July 4th, 2025: Ukraine Eliminates Top Russian Officer & 30,000 More North Korean Troops Head For Russia
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It's Friday, the 4th of July. Well, for those of you in the U.S. or if you're U.S. citizens and you're listening from wherever on the planet, happy Independence Day. May your day be filled with fireworks and cold beer, sunshine and great music, just as the founding fathers imagined. 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.

Ukraine delivers a major blow to Russia's military command, taking out one of its top navy generals, as Pyongyang doubles down on its support of Moscow, sending tens of thousands more troops to join the fight. You know, I'm starting to think that a ceasefire isn't actually in the works. We'll have the details.

Later in the show, an update on the crisis in Haiti, where gangs now control nearly the entire capital, and the violence is spreading beyond Port-au-Prince into areas that were once thought safe. Plus, ICE arrests one of Honduras' most wanted criminals on the streets of Long Island, and after he'd already been deported from the U.S. twice. Who says the U.S. immigration system is broken?

And in today's Back of the Brief, an Independence Day message to listeners of the PDB. So, get your sparklers and your firecrackers ready. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

We'll begin with the latest from the front lines of the war in Ukraine, where Russia just suffered a major leadership setback as their summer offensive against Kyiv appears to be stalling out. Authorities in Moscow confirmed Thursday that Major General Mikhail Gudkov, the deputy commander of Russia's navy, was killed in a recent Ukrainian missile strike in the Kursk region. Now, he's one of the most senior members of the Russian military to be eliminated by Kyiv.

since Putin's invasion in February of 2022, leaving a major hole in the Kremlin's top brass. While Kyiv has yet to comment on Gudkov's death, Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers say 10 other senior military officers, including Gudkov's deputy, were also killed in the strike, which hit a command post situated just 19 miles from Russia's border with Ukraine's Sumy region.

Gudkov had only been appointed to the senior naval post back in March. He was highly valued by the Kremlin, with Putin personally informing him of his promotion during a televised meeting with the crew of a nuclear submarine. He had previously served as the commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet's 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, try putting that on a business card, which Putin has regularly praised for repelling cross-border incursions into

into the Kursk region by Ukraine. But for leaders in Kyiv, Gudkov and his foot soldiers represented the worst of Russian brutality. Ukraine has regularly accused the 155th Brigade of committing numerous war crimes, including executing prisoners of war. As I mentioned, Ukraine has not acknowledged involvement in Gudkov's death, but leaders in Kyiv have previously made it plain that they'll aggressively pursue all individuals involved in war crimes against their country.

Back in April, Ukraine's intelligence service, also known as the SBU, assassinated Russian Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik in a bombing near Moscow. Now, Moskalik had worked at the highest levels of the Russian military for 40 years and was tasked with planning and coordinating military operations against civilian targets inside Ukraine.

At the time, the Secretary of Ukraine's National Security Committee said, "...this will become the primary mission of our intelligence services and the SBU, to ensure these people are punished no matter where they are. They should be afraid even to leave their homes, let alone leave the territory of the Russian Federation."

Now, Moskvill's death followed that of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov in a bombing last December. Kirillov, who served as the chief of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, reportedly oversaw some 4,800 incidents involving the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. Kim's successful targeting of Moscow's top brass has shocked Russia's military and political establishment, leaving Kremlin leadership feeling increasingly vulnerable.

and the loss of Gutkov, who was operating near Ukraine's Sumy region, couldn't frankly come at a worse time for the Putin regime.

As we discussed earlier this week, Russia's summer offensive against Kyiv, which only got underway in late May, appears to be faltering, failing to produce any significant territorial gains. The offensive spans from the northern border regions of Sumy and Kharkiv to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. While it was designed to break through Ukraine's frontline defenses, Russia's poorly trained and equipped infantry have

have struggled to sustain any kind of battlefield pressure on Ukraine, particularly as their own troop losses pile up. But, well, it looks like the Kremlin will soon get another assist from their pals in North Korea. On Wednesday, Kyiv's intelligence service warned that the Hermit Kingdom is planning to dispatch 30,000 more troops to Russia, which will nearly triple the number of soldiers that North Korea has sent to aid their ally. That's according to a report from the New York Post.

