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Last time we spoke about the Hubei-Henan Campaign of 1940-1941. In November 1940, a Central Hubei operation using multiple task forces aimed to exploit Chinese dispersal, achieving only local successes and no lasting territorial gains. The Japanese then tried again in late January 1941 with a major offensive into southern Henan. Despite concentrating a large force, the campaign failed strategically. After the Henan failure, Japan attempted to regain momentum in spring 1941 by attacking western Hubei around Yichang on the Yangtze. Despite an initial barrage and rapid early gains, Japanese forces became exposed in a narrow salient. The Chinese reorganized their river defenses and launched a converging counteroffensive, driving the invaders back and ending the engagement where it began, with the Japanese suffering heavy casualties and their westward push thwarted.   #206 The Battle of Shanggao Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. The year 1940 had brought a particular humiliation. In August of that year, Communist General Peng Dehuai had launched the Hundred Regiments Offensive — a massive, coordinated assault across North China that shattered Japanese rail and supply lines, embarrassed Imperial General Headquarters, and demonstrated that the Chinese were far from finished. Japan's response had been brutal, the infamous "Three Alls" campaign of reprisals across the countryside. But the damage had been done, and the attention of Imperial General Headquarters shifted northward. The autumn of 1940 had also seen the First Battle of Changsha, where the Japanese 11th Army under General Sonobe Yahachirō pushed south into Hunan Province expecting to overwhelm the Chinese defenders and finally deal a decisive blow to Chiang Kai-shek's armies. Instead, General Xue Yue — the "Tiger of Changsha" — had allowed the Japanese to advance deep into his prepared killing ground before counterattacking from multiple directions. The Japanese had been forced to retreat in disorder, and the front in Hunan and Jiangxi settled once again into sullen stalemate. It was in this atmosphere of frustrated ambition and strategic inertia that the seeds of Shanggao were sown. By February 1941, Imperial General Headquarters had decided to redeploy the 33rd Division — then garrisoned in the town of Anyi, in northwestern Jiangxi — to North China. The transfer was scheduled to begin in early April, and it made strategic sense: the north required reinforcement, and the front in Jiangxi had been quiet enough that one division could be spared. The problem was that the 33rd Division's departure would leave a gap in Japanese dispositions, and no significant offensive operation had yet been conducted to weaken the Chinese forces that would be left facing a thinned-out Japanese line. Lieutenant General Ōga Shigeru, the energetic commander of the Japanese 34th Division, saw opportunity in the window that existed before the 33rd departed. His division was concentrated around Xishan and Wanshou Palace, astride the Xiang–Gan Highway — the main road running westward through Jiangxi — and across that highway lay the town of Shanggao and the Chinese forces defending it. Ōga proposed exploiting the presence of both divisions for a coordinated strike: a sharp, limited offensive to crush Chinese field forces around Nanchang and the Jiangxi interior before the 33rd Division's train north. The 11th Army headquarters, now commanded by General Marube, endorsed a cautious concept — a "quick strike" with limited objectives. But the 34th Division's staff, energized by Ōga's ambition, had already run well ahead of this guidance. Large-scale requisitioning of coolies for logistics was underway; training exercises aimed at the specific terrain around Shanggao had been conducted; planning had progressed in far more detail than a "limited" operation warranted. This eagerness would prove to be the Japanese undoing before the first shot was fired. Chinese intelligence networks, always attentive to the movement of porters and the telltale preparations that preceded a Japanese offensive, quickly detected the scale of these preparations and reported them to General Luo Zhuoying, commander of the Chinese 19th Army Group. By the time the Japanese columns were forming up to march, Luo had already hardened his defenses and laid the groundwork for a trap. General Luo Zhuoying was not a passive commander. He served simultaneously as commander of the 19th Army Group and as Deputy Commander of the 9th War Zone — the latter post placing him directly under General Xue Yue, the victor of Changsha. Luo had spent the lull after Changsha doing what Chinese commanders across the theater had learned was essential: reorganizing, retraining, and above all improving the defensive architecture of his sector. The plan Luo devised for meeting the anticipated Japanese offensive was elegant in its simplicity and demanding in its execution. Rather than contesting the Japanese advance at the frontier, he would allow the enemy to push westward, yielding ground through three successive defensive lines while bleeding the attackers at every step. The first and second lines would slow the Japanese, exact casualties, and stretch their logistics. The third line — anchored at Shanggao itself — would be the killing ground. There, the Chinese forces would hold fast while other formations swung around the Japanese flanks and rear to close the encirclement. The Japanese, having marched deep into Chinese-held territory with their supply lines thinning and their flanks exposed, would find themselves surrounded rather than victorious. For this plan to work, each Chinese formation had to perform its role with discipline. The 70th Corps, deployed in the north along the arc from Shitou Street through Fengxin to Jing'an, would have to conduct a controlled fighting retreat — yielding ground but making the Japanese pay for it, never breaking and running. The 49th Corps would hold the southern flank and create conditions for flanking action. And the 74th Corps — General Wang Yaowu's elite formation, comprising the 51st, 57th, and 58th Divisions — would hold the final line at Shanggao and serve as the anvil upon which the Japanese advance would shatter. The 74th Corps was by 1941 one of the most battle-hardened formations in the Nationalist Army. It had fought at Shanghai in 1937, at Wuhan in 1938, and in the hills and valleys of Jiangxi through the years since. Its men knew the terrain around Shanggao. They had prepared positions in depth, studied the approaches, and rehearsed the defensive plan Luo had designed. When the Japanese came, they would be ready. Against the Chinese 70,000 — distributed across eleven divisions in four corps, with additional provincial security forces for local coverage — the Japanese would throw roughly 20,000 men: three major formations advancing in coordinated columns. The disparity in numbers was stark, but the Japanese had the advantages of offensive initiative, air superiority, and the formidable fighting quality that the Imperial Army had demonstrated throughout the war in China. The question was whether those advantages would be enough to overcome a prepared defense wielded by a commander who had invited the attack. The operational plan devised by the Japanese 11th Army called for three columns to converge simultaneously on Shanggao from north, center, and south — a classic encirclement concept that, if executed with precision, would catch the Chinese defenders in a tightening vice. In the north, the main force of the 33rd Division under Lieutenant General Sakurai Shōzō would drive westward from its bases around Anyi and Ganzhoujie, descending the Liao River valley to threaten the Chinese right flank and prevent the 70th Corps from interfering with operations in the center.In the center, Ōga's 34th Division would advance along the Xiang–Gan Highway — the direct route from Nanchang toward Shanggao — capturing the town of Gao'an along the way and pressing relentlessly westward until it reached the main defensive positions. This was the principal striking force, the column designed to crack open the Chinese defenses and seize the objective.In the south, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade under Major General Ikeda would cross the Jin River and advance along its south bank, eventually swinging north to link up with the 34th Division and complete the encirclement of whatever Chinese forces remained in the Shanggao area. The plan was coherent on paper. But it contained a structural flaw so serious that, in retrospect, it is difficult to understand how the 11th Army's staff allowed it to proceed uncorrected. The success of any converging operation depends on synchronization — on each column hitting its objectives on schedule and maintaining communication with the others so that each can react to developments on the other prongs. Yet the 11th Army headquarters made no recorded effort to coordinate the 33rd and 34th Divisions before the battle began. There was no forward command post established to oversee the operation. General Marube remained at Hankou, hundreds of miles to the north, throughout the battle — as remote from the fighting as a Tokyo bureaucrat. Operational decisions were left entirely to the individual divisions, with no mechanism to coordinate their actions if something went wrong. Something was going to go wrong. Luo Zhuoying had seen to that. On the morning of March 15, 1941, all three Japanese columns stepped off simultaneously, advancing into the misty hills and rice paddies of northwestern Jiangxi. In the north, Sakurai's 33rd Division moved briskly from Anyi toward Fengxin. The town fell by noon, and the division pressed westward in good order. The Japanese infantry moved confidently along the Liao River valley, experienced soldiers who had fought across China and had no particular reason to expect what was coming. The Chinese 70th Corps gave ground — as it had been ordered to — but did so on its own terms, occupying and then abandoning successive pieces of high ground along both banks of the river, making the Japanese advance uncomfortable and costly. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, the 33rd Division was being drawn forward into terrain that favored the defender. By March 18 and 19, the 33rd Division had pushed all the way to Guzhu'ao and Huamenlo — a considerable advance, but one that had taken the division far from its base at Anyi. And it was here, far from support and with flanks increasingly exposed, that the Chinese blocking forces closed in. Chinese infantry, who had been waiting in prepared positions in the high ground overlooking the river valley, launched coordinated counter-attacks that struck the 33rd Division from multiple directions. The fighting was fierce and costly. In two days of close combat, the division suffered more than 2,500 casualties — a grievous toll that represented a significant fraction of its effective strength. The northern column had been stopped dead. On March 19, Sakurai ordered the 33rd Division to reverse course. By March 23, after four days of painful withdrawal under pressure, it had pulled back to Anyi — the same place it had started. The northern prong of the Japanese offensive had accomplished nothing except the loss of thousands of men. In the south, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade had a rougher start. Its initial attempt to cross the Gan-Jin river junction at noon on March 15 was repulsed by Chinese defenders, and it was only under cover of darkness that the brigade managed to force a crossing. Once across, it moved westward along the south bank of the Jin River, but progress was slow and contested. A detachment — the Gan River Detachment — ran into fierce resistance from the 26th Division of the Chinese 49th Corps on March 19. The brigade's main body meanwhile fought its way through the 51st Division of the 74th Corps, but the 107th Division and elements of the 51st managed to contain the advance at the Laichunling–Zhutoushan line. On the night of March 20, the main body of the 20th Brigade crossed the Jin River at Huifu to link up with the 34th Division — but a portion of its troops, cut off on the south bank, was destroyed by Chinese forces. The southern column was across the Jin River, but it had taken losses and was already engaged in ways its planners had not anticipated. In the center, the 34th Division fared best in the early going. Ōga's division moved westward from Xishan along the Xiang–Gan Highway on March 16, and by the 17th had captured Gao'an — a meaningful early success. The Chinese 74th Corps, executing Luo's plan faithfully, dispatched only screening forces east of the Tangpu River to slow the Japanese advance rather than contesting it decisively. The main body of the 74th Corps fell back to the third-line positions at Sixi, Guanqiao, and Tangpu, preparing the killing ground that Luo had designated. Simultaneously, the 26th Division and most of the 105th Division from the 49th Corps were shifted across the Gan River to operate south of the Jin River on the Japanese left flank, and the 72nd Corps was ordered to maneuver on a wide envelopment around Daxia and south of Ganfang. By March 20–21, the 34th Division had pressed forward to attack the Chinese positions at Sixi and Guanqiao. Ōga's men were confident — they had taken Gao'an, they were moving, and the objective of Shanggao lay within reach. But as the division pushed toward Shangjijia, it ran squarely into the 57th and 58th Divisions of the 74th Corps, fighting with a tenacity that told the Japanese plainly enough: this was where the Chinese intended to stand. The week of March 21–24 brought the battle to its crisis. The 34th Division hammered at the Chinese positions defending Shanggao itself, while on the flanks, the fighting took on a character that neither side had entirely anticipated. On March 21, General Wang Yaowu — commanding the 74th Corps from his headquarters in Shanggao — decided it was time to do more than absorb Japanese blows. He ordered General Li Tianxia to clear Japanese forces from the south bank of the Jin River and advance on Gao'an, with the aim of cutting the 34th Division's supply line and threatening its rear. It was an aggressive move, and if it had worked, it might have produced a decisive result earlier than history would record. It did not work — at least not immediately. That very evening, the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade, which had been reorganizing after the chaos of the river crossing, launched a powerful offensive at dawn on the 22nd. Li Tianxia's lead elements had barely set out from Shitou Street when they collided head-on with the main force of the 20th Brigade, which had crossed back from the north bank of the Jin River. The Japanese thrust was coordinated and aggressive: one column circled wide to attack Lazhu Mountain; another swung south of Hu Family west of Shitou Street to strike Li's division in the flank and rear; and nine aircraft with four artillery pieces bombarded the Chinese positions from north to south. Li's division could not hold against this convergent assault and fell back to the high ground southwest of Shitou Street. Wang Yaowu reacted quickly. He ordered Li's main body to wheel left to face the new threat and simultaneously dispatched the Army's Field Supplementary Regiment — held in reserve near Yintang — on a forced march to Huayang to block the Japanese westward drive. This regiment, racing down roads strafed by nine enemy aircraft, covered 15 li per hour and seized Huayang and the high ground to its northeast by around seven in the morning. By nine, the 20th Brigade arrived in strength and — supported by more than ten aircraft — launched a fierce assault on the regiment's positions. The regiment's officers and men held firm, taking heavy casualties but refusing to break. Frustrated at Huayang, the 20th Brigade shifted its effort to the Kuang Family area, linking up with over a thousand men who had crossed from Baichetou to the south bank and pushing along the river toward Xiongfang in an attempt to outflank the Chinese left wing. The Supplementary Regiment sent its 1st Battalion with a mortar company to meet this threat, and the two forces met in a fierce engagement. When the Japanese reinforced their assault and deployed incendiary bombs and poison gas, Xiongfang fell by early afternoon — but Li Tianxia immediately sent two regiments from his right flank to take it back, and by midnight the position was in Chinese hands again. Shitou Street and Jigong Ridge were simultaneously recaptured. The Independent Mixed 20th Brigade now found itself in an increasingly uncomfortable position, fighting with the Jin River at its back and the initiative slipping away. Meanwhile, the main event was being fought in the rubble and ridgelines around Shanggao itself. From March 22 to 25, the 34th Division and whatever remnants of the 20th Brigade could contribute threw themselves repeatedly at the defensive line anchored on Stone Arch Bridge, Xia Po Bridge, Xu Lou, Pan Family Bridge, Cloud Head Mountain, and Lei Family Mountain. This was not the fluid, mobile warfare that the Japanese had envisioned but brutal, grinding attritional combat for individual strongpoints and ridgelines, with positions changing hands multiple times in a single day. The Japanese air arm was deeply involved. Ōga's division had close air support that could operate even in poor weather, and Group 3 of the Japanese Air Force hammered the Chinese positions with sustained effort. On the morning of March 24, after the 34th Division fed in more than 3,000 additional troops transferred across the Jin River, the Air Force dispatched over seventy aircraft that dropped more than 1,700 bombs, largely destroying the defensive positions of Liao Lingqi's division. The Japanese exploited the resulting chaos and twice broke through gaps in the line — but were driven out each time by Chinese counterattacks. At noon, enemy aircraft bombarded in relays and Japanese infantry broke through at Xia Po Bridge. It was at this moment that Li Hanqing, commanding the Chinese infantry defense in that sector, did what officers throughout history have done when systems fail and only personal example can stem the tide: he personally led his officer cadre in repeated counter-attacks, hand-to-hand fighting in the rubble until the Japanese were finally expelled. By this point, the 34th Division's offensive capacity was nearly spent. At the same time — and this was the critical shift that would determine the battle's outcome — General Luo Zhuoying recognized that the moment to spring the trap had arrived. The northern column had already been broken and sent reeling back toward Anyi. The southern column was pinned against the Jin River with its back to the water. The central column was bled white against the defenses of Shanggao. Luo now ordered all his armies to close in from multiple directions. On the morning of March 22, he had already begun revising his orders; by noon on the 23rd, the forces of Liu Duoquan and Li Jue had occupied Shitou Street, Guanqiao Street, and Yanggong Market, pressing on Huifu and Gaoyao. The encirclement of the 34th Division was not yet complete, but its shape was unmistakably forming. By March 25, the 34th Division knew it was in mortal danger. Surrounded on three sides, its ammunition running low and its casualty lists growing by the hour, the division urgently appealed to the 11th Army for rescue. The message that arrived in Hankou was a shock. General Marube and his staff, who had remained at their distant headquarters throughout the battle without establishing a forward command post, had not properly grasped the scale of the disaster unfolding in Jiangxi. The lack of coordination between the 33rd and 34th Divisions — the structural flaw that had been built into the operation from its conception — had allowed Luo Zhuoying to defeat each column separately, and now the central column faced annihilation. The 11th Army responded in a scramble. Chief of Staff Kinoshita was dispatched by aircraft to Nanchang with Operations Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel Yamaguchi and Captain Ōne to organize a relief operation. The 33rd Division — barely recovered from its own battering in the north — was ordered to sortie immediately and fight its way to the 34th Division's relief. Sakurai organized his battered 33rd Division into three rescue columns. Infantry Brigade Commander Araki Shōji took the right column, leading Infantry Regiment 215 with one mountain artillery battalion. Infantry Regiment 214 formed the left column. The divisional commander himself led the central column with the main divisional force. On March 24 and 25, all three columns sortied from strongpoints at Niuxing, Fengxin, and other positions, attacking across the Wuqiao River and through Cunqian Street toward Tangpu and Guanqiao. The relief operation brought the battle to its most complicated moment. On the morning of March 25, the 33rd Division launched a fierce assault on the forces that Luo Zhuoying had positioned to tighten the encirclement from the north — striking Zhang Yanchuan's division at Kengkou Leng, Jiezipo, and Nancha Luo. Zhang's division, struck simultaneously from the front and rear, withdrew at dusk to near Tu Di Wang Temple, where it linked up with Tang Boyin's division. What happened next became one of the most controversial decisions of the entire battle. Zhang Yanchuan was serving as deputy army commander in the absence of Li Jue from the front. Surveying the situation — his own division under heavy pressure, the 33rd Division's relief columns pushing aggressively — Zhang concluded that the position was untenable. On his own authority, without authorization from Luo Zhuoying or any superior commander, he withdrew both his own and Tang Boyin's divisions to Fenghuang Market and Zhuangfang. The consequence was immediate and severe. The withdrawal opened a corridor through which the 33rd Division entered Guanqiao and linked up with the encircled 34th Division. An encirclement that had taken days of blood and sacrifice to construct was torn open by a single unauthorized decision. Luo Zhuoying, when he received word of Zhang's withdrawal the following morning, was furious — but he could not change what had already happened. He could only adapt. The breakout itself was an ordeal. A portion of the 34th Division that attempted to escape to the east was intercepted near Huifu by a division of the 49th Corps and lost roughly half its strength before being compelled to turn back. The main body ultimately broke out on March 27, withdrawing in march order that told its own story of disaster: headquarters, baggage, artillery, casualties, field hospital, rear guard — all moving in what the records describe as "a wretched state." On the night of March 27, Japanese troops escorting the 34th Division's field hospital — a field artillery company of the 8th Battery — were completely annihilated in a Chinese night attack. When the division reached Longtuan Xu on March 28, the stretcher-bearer column carrying the wounded stretched some seven to eight kilometers along the road. That same day, the 33rd Division's Infantry Regiment 214 finally made contact with the 34th Division's headquarters, completing what amounted to a rescue of men who had already endured their defeat. The 33rd Division's mountain artillery batteries exhausted their entire ammunition supply covering the retreat and required emergency aerial resupply drops to continue. The 34th Division limped back to its original garrison on April 2. Despite the setback caused by Zhang Yanchuan's unauthorized withdrawal, Luo Zhuoying did not abandon his design. Assessing his situation on the morning of March 26, he found reason for cautious optimism: Wang Yaowu's army was still making progress at Shanggao; the Japanese south of the Jin River had largely been cleared; and Sichuan Army and Northeastern Army units that had been moving to reinforce the battle had now reached the field, meaning Chinese forces retained significant numerical superiority. He resolved to execute a second encirclement. At nine in the morning of March 26, Luo issued strict orders: Zhang Yanchuan's and Tang Boyin's divisions were to immediately comply with their original orders and block the enemy near Guanqiao; Yu Chengwan's division was to attack northward via Pan Family Bridge; Liao Lingqi's and Song Yingzhong's divisions were to press toward Guanqiao with full force; Wang Kejun's division was to strike the enemy's flank and rear east of Guanqiao; Fu Yi's division was to advance south of Jiang Family Isle; and Chen Liangji's division was to swing southeast via Changpu to complete the enemy's destruction. The second ring was being drawn. On March 28, as the 34th Division's battered column trudged eastward toward survival, Wang Kejun's division advancing from Yanggong Market moved to intercept it. The Chinese occupied high ground north and south of Yanggong Market and along Mozi Ridge, and what followed was a grinding all-day battle that fixed the Japanese column at the Xiama Bei–Huxing Ridge line. Part of the 20th Brigade, moving up from Gao'an to assist the withdrawing 34th Division, was blocked near Long Tu Market. Liao Lingqi's division pursued the enemy rear guard to the Changling–Manmei high ground, where the fighting erupted with renewed intensity. At noon, part of Li Tianxia's division arrived and deployed along the Shangluoxiang–Shanyuan–Fangtounao line to harass the Japanese right flank; part of Yu Chengwan's division reached Longxing Mountain and outflanked Guanqiao Street from the south. The surviving Japanese defenders in Guanqiao withdrew into the town for a last stand, and after Liao's division pressed the assault, street fighting raged until five in the afternoon, when over 600 defenders were annihilated. Over 2,000 troops of the Independent Mixed 20th Brigade conducted a fighting withdrawal from Long Tu Market and Yanggong Market, covered by Japanese aircraft bombing to shield the 34th Division's retreat. By noon on March 30, the Japanese had abandoned both strongpoints and scattered northeastward. One group of over 600 men fled directly into the main positions of Zhang Yanchuan's division — an ironic fate, given Zhang's earlier withdrawal — and were largely annihilated. The encircling forces had been essentially dispersed, and the two pursuit columns now pressed forward under the overall direction of General Xue Yue, who had assumed personal coordination of the chase. On March 27, Luo Zhuoying — confident that victory was secured — issued a general order for a final offensive and announced substantial cash rewards to his troops: prizes offered for the capture of Japanese officers, artillery pieces, regimental colors, and other materiel. The rewards were both a practical incentive and a mark of how far the battle had tipped. By midnight on March 31, Chen Hongshi's advance column had recovered Gao'an; Wang Tiehan's division had recovered Xiangfu Guan. On April 2, the divisions of Zhang Yanchuan and Song Yingzhong recovered Fengxin; that afternoon Wang Tiehan's division took back Xishan and Wanshou Palace — the very base from which the 34th Division had launched its offensive. By April 3, the pursuing armies had reached the vicinity of Dacheng and Ganzhoujie. On April 8 and 9, the 70th Corps recovered the outpost strongpoints around Anyi before halting operations. The Japanese had retreated into their original positions and were defending from prepared terrain. The pursuit was over. The Battle of Shanggao had lasted nineteen days and nights. No battle of the Second Sino-Japanese War was ever free of the fog of competing claims, and Shanggao was no exception. On March 29, before the pursuit had even concluded, Luo Zhuoying telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek with his accounting of the victory. His numbers were dramatic: Major General Iwanaga, the Japanese infantry commander, killed; regimental commander Colonel Hamada, killed; over 15,000 Japanese killed or wounded in total. Chinese losses, Luo reported, exceeded 20,000. Ten guns, over a thousand rifles, and numerous machine guns had been captured. His superior, General Xue Yue, was skeptical. In a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek on April 5, Xue reduced Luo's numbers by twenty percent, reporting 12,520 Japanese killed or wounded and 14 prisoners captured. The discrepancy between two Chinese commanders reporting on the same battle speaks to the difficulty of battlefield accounting in any era, and suggests something of the competitive pressures that shaped how Chinese commanders reported their victories to Chongqing. The official Chinese histories, compiled after the war in the History of the War of Resistance, reported approximately 15,000 Japanese killed or wounded, 17 prisoners taken, and significant quantities of captured materiel: 6 mountain guns, 1 mortar, 24 light machine guns, 408 rifles, 24 grenade launchers, and over 111,717 rounds of various ammunition. Chinese casualties, by the same records, were 17,119 killed or wounded and 2,814 missing. Japanese records for the battle do not survive — a consequence of the wholesale destruction of Imperial Army documentation at the war's end. Contemporary scholars, working from other sources, estimate actual Japanese combat losses at approximately 5,500 killed and wounded. This is substantially lower than the Chinese claims, as was nearly always the case in the war, but represents a significant defeat by any measure: roughly a quarter of the force committed, many of them veterans impossible to replace. Chiang Kai-shek subsequently awarded the victorious Chinese units a commendation prize of 150,000 yuan — a substantial sum that marked the battle's significance in Nationalist eyes. The outcome at Shanggao was not accidental. Several interlocking factors combined to produce a Chinese victory, and each deserves consideration. The most fundamental was Luo Zhuoying's defensive plan. The decision to trade space for time — to absorb the Japanese advance through three successive defensive lines rather than contest the frontier — required both tactical confidence and a willingness to accept initial setbacks that could easily be misread as defeat. Chinese forces had to give ground, and they did. They had to suffer through the early days of Japanese advance without breaking and running, drawing the enemy forward and allowing the encirclement to take shape. That they largely succeeded in executing this plan reflects the improving quality of the Nationalist Army by 1941: better trained, better led at the operational level, and — critically — equipped with a strategic design that matched the actual balance of forces. The defeat in detail of the Japanese columns was equally important. By neutralizing the 33rd Division in the north before it could contribute to the central effort, and by pinning the 20th Brigade against the Jin River with its back to the water, Luo's forces ensured that the 34th Division faced the third-line defenses essentially alone — outnumbered, overextended, and unsupported. The Japanese operational concept had been a three-pronged convergence; what actually materialized was a single exhausted division hammering at a prepared defense while two other columns were rendered ineffective. The absence of coordination within the Japanese 11th Army was a gift that kept giving throughout the battle. No forward command post. No mechanism for the divisions to adjust their operations in response to each other's situations. No ability to recognize, in real time, that the northern column was being destroyed and redirect resources accordingly. General Marube's decision to remain at Hankou while his men died in Jiangxi was not merely an administrative failure; it was an operational catastrophe. Japanese commanders acknowledged this failing explicitly after the battle, but the acknowledgment changed nothing for the dead. Zhang Yanchuan's unauthorized withdrawal — the single most consequential individual decision of the battle — ultimately prevented a complete annihilation of the 34th Division rather than affecting the battle's outcome. The 34th Division escaped; but it did so in a "wretched state," having lost enormous numbers of men and equipment. It broke out, not triumphed. The encirclement Luo had constructed was torn open, but the Japanese paid dearly for the breach. The consequences of Shanggao rippled outward in ways that shaped the subsequent course of the war in central China. The transfer of the 33rd Division to North China — the original logistical rationale for the entire operation — was delayed by the division's involvement and subsequent losses at Shanggao. When it finally arrived at the Battle of Central Plains  the following month, it did so on the eve of battle with no time for preparation or orientation, entering combat under severely disadvantaged conditions. The operation that was supposed to facilitate a smooth redeployment had instead damaged one of the two units involved and delayed the other. For the Chinese 74th Corps, Shanggao had an ironic consequence. The Japanese 11th Army, following the battle, formally designated the 74th Corps as a priority target — a "standing enemy" and directed its forces to seek out and destroy it in future operations. At the First Battle of Changsha that September, the 11th Army specifically oriented its forces against the 74th Corps, a testament to the lasting impression that corps's fierce resistance at Shanggao had made on its adversaries. The compliment of being specifically targeted by the enemy was one the 74th Corps had earned in blood at Shanggao's ridgelines and shattered bridges. More broadly, the battle was widely regarded at the time, and has been regarded since, as one of the most significant Chinese tactical victories of the first four years of the War of Resistance. Its significance lay not only in the casualties inflicted — those were contested and probably inflated in the Chinese records — but in what it demonstrated. The improving tactical and operational competence of the Nationalist Army was on display. The deliberate defense, the layered withdrawal, the coordinated encirclement — these were not the operations of an army that had been fighting desperately for survival since 1937 and had learned nothing. They were the operations of an army that had studied its defeats and adapted. Shanggao did not change the strategic situation in China. The front in Jiangxi remained where it had been; the Japanese still occupied Nanchang and the major cities; Chiang Kai-shek was still in Chongqing and the war was still far from over. But it demonstrated something important: that the Chinese Army, given capable commanders, a sound plan, and the discipline to execute it, could do more than survive Japanese offensives. It could reverse them, encircle them, and pursue them back to where they came from. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. In March–April 1940, Japanese forces attacked Shanggao with a limited, multi-pronged plan. Chinese troops used elastic defense and coordinated counter-moves, turning initial advantages into a trap. After intense fighting and air strikes, a coordinated encirclement and timely breakout routed the Japanese, forcing retreat despite their numbers in a costly battle.

