Roughly 10,000 more U.S. sailors and Marines are headed for the Middle East with the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Makin Island, as the buildup around Iran grows.
MIKE DROP NEWSROOM | 21 OCTOBER 2026
The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious group, with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are headed for the Middle East and expected by the end of November, joining the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington. Mike Ritland breaks down what the added carrier and amphibious package signal to Iran, what a Marine Expeditionary Unit brings that air power can't, and why any move toward troops on the ground would change the cost of this war.
Also covered: Iran keeps hitting ships in Hormuz even as Gulf oil exports climb back above pre-war levels, why oil is still over $100 a barrel, the administration's shift on Russia and Ukraine, and reports that Elon Musk pushed to slow the military version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on.
Will resumed strikes on Iran bring oil prices down, or push them higher? Tell us in the comments.
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00:00 10,000 more sailors and Marines head toward Iran
01:40 What a Marine Expeditionary Unit adds
02:55 Why troops on the ground change everything
04:10 Headlines vs. opinions
05:50 Iran keeps hitting ships, but more oil gets out
06:40 Why oil is still over $100
08:20 Can strikes bring prices down?
09:35 The shift on Russia and Ukraine
10:50 Musk and the Starlink slowdown
12:55 The U.S., Russia and China at one table
14:35 Gas prices and how Americans vote
15:50 Your take
