Trump told Congress the war in Iran was terminated. Days later, U.S. forces are still being attacked, gas is averaging $4.48 a gallon, the trade deficit just hit $60.3 billion, and Senate Republicans quietly slipped $1 billion for a White House ballroom into an immigration bill. In episode 513 of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff delivers a quick-blast solo briefing on the gap between what Trump says and what's actually happening on the ground — from the so-called Iran ceasefire, to a forever war now spanning eight countries, to a Secret Service shootout at the Washington Monument that barely registered as news.
From there, Paul turns to the politics and the people who could actually break the rigged two-party stranglehold. He breaks down California's crowded, deeply unpopular gubernatorial field and floats a serious idea: Steve Kerr — Hall of Fame coach, voice of reason on guns, Iran, and ICE — running as an independent. He closes with a tribute to legendary Yankees announcer John Sterling and a reminder that hope is the oxygen of democracy. If you're in the angry middle, this one's for you.
In this episode
- • Why Trump's 'ceasefire' is a Putin-style ceasefire — Iran has hit U.S. forces 10+ times since it started
- • The real cost of the Iran war: $25 billion, no congressional approval, overwhelmingly unpopular
- • Gas at $4.48 a gallon — up $1.32 from last year — while D.C. spends on 'dumb shit'
- • Senate Republicans jam $1 billion for Trump's White House ballroom into an immigration bill
- • All gas, no brakes: a forever war now spanning eight countries, from Cuba to Greenland to Mexico
- • Secret Service shootout at the Washington Monument moments after VP Vance passed — and why we've gone numb to it
- • California's governor race: seven contenders, all unpopular, no independent on the stage
- • The pitch: recruit Steve Kerr to run for governor as an independent — and why outsiders win
- • A goodbye to Yankees legend John Sterling, the 'golden pipes' voice of a generation
