Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Independent Americans is a weekly 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. Join the Independent Americans movement and subscribe now. Produced by Righteous Media.

Episodes

The chaos at the Pentagon is getting worse as more and more news stories about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth continue to pour out. And now, the staffers he fired (that he also hired) for allegedly leaking are coming after him. They’re eating their own–and the mayhem is expanding quickly and overwhelming Hegseth and The Building. What happens next? Will Trump fire him? Who could replace him? Who’s watching our nukes?!?! It’s an...
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Another week, another walk. And this time it’s somewhere different. We sent your host Paul Rieckhoff west to get some rest and so far it isn’t in the cards. From Trump crashing the economy to breaking news that Pete Hegseth’s cronies were allegedly removed from the Pentagon for leaking word of Elon’s China briefing, there’s a lot to keep up with. Even when you’re “on vacation”. Paul checks in from the home of the Navy SEALS: Corona...
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It’s time for another walk. Through the chaos of the last couple of weeks and the signs of spring fighting to break through winter's icy grip. The markets on fire, the world is outraged and our enemies are celebrating. And with so many questions looming about the economy, Trump’s decisions and what’s next for Ukraine, there might not be a better guest to get a gauge of where things stand. He’s maybe the most reasonable Republican ...
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April is here. Spring is here. And some days you just need to go for a walk. To blow off steam. To get away from the office. You name it. There’s never a bad reason to go for a quick walk. But spring isn’t the only thing that’s here. President Mayhem is back. And he is not slowing down. From talking about invading Greenland and Panama and Canada to raising tariffs on all of our trade partners, to alienating our allies in NATO, Mayh...
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Spring is here and we’re two months in. Two months of crazy. Two months of furor. Two months of chaos. And two months of damage done to the fabric of the country we all love. And just two days after Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff went on CNN to sound the alarm bell and warn that the sloppiness would lead to much, much worse… worse happened. By now you’ve heard about Signalgate, the scandal that has rocked the Trump admi...
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From Steve Bannon stating that Trump will run again in 2028 (yes, really), to 60,000 more people fired at the Pentagon, to Trump’s horrible deal with Putin on Ukraine—a whole new kind of March madness is here. And if you’re not angry you’re not paying attention. It’s been another week of shocking new lows and political chaos. But we’re starting to see pushback—-and some signs of a resistance forming. But not from the Democrats. An...
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They’ve faced some of the most extreme challenges human beings have ever faced. They’ve gone through trainings that are specifically designed to make people fail–and they succeeded. They’ve watched the sun rise from the stratosphere and have spent more time in outer space than most people spend outside.  And now they’re being attacked by a deranged billionaire. For bravely visiting Ukraine to get a first hand assessment of the sit...
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This is the real March Madness. Donald Trump has continued to disgrace America—underscored most vividly by his White House meeting with Zelensky last week. And in the tumultuous days of betrayal that have followed. And it’s been one crazy hit after another from fights with Canada to the firing of veterans nationwide. While the Democrats continue to scramble and scatter. As your newsfeed overflows, and your stomach turns, we’re here...
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March isn’t even here yet and we have already had more madness than the country can handle. From DOGE’s cuts to government services to Trump’s random brain farts masking as ideas, to Kash Patel being sworn in as the head of the FBI, there is a lot to be angry about and there are a lot of villains to be angry at.  But there are also heroes that will arise. Heroes like the Kelly brothers, the famous astronaut twins who are now locked...
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It’s been one month of Trump 2.0.  One month of drama. One month of chaos. One month of pain. And Trump continues to roll unimpeded. The Democrats have put up little to no resistance and there are no saviors in sight. But we’ve got a glimmer of hope. A leader who could emerge as the one to take the helm and restore honor (and sanity) to the office. Maybe one day soon.  We’ve got Maryland Governor Wes Moore back on the show for the ...
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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 we also need truly patriotic, candid...
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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 working.  Because the Democrats ar...
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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 resistance from the Democrats to th...
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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 fiercely. And, dig into the TikTok...
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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 and feckless and sucks in its own uni...
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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 growing threat of wildfires we face e...
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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 predictions and now you get a chance to gra...
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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 sobering reality. Some history. Some...
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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 the rest of us.  And this year Jason ...
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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 ally and truth teller. His reporting has...
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