Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Trump and the World Cup, Iran War Blowing up F1, Congress vs Football. Plus: Why AI can’t solve chess. Ranch dressing diplomacy.

Sports may be the last thing left in American life that everyone watches at the same time. Eight of the top 10 live broadcasts last year were the NFL. That kind of reach is why politicians, presidents, luxury conglomerates, and the MAGA machine have all decided the field is the new front line — and why what happens there increasingly refuses to stay there. Wall Street Journal sports editor Joshua Robinson joins Paul from Montreal, where he's covering the World Road Cycling Championships, to unpack a moment when the White House is reaching down into games, rosters, and referee decisions in ways that used to be unthinkable.

They dig into the World Cup — a genuine win for American hospitality that got contaminated the moment Trump inserted himself into the Balogun affair — Ted Cruz getting booed off College GameDay, the Ben Sasse argument that America needs football to build tough men, and the widening gap between SEC business and Ivy League purity. Joshua also breaks down F1 losing races to the Iran war, AI relearning chess from first principles, and why the smartest quarterbacks in the country are still getting up at 5:30 to lift at Columbia and Amherst. Then Paul and Joshua run the Friday Football board: Arch Manning in Knoxville with Trump watching, Georgia thumping Oklahoma, the Rams as the smartest team in football, and whether Jameis Winston can be trusted with anything.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-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.

Colorado has become one of the clearest case studies in America of what happens when voters lose faith in the rigged two-party system. A mere 25% of the state is registered Democrat. 23% is Republican. The remaining 52% — a majority — reject both. Into that opening steps Bob Chew: former Navy officer on a nuclear submarine during the Cold War, engineer, entrepreneur who grew a company from four employees to hundreds, and now the independent candidate for U.S. Senate challenging John Hickenlooper head-on. Paul Rieckhoff sits down with Chew for the latest installment of the Meet the Independent Candidate series to talk about why a lifelong problem-solver decided he could no longer sit on the sidelines.

The conversation moves from the debt bomb — $8 trillion added under Biden, $4 trillion already under Trump's second term — to the unpopularity of the Democratic brand, to the mechanics of running without a party machine behind you. Chew explains why he's putting his own money into the race, why he's writing checks to fellow independent veterans like Todd Achilles, Brian Bengs, and Dan Osborn, and how the Forward Party helped him get on the ballot without the usual gauntlet. This is a portrait of the independent movement as it actually is: a coalition of former Republicans, former Democrats, and never-affiliated Americans who share one conviction — that the American dream is worth defending, and that neither party is doing the job.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Check out Bob Chew’s campaign site here.

-Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-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.

Zelensky brings light to NYC. TrumpTV is Here! Independents vs GOP Dark Money. Giants Crash out in LA vs the Rams. We All Bond in the Suck. 

Hurricane season is here, and the biggest storm making landfall this week is Hurricane Trump. Paul Rieckhoff opens episode 630 from New York City as the UN General Assembly turns into a global stage for threats, propaganda, and pressure campaigns. From the UNGA lectern, Trump floated annihilating the Islamic Republic, telegraphed Cuba as the next target, mocked the very concept of artificial intelligence, and kept pushing the rigged two-party system further into authoritarian territory. Then he banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House and rolled out Trump TV "a predictable next step in the MAGA machine's propaganda buildout.

Paul connects the dots the corporate press won't: why Mamdani cozying up to Trump lacks integrity, why Kamala parachuting into Michigan for Abdul El-Sayed is a losing play, and why the four independent veterans running in Idaho, South Dakota, Montana, and Nebraska are about to get buried in dark money if we don't have their backs. He also honors President Zelensky's return to the 9/11 Memorial, remembers Wells Crowther, and closes with the reminder that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom "even when your quarterback goes down, even when the storms come, even when everything goes sideways.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-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.

Hegseth Has Been Hiding Iran Dead #s. War on the Moon? Trump Bans CNN, MSNow, Politico. Ovechkin is an Agent of Putin. UNGA Week. Ed Sheeran Speaks Out.

Paul Rieckhoff is solo from New York City with Trump, Zelensky and Netanyahu all in town for UNGA, and the news cycle already on fire. AI researchers are sounding the alarm that models are breaking containment. The Pentagon quietly undercounted American military deaths in the Middle East by at least four. Reaper drones are being shifted to Southern Command as Trump and Rubio keep Cuba on the vision board. And the chairman of the Joint Chiefs is openly telling troops to prepare for war on the moon. When Congress is out and Trump is losing in the polls, that is precisely when the most reckless moves get made.

Paul also breaks down Trump banning CNN, MS Now and Politico from the White House, Pete Hegseth's "send me" crusade speech at a Texas A&M football game, Alex Ovechkin cutting propaganda alongside Putin, and Kirk Herbstreet's confused version of "independent." Then a rare bright spot: Ed Sheeran's Philadelphia statement on Israel and Gaza, delivered with the tone of reconciliation nobody else in pop culture is willing to try. And a first look at Paul's new lawsuit against the state of New York to end closed primaries and give independent voters and independent veterans a real seat at the table.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-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.

The Iran war has cascaded from the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab el-Mandeb to your grocery bill, and the president has two bad choices left: capitulate or escalate materially. Paul Rieckhoff runs the ground truth with a sharp panel breakdown of what's actually happening at the pump, in the Freedom Caucus, and inside a House that just adjourned two weeks early while calling itself the most productive Congress since 1789. Seven Republicans just voted for a war powers resolution. Andy Harris is picking public fights over gas prices. Karl Rove says he's voting for a Democrat. This is not spin — this is a party fracturing in real time.

From Venezuelan crude that can't even fill the strategic petroleum reserve, to Canada quietly courting associate membership in the EU, to buy-now-pay-later spiking because Americans can't afford groceries, this episode connects the war abroad to the squeeze at home. Then we get to the number that matters most: 45% of American voters now call themselves independent, and candidates like Dan Osborn, Seth Bodnar, and a wave of veteran outsiders are turning red districts into toss-ups. If you've been waiting for proof that the rigged two-party system is finally cracking, this is your briefing.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-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.