Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Willie Geist On ICE Raids, Scarring Kids and Trump Watching Morning Joe.

Football Playoffs, Luke Combs, Bruce Springsteen, Greenland. Winter Storm Fern is Coming. Don Lemon, Tiktok, Paris Hilton, AOC, Stars And Stripes in the Cross Hairs.  Winter Storm Fern is coming—but so is Willie Geist. In this special Football Friday  episode of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff welcomes back one of the show’s very first guests and one of the most trusted voices in American media: MS NOW Morning Joe co-anchor and Sunday Today host Willie Geist. Together they unpack a blizzard of news and sports, from Trump’s escalating ICE raids and the horrific detention of five-year-old Liam Ramos to the killing of Renee Goode and what this all reveals about power, abuse and basic decency in America right now.​​ They go below the radar on Trump’s mounting assault on the free press—DOJ’s failed move against Don Lemon, the targeting of outlets like Stars and Stripes, and what it’s like to do Morning Joe in a country where the president openly weaponizes the government against media critics. Willie explains why this is exactly the time to lean in, not check out, and why he still sees his work as a public service rooted in gratitude, fatherhood and deep support for veterans.​ And because it’s Football Friday, they also break down NFL Championship Sunday—Patriots–Broncos, Seahawks–Rams, Drake May’s poise vs. Matt Stafford’s firepower—plus Giants, Harbaugh, Skattebo, the Yankees, Don Mattingly and why live sports and music (from Luke Combs to Springsteen in Newark) still bring divided Americans together. If you’re furious about ICE, worried about democracy, but still love football, snow days and a little hope in the storm, this is your episode. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -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.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump Pivots on Greenland, Meets Zelensky, Undermines NATO. General Barry McCaffrey.

Jack Smith Testifies. ICE is Snatching Kids & Hits Maine. JD Vance Goes to Minneapolis. Elon Trolls Davos. 44% of NFL Players are Independents.  Mark Kelly for President? On this special bonus episode of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff cuts through a blizzard of news and chaos with retired four-star General Barry McCaffrey. From Trump at Davos mocking allies and floating military action toward Greenland, to ICE crackdowns stretching from Minneapolis to Maine and talk of deploying the 11th Airborne toward American cities, it is a deep, unflinching look at a country on the brink of something very dangerous.​ McCaffrey details how the Trump White House has shattered global trust, why he believes NATO as we knew it is effectively dead, and how turning ICE and federal law enforcement into camouflaged, armored shock troops erodes vital trust between cops and communities. He explains the real-world implications of Trump’s threats to “wipe Iran off the face of the earth,” his pirate-like seizures of Venezuelan oil, and his efforts to use the Army-Navy game, the National Guard, and active-duty forces as partisan political props. Paul and the General also dig into the quiet end of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, the lessons of Vietnam and the War on Terror, the danger of believing war can be easy or bloodless, and the collapse of once-strong national security institutions.​ You’ll hear McCaffrey’s blunt assessment of Trump as a lawless, destabilizing commander in chief, his concern that the United States now looks like a “predator nation,” and his warning that law enforcement and the military are being dangerously politicized in ways that will take at least a decade to repair. Paul weaves in his own on-the-ground perspective—from CNN and NewsNation hits to his work with American Veterans for Ukraine and his fight against ICE abuses that are traumatizing kids like five-year-old Liam Ramos—alongside moments of hope, from Randy Newman’s music to stories of French allies who promise to “be there” when America is in trouble. It is a conversation that embodies the five I’s—independence, integrity, inspiration, information, and impact—at a time when Americans are increasingly independent and hungry for trustworthy voices and real perspective. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -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.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

BREAKING: How Trump’s Moves Shake America’s Security From Greenland to Iran - Paul Rieckhoff w/ Connell McShane.

