“Some People Will Die.” Trump Admits Cuba is Next. ‘The Last Republican’ with Adam Kinzinger.

Summary

Podcast Summary: “Some People Will Die.” Trump Admits Cuba is Next. ‘The Last Republican’ with Adam Kinzinger

Podcast: Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Episode: 457 (“Some People Will Die.” Trump Admits Cuba is Next. ‘The Last Republican’ with Adam Kinzinger)
Date: March 6, 2026
Host: Paul Rieckhoff
Guest: Adam Kinzinger (former Congressman, Air National Guard veteran, and star of The Last Republican)

---

Overview

This episode of Independent Americans explores the chaotic current state of U.S. politics, foreign conflicts, and the unprecedented broadening of military engagement under the Trump administration. Host Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the week’s alarming news, especially increased tensions with Iran, potential escalation toward Cuba, the troubling state of democratic accountability in Congress, and political leadership failures. Special guest Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman and leading critic of Trump from within the GOP, gives candid, inside-the-beltway analysis and discusses his new film, The Last Republican.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Escalating Military Crises: Iran & Cuba

• The show opens with deep concern over the U.S. engagement in Iran. Rieckhoff draws parallels to the Iraq War, referencing Donald Rumsfeld’s infamous underestimation of conflict duration (04:52).
• The recent War Powers Act vote failed to restrict the president’s actions in Iran, a move seen as a loss for democracy and accountability.
• Civilian casualties, including reports of a U.S. strike killing over 170 Iranian schoolchildren, are described as potentially “one of the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades” (06:20).
  • "We should never accept civilian casualties and especially children... The killing of children is the most severe thing that can happen and communities don’t forget." – Paul Rieckhoff [07:05]
• Trump openly admits that “some people will die” as a consequence of his war policies, showing a dismissive attitude toward civilian threats at home (09:38).
  • “Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” – Donald Trump, quoted by Paul Rieckhoff [09:38]
• There’s growing fear that Cuba is “next.” Trump’s rhetoric indicates plans for military action there, and Russia is reportedly passing intelligence to Iran (10:55).

2. Congressional Paralysis & the Limits of Democratic Power

• Rieckhoff and Kinzinger both bemoan Congress’s inability to check executive war powers.
  • "Congress is not slowing him down. Congress isn’t even writing a ticket. Congress is the mall cops of our democracy." – Paul Rieckhoff [08:58]
• Democrats' strategy is criticized as naive and too reliant on November’s elections, which even Kinzinger says “may be too late” to change the nation’s direction.

3. ICE Leadership, Corruption & the Dangers of Authoritarianism

• Breaking news about Kristi Noem’s ouster at ICE, with MMA fighter and Senator Markwayne Mullen named as the new head, draws ridicule and alarm.
• Mullen’s lack of law enforcement or military experience is flagged, as well as suspect stock trades benefiting from unfolding defense contracts and wars (13:54).
  • “He sits on the Armed Services Committee... and he was buying Raytheon right before US military action in Iran. This should be disqualifying.” – Paul Rieckhoff [14:43]
• Rieckhoff denounces ICE’s lawless culture, from warrantless raids to “kicking puppies,” saying it needs to be “defunded and dismantled.”

4. Democracy at Risk: 2026 Elections and Authoritarian Moves

• Rieckhoff presses Kinzinger about the real risks of Trump using military or ICE power domestically to suppress voter turnout or even stall/cancel the elections using the Insurrection Act.
  • “I’m very concerned about November. I’m not losing sleep over it… We would be wrong to say that nothing is going to happen.” – Adam Kinzinger [34:34]
• Both argue that only a strong “blue wave” could forestall these anti-democratic moves, but actual recourse remains limited while the GOP holds the House.

5. The Trump Doctrine: Corruption and Lack of Strategy

• Kinzinger explains his fears that Trump’s approach to foreign wars lacks any true endgame, leading to dangerous instability:
  • "He took that arrogance. He likes to see things go boom and blow up on TV… but he has no way out of this.” – Adam Kinzinger [37:46]
• There are specific worries Trump will leave wars unfinished when bored, putting America and the region in danger.

6. Drone Threats and Homeland Security

• Discussion dives into American vulnerability to drone attacks, both from international actors and possible domestic threats, with troubling analogies to innovations seen in Ukraine.
  • “We're not ready, and we don't have the air. I mean, the fact that we are unable to defend against a significant number of the Shaheed drones in the Middle East... what have we been doing?” – Adam Kinzinger [44:36]

7. Independent Politics: The Future of Political Affiliation

• Kinzinger reflects on his estrangement from the GOP, saying he hasn’t voted Republican in years and hinting at an eventual move to independent status.
  • “I think I'm more effective attacking [the GOP], pointing out that I was a Republican member of Congress… There will be a day at some point, though, when I drop the label.” – Adam Kinzinger [48:33]
• Rieckhoff champions the growing independent movement and the psychological “seal breaking” needed for more Americans and notable figures to renounce the two parties.

8. Hope, Positivity, and Good News

• The episode ends on a positive note, highlighting intergenerational veterans’ stories, the Paralympics, and the “pro-democracy coalition” forming across politics.
  • “I think this is building a real movement that’s gonna last… Americans are starting to wake up to the fact that actually a pro-democracy coalition is actually a really beautiful thing.” – Adam Kinzinger [53:02]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dismissing Civilian Deaths:

  • “Like I said, some people will die. When you go to war, some people will die.” – Trump, quoted by Rieckhoff [09:38]
  • “That’s how the Commander in Chief feels about you potentially dying… typically cold and dismissive of the humanity and the magnitude of the question.” – Paul Rieckhoff [09:46]

• On Congressional Failure:

  • “Congress isn’t even writing a ticket. Congress is the mall cops of our democracy.” – Paul Rieckhoff [08:58]

• On ICE & Corruption:

  • “He should also be disqualified because, frankly, he’s very, very dumb.” – Paul Rieckhoff on Markwayne Mullen [15:03]

• On Party Affiliation:

  • "I haven't voted Republican in four years. I haven't officially left... I’m more effective as a Republican attacking Republicans." – Adam Kinzinger [25:05]

• On the Pro-Democracy Movement:

  • “I think this is building a real movement that’s gonna last… Americans are starting to wake up to the fact that actually a pro-democracy coalition is actually a really beautiful thing.” – Adam Kinzinger [53:02]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Escalating Iran Conflict and War Powers Failure: [04:39 – 11:43]
• Trump's "Some People Will Die" Quote & Cuba Next: [09:38; 10:55]
• Congressional Paralysis & Growing Authoritarian Risks: [11:43 – 15:07]
• Corruption at ICE: Markwayne Mullen, Insider Trading: [13:54 – 15:15]
• Kinzinger Interview Begins: [24:58]
  • Republican Estrangement & Independent Media: [25:04 – 28:31]
  • Analysis of War, Democratic Response: [29:22 – 36:25]
  • Election Integrity & Authoritarian Moves: [34:07 – 36:25]
  • Iran Crisis, Drone Threats, and Trump’s Lack of Plan: [36:25 – 44:29]
  • Independence, Future Candidacy, Pro-Democracy Movement: [47:04 – 54:34]
• Positive Tales & Uplifting Outro: [51:00 – end]

---

Tone and Takeaways

• The episode is urgent, critical, and unflinching—mixing deep anxiety about American democracy and war with irreverence, dark humor, and grassroots hope.
• Rieckhoff’s style is direct (“If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention”), with frequent calls to action for listeners to “stay vigilant” and hold leaders accountable.
• Kinzinger, candid and self-deprecating, expresses his disappointment and outrage at current events, while sharing personal hope in bipartisan democratic renewal.

---

For Listeners Wanting More

• Adam Kinzinger’s Substack and The Last Republican documentary (now on YouTube).
• Upcoming Paul Rieckhoff appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Monday).
• Support and follow the Independent Americans movement, especially veterans running for office nationwide.

---

If you are an American worried about creeping authoritarianism, unclear and endless military engagements, and the breakdown of party politics, this episode delivers both a detailed rundown of current threats and a call for renewed vigilance and independent political action.

Transcript

[Paul Rykoff]

At vrbo, we understand that even the best of plans sometimes need a little support. So we plan for the plot twists. Every booking is automatically backed by our VRBO Care guarantee, giving you confidence from the very start. Whenever you need help, it's ready before your stay, through the moments in between and after your trip. Because a great trip starts with peace of mind and maybe a good playlist. But we've got the peace of mind part covered. Taxes was feeling unwelcome.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Now Taxes is an open door, literally,

[Paul Rykoff]

to new TurboTax stores. Meet our experts in person.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Hi, welcome in.

[Paul Rykoff]

They're powered by SmartTek and ready to do your taxes for you. Get real time updates while you go about your day, confident your taxes are done. Right now, this is taxes intuit turbotax

[Adam Kinzinger]

turbotax store is opening soon.

[Paul Rykoff]

Real time updates only in iOS mobile app. If you're a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility and your machinery isn't working right, Grainger knows you need to understand what's wrong as soon as possible. So when a conveyor motor falters, Grainger offers diagnostic tools like calibration kits and multimeters to help you identify and fix the problem. With Grainger, you can be confident you have everything you need to keep your facility running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgranger.com or just stop by Granger are the ones who get it done.

[Adam Kinzinger]

One thing that really angers me today is how Ukraine has reached out to offer us these low cost weapons to help defend against Shaheds. And at the same time we said basically, cool, we're going to take that and then we just relieve sanctions against Russia for oil, right? Like insane. Insane to me.

[Paul Rykoff]

Welcome to Independent Americans everybody. Welcome to episode 457. I'm your host Paul Reikoff coming to you from New York City, USA where believe it or not, it is still gloomy and cold and rainy again. Damn, it's like the winter that won't ever end. It is Friday. They can't stop Friday, March 6th. And in contrast to that gloominess, today's artist is Michael Franti. If you don't know Michael Franti and Spearhead, he is all good vibes and positive energy and we need some sunshine and happiness after what has been a very hard week. Check out say Hey I love you which features Shereen Anderson. A great song, the Sound of Sunshine. He literally has a song called the Sound Sound of Sunshine I got you and a good day for a good day. If you feel shitty and need a lift, put on some Michael Frante and it might help you through it and help you end your week and your Friday with some positivity. And I'm going to try to do the same, especially on this show. I'm going to be like Michael Frante, bringing you sunshine and bring you the five eyes of independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. And our guest coming up is bringing all that. He is a man of the moment. He is a returning champion. He is a trusted voice on all the things that are happening. Former Representative Adam Kinzinger is back. You may know him as a former member of the of Congress. He was a Republican from Illinois. He is an Air National Guard combat veteran. And he has a brand new film that's out called the Last Republican. I'm going to ask him why he's still a Republican. Why the hell is Adam Kinzinger not an independent yet at this point? But he is our guest. We're going to talk about Iran. We're going to talk about Kristi Noem. We're going to talk about all of it. He is coming up next. But before we get to that, there are a lot of reasons on this Friday to stay vigilant. All right, kicking it off the top story. Our number one top topic is, of course, Iran and the fact that the lid is off in Iran and this is overflowing and boots on the ground might be next here. Here's what's important. I think most of all, It is not going according to plan, if they even had a plan. And now they're saying initially, they said initially it could be over in a few days or a few weeks. Now they're saying it could be much longer. Sounds familiar, right? Play this, Chris. It is not knowable if force will be used.

[Adam Kinzinger]

But if it is to be used,

[Paul Rykoff]

it is not knowable how long that conflict would last. It could last, you know, six days, six weeks.

[Adam Kinzinger]

I doubt six months.

[Paul Rykoff]

That's Donald Rumsfeld on the Iraq war back in February 2003 saying it could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months. Well, a few months later I was in Iraq and a year later I was in Iraq. So this definitely sounds familiar. And as our friend Ken Burns has said on this show many times, history doesn't repeat, but it sure does rhyme and it is rhyming right now. And so does the cowardice. We saw cowardice then. We see cowardice now. The House voted yesterday on a war powers act and they did not vote to pass it. The House turns back the bid to restrict the president's war powers in Iran A handful of Democrats join Republicans to defeat the effort. And it's another loss for our democracy, for accountability and I would argue for our Constitution. Do something you've probably never done. Google roll call, the roll call. Vote around all these votes and see where your members of Congress voted. See if they voted in the way that you support or you don't. Congress is failing. But you don't have to fail. You can call them and let them know you're watching. Let them know you want to hold them accountable and at least give them some hell if you think you should, to help them stand up and have a backbone. Because you know what, we might have another war powers act soon because he might be hitting Cuba next. More on that coming up. But the human cost of the war in Iran continues to pile up on all sides and horribly. There is now reporting that US Investigators believe that it is likely that US Forces were responsible for an apparent strike on an Iranian girls school. This could be one of the worst cases of civilian casualties in decades of conflicts in the Middle East. It could be hundreds, as many as 170 or more elementary school children that were killed. This is awful. It is inexcusable. I don't want to hear that. It's a part of war. We should never accept civilian casualties and especially children. When there are mistakes, our good military generally investigates them, does an after action review, learns from those mistakes. But we also need to accept responsibility, take accountability and not just try to brush it under the rug because the killing of children, of children is the most severe thing that can happen and communities don't forget. So if you want to get the people of Iran on your side, killing a bunch of their kids accidentally and then blowing past, it will not be the way. It'll only create more enemies because this will not be over quickly. And we will need the Iranian people and they will need each other and they need to be able to trust America. And they can't do it if we're not honest about our own mistakes. All right. They continue to be they Trump, hegseth, all of them, all gas, no breaks. And I, as we've said, as we've worn boots on the ground, could be next. And there is new reporting from our friend Dan Lamoth at the Washington Post. I hope he'll join us next week. But he has a Scoop that the 82nd Airborne is making moves and they canceled some, some training exercises that could be telegraphing next steps in Iran. In recent days, the army canceled a training exercise for the headquarters element of the 82nd Airborne, fooling speculation among soldiers that they may be called upon for a still undefined mission as the war with Iran widens. No orders have been cut. This includes the Immediate Response Force, a brigade combat team that has deployed to multiple crises, including the evacuation of Afghanistan in 2021 and the run up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2002. This is significant because if Trump sends boots on the ground into Iran, the 82nd Airborne would likely be a key or lead element. He says he's considering boots on the ground. We should believe him now. This could be evacuation forces, this could be supplemental forces in the region, or this could be part of a ground effort. But will Congress do anything to stop him? Don't hold your breath, people. They will fail again and again. Congress is not slowing him down. Congress is not stopping him. Congress isn't even writing a ticket. Congress is the mall cops of our democracy. And all gas and no breaks is really defining what Trump is. Nothing is slowing him down or even causing him to give a fuck. Yesterday, this is really important. He was asked whether Americans should be worried about retaliatory attacks at home. Trump acknowledged the possibility and said, quote, I guess. And then he continued, quote, like I said, some people will die when you go to war, some people will die. How does that make you feel, folks? That that's how the commander in Chief feels about you potentially dying in a civilian attack here at home? It was typically cold and dismissive of the humanity and the magnitude of the question. I think this is Trump's version of Rumsfeld's. You go to war with the army, you have, Remember that? That blew back on him. But this is even worse because the threat to our homeland is real and rising by the minute. That's not scare mongering, that's vigilance. And Trump knows it. And he also seems fine with it, because maybe like every authoritarian, he's just waiting for, looking for a reason to bring the hammer down domestically. He's on plan and he's picking up steam, folks. And we can't count on November elections to be the circuit breaker, because even if they do happen, it could likely be too late, because he'll be on to other countries. And we know now, and we've known for weeks, at least, maybe months, that Cuba could be next. And he's saying it out loud. Check this out. Chris, play this. What's happening with Cuba is amazing. And we think that we want to finish this one first. But that will be just a question of time before you and a lot of Unbelievable. People are going to be going back to Cuba, hopefully not to stay. All right, he's saying that Cuba could be next, whether it's immediately next or after another country like Ecuador that he might squeeze in, but nobody can stop him. And maybe Congress can vote on a War Powers act on Cuba now because it might be all they can do. He's all gas, no brakes, nothing's slowing him down as he tries to take over the Western Hemisphere. And we now find out that Russia is providing intel to Iran, which should surprise no one. But don't think the Democrats will save you. Don't think that they're going to leap in here and save America and save our democracy, but they think they're going to save you. Check this out. This is California Governor Gavin Newsom speaking in New Hampshire. This is it for Trump. His presidency as we know it today is over in a matter of months when Speaker Jeffries gets the gavel.

[Adam Kinzinger]

There's nothing more important than that.

[Paul Rykoff]

This is it for Trump, he says. This is it. So he and too many Democrats are doing what they always do, spiking the ball early. They assume they're going to win, as they have assumed so many times before. Right? As their brand continues to be toxic in many critical swing districts and states. And they assume. They assume there will be free and fair elections in November, that they will win. These are foolishly hopeful, risky, naive, and typical assumptions. Surrender until November is not a strategy to save America. The Democrats will not save us. America. Iran is just your latest example. And it's another reason we should, as citizens, no matter what your party affiliation and especially if you're independent, we must now especially stay vigilant. All right? That same vigilance is required around ice, which is, I would normally say below the radar, but this is front and center, too, because now we know NOME is out. Despite the fact that Nome is out, there's still bad shit every day. And you shouldn't believe the government. You should believe your eyes, because ICE is still the organization that gassed kids in Portland and is busting into houses without warrants, detaining citizens and cops and vets and kids and kicking puppies. And yes, Noem is finally out, and that is good and obviously overdue. But replacing her with tough talking chicken hawk MMA fighter Senator Mark Wayne Mullen is like taking out the Ayatollah in Iran and replacing him with his son. Mullen is just as radical, political and inexperienced in this area as Noam. He has no law enforcement experience. He's never been in the military. He is the only member of the Senate without a college degree, and he was a cage fighter. But like the regime in Iran, the culture of ice is broken and the American people can never trust it again. So it must be defunded and dismantled. But changing the leader without changing the culture is no change at all. And let's focus a little bit more deeply on Mullen for a second, because he's been doing some shady insider trading that political trade tracker has been highlighting. He originally bought some stock for CRS on February 4th and is already up 22%. Right. So he's back at it again. He invested in a company called Carpenter technology on February 4th. They make alloys used by defense contractors like Raytheon and Lockheed, which apparently some in Congress and Mullen himself think are just fine. So he's already up on up, just since the Iran war, about 15% on his investments. He sits on the Armed Services Committee, which oversees military policy, defense policy, Pentagon spending. You'd think that this would be a conflict of interest. Last time politician trade tracker flagged him, he was buying Raytheon right before US Military action in Iran. This is what they're doing. This should be disqualifying beyond all the other reasons he's unqualified and should be disqualified. This should be a reason for disqualifying him. He should also be disqualified because, frankly, he's very, very dumb. Check this out. Play this.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Madam Chair, what's the definition of a

[Paul Rykoff]

sanity of sanity or insanity?

[Adam Kinzinger]

Insanity. Insanity. Yeah.

[Paul Rykoff]

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Right. And what was we ranked in reading and math in 1979? I'm sorry, what? What was we ranked nationally in math and reading in 1979?

[Paul Rykoff]

We were very, very low on the totem pole.

[Adam Kinzinger]

We're number one.

[Paul Rykoff]

So this is him, Mark Wayne Mullen, talking to Education Secretary. Ah, the irony. Linda McMahon. Yep. This is who he is. I feel like I did right now, right before the world finally got to see Tommy Tuberville in the spotlight. You will be amazed and horrified by the stupidity. That's what you're about to learn about Mark Wayne Mullen. He is a hack, he is a partisan, he is politically extreme, he is a fake tough guy, and he is the new head of the of ICE and the dhs. And remember, if they can kill Renee Goode, which we should never forget, and they can kill Alex Preddy, which we should never forget, and they can lock up Americans and lock up veterans and search your house without warrants to all these Other people, whether it's Noam or Mullen, they can do it to you. If you're not angry, you're not paying attention. Because ICE is ripping apart our country every day, more and more by the day. We need to not only put Mullen on trial as we can try to confirm him. They try to confirm him. We need to put ICE on trial and all most definitely around ICE and our national security and all these failed leaders. Stay vigilant. All right. Something I just want to highlight because I always focus on veterans and soldiers. Being a soldier is dangerous. Not just in Iran and in the region, but everywhere. Yesterday at about 1:15 I, a, uh, 60 Black Hawk helicopter operated by soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard made a precautionary landing in Robeson Township, Berks County. There were no injuries, no damage to the aircraft, and the incident is under investigation. I want to highlight it because soldiering is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, no matter where it's done. And in these moments, we have to especially appreciate the risk of what our soldiers undertake every single day. Not just in combat overseas, but preparing for combat, training for combat, deploying to combat. But in the White House, they think it's just a game. They think it's a weekend of paintball or a locker room party after an Olympic hockey game. And they keep posting these really fucked up videos. Fucked up videos that are merging, like video games and movies. They're really demented. Check this one out. This is the latest. Wake up, Daddy show.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Welcome home, son.

