The President's Daily Brief — Afternoon Bulletin (September 22, 2025)
Host: Mike Baker (Former CIA Operations Officer)
Episode Focus: New US-Dominican anti-narco operation & global fallout after wave of recognition for Palestinian state
Date: September 22, 2025

Brief Overview

In this episode of The President’s Daily Brief Afternoon Bulletin, Mike Baker delivers updates on two major international developments:

• The first-ever joint US-Dominican Republic strike against narco traffickers in the Caribbean, marking an escalation in Trump’s war against the cartels.
• The coordinated decision by several Western allies to formally recognize a Palestinian state, the resulting geopolitical fallout, and reactions from Israel, Hamas, and the international community.

Baker’s narrative combines operational details, political analysis, candid critique, and trademark dry wit.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US-Dominican Joint Strike Against Narco-Trafficking

[00:37 – 09:07]

• Operation Details

  • The US conducted another strike against drug trafficking in the Caribbean.
  • President Trump announced a “lethal kinetic strike” against a narco trafficking vessel; three traffickers were killed, and the vessel was destroyed in international waters.
  • Dominican officials revealed new information: The operation took place 80 nautical miles south of Isla Bayata off the Dominican coast.

• New Ally & Historic Precedent

  • Dominican Republic’s naval forces collaborated directly with the US Navy, making it the first-ever joint US-Dominican operation against narco traffickers in the region.
  • Officials called it “a precedent-setting operation, the first of its kind.”

• Scale and Substance

  • The destroyed speedboat was carrying approximately 1,000 kilos (over 2,200 pounds) of cocaine.
  • Baker breaks down the numbers: “Even at a conservative $100,000 per kilo, this single shipment would have been worth more than $100 million. That’s $100 million of cocaine now consigned to the bottom of the ocean. That is a lot of blow for Davy Jones’ locker.” ([03:31])

• Shift in Tactics & Regional Implications

  • Traditional US strategy: Board vessels, seize drugs, prosecute crews.
  • New approach: Escalated to outright destruction, lethal force, and deeper regional cooperation.
  • “What we’re seeing now is… an escalation. The outright destruction of drug-running boats, lethal force against traffickers, and the involvement of regional allies.” ([04:45])
  • Risks: Increased exposure to cartel retaliation and deeper US involvement in Caribbean security.

• Political Reactions

  • Trump’s message to cartels (quoted from Truth Social):
    “STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS.” ([06:45])
  • Domestic backlash: Baker skewers Democrats for political posturing on the legality of targeting narco traffickers:
    • “Many Democrats are now clutching their pearls and choosing to fall on the fainting couch over the legality of targeting and terminating narco traffickers. I’d like to think they’re not stupid enough to side with cartels… It’s politics.” ([07:00])
    • He notes the partisan hypocrisy that would flip if Biden had ordered similar actions.

2. Hamas Declares Victory After UN Recognition of Palestinian State

[10:04 – End]

• Wave of Recognition

  • Four US allies — UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal — formally recognize a Palestinian state on the eve of the UN General Assembly.
  • Baker notes with acerbic humor: “Oh look, Hamas now has something to celebrate besides killing Jews.” ([10:11])

• Stated & Underlying Motives

  • Official rationale: “an attempt to breathe life into the flickering vision of a two-state solution.”
  • Baker’s analysis: Domestic politics, appeasing left-wing and Muslim constituencies at home.

• Key Quotes from World Leaders

  • UK PM Keir Starmer: Proclaims recognition is “a practical plan to bring people together behind a common vision” and “the only way to preserve the possibility of peace.” ([10:43])
  • Portuguese Foreign Minister: “The two-state solution is the only path to just and lasting peace” and presses for an immediate ceasefire.

• Backlash and Israeli Response

  • President Trump: “I don’t think Hamas should be rewarded.”

  • Israeli political spectrum unites in outrage:

    • Yair Lapid (Opposition Leader): “A harmful step and a reward for terror.”
    • Yair Golan (Left-wing Democrats Chair): “Destructive.”
    • President Isaac Herzog: “Won’t help free a single hostage and it will not help us reach any settlement.”
    • Itamar Ben Gvir (Far-Right Minister): “A prize for murderous terrorists.”

  • Hostages group (Hostages and Missing Families Forum): Accuses the four nations of “turning a blind eye to the 48 Israelis still in Hamas captivity, both living and dead.” ([11:47])

• Hamas Reaction

  • Hamas calls the recognition a “victory and a clear message to Israel.”
  • Senior figures declare it “proof of the justice of their cause,” and demand further “practical measures… from halting Israeli annexation to ending the genocidal war in Gaza.” ([12:07])

• Legal & Political Ramifications

  • Baker notes the move appears to violate 1995 Oslo II accords baring unilateral change to Gaza/West Bank status before final talks.
  • Recognition secured with little to no Palestinian concessions beyond a letter of intent from Mahmoud Abbas.
  • Baker underscores the irony: “Hamas hates Mahmoud Abbas. But Hamas gains new momentum… without offering hostages, disarmament, or even basic recognition of Israel.” ([13:03])
  • Israeli right calls to accelerate annexation. Netanyahu now has broad backing for further military action.

• Hostage Photo Warning

  • Hamas’ armed wing released a photo montage of all 48 Israeli hostages, each branded with the name “Ron Arad” — invoking a decades-old Israeli trauma and warning their fate may mirror his (captured, vanished, never returned).
  • “Hamas twisted that drama into a warning: Your hostages are scattered within the neighborhoods of Gaza City and we will not be concerned for their lives as long as Netanyahu has decided to kill them.” ([14:38])

• Summary Analysis

  • Baker argues the recognition has “hardened both sides, emboldened Hamas, and left Israel’s hostages still in limbo.”
  • The so-called diplomatic breakthrough looks more like “a political boomerang.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On seized cocaine:
  “That is a lot of blow for Davy Jones’ locker.” — Mike Baker [03:31]

• On political hypocrisy:
  “Many Democrats are now clutching their pearls and choosing to fall on the fainting couch over the legality of targeting and terminating narco traffickers… but it’s Trump, so once again, Democrats take the opposite position.” — Mike Baker [07:00]

• On Hamas’ reaction:
  “Oh look, Hamas now has something to celebrate besides killing Jews.” — Mike Baker [10:11]

• On the political boomerang effect:
  “What was billed… as a diplomatic breakthrough looks more like a political boomerang. Instead of advancing peace, it’s hardened both sides, emboldened Hamas, and left Israel’s hostages still in limbo.” — Mike Baker [15:24]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• US-Dominican anti-drug op & escalation: [00:37 – 09:07]
• Western recognition of Palestine, Israeli/Hamas responses: [10:04 – End]

Tone & Language

Baker’s tone is direct, analytical, and laced with dark humor, blending operational expertise, policy critique, and an unvarnished view on politics and global affairs.

For Listeners Who Missed The Episode

This episode delivers sharp, timely analysis of:

• A milestone anti-narcotics operation in the Caribbean, reflective of heightened US engagement and shifting regional alliances.
• The far-reaching consequences — political, legal, and humanitarian — of Western state recognition of Palestine, and how it reverberates through Israeli, Palestinian, and broader Middle Eastern dynamics.

Listeners walk away with actionable awareness, critical context, and the unfiltered lens of a seasoned intelligence officer.