Sal Mercogliano - What's Going On With Shipping
Break It Down Show
Dr. Salvatore R. Mercogliano is an associate professor of history at Campbell University in North Carolina and adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He holds a bachelor of science in marine transportation from the State University of New York Maritime College, along with a merchant marine deck officer license (unlimited tonnage 2nd mate), a master’s in maritime history and nautical archaeology from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in military and naval history from the University of Alabama. Sal has robust social media accounts on YouTube, X etc.... Be sure to check out...
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Xander Bullock – Paul Van Riper, and War Games
Break It Down Show
Xander Bullock is a USMA grad who spent a long and successful career fighting wars in foreign places. Xander penned a recent article discussing a famous war game. In the scenario, retired USMC 3-Star General Van Riper played the opposing force. His team, a "thinly veiled Iran" failed to cooperate with the overwhelming force. Read Xander Bullock's piece on Van Riper at dailywire.com/news/america-lost-an-infamous-wargame-to-iran-thats-why-were-winning-now Van Riper's oppo forces played the game small and out of scope. His approach was so successful the game had to be halted. Van Riper was...
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Mitch Ferguson - Shipping Insurance, Trump and the Economics of War
Break It Down Show
Retired federal economist Mitch Ferguson returns to the Break It Down Show with Pete A Turner. Mitch's experience working in the federal sphere provides experience and insight on the influence of money on foreign policy decisions.
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Bill Conroy - The Great Pretense
Break It Down Show
Bill Conroy, M.A. in Mass Communications/Journalism (Marquette University), is a veteran journalist with 40 years of experience working as a staff reporter, editor-in-chief, and freelance correspondent at print and online publications across the United States and in Mexico. Get Bill's book The Great Pretense on Amazon at amzn.to/4cF89pG His journalism has been cited in more than 35 books to date. Conroy also is the author of the nonfiction books The Great Pretense: A Tour Through the Boneyard of the CIA's War for Drugs; Dispatches from the House of Death: A Juarez Cartel informant, a DEA...
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Brad Hutchings - AI Hype vs Real Reliability
Break It Down Show
In this Break It Down Show episode, host Pete A Turner and guest Brad Hutchings discuss AI's promises versus realities. They critique overhyped tools that fail at simple tasks (mic switching, reliable outputs), "vibe coding" creating technical debt, AI-generated spam eroding trust, and lack of accountability when automation fails. They emphasize human effort in communication, ethical responsibility, and skepticism toward exaggerated claims, while acknowledging AI's value for mundane work when used thoughtfully. (89 words) ...
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Mike Cote and Amber Brittain-Hale - Iran, Israel and the US
Break It Down Show
With the current situation in Iran between the US and Israel. Beyond this, the 5 EYES relationship is also interesting to examine. Let's get Mike Cote and Amber Brittain-Hale on the Break It Down Show with Pete A Turner Here's Amber's site for all of her work brainstatesinc.com Here's Mike Cote's substack rationalpolicy.com
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Amber Brittain-Hale - Munich, Policy and Tulsi Gabbard
Break It Down Show
Amber Brittain-Hale joins Pete A Turner on the Break It Down Show to discuss current events and foreign policy. The Trump administration's foreign policy approach, fronted by Marco Rubio remains on the cutting edge of world events. Rubio gave a house busting speech in Munich. His speech urged Europe to reject the same mistakes the US has made in the recent past. He acknowledged the link between Europe and the US as being an unbreakable history of success. Rubio's speech stood out from the recent messages from President Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Their more forceful tone was not...
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Dan Gerstein - War Without Humanity
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Dr. Daniel Gerstein is a national security professional who has served as a senior government civilian, in uniform, in industry, in think tanks and in academia. As a senior government civilian, he served in the Department of Homeland Security as Under Secretary (Acting) and Deputy Under Secretary in the Science and Technology Directorate, where he directed the organization's over $1 billion annual budget. Get Gerstin's War Without Humanity on Amazon at amzn.to/4b5ULJR During his service in the U.S. Army, he served on four continents while participating in combat, peacekeeping, humanitarian...
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Sebastian Junger – In My Time of Dying
Break It Down Show
Sebastian Junger nearly died. It was close. Along the way, a bunch of decisions happened to go his way. At one point, during his near death experience, a dark void opened up on his left, it was drawing him closer. His father, who had died years ago, was encouraging him to move towards the void. He, survived, and wrote his latest book about the experience. In his style, Junger teaches us about near death experiences, the science that confounds the scientists and what he thinks about death and dying. This is Sebastian's third visit to the Break It Down Show with Pete A Turner Get Sebastian's...
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Ramses Patino – The Philosophy of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Break It Down Show
Ramses Patino teaches folks in Orange County the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Ramses is the lead instructor at the dojo where Pete A Turner trains. Pete and Ramses sit down to explore the world of BJJ and how it informs people. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has exploded in popularity over the past 30 years. Gracie Barra, the school to which Pete and Ramses belong is the largest in the world with 1000s of locations across the planet. More than a way to beat people up, BJJ is a way to live, train and improve. Pete A Turner is proud to present Ramses Patino on the Break It Down Show More on Ramses...
info_outlineGregg Hurwitz is a New York Times best-selling author. He's also educated by Jordan Peterson. Gregg has appeared on the Break It Down Show, AND on Jordan's show...you may draw your own conclusions about that. Gregg and Pete A Turner hit if off several years ago during a Break It Down Show recording session at Gregg's house. That has led to many conversations about culture, social problems and how things work. They'll also discuss the recent LA fires what accountability in government leadership looks like. and how that compares to Pete's experience in combat zones.
Get Orphan X, Nemesis on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3WoWmmr
Beyond that, Gregg's latest Orphan X book Nemesis is OUT and is an absolute monster. Evan Smoak is a fantastic character who draws readers in as fast as any other thriller series.