[Paul Rykoff]

Strength and honor. Strength and honor. What will you do without freedom? Maverick's inbound.

[Adam Kinzinger]

You can't conceive of what I'm capable of.

[Paul Rykoff]

Finishing this fight. Yeah, I'm thinking I'm back. I'm here to fight the truth and justice and the American way. I am the danger. Time to find out. Maximum effort.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Permission.

[Paul Rykoff]

Here it comes

[Adam Kinzinger]

now.

[Paul Rykoff]

And this flawless victory. Now that's music from the video game Mortal Kombat. You may hear it, right? This junk is made by the same demographic inside the White House. That is that they're focused on reaching across America. It's the most asinine, unprofessional, and juvenile shit you can see. Especially as there are now reports of Americans accidentally killing kids. But to Cash Patel and Pete Hegseth, these videos kick ass. They're awesome. They're epic. Epic fury, right? This is what it looks like when they are in charge of the at White House account. It's also what it looks like when they're in charge of the actual White House. And they're picking up steam. And Cuba is next. Meanwhile, more Americans are feeling the downside of Trump's mayhem. Employers cut jobs in a sign of a shakier economy. The economy lost 92,000 jobs in February and unemployment has bounced up to 4.4%. The market is nervous. This is chaos. This could be dangerous. There could be tumult around the region. We know the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted and the economy is going to be impacted and so will gas prices that are up 11% in a week, putting pressure on Trump. But I think he continues to be all gas of his own. No breaks. He doesn't care about public opinion. He is going as far and as fast as he can until his own gas tank runs out. Stay vigilant, folks.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Shopify is the home of the number one checkout on the planet and the not so secret secret with shop pay that boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts go abandoned and way more sales going through. So if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed, and everywhere in between. Businesses that sell more sell on Shopify. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout that Skims uses. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period for three months at shopify.com Westwood One all lowercase go to shopify.com Westwood One to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com WestwoodOne

[Paul Rykoff]

if you're a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility and your machinery isn't working right, Grainger knows you need to understand what's wrong as soon as possible. So when a conveyor motor falters, Grainger offers diagnostic tools like calibration kits and multimeters to help you identify and fix the problem. With Grainger, you can be confident you have everything you need to keep your facility running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. All right, we got to continue to stay vigilant and remember that for Ukraine, this is day 1472 of Russia's full scale invasion. Foreign is continuing to offer help now, especially sending anti drone teams to support the Americans. How ironic after all that shitting on Zelensky that now Trump is going to need him to help protect our troops. But Ukraine continues to be innovative and creative. We're going to talk to Adam Kinzinger about that and much more coming up. Independent candidates continue to be a voice of reason. I just want to shout them out. Todd Achilles, Ty Pinkens, Dan Osborne, now Seth Bodnar in Montana. Follow them. If you don't, the ones that have been on my show, check them out because they are responding to this moment. They are asking hard questions, and I think they are bringing some needed strength and integrity. All right, let's talk about culture before we get to our guest. Here's the big thing. I'm going to be on Stephen Colbert's show on Monday. It's a pretty big deal. I'm honored. I'm humbled. I was on his show back in 2006 when it was the Colbert Report in the early days. We've been in contact since. I consider him a friend. He's been a great patriot. He's taken his show to Iraq with the uso and he's always there for veterans and always there for our democracy. I will be on Monday night, so mark your calendars and tune in. I will be on with John Lithgow, which should be interesting. Dave Matthews is on the night afterwards, so I'm going to miss him by a day. But it should be fun, it should be important and I hope will help us bring the message of this show, the message of our movement, the message of the potential of independent veterans, especially to more people. So tune in for that. All right. Also, if you need a break this weekend, there will be some good sports and reasons you can root for America. The World Baseball Classic starts this weekend. The US Team is stacked with Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr. And lots of others. And the Paralympics start today. They are going to provide hope. There are going to be a lot of veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who've been wounded in combat. They will now be representing America in a different way in the Paralympics. And we're going to bring a positive image in the same way our other Olympians did. Our Paralympians are going to bring that as well. And they will also remind people about the cost of war. Veterans can lead the way. And veterans like Adam Kinzinger have been leading the way for years, and he is here on this Friday to help us understand what the fuck and why there is reason to fight back, why there is reason to be united and why there is reason, of course, especially on this Friday after a long and exhausting week, especially now. This is a time for us all to stay vigilant. All right, folks, it is a wild and crazy Friday and we need people to help us navigate the chaos Help us understand what's next and stay vigilant. And there is nobody that can do it better than our returning champion guest. He is an Air Force veteran, former pilot. He is now a CNN political commentator, former congressman from Illinois, the founder of country first, still, for some reason, a member of the Republican Party and the star of the Last Republican, a film about his final years in office that is now on YouTube. Rejoining us, the now movie star, the great and powerful Adam Kinzinger is here. Welcome back to Independent Americans, my friend.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Thanks, dude. It's good to be with you. I mean, are you calling me a member of the Republican Party? All right, I'll take.

[Paul Rykoff]

Are you. Did you leave?

[Adam Kinzinger]

I haven't voted Republican in four years. I haven't officially left. But, like, the way I kind of look at it is I'm effective as a Republican, a former Republican, a little more effective going after Republicans. So for now. But I mean, look, I haven't voted. I haven't voted for a Republican. And it's been a while, so. All right, I want to come back, as you will.

[Paul Rykoff]

Yeah, I want to come back to this because we revisit it basically every time you're on the show. I know I asked you, like, why the fuck you're still giving them your family name. I am coming to you from a green room because MSNL just carried the Jesse Jackson Memorial for a whole hour and they're not covering what's happening coming out of Iran. I want to get to Iran. I want to get to your film. I want to get to the state of the Republican Party. But first, where are you and how are you, man? You got a baby. You're doing all this stuff. You're on cnn. Where are you and how are you?

[Adam Kinzinger]

Life is. Life is good. I've got substack now, which I didn't when I started that. I didn't know if I'd like it. I love it and it's awesome. So if you guys are on Substack, follow me there. But, yeah, and then I've got my kid just turned 4. We live in the Woodlands, Texas. And, yeah, everything's good. It's way better than being in Congress. And I am, I mean, this, like, I'm honored to have served. So I don't want to sound like, ungrateful because it really was an amazing experience. But, like, being out, especially now where if you show any sense of independence, you will be vomited out of the gop. Like, it's great to be out. So life is pretty good.

