# America Nearly Made a Catastrophic Mistake With China | Command Post

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bulwark-takes-7201724/america-nearly-made-a-catastrophic-mistake-with-china-command-post
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/bulwark-takes-7201724/america-nearly-made-a-catastrophic-mistake-with-china-command-post.md
Podcast: [Bulwark Takes](https://stenobird.com/podcast/bulwark-takes-7201724)
Published: 2026-09-19T18:15:45+00:00
Episode link: https://audioboom.com/posts/8954647
Audio file: https://clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8954647.mp3?modified=1789838894&sid=5149464&source=rss
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bulwark-takes-7201724/episodes/america-nearly-made-a-catastrophic-mistake-with-china-command-post
Duration seconds: 1588

## Resource

Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) break down the latest developments in the Iran war, including reports that AI-generated intelligence nearly led the U.S. military to board a Chinese vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. They discuss the dangers of relying on false intelligence, the importance of human oversight, and what can happen when bad information makes its way into military decision-making. They also examine reports that the Pentagon may be undercounting U.S. military deaths in the Middle East, as well as the growing cost of the Iran war. Plus, sensitive F-35 parts that were supposed to be shipped to the United States somehow ended up in Hong Kong. Finally, Ben and General Hertling fact-check President Trump’s claims about the massive amount of Venezuelan oil the U.S. supposedly secured, including his claim that America got 65 billion barrels of oil and 500 years’ worth of supply. Hertling explains what the deal actually entails and whether it constitutes a war crime. A quick note: Paid members of the Bulwark give us the freedom to follow the news wherever it leads, including stories that don’t just chase an algorithm. That’s why we can spend real time with experts like General Hertling on stories we think deserve your attention. If you think this kind of coverage is worthwhile, please consider becoming a paid members on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or Substack.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bulwark-takes-7201724/episodes/america-nearly-made-a-catastrophic-mistake-with-china-command-post/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/bulwark-takes-7201724/america-nearly-made-a-catastrophic-mistake-with-china-command-post.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.