NEW EPISODE · SEPTEMBER 22, 2026 · EP 629
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Vol. V · No. 629Tuesday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 337

Barbara Starr

  We’re only six months into Trump 2.0 and things are getting bad fast. He was looking for a fight.

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Andrew Yang’s CNBC warning that AI researchers are freaked o. Andrew Yang’s CNBC warning that AI researchers are freaked out because models are “breaking containment” — and Congress is gone until November

02

Why Trump makes his biggest moves when Congress is on break. Why Trump makes his biggest moves when Congress is on break and his poll numbers are underwater

03

Reaper drones being repositioned to Southern Command and why. Reaper drones being repositioned to Southern Command and why Cuba is still on Trump and Rubio’s vision board

04

Joint Chiefs chair Dan Cain telling troops to prepare to wag. Joint Chiefs chair Dan Cain telling troops to prepare to wage and win wars “on and around the moon”


 

We’re only six months into Trump 2.0 and things are getting bad fast. He was looking for a fight. And he found it. Unrest in Los Angeles has been met with a mobilization of troops that few predicted. But your host, Paul Rieckhoff, did. 

For five years we’ve been sounding the alarm. Thinking the unthinkable—that has often come true. From COVID, to Trump refusing to leave office, to the January 6th insurrection, to armed violence and now troops in the streets—-this is one episode you can’t afford to miss.

And in times like these you need to hear from voices of experience, voices of calm, and voices of reason. Barbara Starr is all that and more and she joins Paul for a no bullshit look at where we are—and where we are going.

She’s a renowned journalist, an Emmy award winning producer, and a former CNN Pentagon correspondent. She spent 21 years reporting from hotspots including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, the Horn of Africa and the Chinese-North Korean border and is one of the most recognizable faces in conflict reporting. She’s reported extensively on fallen and wounded troops, as well as the plight of homeless veterans. She’s seen and covered it all. She’s one of the best in the business and there isn’t anybody else we’d rather talk to about all of it.

So as the world turns increasingly chaotic and dangerous, take a couple minutes to listen to this conversation, get yourself smarter and get ready for what comes next. Buckle up. And welcome to Independent Americans, Episode 338.

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. 

Watch Barbara’s previous appearance in episode 308.