Venezuela, pro-government media frame this as “a rehearsal for an invasion,” despite official denials. (03:56–04:03)
  • Baker’s summary: “The sight of American troops slogging through Panamanian jungle mud is a powerful image. Either way, the message is clear. The US Military is refocusing on the hemisphere that it calls home.” (04:04–04:16)

Notable Quote

• “For Panama, it’s a symbolic return to partnership. For the US, it’s a signal that Washington isn’t ceding its influence in its own backyard...”
  — Mike Baker (03:02–03:13)

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2. Historic U.S.-Syrian Presidential Meeting: From Jihadist to White House Guest

Resumes at 09:46

Key Discussion Points

• Turning Point in U.S.-Syria Relations

  • “It’s the kind of image no one would have imagined just a year ago, a former jihadist commander shaking hands with the president of the US at the White House.” (09:46–09:53)
  • Syrian interim president Ahmed Al Shira, once an Islamist rebel commander and former member of the Al Qaeda-linked group HTS, meets with President Trump.
  • Al Shira led the overthrow of Syrian dictator Assad in December and has recast himself from jihadist to statesman.

• Diplomatic Evolution and Sanctions

  • Traces the shift to months of diplomacy beginning with Trump’s May meeting with Al Shira in Riyadh, at which Trump lifted a $10 million bounty on Al Shira's head, calling him, “a tough guy, a fighter.” (10:09–10:16)

  • State Department and UN lift sanctions, citing leadership progress after Assad’s departure.

  • Trump expresses confidence:

    “We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful, and I think this leader can do it. I really do.” (10:28–10:39)

    “Confidence that Al Shirah will be able to do the job.” (10:39–10:41)

  • Caesar Act sanctions: Originally imposed to isolate Assad, the Trump administration suspends enforcement for 180 days to allow Syrian reconstruction. (10:48–11:24)

  • Temporary waivers effectively reopen Syria's access to international finance and reconstruction aid.

• Syria’s Reintegration and Symbolic Shifts

  • Syria to reopen its embassy in Washington, a clear sign that “Washington now views Damascus not as a problem to contain, but a partner to shape.” (11:46–11:51)
  • Al Shira joins the political cooperation declaration with the global anti-ISIS coalition, though officials insist “the agreement contains no military components.” (12:07–12:23)

• Personal Moments and Political Breakthroughs

  • Al Shira’s visit includes a meeting with Rep. Brian Mast, a U.S. veteran and double amputee due to weapons once used by Al Shira’s group. It’s highlighted as a powerful personal gesture of reconciliation:

    “Mast described their exchange as one between two former soldiers and two former enemies...the Syrian president said he hoped to, quote, liberate from the past to stand with the US as an ally, not an adversary.” (12:35–12:52)

Skepticism and Reality Check

• Baker’s measured skepticism:

  “It’s good to hope for the best, but it’s not wise to build your foreign policy strategy on hope. The next year and its actions will likely tell us if Shiraz apparent change of heart and desire for peace and stability is legit...” (13:25–13:37)

• Unresolved issues: Ongoing instability within Syria, doubt over Al Shira’s ability to truly represent all minorities and religious groups, and whether extremist influences can be contained.

Notable Quotes

• “People say Shira had a rough past. We’ve all had rough pasts.” — President Trump, when questioned about working with a former Islamist extremist. (12:27–12:30)
• On reconciliation:

  “That moment said more than any press release could, it was a symbol of how far Syria has apparently come since Assad's fall and how personal diplomacy has become a hallmark of President Trump's foreign policy.”
  — Mike Baker (12:58–13:09)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | U.S. Ground Forces return to Panama (Jungle Training) | 00:48–04:16 | | Wider U.S. Latin America focus and security concerns | 02:44–04:16 | | Syrian President Al Shira’s White House Visit | 09:46–13:37 | | U.S. Diplomatic Thaw and Caesar Act Waiver | 10:35–11:46 | | Personal Meeting: Al Shira & Rep. Brian Mast | 12:35–12:52 | | Host’s skepticism & cautionary closing | 13:25–13:37 |

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Memorable Moments

• The contrast of American troops in “Green Hell” after decades away, hinting at renewed hemispheric focus.
• The unprecedented optics of a former jihadist being welcomed by President Trump into the Oval Office.
• The emotional resonance of two former enemies—one a U.S. veteran, the other a former militant—shaking hands on Capitol Hill.
• Baker’s steady realism, reminding listeners: “It’s good to hope for the best, but it’s not wise to build your foreign policy strategy on hope.” (13:25–13:29)

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Tone & Style

Baker maintains a sober, slightly wry intelligence-analyst tone throughout: confident, measured, and aware of the deeper meanings behind the headlines. He provides both summary and thoughtful analysis for each story, always stressing strategic context and practical considerations.

