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Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Righteous Media | Bleav
Independent Americans is a daily news show hosted by Paul Rieckhoff. He’s a fighter, a patriot, and an independent political and media force to be reckoned with. After serving as a soldier in Iraq in 2004, Rieckhoff emerged as one of the most dynamic political and social leaders in America. In every episode, he breaks down the most important issues facing our country. And he interviews the most influential and compelling people. He’s taking on Republicans, Democrats—and everyone in between. If you’re in the angry middle, Independent Americans reminds you that you’re not alone. We’re all in this together.
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- Today52 min
The GOP’s post-Trump identity crisis. With Shermichael Singleton. Economic populism. Hegseth’s MAGA play. Football Friday.
The Republican Party just took a beating it didn't see coming — and one of its sharpest young strategists is on the show to say the quiet part out loud. Shermichael Singleton joins Paul Rieckhoff for a candid, no-BS conversation about why the GOP's internal numbers missed the catastrophe, how the silent independent voter delivered the blow, and what it will actually take to rebuild a party that's lost the suburbs, the moral high ground, and any credible claim to being the party of Reagan, Bush, and McCain. Pete Hegseth's selfies at Arlington. Jim Jordan and Stephen Miller consolidating power. A Nvidia CEO shown the door. And nobody — according to Singleton himself — stepping up to lead what comes next. Paul and Shermichael dig into economic populism as the only honest path forward for a right-of-center party, the widening wealth gap that no amount of tax-cut messaging can paper over, and why most Americans can't absorb a $1,000 emergency in the richest country on earth. They talk about Mississippi's Scott Colom, the Amherst-Williams rivalry, Indiana-USC, LSU-Texas, and whether Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer or a cautionary tale. It's a conversation about what a real opposition looks like when the two-party system is collapsing in real time — and why independents are the ones holding the future in their hands. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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 Patre
- Yesterday17 min
“Pete Hegseth is a piece of sh*t.” Rieckhoff on Hegseth’s selfie and outrageous disrespect at Arlington Cemetery on Veterans Day.
Veterans Day 2026 should have been a unifying moment. Instead, the Secretary of Defense was caught giggling and snapping selfies on the steps of the tomb of the unknown soldier while a Sentinel of the Old Guard held the line and reminded him not to confuse his rank with the sentinel's authority. Paul Rieckhoff — Army infantry officer, Iraq War veteran, and founder of Independent Veterans of America — reports live from the biggest Veterans Day parade in America in New York City, then goes on News Nation to say plainly what the whole country just watched: Pete Hegseth is unfit, and every day he stays in that office, America is less safe. This quick response episode connects the dots the MAGA machine would rather you miss. Eleven House Democrats skipped the Hegseth impeachment vote and blew a chance to send a statement on Veterans Day. Jared Kushner is flying to Moscow to negotiate with Putin while Ukrainians die through another brutal winter and the Trump team keeps treating the aggressor and the victim as equals. The official U.S. death toll from the Iran war is 23 service members — not the 18 Hegseth and Trump keep repeating. And Trump is fighting in court to build a 250-foot "Golden Age of America" arch that would cast a 50-day-a-year shadow over JFK's grave and hundreds of thousands of fallen Americans. Nine members of the Kennedy family are suing to stop it. If you care about the military, the Constitution, and the truth, you can't wait until January. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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 <
- 2 days ago27 min
Governor Wes Moore. Elon Musk & DOGE fired 31k federal workers in Maryland.
