← Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Scott MacFarlane. 82nd Airborne Heads to Iran.
00:58:06
On opening day of baseball, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down Trump’s expanding forever war in Iran, new deployments of the 82nd Airborne, and the rising human cost most politicians and media are ignoring. From troops headed into combat zones to ICE crackdowns at airports, Russia’s latest massive drone and missile barrage against Ukraine, tech companies exploiting kids, and a shameless candidate joking about veteran suicide, Paul connects the dots on how Trump’s culture war at home and forever war abroad are making America less safe—and why this is a time to stay vigilant.
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Paul Rykoff
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Our troops, our national security, our allies, the laws of war, human rights, civil rights, equal rights, free speech, a free press, democracy. None of that is a priority for him and it ain't never going to change because he's on a mission to be the flag bearer for the culture war in America and from America to the world. It's like nothing we've ever seen and nothing like anything we should accept because we are all less safe because of it. And our enemies are celebrating. Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 475. I am your host, Paul Rykoff. It is Wednesday, March 25th. Opening day for baseball is here and I am coming to you from New York City, usa. Of course, the home of the mighty New York Yankees. And the weather here today is still gloomy high in the 40s, but it is opening day today and tomorrow technically, and it's going up to 70 degrees. And since it's opening day, today's artist is of course John Fogerty because he of course did center field maybe the best baseball song of all time. And it comes off his album Center Field, which was the third studio album by Fogerty, his third solo album. It was released in January of 1985, an album that also had the Old man down the Road and Rock and Roll Girls. And the song, of course, mentions lots of baseball references, including center fielders like Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb. Fogarty, of course, also founded Creedence Clearwater Revival. Hard to say, but important to remember one of the greatest bands of all time with Doug Clifford, Stu Cook and of course, his brother, Tom Fogarty. If you don't know, Fogarty was actually drafted for Vietnam in 1966. The same day he got the draft, he went into the recruiter office for the US Army Reserve, who signed him up immediately for training as a supply Kirk. He did some time in the Reserves and after being faced with four to five years of more duty, he tried to sabotage his fitness by not eating, smoking some weed and planting a syringe in his belongings. But he was granted an honorable discharge and got out in 1968 and went on to write Fortunate Son, a song about war, maybe the most classic Vietnam anti war anthem that's never been more perfect than for right now, as thousands of American sons and daughters head deeper into war in Iran and beyond. It is opening day in baseball, but it's also opening day for a new front in Trump's forever war. But we're going to keep swinging and we're going to keep bringing you hits like DiMaggio, Mays, Cobb and all the others. And the five eyes I'm going to bring you in every show are like a murderer's row of news and politics, independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. And our guest is going to bring that batting cleanup. He is the biggest free agent in the media market that just left what used to be kind of like the New York Yankees of the media but isn't anymore to go to an expansion team or maybe to go to the Savannah bananas, something that's totally disrupting the media landscape. But it's former CBS journalist Scott McFarlane who is here again. If you're a regular listener or viewer, you know, Scott, he's not somebody you just heard about recently, but he is back on the show and he is now chief Washington correspondent for Midas Touch Network. If you don't know what Midas is, we're going to talk about that. But it's a big move for media. It's a big move for the news. And he is coming up. We're also going to talk about January 6th and how Trump may have shared a classified map with people on a plane on the way to Mar a Lago. Yes, really. But before Scott steps up into the batter's box, we've got a lineup of issues that we've got to get through. On this opening day especially, it is a time to stay vigilant. All right, every team in Major League Baseball is in first place right now. That's the fun of opening day. But our show, this show is moving up in the ranks, too. We're not at number one yet, but we are number 25 in Israel. We are number 61 in the United States, 123 in Canada, number 85 in the Philippines. As this show continues to span and expand around the world and around the country. Thank you to all of us, to all of you for helping us reach more people, independent Americans, around the country and around the world. But even on opening day, we've got to get to the important stuff and to today's top topic. All right, leading us off is, of course, the expanding war in Iran and Trump's forever war. And there is now breaking news, courtesy of our friend Dan Lamoth at Washington Post and others, that the Pentagon has approved orders for a couple thousand paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne to deploy to the Middle East. Looks like 2,000 or so are headed to the Middle East. And if you watch or listen to this show, you know that already because Dan Lamoth previewed it on this show almost exactly two weeks ago. He told you that the 82nd Airborne had training canceled and they should be on your radar for deployment for the Middle East. They are on their way now. Some of them are already there. And they could be headed into the Strait of Hormuz, Karag island, or somewhere else in the region any minute now. The pieces are in place. If I were a betting man on Polymarket, which I'm not, in contrast to many of the folks in the White House, I'd say that this could happen after Friday when the markets close and before Congress comes back in session from their break. There's a window there that I think is maybe most likely for Trump to push forward with boots on the ground, something that most Americans don't support, something that Congress hasn't approved. But nevertheless, he is all gas, no brakes. And thousands more of America's sons and daughters are headed into a combat zone. No matter how you feel about Trump, no matter how you feel about this war, please keep those men and women in your thoughts and prayers and their families who this is so personal for, it's their brothers, sisters, their sons, daughters, their mothers and fathers. At least 2,000 more from the 82nd Airborne are in route on these issues. I will continue to keep you updated here, of course, and on social media. I will bring you the latest, bring you analysis and help you, especially when it comes to troop deployments and the unfolding war in the Middle East. I will help you stay vigilant. All right, related to Iran, important numbers that folks may not be tracking on, but CENTCOM tells Stars and Stripes, which is important to support. Now, if you're talking about independent media, media that also continues to be in Hegsets crosshairs, Stars and Stripes continues to put out good information, including that a total of 290 service members have now been wounded so far in what they're calling Operation Epic Fury. The majority of those 255 have returned to duty, which is good news. The number of seriously injured remains around 10. We will continue to track on this and what kind of injuries. We know there will be traumatic brain injuries. We don't know what kind of toxin exposures these folks could experience. And we hope that this is really just the end of it. But that is unlikely, especially if Trump pushes the 82nd and the Marines and into the Strait of Hormuz. There's already a human cost that is being felt and heard more broadly around this country. And CBS News talked to the husband of Army Master Sergeant Nicole Amer, who was killed in the drone strike in Kuwait in the first week of the war. This is the human cost that people need to understand, process and share because we can't forget about those brave men and women who are serving and especially those who've died. But check out this clip.
