The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 21st, 2025: China Rages At Trump's 'Golden Dome' Announcement & Top Aides To Mexico City Mayor Assassinated In Suspected Cartel Hit
Wed, 21 May 2025
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, President Donald Trump has unveiled his plans to build a new comprehensive air defense system for the United States that he has dubbed the “Golden Dome,” and China is already throwing a fit, accusing the U.S. of trying to turn space into a warzone. We’ll have the details. Later in the show—Mexico’s bloody political violence escalates inside the country’s capital, where two top aides to the mayor of Mexico City were brazenly assassinated in broad daylight on Tuesday in a suspected cartel hit. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Kikoff: Build credit fast and get your first month for just a dollar at https://GetKikoff.com/miketoday. Thanks to Kikoff for sponsoring us! Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Jacked Up Fitness: Go to https://GetJackedUp.comand use code BAKER at checkout to save 10% off your entire purchase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the Golden Dome announced by Trump?
It's Wednesday, the 21st of May. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, President Trump has unveiled his plans to build a new comprehensive air defense system for the United States that he's called the Golden Dome.
And China, well, they're already throwing a fit, accusing the US of trying to turn space into a war zone. We'll have the details. Later in the show, Mexico's bloody political violence escalates inside the country's capital, where two top aides to the mayor of Mexico's city were brazenly assassinated in broad daylight on Tuesday in a suspected cartel hit. But first, today's afternoon spotlight.
We'll begin today with a return to our coverage of space-based warfare as President Trump unveils his plans to build a futuristic missile defense system dubbed the Golden Dome. The ambitious multi-billion dollar project aims to protect against next-generation aerial threats to the U.S., including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as, and this is important, hypersonic weapons.
In an announcement from the Oval Office on Tuesday, the president said he had selected a design for the new missile shield, which he teased would be fully operational by the end of his second term. That's according to a report from the BBC.
The Trump administration has so far remained vague on the details of the project, but officials said Tuesday that an initial sum of $25 billion, with a B, has been earmarked for the Golden Dome in the spending and tax cut bill currently making its way slowly through Congress.
But that will only represent an initial investment, as you might suspect, with the project estimated to cost a total of somewhere close to $175 billion. Now, I'll go on record as saying that $175 billion in fat stacks is a very conservative estimate for the Golden Dome.
As our regular listeners will remember, Trump first announced his plans back in January, when he signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to begin the immediate development of an Iron Dome-style missile defense system.
While the Golden Dome may take its inspiration from Israel's Iron Dome, the project promises to be, well, obviously many times larger and designed to combat a wider range of threats. The administration is keeping the details of the project close to the vest, but Trump said Tuesday it will involve technologies across land, sea, and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.
Analysts have speculated that it will probably work by employing thousands of satellites to spot and track missiles and then fire interceptors from orbit to neutralize any potential incoming threats. It sounds a bit like Dr. Evil's Alan Parsons project from Austin Powers. But perhaps I'm oversimplifying it. Trump said, quote, We'll have it done in three years.
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Chapter 2: How is China reacting to the Golden Dome?
China's foreign minister lashed out in a statement on Wednesday, saying, quote, the project will heighten the risk of creating a space arms race and shake the international security and arms control system. He added, quote, China is gravely concerned about this. We urge the U.S. to give up developing and deploying global anti-missile systems.
He added, honestly, only China should be in the business of weaponizing space, end quote. Alright, that last little bit there was obviously made up. But the point being, China's outrage, well, it rings a bit hollow, or completely hollow.
As we discussed just last week on the PDB, China has put a strategic emphasis on space-based warfare, rapidly working to expand their military presence in orbit and beyond.
General Bechance Saltzman, he's the chief of US space operations, recently warned that Beijing has developed what he described as a satellite, quote, kill web, which can precisely target the location of US forces, preemptively giving the communist regime valuable intelligence, of course, about American troop positions and operations before military objectives could be met.
China has also partnered with Russia to launch a joint lunar exploration project called the International Lunar Research Station. China intends to put astronauts on the moon before 2030 and build a joint nuclear power plant on the moon with Russia to support the station. The ambitious project aims to create a permanent moon base by mid-2030 to compete with America's Artemis moon mission.
Russia, meanwhile, has been mulling plans to put a nuclear weapon into orbit. Such a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon could trigger an electromagnetic pulse across low-Earth orbit that would, of course, disable dozens of critical satellites and have a catastrophic effect on any ground-based devices that rely on satellite connectivity.
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Chapter 3: What are the details of the military capabilities discussed?
As Russia and China vie for military supremacy in space, Saltzman said the US must rapidly work to build out its own space-based military capabilities to counter these next-generation threats. Coming up next, two top aides to the mayor of Mexico City were brazenly assassinated in broad daylight on Tuesday in a suspected cartel hit. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here.
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Now, you may have heard about this upcoming summit, but it's worth paying attention to. This July, there's going to be a global summit of BRICS nations being held in Rio de Janeiro. Now, the bloc of emerging superpowers, it includes Russia and China and India and Iran,
They're meeting with the stated goal of displacing the US dollar as the global currency, and they're calling this effort the Rio Reset. That's a catchy name. As BRICS nations push forward with their plans, well, demand for US dollars could decrease, bringing down, of course, the value of the dollar.
Now, while the transition won't happen overnight, the real reset marks a pivotal moment when BRICS objectives move from possibility toward reality. So, you ask yourself, what can you do to help protect your hard-earned dollar savings? I would suggest first stop would be check in with the professionals at Birch Gold Group.
