The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 5th, 2025: Trump Doubles Down on Narco Strikes & Iran Warns US Amid Massive Missile Drill
05 Dec 2025
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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It's Friday, the 5th of December. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin.
I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, the fallout over the Trump administration's campaign against narco-terrorists intensifies as lawmakers question the head of U.S. Special Operations Command over the legality of a controversial September strike. Meanwhile, the White House says, oh, my beer.
They press ahead and destroy another suspected narco vessel on Thursday. I'll have the details. Later in the show, Iran sends a clear signal in the Gulf, firing volleys of cruise and ballistic missiles during their first major naval drill since the 12-day war with Israel. We'll break down what these drills say about Iran's strategy and the warning that the mullahs are attempting to send the U.S.
forces in the region. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. As Congress argues over whether an early September U.S. boat strike in the Caribbean crossed the line into a war crime, the Trump administration is showing no signs of easing their pressure campaign against Latin America's deadly cartels. On Thursday, just as the head of U.S.
Special Operations Command was briefing congressional leaders on the legality of the controversial September strikes, The U.S. military obliterated another suspected trafficking vessel.
At Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's direction, Joint Task Force Southern Spear launched a precision strike on the vessel, which was traveling at speed along a known smuggling route in the eastern Pacific, killing all four men on board. U.S. Southern Command said that intelligence confirmed the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and was tied to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
It marks the 22nd strike in this ongoing maritime campaign, which has now killed 86 alleged narco-terrorists. But more significantly, it's the first strike in more than two weeks, coming right as lawmakers are demanding answers about whether the operation on the 2nd of September broke U.S. and international law.
Put simply, if Democrats and some Republicans were wondering whether congressional outrage in the current media firestorm would stop the White House from continuing these strikes, well, the Trump administration just gave them a clear answer.
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Chapter 2: What recent actions has the Trump administration taken against narco-terrorists?
The rebuttal also suggests the White House's claim that Bradley had full authority over operational decisions during the mission is accurate. Next, Bradley reportedly confirmed the presence of a JAG officer providing legal oversight during the operation.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton added that in addition to the JAG officer, Bradley's briefing confirmed that hundreds of personnel across multiple bases were watching in real time, including dozens of military lawyers. According to Cotton, this proved the legal groundwork had been laid well before the first missile flew.
As for why the additional strikes were launched, Cotton said the video footage showed the two surviving drug runners trying to flip the boat back over, implying they were attempting to recover drugs and return to their mission. I should note that Democrat Senator Chris Coons agreed, after the closed-door session, that this was a fair interpretation of the video.
But the briefing from Bradley did little to quell broader concerns from congressional Democrats. Representative Jim Hines, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the footage, quote, deeply troubling and said it showed survivors who posed no threat to U.S. forces.
Senator Coons, meanwhile, said that while he felt reassured about the process, namely the intelligence used and the presence of a JAG officer, he still questioned whether the mission itself carried any legitimate legal justification.
So while the hearing may have put to rest some of the more extreme claims ignited by the Washington Post's initial reporting, significant controversy does remain among Democrats over the legal basis for these ongoing strikes. And looming behind it all is a question that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle still want answered, and that would be, where was Hegseth?
The defense secretary said this week he watched the first strike live, then left for another meeting, leaving Bradley as the final authority for the subsequent strikes. But many lawmakers remain skeptical and want to hear that in the form of public testimony from both Hegseth and Bradley, not closed-door briefings.
All right, coming up next, Iran staged a large naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz in Gulf of Oman this week, firing crews and ballistic missiles at simulated targets while warning U.S. ships not to approach. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, if you own a handgun for self-defense, you know, storage, as you know, often means choosing between safety and accessibility.
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Chapter 3: What legal questions are being raised about the September strike?
So again, text PDB to 989-898. Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. We turn our attention to the Gulf, where the mullahs of Iran are putting on a show of military force designed to demonstrate their defensive readiness and deterrent capabilities. Earlier this week, the Islamic regime staged one of its largest military exercises since the 12-day war with Israel in June.
During the two-day drill, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Navy fired a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles at simulated targets across the Gulf of Oman, according to a report from Reuters.
Specifically, Iranian state media described a, quote, massive launch of Qatar-110, Qatar-380, and Qatar-360 cruise missiles, as well as some 303 ballistic missiles, with drones also striking mock enemy bases at the same time. The IRGC framed the drill as a demonstration of its, quote, unwavering spirit and a reminder that any foreign miscalculation against Iran would draw a decisive response.
The exercise began Thursday in the Gulf of Oman and stretched through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategic waterways on the planet. Nearly a fifth of global oil flows through that choke point, and Iran regularly treats it as a strategic pressure valve when tensions rise.
Late last month, for example, Iran seized a petrochemical tanker bound for Singapore near the Strait of Hormuz in what most observers said was a brazen attempt to project power despite their weakened regional position. While the Trump administration has not publicly commented on the Iranian drills, the display certainly caught their attention. The U.S.
and its allies view Iran's sanctioned ballistic missile program, which China, by the way, is helping rebuild, as a major threat to regional stability. The two-day exercise also came with a sharp warning to the U.S. from the Islamic regime. According to Newsweek, Iranian naval commanders issued a public warning for U.S.
warships to stay away from the drill zone, framing any American presence in the Gulf as a potential provocation. As I mentioned, that warning came against the backdrop of June's 12-day war, when the U.S. joined Israel, of course, in striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
Tehran has spent the months since vowing to rebuild its capabilities, and this week's drills appeared geared towards demonstrating that it can still threaten or defend the maritime corridors around its coast. But the missile barrage wasn't the only exercise this week.
On land hundreds of miles to the northwest, Iran hosted a separate anti-terrorism drill in its province of East Azerbaijan with members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which of course includes China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and several Central Asian states.
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Chapter 4: How has the Trump administration responded to congressional concerns?
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