Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

With AG Pam Bondi testifying before Congress and shamefully defending Trump’s Epstein connections and ICE’s lawlessness, and a major US airport shut down potentially due to drones from Mexico invading Texas airspace, Paul Rieckhoff and independent veteran running for Senate in Nebraska Dan Osborn dive deep into the issues the establishment wants to ignore: the urgent demand for the full release of the Epstein files, the lack of accountability for ICE’s "dark prisons" and domestic incursions, and the "surge pricing" of groceries that is crushing American families. From the FAA halting flights in El Paso due to cartel drones to the "un-American" politicization of the Olympics by JD Vance, this episode is a masterclass in staying vigilant against chaos, corruption, the super rich and demanding transparency from those in power

<14% Detainees Have Criminal Record. Should VA Sec Collins Resign? National Strike vs Trump. Bad Bunny. Chappell Roan Stands vs Wasserman & Epstein. Lindsey Vonn & Ukraine Olympic Controversy

It’s Super Bowl Monday and Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff is unpacking a wild 24 hours in America—from a politically charged halftime show and Seattle’s gritty win to dangerous ICE raids, new 9/11 revelations, and the most political Olympics yet. Every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff) 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 a time when trusted news, politics, inspiration, and hope are in short supply.

Trump is all gas, no brakes on this Super Bowl Friday—from posting a racist video from the White House depicting the Obama’s as apes and escalating his war on the press, to unleashing ICE’s culture of cruelty with gassed protesters, kicked‑in doors, kicked puppies and plans for giant warehouse‑style detention centers that could function as domestic black sites. In this all‑new episode of Independent Americans, Paul Rieckhoff welcomes back the iconic Rachel Maddow for a sharp, extended, urgent and surprisingly hopeful breakdown of what she calls a “mad king” moment—and why the real work now is taking away Trump’s tools of power, from the Justice Department and ICE to the Pentagon and the Insurrection Act.​ Rachel rarely does podcasts, but she does this one hosted by her old friend.

The news is flying. And we’re keeping you ahead of it. And focused on what matters most. Paul is joined by the venerable Chuck Todd—host of the Chuck Toddcast and former moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press and more— for a raw, candid, often funny kitchen-table conversation America needs right now that takes you behind the curtain on media, news and politics. They break down ICE agents leaving “death cards” with white supremacist history, detaining citizens, and now, local cops; Jeff Bezos’s gutting of the Washington Post and layoffs hitting reporters in war zones; and how billionaire power—from Bezos and Musk to Trump—is hollowing out the Fourth Estate and putting our democracy, national security, and truth itself up for sale. They also unpack the TV show Fallout’s dystopian world of bunkered elites and abandoned wastelands, and what it reveals about America’s rapidly-growing anti-corporate mood cutting across all political lines.