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   Welcome to the return of President Mayhem. Welcome to the end of Election Season 2022. Sorta. And welcome to the beginning of Election Season 2024. The Democrats now have the Senate. The Republicans have the House. America is deeply divided. And Trump is back. And so is Joe Walsh. After joining us in Episode 176 in June of 2022, the former GOP Tea Party leader-turned-anti-Trumper independent Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) is back with Paul to break down all the latest and most important political news.  A self-proclaimed reformed political gang-banger, the former Republican Congressman, cable news pundit, and radio talk host, Joe takes us inside his old party as it becomes engulfed in a civil war. He also breaks down the flaws in the Democratic party, if he thinks anyone can beat Trump, and why he declined an invitation to join Andrew Yang’s new Forward Party.  Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by author, activist and social entrepreneur Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  -Join the movement. Sign up to get our regular breakdowns of the independent news you need to know.  Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  – WATCH video of Paul and Joe’s conversation here. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get a cool, new IA hoodie sweatshirt just in time for the start of the cold season.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. America’s next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  The most important election of our lifetime is finally over. Sorta. And the final contest may be just beginning.  America is divided. And half the country is not happy this week. Again. Anger and division is the story of our lives in America now. And if you’re feeling like it’s not, just wait a few more days. Because President Mayhem is back. Trump is back. And we all know what that means for our politics. But what does it mean for 2024? What does it mean for a likely match up against Biden? What does it mean for a possible run by an independent candidate for President? And what does this midterm election mean? What is its place in history? Is this history repeating itself? Or are we starting over? Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) is the perfect person to ask. He’s the winner of an Emmy award, serves as NBC News Presidential Historian, and contributes to the PBS NewsHour. He is the author of nine best-selling books, including Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989, Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy (co-authored with Caroline Kennedy) and two volumes on President Lyndon Johnson’s secret White House tapes. Beschloss also has the largest Twitter following of any historian on earth. And in a Twitterverse filled with bots and hate and nastiness, he remains a reason to be on that website. Pouring out historic photos and perspective. He’s also a father…and a generous, kind and nice man.  On the pod recently we’ve had a Professor of Nukes.  Professors of War.  Professors of Business. Professors of Politics.  We’ve had a professor of history.  And now, we’ve got another. Michael Beschloss is a truly important, inspiring and iconic American that is shaping what America has been, what it is, and what it will be. And a truly independent American.  It’s a conversation that will help you get smarter, predict better, and of course, stay vigilant. Because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And this week, we saw what can happen if we’re willing to pay that price. Is this history repeating itself? Or are we starting over? Welcome to Veterans Week. Welcome to the end of Election Season 2022. Welcome to the beginning of Election Season 2024.   Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by author, activist and social entrepreneur Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  –Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  – WATCH video of Paul and Michael’s conversation here. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. America’s next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Election Day is almost here. And America is divided. America is scared. America is angry. 
But independent Americans are in a unique position to make an impact. We will decide the election in so many races all across the country. And at least one of us, Evan McMullin in Utah, could be elected Senator. 
America is on edge, but we can help bring them down off that edge. Help them see over it. Help them move around it. And we have the perfect guest to guide us through this Election Day week. To ground us. To calm us all down with some sobering reality. Some history. Some perspective. And some wisdom. 
Ken Burns (@KenBurns) is a truly important, inspiring and iconic American who is shaping what America has been, what it is, and what it will be. He is an exceptionally wise, insightful and trusted leader that we all need to hear from right now. A man who understands history–and the historic nature of these times. The perfect guest to take us into the most important election in our lifetime. 
He’s the visionary mastermind behind the greatest stories of our country—of our people–of our history—and of our future. The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), The War (2007), The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (2009), Prohibition (2011), The Roosevelts (2014), The Vietnam War (2017), and Country Music, and now, The US and the Holocaust–a new six-and-half-hour documentary directed and produced by Ken Burns and his longtime partners Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. They describe it as a deep dive into “America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history.” He’s also the author of the new book, Our America: A Photographic History. 
He’s a historian. He’s a documentarian. He’s a master storyteller. He’s a patriot. He’s our mirror. And he’s a conscience for us all. 
We’ve had professors of Nukes. 
Professors of War. 
Professors of Business.
Professors of Politics. 
And now, we’ve got a professor of history. And an expert on America. It’s a conversation from inside his New Hampshire home that will help you get smarter, predict better, and of course, stay vigilant. Because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. The most important election day in our lifetime is definitely a time to stay vigilant. Welcome to Election Week 2022. With the great Ken Burns.
Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by author, activist and social entrepreneur Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. 
-Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 
– WATCH video of Paul and Ken’s conversation here.
-Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours. 
-Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch. 
-Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm. 
Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. America’s next great independent media company.

The stupid is all over the place this season like candy corn in the bottom of your halloween bag. Everyone hands it out, some people say they love it, but they don’t. It’s an outdated and disgusting relic from a time long past. And it just will NOT go away.  And it’s the scary season. Not just in America, but around the world. There are real goons and monsters and goblins doing dastardly and frightening things. But there are also real life superheroes. Helpers who are rising to the moment. In Iran. In Ukraine. In America. They’re not scared of the monsters.  Meanwhile, too many of our politicians in the US are the monsters. And they are not scared of consequences from voters. You see that in the arrogance of politicians like Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Texas Governor Greg Abbot, and Herschel Walker. And it’s scary to imagine them in power next year. That’s what you have to fear this Halloween. Not drug dealers putting fentanyl in your kids’ candy.  Some of these monsters will stay in power. Some will gain power. And in two weeks, we’ll see which ones. Until then, there is reason to be vigilant. And reason to be scared.  Halloween is almost here. But nothing’s scarier than the political freak show unfolding before our eyes. And we’re digging into all of it from what’s next for the Jan 6 committee, to the election final stretch, to Putin’s long game on Ukraine. And our guest is a leader in the middle of all of it. And he’s wearing no masks. But he is one of the fellas.  He’s a 43-year-old Illinois Republican Congressman, Air Force combat veteran, political maverick, and fighter of the good fight. And a man of this moment in American politics. He’s catapulted to the forefront of America’s consciousness in the last few months as one of only two republicans on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. He’s taking shots from all sides–and he’s fighting back. Per usual.  And he’s wearing no masks. But he is one of the fellas. And he is ready to help us through the scary season. He’s our favorite about to no longer be a Republican. He’s Congressman Adam Kinzinger (@AdamKinzinger).  He first joined us back Episode 149 in January. And again for a special Ukraine War report on Episode 159 in March. And he’s back again now to break it down. Fresh off sending a subpoena to Donald Trump. And you definitely wanna hear what he’s got to share. Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  – Watch the Zoom Discussion “Declaration of Independents: Veterans Sound Off on Repealing Closed Primaries” with our Paul Rieckhoff and Open Primaries. –Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  – WATCH video of Paul and Congressman Kinzinger’s conversation here. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. America’s next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

October is the time when the real stars shine. In baseball—and in politics.  Whether it’s Reggie Jackson or Barack Obama. October is the time when victory is determined. The time when the stars shine. Welcome to playoff season. Welcome to the playoffs of politics. And Michael Steele is ready to play ball. In a smart and fun conversation that we recorded on his birthday. Michael served in all levels of elected and government office. The Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Former Lt. Gov. Maryland and Political Analyst for MSNBC is also the host of his own influential political podcast. He ran for the Maryland Senate seat in 2016 and is often suggested as a candidate for President. He’s worked in the minors, the majors and all the way up to World Series levels of politics. And he’s joining us in the booth now to make some predictions before the final clashes next month.  Other shows focus on what’s happening. On this pod, we always focus on what’s happening next. And we’re gonna run down every big race in this election season–and predict winners and losers. We also find out whether or not he’ll leave the GOP. And whether or not he’ll run for office again. This pod will go around the horn with more quickness than the Yankees disposing of the Guardians in Game 5. It’s a conversation that will help you get smarter, predict better, and of course, stay vigilant. Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  – Join Friday’s free Zoom Discussion “Declaration of Independents: Veterans Sound Off on Repealing Closed Primaries” with our Paul Rieckhoff and Open Primaries. –Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  – WATCH video of Paul and Michael’s conversation here. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. America’s next great independent media company. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baseball playoffs are here, Halloween is a few weeks away, Election Day is about a month out, and Elon Musk is buying Twitter. And, now is a time to stay vigilant. One of the richest guys in the world is continuing to stick his nose in politics. And along the way, launching rockets into space, while doing weird stuff like launching a new perfume called “Burnt Hair.” Yes, really. It’s a new bottled fragrance available via Musk’s’ Boring Company website. And it’s already sold 10,000 bottles and made over $1M. This is our world, people.  We are living in confusing times. Chaotic times. Stressful times. Bloody times. Overwhelming times. And confusing times. It’s not just America, the entire world is disrupted, disjointed and downright confusing. Yes, these are confusing times. Maybe the most confusing of times. But there is a chance that it all may be the storm before the calm. The fire before the regrowth. The dark before the light.  And we’re gonna get deep into that with our guest in this episode. He’s a man that makes sense of the confusion. Cuts through the chaos with clarity. Understands the depth of the sh$t, but still has hope for the future.  There’s a war being fought. Sometimes you see it. Other times you don’t. But it’s there. Simmering under the surface. Filling the air with hate. Filling the world with conflict. From Ukraine to Syria to North Korea. The world is at war. Even when we say we are finally not at war. If we weren’t at war would we need to spend $817 billion on the military budget for next year? And if we weren’t at war at home would we need another January 6th hearing? If we weren’t at war with each other would we be this fragmented?  The two parties are failing the people. And the people know it. The people always know it before the politicians. But the politicians—at least some of them—are waking up to that reality. And jumping ship, freaking out, starting new shit, eating their own. But the alliances and unity we saw coalesce around 2022 is gone. And the great fragmentation of our politics has really begun.   The wars are raging everywhere, and the consequences are only starting to be felt at home. The COVID pandemic pushed the markets to the brink and now we face a recession which will only help to destabilize the world further. And so as the fires burn, we’ve got the perfect guest. A master of marketing, business, media and politics. He’s the great Prof G, Scott Galloway (@ProfGalloway), and he’s here to break down what the next few months will look like and why the market’s cause for concern might be a reason for you to be optimistic. If every crisis creates opportunity, there should be a hell of a lot of opportunities available. Every episode of Independent Americans hosted by Paul Rieckhoff is the truth beyond the headlines–and light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 42% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. And delivers the Righteous Media 5 Is: independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans will continue to be your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.  -Get extra content, connect with guests, attend events, get merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon.  – WATCH video of Paul and Scott’s conversation here.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel – The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices