Mike Drop

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 04 OCTOBER 2026
A long one for Sunday. There's no Wall Street Journal today, so Mike covers the New York Times and then shares the story many of you asked for: his path back to Christ.
He starts by setting the record straight. After hearing from viewers, Mike walks back his comments on the Cornell case. He says he was guilty of the same rush to judgment he warns against, and he'll wait for the facts. He also shares what viewers in France told him the coverage of the riots there is missing.
The headlines: protesters in canoes outside Chief Justice John Roberts' home in Maine. AIPAC has raised $233 million for the midterms. A report says President Trump directed $20 million in taxpayer money toward TV ads. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao's new role advising governments on crypto after his pardon, and his company's business ties to World Liberty Financial. And a Times opinion piece asking whether Democrats can win back religious voters.
Mike's take: protest all you want where officials work, but leave their homes and families alone. He thinks any PAC tied to a foreign country, whichever country it is, shouldn't have a role in U.S. elections. Taxpayer money shouldn't fund ads praising any president. And no one in office should profit from policy they control, period. He also challenges fellow Christians to judge less and show more grace.
Then the story: a Lutheran upbringing, a faith that fell apart through SEAL deployments, war and fatherhood, and decades of walking away. Then came the faithful men who appeared on the podcast, the week Charlie Kirk was killed, an unplanned Sunday at church that his kids shared without knowing it, and how he finally made peace with the question of free will.
Your turn. Should protests at officials' homes be off-limits? Should foreign-focused PACs be banned? And if you've walked away from faith or found your way back, what made the difference? Tell us in the comments, and as Mike asks, be kind to one another.
Timestamps
0:00 Happy Sunday: a long one
0:50 Mike walks back his Cornell comments
2:55 What viewers in France say the coverage is missing
5:45 Protesters outside Chief Justice Roberts' home
8:20 AIPAC money in the midterms
10:25 Should foreign-focused PACs be banned?
12:05 Taxpayer-funded ads praising Trump
14:10 A quick detour through Arts and Styles
15:00 The Binance founder's pardon
16:55 World Liberty Financial and conflicts of interest
19:35 Mike's honest questions about crypto
23:05 Can Democrats win back the faithful?
24:35 Judgment, grace and how Christians treat others
28:20 Mike's three morning books
29:35 Mike's path back to Christ
30:50 How deployments shook his faith
34:10 War, fatherhood and the free will question
36:15 Decades away from faith
37:00 The faithful men who came on the podcast
39:10 The day Charlie Kirk was shot
41:15 Walking into church
43:20 The call with his kids
47:55 How the free will question finally made sense
52:30 A story from an underground church in Iraq
56:15 A resurgence of faith
57:30 Closing prayer
Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times so you don't have to. No cable news spin, no recycled talking points, just the actual front pages and a straight take on what they mean for you.
On Mike Drop Newsroom, Mike picks the day's biggest headlines, compares how two of the country's largest papers cover them, and says what he thinks. That covers everything from AI and national security to the economy, foreign policy and the stories cable TV skips. He's not here to push a party line. As Mike puts it, if you want to put a label on him, he's an American who wants to see America succeed.
Every episode ends with a question for you. Tell us where you land in the comments, because Mike reads them and your answers shape what we cover next. Subscribe so you don't miss a morning.

