Welcome to The View from the Front podcast. My name is Stan and this is the Feb 1st edition.
You can listen to the podcast by clicking the blue button above. Or, you can watch the video below on YouTube.
I really hope you get something out of it.
Please note: There is also an un-edited, AI-generated transcript, that you can find by clicking the Transcript button at upper right, under the podcast player device.
Or, you can find the podcast on your favorite channel below:
Questions? Comments? You are welcome to comment below. I read all comments and answer most of them. You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)
If you just happened to stumble by, let me say a quick word about what we’re doing here.
For those who don’t know, my name is Stan R. Mitchell, and I’m a prior Marine and journalist.
Every week, I primarily do three things with my podcast:
Cover emerging hotspots and foreign policy news that you absolutely should know. (Why I focus on foreign policy...)
Work to unite our country and remind us of how lucky we are to live in America. (My thoughts on the division in this country...)
And finally, I always share plenty of motivation and wisdom at the end of each episode.
Take a listen to the podcast. I really hope you get something out of it.
Selected source notes for podcast and transcript above.
U.S. news:
NBC news: Biden says he has decided on response to deaths of U.S. soldiers in Jordan
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he has made a decision on how to respond to the drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and injured dozens of others at a base in northeast Jordan.
…
Biden vowed Sunday to retaliate and “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing" for the deadly attack, which injured more than 30 soldiers.
Asked whether he holds Iran responsible for the attack, he said he does “in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it.”
Republicans in the U.S. Senate previously blocked a funding bill that included $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, insisting that any further military aid must include major significant domestic border changes. While in December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban vetoed a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package from the EU.
Progress has been made in attempting to securing support for additional military funding but the fate of both aid packages remains uncertain.
In a deal that is expected to be unveiled as early as next week, U.S. Senate negotiators have agreed on a deal that significantly restricts illegal migrant crossings at the southern border while also unblocking assistance for Ukraine. The bill is likely to face stiff opposition in the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly warned it would be "dead on arrival."
Hungary has also begrudgingly signaled its willingness to drop its opposition to a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) aid package if concessions be made for the EU to review the funding package on a yearly basis. Still, some EU countries have expressed skepticism at the proposal, insisting Hungary would block the funding year-over-year while seeking further concessions. A special summit of the European Council will be held on Feb. 1 to further discuss funding.
Ukraine news:
Ukraine’s popular army chief Valery Zaluzhny was called to a meeting at the president’s office on Monday and told he was being fired, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN, following weeks of growing speculation over tensions between Volodymyr Zelensky and his top commander.
A formal announcement has not been made, meaning Zaluzhny was still in post as of Wednesday evening, however, a presidential decree is expected by the end of the week, one of the sources told CNN, in what would be the biggest military shakeup by Zelensky since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion almost two years ago.
Rumors of the meeting, and Zaluzhny’s dismissal, exploded around Kyiv on Monday evening, lent credibility by a rift widely understood to have opened up between the president and his commander-in-chief following the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive last year.
Washington Post: U.S. war plans for Ukraine don’t foresee retaking lost territory
Still smarting from last year’s failed counteroffensive in Ukraine, the Biden administration is putting together a new strategy that will de-emphasize winning back territory and focus instead on helping Ukraine fend off new Russian advances while moving toward a long-term goal of strengthening its fighting force and economy.
The emerging plan is a sharp change from last year, when the U.S. and allied militaries rushed training and sophisticated equipment to Kyiv in hopes that it could quickly push back Russian forces occupying eastern and southern Ukraine. That effort foundered, largely on Russia’s heavily fortified minefields and front-line trenches.
“It’s pretty clear that it will be difficult for them to try to mount the same kind of major push on all fronts that they tried to do last year,” a senior administration official said.
Wash Post: Russia, Ukraine trade POWs with no new word of passengers on downed plane
Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners Wednesday, exactly a week after Russia accused Ukraine of shooting down a military plane that Moscow claimed was carrying dozens of Ukrainian POWs being transported to a swap later that day.
Ukraine has not denied shooting down the aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76, but says that Russia has provided no evidence that POWs were on board. The incident raised concerns that future exchanges of POWs would be suspended.
But in a surprising announcement Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that 195 Russian soldiers had been exchanged for “exactly” the same number of Ukrainian soldiers.
China news:
Top U.S. officials warn Congress of China's hacking powers
Threat level: China has shown a new interest in preparing and launching destructive cyberattacks against U.S. electricity systems, water utilities, military organizations and other critical services, officials told lawmakers Wednesday.
That's a divergence from the Chinese government's historical focus on stealing state secrets and espionage.
Officials fear that China is laying the foundation for cyberattacks that could hinder the United States' ability to help Taiwan during a potential invasion.
Some perspective from the 1/11 episode.
Hicks: U.S. Aims to Prevent Conflict in Space, Other Domains Through Deterrence
From 2019 to 2023, China doubled its number of annual space launches and more than tripled how many payloads it put into orbit. That's real growth, she said.
But over that same time, American space launches per year more than quadrupled, while U.S. payloads launched increased by nearly 13 times, she said.
In 2023, China launched 240 payloads to orbit while the U.S. lofted over 2,500 payloads, she said.
"As DOD invests more in space, the whole of America's lead will only grow," she said.
World stories in brief you need to know:
Change in ISIS Threat Means Evolution in Long-Term U.S.-Iraq Relationship
U.S.-Vietnam Cooperation Growing, Maturing, DOD Official Says
France has transferred 2 additional M270 LRU rocket launchers to Ukraine
Taiwan begins year-long military service amid rising China tensions
Motivation and inspiration:
That’s it for this edition! Here’s some motivation and wisdom to send you off with.
I always like to share a few from the Bible, because that book has become such a source of strength and wisdom and calm for me during the past year.
Hebrews 10:23-24
James 4:8.
And, I always like to end with this one:
And with that, thanks for joining us this week on The View from the Front.
If you can, consider at some point becoming a paid subscriber.
That’s it for this edition.
Dealing with PTSD? Emotionally or mentally at rock bottom? Here’s the link that I mention in each podcast: Be like Ozzie; go near your master. (The power of prayer. Part 1.)
Love my moderate, optimistic view of politics and want to know more about how I see things?
Go here:
As a reminder, please be kind and try your best to love your fellow Americans.
So many men and women have sacrificed, fought, and died to keep this country together the past 240-plus years. Please work daily to unite our country again. The vast majority of Americans are decent, loving, great people.
Also, please try to be a better person each and every day. Try to be kinder on social media and how you interact with others with whom you disagree.
Please join me again in our next episode, and please stay safe until then.
Don’t forget: You can comment anytime — I try to monitor those. You can also reach out privately at: authorstanrmitchell@yahoo.com. (You can say “hi,” vent, or send news tips! I love all three of those things!)
Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan. You can find all of these books on Amazon.
Want to know more about me? Click here: About me. You can also learn more about my journey here: Writers are crazy, and I’m crazier than most.
Podcast Episode 2-1-24 of The View from the Front. (Includes video.)