NEW EPISODE · AUGUST 11, 2026 · EP 597
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Vol. V · No. 597Wednesday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 480

88 Percent Say No Boots

The Pentagon quietly prepares for ground troops in Iran despite overwhelming public opposition, while drone swarms shut down U.S. air bases and an IED plot targets MacDill.

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Why the primary is the election. 95% of U.S. House races across Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, and Wisconsin are uncompetitive in November

02

The hard number. 935,892 unaffiliated Connecticut voters — 41.5% of the state — locked out of today's closed primary

03

Connecticut's real registration breakdown. independents 935K, Democrats 792K, Republicans 489K — independents are first

04

129,563 Connecticut veterans caught in the lockout, with an. 129,563 Connecticut veterans caught in the lockout, with an estimated 63,000 identifying as independent



In episode 480 of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff delivers a hard‑hitting solo briefing on Trump’s increasingly unpopular forever war in Iran, exposing how the Pentagon is quietly preparing for U.S. boots on the ground despite overwhelming public opposition and a distracted Congress. He connects that escalation abroad to urgent threats at home—from sophisticated drone swarms that temporarily shut down operations at nuclear‑linked and fighter bases like Barksdale and Langley, to an IED plot at MacDill Air Force Base—arguing that America is dangerously unprepared for modern warfare on its own soil.

Paul also takes aim at the growing culture of cruelty and politicization inside our own institutions, from ICE reportedly staking out Marine Corps graduations to hunt undocumented family members, to acting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “more bombs, bigger bombs” rhetoric, alleged defense‑stock profiteering, and Trump’s open flirtation with clinging to power beyond two terms. Alongside the “No Kings” protests, Charles Barkley’s powerful comments on immigrants, and the long fight in Ukraine, he highlights a real alternative: a rising wave of independent veteran leaders like Seth Bodner in Montana and Brian Bangs in South Dakota who are challenging a broken two‑party system. It’s independent content for independent Americans—country over party, people over politics, and light over heat—to help you stay ahead of the curve and stay vigilant.