← Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
Trump’s Lame Iran Speech. Bondi is Out. Epstein Files Bounty? w/Congressman Ro Khanna.
01:04:48
Congressman Ro Khanna is back at a critical moment—and he’s bringing receipts, strategy and a plan. From Trump’s expanding and unpopular war in Iran, to the threat of new wars in Cuba and beyond, Ro joins host Paul Rieckhoff to lay out how Congress can actually stop a runaway commander in chief—using the War Powers Act, the power of the purse, and even impeachment. They dig into the stakes for troops on the ground, the real cost of war for a new generation of veterans, and why both parties are failing to meet the moment as gas prices spike, markets wobble, and the forever‑war machine spins up again.
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And there are people, Leon Black, Les Waxner, who have serious allegations against them and they've never even been investigated. I mean, you, you don't have people even asking them questions. You. Anyone who went to that island or is in the files saying that they went to the island should have an FBI agent asking a basic questions. I'm not saying they're all guilty. And for those who have serious abuse allegations, there should be prosecutions and there should be accountability.
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Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 4 of 82. I am your host, Paul Rykoff and It is Thursday, April 2nd. I'm coming to you from New York City, USA and the weather here today is gloomy again and cold. Dropped about 20 degrees, but we are all a little bit warmed and inspired by the Artemis launch last night. NASA and Artemis have given us a lot to feel good about. And today's artist. Every day I pick an artist to share with my boys, a new one and I'll share it with you. Is Def Leppard because Rocket. Yeah, right. I mean, come on. Def Leppard, if you don't know, they have two albums that are RIAA Diamond Certified Pyromania and Hysteria. They rock my world when I was a kid. And they are one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums that have sold more than 10 million copies in the US. They've been everywhere and. And they are one of the world's bestselling artists of all time with over 100 million records worldwide. They've been a soundtrack of a lot of movies and kind of a soundtrack of people's lives. But if you don't know them, if you're young, if you don't Remember them and you're old. They rock. And they are. They got a great song called Rocket and so many others, but they rock. And we're going to rock today. We're going to try to bring you the five eyes that I bring you in every show. Independence, integrity, information, inspiration and impact. And our guest today coming up is going to bring all that and then some. Congressman Ro Khanna is back. He is a leader of the moment. He's a Democrat from California, and he's part of the one two punch with Republican Tom Massie from Kentucky that's actually been offering plans and getting done. We're going to talk about Iran and the War Powers Act. We're going to talk about Epstein in the wake of Pam Bondi being fired. More on that and also interesting, they come together. So despite ideological perspectives that are different, they sat together at the 2026 State of the Union address. They're both very, very focused. They work together. Maybe there'll be a ticket together one day. I hope Massie will join us soon as well. But I'm going to ask Ro Khanna, what's the plan on Iran? What's the plan on Epstein? What's his plan? Is he going to run for president? Will he and Massie leave their parties and run as independents? We shall see. But Ro Khanna is coming up next. The rocket is up. Artemis is in space. Let's light this candle and stay vigilant. All right, first off, breaking news. Attorney General Pam Bondi has been fired. Looks like Trump has finally gone through with it and pulled the trigger. There's been reporting that he soured on the way she handled the Epstein files, and it looks like she is out. Steve Doocy unfortunately had the exclusive and he reported it on Outnumbered. They say she's gonna be moved to another job in the administration or maybe in the private sector. Todd Blanche will be elevated to AG in an interim role. Trump has said who knows if he'll be there? I mean, look, here's the bottom line. Just like with Kristi Noem, it's kind of like getting rid of the ayatollah and replacing him with a younger version of the ayatollah. They're all still dedicated purists. They are Trump loyalists. And no matter who he puts in there, it's just gonna be a new version of the same kind of person. So will Todd Blanche all of a sudden release all the Epstein files? I doubt it. Pam Bondi will probably stay in Trump's orbit because he knows it's smarter to keep them in his orbit than cut them loose when they can turn against him. But we will watch just space. I will continue to stay vigilant and ask you to do the same. And coming up, we're going to talk to Roana about the Epstein files and what they can do to get them out. And I've got a pretty provocative idea that I'm going to share that I'm surprised somebody hasn't offered sooner. So stay tuned for that, but let's get into what is today's top topic. All right. Trump gave a big speech on Iran last night to the world. If you missed it, you're lucky. The best part about it is that it was short. It was only about 20 minutes. If you tuned into YouTube live, I gave you a quick reaction. I'll try to do that a lot more. But it was a big nothing burger, and I want to put it in perspective. At about 6:00 o', clock, at 6:45, there was the launch, the Artemis Watch. A historic, inspiring, uniquely unifying moment for America and the world. And a big salute to our astronauts and everyone at NASA. It was a great representation of what America can do, the great things that America can do. And I was one of many saying, go, Artemis. Our country needs this. My friend Brenda wrote to me and said, the Artemis 2 launch restored my faith in humanity a bit. We are capable of spectacular things. I think a lot of people felt that way. And then after the launch, America was feeling inspired, united and proud. And an hour later, Trump spoke to the world. Shit on all that, and did the opposite, which is our reality, and this is gonna be our reality. Until further notice. There will be no days off until he's gone. He is the ultimate buzzkill. And last night was a great example. The New York Times actually had a very accurate headline. They had a breaking news headline that said, in speech, Trump claims success in Iraq war, but offers no clear timeline for its end. He really offered no new announcements. It was pretty much what I predicted. He tried to snatch the microphone and jam his narrative down our throats that there was so much winning happening. But despite his bouncing ball of objectives, they haven't achieved any of them. They haven't removed the Iranian nuke threat at all that we know of. They haven't kept the Strait of Hormuz open, they haven't toppled the regime and now there's this new rationale. They want to destroy the military. They haven't achieved any of them. He gave no timeline. Thankfully, he did not announce boots on the ground had happened or were coming. And There was just a really meandering, slow, lethargic feel to him. He looked old and he looked tired. It felt like Biden's debate performance when he was sick. And it might be a really critical turning point for those who saw it in the way they feel about him. There was one clip in particular that I want to pull out because I think it's an extraordinary and important and nefarious piece of bullshit. Chris, please play that clip.
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Twice this past month, I've traveled to Dover Air Force Base, and it's been something I wanted to be with those heroes as the return to American soil. And I was with them and their families, their parents, their wives, the husbands. We salute them and now we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives. And every single one of the people, their loved ones said, please, sir, please finish the job. Every one of them. And we are going to finish the job. And we're going to finish it very fast. We're getting very close.
