Troops on Kharg Island Could Be Bloody. Republicans Say No to Iran.

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Episode: Troops on Kharg Island Could Be Bloody. Republicans Say No to Iran.
Host: Paul Rieckhoff
Date: March 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode, delivered solo by Paul Rieckhoff, focuses on the escalating and increasingly unpopular Iran war, the dangers facing U.S. troops in the region—especially on Kharg Island—political opposition from unexpected places, and broader critiques of the White House’s competence and accountability. Rieckhoff manages the urgent news cycle while infusing the episode with his signature blend of energy, cultural references (from Tina Turner to MLB Opening Day), and calls for independent thought and vigilance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. State of the Iran War and Kharg Island Risks

• Recent intelligence confirms Iran’s preparations for a U.S. operation on Kharg Island, including laying traps, mines, and moving air defenses ([02:57]).
• U.S. troops, especially light infantry, face significant risks from missiles and cheap drones, making troop protection very difficult ([03:10]).
• Gulf allies warn a U.S. strike would result in substantial casualties.
• Reference to Admiral James Stavridis' concerns:

  “Iranians are clever and ruthless. They will do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on US Forces both on ships and at sea, and especially once ground troops are anywhere in the territory.” (Paul Rieckhoff quoting Admiral Stavridis, [03:25])

2. Growing Political Opposition from Both Parties

• The Iran war is overwhelmingly unpopular, prompting pushback from politicians across the spectrum—even some far-right Republicans, like Rep. Nancy Mace:

  “I just walked out of an armed House Armed Services briefing on Iran. Let me repeat, I will not support troops on the ground in Iran.”
  “The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today... this gap is deeply troubling.” (Nancy Mace, [05:00])

• Rieckhoff finds himself in rare agreement with figures like Nancy Mace and even Marjorie Taylor Greene, underscoring the widespread resistance to the war ([05:41]).
• Critique of the “backwards” approach to war:

  “First commit the country, then commit the troops. Every time a president gets it backward, America gets into big, big trouble.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [05:57])

3. Situation on U.S. Military Bases in the Middle East

• Iranian strikes have forced American troops to operate remotely, with some being housed in hotels and office spaces after bases were bombed ([07:13]).
• Multiple bases in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have been damaged or rendered nearly uninhabitable. Six U.S. service members were killed in Kuwait ([08:17]).
• The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is actively seeking U.S. troop locations ([07:30]).

4. White House Fumbles & Lack of Transparency

• Critique of the White House’s handling of communications—referencing a bizarre, quickly deleted late-night “it’s launching soon” video posted from the official account, signaling a lack of discipline and professionalism ([12:34]).

  “They are sloppy, they are incompetent, and they have not just our bombers and our military, they have our Nukes. And it’s another reason our enemies are celebrating.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [13:20])

5. Criticism of Pentagon Leadership

• Acting Secretary of Defense Hegseth is labeled by Pentagon staffers as “Dumb McNamara,” a jab at his appetite for escalation and alleged incompetence ([14:01]).

  “Vietnam was run by McNamara. Iran is being run by Hegseth. And this one might stick.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [14:23])

• Congress has attempted (and failed) to constrain Trump through War Powers votes ([15:09]).
• Rieckhoff singles out Senator John Fetterman for siding with Republicans to let Trump continue the war without congressional approval ([15:40]).

6. Trump's Domestic Militarization Plans & Electoral Threats

• Trump expresses his desire to keep troops stationed in U.S. cities like D.C., Chicago, and New York for “public safety”—despite constitutional challenges:

  “I never want to take him out of D.C. ... They look, they say, we feel so good, we feel so safe.” (Unknown Guest, quoting Trump, [16:52])

• Discussion of Steve Bannon’s strategy to use ICE at airports as a prelude to increased presence at polling stations, threatening voter turnout and democratic processes ([17:39]).

  “Never normalize that he wants to put American troops in American cities... He wants to use the military to control and expand this country’s power, his power over it, and to potentially meddle in the elections this fall.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [17:39])

7. Ukraine War: U.S. Moves & Trump’s Stance

• The U.S. has made security guarantees to Ukraine conditional on Kyiv ceding the Donbas to Russia—a move President Zelensky vehemently rejects.

