PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 18th, 2025: CIA Reaper Drones Over Mexico & Border Crossings Collapse
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What are the CIA's operations in Mexico with Reaper drones?
It's Tuesday, 18 February. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Alright, let's get briefed. We'll start things off with a major escalation in the fight against the cartels.
How is Trump's border crackdown affecting migrant shelters?
According to reports, President Trump has the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency, flying covert drone missions over Mexico, using the same Reaper drones deployed in the War on Terror. Later in the show, migrant shelters that once housed nearly a thousand people a day are now nearly empty as Trump's border crackdown sharply reduces border crossings. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. In der neuesten Beweisung, dass die Trump-Administration den Kampf gegen die Drogenkartelle nimmt, hat die CIA kräftige Drohnen-Missionen tief in Mexiko gefahren. Diese Flugzeuge, die von den so genannten MQ-9-Reaper-Drohnen ausgestattet werden, bemerken einen bedeutenden Wandel in den US-Narkotik-Operationen.
Why is the CIA's use of drones in Mexico significant?
Und sie sind unter dem Radar geschehen, ohne öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit von Washington oder Mexiko-City. Now, credit where it's due, CNN first broke this story, citing sources familiar with the program. But let's take a step back and look at this from the 30,000-foot level, or whatever altitude the drones are flying. For years, the US has fought the cartels indirectly, through partnerships with Mexican authorities, DEA-led investigations and law enforcement operations along the southern border. But now, under the new US administration, we're seeing a clear effort to treat these cartels more like terrorist organizations.
What are the implications of designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
And as we reported here on the PDB, Trump officially designated them as foreign terrorist organizations in one of his first acts as president. And that designation is already reshaping US strategy. Hier ist, was wir wissen. Die CIA-Drohnen sind momentan unbearmt. Dies sind die MQ-9-Reepers, die gleichen, die für präzisierte Angriffe gegen ISIS und Al-Qaida verwendet werden. Die MQ-9-Reeper kann mit einer Vielzahl von präzisierten Waffen gearmt werden, z.B. Hellfire-Missilen, lasergeführte Bomben und die GPS-geführte Joint Direct Attack Munition oder JDAM, wie Sie es gehört haben. Die Drohne ist für sowohl Beobachtungs- als auch Angriffsmissionen ausgestattet, und sie ist ein wichtiger Aspekt in den US-Kontraterrorismus-Operationen, die sich mit Pinpoint-Akkuraten auf die Gegner konzentrieren können.
Nun, die Drohnen werden nur für Beobachtung verwendet, für jetzt zumindest, aber die Tatsache, dass sie gearmt werden können, äußert ernsthafte Fragen über das, was nachher kommen könnte. Wir haben vorhin über US-Spyplanes berichtet, die auf der Grenze verwendet werden, um Kartellbewegungen zu verhindern. Aber dies ist das erste Mal, dass wir über kriminelle Missionen innerhalb Mexikos reden. Die Regierung hat den Kongress über einen klassifizierten Prozess bemerkt, der für Operationen vorgesehen ist, die die CIA beurteilen oder negieren will. Und notierend ist, dass es keine Koordination mit dem mexikanischen Staat gibt. Und das ist ein großer Wandel aus den letzten gemeinsamen Bemühungen. Now, the timing here is important.
How is Mexico responding to US covert operations?
The Trump administration has already made it clear that it's willing to use counterterrorism tactics against the cartels. In fact, just last month, when signing an executive order ramping up those efforts, Trump was asked about sending special forces into Mexico. His response? Well, it was, quote, could happen, stranger things have happened, end quote. Hmm, that's ambiguous. So, how is Mexico reacting to all of this? Well, so far, it's been, I suppose you could describe it as a mix of silence and unease. Mexico's President, Claudia Scheinbaum, and other top officials have been quick to emphasize that American military surveillance flights along the border have remained in international airspace.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What are the CIA's operations in Mexico with Reaper drones?
0:41–0:56
2
How is Trump's border crackdown affecting migrant shelters?
0:56–1:41
3
Why is the CIA's use of drones in Mexico significant?
1:41–2:21
4
What are the implications of designating cartels as terrorist organizations?
2:21–3:49
5
How is Mexico responding to US covert operations?
3:49–6:04
6
What could be the future steps in the US's war on drugs?
6:04–7:22
7
How can Stash help you invest smarter?
7:22–13:41
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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