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

Episode 489

Cease Fire in the Crossfire. The Pentagon vs the Pope.

Operation Epic Fury

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

The smoke hasn’t even cleared from Operation Epic Fury, and the administration is already spiking the ball. While Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declares a "Capital V" military victory, the reality on the ground tells a much more volatile story. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down and Israel launching independent strikes on Lebanon just hours after a supposed ceasefire, we aren’t seeing peace—we’re seeing a "complicated new normal" where American influence is hitting its limit. Paul Rieckhoff joins us to drill down into why this "victory" feels like a dangerous "incomplete" that has left the U.S. more isolated than ever.

We explore the strategic pivot from Iran toward a potential new front in Cuba, as critics warn of a "forever war" mentality that ignores constitutional guardrails. As the 25th Amendment enters the mainstream conversation and military leaders are urged to "break glass" and speak out, the country faces a gut-check moment. Is the U.S. military being used as a pawn in a larger geopolitical game, or is there a "circuit breaker" left in the Pentagon to stop the escalation?.