Lasting state of war with no clear ending conditions
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As female soldiers get elevated from object to equal, they become both the army's greatest PR asset, and greatest PR liability. — A production of BRINK, a narrative studio Website: thisispropaganda.show Instagram: instagram.com/thisispropagandashow Email: propaganda@brink.com — CREDITS Written, Produced, and Hosted by Malcolm Critcher and Joshua Belhumeur Co-Producer: Reed Chandler __ Some dialogue and quotations have been condensed, paraphrased, or reconstructed based on contemporaneous accounts, interviews, and other source material. All archival clips from film and television used under fair use, for educational purposes only.
Alex Lawson joins Thom with the latest in the Republican Party's Forever War against Social Security.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Let's talk about Trump announcing a forever war and Vance announcing new goals....
On Episode 945 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Sheetal Sapale, Vice President–Commercial at Pharmarack as well as Gautam Shahi, Senior Director at Crisil Ratings.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) Markets Wilt As All Signs Point To A Forever War In West Asia(03:28) Fitch Ratings Affirms India's Sovereign Rating at 'BBB-'(04:47) Indian Traders Lost More Money Trading Derivatives On Average Than They Did The Year Before (08:59) Cardiac Linked Drug Sales Rise As More Indians Self-Test(15:23) India's Yarn Industry Is Looking At A Positive YearEVENT: Spotify x The Core's "Building Wealth for a Longer Life" with Saurabh Mukherjea of Marcellus Investment Managers. Register HereFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube
Today on Uncommon Sense with Ginny Robinson, I'm addressing the divorcee community and I'm going straight to the Bible.Why does God say He hates divorce? What does Scripture actually teach about marriage, covenant, divorce, and the responsibilities of husbands and wives? And why have divorce rates become so incredibly high, particularly as wives increasingly initiate divorce over reasons that, from a biblical perspective, are trivial, selfish, or completely unbiblical?This is not a message designed to just shame people who have experienced divorce. It is a challenge to the culture that has normalized abandoning marriage whenever things become difficult, inconvenient, or uncomfortable. We need to be willing to distinguish between legitimate biblical grounds for divorce and the endless list of modern excuses we've created to justify walking away from a sacred covenant.And that's not all we're discussing.I'm also talking about Donald Trump's continued failures, the gap between political promises and political reality, and why Americans should be questioning the decisions being made in our name.Plus, we're talking about the Iran War and why I believe this conflict is unnecessary and why Americans should be asking whether another foreign war actually serves the interests of the United States.Marriage. Divorce. Biblical truth. Trump. Iran. War. Political accountability.I'm saying what I believe needs to be said, even when it isn't popular (as usual).--https://www.youversion.com/bible-app
Episode 5569: Stopping Forever Wars And Forever Spending
Five months on, America and Iran can't even agree on whether they are negotiating or not. The Economist's Gregg Carlstrom brings us the latest on the effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran expert Ali Vaez says President Donald Trump is stuck between an unwinnable war and an unpalatable peace.
