Mike Baker

military involvement inside Mexico is unnecessary and unwelcome.

Publicly, she's emphasized cooperation and coordination, but privately, well, privately, she's navigating a narrowing path between domestic backlash over concerns of foreign interference and

and Washington's growing impatience with the pace and effectiveness of Mexico's campaign against the cartels.

With Tuesday's extraditions, the total number of cartel figures sent to the U.S.

since Trump's second term began now sits at 92.

As we previously covered on the PDB, the first handover came last February when Mexican authorities transferred 29 cartel figures to U.S.

custody, including veteran trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero, long sought by American authorities for his role in the 1985 killing of DEA agent Kiki Camarena.

A second transfer in August followed, with 26 members from multiple cartel organizations flown north.

Taken together, the transfers point to a clear pattern.

Mexico is using extraditions to demonstrate cooperation with Washington, attempting to avoid deeper American involvement on its own soil.

But whether that will be enough to move the needle with the White House, which continues to leave military options on the table, well, that remains an open question.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, the 22nd of January.

Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com.

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I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.

Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.

It's Wednesday, the 21st of January.