The spring offensive is here. The spring offensive of news, chaos, war and misinformation. The spring offensive, attacking democracy foreign and domestic. A spring offensive before the summer storm. A storm of the century. It’s a storm that’s

Trump and Biden Jockey to Weaponize Kennedy. No Labels is No More. Arizona Abortion Bombshell Is Not Popular with Independents. Senator Redneck is Back—and Carrying Water for Putin. Cornel West Picks a VP You’ve Never Heard Of.

12 days ago 31m 2s

April is here. March Madness is over. UConn are champions. South Carolina are champions. But the madness isn’t stopping. The madness is just getting started. And now, it’s REALLY getting interesting. As long predicted and examined on #Independ

Bill Hillsman. The Godfather of Independent Politics. Lessons from Jesse Ventura’s Win 25 Years Later. No Labels = No Candidate. Dems Ramp up Attacks on Kennedy, But Maybe They Shouldn’t. Presidential Primaries Are Broken. Hell to the Naw Season.

19 days ago 59m 34s

Independent Political Strategist Bill Hillsman has masterminded some of the most effective and innovative election campaigns in the modern era. Hillsman first rocked the political world when he helped elect the late Minnesota Senator Paul Wells

274. Ken Burns. How Sick is America? Who is He Voting For and Why? Is HE Fearful of a Civil War? Transactional vs Transformational. Social Media, Cable News and the State of our National Conversation. The Heroes of Today.

26 days ago 45m 13s

Few people have studied America and what it means to be an American more and at a deeper level than our guest in this one. He has dedicated his life to documenting the stories of the people, the history and the cultures that have shaped us all.

A Week Of Real Talk and Reckonings. Afghanistan. Trump. Ukraine. Netanyahu. Crime In America. RFK Jr’s Latest Ridiculous VP Name. March Madness in Our Politics.

Mar 21st, 2024 28m 3s

This week, it’s time for real talk. Overdue real talk. On America’s terrible withdrawal from Afghanistan. On accountability for those failures that resulted in the 13 American servicemembers dying at Abbey Gate. On the fragile independent brand

Breaking Down Kennedy, Aaron Rodgers, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, South By Southwest and All The Other Recent Independent Drama.

Mar 14th, 2024 25m 40s

In case you missed it, newly-self-proclaimed independent RFK Jr. floated some VP names. Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura. Exactly what the independent movement does NOT need. And our Paul Rieckhoff is going to dig into why. He’ll also share the

State of the Union Special Edition. How Did Biden Do? Did He Move Independents? Dissecting The Big Night From Cannabis to Ukraine to Veterans to Forgotistan.

Mar 8th, 2024 15m 4s

Welcome to a special State of the Union recap special edition episode of Independent Americans. Normally, the State of the Union address is a civics lesson, pageantry and performance. Normally, it doesn’t move the needle. But last night was d

Tim Mak. Ukraine at a Crossroads. Has Ukraine Given Up on America? The Battle of Antonov Airfield. Haley is Out. Sinema is Out Too. Super Tuesday Was Not Super for 6M Independents. America Says Biden is Too Old. SecDef Austin’s Rough Time.

Mar 7th, 2024 54m 57s

Welcome to Independent Americans. And welcome to March. The weather is changing. It’s warming up and spring is so close you can almost smell it. But instead you’re probably smelling something different in the air. Something a lot less pleasant

Michael Steele. Michigan & South Carolina Primary Insights. Where Will Haley Voters Go? Being the only Republican Host on MSNBC. Does Biden Have a Harris Problem? More Congressional Chaos. Will RFK Jr & No Labels Spoil Everything?

Feb 29th, 2024 1h 5m

The story that remains underreported is how much Trump ISN’T getting. He’s a freight train as nominee—but still NOT getting 30%. AND, he’s continuing to struggle with moderates in his own party and especially with independents (as revealed most

Will Anyone Listen to Independents in 2024? A Special Short Episode with Paul Rieckhoff.

Feb 22nd, 2024 9m 14s

This episode is a little different. It’s a quick hit episode from host Paul Rieckhoff (@PaulRieckhoff)--with a reading of his recent op-ed that appeared on Smerconish.com (co-authored with John Opdycke(@jbopdycke, the President of Open Primarie

Asha Rangappa. Is Trump Going to Jail or Not? What Did The Hur Report Really Say About Biden? MAGA vs NATO, Ukraine and More. Russia’s Secret Space Nukes. Long Island’s Special Election Takeaways. Best Super Bowl Ever. The Tragic Parade Shooting.

Feb 15th, 2024 41m 45s

The Super Bowl is over and the Chiefs are the champs. MAGA is sad about that for some reason, but don’t worry they’ll have something new to be upset about soon enough. From mysterious new Russian space nukes, to Biden’s old age to another loomi

Matt Gallagher. Super Bowl Politics. How F#cked Up is America Right Now? Speaker Johnson is a Terrible Quarterback. Border Bill Fumble. Haley is QB2. Is the US Soft? SC and NV Primaries. Civil War or World War? Daybreak: Matt’s Powerful New Novel.

Feb 8th, 2024 1h 14m

It’s Super Bowl week in America. And it’s a Super Bowl year of politics and national security. And as the world focuses on America’s big game, it’s also focused on America’s dysfunction. And so are we. The border deal has collapsed, funding for

Alex Vindman. Three US Troops Killed in Jordan. Ukraine is Running Out of Ammo—as America Runs Out of Heart. Is War with Iran Imminent? Vindman vs Marco Rubio? The Taylor Swift Super Bowl is Set.

Feb 1st, 2024 55m 40s

It’s Super Bowl time in America. And 2024 is a year-long Super Bowl FOR America. Stakes have never been higher. And just like for a Super Bowl team, leaders will be the difference. And Alex Vindman (@AVindman) has been a QB for America steppin

Michael Smerconish. New Hampshire Post-Mortem. Jason Kelce for President!? Haley’s Independent Appeal & Playing for QB2. Who Trump Might Pick for VP. Dean Phillips: Blah. The 2024 Wild Cards: RFK Jr, No Labels & Independents. Super Bowl Predictions!

Jan 25th, 2024 40m 44s

The New Hampshire primary is over–and independents were a huge factor. Just as they will be in the general election in November. Who did they vote for? What do they care about? And who can appeal to them now—and in the future? And what’s next f

Surviving October 7. Dorin Cohen. Survivor of Kibbutz Kfar Aza. A Young Mother Courageously Tells Her Unimaginable and Harrowing Story. Remembering the Hostages Still Being Held by Hamas. “I’m going to tell you a story about heaven…”

Jan 23rd, 2024 31m 50s

Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence, combat, death, sexual assault, violence against children and more. Dorin Cohen grew up in Ashkelon, Israel and most recently lived in Kibbutz Kfar Aza with her husband, Itamar,

Mike Novogratz & Ambassador Marc Ginsberg. Understanding Israel. And Gaza. A Recorded Live Panel Event from NYC. What They Saw On Their Recent Trip. Why They Went. Why Israel is Important to American National Security. What’s the Path Forward?

Jan 18th, 2024 58m 40s

Ambassador Marc Ginsberg grew up in Israel, became America’s first jewish ambassador to an Arab nation, and currently leads The Coalition for a Safer Web, a non-profit dedicated to combating cyber terrorism and extremist incitement. He’s a dipl

Scott Galloway. Prof G’s Predictions for 2024. The United States vs Itself. Young People Being Left Behind. Reinvest in the Middle Class. SECDEF in the ICU, White House in the Dark. Attacks on US Troops Continue. Trump Mocks McCain Again.

Jan 11th, 2024 57m 41s

As we head into what is almost sure to be a rocky 2024, we wanted to get you the best look ahead possible. So we brought back a fan favorite. A guest who isn’t afraid to make bold predictions. And a guest who’s smart enough to back them up. He’

Mayor Yemi Mobolade. New Year’s Special Replay. The New Independent Mayor of Colorado Springs. How He Won. The Importance of Non-Partisan Primaries. Power of Positivity. Captain Positivity vs Senator Redneck for Space Command.

Jan 4th, 2024 39m 2s

2023 has been a big year for independents. And most of the time not in a good way. From Kyrsten Sinema to RFK Jr. to No Labels, 2023 was a steady succession of negative hits to the independent brand in all of the usual ways. Spoilers and grifte

Jason Alexander. The FOURTH Annual Festivus Special! An Inspiring Holiday Message of Hope and Peace. Looking to Children as the Way Out of Conflict. Jason vs Elon. Good vs Evil. Don’t Be the Problem, Solve the Problem.

Dec 28th, 2023 59m 8s

If you’ve watched him, you love him. And you may feel like you know him. But you really don’t. In this episode, you’ll learn that the man behind the characters is even more amazing. And you’ll love him, respect him, and admire him even more. Ju

General David Petraeus. A Pre-Christmas Global Conflict Breakdown. Zelensky is Churchill with an iPhone. Did Israel Get the Big Idea Right? Tuberville’s Final Stupid Holds Go Down. NORAD is Ready For Santa.

Dec 21st, 2023 37m 31s

There are only a handful of people out there that have the experience, credibility and gravitas to speak with authority when it comes to subjects like NATO, Putin, Gaza. They’re high level issues and complex systems that require decades of stud

General Barry McCaffrey. Analyzing The State of the Wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Biden’s Big Border Problem. Zelensky’s Painful Return to Washington. Israel’s Greatest Test. More Rocket Attacks on US Troops. Does America Look Weak? McCaffrey for Mayor?

Dec 14th, 2023 46m 15s

This holiday season is a heavy one. It's hard to fully distract yourself from what's happening around the world. No matter how good the Knicks are doing, no matter how sensational the Giants rookie quarterback Tommy Cutlets DeVito has been. No

Andrew Yang. Why He’s Backing Dean Phillips for President. Liz Cheney, Mark Cuban, The Rock & Many Other Possible Independent Candidates. Should Cornell West and RFK Jr Drop Out? NFL, NBA & Why We All Need Sports Right now. Tuberville Finally Lost.

Dec 6th, 2023 53m 22s

Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) is back. He’s the former Candidate for President. The former Candidate for Mayor. He’s a patriot, an activist and a father. And now, the co-founder of the Forward Party is back to check in with Independent Americans fo

John Spencer. The Urban Warfare Expert on Combat in Ukraine and Gaza. Ukraine’s Will to Fight. Red Dawn 2023 Style. Is Hamas a Paper Tiger? Gaza’s Terrible Complexity. The High Cost of Not Supporting Ukraine. The Threat of Holiday Attacks in America.

Nov 30th, 2023 1h 5m

Throughout the last couple of years, we've stayed on top of all the domestic and international security threats facing us all from Putin to Hamas to domestic extremists. And our guest in this episode is going to take us through all of it with a

Chuck D. (Replay-Part Two). Crime, Law And The Power Of Youth. Why Space Is Not The Future, It’s All America. Beat Cops Vs Militarized Cops. Empathy For Haters. The Realities of War are Hard Af. Why New York is the Best Teacher in the World.

Nov 24th, 2023 36m 32s

Welcome back. We’re wrapping up our holiday and finishing up the second part of Paul Rieckhoff’s discussion with hip hop icon Chuck D. This half is a little more fun and a great look back before we head into the holidays and the New Year. We’ll

Chuck D (Replay-Part One). THANKSGIVING REWIND FEAST. (2020 Remix). Public Enemy’s Iconic Founder on Maddow, Air America, Climate Change, Physical vs Virtual Reality, The Power of DIY, 2020 Election Postgame, Biden and Harris, Society and AI.

Nov 22nd, 2023 44m 29s

Happy Thanksgiving America. We’re taking a break to be with our families for this holiday but before we go we’ve got an extra helping of the helpers for you because we know you don’t need any more stuffing. From Episode 86 - Nov. 20, 2020:As