NEW EPISODE · MAY 21, 2026 · EP 529
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Vol. V · No. 529Friday Edition
Righteous MediaSince 1776. Est. 2019

Episode 529

Trump's poll collapse, $5 gas, and a war he can't spin

Trump's numbers are cratering with independents, gas is over $5 a gallon in some states, and the administration is quietly cutting eight and nine-figure checks to January 6 insurrectionists and Proud Boy extremists. Paul Rieckhoff takes you out of the studio and into Midtown Manhattan for a rapid-fire briefing pulled from back-to-back hits on MSNOW and NewsNation — left of center and right of center, same no-BS read. If you're in the angry middle, this is the morning briefing you didn't get anywhere else.

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode
01

Why Trump's numbers with independents are in the 20s. and why Memorial Day is about to make it worse

02

The $1.8B taxpayer giveaway to January 6 insurrectionists, M. The $1.8B taxpayer giveaway to January 6 insurrectionists, Mike Lindell's $400M ask, and Tarrio's $2-5M demand

03

Plan C explained. how Trump is green-lighting political violence to disrupt free and fair elections

04

$5 gas, the Iran war Americans never wanted, and why he can'. $5 gas, the Iran war Americans never wanted, and why he can't spin his way out of it

Trump is in the 20s with independents, gas is over five bucks a gallon in some states, Memorial Day is about to remind Americans of the human cost of his Iran war, and Cuba is looming over the horizon. Meanwhile the administration is funneling what looks like $1.8 billion in taxpayer money to January 6 insurrectionists and violent Proud Boy extremists — including a reported $2-to-5 million ask from Enrique Tarrio. Paul Rieckhoff calls it Plan C: if the military won't invoke the Insurrection Act and ICE can't carry the water, you green-light the angry mob and promise pardons in advance. This is what corruption looks like, and it's the most immediate threat to free and fair elections this fall.

In this special quick-fire episode, Paul takes you out of the studio and into the streets of Midtown Manhattan with highlights from two back-to-back media hits — one left of center on MSNOW, one right of center on NewsNation — same independent read on both. He breaks down why ten thousand Americans are walking out of the Republican and Democratic parties every single week, why Thomas Massie just got elevated by Trump's attacks, why the Democrats are the actual spoilers in Senate races in Nebraska, Montana, and South Dakota, and why the rigged two-party system is finally cracking. Plus a Memorial Day shout-out to Stephen Colbert on his last show, and yes — a Knicks pick.

In this episode

  • Why Trump's numbers with independents are in the 20s — and why Memorial Day is about to make it worse
  • The $1.8B taxpayer giveaway to January 6 insurrectionists, Mike Lindell's $400M ask, and Tarrio's $2-5M demand
  • Plan C explained: how Trump is green-lighting political violence to disrupt free and fair elections
  • $5 gas, the Iran war Americans never wanted, and why he can't spin his way out of it
  • Cuba on the horizon — and why Paul thinks the strike comes when Congress is out of session
  • Republicans breaking with Trump on Iran: Massie, Cassidy, and the cracks widening by the day
  • Why ten thousand Americans walk out of both parties every week — and where they're going
  • The California 23rd, open primaries, ranked choice voting, and why independents are no longer the spoilers
  • A Memorial Day tribute to Stephen Colbert's final show and his quiet two decades supporting troops and veterans