Conversations on GroongIn this episode of Conversations on Groong, we speak with Christine Arakelian about American foreign policy fractures, Iran war risks, and Armenia's pivot to the West. We discuss whether the United States has coherent foreign policy, the collapse of the MAGA coalition over Forever Wars, NATO 3.0 and Europe's militarization, and how Pashinyan's post-2026 Armenian Parliamentary Election government is navigating TRIPP amid global instability.Topics:US Foreign Policy & the Fracture of MAGAIran and the Risk of Forever WarsNATO 3.0 and Europe's MilitarizationPost-2026 Election ArmeniaTRIPP and Pashinyan's Pivot to the WestGuest: Christine A. ArakelianHosts:Hovik ManucharyanAsbed BedrossianEpisode 572 | Recorded: July 29, 2026SHOW NOTES: https://podcasts.groong.org/572VIDEO: https://youtu.be/aFGknXV57a4#Russia #IranWar #UkraineWar #SouthCaucasus #Armenia #TRIPP #Geopolitics #EurasiaSubscribe and follow us everywhere you are: linktr.ee/groong
In this unfiltered, darkly comic episode of Hammer Time 1987, hosts and guest Garrick Wright open with a blunt declaration that Lindsey Graham is dead—and they feel more relief than mourning. The conversation dives headfirst into whether it's acceptable to celebrate the demise of long-entrenched war hawks who refused to leave power, comparing Graham's record of endless foreign interventions to the blood on the hands of far more infamous figures. From there, the show ricochets through a chaotic mix of current events: a Maine transgender Democratic candidate and a jaw-dropping Brother Nathaniel tweet, John Fetterman's rumored party switch, Trump's push to install Graham's sister in the Senate, and swirling online speculation that Mitch McConnell is already gone (or brain-dead) while his staff allegedly deploys AI photos to delay a special election. Tucker Carlson clips fuel a scathing look at the expanding Iran conflict, Israel's influence, and Trump's inability (or unwillingness) to restrain it, while the hosts muse that America might be better off under an Arab monarch than its current “joke” of a democracy. Side trips include crypto skepticism, The Simpsons' eerie predictive power and simulation theories, Mamdani's New York mayoral ambitions, and a lighter close on the Buffalo Bills' new stadium and urinal memorabilia. Equal parts gallows humor, conspiracy-tinged frustration, and anti-interventionist rage, the episode treats the deaths (real or rumored) of powerful senators as long-overdue political housecleaning in a system that only changes when people die.
On today's show, guest host Zoltán Grossman is in conversation with Stephen Zunes about the on-again, off-again US war with Iran. They discuss the status of the Strait of Hormuz, the US's nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, and the shifting public opinion in the US about the war. Despite the asymmetrical power of the US's aerial arsenal, Zunes says that Iranian drones have been very effective at creating tactical advantages in the war. Though there have been many attempts at a ceasefire deal, Zunes argues that any version would have to include some concessions to Iran's advantage. But he says that Trump would rather perpetuate the war than negotiate. They discuss the many rippling effects of the war including a decline in the world petroleum market, more insecurity for US allies in the Middle East, and the creation of nuclear apartheid as the US comes to a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. These issues, in addition to human rights abuses, are causing massive shifts in public opinion about the war with Iran and Palestine with young people especially. Zunes connects the war with Iran to other global conflicts, from Morocco's occupation of Western Sahara to Palestine. He says that the Palestine solidarity movement should include Western Sahara and that The Odyssey film has created a rare opportunity to bring attention to the occupation. Stephen Zunes is a professor of Politics and Director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco. He writes for The Progressive magazine, Truthout, Common Dreams, and other publications. His most recent book is Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution. Featured image of a satellite image of the Strait of Hormuz via Flickr (CC BY 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The Forever War with Iran Inflames other Regional Conflicts appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
The US can't leave Iran in charge of the Strait of Hormuz, but it can't wrestle control away without committing ground troops—but it also can't keep going on like this. So where does that leave everyone?Guest: Josh Keating, senior correspondent covering foreign affairs at Vox. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The US can't leave Iran in charge of the Strait of Hormuz, but it can't wrestle control away without committing ground troops—but it also can't keep going on like this. So where does that leave everyone?Guest: Josh Keating, senior correspondent covering foreign affairs at Vox. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The US can't leave Iran in charge of the Strait of Hormuz, but it can't wrestle control away without committing ground troops—but it also can't keep going on like this. So where does that leave everyone?Guest: Josh Keating, senior correspondent covering foreign affairs at Vox. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
No end in sight to Trump's moronic war of choice with IranNick Cohen and Charlie Sykes discuss what they describe as Donald Trump's two reckless “wars”: the shooting conflict with Iran and the trade war with Canada. Sykes argues both are driven largely by Trump's personal whims, lack public support, and have not been properly authorised or explained to Americans.On Canada, Sykes says almost no ordinary Americans see Canada as an enemy, making Trump's tariffs especially irrational and damaging. He argues the episode shows allies can no longer assume the US will honour agreements, whether on trade, NATO, or security guarantees.On Iran, Sykes says Trump promised to avoid “forever wars” but is now trapped by his fear of looking weak. He warns that Trump's corruption, isolation, and reliance on loyalists have made US policy more erratic, while nuclear deals with Saudi Arabia and unreliable American guarantees may encourage more countries to seek nuclear weapons.Read all about it!Charlie Sykes @SykesCharlie is a leading highly respected United States conservative political commentator who was formerly editor-in-chief and founder of the highly influential website The Bulwark. Charlie has been a leading Never Trump Conservative since Trump stood for the presidency in 2015. Charlie's Substack - To the contrary is a must read, and his regular podcast - also called To the contrary - a must listen. He has also been a columnist and author for the progressive channel MSNBC.Nick Cohen's @NichCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to bomb one Iranian bridge or powerplant every time a ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz gets shot at. It's yet more evidence that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is over, after twelve days of renewed military escalation.As the conflict wades into this next phase, we look at how things fell apart, the damage taken on both sides, and whether we're headed into endless war. Trita Parsi joins us. He is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute and the author of several books about the U.S and Iran, including Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States.For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts
LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured Trump is threatening to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants as military officials warn the conflict could drag on for decades. Chris breaks down the staggering surge in oil, gas, food, and commodity prices—and argues Americans are already paying for a war they never voted for.
Darren is back at the mic after a month away and, again, back on the Iran/Hormuz story. The deal he spent an hour analysing in June is dead inside three weeks, the two sides are fighting again, American soldiers are dying, important infrastructure has been destroyed across the region, and a fresh ceasefire proposal is circulating even as Washington weighs a much larger campaign alongside Israel. This episode is his effort to describe the machinery that keeps generating these crises, with his analysis intended to hold up whether there's a ceasefire or a major escalation by the time you listen. Darren starts with the collapse of the June memorandum and why the agreement that used the word "permanent" turned out to be the shortest-lived of the lot. He then works through what Tehran believes it saw in the three weeks after signing, a short theory of how wars stay limited and how those limits break, and the idea that sits at the centre of the episode: that this is no longer a war about what the two sides don't know, but about their inability to make any promise the other has reason to believe. From there it's the oil clock — how close the market is running to empty, and why the cushions that saved us the first time may not be there again. Then he moves to the the risk that Iran's apparent victory is quietly turning into a trap, what a durable settlement over the Strait of Hormuz might actually look like, and why none of it touches the nuclear question that started the war. The episode closes well beyond Iran, with a more general thought about a world economy that has become cheap to disrupt, slow to reassure, and which no government can any longer credibly promise not to weaponise. Australia in the World is written, hosted, and produced by Darren Lim, with research and editing by Hannah Nelson and theme music composed by Rory Stenning. Relevant links Note: Not everything below is named in the episode; some pieces sit behind the analysis rather than being quoted directly. Where Darren refers to a work explicitly, it's marked with an asterisk (*). On the collapse of the deal and the view from Tehran * Vali Nasr, "Why Iran is returning to war," Financial Times, 17 July 2026: https://www.ft.com/content/22fdb2d5-b454-4a65-9aa9-e56371533ccf * Ali Vaez, "This Is a Forever War in the Making," The New York Times, 15 July 2026: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/opinion/us-iran-forever-war-strait-of-hormuz.html * International Crisis Group, "From Deal to Ordeal: The U.S. and Iran" (panel featuring Vali Nasr; moderated by Ali Vaez), 16 July 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka_G_Oi2Ez8 * Rob Malley, remarks on the drafting of paragraph 5 (via X / Crisis Group), July 2026: https://x.com/Rob_Malley/status/2076796118604632398 * Ali Hashem, “'The word belongs to the battlefield': Why Iran, US are drifting back to conflict”, Al-Monitor, 14 July 2026: https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/word-belongs-battlefield-why-iran-us-are-drifting-back-conflict On Trump, strategy and the limits of American power * Trita Parsi, “Yesterday's US-Iran escalation is a mere prelude to what is likely to come”, Substack 19 July 2026: https://tritaparsi.substack.com/p/yesterdays-us-iran-escalation-is Peter Baker, "In Iran, Trump Has Found an Opponent He Cannot Easily Dominate," The New York Times, 14 July 2026: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/us/politics/iran-trump-war.html Robin Wright, "Donald Trump's Ad-Lib Strategy on Iran," The New Yorker, 17 July 2026: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/donald-trumps-ad-lib-strategy-on-iran Greg Jaffe and Eric Schmitt, "Trump Faces the Limits of U.S. Firepower and the Lessons of Past Wars," The New York Times, 17 July 2026: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/us/politics/trump-iran-war-afghanistan-iraq.html "The Iran war is America's least popular since polls began," The Economist, 19 July 2026: https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/07/19/the-iran-war-is-americas-least-popular-since-polls-began On Hormuz, oil markets and the equilibrium * Javier Blas, "Iran Risks Overplaying Its Hand on Hormuz," Bloomberg Opinion, 16 July 2026: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-07-16/strait-of-hormuz-iran-risks-overplaying-its-hand-on-oil-chokepoint "Donald Trump has no good options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz," The Economist, July 2026: https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2026/07/14/donald-trump-has-no-good-options-for-reopening-the-strait-of-hormuz "Oil traders warn market is close to running on empty as Hormuz shuts again," Financial Times, 15 July 2026: https://www.ft.com/content/6c314457-ce9a-4689-b3e1-ff637de0d6bf?syn-25a6b1a6=1 Lewis Jackson and Sam Li, “China's oil imports have plunged during the Iran war. How much will they recover?”, Reuters, 17 July 2026: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/chinas-oil-imports-have-plunged-during-iran-war-how-much-will-they-recover-2026-07-17/ Amos Hochstein, thread on depleted energy buffers, 17 July 2026: https://x.com/amoshochstein/status/2077812227890131406 On the nuclear file * James Acton in conversation with Jon Bateman, World Unpacked (Carnegie), 12 July 2026: https://carnegieendowment.org/podcasts/the-world-unpacked/a-physicist-explains-how-iran-can-still-go-nuclear The theory * Thomas Schelling, Arms and Influence (1966): https://books.google.com.au/books/about/Arms_and_Influence.html?id=P-_RDwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y * Herman Kahn, On Escalation: Metaphors and Scenarios (1965): https://books.google.com.au/books?id=0No5uIPpD8AC&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false * Robert Jervis, Perception and Misperception in International Politics (1976): https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc77bx3 * James Fearon, "Rationalist Explanations for War," International Organization (1995): https://www.jstor.org/stable/2706903 * Robert Powell, "War as a Commitment Problem," International Organization (2006): https://www.jstor.org/stable/3877871
More than four months after President Trump predicted a short war with Iran, the conflict is intensifying and broadening. The ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran has collapsed, leaving passage through the Strait of Hormuz restricted and the two nations on a war footing: the United States has carried out days of sustained airstrikes while Iran targets American allies in the Gulf. To many analysts, it's raising the specter of a forever war. We talk about where U.S. policy goes from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Donald Trump's MOU with Iran was supposed to stop the war and then end it. Now it's barely worth the paper it's written on. The bombing has resumed. The Strait of Hormuz remains largely shut. And now the conflict is spreading to the Red Sea, with the Houthis declaring a blockade on Saudi shipping. So, is this what a forever war looks like? Today, former US State Department Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller on the few options Donald Trump has leftFeatured:Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Middle East Negotiator at the US State Department
Over the weekend, the Pentagon announced that three US service members were killed as fighting intensified between the US and Iran. That brings the current death toll for US military personnel engaged in the war to 17. And with news from the New York Times that the Pentagon has been hesitant to share more information about further casualties. It's clear that the Iran war is far from ending, and may even be spiraling out of control. So to talk more about Trump's war of choice, we spoke with Mehdi Hasan. He's the editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo.And in headlines, US senators are pushing for more details about ICE's vetting practices for new agents, Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger, is almost certain to become the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, and President Trump tries to steal the spotlight from Spain after the FIFA World Cup final.Show Notes: Check out Zeteo Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com
Pat is joined by Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford, to assess the eighth consecutive night of US strikes against Iran and the risk that the conflict becomes a “forever war”.
President Donald Trump blew up the temporary ceasefire after the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes against Iran over the weekend. The two nations have continued to exchange strikes throughout the week, with Iran targeting U.S. allies in the Middle East, as Congress debates further entangling the United States military with Israel — a proposal that would give Israel enormous leverage over U.S. defense policy.“This is a formula for a forever war,” national security reporter Spencer Ackerman tells The Intercept Briefing. A major champion of such forever wars was Sen. Lindsey Graham, who passed away over the weekend. “Lindsey Graham never met a war he didn't like, never met a war he didn't want to send other people's children to wage,” says Ackerman, who writes the Substack Forever Wars. “The white whale for Lindsey Graham and many others in the bridge between neoconservatism and MAGA was Iran — assaulting Iran not only at home, but rolling back its regional challenge to U.S. and Israeli power in the Middle East.”“Whatever else MAGA says about wars,” says Ackerman, “what it wants is domination. It wants domination not only at home, but abroad. That's where Graham recognized — that instead of being someone like John McCain, who sought to occasionally butt against, fight against Donald Trump — that Graham could help maneuver Trump into being a vehicle for their shared project. And he did that with really tremendous success.”“You are seeing a more rent-seeking U.S. empire than ever before as a defining characteristic … of the Trump-era empire,” says Ackerman, on the administration's thirst to turn countries in its orbit, like Venezuela, into “vassal that pay tribute.” “This is the sort of thing that an empire in decline does. Rather than figuring out new strategies to growth, it redistributes wealth from its own people to its driving oligarchic sectors.”Ackerman has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, and many U.S. bases. He currently writes for Zeteo and Forever Wars, where you can sign up for his newsletter. Politics reporter Akela Lacy also drops in to discuss how the turmoil at home and abroad is impacting the midterms. After Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner dropped out of the race, Lacy says, “Maine Democrats are in a situation where they're all trying to become the nominee that the party picks to replace Platner on the ballot to go against Collins in November. Many of those candidates have now come out and called to abolish ICE outright after the shooting in Maine.”Keep our investigations free and fearless at theintercept.com/join. Full transcript: https://interc.pt/4wMaTbq Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. Now well into its fifth year, Russia's invasion of Ukraine appears to be a stalemate on the ground while the combatants seek a decisive edge in the air with drones and missiles. Diplomacy to end the war seems to be going nowhere. No one can say with any certainty how or when the war may end. Do the war's origins point toward an exit? Anatol Lieven is our guest. Anatol Lieven is Director of the Eurasia Program and the Andrew Bacevich chair in American Diplomatic History at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
Headlines for July 16, 2026; Todd Blanche Is “Not Fit” to Be AG, from Epstein Files to Trump’s $1.8B Slush Fund: Rep. Jayapal; We Are Sending a Message to Netanyahu: Rep. Jayapal on 100+ Dems Voting to Cut Israeli Military Aid; Victor Salgado Araujo Saw ICE Agent Kill His Brother in Texas. He Is Now Detained, Faces Deportation; A “Forever War” in Iran? Ali Vaez on Escalating War, U.S. “Diplomatic Malpractice”; Earthjustice Sues to Block Trump’s Move to Gut Endangered Species Act
Headlines for July 16, 2026; Todd Blanche Is “Not Fit” to Be AG, from Epstein Files to Trump’s $1.8B Slush Fund: Rep. Jayapal; We Are Sending a Message to Netanyahu: Rep. Jayapal on 100+ Dems Voting to Cut Israeli Military Aid; Victor Salgado Araujo Saw ICE Agent Kill His Brother in Texas. He Is Now Detained, Faces Deportation; A “Forever War” in Iran? Ali Vaez on Escalating War, U.S. “Diplomatic Malpractice”; Earthjustice Sues to Block Trump’s Move to Gut Endangered Species Act
Tommy and Ben are back with a week of war, drama over an international bridge, and an angry Norwegian World Cup fan.First up, the guys say farewell to the ceasefire between Iran and the US, hello to a new forever war, and analyze how a rushed, sloppily worded agreement negotiated by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff collapsed. The New York Times reveals the details of Israel's embarrassing failed plot to install former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran's new president, including a fake climate conference in Budapest and a Mossad extraction plan. Trump is using questions about the new Qatari gifted Air Force One to attack reporters and a $4.7 billion bridge connecting Detroit to Canada is at the center of another Trump corruption story. In Venezuela, the earthquake death toll has climbed to nearly 4,500, and reporting confirms that Marco Rubio is essentially running the country from Washington. A Cambridge University study reveals that Boko Haram fighters have been using AI chatbots to design explosives and plan attacks. After the NATO summit in Turkey, President Erdogan gave every leader a vintage pistol with live ammo as a parting gift, and a single Norwegian man calls out the historical inaccuracies of the row by World Cup fans. Then Ben speaks to Congressman Ro Khanna about his trip to the West Bank and his detention by Israeli settlers.For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast, episode title, and episode date.
