Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff returns with an unfiltered conversation cutting through the turmoil of Trump’s America, a Greenland crisis, and a shaken NATO to focus on a pivotal political battle: Mississippi’s independent U.S. Senate candidate, Ty Pinkins. From New York to the Mississippi Delta, Rieckhoff explores how this historic campaign could disrupt Washington’s balance of power—without a Democrat or Republican label.
Pinkins shares what he’s heard across all 82 Mississippi counties, where voters are rejecting “the same two parties saying the same things.” A Black combat veteran and Delta native, he’s emerging as a serious challenge to an entrenched MAGA incumbent. He shatters the myth of “splitting the vote” in a state where Republicans have dominated for decades and argues that independents now represent the most energized political force in the country.
Rieckhoff and Pinkins also connect the global stakes—from Trump’s destructive foreign moves on Greenland, NATO, and Venezuela—to local crises like hospital closures, job losses, and political neglect across Mississippi. Drawing from his deployments and three-year grassroots tour, Pinkins outlines an independent message built on courage, accountability, and inclusion, aimed at uniting a multiracial, multigenerational coalition ready to redefine Mississippi—and America’s—political future.
Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories–and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve–and stay vigilant.
–WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now.
-Support Ty Pinkins run for Senate in Mississippi. And check out his last conversation with Paul here.