All of this week's episodes of It Could Happen Here put together in one large file. - Bovino’s Visit to Europe - Idealogical Totalism with Andrew - The Globalization of Resistance with Andrew - The Arab Gulf States in the Line of Fire - Executive Disorder: Pogrom in Belfast, Trans Healthcare, Denaturalization Cases You can now listen to all Cool Zone Media shows, 100% ad-free through the Cooler Zone Media subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts. So, open your Apple Podcasts app, search for “Cooler Zone Media” and subscribe today! http://apple.co/coolerzone Sources/Links: Bovino’s Visit to Europe https://remigrationsummit.com/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/16/christchurch-shooters-links-to-austrian-far-right-more-extensive-than-thought https://www.breizh-info.com/2026/05/28/260619/gregory-bovino-lhomme-qui-a-pilote-les-operations-trump-contre-limmigration-illegale-parle-a-leurope-interview/ http://www.toddmillerwriter.com/border-patrol-nation/ https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2025/08/RE_2025.08.21_Unauthorized-Immigrants_REPORT.pdf https://www.cbp.gov/about https://www.startribune.com/fact-check-federal-officials-claims-about-fatal-minneapolis-shooting/601570444 https://youtu.be/OYIK2-pO_7Y The Arab Gulf States in the Line of Fire Andrew Leber’s profile and articles - https://carnegieendowment.org/people/andrew-leber How Palestine is linked to domestic grievances - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13510347.2022.2038567 Executive Disorder: Pogrom in Belfast, Trans Healthcare, Denaturalization Cases https://www.independent.com/2026/06/04/new-details-emerge-about-leadup-to-largest-fire-in-channel-islands-history/ https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/ice-reports-19th-death-of-2026-georgian https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.293201/gov.uscourts.mad.293201.106.0.pdf https://x.com/JacobEngels/status/2062157399255847030?s=20 https://wcca.wicourts.gov/caseDetail.html?caseNo=2026CF000289&countyNo=55&index=0&mode=details https://www.whois.com/whois/bovino2028.com https://x.com/CBSNews/status/2064422223541154065?s=20 https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2/text https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/whats-in-the-secure-america-act/ https://www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump/compromised-votes-still-being-counted-right-wing-media-promote-election-misinformation https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116690027934241490 https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28199744-dorcasopn060526/ https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-moves-strip-us-citizenship-17-naturalized-sex-offenders-fraudsters-drug https://files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-26-108886/index.html https://media.cadc.uscourts.gov/opinions/docs/2026/06/25-5087-2176040.pdf https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-landmark-resolution-end-pediatric-gender-affirming-care-and https://www.acluok.org/news/senate-bill-904-faq/ https://www.aclu.org/qa-coe-et-al-v-blanche https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-parents-say-mount-sinai-plans-to-share-trans-childrens-records-with-trump-administration https://gothamist.com/news/mamdani-admin-weighs-how-to-provide-care-for-nyc-trans-kids-amid-trump-backlash https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/06/transcript--mayor-mamdani-appears-on-wnyc-s-the-brian-lehrer-sho https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan/services/lgbtq-health-center/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/us/julio-sosa-celis-ice-minneapolis-shooting.html https://www.hennepinattorney.org/news/news/2026/May/castro-arrested https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2064457103134343170?s=20 https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/2064393192162660733?s=20 https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2064290478091067601?s=20 https://t.co/lY0s8D3jZy https://x.com/DanLamothe/status/2064336646376505687?s=20 https://x.com/Reuters/status/2064794729477447978?s=20 https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/09/europe/northern-ireland-knife-attack-belfast-intl https://bsky.app/profile/enddbelfast.bsky.social/post/3mnxbrtzgsk2ySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wednesday, June 10th, 2026 Today, Epstein's assistant for over 20 years Lesley Groff denied any knowledge of his crimes during her House Oversight Committee testimony; a U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down over the Gulf according to Trump; Republicans in the House have passed the $70B ICE funding bill; ICE has detained over 500 babies and toddlers under this administration; a new report out from the Government Accountability Office says the Camp East Montana ICE facility wasted millions and put detainees at risk; a Somali referee says his World Cup dreams have been dashed after the U.S. denied him entry; the Broadview Six grand jury transcripts have been released; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News. Thank You, 3DayBlinds For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to 3DayBlinds.com/DAILYBEANS. Guest: Sean Vitka Executive Director at Demand Progress  https://demandprogress.org/issues/surveillance/   The Latest Breakdown:Trump DOJ CORNERED by Judge in Jan 6 Cover-Up | The Breakdown StoriesLongtime Epstein assistant denies knowledge of his crimes to House Oversight Committee | MS NOW U.S. Apache helicopter shot down by Iran, Trump says; crew rescued by sea drone | CBS News Senate OKs $70B immigration bill after rejecting efforts to permanently ban Trump's settlement fund | AP News Largest ICE detention facility wasted millions and put detainees at risk, report finds | AP NewsICE has detained over 500 babies and toddlers under Trump | MS NOW Somali Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry | New York Times Good Trouble  Lands Between Fundraiser Stream:Noah Caldwell-Gervais - YouTube  is doing a 12hr Livestream June 13, benefiting the Kawaguchi O'Connor Initiative → https://riseupsingout.com and http://nokings.org →Triumphal Arch - Section 106 Assessment of Effect and Draft Programmatic Agreement →Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance -  Open For Comments →The Forest Service is accepting public comments until June 7th →Form WTAF-8647 →Recall Gov. Jeff Landry - Louisianadeservesbetter.com →STOP the deportation of Mohsen Mahdawi - Action Network →detentionwatchnetwork.org →FieldTeam6.org →Standwithminnesota.com →Tell Congress Ice out Now | Indivisible, Defund ICE | 5Calls →Congress: Divest From ICE and CBP | ACLU →ICE List  →iceout.org Good Newshttps://youtube.com/@barbarastone-un4ir?si=0mmuzMT0Fcj7flqn https://www.route66-centennial.com/ →Share your Good News & Good Trouble - The Daily Beans →Beans Talk audio -beans-talk.simplecast.com →Email Dana LGBTQ Owned eating establishments in your area - hello@mswmedia.com Subject: “Dana's Project” Subscribe to the MSW YouTube Channel - MSW Media - YouTube Harry Dunn is running for CongressHarry Dunn for Maryland Our Donation Links Blue Wave California - bluewavecalifornia.org/concert Donate to Public Citizen - https://citizen.org/beans/ The Daily Beans is donating $10,000 and invites you to give what you can to support their life-affirming work - Donate to It Gets Better / The Daily Beans Fundraiser   Pathways to Citizenship link to MATCH Allison's Donationhttps://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_86ff5236-dd26-11ec-b5ee-066e3d38bc77&WidgetId=6388736 Join Dana and The Daily Beans in support of Human Rights Campaign http://onecau.se/_ekes71 More Donation LinksNational Security Counselors - Donate, ActBlue.com/donate/msw-bwc, WhistleblowerAid.org/beans Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com - Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast @muellershewrote - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube →Federal workers - email AG at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.  Dana Goldberg - Dana is on Patreon! At Dana's Dugout, @dgcomedy - Bluesky, @dgcomedy - IG, Dana Goldberg - Facebook,  DanaGoldberg.com More from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has called for a formal investigation into how the Justice Department handled the release of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, arguing that the department may not have fully complied with the law requiring the disclosure of those files. The lawmakers asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an independent review of the process used to collect, review, and release the records. Their request focuses on whether the Justice Department followed the requirements of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated that the government make Epstein-related investigative records public while limiting redactions to specific categories such as protecting victims. Senators involved in the request raised concerns that the files released so far appear incomplete and contain inconsistent redactions, prompting questions about how decisions were made regarding what information was withheld or disclosed.The senators also asked investigators to examine the internal procedures used by the Justice Department when reviewing the Epstein materials, including staffing levels, guidance given to reviewers, and the transparency of the redaction process. Their concerns mirror earlier criticism from members of the House who helped write the disclosure law and have questioned why some documents appear heavily redacted while sensitive information about victims was reportedly left insufficiently protected in some cases. Attorney General Pam Bondi has defended the department's handling of the files, stating that more than three million pages of records have been released and describing the effort as an unprecedented level of transparency. Nevertheless, lawmakers from both parties say the continuing questions surrounding the disclosures justify an outside audit to determine whether the Justice Department properly followed the law when releasing the Epstein files.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Senators seek review of Justice Department's handling of Epstein files - The Washington PostBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.