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Chapter 4: What recent violence occurred in Mexico City?
Chapter 5: How does the Golden Dome compare to Israel's Iron Dome?
As we discussed just last week on the PDB, China has put a strategic emphasis on space-based warfare, rapidly working to expand their military presence in orbit and beyond.
General Bechance Saltzman, he's the chief of US space operations, recently warned that Beijing has developed what he described as a satellite, quote, kill web, which can precisely target the location of US forces, preemptively giving the communist regime valuable intelligence, of course, about American troop positions and operations before military objectives could be met.
China has also partnered with Russia to launch a joint lunar exploration project called the International Lunar Research Station. China intends to put astronauts on the moon before 2030 and build a joint nuclear power plant on the moon with Russia to support the station. The ambitious project aims to create a permanent moon base by mid-2030 to compete with America's Artemis moon mission.
Russia, meanwhile, has been mulling plans to put a nuclear weapon into orbit. Such a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon could trigger an electromagnetic pulse across low-Earth orbit that would, of course, disable dozens of critical satellites and have a catastrophic effect on any ground-based devices that rely on satellite connectivity.
As Russia and China vie for military supremacy in space, Saltzman said the US must rapidly work to build out its own space-based military capabilities to counter these next-generation threats. Coming up next, two top aides to the mayor of Mexico City were brazenly assassinated in broad daylight on Tuesday in a suspected cartel hit. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here.
Let's take just a few seconds to talk about your financial health. I know, it's everybody's favorite subject, isn't it? But it is very important. Now, when your credit isn't perfect, it can really feel like the system is stacked against you. But there is a company out there looking to help, and that company is Kickoff. That's Kickoff without the C-K-I-K-O-F-F.
Kickoff gives you the smartest tools to build real credit fast. With transparent, affordable plans starting at, get this, just $5 a month, no hidden fees and zero interest, Kickoff helps you score big when it comes to credit. It's simple. You make on-time payments, credit bureaus see good behavior, and your credit can grow fast.
Users with credit under 600 grew an average of 84 points in their first year. With over 1 million users and thousands of positive reviews, there's a reason why Kickoff is the number one credit builder app. Start building credit with Kickoff today, and you can get your first month for as little as $1. That's 80% off the normal price when you go to GetKickoff.com slash Mike today.
That's Kickoff without the C. GetKickoff.com slash Mike. must sign up via getkickoff.com slash mike to activate offer. Offer applies to new kickoff customers first month only. Subject to approval, offer subject to change.
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of space-based military systems?
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Chapter 7: What role does Russia play in space military strategies?
Mexico's bloody political violence spilled into the capital Tuesday as two top aides to Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada were assassinated in a daylight motorcycle ambush. According to officials with the federal prosecutor's office, Brugada's private secretary, Ximena Guzman, had been driving to work and stopped on a busy avenue downtown in Mexico City
to pick up senior advisor José Muñoz when two gunmen on a motorbike pulled up alongside the vehicle. That's a classic hit scenario. The attackers opened fire, killing Muñoz on the spot. Guzmán, still behind the wheel, was executed with at least four rounds fired directly into the windshield. The violence shattered the capital's long-standing reputation as a haven from cartel warfare.
As of now, the motive remains unclear, but Mexican security analysts say the ambush bears all the hallmarks of a cartel-ordered hit likely meant to send a message ahead of next month's judicial elections. Public security specialist David Saucedo stated, quote, this was a harsh message sent to Bugata, undoubtedly perpetrated by drug traffickers.
He noted that organized criminal groups impacted by recent seizures have a pattern of retaliating against officials, even in the capital. Photos from the scene show a black Audi riddled with bullet holes. One victim lay slumped in the front seat, the other was found on the pavement covered with a white sheet.
Chapter 8: How can listeners support the podcast?
Police cordoned off the area as forensic technicians collected shell casings and combed nearby streets for physical evidence.
I'd like to point out that Mayor Bugata was not in the vehicle at the time of the attack, and in a somber statement Tuesday, she mourned her longtime colleagues, saying, quote, I feel very sad for the loss of Ximena and Jose, with whom for many years we shared dreams and struggles.
She vowed that there would be no impunity and thanked Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum, herself a former Mexico City mayor, for swiftly deploying federal resources to assist the investigation. Scheinbaum stated, quote, it is a deplorable incident and we are going to give all the support that the mayor may need.
Later that day, Mexico City's civil security office confirmed the recovery of a motorbike near the crime scene and a second vehicle in a neighborhood east of the capital. Ballistic and fingerprint evidence are currently under analysis. The ambush has drawn inevitable comparisons to the 2020 cartel attack on then-Mexico City Police Chief Omar Garcia Harfouk.
now serving as Federal Security Minister, which left two of his bodyguards dead. Arfuk survived the hit and later blamed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal syndicates.
As we discussed on Tuesday's PDB, the New Generation Cartel is also the lead suspect in a recent targeted hit at a Guadalajara restaurant that left two private security consultants dead, one of whom was a former U.S. State Department contractor. Notably, the New Generation Cartel has been designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization since February.
With Mexico's election season already covered in blood, Tuesday's daylight double assassination, well, it's a reminder of how far cartel influence has penetrated and how brazenly it now operates, even in the nation's capital. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin, late afternoon, early evening, whatever you'd like to call it, for Wednesday, the 21st of May.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And of course, to listen to the show ad-free, you can do that. Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief. by visiting pdbpremium.com. And as always, don't forget to check out our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow.
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