Latest / The President's Daily Brief / PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 4th, 2026: U.S. Military Launches Deadly Drone Strike Inside Venezuela & Republicans Suffer Midterm Defeat

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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 4th, 2026: U.S. Military Launches Deadly Drone Strike Inside Venezuela & Republicans Suffer Midterm Defeat · The President's Daily Brief

0:12
It's Wednesday,
0:12
the 4th of November.
0:14
Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin.
0:16
I'm Mike Baker,
0:17
your eyes and ears on the world stage.
0:20
All right,
0:21
let's get briefed.
0:22
First up,
0:23
American military drones launch a deadly
0:25
strike against Colombian insurgents inside Venezuela,
0:29
revealing a new level of cooperation between Washington
0:33
and Caracas.
0:34
I'll have the details,
0:35
and then later in the show.
0:37
My take on the midterm elections and what the results in
0:41
the US could mean for American foreign policy and national security.
0:46
But first,
0:46
today's afternoon spotlight.
0:49
American military drones have reportedly carried out a deadly strike
0:52
against Colombian guerrillas operating inside Venezuela,
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killing more than 2 dozen people
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in an operation that reveals a dramatic transformation
1:01
in Washington's relationship with Caracas.
1:04
According to the Wall Street Journal,
1:05
the attack was conducted with the cooperation of Venezuela's government,
1:09
the same government that
1:11
under previous leadership was accused of providing sanctuary
1:14
to the insurgents that are now being targeted.
1:17
The operation took place before dawn last Friday,
1:20
the 30th of October,
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in Venezuela's southwest near the Colombian border.
1:25
The target was a camp belonging to the National Liberation Army,
1:29
better known as the ELN.
1:31
That's a Marxist guerrilla organization with long-standing ties
1:35
to drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
1:38
According to the Journal and The New York Times,
1:41
American drones struck a guerrilla position near
1:43
the hamlet of Buena Vista Dalmeta.
1:46
Local residents reported hearing two major explosions
1:49
as the drones attacked the camp.
1:51
The site was reportedly being used as a cocaine distribution center
1:55
with clandestine airstrips operating in the surrounding region.
1:59
A Venezuelan human rights organization reported at least 23 people were killed
2:04
along with an undetermined number of wounded.
2:06
Other local accounts suggest the death toll may be higher.
2:10
However,
2:10
investigators have
2:11
not established the identities of everyone killed,
2:14
and some of the victims may not have been combatants.
2:18
There are also questions about the precise American role.
2:21
The Times reports that US intelligence and drones supported the operation,
2:26
while the Journal
2:27
describes American military drones conducting
2:29
the strike with Venezuelan cooperation.
2:32
It remains unclear who actually piloted the aircraft
2:35
or directed the weapons.
2:37
Neither government has publicly provided a detailed account of the mission,
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but the significance of the operation extends well beyond the strike itself.
2:46
The National Liberation Army or ELN was founded in Colombia in 1964,
2:52
inspired by Marxist revolutionary movements
2:55
including the Cuban Revolution.
2:57
For more than 60 years,
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the organization has fought the Colombian government,
3:01
carrying out bombings,
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kidnappings,
3:03
assassinations,
3:04
and attacks against military and civilian targets.
3:07
Today,
3:08
the ELN is Colombia's largest remaining guerrilla insurgency.
3:12
It finances its operations through cocaine trafficking,
3:16
illegal gold mining,
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extortion,
3:17
and other criminal enterprises.
3:20
The US
3:21
designated the organization as a foreign terrorist group in 1997,
3:26
and for decades,
3:27
Venezuela has served as an important sanctuary for its fighters.
3:31
Under former presidents Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro,
3:35
elements of Venezuela's government and military were repeatedly accused
3:39
of tolerating or actively cooperating with Colombian guerrillas.
3:44
The ELN established camps inside Venezuela,
3:47
controlled smuggling routes,
3:48
and operated across large stretches of the border.
3:51
In some communities,
3:52
the guerrillas became powerful enough to
3:54
function almost as a parallel government,
3:57
collecting money,
3:58
controlling territory,
3:59
and enforcing their own rules.
4:02
But that relationship
4:03
began changing dramatically in January of this year
4:07
when American forces captured Maduro.
4:09
As we've been reporting here on the PDB,
4:11
his former vice president Dulcie Rodriguez has
4:14
proven to be more cooperative with Washington,
4:17
well,
4:17
as a result of considerable American pressure,
4:20
and that cooperation has increasingly extended
4:23
into security operations against criminal organizations.