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He said every single one of the families that died. He said every very, very single one of them said the loved one said, please, sir, please finish the job. We know that's not true. There's been reporting that says otherwise. But this is a very nefarious thing that politicians do when they say they speak for the dead. They know what the dead were thinking. They know what the family members were thinking. They wanted to die in support of this regime, overthrow whatever other rationale Marco Rubio puts out today. They fight and die for each other. They fight and die for their country. They fight and die for what we love back home. But they don't fight and die for a president. They don't fight and die for his distorted and demented and deranged series of rationales. And they are not political props. And anytime any politician from any party claims to speak for the dead, you should call them out on it and you should push back. Because the truth is, America's not buying it anymore. He has jumped the shark. Even within his base. They don't believe him anymore. And as I said yesterday on TV, the big lie about the election in January 6 was something that the left media especially said. The big lie, they called it the big lie that he had won the election that never really caught on in the MAGA base and within Trump's base. But this big lie, the new big lie that you promised you were not going to send us into wars overseas. You promised you wouldn't send us into regime change wars. You promised no more wars. That is now the big lie that's taking hold not just within Trump's base, but within all Americans. That's why such an overwhelmingly high percentage of the population are against this war. Americans are saying no and they're saying they don't believe him. And the markets are reacting as well. Stocks tumbled after oil prices surged after Trump bows. Also more strikes. The S&P 500 opened sharply lower and oil prices continue to go up. Trump said he's gonna continue to hit Iran extremely hard with no end in sight. People in the region and especially folks who are watching oil prices want this to end. Russia's oil reserve and situation continues to be strong and going higher. Same is true with Iran. And meanwhile, back in Washington, Congress continues to suck. More on that coming up with Ro Khanna. And if he can be an, an outlier in breaking through, if he can be a rocket cutting through the space, that is our congressional stupidity. But there's breaking news that the House now will take no action on the DHS bill prolonging the shutdown. So there was hard right opposition even after GOP leaders had agreed on a way to end the shutdown. There's no end to the shutdown. So lots of people across America are still not getting paid, including Coast Guardsmen and other critical folks who work in our government. Meanwhile, Congress, of course, is getting paid. They're getting ready to go on a break for Passover and for Easter and they're still going to get paid. And I'm going to ask Ro Khanna if he can pass legislation to ensure that they don't get paid if our government workers don't get paid. More on that coming up in just a minute. Meanwhile, in Iran and around Iran, the danger continues and so does the threat of boots on the ground. And I want to pull out something you probably haven't seen, you may not have seen. John Hudson and the team at the Washington Post are reporting that there is a high risk plan to seize Iran's uranium in a commando rate. That would require building a Runway in Iran and dropping in excavation equipment amid incoming fire, which has come at Trump's request. He wants this kind of a complex operation. He wants to see our special ops go in with excavation equipment. And this risky commando plan would be to seize a Iran's uranium. It came at Trump's request. Great reporting by John Hudson, Nakashima, Alex Horton, Karen DeYoung and others following the Wall Street Journal scoop of the Washington Post is on it. A reminder, as John Hudson reminds us, a big advocate for the Iran raid is Fox news host Mark Levine, a pro Israel advocate and a Trump whisperer who has been specifically telling viewers that the US should deploy specialized ground troops. Why would we need troops on the ground? There's a lot of reasons, he said on Saturday. I've covered this before, but this is a way of prepping the target in public opinion. They are telegraphing what they want to do. Trump is testing it and Trump is pushing it out there. And Trump believes it. And I'm going to ask Ro Khanna coming up. What is he going to do to stop it? Because the lid is off. The hornet's nest has been kicked over and Trump has lost control of this situation. And the hornets are will decide when it's over. And our enemies are celebrating.
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Our enemies are celebrating. All right.
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Meanwhile, ICE continues to run rampant across America every day more bad. Do not believe the government. Do not believe. Mark Wayne Mullen. Believe your eyes. Remember they gas kids in Portland and they're busting into houses without warrants and they're detaining citizens and kids and cops and veterans. And this is where we are now, America. And this story about the Marine Corps recruiting, sorry, Marine Corps graduation continues to get traction and to unfold. There was a story that ICE would be outside of Marine Corps graduation and Dan Lamoth at the Washington Post has the latest. He tells us that the Marine Corps is scrambling to reassure military families there will be no immigration enforcement during boot camp graduation ceremonies after an outcry over plans for ICE agents to join security efforts at upcoming events, they said. Defense officials say an internal communications failure is to blame for a notice that was posted Tuesday on the website for the service's famed training facility at Parris Island. Marines put this out. It said that federal law enforcement, quote, will be present at installation access points to conduct enhanced security and and lawful immigration status inquiries of recruits families. Yeah, if you listen to the show, you know about it. I think this has been way too far below the radar. And one defense official told Dan that the handling of the ICE announcement at Parris island amounted to a self inflicted gunshot wound for the Marines. Another said it was step. It was a step on a rake. Three out of five Marines are Hispanic, according to the Pentagon. That's really, really important. And ICE, of course, accused Kubi of NBC and Julia Ainslie of blatant fake news after reporting what the Marine Corps said out loud. And it was not. The statement was published by Parris island and that's what they were reporting on. So how do we get here? This is an important note from From Dan Lamont. Apparently, top military commanders required increases to base security because of the Iran war. And Marine officials were looking for outside help to bolster manpower. The offer for help came in the form of ICE agents, but they're not doing immigration enforcement, Defense officials say. But here's the bottom line. ICE is no longer a good solution to anything. The public doesn't trust them and they never will again. The brand is dead and it's toxic to most Americans and especially disruptive to our national security and to our Marines who need to focus on potentially fighting a ground war in Iran, not worrying about whether their mom and dad will be arrested by ice. But this is another example of how ICE is not just unruly, ungoverned, unlawful and unconstitutional. Unconstitutional. They're not trusted. Remember, if they can do what they they did to Renee Good and Alex pretty and 5 year old Liam Ramos, they can do it to anyone and they can do it to you. And if you're not angry, you're not paying attention. It's another reason we need to stay vigilant. All right, Iran is bad. ICE is bad. Trump is bad. There's a lot of bad. But on that rocket inside, inside the Artemis capsule right now are a reason to be hopeful and a reason to inspire, a reason to look at something good. Because vets all across this country in particular, continue to inspire. When I was at iaba, we had a term, vets Rising. We wanted to show that vets were rising to meet the moment. And