It's Monday, the 26th of October. Welcome to the president's daily brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And yes, yesterday's old Miss Texas matchup was really a game of two halves. The first half was a bit of a crime scene, but older than that. But Ole Miss almost pulled it off in the second half, tying the game and taking it down to the wire. And that's your official hottie-tottie update. All right, let's get briefed. First up, a new US intelligence warning reveals Iran has stepped up efforts to assassinate American officials overseas, with some plots reportedly reaching advanced stages. Later in the show, Venezuela and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returns home after months in exile, setting up a potential political showdown with the interim government as she pushes for new elections. Plus, it was another weekend of violence in Europe, where major protests erupted into riots and clashes with police in France, Spain, Italy, and Albania. And in today's back of the brief, Saudi Arabia faces another wave of Houthi missile-and-drone attacks with re-aud and other major targets under fire as the kingdom struggles to contain the growing threat from Yemen. But first, today's PDB spotlight. US intelligence officials are warning that Iran has dramatically expanded its efforts to assassinate American officials overseas, with some plots reportedly reaching advanced stages. The warning comes as Washington pulls diplomatic personnel out of several Middle Eastern countries and prepares for the possibility of renewed military strikes against the regime. And while American intelligence agencies are raising alarms about Iranian assassination operations, Tukran is delivering a very different message publicly, insisting it remains interested in negotiating an end of the conflict, of course it does. According to an exclusive report from Axios, director of National Intelligence J Clayton sent a memorandum to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the 23rd of October, warning that Iran had substantially increased its efforts to target American government personnel in the Middle East and beyond. And nothing says that they remain interested in negotiating an end to the conflict, like targeting American government personnel in the Middle East and beyond. The memo reportedly states that Iranian plots to kill American officials have reached what intelligence analysts described as advanced stages. The warning suggests that American intelligence agencies are tracking more than general threats or hostile rhetoric, although the memo does not publicly identify specific targets, locations, or the methods Iranian operatives might use. One particularly revealing detail involves how the intelligence is being handled. According to Axios, Clayton offered to downgrade the classification of some sense of intelligence so that the State Department could distribute the warnings more widely. The Washington Post reports that a U.S. official confirmed the authenticity of the memorandum and the administration is already taking precautions. The State Department has ordered reductions in American diplomatic personnel across several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, and the Lebanon. In Saudi Arabia, the measures include the departure of family members and non-essential personnel from the embassy in Riyadh and American consulates in Jeddah and Dakhran. The drawdowns are reportedly connected to concerns about both Iranian assassination operations and attacks by Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen. Now, Iran has a long history of using intelligence operatives, members of the Revolutionary Guards' Goods Force and criminal intermediaries, to target enemies overseas. These operations offer Tehran a way to strike individual targets without launching a conventional military attack. The warning from the DNI does tell us that American intelligence officials consider the threat serious enough to warn the State Department and potentially impacted personnel. And all of this is unfolding as the U.S. considers another round of military action against Iran. The Washington Post reports that approximately 50,000 American troops remained deployed across the Middle East, while the Pentagon prepares for additional naval deployments. As many as three American aircraft carriers and their escorts could be positioned in the region by early next month. So Washington is preparing for potential military escalation while simultaneously reducing the number of American civilians and diplomats exposed to potential retaliation. And Tehran, as usual, is sending mixed messages, either because their leadership is uncoordinated or they're simply continuing a strategy of block and delay as they wait for the U.S. midterm elections. According to the Associated Press, Iran's ambassador to Pakistan, while he would know, says his government remains willing to negotiate with Washington under the framework of the Pakistan-broker interim agreement reached in June. The ambassador Reza Amiri Mogadam accused the U.S. of undermining diplomatic efforts and prolonging the confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz. As an aside, the chances that Iranian ambassador slings any weight around within the actual regime leadership is somewhat nonsensical. He also described a proposal. Tehran says it recently communicated through Pakistani intermediaries. The seven-day plan put forward by the regime that called for the U.S. to make a variety of concessions just in order for Iran to then reopen the Strait of Hormuz. As we've noted here on the PDB, the White House rejected that proposal as unworkable. Iran, of course, wants relief from the economic and military pressure Washington has imposed, particularly the blockade restricting its ability to export oil. The Trump administration, meanwhile, has shown little interest in surrendering that leverage without first obtaining significant concessions from the regime. All right, coming up next, Maria Carina Machado returns to Venezuela after months in exile, and another weekend of violent protests rocks Europe. I'll be right back. Kate Mike Baker here with an important message for homeowners. Now, one of the most frustrating things about owning a home is that, "Made your repairs never, of course, happen at a convenient time. Your water heater quits when you got guests, an electrical issue pops up, or your AC goes down during the hottest week of the summer." 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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has returned to her home country after more than 10 months in exile, setting the stage for a possible political confrontation with the government that replaced Nicholas Maduro earlier this year, although in reality, the government that replaced Maduro was really just the same Maduro government with a few deck chairs shoveled. Machado announced a return Sunday morning with a brief message on social media, declaring that she was back with the Venezuelan people. Her first public appearance came at a church in the western state of Laura, where she was greeted by cheering supporters. Video showed Machado embracing members of the congregation as people gathered around her, celebrating the return of one of Venezuela's most prominent opposition figures. And her arrival comes at a particularly interesting moment in the country's political transition. You'll remember that Machado spent much of 2025 in hiding after challenging Maduro's government. She eventually escaped Venezuela in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway and has spent the past several months trying to arrange her return. But the country she's coming back to is very different from the one that she left. American forces captured Maduro and removed him from power back in January. The Trump administration then chose to work with Maduro's former vice president, Delce Rodriguez, who she has served as Venezuela's interim president ever since. That arrangement has produced some significant economic agreements between Washington and Caracas, particularly involving Venezuela's vast oil reserves. President Trump has repeatedly praised the cooperation with Rodriguez, pointing to expanded American access to Venezuelan oil and new investment opportunities for U.S. companies as evidence that the arrangement is producing results. On Sunday, Trump was asked about Machado's return and said he had not been aware of her arrival. He described her warmly and said he hopes she remains safe, but said that things were going well in Venezuela. From Machado, and for many Venezuelans, there is still a major piece of unfinished business. Venezuela has yet to schedule new presidential elections. Rodriguez was initially authorized to serve as acting president for a limited period following Maduro's removal, but she's remained in office well beyond that initial arrangement. Meanwhile, negotiations over Venezuela's political future have continued between the interim government and certain opposition factions. Machado's movement has largely been excluded from those discussions, and that's a special point.
know where they given what happened during Venezuela's disputed 2024 presidential election. Machado was barred from running against Maduro, so the opposition back to Mundo González instead. Independent evidence subsequently indicated that González defeated Maduro by a substantial margin, but the country's electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner. How could that happen? Prompting widespread accusations of fraud, oh, and a government crackdown on opposition supporters. Now, Machado is returning with the intention of putting the question of elections back at the center of Venezuela's political debate. Her foreign affairs advisor told Reuters that she intends to push for a date for free and fair elections. She also plans to meet with families of political prisoners, members of the Democratic opposition, and survivors of the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela in June. González, who's been living in Spain, welcomed her return and announced that he intends to follow her back to Venezuela soon. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has maintained that stabilizing Venezuela's economy and rebuilding its political institutions must come before another presidential election. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has defended that approach, arguing that Venezuela needs functioning courts and credible electoral authorities before the country can hold a legitimate vote. Rubio has also said Machado has every right to return to her homeland while acknowledging that American officials previously raised concerns about her personal safety. And those security concerns have not disappeared. Machado's political movement says she made several unsuccessful attempts to return to Venezuela over the past year. Her allies have accused the interim government of obstructing those efforts, although Venezuela authorities have denied the allegation. A return now puts her back inside a country still governed by figures closely associated with the former Maduro government, even as Washington continues working with those same officials on economic deals and potential political reforms. For the moment, Rodriguez and the old Maduro guard remain in power. The U.S. continues its cooperation with their government and no date has been announced for new presidential elections. It's also unknown how Venezuela's military and security apparatus view Machado's return. All right, turning now to Europe, where the hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets again this weekend, with governments deploying more police and soldiers as they struggled to keep the violence under control. As we've been discussing here on the PDB, these demonstrations aren't all about one thing or the same thing. The grievances differ from country to country and so does the extent of the violence. We'll start in France where we've been following this unrest since it began earlier this month. After last week's rioting, looting and arson, French authorities strengthened security and changed how police responded, but U.S. herself was it enough to prevent a repeat of the previous weekend's violence in chaos? Well, this weekend the destruction was somewhat less extensive. France's interior minister said Sunday that authorities made over 1,300 arrests and that 53 police officers were injured. France's interior ministry estimated that approximately 410,000 people took part in 298 demonstrations nationwide. Now the general confederation of labor, that's one of France's major labor union federations, put the turnout much higher than roughly 800,000. There's been no independent confirmation of either estimate. Most of those marches remained peaceful. The interior minister said they initially "passed off well" but later in the day the situation changed. The minister said officers encountered "an extremely elevated level of violence from ultra-left groups." The government had prepared for trouble, mobilizing up to 70,000 officers, helicopters, armored vehicles, and water cannons. Before the demonstrations began, police confiscated fireworks, slingshots, and improvised weapons, including a katana because, well, a katana is generally part of any "peaceful protest," I suppose. So did those preparations make a difference? That's a good question. Arguably yes, they did. The interior minister said faster intervention, more security checks, and better protection for businesses did help limit the damage. Some shops were still looted because you can't have a protest without looting apparently, but he said, quote, "the scale was far smaller than the previous weekend," when approximately 3,000 businesses were reportedly damaged or looted. In Paris, businesses boarded up their windows ahead of a march that drew 110,000 people, according to police. Union organizers put attendance at 250,000 people. At the front of the march, things ended without incident, but toward the rear, a different scene was developing. The interior minister said, quote, "several thousand radical activists had gathered," including approximately 500 people, authorities identified as rioters. The resulting clashes with police lasted roughly two hours. Beyond Paris, thousands of protesters broke through police lines and not, while officers used tear gas during clashes in Marseille, where street fires were reported. For now, the government remains on high alert. With the infamous yellow vests, that's the movement, which emerged roughly eight years ago, accusing Macron's government of authoritarian drift, announcing more demonstrations for the 31st of October, including rallies and sit-ins outside Parliament. Across the border in Spain, unrest developed differently. Catalan police arrested 128 people after Saturday evenings violence, more than half were minors. Hundreds of young people, many dressed in black, and gathered, following calls, circulated on social media. Catalonia's police commissioner described participants as, quote, "totally disorganized people," who responded to social media calls and carried out attacks, quote, "without a specific demand." Authorities reported 23 businesses vandalized and 33 fires. Fifteen officers were injured, four, seriously enough to require medical leave. The situation became dangerous enough that firefighters needed police protection just to reach the fires safely. In Italy, protests against war and rising living costs spread across major cities Saturday. Violence was reported in Turin, Rome, and Bologna, while Milan's demonstrations remained largely peaceful. Italian police reported nine arrests, and the temporary detention of 371 people across eight cities, of those taken to police stations, 110 were minors, what's up with today's youth. Italy's Prime Minister George Imeloni proposed tougher penalties for minors involved in violent unrest, and announced another 500 soldiers would be deployed for Milan. Soldiers were already deployed in the city out of Saturday's demonstrations, and many businesses boarded up their windows. Now further southeast Albania's government is facing a protest movement with a direct political demand, the resignation of Prime Minister Eddie Rama. Now for context, it helps to know that Rama has governed since 2013, and he recently secured a fourth term just this past year. But student-led demonstrations over alleged corruption, a lack of jobs and poor educational conditions, have become a major challenge to his government. The demonstrations have spread beyond the capital, Tarana, to other cities this month. In the capital on Saturday, protesters threw stones at police and set a fire at the agriculture ministry's entrance. Officers responded with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets. One protestor told Reuters, "Albanians have woken up," describing the government as a "dictatorship with the clothes of democracy." And in today's back of the brief, in the Saudi Arabia, faces another barrage of Houthi missiles and drones. We'll have more on that when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Now, I've been a business owner for many years, and I want to take just a moment to talk to all of you small business operators out there. Look, here's the thing. Running any small business means dealing with constant, unexpected expenses, right? Whether it's upgrading an IT system or repair costs or managing payroll, there is always something, and you cannot afford to let traditional bank red tape slow down your momentum. That's why you need Cardiff, America's favorite small business lender. 