Mike Drop

U.S. Central Command is finalizing preparations to restart major operations against Iran, and President Trump says Americans will know "soon enough."
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 06 NOVEMBER 2026
U.S. officials told Axios that CENTCOM is finalizing preparations for a possible return to major operations against Iran, though no new order has been given. President Trump met with his national security team Wednesday and Thursday, and officials pointed to the November 9 new moon as favorable for operations. Meanwhile tankers are still burning in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran says its seven conditions must be met before the strait reopens.
Mike Ritland breaks down why the new moon matters, what "finalizing preparations" means for U.S. troops in the region, and whether the carrier group headed for the Gulf signals strikes are coming.
Also covered: Iran's nuclear proposal through Qatar and its security chief's meeting with Putin, Turkey's parliament approving a defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and why a NATO ally in the fight changes everything, War Secretary Pete Hegseth's $350 billion request and the impeachment push, and Gov. Gavin Newsom emptying California's death row.
Is the carrier heading to the Gulf a sign strikes are coming, or is there still an off-ramp? Tell us in the comments.

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00:00 CENTCOM finalizes preparations to strike Iran again
01:10 Why the Nov. 9 new moon matters
02:30 What "finalizing preparations" means for troops
03:00 Tankers burn as the U.S. blockade holds
03:50 Iran's seven conditions and the stalemate
05:45 Does the carrier group mean strikes are coming?
06:40 Iran's nuclear offer through Qatar and Putin
10:20 Turkey joins the Saudi-Pakistan defense pact
12:25 Why a NATO ally in the fight changes everything
14:25 Hegseth's $350 billion request and the impeachment push
17:25 Is it worth it? What success looks like
19:40 Newsom empties California's death row
22:05 Wrap-up

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Iran says it took control of two U.S. attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. military finishes preparations for possible resumed major combat.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 05 NOVEMBER 2026
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says its navy's electronic warfare unit took control of two U.S. LUCAS one-way attack drones in the Hormuz area, part of the low-cost drone force the Pentagon has been ramping up. U.S. officials say the military is finishing preparations for possible resumed major combat, while President Trump says there are no immediate plans to strike.
Mike Ritland breaks down why U.S. forces need to know now if Iran can really grab drones in flight, why the daily attacks on tankers point to a stalemate in the strait, and whether the administration ramps up or backs off before the December 11 war funding fight.
Also covered: two more tankers on fire after mine strikes and the U.S. blockade at six months, impeachment talk building around War Secretary Pete Hegseth, China surging ships and aircraft around Taiwan and whether the Navy can cover two fronts, the Houthis claiming a strike on Riyadh's airport, and Vice President Vance saying the war cost Republicans the midterms.
Between now and December 11, do you expect more U.S. strikes on Iran, or a pullback? Tell us in the comments.

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00:00 Iran says it seized two U.S. attack drones
00:50 Why the LUCAS drone program matters
02:30 Strikes before December 11, or a pullback?
04:30 Tankers burn in the strait as the blockade holds
05:25 Qatar's draft deal and the stalemate
09:05 Impeachment talk builds around Hegseth
14:10 China surges ships and aircraft around Taiwan
15:25 Can the Navy cover two fronts at once?
16:40 Houthis claim a strike on Riyadh's airport
18:20 December 11: Congress and war funding
22:50 Wrap-up

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Democrats won control of Congress, putting war funding for the Iran conflict on the table, while Israel warns that Iran is weighing chemical weapons.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 4 NOVEMBER 2026
Democrats won control of both the House and Senate on Tuesday. Current government funding runs out December 11, and the new Congress is sworn in January 3, with Democrats promising bills to end the Iran war. Meanwhile, Israel has told the U.S. and Gulf states that Iran is considering chemical weapons if full-scale fighting resumes, though some U.S. officials doubt the intelligence.
Mike Ritland breaks down why the short window before the funding deadline could raise the risk to U.S. troops, what a chemical weapons threat would mean for forces in the region, and why both parties should treat the election as a lesson, not a victory lap.
Also covered: an update on the EUCOM warning to troops and families in Europe, Poland reinforcing its border with Russia after a warning from NATO's top commander, and Trump saying $4 billion a year in military aid to Israel will end.
Is Israel's chemical weapons warning a credible threat, or a push to pull the U.S. back into the fight? Tell us in the comments.
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0:00 Democrats win Congress; war funding deadline December 11
0:45 Mike's take on the election
9:15 Update: the EUCOM warning in Europe
11:50 Israel warns Iran is weighing chemical weapons
16:20 Poland reinforces its border after NATO warning
18:55 Trump says $4 billion a year in aid to Israel will end
20:30 Wrap-up

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Iran fired a surface-to-air missile at a U.S. fighter jet over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. forces struck back at Qeshm Island on the eve of Election Day.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 3 NOVEMBER 2026
U.S. officials say Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired on an American jet Monday evening, and U.S. forces answered with a limited strike on Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Officials called it defensive and say it does not signal a return to major combat. In Europe, U.S. European Command launched a "See Something, Do Something" campaign urging troops and families to vary their routes, turn off geotagging on fitness apps and limit posts about travel.
Mike Ritland breaks down whether a measured response is enough of a deterrent when Iran is still shooting at U.S. aircraft during talks, why EUCOM's warning to families in Europe is a big deal, and why letting aid lapse for Navy families evacuated from Bahrain would be an unforced error.
Also covered: Navy families evacuated from Bahrain could lose safe haven housing aid, Russia's posture ahead of talks with the U.S. and the future of U.S. support for Ukraine, China hosting Oman's sultan and Iranian officials as it pushes to reopen Hormuz, and Election Day.
Should the U.S. answer Iran with a measured strike, or take the gloves off? Tell us in the comments.
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0:00 Iran fires on a U.S. jet; U.S. strikes Qeshm Island
4:05 EUCOM warns troops and families across Europe
9:05 Navy families evacuated from Bahrain could lose housing aid
12:40 Russia, Ukraine and the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks
17:20 China steps into the Hormuz fight
19:55 Election Day

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Former Navy SEAL Justin Hughes, BUD/S Class 293, SEAL Team Five, JTAC, and BUD/S second phase instructor, informally known as a professional drowner, joins Mike Ritland. He’s also a self-taught oil painter, and Mike calls his work spectacular. They dig into second phase training and the pool comp test, where students get bloody noses, teeth ripped out, and end up throwing up underwater and blacking out. Justin also explains how often he had to pull drowning students up and resuscitate them, and why he refused to lower the standard.

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