there is really important information about these astronauts that you may not know about. Two of them are Iraq war veterans and pilots. Among the military experts enabling the first crew that's manning this mission to Mars for the first time, sorry, the moon in over 50 years. The mission commander, NASA, NASA's Reid Weissman and pilot Victor Glover both supported Operation Iraqi Freedom. One was the mission's crucial. One of the mission's crucial test components was tested at an army facility in Arizona. And the recovery of the astronauts will be facilitated by personnel from the Space Force and the Navy. But similar to how Neil Armstrong became the first person to, to set foot on the moon 17 years after his last combat deployment in Korea, Weissman is commanding America's return to the moon 23 years after his combat deployment in Iraq. Glover, who still serves in the Navy, also played Division 1 football, is piloting the mission roughly two decades after flying in Iraq. They are both decorated combat veterans. They are both inspiring Americans. They are both examples of, of how vets can rise to meet this moment. And a Reminder, veterans are not a charity. They're an investment. And veterans are stepping up to meet the moment in so many different ways. They're not a silver bullet, but they're definitely a source of hope. And they're inside that rocket right now, and they're a reason to be inspired, and they're definitely something good. All right. Veterans can lead the way, especially independent ones. If you haven't heard my episode from yesterday, that was posted in the afternoon we with independent veteran and Green Beret Seth Bodner. You need to check that out. You'll see what I'm talking about. He's an example of a vet who can meet this moment and inspire. I've said this before. Independent veterans are not just moving the needle. We are the needle. We're the people's champion. And we're taking a moonshot. Like Artemis and like our guest, this is a guy who's going boldly where no man has gone before in politics. And he might go even further. He has reason to be hopeful, and he is a rare politician who actually understands strategy and actually has a plan. We're going to dig into this, into Epstein, and into much more. So let's ride this rocket. Let's light this candle, and let's all stay vigilant. Independent Americans around the country and around the world. I hope you were inspired by the Artemis launch and I hope you will be inspired by this conversation. There is a lot flying at us as we orbit all of this political and national security madness. We need voices to help us through it, voices that can offer perspective and leadership and experience. And we've got a returning champion. He has been a friend of the show. He is a Democratic congressman from California, 17th district. He's a really important leader, especially at the cross section of politics and technology. He represents the home of tech. He might be a possible candidate for president. He's always rumored as a candidate for president. And he's a guy who works very hard, as evidenced by the fact that he's there when a lot of folks are on vacation and already celebrating the holidays. But rejoining us on Independent Americans, the great and powerful Congressman Ro Khanna is back on the show. Welcome, sir.
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Well, what an honor to be back, but a little bit too much hype. Anything shouldn't be compared to Artemis's launch. No politician, I mean, that's in a league of its own. Pretty remarkable after 50 years, what we're doing, right?
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Yeah, I mean, I feel like we have to be like rocket commanders navigating the space junk that is our Politics. But what'd you think of the launch yesterday?
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I mean, remarkable. I mean, I read that it's gonna go the furthest we've ever gone. Cause it's gonna go past the moon, which is inspiring. And you know, the fact that by 2028, they're thinking of creating a station on the moon. I mean, I, I had a group of first graders at the Capitol today and you know, I was talking about George Washington, Declaration of Independence, but they were most fascinated by Artemis and the launch. So it's captured the imagination a positive way. And you know, Paul, you've served. You know this. I mean, the country is so desperate for wanting to believe in some sort of national purpose. And this is a truly feel good story about what we're capable of doing.
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I feel that. And share that 100% for folks watching on YouTube. I'm rocking my NASA shirt. There's a great NASA activation at the Intrepid aircraft carrier here where they've got one of the space shuttles. I hope to have astronaut Scott Kelly joining us on the show soon. Maybe tomorrow, if not very soon. But there's a lot to get into, sir. I want to talk about Epstein. I want to talk about the shutdown. I want to talk about Trump's speech last night. But you are a dad. You're a voice of conscience, you're a voice of reason. Where are you today and how are you in these difficult and challenging times?
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Well, I'm back in Washington. I don't understand how we're not back in Washington. I mean, put the politics aside. You know, I was up, I was back in my district and then I had gone up to Brown yesterday to give a speech with kids on the economy. And I, and you know, I was going through the TSA line and someone stopped me and said, congressman, very respectful, thank you for fighting for us. I said, you know, are you concerned? Yeah. We still haven't gotten some of our back pay. We aren't getting paid. I mean, you know, it's unconscionable. These are folks who are doing hard work and then you've got the Congress not there. Like, it's just such a terrible look for people who actually do the civil service, serve the country, are being deployed into the Middle east with the 82nd Airborne and others, and we can't fund the government. I mean, so my view is that we should be here in these kind of locked shutdown situations. They should lock up Congress into the complex and not let us leave until there's resolution.
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You're a Guy who offers plans and solutions. And I want to talk about that on a variety of issues. But is there a legislative way to make them stay there? I mean, you know, let me use the example I've been. I used a lot. I used this on Colbert. I think the war in Iran started. I know it started on Saturday. It was my son's birthday. They didn't come into session for a vote on it until, I think, Wednesday or Thursday. They didn't even interrupt their weekend. At least the UN Security Council came together, had an emergency session, but Congress did not. Now we've got a shutdown where folks from the Coast Guard and others aren't getting paid. Is there a way to force them to be there and pass legislation that makes it the standard expectation for a sitting member of Congress to be there?
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Yeah, I mean, I. Look, it's the Speaker's discretion and. But I'm not going to just throw punches at Mike Johnson. This. I've been in Congress now almost 10 years, and a lot of times we're not in session when there's a shutdown, when there's a matter of war and peace. I think there should be a law that we passed that says when a major agency shuts down, you have to stay in Washington for at least a full business day doing the people's work. And the reality is, you know, members are going on codells. They're not saying that these are junkets. Look, it's. It's not that it's not important work, but it's not more important than paying TSA officers. And it's now more important than being here to debate the war in Iran. It's all. It's almost like we're trying to be irrelevant here. You've got the 82nd Airborne, you've got 7,000 troops there. We should be voting on war powers resolutions or funding every single day. Where is Congress? Why are we not standing up and saying, here's our plan for how we end the war, here's our demands for how we end the war. Yeah, well, tweet well, give some statement, do something on a podcast, but come on, like, we are not asserting our Article 1 responsibility.
