Welcome to the PDB Situation Report. Your Eyes and Ears on the World Stage. All right. Let's get briefed.

First up, the U.S. military expands its campaign

against drug traffickers, launching new strikes in the Pacific. They killed 14 and left one survivor.

We'll be joined by Amin Blair from the Texas Public Policy Foundation for more on the fight

against narco-terror networks. Later in the show, Russia's economy is feeling the

strain as oil sanctions start to bite, cutting deep into the Kremlin's war chest. We'll be joined

by Rubin Johnson of the National Security Journal for more on that. But first, today's situation

report's spotlight. The U.S. carried out three more strikes in the Eastern Pacific this week, hitting four

vessels tied to narcotics trafficking. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says 14 suspected traffickers

were killed and one survivor was recovered. Mexican authorities assumed responsibility for the

search and rescue. These strikes bring the total death toll in the administration's Caribbean

and Eastern Pacific

campaign to more than 50, part of a push to choke smuggling routes and the criminal networks

that bankroll them. But the question remains, what, if any, impact are these strikes having on

cartel operations, and specifically the flow of drugs into the U.S.

For more on this, let's bring in Amin Blair.

He's a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation with over a decade of experience as a U.S. Border Patrol agent and more than 20 years of service in the U.S. Army.

Ammon, welcome very much to the show, and we really appreciate you taking the time here on the

Situation Report.

Yeah, thank you for having me.

Of course, man.

Of course.

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