Plus: Independents Under Attack: The Fight For South Carolina. E.Jean Carroll Finally Receives Justice. United Removing Middle Seats. Trump's forever war isn't in Venezuela or Greenland anymore. It's on the home front. National Guard deployments in Washington have been quietly extended through 2029, ICE has killed two more people during vehicle stops in a single week, and Trump is now planning a prime-time address to reopen his case against the 2020 election. Paul Rieckhoff walks through why this is the moment — with Lindsey Graham gone, Mitch McConnell sidelined, and the midterms looming as the last real circuit breaker on executive power — that the pieces are being moved into place. Plus: Independents Under Attack in South Carolina, the E. Jean Carroll payout, the Home Run Derby, the World Cup final in New York and New Jersey, and one small piece of good news for anyone who has ever been trapped in a middle seat. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we're doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code [INDEPENDENT] to get ten dollars when you trade ten. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and help us get independent veterans elected to office. -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 and the US are back in conflict. Daniella Peled and Ash Bhardwaj discuss who (else) can bring an end to the war with Iran if the IRGC and the Trump administration fail to cease hostilities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's yet another campaign promise US President Trump has seemed to loosen his commitment towards: not starting forever wars. A mission he projected to last only a few weeks has dragged into its fifth month, with a collapsed ceasefire, renewed rounds of attacks, an ambiguous Strait of Hormuz, and thousands of lives lost. Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Aaron Rupar, publisher of the Public Notice newsletter to bring us up to speed where the US Israel - Iran war stands, Trump's long-game, and how Iran could leverage the war for decades to come. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky
Trump wollte keine "Forever Wars" – jetzt hat er seinen eigenen. Den „Tagesanbruch" gibt es auch zum Nachlesen unter [t-online.de/tagesanbruch](https://www.t-online.de/tagesanbruch) Anmerkungen, Lob und Kritik gern an podcasts@t-online.de Den „Tagesanbruch“-Podcast gibt es immer montags bis freitags ab 6 Uhr zum Start in den Tag vorgelesen von einer freundlichen KI-Stimme – am Wochenende mit einer tiefgründigeren Diskussion. Verpassen Sie keine Folge und abonnieren Sie uns bei [Spotify] https://open.spotify.com/show/3v1HFmv3V3Zvp1R4BT3jlO?si=klrETGehSj2OZQ_dmB5Q9g), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/t-online-tagesanbruch/id1374882499?mt=2), [Amazon Music](https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/961bad79-b3ba-4a93-9071-42e0d3cdd87f/tagesanbruch-von-t-online) oder überall sonst, wo es Podcasts gibt. Wenn Ihnen der Podcast gefällt, lassen Sie gern eine Bewertung da.
