Mike Drop

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 10 OCTOBER 2026
The Pentagon says the Fort Hood shooter will face a firing squad on December 3rd — and that the execution may be live streamed. Mike's read: nearly every veteran weighing in says the same thing. Carry out the sentence, but turning it into broadcast content is a line this country shouldn't cross. Alonzo Lunsford, the former staff sergeant shot seven times that day who plans to witness it in person, put it best: there's nothing glorified in the smell of blood and gunpowder.
Also in this one — former Green Beret Tim Kennedy reportedly shot in an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with a former New Zealand SAS operator killed in the same operation, and the larger question of whether American foreign policy should be running through contractors at all. CENTCOM looks to be moving on Iran faster than the public timeline suggested. And the Wall Street Journal reports a deal for hundreds of thousands of tons of Russian diesel to bring fuel prices down before the midterms — after years and hundreds of billions of dollars spent helping Ukraine fight that same military.
Mike's take on the last one: follow the money. Both sides have buried their own people over this war, and both sides are still willing to cut a deal.
Which of these do you want him to dig into further? Put it in the comments — he reads them, and your takes end up in the next one.
0:00 Fort Hood shooter to face firing squad December 3rd
0:49 Lawmakers push back, Vance doubts the live stream happens
1:16 Why the veteran community is near-unanimous on this
3:43 Alonzo Lunsford, shot seven times that day, on what he wants
5:40 Tim Kennedy reportedly shot in a Congo ambush
6:51 The Erik Prince connection and who's running these contracts
7:40 Should the U.S. fight through mercenaries at all?
10:35 CENTCOM and the real Iran timeline
11:34 U.S. cuts a diesel deal with Russia before the midterms
15:15 Follow the money
16:22 The Epoch Times, recommended by one of you
19:00 Closing
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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 09 OCTOBER 2026
The New York Times says the Iran war was supposed to show off American power and has done the opposite. B-1 bombers are pulled out of Britain, bases across the Gulf are closed, and carriers are being resupplied from 2,200 miles away. Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland, who served in Iraq, breaks down why seven months of war have left Iran's regime replaced but not weakened, and what he thinks winning should actually look like.
Mike's take: decades of U.S. bases and troops in the Middle East haven't made the region more stable. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan. Reaching the stated goals in Iran would take a World War II-style invasion and occupation. His answer is to bring every U.S. troop home, close the bases, and force Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the rest of the region to deal with Iran themselves. He also asks the question few pundits raise: if Iran is that determined to get a nuclear weapon, why haven't Russia or China handed it one?
Also in this episode: the FBI stops a planned attack on the Mall of America, a Colorado police sergeant on how traffickers target vulnerable kids, and a tropical storm heading for the Gulf Coast.
Do you agree with Mike, or should the U.S. stay? If you say stay, tell us what winning looks like to you. Comment below. Mike reads them.
Timestamps
0:00 U.S. forces pull back as Iran's oil keeps flowing
0:25 Seven months in: is it working?
1:15 Iran's leaders taken out, but the regime didn't change
1:45 B-1 bombers pulled from Britain
2:20 What does winning look like?
2:30 Decades of U.S. bases in the Middle East
3:20 Iraq, WMDs and what Mike saw on the ground
3:45 Who a nuclear Iran really threatens
4:45 Afghanistan and Iraq: better off?
6:00 Mike's answer: bring every troop home
7:30 Make the region step up
8:10 Why haven't Russia or China given Iran a nuke?
9:30 Are the lives lost worth it?
10:10 What real victory would take
11:45 FBI stops a Mall of America attack
13:55 How traffickers target kids
15:00 Tropical storm heads for the Gulf
15:25 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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 08 OCTOBER 2026
The New York Times says the Iran war was supposed to show off American power and has done the opposite. B-1 bombers are pulled out of Britain, bases across the Gulf are closed, and carriers are being resupplied from 2,200 miles away. Former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland, who served in Iraq, breaks down why seven months of war have left Iran's regime replaced but not weakened, and what he thinks winning should actually look like.
