
A real king is in Washington this week, and the wannabe king in the Oval Office is making the most of the pomp. Paul Rieckhoff opens with King Charles and Camilla's visit, the Epstein questions nobody at the White House wants to touch, and the through-line that drives this entire briefing: Trump is busting up Congress, the UN, NATO, the World Bank, the EU, and now OPEC — and the institutions that held this country and this world together are being stress-tested in real time. Gas hits $4.18, the UAE bolts from the cartel, 1,100 TSA officers walk off the job, and most Americans have no idea any of it is happening.
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He's a renegade rogue president and he's busting up many of the institutions in this country and in this world that had never been really, truly tested before. He's busting up Congress, he's busting up the World bank, he's busted up the un, he's busting up NATO, he's challenging the eu and now opec. Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode five zero six. I am your host, Paul Rykoff, and It is Tuesday, April 28, and I'm coming to you today from New York City, USA, where the weather is very 2026. Like, it was nice and really sunny earlier and now it's gloomy and colder, up and down, up and down, back and forth. That's 2026, right? Well, the show is going to help you breeze through it, and today's artist will help you do the same. Every day, I introduce my boys to a new artist. And today's artist of the day is Spencer Sutherland, because one of his top songs is called Drama and boy, do we have lots of it. And Spencer is kind of a throwback to maybe Freddie Mercury or a little David Bowie. A dash of Adam Lambert, who I actually love. American pop, R and B singer. Originally from Ohio, he competed in the X Factor uk, which is relevant today given the King is in town. More on that coming up. He was in a Netflix film afterlife of the Party. He's had a modern rock album called the Drama, and his single Selfish was released back in 2017 and had millions of streams. He says he writes songs about how amazing and heartbreaking life can be, which is perfect for 2026. He also has a new song that the algorithm fed up for me called Life is glamorous and then has a line that says, oh, can we cover it up? Can we cover it up? Crimes in clown makeup, which is perfect today for Trump and the King, which is not really glamorous. It's want to feel glamorous, they want to look glamorous. And it's not glamorous for the rest of us, but I'm going to try to help you push through it and bring you the five eyes. I bring you in every single show, independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. Got my new cup here that has the eyes, just one, not five, but no glamorous guest today. Just me and a quick fire Tuesday episode of what you need to know at the top of politics, news, national security, culture and a dash of sports. So let's get into it and let's stay vigilant. All right, before we get into everything else. I often spend time in gyms, on ball fields. My boys are in a lot of sports and a lot of activities. And I go into a lot of public schools all across New York City. And yesterday night, last evening, I was at my boys basketball game. And on the wall was a poster that said, our schools anti bullying rules. Rule number one, we will not bully others. Rule number two, we will try to help students who are bullied. Rule number three, we will try to include students who are left out. Rule number four, if we know that somebody is being bullied, we will tell an adult at school and an adult at home. This is an important school message that you see across public schools and a public school message that Donald Trump clearly never got. We want to be the opposite of what he is and the way he treats people kind of thinks he's a king and not a nice one. We're going to get into that more, but first, let's hit our top topic. All right, here's the top topic for today. Trump is not a king, but he thinks he is. And today a real king, King Charles and Queen Camilla are at the White House. They're in Washington, D.C. and they're meeting with Trump, who thinks he's a king. Now, King Charles is going to call for US UK unity in an address to Congress. He's going to make the rounds. They're also being greeted with tons of pomp and circumstance that Trump loves and makes him feel like a king. They're going to have a chance to dine in person and then they're going to, you know, make the rounds. They're not going to talk about Jeffrey Epstein at all. As advocates and survivors gather over the weekend in a memorial for Virginia GI the late Epstein victim, who had accused Andrew Mountain Windsor, the king's brother, of sexual assault and died by suicide one year ago. Now, the former prince has denied all accusations, said he never witnessed or suspected any of the behavior, which late Epstein is accused. But the UK Is taking the Epstein stuff a lot more seriously than the US including royalty. In the UK, royalty is not immune. Here, Trump thinks he's royalty and thinks he's immune, but he does think he's a king and he wants to expand his kingdom and his reign. And that includes, of course, Iran, which continues to go sideways in ways that not even a king could handle. Gas prices have now hit the highest level since the beginning of the war in Iran. A 1.6% jump in the last month has the average cost for a gallon of gas at $4.18, $4.18, the highest since April 22 when Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, across the world, people are pushing back. People are organizing. They're trying to figure out how to rearrange the deck chairs on what could be a Titanic for our national security. But they're trying to make moves to Comprom compensate for how Trump continues to focus on Iran. And as I've said before, he's a renegade rogue president, and he's busting up many of the institutions in this country and in this world that had never been really, truly tested before. He's busting up Congress, he's busting up the World Bank. He's busted up the UN he's busting up NATO, he's challenging the eu and now opec. We talk about independent Americans. Well, looks like now they're independent Emirates. The United Arab Emirates has said it will leave OPEC in a huge blow to the oil cartel. Now the Emirates will leave OPEC in a decision that will weaken OPEC stranglehold on oil from across the region. Now they're saying they need to chart their own path. They have to preserve their own interests. Now, who are the members of opec? You may not have checked on this in a while. It's Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Algeria, Nigeria, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial guinea, and until recently, the United Arab Emirates. Now, there's been a big rift between the Saudis and the Emirates on how to respond to Iran. And the Emirates, which hosts a major military base, has faced thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks. They've talked openly about their dissatisfaction. And. And it looks like like many others in the world, they can't count on the US and maybe they can't out on can't count on others. The world is not better or safer since Trump has kicked off his latest war in Iran. The world can see it. The world is changing. The world is adjusting. And the world and all of us need to stay vigilant. All right. Meanwhile, things are not better. You are not safer. And there's more evidence of that every day, but it's often below the radar. You may not have seen this, but 1100 TSA officers have resigned from their jobs since the government shutdown of homeland security began on February 14th. CBS has a new report on this. 1100 TSA workers. Do you feel safer? I don't. The world is not better and not safer since wannabe Trump. Wannabe King Trump kicked off his latest war in Iran, which is an extension of his forever war. But although he continues to claim victory, it's our enemies that are celebrating. Our enemies are celebrating. All right, I might have to create a new category called Today in Trump's nonsense that we have to pay attention to. But he continues to weaponize the government and the Justice Department and continuing to target his political enemies, and he's doing that again. He really never stopped. Because, remember, for Trump, no never means no. He just keeps trying like any other rapist. And he's going to keep trying to come after former FBI Director James Comey. The administration is now looking for a new indictment against Comey, all based on this case involving a photograph of seashells that Comey put on a North Carolina beach in the shape of the number 8647, combining the slang term 86, often meaning to dismiss or remove, with an apparent reference to 27, which is, of course, sorry, 47, which is, of course, Trump's number as president. Now, this is another attempt to try to silence people, another attempt to try to remove and intimidate his political enemies and anyone else who might speak out about removing the president, which is kind of something that says American as apple pie. A lot of people talk about wanting to get rid of the president, not assassinate the president, but wanting to remove him. Now, anybody who says that in any way, including putting some seashells on a beach, are going to face the crosshairs and the pressure of Donald Trump. He's also continuing this type of attack by ramping up his war on the press, coming off the shield of the White House correspondence dinner shooting. That's what he's using it as, a shield to justify his aggressive approach to trying to silence free speech and capitalizing on it in a way politically that only Trump can and would. And that includes coming after Jimmy Kimmel, not just asking for him to be canceled, not just having Melania criticize him, but now having the FCC order of review of ABC's broadcast license. This is a big step up. This is the agency, the fcc, that will oversee the review. Trump has weaponized the fcc, and the chairman, Brendan Carr, is a loyal minion on Trump's behalf. He's definitely a lackey and a sycophant, and. And he's positioned himself as kind of an attack dog now to take action against broadcasters, including threatening to take away their licenses. Now, look, Trump's war on the press and the truth continues to take on new targets. Now, a very significant one in Jimmy Kimmel, as I've laid out over the last couple of months. This comes after others. Think back to Twitter, PBS and npr The Pentagon, press corps, cbs, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel before Washington Post, Stars and Stripes, and Don Lemon. He wants to shut up the comedians because they are uniquely effective. And this is the latest target of the Fourth Estate in the fight to preserve and defend our democracy. This could be the latest in an immeasurably dangerous and terrible ongoing war that's been launched by Trump. Make no mistake, he will continue to focus on combating the truth. He will continue to focus on combating health, science, intelligence, culture, but also the free and fair press and free speech. The very foundations of free speech are under attack. So stay vigilant. All right, a reminder, we've got these cups on our website at IndependentAmericans US if you want to represent for independence. It's also on our. Our YouTube page, because you're going to need it, because there's going to be crazy shit coming out every day. And here's a news flash. The Trump White House ballroom will not be paid for. Big surprise. It's not going to be paid for by donors or by him personally. This is just like the wall. No, it's going to be paid for by you. By you. Hey, you. Paid for by you and me and everyone else. Chris, play the clip.
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We're going to introduce legislation that would authorize $400 million to be spent to secure the. To build the Presidential Ballroom. Underneath. There will be a lot of military stuff. There will be a Secret Service annex, and we've paid for it by offsetting it with custom fees, but the estimate is $332 million. We're going to do $400 million because I think it's probably going to take more.
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All right, so a new ballroom is what Lindsey Graham is praying for tonight. Trump's ballroom. That's his focus. With your tax dollars. 400 million of them. The corruption is off the charts, and so is the sycophancy. That's a tough word to say, but I'm going to have to learn it. Sycophancy. Fuck that shit. It's absolutely unacceptable. They, first of all, smashed the ballroom and wrecked the White House, which most Americans found outrageous and appalling. And some of whom have forgotten about it, now they want to rebuild it in $400 million from your tax dollars. He's just such a liar about everything. But of course, about this, too. Chris, play that clip.
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But we could use at the White House.
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It's.
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It would actually be a beautiful addition. It's going to cost nothing. I'll spend the whole thing Myself, I will do a big beautiful room. But we could use it at the White House. You know what they do when they have a big ceremony to put up a tent. And somehow I think we've outgrown the tent stuff, right? Don't you think?
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Yes. He said he was going to pay for it. And here's the other side of the story, because there's always a corruption side of the story. David Fahrenholt is an excellent reporter now at the New York Times. And it turns out the Trump administration gave a secret no bid contract to the firm building the ballroom after inflating its value by 3x. This time, the government pays, not private donors. The corruption is now legendary, especially and including around our military and of course around acting Secretary of Culture War Pete Hegseth, who continues to do Hexithian things. Chris, play that song for us. All right. If you like that song. Any other songs you've heard on the show, go to our YouTube page. Chris has them posted there. You can share them far and wide. But I have to play it this time because Hegseth is giving joyrides and Apaches to Kid Rock. Yes, really. Musician and close ally of President Trump, also known as Robert Richie, that's Kid Rock's new real name, flew to Fort Belvoir in Virginia yesterday on his private jet and his home from his home in Nashville, Tennessee. There he met Secretary of Pete Hegset for a joyride on a pair of AH64E Apache Guardians with the 82nd Airborne 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, which is normally stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Now, this is after last month some apaches from the 101st were filmed hovering just outside of Kid Rock's multimillion dollar home in Nashville during a so called training exercise. Now, the army announced that there was a suspension of the pilots and an investigation underway, which was quickly closed and the pilots were reinstated by Secretary of Defense or Acting Secretary of Culture War Pete Hegseth in direct conflict with the Army. This is part of the reason why Hegseth has been in consistent conflict with the Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll. But undermining the chain of command, undermining good order and discipline and using Apaches to do joy rides with Kid Rock. Yeah, the corruption is off the charts. So stay vigilant, all right? Not only stay vigilant, but of course, find a way to channel your anger because if you're not angry, you're not paying attention. Trump is always all gas, no breaks, nothing slowing him down. He's waging War on the free press. He's waging war against your health. And he's also still trying to take over the Western hemisphere. And it can't be forgotten that that includes Venezuela. And I didn't mention it on the show yesterday, but on Sunday, they hit another one, another alleged narco boat. On April 26, they hit a so called narco trafficking boat on a so called narco trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific, engaged in so called narco trafficking operations. Three male so called narco terrorists were killed. No US Forces were harmed in what they continue to call Operation Southern Sphere. Southern Sphere. Now this puts the death toll as a reminder to at least 185 since they started hitting these boats. It was the 54th strike on a boat in the Caribbean Eastern Pacific since September when they started these, these hits on alleged narco terrorists and alleged smugglers. This is the seventh strike just this month. Now, most legal experts have said that this is illegal. The military is not supposed to deliberately target civilians who pose no imminent threat of violence. Now, of course, they're not presenting any threat. They're not telling us who these people are or where they're from. They're not telling us why they can't detain them instead of killing them because if they're worth killing, they should be worth detaining for intelligence assets. The White House, of course, says it's lawful. The White House has determined that the US Is in a formal armed conflict with drug cartels and that these drug boats, runners are combatants without a declaration of war from Congress, without an authorization from Congress, with a War Powers act that continues to fail. It's bullshit. And it's another reason that we all, and especially any of you in Congress who listen to this show, which you should, instead of the cable news crap, you should all stay vigilant. On this Tuesday, a reminder, as Trump continues to wage forever war, Cuba is next. He might have forgotten about that, but Trump didn't. It's still on his vision board led by Marco Rubio. Play that clip, please, Chris.
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The other thing is it can get better. But in order for it to get better, they do need very substantial and serious economic reforms. Those serious economic reforms are impossible with these people in charge. It can't happen. And these people in charge aren't just economically incompetent. They have rolled out the welcome mat to adversaries of the United States to operate within Cuban territory against our national interest with impunity. We are not going to have a foreign military or intelligence or security apparatus operating with impunity 90 miles off the shores of the United States. That's not going to happen under President Trump.
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Yep. This is another punch that they're telegraphing. Remember, they've said Cuba is next. They mean it. Congress won't have a War Powers act vote, I'm sure, until after some kind of military operation is conducted in Cuba. But they want more war, forever war. And there's no congressional approval whatsoever. Most of the country doesn't even know it's happening. Nine countries have had military operations since Trump has been in office and counting. Those are the ones we know about. And it has our country, for the most part, not paying attention. Our Congress caught flat footed and our enemies are celebrating. Our enemies are celebrating. All right. One area where our enemies are not celebrating is Ukraine, because Ukraine continues to kick ass. Okay? They are doing what is almost unimaginable in terms of innovation and ferocity and intensity and focus and unity. And Today is day 1517 of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. And yesterday, this is really mind boggling. Ukraine's drone chief has said his forces are now killing over 30,000 Russian troops every month. That's 30,000 troops every single month. And some people still don't want to admit them to NATO think it's absurd. But if you had told Ronald Reagan that we could take out 30,000 troops in a month without losing a single American, I bet you he'd take that in a second. But no. JD Vance, Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump say no, but Norway is saying yes. And many others across Europe and around the world are saying yes. Norway and Ukraine are now launching their first joint drone production. Several Thirty Mid Strike UAVs are planned to be manufactured in Norway, which will of course create Norwegian jobs. And all of them are going directly into Ukraine's defense forces. These are UAVs that can hit a target near a range of 50-200 km. The first delivery is expected by the summer and is fully financed by Norway. Also, Norway plans to allocate more than $1.5 billion for the purchase of Ukrainian made weapons for Ukraine's defense need. So we don't have their back, but Norway does. If you need some inspiration, you're not going to find it in Washington, but you might find it in Ukraine. So stay vigilant. All right? Speaking of inspiration, you need that on a Tuesday, especially if it already feels like it's a Thursday. I talk about how veterans can lead the way. Republicans are gone, Democrats have failed. They had their chance to save our country and they Both failed and independents and independent candidates are rising up to meet the moment. They're not just moving the needle, they are the needle. And that includes candidates of all kinds all across the country. And that includes our friend Todd Achilles, who is running for Senate in Idaho. He will be here, he will be here tomorrow and he will be breaking down for us the latest on what's happening in his fight to dethrone an 83 year old senator named Jim Risch. Do you know he's 83 years old and he's in the Senate. And Todd Achilles is smart, he's an army guy. And you know, you have to improvise, adapt and overcome, especially when you're an independent candidate. And he has new billboards that went up across the state, six of them. And he says 70% of voters are very concerned about his age and 60% of Trump voters. So what did Todd Achilles do? He took out some gigantic billboards, six of them across the state that says Happy 83rd Birthday to the oldest and richest member of the Senate. Another guy who thinks he's king, Senator Jim Rich, the incumbent. And Todd Achilles says it's time for an independent senator vote Todd Achilles. Well, you're going to get a chance to hear from Todd Achilles. He hasn't been on the show in a while, but he will be back here tomorrow. So tune in for that. As I've told you, I'm going to try to bring you as many independent voices as I can. Todd Achilles is going to talk to us about how he's running against the oldest and the richest member of the US Senate, bringing people together across Idaho to demand change. I'm also going to be hosting events in New York and Los Angeles around once a month for the next couple of months to help support these folks and introduce them to more people. So if you're not already signed up, go to independentveteransofamerica.org, sign up for our newsletter and we will keep you in the loop about events that are happening not just in New York and la, but also in Idaho, South Dakota, Chicago and all across the country. We're going to keep bringing the fire. We've got the fighters. They need the fuel. And you can help us and help them stay vigilant. All right. Another way that we are fighting the good fight and changing not just the leadership, but also the way the structures of our government and our politics are failing is through our push for open primaries. We talked about this on this show for years and there was an important development. Our friend Wes Moore, who's not an independent, he's a Democrat, but he's been on this show a number of times and he's a combat veteran. He's a guy who might run for president. He was on Real Time with Bill Maher last week and he talked about, of all things, open primaries and how there's a need for a change. Chris, play that clip, please. Do Democrats have a problem with their primaries? I mean, everybody does because it only encourages the far extreme wing of the party. That's true of the Republicans. True. I think that the closed primary process has run its course, you know, because I think the problem is the fastest growing political party in this country right now is independence. It's people who are saying, I do not affiliate with Democrats and I do not affiliate with Republicans. Here's the problem. Independents cannot vote until November 3rd. Voice cannot be heard. And when you're looking at the massive gerrymandering that's taking place, for example, in the Congress where over 92% of these congressional districts, they're even, 92% are not competitive by November, it doesn't matter. Now open primaries is focused on this, led by our friend John Updike. Last year they launched their first in its kind lawsuit against Maryland's closed primaries and worked with Delegate Lily Qui to introduce legislation. Now it's paying off with a big endorsement, it seems, from Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Across Maryland, more than 1 million independent voters are shut out of the primary elections, despite, of course, helping fund those elections with their tax dollars. Open primaries are really simple. It's about fairness, accountability and building a political system that reflects the voters as they actually are, not just the labels they choose or reject. Wes Moore is talking about it and I think it's time. Our buddy, my buddy, Governor West Moore, has always led the way. I think we need him to lead the way now against the broken parties and, and against the partisan bosses and in favor of open primaries. There's been kind of a political arms race around gerrymandering that was led initially by Governor Gavin Newsom, who I've invited on this show. He says he's going to come on at some point. I don't know when, but this is a better kinds of arms race, one that will help all voters and help all people of all backgrounds all across this country. And the Democrat who has the courage to stand up against his own party or her own party is going to be a person who will uniquely attract, motivate and inspire independence. So, Governor Westmore, I hope we'll come back on the show to talk about this. In the meantime, look at open primaries website and find out where your state stands and where your governor, senators and members of Congress stand. They should all let us vote and support open primaries and help us stay vigilant. Stay vigilant.
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Vigilant.
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All right. It has been, you know, another difficult week, challenging week. It's always a challenging week with Trump as president, of course. But you got to find your joy and culture is a good escape. And for many people, the show White Lotus is a great escape. There is a season four coming. I've had mixed reviews, but I continue to watch White Lotus and I like White Lotus. I'm always fascinated by who will be in their cast. And now it's been announced that the great actor who Laura Dern will be joining season four. She's going to be there in place of Helena Bonham Carter recently exited the series shortly after filming. So more drama, drama, drama. But other members that have been announced include Steve Coogan, Marissa Long, we talked about Sandra Bernhardt, Heather Graham, and maybe most notably of all, Rosie Perez. Rosie Perez is going to be on the new season of White Lotus. If you're a longtime listener or viewer of this show, you remember when Rosie Perez was on this show to talk to me at the Classic Car Club about boxing, about life and about politics. You've never gone into our archives. Go back and check out our episode with Rosie Perez and I hope Rosie will come back on the show and talk to us about that boxing and much more. All right, finally, let's talk about sports before we get to something good. The NBA continues to be fantastic and yesterday they announced a rookie of the year. No surprise, it's Cooper Flag of the Dallas Mavericks edging out Con Knuckle, which is a really fun name to say. Con Knuckle, my kids like to say. But flag was amazing. 21 points, averaging over almost seven rebounds, four and a half assists. First rookie since Michael Jordan to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He had 51 points in a game against the Magic, the most by a teenager in NBA history. Keep in mind, he is only 19 years old and I think most notably, he continues to be an inspiring leader, a motivational person and a true source of inspiration across New England and especially in Maine. So Cooper Flagg, of course, invite you to be on the show anytime. And let's also talk about NBA. Last night, the Magic took down the Pistons to take a commanding 31 lead. The Thunder disposed of the Suns, who completely collapsed, winning by nine there, winning their Series four zero and the Nuggets came back with no ant man and no Divincenzo Jokic. And The Nuggets won 125 to 113 to take a 5. Sorry to remove the series lead down to 3 to 2. I think this is going to be maybe one of the best series of all in hockey. The Penguins beat the Flyers, Philly now leads that series three to two, and the Golden Knights beat the Mammoth in overtime to tie the Series 2 2. Now it's been a fun series, especially because they're two newer teams and if you brought somebody from a time machine in the 80s, they would say, wait, there's a team in Las Vegas called the Golden Knights and a team called the Mammoth. But there are and it's exciting. Coming up tonight, we got another slot of great games in the NHL. You got Buffalo hosting Boston in a 31 lead there. Dallas and Minnesota are tied 2 2. Edmonton is down 13 to Anaheim. That will be the late game. And then the NBA. We got some good stuff. We got Boston with a 31 lead taking on the 76ers, the Knicks big one at home tonight. We're really rooting for them to turn the corner here for Kat to pull another triple double. They got the Hawks coming up at 8 o'. Clock. And in the late game, San Antonio Spurs I think will dispose of the Portland Trailblazers. Move on. Webayama is back and it's looking good. All right, and finally in sports, a big announcement about boxing. Tyson Fury and Anthony Anthony Joshua will finally fight. Maybe this is good timing because the King is in America, but the two British titans will finally face off in the dream mega fight that will air on Netflix in 2026. If you're a fight fan, you've wanted to see this fight. Anthony Joshua is going to have to take a big step up from Jake Paul in his next fight. He's going to fight Tyson Fury, who recently had a pretty impressive display. But Joshua also has going to have a warm up against Christian Prenga in July and it's going to be his first fight since he had a tragic car crash in Nigeria that killed two people he was riding with. But this is going to be really good. Tyson Fury against Joshua. It's the fight we've all wanted to see and it will be a good diversion and hopefully Trump will stay the hell away from it. It's going to be something good. All right. Finally my something good. Related to basketball, related to, related to sports, and most of all related to inspiring Children, there was a story that you may have missed about Horace Grant, the great Chicago Bulls, a legend who always wore goggles. He always had these trademark goggles. And apparently even though he had surgery to correct his legal blindness, he continued to wear his trademark goggles on the court during his career. After hearing from parents that it was an inspiration he to kids who wore glasses, he said, I got them because I was legally blind. I wore them because of that for a few years. Then after a few years, I got LASIK surgery. I kept wearing them without prescription lenses because I had grandparents and parents come up to me and thank me for wearing them. Their kids and grandkids would make would be made fun of by wearing protective eyewear, playing sports. So I kept wearing them to make it cool to wear goggles for the kids. I remember when my kid had to start wearing glasses and he had to wear those goggles and people made fun of him and I told them about Horace Grant. I didn't know this story about Horace Grant, but it's one that we should share far and wide and remember that we can be an inspiration to the children, especially children who are in a tough spot and especially right now. And it's definitely something good. All right. On this Tuesday, lots of reasons to stay vigilant, of course. Coming up tomorrow, we will have Todd Achilles, independent candidate from the state of Ohio. On Friday, my friend Eugene Mirman, the great comedian of Bob Burgers fan and more, will also talk to us about his car crash, overcoming adversity, and I hope give us some thoughts on Trump and more. We are daily now, if you haven't heard, now you heard. We are on YouTube, we are on Spotify, we are on Apple podcasts. We hit number 15 on the podcast charts. Challenging all those people out there. You know, a lot of the politicians, I think mom Donnie started this, have been doing this thing where they lean in and tap on the screen. Wes Moore also did that recently. So now I'm gonna do it. I'm say, hey, all of you in the top 10. Ben Shapiro, Midas guys, Tim Miller, Joe Rogan, what's up? We'd love to have you come on over here. Let's chop it up. And I'm happy to join you as well, because we're coming. America might be more divided than ever, but they want an independent perspective. And here at Independent Americans, we're working to change that. Adding light to contrast to heat of all the other political shows, and especially the extreme partisan shows, the corporate sellout shows. So if you're among the 45% of Americans who are independent. Whether you wear goggles like Horace Grant or not, this is your show. 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 all across our society. And that movement is growing. If you declare your independence from the political parties, let me know when. I will shout you out on the show. And know that hope is the oxygen of our democracy. If you enjoyed this show, share it far and wide. 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 in this together. From Rosie Perez to Tyson Fury to Horace Grant, I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning in into independent Americans. I will see you tomorrow. Happy Tuesday. Go Nicks and stay vigilant, America. Stay vigilant. Stay vigilant. Dumb dumb dub baby. Dun dun dumb power by righteous media.
Date: April 29, 2026
Host: Paul Rieckhoff
In this solo, rapid-fire episode, Paul Rieckhoff delivers a rundown of the most urgent issues shaking American politics, security, and culture. From surging gas prices and the global ripple effects of the Iran war, to the U.S. welcoming King Charles while Trump acts like royalty, Rieckhoff exposes government corruption and challenges to democracy—especially Trump’s growing autocracy and high-level abuses of power. Despite the seriousness, the episode also finds inspiration in grassroots political movements, sports heroes, and a push for more inclusive democracy.
“Crimes in clown makeup, which is perfect today for Trump and the King... It’s not glamorous for the rest of us.” [03:00]
“Trump is not a king, but he thinks he is. And today a real king, King Charles… are at the White House… and Trump loves the pomp and circumstance that makes him feel like a king.” [04:32]
“Now they’re saying they need to chart their own path… many others in the world… can’t count on the US… The world is not better or safer since Trump has kicked off his latest war in Iran.” [08:37]
“Do you feel safer? I don’t.” [11:01]
“For Trump, no never means no. He just keeps trying like any other rapist.” [11:41]
“He wants to shut up the comedians because they are uniquely effective.” [13:23]
“So a new ballroom is what Lindsey Graham is praying for tonight. Trump’s ballroom. That’s his focus. With your tax dollars. 400 million of them.” [13:16] “He said he was going to pay for it. ... Now they want to rebuild it in $400 million from your tax dollars.” [13:57]
“Undermining the chain of command, undermining good order and discipline and using Apaches to do joy rides with Kid Rock… the corruption is off the charts.” [15:24]
“Most legal experts have said that this is illegal... The military is not supposed to deliberately target civilians who pose no imminent threat of violence.” [17:45]
“If you had told Ronald Reagan that we could take out 30,000 troops in a month without losing a single American, I bet you he'd take that in a second.” [20:39]
“Happy 83rd Birthday to the oldest and richest member of the Senate. Another guy who thinks he’s king…” [22:20]
“The fastest growing political party in this country right now is independents… Independents cannot vote until November 3rd. Their voice cannot be heard.” (Wes Moore, paraphrased at 24:20)
On Trump’s Autocratic Streak:
“Trump is not a king, but he thinks he is.” [04:32]
On Weaponizing Government:
“He wants to shut up the comedians because they are uniquely effective. And this is the latest target of the Fourth Estate in the fight to preserve and defend our democracy.” [13:23]
On Corruption:
“The corruption is off the charts, and so is the sycophancy. That's a tough word to say, but I’m going to have to learn it. Sycophancy. Fuck that shit.” [13:26]
On American Apathy and Congressional Failure:
“Congress won’t have a War Powers Act vote, I’m sure, until after some kind of military operation is conducted in Cuba. But they want more war, forever war.” [19:17]
On Hope through Independence:
“Republicans are gone, Democrats have failed… independents and independent candidates are rising up to meet the moment.” [21:37]
On Open Primaries and Democracy:
“Open primaries are really simple. It’s about fairness, accountability and building a political system that reflects the voters as they actually are, not just the labels they choose or reject.” [25:26]
“He kept wearing them without prescription lenses because parents and grandparents thanked him... He wanted to make it cool to wear goggles.” [30:15]
“If you declare your independence from the political parties, let me know and I will shout you out on the show... Hope is the oxygen of our democracy.” [31:30]
| Segment | Start | End |
|-----------------------------|---------|---------|
| King Charles & Trump | 04:00 | 07:00 |
| Gas Prices & Iran War | 06:00 | 10:00 |
| TSA Resignations/Security | 10:00 | 11:10 |
| Trump, Comey & Free Press | 11:10 | 13:57 |
| Ballroom Funding Scandal | 12:47 | 14:16 |
| Pete Hegseth/Kid Rock Ride | 14:16 | 16:39 |
| Venezuela/Cuba & Militarism | 16:39 | 19:24 |
| Ukraine’s Battlefield | 19:24 | 21:35 |
| Todd Achilles/Independents | 21:35 | 22:56 |
| Wes Moore/Open Primaries | 24:00 | 25:40 |
| Sports & White Lotus | 27:18 | 29:45 |
| Horace Grant/Something Good | 30:15 | 31:09 |
Summary prepared by podcast summarizer AI.
For the engaged, the independent, and the vigilant.