Podcast Summary: Redacted News

Episode: "Putin just changed EVERYTHING with this move and NATO can't do anything | Redacted w Clayton Morris"

Date: December 19, 2025
Host: Clayton Morris (with Natali Morris), co-host Ben
Guests: Colonel Douglas MacGregor, Dr. Mike Krupa, Richard Werner, James Fishback

Overview

This episode, the final live broadcast of Redacted News for 2025, delivers a sweeping analysis of global conflict and political dynamics, focusing on the escalation between Russia, NATO, and Europe, the collapse of European economies, and the state of American anti-war sentiment. The hosts challenge mainstream narratives around the Ukraine war, expose Western policy failures, and feature experts and political voices critical of establishment militarism, including an anti-AIPAC Florida gubernatorial candidate.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Russia’s New Hypersonic Missiles and the Ukraine War Death Toll

[03:54–09:46]

• Main Points:
  • The show begins with "hard to swallow" new casualty numbers from the war in Ukraine, provided by independent sources (not independently verifiable, but claimed as exclusive):
    • Ukrainian soldiers killed: 1,009,367
    • NATO personnel killed: 297,894
    • Russian soldiers killed: 642,014
    • Civilians & missing: Over 2.3 million dead/missing/injured in Ukraine (all categories)
  • Discussion of Russia’s rollout of advanced hypersonic missiles—so fast and evasive that "NATO has no response" and "would look like a nursery school class" (Clayton, [08:33]) in comparison.
  • European leaders, especially in Germany and the UK, are prepping for the possibility of conscription as readiness for war with Russia.
  • Emotional impact highlighted: “These numbers have not been fully reported on the Russian side, because a lot of people would be upset to hear these numbers…” (Clayton, [04:12]).

2. Colonel Douglas MacGregor: The Pentagon, Militarism, and U.S. Policy

[11:00–30:44]

• Key Themes:
  • Bureaucratic Bloat in the U.S. Military:
    • Too many 4-star generals for a much smaller force than in WWII.
    • “At the height of the Second World War, we had seven four stars… and we're talking about 6 to 8 million people. Now we have over forty for a force perhaps a sixth the size.” (MacGregor, [12:54])
    • There’s confusion between "national defense" and interventionism (e.g., Venezuela, Syria).
  • Need for Strategy Shift:
    • Calls for a pivot to real defense, extricating from unnecessary overseas commitments, and expecting allies to carry more burden.
    • “What we should do in the future… start focusing on what's really important to us.” (MacGregor, [17:10])
  • NATO and European War Readiness:
    • Ridicules the fantasy of Europe going to war with Russia: “There’s no chance of Europe going to war with Russia. They're broke...” (MacGregor, [19:09])
  • Putin’s Intentions:
    • “Putin’s message was... we’re not interested in conquering Europe. We want a neutral Ukraine… But if you attack us, we are prepared for war, and you’ll find out what real war is.” (MacGregor, [20:49])
  • U.S. Financial Collapse Looms:
    • The anti-war movement is best represented “in the banking system and with the Fed, because we are on the verge of complete financial disaster.” (MacGregor, [22:38])
  • Syria/Iraq as Policy Waste:
    • MacGregor recounts attempts to get U.S. troops out of Syria and Afghanistan, exposing the rationale as "We're there for Israel," not the American interest (MacGregor, [25:54-28:26]).
  • Civic Engagement:
    • Emphasizes direct activism: “If you are concerned... call [your representatives] and say, I don't want this. If you do it in great enough numbers, there's a good chance it won't happen.” (MacGregor, [29:18])

Notable Quotes

• “Let’s not confuse national defense with intervention in Venezuela. The two are not the same.” – Colonel MacGregor [15:09]
• “What we do in Washington? We spend money… There is no national interest involved, just self-enrichment and staying in office.” – Colonel MacGregor [23:30]

3. Poland and the Specter of Permanent War

Guest: Dr. Mike Krupa
[34:58–47:38]

• Key Themes:
  • Poland is following Europe’s “narrative,” pretending to fear Russian invasion to manipulate public opinion and justify performative militarization.
  • Placement of new landmines on Polish borders, seen as wasteful and as a violation of international agreements.
  • Polish Public Opposition:
    • “There is no constituency for war among the under-40 crowd in Poland. There is no constituency for open borders…” (Krupa, [41:56])
  • Ukrainian Migration Burden:
    • Large influx putting strain on security, housing, and social dynamics.
  • Rise of anti-globalist, anti-war parties among Poland’s younger electorate, shifting political winds.
  • Energy & Economic Woes:
    • Just like rest of Europe, energy prices up, industries squeezed, mass migration impacting real estate and job markets.

Notable Quotes

• “If we were to put any anti-personnel mines, we should put them on the border with Ukraine, not with Russia and Belarus.” – Dr. Mike Krupa [44:03]
• “Despite the problems, you will not find in general a constituency in Poland for war with Russia, that's for sure.” – Dr. Mike Krupa [41:48]

4. Collapse of Europe: Farmers’ Protests and the Economic Meltdown

Guest: Richard Werner (Economist, author of "Princes of Yen")
[51:31–81:36]

• Farmers’ Uprising Across Europe:
  • EU-wide anti-farming policies under "climate" pretexts, leading to food security issues, forced expropriation, and protest.
  • “It just seems to be anti-farms and anti-food production in Europe. That's very worrying... you want to increase your self-sufficiency, and the EU is doing the opposite.” – Richard Werner [53:16]
• Economic “Mayhem” and “Deindustrialization”:
  • Germany’s economy is in systemic contraction: “Third year in a row of economic contraction… Last time this happened was 1933, and you know what followed.”
  • Closure of Volkswagen plants a striking (and symbolic) sign.
  • Massive bankruptcy waves among small- and medium-sized businesses, especially those with legacy, multi-generational histories.
  • Looming banking crisis engineered by ECB: first blew up the periphery (Spain, Greece, Ireland), now turning inward to Germany.
• EU as “Soviet Model Dictatorship”:
  • “The EU has been created modeled on the Soviet Union as a dictatorship… All laws are written, drafted by the unelected Politburo called the European Commission. It’s a rubber-stamp parliament.” (Werner, [62:48])
  • Brussels actively undermining local/national sovereignty; system is by design and origin CIA-driven.
• Optimism for National Sovereignty:
  • “People want the French to be French, the Italians to be Italians: that’s what makes Europe… But the EU’s direction is ever-closer union, ending sovereignty, no democracy.”
  • Some countries (Hungary, Slovakia) starting to resist Brussels’ dictates.

Notable Quotes

• “Germany’s been successful for 200 years because it had the largest number of banks in Europe… ECB is working on destroying that.” – Richard Werner [66:40]
• “That’s the setup on purpose. We have a dictatorship at hand.” – Richard Werner [78:12]

5. Spotlight: Anti-AIPAC, Anti-War Candidate for Florida Governor

Guest: James Fishback
[83:22–108:24]

• Free Speech and Criticizing Israel:
  • Florida’s anti-BDS laws and recent statute explicitly define criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism, with legal consequences.
  • “Our founding fathers… fought and died for our First Amendment right to criticize our government. And yet…that right somehow does not apply to the Israeli government.” (Fishback, [86:29])
  • Fishback rejects AIPAC money; positions himself as America First, not Israel First.
• Anti-War and America First Platform:
  • Cites “Uni-party” (Dem/Rep) consensus on endless foreign wars, and vows “no more dollars or soldiers for Ukraine, Israel, or elsewhere.”
  • Pushes back on party orthodoxy: “I'm not going to take AIPAC money. I will never take a dollar from any organization that lobbies in the interest of a foreign government.” (Fishback, [107:02])
• On Venezuela:
  • Supports regime change via “short-term strategic strike,” blaming Maduro for direct threats (drug gangs, fentanyl) affecting Florida.
  • Admits skepticism around war justifications is warranted, but asserts that in Maduro’s case, “the burden of proof has been met.”
• Media & Civil Liberties:
  • Stresses the importance of open debate, even where there’s passionate disagreement.

Notable Quotes

• “Republicans, Democrats, both sides, are shills for Ukraine, shills for foreign conflicts around the world that have nothing to do with us.” – James Fishback [91:16]
• “A politician who takes money in the interest of a foreign government is forever tainted and compromised.” – James Fishback [108:08]

Memorable Moments

• Colonel MacGregor’s frank answer on U.S. troops in Syria: “We are there for Israel. So I think the answer to the families… is very simple. We are there for Israel.” ([25:54–27:00])
• Werner’s EU-as-Soviet-Union Analogy: Draws direct historical and policy lines from the CIA and Soviet Politburo to European Commission and centralized EU dictatorship ([59:15–62:48])
• Krupa’s Polish Youth Sentiment: “There is no constituency for [war with Russia] among the under-40 crowd in Poland.” ([41:56])

Conclusion

This episode delivers a sobering—and at times incendiary—critique of the Western establishment’s war footing, economic mismanagement, and suppression of dissent. Expert guests warn of impending financial disaster, expose the emptiness of European/NATO saber-rattling, and highlight the rise of genuine anti-war, sovereignty-minded political currents both in Europe and the U.S. The conversation pivots from the macro (structure of global power, economic collapse) to the micro (statute in Florida barring criticism of Israel), centering the urgent need for public engagement and resistance to propaganda.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:54] – Ukraine/Russia war death tolls, Russian hypersonic missiles
• [11:00] – Interview with Colonel Douglas MacGregor (war strategy, military bureaucracy)
• [34:58] – Interview with Dr. Mike Krupa (Poland, European war preparations)
• [51:31] – Richard Werner: EU economics, farm protests, “Soviet-style” EU
• [83:22] – James Fishback: America First platform, AIPAC, Florida’s anti-BDS laws, Venezuela

Tone & Language:
Sharp, skeptical, and unapologetically anti-establishment. The episode blends world-weary expertise with a populist insistence on inconvenient truths, often using black humor to underline the gravity of the issues discussed.

For listeners seeking clear perspectives on the Ukraine war’s real costs, Western economic dysfunction, and emerging anti-war political forces, this episode of Redacted News delivers a challenging, information-rich deep-dive, packed with insights and calls to action.