Cyber threats are moving beyond data and into the systems people depend on every day, including water and wastewater infrastructure. A new GAO report finds persistent vulnerabilities, shaped by uneven resources, aging systems, and limits on federal oversight. Here to break down the findings and recommendations is Dave Hinchman, director of information technology and cybersecurity at the Government Accountability Office.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

durée : 00:16:43 - Les émissions culturelles de France Culture - par : Marie Labory - Du mélancolique “Sukima” de Gao Yan au très violent “Zange” de Santa Inoué, un point sur les œuvres de deux mangakas qui repensent les codes de la narration. - réalisation : Laurence Malonda, Boris Pineau, Aïssatou N'Doye, Jules Barbier, Zohra Vignais, Lise Ripoche, Mathi Adjinsoff - invités : Pauline Croquet Journaliste au service culture du Monde, spécialisée manga et animation , Fausto Fasulo Directeur des rédaction d'ATOM et Mad Movies Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Masterpiece Podcasts: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

Masterpiece Podcasts: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

Masterpiece Podcasts: Collection of Chinese Classic Novels

The federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars to fraud each year and millions more to payment errors—also known as improper payments. GAO helps federal understand the causes of these losses and works with them to reduce risks. We'll…

Today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Helping disaster survivors recover is one of FEMA's most visible missions. A new GAO review looks at how well that assistance actually lines up with what survivors need on the ground Telehealth expanded quickly, oversight is still catching up Two changes moving through the House would reshape how agencies buy, from who gets a shot to how fast decisions get madeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Delivering disaster assistance at scale is one of FEMA's toughest operational challenges. A GAO review looks at where the system struggles to match survivor needs after major disasters, and Chris Currie, Director in the Homeland Security and Justice team at GAO, is here to walk us through the details.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tomorrow's guest announcement, Jim from Tortoise & Hare Footwear, GAO improper spending uncovered, wildfire near Ely, a palindrome day, we need rain, Danno shared a Vietnam story, Brad had a story too, Chris Dahlberg, Lorna from Duluth shared a war time story, and a State Flag story...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thursday, May 29th, 2025 A federal judge STRIKES DOWN Trump's entire executive order targeting the Wilmer Hale law firm for political retribution; Judge Chutkan allows a lawsuit seeking to enjoin Elon Musk and DOGE's operations to proceed; another federal judge has ordered the release of the Russian scientist that brought inert frog embryos into the US; yet another judge blocks Trump's attempt to stop congestion pricing in New York; immigration courts are dismissing cases of those sent to El Salvador potentially cutting off their return; the Government Accountability Office rebuffs Trump's power grab; another SpaceX Starship launch fails while Musk cries about people not liking him; U-Haul bans Patriot Front nazis after they rented their trucks for a march in Kansas City; the Tate brothers have been charged with rape and sex trafficking in the UK; Nancy Mace's former staff claim she had them create burner accounts to promote her online; Trump gets mad about the Wall Street acronym TACO during a press conference; and Allison delivers your Good News. MSW Media, Blue Wave California Victory Fund | ActBlue Guest: Adam Klasfeld All Rise News All Rise News - Bluesky Adam Klasfeld (@klasfeldreports.com) - BlueSky Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) - Twitter Federal judge on Trump DOJ's defense of orders targeting BigLaw: "Give me a break" | AllRiseNews Stories: Immigration courts are dismissing cases of those sent to El Salvador, potentially cutting off their return | NBC News US judge allows states' lawsuit against DOGE to proceed | Reuters US judge grants Russian-born Harvard scientist bail in immigration case | Reuters Judge temporarily blocks Trump from retaliating against New York over congestion toll | ABC Action News Tate brothers face rape and trafficking charges in the UK | AP News SpaceX launches another Starship rocket after back-to-back explosions, but it tumbles out of control | AP News Nancy Mace's Former Staff Claim She Had Them Create Burner Accounts to Promote Her | WIRED Trump's not happy about Wall Street's name for tariff flip-flops | POLITICO Congressional Agency Rebuffs Trump Bid to Expand Power Grab | Democracy Docket U-Haul bans Patriot Front members after trucks rented in KC for march | The Kansas City Star Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

GAO says the agency responsible for overseeing classified work at defense contractors is falling short of its mission, with gaps in inspections, staffing and risk prioritization. Joe Kirschbaum of the Government Accountability Office explains how those weaknesses affect security and what changes matter most now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Defense Department is requesting close to $30 billion in fiscal 2027 to purchase and enable next-generation AI supercomputers and modernize the military's computing infrastructure to power them. According to recently published budget documents, the Pentagon aims to build out its portfolio of highly secure data centers, and ultimately centralize and scale supercomputing assets across the joint force through its new “AI Arsenal initiative.” The fiscal 2027 proposal comes with a $29.5 billion spending plan. This proposed funding increase is up for consideration as DOD is hustling to integrate commercial AI models into battle management and warfare operations, threat detection and analyses, supply chain logistics and more. A Pentagon official told DefenseScoop: “The department's AI Arsenal initiative is an investment in foundational, government-owned AI infrastructure to maximize federal buying power and build the strategic advantage we need.” The House Small Business Committee continued its push last week to make the agency it oversees embrace artificial intelligence in its work, advancing a new AI-focused bill aimed at more transparency around those efforts. In a Wednesday markup, the committee unanimously approved the SBA Artificial Intelligence Utilization Act (H.R. 8881) from Reps. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., and George Latimer, D-N.Y. The legislation would require the Small Business Administration to provide a yearly report to Congress on its use of AI and machine learning, detailing the benefits, risks and related issues. Additional oversight on SBA's AI program from the committee comes in the wake of a Government Accountability Office report this month that called attention to years of SBA failures to comply with federal requirements on AI use case inventories. In March, the agency publicly posted its inventory — two months past the Office of Management and Budget deadline, but for the first time in SBA history nevertheless. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

On Today's episode, the Two Mikes were joined by renowned investigative reporter Jack Maxcey, who acquired the crime-filled copy of Hunter Biden's hard-drive, and gave it to many senior politicians and several bureaucrats and gave it several law-enforcement agencies. Also with us was founder and owner of the America First network and the new social media platform internet network Pick Axe, Jeff Dornick. Our discussion focused on the possible criminal activity of people like Steve Bannon in regard to the U.S. southern border, and the apparent Communist Chinese agent Miles Gau, who is now waiting to be sentenced. Bannon also was involved with Gao. Our discussion also covered what appears to be illegal or at least seriously suspect activity by several U.S. Politicians, U.S. intelligence agencies, and other parts of the U.S. government and its bureaucracy. We regret the brevity and generalized nature of these notes, but the aging Dr. Mike took the notes and then promptly misplaced them. If the notes turn up, and Dr. Mike is conscious long enough, we will add additional detail to the notes. SPONSORS https://www.ourgoldguy.com www.TwoMikes.us

The OCC's 376-page proposed rule under the GENIUS Act is converting stablecoin policy into binding compliance requirements with formal issuer categories. Paxos, BitGo, and Ripple all received OCC trust charter approvals, but a trust charter does not guarantee Fed payment rail access. Klarivis data shows deposit movement from stablecoin-adjacent products is already measurable at community banks. The 26-month application timeline puts anyone starting today against a potential administration change, and sponsor bank programs face new pressure from charter competition and yield-based products.Bank charter confusion, trust charter risks, and Fed Master Account access gaps are creating real problems for fintech operators, sponsor banks, and community bank executives right now. Tedd Huff, CEO of fintech advisory firm Voalyre and founder of Fintech Confidential, and co-host Steve Bishop sit down on Inside the Vault with three former and current regulatory insiders: Syed Raza, former Acting Chief Innovation Officer at the OCC and Managing Director at FTI Consulting; Michele Alt, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Klaros Group; and Ian Moloney, Chief Policy Officer at the American Fintech Council.Find out more1️⃣ Answer four questions before filing: who grants the charter, what powers it includes, what activities are limited, and who examines the institution.2️⃣ Start compliance documentation now; controls, funds flow maps, and exception handling should be ready before the examiner asks.3️⃣ Read the conditions attached to charter approvals; those conditions reveal what regulators did not trust in the application.4️⃣ Align cost sharing, control ownership, and data ownership with your partner before examination forces the conversation.5️⃣ Price the M&A path into your charter strategy; the 26-month timeline means the political window may close before your application clears.Guest LinksSyed RazaFTI ConsultingMichele AltKlaros GroupIan MoloneyAmerican Fintech CouncilSteve BishopFintech ConfidentialPodcast: https://fintechconfidential.com/listenNotifications: https://fintechconfidential.com/accessLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fintechconfidentialX: https://x.com/FTconfidentialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fintechconfidentialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/fintechconfidentialSupportersUnder: Streamline your application and underwriting process by digitizing PDFs for digital signature. under.io/ftcSkyflow: Zero-trust data privacy vault delivered as an API covering PCI, CCPA, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance. skyflowsecure.comHawk AI: Real-time payment screening, ML transaction monitoring, and dynamic customer risk rating to fight fraud and financial crime. gethawkai.comAbout the GuestsSyed Raza is a Managing Director at FTI Consulting with over 30 years in risk management and regulatory compliance. He previously served as Acting Chief Innovation Officer at the OCC, guiding regulatory policy for fintech licensing.Michele Alt is Co-Founder and Managing Director at Klaros Group. She spent 22 years in the OCC Law Department and advises banks and fintechs on charter applications, regulatory strategy, and bank design.Ian Moloney is Chief Policy Officer at the American Fintech Council. He previously led policy and regulatory affairs at Cross River and served as a Senior Analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office.About the Co-HostSteve Bishop is Founder and Chief Ally at amBaaSsador, an education and advisory platform focused on embedded finance and Banking-as-a-Service for financial institutions.About the HostTedd Huff, CEO of fintech advisory firm Voalyre and host of Fintech Confidential. Fintech Confidential is a production of DD3 Media, bringing you the people, tech, and companies that change how you pay and get paid.Chapters00:00 Episode Highlights00:36 Welcome to Fintech Confidential03:31 Sky Flow: Building Fast and Secure (Sponsor)04:33 What a Charter Means07:06 OCC Rules and Stablecoins09:43 Why Trust Charters Boom13:50 Under.io: AI-Powered Onboarding & Risk Verification (Sponsor)14:20 Fed Master Account Gap17:59 Sponsor Banking Under Pressure22:15 What to Watch Next25:28 Action Steps and Wrap27:50 Hawk.ai: AI-Driven Financial Crime Detection (Sponsor)28:36 Disclaimer#bankcharter #trustcharter #fintech #occ #stablecoin #geniusact #fedmasteraccount #sponsorbank #baas #fintechregulation #communitybank #bankingcompliance #fintechpolicy #occcharter #depositinsurance #stablecoinyield #bankholding

Rocky Mountain UFO Podcast Episode 154: Breaking the PERSUE Files – Physics, Meta-Data, and Dark Money Episode Description: The Pentagon just dropped Release O2 of the PERSUE files (Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters), and we are bypassing the PR spin to look directly at the raw telemetry. In this episode, we break down over 50 newly declassified videos and audio logs from the May 2026 Department of Defense data dump. From hypersonic spheres in Syria to the transmedium craft over the Persian Gulf that defy fluid dynamics, the mechanics of these objects are breaking standard physics models. We also pull back the curtain on the intense bureaucratic civil war happening right now in Washington. Why did the GAO deploy specialized investigators to unearth hidden data at Nellis Air Force Base? And are the shocking allegations true that a rogue Title 50 agency is wiretapping the ODNI to keep UAP technology a secret? Grab your headphones—we're shifting from the fringe realm of conspiracy into a very strange, undeniable new reality. What's Inside This Episode? The Syria & Kabul Telemetry: A deep dive into the 2021 Syria drone footage and the 2017 Kabul "cigar-shaped" object. We explore why an instantaneous acceleration curve utterly collapses the conventional drone hypothesis and how solid-state electronics would liquefy under thousands of G-forces. The Transmedium Paradox: Analyzing the 2022 Iran video over the Persian Gulf. Why entering the ocean at high speeds without a supercavitation wake or structural shearing completely fractures modern aerospace and naval engineering principles. The "Sensor Baseline" Proof: Why the declassified 2023 Lake Huron civilian balloon shootdown proves that military targeting pods (ATFLIR) are working flawlessly and are not registering software glitches or camera artifacts. The Historical Coordinates: Unpacking the Sandia Base files (1948–1949) and the 1973 Soviet Sary-Shagan reports. We look at the chilling link between copper-shedding green fireballs and human nuclear weapon infrastructure. The Alien Girls vs. The Pentagon: Inside the aggressive Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit weaponizing bureaucratic clearance to pierce unacknowledged Special Access Programs (SAPs). The Ultimate Deep State Espionage: Unpacking the unconstitutional allegations of domestic spying, phone wiretapping, and intimidation targeting UAP whistleblowers and congressional inquiries. Key Takeaways & Timestamps [00:00 - 05:15] The 2026 PERSUE Dump We look into the massive database uploaded to war.gov/ufo and separate the social media noise on X from raw military sensor data. [05:16 - 12:45] Breaking Newton's Third Law Why perfectly smooth metallic spheres maintaining high-speed tactical maneuvers over the ocean cannot possess standard chemical or electric propulsion. [12:46 - 22:10] The Space Snooping Baseline Separating cosmic eye anomalies like Cherenkov radiation or frozen ice crystals from hard radar-tracked bogeys caught by Gemini 7 and Apollo missions. [22:11 - 31:40] The Metadata Embargo & The Galileo Project How the Department of Defense is protecting sensor capabilities by blacking out laser rangefinder numbers, and how Dr. Avi Loeb's Harvard initiative is using parallax triangulation to fight back. [31:41 - End] The Apex Predator Theory Why a trillion-dollar military apparatus risks a constitutional crisis to avoid admitting to the public that they have completely lost air superiority. Episode Links & Resources Official Data Portal: Check out the raw files yourself at War.gov UAP Portal Free eBook based on this episode: https://books.brightlearn.ai/PERSUE-Files-The-Pentagons-Hidden-Physics-Breaking-4163ccf94-en/index.html Free Resource: Visit our website to download our FREE UFO eBook of the week at Rocky Mountain UFO