Mike's take: decades of U.S. bases and troops in the Middle East haven't made the region more stable. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan. Reaching the stated goals in Iran would take a World War II-style invasion and occupation. His answer is to bring every U.S. troop home, close the bases, and force Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the rest of the region to deal with Iran themselves. He also asks the question few pundits raise: if Iran is that determined to get a nuclear weapon, why haven't Russia or China handed it one?
Also in this episode: the FBI stops a planned attack on the Mall of America, a Colorado police sergeant on how traffickers target vulnerable kids, and a tropical storm heading for the Gulf Coast.
Do you agree with Mike, or should the U.S. stay? If you say stay, tell us what winning looks like to you. Comment below. Mike reads them.
Timestamps
0:00 U.S. forces pull back as Iran's oil keeps flowing
0:25 Seven months in: is it working?
1:15 Iran's leaders taken out, but the regime didn't change
1:45 B-1 bombers pulled from Britain
2:20 What does winning look like?
2:30 Decades of U.S. bases in the Middle East
3:20 Iraq, WMDs and what Mike saw on the ground
3:45 Who a nuclear Iran really threatens
4:45 Afghanistan and Iraq: better off?
6:00 Mike's answer: bring every troop home
7:30 Make the region step up
8:10 Why haven't Russia or China given Iran a nuke?
9:30 Are the lives lost worth it?
10:10 What real victory would take
11:45 FBI stops a Mall of America attack
13:55 How traffickers target kids
15:00 Tropical storm heads for the Gulf
15:25 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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 07 OCTOBER 2026
France leads both papers again, so Mike skips ahead to the stories that matter here.
The headlines: according to the New York Times, a Yemeni general warned weeks in advance that the Iran-backed Houthis were about to push along the Red Sea coast, and the U.S. and Saudi Arabia stood by. Vice President Vance is pressing Iran for a meaningful reduction in its nuclear capability to end the war, while Iran's president calls the talks meaningless. Germany arrested its former foreign intelligence chief on suspicion of espionage and treason, and a former CIA officer pleaded guilty to exposing a top-secret source to a foreign government. Tennessee is weighing its next step after Christa Pike survived a failed execution. And President Trump says he's considering suspending the federal gas tax as diesel hits a record national average.
Mike's take: he has a theory about why the U.S. didn't help Yemen. If the Houthis take the whole country, it may be easier to fight them head-on than to prop up a government that has struggled with corruption. On Iran, he says months of "we're close to a deal" with no clear definition of success is the biggest problem with the whole campaign. He thinks the death penalty should be on the table for spies whose betrayal gets people killed, supports it for the most heinous crimes, and asks why states don't use the firing squad instead of lethal injection. On fuel, he says it's hard to argue prices would be this high without the Iran war, and that suspending the gas tax is a band-aid.
Your turn. Why do you think the U.S. stood by in Yemen? What would a good deal with Iran look like? Should traitors whose actions cost lives face the death penalty? Tell us in the comments. Mike reads them.
Timestamps
0:00 Happy Wednesday
0:15 Yemen asked for help and the U.S. stood by
1:15 Mike's theory: let the Houthis take Yemen?
2:55 Vance presses Iran on its nuclear program
4:30 The messaging problem
5:45 What would a good deal with Iran look like?
6:15 Germany arrests its former spy chief
6:40 Ex-CIA officer admits exposing a top-secret source
7:45 Should spies who endanger lives face death?
9:25 Tennessee's failed execution
10:50 Is the firing squad cruel and unusual?
11:40 Trump considers suspending the gas tax
12:05 Diesel hits a record
12:30 Is the Iran war behind fuel prices?
14:05 How diesel raises the cost of everything
14:30 Mike wants your feedback
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.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Former DEA Special Agent Steve Murphy—credited with taking down cartel kingpin Pablo Escobar, serving as a technical consultant for Narcos, and co-authoring Manhunters—sits down with Mike Ritland for an in-depth conversation. After watching the hit series depicting Murphy’s career, Ritland explores the real-life history behind the story, diving into the operational friction, the uncredited role of U.S. special operations like Delta Force and SEAL Team 6, and the harsh realities of combating the Medellin Cartel on the ground.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy