The President's Daily Brief PDB Situation Report | January 24th, 2026: Is Cuba the Next Venezuela? & Xi’s Mass Crackdown
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Jan 24, 2026 
Gordon Chang, author and China analyst, offers brisk analysis of Xi Jinping’s sweeping loyalty purges. Daniel DiMartino, Manhattan Institute fellow with Venezuela experience, breaks down post-Maduro power shifts and regional pressure tactics. They discuss U.S. tactics toward Cuba, Venezuela’s weakened energy state, China’s mass discipline campaign, and risks of elite turmoil and accidental conflict.
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Strangle Regime Support Lines
- Severely restrict Cuba's ties: cut flights, maritime traffic, and agent movement with Venezuela and Nicaragua.
- Provide free internet to citizens to enable organization and political mobilization.
China's Million-Person Punishment Campaign
- Beijing disciplined nearly one million people in 2025 under the label of anti-corruption, signaling intensified internal enforcement.
- The campaign functions increasingly as a tool for loyalty enforcement rather than genuine corruption control.
Purges Reach Military's Top Ranks
- Reports suggest 983,000 officials were punished in 2025, a rise from 2024 and a record escalation under Xi.
- Arrests and turmoil among senior officers indicate intensifying purges within the PLA's leadership.