[Paul Rykoff]

I'M glad to hear. And the job kind of sucks. I mean, everybody who's been around it or been in it knows especially the fundraising component on two year cycles. The job does kind of suck. Right. And now you get to do. You arguably have an even bigger platform than you did before. I mean, substack seems to be really effective for you and many others. I just want to sit on that for a second. Because independent media is so critical. We've covered it on the show. Don Lemon got locked up. You know, you're operating in a place where he's already threatened to do a lot of things to you. He can lock you up for your substack as well now.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Right? Yeah. I always say this and I mean, I mean it. I'm not even saying it sound tough, like bring it on, Trump. Like, how many times are you going to threaten? You have nothing you can lock me up on that's going to stick. And it will make me four times more effective if you come after me. Like, it's done for Don Lemon. So like bring it. And that's like so substack and independent media and like stuff you've been doing since the beginning of time. It's like the great thing about it is, and you know, I work some for cnn. I think there's an important role for kind of regular media, but like for people that are out looking for different perspectives. If you're watching CNN or Ms. Or even Fox News, you have to watch for hours to get a certain perspective. Now you can be like, hey, I want to know what's going on on the military side. So you go to this person or the political side and it's. And it's great and it's free of that. Like, you know, whoever. McDonald's or Hardee's aren't sponsoring me, so I don't have to be sensitive to what I say there. And you know, it's just been a really good opportunity and people are actually very generous on it too, because they're willing in many cases to pay some subscriptions, which as you know, is the difference between I can produce material or I can't. I need to go get a different job.

[Paul Rykoff]

Yeah. And you don't have a burger sponsor yet, but if he locks you up and your YouTubes get to 10 million, then you'll have every sponsor in America.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Burger King. I'm right here, dude. Come on.

[Paul Rykoff]

So let's get into what is the top topic? Undoubtedly Iran, the spillover yesterday, the War Powers act failed in the House. It failed in The Senate. Can I ask you, I wanna get to your analysis of what's happening on the ground, but I wanna kind of start with something I've been focused on. Doesn't seem like anybody has a plan in Congress to slow him down or stop him on anything. He's all gas, no brakes. I say it all the time. You know, the most important story in the world is Donald Trump could do anything he wants with the military and nothing's stopping him. He hit, you know, he's doing operations in Ecuador. Can I, can I ask you from a strategic standpoint, because the Democrats strategy seems to be surrender until November and hope for the best in an election that may not happen. What do you think they should be doing to slow him down? Because he wants to go further, he wants to put boots on the ground, he wants to hit new countries. How do we slow him down?

[Adam Kinzinger]

Well, it's tough for them to actually physically be able to do anything because they're the minority, right? And by the Republican Party, the Republican majority not doing anything is, as the court see it, a decision in and of itself. Right. They had an opportunity with the War Powers Resolution to stop him and they chose not to. What can the Democrats do? I think it's, this is the big point. I think they've done a good job on like the DHS stuff and the shutdown. I actually think holding the line's important, although four of them voted for word, which is insane. But it's telling people what you're going to do when you take over and also warning people. Now, here's the thing, okay? These boat strikes in the Caribbean, right, which anger me to no end, especially that second boat, that second strike on the people that were surviving that violated the law of the sea, the law of armed conflict. They need to be making clear now what their agenda is. We're going to have hearings, we're going to hold the people accountable who violate the Constitution. If you're corrupt in the administration, you will be caught, you will be drug in front of the American people, you will answer to your corruption. And then when we have the presidency, you will, within the statute of limitations in the Constitution, be held fully accountable for your corruption. The statute of limitations will not run out if you're a foreign country, if you're Qatar, you need to understand that if you follow through on giving this $400 million jet to Donald Trump, that the taxpayers are going to spend a billion dollars to turn into a fake Air Force One that he then takes with him and can fly until the rest of time. If you do that, we will hold you accountable for that corruption. When we have the Congress or ultimately when we have the presidency, what does that do? It communicates to the American people, Paul, a very important thing, which is an anti corruption agenda. And the other thing it does is it sends a very real warning today to try to stop the corruption that's happening. And even though you don't have the physical power or the political power to stop it, by putting this warning out there, you will discourage people from corruption that is just stealing from the American people. Or again, building a foreign policy based on who can line Donald Trump's pockets. I think that is a way you can have real power in terms of stopping the war. Look, I mean, fight the fights on the ground, in the floor, try to defund it, try to have no funds expended kind of resolutions, but understand you don't have the political power. And so communicating what you will do and taking over in November is gonna be essential.

[Paul Rykoff]

Can I ask you, do they have the stomach to defund the military? Right. They defunded DHS because they know that it's incredibly unpopular. This might be an opportunity because these two things are overwhelmingly, bipartisanly unpopular. ICE and now the Iran war. But the Democrats never want to go there because they're going to get labeled as anti patriotic. They're going to get labeled against the troops. He's going to steamroll them because he's got the mic. I mean, no one's afraid of Chuck Schumer or Hakeem Jeffries. And he's, you know, he can dismiss Elizabeth Warren, he can dismiss, you know, just about everybody else. You know, are they going to have the stomach for that fight? Because they never have in the past.

[Adam Kinzinger]

No. Yeah. And they don't have to do like defund the military. But you can pass like resolutions or try to pass again. They won't because they don't have the numbers, but resolutions that say simply after seven days. So you want to give like some time to wind operations down because we don't want America to lose. Now we're engaged is after seven days, no funds can be expended, you know, on this war. That's a way to do it without actually affecting the funding for the military. Let me give you another example. And it's kind of sadly old now. Even though it's only a year ago when Doge came into play, the Democrats were out of Congress. They got sworn in, they went home for two weeks with everybody else. And then Doge comes in and starts Basically lighting everything on fire. Every Democrat should have been called back to Washington, D.C. they want to stay home. We all love the vacations. They should have been called back to D.C. they should have demanded entry into every federal building where Doge was present. If they denied them, they should have gone to court, gotten a court order, because they are the board of directors for these agencies. They should have gotten a court order to go in and shown they were fighting and not just done it once with five people so they can look like it. They should have done it for two solid weeks. That's how you fight. Can you succeed? Would they have succeeded in going in the buildings? Probably. But even if they didn't, I don't think Democrats would be as upset at them right now as they are, because they would have said, you guys fought as hard as you could. And that's the thing you want to show you're fighting, and that is communicating for the election the kind of fighters you're going to be.

[Paul Rykoff]

You've been. You've been openly supportive of a lot of Democrats lately and of them taking back Congress. But, you know, is the circuit breaker of November too late, and is it going to happen at all? I mean, I've talked about the threat of the Insurrection act. He had the 11th Airborne Corps unready to go into Minneapolis. If there's a drone attack anywhere in the US he's probably gonna use it as an excuse to bring the hammer down. Do you really believe there are gonna be free and fair elections when he's told us there won't be?

[Adam Kinzinger]

Yeah, I do. Now, here's how I would describe my level of concern. I'm very concerned about November. I'm not losing sleep over it. So you can be concerned. What you lose sleep over is a different thing. And the reason I say that is just I have no doubt they're going to try to do something. And that something may be the deployment of ice in, for instance, brown or black areas of Atlanta. Right. If there's a close race in Atlanta or whatever. This is why a blue wave is so important. Because I don't worry about, you know, some executive order to cancel the election. I don't worry about that. Because simply, the elections are run by states and local. Now, governors could do things. You know, that's a real issue, but it's constitutionally written out. The courts have seemed to be able to back that up. What I worry about is if it's a close election, if Democrats are not going to have a blue wave, and all of a sudden you're proverbially 50. 50. Yes. They can do things that suppress turnout in certain areas just enough that can swing the election one way or another. Another thing I do worry about is clearly Mike Johnson, the third most powerful person in the United States, has shown no ability to be strong or stand up to anything. What's the pressure going to be if there is a two seat Democratic majority? Does he have to then go into pro forma session to ensure all these people are sworn in? What if he pulls what he pulled in the last special election where all of a sudden there's contested races and he chooses simply to not seat those people and that gives Republicans a temporary majority? I mean, all of this stuff is out there and possible. This is why I think a blue wave is so essential. So am I worried? Yes. I think we would be wrong to say that nothing is going to happen and we shouldn't be concerned. Is it what I'm losing sleep over? Not necessarily.

[Paul Rykoff]

Okay, let's talk about what you probably are losing sleep over, which is Iran. The lid is blown off. You've got at least a dozen countries engaged at this point. You're a combat pilot. You've been, I think, on the Armed Services Committee, right? I mean, you know, you know this stuff. You've been inside and out of it. There's a lot of analysis of what's happening now. And I know we can't go through, you know, scenario planning on most dangerous causes of action, courses of action. But what does concern you the most right now? As he threatens boots on the ground, the 82nd Airborne just canceled training. So everyone's wondering what that means. We've got an overflow of Americans who are stranded. You know, this could look like Kabul on steroids real fast. I think it's the most daunting situation we've seen in our lifetime. And just primarily because there's no way to control it. Right. We don't know where it's going to go. But what part of this concerns you most? And what do you think comes next that people might not be anticipating?

[Adam Kinzinger]

Well, the first thing, one thing that really anchors me today is how Ukraine has reached out to offer us these low cost weapons to help defend against Shaheds. And at the same time, we said, basically, cool, we're going to take that. And then we just relieve sanctions against Russia for oil. Right? Like insane. Insane to me. Now what actually concerns me the most, and there are really bad case scenarios. The thing that I think if we're going to take like the mean, average of what are the possible bad case scenarios? What's most likely is that Donald Trump gets bored of this and he just quits while he leaves a disaster in place with no plan. You know, this is like, if you go to war, the military is really good at war. And I think what we're actually physically doing in Iran, from a war perspective is we're doing very good operations. Right. But the question is, you have to have an end state in mind. And this administration has not only not articulated an end state, they've articulated competing in states. And I think what's clear is Donald Trump after Venezuela, which they're calling a success. And by the way, it's the same folks in charge in Venezuela. We just now all of a sudden call him a friend because it's a different leader, but it's the same regime. I think he took that arrogance. He likes to see things go boom and blow up on tv. And I think he wanted to see some stuff blow up on tv and he has no way out of this. So my concern is not that he. I mean, not that we're going to nuke Iran. I'm not too concerned about ground troops, although we should be concerned. But it's that he just gets bored and basically leaves a job undone, which creates much more danger and much more instability. That's what I worry about. Now. I am. I want to be very clear. I am praying for and begging for success. Even if Donald Trump gets credit for it, I don't want him to. But I think this would be good for America if things worked out well versus chaotically. Right. It would be good for human life. But I worry that they have no plan and they aren't. These are not the leaders that I think know what they're doing. General Kane may Pete Agseth is interested in explosions. He wants to look tough. He wants to get another Tattoo and do 500 pushups. Donald Trump wants to see explosions. They don't have the stomach to actually see through what they started. If you break something, you've got to see it through, and unfortunately they won't. That's what I think is going to happen.

[Paul Rykoff]

So is the maybe most likely scenario that, you know, the Democrats can't stop him. He goes, you know, further. This goes on. Maybe there are midterm elections where even if the Democrats win, let's say they win, they start to try to wind down the war. They get into a battle that takes a year. I mean, it might be the presidential candidate running in 2028, running on a platform of Getting us out of Iran. And it might be until then. Right. And now by then it could have been spilled over into the entire region. But like just to ground people. That would be fast compared to Iraq and Afghanistan. But we might be looking at the president. If they beat Trump or whoever Trump's Successor is in 2028 will then start to unwind. Everything he's doing now.

[Adam Kinzinger]

It's possible. I think though what's most likely is just that he, you know. Cause oil prices are going up. Donald Trump, the one thing he's sensitive to is oil prices. I think it's possible. Keep in mind what we do in Yemen. A year ago we started bombing Yemen and then all of a sudden we started losing drones over Yemen. We started expending, you know, weapons and Donald. And then we just quit one day. We literally just quit and floated away. That, that's what I, that's what I think is most likely is they're not getting to whatever he thinks was going to happen. Or maybe the new regime of Iran with the new Ayatollah offers to build a Trump hotel. And that's the fastest, fastest way to get Donald Trump to stop a war. You line his pockets, Paul. This is the most corrupt administration not in American history. I think that the level of corruption and the amount of money stolen rivals that of like Vladimir Putin and what he's done. The difference is Vladimir Putin is not open about the money he steals. Donald Trump is open about it. He's suing his own government and he can find in his own favor for money. Hell, I'm gonna run for president so that then I can sue the government and give myself $10 billion. Why not? It's the easiest way to get rich. Well, not easy because you gotta win the presidency fastest way to get rich. This is insane. And now he's sending men and women to fight in Iran and he has no instate. If you would have taken the time at the State of the Union and months leading up to this and explained what the goal is, why this was important, the fact that regime change can come from within Iran and we're going to empower the people in Iran, that would be a different scenario than just one line in the State of the Union. And two days later we're bombing in one of the most important military operations since World War II. It's nuts.

[Paul Rykoff]

Okay, so what's your over under on him hitting Cuba in the next month?

[Adam Kinzinger]

I think he does it, but can I. I think he will absolutely do it by August. How about that? Next month? I don't know, because I don't think he'll do it simultaneous to. To Iran. But I think. I think it will happen by the election. And right now, they're starving, obviously, Cuba from oil. There may be instability there. The Cuban people have been so beat down, though, that I don't see them uprising. I think it's. I think it's almost a done deal.

