NEW EPISODE · MAY 22, 2026 · EP 530
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Vol. V · No. 530Sunday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 168

Evan McMullin

Garry Kasparov said, “easy is over.” And it’s more true by the day. The war in Ukraine is grinding on, inflation is dragging down wallets, Jan 6 revelations continue to pour out, Biden is failing to find traction, and Trump is rising again.

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Breaking. Tulsi Gabbard resigns as DNI — personal reasons, or the latest Iran defection after Joe Kent?

02

Why Cuba is next. Raul Castro charged with murder, Nimitz in the Caribbean, Stephen Miller on Fox — the same playbook used on Iran and Venezuela

03

Trump downplays the 13 American service members killed in Ir. Trump downplays the 13 American service members killed in Iran and says he 'gets a kick' out of the coverage

04

The $14 billion Taiwan arms sale put on pause because Iran i. The $14 billion Taiwan arms sale put on pause because Iran is becoming a sucking chest wound

Garry Kasparov said, “easy is over.” And it’s more true by the day. The war in Ukraine is grinding on, inflation is dragging down wallets, Jan 6 revelations continue to pour out, Biden is failing to find traction, and Trump is rising again. Easy IS over. And the fight will be long. The fight in Ukraine–and the fight in the US. The war for the soul of America continues. And in 2022, the most pivotal battle for that soul is also the most important battle for Independent Americans in a generation. And it’s in Utah. 

Utah is a tough place for anyone but Republicans. Trump won it in 2020 by 21 points. No Democrat has won statewide since 1996. No Dem has won a Senate seat since 1970. A Dem hasn’t received even a third of the vote in any statewide race in almost two decades. And it’s been four decades since it happened in a Senate race. Democrats can’t win in Utah. But can an independent? This fall, we’ll all find out. 

Evan McMullin (@EvanMcMullin) is a patriot. And an independent. He worked in the CIA, in business, and in Republican politics. In 2016, he ran for President as an independent and got over 20% of the vote in his home state. Now, Evan’s running for Senate against Trump-supporting Republican Senator Mike Lee. And it’s gonna be a hell of a fight. 

February polls showed Lee at 34%, McMullin at 24% and Dem Kael Weston at 12%. But, now, Weston is out. In an exceptionally rare move last week, the Utah Democratic party endorsed McMullin–rather than their own Dem candidate. McMullin now has a chance to win. This year, he is the face for independents everywhere. 

After joining us in Ep 101, he’s back. Now as the independent with the best chance of winning a Senate seat, dealing a blow to Trump, and changing the face of American politics, he’s back to chop it up with our host, Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff).

They go deep, breaking down Evan’s strategy to win, Lee’s ties to Putin, and why you should care if you don’t live in Utah. He shares his thoughts on Ukraine as a former CIA intel officer and if he wants Mitt Romney’s endorsement. You can only get this kind of candid conversation here.

And speaking of content you’ll only get here, we’ve got a quick round up of national security news that the legacy media won’t touch. Like Marine hero Mike Zacchea losing his fight to cancer, Marine Trevor Reed being freed by the Russians, and Dispatch singer Chad Stokes supporting Ukraine. They’re helpers. And we salute them.

Every episode of Independent Americans is independent light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and vets issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics and inspiration. 

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