Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Happy Valentine’s Day, America. Tulsi Gabbard is confirmed, Elon Musk is ransacking our government, the FBI is being purged, Trump and Hegseth are abandoning Ukraine. And Putin is coming to visit America.  What a great time for our enemies. The doors are wide open for them everywhere. Putin must be smiling from ear to ear.  We really need that upside down American flag emoji right about now. And w...

Whew. This week is what Trump flooding the zone really looks like. He’s throwing political flash-bang after political flash-bang.  And everyone feels unbalanced and like they have whiplash. While his opponents are overwhelmed, disorganized, leaderless and demoralized. While he continues to gather more and more levers of power. And gain even more momentum.  This is political shock and awe. And it’s...

This is what blowing things up looks like. Radical, damaging and confusing for millions. With so much unnecessary stress on regular Americans. This is what chaos looks like. This is what mayhem looks like. This is what Trump 2.0 looks like. As the country struggles to grapple with the chaotic transition your host Paul Rieckhoff rips into all of it. From Pete Hegseth’s confirmation and the lack of...

He’s President now. Again. And he’s wasting no time. With national security and the debate over the Hegseth nomination for Secretary of Defense front and center, this show is rising to meet this trying and perilous moment. In the hard-hitting and independent way that defines this show.  Our Paul Rieckhoff has decades of experience in many related areas and is gonna take you through it all fast and...

It’s been a massive, cold and painful week. And he hasn’t even been inaugurated yet. We’re hurtling towards more and more massive and painful weeks. And massive impacts. And this week the most consequential news revolved around the hearings for SECDEF and the cowardice of Republican Senators and their inability to stand up to Trump and deny Pete Hegseth. But the other party continues to be weak an...

The New Year is here. And the world is on fire. Trump is headed back to Washington and you better believe the next few months are going to be as wild of a time as we’ve seen in years. And that’s saying something. But the new year is a time for resolutions and your host Paul Rieckhoff has an idea for one for Biden or Trump or both of them together. Create a call for firefighters to help with the gr...

2025 is here and we’re still on break. 2024 was a rough one and we needed to catch up on rest after a historically hectic year. And we’re sure 2025 is going to be just as crazy so we thought it would be fun to see how last year’s first guest of the year did with their predictions for 2024. He’s fan favorite Prof G, Scott Galloway ( @ProfGalloway ). He’s a guest who isn’t afraid to make bold predic...

The holidays are here and we’re taking a much needed break, but we wanted to leave you one more holiday gift before we left. It’s a special episode from our archives and it’s one that means a lot to us. We’re rewinding things all of the way back to fall of 2022, right before the midterms.  It was a time when we needed to hear a voice of reason. Someone to ground us. To calm us all down with some s...

The holidays are here and for long-time listeners, that means one thing and one thing only. The legend! The iconic actor who played George Constanza on Seinfeld--friend of this show—conscience for America—and American icon: Jason Alexander ( @IJasonAlexander ) is back for his annual Festivus visit and it’s every bit as epic as you’ve come to expect! Yes, friends, FESTIVUS is back!  A Festivus for...

Leo Shane III ( @LeoShane ) understands the intersection of politics and the military better than almost anybody. He’s covered Capitol Hill and the White House bureau chief for the Military Times for 20 years and has countless awards for his commitment to his craft and tireless dedication and outstanding reporting. He’s an inspiring journalist who has stood alongside veterans for decades as an all...

December has already been crazy. But it may feel like the calm before the storm once we get to January. With less than 60 days until Trump’s inauguration, the news, chaos and controversy is taking no holiday break. And we’ve got the perfect returning guest to help us make sense of all of it. And anticipate what may come next. Best-selling author Sebastian Junger  is a powerful, thoughtful and trus...

It has been a very stressful fall in America. For everyone. The election has left us all exhausted and exasperated. Especially independents stuck in the middle of the partisan madness. And whether your guy won, your gal lost, or you’re feeling like we’re all losing our damn minds–we got you. It’s a good time to take a step back from the cable news nonsense, shut off the social media, reflect on th...

The flood of emotions, political news and outrageous Trump cabinet nominees continues. And so do the potential threats to our country. Trump wants to deploy US troops to remove migrants. A controversial SecDef nominee wants to ban women in combat (while they’re in combat now). RFK Jr could lead HHS. The new VA Secretary nominee is hardly even mentioned. Dr Oz is gonna run Medicare. And Dr Phil mig...

Union organizer, mechanic, first-time candidate and superstar independent Navy veteran, Dan Osborn ( @OsobornForSenate ) is back and he’s here to let us know what it was like to run the highest profile independent political race since Ross Perot, how he broke through, and what’s next for him and the movement. You met him here first back in May in Episode 280 and then again right before the electio...

The results are in. And America is very different now. If you need a dose of clarity, independent analysis, and inspiration, Paul Rieckhoff’s got you covered in the candid new pod. And, he offers reason for hope in the results of 11 independent vet candidates who ran in races nationwide. Many of these folks, were guests on this show. Now we find out how they fared. And, a reflection ahead of a Vet...

Halloween is here and only one thing is scarier than the ghouls and goblins of this year’s elections. Because nothing is scarier than fascists. Or less American. And as we barrel towards the most consequential election of our lifetimes, there is no neutral. No safe space. And there is definitely no sitting this one out. The Washington Post tried and failed to sit it out. Elon Musk on the other han...

This week, as the election draws closer, we’re narrowing the focus on national security. And we’ve got the perfect guest to discuss the topics that keep the watchers up at night and the area that is most likely to produce an October surprise. Tom Bowman is the legendary NPR National Desk reporter who covers the Pentagon along with co-hosting NPR's Taking Cover podcast and his latest podcast, “A Go...

Welcome back to our groundbreaking “Meet The 2024 Independent Candidates” series—highlighting independent candidates of all kinds, for all levels of office, from all across America. In our last episode we heard from Shelane Etchison , a super badass veteran running for Congress in North Carolina. This episode we have another inspiring veteran. And he’s one of the hottest names in American politics...

Welcome back to our groundbreaking “Meet The 2024 Independent Candidates” series—highlighting independent candidates of all kinds, for all levels of office, from all across America. This week, we’re bringing back a powerhouse and fan favorite, Shelane Etchison ( @ShelaneEtchison ). She’s running for Congress in North Carolina’s 9th District while pregnant and at the same time dealing with the same...

The Democrats and Republicans are attacking each other on a daily basis. The presidential race is at a fever pitch. And 82% of all new voter registrations are independents. And as both sides try to court the undecideds and pander to their bases, we’ve been busy introducing you to America’s next generation of leaders. Independent leaders that stand on their own, in service of their communities. Ame...

For the last four and a half years we’ve brought you some of the most consequential independent voices in America. Celebrities, politicians, athletes. We’ve covered the whole gamut. And it’s all built up to our 2024 Meet The Independent Candidates Series. It’s the only place in media spotlighting independent veteran candidates from around the country at all levels. It’s been critical to our missio...

It’s 2024 and for some in politics, nothing is sacred. Not Arlington. Not 9/11. Not America. Nothing. And those people have our enemies celebrating. But not Independent Americans. And not on this show. This show is a celebration of the people who put country over party. The people who choose the right way over the easy way. And this show is a celebration of America and the American people. And so...

This year, as we pay respect to the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, your host and 9/11 First Responder, Paul Rieckhoff has a lot to teach us all. About what happened on that day. About what it means. And maybe most importantly, what it will mean for the future. 9/11 was a moment that horrified the world. But in that same moment, it galvanized us. It unified us. And it helped define the trajectory of nea...

Labor Day weekend was nice–if you got to get away or enjoy it. The weather was lovely in most parts of the country. But summer is now over. School is back in session. The craziest election season of our lifetime is upon us. And damn, summer already seems far away.  Trump and Harris are bombing away at full throttle now. And fighting for the coveted “swing voters” in swing states. But who are these...

The campaign season rages on and it’s another week with another incident of Trump disrespecting the troops and refusing to follow the rules. It’s just another drop in the bucket to some people, but in this episode, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down why it’s a massive insult to current and former troops and a violation of the most sacred space in our country. It’s a context you’re not going to hear most p...