NEW EPISODE · MAY 11, 2026 · EP 518
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Vol. VII · No. 490Sunday Edition
Righteous MediaEst. 2019

Episode 472

The Draft Question Nobody Wants

Trump's Iran war is costing a billion dollars a day, the MAGA base is splintering, and young Americans who grew up in the shadow of Iraq and Afghanistan are asking: are we next?

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Why Trump has become the establishment he ran against. and Indiana voters can feel it

02

The first battle in the war for the soul of the GOP. Trumpists vs. moderates in a Pence stronghold

03

The 40% nobody's talking to. independents locked out of Indiana's closed primary

04

Door-to-door reporting. libertarian-leaning Hoosiers don't want Washington's thumb on the scale



In this all‑new episode of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff takes you behind the scenes of his latest appearances on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports and NewsNation with Connell McShane to break down Trump’s Iran war, talk of a draft, and what it all means for a new generation raised in the shadow of Iraq and Afghanistan. From rising gas prices and billion‑dollar‑a‑day war spending to the specter of regime change and who would actually secure a post‑war Iran, Rieckhoff brings the blunt, experience‑driven analysis you won’t hear anywhere else.

Drawing on decades of work with veterans and independents, Rieckhoff explains why young Americans feel duped, why Trump’s own family won’t see the front lines, and why the MAGA base is splintering as the war’s popularity drops by the minute. He digs into Tulsi Gabbard’s dramatic reversal on “no regime‑change wars,” the growing risk of regional spillover through the Strait of Hormuz, and the unanswered question at the heart of this conflict: who will be the boots on the ground when the bombs stop. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories—and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans, and the trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope that helps you stay ahead of the curve—and stay vigilant.