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

Episode 297

Reflections on 9/11: 2024 Edition

This year, as we pay respect to the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, your host and 9/11 First Responder, Paul Rieckhoff has a lot to teach us all. About what happened on that day.

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


This year, as we pay respect to the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, your host and 9/11 First Responder, Paul Rieckhoff has a lot to teach us all. About what happened on that day. About what it means. And maybe most importantly, what it will mean for the future. 9/11 was a moment that horrified the world. But in that same moment, it galvanized us. It unified us. And it helped define the trajectory of nearly everyone’s life from that point forward.

And so on this anniversary, we reflect. On where we’ve been and where we’re headed. 

Meanwhile this week, the historic and divisive presidential debate showed us all what the future might look like. For better or worse. And we’re digging into it from a uniquely independent perspective—yes, to include the Taylor Swift news. 

But also this week, just blocks from the World Trade Center site, there was another vision of the future being presented. An independent and unifying future. One we can all share in, and one that  you—as a listener of this show—are already a part of.