  “It’s like asking America to just give up Alaska, just give up Texas.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [18:39])

8. Political Accountability & Conflict of Interest Concerns

• Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA, former Marine) implements a blanket ban on staffers’ participation in political betting markets like Polymarket and Kalshi ([20:07]).
• The bipartisan “PREDICT Act” aims to ban lawmakers, executive branch officials, and families from trading on political prediction markets.

9. Culture, Sports, & Independent Movement Updates

• Bill Maher will receive the Mark Twain Prize; Rieckhoff to appear on Real Time with Bill Maher (April 10) ([21:46]).
• NCAA March Madness and MLB Opening Day are celebrated as symbols of hope and joy amid turmoil ([23:49]).
• Rieckhoff offers his World Series picks: Dodgers vs. Yankees, predicting a Yankees win this year ([24:38]).

10. Protests & the Expanding Independent Movement

• Rieckhoff will attend the “No Kings” anti-Trump/pro-democracy protests this Saturday in NYC ([26:21]).

  “The movement is growing. People are coming out, they’re unifying. I think this could be a big one.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [26:29])

• Teases tomorrow’s guest, Ken Casey (Dropkick Murphy's), who will join the protests in Boston.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Energy and Joy:

  “Energy is contagious. And it is also officially now opening day of Major League Baseball.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [01:55])

• On Political Alignment during War:

  “In the upside-down world of 2026, I find myself agreeing with Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and others because this war is crazy unpopular.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [05:41])

• On White House Sloppiness:

  “These are the same people that have our nukes. Never forget, they are sloppy, they are incompetent...” (Paul Rieckhoff, [13:20])

• On Militarization at Home:

  “He wants to keep U.S. troops in U.S. cities forever... Never normalize that he wants to put American troops in American cities.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [17:06; 17:39])

• On Ukraine:

  “It’s like asking America to just give up Alaska, just give up Texas. We wouldn’t do it and we wouldn’t appease our enemies. And Ukraine shouldn’t either.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [18:39])

• On Independence:

  “Independents are the people’s champion. We’re not just moving the needle, we are the needle.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [19:36])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:19] – Opening news blast; energetic intro, Tina Turner, MLB Opening Day, and framing the episode
• [02:57] – Iran prepares Kharg Island; reporting and analysis on troop risks and likely casualties
• [05:00] – Nancy Mace's opposition to ground troops in Iran; bipartisan pushback
• [07:13] – Iran’s drone/missile attacks force U.S. troops to operate remotely
• [12:34] – White House’s accidental social media post and implications
• [14:01] – Pentagon staff nickname Hegseth “Dumb McNamara”
• [15:09] – Senate vote fails to block Trump from escalating Iran war; Fetterman called out
• [16:52] – Trump’s comments about keeping troops in U.S. cities
• [17:39] – Bannon and ICE at polls; threats to election integrity
• [18:39] – Conditional U.S. security guarantees to Ukraine; Zelensky’s rejection
• [20:07] – Ban on congressional staff using prediction markets
• [21:46] – Bill Maher to receive Mark Twain Prize; Rieckhoff to appear on his show
• [23:49] – NCAA picks and MLB World Series predictions
• [26:21] – “No Kings” protest plans; movement growth; independent candidates and future guests

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Tone & Style

Rieckhoff balances urgency, frustration, and hope. He’s direct, candid, and fiery—critiquing leaders across the political spectrum, celebrating independent thought, and infusing the episode with personal stories and cultural touchstones. The episode ends on a note of collective action and optimism, encouraging listeners to “stay vigilant” and declaring the independent movement’s growth in a divided America.

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Takeaway

Rieckhoff’s episode is a rapid-fire analysis of the dangers in Iran, bipartisan backlash to forever wars, Trump’s normalization of militarization at home, lack of checks on executive power, integrity in government, and the persistent vitality of independent advocacy and hope—even on baseball’s Opening Day.

