Podcasts about forever war

The people's house is being rented out for a pay-per-view cage match. On his own birthday, Donald Trump is staging a UFC event at the White House — with security and overhead costs that will run American taxpayers an estimated ten to twelve million dollars, on top of a sixty million dollar production tab. This isn't a charity fundraiser. It isn't on broadcast TV. It's a corporate hype machine behind a Paramount paywall while American families wrestle with gas prices, grocery bills, and a brutal summer economy. Paul Rieckhoff — a longtime MMA fan who trained in mixed martial arts in the military — breaks down why even die-hard UFC supporters are recoiling from this one. The deeper story is corruption, and history has a warning. What ultimately toppled Viktor Orbán in Hungary wasn't ideology — it was the rot. The sense that the leader and his family were getting rich while everyone else was suffering. Sound familiar? This episode connects the UFC spectacle to the broader pattern: the president's name on the arch, on Mount Rushmore pitches, on commemorative coins, on a wing of the White House being torn down. The exponential wealth gains for Trump and his children. The foreign money flowing into family funds. This is a no-BS briefing for the Angry Middle on what happens when a head of state confuses the public trust with a personal brand — and why good Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike need to meet in the middle and call it what it is. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The two parties don't just run the game — they run the refs. In this News Nation panel conversation, Paul Rieckhoff makes the case that America's closed primary system isn't merely broken, it's rigged: party-run, party-refereed, and engineered to push both sides to the fringe while the 90-million-strong angry middle gets locked out. With independents now giving Donald Trump an approval rating in the twenties and an independent senator like Angus King already shaping Maine politics, the 2026 midterms are shaping up to be a referendum the MAGA machine can't spin its way out of. From there, the conversation moves to the powder keg in the Middle East — forty percent of the U.S. Navy in the region, tens of thousands of troops exposed, and what Paul calls 'the worst ceasefire ever' still producing live fire. Add a three-year inflation high, a president openly saying he 'loves the inflation,' fresh Epstein testimony from Bill Gates, and a Maine Senate race that just got a lot more interesting, and you've got the full picture of a summer of violence, volatility, and political pressure. Independents are going to decide what comes next. This is the briefing on why. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Clayton as DNI, DOJ/Trump's $1.8B slush fund lives, Trump vs Platner, and Iran and inflation. It has been a wild, weird, harrowing week — Iran, ICE in Minneapolis, a UFC fight at the White House, the Knicks in the playoffs, and a president who keeps telling you out loud what he plans to do next. In this special Friday pop-media episode, Paul Rieckhoff brings you his weekly conversation from MS Now and breaks down what he's calling Trump's Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C: weaponize the National Guard, weaponize ICE, and weaponize the ballot box. It's not speculation. Trump has said it. Steve Bannon has said it. The reporting backs it up. And Congress — by Paul's read — has stopped exactly nothing. This is a no-BS briefing for the angry middle. Paul connects the dots between the resurrected payout scheme for January 6th defendants, the ICE escalation in blue cities, the Iran war driving gas prices through the roof, and the coming primary fights from Maine to Nebraska to Montana where independent veterans are stepping up where Democrats can't. He's blunt about the Democratic brand problem, blunt about the Republican capitulation, and clear about where the circuit breaker actually lives: election integrity, the courts, Congress, and an angry middle that refuses to check out for the summer. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky   -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Iran Hits Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan. Trump vs Gov Wes Moore in Golf. World Cup Begins and Team USA Plays Tomorrow!  Trump told a room full of Americans he "loves inflation" — while working families are getting strangled at the grocery store and the gas pump. Meanwhile, Senator Markwayne Mullin is openly fantasizing about siccing ICE on New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, treating federal immigration enforcement like a personal political weapon. This is what the rigged two-party system looks like when the masks slip: a billionaire class that profits from your pain and a MAGA machine that uses federal agencies as enforcers. Paul Rieckhoff cuts through it with a no-BS solo briefing built for the 90 million independent voters who are sick of being lied to by both sides. This episode moves fast — from the economic gaslighting coming out of the White House, to the constitutional alarm bells ringing over ICE being deployed as a political cudgel, to a genuine moment of American unity courtesy of the New York Knicks. Paul connects the dots between cultural touchstones and political rot, lays out what the angry middle should actually be watching, and points to where righteous anger can be translated into real-world impact. If you want intelligence-grade analysis instead of cable-news theater, this is your morning briefing. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A new report out this week shows conflicts between nations have now surged to their highest level since World War II. Meanwhile, protracted conflict in the Middle East suggests the world may be entering into an era in which states increasingly remain in perpetual confrontation without crossing into all-out war.  Also, FIFA World Cup host Mexico will play in its first match, going toe-to-toe with South Africa, a team that is making its first appearance at the men's World Cup in 16 years. And, Australia is about six months into a social media ban that prohibits kids under 16 from using certain platforms, but whether or not it's working is up for debate. Plus, summertime in Japan kicks off a season of shrine festivals.Your support is critical in sustaining our nonprofit newsroom. Donate today and your gift will be matched 2:1! Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

FOREVER WAR

 Far Left & Right Dominate Another Rigged Primary Day. Knicks/Spurs Back at MSG. Hilton Beats Steyer in CA. Jimi Hendrix Gets His Way. It's a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Wednesday and Paul is sounding the alarm. Game four of the NBA Finals tips off tonight at Madison Square Garden, but the real story is bigger than basketball. A Spurs fan got jumped in New York. Young men across America are jobless, hopeless, and furious. Trump has already named New York and Chicago as cities he wants to send troops into. Steve Bannon is calling ICE airport operations a dress rehearsal for the fall elections. And Pete Hegseth just flew to Gitmo with conspiracy-pusher Laura Loomer in tow — not the Washington Post, not even Fox — because Cuba is next and they aren't even hiding it. Paul connects the dots between a potentially violent summer at home, CENTCOM's ongoing strikes inside Iran, the rigged primary system that just disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of independents in California and Maine, and the open primaries fight quietly unfolding in Lower Manhattan under Mamdani's new charter commission. This is a no-BS warning to the angry middle: stay out of the fistfights, stay out of the extremist groups, look out for the young men in your life, and refuse to give Trump the excuse he's desperate for. Righteous anger, channeled into real impact. Stay vigilant. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Make the switch to Noble mobile and save money the easy way. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

