Category: Episodes

Donald Trump is a runaway train, and we’re all along for the ride. In this urgent solo “Manosphere Monday” briefing, Paul Rieckhoff rips into Week Three of Trump’s war in Iran, the total blackout in Cuba, and a stunning failure of imagination from both parties and much of the media as casualties mount and forever war becomes the plan, not the exception. From the lonely circuit breaker role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, to the growing cyber battlefield where the lights go out before the bombs drop, Paul breaks down how Trump is going “all gas, no brakes,” why allies still matter, and how the human cost of this war is already immeasurable for Gold Star and surviving families here at home. He calls out the politicians cashing in on conflict, the Congressmen openly attacking Muslim Americans, and the Pentagon and Wall Street players treating war like one more business opportunity.

War reveals who people are—the best of us and the worst of us. In this special episode, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff takes you inside his fiery appearance on MSNBC’s Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace, sounding the alarm about Trump’s reckless march toward war with Iran, the extremism driving today’s culture wars, and the urgent need for real leadership and accountability. Fresh off hits on NewsNation and Stephen Colbert, he explains why this could actually be one of the most unifying moments in recent American history—even as the drumbeats of war grow louder in the Middle East and chaos spreads at home, with opposition to a new war in Iran rising from NFL legends like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed to conservatives like Newt Gingrich and unlikely critics like Megyn Kelly and Steve Bannon.​

American caskets are coming home again. In this fierce, fiery Friday episode, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the escalating “Iran overflow” war, the KC‑135 crash that killed six American service members, the growing drumbeat of troop movements into the Middle East, and the total failure of Congress to do its job on questions of war and peace. He calls out Trump’s illegal “no quarter” rhetoric, Pete Hegseth’s authoritarian war on the press, ICE’s abuses at home, and the dangerous normalization of UFC “Freedom Fights 250” on the White House lawn—while reminding listeners why if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.​

Trump’s Iran war is spiraling, controversy is overflowing, the world is in chaos, enemies are celebrating, the VA is quietly grabbing new power over homeless vets, and John Fetterman is MIA on a horrific school strike in Iran—so Paul fires up the mic for a solo episode that pulls no punches and looks around the corner at what’s coming next. From Iran to California drone threats, from outrageous “war slop” videos out of the White House to the FBI playing fanboy with UFC fighters at Quantico, this episode is a rapid-fire briefing for independent Americans who refuse to drink the bullshit both parties are serving. Paul breaks down why most Americans are not as divided as the algorithms want you to believe, why independents (especially in Pennsylvania and South Carolina) are the real sleeping giant, and how celebrity, culture, sports and even the Paralympics are being weaponized in this new era of global conflict. He closes with a powerful, emotional story of a high school hockey player who turned unimaginable loss into a double-overtime miracle—and a reminder that heroism, community and hope are still out there if you know where to look.

On this Wartime Wednesday episode of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff takes you inside the rapidly escalating war in Iran, what it really means for troops and families, and why 76% of Americans now oppose it. From a deadly U.S. strike on an Iranian school and new Pentagon revelations, to drone warfare, Cyber Command leadership, the Strait of Hormuz, and the viral Heath “lobster and steak” for Troops outrage, Paul breaks down the stories everyone should be tracking—but most news and politics shows are missing.​ Because we didn’t just start covering national security and war when the war with Iran started. We focus on it always. And this is one of the few shows out there hosted by a combat veteran who gets it. 

Trump’s deeply unpopular war in Iran is escalating, US troops are being wounded in large numbers, and the war on the truth is raging—so Paul Rieckhoff is back with a fast, fiery solo episode to help you cut through the chaos, fueled by G. Love & Special Sauce and fresh off a big night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. From new reporting on undisclosed American casualties and oil shocks in the Strait of Hormuz to Trump’s all‑gas‑no‑brakes foreign policy and a Congress with “no plan to stop him,” Paul breaks down what’s really happening, why it feels like Iraq all over again, and what eternal vigilance looks like for you right now.​

Trump’s Iran war is escalating, American troops and civilians are dying, and the truth is already becoming the first casualty—again. In this all-new solo episode 460 of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down why the conflict feels like Vietnam all over again, what U.S. intelligence is really saying about regime change, and why American flag-draped caskets coming home must never be normalized. From a horrific school bombing in Iran to drone terror in Ukraine and rising ISIS-inspired threats in New York City, he connects the front lines overseas to the streets where you live, while calling out chicken hawks, failed leadership, and the propaganda pouring out of Trump’s White House.​

Independent Americans host and Iraq War veteran Paul Rieckhoff takes you behind the scenes of his fiery CNN Newsroom clash with former Congressman and fellow Iraq vet Peter Meijer over President Trump’s escalating Iran strategy and the deadly strike on an Iranian school that killed scores of children and teachers. In this raw, real-time debrief, Rieckhoff explains why Trump’s rush to blame Iran despite independent analysis suggesting U.S. responsibility shreds American credibility, feels like “deja vu all over again” for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, and risks dragging America into another open-ended Middle East war most Americans do not want.​

When Donald Trump launches a war on Iran, hits a whole new country in Ecuador, talks openly about striking Cuba next—and Congress can’t even be bothered to interrupt its weekend to hold an emergency session—you know America has a serious problem. In this all–new episode of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff takes you inside his fiery appearance on MSNBC’s Deadline White House with Nicolle Wallace, where he confronts Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal and calls out a weak, failed Congress that is “not even a speed bump” to Trump’s most dangerous impulses.

Paul Rieckhoff sits down with former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Air National Guard combat veteran and star of the new film “The Last Republican,” now on YouTube. They dive deep into the escalating Iran war—with no clear endgame, potential boots on the ground, civilian casualties including a possible U.S. strike on an Iranian girls’ school, and Congress failing to check Trump’s power via War Powers resolutions.