On today’s episode, Andy sits down with investigative journalist Stefano Ritondale (@AllSourceNews) to discuss recent U.S. military strikes on drug boats off Venezuela’s coast. Intelligence for these operations reportedly came from Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who recently cooperated with U.S. authorities. Stefano, who covers Latin American organized crime and U.S. foreign policy, explains the implications of relying on cartel sources for critical intelligence and the connections between Venezuelan and Mexican drug networks. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Marek Health Take control of your health today! Head to https://www.MarekHealth.com and use code FOCALPOINT for 10% off at checkout. AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and CIA targeter Sarah Adams discuss Australia’s decision to formally recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly this September. They explore the conditions tied to recognition, Israel’s sharp response, and the domestic political calculations driving Canberra’s move. The conversation then turns to the bigger question of how growing international momentum toward Palestinian statehood could reshape U.S. policy in the Middle East, challenging Washington to balance its historic support for Israel with mounting global calls for a two-state solution. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Marek Health Take control of your health today! Head to https://www.MarekHealth.com and use code FOCALPOINT for 10% off at checkout. AmmoSquared (megaphone only) Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and former Green Beret and CIA operative Scott Mann break down reports that the Trump administration is working with Palantir to build a centralized citizen database. With critics from all sides warning of authoritarian overreach, they explore what this means for privacy, national security, and the future of civil liberties in America. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: Marek Health Take control of your health today! Head to https://www.MarekHealth.com and use code FOCALPOINT for 10% off at checkout. AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and Bryan Callen discuss President Donald Trump’s announcement of new weapons support for Ukraine through NATO allies and his warning of secondary sanctions and 100 percent tariffs on countries purchasing Russian exports. They examine what this shift means for the ongoing conflict, how NATO is responding, and why some in Ukraine remain cautious. The episode also looks at the broader implications of Trump's 50-day deadline for a peace deal and the reactions from both Russia and Ukraine. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: Marek Health Take control of your health today! Head to https://www.MarekHealth.com and use code FOCALPOINT for 10% off at checkout. AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and Bryan Callen discuss growing frustration inside Trump’s base over the Epstein case. The DOJ now claims no client list exists, despite past statements from Attorney General Pam Bondi. As figures like Elon Musk, Megyn Kelly, and Steve Bannon call for answers, Trump dismisses the controversy as political distraction. Andy and Bryan unpack the backlash, the shifting narrative, and what this means for trust and accountability Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: Take control of your health today! Head to MarekHealth.com and use code FOCALPOINT for 10% off at checkout. AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and Katarina Szulc, investigative journalist and host of Borderland Dispatches, break down the violent civil war erupting within Mexico’s powerful Sinaloa cartel. As El Chapo’s sons battle rival factions and reportedly align with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the fallout is reaching far beyond Mexico’s borders. With fentanyl production under pressure, Canada has become a new frontline in the cartels’ transnational expansion — and a rising hotspot for trafficking, violence, and infiltration. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsor: AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chinese nationals were recently caught smuggling dangerous pathogens into the United States. What other threats are slipping through?Mike Baker and Andy Stumpf discuss the reality of a counterintelligence emergency. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original SUBSCRIBE ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0y9k9Nd3WInD0oDrMKdELb SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/focal-point/id1768333300 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode, Andy and Sarah Adams examine the case of Joseph Neumayer, a dual U.S.-German citizen arrested after allegedly attempting to firebomb the former U.S. Embassy site in Tel Aviv. Following his deportation by Israeli authorities, Neumayer was taken into custody at JFK Airport and now faces federal charges. Officials say he carried Molotov cocktails and made threats on social media directed at the United States, American citizens, and former President Trump. We outline the known timeline of events, review statements from the Department of Justice, and discuss how this case fits into broader concerns about security threats. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: AmmoSquared Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Focal Point, Andy is joined by Sarah Adams—a former CIA targeting officer and co-author of Benghazi: Know Thy Enemy. They unpack a new threat landscape as suspected terrorist encounters drop at the southern border but spike at the U.S.-Canada line. With over 140 arrests at northern ports of entry this year, they examine what’s driving the shift, the rise in fentanyl smuggling through Canada, and how U.S. security strategy must adapt. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and Bryan Callen discuss the State Department’s dramatic plan to cut 15% of its U.S. staff and shut down over 130 offices—a move Secretary of State Marco Rubio says is essential to modernize a bloated bureaucracy. But will this shakeup strengthen America’s diplomatic edge or leave it exposed on the global stage? Then, the guys dive into the tariff transparency debate, as Amazon pushes back against claims it will display import fees alongside product prices. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode, Andy and Bryan Callen examine how the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has expanded beyond undocumented immigrants to include legal residents, foreign tourists, and even students. From the arrest of a Georgetown professor to the detention of German visitors, critics say these actions weaponize immigration law to suppress political dissent, particularly around pro-Palestinian activism. Officials call it "enhanced vetting" for national security; opponents warn it erodes free speech and sets a dangerous precedent. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Watch Change Agents: Black Project, a 4 part mini series, weekly on Tuesdays or Binge all 4 episodes of now by becoming a member on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmK3k1U3D3fqPZWcnAaa-Vg/join. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and Bryan Callen discuss President Trump’s executive order to begin dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. While he can't shut it down without Congress, this move shifts key functions like Pell Grants and school funding to other agencies. Supporters argue it returns power to the states, while critics warn of potential fallout for students and low-income communities. What happens next? Who stands to gain or lose? Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Coming Soon - Change Agents: Black Project Follow @thisisironclad for updates! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode, Andy and former CIA officer Mike Baker discuss President Trump's decision to ease restrictions on U.S. military raids and airstrikes. Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-eases-rules-military-raids-airstrikes-targets/ Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy is joined by former CIA officer and global intelligence expert Mike Baker to break down the Trump administration’s shocking decision to suspend all U.S. military aid to Ukraine. They dive into the heated Oval Office meeting on February 28, 2025, where President Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over rare earth minerals—an argument that ultimately led to the abrupt halt of critical military support just days later. (SOURCE) Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode of Focal Point, Andy and Vince dive into Sen. Ted Cruz’s reintroduced bill, The Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act, which would make "failure to yield to a Border Patrol agent" a serious felony. The bill would impose strict penalties, including permanent inadmissibility to the U.S. for undocumented immigrants who flee Border Patrol, up to 20 years in prison if an agent is injured, and a potential life sentence if an agent is killed. Andy and Vince break down whether this legislation is enforceable, its potential impact on border security, and whether it can truly help protect agents on the ground. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
PRODUCER'S NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, "a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed that 177 migrants had been deported from the Guantánamo Bay detention site. The move on Thursday came days after human rights lawyers filed a lawsuit seeking access to dozens of people who had been held at the US naval base ... they are set to be transferred on to Venezuela, apparently emptying the military facility of migrant detainees." SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/20/deportation-venezuelans-guantanamo-bay-honduras On today’s episode, Andy Stumpf and Borderland host Vince Vargas discuss the new executive order expanding a 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay, what people get wrong about asylum policy, deportations, and more. You can watch Tom Homan and Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's exchange discussed in the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW86at7EgD4 ORIGINAL SOURCES: https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/nonviolent-low-risk-migrants-guantanamo-bay/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/guantanamo-bay-migrants-trump/ Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On this episode of Focal Point, Andy Stumpf and Borderland host/Border Patrol vet. Vince “Rocco” Vargas discuss the recent confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard as the new Director of National Intelligence. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today’s episode, Andy and Bryan Callen discuss the recent U.S. regulations restricting investment in China’s AI, semiconductor, and advanced technology sectors. These measures come as China continues to advance its military AI capabilities, including unmanned combat systems like drones and missile boats. They also cover the unveiling of China's new AI platform, “DeepSeek,” and its immediate impact on the global tech market. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode, Andy Stumpf and Bryan Callen examine the Pentagon's decision to deploy 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. With 2,500 National Guard and Reserve troops already in place, they explore the legal and logistical implications of this decision by President Trump. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today on Focal Point, Bryan Callen and Andy Stumpf discuss the Robert Kennedy Jr. confirmation hearings as he seeks to become the new head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Focal Point is an IRONCLAD Original Watch Borderland: Narcosis starting on Monday 2/3/25 everywhere you get your podcasts and on Youtube @thisisironclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices