Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

One week out from Election Day 2026, the country is staring at a split screen that tells you everything about the rigged two-party system. Barack Obama is finally deployed to Georgia and Michigan trying to pull Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms across the line. Donald Trump is on the same stage at the same hour cracking jokes about men's backsides while his approval sits near 30 and Flavio Bolsonaro — under investigation for financial crimes and screaming rigged election — gets safe harbor from the White House. Ohio, Georgia and Alaska are all down to the wire, and a bizarre New York Times scoop just revealed Democratic operatives engineered a second "Dan Sullivan" onto the Alaska ballot to sow confusion against the Republican incumbent. Paul Rieckhoff brings the no-BS read across two News Nation panels, breaking down why corruption is now the single most powerful issue cutting across left, right and center — and why independent veterans like Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Seth Bodnar in Montana, Todd Achilles in Idaho and Brian Bengs in South Dakota are the real story of this cycle. He takes on the spin from both sides, warns Democrats about spiking the ball early, and lays out why 45% of Americans aren't looking to switch jerseys — they're looking for a door out of the whole stadium. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker. -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AI’s threat to both parties? Osborn’s race in Nebraska. Trump loves talking about asses. Friday Football. Two days out from the election, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with one of his longest-standing mentors: Senator Bob Kerrey. Combat-wounded Navy SEAL, Medal of Honor recipient, former governor of Nebraska, former presidential candidate, and one of the sharpest no-BS voices in American politics. Kerrey lays out why trust, not ideology, is the dominant issue on the ballot, why Elon Musk's $150 million bet on Ken Paxton in Texas should alarm every American, and why the unauthorized war in Iran may be the most tragic of the three forever wars this generation has lived through. From Dan Osborn's neck-and-neck race in Nebraska to the dark-money avalanche crushing independent candidates in every battleground state, Kerrey calls it straight. He talks veteran isolation, the vortex of self-pity, and why hanging onto your tribe is a matter of life and death. He makes the case for divided government, warns Democrats not to overreach if they win, and reminds everyone that the political leadership asking us to do easy things will never produce the America worth fighting for. Then Paul and Bob roll into Football Friday with Georgia-Florida, Nebraska-Washington, Lions-Vikings, and Chiefs-Broncos. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker. -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Deadlock in Israeli Elections. Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Fleeing Brazil. Remember Alex Pretti? Idaho is one of the most independent-minded states in America, and for the first time in a generation it has an independent on the ballot who can actually win. Todd Achilles — army veteran, longtime public servant, and the first candidate endorsed by Independent Veterans of America — is within single digits of Jim Risch, an 83-year-old incumbent who won't debate, refuses town halls on the Iran war and the farm bill, and voted against the PACT Act. Paul Rieckhoff gets under the hood with Achilles on how a one-man-band truck campaign became a national story, why Republicans and Democrats alike are breaking toward him, and what the dark money machine is about to unload in the final days. This conversation is a field report from the front line of the independent movement. Achilles and Rieckhoff dig into the closed-primary trap that forces Idahoans to register Republican just to vote, the 45%-plus of Americans who no longer have a party, and the coordinated attacks from Trump and Hillary Clinton alike warning voters not to "waste" their vote on independents. Paul also hits the day's headlines — Bolsonaro landing in Miami after fleeing Brazil, the deadlocked Israeli elections, and the forgotten murder of Alex Pretti. If you want to know what the next America looks like, it looks a lot like Todd Achilles grinding out two yards at a time in Idaho. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker. -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

MS Senate Race Tightens—the Indy is Ignored. Jay-Z for Super Bowl Halftime. Brewers Fever! We are less than one week from the most consequential election of our lifetime, and Trump is already attacking it. Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the three-plan playbook for election interference — the military (and why Chairman Dan Caine may say no), ICE at the polls, and plan C: a million-dollar bounty paid out to any 'wahoo' who claims to spot voter fraud. Bolsonaro is reportedly fleeing Brazil for Florida. Netanyahu may be next. Mar-a-Lago is becoming a safe harbor for strongmen, and right-wing podcasters are pre-loading the 'rigged' narrative in case Democrats win. From there: Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch would darken 75,000 graves at Arlington Cemetery for 280 days a year — another unpopular move veterans will fight. JD Vance continues his 'why I should clearly never be president' tour. In Mississippi, independent veteran Ty Pickens is polling 6% in a Senate race the media refuses to acknowledge is a three-way. And a viral No Kings protest clip is a reminder that independent does not mean neutral. Anger alone is not enough — turn it into impact. Four independent veteran Senate candidates — Achilles, Bengs, Osborn, Bodnar, Pickens — need boots on the ground right now. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us. -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker. -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Seven days out. The marathon is almost over, and the 90 million independents who have been written off, condescended to, and told they don't really exist are about to decide every close race in the country. Paul lays out why this moment belongs to independents, why the Democrats need Barack Obama as their closer, and why Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is in genuine trouble in New York's 17th against combat veteran Cait Conley — whose breakout ad ran straight through the Giants game this weekend. From there, Paul connects the dots to Israel's election this week, where Netanyahu faces former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot in what looks increasingly like Israel's own referendum on extremism — a mirror of the test American voters face at home. He closes with a straight talk on the fake-work theatrics choking the final week — the McDonald's cosplay, the bus-driving photo ops, the pretend-to-dig-a-hole ads — and why voters want politicians who understand what it's like to only be able to afford McDonald's, not politicians who dress up to serve it. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker. -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25. -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.