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The President's Daily Brief
September 12th, 2025: The Hunt For Charlie Kirk’s Assassin & UK Ambassador Sacked Over Epstein Links
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Foreign.
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Mike Baker
It's Friday, the 12th of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And yes, a still on the road. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the manhunt is on for Charlie Kirk's killer as investigators release new clues about the suspect. We'll have those details later in the show. The UN Security Council is set to meet after Poland says Russian drones violated its airspace, sparking fresh fears of escalation. Plus, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Sacks, his ambassador to Washington. That, of course, means fired after newly uncovered emails reveal ties to Jeffrey Epstein. And in today's Back of the Brief, an update on the Hyundai raid in the US State of Georgia, where President Trump floated an unusual plan for the detained South Korean workers. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. The manhunt is intensifying for the assassin who murdered Charlie Kirk during a packed campus event in Utah on Wednesday, more than 24 hours later. No suspect is in custody, but investigators do have surveillance camera images of the suspect as well as the alleged weapon used in the murder. And a trail of evidence growing by the hour. The FBI has since released grainy surveillance images showing a male in a black T shirt with American flag logo, black pants, a baseball cap and sunglasses. The authorities have said that the shooter appears to be of college age. Dispatch audio from Utah County Public Safety, circulated on Broadcastify first described the suspect as armed with a long rifle and possibly wearing a tactical helmet, mask and vest. In an effort to sharpen the dragnet, the bureau has put up a $100,000 reward for tips that lead to his arrest. Utah Public Safety Commissioner Bo Mason mapped out the timeline. The shooter arrived near campus just before noon, slipped through stairwells, climbed onto a university rooftop and from approximately 200 yards out fired a single fatal shot at 12:26pm local time before vanishing into a nearby neighborhood. Mason confirmed authorities have, quote, good footage of the suspected assassin, but are holding it back while they canvass residents doorbell camera recordings that might better chart his escape route. Former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe offered another reason for the secrecy of the footage, the bureau's new AI driven facial recognition search tool. He told CNN the software can sift millions, quote, potentially hundreds of millions of social media images to match a blurry face with an identity On Thursday evening. Law enforcement officials later recovered what they believe is the murder weapon, a bolt action rifle equipped with a scope. The rifle was found wrapped in a towel in a wooded area not far from the campus, reportedly in the area where the authorities believe the suspect was traveling following the shooting. The rifle still held the spent cartridge and there were reportedly three live rounds in the magazine. The cartridges were reportedly etched with phrases tied to transgender and anti fascist ideology, according to authorities. However, federal officials have cautioned due to the urgency of the investigation that the markings may have been misread or deliberately misleading. But I want to stress that such phrases matter because Kirk at the time had just fielded a question from an individual in the audience about transgender related shootings. He was asked the question just moments before the bullet struck his neck, according to the Wall Street Journal. The individual who asked the question has not been identified. FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Boles said investigators also lifted a footprint and a forearm print from where the rifle was ditched, but both now are under forensic review. Meanwhile, amateur cell phone footage from a large number of audience members is also providing law enforcement with assistance in piecing together the event. One clip from the crowd shows a dark figure sprinting across a university rooftop just after the shot rang out. Another video filmed just seconds earlier captured the same dark figure lying prone as puzzled spectators pointed towards the rooftop moments before panic erupted when the single shot rang out. Retired FBI agent James Gagliano told Fox News that the killer may already be long gone. He pointed out that the building backed onto an open air lot spitting distance from interstate, with an airport less than an hour away. Within minutes, he said, the shooter could have been on the interstate or out of Utah entirely. Now, as an aside, James Gagliano will be one of our guests this weekend on the PDB Situation Report and will obviously be talking at length about the assassination and the investigation for now, CNN reports FBI agents are combing neighborhoods behind Utah Valley University, knocking on doors, piecing together the escape route and asking residents for any potentially helpful ring door camera footage. Other insight Joining the Bureau is the U.S. marshal's office. And FBI Director Cash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino are traveling to Utah to oversee the manhunt. President Trump on Thursday night told reporters at the White House that there has been, quote, big progress in the manhunt and a potential motive has been found. But he would inform the public later. The president did not expand on those details or provide a timeline. As for Kirk's remains, they're being flown on Air Force Two en route to Phoenix, his home base. Now, as we discussed when this news first broke, violence like this tears at the fabric of a nation. It eats away at whatever civility we have remaining in US Political discourse. Charlie Kirk was doing what he always did. He was speaking his mind, challenging students to test ideas in the open to debate. Now, you can dislike a person, obviously, or you can dislike their ideas or opinions, of course. But if you revert to violence or you condone or even cheer on violence because you disagree with a peaceful person's ideas or opinions, then you have no right to think of yourself as a good person, as a normal person. You have no right to think of yourself as righteous or somehow better than the other side, whichever side that is. All right, before we go to break a quick announcement. I'm excited to share a brand new special podcast series that we're rolling out for PDB subscribers. It's called the Day the World Almost Ended. Yeah, I know. It's a, it's a cheery title. 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All right, coming up next, the UN Security Council meets after Poland says Russian drones breached its airspace and Britain's US Ambassador gets the boot over links to Jeffrey Epstein, someone the ambassador described as, quote, his best pal. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, you know those nights when. When you just don't sleep well, you know what I'm talking about? You're tossing and turning and. And the next day, of course, you're exhausted, you're dragging and. And, well, everything just seems harder. That's where CBD from CB Distillery can make a real difference. But it's not just sleep products. CB Distillery has solutions that work with your body to help with stress, with pain, after exercise, even mood and focus. It's all made with the highest quality, clean ingredients. No fillers, just premium cbd. Imagine waking up rested or enjoying your day without those nagging aches and pains. That's the real win of CB Distilleries. That's why over 2 million people. 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Mike Baker
Welcome back to the pdb. We return to our coverage of the incursion by nearly 20 Russian drones into Poland's airspace earlier this week, which has stoked fears that the Putin regime is testing NATO's defenses and that the war could soon spill over past Ukraine's borders. In the wake of the incident which forced Poland and fellow NATO allies to scramble fighter jets to shoot down the incoming drones. That was for the first time since the conflict in Ukraine began. The UN Security Council announced they would convene an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the matter. That's according to a report from from Reuters. The meeting was requested by Poland, Slovenia, Denmark, Greece, France and Britain as Polish officials try to rally support for a unified response against Moscow. The emergency sit down will likely be tense, however, as Russia remains a permanent member of the council and is denied responsibility for the incursions, which occurred Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. I won't discuss the absurdity of Russia still holding a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. On Wednesday, Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged carrying out a major drone attack in western Ukraine near Poland's border at the time of the incident, but claimed their forces did not intend to hit any targets in Poland. Russian officials later said they would make no further comment on the matter. Oh, how transparent of them. But Polish President Carol Naraki has described the incursion as an international attempt by Moscow to test Warsaw and NATO's collective response to Russian expansionism. Nawrocki said Thursday, quote, this Russian provocation, as the generals and our soldiers are well aware, was nothing more than an attempt to test our capabilities, our ability to respond, end quote. His remarks followed a statement from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday that said the incident was the closest we've been to open conflict since World War II. In an update on Thursday, Poland's defense minister said debris of 16 of the suspected 19 drones had been recovered so far and that their initial assessment indicates some of the drones may have been headed towards Poland's Zayschouf Airport, which serves as NATO's main hub for military supplies traveling to Ukraine. The incident has raised questions about NATO's preparedness against drone attacks and has escalated the already frayed diplomatic tensions between Europe and the Putin regime. Leaders from across the continent have called for new sanctions to be imposed against Moscow, but, well, as we've seen over the past few months, convincing the US and all of Europe to unite on sanctions has proven difficult. Putting it diplomatically in the meantime, Poland and their allies are taking steps to bolster their defenses. On Thursday, Polish authorities imposed air traffic restrictions along their borders with Ukraine and Belarus, which will stay in effect through 9 December. Under the restrictions, small recreational aircraft and helicopters are prohibited from flying in the area and the use of uncrewed aircraft, including drones, is temporarily banned. Poland also announced Thursday the deployment of some 40,000 troops to their border with Putin ally Belarus. We should note, however, that a boosted troop presence at the border was expected as Russian and Belarusian troops have gathered near the border for training exercises scheduled to begin on Friday. Still, Poland's deputy defense minister warned that the large scale military drills could be a precursor to additional Russian aggression towards NATO and EU countries. That's according to a report from TVP World. For the duration of the drills, Polish officials said their border crossings with Belarus will be closed. Additionally, the Netherlands announced Thursday they're sending 300 soldiers to Poland and will accelerate the delivery of two Patriot air defense batteries previously promised to Warsaw. The Czech Republic is also sending roughly 100 soldiers and three military helicopters as a show of support for Poland. While NATO is still conducting their assessment and officials have not yet said whether or not they think the incursion was intentional, European Union leaders have not been shy about condemning what they see as a calculated expansion of Russia's war on Ukraine. EU foreign policy spokesperson Anita Hipper issued the European Commission's official response to the incursions on Thursday, saying, this aggressive and reckless act is part of a serious escalation by Russia. It threatens the security of EU citizens, the regional stability and international peace. And this once more reinforces all our support and resolve to support Ukraine and its people in their defense against Russia, end quote. The spokesperson added quote, from our side, what we will do is to raise again the costs for Moscow by further ramping up the sanctions significantly on Russia and its enablers. Okay, shifting gears, fallout over the ongoing probe by Congress into the deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has now reached the UK Government claiming the career of a political operative known as the Prince of Darkness. That's a catchy name. On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer fired Peter Mendelssohn, former ambassador now to the US from his post as Britain's ambassador, over his close ties to Epstein. Pressure had been building Since Monday after U.S. lawmakers released a birthday book compiled for the disgraced financiers 50th birthday back in 2003. In the book was a handwritten note from Mandelson lovingly describing Epstein as, quote, my best pal. Oh, that's touching, according to a report from cnn. Despite the revelation, Starmer initially dug in his heels and stuck by Mandelson telling Parliament on Wednesday that he had his, quote, full confidence to continue serving as U.S. ambassador. Apparently