America Is Leaving Iraq. Was It Worth It? | A Navy SEAL Who Was There

MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 01 OCTOBER 2026

Both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times led with the same two stories today.

The first: after more than 23 years and $1.7 trillion, the U.S. has closed its last major military base in Iraq, ending what critics call America's forever war there. The second: on FlyDubai Flight 1073, a pilot stabbed the other pilot and tried to hijack the plane, sending it into a terrifying nosedive before passengers and crew subdued him. Also in today's papers: Iran is linked to a foiled attack on a British air base that houses American troops, the Pentagon is creating a new command for autonomous warfare, and BMW plans to use AI to shrink its workforce.

Mike's take: as someone who served in Iraq and lost brothers there, he asks the hard question: was it worth it? He argues that toppling Saddam removed the one force keeping Iran in check. That opened a power vacuum that fueled ISIS, emboldened Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and set off a refugee crisis that has reshaped countries around the world. Twenty-three years later, he thinks Iraq may be worse off than before, and he admits he doesn't see a good way forward. On the hijacking, he looks back at the 1980s hijacking he watched unfold as a kid and asks how anyone stops an attacker who's already in the cockpit.

Mike doesn't have the answer on Iraq, so he wants yours. Was it worth it? What should the U.S. do now? And how would you stop a pilot-turned-hijacker?

Tell us in the comments. Mike reads them.

Timestamps

0:00 Happy October

0:25 Same two stories in both papers

1:15 The Times' weather report (a tangent)

2:30 Pilot hijacks FlyDubai Flight 1073

4:35 The 1980s hijacking Mike never forgot

6:15 The U.S. leaves Iraq

7:05 Was it worth it?

8:20 Saddam, Iran and the power vacuum

10:00 Iran's proxies and the IED war

10:50 The refugee crisis no one talks about

12:30 Is Iraq worse off now?

14:35 No good options

15:25 BMW using AI to cut jobs

16:15 Iran linked to foiled attack on a British air base

17:30 Pentagon's new autonomous warfare command

18:20 Senate Republicans' late push on cost of living

19:10 Iran's stranded oil tankers

19:35 Mexico cracks down on cartel money laundering

20:00 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.