Pyongyang had previously sent nearly 12,000 troops to fight in Russia's Kursk region, though roughly 6,000 have been killed or injured during offensive operations to date. Undeterred by their underwhelming offensive thus far, South Korea's National Intelligence Service says that Russia is preparing to use the influx of North Korean troops to stage a large-scale assault against Ukraine within the next two months.

The news comes just one week after Ukraine's top general warned that Moscow is currently amassing some 50,000 troops along their border with Sumy, also suggesting that a major assault is in the offing. All right, coming up after the break, an update on the crisis in Haiti as gangs tighten their grip on the capital, and ICE captures one of Honduras' most wanted fugitives on Long Island, which is not in Honduras. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the BDB. An update on the story we've covered in the past. Haiti's security crisis continues to freefall, with the capital now teetering on the edge of collapse as gangs tighten their grip on every corner of Port-au-Prince, leaving what remains of the state increasingly powerless to respond.

Speaking before the UN Security Council, top officials from the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, or the UNODC, warned that the situation has entered a critical phase. Criminal syndicates now exert, quote, near total control over Port-au-Prince, and their reach is reportedly expanding into areas that were once considered relatively stable, relative being a relative term. The executive director of UNODC, Ndada Wadi, quoted,

put it plainly, saying that 90% of the capital is now lost to gangs. With the government missing in action, armed groups are now providing their own brutal version of governance. Wally told the council, quote, Southern Haiti, which recently was insulated from the violence, has seen a sharp increase in gang-related incidents. In the east, armed groups are now exploiting key land corridors, including border crossings into the Dominican Republic, where attacks on police and customs officials have spiked.

With gangs tightening their chokehold on Haiti's main transportation arteries, commerce has ground to a halt. Prices for basic staples like cooking fuel and rice have soared, adding to the deepening humanitarian crisis in a country already ranked as the poorest in the Western Hemisphere.

As we've extensively tracked here on the PDB, the international aid response has largely landed with a thud. Back in February, the Kenya-led UN-backed Mission to Restore Order, initially envisioned as a 2,500-person operation, only saw about 1,000 personnel show up. On top of that, proposals to bolster the mission with drones, transport vehicles, and fuel remain tangled in bureaucratic limbo at the Security Council.

The country's downward spiral traces back to the 2021 assassination of President Zawinul Moise, and now Haiti has not had a president since then, and the transitional government is mired in dysfunction, paralyzed by competing interests and corruption.

A recent U.N. panel report cited that those competing political ambitions within the interim government have sabotaged attempts to stabilize the country. In that absence, vigilante groups and private security outfits have surged. While some are attempting to defend neighborhoods, others have been accused of carrying out killings or colluding with the very gangs that they claim to oppose.

UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Yencha warned that, without immediate international intervention, the total collapse of the state authority could soon become reality. Sexual violence has also escalated dramatically. UN monitors documented more than 360 cases of sexual assault in the months of March and April alone, with officials describing it as a deliberate campaign of terror by armed groups to terrorize the population. Additionally,

Efforts to reform Haiti's police or hold elections by February 2026 have stalled. The National Police Force remains underfunded, overstretched, and outgunned, while Haiti's long-dormant military is frankly too weak to intervene. Although well-intentioned, the Kenya-led mission lacks both the resources and the firepower to make a dent. Without a major infusion of international support, it is possible that the gangs of Haiti will soon overrun the entire country.

The PDB will keep an eye on this sad story and report further developments.

Shifting stateside, one of Honduras' most wanted fugitives, linked to a slate of violent crimes abroad, was captured in New York this week after previously slipping across the U.S. southern border three separate times. Olivin Cotto, a 36-year-old who was among Honduras' top 10 most wanted when he fled the country, sought refuge in the U.S. to avoid a looming 44-year prison sentence for aggravated femicide, attempted homicide, and illegal home invasions.

Honduran authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in early 2022. Now, his arrest Tuesday by ICE ends a long chapter of evasion. Immigration agents confirm that Cotto is now in custody without bond, awaiting what will be his third deportation. Oh, well, maybe third time's the charm. According to federal authorities, Cotto first illegally crossed the U.S. border in July of 2007, where he was intercepted in Texas and deported just two weeks later. He

He then re-entered the U.S. in February 2019, but was once again captured in Texas and expelled the following month. His third attempt, an undetected crossing, remains murky. ICE has not disclosed precisely when he arrived, but confirmed he'd been living freely in the U.S.,

Cotto only landed on law enforcement's radar again in May when the FBI flagged an active Interpol red notice. The alert triggered a rapid response, culminating in his arrest in Long Island this week. The arrest comes as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on illegal immigration, targeting up to 3,000 arrests per day through a multi-pronged crackdown aimed at restoring order along the nation's southern border. And the results appear to be speaking for themselves.

Preliminary government data obtained by CBS News reveals just over 6,000 migrant apprehensions were recorded in the month of June. Now, that's the lowest monthly total ever logged by Border Patrol since the agency began reporting figures back in 2000. The previous record was set only months earlier in March when apprehensions hovered around 7,200. President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, confirmed the numbers, noting that for a second consecutive month,

Not a single migrant was released after apprehension. He posted on X, quote, we have never seen numbers this low, never, end quote. Analysts attribute the dramatic shift to the Trump administration's deterrence model. In addition to deploying thousands of active duty troops to assist with border fortifications and interdictions, the Trump administration has expanded ICE operations deep inside the U.S. interior, as we've regularly discussed here on the PDB.

The administration is also leading on its self-deportation campaign, offering migrants travel assistance through a government app and even cash incentives to voluntarily return home. Supporters say the president's immigration efforts are restoring credibility to a system long strained by backlogs, abuse, and violent repeat offenders who, like the Honduran Coto, were given multiple chances and still broke the law.

Okay, coming up next in the back of the brief, a 4th of July message. Stick around.

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In today's Back of the Brief, well, today, as you may have guessed, is the 4th of July. Now, in the U.S., that's Independence Day. It's a chance to remember not just the birth of a nation, but the spirit that's carried its people through challenges for nearly 250 years. It's a time of uncertainty, though, around the world in many ways. We see, obviously, divisions at home and threats abroad. It would be easy to focus only on what divides us or what worries us.

But that would, frankly, miss the larger truth. The strength of the U.S., of this country, has never been found in its government structures or institutions or individual politicians alone. It's always come from the character of its people, from Americans' willingness to work together despite our differences, from our shared belief in freedom, opportunity, and responsibility. Look, despite all the current crises around the world and the divisions and partisanship at home, the

The truth is, well, we've faced darker moments than these. We've endured wars on U.S. soil, foreign threats, social upheavals, economic hardships, political fights that seemed unbridgeable. Yet, through it all, Americans found ways to come together, to move forward, to keep the promise of this nation alive. Look, today is a day to celebrate that promise, to remember that our freedom was hard won and must be protected by each generation.

To recognize that disagreement is part of democracy, it just is. But unity is what sustains it. So, wherever you are today, I hope you can take a moment to reflect on what it means to be an American. To appreciate those who serve and sacrifice to defend our freedoms. And to remember that in the end, we're still one nation, and it's up to each of us to keep it strong and unified. Now, get out there and fire up that grill. Ice down the beer and make sure your music playlist

contains some George Strait. Oh, and don't let the kids near the heavy fireworks. Happy Independence Day. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, the 4th of July. And to help you celebrate the holiday, well, there's a brand new episode of our PDB Situation Report hitting the airwaves this evening at 10 p.m. on the First TV. And here's a little-known fact. The Founding Fathers loved the PDB Situation Report. It was reportedly their favorite podcast.

Of course, there were fewer podcasts back then. You can also catch it on our YouTube channel, at President's Daily Brief, and on podcast platforms wherever you get your podcast stuff. Guests include Seth Fransman, author of the October 7th award, and China expert and author Gordon Chang. We're examining a variety of things, including current conditions in Gaza and the efforts to create a ceasefire, and asking the question, just how much longer can China's Xi Jinping hold on to power?

I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back over the weekend with a PDB Situation Report. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.