Welcome to The View from the Front podcast. My name is Stan and this is the Jan 4th 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:
Finding out the hard way…
Houthis find out the hard way that Americans are FAR MORE skilled at war than the Saudis.
Middle East news:
Iran showcases its reach with militia attacks across Middle East (gift link to The Washington Post)
The Gaza war has given Iran the opportunity to showcase the capacity of its newly restructured network of allied militias, demonstrating Tehran’s strategic reach while allowing it to keep a distance from the fight, according to members of the groups and military analysts.
On any given day since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel, one or other of these militias has carried out an attack somewhere in the Middle East — and on some days several in different places. The Houthis in Yemen are targeting ships in the Red Sea; Kataib Hezbollah and other Iraqi groups are hitting U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria; and Lebanon’s Hezbollah is engaged in daily exchanges of fire with Israeli forces across the Israel-Lebanon border.
The attacks can seem random, but they are the fruit of a carefully calibrated strategy forged in the wake of the 2020 killing of Qasem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, to bring cohesion to the loosely formed alliance of militias — designated by Tehran as the “axis of resistance.”
Ukraine news:
Russia and Ukraine stage big POW exchange after UAE mediation
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday announced their first exchange of prisoners of war for nearly five months, with more than 200 freed by each side after what Moscow said was a complex negotiation involving mediation by the United Arab Emirates.
Some great analysis on the massive missile attack on Ukraine by Russia.
Second great piece on the strategy of Russia’s missile attacks. And what the chances are of those working. (Free article.)
Ukraine, Stalled on the Front, Steps Up Sabotage, Targeting Trains (gift link to New York Times article)
The saboteurs managed to place four explosives on a Russian freight train carrying diesel and jet fuel, roughly 3,000 miles from the Ukrainian border. But more important than the destruction of the train, Ukrainian intelligence officials said, was the timing of the blast.
They needed it to blow up as the 50 rail cars were traveling through the nine-mile-long tunnel through the Severomuysky mountains, the longest train tunnel in Russia.
The Ukrainians were hoping to compromise a vital conduit for weapons being shipped to Russia from North Korea, at a moment when Ukrainian forces on the front are struggling to stave off relentless Russian assaults. Trains can be replaced and tracks quickly repaired. But serious damage to this tunnel, which took decades to build, might not be so easy to fix.\
China news:
Taiwan reports China sent 4 suspected spy balloons over the island
By The Associated Press
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said that China sent four balloons over the island, three of which passed near a key air force base.
The reported incursions on Tuesday come as China has been upping its threat to use force to annex the self-governing republic.
Taiwan is holding elections for its president and legislature on Jan. 13, and China has used its military, diplomatic and economic power to influence voters to back candidates favoring unification between the sides. Despite that, the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party is leading in most polls, reaffirming the electorate’s backing for the status of de-facto independence from mainland China.
Motivation and wisdom:
That’s it for this edition.
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.
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 1-4-23. (Includes video.)