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Paul Rykoff
And you had just heard that on the news. Yep.
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Scott McFarlane
And,
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Paul Rykoff
and when that came across, I panicked. I freaked out. I was somewhere between 11 and 2, and at 2:39, I sent her a text. I said, I'm getting worried.
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Scott McFarlane
I'm getting worried.
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Paul Rykoff
We're getting reports of the sustainment unit,
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Scott McFarlane
three casualties, five injured.
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Paul Rykoff
I'm gonna need to hear something from
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Scott McFarlane
you today, my love. An hour and a half later, they were walking up my driveway. That's the human cost of war, one that we should be thinking about every day as Trump continues to barrel forward without responding to the will of the American people, which is overwhelmingly against this war, overwhelmingly against boots on the ground, and overwhelmingly against the $200 billion in extra funding that they're asking for. There's also now updated recruiting info. Stars and Stripes also had this story. Those in their late 30s and early 40s. If that means you, you can now join the Army. Yes, the army is increasing its maximum enlistment age to 42 this month, bringing it in line with most of the other military services. But now folks up to 42 years old with or without prior military service can enlist in the regular army, the Guard and the Army Reserves. They've also removed the waiver for marijuana possession. They've said this is a reflection of our times, but here's what it is. It is a way to expand the base of recruits just in time for more forever war. So if I were going to ramp up the resources for an ongoing forever war, I would raise the recruiting age and lower the standards. This is something they've been doing and they will continue to do while they simultaneously say they're meeting recruiting numbers. But quality will be an issue and it's something we should focus on. Also focus on the fact that there is breaking news from the Times that says the Saudi prince may have pushed Trump to continue the war in Iran. Prince Mohammed bin Salman saw this as a historic opportunity to remake the region. Of course the Saudis would like to take out Iran. Of course they'd like us to do it. And we shouldn't be surprised if Trump has been influenced by the Saudis. Keep your eye on this and let's hear more about who's whispering in his ear and where he and his sons could potentially profit. Meanwhile, Trump is doing very Trump like things. And Scott McFarland in his substack today that we'll talk about more coming up, had a headline that you need to know about. The House Judiciary Committee Democrats say newly released documents indicate that Trump showed a classified map to passengers on a trip to his Mar a Lago golf course. We don't know what the map was of. We're going to talk to Scott McFarlane about that, see if he knows. But this would be perfectly on brand if Trump was sharing a classified map of, say, I don't know, military operations in the Strait of Hormuz with oil company executives. We don't know who it was, but we will find out. And Scott McFarlane may be among the first to let us know. It's another way we especially need to celebrate independent media support. Independent media ask the hard questions, especially in a time of war, and stay vigilant. All right. Meanwhile, Hegseth continues to flail and sink. I think he's crumbling under the pressure which continues to rise. He doesn't like doing press conferences, but he's been doing them thankfully he hasn't been asking fielding questions from folks like Dan Lamoth or the AP or Stars and Stripes nearly enough. He's going to the Daily Caller, Newsmax and others. But here's a clip yesterday that shows you, I think, how he is scrambling. This is not Iraq and Afghanistan. This is not a president who's interested in vague end states. He's been very clear with us about what we need to accomplish, creating the conditions for them never to have a nuclear capability. And that's exactly what we're doing in historic fashion. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, Richard. He says this is not Iraq and Afghanistan. This is not a president who's interested in vague end states. He says he's been very clear about what we need to accomplish. I think that Hegseth is the only person who thinks that. And most importantly, if you're explaining, you're losing. And I think right now, Hegseth, especially when it comes to public trust and owning the narrative, is losing. But he's not really focused on the war. He's focused on a lot of other things. He's always focused on one thing, the culture war. That's why I've called him the acting Secretary of Culture War, because in the midst of all the combat, in the midst of more troops in the Middle east, he released this video focusing on making the Chaplain Corps great again. Check this out. As I reported to you in December, in previous administrations, our chaplain Corps was infected by political correctness and secular humanism. The core functions of the chaplain Corps were changed and watered down until they were viewed by many as nothing more than therapists. Faith and virtue were traded for self help and self care. We started correcting that drift then and today we're going further now. Again, he posted that this week, just a few days ago, as thousands more Americans are launching into a war zone, into a region divided by religious differences. For generations, he's focused on religion and more of it because of course he is, because he's the acting Secretary of Culture War always, even during real war. Now, by the way, I'm all for dropping the rank of chaplains, but it's not a priority for our troops right now as they fight and die with more on the way. The USA Today had a good piece on this and they had a quote from an expert who said ideology can be smuggled into an institution through administrative bureaucracy. This is a good piece by Brianna Frank. I'll link to it in the show notes. But this is really important. It's an example of how ideology is being smuggled into the Department of Defense through administrative moves. He keeps focusing on making the chaplain corps great again. His focus is on fighting. His focus is on fighting for God, then for Trump, and then for his extreme vision of America. But our troops, our national security, our allies, the laws of war, human rights, civil rights, equal rights, free speech, a free press, democracy, none of that is a priority for him. And it ain't never gonna change because he's on a mission to be the flag bearer for the culture war in America and from America to the world. It's like nothing we've ever seen and nothing like anything we should accept because we are all less safe because of it. And our enemies are celebrating. Meanwhile, because of everything he's doing, There's a story in defense, one that says that defense workers morale has plunged under Trump. Only 9% of army civilians found Hegseth's leadership motivating. I would like to know who those 9% are that find Hegseth motivating. But here's the takeaway. 91% of army civilians do not find him motivating. That should be troubling, especially in a time of war. Now, meanwhile, Trump and Hag says shameful and undemocratic war on the free press continues. We'll talk about that more coming up with Scott McFarland. But there's breaking news from the Washington Post that the Pentagon has announced it's going to move journalists from their dedicated workspace inside the Pentagon and require them to work from a separate facility. This is days after a judge found the new media policy unconstitutional. They are focused on moving the press as far away from them as possible. And they are spending more time focused on attacking the press than preparing our homeland against real enemies. Because the threats at home continue to rise and they're focused on attacking the woke and attacking the press and attacking Harvard instead of attacking, I don't know, Putin, but Putin is celebrating. Our enemies are celebrating. And threats remain high at home. There was an explosion at a Valero refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. Big, huge explosion. Now, an investigation is underway to find the cause, but I think it's a reminder that there are many countless possible targets in this country that are vulnerable to attack. I have no information that leads me to believe that that was an attack. But it's a reminder that our refineries, many of our infrastructure targets here in America are vulnerable to pipe bombs, to suicide bombers, to drones. Drones are continue to be a threat that I will remind you to look out for. If you haven't heard it Go back and hear my episode with Nolan Peterson from a couple of weeks ago on drones specifically. Also check out my recent episodes with Admiral James Stravides, former NATO Commander, and yesterday's episode with Mark Hertling. I will continue to bring you military adjacent and military voices that can help you understand the threats and cut through the bullshit and help you understand the truth of what's happening and of course
