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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 3rd, 2025: Trump Declares Formal 'Armed Conflict' Against Drug Cartels & US Military Begins Troop Drawdown In Iraq
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Mike Baker
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America is formally at war with Latin America's most powerful drug cartels. In a memo sent to Congress on Thursday, the Trump administration said they had determined that the U.S. is now, quote, in a non international armed conflict with the region's narco traffickers declaring cartel members to be unlawful combatants subject to the full wrath of the American military. That's according to a report from Fox News. The order builds on aggressive actions taken by the administration earlier this year, such as designating Latin American cartels and gangs as international terrorist organizations. It marks an unprecedented assertion of presidential war powers that will give the White House even more latitude to carry out military operations against the cartels. The memo says President Trump has already directed the Pentagon to, quote, conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict, end quote. It also serves to bolster Trump's legal justification for recent military strikes in the Caribbean on drug smuggling boats used by narco terrorists that first began in early September, which have been heavily criticized by congressional Democrats as an abuse of Trump's executive powers. The lengthy memo states the president directed these actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and U.S. interests abroad. The cartels involved have grown more armed, well organized and violent. They have the financial means, sophistication and paramilitary capabilities and needed to operate with impunity. They illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year, end quote, constituting what the Trump administration says is an armed attack against the U.S. the memo continues, quote, the U.S. has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self defense and defense of others against the ongoing attacks by these designated terrorist organizations. Now, as I mentioned, the memo cements President Trump's ability to use executive wartime powers against the cartels. In an armed conflict, the US can lawfully kill those deemed to be enemy fighters, detain combatants indefinitely without trials, and prosecute combatants in military courts. As we've been tracking here on the pdb, the Trump administration has already moved to militarize the waters around Central and South America as a key part of their counter narcotics strategy. Deploying guided missile destroyers, cruisers, submarines, amphibious ships carrying marines and surveillance aircraft, the administration has also carried out several lethal strikes against suspected narco terrorist boats being used to smuggle drugs through the Caribbean. The latest strike came roughly two weeks ago in partnership with naval forces from the Dominican Republic. The operation destroyed a smuggling vessel in international waters carrying more than 2,200 pounds of cocaine worth roughly $100 million that was bound for the U.S. that operation resulted in three terminated narco terrorists. That strike followed a similar one carried out unilaterally on a narco vessel by the US on 15 September. Importantly, the memo cites the September 15 strike as an example of what we can expect to see moving forward now that the US Is officially engaged in a, quote, armed conflict with the cartels. The memo states, quote, the vessel was assessed by the US Intelligence community to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization and at the time engaged in trafficking illicit drugs, which could eventually kill Americans. Now, how far the Trump administration will go in their fight against the region's transnational gangs remains unclear, but the memo suggests the White House plans to expand its military intervention south of the border. As we recently discussed, the US has already been waging a covert war of sorts in Mexico against powerful groups like the Sinaloa cartel. The CIA has reportedly been quietly training and directing elite Mexican units tasked with hunting down the country's most dangerous drug lords. President Trump has gone so far as to float the idea of unilateral US Military strikes inside Mexico, though Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rejected that or any calls for US Boots on the ground. But the Trump administration's primary focus in recent months has been Venezuela. The White House has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, who they accuse of overseeing the country's cartel of the Suns. The administration says that that cartel floods the region with drugs and facilitates the migration of trendero gang members directly into the U.S. in theory, the memo could provide the legal justification needed for the Trump administration to bring the fight directly to Venezuela's shores. The major question now is whether Congress will step in to either directly approve or ban expanded military actions in the region. Experts in international law have already questioned the White House's legal rationale. Matthew Waxman, a former national security official in the Bush administration, told the Associated Press that the memo is a, quote, very far stretch of international law and a dangerous one, getting out ahead of potential legal challenges. However, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said Thursday that Trump is acting, quote, in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores. And he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans, end quote. Coming up next, the U. S Military begins drawing down their remaining presence in Iraq under an agreement inked with Baghdad just last year. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. This podcast is brought to you in part by Stash. Now what if you could start investing without ever picking a single stock? It's an intriguing question, right? 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Investment Advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC and SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Investing involves risk offer is subject to terms and conditions. Mike Baker here. I want to take just a moment of your time to talk about my very favorite purveyor of steaks and beef. And that of course would be the great company Tritails Beef. Now, as I'm sure you're aware, it is back to school season and you know what that means right the usual chaos around the house, constant shuttling of kids to school and sports events, and of course regular disagreements over what's for dinner when parents and kids are all running in different directions. Well, the terrific folks at Tritails Beef, they know that feeling. They're a fifth generation family run Texas ranch that understands that feeding a family during busy times is no small feat. So this month they're making it easier. When you grab their Feed the Family box, you'll get two pounds of premium ground beef for free. 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Mike Baker
