The President's Daily Brief
October 10th, 2025: U.S. Special Forces Spotted Near Venezuela’s Coast & ISIS Link to Manchester Attack
10 Oct 2025
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Oh, look at that, the end of another week. 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. Coming up, new signs that U.S. Special Operations Forces may be active in the Caribbean as Venezuela's Maduro regime grows increasingly fearful of potential American action on its soil. I'll have those details.
Later in the show, President Trump says the hostages could be home within days. We'll have the latest on the ceasefire deal and his planned trip to Egypt for the signing of that deal. Plus, new details about the Manchester synagogue attacker. Investigators say he pledged allegiance to ISIS before launching his deadly rampage. There might be a clue as to motivation there.
And in today's back of the brief, ICE agents arrest a Latin Kings gang member accused of placing a $10,000 bounty on the head of the U.S. Border Patrol chief. But first, today's PDB Spotlight. We're starting today in the Caribbean, where we continue to keep an eye on America's growing military presence. Over the past week, more indications have surfaced that U.S.
special operations forces are active in the region, operating just off of Venezuela's coast and, of course, raising anxiety levels within the Maduro regime. According to multiple reports, several U.S.
military helicopters, including Blackhawks and other aircraft tied to special operations units, have been spotted near the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, just about seven miles from Venezuela's northern coast. To give you a sense of just how close this American activity is, on a clear day, you can actually see Venezuela's shoreline from parts of Trinidad.
It's kind of like seeing Russia from Alaska. A Venezuelan outlet, El Nacional, and others cite flight trackers and local observers who say the aircraft may be operating from the MV Ocean Trader. That's a converted cargo ship designed to serve as a mobile base for U.S. Navy SEALs and other special operations teams. Now, we first reported on that ship here on the PDB last week.
The Ocean Trader is one of the U.S. military's most secretive vessels, often deployed for clandestine missions that require a small footprint and maximum flexibility. It's capable of launching helicopters, small boats and underwater drones, essentially a floating special ops command post. So its appearance in Caribbean waters this close to Venezuela is raising eyebrows.
Washington hasn't confirmed any new deployment, but U.S. officials have said in recent months that the region has become a focal point for counternarcotics and anti-trafficking operations. Venezuela, meanwhile, remains one of the largest transit hubs for cocaine headed to the U.S. and Europe.
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Chapter 2: What signs indicate U.S. Special Operations forces are active near Venezuela?
On Tuesday, Maduro announced that the Venezuelan security forces had foiled what he called a, quote, false flag bombing plot targeting the U.S. embassy in Caracas. According to Maduro's version of events, extremist elements linked to the opposition planned to detonate explosives near the embassy and blame the attack on his government, creating a pretext for U.S. military action.
He offered no evidence and named no suspects, but he praised his security services, well done fellas, for preventing what he described as a, quote, imperialist provocation. Now, it's worth noting... that the U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been closed for years.
Washington pulled its diplomats and suspended operations there back in 2019, after the collapse of formal relations between the two countries. So the building still stands, but it has been empty ever since then. It's unclear what anybody had to gain from bombing an empty embassy, but it is clear that Maduro probably should spend a bit more time dreaming up his disinformation scenarios.
Still, it is a familiar playbook.
Chapter 3: What updates are there on the hostage situation in Gaza?
By framing himself as the victim of U.S. aggression, Maduro can try to rally loyalists, justify new internal crackdowns, and divert attention from his country's worsening economic crises. The so-called foiled attack may also serve as cover for future arrests of opposition figures or activists accused of being foreign agents. At the same time, U.S.
officials have not commented publicly on any of these accusations, but the broader context is clear. Relations between Washington and Caracas have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. Diplomatic-backed channels have gone silent, and both sides appear to be preparing for a prolonged standoff. For the U.S., the presence of the ocean trader and other assets in the Caribbean sends a simple message.
Washington is keeping its options open. For Maduro and his relatively small circle of close confidants, it's an unnerving reminder that his regime is surrounded by American power just beyond his coastline.
Chapter 4: What details are emerging about the Manchester synagogue attack?
A quick note, the fifth episode of our special podcast series, The Day the World Almost Ended, I know it's a very cheery title, comes out next week. Now, if you've missed the first four episodes, now's the time to catch up. They're all available for our members at pdbpremium.com. By signing up as a premium member of the President's Daily Brief, you'll also be able to listen to the PDB ad-free.
Chapter 5: How did the Manchester attacker connect with ISIS?
So I hope you'll take a few minutes and check it out. All right, coming up next, we'll have the latest on the Gaza ceasefire deal, plus new details on the Manchester synagogue attacker who pledged allegiance to ISIS just before his deadly assault. I'll be right back. Mike Baker here. Now, I've spent a large portion of my career out in the field.
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We're learning more about how the first phase of President Trump's 20-point peace plan is taking shape, an agreement both Israel and Hamas say could bring a permanent end to the war in Gaza. According to a spokeswoman from the Israeli prime minister's office, the final draft of phase one was signed in Egypt yesterday morning, a deal that Israel says was approved, quote, by all parties.
She added that Prime Minister Netanyahu held a, quote, warm conversation with Trump soon after, with both leaders hailing the agreement as a, quote, historic achievement. From the other side, senior Hamas negotiating official Khalil Al-Haya said the Iran-backed terror group received, quote, guarantees from the U.S. and mediators that the war has completely ended.
He described the agreement as encompassing a permanent ceasefire, a full IDF withdrawal, and renewed humanitarian aid into the enclave. The Israeli cabinet's late-night vote Thursday ratified the deal, triggering the 24-hour countdown toward a ceasefire expected to take effect today.
Once the guns do fall silent, Hamas will have 72 hours to release the remaining 20 Israeli hostages believed to still be alive. Trump expects the hostages to be home by Monday. During a White House cabinet meeting Thursday, Trump admitted, quote, the bodies of those no longer living are a bigger problem.
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