- [19:12]
Paul Rykoff
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Vigilant. All right, some rare good news that I gotta Hit on Afghanistan, freed an American detainee after US Pressure. Dennis Walter Coyle is a researcher that's been held in Afghanistan since last year. After the United States declared Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention, he was finally released. That is good news. A reminder, Afghanistan continues to be an incredibly violent and repressive place. And at least on this show, I don't want to let it become forgotten. Afghanistan is below the radar for too many Americans. But there's a big issue, a very big issue that is unfortunately below the radar that I'm going to tell you more about right now. Now, I've been warning you about election attacks and how I believe that Trump will do all he can to disrupt the November elections. He's said so out loud, he's telegraphing his punches. But now Steve Bannon is openly sharing not just that goal, but the plan. Check this out.
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Paul Rykoff
We can use what's happening with these. ICE helping out, helping out at the airports. We can use this as a test run, as a test case to get
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Scott McFarlane
to really perfect ICE's involvement in the 2026 midterm election. Sir. Now, I've been warning about this for months now. I think there's a total failure of imagination when it comes to what Trump wants to do to prevent free and fair elections in November. I said you should not assume that there will be free and fair elections in November. I said that you should anticipate that Trump will attack the elections in November. He said so publicly and in the State of the Union and yesterday. And Bannon is broadcasting it right out loud. He's telling you that they want to use ice. He's telling you that the airports are a warmup. He's telling you that this is the blueprint and the game plan, and you should definitely focus on this. Do not let it fall below your radar. Because right now, as ICE continues to run rampant across America, now Mullen has been confirmed as DHS secretary, which I don't think will improve the culture. ICE is now at the airports. Many of them are standing around and doing nothing, which is being well documented. I think that ICE might be an acronym for Idiots Chilling Everywhere, if you have your own thought on a better acronym than that. But for now, I will use Idiots Chilling Everywhere. But it's going in some places about how we should expect it. And check out this video that's, of course, gone viral.
- [24:13]
Paul Rykoff
Leave her alone.
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Scott McFarlane
What are you doing? Leave her alone. What the hell are you doing?
- [24:22]
Paul Rykoff
I hope you're so proud of yourselves. You.
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Scott McFarlane
You're on video now, too. Yeah. Shame on you, you un American pieces of you. These are ICE agents at a San Francisco airport detaining a mother traveling with her young daughter. This is what folks are most worried about, ICE coming in, detaining people, being disruptive, being violent, being undisciplined, because they remain, in my view, undisciplined and unconstitutional. And they've now been deployed at airports from Chicago O' Hare to Houston's Hobby Airport, JFK, LaGuardia, Louis Armstrong in New Orleans, Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Fort Myers, Florida, with likely more to come. But despite the lack of focus recently from many Americans, ICE remains undisciplined, unchecked, and, I believe, unconstitutional. And if you're not angry about that, you're not paying attention, because they continue to rip our country apart. They continue to poke every American in very, very vulnerable ways. Like at the airport, when you're trying to move around spring break with your family, I think the last thing you probably want to see is ICE agents ripping people off of planes. But that is happening, and we should most definitely understand that this could be a warmup for what could happen at the elections. I want to talk to you about not just what's happening now, but what's happening next and help you, of course, stay vigilant. All right. We got to stay vigilant, of course, around veterans issues always. And around politicians of either party, Democrats or Republicans or no party, the very few of them that exist in Washington, when they do stupid things, and in times of war, especially, they do stupid things. I brought you our Chicken Hawk Club, led by folks like Lindsey Graham and John Fetterman. And I also have brought you our Assholes of the Week and our Assholes of the Day. And I got one for you today. It's definitely our Asshole of the Day. And a week full of them. This one takes to cake. His name is Brendan Herrera. He is a candidate seeking to replace an embattled incumbent in Texas. He owns a copy of Mein Kampf. He's been a podcaster. He claimed that Abraham Lincoln didn't free anybody, and he poked fun at veteran suicide rates. House Republican leadership is still backing him, which I think is an embarrassment. But in the 2024 election, he got scrutiny over his comments on a podcast that he co hosts, talking about veterans suicides. At one point, he said, and I'm going to quote him, I often think about putting a gun in my mouth. So I'm basically an honorary veteran. This man said this. I often think about putting a gun in my mouth. So I'm basically an honorary veteran. He thinks that's funny. Veteran suicide takes 17 lives every day. And there's nothing funny about that. There's nothing to poke fun of there. And if he doesn't understand that he has no place in Congress, he's most definitely our asshole of the day, our asshole of the week. And when it comes to veterans, he could rank up there for asshole of the year. If you're a veteran that is struggling, that needs help, that needs support or just wants to reach out, I will always have resources in the show notes here, you can text 988, you can reach out to me. But especially in times of war, we veterans need to look out for each other. All of you listening and watching need to look out for our veterans. And we need to stay vigilant around people who say stuff that's not only dumb and ridiculous, but dangerous. So stay vigilant, America. And especially stay vigilant if you're voting down there in Texas. All right, Trump, all gas, no brakes. Nothing is slowing him down as he forges forward with boots on the ground. Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, world Ukraine continues to fight on without adequate support from our president, which is shameful and disgraceful. A real enemy in Putin continues to try to take over Europe and threaten his enemies and threaten our allies. And Today is day 1493 of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. And overnight it was a massive attack on Ukraine from Russia with over 550 drones unleashed across the country, one of the largest of the war. It was an overnight attack that went into the day. 550 drones striking city centers across the country. Several people were killed, at least 40 wounded. We continue to get information coming out. Apartment buildings, hospitals, a UNESCO world heritage site all got damaged. But it was also followed by daytime strikes, which are very unusual. And an overnight strike that had 34 missiles and 392 drone attacks. But daytime strikes have been unusual and this one was massive. It's another reason why we need to stand with our friends in Ukraine because they're pretty good at this missile and drone thing. They've had a couple years of it to hone their craft.
