[quote=@HachiRoku]
Question- just to clarify, what's the status of America, west of the Mississippi? I assume a weakened government, throwing troops desperately at the West and into Quebec?
[/quote]

America is in a three way war. The Germans and Italians are fighting Americans and Canadians in the Northeast. There's also the Mexican front, which is currently fighting the Mexicans/Spanish. The West is being fought against the Japanese. Pretty much any direction is a front.