Closing Call:

“Stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. No, you’re not alone in your vigilance. We’re all vigilant and we’re all in this together.” (Paul Rieckhoff, [29:26])

Transcript

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[Paul Reikoff]

Download Today really important to understand it's not just about whether or not they take something like Carg Island. It's about whether or not they can be protected once they're there. We might be able to take land space in the region, but protecting our troops there, especially light infantry troops from missile attack and especially from cheap drones, will be very, very difficult.

[Musical Interlude / Song]

Foreign

[Paul Reikoff]

welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 476. I am your host, Paul Reichop. It is Thursday, March 26th and I am coming to you from New York City, USA. And the weather here today is amazing. Finally 70 and sunny. I feel like we've finally made it through one of the toughest winters we can remember. And spring is finally here. And today's artist. An artist I share every day, a new artist with my kids. Today's artist is Tina Turner. The great, powerful, amazing, iconic, inspiring Tina Turner. Why? Because I did a peloton bike ride this morning and Tina Turner came on and it gave me a boost of energy and I think that's what we need to power through what is a wild week and into the news ahead. Of course, Tina Turner, what's Love Got to Do With It? I heard a Proud Mary a redo that was amazing. The best better be good to me. But we need that kind of energy and I want to spread that kind of energy because energy is contagious. And it is also officially now opening day of Major League Baseball. Now, my Yankees kicked it off last night with a great seven to nothing win against the Giants and they're off to a great start. They are undefeated and like every team right now in America, they are in first place. So congratulations to all of you on opening day of baseball. I hope it brings you hope and inspiration and I hope this show does the same. And like the Yankee picture, Max Freed, I'm going to bring you some fastballs, I'm going to bring you some great pitching, and I'm going to bring you the five eyes that I bring you in every single show. Independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact to take you through this Thursday in a really important couple of news items. Just me today, a quick fastball of an episode to take you into the week and to help you stay vigilant. All right, folks, coming up tomorrow, we're going to have a fantastic conversation with the great Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphy's. He is an amazing artist, he is an amazing leader, he's an amazing patriot. He is pushing back and has been for years. And I had an extended conversation coming up with Ken Casey tomorrow to so hit subscribe, mark your calendars and get ready. It should be out early tomorrow because he will remind us music will remind us, baseball will remind us joy is a form of resistance. Trump and his forever war are out of control. But we still have music, we still have opening day, and we still have March Madness. Thankfully, he hasn't ruined them yet. But enjoy them when and how you can, America, especially today and especially this week. They'll help you stay vigilant. Before we go into our top topic, All right, batting leadoff until further notice is of course, the Iran war, which continues to swirl with controversy and mixed information and reporting out of the region. And here's some really important reporting that I want to focus you on that I think should be front and center. As more troops from the 82nd Airborne and the Marine Corps head into the region, we are now getting confirmation that a ground effort could be very, very bloody. This should be no surprise to anybody who understands the dynamics here, but Natasha Bertrand at CNN along with her colleagues are reporting that Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to to Carg island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US Operation to take control of the island. That's according to multiple people familiar with the intelligence reporting on the issue. Gulf allies are warning that the US could suffer significant casualties if the US Moves forward with an operation there. If you don't know, Carrick island is roughly the third the size of Manhattan, so the US Would have to have a pretty sizable landing