NEW EPISODE · JUNE 12, 2026 · EP 548
548 EPISODES SUBSCRIBE →
Vol. V · No. 548Saturday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 308

Barbara Starr

The flood of emotions, political news and outrageous Trump cabinet nominees continues. And so do the potential threats to our country.

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Paul's framework for how Trump is preparing to weaponize the National Guard, ICE, and the election itself

02

Why this summer is a powder keg. World Cup, forty Super Bowls' worth of events, Iran, Cuba, and ICE moves on New York and Chicago

03

The resurrected slush fund for January 6th insurrectionists. and why "we're not moving forward" doesn't mean what Todd Blanche says it means

04

Election integrity as "the whole ball game". the circuit breaker between now and November


The flood of emotions, political news and outrageous Trump cabinet nominees continues. And so do the potential threats to our country. Trump wants to deploy US troops to remove migrants. A controversial SecDef nominee wants to ban women in combat (while they’re in combat now). RFK Jr could lead HHS. The new VA Secretary nominee is hardly even mentioned. Dr Oz is gonna run Medicare. And Dr Phil might get a job in Washington from Trump soon too! These are wild and weird times. And none of it is normal. And our venerable host, Paul Rieckhoff, is gonna help you independently dig into all of it. And, take you inside what it’s like to go on CNN and wage war with the most partisan hacks. It’s the a behind-the-scenes look at cable news that you won’t soon forget. 

And, we’re bringing you a unique and powerful conversation with a highly respectful leader who understands all of it. Barbara Starr is a renowned journalist, Emmy award winning producer, and former CNN Pentagon correspondent. Starr spent 21 years on CNN as Pentagon correspondent reporting from hotspots including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, the Horn of Africa and the Chinese-North Korean border. Barbara Starr has become one of the most recognizable faces in conflict reporting. In addition to her work on foreign conflicts, Starr has reported extensively on fallen and wounded troops, as well as the plight of homeless veterans.

Starr worked for CNN from 2001 to 2022, and was a frequent regular on The Situation Room. Prior to CNN she worked for ABC News, where she won an Emmy for her work as a location producer. Starr has also served for several years on the Pentagon Press Association board advocating for greater press access to military operations. And she talks to us exclusively and candidly about all of it. 

Every episode is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 51% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.