900K Independents Blocked Out. Spencer Pratt is Out in LA. Trump Cries Foul. America 250 is Bigger Than Trump.  Trump showed up at Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden and got booed loud enough that he had to lie about it on the tarmac. Hours later, news broke that an Iranian drone shot down a US Army Apache gunship off the coast of Oman — the pilots rescued, in a first-of-its-kind operation, by an American sea drone. And while the MAGA machine drags the NBA, the UFC, and America 250 into its political circus, four states are running primaries today that disenfranchise nearly a million independent voters, including roughly 450,000 independent veterans in Nevada alone. Paul Rieckhoff is solo on the mic for episode 545, delivering the kind of no-BS morning briefing the cable nets won't. This one moves fast and hits hard: drone warfare as the new normal in Iran and Ukraine, the difference between a closed primary, an open party primary, and the all-candidate open primary that actually respects independents, the Graham Plattner problem in Maine, Trump previewing his attack on November's election results, and a French flyover at the Statue of Liberty that's a reminder America 250 doesn't belong to Trump. If you're tired of partisans weaponizing every NBA scuffle and every foreign policy crisis, this is the briefing that meets the moment — righteous anger, rigorous analysis, and a path forward. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Make the switch to Noble mobile and save money the easy way. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky   -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Donald Trump beloofde een einde te maken aan de Forever Wars, maar door een kapitale misrekening zit hij er nu dieper in dan ooit. Terwijl Washington wanhopig een deal probeert te forceren vóór de aftrap van het WK voetbal, lapt Benjamin Netanyahu elke Amerikaanse instructie aan zijn laars. De machtigste man ter wereld is plotseling de gijzelaar van zijn eigen bondgenoot. Maarten van Rossem en Tom Jessen zien dat Trump over zijn politieke hoogtepunt heen is.Kijk deze podcast hier met beeld

Congress is finally showing a spine. After months of all gas and no brakes, the unauthorized Iran war has become the breaking point — and for the first time in this administration, Republicans, Democrats, and the Angry Middle in between are unified in opposition. The country does not want another regime-change war. The country does not want a new forever war. And the politicians, as usual, are behind the people they claim to lead. Paul Rieckhoff lays out why this moment matters and why the pushback can't stop at Iran when Cuba, Greenland, and Mexico are already in the rhetorical crosshairs. Then there's the deeper rot. The nominee to run the DNI — the traffic cop for every piece of intelligence flowing from our allies and our own agencies — has no experience and, in Paul's read, no intelligence. Scott Bessent is brawling with Bill Pulte on Capitol Hill. Ebola is spreading in Africa. Putin is slamming into Ukraine. Iran is hitting Kuwait. The World Cup is coming to American soil with a national security apparatus staffed by wannabe tough guys and unqualified loyalists. Americans feel less safe because they are less safe — and this briefing connects every dot. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Big Trump Immigration Bill Funded. Remembering D-Day. As Hegseth Contaminates That Too. Iran and Israel Back at It. Achilles Strong in Idaho. 7'4 Mayor Greg Ostertag (I). The Bears are Leaving Chicago?!?  New York City is buzzing. For the first time since 1999, the NBA finals are back at Madison Square Garden, and Fat Joe says it's the greatest unification the city has seen since 9/11. Then Trump announced he's coming — and everything he touches suffers. No sitting president has ever crashed an NBA finals game, for good reason: the security footprint swallows the event, the watch parties outside the Garden get shut down, and the working-class fans who can't afford an $8,000 nosebleed seat get pushed out of their own city's celebration. Paul Rieckhoff opens Manosphere Monday solo with a no-BS breakdown of why this is the new normal — UFC at the White House, the World Cup, the 2028 Olympics — and why the last island of American culture just got contaminated. From there, the briefing widens: Pete Hegseth turning the 82nd anniversary of D-Day into an anti-immigration grievance speech, Kristen Welker revealing Trump for who he is on Meet the Press, the Iran-Israel ceasefire that isn't a ceasefire, a direct Iranian missile hit on the main US air command center in Qatar that the government still won't talk about, $70 billion in new ICE funding rolling toward the House, and the independent veteran candidates — Achilles, Bodnar, Osborn — quietly running the most underreported political story in America. Plus a closing note on Greg Ostertag, the seven-foot NBA legend who just won a mayor's race in Mount Vernon, Texas — as an independent. Joy is resistance. So is vigilance. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pentagon Hires Jan 6 Insurrectionist. A Soldier Died in Iraq and Nobody Noticed. CBS Fires Scott Pelley. Trump's UFC Event is Off The Rails. Knicks Win!! The House finally did its job. By a 215-208 vote on the War Powers Act and a 218-204 vote authorizing $8 billion in military financing for Ukraine, Congress this week told Trump no on Iran and yes on Kyiv. It's shamefully overdue, it's mostly symbolic on Iran, and it took a handful of Republicans with actual integrity — Fitzpatrick, Massie, Barrett, Davidson, and Don Bacon among them — to make it happen. But on day 1559 of Russia's full-scale invasion, with more than 700 Ukrainian children dead and an American sergeant just killed in a training accident in Iraq that almost nobody noticed, this is the closest thing to good news Washington has produced in months. In this solo briefing, Paul walks through the votes, the cost, and the rot underneath them: a convicted January 6th rioter now assigned to the Pentagon's irregular warfare and counterterrorism section, the firing of Scott Pelley and the slow death of 60 Minutes, the disappearance of Tulsi Gabbard, the UFC turning into a political circus, and the Maine Senate race where Graham Platner's Totenkopf tattoo and a damning New York Times report have Democrats doing their best Biden 2.0 impression. He closes with Karen Lee Matthews' honorable independent run in California's 23rd, a reminder of where TAPS and the 988 crisis line fit in, and why the Knicks winning Game One actually matters for a country that desperately needs something to root for together. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Most Dangerous Summer. Iran, Ukraine, Ebola, And The World Cup.  Rubio Says The War Is Over - Who Won? Bessent's “Short-Term Blip” Is Bs. The lid is blown off. Secretary of State Marco Rubio went up to Capitol Hill to declare victory over Iran — defense industrial base destroyed, missile launchers gutted, conventional navy wiped out — and within 24 hours Tehran hit the Kuwaiti airport. That's the summer we're walking into. Paul Rieckhoff breaks it all down from the MSNBC desk: the war that supposedly isn't a war, the war powers vote that may or may not matter, and a White House that has stopped pretending Congress exists. This is exactly the moment the rigged two-party system was built to obscure — and exactly the moment the Angry Middle needs the no-BS briefing. From there the conversation widens into the full threat picture: Putin slamming Ukraine, an Ebola outbreak in Africa, the World Cup and America 250 about to flood the homeland with soft targets, and a Treasury Secretary telling working families that grocery prices are a "short-term blip." Paul names the Republicans who are finally breaking from Trump now that the $1.8 billion insurrectionist slush fund got killed, the independent veterans like Dan Osborn making real ground in Nebraska and Montana, and the LA mayor's race where running against the entire system is suddenly the winning play. If you've been waiting for someone to connect Iran, gas prices, and a lame-duck presidency in one rigorous briefing — this is it. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

(15) Malcolm Hoenlein explains that Iran continues its "forever war" by funding Hezbollah despite ongoing truce negotiations. Prime Minister Netanyahu faces internal pressure while assessing potential ceasefires and the ongoing threat of Hamas rebuilding in Gaza.BRUSSELLS

90 Days In - Is The Iran War Illegal? RFK & Hegseth Unfit for Office? Elk Camps & the Rural Health Care Crisis.  The day after Montana's 2026 primary, Paul sits down with Colonel Mike Eisenhauer — a 25-year Army veteran, Bronze Star recipient, and practicing interventional cardiologist who is now running as an independent for Congress (https://eisenhauerforcongress.com/) in Montana's massive 2nd District. While the Republican incumbent ran unopposed and three Democrats fought over a primary their party hasn't won statewide in decades, Eisenhauer was outside the rigged two-party system entirely, gathering nearly 13,000 verified signatures to earn his spot on the November ballot. This is what it actually takes to break through when the machine is designed to keep you out. The conversation covers the affordability crisis crushing Montana families, the gutting of rural healthcare under the so-called big beautiful bill, the illegal and unauthorized war in Iran, congressional abdication under the War Powers Act, and why Eisenhauer — alongside Green Beret Seth Bodnar's Senate run — may be proof that Montana is ground zero for the independent movement. Paul and Mike also get into RFK Jr., right-to-repair, Trump accountability, the day after a huge primary day, the NBA Finals and why a doctor's diagnostic framework might be exactly what a broken Congress needs.  -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brutal Russian Attack Hits Kyiv. Tulsi Gabbard's Replacement Has No Experience. Mamdani Cancels Bedtime.  It's primary day in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota — and depending on your zip code, you either get a real vote or you get told to sit down and shut up. Paul Rieckhoff cuts through the noise on the biggest primary day of the cycle so far, breaking down why California's open primary is what real democracy looks like, why closed primaries in places like New Jersey and New York are a rigged scam dressed up in public money, and why 17 million independents across 16 states are once again being locked out of the elections their taxes fund. He names names: Karen Matthews in CA-23, Seth Bodnar going independent in Montana, Rebecca Bennett taking on the missing-in-action Tom Kean Jr., Deb Haaland in New Mexico, and the partisan hacks — Brad Lander chief among them — who say they love democracy but fight open primaries every step of the way. Then the briefing goes wider. Trump just lost a Senate fight over an outrageous $1.8 billion slush fund to pay out January 6th insurrectionists and Oath Keepers — proof that pressure works when even moderate Republicans break ranks. But he's already nominated Bill Pulte, a home-building heir with zero intelligence experience, to replace Tulsi Gabbard at DNI. Overnight, Russia killed a three-year-old boy in Dnipro after the U.S. delayed air defense missiles to Ukraine. Paul closes with the culture beat — Mamdani, the NBA Finals, a Cruz-Gillibrand bet — and a reminder that the independent movement isn't moving the needle, it is the needle. Country over party. People over politics. Light over heat. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump wants his face on the money. Not on a coin after he's gone. Not on a statue some future generation can decide to keep or tear down. On a live, circulating $250 bill — while he's still in office and while it's still illegal under federal law to put a living person on US currency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went on television and called it nothing untoward. The Angry Middle is calling it what it actually is: a strongman vanity project at a moment when most Americans can't scrape $250 together for groceries, gas, and rent. In this conversation, Paul and the crew break down the legacy push — the commemorative coin, the Trump-branded passports out of DC, the National Park Pass swap, the Kennedy Center rebrand, the arch on the White House lawn — and why this is all gas, no brakes executive ego dressed up as patriotism. They get into the Republican holdouts (Tillis, Cassidy, Cornyn) who Trump has already purged and who are about to hand him an embarrassing no vote, the ten-year design timeline that makes the whole thing a fantasy anyway, and the cabinet-meeting sycophancy culture that produces ideas this absurd. Then a hard left turn to the Knicks Finals — and a non-partisan plea to keep both Trump and Mamdani out of Madison Square Garden before they jinx the whole run. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fifty thousand troops. Zero reporters on a ship. Zero reporters on a base. That's the reality of the Iran deployment under Trump and acting secretary of culture war Pete Hegseth — and it's the kind of information vacuum that's never existed in modern American conflict. Paul is joined by ABC News chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz, one of the most respected and trusted voices in military journalism, for a no-BS briefing on what happens when the Pentagon shuts the press out of a shooting war. This is a conversation about more than access. It's about trust — the trust the American public places in a non-political military, the trust troops place in journalists who actually show up, and the trust that gets shredded when a defense secretary turns a West Point graduation into a culture war rally. Paul and Martha walk through the Memorial Day lines that got crossed, why embeds matter, what the rank and file actually think about the politics being shoved down their throats, and why the easiest way to stop the truth is to never let anyone see it in the first place. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

EDITORIAL: Gaza, Ukraine evolving into ‘forever wars' | June 1, 2026Check out our Streaming Channel: https://streaming.manilatimes.net/Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribeVisit our website at [https://www.manilatimes.net](https://www.manilatimes.net/)Follow us:Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebookInstagram - https://tmt.ph/instagramTwitter - https://tmt.ph/twitterDailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotionSubscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digitalCheck out our Podcasts:Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotifyApple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcastsAmazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusicDeezer: https://tmt.ph/deezerStitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcherTune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein#TheManilaTimes#VoiceOfTheTimes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Indy Duggan Out of Mich Gov Race. New Indy in Illinois Gov race. QB Jaxon Dart Endorsed Trump. Trump Attacks Colbert. Hochul Misses a Layup. Lander & Mamdani Attack Open Primaries in NYC. RIP, Rob Base.  It's episode 535 and Paul Rieckhoff is flying solo on a Friday — no guest, just a no-BS rapid-fire briefing on a week where the wheels kept coming off. Trump is still dangling a tentative Iran deal that looks suspiciously like the Obama agreement he tore up, while the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, the regime stays in place, and the nukes stay unsecured. Fourteen wounded American troops are at Walter Reed. The president walked the same halls for his own physical and didn't stop in. Meanwhile, a Russian drone hit an apartment building in Romania — NATO territory — and the silence from this White House has been deafening. From there Paul takes the briefing into Pete Hegseth's culture-war speech at West Point and his cheesy green-screen propaganda videos pitching a $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget, Trump's jealous AI dumpster video attacking Stephen Colbert, Jaxon Dart's locker-room-dividing endorsement, and a revealing sidewalk confrontation outside his kids' public school with Brad Lander — who openly admitted he opposes open primaries. This is the rigged two-party system in full color, and the Angry Middle is the story. Paul closes with what's still working: game sevens, the Spurs, 500 kids headed to a Mets game, and the reminder that joy is still a form of resistance. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The State of American Media in this Time of War. Pentagon Blackout: Why No Reporters Embedded with Troops is a Loss for Everyone. How is America Right Now? The Hero Next Door - Stories from the Wars America Forgot. Martha Raddatz has spent decades doing the work most of Washington can't or won't — getting on the ground, walking with troops, sitting across from presidents, and refusing to look away. And she's known Paul for two decades. The morning after she received the Lifetime Achievement Emmy, ABC News' Chief Global Affairs Correspondent returns (previous appearance on episode 61) to the show to talk about the state of journalism, the blackout on military coverage, and her new book The Hero Next Door. This is the conversation that doesn't happen on cable news anymore, because the access has been cut, the embeds are gone, and the briefing room has been handed to the MAGA machine. Paul and Martha go deep on the propaganda Pentagon press corps, the eerie silence around 50,000 troops staged near Iran, the bridge between civilians and the military that keeps collapsing, and the human cost of forever wars that most Americans have tuned out. Martha shares the stories of the veterans in her book — a paralyzed Marine Raider turned founder, an Army doc operating on the wounded in Dnipro — and makes the case that curiosity, empathy, and a touch of outrage are still the only way to get to the truth. Martha Raddatz is in a class of her own. This episode shows why. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The spin machine is at full tilt. The Strait of Hormuz still isn't clear, oil is hovering around $90, gas is pushing $5 a gallon heading into summer, and the president of the United States is telling Americans not to worry while his cabinet takes turns praising him on camera. Paul Rieckhoff joins Connell McShane on News Nation for a no-BS breakdown of what's actually happening — and what the MAGA machine doesn't want you to see. This is the Angry Middle's morning briefing on a presidency that doesn't seem to care about the midterms, a sycophant circle that can't tell the boss the truth about small business or gas prices, and a Ukrainian military that's holding the lines, hitting oil refineries inside Russia, and forcing Putin to cancel parades. Paul lays out why the next six months in Ukraine may be the real turning point of this war, why Trump's distance from working Americans is going to bleed into 2026 congressional races, and why a cabinet built on flattery is bad for any democracy — Republican, Democrat, or independent. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hasan Piker has been subpoenaed for no reason, the Iran War continues (maybe forever), and no one wants to tell you the truth about anything. The boys discuss these stories, and later touch on Thomas Massie's primary loss, the utter disaster that is the 2024 DNC autopsy release, and another flop Mallory McMorrow interview. Become a Patron for early access!Early access on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/headintheofficepodSubstack: https://headintheoffice.substack.com/HITO Merch: https://headintheoffice.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4iJ-UcnRxYnaYsX_SNjFJQSubscribe to second channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3UoTN328OA7fK2dzicP-ZATikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@headintheoffice?lang=enInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/headintheoffice/Twitter: https://twitter.com/headintheofficeThreads: https://www.threads.com/@headintheofficeDiscord: https://discord.gg/hito Collab inquiries: headintheofficepod@gmail.com(0:00) Hasan gets subpoenaed by the Feds(7:25) Intro(10:50) Iran War updates: peace deal (?), media complicity, nothing is real(43:05) Cuba might be next(48:50) DNC autopsy was terrible(56:52) Trump's slush fund(58:40) McMorrow finally does an interview(1:10:45) Reviews/ending

 Good Grief Camps Hope for the Next Generation. If We Stop, We Die: Ukraine's Trauma. Memorial Day is not a sale. It's not a barbecue. It's a debt. In this special episode, Paul sits down with Bonnie Carroll — Medal of Freedom recipient, veteran, and founder of TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) — for the 31st annual National Military Survivors Seminar and Good Grief Camp in Arlington. Bonnie has spent three decades building the community that catches Gold Star families when the country looks away, and she brings the kind of clear-eyed, hope-forward leadership the Angry Middle is starving for. This conversation covers the ground most cable hits won't touch: the kids who grow up at TAPS and come back as mentors, the undiagnosed traumatic brain injuries showing up in autopsies of veterans lost to suicide, the moral injury still rippling out of Afghanistan, and the families on the front lines in Ukraine that TAPS helped stand up. Bonnie also explains why TAPS stays fiercely apolitical, what the Love Lives On Act would change for surviving spouses, and how she keeps going when the hits keep coming. If you've felt tired, isolated, or unsure how to honor this day, this is the briefing for you. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For this week's "Sunday Context" episode we bring you an episode from the archives about the fight to create a Vietnam War memorial, and how we remember in the Forever War era. Originally aired in 2021.Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

It's Memorial Day weekend. Americans are visiting Arlington, honoring generations who stepped forward with integrity, sacrifice, and honor. And days before that solemn marker, the President of the United States floated cash payouts to the domestic terrorists who violently attacked the Capitol on January 6th. Not a pardon. A payout. Paul Rieckhoff and the panel break down why this isn't a tantrum or a distraction — it's strategy. Call it Plan C: when the military won't move and ICE is uncertain, you incentivize the insurrectionists themselves. You signal to every desperate, despised foot soldier that violence against the government will be rewarded. From there the conversation pivots to the other sucking chest wound of the week: House Republican leaders scrapping the Iran war powers vote because they didn't have the votes. Congressman Pat Ryan, a West Point grad and combat veteran, says out loud what veterans across the country are feeling — a generation of chicken hawks is sending other people's kids to die again, with Cuba teed up next and an aircraft carrier already in position. The panel maps the fracture lines: Massie carving out an anti-war, anti-tariff, pro-transparency lane; the manosphere abandoning the regime-change crowd; and the 45% of Americans who are independent and unaffiliated, looking for someone — anyone — who will speak for the angry middle. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Daniel McCarthy (Heritage Foundation & Modern Age) joins Jon Harris to discuss the evolution of Republican foreign policy from Reagan to Trump, the defeat of Thomas Massie, and the tension between restraint, realism, and neoconservatism. A must-watch for conservatives wrestling with America's role in the world today.Topics include: Reagan's peace through strength, Bush-era nation-building, Trump's transactional approach, historical conservative thought (Washington, Calhoun, Taft), current challenges with Iran/Israel, and why Massie's loss reveals deeper party realities.0:00:12 - Welcome & Introduction to Daniel McCarthy00:01:02 - Massie Defeat & Republican Foreign Policy Vacuum Post-Reagan00:02:17 - Pre-Reagan Conservative Foreign Policy & Cold War Mindset00:03:32 - Ronald Reagan's "Peace Through Strength"00:06:24 - Post-Cold War Shift: Bush Sr. to George W. Bush Neoconservatism00:09:27 - Trump's Break with Forever Wars & America First Realism00:10:52 - Historical Conservative Restraint: Washington, Calhoun, Taft, Rand Paul00:17:23 - Realism vs. Idealism: Iran, Israel, Nuclear Threats & Modern Dilemmas00:28:57 - The Limits of "Fortress America" in a Global Economy00:32:08 - Trump's Transactional Approach vs. Neocon Romanticism00:35:07 - Thomas Massie's Defeat: Israel Lobby, Party Loyalty & Future of Anti-Zionism00:42:44 - Where Does Anti-Zionism Fit — GOP or Democrats?00:51:11 - Closing Thoughts & Where to Find Daniel McCarthyOur Sponsors:* Check out Mars Men and use my code Mengotomars.com for a great deal: https://mengotomars.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/conversations-that-matter8971/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cuba's Castro Charged with Murder. Here Comes the Next Regime Change War. Panel Approves Trump's Stupid Arch. GOP Revolt Over Slush Fund for Domestic Terrorists. Indy Bennett Makes Ballot in Maine. Until Next Time, Stephen Colbert.  