PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 29th, 2025: Trump Slams The Border Shut In First 100 Days & Canada's Liberal Party Pulls Off Historic Election Comeback
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It's Tuesday, the 29th of April. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First, we turn to the U.S. southern border for a look at where the Trump administration's efforts to curb illegal migration stand after the president's first 100 days in office.

Later in the show, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party won Canada's national election on Monday, pulling off a surprising political comeback over a Conservative opposition that was leading in the polls by a wide margin just months ago. The Liberal Party will retain control of Parliament at a time of rising tensions with US President Trump over trade. But not to worry, things should calm down once Canada is the 51st state.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We'll begin today with an update on President Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown and where things stand at the southern border after his first 100 days in office. As PDB listeners are likely aware, President Trump made securing the U.S.-Mexico border a top priority after returning to office following the influx of a record 8 million undocumented migrants into the U.S. over the last four years of the Biden administration.

On Monday, border czar Tom Homan touted the administration's success at turning the tide on the previous administration's lax border policies, pointing to a historic drop in illegal crossings, according to a report from Fox News. In a striking reversal from last year, Homan said known gotaways at the border, that is, migrants who've dodged apprehension and made their way into the U.S., have dropped a staggering 96% over Trump's first 100 days.

Homan underscored the implications for American citizens, saying Monday, "...when 96% less people are coming across the border, how many children aren't dying making that journey? How many women and children aren't being sex-trafficked into the country? How many known and suspected terrorists aren't making it into this nation?"

Encounters and apprehensions at the border have also rapidly plummeted to the lowest levels in recorded history under the Trump administration. In March, for example, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported fewer apprehensions for the entire month than were logged in just the first 48 hours of March 2024 under former President Biden.

Specifically, total border encounters numbered at just over 11,000 in March, with CBP averaging only about 232 a day. That's a more than 95% plunge compared to March 2024, when Border Patrol agents recorded 137,400 apprehensions.

The drop-off since Trump's return has been significant as roughly 106,000 encounters were reported in October 2024 and roughly 61,000 in January just before he took office. By February, migrant encounters had plummeted to roughly 11,700 and the declines appear to be accelerating.

An analyst at the Center for Immigration Studies recently noted, quote, "...you have to go back to 1968 to find a year in which there were fewer than 100,000 southwest border apprehensions, and even then it was close at 96,641." In other words, he said, "...the southwest border is more secure today than it has been since at least the Johnson administration."

So, what's behind the massive decline? Well, good question. As a reminder, on his first day in office, President Trump declared a national emergency at the U.S. southern border, effectively shutting down all border crossings and deployed thousands of troops to assist border agents in curbing the flow of migrants and drugs.

He then reinstated the Remain in Mexico policy, which requires asylum claimants to remain outside the U.S. while their cases are reviewed. He expanded border agents' authority to conduct rapid deportations and deployed military planes to facilitate migrant removals.

The administration also ended a number of refugee and parole programs that allowed millions of migrants to enter America and be released into U.S. cities with work permits and the right to stay in the country for up to two years. Additionally, Trump ended the Biden-era catch-and-release policy that allowed apprehended illegal migrants to go free inside U.S. borders.

Hohmann also touted the administration's ongoing Operation Tidal Wave, the largest deportation operation in American history. As of early April, ICE agents have arrested more than 113,000 individuals and deported more than 100,000.

While that number is lower than the millions that Trump pledged to deport during his presidential campaign, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt said Monday that it was a, quote, sign of things to come, suggesting plans to ramp up expulsions.

To accelerate their deportation efforts, the White House also announced a new executive order on Monday aimed at potentially cutting off federal funds to sanctuary cities. It directs the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to identify jurisdictions where local officials have refused to comply with the federal immigration crackdown.

The move sets the stage for more legal showdowns with cities and states that argue Trump's efforts to use federal funds as a weapon to compel their cooperation is unconstitutional. During the press conference on Monday, Levitt said, "...it's quite simple. Obey the law, respect the law, and don't obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they're simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation's communities."

While the Trump administration's efforts remain controversial among Democrats and left-leaning media, it does not appear that the White House has any plans on softening their hardline immigration agenda. Coming up next, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Liberal Party won Canada's national election on Monday, pulling off a shocking political comeback over the Conservative opposition. I'll be right back.

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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada's Liberal Party have pulled off an impressive political comeback, winning a fourth consecutive term and retaining control of Parliament amid rising tensions with President Trump over trade.

Carney, a two-time central banker who succeeded Justin Trudeau back in January, led the Liberals to a resurgence after months of trailing badly in the polls. Fueled by a wave of nationalistic backlash to President Trump's calls for Canada to become America's 51st state and his sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, Carney's campaign pulled off a turnaround that few thought possible.

In reality, Trudeau's resignation was really the key factor that allowed Carney to win. The conservative candidate, Pierre Poiliev, had based much of his campaign, and early lead, on the country's frustration and loathing of Trudeau. When he exited, Poiliev lost his foil.

As of Tuesday morning, the Liberals were leading with 168 parliamentary seats, just shy of the 172 needed for a full majority in Canada's 343-seat House of Commons. The Conservative Party appeared poised to remain the official opposition, with a total of 144 seats.

And the backlash to Trump's overtures was swift. Canadians canceled American vacations en masse, boycotted American goods, and flooded polling stations in record numbers, with more than 7 million casting early ballots before Election Day even arrived.

As Carney and Poiliev hit the campaign trail, Trump framed his annexation proposal as an economic renaissance. He slapped steep tariffs on Canadian exports and repeatedly dangled the idea of absorbing Canada into the U.S.,

In one of his most baited remarks, Trump insisted that the US could no longer "subsidize" Canada unless it became an American state. Then, on Election Day on Monday, Trump doubled down, hinting in a post on Truth Social that he himself was on the ballot, urging Canadians to vote for a leader who would "quadruple" their industries with zero tariffs or taxes, contingent of course on Canada agreeing to statehood.

Trump wrote, quote, look how beautiful this landmass would be. Free access with no border, all positives with no negatives. Hmm. Poilev quickly fired back, telling Trump to stay out of Canada's elections and declaring that, quote, Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent, and we will never be the 51st state.

Kearney, who won his riding or electoral district in Ottawa, is the first prime minister to represent the Canadian capital since the country's first prime minister.

Former Liberal Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, whose resignation back in December triggered Trudeau's departure, also won re-election in her Toronto district. And when Carney took to the stage early Tuesday morning to deliver his victory speech, he wasted no time sending a pointed message to Washington. He stated, quote, "...our country will never yield to the U.S., vowing to, quote, represent everyone who calls Canada home."

Though the liberals fell short of a full majority, their ability to form a government marks a surprising turnaround for a party widely written off just months ago.

Back in January, when Trudeau resigned, the conservatives were crushing the liberals in the polls, leading by as much as 26 points nationally, and many analysts predicted a full collapse of the liberal party. Former liberal justice minister David Lamedi put it bluntly on CTV, quote, "...we were dead and buried in December. Now we're going to form a government."

But even with the political comeback sealed, Carney now faces a long and brutal road ahead. Canada is still grappling with a worsening cost-of-living crisis. Trump's tariffs remain a sledgehammer over an economy where more than 75% of exports go south to the U.S. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Tuesday, the 29th of April. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb.com.

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Oil and gas drive our economy, ensure our country's security, and open pathways to brighter futures. The U.S. produces 13 million barrels of crude oil every day, enough to fill 800 Olympic swimming pools,

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