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On CalChi, you're trading against peers in a live market, meaning there's no house. And as the probability changes, you can buy in and out of your position. Download CalChi, use code PDB to get $25 when you trade $25. That's CalChi. Mandatory disclaimer. Trade what's next? 18 years and older only, restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Many products are not available in all jurisdictions, prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see CalChi.com/regulatory. In today's back of the brief, I want to turn to Saudi Arabia, where Riyadh's international airport is reopening, despite threats of another Houthi attack. The Iran-backed militants warned that the airport will "never be safe" as more missiles and drones target the kingdom. 13 people were killed in more than 300 wounded in the October 10th Houthi strikes on King Khaled Airport, making it Saudi Arabia's deadliest attack in over a decade. The airport shut down at that point, now Saudi authorities are trying to get flights moving again. On Sunday, they reopened two terminals, Terminal 2 for International flights and Terminal 1 for domestic service. But as you might imagine, reopening the doors is one thing. Getting airlines and passengers to return under threat of further attack is a different proposition. And the Houthis are doing their best to keep it that way. Their military spokesman Yaya Sabri declared that the airport remained a "military target". He warned that the Saudi regime shall bear the consequences of any operations in the airport. In other words, the Houthis are threatening to attack again and telling Saudi Arabia it will be to blame for letting people travel. Now according to the Saudi-led coalition, the Houthis targeted the airport 20 times between the 1st and the 11th of October. But the airport is only part of what Saudi defenses are having to protect. On Sunday, the kingdom faced another wave of missiles and drones. The coalition spokesman said, "South forces intercepted a ballistic missile headed to a re-odd, a drone in the re-odd region, and a cruise missile, aimed at the south-western city of Kamesh-Mushate. Now explosions were reported in the capital." The coalition later announces Saudi forces had intercepted 10 more ballistic missiles fired toward the south. Even successful underceptions, though are leaving civilians exposed. Saudi civil defense officials said the brief from two intercepted ballistic missiles injured people in Kamesh-Mushate and nearby Ahad Rafidah, damaging three residential buildings and seven vehicles. The barrage followed Houthi claims on Saturday that they had targeted three Saudi airports including Riyadhs, along with oil facilities, pipeline, and airbase. The authorities did not directly confirm those claims. Saudi civil defense also reported falling debris in the Mecca and Medina region Saturday after two Houthi missiles were intercepted. Now the Houthis denied targeting the holy cities, calling the accusation a "huge lie." The reported debris locations do not yet establish that the holy sites themselves were targeted. The Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General called those attacks "hanus," saying they showed "a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians." Across a border in Yemen, another airport has been coming under repeated attack. Yemen's transport ministry said the Houthis launched two ballistic missiles toward the government controlled Aiden International Airport on Saturday. According to the ministry, it was the fourth attack against that airport this month. Aiden serves as the Temporary Capital of Yemen's internationally recognized government. The ministry warned that the attacks threatened "the safety of civil aviation" and carry humanitarian and economic repercussions for citizens. Yemeni government authorities also reported damage to a Coast Guard headquarters and another government building. The Houthis claimed they had struck the al-Nasar military camp and a naval base in Aiden. Now beyond the airport attacks, Houthi forces are pressing their offensive around Tais. On Sunday, they reportedly advanced toward Jabal Sabar, a strategic mountain overlooking the city where a control of the high ground could threaten government health positions below. The Houthis have already besieged Tais and cut the main road to Aiden. Approximately 800,000 people now remain trapped in the UN, warns the "time is running out" to get Aiden to them. The Houthis' ambitions also reached toward a critical route for global trade. Last month, they seized strategic territory along Yemen's Red Sea Coast, moving closer to the Babelman Deb Strait, Saudi Arabia responded by stepping up military operations against the group. That strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aiden, carrying energy shipments and commercial traffic between Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal. For Washington, the ongoing attacks endanger a major security partner and one of the world's most important oil exporters. Iran-backed militants are threatening Saudi airports and energy infrastructure while advancing near a shipping route, but the global economy depends on. And that, my friends, is the president's daily brief from Monday, the 26th of October. Now, if you have any questions or comments and I hope you do, just reach out to me at
[email protected]. And finally, I hope you had a chance over the weekend to check out our latest episode of the much-loved PDB situation report. Now, nine out of ten folks who watched the situation report say that it's positively impacted their lives in really meaningful ways, and I may have just made up that last sentence. But, I do hope you caught the episode. If not, you can always catch it on our YouTube channel, just wander on over to YouTube, search up at President's Daily Brief, and of course you'll find it on podcast platforms everywhere. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool. [Music] Looking for the perfect rental? Discover top-rated stays loved by guests, rated highest by real guests through authentic reviews. These traveler-loved stays are recognized by the details that matter most and validated by real experiences. Choose confidently for rentals you can trust. Verbo. Book now of occasion rental loved by guests.
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