It's Memorial Day weekend, and Paul Rieckhoff is in no mood to soft-pedal. Tulsi Gabbard has resigned as Director of National Intelligence — the second Trump appointee to defect over Iran in months — and the administration is already telegraphing its next war. The Justice Department just charged Raul Castro with murder. The USS Nimitz arrived in the Caribbean the same day. Stephen Miller is on Fox doing the warm-up act. Meanwhile, the president is downplaying the 13 American service members killed in Iran, pausing a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, ignoring Ukraine, and telling a Coast Guard Academy audience he won't be leaving in 2028. This is a solo briefing for the angry middle, delivered with the urgency the moment demands. Paul walks through the GOP mutiny finally pushing back on Trump's $1.8 billion slush fund for January 6th insurrectionists, the three-plan scheme to disrupt the 2026 midterms, and the independent veterans — from Rick Bennett in Maine to Karen Matthews in California — fighting brutal ballot-access barriers to give the 45% of Americans without a party a real choice. He closes with a Memorial Day reflection on TAPS, the Good Grief camps, and a tribute to Stephen Colbert as a true patriot and conscience for America. This is what no-BS analysis sounds like when the stakes are this high. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump Plummets in Polls with Independents, $5 Gas, and War With Iran He Can't Spin. We're Not The Spoilers! The Surging Knicks. $1.8B for Insurrectionists and Violent Proud Boy Extremists? Is Cuba Next? Memorial Day Pain is a Reminder. The Real Spoilers are the Parties. Thank you, Stephen Colbert.  Trump is in the 20s with independents, gas is over five bucks a gallon in some states, Memorial Day is about to remind Americans of the human cost of his Iran war, and Cuba is looming over the horizon. Meanwhile the administration is funneling what looks like $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to January 6 insurrectionists and violent Proud Boy extremists — including a reported $2-to-5 million ask from Enrique Tarrio. Paul Rieckhoff calls it Plan C: if the military won't invoke the Insurrection Act and ICE can't carry the water, you green-light the angry mob and promise pardons in advance. This is what corruption looks like, and it's the most immediate threat to free and fair elections this fall. In this special quick-fire episode, Paul takes you out of the studio and into the streets of Midtown Manhattan with highlights from two back-to-back media hits — one left of center on MSNOW, one right of center on NewsNation — same independent read on both. He breaks down why ten thousand Americans are walking out of the Republican and Democratic parties every single week, why Thomas Massie just got elevated by Trump's attacks, why the Democrats are the actual spoilers in Senate races in Nebraska, Montana, and South Dakota, and why the rigged two-party system is finally cracking. Plus a Memorial Day shout-out to Stephen Colbert on his last show, and yes — a Knicks pick. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In March, President Donald Trump called the war with Iran a tremendous success. Weeks later, the countries are in a fragile ceasefire and the U.S. is prepared to resume strikes if a deal isn't met soon. University of Northern Iowa political scientist and former Air Force intelligence analyst Evan Renfro joins this Politics Day to discuss the war and the Trump administration's foreign policy. Then, Cornell College's Megan Goldberg breaks down the upcoming primaries for the open 2nd Congressional District seat.

JD Vance Really Sucks. War Powers Act on Iran Finally Advances. Senator Redneck Will Be Governor Redneck. Zelensky Promises More Strikes in Russia—GOOD. Knicks Miracle Comeback.  Congressman Tom Massie lost in Kentucky last night — sort of. Trump and the MAGA machine spent tens of millions to take out the GOP Congressman who crossed him, and in the process made Massie a household name with a ready-made presidential-grade platform: no war in Iran, no tariffs, no Trump, and no stopping the release of the Epstein files. Paul Rieckhoff opens Episode 528 with a no-BS solo briefing on what last night's primaries really mean, why JD Vance is lying about Ukraine, why January 6 rioters may now go from prisons to pardons to payouts, why James Murdoch buying Vox Media's podcast network should put every independent voice on alert, and why the NY Knicks comeback and leadership is bigger than basketball.  Then Paul sits down with Dr. Karen Matthews (https://www.matthewsforcongress.com/) — Navy veteran, radiologist, small business owner, and independent candidate in California's 23rd district. CA-23 isn't Gavin Newsom's California. It's Reagan's California: working class, libertarian-leaning, a third independent, with one of the best VAs in the country and a slice of Fort Irwin inside its lines. Matthews lays out why the incumbent doesn't show up, why the Democrats have given up, and why California's open primary on June 2nd may be the single biggest day for the independent movement in years. This is what the angry middle sounds like when it stops complaining and starts running. It'll leave you inspired.  -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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Trump's Approval Drops to 37%. Reporting Isn't Treason. Ebola Outbreak Global Health Emergency. Ukraine Hits Moscow. LIRR Goes on Strike. Trump Wins Again: Takes Out Cassidy.  It's Manosphere Monday and Paul Rieckhoff is broadcasting from high above New York City with a solo briefing built for the angry middle. The New York Times has confirmed that Navy SEALs escorted Cash Patel and nine others on what the Pentagon itself called a 'VIP snorkel event' next to the underwater tomb of the USS Arizona — one week before Memorial Day. Paul says if anything is impeachable, this is. Meanwhile the administration has quietly stood up a $1.8 billion fund to pay off allies of the president, Pete Hegseth is openly campaigning for House Republicans in Kentucky, ICE is banging on doors without warrants, and Trump's approval has cratered to 37%. From there the briefing widens out: U.S. combat operations in Nigeria most Americans will never hear about, an Ebola outbreak the WHO is tracking while we sit outside the organization, classified intelligence about Cuban drones being shaped into a pretext for war, Ukraine hitting a Moscow oil refinery, and a Senate purge that just took out Bill Cassidy. Paul closes with a Memorial Day call to action, a tribute to Wells Crowther — the man in the red bandana — and a reminder that 45% of this country is now independent. We're not politically homeless. We're free. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Massie vs Trump. San Diego Mosque Attackers Murder 3. LIRR Strike Deal. Another Buffalo Heartbreaker. Wemby Dazzles.  It's Tuesday, May 19th — a huge primary day in Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Alabama — and 3,557,000 independent Americans are being locked out of the elections deciding their representation. Paul Rieckhoff runs a solo briefing on the closed-primary problem nobody in the rigged two-party system wants to talk about: taxpayer-funded elections, run in public schools by public poll workers, that exclude anyone who refuses to put on a jersey. With 93% of House races and 80% of Senate races already decided by primaries, this isn't a procedural quirk — it's a structural assault on representative democracy. Paul also unpacks the Trump-versus-Tom Massie proxy war in Kentucky, including the Secretary of Defense leaving his post to campaign against a sitting Republican congressman, the Georgia governor's race chaos between Burt Jones and Brad Raffensperger, and Trump's ever-expanding billion-dollar White House construction project that's quietly morphed from a ballroom into something that sounds a lot more like a bunker. He closes with the heroism of Amin Abdullah at the San Diego mosque shooting, a Long Island Railroad strike resolved in workers' favor, and the young helpers showing up across America when it counts. Righteous anger, patriotic hope, and a clear-eyed look at why the independent movement is the only path forward. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tony starts the final hour of the show talking about the concept of forever wars. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pigs are at the trough. Trump's expected overseas real estate income has tripled to $430 million in his second term. Eric Trump is doing deals in China while Taiwan goes unmentioned and Iran keeps arming the people killing Ukrainians and Americans. Nvidia's CEO is being paraded around as the administration floats opening AI chip markets to Beijing. Don Jr. is tied to a drone company that just landed a Pentagon contract — inside a defense budget heading toward $1.5 trillion, a 40% spike with no apparent guardrails on family conflicts of interest. This isn't politics. It's a national security fire sale, and the Angry Middle smells it. This solo briefing connects the dots the legacy press keeps siloed: the foreign income filings, the Saudi-linked licensing deals, the Pentagon trough, Kash Patel's reality-TV FBI tour, and the lesson from Hungary — that corruption, not ideology, is what finally moved Orban's voters. With 45% of Americans now independent and 60% of young people unaffiliated, the rigged two-party system is on notice. The question isn't whether people are furious. It's whether that fury gets channeled into November, into independent veteran candidates, and into the structural reforms — the Raskin list and beyond — that should already be law. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Who are you when everything you've built your identity on gets taken away?For Dennis Connors, that question wasn't hypothetical. A teenage USA rock climber turned Marine Corps intelligence operator, he served three combat tours in Iraq supporting Tier 1 Special Operations, ran 250 interrogations, and came home with multiple undiagnosed TBIs, severe PTSD, and two strokes — the second partially paralyzed his left side. In March 2018, his call sign was still Villain and he had a plan to end his life the next day. What happened on the other side of that moment took him to the Paris 2024 Paralympic podium as a Silver Medalist and to a TED stage where he made 4,000 people cry.IN THIS EPISODE:Why Dennis stood at the dark edge in March 2018 — and the single moment that stopped himHow undiagnosed TBIs compounded PTSD for years — and why he toughed them both outVulnerability reframed: not disclosing weakness — opening a conversational gateSelf-worth tied to results vs. self-love that doesn't collapse under pressureWhy community with shared passion goes deeper than shared service aloneThe four pillars of perseverance: vulnerability, self-love, disciplined action, communityRELATED EPISODES:Ep. 123 — Bipolar General: Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin's Forever War with Mental IllnessEp. 106 — Transcending Trauma with Dr. Frank AndersonEp. 135 — The Lie of Self-Sufficiency: Jon Macaskill on Why Men Carry Too Much AloneFOLLOW DENNIS CONNORS:Website: dennisconnorsusa.comLinkedIn: Dennis ConnorsGET MORE FROM MTM:Text MTM to 33777 — free weekly newsletterSubscribe & All Episodes: mentalkingmindfulness.comFNT Website: focusnowtraining.comA2A COURSE:12 modules on attention, presence & performance. Self-paced. Built for people who hate the word mindfulness.focusnowtraining.com/a2a→ This conversation maps directly to Module 3 of A2A: Building Unshakeable Self-Awareness Under PressureBRING FNT TO YOUR TEAM:Custom attention, resilience & leadership training. In-person or online.focusnowtraining.com/contactHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Truth is the first casualty of war, and this week we're watching it die in real time. Paul Rieckhoff delivers a no-BS briefing on Trump's second swing at Iran — a strike that his own intelligence community is signaling fell short of the objectives Marco Rubio publicly laid out. Where is the enriched uranium? Where are the missile sites? If the administration can't show us, we can't believe them. And while the spin machine ramps up to attack the press and call dissenters traitors, Iran can become a sucking chest wound for the United States — with 41% of the Navy in the Gulf, the Army forced to cut training, and Hegseth on the Hill asking for a $1.5 trillion blank check Congress never authorized. The real winner this week isn't in Tehran or Washington — it's in Beijing. Rieckhoff lays out why China holds the strong hand as America gets sucked deeper into a fight with no off-ramp, why NATO and Israel are quietly recalculating, and why Trump's collapse with independent voters — barely 24% approval — is a down-ballot disaster for Republicans heading into 2026. He also unpacks the rise of independent veteran candidates like Dan Osborn in Nebraska, where Democrats are now dropping out to clear the field. If you're in the angry middle and exhausted by the rigged two-party system, this is the briefing you need. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hantavirus Outbreak Climbs to 11: Here We Go Again? Mamdani Shamefully Slashes Veterans Services. California's June Open Primary is Huge Opportunity the Indys. RIP, Donald Gibb AKA Ogre. World Cup Halftime Show.  Paul Rieckhoff closes the week with a solo briefing on a scoreboard the cable shows won't put on screen. Trump returned from Beijing with no real wins, while a confidential U.S. intelligence assessment — first reported by The Washington Post — details how China is exploiting the war in Iran to gain ground on the United States militarily, economically, and diplomatically. Xi looked Trump in the eye and warned that mishandling Taiwan would lead to a clash with America. Trump, asked about promised arms sales to Taiwan on the flight home, sounded ready to sell them out the same way he sold out Ukraine. That's not partisan spin. That's the read from the no-BS chair. From there, Paul walks through a 30-hour Russian missile and drone barrage on Kyiv, Hegseth canceling a U.S. brigade deployment to Poland (a gift-wrapped present to Putin), a new hantavirus cluster on a cruise ship that's giving early-COVID déjà vu, and Mayor Mamdani's shameful 13% cut to the NYC Department of Veterans Services right before Memorial Day. He also flags California's June open primary as a once-in-a-cycle chance for independents to actually move the needle, salutes Ukraine's drone operators schooling NATO at a Swedish exercise, remembers Donald Gibb, and closes with Harrison Ford's commencement call to the next generation. Righteous anger, patriotic hope, and a reminder that we're all in this together. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join Paul for Veterans Meeting the Moment in New York this Monday. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky   -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Breakout YouTube National Security Star on How Do We Know What's True? The Drone War is War Now. Independent Media and War Coverage. Air Force Saves 11 After Plane Crash. Who can we believe on national security? That's the question driving this conversation. Paul sits down with Preston Stewart — West Point grad, two-tour Afghanistan combat veteran, field artillery officer, and the independent national security analyst who has built a million-plus YouTube following by cutting through the spin. They open with Iran, where the ceasefire is buying time but solving nothing, where Iran's missile and drone capacity is far less degraded than the White House claims, and where the Strait of Hormuz remains a loaded gun aimed at the global economy. Then they widen the aperture to Xi Jinping flexing on Taiwan, a Chinese regime that plays a hundred-year game while Washington burns through munitions in months. From there it's Ukraine — where, for the first time since 2022, Kyiv has the momentum, hammering Russian air defense, oil refineries, and logistics deep behind the lines with homegrown long-range drones. Preston breaks down the kinetic sanctions strategy, the magazine-depth problem haunting the Pentagon, the terrorism threat we've quietly back-burnered, and the domestic deployments Trump is telegraphing for the World Cup summer. It's a no-BS conversation about what's actually happening on the modern battlefield, why independent veteran voices are filling the vacuum corporate media left behind, and why staying focused — on Iran, on Ukraine, on Taiwan — is now an act of citizenship. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Army Cuts Training - Short Billions of Dollars From Iran and Border. Producer Prices Jump 6%. Dem Wins Nebraska Senate Primary-Will Drop Out to Support Independent Dan Osborn. Jason Collins, RIP.  China is having a very good week. Trump landed in Beijing after a True Social tirade calling Barack Obama "the most demonic force in American politics," the Pentagon is asking for $1.5 trillion with no accountability, and new classified intel shows Iran has regained operational access to 30 of 33 missile sites around the Strait of Hormuz. The forever-war machine that was supposed to be "fast and easy" is now a sucking chest wound — bleeding the Army of $4-6 billion in training dollars, driving diesel up 13%, and handing Xi Jinping leverage he didn't have to earn. Paul Rieckhoff lays out the morning briefing with no-BS clarity, then rides into a conversation with the kind of leader the angry middle has been waiting for. Our Meet the Independent Candidates Series continues as Brian Bengs returns — the Navy and Air Force veteran, former Air Force Academy law professor, and independent candidate for U.S. Senate in South Dakota — joins from the trailer outside the house he's still trying to finish. He talks about the cowboy code, the Bushido code, and why every public servant needs a creed. He breaks down why Mike Rounds' refusal to do his constitutional job on the Iran war is a systemic failure, why 98% of Rounds' money comes from corporate PACs while Bengs runs on small-dollar donors, and why the path is suddenly clearer for independent veterans like Dan Osborn in Nebraska and Bengs in South Dakota. This is what the rising independent veteran cavalry actually looks like — boots on the ground, talking to neighbors at the gas pump, riding for the brand of regular Americans. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out Brian's campaign and support him here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Inflation Jumps 3.8%. Trump Disapproval on Economy Hits 70%! Senator McConnell is Not Well. Osborn Leads Ricketts in Nebraska. Mendoza Gives Trump the Stiff-arm. Kari Lake Appointed Ambassador to Jamaica!?  It's Testimony Tuesday and the corruption is on full display. Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine are on the Hill asking Congress for $1.5 trillion more for the Pentagon — a Christmas tree budget designed to bankroll the unauthorized Iran war and whatever comes next, whether that's Venezuela, Greenland, Mexico, or Cuba. Buried in the same hearing: the Pentagon's own CFO admitting the Iran tab is now $29 billion and counting, $4 billion more than Americans were told. Gas is up, beef is up, tomatoes are up 40%, inflation just hit a five-year high, and 70% of the country disapproves of Trump on the economy. The pigs are at the trough and the rest of us are getting screwed. Paul breaks down why the December defense vote is the real fight, why Hegseth's open defiance of Congress on Ukraine aid is impeachment-grade, and why FBI Director Crash Patel spending his testimony defending his sobriety is not a sign of a healthy republic. He hits the Mitch McConnell mid-hearing meltdown — fitness, not age, is the metric — calls out Kari Lake being shipped to Jamaica, flags Dan Osborn pulling ahead of Pete Ricketts in Nebraska, and closes with the people stepping up to be the vaccine: nurses on International Nurses Day, Ukrainian medics under shellfire, and the new Astronauts for America. Righteous anger, patriotic hope, no BS. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

RFK JR on Hantavirus: We're not worried about it. American Passengers Exposed Land in U.S. Body of an American soldier missing in Morocco recovered.  Iran is the worst ceasefire in history — announced, broken, and now on “life support” — and two-thirds of the country wants no part of this forever war. Paul Rieckhoff opens Episode 519 with a no-BS read on what happens when an administration runs all gas, no brakes into a third month of bombing: gas prices stay punishingly high, the Strait of Hormuz stays closed, and the Chinese sit back and smile as 41% of our Navy is tied down outside Iran. Now Trump is heading to Beijing for a trade fight with Xi, with Tim Cook and possibly Elon Musk in tow, while Taiwan quietly slides onto the table. From there it's a quick-fire briefing across the stories the cable nets are letting fall below the radar — ICE pulling a gun on a New York City teenager and dumping him bloodied across town, another lethal kinetic strike on an alleged drug boat off Venezuela with no accounting for the survivor, the loss of First Lieutenant Lamont Key Jr. during the African Lion exercise off Morocco, hantavirus quarantines at the only federally funded unit we have left, and a Russian Victory Day parade visibly hollowed out by Ukrainian drone pressure. Paul closes with Manosphere Monday's artist of the week — Ice-T, Army veteran and free-speech warrior — a Mother's Day salute to NYPD ESU officers who pulled a woman back from a Brooklyn ledge, and a reminder that the independent movement is the oxygen of this democracy. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out Paul on Piers Morgan Uncensored. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump ran as the anti-establishment wrecking ball. Two years back in Washington, he is the establishment — and Indiana voters know it. In this episode, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the first real battle in the war for the soul of the Republican Party: Trump-backed challengers eating incumbents in a state Mike Pence used to own, while libertarian-leaning Hoosiers tell canvassers they don't want Washington's thumb on the scale, no matter whose thumb it is. The bigger story sits just outside the frame: 40% of Indiana is independent, locked out of a closed primary, and that's where the real action is for 2026 and 2028. From there, Paul looks two weeks down the road at Thomas Massie — the Kentucky congressman Trump is spending extraordinary political capital trying to destroy over Epstein files, deficit hawkishness, and opposition to a new Iran war. Is there still a place for a Massie or a Don Bacon inside the GOP, or does the independent lane finally crack open? Then Paul takes the case of Senator Mark Kelly to MSNBC: a decorated Navy combat veteran, astronaut, and Armed Services Committee member that Pete Hegseth is trying to demote for reminding troops they can refuse illegal orders. It's a direct attack on free speech for two million military retirees and a chilling signal to every active-duty service member watching. This is what the angry middle is up against — and why staying vigilant isn't optional. -WATCH full video of this episode here.  -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The White House wants you to believe the Iran war is winding down. A one-page memo. A ceasefire. A market bump. But missiles are still flying on both sides, an Apache just lit up six speedboats, and the regime that murdered tens of thousands of its own people — and 13 Americans — is still very much in charge. Paul Rieckhoff sits down for a no-BS solo briefing on Trump's Iran framework, the four goals the administration set on day one, and why only one of them — eliminating Iran's Navy — looks anything like accomplished. This is the analysis the cable shows won't give you: where is the enriched uranium, who actually wins if sanctions get lifted and U.S. forces pull back, and why the Iranian regime is openly betting it can wait Trump out the way insurgents waited out America in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Paul lays out the strategic picture, the political incentives behind spiking the ball early, and the one barometer that will actually tell us whether this ended in a win — the Iranian people themselves. If you're in the Angry Middle and tired of being sold easy answers about forever wars, this one is for you. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deal Team Six?? Pentagon Releases UFO/UAP Files. Antisemitic Firebomber Gets Life. Stupid Tariffs Ruled Illegal. Dems Slammed in VA. Charlemagne vs Dana White. Bigfoot in Ohio. WNBA Season Begins. Happy Mother's Day!   