NEW EPISODE · JUNE 12, 2026 · EP 548
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Vol. V · No. 548Saturday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 456

Sebastian Junger

In this all-new episode of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff hits all the breaking news and most urgent topics with bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and Tribe , war reporter, and documentarian Sebastian Junger for

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. Paul's framework for how Trump is preparing to weaponize the National Guard, ICE, and the election itself

02

Why this summer is a powder keg. World Cup, forty Super Bowls' worth of events, Iran, Cuba, and ICE moves on New York and Chicago

03

The resurrected slush fund for January 6th insurrectionists. and why "we're not moving forward" doesn't mean what Todd Blanche says it means

04

Election integrity as "the whole ball game". the circuit breaker between now and November



In this all-new episode of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff hits all the breaking news and most urgent topics with bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and Tribe, war reporter, and documentarian Sebastian Junger for a raw, unflinching conversation about the unfolding war in Iran, a US Senator snapping the arm of a protestor, the follies of regime change wars, the human costs of American adventurism, Trump and Hegseth’s nasty brand of fake-leadership, courage, patriotism, and what it really means to live — and almost die — for something bigger than yourself. 

Together, Paul and Sebastian dig into the cost of America’s forever wars, the invisible wounds carried by veterans and journalists, and the hard truths most politicians would rather ignore. Paul and Sebastian dig into the real cost of our forever wars, the invisible wounds carried by veterans and war reporters, and why so many Americans feel unmoored and alone in their own country right now. If you’re sick of the spin and hungry for a tough, honest, independent conversation about where we go from here, this one’s for you.​