[Paul Rykoff]

How much are you concerned about the drone threat on US Soil? One of the rationales they could use, we've talked about in the show. We had Nolan Peterson on, we've had Joe Seracione on, we've had Sebastian Younger on, but we've talked about the very real, manufactured or real threat that they can portray of drones in Cuba. Iranian drones, Russian drones in Cuba that could hit Miami, and therefore, we need to take out Cuba.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I think that's possible. As a rationale. My biggest concern in drones in general in the United States is. Let's just look at what Ukraine did brilliantly in Operation Spiderweb.

[Paul Rykoff]

Yep. We talked about that with Nolan. Yep, exactly.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Yeah. Infiltrated all those drones. And listen, my Air National Guard units, I'm out now, but when I was there, all of the aircraft are out in the open. When I flew tankers, 10 tanker aircraft out in the open, and you could park 100ft away, fly a drone, and hit a tanker aircraft. When I was at my F35 unit, they're in hardened shelters, but not fully hardened. You can still, you know, the front and back end are open. That's what I worry about, is that there will be a version of Operation Spiderweb here in which the Iranian smuggling drones or whoever, The Russians, whatever, and take out entire squadrons of metal. And that is. I mean, you think about the cost of now having to put every aircraft underground is. Is almost immeasurable.

[Paul Rykoff]

Yep. I mean, we've talked about them as, you know, the IEDs and VBIEDs and suicide bomber threat of this era. Right.

[Adam Kinzinger]

And we're not ready for it, Paul.

[Paul Rykoff]

We're not ready.

[Adam Kinzinger]

We're not ready, and we don't have the air. I mean, the fact that we are unable to defend against a significant number of the Shaheed drones in the Middle east and that we have to call Ukraine to do it means, what the hell have we been doing? That war has been going on for four years. What have we been doing? I mean, we don't even have Sea Rams that are capable of taking them out at this point. There's not enough of them or whatever. And we don't want to expend Patriot missiles on a drone because that is a massive cost differential. What have we been doing? And sadly, we've been more interested in taking out Wokeism than we have and actually defending the stuff we have that we need to defend.

[Paul Rykoff]

I want to go below the radar, but before I. Do you think you could kick Hegseth's ass? I mean, like, you guys would be a great matchup. I think, like, Cash Patel, you know, these guys who seem to, you know, be like, the guy who wants to beat up somebody else's dad and. But, like, there's. There, you know Hegseth, right? I know. He.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Yeah.

[Paul Rykoff]

You know, Tulsi. Like, this is. I have to just ask you. Like, this is fucking crazy that Tulsi and. And Hegseth are in charge right now.

[Adam Kinzinger]

It is crazy. And it's also crazy that they somehow. People think they're these tough military folks. They're all for show. Everything is for show. This is like performance art. If they were playing a secretary of war or, you know, whatever, or like a traitor, you know, if you're watching the TV show Homeland, like, Tulsi is your perfect character for that. It is unbelievable. And I still cannot come to grips with the fact that this is real life. It still feels like a dream that we're going to wake up from. And by the way, yeah, I think I could beat up 99% of the

[Paul Rykoff]

people in the Trump administration. She's a Bond villain, Right? That's part of why they love her in the manosphere. She's a Bond villain. All right, let's go below the radar on something I want to talk to you about that we always talk about. The last Republican is out. It's now on YouTube. Everybody should check it out. It's a really important story about your time and how you've been fighting on so many issues and heroically, in my view, in many ways. But are you going to be the guy who hangs on forever? I mean, can we make your next film the first independent? You know, you're in. You're in Texas. You know, you got a situation where you got Telorico versus probably Cornyn. But if someone like you runs as an independent, if someone like Matthew McConaughey runs as an independent, someone like Mark Cuban runs as an independent. But this is a really serious question.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Yeah.

[Paul Rykoff]

Like. Like, are you gonna.

[Adam Kinzinger]

You're.

[Paul Rykoff]

You're a Republican. At what point do you say, I do not want to be associated with this disgusting thing?

[Adam Kinzinger]

Yeah, it's a good question. So first off, on the independent side of things, I, I, I am all in favor of the idea of an independent candidate or party. You know as well as anybody the, the fact that both the parties in charge have put up such high barriers to that. But I think it's possible. And the thing is, is it needs to start in the House, in the Senate, because what ends up happening is there's always some idea floated of an independent presidential candidate. You just simply cannot win the Electoral College as an independent. So it needs to start at that level. For Me Personally, obviously 2026, I don't have the energy, but I would not be opposed to running as an independent for something or as a conservative Democrat for that matter, or a centrist Democrat in terms of like maintaining my alliance with the gop. Certainly I have no, I don't give them money. They don't even claim me anymore for me right now. And as I mentioned at the beginning, I haven't voted Republican in years. But I think I am more effective attacking them, pointing out that I was, and this is fact, this will never change. I was a Republican member of Congress. There will not. There will be a day at some point, though, when I drop the label. Personally, I just think right now it's more effective to remind people, not necessarily that I am a Republican now and it's been frankly a long time since I've called myself a Republican, but that I was a member, a Republican member of Congress. And I think that's important to point out.

[Paul Rykoff]

Well, and you will always be that. But I think I want to use you as an example. We will celebrate your Declaration of Independence. We can make it like a knighthood. Okay. Or like a coming out party. I mean, I had this conversation with Michael Steele and Joe Walsh is now a Democrat. I think he's gone too far. But I think the point being, Adam, that that normal people want to drop their affiliation and they are, 10,000 people a week are leaving the Democratic Republican Party. Young people are not joining. So I think there's a, there's a seal breaking that has to happen. And it could be Don Bacon, it could be Jared Golden. But if we can get more people to actually drop that affiliation and show the power of being unaffiliated and independent and that it's an option for everyday people. It's shovel ready, dude. Like, right, the spike is about to happen and celebrity or money will really jumpstart what we're seeing. We see the opportunity with Seth Bodner now in Montana, with Dan Osborne in Nebraska, but we haven't had a big name break ranks yet and you could be the first one and I will buy you a life supply of beer. Lifetime supply of beer.

[Adam Kinzinger]

If you do a lifetime supply of beer. Now that may be

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

nobody does selling better than Shopify. Shopify is the home of the number one checkout on the planet and the not so secret secret with shop pay that boosts conversions up to 50%, meaning way less carts go abandoned and way more sales going through. So if you're into growing your business, your commerce platform better be ready to sell wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling on the web, in your store, in their feed and every everywhere in between. Businesses that sell more sell on Shopify. Upgrade your business and get the same checkout that Skims uses. Sign up for your $1 per month trial period for three months at shopify.com Westwood One all lowercase go to shopify.com Westwood One to upgrade your selling today. Shopify.com Westwood One

[Adam Kinzinger]

scooted up the timeline. No, look, I, this is something, honestly, I think about daily. So, you know, it's more a matter of where I can think I'd be more effective. But Yeah, I am 100 with you strategically, mentally, spiritually. And beer. Beer only.