The looming post-9/11 veteran showdown for president. Making every day Veterans Day. Maryland Governor Wes Moore returns to Independent Americans for a Veterans Day conversation that refuses to let anyone spike the ball. Elon Musk's DOGE fired more than 31,000 federal workers in Maryland alone — one in four of them military veterans — and on January 1, up to 680,000 children could lose food assistance. Moore is blunt: the message from Tuesday's election wasn't that a party won, it was that the American people are losing. Trump still has two years, still has the power to deploy ICE into American cities, still has the power to start a new war. The job now is not to celebrate. The job is to get to work. Paul and the Governor also look down the road at a looming post-9/11 veteran showdown for the presidency — Vance, Hegseth, DeSantis on one side; Moore, Buttigieg, Sherrill and others on the other — and what it means for the country when combat-tested independents and partisans finally face off for the top job. They close on what Veterans Day is actually supposed to mean: not a Hallmark holiday, not a day off, but a reminder that veterans are an investment, not a charity, and that the country still needs them in the fight. This is a conversation for every American who's done with cheerleaders in Congress and ready for leaders who remember who they're fighting for. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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 -<a href="https://www.patreon.com/independentamerican
- 3 days ago28 min
Hegseth & Miller close the circle. Massie moves to impeach. Dana White at the White House podium.
Netanyahu on the brink. Russia hits rescue workers. The circle is closing fast. With Susie Wiles out and Stephen Miller installed as chief of staff, Pete Hegseth is doubling down — posting memes with Miller, blocking promotions of women and officers of color, and dragging the Pentagon deeper into a culture war that has our enemies celebrating. Paul Rieckhoff calls it plainly: Hegseth is the most destructive force on the American military since the Iraq War, maybe since Vietnam. And this Veterans Week, Thomas Massie is moving to impeach him on eight articles. Paul argues the vote should happen on Veterans Day itself. But the MAGA machine never sticks to one story. Trump pulled UFC boss Dana White to the White House press room. Trump reportedly paid Laura Loomer to smear a Medal of Honor recipient. A tanker was hit near the Strait of Hormuz. Russia struck rescue workers waiting to deliver humanitarian aid in southern Ukraine. And in Israel, Netanyahu's rival Gadi Eisenkot is now tasked with forming the next government — one step closer to ending the longest-serving leader in Israeli history. Paul closes with a Veterans Week tribute to the Vietnam generation and the advocates still carrying the weight. No guest today — just the no-BS briefing independent Americans need to stay vigilant through the madness. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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
- 4 days ago21 min
Miller in, Wiles out. Trump is cornered — and dangerous. Hegseth sends Humvees and boats into DC.
Miller in, Wiles out. The last guardrail inside Trump's West Wing just came down, and the architect of ICE and the Iran war is now running the building. Paul Rieckhoff opens Veterans Week with a no-BS read on what that means: a cornered president with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, a Secretary of Defense authorizing Humvees and boats into DC, and a proposed arch that would literally shadow Arlington Cemetery until a federal judge blocked the work. This is not a honeymoon. This is not a victory tour. This is the start of the most dangerous stretch of the Trump presidency. Paul also honors the late Senator Jay Rockefeller — a genuine public servant who had veterans' backs when almost no one in Washington did — remembers Pat Tillman on what would have been his 50th birthday, breaks down Congressman Pat Ryan's anti-corruption blueprint for the new Democratic majority, and previews a packed Veterans Week on the show. Independent is an attitude. Wherever you're coming from, you're not alone. Stay vigilant. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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. -<s
- 5 days ago23 min
Midterms: Blue wave, independent water. Dems flip Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Arizona.
Trump picks Stephen Miller as chief of staff. 60% of independents broke against the GOP. This was not a Democratic triumph. It was an independent revolt. Across Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, and Arizona, Democrats flipped House seats in districts gerrymandered to keep them out — and they did it because 60% or more of independents in state after state broke hard against the GOP and against Donald Trump. Paul Rieckhoff cuts through the spin on cable and in the West Wing to name what actually happened: independents, 45% of this country, just decided the election. The question now is whether either party is willing to listen, or whether the Democrats do what Democrats do and eat their own. Paul breaks down what comes next with a rotating cast across MS NOW and the full panel: Trump's refusal to own the shellacking, his pick of Stephen Miller as chief of staff, the real danger of a cornered president with two months of unchecked power over the military, the Hegseth question, and whether Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries can hold a freshman class of younger, populist, pissed-off Democrats together long enough to actually deliver on affordability, corruption, and accountability. The fight for the independent middle is the whole ballgame now — and this episode is the briefing on where it goes from here. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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 Patre
- 6 days ago8 min
Two electorates: who picked the ballot, who voted on it, from the voter file
There were two electorates in this election, and almost nobody talks about the first one. The second is the one that voted on Tuesday. The first is the one that picked the names on that ballot: the people who voted in the primaries last spring and summer. TMI, our morning newsletter, put the two side by side, state by state, using the national voter file. Paul Rieckhoff walks through what it shows. In the 28 states that register voters by party, 30% of registered voters belong to no party. They cast 16% of this year's primary ballots. In the 13 closed-primary states, 4% of them took part, against 25% of Democrats and Republicans. New Jersey: 35% of the rolls, 1% of the primary ballots. Maine and New Mexico opened their primaries since 2022, and no-party voters showed up. In 2024, 366 of 435 House seats were settled before November. And in Nebraska, South Dakota and Idaho, the Senate margin was a fraction of the independents who never had a primary to vote in. Read the full special report, with a source behind every number: https://independentamericans.us/tmi/electorate/?from=tmi Sign up for TMI, free every weekday morning: https://independentamericans.us/tmi Chapters 0:00 A special report from Independent Americans 0:20 Two electorates 1:06 Who picked the ballot 1:32 Where the door is shut 2:24 Open the door and they come 2:52 Who voted on it 4:00 The House: 366 of 435 4:27 Tuesday's margins 5:34 One picked the ballot, the other voted on it Sources: L2 voter file via VoterCount (retrieved Oct 29 and Nov 4, 2026), state election offices and registration reports, AP race calls as logged by the IVA Election Desk, MIT Election Data and Science Lab 2024 House returns. Margins are unofficial, partial counts as of Nov 4 and change until the states certify. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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, <a href="htt
- 1 weeks ago58 min
Chuck Todd. The Dems are Surfers on the Anti-Trump Wave. JD Vance Dances Shamelessly.
Chuck Todd is back on Independent Americans, and he's not sugarcoating what just happened. Voters didn't fall in love with Democrats — they repudiated Trumpism, and independents were the fulcrum. Paul and Chuck unpack why 12 of the last 14 national elections have been change elections, why the pundit class keeps getting high on its own supply, and how candidates like Gina Hinojosa, Annie Andrews, and James Talarico actually met voters where they are instead of lecturing them. They also name the elephant in the room: Trump is still in power, Pete Hegseth is still the most dangerous man in the administration, and the Democrats are already at risk of overcorrecting. From there the conversation widens into the future of independent media, the five-to-seven million viewers Chuck and Chris Cillizza pulled on election night without a legacy network, and why career military leaders may be the country's best candidates for a 2028 independent run. Then it's Football Friday — Miami at Notre Dame, LSU–Alabama, the Holy War, Army–Air Force under the lights at West Point, Bills–Vikings on Monday night, and a shout for the New York City Lions 12U playing their final game in Queens. Patriotic hope, righteous anger, and real analysis — all in one episode. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join us for Veterans Day in New York City 11/11. -Check out the important work happening at Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker. -Let Vets Vote: 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 $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -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 -<a href="https://www.patreon.com/i
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About Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans is a daily news show hosted by Paul Rieckhoff. He’s a fighter, a patriot, and an independent political and media force to be reckoned with. After serving as a soldier in Iraq in 2004, Rieckhoff emerged as one of the most dynamic political and social leaders in America. In every episode, he breaks down the most important issues facing our country. And he interviews the most influential and compelling people. He’s taking on Republicans, Democrats—and everyone in between. If you’re in the angry middle, Independent Americans reminds you that you’re not alone. We’re all in this together.
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