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Paul Rykoff
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the top of our game. No artificial flavors, sweeteners or colors. 75% less sugar. And all the electrolytes of regular Gatorade now available nationwide. They're experienced and they can help us now, not just in the Middle east, but especially here at home. So continue to stand with our friends in Ukraine. Continue to track on this. Don't let it fall below your radar. And most of all, stay vigilant. All right. In politics. A quick story I want to hit on that you should be vigilant about. The tech companies continue to hurt and screw our kids. It's not getting a lot of focus nowadays because of the whole war thing and ice. But Meta has been ordered to pay $375 million over child safety violations. This is one of the company's first major losses. The New York Times had the story. New Mexico jurors found that Meta had misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabling sexual exploitation of young users. This is dangerous stuff, but it's a historic victory for kids and for families who paid the price for Meta's decisions to put profits over kids These tech companies need to be held accountable. The leaders need to be brought before Congress. It should be bipartisan. We'd love to have the attention of the president on it. But in the meantime, keep yourself vigilant, keep your children vigilant, especially when it comes to technology. And I'll continue to focus on it whenever I can and help you stay vigilant. All right. Before we get to Scott, who's coming up, who is one of the best reporters in America, has exciting news about a new move and about the future of independent media, something that I've obviously been focused on. And if you listen or watch, you're focused on. Let's hit on a quick thing in culture that's pretty fun and exciting. He still hasn't agreed to run for Senate in South Carolina versus Lindsey Graham, but I'm going to keep working on him. But Stephen Colbert has some very cool news about something he's going to do next. He's not going to run for Senate as an independent in South Carolina or at least yet, but he's got some other plans that he announced on a Twitter on an X post with someone you may or may not know, Jackson, the guy who created the Lord of the Rings movies. Check out this clip, this surprise clip and an announcement from Stephen Colbert.
- [33:54]
Paul Rykoff
It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call, but about two years ago, I did. You liked it enough to talk to me about it.
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Scott McFarlane
And ever since then, the two of
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Paul Rykoff
us have been working with the brilliant Philippa Boyens on how to develop the story. And we recently took it to Richard
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Scott McFarlane
Brenner at Newline and Pam Abdy and
- [34:15]
Paul Rykoff
Mike DeLuca at Warner Brothers. And I could not be happier to say that they loved it. And so that's what we're going to be working on. Fantastic. Now, are you sure you've got the time, though? Because you know that I did not think I would have the time. As much as I love it. I knew I couldn't do that and do the show at the same time.
- [34:32]
Scott McFarlane
But it turns out I'm going to
- [34:34]
Paul Rykoff
be free starting this summer.
- [34:36]
Scott McFarlane
So is it that fortunate?
- [34:38]
Paul Rykoff
Isn't that, isn't, isn't that a EU catastrophe right there? So if you'll excuse me, but I've got to finish a television show and I've got to write a movie script. But I will see you all in the Shire.
- [34:51]
Scott McFarlane
Hopefully you could hear or see that, but Stephen Colbert and his son are developing a brand new Lord of the Rings movie. The announcement came Tuesday on the studio's social media accounts. Colbert has worked with Jackson before, if you don't know this. Colbert had a small role in the 2013 the Hobbit, the Desolation of Smaug. He also directed Jackson and and Lord of the rings stars Ian McKellen, Bergam Morgeson and Elijah Wood in the 2019 short film Daryl Gorn, which is set in JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth. So Colbert is going to be doing some fun stuff and I think he deserves it after standing up for our democracy and taking all this shit in the last couple of days. Look out for that, especially if you're a fan of Tolkien and especially if you're a fan of Stephen Colbert. Thanks again to everybody who's new here that saw me on Stephen Colbert a couple of weeks ago. The Instagram post now has, I think over 4 million views and it's bringing many new people to this show and I hope to have Stephen Colbert as a guest on my show soon. Stay tuned for that coming up in the next couple of weeks, I hope. Finally, in sports, there's some big news. It is opening day, but there's a lot of basketball news. March Madness continues tomorrow and the NBA Board of Governors has approved a vote for the league to expand and explore applications for expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. The 30 owners voted in favor of it. The bidding process could generate offers in the seven to $10 billion range. They could start playing as early as the 2829 season, and the team is looking to expand beyond 32 teams. Seattle and Las Vegas have always been the front runners. Seattle hasn't had a team since the supersonics. Vegas has had a lot of success with their WNBA team and other teams moving there like the Oakland A's, and multiple officials have said it's not when it's if I think it's great for basketball, it's great for America. And I've always said independents are kind of like Seattle basketball fans. We root for the game, but we don't have a team. So Seattle will have a team soon and we will have more and more leaders by the day because our independent movement is continuing to grow and especially the independent media movement. And it is March Madness. It is opening day and we've got a news free agent slugger that is here to help us lead off opening day and go into a whole new season of media and politics. And the great Scott McFarlane is here and it's time for us all on this opening day in America to stay vigilant. Okay. Independent Americans around the country and around the world, these are really crazy times. And it is an important time for independent voices, independent journalists, independent perspective. This is independent Americans, after all. So we have a very important returning champion at a very important time. You know him because he's been a regular guest on this show when he was at CBS covering the Justice Department January 6th and much more. He has now left CBS and joined Midas Touch Network, which we will talk about in a second. But he's one of the best investigative journalists out there, a guy who's always on the beat, a guy who's relentless and I think embodies the five eyes of this show, especially the integrity. As we enter into March Madness, an opening day of baseball, and much more, the great and powerful Scott McFarlane is back on Independent Americans.
- [38:26]
Paul Rykoff
Welcome back, Sir Paul's favorite place to be. Thank you for having me.
- [38:32]
Scott McFarlane
You got the best microphone in the business. I said this. And one of the best voices. I already love this new phase of Scott McFarlane because you should be watching on YouTube. He's kind of leaned up against the bar like, which makes him feel very relatable, which I think is part of why you're so trusted. But congratulations on the new move, man.
- [38:52]
Paul Rykoff
It's a change, but hopefully it's not a change in content. Going to do the same thing. There's a absolute infinite number of stories out there to pursue. There aren't enough people, there aren't enough journalists, independent or otherwise, to find them. So we're just going to find as many as we can and communicate them the way you do and just straight to the point, right to the camera. Here's what happened. Don't need bells or whistles or big TV studios. Just, just get to it. Get right to it.
- [39:23]
Scott McFarlane
Yeah, I want to dig into that because Anderson Cooper and CNN and many others are kind of following our lead and it's been like hyper speeded in the last couple of weeks. I want to talk about what you hit in your substack today about Trump and this map. I want to do an update on January 6th and we'll get to something good. But let's start with Ask everybody. Where are you, Scott, and how are you? It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for you, but where are you and how are you?
- [39:47]
Paul Rykoff
I'm not where I was a couple of weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago I was the justice correspondent for the CBS Television Network. And I am not. I stood down from that position. I decided to go in a different direction. I'm not sure there's a lot of people through the history of mass media who have stepped down from the position of network television correspondent voluntarily. But I saw where this is going. And people have been communicating to me what they found value in and what they seem to find the most value in. There were the things I was doing between the broadcasts when I was talking directly to them with an urgent update right into my phone. So it felt like we go down that road further. Maybe we can provide more immediate value and go directly to people with what's happening versus going through all the things you have to go through to put on a fine broadcast. There's production time. There's incredible lighting and audio work that's done behind the scenes. But all of that takes time. And perhaps it breaks down some of the intimacy you want to have with people when you're telling them something important or something controversial or something that they need to know that is time sensitive. You want to just get right to it.
- [40:55]
Scott McFarlane
Yep. You've been doing that throughout your career, but especially, I think, in the last couple of months. And I know that I am one of your fans and followers, and I have consumed that content. Content as quickly as you can put it out. Let me ask you to, you know, I won't take offense that you went to a cable news network before you came here, but you did go to Midas, and you've been, you know, making the rounds and talking about this. Let me just start by asking you, why'd you leave cbs? I mean, I, like many are concerned about cbs. You know, even the last time I booked you, I'm like, you know, I love Scott, but he's at cbs. And CBS is changing. But just straight up, why did you leave cbs? A lot of folks are leaving CBS because of the changes. Bari Weiss is in charge. It's going in a different direction. But why'd you leave cbs?
- [41:39]
Paul Rykoff
Nobody was putting any heavy hand on me. I had unscripted bandwidth at CBS. We have a 24. 7 streaming platform. When I was at CBS, and they still have it, there's nothing in the teleprompter. There's nobody telling you what to say. You can speak whatever you think your reporting needs to, needs to include. And on January 6, 2026, I was on a lot on our CBS radio affiliates, on the CBS television stations, the local affiliates and on our streaming platform, a whole bunch talking about it. But one of the things that's important to note is those linear traditional media, mass audience programs. Think about Your morning shows, your evening newscast, the things that are in primetime, the news magazines, the Sunday morning roundtables, those are not always available to you all the time. You can't always get space to tell a piece of news. You may have to. The millions of people who watch Good Morning America, the Today show, CBS mornings. You kind of have to fight for that airtime. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. But if you don't win, your reporting doesn't quite have the reach it would otherwise have. So it felt like because I was playing so aggressively in the independent space, well, there is limitless bandwidth there. There's never a day where they say, we don't have room for your reporting. What's more, you don't have to wait till a certain time of day to share the reporting. It is clearly moving in the direction of independent media because people want to consume their news the way it's being disseminated as quickly and as conversationally and as declaratively as possible.
- [43:19]
Scott McFarlane
And so you leave cbs, which is, you know, kind of like a big free agency move on the landscape here. That's how I would describe it, right? CBS radio goes down right behind you. Right. So it's kind of collapsing behind you in terms of its reach, and I would argue its independence. You go to Midas. Midas, for folks that don't know, is a rocket ship. I mean, I think 6 million on YouTube, in many ways, the future of what media looks like. Also, very low cost, very high revenue. These guys are making a lot of money. They're reaching a lot of people. But also, and I'm gonna ask you to explain, it seems like a future where you can eat what you kill. You know, if your YouTube audience grows, it's yours. You can decide editorial, you can decide creative. Now they are left of center. You know, I'm curious to see how you want to address that. But they have massive reach that seems to be accelerating at a rate that almost nobody can compare with. So if your goal is getting to as many people as possible and having creative and editorial control and, you know, have a slice of the pie that you're baking, it seems like a smart move. But how do you. How would you describe it?
- [44:26]
Paul Rykoff
Think about the places that are drawing larger and growing audiences. Think of the platforms that have either sturdy, resilient, or accelerating audiences. These are audiences that want news. They want information. They want things they can't find on their phones right now. Elsewhere, things they can't find if they Google it in 10 seconds. So news is bulletproof news is always going to have an economy to it. You're always going to be able to earn a living off of it, so long as what you're providing is something that's enterprising and not a commodity that is found anywhere else. I think the people who are strongest in the news business, or once they're telling you something you just can't find elsewhere, there'll be an audience for that, no matter what type of platform you're on. The Midas Touch Network audience is ravenous for news, they're ravenous for updates. They're not people who are looking necessarily to have information that reinforces their opinion. They're looking for news to form an opinion. And I think those who've been uniquely strong over the last decade in the news space, think Fox News, think of the Today show, think of the New York Times, think of the Midas Touch network. Their audiences expect news. Even if there's an opinion page like the New York Times has, even if there's some edgy hosts on Fox News in primetime, there still is news gathering that's bulletproof, economically.
- [45:54]
Scott McFarlane
Yeah. I mean, and you can see the success. I mean, Don Lemon, Joe Rogan, Sean Ryan, you know, the Ben Shapiro's of the world, it seems to have been more right of center if you look at Megyn Kelly and others who've made it successful on their own. But I think there's an important part for folks to understand here too, which is you own it. Right? Like you own your ip, you own your editorial. Like you're not. You don't have to go to CBS and have them splice it up and take a chunk. And I mean, I don't know what the comparative numbers are, but you're probably reaching millions of people now versus maybe a couple million on cbs. Like, the reach is multiple times higher. And the growth trajectory is the opposite of where network and cable news are going. Right.
- [46:35]
Paul Rykoff
And I view it through a righteous prism because I've been doing this for a quarter century. My information and my stories and the information my sources are caring to share that hits the bigger audience. And I can't tell you how many times in the news business, when I was in local radio in New York State, upstate New York, when I was in television in Detroit, when I was at the CBS Television Network or NBC, where sources would give me a pretty good commodity, a good piece of information, and there just wasn't a way to find a home for it. Well, what does that do to the source? Like, I can't. Not that I can't trust Scott. I can't trust this news is going to get out through Scott. Now we have a different dynamic where information is verified, something I could, I feel comfortable reporting. There's always going to be a home for it. And when independent media operates with that mindset, independent media has and will continue to thrive. You find a boat for every passenger. You find a river for every boat. But I also, I think it's important to emphasize, Paul, because you and I have done this for a bit. It hopefully does feel and sound the same. If I had any success at CBS and NBC and the success you certainly have had, it's because you're talking the same way off the air as you do on the air. This is the same way I would tell a story to my cousin, to my buddies, to my wife. And independent media picked up on that pretty quick and that's why it succeeds.
- [48:05]
Scott McFarlane
And we can go deeper. I mean, I love, you know, your January 6th coverage is a great example. You might get a one minute pop on CBS. I've had half an hour, 45 minute conversations where we can pull apart the story and really go deeper. So I've always been excited about the opportunity to do that. The authenticity is obviously key. I hope Ben and Brett will come on from Midas and we can talk about it because I think it's really an important inflection point for the business of media. And at the same time, we're walking into a war that's going to require independent media and accountability. And CNN just looks like a crazy version of, you know, Larry King meets, meets a podcast. It looks like a dumpster fire. When we need CNN to be what CNN used to be, it's now chasing you guys and Midas and so many others. So we can go deeper in the weeks to come. I sit in that space. So it's interesting to see your journey because I've had conversations with other media partners and buyers. We're all, you know, navigating this. But I think you have the opportunity to be a proof of concept of what the future looks like where folks can get a lot more Scott McFarland. So let's do that. Let's go to what I think is the top topic. I know I don't have a lot of time with you, but you had a story on your substack. I'm sure you're covering it. On Midas, the alert was how Judiciary Committee Democrats say newly released records indicate Trump showed a classified map to passengers on a trip to a golf course. So we're at a war. And Trump is doing a very Trumpy thing potentially. And showing a classified map to passengers on a plane near the golf course. Explain, please, what we need to know.
- [49:49]
Paul Rykoff
Yeah. So how do we get ourselves back in this world where Trump's classified records controversy, if not scandal, is expanding? Well, you'll recall, Paul, the Republicans on the Judiciary Committees in Congress decided to launch an investigation that has been named Arctic Frost. Looking back at the work of Special counsel Jack Smith, Republicans argue was an overreach by Smith to malign then candidate former President Trump. Now, the Democrats have called all of this theater and a Don Quixote esque fight towards nowhere because Jack Smith's work was righteous enough to secure grand jury indictments of Donald Trump from citizens. That notwithstanding the investigation has surfaced some records that Democrats got to look at, too. And they're making the argument today that some of those records indicate Trump may have shared a classified map while en route to his golf course in 2022 for others to look at. And that he had certain records in his possession during his ex presidency that only six Americans were cleared to look at that classified, that secretive. And they also are alleging that there may have been some business motive for him to have those records. And the Department of Justice has knocked down those allegations, saying it is a political statement, if not vendetta, by the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, Jamie Raskin, emphasizing that they think Jack Smith may have put in misleading or false information in his files to malign Trump. But we're back to this argument again. And respectfully, the White House at some point wants to drive home a message, whether it's about Iran, gas prices, food prices, tsa. Every time there's a headline about something different that does catch us to public attention, they're getting off message.
- [51:35]
Scott McFarlane
Scott, do we know what it was a map of?
