April 28th, 2025: Border Patrol and Mexico Crush Cartel Posts — Cartels Launch Bloody Retaliation & Trump-Zelensky Private Talks
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It's Monday, the 28th 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 with a major cartel crackdown at the U.S. southern border and the subsequent violent retaliation that's now erupting across Mexico.

Later in the show, President Trump and Ukraine's President Zelensky hold a private meeting at Pope Francis' funeral, just before Trump fired a warning shot at Russian President Putin. Plus, the U.S. and Iran wrap up another round of nuclear talks. But major divisions, as you can imagine, are still standing in the way of a deal.

And in today's Back of the Brief, a massive explosion at Iran's largest commercial port kills at least 28 and injures hundreds, with earlier reports linking to a possible link to the mishandling of missile fuel. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

Law enforcement agencies on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are striking hard, and now the cartels are striking back. First in a major win for U.S. and Mexican forces, the Border Patrol agents in Tucson, Arizona, recently shared real-time intelligence with their counterparts across the border, leading to the dismantling of cartel lookout posts on the Mexican side of the border.

Working off those tips, Mexican forces raided several sites, arresting four suspects and seizing a cache of weapons and drugs. Another major bust happened just south of Arizona, along a popular tourist corridor between the Lukeville border crossing and the beach town of Puerto Penasco. There, authorities uncovered weapons and equipment used by cartel scouts to monitor border patrol movements and coordinate smuggling operations through remote desert routes.

The cartel lookouts serve as the eyes and ears for drug runners seeking weak spots and openings along Arizona's border.

And the ongoing crackdown hasn't been limited to the border region. Last week, Mexican Marines launched a major operation in the rugged mountains of Durango, dismantling two clandestine meth labs in the town of Tamazula. Marines seized roughly 330 pounds of meth, along with nearly 3,200 gallons and 770 pounds of chemical precursors, the raw materials used to manufacture meth destined for U.S. streets.

All of these latest blows are part of what's known as Operation Frontera Norte, the Northern Border Operation, which was launched in February after Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum and Trump struck a deal to escalate joint efforts against the cartels. As part of the agreement, Mexico deployed 10,000 National Guard troops across 18 cities near the northern border to stem the flow of drugs and dismantle cartel networks closer to their source.

Since its launch, the operation has chalked up some major wins, more than 2,700 arrests, the seizure of some 2,300 firearms, some 376,000 rounds of ammunition, and over 66,000 pounds of narcotics, including more than 350 pounds of fentanyl.

But the cartels, as you may suspect, are not taking the hits quietly, and they're making sure that the world notices. Last week, cartel violence erupted across three Mexican states, including Michoacán and Jalisco, as the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel lashed out in response to government pressure. Authorities have been targeting the cartel's senior leadership and logistics networks in an effort to choke off the group's operations.

In retaliation, heavily armed groups seized cargo trucks, set them ablaze, and used them to blockade highways, including major routes connecting Mexico City to Guadalajara. Police reported at least 18 similar incidents across neighboring states, with gunmen torching vehicles and paralyzing traffic. In Michoacán, a police official speaking anonymously told reporters the violence was a direct response to military raids targeting cartel strongholds.

By Wednesday evening, most fires had been extinguished and roads reopened. No casualties were reported, but the message was clear: the Jalisco New Generation Cartel will not be backing down anytime soon without a fight. For background, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel is one of Mexico's most dangerous criminal groups. It's one of the cartels that President Trump officially designated as a terrorist organization earlier this year.

Formed after a split from the Sinaloa cartel back in 2010, they exploded into a brutal powerhouse, now estimated to have around 19,000 members, and that's according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration figures. All right, coming up next, President Trump sends a warning to Vladimir Putin after a private meeting with Ukraine's leader at the Vatican, and the U.S. and Iran struggle to find a pathway to a nuclear deal. I'll be right back.

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In what may be remembered as a pivotal moment for U.S.-Ukraine relations, President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky held a private meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral at the Vatican. In their first encounter since the clash in the Oval Office earlier this year, you probably remember seeing that clash, the two leaders met inside St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday for a 15-minute conversation described as, quote, very productive by White House Communications Director Stephen Chung.

Zelensky's chief of staff similarly called the talk, quote, constructive, with both sides hinting that more details would be forthcoming. Photos released by Zelensky's office show Trump and the Ukrainian strongman leaning in close with no aides in sight, a snapshot of intimacy that stood in sharp contrast to the rather bitter fallout that marred their last meeting in February.

The discussion came at a critical juncture for U.S.-led efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war, efforts that have, as of late, hit serious roadblocks. Their February confrontation had prompted the White House to briefly pause intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine, a stark reminder of the tensions simmering beneath the surface of the Washington-Keeb relationship.

After the funeral, Trump boarded Air Force One and departed Rome, but not before sounding a notably tougher tone on social media. In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump expressed open skepticism that Russian President Putin was serious about peace. Really? Well, citing Russia's recent missile attacks on civilian areas. Yeah, that would do it, including a deadly strike last week on a Kiev apartment block that left a dozen civilians dead.

Trump floated new pressure tactics, including, quote, banking and secondary sanctions, warning, quote, too many people are dying. The sharp remarks marked a clear shift for Trump, who until recently had often reserved harsher criticism for Zelensky than for Putin. Just a day earlier, he had sounded more optimistic, suggesting that Moscow and Kiev were, quote, very close to a deal, citing back-channel reports from Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's trip to Moscow.

Zelensky, for his part, struck a more cautiously hopeful note. In a telegram post, he said the two leaders discussed protecting civilian lives, securing a complete ceasefire, and building what he called a, quote, reliable and lasting peace. He hailed the meeting with Trump as a, quote, very symbolic moment, one that he said could ultimately prove historic if it yields results.

But despite the upbeat public messaging, major divisions do remain. Chief among them, Trump's proposal to legally recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea. That's a non-starter for Kiev and fiercely opposed by most European capitals. Other points of friction linger as well, such as the timeline for lifting sanctions on Moscow, the structure of security guarantees for Ukraine, and mechanisms for financial compensation to rebuild the country.

Meanwhile, developments out of Moscow have only added to the uncertainty.

In a statement Friday, Kremlin mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov said Putin had told Witkow that Russia was ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine, quote, without preconditions. But skepticism in Kiev and Western capitals remains high, and for good reason. Many officials believe Moscow's sudden overtures are less about ending the war and more about buying time for further territorial grabs in order to leverage bargaining power in future negotiations. Zelensky, for his part, said,

again urged the U.S. to apply, quote, real pressure on Russia to accept a ceasefire that would mark not just a pause, but a true step toward ending the war. Okay, shifting to the Middle East, the third round of nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran ended on Saturday with major divides unresolved, particularly over Tehran's insistence on continuing to enrich uranium.

Speaking after the four-hour meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arraqi struck a cautious tone, saying that while he remained hopeful, quote, some of our differences are very serious, end quote. A senior Trump administration official, in contrast, painted the meeting as, quote, positive and productive, oh, but declined to detail exactly where the differences referred to by Abbaqshi still lay, offering only that both sides had agreed to meet again soon in Europe.

In other words, no real headway toward a deal. At the heart of the stalemate is Iran's demand to maintain its ability to enrich uranium domestically. It's a capability that Washington views as a major proliferation threat. According to U.S. intelligence estimates, Iran is now producing enough enriched uranium each month to produce a single nuclear weapon each month and could convert it to bomb-grade material within one to two weeks if it chose to.

Ahead of the talks in Oman, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated the U.S.'s bottom line. Washington would accept a civilian nuclear program for Iran, but only one that's reliant on imported fuel in order to close off a pathway to nuclear weapons. The Iranian regime has long rejected that demand, framing domestic enrichment as a sovereign right and making it clear that it has no intention of backing down.

That issue has become, obviously, one of the major sticking points, alongside American demands that any new deal curb Iran's ballistic missile program. Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, Iran had been limited to enriching uranium to just 3.67%, civilian-grade but far below weapons-grade levels. Since the U.S. withdrawal, Israel has blown past that threshold, enriching to 60%, dangerously close, of course, to the 90% enrichment needed for a bomb.

In an effort to speed up negotiations, Trump has set a hard two-month deadline to finalize a deal, warning that failure could leave the U.S. a little choice but to consider military options. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump said, quote, I think we'll have a deal. I'd much rather have a deal than the alternative, end quote.

But despite Trump's public optimism, the foreign minister from Iran warned that the negotiations would be a, quote, difficult process requiring time, a not-so-subtle reminder that the Iranian regime wants more than just a piece of paper. Iran is also seeking sweeping sanctions relief from the Trump administration's maximum pressure strategy, desperate to breathe life back into its battered economy.

Like past talks, some exchanges were mediated indirectly by Omani officials, though top-level negotiators also held direct discussions. Technical teams from both countries were directly involved in the meetings. Michael Anton, a veteran from Trump's first administration, led the U.S. delegation. The Islamic Republic was led by some of their seasoned negotiators.

Looking ahead, the next round could involve participation from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has raised red flags about Iran's nuclear facilities and progress in their weapons program. The agency plans to send inspectors to investigate reports of newly constructed tunnels and an expanded security perimeter around Iran's Natanz nuclear site. All right, coming up next in the back of the brief.

Still in Iran, a deadly blast rips through Iran's largest commercial port, leaving dozens dead and hundreds injured. We'll have those details next.

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In today's Back of the Brief, a massive explosion ripped through Iran's largest commercial shipping terminal over the weekend, killing at least 28 people and injuring more than 1,000 others, as earlier reports point to improperly stored missile fuel as the likely cause.

Authorities say Saturday's blast at the Shahid Rajai port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas shattered windows and roofs up to 30 miles away and incinerated vehicles across the area, marking one of the deadliest industrial disasters that Iran has seen in the past decade. State media reported that six people remain unaccounted for.

Fires raged well into Sunday afternoon. Footage released by state media showed a helicopter dumping water over thick columns of black smoke, while verified videos from the BBC captured the moment that a fire intensified before the explosion, sending panicked crowds fleeing and leaving wounded victims sprawled among the debris.

According to a reformist news outlet in Tehran, national crisis management officials say about 80% of the fire had been contained by Sunday afternoon. Despite the containment, Iran's interior minister confirmed the fire was still jumping from container to container. Many of the injured had reportedly been discharged from hospitals, though the toll from the blast could still rise.

At first, Iranian customs officials reported the explosion most likely resulted from a fire near a hazardous materials depot, but early assessments from Ambry Intelligence, that's a maritime risk consultancy, told a far more alarming story. According to the firm's consultation, the containers that triggered the explosion contained solid rocket fuel that was improperly handled and allegedly bound for Iran's ballistic missile program.

Ambry also reported that an Iran-flagged vessel had offloaded a shipment of rocket fuel from China at the port in March. Chinese state media confirmed that three Chinese nationals had been lightly injured in Saturday's blast, further lending weight to suspicions that volatile missile components were involved.

Ambry noted that Iran's National Disaster Management Organization had previously warned port officials about chemical safety violations, warnings that, it appears, went unheeded. Iranian President Mossad Boseshkin issued a statement expressing, quote, deep regret and sympathy for the victims and announced a formal investigation into the incident.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Monday, the 28th of April. Look at that. We're almost through the month and heading in towards May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And, of course, to listen to the show ad-free, well, you can do that. And you can do that very simply. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com.

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 time to play big on Moto Social Casino, America's hottest free-to-play social casino experience. Moto.us has live casino games. It's

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