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Well, here's the problem, right? Our systems aren't built for a rogue president. The un, NATO, even. Even Congress. Right? And our system isn't built for a speaker who fails to fulfill his obligations. So, you know, I think this is a really, really important point. This is. This is a strategy. If Johnson wants to. Wants to ensure that Trump doesn't get checked, I think the most egregious thing that Johnson said is, this is not a war. He keeps saying that. And then Trump said out loud yesterday, you know, they tell me not to call it a war because then I'll have to be accountable. I mean, they're saying it out in the open that they don't want accountability, even around the most serious issues. So I just. I look to forcing functions right. Where we can legislate or mandate, and then, of course, we can get to the shame point. But it feels like we have to. We have to kind of break the system that's not working to meet this moment.
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Absolutely. I mean, look, Thomas Massie and I put that war powers resolution. We got close. We got 200 Democrats and we had two Republicans. My view is if we were to have that vote every day on a resolution, we would get more and more votes as people see that the gas prices are going up, as, of course, unfortunately, 13 service members have been killed as service members are being injured, as Trump's talking about going in to attack Carg Island. I mean, these are things that we should be voting on and debating. But you're right, you know, it's that Johnson, he wants to give Trump carte blanche. He doesn't want members here criticizing what Trump's doing.
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So I want it. Let's go to the top topic, which has got to be the Iran war and the sprawling overflow. I want to break it apart into a couple of pieces. Let's start with just your reaction to last night's speech. I mean, I saw in the media you said, what I'd like to hear is a plan. We obviously didn't hear a plan. It was, in my view, a rambling, meandering, really disgraceful, ineffective political speech where he kind of grabbed the mic and tried to ram his ideas down America's throat, even though they don't want to receive it. I mean, I think we're getting to the point where we have to ask the media whether or not they should even be giving him time to. For something like that, if there's no clear objective or there's no new announcement of any kind. But what are your reactions to his speech to the nation last night?
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I was just sad. There was nothing there. And, you know, there are a lot of places where I want to criticize Trump and draw a contrast. I just am pained for what he's doing in the Middle east, for what he's doing to our country. There's no plan. I mean, you talk to people in the administration privately and first And I said, well, what are we trying to achieve here? They said, well, this is going to give us leverage over China. You know, I'm the top Democrat on the China Committee. I said, really? How's that? Well, we're going to get someone more pliant in Iran after Khamenei and just like we did in Venezuela. And they're going to then work with the United States to have leverage over China in terms of the oil supply so that China can't blackmail us with having a monopoly on rare arts. This was their thinking and anyone could have told you, okay, try to get some counter opinions. Well, what has happened? The exact opposite. We've actually strengthened the clerics. We've gotten China to be closer to Iran, where China is probably going to help redevelop Iran once we leave. The hardliners, the irgc, if Khamenei junior falls, are going to be the ones running it. They're even more hardline than Khamenei was. And the nuclear material are still underground, so. So there's no strategic objective. We're just weakening America. We're having the bravest people lose their lives or risk their lives, and we're increasing gas prices. At this point, just end it, you know, that's what I wanted to hear. How do we end it? And there was nothing.
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So let me ask you, because I think you're in a rare position. I beat up on a lot of politicians from both sides, especially on Democratic Party, because I say, what's your plan? We know Trump doesn't have a plan and we know he's moving the objectives. Now they're saying the objective is to annihilate the Navy and remove their military capabilities. That was after saying regime change, after saying uranium, after saying secure Carg island and the Strait of Hormuz. So the bouncing ball of targets is happening. But I really push back on the Democrats. Like today, I would like to see all Democrats united, saying, we know Trump doesn't have a plan. Here's our plan to stop him. And I give you credit, right? You and Massie are always the first ones out there to force a War Powers act vote. And your strategy, I think is smart. Keep pushing the War Powers act, but he keeps blowing past you like you're invisible. Right? I've said this before. Congress is not even the mall cops of our democracy. It's like you can't even write tickets. He's going so fast with the pedal to the metal. But I've offered people say, what else can they do? Well, the Democrats shut the government down over healthcare. They shut the government down over ice. Why can't they shut the government down over a war that nobody in this country supports, including the Republican base? So what's the actual plan, at least from you, as a really key voice for the Democratic Party, that can be a target, that folks who especially are Republicans who are looking for an alternative? We know Trump doesn't have a plan. The question comes over to you guys, what's your plan to stop him? And what's your plan to stop this war? And what's your plan to stop future wars and forever war? Because he's already said he wants to hit Cuba next. He's floating the idea of Colombia. We know he doesn't have a plan. What's, what's yours?
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Well, the plan is what we did in building the Epstein coalition. You know, I didn't make that partisan, I didn't make that anti Trump Massey and I said that was going to be about the survivors. We worked with Nancy Mace, we worked with Lauren Boebert, we worked with Marjorie Taylor Greene. We made that about America, about standing up against a rich and powerful group of people who got away with exploiting the law and who think that the rules are written for them. And the American people, Trump voters, Democratic voters, said that's what we hate about what's going on in our government, that these powerful people get to bend the rules and we still have to pay our parking tickets. And you see, when you build things in sort of for the country and the people, you can build these coalitions. We need to do the same thing about the war. This is not about Donald Trump's speech last night. This is about a nation that for the last 25 years has been going into these misadventures in the Middle east, whether it was Iraq, whether it was spending 20 years in Afghanistan, whether it was Libya. We have made Yemen. We have made this mistake over and over and over again. It's hurting our global leadership. It's putting our troops at risk. It's draining money that should be going to jobs here. And there are a lot of people, a lot of Trump voters, a lot of Democrats, independents who are, are tired of it. They're tired of a group of elite folks dragging us into these wars. And we've got to go and keep working in the Congress to say, okay, we got Davidson, Mace is with us possibly. How do we get eight to 10 Republicans with us to end the war? Either by passing the War Powers Resolution or by shutting down the funding and by making it Very clear that the money shouldn't be there, but we've got to speak out about the substance of it. Not just, hey, okay, you didn't consult Congress. Well, most people don't have a lot of respect for Congress. They'll respect Congress if we have a bipartisan coalition that's speaking to the actual problems with what Trump's doing.
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B
You're in a really unique and I think important position, sir. I mean, the Epstein coalition and the Epstein momentum, I think is really important because there's kind of this triad developing, right? You've got Epstein, you've got the falling popularity and low popularity of ice, and now you've got the Iran war. So you've got, you and Massie are in this position to be the quarterbacks for each side to bring it together. And you're a guy who's worked with Nancy Mace, you've worked with these folks in the MAGA base, but you're also going into the manosphere where I see you on Joe Rogan or Sean Ryan. Right? Like you're going into those places where, you know, Sean Ryan said this week, I'm done. Don't come knocking on my door. The question is, how do we offer them a strategy they can get behind? So if it sounds like you're saying, okay, War Powers act, just keep bringing it forward, I assume you're against the additional $200 billion funding, right?
