IVA showcase: Veterans Meeting the Moment: Todd Achilles on His Idaho Senate Run & Ridgecrest, CA Mayor Travis Endicott. Father’s Day 2026.
The Iran operation is being called the biggest American strategic loss in a generation, and the receipts are damning. Thirteen service members dead, billions unaccounted for, forty percent of the Navy tied up, sanctions lifted, assets returned, the nuclear program left intact, and the brutal regime in Tehran emboldened. Meanwhile the president is publicly floating Cuba as the next target, and Congress still hasn’t invoked the War Powers Act. Paul Rieckhoff sits down with World War Z author Max Brooks to cut through the spin and ask the harder question: what do citizens actually do when the institutions designed to protect them are this badly broken?
This conversation goes deep on the cost of forever wars, the morale and recruiting crisis inside the military, the betrayal of brave Iranians who believed America would have their backs, and the generational damage of watching two octogenarian presidents flail on the world stage. Brooks brings the same survivalist clarity that made World War Z resonate — preparation, community, civic muscle — and Paul translates it into marching orders for the angry middle. This is not despair content. It’s a no-BS briefing on how veterans, independents, and working-class Americans can adapt, improvise, and overcome a political class that has earned exactly zero trust.
-WATCH full video of this episode here.
-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code [INDEPENDENT] to get ten dollars when youtrade 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.