Photo: Alex Osif is a former coal miner who worked at the Kayenta and Black Mesa mines. (Chris Clements / KNAU) A congressional watchdog office found some miners with black lung disease face barriers in getting federal payments for their disabilities. As KNAU's Chris Clements reports, that rings true to a former coal miner and advocate on the Navajo Nation. Alex Osif (Navajo, Hopi, and Pima) was a coal miner at the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines. He says the coal companies that are on the hook for paying miners' benefits can slow the process down by not providing employment histories. “That’s the kinda complications I’m having, proving that the miner did work at a mine for so many years.” The lengthy process of applying for benefits is one issue identified by the US. Government Accountability Office in a new report. It also found many coal miners have trouble using the health benefits they are entitled to, like when they need money for transportation to doctors' appointments. “The program needs to view these operators and continue to make sure that they stand up to their promise to the miner.” To help with that issue, the report says the feds need to keep track of the medical coverage coal companies give disabled miners. Tracy Day has been missing since February 14, 2019. (Courtesy Juneau Police Department) The daughter of missing Juneau, Alaska woman Tracy Day wants people to know who her mother was beyond an MMIW rallying cry. It has been seven years since Day disappeared, and the family is still searching for answers. KTOO's Yvonne Krumrey has more. Kaelyn Schnieder says her mom was always finding new adventures for the family to go on. The house she grew up in in Sitka, Alaska was spotless and Day was taking night classes to be a nurse. Her struggles with mental health came later. “But I feel like, when she went missing, everybody was like, ‘Oh, she's living in St Vincent. And like, she's a mentally ill addict.' It was just not the way I wanted people to see her, because my mom was a wonderful parent, and she wasn't always sick.” Schneider says when she was a young child, she was the victim of child sex abuse by her friend's father. After Day found out what had happened, she blamed herself for trusting the family. Schneider believes it triggered Day's mental health issues. “It changed her brain chemistry, you know. So that's, like, the best way I could explain it.” Schneider thinks that changed the trajectory of her mother's life. Day struggled with mental illness and substance abuse, but Schneider wants people to know her mom the way she remembers her, as a dignified, even glamorous woman. “She was kind of like a diva. Like back in the day, she always had her hair done, lipstick done, nails, everything. She was always dressed so beautifully.” She was also a devoted parent and she was fun. “When she wasn't at work, we were never bored. We would go ride our bike and we would get curly fries with cheese and milkshakes, and then we would go to the duck pond and feed the ducks. And, like, she was a good, like, playful parent.” Schneider says that even through Dayʼs later mental health crises, she always stuck around and checked in with her family. “She would not take off. She's the opposite. She's like, the parent that annoys you, because they're showing up so much.” Schneider's son was born after Day went missing. He is five years old now and she is finding herself having to explain the absence. “My son, he's at that age where he's starting to question, like, ‘what happened to grandma?' And like, ‘Why is she not in your life?' And you know, like, he always asks — it's so horrible — He always asks, like, ‘Are you gonna disappear?' And like, as a mom, that is just horrible. You know that knowing that my son, like, has that thought in his head, because he knows it's a possibility.” So Schneider says, for him and for her newborn son, she will keep looking for the truth of what happened to her mom. “I really want to keep searching and talking about her case, not only for me, but also for my sons. I want them to know that people are still interested and care.” Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up for our daily newsletter today. Download our NV1 Android or iOs App for breaking news alerts. Check out today’s Native America Calling episode Friday, May 22, 2026 — A conversation with Native wellness advocates Chelsea Luger and Thosh Collins

Over the years, GAO's work has helped save taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing duplication, overlap and fragmentation in programs. Each year, we issue a report that highlights this work. On this episode of the Watchdog Report—we'll talk with…

The massive $67 billion merger of Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy, two of the largest utility companies in the nation, will face a regulatory gauntlet at the state and federal level amid concerns about energy affordability and rising power demand. POLITICO's Adam Aton breaks down the details of the potential merger, the difficult regulatory process ahead, and the stakes for the utility industry. Plus, the Trump administration will extend a waiver allowing the sale of Russian crude already loaded on tankers, and a new report from the Government Accountability Office said the Energy Department office charged with nuclear waste cleanup is plagued by vacancies. Adam Aton covers the politics of climate change for POLITICO's E&E News. Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and executive producer of POLITICO Energy.  KJ Cline is the video producer for POLITICO Energy. Matt Daily is the energy editor for POLITICO. Cyril Zaneski is executive editor of POLITICO's E&E News. Debra Kahn is the editorial director for energy and environmental coverage at POLITICO. Veronica Tejera is the deputy head of Audio/Video at POLITICO. Our theme music is by Pran Bandi. Follow the show on Apple, Spotify, Youtube and Instagram. Follow POLITICO here:    ➤ X: https://x.com/politico/ ➤ Instagram:  / politico      ➤ Facebook:  / politico   For more reporting on energy and the environment, subscribe to Power Switch, our free evening newsletter: https://www.politico.com/power-switch And for even deeper coverage and analysis, read our Morning Energy newsletter by subscribing to POLITICO Pro: https://subscriber.politicopro.com/newsletter-archive/morning-energy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new GAO assessment looks ahead at emerging technologies where early decisions could shape how they're used and how they're governed across government. We talk through what those trends are and what Congress and agencies need to be thinking about now with GAO Chief Scientist Dr. Sterling Thomas.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After the White House's move last year to kill Direct File, three senators are asking the congressional watchdog to examine the alternative program the Trump administration is pushing: the IRS's beleaguered Free File system. In a letter sent Sunday to acting Comptroller General Orice Williams Brown, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Angus King, I-Maine, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., requested a Government Accountability Office investigation into Free File, an IRS partnership with private tax prep companies. The partnership has been heavily scrutinized over the course of Free File's 20-plus-year existence, with critics pointing to scant consumer use, hidden industry costs and data privacy issues. “Due to this history of misconduct, we have serious concerns that Free File cannot efficiently, effectively, and securely serve the taxpayers who are statutorily entitled to free tax filing services,” the lawmakers wrote. Direct File, the IRS's consumer-praised free electronic filing tool, was launched in the aftermath of an April 2022 GAO report that recommended the tax agency develop new no-cost filing options. Under the Biden administration, the IRS launched a pilot program of Direct File in a dozen states in 2023, and doubled the number of participants the following year. The Trump administration quickly terminated the program, however, pointing to high costs and low user uptake during the purposefully limited pilot seasons. Federal agencies would be required to develop artificial intelligence standards and use the National Institute of Standards and Technology's AI guidelines under a bipartisan bill introduced Thursday. Led by Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., the bill would require agencies to use the Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework, developed by the NIST in 2023, and work with the agency in developing other consistent standards and guidelines. Reps. Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican, and Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat, co-sponsored the bill, with Beyer calling it “a natural starting point” to ensure agencies have the tools they need to navigate AI's complexities. “This bill lays the foundation for harnessing the power of AI for the benefit of the American people, while upholding the highest standards of accountability and transparency,” Beyer said in a statement. The bill would also direct NIST to recommend training and use the standards when acquiring any AI systems or services.

Crowell & Moring's “All Things Protest” podcast keeps you up to date on major trends in bid protest litigation, key developments in high-profile cases, and best practices in state and federal procurement. In this episode, Crowell's Christian Curran, Zachary Schroeder, and Bryan Dewan discuss a recent GAO sustain about final proposal revisions, along with two notable Federal Circuit opinions from May 2026 covering bid protest intervention and the discretion afforded to agencies in evaluating proposals.

When a contractor files a bid protest at GAO, the award usually pauses while the protest is reviewed. But recent court decisions are clarifying when agencies can override that stay and how closely judges will examine those decisions afterward. Here to help us understand the complexity of this contingency is Zach Prince, partner at Haynes Boone.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Coming up today on the Federal Drive with Terry Gerton Growth across federal contractors averaged about 15% in 2025, according to Deltek's latest Clarity report, but that growth is showing up alongside new pressure on margins, controls and visibility Federal contractors are doing more than delivering programs, they're helping the government respond when conditions change quickly Challenging a GAO protest stay override may be getting clearer, but not any easierSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you enjoy this episode, we're sure you will enjoy more content like this on The Occult Rejects.  In fact, we have curated playlists on occult topics like grimoires, esoteric concepts and phenomena, occult history, analyzing true crime and cults with an occult lens, Para politics, and occultism in music. Whether you enjoy consuming your content visually or via audio, we've got you covered - and it will always be provided free of charge.  So, if you enjoy what we do and want to support our work of providing accessible, free content on various platforms, please consider making a donation to the links provided below.  Thank you and enjoy the episode!Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Cash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsFull show-notes bibliographyCore EEG and oscillationsAbubaker, M., & Dankaerts, W. (2021). Working memory and cross-frequency coupling of neuronal oscillations. *Frontiers in Psychology, 12*, 742860.Axmacher, N., Henseler, M. M., Jensen, O., Weinreich, I., Elger, C. E., & Fell, J. (2010). Cross-frequency coupling supports multi-item working memory in the human hippocampus. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107*(7), 3228–3233.Jensen, O., & Mazaheri, A. (2010). Shaping functional architecture by oscillatory alpha activity: Gating by inhibition. *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 4*, 186.Rayi, A., et al. (2022). Electroencephalogram. *StatPearls*. StatPearls Publishing.StatPearls / NCBI Bookshelf. (2024). Introduction to electroencephalography (EEG). *NCBI Bookshelf*.Theta, alpha, beta, gamma, and controlCavanagh, J. F., & Shackman, A. J. (2015). Frontal midline theta reflects anxiety and cognitive control: Meta-analytic evidence. *Journal of Physiology-Paris, 109*(1–3), 3–15.Eisma, J., et al. (2021). Frontal midline theta differentiates separate cognitive control strategies while still generalizing the need for cognitive control. *Scientific Reports, 11*, 14641.Jensen, O., Bonnefond, M., & VanRullen, R. (2012). An oscillatory mechanism for prioritizing salient unattended stimuli. *Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16*(4), 200–206.Lundqvist, M., Herman, P., & Miller, E. K. (2018). Working memory: Delay activity, yes! Persistent activity? Maybe not. *Journal of Neuroscience, 38*(32), 7013–7019.Sleep architecture, spindles, and memoryCaporro, M., Haneef, Z., Yeh, H.-J., Mohamed, F. B., & Levin, H. S. (2012). Functional MRI of sleep spindles and K-complexes. *Clinical Neurophysiology, 123*(2), 303–309.Chen, P., Miao, X., Chen, J., et al. (2023). The devastating effects of sleep deprivation on memory: Lessons from rodent models, aging, and Alzheimer's disease. *Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17*, 1151639.Ng, T., et al. (2025). Bayesian meta-analysis reveals the mechanistic role of slow oscillation-spindle coupling in sleep-dependent memory consolidation. *eLife, 13*, RP101992.Patel, A. K., et al. (2024). Physiology, sleep stages. *StatPearls*. StatPearls Publishing.Páez, A., Gillman, S. O., Dogaheh, S. B., et al. (2025). Sleep spindles and slow oscillations predict cognition and biomarkers of neurodegeneration in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. *Alzheimer's & Dementia, 21*, e14424.Hypnagogia, N1, and dream incubationHorowitz, A. H., Esfahany, S., Boyle, M. R., et al. (2023). Targeted dream incubation at sleep onset increases post-sleep creative performance. *Scientific Reports, 13*, 5055.Lacaux, C., Andrillon, T., Bastoul, D., et al. (2021). Sleep onset is a creative sweet spot. *Science Advances, 7*(50), eabj5866.Meditation, prayer, chanting, and yoga nidraDatta, K., Mallick, H. N., Tripathi, M., Ahuja, G. K., & Deepak, K. K. (2022). Electrophysiological evidence of local sleep during yoga nidra practice in young male volunteers. *Frontiers in Neurology, 13*, 910794.Dobrakowski, P., Błaszkiewicz, M., & Skalski, S. (2020). Changes in the electrical activity of the brain in the alpha and theta bands during prayer and meditation. *International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17*(24), 9567.Gao, J., Leung, H. K., Wu, B. W. Y., Skouras, S., & Sik, H. H. (2019). The neurophysiological correlates of religious chanting. *Scientific Reports, 9*, 4262.Kaur, C., & Singh, P. (2015). EEG derived neuronal dynamics during meditation: Progress and challenges. *Advances in Preventive Medicine, 2015*, 614723.Lomas, T., Ivtzan, I., & Fu, C. H. Y. (2015). A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations. *Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 57*, 401–410.Hypnosis and suggestionJensen, M. P., Adachi, T., & Hakimian, S. (2015). Brain oscillations, hypnosis, and hypnotizability. *American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 57*(3), 230–253.Kirenskaya, A. V., Novototsky-Vlasov, V. Y., Chistyakov, A. V., & Zvonikov, V. M. (2011). Waking EEG spectral power and coherence differences between highly hypnotizable and low hypnotizable subjects. *International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 59*(2), 144–164.Mendoza, M. E., & Capafons, A. (2024). Neural correlates of hypnosis: A systematic narrative review. *Frontiers in Psychology, 15*, 1327738.Ritual rhythm, trance, and synchronyHuels, E. R., Kim, H. S., Lee, U., & Mollaahmetoglu, O. M. (2021). Neural correlates of the shamanic state of consciousness. *Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15*, 610466.Mogan, R., Fischer, R., & Bulbulia, J. A. (2017). To be in synchrony or not? A meta-analysis of synchrony's effects on behavior, perception, cognition and affect. *Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 72*, 13–20.Tarr, B., Launay, J., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2016). Silent disco: Dancing in synchrony leads to elevated pain thresholds and social closeness. *Evolution and Human Behavior, 37*(5), 343–349.Entrainment, binaural beats, fatigue, and overloadGoodman, S. P. J., et al. (2025). Approaches to inducing mental fatigue: A systematic review and meta-analysis of (neuro)physiologic indices. *Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 170*, 105957.Ingendoh, R. M., Posny, E. S., & Heine, A. (2023). Binaural beats to entrain the brain? A systematic review of the effects of binaural beat stimulation on brain oscillatory activity, and the implications for psychological research and intervention. *PLOS ONE, 18*(5), e0286023.Snipes, S., et al. (2024). Extended wakefulness alters the relationship between EEG theta and alpha bursts and behavioural outcome. *European Journal of Neuroscience, 60*(8), 6268–6284.Xiang, C., et al. (2024). A resting-state EEG dataset for sleep deprivation. *Scientific Data, 11*, 406.Parkinson's disease and pathological betaAsadi, A., et al. (2022). The origin of abnormal beta oscillations in the parkinsonian corticobasal ganglia circuit. *Frontiers in Neuroscience, 16*, 823719.Paulo, D. L., et al. (2023). Corticostriatal beta oscillation changes associated with cognitive function in Parkinson's disease. *NPJ Parkinson's Disease, 9*, 202.Ancient sleep, dreams, and Asclepian healingAskitopoulou, H. (2015). Sleep and dreams: From myth to medicine in ancient Greece. *Journal of Anesthesia History, 1*(3), 70–75.Kapotsis, G., & Steiropoulos, P. (2025). Sleep incubation [enkoimesis] in medical practice at Asclepieia of Ancient Greece — the Ancient Greek sleep medicine. *Sleep Medicine, 130*, 85–89.Pavli, A. (2024). Asclepieia in ancient Greece: pilgrimage and healing. *Journal of Integrative Medicine and Research, 3*(2), 100119.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball. A

We've arrived at the 10th season of Power Rangers, and our 400th episode, a fact we completely and entirely forget to mention. We talk about a lot of cool stuff: Upcoming crossovers, Gao's being Pals, CG Zords enabling some new interesting fights, and some not so cool stuff, like the stupid bouncy balls that Zack hates. So grab your jungle themed cell phone and… call the wild? Wait is that why its a phone? I DONT KNOW, WILD ACCESS!

The federal government is facing a crisis of accountability and a race against the clock. In today's episode of the America's Work Force Union Podcast, we tackle two massive stories affecting millions of American veterans and retirees. From untracked billions in government spending to the legislative battle to save Social Security, we look at the issues defining the 2026 midterm elections. Segment 1: The VA's $21 Billion Blind Spot Jeff Stoffer, Director of the American Legion Media and Communications Division, discusses June's American Legion Magazine, including a story about a staggering GAO report: The Software Mess: How the VA spent $21B on software it can't track, and the legislation (H.R.6654) designed to force accountability. Data at Risk: Why a 1974 privacy law isn't enough to protect veteran health data in 2026. A Presidential Tribute: A preview of the July 4 grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, ND. Segment 2: The Senior Voter Shift & Social Security's Deadline Rich Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, brings fresh data from a survey of 1,000 likely voters age 60-plus: Midterm Momentum: Why seniors in 39 key swing districts are shifting toward Democrats by 3-4 points. The 2032 Cliff: A deep dive into the looming 25 percent benefit cut and the fight to scrap the $184,500 earnings cap. The Voting Record: How to use the Alliance's database to see where your representative actually stands on labor and retirement. Take Action: Knowledge is power at the ballot box. Visit legion.org and retiredamericans.org to track the legislation discussed today. Subscribe & Follow: Don't miss an update on the labor movement. Subscribe to AWF on Podbean, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite player.

