For review: 1. Russia and Ukraine Istanbul Talks Last Under 2 Hours with Large Prisoner Exchange Agreement and Consensus to Meet Again. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the POW swap as a “confidence-building measure” and said the parties had agreed in principle to meet again. 2. US President Donald Trump says he will be speaking to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday about ending the war in Ukraine, saying the call would be about "stopping the 'bloodbath'". The President said the ...
May 17, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 463
For review: 1. President Trump on Last Leg of Middle East Visit. 2. Despite No President Putin- Russia & Ukraine Delegations Still to Meet on16 May. 3. US Army's First Unit Fielded with FLRAA will be 101st Airborne Division. 4. US Army High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) aircraft procurement down to 6 systems instead of 12, as originally thought. Last year, the Sierra Nevada Corporation won an Army contract to integrate a suite of capabilities onto the Bombardier Global 6...
May 16, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 462
For review: 1. Russia - Ukraine Talks in Istanbul Thursday: Will Russian President Attend? In what may have been a surprise for the Russian leader, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy responded by accepting the invitation, saying he was ready to meet Putin in Turkey on 15 May. 2. President Trump said he might take a detour during his Mideast trip to visit Turkey for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on 15 May. 3. Calm in Kashmir Border Region as Ceasefire Holds. Indian and Pakistani author...
May 13, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 461
For review: 1. Ukraine Agrees to Direct Talks with Russia in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would agree to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump told him immediately to accept Putin's proposal of direct talks. 2. India & Pakistan Ceasefire. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire Saturday after US-led talks to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades, but they accus...
May 12, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 460
For review: 1. Israeli Defense Minister (Israel Katz) warned Iran of consequences for sponsorship of Houthi Rebels. Defense Minster Katz: “I also warn the Iranian leadership that funds, arms and operates the Houthi terror organization… You are directly responsible. What we did to Hezbollah in Beirut, Hamas in Gaza, to Assad in Damascus and the Houthis in Yemen, will also be done to you in Tehran.” 2. IRGC General Threatens to "open the gates of hell" if US & Israel Attack Iran. IRCG Chief Ho...
May 10, 2025•26 min
For review: 1. US President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday that he is seeking to “blow up” Iran’s nuclear centrifuges through an agreement with Tehran, but is also prepared to blow them up in an attack if necessary. 2. UAE Facilitates Indirect Security Talks Between Israel & Syria. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday confirmed that his country was currently taking part in indirect talks with Israel. Reports earlier in the day said that the United Arab Emirates had facilitated a b...
May 09, 2025•24 min
1. IDF Airstrikes Disable Sanaa International Airport. Dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft were involved in the strikes on Yemen on Tuesday, including fighter jets, refuelers, and spy planes. The IDF said the fighter jets dropped 50 munitions on the targets. 2. President Trump Announces Truce with Houthis; Halts Bombing in Yemen. Oman revealed that it had mediated the ceasefire deal under which neither side will target the other, including US vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. 3. ...
May 07, 2025•25 min•Ep. 457
For review: 1. Israeli PM Vows Retaliation Against Iran & Houthis for Airport Missile Strike. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to retaliate against the Houthis in Yemen and to act against “their patron” Iran, hours after the rebel group struck Ben Gurion Airport with a ballistic missile. 2. President Trump said in an interview aired Sunday that the aim of his administration’s nuclear talks with Iran is to achieve “total dismantlement” of Tehran’s nuclear program, but that he...
May 05, 2025•30 min•Ep. 456
For review: 1. Update on Israel wildfires. 2. Israel Strikes Damascus in Message to Syrian Regime. Israel conducted airstrikes early on Friday near Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s official residential compound in Damascus in response to violence in Syria against the country’s Druze minority, the Israel Defense Forces said. 3. Lebanon has warned Hamas not to conduct operations that compromise the country’s security or sovereignty, Beirut’s Supreme Defense Council said on Friday. 4. Reuters articl...
May 03, 2025•29 min•Ep. 455
For review: 1. Israel seeks international aid in fighting wildfires across the country. A statement from Israel's Foreign Ministry said the minister had spoken with the foreign ministers of the UK, France, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, and other unspecified countries. 2. IDF's Drone Strike "Message" Supports Syrian Druze Community. Joint Statement from Israel's PM and Defense Minster: “Israel will not allow harm to the Druze community in Syria, out of...
May 01, 2025•24 min•Ep. 454
For review: 1. Iran Port Blast Caused by "Negligence". Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said Monday that a deadly explosion at the country’s largest commercial port two days earlier was caused by “negligence” and failure to comply with safety measures. 2. An Israeli official said Monday that there is “no chance” Israel would accept the five-year truce proposal with the Hamas terror group that is currently being discussed by Arab mediators. 3. Russian President Announces Ceasefire from 8-...
Apr 29, 2025•20 min•Ep. 453
For review: 1. Iranian MP Blames Israel for Port Explosion. MP Mohammad Siraj: “Israel was involved in the explosion. It was not accidental. Clear evidence points to Israeli involvement.” Israel’s leadership has not commented on the blast. 2. IDF strikes missile warehouse in Beirut suburbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement that missiles stored in the Lebanese capital “posed a significant threat to Israel.” 3. US continues to fac...
Apr 28, 2025•23 min•Ep. 452
For review: 1. IDF strikes Hamas command center in Northern Gaza. 2. From interview with Time Magazine: US President Trump said he would not be dragged by Prime Minister Netanyahu into war with Iran, but vowed Washington could instead “be leading the pack” if diplomacy were to fail. 3. President Trump: Russia & Ukraine Close to a Deal. 4. Estonia to Achieve Over 5% GDP on Defense Spending. 5. Spain to Meet NATO Goal of 2% GDP Defense Spending in 2025. 6. Netherlands increases defense budget ...
Apr 26, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 451
For review: 1. Houthi rebels have downed 6 MQ-9 Reaper Drones since 15 March, and 15 Reapers since October 2023. The U.S. Air Force has about 280 Reapers in its inventory, each costing about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. 2. Iran Fortifies Nuclear Sites. Commercial satellite images taken on March 29 showed hardened entrances to (nuclear) complexes beneath Mt. Kolang Gaz La. 3. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday told Hamas to release hostages...
Apr 24, 2025•25 min•Ep. 450
For review: 1. Latest US airstrikes target Farwa neighborhood in Sanaa. US Central Command declined to answer questions about the strike. 2. Israeli Air Force conducts drills that simulate Iranian missile attack on IAF bases. IAF bases were targeted in previous Iranian strikes in April and October 2024. 3. IDF Ground Operations in Rafah Continue. The IDF has not only cut off Rafah from Khan Younis overground, but also located two major Hamas tunnels connecting the two cities. 4. IDF experimentin...
Apr 22, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 449
For review: 1. US Strikes Houthi Oil Terminal. The US military said it had destroyed Ras Isa terminal "to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue". 2. WSJ Report: Anti-Houthi militias are planning ground offensive against the terror organization. American officials said the United States is “open to supporting a ground operation by local forces” but “a decision on whether to back the effort hasn’t been made yet.” 3. US & Iran Me...
Apr 20, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 448
For review: 1. NYT Report: President Trump Suspended Attack on Iranian Nuclear Sites Planned for May. 2. IDF continues pressure on Hamas during Gaza Strip operations with three Divisions. No deadline for major offensive yet. 3. US Secretary of State Traveling to Paris to Discuss Ukraine & Middle East. Separately, on Thursday, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu will travel to Washington to meet with his counterpart, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. 4. Russian President Vladimir Put...
Apr 17, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 447
For review: 1. President Trump On Iran's Nuclear Ambition: "I'll solve that problem." US President Donald Trump vowed Monday to “solve” the issue of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, even if it means taking “very harsh” actions to thwart them. 2. Israel - Hams Hostage Negotiations. The Haaretz daily, citing Palestinian sources involved in the talks, reported that Cairo and Doha are working with the US toward a potential additional stage of the ceasefire-hostage release deal reached in January that would...
Apr 15, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 446
For review: 1. US & Iran Talks in Oman: "Productive and Positive". Both countries agreed to hold a second round next week. 2. Rafah cut-off from rest of Gaza between two IDF Security Corridors. The IDF said Rafah was now surrounded by its forces, with the 36th Division holding the Morag Corridor and the Gaza Division operating in the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border area. 3. US Envoy Steve Witkoff met in St. Petersburg with Russian President Putin for more than 4 hours on Fri...
Apr 13, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 445
For review: 1. Aircraft Carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) Arrives in CENTCOM AOR. The USS Carl Vinson — which is armed with F-35C stealth warplanes — is now working alongside the USS Harry S. Truman in the region, US Central Command says. 2. The Commander of Iran’s Army Ground Force revealed plans to set up the new unmanned-focused facilities in country's border regions. 3. Israeli and Turkish Delegations Meet in Azerbaijan to Discuss Syria Deconfliction. 4. France and UK Co-lead "Coalition of th...
Apr 11, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 444
For review: 1. US DoD: No Plans to Relinquish NATO SACEUR Post. The Pentagon does not have plans to relinquish the post of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), said Katherine Thompson, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. 2. Suspected US airstrikes pounded the area around Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeida on Tuesday night. 3. US and Iran Nuclear Talks in Oman. Negotiations are to be mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi and led by Iran’s ...
Apr 09, 2025•25 min•Season 1Ep. 443
For review: 1. Iran willing to engage in dialogue with US as equals. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian: “The Islamic Republic of Iran wants dialogue on equal footing.” 2. US Sends 2d THAAD Battery to Israel. The THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, is an advanced anti-missile system- capable of hitting targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles). 3. Norway plans to nearly double its fleet of self-propelled artillery, proposing to buy an additional 24 K9 Thunder howi...
Apr 07, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 442
For review: 1. US CENTCOM Commander Visits Israel. General Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), held an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF said Thursday. 2. UK Telegraph Newspaper Report: Iran has reportedly ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen and is pulling back its support for the Houthis amid extensive US airstrikes on the rebel group. 3. Russian Envoy: "Some (Ukrainian) security guarantees, in some form, may be acceptable." Ru...
Apr 05, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 441
For review: 1. US Army identifies the four Dogface Soldiers (3d Infantry Division) who perished during training exercise in Lithuania. All assigned to the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, they were identified as: Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez; Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco; Pfc. Dante D. Taitano; and Staff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins. 2. US Sends More F-35s to CENTCOM. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dispatched the extra air wing of F-35 fighters to Jordan. 3. IDF Creates New Securi...
Apr 03, 2025•27 min•Ep. 440
For review: 1. US President Trump threatens Iran with bombing and tariffs over nuclear program. If they (Iran) don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” President Trump said in a telephone interview. “It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.” 2. In response to US President Trump's threat of bombing and tariffs, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday the US would receive a strong blow if it acts on President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb unless Tehr...
Apr 01, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 439
For review: 1. US Continues Strikes Against Houthis. Suspected U.S. airstrikes pounded Yemen overnight into Saturday, as the American military acknowledged earlier bombing a major military site in the heart of Sanaa controlled by the Houthi rebels. 2. Israel receives Hamas Hostage proposal from mediators and returns counterproposal. The Israeli statement came after media reports on Saturday said Hamas had agreed to an Egyptian proposal to release five living hostages in exchange for a 50-day cea...
Mar 30, 2025•22 min•Season 1Ep. 438
For review: 1. Hamas open to negotiate release of small number of Hostages for a truce during Eid al-Fitr holiday period. The Kan public broadcaster acknowledged that it was still unclear what Hamas will ask in return for those it releases, though it did say that the freed hostages would include American-Israeli IDF lone soldier Edan Alexander. 2. Iran: US Bases not safe if Americans attack. Tehran would strike US bases in the region if Washington follows through on its warning of military conse...
Mar 29, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 437
For review: 1. US Airstrikes on Houthi Rebels Continue. The Houthis described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government. 2. IDF strikes over 100 white pickup trucks used by Hamas during the 07 October attack as well as propaganda ceremonies for the release of Israeli Hostages. 3. Iran Open to "Indirect Tal...
Mar 25, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 436
For review: 1. Senior Hamas Political Official killed during IDF Gaza Strike. Ismail Barhoum, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, was killed on Sunday evening in a targeted Israeli airstrike on a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement hailed the killing of Barhoum, saying he was “the new Hamas prime minister in Gaza, who replaced Issam Da'alis, the previous prime minister who was eliminated a few days ago.” 2. Iran Deploys Missile System...
Mar 24, 2025•21 min•Season 1Ep. 435
For review: 1. Boeing Wins USAF Next-Gen Air Dominance Fighter (F-47). Boeing has won the contract to develop the first ever sixth-generation fighter, dubbed the F-47, President Donald Trump announced today. The fighter will be expected to operate with the service’s forthcoming fleet of drone wingmen known as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Anduril are in competition for the separate CCA contract. 2. US Sec Def Extends USN Carrier USS Harry Truman (C...
Mar 22, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 434
