1. Yes, you can select and start flash drive content from the front.
2. I suppose you could, since stand alone dvd players and game consoles can be used that way.
BTW, another option is to cast your phone to the RSE screens. I like that option, because I have an unlimited data plan for our phones and my grandkids have lots of shows on Netflix and Prime they like to watch. This also means I can find no good reason to get GM's data plan, which saves a few bucks each month. And there are no wires hanging around the console like there would be using a FireStick. The cell phone does everything I want.
All in all, though I was disappointed in there being no DVD player, now that we've had this setup for a while, it doesn't bother me. In fact, being able to have lots of movies on a flash drive is way more convenient than carrying lots of DVD's. Not to mention, handling DVD's that much tends to get them scratched up. That's happened to at least three discs we've used in my wife's Pacifica.