American F-15 Officer Heroically Rescued in Iran. w/ Dan Lamothe.

Summary

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Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff (Ep. 486, April 6, 2026)

American F-15 Officer Heroically Rescued in Iran, w/ Dan Lamothe

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the dramatic rescue of an American F-15 crew in Iran—a high-stakes operation that captured the nation's attention over Easter weekend. Host Paul Rieckhoff devotes significant time to dissecting the military feat itself, the subsequent Trump administration press conference, and the increasingly volatile political and military leadership climate in the US. Returning guest and military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe (Washington Post) joins to unpack operational details, national security implications, and the growing politicization of both war and military values. Interwoven are themes of failed leadership, the culture war's effect on the military, the risks of oversharing operational details, and urgent calls for vigilance and integrity in public service.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The F-15 Rescue: "Easter Miracle" for America

• Recap of Event: An F-15E, call sign Jude44 Bravo (the backseat Weapons Systems Officer), downed during Operation Epic Fury. A tense 24+ hour window ensued before both airmen were rescued in Iran.
• Host’s Framing: Rieckhoff hails the operation as an “Easter miracle,” emphasizing it as a testament to America’s commitment to “leave no man or woman behind” (08:19).
• National Impact: The event offered rare good news for military families and showed the world “incredible things” America can do even in dark times.
• Operational Heroes: High praise for the PJs (Pararescue), Special Forces, and military rescue community.

“Even in the darkest of times, America can still do incredible things. Artemis showed it and is showing it right now. And now this.”
— Paul Rieckhoff (08:19)

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2. Trump’s Press Conference: From Victory to Threats

• Threats Overshadowing Positive News: Trump’s press conference simultaneously celebrated the rescue and threatened to “turn Iran into rubble tomorrow night” (10:53).
• War Crimes Question: Trump did not rule out targeting civilian infrastructure, which both Rieckhoff and Lamothe characterize as tacitly accepting the possibility of war crimes.
• Leadership Critique: Rieckhoff slams Trump for “all gas, no brakes”—lack of discipline, confusing messaging, and failing to inform Congress or the people.
• Global Implications: Such rhetoric empowers adversaries (China, Russia) and destabilizes alliance confidence.

“Nobody's ever been better at stepping on his own good headline than Trump. He just can't stop himself. There's never been a less disciplined president. China is loving this day and this entire last month...”
— Paul Rieckhoff (11:23)

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3. The Information War: Too Much Operational Detail

• Risk of Oversharing: Both Trump and military leaders offered “operational details out there that we’d be better off not knowing” (09:49). Rieckhoff worries “so do our enemies, and so does China and so does Putin.”
• Classic Tension: Lamothe outlines the perennial media-government tug-of-war in national security reporting—balancing public right to know with operational safety.
• Media Restraint: Lamothe explains how media outlets withheld publishing confirmed rescue reports until official clearance (34:21), reflecting editorial caution during live operations.

“Trump is putting out a lot of detail about how they broke down the helicopters and all this other shit that is boastful and braggadocious, but probably not great for us to put out to the world, right?”
— Paul Rieckhoff (31:12)

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4. American Military Leadership in Crisis

• Hegseth’s Purge: Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary, is firing respected military leaders, including General Randy George, General Hobney, and Chief of Chaplains Major General William Green (39:06).
• Religious Nationalism: Hegseth invokes intense religious rhetoric, likening the rescue to a resurrection and declaring US troops are “fighting for Jesus” (42:04).
• Clashes with Pope and Military Culture: Pope Leo publicly disagrees with Hegseth’s holy war framing, highlighting rifts between the administration’s Christian nationalism and mainstream/religious leaders.
• Lamothe’s Insight: He sees typical military prayer and religion as longstanding, but notes Hegseth’s rhetoric is “very, very specifically a certain kind of Christianity,” different from previous inclusive spiritual norms (42:57).

“He invoked Jesus in a way that is unprecedented... He makes it sound like we're in a holy war.”
— Paul Rieckhoff (42:04)

“Not even, I mean, the clash with the Pope and others… When the Catholic Church is clashing with the Trump administration over the Iran war and immigration… We're in a different ballgame there.”
— Dan Lamothe (43:07)

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5. Crisis of Accountability and Boots on the Ground

• Political Failure: Rieckhoff lambasts both parties for weak, excuse-making leadership. He criticizes Schumer, Jeffries and the Democrats for failing to oppose the unpopular war effectively.
• Unkept Promises: The reality of US troops operating on Iranian soil is used to debunk political promises of “no boots on the ground” (12:21).
• Grave National Consequences: Rieckhoff warns, “America's sons and daughters are being wounded and potentially killed right now, and we are all less safe by the hour” (14:49).
• Call to Speak Out: He urges recently retired generals like George and Brown—as well as military families and veterans—to step forward and defend democratic principles.

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6. Media, Leaks, and the Next Phase

• Leaks Rising: Lamothe describes “floodgates” reopening in the Pentagon, more leaks and tips surfacing in the media environment (35:14).
• House Cleaning Not ‘Palace Intrigue’: Multiple high-profile firings suggest deeper internal conflict, not just gossip.
• General Silence: Lamothe doubts purged generals will break norms by publicly criticizing the administration, but the pressure is increasing (41:23).
• Operational Details: Trump’s claim that a shoulder-fired missile (manpad) downed the F-15 raises questions about Iranian capabilities and possible vulnerabilities (46:15).

“This isn’t necessarily done in two weeks… It could extend well into the spring and beyond.”
— Dan Lamothe (48:26)

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7. Notes of Hope, Unity, and Distraction

• Sports as Resistance: Rieckhoff lauds escapism through baseball and women’s basketball, calling “joy a form of resistance” (24:51).
• Astronaut’s Message from Space: Victor Glover, aboard Artemis, offers a unifying Easter reflection on seeing Earth as “one thing,” emphasizing global unity and togetherness (26:26).

“You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together… Easter Sunday… This is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we got to get through this together.”
— Astronaut Victor Glover (26:40)

• Call for Future Leadership: Rieckhoff floats “draft Glover 2028”—longing for leaders with a broad, inspiring perspective.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01 – 01:08: Paul Rieckhoff introduction (skip ads)
• 01:08 – 08:19: Context for the rescue; tribute to heroism; Tool & Gen. George connection
• 08:19 – 13:00: Details of the rescue and ramifications; Rieckhoff’s critique of Trump and leadership
• 10:41: Trump's press conference snippet—“The entire country could be taken out in one night.”
• 13:00 – 15:00: The reality of boots on the ground and dangers of misinformation
• 16:32 – 22:00: Extreme religious nationalism, Hegseth’s rhetoric, firings of senior chaplain & generals
• 24:51: Joy and unity through sports
• 26:26: (Play audio) Victor Glover’s message from space
• 29:18: Dan Lamothe interview begins—press conference takeaways, risk of war crimes
• 31:12 – 33:28: Op-sec and detail management in live operations
• 35:14 – 38:17: The new wave of leaks, internal Pentagon turmoil, and Hegseth’s status
• 39:06 – 42:04: The general purge, future of military dissent, and Chaplain Corps shakeup
• 44:07 – 46:15: Media leaks, escalation/de-escalation, and what’s next for Iran war
• 46:15 – 48:26: Unanswered questions about the F-15 downing mechanism and future operations
• 49:11: Closing gratitude, upcoming guests, and final calls to vigilance

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rieckhoff (critiquing Trump):

  “The entire country could be taken out in one night. Maybe tomorrow night. So nobody's ever been better at stepping on his own good headline than Trump. He just can't stop himself.” (11:23)

• Lamothe (on war crimes):

  “They don't want to remove anything from the table as a potential option… But they certainly don't want to telegraph in advance that they're operating within normal norms.” (30:49)

• On Military Culture Clash:

  “This is very, very specifically a certain kind of Christianity… the clash with the Pope and others… We're in a different ballgame there.” — Lamothe (42:57)

• Victor Glover’s space message:

  “You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together… we are the same thing, and we got to get through this together.” (26:40)

• Rieckhoff’s rallying cry:

  “Hope is still the oxygen of our democracy. We're going to need it this week. Look up at Artemis if you need it… Stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.” (49:00)

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Tone & Style

• Direct, critical, urgent (Rieckhoff’s signature style—both combative and patriotic)
• Mix of military, political, and cultural insight
• Pulls no punches—names names, holds both parties to account
• Earnest calls for leadership, vigilance, and public action
• Occasional levity and pop culture references—for unity and hope

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Summary Takeaways

• America’s commitment to rescuing its own remains a source of pride—but is now tainted by reckless leadership and dangerous political showboating.
• The line between military operations and political theater is dissolving, with operational secrecy being compromised for domestic gain.
• The Trump administration’s open flirtation with war crimes and Christian nationalist rhetoric marks a perilous shift, drawing pushback from both the military establishment and global religious leaders.
• Journalists, like Lamothe, remain wary of the information environment, balancing the public’s right to know with safety and national security.
• A broad-based call to action emerges—for retired generals, citizens, and independent thinkers to “stay vigilant” and “defend it” as America stares down mounting, interconnected crises.
• Despite the gravity, the episode offers flickers of unity: inspirational cultural leadership, sports, and the “oasis” of Earth as described from the heavens.

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Transcript

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[Paul Rieckhoff]

The result was a good one, but it was also an apex of what failed leadership can look like. Trump continues to be all gas, no breaks, not informing Congress, not talking to the American people, not explaining a rationale, not rallying support. And this is not working, America. It's getting worse and I think they all have to go. I'm going to keep saying this, but it will continue to get worse until they're out. Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode four of 86. I'm your host, Paul Reikoff. It is Monday, April 7th, and I'm coming to you from New York City, USA. I hope you had a great Easter. If you celebrated. I hope you enjoyed the March Madness. And the weather here in New York City is really nice. Really nice. Getting warmer. Spring is coming and so is more madness. And it is Manosphere Monday. So we're going to dig into giving you an alternative to some of the toxic, nasty, radioactive type of male leadership you see in other parts of podcasting and media. And we are going to try to help you stay ahead of the curve and building on that. Manosphere Monday Today's artist of the day is Tool. Tool, one of the greatest bands of all time. One of my favorites, but particularly important right now because there was something posted over the weekend that's relevant to all of what's happening around national security. And there's an unlikely connection between Toole and one of the generals that Pete Hegseth just fired. So check this out. Maynard James Keenan, who is the legendary iconic lead of Tool, has shared a message about his former Classmate and longtime friend, General Randy George, who was just fired by Pete Hegseth. I'm going to read it to you because I think you need to hear it. As long as I can remember, I wanted to be an artist in some way. Visual, musical, performing. I wasn't certain what just the arts were where I was supposed to be. However, after high school graduation, the reality of tuition set in. My family was living on a teacher's salary. There wasn't much left over for bills and grants and student loans weren't going to cover it. So I joined the army to take advantage of the Army College Fund. As it turns out, I excelled in the military, which is not what I was expecting. I was awarded distinguished graduate from both basic and advanced training. Then, after many, many rounds of testing, I. I was chosen to attend US Maps. US Maps and apply to the US Military Academy at West Point. It's a prep school for West Point, as you can imagine. This is, by the way, the lead singer of Tool Talking. As you can imagine, many of my classmates at West Point were there for a singular mission. To be West Point graduates and serve in our military. Focus, drive, a plan and zero compromise. I, on the other hand, was one of the few with doubts and inner conflict. So when my heart spoke louder than my outside influencers and I declined my appointment to West Point, most of those saw me saw. Most of those around me saw it as a huge mistake. But a handful were very supportive. They knew me well enough to respect that decision. One of those supportive classmates was my cross country teammate, Randy George. Yes. So Maynard and Randy George ran cross country together. He continued, as I can't even imagine. I can't even imagine how disappointed and upset he must feel to have been asked to retire early. So I'm just here to return that favor of support. We're here for you, Randy. Might be time for a beer or three. See you soon then. There's a picture of Maynard and Randy George when they're in high school. George is about a head taller, but it's definitely Maynard. It's another reason to love Toole and another reason to respect General George. And it's another reason to dig deeper. And I'm gonna bring you the five eyes in this show to help you do it. Independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. And our guest is gonna do that today as he always does. A returning champion, Dan Lamoth of the Washington Post. The excellent military affairs reporter is here to help us understand a very wild weekend of national security news. The rescue that happened, that was pretty miraculous. And the press conference that followed today, which was equally amazing, but it was a wild weekend. I hope you had a nice Easter. If you celebrate, March Madness Championship is tonight for the men. Last night was for the women. And April is going to be no less mad than March. And we're definitely going to need on this Monday especially to stay vigilant. All right, coming up, I will have Dan Lamoth, but first, let's get into what must be our top topic, and that is an update on the pilot and the wso, the weapons service officer, the Western specialist officer, who is the backseat guy on an F15. They got them both, but they got the back seater on Easter weekend, on Easter night. If you didn't hear by now, you've got to have heard. Unless you're maybe even the guys in Artemis and heard. But here's a big takeaway. We leave no man or woman behind in America. Even in the darkest of times, America can still do incredible things. Artemis showed it and is showing it right now. And now this. So infinite respect to this F15E weapons systems officer, to the PJs and all the rescue folks in our military that made it possible. It truly was an Easter miracle. And the more we learn, the more incredible it is. And it was a happy Easter present for America and especially to our military families that were holding their breath. Now, it would be really nice if this war was over so we don't have to do it through this again. But it is good news and it is worth celebrating and another example of why we must all stay vigilant. All right, then came the press conference today. I watched it so you don't have to. Trump was previewing it last night. I actually expected him to have the rescued pilot and WSO there. He did not, which was good. I didn't think Trump would miss an opportunity for that photo op, but he did. We will now know the call sign Jude44 Bravo. That's the call sign for the back seater. And there was a lot offered in this press conference. I'm going to go deeper in a second, but in the interest of national security, I will offer. There is so much operational detail out there that we'd be better off not knowing. I want to know all the gritty, amazing details, too. But so do our enemies and so does China and so does Putin. So including Trump in this briefing, he put out a lot of stuff that we probably didn't need to know, per usual. But here's the Top Line summary. Trump totally stepped on his own good news. He threatened to turn Iran into rubble tomorrow night at 8 o' clock if they don't comply with a ceasefire. He won't rule out committing war crimes and bombing schools. He attacked the press and threw out all kinds of other undisciplined, partisan and dangerously trumpy stuff. The rescue operations were mind bogglingly heroic and well executed. Our troops rock. Another takeaway. General Kane is still probably the circuit breaker and maybe the most competent and trustworthy senior leader in this administration right now. Hegseth continues to be unhinged and focused on continuing to make this sound like a holy war for Jesus, comparing the rescue of the back seater to the resurrection of Jesus. Meanwhile, the exceptionally unpopular war in Iran continues and on another channel, Artemis is right now doing dazzling and amazing things, offering contrast and hope. But it's only Monday and this was a lot to digest. And here's the thing I want to focus on about Hegset. Hegseth started with and even posted over the weekend God is Good. He was previewing what he says this backseater said on the radio when he first got through. And of course Hegseth is going to make it about religion. There's no way he wouldn't. He's consistent. Always culture war, always first real war, always second, and always with a massive dose of sycophancy. That's a tough one to say, but an important one to remember. Sycophancy. If he was competent and disciplined, he would have been short and focused and gone. But he's not because the rescue did happen on Easter. So I was prepared for Hegseth's inappropriate and escalating religious rhetoric and messaging to be off the charts today. And it was. He also can't be happy that it was Jen Griffin at Fox who was among the leading newsbreakers, but we had to strap in for this one, folks. Excuse me. General Kaine's briefing, I want to say, was excellent. Focused, respectful, non political. It's how it should be done and it's what we all actually needed today. But the rest of it just muddled the excellence and the heroism of this mission, its politics and its personalities. More coming up with Dan Lamoth on all of that. But it's it snatched the headlines and it makes us all less safe. And when we got to the Q and A with Trump, it just went wacko. Play this clip please, Chris.

[Donald Trump]

Thursday night an American F15 fighter jet went down deep inside enemy territory in Iran while participating in Operation Epic Fury, where we're doing unbelievably well. Well at a level that nobody's ever seen before. The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night. Both members of the crew ejected from the aircraft and landed alive on Iranian soil. I immediately was asked to make a decision. I ordered the U.S. armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

All right, everyone was impressed with the incredible rescue operation, but this message is gonna be what people hear and write headlines about around the world. The entire country could be taken out in one night. Maybe tomorrow night. So nobody's ever been better at stepping on his own good headline than Trump. He just can't stop himself. There's never been a less disciplined president. China is loving this day and this entire last month in so many places on so many levels. Our enemies are celebrating. Our enemies are celebrating. They're also celebrating because despite this fantastic heroic news, the entire region is no less messy and dangerous than yesterday. We've still got 50,000 troops in the area and in harm's way.

[Astronaut Victor Glover]

And.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

And good news in a spiraling war usually doesn't last very long. Another thing I want to focus on. The last two days illustrate why no politician can ever be trusted when they promise there will be no boots on the ground in a war. Military operation, whatever they call, might not have been for long. Sorry, it might not be for long, but it always, almost always ends up being boots on the ground and America's sons and daughters in those boots. It's the nature of war and why war should always be a last resort. So we now have had boots on the ground in Iran. We have passed that Rubicon. A reminder about breaking news, because like me, some of you were tracking on this online, on social media and on X and other places. Before you post something, before you share something, measure twice and cut once. Check the source. Don't post or repost things that aren't confirmed by at least one reliable source, preferably multiple reliable sources, especially on platforms like X that are infested with bots and misinformation and sock puppets. When you're online and you're tracking on this breaking news, stay vigilant. We also need to stay vigilant because our leaders are failing. Our service members were on the ground in Iran, were unaccounted for for more than 24 hours after being shot down. And Trump and Hegseth were notably and unusually quiet. Now we understand why, and I'll give them some grace on that. But a reminder, Congress was on vacation and this could have gone south. So our families and our military families continued to pray and hit refresh. The world was watching and our enemies were celebrating and the result was a good one. But it was also an apex of what failed leadership can look like. Trump continues to be all gas, no breaks, not informing Congress, not talking to the American people, not explaining a rationale, not rallying support. And this is not working, America. It's getting worse and I think they all have to go. I'm going to keep saying this, but it will continue to get worse until they're out. Trump of course, Hegseth too, Johnson the speaker, but also Schumer and Jeffries and all of them because they're all failing in spectacular ways. Of course, Trump most of all. But he's not alone. America's sons and daughters are being wounded and potentially killed right now, and we are all less safe by the hour. This is a day of some good news, but none of this is sustainable or acceptable. And we've got to stay.

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[Paul Rieckhoff]

All right. Speaking of unacceptable, I can't pass over the Easter morning message that came from Trump. And I'm going to read it because this is what he wrote. Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day all wrapped into one in Iran. There will be nothing like it. Open the fucking straight, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell. Just watch. Praise be to Allah. President Donald Trump. That's what he Posted Easter morning, 8am you probably saw it or somebody at your weekend sporting event or religious celebration was like, look at this. We wish we could ignore it. But the world does not ignore it. And we can't either. There's going to be no days off until he's out. Not Easter, not Christmas, not Passover, not Eid, not his birthday. There will be no days off. None. Not weekends, not religious holidays, not national holidays, not days of mourning. Nothing is off limits for him. There is no restraint, no discipline. All gas, no breaks. He. He doesn't care. And there will be no days off until he's out. So stay vigilant. All right? Even the Pope is disagreeing with Hegseth lately. If you haven't heard this, the Pope is now saying that nobody fights for Jesus. Hegseth says US Troops are fighting for Jesus. He said, quote, that the American people should pray every day on bended knee for a military victory in the Middle east in the name of Jesus Christ. That's what he wrote. Pope Leo, the first US Born Pope, has a starkly different take on what should be done in Jesus name. The New York Times reported this, that in his homily during Mass on Thursday before Easter, the Pope said the Christian mission has often been, quote, distorted by a desire for domination entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ. So since US And Israel started bombing Iran, the Pope has consistently called for an end to the violence and a return to dialogue. But without naming Hegseth specifically, he has also pointed out the ways in which Christianity has been marshaled for purposes that the Pope says do not align with the Catholic preaching. Now, more with Dan Lamoth coming up about this. And Hegseth is clashing with now the Pope too, but also other religious leaders, including the chaplain, the head of the chaplain corps, the four star general that he just fired. He's fired a number of generals. Check it. Maybe he's a two star general. Major General William Green was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2023 as the chief of Chaplains. He was fired by Hegseth on April 2 along with others. And he delivered an opening prayer earlier this year. In January, he said beneath the weight of duty and the press of time. We need your grace. Help us hear the whisper of conscience, the voice of the forgotten, and the wisdom from above. General William Green Jr. Is a powerful voice, and I hope he will speak out now. America needs to hear his voice and continued leadership. They also need to hear from General Randy George, who's also been fired by Hegseth last week. He wrote a very nice message to the force on the way out saying thank you. He talks about how he enlisted out of high school. He said that his wife extends her gratitude. At the end, he says, this will defend it was what leadership with integrity looks like. We need him to continue to lead. So I'm going to speak directly to General George. We need you to speak out now, Randy. We need you to help us continue to defend it. We need you and any other general who can to speak out because this is the moment. And CQ Brown, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was also fired, has been speaking out, but kind of picking his spots. He spoke at Harvard last week and he said, if I'm hearing. Talking about the firings, if what I'm hearing is being reported is true, it's very concerning because it does start to erode getting order and discipline and ensuring that people are all given a fair opportunity. Brown said. Brown has to continue to speak out. All generals that are leaving, this is time to break glass and speak out. We need you, we need everybody to meet this moment. Now. Speaking of leadership or a lack of, I get a lot of pushback, especially when I go on Ms. Now people saying, oh, you shouldn't hit Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. And somebody wrote on X LC law, wrote Schumer and Jeffries have zero control over any of this. Well, they also have zero influence. They're irrelevant and weak, which is exactly the problem. The country is tired of Republican recklessness and Democrat excuses. There's always more that can be done. And I keep saying this. I'll say it again. The Dems shut down the government over health care and ice, but not over a war that an overwhelming majority of the American public hates. Bullshit. I am so tired of this shit and so are so many across this country. It is time for everyone to step up, everyone and stay vigilant. I talked about this with Representative Ro Khanna last week. He also went on Meet the Press. Now they're talking more about him running for president. I asked him about what he's doing and what the Democrats are doing to challenge Trump in this moment, to slow him down. I also asked him if he'll respond with a request for VA funding, something that nobody's really talking about. Go back and check that out and also be sure to stay tracking on what's happening in Ukraine. All right, just hitting on that real quick. It's day 1503 of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. And last night was another particularly rough day. I'm going to play this audio and video and I got to give you a warning. It's graphic and tough to see, but important for us to understand. All right, Russia hit Odessa overnight with three killed, including a two year old. Sixteen more were injured, including a pregnant woman and children. I just want to always keep a focus on Ukraine. Understand that while the war in Iran continues, so does the war in Ukraine. And the war in Ukraine continues to hold the line for freedom. And we need to support them. We need to push our government and our president to do more because they are fighting against our enemies as well. And Russia is winning right now in my view because we are distracted into a sucking chest wound. That is the Middle east. And Ukraine is fighting back. But Russia, long term is continuing to reap the praises of having increased gas prices and oil prices. And the President's eye is not on that ball. I think the Chinese are winning too, just sitting back and watching and waiting. Because while the President rambles and threatens and the country remains in opposition to a war that seems to be going on, our enemies are celebrating. All right, I'll talk about that more with Dan Lamoth. Coming up, a couple of quick things before we get to that. Let's talk about sports. The Yankees had opening day in New York on Friday. I didn't get to go, but I just want to say it was pretty close to a perfect opening day for the Yanks. Weather vibes, pitching, a big win, judge homer and one from our favorite young Yankee, Ben Rice. I think it's going to be an exciting season. But more importantly, whether you're a Yanks fan or a Red Sox fan or anybody else, boy, do we need the distraction, the inspiration and the unity this year. And I'm going to keep saying it, joy is a form of resistance. We can't let him take our joy, especially our baseball joy. So let's go Yanks. Also more joy. If you didn't see it last night in the women's championship of national. National championship of basketball season, South Carolina, after beating UConn went down to UCLA 51 79. Impressive performance by UCLA, a route of South Carolina for their first national title. I want to focus back on coach Dawn Staley, the coach of South Carolina, who I think is really a legend, an incredible leader, and could be the first woman coach in the NBA. I hope she runs for office one day. We've been looking for somebody to run against Lindsey Graham. Stephen Colbert has not yet put his hat in the ring, so maybe Dawn Staley can do it to be the one to run against Lindsey Graham. Watch this space. All right, and finally Tonight will be UConn versus Michigan for the national championship. It should be a slugfest. I am hoping for a good game. I don't know who's going to win this one, but I feel like this UConn team has kind of got some magic. Michigan's been chugging along. So my wife has picked UConn, my son has picked Michigan, my other son and I picked Duke. So we're long out of this. So I'm rooting for a great game, which is what I think America needs, and I'm picking Yukon. All right, finally, let's talk about culture. And it is Manosphere Monday. So I'm going to give you something that is Manosphere Monday. And something good. Something good. If you need something good anytime this week, look up in the sky and think about Artemis and go to NASA's YouTube page. Go back and check out my episode last week with astronaut Scott Kelly. It was one of my favorites from Friday. It's really getting around and getting good traction on YouTube. But check that out and listen to astronaut Victor Glover's message from Space. Play this, please.

[Astronaut Victor Glover]

I'm glad you brought that up, though. I think these observances are important. And as we are so far from Earth and looking at, you know, the beauty of creation, I think the. For me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing. And, you know, when I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us who were created, it's. You know, you. You have this amazing place, this spaceship. You guys are talking to us because we're in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you're on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we're doing is special, but we're the same distance from you. And I'm trying to tell you, just trust me. You are special in all of this emptiness. This is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe. You have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together. I think as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about, you know, all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we got to get through this together.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

What a perfect message for Easter and beyond. This is what an American president should sound like. Maybe one day it is what American president will sound like. I'm going to start saying it. Let's draft Victor Glover to run for president in 2028. Maybe as an independent we can hope, because we need that hope. It's the oxygen of democracy and we need it to contrast what's coming out of the Pentagon especially, and what's coming out of Trump's mouth. So let's dig deeper into that right now on this Monday to help you stay vigilant. We will get to my conversation with Dan Lamoth, who will help us all stay vigilant. Independent Americans around the country and around the world. It is coming at us fast and furious on this Monday. As I covered, we just had today a pretty wild and important press conference from Donald Trump. And we've got a perfect guest to help us break it down. A returning champion, a guy who's at the middle of all of it. He is a really effective and thoughtful national security military affairs reporter at the Washington Post. The great and powerful Dan Lamoth is back on Independent Americans. Welcome back, sir. Thank you so a lot there. Let me ask you this. What do you think is the most important takeaway? Because I felt like the rescue story kind of got stepped on by Trump threatening to bomb Iran into oblivion in 24 hours and doing a bunch of other shit. But what's the net net takeaway here? What do you think was new from that press conference thing?

[Dan Lamoth]

Yeah, I mean, I think the, the rhetoric and, and the conversation over what this APM deadline set for Tuesday night could mean, you know, we're, we're in potentially a new spot with the war, then if we're as a nation going to be, you know, going after all kinds of infrastructure in Iran that at best in some cases have a tenuous tie to an actual military use facility. You know, reason, basically. So, I mean, that, that opens a different kettle of fish in terms of legality, strategy, what that might do to the Iranian people that perhaps are open to a little US Help generally. So, and I think that's, that's notable on the rescue. I Mean, I think there was greater fidelity in number of aircraft, confirmation of various details that had come out in reporting from the Post and the Times and other outlets. But, but I didn't hear a ton there. That was, was surprising.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Let's break those two pieces apart. So number one, they asked him, are you basically, are you prepared to commit war crimes? And he didn't say no. Right? I mean, he said I would hit civilian targets. Like they put it on him as a war crime question. And he said, you know, he basically left it open. I think that's a big headline here, right? Is he's basically saying anything is fair game, nothing is off the table, including what some might consider war crimes.

