Miller in, Wiles out. The last guardrail inside Trump’s West Wing just came down, and the architect of ICE and the Iran war is now running the building. Paul Rieckhoff opens Veterans Week with a no-BS read on what that means: a cornered president with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, a Secretary of Defense authorizing Humvees and boats into DC, and a proposed arch that would literally shadow Arlington Cemetery until a federal judge blocked the work. This is not a honeymoon. This is not a victory tour. This is the start of the most dangerous stretch of the Trump presidency.
Paul also honors the late Senator Jay Rockefeller — a genuine public servant who had veterans’ backs when almost no one in Washington did — remembers Pat Tillman on what would have been his 50th birthday, breaks down Congressman Pat Ryan’s anti-corruption blueprint for the new Democratic majority, and previews a packed Veterans Week on the show. Independent is an attitude. Wherever you’re coming from, you’re not alone. Stay vigilant.
In this episode
- Why Stephen Miller as Chief of Staff is a five-alarm fire — and what it signals about the next 14 months
- Susie Wiles out: the last internal guardrail is gone
- Pete Hegseth authorizes the National Guard to roll boats, Humvees, and marked police cars through DC
- The proposed Trump arch that would cast a literal shadow over Arlington Cemetery — and the federal judge who blocked it
- “A cornered animal is a dangerous animal” — why the Insurrection Act is back on the table
- Congressman Pat Ryan’s day-one blueprint: term limits, ban congressional stock trading, overturn Citizens United
- Markets flinch on AI anxiety and Democratic governors who could slow the data-center build-out
- A tribute to Senator Jay Rockefeller — 30 years, insurance for low-income kids, and a champion for veterans
- Remembering Pat Tillman on what would have been his 50th birthday
- What Veterans Week looks like from the inside — America’s Parade in New York and a Veterans Day episode with Governor Wes Moore