force to take the island if it moved ahead with this thing. It is located in the northern end of the Persian Gulf, away from the Strait of Hormuz, but near critical Iranian oil facilities. So they're laying down all kinds of traps and mines. Our friend Admiral James Stravides, who was on the show Monday, if you didn't hear that, go back and check it out, is quoted in the CNN piece. He says, I am very worried about this. Iranians are clever and ruthless. They will do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on US Forces both on ships and at sea, and especially once ground troops are anywhere in the territory. In the sovereign territory. Yep, that's what our troops are going into. And really important to understand. It's not just about whether or not they take something like Carg island. It's about whether or not they can be protected once they're there. We might be able to take land space in the region, but protecting our troops there, especially light infantry troops, from missile attack and especially from cheap drones, will be very, very difficult. Go back and check out that episode with Admiral Stravides for more. My episode with General Mark Hertling and way, way back. A couple weeks ago Nolan Peterson and I went into the threat of drones, which should remain front and center. And when you're hearing all this information, lean on military sources that have been there. I will try to help you through it and I will help you stay vigilant. All right. Surprisingly, folks are pushing back. Maybe not surprisingly, but the reality is politicians from both sides are pushing back because the war in Iran is overwhelmingly unpopular. And that includes pretty radical right wing Congresswoman Nancy Mace, who posted this on X. I just walked out of an armed House Armed Services briefing on Iran. Let me repeat, I will not support troops on the ground in Iran. Even more so I after this briefing then she said more recently yesterday, the justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today in the House Armed Services Committee. This gap is deeply troubling. The longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people. She's right about that. And in the upside down world of 2026, I find myself agreeing with Nancy Mace Agreement, Marjorie Taylor Greene and others because this war is crazy unpopular and so is the way they're doing it. I will remind you of the adage that I think is so important right now. First commit the country, then commit the troops. Every time a president gets it backward, America gets into big, big trouble and it's backwards again. Now on Iran, Trump doesn't even have most Republicans behind boots on the ground, but he continues to to push forward. Meanwhile, in the region, troops are in danger. Our troops are in very, very serious danger. Don't let them spin that. And it's now forced basically every US Troop in the region to work remotely. Iran has damaged several American military bases. They bombed bases across the Middle east, forcing American troops to relocate to hotels and office spaces throughout the region. Helene Cooper and Eric Schmidt at the Washington. Sorry. At the New York Times have this reporting. They're essentially fighting the war remotely now, with the exception of fighter pilots and crews maintaining warplanes and conducting strikes. But the Islamic Republican Guard Corps has urged people to report the locations as it hunts for our troops. It is significant, as Hegseth says, they've struck 7,000 targets across Iran and its military infrastructure, saying today this week will be the largest strike package yet. But the 13 military bases that the US has in the area are all but uninhabitable, with the ones in Kuwait, next door to Iran, suffering the most significant damage. Six U.S. service members were killed there. Missiles and drones continue to be a threat. In Qatar, Iran hit the El Oued Air Base, the regional Air command headquarters of U.S. central Command, damaging an early warning system. In Bahrain, a one way Iranian attack drone struck communications equipment at the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet. They got hit in Saudi Arabia. And it is a big and serious threat. And this will be the ongoing threat. Even if they stop bombing the missiles and the drones and the other proxy attacks may and likely will continue. So we all, and especially our troops in the region that should be in your thoughts and prayers, need to stay vigilant.

