Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

As Trump’s Iran blockade sends 10,000 more U.S. troops into harm’s way and ties up 41% of our Navy, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down why this risky move could become a “sucking chest wound” for our military and the global economy—and how Iran is effectively holding the world’s gas station hostage. From Signalgate and impeachment talk swirling around Defense Secretary Pete Hegs...

House Votes to Extend Warrantless Surveillance on You. Anti-Vax RFK Jr Hates DEI. Mamdani vs the Rich. Hegseth’s Fight with the Pope Continues. Zelensky Calls for War Crimes Tribunal. Trump says he needs expanded spying powers “for our national security.” But are you really good with this government spying on you, with Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard and the nationalist crew peeking into your life in...

GOP Blocks War Powers Vote Again. Will Dems Blow It? Independent’s Opportunity. Stock Market Soars. More Boat Strikes. Mamdani Cancels NYC Vets Parade. Queen Latifah: UNITY. Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff sits down with journalist, author, and former CNN anchor and Daily Beast Editor John Avlon—now with The Bulwark— for a fast, insightful, and hopeful conversation about how to fix Ameri...

WTF Wednesday. JD Vance Loves Putin. Gov Shapiro Bringing UFC to PA. Trump is NATO’s Big Monster Red Ball. Plus: Celebrating Jackie Robinson Day.  On this "WTF Wednesday," Paul Rieckhoff is joined by the "Great and Powerful" Senator Angus King of Maine to pull back the curtain on a Senate in "total dereliction of duty." As the U.S. Navy deploys 41% of its entire fleet...

Has Trump Jumped the Shark? MTG & Ro Khanna Talk About A Third Party. Reps Swalwell AND Gonzales Resign. Rock & Roll HOF. WNBA, NFL & Military Draft.  In this explosive episode of Independent Americans , host Paul Rieckhoff sits down with the great and powerful Michael Steele—former RNC Chairman and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and cohost of MS NOW’s The Weeknight airing weekdays at...

Orban and Authoritarianism Lose in Hungary. Artemis is Home. The Draft Hits Home. Kamala Harris Wants to Try Again. Trump at UFC. Real Time with Bill Maher Recap.  President Trump has escalated his rhetoric to a global scale, launching a stunning series of attacks against Pope Leo, labeling the religious leader "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy." As the 2026 poli...

Can Hungary Keep JD Vance? Pentagon Threatens The Pope. Hegseth vs Driscoll. Dems Finally Get Their Sh&t Together. Twins Die Side by Side in Ukraine. Joe Rogan is One of Us.  Is the American military a tool for national defense or a private army for global conquest? Host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down a volatile week as Donald Trump issues a chilling "warning" to Iran, claiming our milit...

The smoke hasn't even cleared from Operation Epic Fury , and the administration is already spiking the ball. While Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declares a "Capital V" military victory, the reality on the ground tells a much more volatile story. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down and Israel launching independent strikes on Lebanon just hours after a supposed ceasefire, we ar...

Mandatory Draft Registration Coming in December.  Republicans Keep Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Seat in Georgia. Putin’s Onslaught Continues. Shelly Kittleson Freed. Cormac Ryan’s Amazing Homecoming. From the heart of Times Square, host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the "fast and furious" aftermath of a week that nearly pushed the world into total catastrophe. While the immediate threat of a ma...

Ansari Introduces Impeachment for Hegseth. Cuba Threatens a Fight. ICE Arrests Newlywed Wife of Army Soldier At Military Base. Artemis Inspires Again. Michigan Wins! Donald Trump has issued a chilling 8 a.m. declaration: "A whole civilization will die tonight." In this special emergency episode of Independent Americans , Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the global shockwaves following this unp...

Trump Craps on Easter and Threatens to Obliterate Iran Tomorrow. Hegseth Doubles Down on Jesus Holy War Talk. Will General George Speak Out. Tool and The Pope vs Pete. March Madness Final.  The clock is ticking toward Donald Trump’s Tuesday night deadline for Iran, and the rhetoric has shifted from tactical pressure to a potential transformation of the war. In this high-stakes episode, host Paul R...

The war in Iran has reached a "worst-case scenario" following the downing of American pilots and the high-stakes rescue operations now underway. While the military’s search-and-rescue prowess remains unmatched, the political fallout is reaching a breaking point as the administration floats the possibility of a draft and demands an additional $200 billion for the defense budget. Amidst th...

Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America, joins CSPAN’s Washington Journal to break down the strategic "sucking chest wound" of the current conflict in Iran. The Iraq War veteran who predicted the fallout of Baghdad is back with a haunting warning: we are repeating every disastrous mistake of the last twenty years—and adding new ones. From the unprecedented lack of cong...

Trump Wants $1.5T for Defense. Is Hegseth Running for President? SERE Training 101. Pickles the Dog for President? Final Four Friday! The ultimate split-screen moment in American history. While the world watched in awe as the Artemis crew headed toward the moon—representing the pinnacle of human achievement and international cooperation—the reality of global conflict hit home. In this urgent Frida...

What’s the Strategy to Stop More Forever Wars? Ro 2028? Will He and Massie Go Independent? House Prolongs DHS Shutdown. Go Artemis! Marines Scramble on ICE Story.  Congressman Ro Khanna is back at a critical moment—and he’s bringing receipts, strategy and a plan. From Trump’s expanding and unpopular war in Iran, to the threat of new wars in Cuba and beyond, Ro joins host Paul Rieckhoff to lay out...

Trump Attends SCOTUS. 2026: The Year of the Drone. Artemis Mission Takes NASA Astronauts Back to the Moon.  Independent Veteran vs MAGA Machine: Seth Bodnar’s Battle for Montana’s Senate. A Green Beret, Rhodes Scholar, university president and business leader, independent Senate candidate Seth Bodnar joins Paul Rieckhoff from Montana for a hard‑hitting, no‑BS conversation about taking on Trump’s M...

Drones Shut Down US Air Base. Senate Votes to Fund DHS. IED at MacDill AFB. Trump’s Signature to Be Added Dollars. Markets Crater. Guthrie back to Today. Shawn Ryan Done with Trump. Barkley for Governor.  In episode 480 of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff delivers a hard‑hitting solo briefing on Trump’s increasingly unpopular forever war in Iran, exposing how the Pentagon is quietly prep...

From the heart of Times Square, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff joins Joy Reid, Don Lemon and Jim Acosta live at the massive “No Kings” protest as America pushes back against Trump’s latest war in Iran and the slide toward pre–World War Three. In this raw, on-the-ground episode, Paul shares the energy, creativity and unity in the streets, explains why this is a historic tipping point for...

Patriotism, Protest and the War In Iran. Is This a Tipping Point? Live from the massive “No Kings” protests in New York City, Iraq War veteran and Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff takes you into the streets as Americans of all ages and backgrounds say “hell no” to forever wars and unchecked presidential power. From the unpopular war in Iran to Trump’s threats against Ecuador and Cuba, Pau...

 Iran, Patriotism, Fed-Up White Working Class, Fighting Authoritarians, Will He Run for Office? Opening Day and A Little Yankees Red Sox Smack Talk. FDNY vs NYPD Hockey! Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff chops it up with Dropkick Murphys fiery and beloved frontman Ken Casey for a high-energy, no-BS conversation about patriotism, protest, and pushing back on authoritarianism at home and abr...

Trump Wants National Guard in NY and Chicago. Staffers Calling Hegseth: “Dumb McNamara” Baseball is Back. The Sweet 16 is Something Good. Independent Americans host and Iraq War veteran Paul Rieckhoff fires a solo fastball of an episode breaking down the fast-escalating Iran war, the growing danger to American troops from drones and missiles, and Trump’s increasingly unhinged push to put U.S. troo...

Trump Shows Classified Map En Route To Golf. Bannon Calls Ice-Airport Ops Election Test. CBS to Meidas - A Massive Message to the Media. Mullin In at DHS. Meta Fined $375m Over Kids’ Safety. MLB Opening Day. On opening day of baseball, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down Trump’s expanding forever war in Iran, new deployments of the 82nd Airborne, and the rising human cost most po...

What I Told My Son When He Wanted to Join the Army. Election Threats Are Rising. Broken DHS Makes Us All Less Safe. If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.  Author, National Security Analyst, Contributor at The Bulwark, and retired Army General Mark Hertling is back on Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff at a moment when America is at war abroad and under strain at home. They attack t...

Democracy Wins—Pentagon Loses. Another Fumble from Hegseth. Vietnam Vet Robert Mueller Dies. No Justice for Breonna Taylor. RIP, CBS Radio.  Admiral James Stavridis is back for a master class on war, peace, and the future of American power at a moment when Donald Trump can do almost anything he wants with the most powerful military on earth. The former NATO Supreme Allied Commander joins host Paul...

In this all‑new episode of Independent Americans , host Paul Rieckhoff takes you behind the scenes of his latest appearances on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports and NewsNation with Connell McShane to break down Trump’s Iran war, talk of a draft, and what it all means for a new generation raised in the shadow of Iraq and Afghanistan. From rising gas prices and billion‑dollar‑a‑day war spending to the spect...