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MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 03 OCTOBER 2026
The Saturday papers split again, and this episode includes something new: a private intelligence summary from Mike's friend Max at Asylum Security, a former SEAL sniper who now works in executive security. It's not classified, but it comes from serious sources, and it covers threats that never make the front page.
The headlines: Russia is pushing migrants across Latvia's border as a tactic against the West. Student protests over school conditions have turned violent across France. The U.S. added a lower-than-expected 29,000 jobs in September. Chinese officials' unusual requests at a recent summit are raising new questions about Xi Jinping's health. DHS is paying local police departments for help with immigration arrests. And the Wall Street Journal reports that more voters dislike both parties than in any recent election. From the intel brief: Iran is reviewing retaliation options that reach beyond the Middle East, tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, cyber threats are aimed at critical infrastructure and personnel data, and China's spy satellite network is growing fast.
Mike's take: he doesn't understand why secure borders became a partisan issue, since knowing who is coming into your country is common sense. He supports students fighting for better schools but says violence defeats the purpose. On Congress, he argues that both parties have to hold their own side to the same standard they hold the other. And he has a simple fix for the budget: if the government shuts down or the budget isn't balanced, Congress doesn't get paid. On Iran, the intel brief brings him back to the question he keeps asking: months of strikes later, Iran can still hit shipping and plan attacks abroad, so what does success actually look like?
Your turn. Should Congress go unpaid until the budget is balanced? What does winning in Iran look like to you? And who do you think takes over China after Xi? Tell us in the comments. Mike reads them.
Timestamps
0:00 Happy Saturday and a special intel brief
1:15 Why wildfires in Indonesia led the Times
1:50 FlyDubai: the mother's scream that alerted passengers
2:15 A new inquiry into the Cornell case
3:20 Russia uses migrants against the West
4:35 Why secure borders shouldn't be partisan
6:15 Student protests turn violent across France
8:20 A weak September jobs report
9:25 Xi Jinping's health and who comes next
12:05 DHS pays local police for immigration arrests
13:45 A hurricane-free summer and El Niño
14:40 "Double haters" and the midterms
16:35 Holding your own side accountable
19:10 No balanced budget, no paycheck for Congress
20:40 The intel brief
21:45 Iran's retaliation planning
23:20 What does success in Iran look like?
24:20 Tankers struck in the Strait of Hormuz
25:50 Cyber threats to infrastructure and personnel data
28:55 China, Russia and the race for space
30:25 A Sunday preview: faith and suffering
31:40 Wrap-up
Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times so you don't have to. No cable news spin, no recycled talking points, just the actual front pages and a straight take on what they mean for you.
On Mike Drop Newsroom, Mike picks the day's biggest headlines, compares how two of the country's largest papers cover them, and says what he thinks. That covers everything from AI and national security to the economy, foreign policy and the stories cable TV skips. He's not here to push a party line. As Mike puts it, if you want to put a label on him, he's an American who wants to see America succeed.
Every episode ends with a question for you. Tell us where you land in the comments, because Mike reads them and your answers shape what we cover next. Subscribe so you don't miss a morning.

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MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 02 OCTOBER 2026
A busy front page to close out the week. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal split today, so Mike covers both.
The headlines: the Pentagon is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group and more Marine Corps ships to the Middle East, adding roughly 10,000 troops to the region. OpenAI and Anthropic are spending to influence the midterm races and shape AI rules. Teachers and students warn that Google's AI push in schools is hurting learning. The FlyDubai captain who was stabbed by his co-pilot is being hailed for saving Flight 1073. Also covered: the Cornell case dominating social media, Tennessee halting executions after an inmate survived two doses of lethal injection, OpenAI firing researchers who shared information with an AI safety group, a global bond selloff, and high rates freezing the housing market.
Mike's take: a third carrier group on top of an already heavy presence isn't just a show of force; he thinks it signals something may be about to happen, and he wants the administration to define what winning looks like. He calls lobbying a legal term for bribery and says he's baffled it's still allowed. On AI in schools, he compares it to map and compass versus GPS: AI is a great tool if you already know the subject, but kids who lean on it may never learn to think for themselves. He also tips his cap to the FlyDubai captain, the crew and the passengers who fought back, and asks for more civility, online and off.
Your turn. Is the military buildup a signal? Can anyone make the case for lobbying? Is AI helping or hurting our kids? Tell us in the comments, and as Mike asks, keep it civil. He reads them.
Timestamps
0:00 Happy Friday
0:25 The Times and the Journal split today
0:50 The Cornell case
2:55 Faith, family and how we treat each other online
5:50 Tennessee halts executions
7:30 AI giants spend on the midterms
7:55 Is lobbying just legal bribery?
9:10 Questions about the FlyDubai co-pilot's motive
10:00 The captain who saved Flight 1073
12:05 OpenAI fires researchers over AI safety leak
13:45 The global bond selloff
15:00 Why interest rates aren't fixing inflation
16:15 Texas home prices and a frozen housing market
18:20 AI in schools: can kids still think?
21:15 Map and compass vs. GPS
22:05 A third carrier group heads to the Middle East
23:20 What does winning look like?
24:10 Weather and wrap-up
Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times so you don't have to. No cable news spin, no recycled talking points, just the actual front pages and a straight take on what they mean for you.
On Mike Drop Newsroom, Mike picks the day's biggest headlines, compares how two of the country's largest papers cover them, and says what he thinks. That covers everything from AI and national security to the economy, foreign policy and the stories cable TV skips. He's not here to push a party line. As Mike puts it, if you want to put a label on him, he's an American who wants to see America succeed.
Every episode ends with a question for you. Tell us where you land in the comments, because Mike reads them and your answers shape what we cover next. Subscribe so you don't miss a morning.