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[Paul Reikoff]

All right, we need to especially stay vigilant because meanwhile, the White House and this crew are just fumbling constantly. Last night, you may not have seen this unless you're on X and you're kind of under the hood. Maybe you did, but the White House last night, late last night published something very weird from their X account, the official White House account. It was a quick video, only about five seconds, that said sound on. On the bottom. And someone saying it's launching soon. Right? That's all they said. Speculation went rampant around the world. It was a female individual, potentially Press secretary Carolyn Levitt, who can be heard saying, is it. It's launching soon. Right. Problematic, yes. And then the video, within a few hours was deleted. No explanation. We don't know what happened, but it seems like maybe they're accidentally posting shit on Twitter, which is true. Troubling, because these are the same people that have our nukes. Never forget, they are sloppy, they are incompetent, and they have not just our bombers and our military, they have our Nukes. And it's another reason our enemies are celebrating.

[Musical Interlude / Song]

Our enemies are celebrating.

[Paul Reikoff]

Our enemies are also celebrating Hegseth, who continues to be a flaming hot mess. Almost every press conference becomes more radical, more propaganda like. And it looks like people in the Pentagon are fed up with him too. We talked about how he's only got about 9% of the civilian workforce in in the Pentagon. That finds him inspiring. That means most folks see through his charade. But now staffers have reportedly given the self proclaimed Secretary of War a brutal new moniker that leans on his insatiable appetite for war. The Daily Peace is now recording that they're calling him dumb McNamara, dumb McNamara, a reference to of course, Secretary of Defense McNamara, who ran the Vietnam War during its worst times. Later had a kind of come to Jesus moment in a famous documentary where he kind of admitted he screwed some things up. I don't think Hegseth will ever have a McNamara moment, but he has a McNamara moniker. They're calling him Dumb McNamara. Vietnam was run by McNamara. Iran is being run by Hegseth. And this one might stick. I mean, I've been trying to get Acting Secretary of Culture War to stick, which I think is very apt, but this one might stick, especially if Trump ends up firing him and using them. We'll see. Stay focused on that now as this moves on. At least some in Congress are trying to put some checks in place. I give them credit for that. In case you missed it, There was a 53 to 47 vote on Tuesday as the Senate defeated the Democrats last attempt to block President Trump from continuing the war against Iran without Congressional authorization. Stars and Stripes is reporting this, among others. But at least they're trying. They're failing and they're continuing to get run over. And I think if they want to get ahead of the game, they need to do a War Powers act vote now on Cuba and potentially Colombia and other countries he has said he wants to hit. But for now, at least they're trying. If you don't know how your folks are voting, just Google roll call War Powers act and you can see how your senators voted again. Fetterman as an example, the biggest chicken hawk and a total failure, especially if you're a Democrat, has voted with the Republicans to not hold the President accountable in a time of war because they believe that he should just be able to do whatever he wants, including sending more men and women to die. So Congress is still kind of getting run over like squirrels on a train track. Some of them are trying, some of them, but they're not focused on protecting our Constitution or our elections. This is below the radar, but it shouldn't be. Trump has now said out loud what Bannon has said out loud and what I have tried to bring your attention to that. He wants to keep U.S. troops in U.S. cities forever. Check this out.

[Unknown Guest or Interviewee]

Doing it, it's like training. It's actually training. I never want to take him out of D.C. i mean, maybe somebody later on will do it, but I never want to take, you know, the people, they look, they say, we feel so good, we feel so safe.

[Paul Reikoff]

So as I've long referenced on this show, this has always been the plan and it's unconstitutional and been ruled illegal by the courts. But he doesn't care. He doesn't care. He wants troops in every US City. And that now could go even further into places like New York City and Chicago. Check this clip out.

[Unknown Guest or Interviewee]

Finished. But that young lady would be alive today and she'd be alive for another reason, because we would have the National Guard in Chicago and in New York and in other places.

[Paul Reikoff]

See, never normalize that he wants to put American troops in American cities. Never accept it. And remember, the most important story in the world is still that Donald Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, and nothing is stopping him, including at home. And he wants to go further. He wants New York, he wants Chicago, he wants more. He's telegraphing his punches and he's trying to normalize it, all of it, but don't let him. Because he wants to use the military to control and expand this country's power, his power over it, and to potentially meddle in the elections this fall. We talked yesterday about how Steve Bannon has said that ICE at the airports is a warmup for ICE at your election booth. They are really good at checking IDs, Steve Bannon said that'll give them lots of practice before they check IDs at the elections. You want to stifle election turnout, especially from minority groups and from people who don't like ice, send them to the election polls. That could be part of his plan to disrupt and undermine our elections. So it's an area especially I'm going to stay focused on. And you please stay vigilant. Now. Only if he used our military where we really needed them, like supporting Ukraine and supporting Putin. Because in Ukraine, it is day 1494 of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. And Reuters has an exclusive story that you need to know about. The US has made its offer of security guarantees needed for a peace deal in Ukraine, conditional on Kyiv ceding all of the country's eastern region of Donbas to Russia. President Zelensky has told this to Reuters. So it's like asking America to just give up Alaska, just give up Texas. We wouldn't do it and we wouldn't appease our enemies. And Ukraine shouldn't either. It's another example of how Trump continues to side with Putin instead of Ukraine. But we can speak out and let him know, let Zelensky know, let the world know that especially when it comes to Ukraine, Donald Trump does not speak for most Americans. If you're not angry about this, you're not paying attention. And you can support our work at American Veterans for Ukraine as well. Help us speak out, especially if you're a veteran that supports Ukraine. And check out our many episodes with folks who worked in and around Ukraine to stand with freedom. It's an important line in the sand that we should not cross as Americans and as lovers of democracy. And even if our president won't do it, we should so stay vigilant. All right. In politics, there's always a lot going on. We talked about the vote. Republicans continue to be gone. Democrats continue to get rolled. Independents are few and far between. But independents are the people's champion. We're not just moving the needle, we are the needle. I will continue to bring you independent candidates who are declaring their independence and declaring their candidacy. Our goal, of course, is 100 this year in the fall. And we will be announcing the nominate our endorsements from Independent Veterans of America coming soon. In the meantime, you may notice that a lot of people in Washington are making money on the war, of course, war profiteers and defense contractors, but also apparently insiders at the White House who are trading on what's going to happen in the poly market. And at least one member of Congress, Representative Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts who's a Marine, had been on the show, is doing something about it. He's instituting an office wide policy prohibiting his staff from participating in prediction market platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi to trade or hold positions on political, legislative, regulatory or geopolitical outcomes. Billy House was reporting this on X effective today, the ban applies to all staff employed by Congressman Moulton, including district staff, legislative staff, any other personnel under his authority. It's a good move and I hope Congressman Moulton will join us on the show soon to talk more about that. And he continues to be an important voice pushing back on Iran. He's a Marine. He knows the cost of war. But this should be the rule for everyone in Congress or in everyone in a government job of any kind. And now there are two members of Congress who have introduced a bill that would ban lawmakers and officials in the executive branch as well as their kids and spouses from trading on prediction markets to political events. Politico first reported this. This is about platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi after suspicious bets have been placed on policy related stuff. The bill is called the Preventing Real Time Exploitation and Deceptive Insider Congressional Trading Act. The Predict Act. That's a big one. It will be responsored by Representative Nikki Budzinski, a Democrat from Illinois, and Representative Adrian Smith, a Republican from Nebraska. This is good. We need it. I invite both of them to come on this show. It's another way we can push back, hold our leaders accountable, fight back on corruption and make sure that war isn't making people profits. It should be about people, not profits. Stay vigilant. All right, a couple final notes. Let's talk culture. After some back and forth, there's now news that Bill Maher will receive the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy center after the White House initially denied the reports. He's going to get the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor just days after the Washington the White House denied it. The annual award will be presented at the Kennedy center on June 28, right before the whole thing closes down for a two year renovation. Bill Maher said thank you to the Mark Twain people. I just had the award explained to me and apparently it's like an Emmy except I win, he quipped in a statement. I'd like to say it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain. Mark Twain also famously said, I love my country always and my government when it deserves it. But Bill Maher will be in the news and I will be on with Bill Maher. I'm going on Real Time with Bill Maher on April 10th. I'm going out to LA for that. So mark your calendar. It should be a good one. I've been on a few times before and looking forward to mixing it up. Let's move over to sports to close and give you some hope and some inspiration.

[Musical Interlude / Song]

Something good, something sweet.

[Unknown Guest or Interviewee]

Feel.

[Paul Reikoff]

The NCAA tournament is back in session tonight. Four games. Number 11, Texas against number two, Purdue. I'm picking Purdue. They've been amazing. Number four, Arkansas against Arizona. I'm picking Arizona. Great to see Arkansas back, but Arizona is maybe the one seed that not Enough folks are focused on number nine against number nine, Iowa against number four, Nebraska. I'm taking Iowa. I'm taking Iowa in the upset. Nebraska has been amazing, but I'm taking Iowa. And then Houston number two against Illinois, number three, I'm taking Houston. I think they are a very good two seed and they will impress. Of course. We got St. John's tomorrow against Duke. Look for that. And my baseball picks. Baseball is now underway. Happy opening day. I'm going to throw out my World Series picks for you now. No big reach here. I think the Dodgers are going to go back for the National League. Of course, this is if they can stay healthy. But Ohtani Yamamoto, that whole crew is just rocking. It's almost unfair. And my Yankees, I think will meet them again in the World Series. I think if the Yankees are healthy, they get back Garrett Cole, they've got Max Freed. Aaron Judge does it again. Jazz Chisholm should have a big year. Ben Rice. Watch my friend Ben Rice, who's been getting better every year. And now holding it down at first base. A big shout out to the Yankees. I think they're going back to the World Series and this time I think the Yankees do it. I think our pitching staff is good enough. I think we got the bats and I think we can take down the the Dodgers. So that's my prediction. I know it's only March, it's opening day, but I wish your teams all the best of luck.

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[Paul Reikoff]

This is Mike Bolo of Lexicon Valley and I'm Bob Garfield. Are you one of those people who sometimes uses words? Do you communicate or acquire information with, you know, language? Hey, us too. So join us on Lexicon Valley to true over the history, culture and many mysteries of English, plus some rice cracks. Find us on one of those apps where people listen to podcasts and all of us are best of luck in defending our democracy as we go into this spring season of True March Madness, which is definitely a time to stay vigilant. All right, finally, guys, a couple of notes that you need to know about. The no Kings protests are happening all across America this weekend. I've been critical of them because I just think the no Kings thing is kind of hard to understand. But the movement is growing. People are coming out, they're unifying. I think this could be a big one. It's happening on Saturday all across America. I think they should call them the no Trump rallies or the no Trump protests. I think that would be better for people to understand we're unifying. So many people are against ICE and against Trump and against the war, but ultimately most people now are against Trump. But I'm going to be out there. If you're going to be out there, hit me up and let me know. I'll be at the protest here in New York. It's the first one I've officially gone to, but I'm going to go there and try to push back against forever wars and just be a part of it and soak it up and maybe post some content. I'm also going to talk tomorrow to Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphy's. He will be holding it down at the no Kings protest in Boston. So if you want to check out the Dropkick Murphy's, go to Boston for that protest and come back here tomorrow for my extended conversation with the great Ken Casey. This guy's a true patriot. He loves vets, he loves firefighters, he loves democracy, and he does not hold back. All right, I'm not holding back either. Yesterday you saw me on News Nation for my weekly Wednesday hit. Today I will be on Ms. Now for my weekly hit, I mentioned Bill Maher. Mark your calendar. April 10. The Stephen Colbert interview continues to get around. Thank you to all of you who are joining us now. Because of that, check out yesterday's episode with Scott McFarlane. Welcome to all the Midas people that are now here. General Mark Hertling from earlier in the week, Admiral James Stravides and of course, Mick Foley over The weekend coming up, we got a lot more national security, political and cultural experts that are going to join us here on the show. As the show continues to surge, we got Henry Rollins coming back. We got Ro Khanna coming back. We got Jeffrey Wright coming back. We'll have Sebastian Younger back and a lot of other folks that you've heard before and some big new ones. So stay tuned. Be sure to follow us on every social media platform and follow us on YouTube hit subscribe. I really need your help expanding YouTube and watch the show there. If you got an older person who's not really into listening to podcasts, they can pull it up on YouTube and watch it in their home. So check it out and share the love and share the independence because we're daily now and you can subscribe on all platforms and go to IndependentAmericans US where you can get some merch and you can soon get our merch up on our YouTube page. America's divided, but less and less by the day. And we're trying to change that. Here at Independent Americans, we are adding light to contrast to heat and bringing it to you fast and fierce. If you're among the 45% of Americans who are independent, which is growing by the day, or Democrats, Republicans that are pissed off and want an alternative, especially from the corporate and traditional media, this is your place. Check us out, because our independent movement is hope for the future. You don't know. It is about country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenging the status quo and fueling a new movement all across our society. And our movement is growing and it is the hope that is the oxygen of our democracy. The hope you feel on baseball opening day this week, the hope you feel around March Madness. The hope you feel around around spring. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it far and wide and invite others to declare their independence. Support independent media, especially in a time of war. And stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. No, you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant and we're all in this together. I'm your host, Paul Reikoff. Thank you for tuning in to Independent Americans. I will see you tomorrow with Ken Casey for a big one. Come back for that. Happy opening day America again. And stay vigilant. Stay vigilant, America. Play ball.

[Musical Interlude / Song]

He tells me the left and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow and it's not cool to believe in school but if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble they can bring he says the red and blue I get any independent is an attitude an island in the sea of rhetoric and I can rather go he tells me the left and right Our dreams proposed without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow power by righteous media.