4:26
In June,
4:27
American and Venezuelan forces reportedly
4:30
conducted an operation inside Venezuela
4:32
targeting the notorious Trendaragua or TDA criminal organization.
4:37
President Trump subsequently announced
4:39
that the group's leader had been killed.
4:42
Now,
4:42
the 30th October attack against the ELN
4:45
appears to represent another step in that expanding military relationship.
4:50
According to new reporting from the New York Times,
4:53
Washington may be preparing
4:54
to expand that cooperation even further.
4:57
The Trump administration is negotiating a potential
5:00
status of forces agreement with Venezuela.
5:03
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
5:05
is leading discussions with the government about establishing a legal
5:09
framework for American military personnel to operate inside Venezuela.
5:14
Such an agreement could
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eventually allow American troops to conduct training missions,
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military exercises,
5:20
and joint operations
5:22
alongside Venezuelan forces.
5:24
There have also been discussions about expanding America's military presence,
5:29
although officials emphasize that no agreement has
5:32
been reached to establish permanent American bases.
5:35
It was less than a year ago
5:37
that Washington considered Maduro's government a hostile regime
5:40
with deep connections to international drug trafficking.
5:43
Now Maduro is gone,
5:45
and Washington
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is cooperating with his former vice president,
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conducting military operations against armed groups inside Venezuela
5:53
and negotiating arrangements that could permit
5:55
an extended American military presence.
5:58
Meanwhile,
5:59
the ELN faces growing pressure from Colombia.
6:02
The country's government has launched new military operations
6:05
against the ELN and other guerrilla organizations,
6:08
while Venezuelan forces have reportedly increased deployments along the border.
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But eliminating an organization that has survived for more than 6 decades
6:18
is not an easy task.
6:20
Analysts warn that the guerrillas could respond by
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dispersing into smaller units,
6:25
moving deeper into Venezuela,
6:26
or blending into civilian communities,
6:30
and that raises questions
6:31
about just how extensive America's involvement could become.
6:35
For now,
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the October 30th attack
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represents a significant escalation in American-backed operations
6:42
against armed groups inside Venezuela.
6:46
All right.
6:46
Coming up next,
6:48
Republicans lose the House,
6:49
the Senate,
6:51
several key governorships.
6:52
Hmm,
6:53
I'll break down what the results could mean for Trump's foreign policy agenda.
6:57
I'll be right back.
6:59
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8:00
Hey,
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Mike Baker here.
8:01
Well,
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Well,
9:19
President Trump kept encouraging voters to vote as if he was on the ballot.
9:23
Now,
9:23
one could argue that
9:24
that is exactly what the majority of voters did.
9:28
Republicans have suffered a sweeping defeat in the midterm elections,
9:31
losing control of both the House and Senate as
9:34
Democrats won races far beyond the traditional battleground states.
9:38
Some of the biggest surprises came in
9:39
states that Republicans have dominated for decades.
9:42
Now,
9:43
the results will have significant consequences for the
9:46
final two years of President Trump's term,
9:49
particularly when it comes to foreign policy and national security.
9:54
In the Senate,
9:55
Democrat James TAArico defeated Republican Ken Paxton in Texas,
9:59
giving Democrats their first state Senate victory there since 1988.
10:04
In Kansas,
10:05
Democrat Adam Hamilton defeated incumbent Roger Marshall,
10:08
becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate election in that state since
10:12
1932.
10:14
I remember it well.
10:16
Democrats also flipped seats in South Carolina,
10:18
Ohio,
10:19
Iowa,
10:20
North Carolina,
10:20
and Maine,
10:21
securing control of the chamber.
10:24
They captured the House as well,
10:25
defeating Republican candidates across suburban
10:28
districts and traditionally conservative areas.
10:31
The losses even extended to governor's races in Texas.
10:34
Democrat Gina Hinojosa
10:36
defeated three-term Republican governor Greg Abbott.
10:40
Democrats also flipped governor's offices in Georgia,
10:43
Ohio,
10:43
Iowa,
10:44
and Nevada.
10:45
Among those winners were
10:46
former mayor of Atlanta,
10:48
Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia,
10:49
and Amy Acton in Ohio.
10:52
For Republicans,
10:53
the scale of the defeat reflects voter frustration,
10:56
particularly over the cost of living,
10:58
gas prices,
10:59
and the continuing war with Iran.
11:02
Even President Trump acknowledged that the,
11:04
the war played a role.
11:06
In a post-election interview with the Wall Street Journal,
11:08
Trump said,
11:08
quote,
11:09
Iran was a piece of it,
11:10
end quote.
11:11
He pointed to higher fuel prices,
11:13
particularly gasoline and diesel,
11:15
but defended his decision to launch the conflict,
11:17
saying,
11:18
quote,
11:18
I did the right thing.
11:19
I would have done it again,
11:21
end quote.
11:22
Now,
11:23
we're not going to spend the afternoon dissecting campaign strategy.
11:26
That's not what the PDB is here for.
11:28
The question for this program is what a Democratic Congress
11:31
actually changes
11:33
about American national security policy.
11:36
Iran is the obvious place to start.
11:39
Democrats will soon control the committees
11:40
responsible for military spending and oversight.
11:44
That means
11:44
they can hold hearings into the war's objectives and costs,
11:48
demand documents from the Pentagon,
11:50
and investigate the administration's decisions.
11:52
They can also try to restrict funding for future operations
11:55
or make additional military spending
11:57
contingent on certain conditions.
12:00
But control of Congress does not give Democrats direct command of the armed forces,
12:04
of course.
12:05
Trump remains commander in chief.
12:07
He can continue conducting diplomacy and
12:10
directing military operations
12:11
under existing authorities,
12:13
and he can veto legislation seeking to restrict him.
12:16
Overriding that veto
12:18
would require 2/3 majorities in both chambers.
12:21
The change could also affect Washington's handling of Russia and Ukraine.
12:25
Many Democrats favor additional military assistance to Kiev
12:29
and tougher sanctions on Moscow,
12:31
while scrutinizing
12:32
any agreement that eases economic pressure on Putin and Russia.
12:37
But the party is not united on Ukraine.
12:39
At least 5 newly elected House Democrats were
12:42
backed by the Democratic Socialists of America,
12:45
an organization that has opposed further American weapons
12:48
shipments and military spending on the war,
12:50
favoring a negotiated settlement with Russia's Vladimir Putin instead.
12:54
Well,
12:55
I'm sure that's going to go well.
12:57
That doesn't necessarily mean that every one of
12:58
those lawmakers will vote against additional aid,
13:01
but it does mean the new democratic majority could face divisions of its own.
13:06
And even with bipartisan support,
13:08
new legislation
13:09
would still face negotiations with the White House,
13:12
while Trump would retain control of the diplomatic talks.
13:16
Israel is another area to watch,
13:18
especially after Trump's announcement that the US will be
13:21
ending nearly $4 billion in annual American military aid.
13:25
The incoming Congress could examine the terms of that proposal,
13:29
review weapons transfers,
13:30
and debate future appropriations.
13:33
None of that necessarily means Congress will abandon Israel.
13:36
Certain issues do cross party lines,
13:39
including support for military assistance for Israel
13:41
and criticism of particular aid arrangements.
13:44
Beyond those flashpoints,
13:46
you can expect closer scrutiny of intelligence agencies
13:48
and American military operations in Latin America.
13:52
Congressional committees
13:53
can summon officials,
13:54
demand testimony,
13:55
and examine the legal authority
13:58
behind operations such as the drone strikes involving Venezuela
14:01
or the past strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
14:05
The Democratic Senate could also slow or
14:07
block nominees for senior national security posts.
14:11
The new Congress does not take office until January 3rd.
14:14
Until then,
14:16
Republicans retain their current majorities,
14:18
and even afterward,
14:19
divided government does not automatically translate
14:22
into a reversal of foreign policy.
14:25
What has changed is the balance of power now in Washington.
14:28
For the next two years,
14:29
the administration will face a Congress more willing and more able
14:33
to question its military decisions,
14:35
challenge its spending priorities,
14:37
and demand answers about how America's wars are being conducted.
14:42
And that my friends is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday,
14:46
the 4th of November.
14:47
Now,
14:47
if you have any questions or comments,
14:48
just reach out to me at PDB@hefirsttv.com
14:52
and to listen to the show ad-free,
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it's very simple to do.
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Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting
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PDBpremium.com.
15:01
I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow.
15:03
Until then,
15:04
stay informed,
15:05
stay safe,
15:06
stay cool.
15:21
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