Joining Audrey for this week's REELTalk - Exec. Dir. of American Constitutional Rights Union and bestselling author, LTC ALLEN WEST, will be here! PLUS, Founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, DOV HIKIND will be here! AND, Islamic Analyst and bestselling author Dr. ANDREW BOSTOM will be here! PLUS, Legal Analyst for GAO and bestselling author of Red Hot Lies, CHRISTOPHER HORNER will be back with us! In the words of Benjamin Franklin, "If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately." Come hang with us...  

Au Mali, les autorités de transition restent fermement résolues à combattre les groupes armés. Les jihadistes du Jnim, liés à al-Qaïda, et les rebelles indépendantistes du FLA ont mené le 25 avril une série d'attaques massives et, pour la première fois, conjointes, qui leur ont permis de tuer le ministre de la Défense, le général Sadio Camara, et de prendre le contrôle de Kidal. Depuis, le Jnim a décrété un blocus sur la capitale Bamako et multiplie les attaques. Pour autant, l'armée malienne et ses partenaires russes de l'Africa Corps poursuivent leurs opérations et affichent leur détermination. Moussa Ag Acharatoumane est membre du Conseil national de transition, qui fait office au Mali, en l'absence d'élections depuis bientôt six ans, d'organe législatif. Il dirige également le MSA, groupe politico-militaire de la région de Ménaka, allié des autorités de transition et qui combat avec l'armée malienne et l'Africa Corps russe dans le Nord. RFI : Depuis les attaques du 25 avril, les opposants au régime de transition estiment que les autorités sont fragilisées. Les soutiens des militaires au pouvoir appellent au contraire à faire bloc. Pour vous, j'imagine qu'Assimi Goïta est toujours le président dont le Mali a besoin ? Moussa Ag Acharatoumane : Bien sûr, Assimi Goïta est toujours le président dont le Mali a besoin. Il continue à gouverner normalement son pays. Je tiens quand même à rappeler que malgré les attaques du 25 avril, le Mali est un État qui est debout, est un État qui agit et les forces de défense et de sécurité ont repoussé les actions terroristes, malgré la complexité des attaques et particulièrement le lot de complices internes et externes. Aujourd'hui, nous avons une armée qui est très soudée, le commandement est ensemble, les soldats sur le terrain ont le moral et les opérations continuent sur l'ensemble du territoire.  Les attaques des groupes armés continuent, Bamako est sous blocus, mais le régime est donc solide, prêt à faire face. Le régime est solide, j'irai même plus loin : c'est le peuple malien même qui est solide aujourd'hui. Les Maliens aiment leur armée, les Maliens aiment leur pouvoir et les Maliens aiment leur pays.  L'alliance, sur le terrain, entre les jihadistes du Jnim et les indépendantistes du FLA, vous en pensez quoi ?  Tout le monde connaît ce qu'on appelle al-Qaïda. Les frères qui ont fait ce choix de s'allier à al-Qaïda n'ont pas tiré les leçons de 2012 parce que, en 2012, il y a eu pratiquement la même tentative et le monde entier est témoin de ce qui s'est passé. Et une partie des frères, pas tous, parce qu'il y a une partie de nos frères, malheureusement, qui ne se sont jamais éloignés de la nébuleuse d'al-Qaïda, mais par contre, certains ont toujours été des grandes victimes de cette organisation, y compris certains de leurs premiers responsables, dont les familles ont été décimées par al-Qaïda. Et c'est le même al-Qaïda qui est là, et c'est le même al-Qaïda aussi qui est auteur de l'assassinat de Ghislain Dupont et Claude Verlon, les journalistes de RFI tués à Kidal (en 2013, assassinat revendiqué par al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique, dont l'un des commanditaires, Seidane Ag Hitta, est aujourd'hui parmi les principaux dirigeants du Jnim, ndlr). On s'en souvient, bien évidemment. Cette alliance, c'est une très mauvaise chose. Je pense que nos frères doivent prendre conscience de l'erreur grotesque qu'ils sont en train de faire et revenir en arrière. Ils doivent faire exactement comme le MSA et le Gatia (deux groupes politico-militaires alliés du régime de transition). Ils se sont alliés à l'armée malienne pour combattre le terrorisme international.  Les dirigeants du FLA assurent qu'il ne s'agit que d'une alliance militaire contre leur ennemi commun, l'armée malienne et l'Africa Corps, et qu'il n'y a pas, au-delà, de projet commun. Quand on voit l'organe officiel d'al-Qaïda à l'échelle internationale mentionner son alliance avec le FLA, quand on voit Iyad Ag Ghali (chef du Jnim, ndlr) coordonner lui-même les opérations sur Kidal à côté d'Alghabass Ag Intallah (l'un des dirigeants du FLA, ndlr), quand on voit les défilés qu'ils ont organisés dans les rues de Kidal, avec les drapeaux noirs mentionnant leur projet satanique. Je le répète, nos frères sont dans l'erreur. Ils ont été victimes de ces gens en 2012 et ce sont les mêmes acteurs qui continuent en 2026.  Le Jnim et le FLA contrôlent désormais Kidal et Tessalit. L'armée malienne et l'Africa Corps russe restent présents à Aguelhoc et Anéfis. Est-ce qu'il faut s'attendre à une contre-offensive des forces nationales dans la région de Kidal ?  Les forces de défense et de sécurité sont en pleine réorganisation et elles sont bel et bien présentes dans la région de Kidal. Ils sont déterminés, ils vont mener des opérations sur l'ensemble du territoire national et ils ne vont pas céder un centimètre de ce territoire à une organisation terroriste.  Le général El Hadj Ag Gamou, nommé gouverneur de Kidal par les autorités de transition en 2023 et que vous connaissez bien : on le dit actuellement à Gao. Est-ce que c'est le cas ? Est-ce qu'il pourrait participer à la contre-offensive sur Kidal ?  Le général El Hadj Ag Gamou va très bien, je tiens à rassurer tout le monde là-dessus. Il a le moral très haut, il a les pieds sur terre et la tête haute. Il est gouverneur de la région de Kidal. Les offensives, la réorganisation de l'armée, son redéploiement, les opérations, ça c'est l'armée qui s'en occupe. Lui, sa fonction, c'est d'être gouverneur de cette région. Il va très bien et il n'a pas de problème.  Dans votre région de Ménaka, l'armée malienne et l'Africa Corps russe ont repoussé fin avril les offensives de l'État islamique, groupe jihadiste rival du Jnim. Depuis, quelle est la situation dans la ville ?  Aujourd'hui, la situation est sous contrôle. L'administration a repris son travail, la vie normale a repris, les forces de défense et de sécurité et leurs partenaires contrôlent la ville, mènent des patrouilles régulièrement. Mais ceci étant dit, la menace est toujours là. Il ne faut pas se leurrer, nous sommes en guerre contre l'une des organisations terroristes les plus dangereuses au monde, donc nous restons sur le qui-vive. Mais pour le moment, à Ménaka, la situation est assez calme.  Dialoguer, négocier avec le Jnim et le FLA, c'est aujourd'hui ce que prônent notamment des opposants au régime en place, comme la Coalition des forces pour la République (CFR) de l'imam Dicko. Mais c'est depuis une dizaine d'années une recommandation de toutes les concertations nationales, y compris du dialogue inter-malien organisé sous la Transition. Les autorités actuelles s'y refusent catégoriquement. Vous, vous y êtes favorable ou pas ?  En fait il n'y a pas à discuter avec des gens qui ont un projet de destruction de notre pays. L'État malien protège sa population, protège son intégrité territoriale et il n'y a absolument rien à négocier avec ces gens-là en l'état actuel, sauf s'ils revoient leurs pensées et leurs projets. Ce sont des Maliens, s'ils reviennent à de meilleurs sentiments, je pense qu'il y a de la place pour tout le monde, mais pas dans ces conditions.  À lire aussiAu Mali, «l'externalisation de la sécurité n'a pas fonctionné», selon Bakary Sambe du Timbuktu Institute

All Home Care Matters and our host, Lance A. Slatton were honored to welcome Elizabeth Field as guest to the show.   About Elizabeth Field, Chief Operating Officer at the Elizabeth Dole Foundation:   Elizabeth Field joined the Elizabeth Dole Foundation in February 2024 as its first Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, she served as a Senior Executive Director in the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) Defense Capabilities and Management Team, where she led a broad body of work related to military quality-of-life issues, as well as defense management, business operations, and reform.   A recognized expert on the Department of Defense, she has testified several times before Congress, and her work has been featured by various news outlets, including National Public Radio, CNN, and The New York Times. Before joining GAO in September 2017, Ms. Field served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. Ms. Field also previously served as Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Inspections at the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, which was charged by Congress with conducting audits, inspections, and investigations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Afghanistan reconstruction effort and to detect and deter waste, fraud, and abuse.   Ms. Field's first tenure with GAO lasted from 2002-2010, during which she worked primarily as a Senior Analyst in the International Affairs and Trade Team and conducted fieldwork in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. From 2000-2001, she served as a Jacob K. Javits Fellow on the Public Health Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ms. Field holds a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor's Degree in History from Davidson College, where she graduated cum laude.   The proud daughter of an Army veteran, she lives in Washington, D.C. with her two sons, Graham and Henry (a West Point cadet), and their rescue dog, Maisie.     About the Elizabeth Dole Foundation:   The Elizabeth Dole Foundation is the preeminent organization empowering, supporting, and honoring our nation's 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers—the spouses, parents, family members, and friends who care for America's wounded, ill, or injured service members and veterans. Established by Senator Elizabeth Dole in 2012, the Foundation works to empower military and veteran caregivers, their families, and their communities through programs, partnerships, and advocacy that drive innovative, impactful, and sustainable solutions.   About the 11th Annual National Convening:   Registration is now open for the Elizabeth Dole Foundation's 11th Annual National Convening – and you won't want to miss it!   Join us on May 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C., at the iconic Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, where leaders, advocates, and caregivers from across the country will come together for a powerful day of connection, conversation, and action. If you are unable to join us in-person, you can register for virtual attendance using the same link.   Last year, Convening attendees helped us begin to develop the National Blueprint for Action—a practical, solutions-driven roadmap designed to strengthen support for the 14.3 million military and veteran caregivers nationwide. Now, as we officially launch that Blueprint, we commit to act—bringing together caregivers, business and industry leaders, and policymakers to advance a nationwide Culture of Caregiving. Inspired by thought-provoking plenary speakers, you will participate in interactive working sessions and breakout discussions to learn how you can make a difference.   In-person attendees will also experience our dynamic Innovation Expo, featuring more than 30 organizations across military and veteran services, healthcare, and beyond. There, explore valuable resources, spark meaningful connections, enjoy a complimentary headshot, and take a moment for yourself at our chair massage station.  

As the federal government takes on more financial risk, a GAO review of government‑wide grants management points to staffing limits, data mismatches and unclear roles that complicate how funds are awarded and overseen. The findings suggest persistent operational challenges that accounting fixes alone haven't solved. Jeff Arkin is director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Start Your GovCon Career: https://www.govclose.comMost government contractors are searching SAM.gov and missing the majority of opportunities. In this session, I walk through the One Nation Innovation marketplace. Marketplaces like ONI are being used at an increasing rate, and it's good to know where to find and how to use the marketplaces that are alternatives to SAM.gov. I also cover why I no longer pay for government contracting research tools, how to use the MITRE consortium list to find the right OTA pathway for your technology, and how to talk to a contracting officer about an upcoming recompete (a question from one of our recent GovClose coaching calls with Harold).If you're selling innovative tech, prototypes, or services to the federal government — especially DoD — this is the workflow I use every day.⏱ TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Why SAM.gov isn't enough anymore00:50 - Vetting One Nation Innovation: is this marketplace real?02:53 - Inside an O&I challenge: USSF Go Coliseum & scoring rubrics05:02 - Why I stopped paying for government contracting tools06:40 - Tony's story: from Marine Corps to GovClose member08:08 - SAM.gov contract awards search (the new FPDS replacement)09:30 - Finding OTA awards by awardee — the trick most people miss10:45 - The history of OTA: from the Space Race to the Department of War13:40 - How to verify a consortium is actually awarding contracts15:21 - Tom Clancy's question: do you need a relationship to win an OTA?19:30 - Pulling all OTA awards from the past 90 days22:09 - Tom's follow-up: are O&I OTAs required to be listed on SAM?23:09 - Finding more consortiums: the MITRE list method27:07 - DIU and the three currently open OTA pathways29:13 - Project Titan Core: modular data centers for AI compute32:22 - Harold's question: how to ask a CO about an upcoming recompete35:53 - Why upselling existing customers is the best government sales play39:25 - GovClose graduate results: real outcomes from the program

Send us Fan MailRob Evans joins Joe for a conversation about military barracks conditions, leadership accountability, and why he created Hots&Cots to give junior service members a voice.Drawing from his own experience as a junior enlisted Soldier, Rob shares how years of seeing poor living conditions—and reading reports from organizations like the Government Accountability Office—pushed him to stop complaining from the sidelines and start building solutions. What began as a weekend coding project has grown into a platform with tens of thousands of users across the military.Throughout the conversation, Joe and Rob discuss the realities of barracks life, why problems often fail to reach senior leaders, and how outside accountability can help installations respond faster to issues affecting Soldiers' quality of life.They also explore the challenges of balancing advocacy work with family and full-time jobs, the importance of leaders walking the barracks, and why creating meaningful change requires more than just funding—it requires sustained leadership attention.Joe and Rob also discuss: The GAO reports and systemic issues impacting military barracks across the services  How the platform allows service members to anonymously review barracks and dining facilities  Why some leaders initially resisted the platform—and how attitudes have changed over time  Real examples of barracks issues being resolved within hours because of public visibility  The biggest recurring problems in the barracks: HVAC failures, mold, and maintenance issues  Why accountability and transparency are essential for improving quality of life  How outdated systems and competing priorities continue to slow progress  The challenge of balancing passion projects, family life, and full-time work  Why feedback from Soldiers keeps Rob motivated to continue the work Read the Hots&Cots State of the Barracks White Paper Joe and Rob talk about here! Whether you've lived in the barracks, led Soldiers in garrison, or care about improving the day-to-day lives of service members, this episode offers an honest look at the systems behind military housing—and the people working to make them better.Watch the Interview on YouTube! A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors! Veteran-founded Adyton. Step into the next generation of equipment management with Log-E by Adyton. Whether you are doing monthly inventories or preparing for deployment, Log-E is your pocket property book, giving real-time visibility into equipment status and mission readiness. Learn more about how Log-E can revolutionize your property tracking process here!Meet ROGER Bank—a modern, digital bank built for military members, by military members. With early payday, no fees, high-yield accounts, and real support, it's banking that gets you. Funds are FDIC insured through Citizens Bank of Edmond, so you can bank with confidence and peace of mind. 

Today's podcast is titled “Will Federal Government Debt Destroy the Dollar?” First recorded in 2024, host Dennis McCuistion is joined by David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General and head of the Government Accountability Office, for a discussion about America’s mounting fiscal crisis as federal debt reaches $34 trillion and threatens the nation’s economic future. Walker emphasizes that the real concern isn’t just the debt amount but the debt-to-GDP ratio, which stands at 120% and is projected to reach 192% within 30 years. Listen now, and don't forget to subscribe to get updates for the Free To Choose Media Podcast.

Most of us are unknowingly sacrificing our peace by ignoring our boundaries. Feeling guilty, drained, and disconnected in the process. What if the secret to true self-love is simply learning how not to abandon yourself? In this powerful episode, Gao Peraino uncovers the unseen ways we dismiss our needs to keep the peace, and reveals practical strategies to reclaim your energy and confidence. You'll discover how to identify and break free from self-abandonment, people-pleasing habits, and the endless cycle of overcommitting. Gao shares personal stories and actionable insights on how setting boundaries isn't just self-care, it's a profound act of self-respect and healing. We break down: the subtle signs of self-abandonment, how childhood trauma influences your boundaries, the myth of overachievement as a form of worth, why saying ‘no' is a radical act of love, and the real impact of over-explaining yourself. Plus, simple journaling prompts to illuminate where you're sacrificing your peace and how to start shifting course today. If you've ever felt emotionally drained, guilty for putting yourself first, or overextended without even realizing it, this episode will life-boost your awareness and give you tools to make meaningful change. Because at the end of the day, your relationship with yourself shapes your entire experience.Whether you're on a journey of self-discovery, struggling to set boundaries, or simply craving more clarity and confidence, this is your roadmap to reconnect with your truth and step into your power. It's never too late to start living aligned.Get ready to embrace your worth, honor your needs, and awaken the self-love you deserve. The path to emotional freedom begins here.Subscribe to Embody The Light With Gao for more episodes on spiritual growth, self-love, intuition development, healing, and personal transformation.If you feel called to go deeper, you can book a psychic or mediumship reading or coaching session at ⁠⁠⁠www.gaoperaino.com⁠⁠⁠Connect with Gao: https://linktr.ee/gaoperainoEmail: lifecoach@gaoperaino.com

The Government Accountability Office is facing a budget cut from House appropriators for the second year in a row. GAO would need to cut roughly 1,000 jobs under a bill being advanced in the House Appropriations Committee. For more, Federal News Network's Justin Doubleday joins me.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Two government watchdogs are suing the Justice Department over its Office of Legal Counsel memo that declares the Presidential Records Act unconstitutional. The US Attorney in the Eastern District of North Carolina has filed charges against James Comey for sharing a photo of seashells that spell out 8647. The Government Accountability Office and the Office of the Inspector General are investigating the Department of Justice's compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.  The White House Correspondents' Dinner was not designated a National Special Security Event by the US Secret Service. Plus listener questions. Do you have questions for the pod or something for HITMEINTHEHEADWITHABAT?    Get this new customer offer and your 3-month Unlimited wireless plan for just $15 a month at MINTMOBILE.com/UNJUST Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/ Follow AGMueller, She Wrote SubstackMueller She Wrote on Blueskyhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://twitter.com/dailybeanspodMore from Andrew McCabeThe Real McCabe on Substack@therealmccabe.com on BlueskyThe Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump This Show is Available Ad-Free And Early For Patreon and Supercast Supporters at https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr when you Subscribe on Apple Podcastshttps://apple.co/3YNpW3P Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Darrell Castle provides some options to end the war that Washington is currently fighting against Iran. Transcription / Notes OPTIONS TO END THE WAR AGAINST IRAN Hello this is Darrell Castle with today's Castle Report. This is Friday the 1st day of May in this the year of our Lord 2026. Yes today is May Day but my beat once again is war. This time I am looking for options to end the war that Washington is currently fighting against Iran. Donald Trump began the U.S./Israel war against Iran apparently because he wanted to deny Iran the chance to build its own nuclear weapon. That was at least the stated reason for starting the war. Suppose you are Iran and the U.S, demands that you dismantle and cease your nuclear weapons development program. Would you have any reason to comply with that demand considering what has happened to other countries in the Middle East. Acquiring nuclear weapons might be the only way left to prevent becoming a victim of a regime change war. Think about it like this for a moment. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Iran, Venezuela, Russia and North Korea have all been demonized by the U.S. in one way or another this century. The only two that remain uninvaded, Russia and North Korea have nuclear weapons and the others do not. The leaders of those countries who do not have nuclear weapons are dead or locked in prison. I ask myself if the United States would be threatened if Iran were allowed to develop nuclear weapons and my conclusion is that it would not. Israel would be threatened because a nuclear armed Iran would serve as a blocking force to the expansion of Israel and Netanyahu's plans for greater Israel. If Iran had nuclear weapons Operation Epic Fury would not have happened or at least logic tells me. Why then, other than Bibi's influence, did Donald Trump launch this war. He must have been told and must have believed that the Iranian government would collapse and flee in the face of overwhelming U.S. and Israeli air attacks. If he believed that then he must not be a student of history because that theory has never worked throughout the history of air power. It worked in World War II as part of a combined arms attack that involved millions of troops fighting around the world in ground combat. Later wars like Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan it was assumed that air power and destruction from the air would make the difference but it did not. If a belief that Iran could be forced or persuaded to surrender or agree to U.S./Israeli demands as a result of destruction from the air was the cause of the attacks then obviously that was a false conclusion. Perhaps senior U.S. military leadership were and are students of military history and they warned the president that the strategy would fail and that explains in part why so many have been relieved. I admit that I have no inside information that leads me to that conclusion just logic and history. Having said all that what are the options Trump has in front of him right now. Here are a few that come to my mind but I'm sure there are others I just can't think of right now. First, he could just pack up and come home ala Ron Paul's advice to come home and mind your own business. That would mark the end of the unipolar world and an admission that the empire stage of American history is ending and what results it would leave in the Middle East are anyone's guess. Second, he could just continue the blockade and the air war in the hope that it would finally work. Third, he could launch a ground invasion of Iran like the other wars the U.S. has fought recently in which air power proved unable to force surrender. Invading Iran with ground troops would be different from the other multi decade wars because I doubt that it could be done with minimal U.S. casualties. Iran is a much bigger country with very different terrain across the country. It might even require a general mobilization of the American population with a draft and a conversion to war time production. It would most likely involve tens of thousands of casualties with many of our best young people coming home in boxes. In other words that would be one of the stupidest things an American president could possibly do, but they often do things that seem stupid to me. Fourth, he could resort to the weapons he is trying to prevent Iran from acquiring. He could tell the Iranians that unless they comply with his demands he will use tactical nuclear weapons to destroy their known nuclear and missile sites. He could threaten to increase the intensity and frequency of the attacks until they complied. The results of the fourth option would be so catastrophic that I don't even need to talk about them. It would forever remove from America the belief that we were once a moral and religious people. Fifth, he could reach a negotiated settlement and to that end Iran offered a suggestion which was quickly rejected but only in part. Iran suggested that the blockade would be lifted and the Strait would be open for free commerce. That would obviously leave Iran in a position to close it anytime the nuclear negotiations did not go their way. The question of nuclear enrichment would be deferred until some day in the future when the sides would start talking again. A lot of people would have accepted the settlement offer except that Trump knows what it really means. It would revert the conflict to status quo as if the war had not been fought except for the fact that Iran's infrastructure along with much of its leadership are gone. The other message the settlement will send is if we close the Strait you cannot force it open with air power or your navy. That message was not one Donald Trump was willing to accept so he said; what part of no nuclear weapons did you not understand. For now, the war continues and the blockade continues. It appears that the blockade is far more effective than air power proved to be. The blockade is hurting Iran economically to the point they want relief from it so perhaps soon they will relent and the president's ego could be salved with victory. He admitted when he announced that the settlement was rejected that the blockade was more effective than the bombing. “They are choking like a stuffed pig and it is going to get worse for them.” Perhaps the analogy of a stuffed pig is not the proper one to use with the Mullahs but that is Donald Trumps style not mine. He went on to say that they want to settle. They don't want me to keep the blockade but I don't want to lift the blockade because I don't want them to have a nuclear weapon. Iran had to do their tough talk as well saying it would engage in “unprecedented military action.” U.S. Central Command Admiral Brad Cooper said “Right now there are 41 tankers with 69 million barrels of oil that the Iranian regime can't sell. That's an estimated $6billion-plus from which Iran's leadership cannot financially benefit. The blockade is highly effective and U.S. forces remain fully committed to total enforcement.” The Pentagon's accounting office announced this week that so far the war has cost about $25 billion in taxpayer money. When I hear that I raise an eyebrow because I have a good idea what it costs to maintain a carrier battlegroup at sea and in-flight operations. I know what it costs to keep a carrier-based aircraft in combat mode let alone a massive B-52 or one of the stealth bombers. Tens of thousands of troops deployed with some 32thousand at least, bombs and missiles dropped on Iran. I just don't think all that can be done for $25 billion. The money is one thing but the war has cost at least 15 American lives and about 400 wounded although casualty figures have been very hard to come by. Let's not forget the billions of dollars reportedly incurred in damage from Iranian missiles to U.S. bases across the entire region. Damage assessment in the Gulf States and in Israel to U.S. property has been almost impossible to obtain accurately so why lie about the $25 billion. If that department lies each year about the trillions that go unaccounted for by the GAO or Government Accounting Office I suppose it's not a stretch for them to lie about the cost of war. So, I will assume that the Iranians are politically astute enough to know how this war is affecting U.S. politics. It is terribly unpopular and is a threat to control of the House and Senate. In addition, I spoke to a gentleman the other day who had recently been in Ireland. He said that in the U.S, terms of measurement gasoline was running about $12.50 per gallon and heating oil was unaffordable for most people. That condition probably exists across Europe and would probably make Iran have confidence to just hang on because political pressure will force Trump's hand. Time will tell if that works or not. Finally, folks, according to UNICEF about 1800 Iranian children have been killed or wounded by the war on Iran. I don't know if that number is accurate but if the accurate number is more than zero it's too many. However, as you are painfully aware my opinion is that this war is a stupid waste of lives and resources and should end as soon as possible. Having said that the men and women fighting it are my brothers and sisters and I stand with them always. At least that's the way I see it, Until next time folks, This is Darrell Castle, Thanks for listening.

Toute la presse malienne se fait l'écho ce matin de ces obsèques nationales : « La nation rend un dernier hommage au Général d'armée Sadio Camara », titre Maliweb, qui publie de nombreuses photos de la cérémonie. Le journal en ligne précise que « les différents intervenants (…) ont tous salué la bravoure de l'homme, son engagement à vaincre le terrorisme et à restaurer la souveraineté du pays ». Bamada.net souligne que lors de la cérémonie, « le président de la transition, le général Assimi Goïta, a remis à titre posthume, les insignes de Général d'armée à Sadio Camara ». « Le Mali rend hommage à un pilier de sa stratégie sécuritaire », titre de son côté Sahel Tribune, qui raconte : « Dans le cérémonial militaire, tout était là : la marche funèbre, le drapeau national, la sonnerie aux morts, les hommages officiels. Mais derrière le protocole, une autre réalité affleurait : celle d'un pays en guerre contre une menace diffuse, persistante et profondément politique. Car Sadio Camara n'était pas qu'un soldat. Il était l'un des visages les plus assumés de la refondation sécuritaire engagée par les autorités de transition. »  Choc militaire et politique Après les attaques du 25 avril, la presse malienne s'inquiète de l'avenir. C'est le cas notamment du Journal du Mali. « Attaques coordonnées : vers une recomposition inquiétante du paysage sécuritaire », titre le journal : « En plus du choc militaire et politique, cette offensive révèle une évolution majeure : la coopération assumée entre groupes jihadistes et séparatistes, incarnée par le Groupe de soutien à l'Islam et aux Musulmans et le Front de Libération de l'Azawad ». « Ce qui distingue ces attaques des précédentes, précise le Journal du Mali, ce n'est pas seulement leur intensité, mais surtout leur degré de coordination. Jamais auparavant une offensive n'avait mobilisé un nombre aussi important de combattants et une logistique aussi complexe, ciblant simultanément des villes éloignées de plusieurs centaines de kilomètres ». Le Journal du Mali cite l'analyste sécuritaire Yacouba Sogoré selon lequel « les attaques du 25 avril s'inscrivent également dans une stratégie plus large, visant à affaiblir l'État malien sur plusieurs fronts. Elles pourraient être liées à une logique d'asphyxie économique et logistique, notamment en lien avec des perturbations dans l'approvisionnement en carburant ». Coordination redoutable Une opération de grande ampleur qu'analyse également Afrik.com. Le site d'information panafricain estime que les attaques du 25 avril « ont profondément ébranlé les institutions du pays. La mort du ministre de la Défense, figure centrale du dispositif sécuritaire, constitue un choc politique d'envergure. Plusieurs villes du Mali, dont Bamako, Kati, Gao et Mopti ont été visées, révélant une coordination redoutable entre groupes jihadistes et rebelles. » « Après plusieurs jours d'absence, remarque encore Afrik.com, le chef de la transition est finalement réapparu publiquement, mettant fin aux rumeurs sur sa situation. Sa visite aux blessés dans un hôpital de Bamako et son déplacement auprès de la famille du ministre décédé sont un retour sur le devant de la scène qui vise à rassurer les populations. Sauf que, conclut Afrik.com, beaucoup de zones d'ombre entourent cette sortie d'Assimi Goïta apparu avec un masque ».  Confirmation russe Enfin, certains médias s'interrogent sur le rôle que peut encore jouer la Russie au Mali. C'est le cas de l'Agence de Presse Africaine, selon laquelle « la Russie maintient son engagement sécuritaire ». « Le porte-parole du Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, précise l'APA, a affirmé jeudi que Moscou continuera, y compris au Mali, à combattre l'extrémisme et d'autres manifestations négatives ». Réponse de la Russie donc, alors que le Front de Libération de l'Azawad avait « récemment exhorté la Russie à revoir son partenariat avec la junte », rappelle l'Agence de Presse Africaine.

Two DOGE associates dispatched to the Treasury Department in the early days of the second Trump administration flouted various IT security rules while the agency itself fell short on implementing proper cyber controls, a new watchdog report found. The Government Accountability Office examined access that a pair of DOGE staffers had to Bureau of the Fiscal Service payment systems from Jan. 20-April 11, 2025. The Office of Management and Budget's public tally of governmentwide AI use again grew in 2025 — this time amid the Trump administration's push to use the technology in the name of efficiency. Per OMB's recent publication on GitHub, the U.S. government reported about 3,600 AI use cases across agencies, a nearly 70% increase in disclosed applications of the technology from the previous reporting year. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.

OpenAI and Anthropic brief Congress on cyber-capable AI. The GAO flags improper DOGE access to Treasury payment systems. Greece moves to end online anonymity. CISA orders agencies to patch an exploited Windows zero-day. Researchers uncover ransomware that destroys data instead of encrypting it. State CISOs report falling confidence. Neurodivergent cyber pros cite inclusion gaps. Police arrest a 19-year-old alleged Scattered Spider member. Our guest is Chris Boehm, Zero Networks' Field Chief Technology Officer, on minimizing your blast radius. AI lowers the bar and lengthens the line in the courtroom.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest is Chris Boehm, Zero Networks' Field Chief Technology Officer, discussing "One Compromised System and BOOM, Meet Your Blast Radius." Selected Reading OpenAI, Anthropic brief House Homeland Security on AI cyber threats (Axios) Scoop: White House workshops plan to bring back Anthropic (Axios) GAO report on DOGE payments access ‘just the tip of the iceberg' (Federal News Network) Greece to ban anonymity on social media (Euractiv) CISA orders feds to patch Windows flaw exploited as zero-day (Bleeping Computer) Broken VECT 2.0 ransomware acts as a data wiper for large files (Bleeping Computer) State CISOs Report Lower Confidence Across the Public Sector Cyber Ecosystem, 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte Survey Finds (NASCIO) Neurodivergence in the Cybersecurity Workforce (ISC2) Teen charged in Chicago was part of international ‘Scattered Spider' hacker group, feds say (Chicago Tribune) People Using AI to Represent Themselves in Court Are Clogging the System (404 Media) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Le Mali est toujours secoué par les attaques menées samedi dernier par les jihadistes du Jnim et les rebelles du FLA. Kidal est sous leur contrôle. Ils visent désormais Gao et demandent aux Russes de quitter le Mali. Du côté de la capitale, Bamako, les jihadistes ont décrété un blocus mercredi. Dans le même temps, le président de la transition, Assimi Goïta, faisait sa première apparition télévisée depuis samedi.