Rip up the Memorandum of Understanding, the ceasefire is well and truly over. Iran and the United States are once more at war – with oil tankers targeted and the Strait of Hormuz firmly shut.Donald Trump's response? He insists the US will take control of the disputed waterway and act as a "guardian angel" for all ships passing through.Originally, he wanted to charge a 20% toll for the privilege, before backtracking on what seemed like an unworkable claim.But is the US still in danger of being dragged deeper into a long-term conflict with Iran that could have repercussions for the region – and the global economy – for years to come?Niall Paterson is joined by Sky's military analyst Professor Michael Clarke.
Iran...forever war?Trump axes the FECHousing: Sign the damn billIs McConnell alive?The Olympian pool-gate mystery updateFox calls sharing cupcakes communismSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We cover the legendary classics like Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, while exploring modern masterpieces like John Scalzi's Old Man's War, Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice, and the later books of The Expanse series. Whether you are a fan of high-stakes space battles or deep philosophical military themes, this ultimate sci-fi reading list has something for you. We also raid the deeper cuts of the genre, discussing everything from John Steakley's Armor, L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s The Parafaith War, and Hiroshi Sakurazaka's All You Need Is Kill, to the cult hit Honor Harrington series by David Weber, Joshua Dalzelle's Black Fleet Trilogy, Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force, Iain M. Banks' Culture series, and Lois McMaster Bujold's beloved Vorkosigan Saga. Plus, stick around until the very end of the episode for a massive surprise guest! We had the absolute honor of sitting down with a literal titan of the military science fiction world. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our upcoming episode on Accelerando by Charles Stross. No spoilers anywhere in this episode. Join the Hugonauts book club on discord Or you can watch our episodes on YouTube if you prefer video This episode is sponsored by Thanks For Meeting Me Here by Jill Bronfman All the books we recommend, plus timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:44 Armor - John Steakley 02:57 The Parafaith War - L.E. Modesitt, Jr. 05:45 The Forever War - Joe Haldeman 09:24 Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card 10:03 Old Man's War - John Scalzi 11:32 The Expanse - James S.A. Corey 13:00 Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein 16:50 Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie 18:29 SPONSOR - Thanks for Meeting Me Here - Jill Bronfman 19:00 All You Need is Kill - Hiroshi Sakurazaka 20:33 The Black Fleet trilogy - Joshua Dalzelle 24:02 Use of Weapons - Iain M. Banks 26:50 Honor Harrington series - David Weber 30:18 Expeditionary Force - Craig Alanson 33:00 The Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 35:07 SURPRISE GUEST A MILITARY SCI-FI LEGEND
Trump ontdekt hoe makkelijk je in een 'forever war' rolt, maar de geschiedenis daar waarschuwde al voor. Maarten van Rossem legt uit.Doe een kleine donatie
David Rothkopf argues that Donald Trump's military confrontations with Venezuela and Iran were not primarily driven by national-security concerns, but by a political need to divert attention from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The opinion column portrays the operations as “wars of distraction,” claiming the administration repeatedly shifted its stated justifications because neither country presented the imminent threat the White House alleged. Rothkopf contends that the Venezuela intervention amounted to an unlawful resource-driven shakedown, while the Iran war produced heavy casualties, economic disruption and weakened alliances without eliminating Tehran's nuclear, missile or proxy capabilities. In his telling, Trump began looking for an exit once the Iran conflict became a political liability rather than a useful distraction.The central argument is that Trump's foreign-policy decisions cannot be separated from his administration's handling of Epstein-related disclosures. Rothkopf accuses the White House and Justice Department of trying to suppress damaging information, points to the government's dealings with Ghislaine Maxwell and Todd Blanche, and argues that Trump's resistance to transparency has only intensified public suspicion. The column suggests that military deployments in American cities, the Venezuela operation and the Iran war formed a succession of “Epstein Wars,” with each crisis serving as an attempted escape from questions about Trump's past relationship with Epstein. It concludes by warning that additional confrontations involving Cuba, Greenland or Panama could follow if Trump again seeks a dramatic foreign-policy spectacle to change the political subject.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Donald Trump's ‘Forever Wars' All Come Back to Jeffrey Epstein
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
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.
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.
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.