Wounded by Iran, Then Left on Their Own | Mike Drop Newsroom

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 06 OCTOBER 2026The biggest story today wasn't on either front page. Mike pulls in an AP report: soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strikes say the military's medical system failed them. One soldier had a damaged artery that put him at risk of a stroke. He was sent to barracks and told to schedule outpatient appointments. Another waited more than four months for MRI results after having shrapnel removed from his head.

Also in today's papers: Saudi and Yemeni forces are pushing back against the Houthis around the Red Sea port of Mokha. Germany and France are pushing the EU to get tough on Chinese trade. The FBI arrested a California woman accused of acting as an unregistered agent of China. Russia is investigating a death at a Siberian infectious disease lab. Brazil's right wing had a surprise surge. Superpowers are racing to put nuclear reactors on the moon. High interest rates haven't slowed the AI boom. And the DOJ is tightening visa screening for birth tourism.

Mike's take: if you send troops to fight, you'd better be ready to take care of them when they're wounded, no matter which administration you are. He knows what waiting looks like. After a collarbone and bicep injury, the VA took so long to get him an MRI that surgery was no longer an option. On the Houthis, he says decades of U.S. involvement haven't worked, and he wonders whether pulling out completely would force Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the rest of the region to step up. On AI's energy demand, he makes the case for small regional nuclear reactors. On birthright citizenship, he doesn't think children of people here illegally or on temporary visas should become citizens automatically, and he invites anyone who disagrees to change his mind.

Your turn. If you've been wounded or injured in service, how was your care? Would pulling out of the Middle East make the region step up, or would it be a disaster? Tell us in the comments. Mike reads them.

Timestamps

0:00 Happy Tuesday

0:25 Germany and France push the EU to get tough on China

1:05 Saudi forces push back the Houthis

2:55 Why Iran is still flexing

3:45 Would pulling out force the region to step up?

6:30 FBI arrests an alleged Chinese agent

6:55 A death at a Siberian infectious disease lab