[Paul Rykoff]

All right, let's, let's end with something good. Every show we end with something good. I'm going to start, then I'm going to come to you. I'm going to focus on Michigan State basketball. Last night honored 102-year-old Chuck Kohler, who is one of only 12 remaining Pearl harbor survivors. And he's also Jackson Kohler's great grandfather. There was a moment at the Michigan State basketball game this week where they honored him.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Joining the team on the court tonight is Earl Chuck Kohler.

[Paul Rykoff]

It was really moving. It was really emotional. Multi generations, but also just remembering what these guys went through and how much they've sacrificed. And I think especially now an important reminder of the human cost of war where the president's talking about sending more men and women to die. We've got six killed in action. We could have many more. The voices Of World War II veterans and Vietnam veterans and Korea War veterans as a reminder, as a human reminder is so important right now. But this was a beautiful moment. It was something good and a reminder of what the greatest generation went through that I hope will take us into Friday with a little bit of hope. But Adam Kinziger, over to you, my friend. What is something good?

[Adam Kinzinger]

So I'm going to give you two things good, one serious one's not one's not. The not serious one is the Chicago Bears are going to be great next year. That's fantastic. And I believe that. Now let me give you my more serious thing.

[Paul Rykoff]

Hold on, hold on, hold on. But are they going to be in Chicago?

[Adam Kinzinger]

I know. Isn't that, isn't that crazy? I don't know. If they do move, it's going to be a while.

[Paul Rykoff]

If you go home, if you go home and run for governor as an independent and say you're going to save the Bears.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Oh, I could win.

[Paul Rykoff]

Yeah, you would win. Independent governor, who's going to save the bear? You don't have to run anything else.

[Adam Kinzinger]

What do you think about this issue? Like bears. It's all just bears. The broader thing is, though, like, I. So I was speaking at something a couple days ago and something really hit me, which is just we have an amazing pro democracy coalition that exists. It has nothing to do with political affiliation. I think there's a small percent of it that still call themselves Republicans, the independents, and many on the Democratic side that I think understand this broader fight, which is that democracy really is at risk now. And what I love about that is I have gotten together with people and I have gotten more enriched personally by listening to people on the far left that I know care about democracy as much as I do. And it's given me, even somebody that's been in politics a big part of my life, the ability to see that people can have completely different viewpoints and mean well and be as passionate about their viewpoints as you are. And I think that Americans are starting to wake up to the fact that actually a pro democracy coalition just generically is actually a really beautiful thing. We used to love debating each other on issues. It's all become so serious now that people are scared of it. But that's my one good thing, is just I think this is building a real movement that's gonna last. And I like you, actually, I would love to see that coalesce into an independent movement that actually could drag both parties into the center. But either way, we're in a much better place than we were even two years ago.

[Paul Rykoff]

I love it. It is something good. And I think you're right. There is an opportunity in this crisis because of the overwhelming opposition to Iran and ice, to bring that together, to unite the far left, the far right, and, of course, independence. In a moment where, you know, I remember when I was in Iraq, one of my interpreters said, you know, we have Shia, we have Sunni, we have Kurds. We were all, you know, Divided. But we were united against Saddam and then Saddam left and we were all united against you. I mean, now we have an opportunity where everyone can be united against ICE and against Iran and eventually that may move into Trump. But create a movement of people who put country first, not party and, but they need leaders, man. So if you're willing to step up, you know, we're recruiting for Independent Veterans of America. We want 100 candidates this fall. If you run in Texas, you run back home, you run for president. You know, we're recruiting, man. We need you and we'll have your back if you do.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Good to know. Thanks, man.

[Paul Rykoff]

Thank you for all you do. Everyone should follow your substack. Follow him on social media. He's one of the few good reasons to still be on X and support his fight for democracy and for the Bears, the great and powerful Adam Kinzinger. Thank you, my friend. You're a courageous patriot. Keep giving him hell.

[Adam Kinzinger]

Good to be with you, dude. Take care.

[Paul Rykoff]

All right, there's Adam Kinzinger. I had to do that from Ms. Now because I've been on TV a lot. I'm going to try to provide my analysis, my perspective and most of all remind people about the human cost of war. I've worked with veterans for over 20 years, seen the terrible human cost of war on them and their families. I want to remind my veteran friends, especially in our military families, that we got to look out for each other, stand up for each other and reach out if you need help. I'll always have a link in my bio in the show notes rather to resources including the veterans Crisis line. If you're, if you're struggling, reach out, even reach out to me and look out for your buddies. Call your buddies this weekend. Call your buddies in the next couple of days and check on them and just let them know you love them. All right, Tomorrow over the weekend on Saturday I will be on CNN in the evening and I will also be on Ms. Now I'm going to do both of those after my kids basketball game. We are daily now. We're hitting the charts. I think it's going to bounce a lot more after Colbert and some of this other love. But be sure to follow right now and subscribe if you don't already. If you're new here, welcome. Great to have you. If you're an Adam Kinzinger fan or an Adam Kinzinger hater, either way, hit subscribe. Check out Independent Americans US where you can get the merchandise. You can join our Patreon community and you can invite others to be a part of this movement, especially on YouTube, where you can see me and Kinziger, you can see behind the scenes, lots of extra content. And we will provide updates in real time as well and maybe do some live shows coming up. But America is more divided than ever before. But that is changing. There is an opportunity because we're united in our opposition to what Trump's doing in Iran, and we're united in our opposition to ice. And maybe there is an opportunity in this crisis to be even more united like we are here at Independent Americans, adding light to contrast the heat of all the other political shows. Even when my voice is tired, I'm gonna keep coming, and I hope you will, too. If you're among the now 45% of Americans who are independent and growing by the minute. I wish Kinzinger would be part of it. This is your show. Our independent movement is bringing hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenging the status quo, especially right now. Both parties, Congress, the media, it all needs to be challenged. Because our men and women are in harm's way and our men and women are dying. And we need to push this new movement now to meet the moment. Because hope is the oxygen of democracy. And we, you are that hope. If you enjoyed this episode with Adam Kinzinger, share it far and wide and invite others to declare their independence. If you know people who are fed up, this is the moment for them to break free and declare their independence. And stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And it's a price we all have to pay right now. But no, you are not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant. We're all in this together. I hope you felt that from Adam and all our guests this week. Some amazing guests we've had and we'll have more next week coming up. Paul, I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning in to Independent Americans. I will probably drop a special episode for you tomorrow over the weekend. Look out for that. And we will have another episode, of course, on Monday. Happy Friday. Don't let them with your Friday joy, you can still carve out a piece of Friday. Good luck to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and especially to Team USA in the Paralympics. And maybe most of all, to Team USA and the fight for our democracy. I'll see you next time. Stay vigilant, America. Stay vigilant. And it's not cool to believe in

[Adam Kinzinger]

school, but if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the

[Paul Rykoff]

revolution and the good trouble they can bring he says the red and blue I get an independence is an attitude

[Adam Kinzinger]

an island in the sea of rhetoric

[Paul Rykoff]

and I could probably go he tells

[Adam Kinzinger]

me the left and right Our dreams

[Paul Rykoff]

for those without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow power by righteous media.