NEW EPISODE · AUGUST 12, 2026 · EP 598
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Vol. V · No. 598Thursday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 190

Joe Cirincione

  Hurricane Ian is slamming the US right now. And more storms are likely to follow.

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Joe Manchin on being the one vote that made the 117th Congress work. and why setting hard parameters forced both parties to negotiate

02

Heather Manchin's "canyon chart". billions on the left, billions on the right, and a politically homeless sensible majority in the middle

03

Why 47 states run partisan primaries and 16 states shut inde. Why 47 states run partisan primaries and 16 states shut independents out completely — and why taxpayers are funding elections they can't fully participate in

04

The Montana breakdown. Seth Bodnar needs 220,000 votes, out-raised both party candidates, and now has a true three-way race


 
Hurricane Ian is slamming the US right now. And more storms are likely to follow. The hurricane is rocking Florida’s Gulf Coast and is causing massive damage. Meanwhile, weeks after Hurricane Fiona, much of Puerto Rico still doesn’t have power. All of Cuba is without power. 

And in Ukraine and Russia, the storms are also building. Massive storm clouds of war. And the threat, again, of nukes. And the scariest kind of storm of all. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has stalled out. And we were among the first shows to state that the Russians could lose, that the Bear had no teeth. And that message was echoed by all of our expert guests throughout our coverage of the conflict. From Malcolm Nance to Congressman Adam Kinzinger to Matt Gallagher. From Quan Nguyen to Nolan Peterson. The message was clear. And consistent. Ukraine can win this. But Russia will not go quietly this fall. 

And for the Russians that means one thing and one thing only. Winter is coming. And the threat of Putin using nukes is growing. Like your host Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) has said since the beginning, this doesn’t end until Putin is gone. And Putin won’t go easy. So as his mobilization effort pushes his country to the brink of revolution, we have to revisit the greatest threat this situation presents. The nukes. And when it comes to all things nukes, there’s only one guy you want to hear from.

Joe Cirincione (@Cirincione) is back. He worked on nuclear weapons policy in Washington for more than 35 years and is one of the top experts in the field. He was the Director for Non-Proliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and author of Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats, and co-author of Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security. He was the president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation. Taught at the Georgetown University Graduate School of Foreign Service. He’s one of America’s best known weapons experts, appearing frequently in print and on FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC, NBC, PBS, NPR and occasionally on Comedy Central. After joining us for   Episode 141 – Nov. 18, 2021 and Episode 163 – March 28, 2022, Professor Joe is back to drop knowledge bombs about nukes. In an episode you don’t want to miss.

Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly 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 veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. 

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-Read Joe’s latest column in the Washington Post.

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-Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm