← Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Cease Fire. The Day After. Pray for General Caine.
00:16:50
From the heart of Times Square, host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the "fast and furious" aftermath of a week that nearly pushed the world into total catastrophe. While the immediate threat of a massive military strike has receded, the true cost of Donald Trump’s negotiation is just beginning to surface. We’re diving into the "joint venture" with the Iranian regime, the strategic abandonment of the Strait of Hormuz, and why our enemies in Moscow and Pyongyang are the ones actually celebrating this "victory". This isn't just about foreign policy; it’s a tactical debrief on the forever war mentality and the moral crossroads facing the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine.
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This is the story of the 1. As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products, from disinfectants to lighting, air filters, and more. And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
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Impeach and remove this president because it's not going to stop until he stopped. And if you think that this was good and worth it, this whole Iran war and this whole global upheaval and the launching of our military into this, if you think this was worth it and good, try telling that to the mothers of 13American service members who were killed.
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Foreign.
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Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 488. I'm your host, Paul Reikoff. It is Wednesday, April 8th, and I am coming to you from New York City, usa, in the middle of Times Square because the news is fast and furious and I figured this might be a really interesting place to record a show. So here we are. Welcome to Times Square. Another reason why you got to watch on YouTube, the weather here is kind of cold. I'm looking up on the big board, it says 46. It's sort of sunny. And the country and the city are a little less tense because Trump decided not to obliterate an entire country. We'll get to that in a second. Today's artist. I pick an artist every day is Delicate Steve. I found Delicate Steve today because he popped up on my Red Hot Chili Peppers playlist. And I think we all need a little easy today. It's got a great song called Baby, but I think delicacy and a little delicate talking and music might be what we need after the chaos and catastrophe of yesterday. I'm going to bring you the five Eyes. I bring you in every show, even from Times Square. Independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Yesterday was crazy. And I'm going to give you a quick summary of where we are right now. No guests today, just me from Times Square after finishing an interview at Ms. Now and News Nation. Because we got to stay on top of it. I want to give you my thoughts. And even now, the day after from Times Square is a time to stay vigilant. All right, top topic from here in Times Square. Hopefully pigeons won't land on my computer and a crazy dude won't take my laptop. But the good news is that Trump didn't destroy an entire civilization today. The bad news is we might have to do this all again in two weeks. The TBD is what Trump gave up, but at first pass, it looks like a lot too much. The Strait of Hormuz is still open. The Iranian regime is still in control. We haven't secured their nukes. He's agreed to pull US Troops out of the region and let the Iranians control the Strait of Hormuz. It's not good. It's not a win, it's not victory. The big takeaway is that the world understandably looks at Trump and America as a raging, rampaging menace more and more by the day. And 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, and nothing is stopping him. He'll be back at more crazy shit today and tomorrow and likely talking about Cuba and other targets as this forever war rolls on. None of this madness will stop until he's out. So stay focused, and especially right now, stay vigilant. All right, now we also need to stay vigilant and do something else. Impeach and remove this president, because it's not going to stop until he stopped. And if you think that this was good and worth it, this whole Iran war and this whole global upheaval and the launching of our military into this, if you think this was worth it and good, try telling that to the mothers of 13American service members who were killed. I'm in Times Square next to the recruiting station where some of them might have joined. Jonathan Karl from ABC asked Trump if he's okay with Iranians charging a toll on the ships to go through the Strait of Hormuz. And Trump said, we're thinking of doing it as a joint venture. It's a way of securing it, also securing it from lots of other people. It's a beautiful thing. So we're in a negotiation or a business venture, a joint venture with a bunch of people who just killed 13American soldiers. You can't have it both ways. It's all so stupid and ridiculous and destructive. And there will be no days off until he's out. In the meantime, the circuit breaker we need to be watching is General Dan Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dave Brown over at the Wall Street Journal spoke to General Stan McChrystal, who I hope will come on this show sometime soon, who led US Troops in Afghanistan. He said, I think Dan Kaine is at a moral crossroads. The chairman's unique role of responsibility put him in the room where key decisions are made. He must speak truth to power in a way that can run counter to being viewed as a good team player. Indeed. If you're the praying type, not just now, but for the future. If you're the praying type, pray for General Dan Kaine to be the circuit breaker America and the world needs now and in the days to come. Because this is not over. And he might be the only one who can stop Trump from doing the worst of what he wants to do in the future in Iran and in other places. Because the big net net is that this is not a victory for America. And all around the world, especially Putin, North Korea and in Iran, our enemies are celebrating all right here in Times Square. People might feel safe. They shouldn't. As a guy over there screams and yells because we still face threats at home. Once you've blown the lid off what's happening in Iran, you can't put it back in. And today Hegseth did a Hexithian press conference where he spit lies and attacked media and did what Hegseth does. He might be the only person in the world who thinks that we won in Iran and he doesn't even believe it. Dan Lamoth over at the Washington Post, Every time he accept does a press conference, he talks about who he calls on, which is really important because this is a manufactured press conference. He usually doesn't take objective press questions. Sometimes he does, but the first question was from own. Own. The first question in a time of war was from own, the super right wing Trump supporting network, because of course it was. And then Hegset went on to say a bunch of crazy shit like he also does, including this play, this click.
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Chris, be nice up here. But you did listen to what I said, right? I laid out the objectives. We believe we've accomplished them. And it's a historic military victory. And President Trump has the option as the commander in chief to compel an adversary to the table, which is precisely what he did. And at the end, he chose to say, you know what? I'd rather talk to you at the table than obliterate your capability to export oil and fund your terror regime. So he did make that choice. That was his choice. He was a president of peace and he's been willing to make those really tough calls that the American people elected him to do. Nothing we've done. Not a single thing we've done. This is a typical. Of course it's abc. Not a single thing we've done has put an American troop in more of a harm's way. We've only set our troops up to harm Iranian military capabilities, which they've done to devastating fashion and to great success.
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He said not a single thing we've done has put an American troop in more of harm's way. No one believes anything he says. No one believes you, Hegseth. And remember, folks, after he lied to his first two wives, why did anyone think he wouldn't lie about war, too? This is what he is. This is who he is. And until he's gone, it will not change. So it's another reason we need to stay vigilant. All right, while all this is happening, the Trump machine of cultural transformation and forever war drives on. And there's a story that's below the radar that you probably didn't see, and I want to bring it to your attention. According to the Stars and Stripes, automatic registration for the military draft is to be implemented by December. Did you see that? Yes. Automatic registration of men potentially eligible for the military draft will take effect in December. The new rule, mandated by defense policy legislation passed by Congress last year will require men to automatically, rather than require themselves to register within 30 days of their 18th birthday. I bet you missed that one. I bet you probably damn well did miss that one. I bet your 18 year old sons missed it, too. Or if you're 18 years old, I'm next to a recruiting center. They're not going to need that if everybody's mandatorily enrolled in the draft because it's another element of Trump's forever war that is rolling on. I will continue to stay focused on it. I will continue to stay updated, keep you updated. And it's another reason to support the Stars and Stripes, which is another media entity and Hegseth has had under his bullseye. And it's another reason, of course, to stay vigilant. All right, I got a hit on Ukraine because Putin continues to do that. Last night, at least 13 were killed, 77 injured in Russian attacks over the past day. Russia launched 176 drones at Ukraine just overnight. As cabs continue to come through here in New York. It doesn't look like a place that's in war like the folks in Kyiv are dealing with every day. But Ukrainian Air defenses intercepted 146 of the 176, but not all of them. And it's a reminder that after Iranian, Ukrainians are still continuing to fight and die daily for freedom. And nothing that Trump did weakened Putin's position in any way. In fact, he's driving up oil prices and using tons of American military resources, blowing our goodwill. And Trump's doing the opposite. He helped Putin, unsurprisingly, again. And it's another reason our enemies are celebrating.
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Our enemies are celebrating.
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All right. In politics, a quick hit. A lot of Democrats are trying to spike the ball. A lot of their strategy is to just surrender until November and assume that the free and fair elections are going to happen in November, which I don't think is a safe assumption. But they had a big loss yesterday. Republican Clay Fuller won in the Georgia runoff to succeed Marjorie Taylor Greene. This was a deep red district. And the Democrats, I think we're smoking some of the funny stuff I smell here in Times Square because they thought they might actually win this seat. Clay Fuller defeated Democrat Sean Harris in a special runoff election, giving the GOP another vote in their narrow House majority. Democrat Sean Harris, a retired general, outstanding leader, was a guest on this show. I'll link to it in the show notes, go back and check it out. But I want to have him back on to ask him a simple question. If he had run as an independent, you think he would have come closer because his margin of victory was lower. The margin of victory was lower than Trump's 37 point win in 2024, but he still lost 56 to 44, which is not even close. And I don't think the Democrats are going to win in places like that at all, but especially if they try to run like this. So maybe General Harris will run again as an independent. Watch this face and stay vigilant.
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Stay. Stay vigilant. Vigilant. Vigilant. Vigilant. Stay vigilant.
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All right, some good news. I want to share some good news. Something good. And I got two for you. Number one, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Wednesday American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Iraq, has been released. This was below the radar. Shelly Kittleson is respected across the media world. She was taken in Iraq and she has been released. That is some good news. Some other good news.
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Something good.
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Artemis continues to do amazing things. If you haven't heard, Artemis has a Spotify playlist. I'm going to link to that in the show notes. You should check it out. Because our astronauts continue to inspire. And last night at Barclays center in Brooklyn, I saw something special. I saw a guy who was taking his shot on an NBA team. Cormac Ryan. Played college at North Carolina and at Notre Dame. Grew up here in New York City and came through an Amazing free nonprofit basketball program called Steady Buckets. He's been grinding. He's been working in the G League, and over the last week, he's been playing in the NBA. And last night, in front of his home city, in front of his family, and in front of a hundreds, over a hundred kids, including mine, he scored 14 points in the NBA against the Brooklyn Nets. And it was extraordinary because it's a sign of what hard work can do, determination can do, community can do. Cormac Ryan is one to root for because he's an underdog, but he's made it. He's in the NBA. I think his career is just getting started. I think he scored 35 the other night against Houston, against Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant even gave him his jersey. It's a sign of how not giving up matters, how teamwork matters, and how community matters. There are still folks out there to root for, and Cormac Ryan is one of them. Check him out. And remember, even in times like this, no matter what's going on around the world, there's still helpers out there that are running in when other folks are running out and leaders that you can root for. Cormac Ryan, Steady Buckets, Artemis. They're all something good. All right, I'm going to wrap it up from here in Times Square, but before I do, if you're not watching us on YouTube, it's a pretty good reason. Let me throw it around here. Like, look around. This is Times Square. I don't know if any other podcast is going live from Times Square, but I'm trying to do it. So if you haven't followed us on YouTube, please do this guy. Watch you back, dude. There you go. That's all right. I saved the life of a tourist there. So that's another reason to watch us on YouTube. I might have to do the show here every week, but subscribe on YouTube because America has been divided, but we are more united now in this moment than ever before. You got Marjorie Taylor Greene and AOC agreeing on things. And here in Times Square, people don't look that divided. And I'm working to change it, you know, to bring people together, add light to contrast the heat and bust the barriers of what other political shows are doing. I challenge Joe Rogan, Sean Ryan, the Midas guys. Anybody do some shows from Times Square like this? Maybe we can do it together. But our independent movement is the hope of the future. And if you're among the now 45% of Americans who are independent, including many of the folks around me here. Most of them are not Democrats or Republicans. Most of them right now are tourists. But a lot of them are independent, independent Americans and independent people from around the world. But our independent movement is hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenging the status quo and fueling a new movement that spans all across our society. And that movement is growing. I'm going to continue to bring you independent candidates, independent voices, independent media, independent perspective, because that's what's needed right now, true independence and hope. Because hope is the oxygen of our democracy. Yesterday and the last week was nuts. We can't just blow past that. There is much work to do. If you enjoyed this episode here from Times Square, share it far and wide. Let me know what you think and maybe you can meet me here sometime in the future. Invite others to declare their independence and stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And no, you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant. We're all in this together. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff from here in Times Square, New York City. Thank you for tuning in to a very special independent Americans. We might have to do this again, but I will see you tomorrow with another episode and every day, happy hump day. At least today, Trump didn't obliterate an entire society. And in some ways, it brought us together. In every crisis, there's an opportunity. And the opportunity today is that we're more grateful, we're more united, we're more focused, and I hope, most of all, most vigilant. More vigilant. Stay vigilant, America. I'm signing off from Times Square, but let me give you a quick look before I do. Check it out. Stay vigilant, America. Bye.
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Tells me the left and right Our 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 acrobatic oh, 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
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media
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this is the story of the one As a procurement manager for a hospital system, she keeps every facility in her network stocked and ready. That's why she counts on Grainger to be her single source for thousands of products from disinfectants to lighting, air filters and more. And with fast, dependable delivery, Grainger helps her keep every facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
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If you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening. It.