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MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 01 OCTOBER 2026
Both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times led with the same two stories today.
The first: after more than 23 years and $1.7 trillion, the U.S. has closed its last major military base in Iraq, ending what critics call America's forever war there. The second: on FlyDubai Flight 1073, a pilot stabbed the other pilot and tried to hijack the plane, sending it into a terrifying nosedive before passengers and crew subdued him. Also in today's papers: Iran is linked to a foiled attack on a British air base that houses American troops, the Pentagon is creating a new command for autonomous warfare, and BMW plans to use AI to shrink its workforce.
Mike's take: as someone who served in Iraq and lost brothers there, he asks the hard question: was it worth it? He argues that toppling Saddam removed the one force keeping Iran in check. That opened a power vacuum that fueled ISIS, emboldened Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and set off a refugee crisis that has reshaped countries around the world. Twenty-three years later, he thinks Iraq may be worse off than before, and he admits he doesn't see a good way forward. On the hijacking, he looks back at the 1980s hijacking he watched unfold as a kid and asks how anyone stops an attacker who's already in the cockpit.
Mike doesn't have the answer on Iraq, so he wants yours. Was it worth it? What should the U.S. do now? And how would you stop a pilot-turned-hijacker?
Tell us in the comments. Mike reads them.
Timestamps
0:00 Happy October
0:25 Same two stories in both papers
1:15 The Times' weather report (a tangent)
2:30 Pilot hijacks FlyDubai Flight 1073
4:35 The 1980s hijacking Mike never forgot
6:15 The U.S. leaves Iraq
7:05 Was it worth it?
8:20 Saddam, Iran and the power vacuum
10:00 Iran's proxies and the IED war
10:50 The refugee crisis no one talks about
12:30 Is Iraq worse off now?
14:35 No good options
15:25 BMW using AI to cut jobs
16:15 Iran linked to foiled attack on a British air base
17:30 Pentagon's new autonomous warfare command
18:20 Senate Republicans' late push on cost of living
19:10 Iran's stranded oil tankers
19:35 Mexico cracks down on cartel money laundering
20:00 Wrap-up

Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland reads the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times so you don't have to. No cable news spin, no recycled talking points, just the actual front pages and a straight take on what they mean for you.
On Mike Drop Newsroom, Mike picks the day's biggest headlines, compares how two of the country's largest papers cover them, and says what he thinks. That covers everything from AI and national security to the economy, foreign policy and the stories cable TV skips. He's not here to push a party line. As Mike puts it, if you want to put a label on him, he's an American who wants to see America succeed.
Every episode ends with a question for you. Tell us where you land in the comments, because Mike reads them and your answers shape what we cover next. Subscribe so you don't miss a morning.

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Former Navy SEAL Captain Bradley Geary joins Mike to reflect on 25 years in Naval Special Warfare—from SDV missions and DEVGRU to commanding BUD/S. They dive into leadership, modern warfare, faith, family, and the three-year battle with the Navy that pushed Geary to the point of being willing to give up his rank, his career, and even his SEAL Trident in order to stand for what he believed was the truth.

See the unreleased photos and NSW Command 100-page Report: : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/uw65fld4719wbl0hmcf70/ABo2Fsa7EygD8n6Dtvtr0I0?rlkey=ny7z5ax3t4oq2j7s8c6px78zp&st=5p4qroi5&e=1&dl=0

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