Join former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti and former FBI Special Agent and Yale Law School lecturer Asha Rangappa as they break down for Legal AF the biggest legal and political stories with sharp insight, real experience, and an unapologetic pro-democracy perspective. No spin, no both-sides nonsense — just the facts, the law, and what it all means for our democracy.
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Asha Rangappa Podcasts
Join former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara as he breaks down legal topics in the news and engages thought leaders in a podcast about power, policy, and justice. From CAFE Studios and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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Independent Americans is a daily 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. ...
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WJCT's Melissa Ross and UNF's Matt Corrigan discuss our crazy political reality as sanely as possible. And they do it by welcoming big names to discuss the disruptive impact of the Trump administration. Two political junkies tackling the biggest political story of their careers- and you never know who might pop up on the pod next! Learn more at www.political-insanity.org.
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Quick Response Pod. US Citizen Killed by ICE Agents. America Reaches a Critical Tipping Point. A 37‑year‑old American woman has been shot and killed by ICE in Minneapolis. This is an emergency. In this all‑new Quick Reaction Pod edition of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff checks in from a flash studio at MSNBC to break down what happened,…
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Rieckhoff on The Rachel Maddow Show - “Trump's All Gas and No Brakes.”
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10:23
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10:23Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff returns with an all-new bonus pod, sharing his urgent conversation with longtime friend Rachel Maddow from MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show. Rachel takes listeners into the “way, way back machine” to Paul’s early days in politics and media, his time in Iraq, and why the unfolding crisis in Venezuela feels lik…
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What does the U.S. capture and prosecution of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro reveal about presidential power, immunity, and the limits of the law? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss many legal issues raised by Maduro’s apprehension and indictment: Is this really a drug-trafficking case, a foreign polic…
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The Whitewashing of Jan 6th with Scott MacFarlane.
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37:40
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37:40Pardons, Pipe Bombs and the Campaign to Make You Forget. Stephen Miller: “Greenland Should be Part of the US” What About the War Crimes? Maduro Arraigned. Trump’s Runaway Train Effect. Congrats, Montana St. On the fifth anniversary of January 6th, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff broadcasts from a dark, gloomy New York City morning that lo…
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Trump’s Plan for 2026 is Bigger than Venezuela. Is Cuba, Colombia or Greenland Next?
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25:59
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25:59Donald Trump isn't just looking to transform America anymore; he’s looking to dominate the Western Hemisphere. In this urgent debrief, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down why the recent moves in Venezuela are not a distraction from the Epstein files or cabinet scandals—they are the next phase of a disciplined, high-speed plan to consolidate power before tim…
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Episode 152 | Trump's DOJ Gets DISSECTED as They BLOW PAST DEADLINE
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1:04:59
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1:04:59Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@LegalAFMTN?sub_confirmation=1In late December, the Department of Justice missed the federally mandated deadline to release all the Epstein files, citing the huge number of files it needs to process. On Christmas Eve, the DOJ revealed it had “found” another 1 million Epstein documents and recent reports claim ther…
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Trump’s Forever War 2.0 is Here. Happy F#cking New Year.
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9:11
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9:11He Strikes Venezuela & Snatches Maduro. Blows Past Congress and the American People. Welcome to 2026. In this special QRP (Quick Response Pod), Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff rips into Trump’s New Year’s strike on Venezuela, the snatching of Maduro, and the dawn of America’s Forever War 2.0. He breaks down how Trump blew past Congress, f…
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Jason Alexander’s Christmas Surprise: Two Jokes and a Dose of Truth
3:04
3:04
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3:04In this special holiday "stocking stuffer" episode, the legendary Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Pretty Woman) joins Paul Rieckhoff to deliver a unique Christmas gift to the Independent Americans community. Moving from a classic "you weren't there" military jab to a sharp, sophisticated joke about the perils of radical honesty in the corporate world, A…
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Raging Moderates: How Trump Remade American in Just One Year
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52:59
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52:59This week, while Stay Tuned is on break, we’re bringing you a special episode of the Vox Media podcast The Raging Moderates, hosted by author and professor Scott Galloway and political strategist and Fox News’s The Five co-host Jessica Tarlov. They break down how Trump’s return to office in 2025 reshaped the presidency, the economy, and U.S. instit…
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Jason Alexander on Festivus, What George Costanza Would Think of Trump, Rob Reiner, and Hope for the Holidays
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49:44
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49:44It’s time for our Annual Festivus episode with the great, powerful, and wise Jason Alexander! Jason returns again to Independent Americans to help us air our grievances, navigate a truly turbulent holiday season and find some joy worth spreading. From the tragic origins of the Festivus holiday to the "despicable" and "amoral" nature of the Seinfeld…
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A Christmas Message From Mick Foley. Standing Up to Trump & the WWE. War on Christmas (Literally). Trump Hits Syria. Another Venezuelan Tanker Seized. Jake Paul’s Reality Check. The Ted Cruz Curse Continues ...
