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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 5th, 2025: A Top Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ends in Chaos & Israel Thwarts An Assassination
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We'll have those details. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. The New York Times, in what the paper no doubt views as a demonstration of journalistic bravery and integrity. Oh, well done. And what others might view as a reckless partisan display of irresponsibility, has gone public with a report on a failed top Secret Seal Team 6 mission targeting North Korea. It's a disclosure that could have grave implications for already fraught US Relations with the nuclear armed Kim regime. According to their exclusive expose published today, the U.S. navy's Special Forces infiltrated North Korea's shores as part of a clandestine mission in 2019 authorized by President Trump during his first term in office. The goal? Well, the goal was to plant an electronic device that would let the US Intercept the communications of Kim Jong Un, just as Trump was engaged in nuclear talks with the reclusive dictator. Members of SEAL Team 6's Red Squadron, the same team that killed Osama Bin laden back in 2011, were chosen to carry out the complex mission, which involved placing commandos directly on North Korean soil. The stakes obviously couldn't have been higher. If detected or captured, the operation risked not only derailing the rare diplomatic engagement with the Hermit Kingdom, but of course, could have triggered a hostage crisis or even a retaliation by the nuclear armed rogue nation. It's worth remembering that North Korea has roughly 8,000 artillery pieces and rocket launchers aimed at the roughly 28,000American troops stationed in South Korea, as well as an arsenal of 50 nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching America's west coast. But at the time, members of U.S. joint Special Operations Command reportedly saw a rare opportunity to plug a strategic blind spot in US Intelligence gathering capabilities related to North Korea. Due to the insular nature of the authoritarian state, the US had for years struggled to tap into the country's communications or recruit human sources. But due to the unpredictable nature of Kim's interactions with Trump during his first term, which vacillated from nuclear threats to direct diplomacy, gaining insight into the dictator's thinking became a top priority for the US Intelligence community. A risky solution was presented to Trump in 2018. The intelligence community had recently developed a new electronic device that could intercept the communications of North Korea's top leaders, including Kim, but it had to be manually planted, military sources said. The president and his military advisors eventually settled on dispatching Seal Team 6, as they had past experience carrying out a similar mission. The New York Times report revealed for the first time that back in 2005, oh, they're revealing even more. During the Bush administration, the SEALs had used a mini sub to infiltrate North Korea's shores and escape undetected for an unspecified mission. So by the fall of 2018, the SEALs began preparing for the assignment, and the details of the operation are something straight out of a James Bond movie. According to the report, a nuclear powered submarine roughly the length of two football fields ferried the SEAL team into North Korean waters. Two mini subs carrying the seals were then deployed to get the team to the shoreline. We should note that the mini subs are what are known as wet subs, meaning the seals, and had to journey for nearly two hours immersed in frigid waters using scuba gear and heated wetsuits. Once they neared the coast, eight seals swam ashore in order to install the device. But the mission ultimately went sideways. According to the sources, a North Korean boat emerged nearby and began searching the area with flashlights. Thinking they'd been spotted by the adversary, the SEAL team reportedly opened fire on the vessel, killing all aboard. The team then aborted the mission and retreated back to the sub without completing the mission. Evidence later showed that the North Korean boat was actually a fishing vessel carrying two or three unarmed civilians. Despite the incident, the operation has never been publicly acknowledged by either the US Or North Korea. The details remain highly classified. Well, do they anymore? And according to the Times, not even key members of Congress overseeing intelligence operations were read in a move that analysts say may have violated the law. It's unclear how much the North Korean regime ever discovered about the clandestine mission or its purpose, though US Satellites did detect large scale movements of North Korean troops in the immediate aftermath of the operation. But due to this revelation from the Times, the Kim regime will now have a pretty full picture of the events and learn invaluable insights likely regarding America's covert operations. The Times report was based on interviews with two dozen sources, including civilian government officials, members of the first Trump administration, and current and former military personnel, who all spoke anonymously. Well, that's because they clearly weren't supposed to be opening their yaps and discussing classified information, but they just couldn't help themselves. It's not clear what motivated this very public disclosure of America's most guarded clandestine secrets, and the White House has not commented on the situation. But given that this is the New York Times we're talking about, it's not exactly wild speculation to suggest that politics played a role in the paper's decision to reveal information that could have severe ramifications for US national security and foreign policy. I mean, during Democrat administrations, the paper managed to keep their pieholes shut when it came to revealing this sort of information. The Times self righteously indicated that they've released this information now in an effort to help the public better understand how clandestine operations work or don't work. How brave of the New York Times. Alright, up next, Israeli intelligence services thwart a plot by Hamas to assassinate Jerusalem's national security minister with explosive drones. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, let's be honest. Most of us on occasion or quite often are tired or stressed or, or dealing with some kind of pain, maybe from a tough workout or a run. And what do we do? Well, typically what we do is we just kind of power through it because the last thing we want is a another prescription taking up space in the medicine cabinet. And that's why I'm glad I found a terrific company called CB Distillery. 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And their amazing all in one home gym. It's incredible. I mean, seriously for home fitness that all in one gym from Jacked Up Fitness is a game changer. But I want to talk to you about something new also from Don and his terrific team at Jacked Up Fitness because they know that many people are short on time and short on money, but they still want to get fit. So now listen to this. You can start your fitness journey for under $60 and in just six minutes each day. Think about that. And here is a blast from the past for people of a certain age. Anyway, it's introducing the all new Shake Weight by Jacked Up Fitness. That's correct. Fifteen years ago, of course, the original Shake Weight well, shook the world. And now the fitness legend returns. Bigger, better and built to perform. And why now? Well, that's a fine question you ask because science has finally caught up with the importance of explosive power and fast twitch muscle training. 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I use ExpressVPN anytime I'm on public wi fi because it just makes good sense. Protect your privacy today@expressvpn.com Baker that's B A K E R to get up to four extra months free again. ExpressVPN.com Baker welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. I want to turn now to Israel, where the security agency Shin Bet recently thwarted a plot by Hamas to assassinate National Security Minister Itamar Ben GVIR with explosive drones. Earlier this week, officials with Shin Bet and Israeli police announced the arrest of three members of a Hamas linked cell operating out of the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank. According to a report from the Jerusalem Post. The group came shockingly close to pulling off the assassination, with Shin Bet officials describing it as one of the most serious attempts against a senior Israeli minister in recent years. The cell received support for the planned attack from Hamas officials based out of Turkey, who funneled funds to the group for the procurement of two drones equipped with explosives as well as a laptop, which they used to track Ben Guevara's movements on social media. They planned a strike during the upcoming Jewish holiday season after learning through social media that Ben GVIR would be visiting a holy site in Hebron known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs. According to interrogations of the suspects, they plotted to fly the drones over the site while the minister was praying, but later abandoned those plans after encountering technical difficulties. The group reportedly conducted a live test, successfully dropping and detonating an explosive device from one of the drones, but a second trial run ended in an accidental explosion while they were assembling the drone, prompting them to shift tactics. One of the members of the cell proposed selling the drones to buy firearms for shooting attacks at multiple Israeli government institutions, though they also ultimately abandoned that idea, fearing Israel's vast array of surveillance cameras would expose them before they could attack One of the cell members was subsequently arrested by the Palestinian Authority in Hebron. Further complicating their plans, Shin Bet eventually learned of the plot and was able to apprehend all involved before they could take their planning any further. While we're still learning the finer details of this Hamas backed operation, one of the suspects told interrogators that he moved to Turkey three years ago where he established ties with Hamas operatives, according to a report from jfeed. Taking inspiration from the war in Gaza, he came up with the idea of assassinating Ben gvir, a hardline member of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's governing coalition. He then used Hamas's regional network to travel to Hebron and recruit others for the planned attack. As a reminder, following a prisoner exchange between Israel and HAMAS back in 2011, senior Hamas operatives were granted safe haven in Turkey. While Turkey claims they closely monitor these operatives and limit their ability to conduct military operations from their soil, they have also granted citizenship to several of these terrorists, raising questions about how much latitude Turkey actually grants Hamas leadership behind the scenes. The answer would be, of course, a lot of latitude. It's also worth remembering that Turkey maintains open diplomatic ties with Hamas, serving as a safe hub for international outreach and coordination. Since the war in Gaza began following Hamas 7 October attacks, Turkish President Erdogan has taken a public stance in support of Palestinians and Hamas, cutting all ties with Israel. He also met face to face in April 2024 with Khaled Mashal, a senior Hamas figure who previously served as the chairman of the Hamas political bureau. According to a report from the Israeli outlet Ynet, Turkey also allows Hamas to maintain clandestine operations in Istanbul, including a cyber and intelligence unit. Officials with Shin Bet emphasize the incident as a stark reminder that that Hamas's overseas command, particularly leadership residing in Turkey, remain a key driver of terror plots against the Jewish state. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Friday 5th September. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me@pdbhefirsttv.com and just a quick reminder, as if it's not already marked on your calendar in Sharpie, today is Friday and just like every Friday, this evening we launch a brand new episode of America's favorite weekend news show, the PDB Situation Report. You can catch it at 10pm on the first TV and as always on our YouTube channel. Please check that out and subscribe. You can find that on YouTube at President's Daily Brief, as well as podcast platforms everywhere. This weekend we'll be doing a review of Xi Jinping's big festive military parade in Beijing this past week. It was quite the gathering of the Evil League of Evil with B list celebrities including Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Iranian President Massoud Brzeskian. And we'll be digging into the Russian economy and the current state of the war in Ukraine. Tune in for excellent guests, solid insight, and the occasional witty banter. 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.