- [51:37]
Paul Rykoff
I don't know what it's a map of, but that's also part of the inquiry the department, sorry, the Judiciary Committee Democrats are launching. They want records by Tuesday, Paul, about what that map was. They want to know what was shared
- [51:48]
Scott McFarlane
and who saw might be a military map of targets in the Strait of Hormuz. I mean, it's entirely relevant to what we're having happen now as we send 2,000 more troops from the 82nd Airborne to backstop a couple thousand from the Marines. And we may have boots on the ground any minute now. Right. I mean, this is entirely relevant to exactly what's happening and whether or not we can trust a commander chief with sensitive information. And his minions. I mean, we know Hegseth has used signal. This is a real problem when our enemies are watching and celebrating. So we'll look to your reporting on that. Let's go below the radar. Something that I never want to lose track of. You always stay focused on January 6th. Every time you come on the show, you give us an update. What is the most important thing for folks to know about all the tentacles that are January 6th, including recent arrests and the spew of January 6th perpetrators that are everywhere now?
- [52:42]
Paul Rykoff
Two big themes here, Paul. First of all, my chronic reminder you people watching, you know this is true. It's a current story. It's not a piece of history. January 6th and lack of accountability. The freeing of January 6th imprisoned police beaters has reignited the controversy and made it a part of the fabric of American politics. There are Democrats and Republicans who simply don't trust each other because of the delta over what the response has been to January 6. It is still a contagion in American politics. What's more, the victims feel retraumatized by the pardons. The victims feel retraumatized by the lack of acknowledgment by some Americans that this really was a thing. They don't like the whitewashing. And there's still this concern about political violence. If it's not. If it's not punished, does it incentivize more political violence? The other nugget, I think is the January 6th plaque. Small thing, but it's not a small thing. It was put on a wall because the Senate and one Republican in the Senate said it's about time to hang this plaque. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. But it's in an obscure location. You know, those of us who work in the Capitol know where it is. It's on the west front, near the worst of the attack on police. But it's not an area tourists can easily get to. It's not a high traffic area. It feels hidden. To some of the people who support the plaque, I expect this week, if not today, Paul, for another group of House Democrats, perhaps those January 6th committee members or those who are still viscerally connected to their experience to go have a service at the plaque. Republicans are not participating in those things. And I think that speaks volumes to where we are with a denialism of the horrors of a piece of American history.
- [54:25]
Scott McFarlane
Well, it was also front and center in the confirmation hearings of Mark Wayne Mullen, right. Who's now sworn in and his DHS secretary and probably doesn't want to talk about January 6th. But it still remains, I think, a national security priority. And we'll look to your reporting on that. Let me ask you, now that you're in this new role, Scott, you're a target. I never saw the White House come after you before, but the White House press secretary came after you specifically, which I'm sure has the Midas guys printing more money with the additional traffic that's now going to YouTube and to your page. But this is also, you know, a new level for you. Like you're now powerful or impactful enough that they're hitting you and they often punch downward, frankly. What's your reaction to the latest White House attacks on you personally?
- [55:10]
Paul Rykoff
Yeah, I've been catching grief from many, many public figures ever since I started covering January 6, because that rewriting of January 6 began on January 7. So as somebody who covered it methodically and comprehensively, I've been catching, you know, nasty grams for years. So kind of not phased by it, not surprised by it. I don't mind that they're calling attention to this because I think there is an important public discussion to have about when a network television journalist goes to work for a non traditional, though remarkably successful media organization. Let's talk about it. The FCC chair, Brendan Carr, posted something I actually quite liked, although I'm not sure what his motive was or what he was trying to communicate. He posted something to the effect of same job, different duty station. And yeah, I think that's exactly right. It's the same job. I'm just at a different duty station doing it, one with a mass audience that wants news. But I have a responsibility. There's going to be an awful lot of people in the world of linear media who are going to have to find a different way to communicate news to audiences very soon. I mean, very soon. And I have to carry this correctly to model a good pathway for people in journalism to find audiences and to find a good way to communicate the things they need to communicate for everybody's good and well being. So I've got to be a good steward of this. And what we're going to do to drive interest to get on a program like yours, to drive people to subscribe to YouTube and substack and all those other platforms, is to let the reporting drive the audience. Nobody wants my opinion, Paul. They don't even want my opinion in this House about things. So it's not really a good much of a currency for me to carry.
- [56:50]
Scott McFarlane
Well, we want. I want your opinion. I want your reporting. I think you know, this is the biggest free agent pickup of the season so far. They get a rock star, you get rocket fuel. And I think it's going to be really exciting and important to watch. Let me finish with something good. I got to let you go because maybe you're doing a live at Midas, which they do often, which is powerful, too. Something good. It's opening day of baseball. I think that is something good. It's a special opening night because the Yankees are playing the Giants. We need hope. We need unity. Opening day is a day when everybody in America thinks their team can win the World Series. And hope is a form of resistance. It can be contagious. So I just want to celebrate the goodness that is opening day of baseball in America and the start of a Yankee season that I hope will end in a World Series. Over to you, my friend. In these trying times, what do you got to something good?
- [57:44]
Paul Rykoff
Two things, and I'll be quick. First of all, it reminds me of things that still bring me joy. I was a kid about your age, too, Paul, in the 1980s. You could just stare at baseball cards for an hour, study all the stats. I knew every stat of every member of the 1985 and 87St. Louis Cardinals. You didn't have phones back then, so that you. You had to move through time. And as a baseball geek, I don't know, it was just part of the experience and part of the culture. I worry some of that's gone now, but love the visceral affinity America has for baseball. I still have it, too. And secondly, if you don't mind, just indulge me for a moment. Personal privilege. I left CBS News and I left some of the greatest teammates I've ever had. And that's hard. That's the hard part of independent journalism is you do leave people behind who you adore. And I had the greatest producer in the history of television news, my teammate Julia Burnham, who was about as special a person as I've ever worked with, and I don't get to work with her anymore. Just note, when people go independent, there's a sacrifice. You'll leap by relationships that strengthened you and made you better.