On this special episode of the Watchdog Report podcast, we discuss America's cybersecurity risks, as well as GAO's role in auditing and improving defenses against them. Our guest is Nick Marinos, GAO's managing director of our Information Technology…

Unlock the secret to sustainable healing by aligning your habits with your higher self no more one-size fits all advice. In this transformative episode, Gao Peraino reveals how small, intentional shifts like daily grounding, affirmative rituals, and energy protection can dramatically reshape your life, confidence, and relationships. Discover why healing is more than just emotional; it's energetic and rooted in daily practices that honor your authenticity. You'll learn practical tools such as creating personalized morning routines, setting energetic boundaries with crystals, and embracing self-reflection to chart your progress. Gao shares inspiring success stories, including a client who went from self-doubt to finding love and confidence, proving that alignment and self-love unlock incredible life changes.Missed opportunities? Uncover how neglecting your inner work can keep you stuck in cycles of hesitation. This episode is perfect for anyone tired of ineffective advice, overwhelmed by spiritual misinformation, or ready to genuinely elevate their vibrational energy.Get ready to tap into your innate power, trust your journey, and turn everyday habits into a catalyst for profound transformation. Whether you're just starting or well on your spiritual path, this episode offers practical insights to help you embody your light and create lasting change.Why this works: The opening immediately promises tangible, practical insights into healing habits aligned with one's higher self, sparking curiosity. Gao's storytelling blended with actionable tips connects emotionally, making the listener feel inspired and empowered to start their own transformation today.Subscribe to Embody The Light With Gao for more episodes on spiritual growth, self-love, intuition development, healing, and personal transformation.If you feel called to go deeper, you can book a psychic or mediumship reading or coaching session at⁠⁠www.gaoperaino.com⁠⁠Connect with Gao: https://linktr.ee/gaoperainoEmail: lifecoach@gaoperaino.com

Medicare is the biggest spending area for the U.S. government and the largest federal health program. Due to the sheer size of Medicare, there are risks of fraud. We'll talk with GAO's Leslie Gordon to find out about efforts to detect and…

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the first battle of Changsha. From Chongqing, Chiang debated defensive strategies for Hunan, ultimately adopting Plan B after Xue Yue's pleas, focusing on successive resistance north of Changsha to thwart Japanese advances. Japanese forces, under Okamura Yasuji, launched assaults in Jiangxi and Hunan. In Jiangxi, the 106th and 101st Divisions attacked Huibu and Gao'an, where Chinese troops under Luo Zhuoying and Song Kentang fiercely resisted. Gao'an fell briefly but was recaptured by the 32nd Army and the elite 74th Army, with heavy casualties on both sides, as recounted by soldier Liu Qihuai. In Hunan, Japanese units crossed the Xin Qiang River and landed at Yingtian, facing brutal opposition. At Bijia Mountain, Qin Yizhi's 195th Division held for four days; Battalion Commander Shi Enhua's reinforced unit perished entirely, their fragmented remains mourned by locals. Along the Miluo River, Chen Pei's 37th Army fortified positions, repelling waves of Japanese attacks, including suicide squads disguised as civilians. Recruit Yang Peyao's unit endured bombardments, inflicting significant enemy losses before withdrawing at dusk.   #197 The First Battle of Changsha Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Major Luo Wenlang, battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, 55th Regiment, 19th Division of the 28th Army, harbored a peculiar quirk: he couldn't sleep soundly without unwrapping his leg bindings, a small ritual that anchored him in the chaos of war. Since the war's eruption, such luxuries were rare, and unwrapping his bindings every night became an impossibility, leaving him to endure restless slumbers. Tonight, however, sleep eluded him entirely; he tossed and turned on his makeshift bed, his mind a whirlwind of unrest. Two days after the northern Hunan battle ignited like a powder keg, the 55th Regiment received urgent orders from Division Commander Tang Boyin to race to Wukou in Pingjiang County. Their path wound through Luo Wenlang's hometown of Fulinpu, a twist of fate that stirred conflicting emotions. Entering the village under the cover of night, the entire battalion encamped in the commander's modest family village, with battalion headquarters naturally established in his ancestral home.   Luo yearned to step across that familiar threshold but dreaded it, for his parents remained oblivious to a devastating truth. They slaughtered chickens and prepared meat, hosting the battalion staff with drinks and hospitality, after all, this was their son's unit gracing their home. Luo orchestrated door planks and straw for bedding, posted sentries, and deftly evaded his parents until they retired. Before dawn broke, he mustered the troops, ensured they were fed, and led them onward, slipping away like a shadow. By noon on the 22nd, they reached Wukou, only to receive fresh directives: rush to Yingtian to bolster the 95th Division against the enemy's audacious landings. The 3rd Battalion spearheaded the division's reinforcements, marching relentlessly through day and night, arriving at Dongtang, over 30 kilometers southeast of Yingtian—on the 23rd, hearts sinking upon learning Yingtian had already fallen into enemy clutches.   Luo Wenlang sought out the retreating 95th Division Commander Luo Qi to beg for a mission, his resolve unyielding. Luo Qi, anticipating his arrival, relayed Commander Guan Linzheng's ironclad instructions: The 19th Division's reinforcements would assume Dongtang's defenses. With the main force still en route, Luo Qi tasked Luo's battalion with relieving a segment held by a replacement regiment. He handed over a map, sketching a line with a pencil, a simple stroke that thrust Luo Wenlang and his men onto the front lines of fate. An operations staff was dispatched to guide them to the position and oversee the handover.   As the troops advanced, they encountered scattered soldiers fleeing like startled rabbits; seizing a platoon leader revealed they were indeed from the replacement regiment. Mere minutes from division HQ, the enemy was already closing in, a predator's breath hot on their necks. Luo Wenlang and Deputy Battalion Commander Wu Yacui split the battalion, launching a counterattack on Dongtang from dual routes. Fortune favored them; the Japanese held only an exhausted company, crumbling under a single, ferocious charge. They swiftly deployed two companies to the positions, reserving one as a bulwark. By dusk, the full 55th Regiment arrived, accompanied by the rest of the 19th Division's reinforcements, allowing the battered 95th Division, ravaged at Yingtian, to withdraw for desperate reorganization. The regimental commander positioned Luo's 3rd Battalion on the regiment's vulnerable left wing. In the blink of an eye, it was the 27th, aligning with the 15th of the eighth lunar month. Amid the relentless great battle, few noted the calendar, and the skies hung heavy with clouds. Luo Wenlang twisted on his straw bed, his thoughts a snarled knot of anxiety and memory.   At 11 p.m., gunfire shattered the night; a barrage of machine gun bullets riddled the battalion HQ house, raining thatch and dust upon Luo like fallout from a storm. Catastrophe had struck! Luo surged toward the positions with the bugler—his battalion signal chief—and the reserve force, ascending the hilltop in a frenzy. Halfway up, he spotted 8th Company's Lieutenant Platoon Leader Rong Fayu leading over 20 soldiers in retreat. Bellowing "Why unauthorized retreat?" while brandishing his pistol, he compelled Rong to rally and turn back. The Japanese had launched a nocturnal assault; 8th Company Commander Yi Zuitao lay slain by a fatal shot, over a dozen comrades felled in brutal close combat, the survivors scattered like leaves in the wind; the high ground now belonged to the enemy.   Upon learning of Dongtang's loss, the regimental commander personally led the regimental reserve, his face etched with urgency. Under flickering lantern light, poring over the map with Luo, Division Commander Tang Boyin telephoned, his voice a whipcrack of command: Recapture it before dawn, or both would face the merciless hand of military justice. After seizing the high ground, the enemy hesitated to press further; Luo surmised the darkness concealed paths, and their numbers were not overwhelming. Forgoing the regimental reserve, he led 7th Company's 4 squads and remnants of the routed 8th Company in a stealthy ascent. Near the position, a ravine concealed over 20 8th Company soldiers, rallied by Sergeant Squad Leader Tan Tianrong, who had lurked in wait for reinforcements, dreading exposure at dawn under the enemy's gaze.   Spotting the battalion commander personally spearheading the counterattack, Tan Tianrong's face lit with fierce joy; his men, armed with grenades, surged as the vanguard. Intimate with the terrain even in blindness, they hurled explosives into bunkers, trenches, and works. The commander orchestrated the charge; the Japanese force of 40-50 men crumbled, over half slain or maimed, the remnants fleeing northward to their village stronghold. It was past 4 a.m.; the moon pierced the clouds, bathing the earth in a silvery glow. With positions reclaimed, the night revealed its secret: tonight was Mid-Autumn. Moonlight unraveled the tangled threads of his past; Luo draped his clothes over his shoulders, sat beneath the luminous orb, and wept in solitary anguish.   Before the war, devastating news had arrived: his brother Luo Yinong had been killed in Jiangxi. Luo had three brothers; the eldest shouldered half the family's burdens, their bond unbreakable. The brother had enlisted first in the 50th Army, climbing to battalion commander through sheer valor. He and his younger brother had followed suit, inspired by that call to arms.   Wartime conscription demanded only one per family, but battling the devils was a duty for the nation and its people. His brother had risen to deputy regimental commander before his end. The 50th Army notified him first. Engulfed in battle, there had been no time to console his grieving parents or tend to the funeral; it weighed on his heart like an unyielding stone. His sister-in-law, diligent and unassuming, cared for a young boy and carried another child; the long, arduous days ahead loomed like an endless shadow. The night dew brought a biting chill, the moon an icy sentinel; Luo shivered uncontrollably, his tears mingling with the frost.   The sky hung heavy with overcast gloom, yet the moon lurked beyond the clouds, casting a faint, ethereal light that warded off utter darkness. Along the road, a unit's elongated black shadow snaked southward in hurried silence, a serpent of weary resolve pressing through the night. Qin Yizhi reined in his horse, pausing to gaze back: the queue stretched onward, silent and impeccably orderly, belying the exhaustion of a force scarred by days of ferocious combat, their spirits unbroken amid the shadows. After the Japanese seized the 195th Division's defiant outpost at Bijia Mountain, they surged across the Xin Qiang River in a merciless onslaught. The river, shallow enough to wade knee-deep, offered no true impediment; the real barrier was forged from the defenders' scorching blood, a crimson testament to their unyielding stand. The 195th Division clashed in a maelstrom of cruelty; positions were heaped with corpses time and again, the Xin Qiang's waters churning blood-red in relentless cycles of carnage. From the night of the 23rd to the dawn of the 25th, respite was a forgotten dream; Okamura Yasuji, in a gesture of grim respect, inscribed Qin's name in elegant calligraphy and hung it within his command tent, a haunting trophy of the foe's tenacity.   Following their triumphant landing at Yingtian, the Japanese entangled the Ninth War Zone's left-wing defenders in a protracted snare, their advances grinding slowly like a predator toying with prey, menacing the flanks of the frontal troops with insidious intent. On the evening of the 27th, Xue Yue issued the fateful order for the 15th Army Group to withdraw to the precarious ground between the Miluo River and Shangshan City, ushering this blood-soaked force into an all-night march toward the next defensive crucible. Late into the night, a brief halt was called. Soldiers slumped to the ground, adjusting leg wraps and gear with mechanical precision; logistics teams darted through the ranks, distributing rations like lifelines; cooks, having forged ahead, arrived with steaming pots of rice soup, infusing the air with a rare warmth. Though no clamor broke the hush, a quiet camaraderie enveloped the queue, a fleeting balm against the war's chill.   The division staff claimed a flat expanse beside a farmhouse yard for their respite. Qin settled onto a stone roller used for grinding grain, nibbling at his meager ration and sipping the hot soup that steamed in the cool air. Suddenly, moonlight pierced the clouds, cascading down in silvery streams; the familiar contours of the farmhouse stirred a flood of warmth in his heart, evoking memories of home.   Chongqing, Huangshan Villa. Every window was shrouded in double layers of thick curtains, sealing out any sliver of betraying light, as if the very walls conspired to guard secrets from the encroaching night. Tonight's ethereal protagonist rose languidly from the eastern valley, its orange-red moonlight casting an aura of drowsy reluctance, as though it had not fully shaken off the slumber of the day. The feeble glow dappled the building's roof, balcony, and the surrounding hillsides, intersections, and thickets, where armed shadows lurked, capturing every rustle in the oppressive silence. Only upon close inspection could one discern the faint specks of moonlight glinting off steel helmets. Yet, beyond those fortified walls, another realm pulsed with life, a vibrant contrast to the shadowed vigilance outside. The front hall, living room, and dining room blazed with brilliant light. Vibrant flowers, dominated by chrysanthemums in full, defiant bloom, infused the air with color and fragrance; a phonograph murmured a cheerful Guangdong melody, weaving an atmosphere thick with festive joy, a deliberate illusion amid the storm of war.   Chiang Kai-shek, clad in a flowing black silk gown, strode ahead with poised grace, escorting his guests into the dining room alongside the elegantly attired Soong May-ling, their conversation laced with laughter and warmth. At the table, Soong May-ling's smile was a beacon of diplomacy, as she artfully arranged the seating to suit hierarchies and alliances, while servers in crisp white uniforms moved with nimble precision. This was Chiang Kai-shek's intimate Mid-Autumn family banquet; beyond a handful of pivotal military and political figures, the gathering brimmed with relatives. Guests and kin alike noted Chiang's buoyant spirits tonight; his smiles were wide and genuine, his discourse light and expansive, delving into casual topics with uncharacteristic ease.   In September 1939, China's War of Resistance Against Japan had entered its grueling third year. After the initial cataclysm of turmoil and disarray, the government and military had clawed their way to stability, adapting to this unprecedented historical crucible, with operations finally aligning into a semblance of order. According to figures proclaimed by Minister of Military Affairs He Yingqin to Chinese and foreign reporters on the 13th of this month, Japanese invaders had seized 521 counties across 12 provinces, a vast swath of conquest. Yet, the Japanese imperialists had exacted this toll at a staggering cost. Just prior, on August 30, the Hirannuma Cabinet, installed a mere eight months earlier, had collapsed in mass resignation. Hirannuma Kiichiro's predecessor, Konoe Fumimaro, had similarly bowed out amid governmental failures, chiefly the unmet ambitions in the Sino-Japanese War that he had boldly promised to parliament, exacerbating domestic political and economic woes. Days ago, when Wang Pengsheng briefed Chiang on Japan's turbulent politics, he quipped: "Konoe said three months to destroy China; three months didn't work, nor three years, who knows about 30 or 300. Hirannuma had no solutions, down in eight months. Does Abe have good ideas? How long can he be prime minister?" Indeed, Abe Nobuyuki, Hirannuma's successor, would endure a mere four and a half months before resigning in ignominy. Tonight's feast showcased Chiang's favored cuisines: delicate Jiangsu-Zhejiang dishes mingled with robust Sichuan flavors. Chiang abstained from alcohol, raising his cup in mere symbolic toasts to his guests. During the meal, as if by unspoken accord, no one broached the raging domestic battles or the volatile international landscape; conversations meandered through trivialities, skirting anything heavy or discordant, a fragile bubble of normalcy.   On September 3, Britain and France had declared war on Germany, shattering the global order in a seismic shift. Foreign newspapers already bandied the term "Second World War," a phrase that evoked freshness, exhilaration, and sheer terror in equal measure. China's diplomacy surged with newfound vigor. In April, Ambassador to the US Wang Zhengting had negotiated a $20 million loan with American banks on China's behalf. In May, Stalin responded to Chiang's overtures, agreeing to exchange arms for Chinese tea, wool, raw hides, and more. A month later, the first consignment of light and heavy weapons—including artillery and heavy machine guns—arrived via clandestine routes through Xinjiang and Mongolia, bolstering the central army's frontlines. In August, Hu Shih, Wellington Koo, and Chien Tai represented the Nationalist Government at the 19th League of Nations Assembly, laying bare the Japanese imperialists' atrocities in China before the world and rallying global forces for peace to support China's defiant stand. Soon after, British and American civic groups ignited "China Week" campaigns, pressing their governments to aid the beleaguered nation. Waves of foreign volunteers streamed in from distant shores: doctors, journalists, ordnance engineers, even retired soldiers clamoring to join the fray on the frontlines.   "If we could pull America into this war..." Through Soong May-ling's subtle, persuasive influence, Chiang allowed himself to daydream of that prosperous, dynamic young powerhouse across the vast ocean. Thus, on this Mid-Autumn night, his talk turned to America, to his correspondence with President Roosevelt regarding the "tung oil loan." That saga had unfolded the previous October; T.V. Soong had jetted to America, securing a loan with China's tung oil, a commodity scarce in the US, as collateral. China had boldly requested $400 million; America countered with $25 million, a classic tale of "ask high, settle low." Yet, the funds were secured. One success paved the way for many. Soong May-ling had once confided to Chiang: "In mobilizing US aid for China's resistance, I'll make a difference." When Chiang responded with a smile, "Thank you, Madam," he could scarcely foresee how his beautiful wife's extraordinary prowess in fulfilling this solemn vow would astonish him, etching eternal glory for Chinese women worldwide and elevating Soong May-ling to the zenith of her life's achievements.   The most direct echo of the First Battle of Changsha's thunderous saga resides in the Ninth War Zone's meticulous report on the northern Hunan and southern Hubei operations, submitted to the Chongqing Military Committee and Chiang Kai-shek himself, a faded relic now entombed amid the vast ocean of Nationalist Government military and political archives in Nanjing's Second Historical Archives of China. This document, a painstaking compilation of combat dispatches from divisions, armies, and army groups, stands as a testament to valor and sacrifice. Tragically, time's relentless march and human folly have ravaged this priceless artifact, leaving only shards and whispers to conjure the heart-wrenching inferno of that bloody clash.   "October 24, Year 28. Urgent. To Chongqing. Chairman Chiang. Secret. Submitted by Commander Xue on orders." The rice paper has yellowed to a deep, somber hue, brittle and parched; a careless touch could reduce it to dust. Some pages lie fractured, their remnants affixed to white paper, forever unable to reclaim their original wholeness. Leafing through page by page unleashes a pungent miasma, a scorched, acrid, decayed blend that assaults the senses. Traces of fire and water mar the original rice paper sheets, with countless fragments glued haphazardly to white backings, their sequences lost to eternity.   "...The Xin Qiang River spanning from Lujiao to Leishi Mountain, defending a front of over 110 li..." "Enemy 13th and 33rd Divisions, parts of the Hata Detachment, naval units, and artillery, cavalry, engineers totaling..." "...Began attacking us first with artillery... fortifications completely destroyed, then infantry charged; relying on our officers and men all resolved to coexist with the homeland..." "...And launched balloons to direct artillery... our army braved the cannons... repelled them, corpses filling the river, turning the water red..." "Division casualties also reached over a thousand... failed to inflict greater strikes and annihilate... deep inner guilt, besides vigorously training troops awaiting orders to kill the enemy..." "...Attack casualties heavy, then concentrated large forces... artillery fire so dense like continuous firecrackers for hours... released poison gas, Wang Street garrison all heroically sacrificed, then breached... Zhao Gongwu kowtows, October 15"   Zhao Gongwu commanded the 2nd Division under Zhang Yaoming's 52nd Army. This unit first held the line along the Xin Qiang River, then fell back to northeast of Fengjiang Bridge to staunch the enemy tide once more; after October 6, it hammered southward-marching Japanese from the west in the Yanglin Street and Dajing Street regions. Through these crucibles, the division bled over half its strength. A fragment of an envelope clings to a sheet of white paper, its words faintly visible: "Changsha 126-3 Zhang Yaoming," "Hunan Jinjing Air Mail," "Combat Process by..." and the like. The stamp remains remarkably intact—a philatelic gem now. Measuring 1.5 cm square, it features Sun Yat-sen's portrait at its center, inscribed "Republic of China Post" below, with "5" in the upper right, "fen" to the left, and "5" in each lower corner. I sat at the long table in the spacious, brightly lit reading room, staring vacantly, my thoughts grinding to a halt. These remnants are all that endure for posterity, of that monumental battle, of the scorching blood and vanished lives of countless unnamed Chinese soldiers. With hands that once gripped a rifle, I gently caressed those pages from a bygone era; they were cold, devoid of any lingering breath.   As the full moon of the 15th of the eighth month dissolved into the golden-red blaze of sunrise, Qin Yizhi's 195th Division had already plunged into the rugged mountains and dense forests encircling Fulinpu. Per directives from 15th Army Group Commander Guan Linzheng, the 195th was to forge a new defensive bastion centered on Fulinpu, 40 to 70 kilometers from Changsha. Their mandate: stall the Japanese southward juggernaut, granting precious time for allied forces to muster and fortify around the city. Despite the grueling all-night march, morale soared undimmed. The advance chief of staff doled out positions to each regiment, and the troops dove into fortification labors with fervent zeal. The 195th Division's unyielding stand along the Xin Qiang River had already etched preliminary glory upon this unit in its baptism of fire. "Fame in one battle" echoed as a battle cry throughout the division, where collective honor intertwined with personal valor. Honor and triumph formed the bedrock for soldiers and armies alike. Yet, another fire fueled their resolve.   On September 23, amid the Japanese forcing the Xin Qiang River, Guan Linzheng's voice crackled over the phone to Qin Yizhi: "Facing you is the 6th Division." The 6th Division, a name that ignited fury in Chinese troops and civilians, forever linked to the demonic specter of Tani Hisao. Moments later, the whisper spread like wildfire through every trench: "The Japanese army that perpetrated the Nanjing Massacre is right in front." Agitation rippled through the ranks; some donned fresh uniforms and shoes from their packs, casting aside the worn; others flouted discipline to bid farewells to hometown comrades: "Today we fight to the death here; see you in the next life." "Tell my mother I died fighting the Nanjing Massacre enemies."   Some company commanders commanded their mess sergeants to expend all funds on hearty feasts. All Japanese were foes, but the 6th Division embodied a blood debt, an unforgivable vendetta; the Chinese nation does not lightly forget its tormentors. In the Xin Qiang River maelstrom, the 195th Division battled with heroic ferocity. Some soldiers, in their final breaths, murmured: "Die then; it's worth it." Others lamented slaying too few devils, gritting teeth, eyes refusing to close in eternal regret. Now under Inaba Shiro's command, the 6th Division splintered southward after breaching the Xin Qiang; roughly a thousand hounded the 195th to Fulinpu. On the morning of September 29, the Japanese blundered into the 195th's meticulously laid ambush. Qin Yizhi, pulse racing with excitement and tension, fumbled the binoculars from his guard's hand. His command sliced the air: "Begin." War history chronicles: "The 6th Division advanced south from the Miluo River along the Xinshi-Liqiao road and Xinshi-Fulinpu routes. The over a thousand reaching Fulinpu were ambushed by the Nationalist 195th Division, suffering heavy losses." As Japanese artillery and aircraft unleashed hell upon the 195th's positions, Qin orchestrated a swift southward withdrawal to the environs of Shangshan City. Again, without pause, they erected fortifications and set deadly traps.   On the morning of September 30, the pursuers from Fulinpu closed in on Shangshan, their numbers swollen to over 1,500. Qin Yizhi clenched his jaw, his demeanor icy calm, allowing the Japanese to creep into the kill zone before barking: "Hit them hard!" Combat raged from dawn to dusk, obliterating over 700 foes. Qin ascended a hill, surveying through binoculars, then erupted: "Bad! The enemy is retreating." Upon receiving Qin's telegram, Guan Linzheng scrutinized the map, momentarily stunned, then replied: "Enemy shows no retreat signs yet; proceed per original plan. Your unit to block at Shangshan City line until October 2." Xianning, Okamura Yasuji's 11th Army HQ.   Combat maps bristled with markings, staff officers darting amid ringing phones and clattering telegrams. The colossal red arrow in northern Hunan had fractured into tributaries, surging over 100 km southward from the outset; one tendril pierced to Yong'an City, a mere 30 km from Changsha. Vast swaths of northern Hunan lay conquered, yet Okamura sensed the tide turning, it was time to retreat. The Chinese employed their time-honored gradual resistance, battling while retreating with cunning grace. Some units fell back directly, others amassed on flanks—what portent did that hold? In Okamura's shrewd mind loomed an equally shrewd Xue Yue; he envisioned his adversary methodically weaving a snare.   Post-Yingtian landing, the 15th Army Group's timely evasion had unraveled his "Xiang-Gan Operation Plan" like fragile thread. If encircling and annihilating the Chinese main force proved unattainable, what purpose in pressing onward? Telegrams from 3rd Division's Fujita Susumu, 6th's Inaba Shiro, and 13th's Tanaka Seiichi piled on his desk, pleading to assault Changsha—for headlines and Imperial accolades, perhaps, but blind to their exposed supply lines vulnerable to enemy thrusts? Ground logistics teetered on collapse; the air force resorted to airdrops for isolated regiments. Venturing further south would stretch lines to breaking; a severed artery spelled doom for the vanguard. When would these commanders mature into true stewards of the Imperial Army? Okamura fretted and pitied them in equal measure.   At 4 p.m. on September 30, Okamura decreed a halt to advances at Shangshan and Yong'an. He commenced orchestrating the retreat. Changsha, Yuelu Mountain, Ninth War Zone Command Forward HQ. October 1. Xue Yue stood before the map, Guan's latest telegram clutched in hand. Qin's second missive insisted on Japanese withdrawal, corroborated by 15th Army Group scouts from Yingtian: This morning (October 1), Japanese transports unloaded artillery stowed the previous night, hauling it back to Yueyang; intercepted wires revealed a regiment aborting its southward push, standing idle. Guan assessed the mosaic and commanded counteroffensives: intercept if feasible, pursue relentlessly, deny the Japanese escape; he relayed retreat indicators to Xue. Xue paced the chamber, head bowed in contemplation. Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi, Staff Director Zhao Zili, and their cadre tracked his every step with expectant eyes, awaiting the verdict. Xue's thoughts whirled through military stratagems and beyond.   Pre-war, Xue had segmented the war zone's forces into tripartite blocs: Northern Hunan under Guan Linzheng's 15th, Yang Sen's 27th, and Shang Zhen's 20th Army Groups as "A Cluster"; Northern Jiangxi Nanchang with Yunnan Army Lu Han's 1st Army Group and the 74th Army as "B Cluster"; the Wuning, Xiushui, Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border guarded by Sichuan Army Wang Lingji's 30th Army Corps, Fan Songpu's Border Advance Army, and 8th Army; augmented by 3 armies' 7 divisions in general reserve. Before the storm broke, Xue pored over maps, tracing every mountain, river, road, and bridge, envisioning burial grounds for the invaders.   Now, beneath Changsha, 200,000 troops formed a tightening net. The "decisive battle in Changsha suburbs" blueprint had been wired to Chongqing. Chiang and the nation yearned for a resounding triumph as the resistance pivoted into a new epoch?! A masterful drama, honed over half a month's toil, neared its crescendo; yet that cunning fox appeared to sniff the trap's metallic tang, freezing in place. "Commander, phone from Minister Chen." "Brother Boling, good news." Chen Cheng's voice brimmed with levity, "Your formal appointment published. What? Ninth War Zone Commander! First to congratulate; document tomorrow." Shedding the "acting" prefix was inevitable; Chiang had intimated as much long ago. But for a man and general, true worth lay not in titles, but in forging indelible feats. Splendor was judged not by underlings, colleagues, or superiors, but by peers in the craft of war.   Unmoved by the promotion, Xue exhaled a profound sigh. Though the 15th's intelligence couldn't confirm a wholesale retreat, preparations for dual contingencies were imperative. Victories came hard; a splendid battle, harder still. He summoned Wu Yizhi and Zhao Zili to devise countermeasures for the enemy's potential flight. October 2, Sichuan Army Yang Sen's 27th Army Group, Yang Gancai's 134th Division special service company, under Company Commander Wan Mingyu, slogged through the profound mountains and forests on the northern Mufu Mountains' flanks. The 134th's covert mandate: infiltrate enemy rear via treacherous terrain, sabotage supply arteries in the Chongyang-Xianning sector, and deliver a dagger to the Japanese spine when opportunity struck, bolstering frontal defenses.   Past 3 p.m., a crystalline mountain stream materialized. Wan decreed a respite. Over 100 soldiers, drained from a half-day's ascent, collapsed like puppets with severed strings. Most propped their torsos with rifles in one hand, fanning hats to ward off the relentless forest mosquitoes with the other. Regaining breath, they devoured rations washed down with stream water. Some unfurled towels and ventured downstream, letting the cool flow rinse away layers of sweat. Then, a muted engine drone encroached from the heavens. Wan peered through the foliage: a low-flying plane vectored southward, its wings emblazoned with the Rising Sun.   A transport; Wan recognized the temporary Japanese airfield near Xianning. With lines overextended, airdrops sustained isolated units. Wan was prying open a can with his bayonet, the tip etching a cross on the lid before levering along the edge; paired with a rice ball, it promised a savory repast. His orderly proffered a cup of fresh stream water; 2nd Platoon Leader Hu Yaozong perched nearby on a rock, smirking, poised to pilfer from the opened tin. Wan warded off this Sichuan Pixian compatriot. The plane droned overhead then.   Both glanced skyward; the platoon quipped: "Open quick, damn, I'll repay two cans later." Commander: "Want cans? Sky has; shoot plane down, enough for two lifetimes, bloat your mother-in-law first." The can hailed from a prior supply raid. Platoon: "You want me to shoot the plane?" Commander: "Bastard! You shooting or not?" The platoon snatched the light machine gun from a tree fork, jamming the butt against his belly, one hand on the grip, aiming crudely: "Come down, you turtle son!" The other hand squeezed the trigger. Wan assumed jest, resuming his task. "Da-da-da..." Wan jolted; the half-opened can tumbled to his feet, spilling Japanese fish onto Chinese soil. Recoil floored the platoon; he hurled the gun like a branding iron, face ashen. Inspecting the trigger, he snarled: "Whose damn fault, why no safety?!" The gunner dashed over; tall and even-tempered: "Safety was on; how'd it fire without pulling?" Wan's initial panic: "Damn! Position exposed."   The company spearheaded the division's reinforced regiment to raze a recent Japanese depot, guarded by a mere company—but exposure doomed the regiment deep in hostile territory. The assault had been plotted for days; pre-departure, Yang Gancai had toasted them. Wan had sworn a blood oath: No return to Sichuan without success. Hu had jested then: "No Sichuan return means wanting Hunan girl as concubine." Banter was fine in peace, but in war's grip, this was no trifling errand. Wan unleashed a torrent of curses, rising to survey the environs. The main force lagged 15 km behind; advance or abort post-blunder? Enemy rear was a labyrinth; this isolated band teetered on a razor's edge. As if to compel a choice, the radio operator approached; Wan itched to lash out. In his fury and indecision, a miracle unfolded.   The transport's engines hacked like a consumptive invalid, then a witness spied the plane banking left, plummeting, its nose inexorably toward a colossal rock 3-4 km distant. It rebounded twice on the stone, nose and left wing crumpling; the fuselage, fragile as parchment, tumbled gently, skewing onto the slope amid splintered trees. Wan gaped, then bellowed: "Assemble!" The men snapped from reverie, charging downhill in a frenzied cascade. One hour later, 134th Deputy Commander and Reinforced Regiment Commander Liu decoded Wan's vanguard transmission via radio. Another hour passed before Liu received Yang Gancai's directive: Abort Mountain Leopard operation; return with documents expeditiously. One day hence, October 3, Okamura Yasuji's original retreat order from October 2 dawn, addressed to northern Hunan's 6th, 33rd Divisions, Nara and Uemura Detachments, plus its Chinese translation, landed on Xue Yue's desk.   Fifteen days later, at the Changsha Victory Celebration, unit accolades were proclaimed; for "shooting down enemy plane, obtaining vital enemy documents," meritorious honors went to 134th Commander Yang Gancai and Deputy Liu. Each received 1000 yuan and one 3rd Class Baoding Medal. Okamura's October 2 order original: Chinese forces retreated to Miluo and Xiushui Rivers banks assembling; to avoid disadvantage, this army should quickly withdraw to original positions, restore combat strength.   Withdrawal plan as follows: … Xue's October 3 order original:   "Northern Hunan frontal units with current posture immediately pursue facing enemy fiercely, must capture in Chongyang-Yueyang south area. ... Pursuit units may detach part to monitor and sweep enemy collection troops; main force execute overtaking pursuit... Already deep behind enemy advance units vigorously destroy enemy transport lines, cut escape routes."   From October 3, Chinese forces unleashed ferocious counteroffensives against the Japanese on three fronts: northern Hunan, southern Hubei, and the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border; the invaders receded like a vanishing tide, never to reclaim their ground. The 25th and 195th Divisions hounded the 6th Division and Nara Detachment from Fulinpu back to the Miluo River, then to the Xin Qiang River. On October 8, the Japanese fled across the Xin Qiang; the 195th's 566th Brigade surged in pursuit, launching a nocturnal raid on Xitang-Jianshan. Gains were modest, but the enemy, entrenched in their den, resisted with feral tenacity. Qin commanded the brigade's withdrawal southward; northern Hunan operations concluded.   In southern Hubei, the 79th Army chased remnants of the 33rd Division from Sanyan Bridge to Pingjiang, across Nanjiang Bridge, hounding them back to their Tongcheng lair. On the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border, 30th Army Group Commander Wang Lingji orchestrated a pincer against Japanese at Xiushui. The foes retreated to Sandu, mounting a stubborn defense. Chinese assaults faltered for three days; on the fourth night's blitz, victory crowned their efforts, expelling the invaders to their original Wuning stronghold. With both armies reclaiming pre-war lines, the First Battle of Changsha drew to its resounding close.   Over days, Xue Yue received a deluge of congratulatory telegrams and letters from the Nationalist Government, Military Committee, National Assembly, myriad civic groups, party officials, and social luminaries. As hoped, among them was Chiang Kai-shek's effusive missive, brimming with joy. For Xue Yue, this one sufficed. Chiang Kai-shek's telegram to Xue Yue:   "In this northern Hunan campaign, over half the enemy was annihilated. The triumphant news has invigorated the nation, all due to effective command and soldiers' valor; I commend without reservation. Thoroughly investigate and report meritorious personnel from this battle; also report the dead and wounded for awards and relief. With this initial victory foundation laid, our officers and men's responsibilities grow heavier; urge your subordinates to extra vigilance, redoubled effort, avoiding arrogance or complacency, to amass great achievements, my deepest hopes."   As if countering Chongqing's high-powered broadcasts, Japanese radios in Wuhan, Nanjing, Beiping, and Manchukuo blared at full volume: "In this Xiang-Gan operation, valiant Imperial forces penetrated over 100 km into northern Hunan, sweeping anti-peace elements, routing Chinese central main forces, inflicting over 40,000 enemy casualties, a pivotal triumph advancing the holy war. Having achieved objectives, Imperial troops have victoriously withdrawn..."   In the aftermath of the First Battle of Changsha, the Japanese high command spun a tale of calculated restraint, insisting their assault was merely a spoiling raid, a calculated jab never intended to seize and hold the city indefinitely. With brazen confidence, they downplayed their toll, claiming a mere 850 souls lost to death and 2,700 wounded in the fray, while boastfully asserting they had slain 44,000 Chinese defenders and taken 4,000 captive, painting a picture of overwhelming triumph amid the smoke and ruin. Yet, foreign military observers, peering through the fog of propaganda with detached scrutiny, painted a starkly different canvas. They gauged Chinese losses at a far more tempered 20,000 killed and wounded, a heavy but bearable scar on the nation's resolve, while estimating Japanese casualties soared to around 30,000, a grievous hemorrhage that belied the invaders' claims of minimal sacrifice. Military historian Michael Clodfelter, sifting through the annals of conflict, ventured an even grimmer tally: a staggering 50,000 Japanese casualties endured in the relentless clash, a testament to the ferocity of Chinese resistance and the high price of imperial ambition. In the battle's locale, neither side claimed clear victory, but globally for the resistance, it favored China. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The First Battle of Changsha unfolded in September 1939 during China's War of Resistance Against Japan. Japanese forces under Okamura Yasuji advanced into Hunan and Jiangxi, crossing rivers and capturing key positions like Yingtian amid fierce Chinese defenses led by Xue Yue.