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Absolutely.
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And you can get other people behind that. You know, what else can we do? I mean, do you think that there is energy behind shutting down the government in the same way?
- [33:31]
A
I think, you know, I'm going to bring it up in our leadership meeting. I mean, if you're not going to shut down funding over this, what are you there for? One thing Trump is right about is that war and peace is the first fundamental obligation of a, of a government and he's taking the prerogative to go make war. Well, if the Congress isn't willing to say no, we're not going to fund it. We're going to fight this with every tooth and nail policy we can, whether it's the war powers, whether it's not giving him a single dollar for 200 billion, or whether, if it comes down to it saying no, we're not going to fund the continued government over until you get out of Iran. That's the type of tactics that ended the Vietnam War. That is what ended the Iraq war. I mean, the pressure. I mean, so we've got to be willing to hold the power of the purse, as we did with the healthcare debate.
- [34:29]
B
So I say a lot that, you know, the American public's not stupid, but they're sometimes slow. I think they were slow in understanding that Trump is lying about forever wars. Now you hear from the right wing, you hear from influential voices saying he lied, he said no forever wars, he said no war in Iran, he said no regime change. And it's kind of breaking the back of public support, but also slower. The Democrats. I feel like the Democrats are always behind where the country is and then they chase to catch up. Why won't anyone talk about impeachment? I feel like if you wanna ultimately stop him, you have to remove him from power. Obviously the midterms are pretty far away. That's a long way away for a circuit breaker. A lot could happen between now and then. He's talking about invoking the Insurrection Act. He talked this week about putting troops in Chicago and in New York City. I say the most important story in the world is that Trump can do anything he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen. That includes illegal wars, potentially, you know, war crimes on these boat strikes. But there's a reluctance to say impeachment. And I feel like the Democrats calculated on this last time cuz they were worried it wouldn't help them in the midterms. But I actually think a lot of people would be behind it right now if you said, hey, we have to actually remove him from power and the way to do it is impeachment. I think you'd see a lot of support and I think you're gonna see candidates. I've already seen a couple who were running on that alone who said, if I run I will drop articles of impeachment. So I feel like the country wants to see him stopped. What is your reaction to impeachment or other mechanisms to stop him?
- [35:59]
A
I totally agree. I'm for impeach again, I don't think we should beat around the bush. Oh, we're going to do our six point plan. Yeah, we can do our six point plan of raising wages. I'm all for that, but we've got a major crisis here. You've got a President of the United States thinking about toppling the regime in Cuba, invading Greenland, going and trying to eliminate dictators around the world. What are we doing to stop him? Yes, and then what is our affirmative positive vision for the economy and improving folks. But to not have elite accountability, to not be willing to take the fight to hold people accountable is why the people think the Democratic Party isn't fighting. It's why the Epstein stuff resonated. Okay, Massie. And maybe like we got billionaires spending money against us. We've got people who dislike us, you know, but we took on a corrupt elite and people want to see that fight. It doesn't mean you have to be, you know, macho to be strong. Right. People confuse this idea of like, oh, let's go hit the gym and how much can you bench press now? What Americans respond to is conviction. They want you to stand for something. They want you to be able to take the bullets of people with power. And I think standing for impeachment is showing that we've got, we're going to stand up to this president and not roll over.
- [37:21]
B
I don't care how many push ups you can do. I don't care how many pull ups you can do. I care if you're going to have a plan and you're going to do things that will benefit us and ultimately save lives and help our country. Let me ask you a specific question. They've presented a $200 billion request for the Department of Defense to continue this war. They have not presented a proposal for the VA to take care of the veterans who are coming home from it. Can you and maybe Massie and this coalition challenge them to present a full cost of war to include a budget for the VA that will care for and accommodate a new influx of a new generation of veterans?
- [37:58]
A
Absolutely, Paul. And I want to thank you because I know this has been your life work in standing up for veterans and what we failed to do with our veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. And it would be shameful and a disgrace if we make the same mistakes with the war here. There. You know, we, we read about the loss of life. 13 loss of life members killed, but there are many who are injured. There are many who are going to have post traumatic stress. There are many who are dealing with lifelong disabilities and they need our medical care. They need to have a path to employment again. They need counseling. And so absolutely, I will work with Mansi. I'll work on the Armed Services Committee. I mean, it's inexcusable if we don't have that after the experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan.
- [38:48]
B
I appreciate that. I think people are really going to respond to this because every time we go to war, it's like a 10 to 20 year lag before we finally catch up for the cost of those wars. So I think this is an opportunity for us to force them to present the full cost of war. 80% of the injuries coming home are traumatic brain injuries. I know from my work that's over a million dollars per person. Conservatively. Right. We only recently passed a toxin exposure act that took care of Vietnam vets and Gulf War vets. It would be nice to get ahead of the curve for once, and we're already behind, but at least now it feels like an opportunity and an opportunity for bipartisanship where you can challenge them in something that's really going to matter to their local community. So I appreciate that and I would welcome you to come back to talk about it again. Let me ask you a related question on this whole thing. You guys are great. Putting the War Powers act for. He said he's going to hit Cuba. Can you do a War Powers act vote now and not after he hits Cuba?
- [39:42]
A
Yes, there's a. McGovern has a bill on that and we should bring that up. You know, this is why I don't understand this recess. I mean, I'm like, you know, we, we should be for air, but okay, once we come back, we should have a vote on Cuba. And by the way, we shouldn't be defending the, the fuel blockade that he has there. I mean, there are starving people. We're literally starving people. And most people. Paul, I don't know your experience. My experience growing up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I've been around this country. American people are decent. They're good. They want America to do good in the world. They don't like the fat. When our foreign policy is hurting people in other parts of the world. Yeah, we want to be strong. We want to be the superpower, but we also want to be the good guys. It's like part of our self conception as Americans. And so I think you can explain to the American people like, yeah, we shouldn't be stopping fuel from going in there and killing or causing blackouts and having young kids starve or be hungry. And the people will be with us on those kind of common sense policies
- [40:42]
B
and letting the Russian oil through, I mean, and helping Putin drive up the price of oil for him. You know, I think, I think the key here is can, can you. And I think you're, you're in a really unique position. Can you get ahead of Trump? Right. I mean, everybody's like chasing the runaway train that is Trump. But I mean, if he says Cuba, great War Powers act, vote on Cuba and it will bring attention to the world on Cuba. I mean, he just, you know, did military operations in Ecuador. Nobody discussed that. Most Americans don't even know it happened. If he throws out Columbia like, he's kind of done do a War Powers act vote on that and Greenland. Anything else? I mean, I think we've got to get at least a speed bump ahead of him instead of having Congress chase after him. And as I've often said, rage and sadness is not a plan. And that's what I hear from so many, especially in the Democratic Party. They go on TV and they tell me how upset they are and how sad they are, but they don't present a plan. And they sound more like MSNBC reporters than they do like strategists. Right. We don't need them to Congress.
- [41:39]
A
Paul, you got to. You got to. You got to come up and join us here. I think, you know, one of the things. There are two reasons we've outmaneuvered. One is we in this Congress don't realize the speed of politics. Right? Trump is out there and he's doing things and he's energetic, and he's ahead of every news cycle. You know, I tell sometimes my team, like, okay, you're drafting a press release and a statement for what? It's like. It's like if you drop something in the forest and no one hears it, no one's going to read a statement in a press release, like, what are we doing? How are we actually competing with him? And then what Massie and I did, you know, was strategic. It wasn't just, okay, well, let's fire off an angry tweet, let's capitalize and call Trump names, let's mock him. It was, how do we build a coalition with the levers of power in Congress to pedestrians pass something and hold them accountable? And actually, it was the first time we actually got 20% of Trump's voters with us on some issue. And so we need an actual strategy in terms of these war powers resolutions. What are we doing? How can we be aggressive? How can we maximize, assert our power and build unlikely coalitions to do that? I agree with you, and I think you're capturing the fundamental frustration, which is that they just don't think we're fair, fast enough and strategic enough to be standing up to Trump. It's not that we're not yelling loud enough.
- [43:02]
B
I think that's right. And they don't think you're strong enough. I mean, but now you are. I mean, you know, I was at the no Kings protest for the first time, and I saw so many veterans who were saying, no more forever wars. So, I mean, if you can get a focus on, you know, no more forever wars and a focus on Iran and a focus on no boots on the ground. I mean, I think this is actually, you know, the opportunity in the crisis. You will have an overwhelming majority of the American people. You will have un unlike nothing we've ever seen. I mean, you'll get Sean Ryan and you'll get Megyn Kelly, and you'll get everybody except Mark Levine will be there. And I think you are in the right position to do that. One of my mentors, Les Gelb, used to always say, you know, most people can't do strategy. And you're doing strategy. You and Massie are doing strategy. Let me ask you to go below the radar. This always falls below the radar, but it shouldn't be. But it's another example of how you have a strategy. You and Massie have been focused on Epstein, and the country cares very deeply about Epstein. This is a place where there is unity, there is outrage. And it's hurting Trump. Right? It's slowing him down, which I think is important. But I don't think everything is a distraction from Epstein, like many on the left often say. I think, you know, he doesn't want any friction. And if Epstein is friction, he wants to just keep going without accountability on that or anything else. But let's bring it back to Epstein. Is anybody ever going to go to jail? And like in this country, beyond the people who have, is anybody in government going to be held accountable? We've seen accountability in the UK and in other places, but give us an update on whether or not we're actually going to see. Like, here's what America wants to see. They want to see a perp walk. They want to see people held accountable. Right. Will we see that? And can you give us an update on where your strategy to get accountability for the survivors is right now?
- [44:45]
A
Look, the irony is there are two American congressmen, Massie and me, who passed the bill, and the rest of the world is actually prosecuting the individuals, and we aren't. I mean, you've got Britain demanding the rest of the files, which we ourselves haven't released. And there are people, Leon Black, Les Wexner, who have serious allegations against them, and they've never even been investigated. I mean, you don't have people even asking them questions. You. Anyone who went to that island or is in the files saying that they went to the island should have an FBI agent asking a basic questions. I'm not saying they're all guilty. And for those who have serious abuse allegations, there should be prosecutions and there should be accountability. But I have no confidence in Bondi. I mean, we're seeing this week. I mean, let's see what happens with her in terms of actually getting accountability. And we'll see a future Attorney General or a future administration. Now people say, well, why, Roe, does this matter? I mean, these crimes happened decades ago. Why, why should we care? First of all, you know who says that?
- [45:50]
B
Who says that?
- [45:51]
A
A lot of people, A lot of the pundits. Oh, Roe, this is a distraction.
- [45:56]
B
I don't want those people anywhere near my kids if they say that. I don't want them anywhere near my little league field. I don't want them in my town. I want them shamed out of town.
- [46:05]
A
I mean, you'd be surprised by having people come up to me, even some senior politicians over there. Oh, well, you're a thoughtful guy. You've got an economic vision. Why are you going down this road? Why are you. Every time I see you talking about Epstein, first of all, it's personal for me, right? I've had these survivors in my office. I've gotten to know them. They have suffered immense trauma and abuse. Sickening. Disgusting. Anyone who, as a family, it's just horrifying that this is happening. But second, if we live in a society where rich and powerful people can do the worst possible thing, which is rape or abuse young girls, right? That's something like where every American draws the line. It's the worst thing in a civilization that you can do is to exploit young girls in a society. And if they can get away with this, that is basically saying that we have two tiers of justice in America, that the elites can rig the rules and that they can treat people as second class citizens, they can treat the rest of us as dispensable. And that is the anger that has undermined the faith in democracy. And so we've got, until we hold people accountable, people aren't gonna believe like, okay, Ro, yeah, let's do healthcare and childcare. Cuz they're gonna think the whole thing is corrupt.
- [47:20]
B
Yeah, well, I think this is also important because it's one where you're on the offense and you have momentum and you're winning. Like Trump is losing on this. And it's important and it's seminal to everything else. It's about, you know, the high crimes essentially and at the, at the highest level. But let me ask you again to the plan, right? Okay. We're not going to get Bondi, we're not going to get an attorney General, Trump's not going to focus on it. What are the other options, is there an international tribunal that can be convened? Can you do like a Winter Soldiers hearing where you essentially have open hearings to tell the story that you want to tell? I mean, what are the other options that you have? Assuming that, you know, worst case scenario, let's say the Democrats lose in the midterms, or there are no midterms and you don't have a change, what are the other options you have in your quiver to try to demand accountability on this?
- [48:07]
A
We're trying everything. You know, that's why I wrote to King Charles to say, can you meet with the survivors? And we're going to be talking to the British ambassador. I mean, my view is it would be a defining moment for him. We're talking to other governments in terms of what, whether the prosecutions can take place there. We, I believe that there should be a committee, a select committee on the Epstein hearings, where you actually have the investigation being taking place in Congress, what they're not doing in the Justice Department. Then you basically shame them into acting by releasing the report of Congress's investigation. And a new administration can prosecute because the sex trafficking doesn't have statute of limitations. But when I talk to survivors, I mean, this is their big frustration.
- [48:48]
B
What.
- [48:49]
A
Why are we not prosecuting people? And it's not just the famous people. There are men in those files who raped or abused these girls, and there's nothing being done. It's like they, it's, they, they, they feel like, oh, it's too long ago, it's too difficult. No, you know, we've got to have accountability. And so the Oversight Committee, trying to get other heads of state and leaders involved and then continuing to just put pressure on the doj. I mean, they do act. I mean, they first released nothing. Now they've given us 3 million files. Bondi is coming to testify under oath. These are some of the questions we're going to ask her.
- [49:25]
B
There's a failure of imagination in Washington, especially right now, and I think there's no failure of imagination on the other side. I'm going to throw something out into, into the public debate. I don't know if anyone's ever offered a reward or a bounty for releasing the files. I mean, I think you have to focus on insiders. There's somebody inside who can leak this. Right. And I don't have billions of dollars, but maybe we can do a GoFundMe to provide a reward to someone who releases these files, or there's a billionaire out there who can offer a reward or a bounty, whatever you want to call it, for someone who blows the whistle and dumps these files because there's somebody in Bondi's office who has access to these files and can do a public good and get whistleblower protection. I would argue we need someone to break the seal. And I'm all for your path, but I think we also got to get more creative here. And there's plenty of billionaires spending money on shit. If they put a little money out on this, maybe we can break the seal and get the info that everybody needs for true accountability.
- [50:18]
A
Well, look, I think that if we take back the House, we can have oversight hearings where there'll be whistleblowers. And I'm all for incentivizing whistleblowers within the law, but this is not for you.
- [50:28]
B
I mean, you represent Silicon Valley. There's somebody in your district who could put out a $10 million reward for someone who puts out the Epstein files in their full form so that we can have. So I'm putting it out there. It's not on you. I'm taking full responsibility on this one.
- [50:45]
A
What I will say is I. That the half of the files that haven't been released are the worst stuff. And I said it would shock the conscience what would be released. It has shocked the conscience. You can imagine what's in there. How do I know it's the worst stuff? Because I've talked to the survivors and their lawyers who know what's in those files. And that's where the names are, that's where the acts are, what they did to these girls. I mean, and it's disgusting stuff.
- [51:07]
B
This is the Pentagon Papers of our generation. I mean, we need this, right? I mean, and so I. I hope you'll continue to fight the good fight. I'm here to support you. Many others are here to support you. I do think it's a uniquely galvanizing moment across the hardest core MAGA people and the farthest left liberals. I think these three moments, you know, ice, Iran, War, Epstein, are the. I think what Democrats and anybody who cares about our country should focus on, because it's where there's momentum, there's a purity to it and an urgency to it that's really, really unique. And you're in a really good position. Let me ask you if I can, before you go. Your creator's Bill of Rights. This is. I think this is a great idea that obviously impacts me as a. As a creator and a lot of us in independent media. But can you quickly just explain to People what it is and why it's important.
- [51:51]
A
Yeah, well, look, people don't know how much of the content creator economy has been built. It's a $250 billion market, 1.5 million people make their living as. As creators. And they may not do it full time. Some of them doing it extra amount to make rent, some of them to get clothes or things for their kids, make sure their kids can do something on a travel sport or. I mean, this is a way of making a living for many folks. Now, here's what the content creator bill of Rights does the most simple thing right now. The platforms take a lot of your money. I mean, the platforms, whether it's YouTube, whether it's TikTok, whether it's Instagram, you have to share a fair amount of your revenue with them. And what this says is, no, you got to have some standard. You've got to give at least 60, 70, 75% to the Creator. You can take some cut but not take the bulk of it. And then you need to be transparent about the algorithms. If they're downgrading them or upgrading them, you need to be transparent whether they're losing or not losing followers. So there's. This is a huge sector of the economy, and basically, in my view, the big tech companies are getting away with murder because there are no standards, and they get to capitalize on the hard work and revenue of the creators.
- [53:16]
B
I love it. I think it's another galvanizing idea. I think you are maybe one of the smartest guys in Congress. You do have a strategy, you have clarity, you have an ability to communicate. Young people are all over this. I mean, and this is also a way to kind of cut at some of that base that supported Trump in the manosphere, in the podcast world and all the content creators. But I think this is actually really, really important about giving people a fair shake at a time where they feel like the system is rigged. And a lot of folks are working hard on this. I know, you know, we're giving away a lot of revenue to all those companies, and I see it, and I think it's a really important thing. So I hope you'll come back and talk about that. All right. You gonna run for president or what? The Democrats need a voice with. With clarity here that can cut through, and you consistently seem to be able to pull people together. Are you going to run for president?
- [54:01]
A
We'll see. You're going to. You're going to be my running maple. I don't know. I think you got to Run for, for something. I, you know, I've always admired you, admired your service, admired the fact that you came back and you spent so much time with veterans. And I, you know, I mean, people probably know you or your listeners, but before you did the podcast stuff, I mean, the respect I had because I saw that that was a cause, that was real for you. It was emotional. And there are so few people who serve the country. It's like less than 1%. And we, we did not do right by them. So, look, I believe I have a gut. I often say courage is the new charisma. We have a need to take on power, to really be for working class and middle class Americans and be anti epstein class, anti war, pro working classes where I think our politics need to go. And I'm going to seriously look at how I can be most impactful. But I need you on my side.
- [55:01]
B
Well, I'll tell you this. You leave the Democratic Party, declare your independence and run as an independent. I'll work on your campaign for sure.
- [55:09]
A
Massey and I joke about it, there are all these bumper stickers there. Massey, Khanna. Khanna Massey and I, you know, put aside whether they'll happen, but they chose the hunger in this country because the. What do Massey and I have in common? We're willing to go against our own party at times. We're willing to call out things that we dislike. We're willing to take long shots, right? I mean, like UConn, right? They sink this long jumper against Duke in politics, it's like everyone wants to just do the layup.