- [58:47]
Scott McFarlane
Well, I feel like this is like, I don't know, like the first Japanese players to hit mlb. Like, you're going to blow this up in a way that's going to bring it into whole new directions. And I think a lot of those folks at CBS are going to be following your lead, and a lot of folks in traditional media are going to follow your lead or they're going to wish they did. I'm excited to see your reporting. I'm grateful for your leadership and your tenacity. I've always respected your tenacity and your integrity. I'm excited about this new chapter and I'm just happy to get more Scott McFarlane covering the shit that matters. So thank you for staying vigilant. Thank you for supporting my show and coming on independent media when a lot of folks wouldn't. I'm excited for an opening day of a new season of baseball, but also a new opening day for you in this new chapter, man. Best of luck to you and go get him.
- [59:32]
Paul Rykoff
Let's do it again.
- [59:33]
Scott McFarlane
All right. Come back again soon, man.
- [59:35]
Paul Rykoff
Thanks, Paul.
- [59:37]
Scott McFarlane
All right. My thanks to Scott McFarlane in a very busy week for making a stop here. It shows how he does prioritize independent media. Before he left cbs, he was a regular on the show, so I'm very happy for him. I'm excited to see what happens with Midas and with independent media. As you know, this is independent media. I am not owned by anybody. We have no corporate masters. Nobody edits or or has any influence on anything I say except Chris, who helps me tighten it up a bit. But I'm going to continue to speak truth to power, bring you the stories that matter and focus on what I think is most important and what you think is most important. So continue to share your feedback. Let me know what you think, what you want me to focus on, and tell me any guests that you like to recommend. You can hit me up on all social media platforms and on our website. Independent Americans us Coming up, we will have Ken Casey from the Dropkick Murphy's will be here tomorrow ahead of the no Kings protest which will be happening around the country and around the world this weekend. Henry Rollins will be coming up in a couple of weeks. We have Ro Khanna, the congressman from California will be coming up and great actor Jeffrey Wright will join us and others. Stay tuned for more announcements around that. If you haven't heard our recent episodes with Admiral James Stravides from Monday, please go back and check that out. General Mark Hertling from yesterday, check that out. And Mick Foley, WWE legend. I know we've been pumping out episodes fast and furious, but if you missed it, Mick Foley this weekend, a really important and thoughtful and inspiring episode, one I'm really proud of. And Mick spoke exclusively to me here on Independent American. So check it out and spread the word and especially on YouTube. We are now surging over YouTube and you can join our special subscriber network on YouTube to get additional content and get behind the scenes footage and special access. Because we're daily now, you can follow us everywhere and subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, everywhere and you can also join our Patreon community if you go to IndependentAmericans U.S. as I said, we're number 25 in Israel, number 61 in the U.S. number 242 in Germany, only 197 in Australia. But we're moving up the charts and shout outs to all of you who've been helping us do that, especially the new YouTube members that joined up in the last couple of days. They're joining the vigilant, the very vigilant, the most vigilant. You're going to help us bring this independent media farther and wider in the days to come. As the March madness continues, America's more divided than ever before. But that might be changing. And here at Independent Americans, we are working to bring light to contrast the heat of all the other political shows. So if you're now among the 45% of Americans who are independent, this is your show. Or if you're just independent. Curious if you're joining us for the first time because you're part of the Midas network or you follow Scott McFarlane, welcome. Because our independent movement is hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenging the status quo, especially in media. I know I go on corporate media and I go on partisan media, but I am also building independent media and you're helping us do that and fueling a new movement that spans across our society. This is what the future of media and the future of politics looks like. We're going to try to bring the hope, the hope that is the oxygen of our democracy. I hope you enjoyed this episode with Scott McFarlane. If you did, share it far and wide, invite others to declare their independence, especially as traditional linear media dies and fails us in times of war especially, we need independent media that you can trust and you're helping us do that. So stay vigilant, my friends, and know that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And know you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant and we're all in this together and we're building it together. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning into Independent Americans. I will see you tomorrow. Happy Hump day. Happy opening day of baseball. Good luck this season to whoever your team is and good luck especially to my New York Yankees. Let's go Yankees. Enjoy opening day. Until next time. Stay vigilant, America. Stay vigilant Tells me the left and
- [63:49]
Paul Rykoff
right our dreams for those without a
- [63:52]
Scott McFarlane
clue and when you wait it's time to grow and it's not cool to
- [63:57]
Paul Rykoff
believe in school but if I can
- [63:59]
Scott McFarlane
say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble
- [64:02]
Paul Rykoff
they can bring he says the red and blue I'm attitude.
- [64:16]
Scott McFarlane
And when you wait, it's time to grow Powered by Righteous Media this episode is brought to you by Marvel Television's Daredevil Born Again Season 2 now streaming on Disney Plus Charlie Cox and Vincent D' Onofrio are back and Krysten Ritter makes her highly anticipated return as Jessica Jones in an all new season. As Mayor Fisk tightens his grip on New York City, he marks Daredevil as his top target. Matt Murdock fights from the shadows, hoping to bring down Fisk's corrupt empire and reclaim his city. Don't miss born Again Season 2, now streaming only on Disney.
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Paul Rykoff
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Scott McFarlane
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Paul Rykoff
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Scott McFarlane
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Paul Rykoff
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Scott McFarlane
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Paul Rykoff
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- [66:22]
Scott McFarlane
this is Alex Schwitz. I'm the host of Big Technology Podcast, a longtime reporter and an on air contributor to cnbc. And if you're like me, you're trying to figure out how artificial intelligence is changing the business world and our lives. So each week on Big Technology, I bring on key actors from companies building AI tech and outsiders trying to influence it, asking where this is all going. They come from places like Nvidia, Microsoft,
- [66:46]
Paul Rykoff
Amazon, and plenty more.
- [66:47]
Scott McFarlane
So if you want be to smart
- [66:48]
Paul Rykoff
with your wallet, your career choices, in
- [66:50]
Scott McFarlane
meetings with your colleagues and at dinner
- [66:52]
Paul Rykoff
parties, listen to Big Technology Podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts.