Independent Americans is your trusted, independent source for news, politics, culture and inspiration. It’s a smart, fun, candid perspective you won’t find anywhere else in the media.
Guest Ken Feinberg is a master of disaster. He’s a leader who has been asked multiple times, by multiple Presidents, to do the impossible: to determine the dollar value of a human life after an unimaginable tragedy.
From Agent Orange after Vietnam, to 9/11, to the BP oil spill, to the Boston Marathon bombing, to the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting, to the Sandy Hook massacre, now, to the church sexual assault scandals and the opioid epidemic, Ken has been tasked with the mammoth assignment of determining the worth of an individual life. He is the author of What Is Life Worth?: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Fund and Its Effort to Compensate the Victims of September 11th and Who Gets What: Fair Compensation after Tragedy and Financial Upheaval, was profiled in the documentary Playing God, and will be played by actor Michael Keaton in the upcoming Netflix film, Worth. The movie—the first feature film presented by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions with Netflix–explores Ken’s leadership in administering the unprecedented $7 billion Victims Compensation Fund for 5,300 people. Worth also stars Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan and premieres on Netflix later this year on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Ken Feinberg is a voice of reason, a conscience, a mediator and a uniquely independent leader on the American political stage. And a voice we need now more than ever.
Ken joins his former student, our host and 9/11-First Responder, Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff), for a thoughtful and candid conversation about the calls for a 9/11-style January 6th Commission, the appointment of Merrick Garland to lead the Dept of Justice, whether or not there will be civil lawsuits after the attack on the Capitol, how to lead in times of partisanship, and how to face pain in life. And, of course, what he drinks, his first car, and how he got to where he is in life.
America is more divided, more angry, and more violent than ever before. But Independent Americans is adding light to contrast the heat. Every episode brings the Righteous Media 5 I’s: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact–and explores the most pressing issues of the day with important, inspiring and iconic leaders who are shaping what America has been, is now and will be in the future. We invite you to join us and be a part of the solution.
If you’re among the 40% of Americans that are independent, this is your show. If you’re a Republican or Democratic Party, but you’re not a die-hard partisan, this is your show. If you’re a concerned American who cares about the future of your country, this is your show. All are welcome.