Independent Americans host and Army veteran Paul Rieckhoff joins Connell McShane on NewsNation Now for a rapid-fire breakdown of Trump’s shocking threats to “blow up” Iran, his escalation over Greenland, and what it all means for America’s security and standing in the world. From NATO nearly considering Article 5 over a possible U.S. attack on Greenland, to protests in Greenland against America, to civilians literally freezing in the dark in Kyiv, this special bonus episode pulls back the curtain on the real costs of Trump’s foreign policy chaos.​ Paul explains why Greenland actually matters strategically, how Trump’s bullying approach is driving a dangerous wedge between the U.S. and NATO, and why the biggest winner so far has been Putin. He digs into why the smartest way to check Russia is in Ukraine—not in the Arctic—and why threatening to obliterate an entire country like Iran is reckless, unnecessary, and terrifying to allies and adversaries alike.​ The conversation also hits Congress’s disappearing role in questions of war and peace, the crushing of protests inside Iran, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine as hundreds of thousands flee a frozen Kyiv without power or heat. If you’re tired of hot takes and headline-chasing, this is a clear, unflinching sitrep on America’s place in the world—and what independent Americans should be watching now. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -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.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump at Davos Insults Greenland, Denmark, NATO, Ukraine w/ Eddie Glaude.

Snowpocalypse is Coming. Explaining White Nationalism. ICE is Now Snatching Cops & Vets. MLK’s Hidden Message. JD Vance is Having a Baby. Fallout (The Show) & How We Save America. Trump’s “America First” has become Trump against the world—and the stakes for democracy, justice, and basic decency have never been higher. In Episode 420 of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with Princeton scholar, author, and public intellectual Eddie Glaude to break down white nationalism and white Christian nationalism in Trump’s America, what they’re doing to our institutions, and what it will really take for courageous everyday people to fight back. Glaude explains why he believes white nationalists have effectively captured the executive branch, how “great replacement” panic is driving ICE and immigration policy, and why liberty in America has been twisted into a synonym for selfishness and greed.​ Against the backdrop of MLK Day and a brutal political winter, Paul and Eddie go deep on the distortion of Christianity into a political weapon, the rise of white Christian nationalism in the military and VA, and how theological extremism is shaping everything from culture war battles to U.S. policy in Israel. They unpack what it really means to call America a “white republic,” how Klan‑era thinking still shapes immigration policy, and why ICE’s expansion is best understood as a project to “make America white again.” Eddie also challenges the sanitized version of Dr. King, reconnecting us to the exhausted, radical King of 1968 who warned that “we have some difficult days ahead” and died with the heart of a 60‑year‑old.​ This conversation is a master class in moral clarity and civic courage—and a call to action. Rieckhoff and Glaude spotlight the everyday leaders already stepping up, from Bishop William Barber and Poor People’s Campaign organizers to local housing and education activists, independent veterans, and unlikely neighbors who find shared humanity in the middle of shared suffering. If America is going to make it to its 250th birthday in one piece, it won’t be because politicians saved us—it will be because regular people chose truth over denial, courage over comfort, and community over collapse Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -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.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trump vs Greenland, Denmark, The World w/Ty Pinkins.

Dow Drops 700. Don’t Protest Inside a Church. Oil From Venezuela Ships. Chris Pratt or Lindsey Vonn for MN Gov? Impeach Trump. Indiana an Example for America. Measles Is Back. ICE Crosses Another Line. Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff returns with an unfiltered conversation cutting through the turmoil of Trump’s America, a Greenland crisis, and a shaken NATO to focus on a pivotal political battle: Mississippi’s independent U.S. Senate candidate, Ty Pinkins. From New York to the Mississippi Delta, Rieckhoff explores how this historic campaign could disrupt Washington’s balance of power—without a Democrat or Republican label. Pinkins shares what he’s heard across all 82 Mississippi counties, where voters are rejecting “the same two parties saying the same things.” A Black combat veteran and Delta native, he’s emerging as a serious challenge to an entrenched MAGA incumbent. He shatters the myth of “splitting the vote” in a state where Republicans have dominated for decades and argues that independents now represent the most energized political force in the country. Rieckhoff and Pinkins also connect the global stakes—from Trump’s destructive foreign moves on Greenland, NATO, and Venezuela—to local crises like hospital closures, job losses, and political neglect across Mississippi. Drawing from his deployments and three-year grassroots tour, Pinkins outlines an independent message built on courage, accountability, and inclusion, aimed at uniting a multiracial, multigenerational coalition ready to redefine Mississippi—and America’s—political future. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Support Ty Pinkins run for Senate in Mississippi. And check out his last conversation with Paul here. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -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.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.