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14:58
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14:58It’s Episode 400. A milestone. And while the rest of the world is checking out for the holidays, the machinery of war is heating up. Host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down a chaotic weekend where the "Peace President" launched strikes in Syria, threatened Venezuela with a new "Golden Fleet," and suspended offshore wind farms—all while Congress has left to…
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399. Matt Cavanaugh. Independent Vet for Congress in CO-5th. America’s Most Independent District. Party Politics is Alien vs Predator. Donating a Kidney. Colorado’s Buffalo is the Independent Spirit Animal ...
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40:16
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40:16Independent Veteran candidate, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, PhD, ultra-marathon champion, and living kidney donor Matt Cavanaugh is a damn impressive leader. And he joins Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff from Colorado’s 5th district for an unfiltered, high-energy conversation on why “America is not okay” and why he believes voters are …
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398. James LaPorta. FOIA and Find Out. Why is a Marine Expeditionary Unit Off Venezuela? Laura Loomer Threatened to Sue Me. Trump’s Crazy Address & $1,776 “War Dividend”. 18 SEALs Disciplined for Racism ...
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49:15
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49:15Paul welcomes back CBS News national security coordinating producer (and Marine infantry veteran) James LaPorta, one of the most tenacious and respected reporters in the national security and veterans’ space. From the CBS bureau in Washington, LaPorta brings exclusive reporting, deep sourcing and hard-won combat perspective as Paul rips through a w…
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Can We All Be 10% Happier? (with Dan Harris)
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1:07:26
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1:07:26How can we make our disagreements more productive? This week, 10% Happier founder Dan Harris joins Preet Bharara to discuss how small consistent habits can change your life, how best to avoid echo chambers, and the key to healthy disagreements. Then, Preet answers your questions on what it’s like for prosecutors to see people they’ve convicted get …
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397. Craig Renaud. Heroic War Journalist & Director of Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud. Editing a Film About Your Brother’s Murder. Honoring Brent: The First American Killed ...
42:23
42:23
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42:23In this moving and important episode, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with his old friend, acclaimed and courageous director Craig Renaud to discuss his HBO documentary, Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, which honors his brother Brent, a brave and renowned journalist killed in Ukraine in 2022. Reflecting on two decades of share…
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Is the United States at war with Venezuela? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the legality of the U.S.’s oil tanker seizure and the strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boats. Plus, if survivors remain after a strike, what does the law require the United States to do? In the full ep…
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396. Senator Mark Kelly. His Face-to-Face With Hegseth Today in DC. His Plan to Combat Trump’s Courts Martial Ridiculousness. Why He Recorded the Video to the Troops. Will He Run for President? Can He ...
31:14
31:14
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31:14This is a huge and news-making show. Recorded just before Kelly’s pivotal meeting with Hegseth in Washington. When Donald Trump used the power of the presidency to call for Senator Mark Kelly’s execution, he crossed a dangerous new line—and sent a chilling message to millions of veterans and every American who dares to speak out. In this all–new ep…
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395. Baratunde Thurston. An Unimaginably Violent & Painful Weekend. How to Citizen in Chaos. Activating Multiplayer Mode for Democracy. Hegseth: Trying & Missing. AI is Not Taking Your Job. 2 KIA in Syria ...
45:31
45:31
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45:31After a weekend of atrocities from the Hanukkah massacre in Sydney to another campus shooting at Brown University, new American combat deaths in Syria, Trump’s escalating boat strikes, looming conflict with Venezuela and brutal VA job cuts, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff turns to someone who can help us breathe, process and fight forward…
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393. Scott MacFarlane. Who is the Jan. 5 Pipe Bomber? Can We Trust Patel/Bongino? Trump Seizes a Tanker. Are the Venezuela Strikes Legal? Adm. Bradley in the Crosshairs. CA National Guard & a Limit for ...
39:06
39:06
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39:06CBS Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane joins Independent Americans for a hard-hitting breakdown of Trump’s risky Venezuelan tanker seizure, the secret DOJ legal memos behind recent strikes, and the unprecedented blanket pardons that wiped out the largest criminal investigation in American history. Host Paul Rieckhoff also unpacks a near-trillio…
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Who Gets To Rewrite History? (with Jill Lepore)
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1:06:04Is any historical decision in America truly settled? This week, historian, Harvard law professor, and The New Yorker staff writer, Jill Lepore, joins Preet Bharara to discuss the intersection between history and the law, how often laws should evolve, and why Lepore thinks the Constitution should be easier to amend. Then, Preet answers your question…
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392. Stephanie Ruhle. Fed Rate Cut: Early Xmas Gift or Lump of Coal? Trump Can’t Lie About Your Grocery Bills. China Won 2025. Kind is the New Cool.The Broken Business of Youth Sports. Strangers, Diners ...
56:18
56:18
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56:18MS Now’s Stephanie Ruhle is back on Independent Americans for the first time since March 2020, joining host Paul Rieckhoff to let it fly. She’s candid, uninterrupted and going deep on Trump’s unchecked power over the U.S. military, the runaway big business of youth sports, the affordability crisis, and why “kind is the new cool.” Paul opens with a …
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Trump v. The Press (with Erwin Chemerinsky)
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14:06
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14:06What happens to a free press when a president takes steps that could discourage critical coverage? This week on the Insider podcast, Preet is joined by Erwin Chemerinsky, constitutional law expert and Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, while Joyce is out. In an excerpt from the conversation, they discuss the Trump administration’s record on the…
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391. Governor Wes Moore. The Opposite of Trump. “I Have to be a Healer.” Can He Stop Trump’s Military Overreach? Focusing on Men & Boys. Hosting The Cabinet for Army Navy Sat. Pull-Up Challenges vs RFK ...
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25:02
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25:02Governor Wes Moore is back—and this time, the stakes are even higher. As Trump tests the limits of presidential power, perhaps the most exciting and inspiring Governor in America joins Paul Rieckhoff to explain how far the White House can really go in deploying the National Guard into American cities, what is and is not a “lawful order,” and how go…
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390. Barbara Starr. Hegseth is SecDef Drama. “This is Someone Who is Afraid.” Trump’s New National Defense Strategy is Awesome…For Putin. Signalgate & the Pentagon Propaganda Corps. Pearl Harbor Lessons ...
28:38
28:38
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28:38This episode goes straight to the heart of Trump’s chaotic Pentagon with one of the most respected national security reporters in America, Barbara Starr. In this all–new Manosphere Monday, Paul and Barbara dig into the debate around the boat strikes off Venezuela, war crime allegations, “Signalgate,” Trump’s new defense strategy and what happens wh…
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389. Todd Achilles - Independent Veteran for Senate. Everybody’s Pissed Off. The View from Idaho. Hegseth, SignalGate, Venezuela & ICE. Flags Lowered for Spec Sarah Beckstrom. The 2X2 Matrix. The Need ...
39:47
39:47
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39:47Independent U.S. Senate candidate from Idaho, Army veteran and telecom leader Todd Achilles returns to Independent Americans for a hard-charging Football Friday that cuts through the chaos. Todd and host Paul Rieckhoff break down Trump’s unauthorized boat strikes and the unfolding Signalgate scandal, why Secretary Hegseth is “fundamentally unfit,” …
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Episode 151 | Trump Admin PANICS as Congress OPENS New PROBE | It's Complicated
50:05
50:05
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50:05After a bombshell report that the U.S. military targeted and killed shipwrecked survivors of a Venezuelan boat strike, Congressional lawmakers from both sides of the aisle announced they’d be investigating the potentially illegal act. Asha and Renato speak with NYU law professor Ryan Goodman to find out if the Trump administration committed a war c…
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388. Brigadier General (Ret) Shawn Harris. Can He Win MTG’s Old Seat? 1/6 Bomb Suspect Captured. Boat Strikes and Venezuela. SECDEF has Lost the Confidence of the Brass. Putin Sending Ukrainian Children ...
49:03
49:03
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49:03Retired Brigadier General Shawn A. Harris is back on the front lines—this time in politics. From his grass-fed cattle farm in Rockmart, Georgia to the halls of the Pentagon, Harris joins Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) to break down SignalGate, the deadly US boat strikes, the War Powers fight and the growing danger of slo…
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“The Epstein Elite” (with Anand Giridharadas)
1:22:25
1:22:25
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1:22:25What do the Epstein emails reveal about our nation’s elite class? This week, writer, political analyst, and founder of the Substack publication, The Ink, Anand Giridharadas, joins Preet to unpack his latest article, “How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails.” Then, Preet answers your questions about President Trump’s …
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387. Independent Senator Angus King. Does Hegseth Need to Go NOW? War Crimes Hearings When? Why Did ADM Holsey Resign? SignalGate Investigation Finally Done. Can The Senate Stop Trump on Venezuela? His ...
29:24
29:24
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29:24In this urgent episode ripped from the top political and national security headlines, host Paul Rieckhoff talks with the only truly Independent Senator and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee: Maine’s Angus King. King returns to the show to answer tough questions, share the latest from inside the Senate, and break down Hegseth's "kill eve…
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From National Guard Tragedy to Immigration Battle
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10:56
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10:56Is President Trump weaponizing the National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., to further his immigration agenda? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down Trump’s latest plan to pause all migration from what he’s calling “third world countries,” after an Afghan man shot two members of the West Virgin…
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386. Jason Dempsey. Is Hegseth Going Down Over This? Why Double-Tapping is Wrong. Spotlight on Adm. Bradley. No Scapegoats. Afghani Experience: Trauma, Transition and Empty Promises. “Driscoll is Measuring ...
48:21
48:21
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48:21Paul Rieckhoff catches up with scholar-warrior Dr. Jason Dempsey, a veteran whose career spans deployments in Afghanistan, work inside the White House, and now powerful advocacy and research on the state of America’s military. The two dive into headline events—recent attacks, controversial military decisions, and the dangerous rise of performative …
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385. Dan Lamothe. Washington Post’s NATSEC Reporter Caught in the Crossfire. Who Gave the Double Tap Order? Is it a War Crime? Hegseth & Trump vs the Press. Laura Loomer & Deskgate. Are Venezuela Strikes ...
42:16
42:16
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42:16In this must-hear breaking news episode, host Paul Rieckhoff and Washington Post Pentagon reporter and returning guest Dan Lamothe dig into the shocking September 2 “drug boat” strike that allegedly included a second “double tap” hit on survivors in the water—and why this may become the first real legal and political test of Trump’s controversial b…
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384. Jon Bernthal (Replay). The Iconic Actor Gets Real About America at a Crossroads. Defining Toughness, and Insurrectionist Using The Punisher Skull. George Floyd, Fatherhood, Sativa, DMX, Pitbulls ...
47:05
47:05
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47:05In this classic April 2021 conversation, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff sits down with actor Jon Bernthal for a raw, unfiltered look at America at a breaking point—through the eyes of a storyteller who has spent years playing warriors, cops and complicated men on the edge. They dig into service, violence, fatherhood, justice and what it …
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Episode 150 | Trump’s Retaliation Campaign Goes Off the Rails
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46:24
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46:24Several Democratic lawmakers recently released a video reminding members of the U.S. military that they can refuse illegal orders. An angry President Trump called the lawmakers traitors and accused them of sedition on Truth Social. After Trump’s post, the Pentagon announced it’s looking into allegations of “misconduct” by one of the lawmakers, Sen.…
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383. Paul Rieckhoff. Part Two: The 2025 IVA Winners Circle Town Hall. The Rise of Service-First Politics. From Mechanic to Movement Leader in the Heartland. Grassroots Veterans Challenge Big Money Politics ...
33:25
33:25
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33:25This special Thanksgiving edition brings you part two of a dynamic Independent Veterans of America Winners Circle Town Hall featuring IVA 2026 Senate candidates Ty Pinkins of Mississippi and Dan Osborn of Nebraska—two independent veterans who are taking on entrenched incumbents, big money, and a broken two-party system. From New York City on Thank…
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382. Paul Rieckhoff. Part One: The 2025 IVA Winners Circle Town Hall. Independent Veteran Candidates Share Their Victories and Challenges. Open Primaries and Ranked Choice vs A Stacked Deck. How an Independent ...
33:09
33:09
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33:09As we head into Thanksgiving we've got a special Veterans Day “Winners Circle” town hall that brings together Independent Veterans of America (IVA) candidates who are changing American politics from the ground up. Independent Americans host and IVA founder Paul Rieckhoff moderates a powerful, unfiltered conversation with two newly‑elected independe…
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This week, we are sharing the latest episode of a new weekly national security and foreign policy podcast: The Long Game, hosted by Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer. Jake and Jon discuss MBS’s visit to the White House and what Saudi Arabia walked away with after meeting with Trump. A major corruption scandal inside Zelensky’s government just as Washingt…
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381. Paul Rieckhoff. If They Do It to Sen Mark Kelly, They Can Do It to You: The Threat to 2M Military Retirees. The FBI & Pentagon: Trump’s New Dual Political Attack. Ukraine on the Edge. 68 Boxes of ...
17:46
17:46
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17:46Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) rips through one of the most urgent, dangerous stories in American politics right now: Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s unprecedented weaponization of the Department of Defense and FBI against Senator Mark Kelly and five other members of Congress, and millions of military retirees—just days …
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