Congress has left the building — for two months. No AI legislation, no check on an Iran war the American people never signed up for, no oversight while Trump threatens Cuba, threatens Greenland, watches the Fed raise rates, and lets his son throw a Russian-funded wedding party. Trump sits at 19% approval. J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth are already jockeying to succeed him. Republicans are scrubbing him from their own ads. And the Democrats aren’t exactly filling the vacuum. That’s the opening for independents — and Paul Rieckhoff lays out exactly where the movement is building, from Brian Bengs in South Dakota to Dan Osborn in Nebraska to Seth Bodnar in Montana to Todd Achilles in Idaho.
Then Paul goes below the radar on the Ed Sheeran / Macklemore / Bob Kraft blowup he witnessed live at MetLife Stadium — a Free Palestine chant that split a family-friendly crowd and now has Macklemore dropped from Gillette Stadium dates. It’s a window into where most Americans actually sit on Israel and Gaza: not neutral, not extreme, but exhausted with blank checks and demanding the leaders of both sides stop bombing kids. Paul closes with Football Friday — college and NFL picks, a shout to Audioslave, and a message from his New York City Lions youth team: love one another. Stay vigilant.
In this episode
- Why Congress bailing for two months during an Iran war, an AI arms race, and a market wobble is a full institutional failure
- Trump at 19% approval — and the tell that his own party is scrubbing him from their re-election ads
- J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth already positioning as heirs, plus Thomas Massie’s articles of impeachment against Hegseth
- The independent veteran bench that’s actually building power: Bengs (SD), Osborn (NE), Bodnar (MT), Achilles (ID)
- Paul’s front-row account of the Macklemore Free Palestine chant at MetLife — and the moment the crowd split
- “There’s a difference between Netanyahu and the Israeli people. There’s a difference between Israel and the Jewish people.”
- Why most Americans are exhausted with blank checks — to Israel, to anyone — and what that means for 2026
- Football Friday picks: Texas Tech–Houston, SMU–Louisville, LSU–Ole Miss, Bengals–Texans, Giants–Rams
- The New York City Lions team motto Paul is bringing into the weekend: love one another
