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Andy Stumpf
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It is safe to say that I have wandered a bit. I served in the military, flew some jets, jumped out of most, climbed mountains (I jumped off of them too), taught fitness, owned a gym, and have spent the last few years speaking to organizations and leaders. It has been a journey, and in all honesty, I have no idea where it is going. I seek the things that make me uncomfortable. I move towards things that scare me. I think you should too

  1. 4h ago

    "Free Money" Is Costing Someone | Full Auto Friday | 10.23.2026

    A Marine veteran with no combat time or service injuries asks what I think about his stepsons' VA disability ratings and whether he should file for the same "free money." I break down where that money actually comes from, what the deficit and national debt look like, and why I'd tell him to stick to his morals. I also address the people who feel the need to qualify their service.  A listener pushes back on last week's censorship conversation and cites an FBI arrest as proof that some speech has to be stopped. I walk through what the First Amendment protects and what it doesn't, why an arrest for incitement is a consequence rather than censorship, and I repeat the question I've been asking for years: show me one example where censorship was a net positive. A 25-year-old whose father coached him from high school through college writes in about losing the sport he loved, feeling behind in his mid-20s, and worrying his fiancée will be collateral damage while he figures it out. My advice is simple. Share all of it with her. Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com Today's Sponsors:  Surefire:  https://www.surefire.com Ridge:  One thing to pack, five ways to power! You can find Ridge's Power Bank at Best Buy or our listeners can get 10% off at https://www.Ridge.com by using code "clearedhot" at checkout.

  2. 4h ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

    Introducing She Escaped the Unthinkable and Chose Her Own Beginning from The Oprah Podcast. Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast BUY THE BOOKS! I Choose My Beginning: A Story of Courage and Activism https://amzn.to/4j14o11 The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State https://amzn.to/4dwNaVF Nadia Murad was just 21 when ISIS attacked her village in northern Iraq. She was taken captive and endured unimaginable abuse before she escaped and went on to become one of the world's most powerful voices for survivors of genocide and wartime violence. A Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist, Nadia first shared her experience in her bestselling memoir, The Last Girl. Now, in her new book, I Choose My Beginning, she explores what it means to move forward and build a life beyond her past. Oprah and Nadia talk about the difference between surviving and healing and why she continues to speak out for the victims of the Yazidi genocide who are still missing. Nadia also opens up about finding love, getting married and creating a life that includes both her activism and her own happiness. Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney joins the conversation to talk about their work together seeking justice for ISIS crimes against the Yazidi people. 00:00:00 - Welcome Nadia Murad, author of “I Choose My Beginning” 00:05:40 - Why she chose to speak out 00:08:52 - Nadia wanted to rescue her niece 00:12:00 - Winning the Nobel Peace Prize 00:15:00 - Perceptions of survivors 00:18:00 - Online criticism 00:20:50 - Why Oprah admires Nadia 00:23:20 - Meeting Amal Clooney 00:27:00 - Cases for Yazidi women 00:31:30 - What Amal learned from Nadia 00:35:30 - Life in the refugee camp 00:37:35 - Falling in love 00:41:30 - Thousands of Yazidi people still missing 00:43:45 - The aftermath of war 00:51:00 - Nadia declined an operation 00:53:50 - Survival is not the end 00:56:00 - Building a new life Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/oprah/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

  3. 4d ago

    Inside the Thunderbirds and the Cost of Getting It Wrong | Ryan Bodenheimer | Ep. 477

    Ryan Bodenheimer spent eleven years on active duty flying the F-15E, including 70 combat missions over Afghanistan and a stint building strike packages at the air operations center in Qatar. He was selected for the Thunderbirds, flew Thunderbird 2 for two show seasons, and instructed the next team. After the Air Force he flew airliners, then walked away to build Max Afterburner, now one of the largest military aviation channels on YouTube, and to write Take Command. The thread in this conversation is rules and when to break them. He kept a loaded jet at .99 Mach so he'd arrive with something to protect a SEAL, then went down to 100 feet because 500 would have gotten the guy killed. He went off dry on a cleared-hot strafe because he saw kids, and two targets got away. My helicopter instructor put it simply: know the rules and why they exist, then you can break them. We close on Iran, drones, the withdrawal, and the limits of air power. Enjoy. Take Command: https://mysignedcopy.com/en-us/products/take-command?srsltid=AU7gw4XIeBMvDl9pxPZIhD54iTnJC5j74cMg8n-HS_7Cxx5Z4k83omYq Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com   Today's Sponsors:  Montana Knife Company:  https://www.montanaknifecompany.com LMNT:  https://www.drinklimnt.com/clearedhot

  4. Oct 16

    He Should Die. Should We Watch It? | Negligent Discharge Friday | 10.16.26

    I asked a question this week about whether the Fort Hood shooter's execution should be made public, and the emotional response to it surprised me. One video about my post opened by telling me never to defend him. I didn't. He should die, and I spent ten years of my life removing people like him from the planet. The real question is what a public execution gains and what it costs. Deterrence and closure are legitimate arguments. So are martyrdom, the countries that already do this, and what happens when footage reaches people who never went looking for it. I don't have a deep stake in either answer, and the responses on X land much closer to an even split than my own comment section would suggest. That gap is worth paying attention to. Michael and I also get into a YouTuber's RPG-7 test going wrong, flat earthers confronting the 24-hour sun in Antarctica, the reported removal of more than 130 million names from India's voter rolls, and a 94-year-old barrister arrested in the UK over a sign. Enjoy. Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com Today's Sponsors:  Willie's Remedies:  Order now at https://www.drinkwillies.com and use code "CLEAREDHOT" for 20% off your first order plus free shipping on orders over $95 AG1:  Go to https://www.drinkag1.com/clearedhot to get a FREE AG1 Flavor Sampler and AGZ Sampler to try all the flavors, plus FREE Vitamin D3+K2 and AG1 Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription order!

  5. Oct 12

    The AGI Promise Is a Cover Story | Bill Thompson | Ep. 476

    Bill Thompson joined the Army at 17 and spent 22 years there, most of it on the technical and communications side of a special missions unit. He now runs Spartan Forge, an AI-driven hunting app with over 100,000 users, advises high-profile clients on communications security, and is building his own compute network to run AI without feeding anyone else's system. His core argument is that AI as it exists today is training data, matrix math, and human correction. It produces novel output, not novel thought. He argues the companies promising AGI know they cannot deliver it, and that calling for regulation lets them blame the government, guarantee investors a captive market, and shut out the open-weight models anyone can run at home. He is moving his own companies off the closed systems now. Spartan Forge: https://www.spartanforge.ai Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com Today's Sponsors:  Black Rifle Coffee:  https://www.blackriflecoffee.com Better Help: https://www.betterhelp.com/clearedhot

  6. Oct 9

    Is Convenience Making Us Weak? | Full Auto Friday | 10.9.26

    Traditional Q and A to round out this week:  A high school senior sent five questions about American culture for a class assignment, so I answered all of them. The smartphone posture you'll see everywhere the second you look up. Political division and why your neighbor isn't your enemy. Whether Americans can still stand on their own or just push a button and wait. What the toilet paper shortage actually revealed. Being capable of violence and choosing not to use it. Independence as a core American value and what convenience has done to it. Why people born here won the lottery and forgot. A new father who cut off contact with his own dad asks whether there's any benefit to his daughter knowing that story someday. How my parents handled it with my grandfather. The difference between trauma and hardship, and why only one of them builds anything. Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com Today's Sponsors:  Firecracker Farm: https://www.firecracker.farm Cowboy Colostrum:  Get 25% Off Cowboy Colostrum with code "CLEAREDHOT" at https://cowboycolostrum.com/CLEAREDHOT.

  7. Oct 5

    Robots Will Fight the Next War | Mike LeBlanc | Ep. 475

    Mike LeBlanc spent 13 years in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and went on to 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. After getting out he studied his way into Harvard Business School and co-founded Cobalt Robotics, a Sequoia-backed security robot company that put close to a thousand robots into offices on four continents before it sold. He now runs Foundation, which builds full-size humanoid robots for heavy industry and for the battlefield. His book, What If Anger Is the Answer, comes out November 3. We start in Ukraine, where he has walked the front lines. Fiber-optic drones, isolated strongpoints, and a scoring system that awards points per kill. He argues most deaths on both sides now come from drones, and we work through what happens to a generation that kills through a screen. What if anger is the answer:  https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/What-If-Anger-Is-the-Answer/Mike-LeBlanc/9781637749227 Join the Cleared Hot Newsletter: https://www.clearedhotpodcast.com Take the Operator Code Assessment: https://www.theoperatorcode.com   Today's Sponsors:  Montana Knife Company:  https://www.montanaknifecompany.com Brunt:  https://www.bruntworkwear.com For a limited time, our listeners get $10 off at BRUNT when you use code "clearedhot" at checkout.

  8. Oct 2

    Lying Never Holds Up | Negligent Discharge Friday | 10.2.2026

    A last-minute Friday episode, because I forgot we didn't have one. Michael worked under pressure. We open with the Roberts Ridge series. The criticism online was valid: I should have asked Mitch and Brian whether they believe John Chapman earned the Medal of Honor, and I should have pushed on why the members of MAKO 30 supported the Navy Cross narrative and then would not sign statements for the Medal of Honor. That gap has to be addressed directly. I also explain where I actually land on the medal, why Pat Tillman is the example of what happens when you lie to protect a legacy, and why I am not a protector of the SEAL brand. The other side of the table is coming on in mid-October. From there, a report that an AI chatbot hallucinated nuclear components on a Chinese cargo ship and had aircraft scrambled before someone caught it. Michael and I argue about whether AI art is art. A judge blocks the White House from pulling press credentials, and I explain why censorship never works and what I would do as press secretary. Lincoln shut down hundreds of newspapers during the Civil War. The last U.S. troops leave Iraq, and we talk contractors, Title 10 versus Title 50, and why Afghanistan still stings. A pilot stabbed his co-pilot on a flight to Tel Aviv and the plane dropped 14,000 feet before passengers got into the cockpit. Today's Sponsors:  Helix: Go to  ⁠https://www.helixsleep.com/CLEAREDHOT⁠ for 27% off sitewide. AG1:  Visit ⁠https://www.drinkag1.com/clearedhot⁠ to get an AG1 Pro YETI Shaker in your AG1 Pro WelcomeKit.

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It is safe to say that I have wandered a bit. I served in the military, flew some jets, jumped out of most, climbed mountains (I jumped off of them too), taught fitness, owned a gym, and have spent the last few years speaking to organizations and leaders. It has been a journey, and in all honesty, I have no idea where it is going. I seek the things that make me uncomfortable. I move towards things that scare me. I think you should too

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