not. Shortly after he defended Mandelson, Bloomberg published emails between Mandelson and Epstein from the early 2000s in which he pledges to support court Epstein after he was arrested and faced jail time in Florida for sex offenses, including the solicitation of prostitution with a minor. Wow, Mandelson was quite the pal. Epstein would eventually accept a now infamous plea deal in 2008, pleading guilty to two of the state prostitution charges and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Mandelson continued to support Epstein after the conviction. This guy is quite the friend, offering to discuss the case with his political contacts. In one email, Mandelson wrote, quote, I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened. I'm not making this up. He suggested that Epstein fight back against the charges Using tactics from Sun Tzu's the Art of War, Mandelson stated his belief that Epstein's conviction was, quote, wrongful and should be challenged. In another email, he encouraged Epstein to, quote, fight for early release. Epstein would then go on to serve just 13 months in prison. On Thursday, in the wake of the revelations, UK Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty issued a statement to the House of Commons notifying them of Mandel dismissal. The statement said the emails showed, quote, the depth and extent of Mandelson's relationship with Epstein was, quote, materially different from that known at the time of his appointment as Ambassador. James Roscoe, who previously served as the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Washington, was named as the interim ambassador to the U.S. now, it's obviously an embarrassing episode, to say the least, for Prime Minister Starmer, who named Mandelson to the ambassador post in February after what his government described as an extensive vet vetting process which appears to involved no actual vetting. Mandelson had previously expressed regret over his links with Epstein and has long claimed he knew nothing of Epstein's criminal activities. Still, Starmer faced questions about his judgment over the appointment of Mandelson back in February, as he was already a controversial figure in British politics. He served as a trusted lieutenant of Prime Minister Tony Blair in the 1990s, helping reshape the Labor Party's image. But over the course of Blair's tenure, Mandelson was forced to resign from his cabinet posts not once, but twice over questionable ties to wealthy political donors. He's known among his friends and enemies as a wily political operative with deep connections across British politics and international lobbying groups. According to Politico, his willingness to skirt the ethical boundaries of British government eventually earned him the moniker Prince of Darkness. He's just the sort of cat you want as your ambassador to the US Mendelssohn sacking comes just days ahead of President Trump's much touted second state visit to Britain, just next week. Okay. Coming up next in today's Back of the Brief, an update on the South Korean workers caught up in the Hyundai raid and Trump's unexpected proposal for their future. More on that story when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, this is for everybody out there on a job site or for those of you working in your yard or maybe banging around the garage fixing things. Look, choosing work boots used to mean sacrificing comfort for durability, but Brunt boots are different. That's Brunt. B R U N T Look, Brunt workwear are no doubt the most comfortable work boots that I've ever worn. I'm serious about that. I have the Marin soft toe boot. And they felt comfortable right out of the box, right from the start. And this is important. 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Mike Baker
In today's Back of the Brief, I want to provide you with an update on a topic we discussed last week as President Trump personally stepped in to delay the return home of more than 300 South Korean workers arrested in an immigration raid in Georgia. South Korean officials said the 316 detainees, all skilled technicians brought stateside to build the Hyundai LG electric vehicle battery plant near Savannah, were booked on a Wednesday flight back to Korea when the president intervened. According to Seoul's Foreign Ministry, President Trump wanted to explore whether the workers expertise could be tapped to educate American workers to fully stand up operations before the workers were repatriated. That request put Seoul in an uncomfortable position. South Korea's foreign minister learned directly from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Trump had paused the release, pressing for clarity on whether South Korea would back the training idea. The foreign minister replied that Seoul wanted the workers home immediately, but left open the option for their return later. Washington then relented, freeing the skilled worker group. The workers boarded a plane yesterday and departed for South Korea. The move spotlighted a contradiction at the heart of Trump's industrial push. He's championed South Korean investment as vital to reviving American manufacturing, yet his administration hasn't crafted a long term visa framework to bring in foreign expertise needed to build these plants. As a result, foreign companies leaned on short term visas and waiver programs, legal gray zones that collapsed, of course, when ICE agents swept up 475 workers last week in what was the largest workplace rate of Trump's second term. I want to note that South Korean companies argue they have little choice other than to use these stopgap visas. Skilled construction labor is scarce in the US and permanent work visas are difficult to obtain. That context explains why Trump floated keeping the South Korean technicians for a longer period. On Thursday, South Korea's president warned that the raid could have a chilling effect, making companies think twice about U.S. expansion. Absent any visa reforms Meanwhile, the Georgia plant itself looms large, promising some 8,000 jobs once operational, with Hyundai insisting that 99% of those job opportunities will ultimately go to Americans. Now, here's a thought. I for one, am curious as to just how much coordination might have taken place between the White House and ICE prior to the Georgia Hyundai raid. Hmm. If only the administration would grant me the new media seat at a White House press conference. Well, I. I could toss out that question. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily brief for Friday 12th September to listen to the show ad free. Well, become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com and as I mentioned earlier, you'll also get access to our brand new special series, the Day the World Almost Ended. You're not going to want to miss that. Despite the less than cheery title. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.