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In Summary

This episode uncovers two major fault lines in U.S. foreign policy—the sharpened military focus on Latin America, and a diplomatic gamble in the Middle East as the U.S. embraces an unlikely new Syrian ally. Baker’s insights point to shifting strategies and the uncertainties that come with them:

“The next year and its actions will likely tell us if Shiraz apparent change of heart and desire for peace and stability is legit and if he’s able to suppress the extremist elements lurking within his government and his country.” (13:29–13:37)

Bottom Line: America is recalibrating its global posture—by sending troops to old jungles and greeting new (and controversial) partners in the Oval Office. Whether these moves will bring stability or new challenges remains to be seen.

Transcript

[A]

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For the first time in more than two decades, American ground forces are back in Panama's jungles. This month, a contingent of U.S. marines and soldiers wrapped up a brutal three week training course in Panama's dense, unforgiving terrain, a place so hostile that American troops once nicknamed it Green Hell. The training, called the Combined Jungle Operations course, is being run by U.S. southern Command and the Panamanian military at a base called Cristobal Colon, once known to American troops as Fort Sherman. For decades, it was one of the premier jungle warfare schools in the world before the US handed it back to Panama in 1999. Now it's back in business. The Pentagon says the course teaches everything from survival and navigation to small unit tactics. In the thickest terrain on earth, students learn to forage for food, purify water, build shelters, and fight their way through mud and humidity and near zero visibility. The first graduating class included 46 troops, 18 US Marines, one Army soldier, and 27 Panamanian security personnel. At first glance, this might sound like a simple training exercise. But it's happening against a very different backdrop, one that suggests that something larger is at play. Across Latin America, the US Military footprint has been growing. Special operations forces, logistics units, and now conventional troops are appearing in places that they haven't been in years. And it's not lost on regional observers that Panama sits right between Colombia, home to narco trafficking networks, and Venezuela, whose regime remains hostile, to say the least, to Washington. So what's the message here? Well, officially, the Pentagon insists this isn't about preparing for any specific operation. A spokesman told ABC News that the training is, quote, unquote, not tied to any potential conflict. Instead, they frame it as part of a broader effort to strengthen regional partnerships and improve readiness for any environment. But if you zoom out a bit, perhaps this fits a pattern. Since President Trump returned to office, his administration has emphasized the need to secure the Western Hemisphere. In practice, that's looked like a renewed focus on Latin America. The military buildup in the Caribbean, more intelligence cooperation with regional allies, and new deployments like this one in Panama. For Panama, it's a symbolic return to partnership. For the US It's a signal that Washington isn't ceding its influence in its own backyard, especially as China expands investments across that region and Russia deepens ties with Caracas and Havana. Now, beyond the symbolic aspects of this, there's also, of course, a practical side. The US Military hasn't really trained in a tropical jungle environment since the late 1990s. And after 9 11, everything shifted to deserts and mountains, Iraq and Afghanistan. But jungle warfare, well, that demands a completely different mindset. The Pentagon says this is just the beginning. The course will expand in the coming months, potentially hosting platoon sized units and more partner nations. Officials hope it becomes a permanent fixture of the US Training rotation, a way to keep American forces ready for any fight in any environment. Still, there are some risks here. Critics in Latin America are already warning that the US could be reestablishing a military presence under the guise of training, stirring memories of Cold War era interventions. And in Venezuela, of course, pro government media outlets have been quick to frame this as a rehearsal for an invasion. Washington insists that's nonsense. But perception matters. The sight of American troops slogging through Panamanian jungle mud is a powerful image. Either way, the message is clear. The US Military is refocusing on the hemisphere that it calls home. All right, coming up next, a former Al Qaeda terrorist at the White House. Syrian President Ahmed Al Shira meets with Trump in a first ever visit by a Syrian head of state. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here, PDB host and as you may have heard, culinary expert and world renowned foodie. Okay, I may be overegging the pudding on those last two descriptions, but I do want to tell you about an amazing company designed for foodies everywhere. Look, have you heard of Gold Belly? It's an amazing business that celebrates the best of America by shipping the country's most iconic foods from legendary restaurants straight to your door anywhere in the US and now that we're in November Gold Belly is the perfect option for hosting Thanksgiving without the stress. And with Black Friday around the corner, it's. It's also the perfect time to pre order your holiday gifts. 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[B]

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[C]

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[A]

Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. It's the kind of image no one would have imagined just a year ago, a former jihadist commander shaking hands for the president of the US at the White House. But that's exactly what happened on Monday, when Syria's interim president Ahmed Al Shira met President Trump for talks seen as a turning point in U. S. Syria relations. Not long ago, Al Shirah was one of America's most wanted an Islamist rebel commander of the terror group known as hts, an Al Qaeda offshoot leading the fight and ultimately overthrowing Syrian dictator Assad's regime back in December. Now he's apparently Washington's ally in Damascus, welcomed to the Oval Office in a moment that underscores just how far Syria has come. And since Assad's ouster and Syria's bloody civil war's end. As longtime PDB listeners will know, that shift didn't happen overnight. This is a culmination of months of diplomacy that began when Trump first met Al Sharab back in Riyadh in May, where he lifted a $10 million bounty on the interim Syrian president's head, calling Al Shira, quote, a tough guy, a fighter. That meeting marked the beginning of a, well, let's call it an unlikely partnership. Since then, both the State Department and the UN Removed Al Shara from the sanctions list, citing, quote, the progress demonstrated by Syrian leadership after the departure of Assad. Inside the White House yesterday, the mood was strikingly warm. Trump praised Al Shiraz leadership, saying, quote, we want to see Syria become a country that's very successful, and I think this leader can do it. I really do. Trump added that he has, quote, confidence that Al Shirah will be able to do the job. Signaling the administration's growing faith in the new Islamist government's stability, the Trump administration first suspended the enforcement of the CESAR act sanctions back in May. Following that initial meeting between Trump and Shirah in Riyadh this week, the Treasury Department extended that suspension another 180 days. It's a decision administration officials say is meant to give Syria breathing room as it rebuilds. For background, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection act, passed in 2019, was one of the harshest sanctions ever imposed on Damascus, targeting individuals and companies linked to Assad's inner circle. Though a full repeal still requires congressional approval, the temporary waivers effectively reopen Syria's access to international finance and reconstruction aid. But the law also gives the president the power to suspend enforcement for national security reasons, which is exactly what Trump has done twice now. In an interview with the Washington Post after he met with Trump, Al Sharah framed the easing of sanctions as essential to rebuilding the country. He said, quote, it's clear through the policies of Mr. Trump that he is in favor of stability in Syria. As part of that broader thaw, the Trump administration also announced that Syria will reopen its embassy in Washington, a move that senior administration officials say will will enable, quote, counterterrorism, security and economic coordination. It was one of the more clear signs that Syria's diplomatic isolation is ending and that Washington now views Damascus not as a problem to contain, but a partner to shape. For Al Shira, it's a rather remarkable transformation. Once jailed by American forces in Iraq, he spent the past year recasting himself from jihadist to statesman, trading fatigues for suits, positioning himself as the man who could bring Syria back into the international fold. Al Shirah later Monday signed the political cooperation declaration with the global coalition to defeat ISIS, making Syria the coalition's 90th member. However, Syria's information minister stressed in a post on X that the agreement contains no military components. But symbolically, it is a sharp break from Syria's pariah status under Assad. Trump, when asked by reporters about the optics of working with a former Islamist extremist, shrugged off the criticism. He said, quote, people say Shira had a rough past. We've all had rough pasts, end quote. But one interesting story that I want to bring to your attention about Al Shiraz visit was his meeting with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast. Now, if you don't know, Congressman Master lost both his legs while serving as a US army explosive ordnance disposal technician in Afghanistan back in 2010, a victim of the very types of weapons once used by Al Shrah and his terrorist organization. As you can imagine, that made for an interesting meeting. Mast described their exchange as one between two former soldiers and two former enemies. When he pressed Al Shura on why that changed, the Syrian president said he hoped to, quote, liberate from the past to stand with the US as an ally, not an adversary. For many in Washington, that moment said more than any press release could, it was a symbol of how far Syria has apparently come since Assad's fall and how personal diplomacy has become a hallmark of President Trump's foreign policy. Now, if I may, a bit of reality is perhaps warranted here. The optics, look, are certainly remarkable. A former jihadist member of Al Qaeda, now at the head of Syria's government, meeting in the White House. But inside Syria at this moment, there's still instability, there's distrust and there's cynicism that Al Shirah could develop an inclusive government that respects and protects all the various minorities and religious beliefs in the country. Look, it's good to hope for the best, but it's not wise to build your foreign policy strategy on hope. The next year and its actions will likely tell us if Shiraz apparent change of heart and desire for peace and stability is legit and if he's able to suppress the extremist elements lurking within his government and his country. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Tuesday 11th November. 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, you can do that and it is 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. Hey, Mike Baker here with a message from our friends over at Birch Gold Group. Now it is that time of year again. And by that I mean it's the one time of year that Birch Gold Group gives away free gold. 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[D]

What do you think makes the perfect snack?

[E]

Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.

[D]

Could you be more specific when it's cravenient?

[E]

Okay, like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter available right down the street at a.m. p.m. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at a.m. p.m.

[D]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[E]

Well yeah, we're talking about what I.

[D]

Crave, which is anything from AM pm.

[E]

What more could you want?

[B]

Stop by AM PM where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience. AM PM too much good stuff.