Your ratings are very good and I want to congratulate you. You welcome back to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. We turn to some major news regarding American counterterrorism operations in the Middle east where the US Military is officially beginning to withdraw the majority of its forces from Iraq, essentially ending the US two decade long presence in the country. Officials with the Pentagon announced Wednesday that the U.S. military has already begun drawing down its mission in Iraq under an agreement that was inked with Baghdad last year. As part of that process, an American led coalition fighting the Islamic State terrorist group will pass the baton, so to speak, to their Iraqi partners who will now command efforts to eliminate the remnants of ISIS still operating inside their country. That's according to a report from the Military Times. In a statement, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, quote, this reduction reflects our combined success in fighting ISIS and marks an effort to transition to a lasting U S Iraq security partnership in accordance with US national interests, the Iraqi Constitution and the U S Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. This partnership will support U.S. and Iraqi security and strengthens Iraq's ability to realize economic development, foreign investment and regional leadership, end quote. Parnell added that the Pentagon will maintain close coordination with their counterparts in Iraq to ensure a smooth and responsible transition. As a reminder last fall, following six months of tense negotiations between US And Iraqi leaders, the Pentagon said they would begin drawing down U. S led coalition forces from Iraq by September of this year, a withdrawal they intend to complete by the end of 2026. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani first initiated the negotiations back in January of 2024 in response to increasing rocket and drone attacks on US forces in Iraq by Iran backed militias. At the time, those attacks had resulted in the deaths of three American troops and left dozens more wounded. In retaliation, the US Conducted several rounds of airstrikes which further complicated Baghdad's efforts to stabilize the country after decades of conflict and prompted Al Sudani to request America's exit. So with that in mind, what can we expect to see over the coming months? Well, the Pentagon is understandably saying tight lipped on the details, rightly so, declining to disclose the number of troops that have been withdrawn to date or provide a detailed timetable for their full exit. Currently, the US maintains roughly 2500 troops in Iraq and 900 more in neighboring Syria as part of a coalition initially formed in 2014 to combat the Islamic State. A Pentagon source told Reuters that the focus of the US and its coalition allies will now shift to combating Islamic State remnants in Syria. The source said a final troop number has not yet been determined and that any remaining personnel in Iraq will be moved to the country's northern Kurdistan region to support the mission in Syria. But the bulk of US Forces will be departing Iraq, including from bases where troops have been continuously stationed for roughly two decades, closing a major chapter in America's war on terror. The anonymous Pentagon source told Reuters. ISIS is no longer posing a sustained threat to the government of Iraq or to the US Homeland from Iraqi territory. This is a major achievement that enables us to transition more responsibly to Iraq, leading efforts for security in their own country, end quote. But the Islamic State still poses a major threat in Syria. While President Trump outlined plans earlier this year to draw down forces in Syria as well, military officials told Reuters that that will be contingent on whether Syria's new Islamist led government, which deposed a dictator, Assad for us last December, can establish order and contain the threat from the radical jihadists. As we've been tracking on the pdb, ISIS has been working to exploit Syria's turbulent political transition. In mid June of this year, an ISIS suicide bomber stormed a Greek Orthodox church service in Damascus, opening fire before detonating his vest and killing at least 25 worshippers. Western intelligence agencies estimate that ISIS currently has up to 3,000 active fighters in the region, including roughly 300 in central Syria, where it's believed to be rebuilding its external operations arm. Another 9,000 fighters and 40,000 ISIS linked individuals are in limbo in Syrian detention facilities. And that's a situation that remains a major concern for U.S. military leaders. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Friday 3rd October. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb@the firsttv.com and to listen to the show ad free, you can become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief. It's very easy. Just visit bdbpremium.com and finally, of course, it's Friday. Well, you knew that. And that means a brand new episode of our weekend show. The PDB Situation Report hits the airwaves this evening at 10pm on the First TV and you can also catch it and past episodes on our YouTube channel. Check that out and subscribe if you get the chance at President's Daily Brief and wherever, of course, you get your broadcast stuff. 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. It.