The truce isn't a truce. The U.S. Navy is firing on Iranian-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, gas is climbing toward five bucks a gallon in Ohio, and Trump is on record saying he's fine with $200-a-barrel oil — as long as the war grinds on. Meanwhile, the administration is hauling Senator Mark Kelly back into court to silence a decorated Navy combat veteran and astronaut, sending a clear message to two million military retirees and every troop in uniform: shut up and fall in line. Paul Rieckhoff delivers a solo Friday briefing on what the MAGA machine is actually doing while you're trying to plan Mother's Day brunch. From the Pentagon's convenient new tranche of UFO files dropping the same week the Epstein files pressure builds, to Don Jr. and Eric landing Air Force drone contracts through their American Venture firm, to a Virginia court torching the Democrats' redistricting gambit — this episode lays out how the rigged two-party system keeps failing the angry middle. Paul also gets into Dana White's bogus apolitical act, Olivia Pichardo making NCAA D1 baseball history, and why the spirit of America's mothers — perseverance, humility, and the golden rule — is exactly the operating system this country needs right now.  -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out Tracy Bonham and Steady Buckets for Something Good. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kamikaze Dolphins. They're Still Hitting “Drug Boats”. Trump Wins Payback in Indiana. DJT's Workout Schedule. FDA Blocked Release of Research Finding Covid & Shingles Vax Were Safe. Colbert 2028? Ted Turner, RIP. Bye, Spirit!  They're playing name games to dodge accountability. Operation Epic Fury became Project Freedom overnight — and Congress still hasn't authorized a damn thing. In episode 515, Paul Rieckhoff delivers a solo briefing on Trump's Iran proposal, the unsecured Strait of Hormuz, the enriched uranium still sitting in Tehran, and a regime that's still very much in place. New name, same war. Same forever war. And the most powerful military the world has ever seen is being driven all gas, no brakes by one man with no one stopping him. From there Paul rips through the stories most cable shows are too scared or too distracted to cover: 180-plus people killed in extrajudicial boat strikes, a national debt now bigger than the entire U.S. economy, a $1.5 trillion defense budget request, the FDA suppressing vaccine safety data, kamikaze dolphin questions at the Pentagon, Russian strikes on a kindergarten in Sumi, and the fight for the soul of the GOP playing out in Indiana and Kentucky. He closes with a case for recruiting more independent celebrity candidates, a sendoff for Ted Turner and the cable news era he built, and a reminder that 45% of Americans are now politically homeless — and that's not a problem, that's the movement. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Showing the Democrat is the Spoiler. 250,000 Miles Meeting the People. Tomato Seeds and Philly's Hero Crossing Guard. Mississippi is showing the outage growing across America. It's supposed to be a lock for Republicans. Fifteen straight Senate losses for Democrats. Five straight gubernatorial losses. A state both parties have written off as settled. Ty Pinkins is inspiring as hell — Army veteran, three combat tours in Iraq, son of cotton-field workers — isn't buying it. On an inspiring Episode 514, he talks with Paul Rieckhoff to lay out why the rigged two-party system is finally cracking, why $89 to fill a tank is doing more political damage than any TV ad, and why a 27-year-old white Republican mechanic just told him he's voting independent for the first time in his life. The people of Mississippi have had enough of all of it.  This is a no-BS conversation about what's actually moving voters six months out from the midterms: the war in Iran, Trump's lies, Netanyahu's grip on American foreign policy, AIPAC money flowing to both his opponents, the stock-trading scandal swallowing Congress, and the quiet revolt of the angry middle that partisan polling refuses to measure. Pinkins makes the case that the Democrat in his race is the real spoiler, that corruption crosses every party line, and that fighting against overwhelming odds is the most American thing a candidate can do. If you're tired of hiring the same two failing contractors to patch the same leaking roof in our democracy, this one's for you. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars.   -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America.   -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.   -Remember Independent is an Attitude.   -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky   -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.    -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.    Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.    And now part of the BLEAV network!    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Congress Adds $1B for Trump's Ballroom! What About the Deficit!?! Secret Service Shoots Gunman Near Wash Monument. Steve Kerr for Governor of California? RIP John Sterling—The Golden Pipes.  Trump told Congress the war in Iran was terminated. Days later, U.S. forces are still being attacked, gas is averaging $4.48 a gallon, the trade deficit just hit $60.3 billion, and Senate Republicans quietly slipped $1 billion for a White House ballroom into an immigration bill. In episode 513 of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff delivers a quick-blast solo briefing on the gap between what Trump says and what's actually happening on the ground — from the so-called Iran ceasefire, to a forever war now spanning eight countries, to a Secret Service shootout at the Washington Monument that barely registered as news. From there, it's a quick turn to the politics and the people who could actually break the rigged two-party stranglehold. He breaks down California's crowded, deeply unpopular gubernatorial field and floats a serious idea: Steve Kerr — Hall of Fame coach, voice of reason on guns, Iran, and ICE — running as an independent. And we pour one out for legendary Yankees announcer John Sterling. May his memory be a blessing and a reminder that hope is still the oxygen of our democracy.  -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump Pulls 5k Troops Out of Germany. We Are  Not Pirates. DHS Shutdown Finally Ends. More Bad Days for Hegseth. Ballroom & Arch Unpopular w/ Independents. Kids Save School Bus.  It's Manosphere Monday, May the 4th — International Firefighters Day, Star Wars Day, and Episode 512 of Independent Americans. Paul flies solo to break down a weekend where the fires Trump started are still burning. US warships and Apache gunships shot down Iranian missiles and drones and sank six Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz, blowing apart the four-week truce Trump called peace. He's already lining up the next match at Cuba ("we will be taking over almost immediately"), bragging that American troops are "like pirates," and yanking 5,000 troops out of Germany — including the bases that house European Command, Ramstein, and Landstuhl, the hospital every wounded American passes through. Putin is sending thank-you notes. The artist of the day is the Prodigy, because the firestarter is in the Oval. Then Paul digs into the cracks: Pete Hegseth getting fried by Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Elise Slotkin in back-to-back hearings, Trump's net worth tripling to $6.5 billion while gas hits $4.25, brutal new polling showing Americans hate the arch and the signature-on-the-money stunt across every party line, the quiet withdrawal of Casey Means as Surgeon General nominee, and Chairman Dan Caine confirming Russia is actively helping Iran kill Americans. Plus: Heisman winner and Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza artfully passing on a White House visit, a stacked second round in the NBA and NHL, and a busload of Mississippi middle schoolers who saved themselves and their driver when she blacked out behind the wheel. Be a firefighter. Be a Jedi. Stay vigilant. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Ditch your expensive carrier and support Independent Americans! Make the switch to Noble Mobile. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump's Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.