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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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- Today22 min
Is Trump losing control of everything? Massie moves on Hegseth. The Fed hikes rates. Ukraine goes all-in. Plus: Ed Sheeran walks into a buzzsaw. Media Blitz Pod
Is Trump losing control of everything? That's the through-line this week as the system starts pushing back on multiple fronts at once. Paul Rieckhoff breaks down Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — a Pentagon leader more obsessed with grooming standards and fitness optics than with getting the job done in Iran or telling Congress the truth. Inside the building, morale is cratering and the leaks are coming from senior officers who want him out. Meanwhile, Kevin Warsh — the man Trump handpicked to replace Jerome Powell and slash rates — did the opposite. He hiked. Because inflation is real, the bond market doesn't lie, and even a Trump loyalist has to answer to Economics 101. From there the show pivots to Ukraine's record defense budget and the long-overdue Graham sanctions bill, the Iran war that's become a sucking chest wound for the military and the economy, and the cultural collision that is Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, Bob Kraft, and the free-Palestine chant that split a New Jersey stadium in half. This is the no-BS, intelligence-grade read on a week where the Fed, the Supreme Court, Congress, and the Pentagon all told the president no — and where the most desperate move may still be coming. If you want to understand what actually happened this week without a partisan filter, this is your briefing. -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 $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! -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, <a href="https://www.threads.com/
- 2 days ago21 min
Can Ed Sheeran bring peace to the Middle East? Congress shuts down two weeks early. 19% Approval for Trump. The Iran War Grinds On. PLUS: Friday Football!
Congress has left the building — for two months. No AI legislation, no check on an Iran war the American people never signed up for, no oversight while Trump threatens Cuba, threatens Greenland, watches the Fed raise rates, and lets his son throw a Russian-funded wedding party. Trump sits at 19% approval. J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth are already jockeying to succeed him. Republicans are scrubbing him from their own ads. And the Democrats aren't exactly filling the vacuum. That's the opening for independents — and Paul Rieckhoff lays out exactly where the movement is building, from Brian Bengs in South Dakota to Dan Osborn in Nebraska to Seth Bodnar in Montana to Todd Achilles in Idaho. Then Paul goes below the radar on the Ed Sheeran / Macklemore / Bob Kraft blowup he witnessed live at MetLife Stadium — a Free Palestine chant that split a family-friendly crowd and now has Macklemore dropped from Gillette Stadium dates. It's a window into where most Americans actually sit on Israel and Gaza: not neutral, not extreme, but exhausted with blank checks and demanding the leaders of both sides stop bombing kids. Paul closes with Football Friday — college and NFL picks, a shout to Audioslave, and a message from his New York City Lions youth team: love one another. Stay vigilant. -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 $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! -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 <a href="http
- 3 days ago15 min
“They’re getting rich, you're getting screwed.” Russia feeding Iran intel to kill Americans. LSU, Lane Kiffin, and the death of College football. Media blitz pod
Russia is quietly feeding Iran the intelligence it needs to kill American service members, the munitions stockpile the administration swears is full is demonstrably empty, and the sailors on the USS Lincoln haven't seen their commander in chief set foot on the deck. Meanwhile the president's son is accepting gifts from a foreign "close friend," the attorney general is running interference instead of investigations, and the Iran war is now polling worse than the data centers inside MAGA itself. This is a media blitz episode — Paul Rieckhoff stitching together the sharpest moments from four national cable hits in eight hours into one no-BS conversation about what's actually breaking in America right now. From the Pentagon to the Fed, from Cash Patel to Lane Kiffin, Paul draws the line between war profiteering and college football's booster-collective gold rush — and asks the same question of both: who's protecting the workers, the players, the troops? He lays out why the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs may be the last adult in the room, why 25 years of war have hollowed out recruiting and retention, and why the populist streak in this country is ready to snap over rich men partying in the Bahamas while working-class kids get shipped to the Middle East. Independent, veteran-led, and unafraid to name names on both sides of the rigged two-party system. -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 $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! -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, <a href="https://ww
- 4 days ago57 min
Polygraphs, Purges, and the Snake Pit Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon. What is the Pentagon Doing About AI?
The 60 Minutes Propaganda Machine. No Pressers Since May. with Dan Lamothe The Pentagon has gone dark. No press conferences since May. No real embeds in an active shooting conflict. Four-star generals pushed into retirement with a short phone call and no explanation. An Army Secretary out. Polygraphs on the table. And a 60 Minutes segment that played less like accountability journalism and more like a Hegseth highlight reel. Washington Post national security reporter Dan Lamothe returns for his 11th appearance to walk Paul through what it actually looks like to cover Pete Hegseth's Pentagon in 2026 — and why the propaganda machine is only getting louder. Paul and Dan get into the purge of senior officers around Dan Driscoll, the JD Vance-Driscoll axis and what it means for 2028, the paid "military influencers" quietly on the Pentagon payroll while attacking reporters online, and General Dan Cain's growing credibility problem after Trump falsely placed him in the room at a partisan event. They also dig into the story nobody in the building wants to touch: what is the Pentagon actually doing about AI, and does anyone in leadership grasp the threat the way earlier generations grasped nukes? This is the kind of no-BS, intelligence-grade conversation you won't get in a five-minute cable hit. -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 $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! -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<sp
- 5 days ago14 min
Hegseth’s Hollowing Out Of The Pentagon. 80 Generals Purged. A Downed Jet, A $100k Missile, And A 60 Minutes Propaganda Play. Media Blitz Pod
An institution at war is being hollowed out from the inside. As many as 80 generals and admirals have been fired or had their promotions blocked. Trusted mentors with decades of combat leadership have been purged with no explanation. Key positions sit empty for months while deployments stretch to record lengths and munitions run short. Paul Rieckhoff joins MS NOW's Alicia Menendez and Pentagon reporter Priya Sridhar to lay out what's really happening under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — and why it should alarm every American, regardless of party. This episode also unpacks the 60 Minutes segment that put two rescued crew members on camera after their F/A-18 went down behind enemy lines to a $100,000 missile — a segment Hegseth reportedly pushed for. Paul calls it what it is: propaganda, prime time, with a compliant network carrying water for a Secretary who seems more interested in running for president than caring for the troops. From the culture-war purge of women, people of color, and now decorated white special forces veterans, to Chairman Dan Cain's dramatic retreat from the traditional advisory role, this is a no-BS breakdown of a Pentagon in crisis. -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 $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! -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 -<a href="https://www.patre
- 6 days ago29 min
25 Years Later, The Truth Finally Drops. 170,000 Pages, A Seventh Bell, And Cancer Cases Tripling. If They Lied, They Should Go To Jail. Media Blitz Pod
Twenty-five years. That's how long it took for the truth about the air at Ground Zero to finally reach daylight. This week New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani released more than 170,000 pages of city records confirming what first responders, downtown residents, and Stuyvesant High School kids have known in their bodies for a generation — the air was not safe, leaders knew it, and they lied. Paul was there in September 2001 as a National Guard officer working the pit. He's spent the years since watching friends die of cancers and illnesses that never should have been a mystery. This episode brings you inside two of the most important conversations he had over the 9/11 weekend — with Katy Tur from Ground Zero and with Ali Velshi on The Eleventh Hour — as the country marked a somber anniversary and rang a seventh bell for the more than 9,400 who've died since the attacks. This is not a nostalgia episode. It's an accountability episode. Cancer cases among 9/11 survivors have roughly tripled in the last five years alone. The forever wars that started on that day are still going, now with Iran added to the ledger and Congress still on the sidelines. Paul lays out what real accountability looks like — naming names, launching a bipartisan investigation, and prosecuting the people who lied if their lies broke the law — and why the fight has to continue on 9/12, 9/13, and every day after. Because next time a toxin cloud rolls into an American city, leaders need to know the American people will not let the lie stand. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -See what the 170,000 documents the government tried to hide reveal: Pt 1- The Air Was Safe • Pt 2 - One Hundred Days -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! -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 • <a href="https://x.com/indy_americ
- 1 weeks ago14 min
“The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Seen. And The Most Beautiful.” 9/11 - 25 Years Later With Connell McShane.
Twenty-five years later, Paul Rieckhoff finally tells his own 9/11 story in full. Sitting at Ground Zero with Fox Business correspondent Connell McShane, Paul walks through the days he'd quit his Wall Street job, linked up with fellow New York National Guardsmen, and searched the shattered bottom of the Winter Garden while truck horns signaled another possible collapse. It is the worst thing he has ever seen. It is also, he says, the most beautiful — because of the unity, the volunteers, the fire crew from Arkansas that just got in the rig and started driving. Retired combat pilot Glenn Ignazio joins from the other side of the world he was on that day, in a wartime footing on the Iraqi border when the second plane hit. This is not a forever-wars episode. That conversation matters, and this show has it constantly. Today is about service, sacrifice, and the spirit that made a generation raise their hand. It's about Wells Crowther and the red bandana. It's about the kids at football practice tonight under the lights who weren't born yet and have no formal 9/11 curriculum to learn from. It's about what we, the keepers of the flame, are obligated to pass down before the memory goes cold. Love one another. Look for the helpers. Adapt, improvise, overcome. Independent is an attitude — and so is remembering. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -See what the 170,000 documents the government tried to hide reveal: Pt 1- The Air Was Safe • Pt 2 - One Hundred Days -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! -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 • <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IndependentAmericansU
- 1 weeks ago45 min
9/11 - 25 Years Later with Rob Serra. The Air Was Never Safe. Mamdani Docs Reveal What They Knew And When. Why Trump and All Politicians Should Stay Away.
Twenty-five years on, the story of 9/11 is being hijacked again — by politicians running for cover, by a president inventing himself into the rubble, and by an algorithm that feeds our kids conspiracy theories instead of history. FDNY firefighter and first-responder advocate Rob Serra returns to Independent Americans for the conversation we've had every year since this show started, and this one hits different. Newly released documents confirm what Rob and every first responder already knew: the air was never safe, hundreds of thousands of civilians were lied to, and Stuyvesant students were sent back to eat lunch in a room that had been a morgue three days earlier. Paul and Rob talk about the weight of being the person in the locker room, at the dentist, at the birthday party who has to explain what really happened — and the fact that there is still no formal curriculum to teach 9/11 in New York schools or anywhere else. They get into Mamdani, Giuliani, Bloomberg's treatment of Detective James Zadroga, the firefighters purged under zero tolerance while burying fifty friends, Trump's newest big lie, the ongoing fight for the Zadroga Act, and why the Ray Pfeifer Foundation is still picking up the tab for care the program should already cover. It ends, as it must, with something good — the lights, the kids, the Yankees, a Friday football pick, and the reminder that leaders like Rob are still standing twenty-five years later. Stay vigilant. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -See what the 170,000 documents the government tried to hide reveal: Pt 1- The Air Was Safe • Pt 2 - One Hundred Days -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! -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 • <a href="https:/
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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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