[Dan Lamoth]

I think we're in a spot. And this isn't a surprise for, for this, this president, this administration, they don't want to remove anything from, you know, from the table as a potential option, potential cudgel in negotiations. Maybe they do it, maybe they don't. But they certainly don't want to telegraph in advance that they're operating within normal norms.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Okay, let's talk about the operation itself. Do we know too much, Dan? I mean, I feel like we know too much. And then there was one point where Cain was going back and forth and Trump says, how many people did we use? And I'm paraphrasing, and Kaine says, I don't want to tell you we shouldn't be putting that out there, sir, or something like that. And then he goes, well, it was a couple hundred. Like Trump is putting out a lot of detail about how they broke down the helicopters and all this other shit that is boastful and braggadocious, but probably not great for us to put out to the world, right?

[Dan Lamoth]

I think we're in a, in a spot with these sorts of operations, the killing of Osama bin Laden, variety of other high profile operations where this conversation always comes up, right? Doesn't matter who's the president, doesn't matter which administration's in charge. There's always this push, pull between how much detail is too much, how much spills out through the, you know, through the media, through unaffit, you know, unauthorized and, or background sources. Some of these sources that are unnamed actually probably are authorized to speak on the issue in that capacity. So it didn't surprise me that we have this conversation yet again. I felt like in the moment, you know, there were a lot of us tracking this operation Saturday night. There were a lot of people tracking the operation Friday as well. You know, there was some restraint in the media, particularly until it was known that this backseat officer was actually not. Not even just rescued, but rescued and in a safe space. And the latter part, given what we now know as the C130s getting stuck and other and other things. There was a weird window where it was like, hey, we keep hearing reports that, you know, they've rescued the guy. And yet, you know, like, you're watching the hours go by and you don't have clarity on why there's not yet sort of a clear sign that you're not jeopardizing anybody's safety by reporting it. And then we found out, you know, obviously late in the evening, Saturday night, really bordering on, you know, after midnight, that, yes, they were out. And yes, we had this, you know, unexpected set of circumstances that I think complicated it.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

So here's what we all saw. Jack Murphy posts something right on. On Sunday night. He is. He has deep connections in the special forces community. As a podcast, he puts out, hey, the operation has happened. The guy's. The guy's out, right? We all know that. We all saw that. We all know who he is. We can't verify that. And none of us verify it. I didn't even repost it. I was trying to, like, I'm like, you know, I can't verify this. I gotta wait until. I think the first formal verification I saw was from Jennifer Griffin at Fox News. There might have been somebody else before that, but then Jennifer Griffin on Fox News on the Record says he's out. And then other people start to follow that. Is that kind of the order? And you guys may have been holding it. You might have had different editorial standards, but we're in this moment where this guy, who most of us, I think, has been on the money about a lot of things, we can't verify it, but it was out on Twitter for three, four hours before it finally got confirmed. Right? Yeah.

[Dan Lamoth]

I mean, it would appear that the Murphy's source on that was spot on. I mean, he didn't really clarify who the sources were and how he knew what he knew. But, I mean, it did look like those initial reports held up everyone else, particularly once you start saying, hey, is that accurate? You know, I think there were some red flags put up by the government that, hey, this operation's not concluded yet. Not everyone's necessarily safe. And so, I mean, every outlet's going to have a different discussion internally on what to do. I know for us, it was. We eventually published ahead of any kind of truth social announcement. We had it from two officials basically that everybody was out. And at that point it was like, okay, we're going to let it rip. And I think the truth social came out maybe 15 or 20 minutes later.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

So can we talk about the macro environment right now around all of this? It feels like the leaks are exploding around Hegseth personally, around the Pentagon, potentially around this operation. Maybe there was a tighter lip, but it feels like we're entering a new era where the floodgates are open. I'm seeing stuff on in the New York Post. I'm seeing stuff consistently at cbs. I'm seeing you guys, you know, it looks like responsibly hold your fire, but I know you can't divulge sources, but is the level of leaking or tipping increasing pretty significantly right now?

[Dan Lamoth]

I mean, I think it comes in waves, and I think it depends on the story. You know, for me, a. A story built on five, six people who have knowledge of a situation, and it's more internal turmoil on the Pentagon or, you know, internal discussions of what might come or who might be staying or not. That's a different ball game than in the moment with a live op. So, you know, and I think those things sometimes get conflated, and I think there's often a desire to, you know, kind of point to a story that they would love to call palace intrigue. But I would say when you've got senior appointees not on the same page and firing four star generals, that's way more than palace intrigue in the moment. It gets a lot more complicated. And yeah, I mean, every single time, it's always chaotic. It always feels tense in the moment of, how do you know what, you know? You know, hey, is this safe or not? I mean, there's a lot of discussions that I think would maybe even surprise some viewers that would sound an awful lot like, wow, there's actually an abundance of caution, particularly in these live operations

[Paul Rieckhoff]

a lot of times, Dan, separating the operational components from the political components. Kristi Noem is now out. Bam. Bondi is now out. Trump has floated he might be firing other people. Hegseth was in the crosshairs until this operation maybe gave him a second life here. But are the knives out for Hegseth in and around the Pentagon, especially as he continues to purge generals that are

[Dan Lamoth]

pretty popular, I mean, within the Pentagon. I think we're in a spot now where Hegseth seems to have traction, more traction than he had a year ago at this time. In the aftermath of the signal gate issue, I think there's some acknowledgment internally that he's likely to stay as long as he wants or until something else significant goes wrong. So that kind of puts you in a different ball game in terms of, you know, trying to assess who's staying, who's going. You know, would he have forced Randy Jarge into retirement a year ago? I would have questions on that. That would have been another big rock the boat moment at a time when perhaps you wanted calmer seas. You know, he's reached a point where he's confident doing that kind of thing.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Well, he's also confident doing that because he's cleaned out so many people. Right. I mean that's a. He's got, you know, less opposition, especially at the top levels. But let's talk about the latest purge, right. Randy George is a general that's out, very popular, you know, 40 years plus, well respected. You know, Maynard from Tool posted about how he knew him from when they were in high school together. You know, what do you know about. Let me ask you most importantly because there's extensive reporting on this. What happens next? When does George get out and is he maybe gonna be somebody who breaks the seal and speaks out? I've seen CQ Brown spoke at Harvard and a little bit, but nobody's really gone full attack on Trump and on Hegseth and on Iran. Randy George is now out. Any sense of when he's out and what he might do?

[Dan Lamoth]

Yeah, I mean, and I guess worth noting here, it's not just George in this case. I mean we also had a four star General Hobney down at Transformation Command. He's a former Army Ranger. You know, a lot of the, you know, army officials, current informer that I know that know him, saw him as no nonsense, kind of a warrior's warrior, kind of feel the people that had issues with him, it's often because he was kind of a hard charger. So that not exactly the woke general that you might picture getting fired. And then the head of the chaplains, Major General Greene also pushed out at a time when Hegseth has been talking an awful lot about how he wants to reform the chaplain Corps. We don't yet have a lot of fidelity on what the specifics are or whether or not there was an ask that General Greene didn't want to do or whether this was simply house cleaning on Hegsets part. But, but I mean that, that's, that's significant. Multiple four stars in a day, plus the chaplain core head. I don't see General George having known him 15 years. I met him when he was a one star general. You know, this is a guy who's thoughtful and serious and focused on lethality, but also not a screamer. Not a guy who really likes to mess with politics. If you ask me what party he's in, I have no idea. He, he kind of fits the mold of what you usually would picture as a nonpartisan military leader. And for all those reasons, I would be really surprised if he's someone who moves out and starts jumping in front of all kinds of microphones to talk about this.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Well, this is the other environment they've created. They threatened to take away Senator Kelly's retirement, and that's real now. So I wonder who's going to be the general who says, hey, you know, I'm, I'm going to put my retirement on the side. I'm going to do what I think is right. I'm going to speak out. I feel like there, there, there isn't, there hasn't been a seal breaking. Joe Kent might have opened a little bit of a hole, but there seems to be no indication that any of these generals are going to speak out in a way that would be newsworthy. That would be different from them going to the Council on Foreign Relations and kind of talking around it. Right. I don't feel like there's a whistleblower moment happening unless you see something different. And you'll probably be the first guy to report it.

[Dan Lamoth]

Yeah. And I would note this is not simply is it right to speak out or not moment for these generals. Just the culture for a lot of these generals, particularly if they're going to kind of adhere to the usual norms, is that you're going to kind of take it on the chin, thank everyone for, you know, serving with them. Kind of like General George did in a email that kind of circulated through, through the weekend. You know, he said thank you. He said, the army needs leaders of character. That's kind of the vibe you're going to get out of him. I would anticipate. He's not someone who's going to start spilling, you know, political intrigue just because he can.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Let's talk about the culture piece. Hegseth did it again today. He invoked Jesus in a way that is unprecedented. He basically compared the down, you know, weapons service officer to the return of Jesus. Like it happened on Easter Sunday. He was in a cave, you know, and he started with the God is great line. He ended with the God. I mean, Hegseth is invoking religion and Jesus in a way we have never seen before. As he Launches our military into a region divided by religion for generations. Do you have any sense of how that might be generating pushback inside? And now the chaplain, the head of the Chaplain Corps, is gone. As Hegseth seeks to remake the Chaplain Corps. Can you talk about this infusion of religion, which has never been seen before? I think in the modern military has always been verboten, but Hegseth just keeps hitting it, and he makes it sound like we're in a holy war.

[Dan Lamoth]

Yeah. On the. I mean, chaplains are around, prayers are said. I have said prayers before, going out on combat patrols as a reporter with a handful of infantrymen. Like, it does happen. It is a part of it. You know, the whole no atheist in a foxhole line. Like, clearly, there are some atheists in the military, but there are also a lot of people who, in tough circumstances are going to be thinking about some sort of higher power. I think where the difference is now is it's not like sort of a vague higher power where it's all inclusive, where, you know, you kind of pray to whoever you pray to kind of idea, this is very specifically in Jesus's name. This is very, very specifically a certain kind of Christianity. It's not even, I mean, the clash with the Pope and others. I mean, you wouldn't usually look at the Catholic Church and say, hey, guys, kind of woke. But that's kind of the friction now, you know, when the Catholic Church is clashing with the Trump administration over the Iran war and immigration and other issues. We're in a different ballgame there.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Yeah. I mean, there's been a fight over the truth. There's been obviously military fights, but now there's a fight over God, like, whose God is. Right. And now Hegseth is in a real political debate, at least with the Pope, who's kind of countering him. Let me ask you to go back to kind of something we talked about earlier that I want to make sure I get your thoughts on. Trump said somebody leaked, and I think he was. During the press conference today, he was talking about disclosing that we still had a pilot down. And then he said, you know, he said it was somebody in the press. Now, you got to imagine somebody gave that information to someone in the press. So there might be a potential leaker within the administration. But do you have any sense of who he's talking about? He made it sound like they're coming after a press agency for this, like they were going to make an example out of them.

[Dan Lamoth]

I don't. In terms of who was first or who was first plus three minutes. I know there were several outlets all in a row that reported on Friday that an F15, which this particular Strike Eagle has two seats. You'd expect those two seats to be full. It wouldn't be a shock to think that they would be kind of operating according to regular parameters on that. But there were several outlets in a row that all kind of reported it. I mean, I'd have to go back to the tape to see whether it was Fox or Axios or who, you know, were, you know, first A1 on that.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

Yeah, but he did, he did say in the press conference today they're coming after somebody. Right. So we'll watch that and see what's happening. Let me last question for you, Dan. And you've been great on all of this. I always encourage everybody to read everything you're writing. I do wish it wasn't behind a paywall, as I often tell you, but if there's a paywall, it's worth it. Yours is one of them. What? Was there anything new that we learned that was significant in this press event today? And there is. Is there anything significant that we don't know an answer to an open ended thing that we should look to in the next couple of days? I mean, this feels like one of the situations where they're riding the good news, but bad news could be one minute away. But was there any story beneath the story today? And then is there something else we should be looking for in the next couple of days?

[Dan Lamoth]

A couple things that caught my ear. One of them is tactical. It was Trump laying the blame on this downed aircraft on what sure sounded like a shoulder fired missile to me. Did Iran take down one of these jets with a manpad? Which was kind of my question walking away. And he said it in a kind of Trumpian way where I think we'll have to go back to this hape and actually assess what he meant by that. But that's interesting. And that would raise the question of, you know, like that's a, you know, at what height were these aircraft flying? You know, that's outside the usual parameters. Was this fired from some sort of elevated position? Like how did this happen? Is really, I guess one question for me. And that was a detail that wasn't out there prior to today. So there's one thing, I guess, and

[Paul Rieckhoff]

that quote, just to stay on that, the question here is was it a lucky shot or did they crack a code? Right? Like did they crack a code in a heat signature or something else that now Allows them to make, you know, to be able to more likely shoot down our aircraft. Right. That's the discussion that's also happening out there is is it a lucky shot or did they crack one of our defenses?

[Dan Lamoth]

Yeah, I mean, he referred to basically the, you know, this shoulder fired missile, shoulder helder, however he phrased it. And it was pretty obvious it was not some high end anti aircraft system he was referring to. And the missile apparently getting sucked into the gas or into the exhaust of the jet. That, that's, you know, like. Is that right? You know, like, that's always a question of like, is he understanding it right? Is he relaying it correctly? We need to kind of check those details, but that's not a detail that was out there prior to this presser, you know, and I think the rest is we're kind of in this moment now where, you know, there was one reporter who asked, you know, are you escalating or are you de. Escalating? We've kind of heard both. And his answer was very much could be either, I don't know. Which would explain why, you know, reporting by the Washington Post and others, I mean, we had a scoop a week ago saying weeks of ground operations are on the table. You know, there have been others reporting about very specific operations. You know, do they go after nuclear material, do they take Carg Island? All those things, no one's really disputing. Those options are on the board somewhere. It really comes down to what do they actually greenlight or not? And if they greenlight some or most of those, this could go on for quite a while. I mean, this isn't necessarily done in two weeks. The way we've been talking for a while, if you greenlight multiple things here, this could extend well into the spring and beyond.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

And if it does, we know you'll be on it. Dan Lamothu, continue you and your team, Much respect and gratitude to you guys for what is a continued public service and a vigilance on behalf of our troops and veterans. Always thank you for all you do. Everyone should follow Dan Lamoth and his entire team at the Washington Post. And I know he'll be back on again and he will always help us stay vigilant. Thank you, Dan, for all you do, man.

[Dan Lamoth]

Thank you.

[Paul Rieckhoff]

All right, My thanks again to Dan Lamoth. Follow him, support him. It's worth paying the price of going behind the paywall at Washington Post to get his important reporting over the weekend. There was a lot going on. If you didn't see it on Friday, I was on C Span Washington Journal for a whole hour. We replayed it. So check out that special episode. It's a wild thing to do. I sat in a truck for 45 minutes. No water breaks, no bathroom breaks. And I take calls, which is never boring. But I appreciate C SPAN giving us the focus and giving us a chance to focus on our work at Independent Veterans of America. If you're an independent vet like Astronaut Glover and you want to run for office, check us out. Maybe he can hear this up there in Artemis and you can declare your independence. Sir, we need you. I was also on the 11th hour on Friday for a good one. And this coming Friday, I'm going out to Los Angeles for Bill Maher in real time, which should be a fun one. We've got some more great guests coming up this week. Stay tuned for more on that coming up. We will have Jeffrey Wright, we will have Henry Rollins. We will have others. I will keep you updated. Be sure to follow us on every platform, especially on YouTube. Our YouTube clips especially are doing really well. Share those with your friends. Subscribe there on Apple podcasts especially and go to IndependentAmericans US where you can get our merch. You can join our Patreon community chip in a couple bucks to help us keep speaking truth to power and bringing this independent perspective forward and especially breaking down the news and complications and politics around Iran and everything else. The most important story in the world is still that Donald Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, from Iran to Chicago. And I'm going to stay on it. Now, America's been divided. We've been united lately around Iran, around ice and around Artemis. And we are working to keep that going, to add light to contrast the heat. So if you're among the 50, sorry, I wish it was 55. It's getting there. 45% of Americans who are independent. This is your show. I'm going to help you get through it. Because our independent movement is like Artemis, bringing hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenges and status quo and fueling a new movement. And that movement is growing day by day by day. And hope is still the oxygen of our democracy. We're going to need it this week. Look up at Artemis if you need it. And I hope you enjoyed this episode with Dan Lamonth. If you did. Share it far and wide, share it up into space and beyond and invite others to declare their independence. And stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. You know you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant and we're all in this together. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning in to independent Americans. I will see you tomorrow. Enjoy the game tonight. Keep looking up at Artemis. Happy Monday. And stay vigilant. America tells me the left and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow and it's not cool to believe in school but if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble they can bring? He says the red and blue are dead and independent is an attitude an island in the sea of rhetoric and I can probably go he tells me the left and right Our dreams for those without a clue and when you wait, it's time to grow. Powered by righteous media.