April 24th, 2025: Cartels Deploy New Tactics At The Border & Abbas Torches Hamas
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Who is Mike Slater and what is Politics by Faith podcast about?
My name is Mike Slater. I have a podcast called Politics by Faith. I was just talking to a friend of mine who said he hasn't been able to follow the news lately. It's been too much. It's too crazy. It's driving him crazy. And he's just checked out. If you feel that way sometimes too, I think you'll really like our podcast, Politics by Faith. We take the main story of the day and we run it through the Bible. What does the Bible say about this? It's amazing, but it's all there. And then God tells us what to do. We don't even have to figure it out. The answers are right there. He gives us the answers. Politics by faith. Please join us over there. You can listen to it wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. Politics by faith.
What is the latest update on cartel tactics at the US southern border?
It's Thursday, the 24th of April. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off today at the border, where the Trump administration's crackdown is shaking up cartel operations. Now, smuggling networks are shifting and adjusting their targets, and Americans are getting caught in the crosshairs. Later in the show, India reels from its deadliest terror attack in years. A militant group has claimed responsibility, and now Indian forces are hitting back hard. Plus, Hamas says it's ready to release hostages. Oh, it's ready now? Under a new truce, as the Palestinian Authority openly criticizes the Iranian-backed group, accusing them, meaning Hamas, of prolonging the war and calling for disarmament. And in today's back of the brief, a major legal strike against a violent migrant gang operating across the U.S.
The Trump administration is using the RICO process to go after Trenda Aragua, Venezuela's violent TDA gang that's made significant inroads into America. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We'll begin today with an update from the US southern border, where Mexico's powerful drug cartels are shifting tactics in the wake of President Trump's sweeping crackdown on their migrant smuggling operations. According to an exclusive report from NewsNation, the drug barons of Mexico are increasingly pivoting to kidnapping civilians for ransom, including American tourists, to make up for their lost revenue streams. When America's borders were wide open, cartels were making a killing on what they called, quote, floor fees for migrants looking to enter America illegally.
Basically, migrants would pay cartels for the privilege of passing through their territory as they made their way to the U.S. Cartels also generated significant revenue from human trafficking operations, with migrants paying to be smuggled across the US-Mexico border.
How are Mexican cartels adapting their smuggling and kidnapping operations?
But those operations have been significantly undermined by the Trump administration's myriad actions to tighten security and block access routes, along with their mass deportation agenda, which has dissuaded potential migrants from making the trek. As PDB listeners are aware, President Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border when he began his second term and deployed thousands of troops to assist border agents in curbing the flow of migrants. Migrant encounters have since dropped to a record low, plunging some 95% in March when compared to the previous year. The rapid decline is hitting the cartels where it matters most, and that would be in their wallets. And now they're looking for new ways to mitigate their losses. As I mentioned, one tactic that is gaining popularity involves kidnapping Mexican and American civilians for ransom.
They're targeting those who they think have something to lose, like a lucrative business, or who have family members that are willing to pay a hefty fee for the release of their loved ones. While it's difficult to say how many Mexican civilians have been impacted, we do know that two Americans were kidnapped by cartel members earlier this month outside a sports bar in the Mexican border town of Juarez. They were held for nearly three days at a house in South Juarez before being rescued by Mexican state police in partnership with the FBI, which provided technical support to track down the suspects. The Americans were found alongside migrants from Central America and China. All had been severely beaten and tortured by the suspects in an attempt to extract ransom payments. The U.S.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Mike Slater and what is Politics by Faith podcast about?
0:00–0:51
2
What is the latest update on cartel tactics at the US southern border?
0:51–2:48
3
How are Mexican cartels adapting their smuggling and kidnapping operations?
2:48–8:54
4
What measures are US and Mexican authorities taking to combat cartel activities?
8:54–14:33
5
What was the deadliest terror attack in Kashmir and who claimed responsibility?
14:33–17:36
6
How is India responding to the terror attack in Kashmir?
17:36
7
What is Hamas's new truce proposal and how is the Palestinian Authority reacting?
13:08
8
What is the Trump administration's new legal action against the Tren de Aragua gang?
4:25–25:43
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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