- [55:39]
B
But let me challenge you on this, right? Like, and this is the opportunity that you guys are, you know, you're close to, but you're not making the full jump. I've challenged Don Bacon, I've challenged Jared Golden, I've said, leave your party. And here's what I'll tell you. If you and Tom Massie left both your parties, you would get more money, you would get more media attention, you would get more support. I think there's always a fear of breaking the seal. I think especially our independent, unaffiliated movement. We're 45% of the country. We don't have a lot of leaders that we can look to on the national stage. Yet they're coming. And we had Seth Bodnar on yesterday. We're gonna have more. But I think we're at a really important point where someone has to have the courage to leave their party. And I think if you and Masi did it together, it would be historic. And it would open up a floodgate of other people who are afraid to do it. They're afraid they're going to get attacked by their party. They're afraid. I think they're most of all afraid they're not going to be able to raise the same money. And here's what I'm telling you. I think if you and Massie left, you guys would raise more money than you ever have before.
- [56:36]
A
Well, look, I'll say this. Putting Massey and me aside, I mean, I'll say this. I think 20, 28, if there was an independent who ticket, it probably would have the best chance of actually winning. I mean, people are. I've never seen there being more anger at parties, party leadership. And there are moments of realignment in our politics. Lincoln did that, obviously, with the Republican Party. I think we're in one of those moments. Uh, and so we'll see how things play out.
- [57:09]
B
All right. We're going to finish with his primary first.
- [57:11]
A
He's got a. He's in a. You know, he's a tough, tough race. I mean, he should be fine, but he's. He's got the entire party against him.
- [57:17]
B
And if he loses the primary, he can run as an independent.
- [57:19]
A
There you go. There you go.
- [57:21]
B
I mean, there you go. I mean, I'm kind of rooting for him to lose the primary. Right. All right, well, Angus, we always end with something good. And I'll go first and throw it over to you real quick.
- [57:29]
A
Something good, Something sweet.
- [57:33]
B
You know, first of all, something good. Your leadership. I commend it, especially you and Massie, the teamwork you have and showing that, you know, in the old school way, Washington used to have folks to cross the aisle. I think you all continue to also. It's not just show you're moving the ball forward on issues that people care about. And even this discussion around, you know, considering independence, I think is very exciting and something that I hope more folks will push and think about. But I want to go back to Artemis. You know, yesterday I was walking into cnn, like, during the launch, and everybody, like the people who were working at the front desk, the security guys, like the Uber driver I was with, everybody was captivated by Artemis. Now, of course, Trump, Trump came on two hours later and kind of shit on the whole vibe and, you know, gave us reason to not be proud of our country. But I think that you can watch it for the next 10 days, and I think it's like a dose of hope. My kids keep tuning into NASA's YouTube page, and I Think we need hope and inspiration. It's the fuel for our democracy right now. And I just want to shout out the Artemis team again and everyone around it and the moment and encourage people, if you need something good, if you're feeling down, if you're feeling depressed, if you're feeling frustrated, Artemis and this mission that goes on for another nine days is definitely something good. All right, Congressman, over to you. What do you got? What's something good?
- [58:46]
A
Well, that's a. That's a pretty high bar. And I totally agree with you. Look, I was up at. I mentioned I was up at Brown University the other day, and sometimes speak at community colleges, sometimes colleges. This is obviously a. A prestigious school, but I asked kids, how many of you want to do public service? And 85% of the hands went up. And I said, wow, you know, I thought, that's incredible, because, you know, a lot of times people say, hey, should we teach AI or technology? And I say, you know, what we really need to teach is civics in this country, but what we really need to teach is history, and we need this next generation of folks to go into public service, whether that's serving in the military, whether it's serving in a city council, whether it's a nonprofit. And that's the hope. So that made me feel good about what some of our young folks are thinking.
- [59:37]
B
I love it. That is something good. And they're also inspired by your example. And I always want to thank you for being a good example of what a leader looks like, a patriot looks like. You know, leadership's about sacrifice. And you and your family have endured threats and all kinds of other crap that many of us probably can't even know about. But you have continued to lead from the front and most of all, be an example that those young students can look up to and that our kids can look up to. So I thank you for that. I hope you'll come back again like you always have. Big thanks to your team for putting this together. The great and powerful Congressman Ro Khanna, possible Democratic candidate for president, possible independent candidate for president. Right.
- [60:17]
A
You're a strategist, Paul, so, you know, we'll say.
- [60:20]
B
All right, to be continued to watch this space, folks. Thank you so much, sir. Appreciate you.
- [60:25]
A
Thank you. Appreciate you.
- [60:28]
B
All right, my thanks again to Congressman Ro Khanna. Like I said, I hope we get his partner, Representative Tom Massie, the Republican, to join us soon. Stay tuned for that. I want to go back to the NASA thing for a second, if you haven't already, go to NASA's YouTube page. It's got like 20 million followers and it's absolutely amazing. You can look in on the mission at any point for the next nine days and see what's going on. And it's really a good source of hope and inspiration. While you're there, look for independent Americans and me on YouTube and you can go back in our archives, especially if you're new here. Go check out Jesse Ventura, my exclusive interview with Jesse the Body. Go check out previous episodes with astronauts Mark Kelly and his brother Scott Kelly. Go check out conversations with folks like actor John Bernthal or Dean Kamen, the innovative inventor, and with actors like Sarah Jessica Parker and Rosie Perez. Go deep into the archives. You'll find some really interesting conversations. And before COVID a lot of them we had in person and they're just really interesting and inspiring. Check them out and be sure to subscribe on YouTube. We will be doing live events there soon and share it far and wide. Give it a bit of a rocket boost if you can. Share it with 10 friends today. Some of you have been doing this, but share it with 10 friends and do me a solid because tomorrow we've got astronaut Scott Kelly is back. He's gonna join us for a conversation about what's happening inside Artemis, about the launch, about the future of space, about the SpaceX IPO. I'm gonna try to get him to run for public office as an independent. You may know his brother. He is a Democrat from Arizona who's also been on the show, but he's been here to talk about Ukraine, talk about patriotism and talk about leadership. It's the kind of show you're going to want to share with your kids because he's an awesome person, an incredible hero and a true role model. And he spent a year in space, which is pretty awesome. And he also had an amazing playlist. If you haven't heard that, check it out. All right, later today I'm going to do my weekly visit on Ms. NOW with Katie Tur, usually in the 3 o' clock hour. And then later I'll be on with Ari Melber on Ms. Now. We'll talk about the latest on on the Pam Bondi removal. We'll talk about the latest on Iran and whatever other crazy breaking shit happens. CNN Last night I was supposed to be on with Aaron Burnett, but it got canceled due to Artemis. I'm actually okay with that. I think the country needed Artemis and was so into Artemis. So I'm okay with that. I'll be back on CNN sometime soon, next Friday. A reminder, I will be on Bill Maher's Real Time on hbo. Look for that. It's always an interesting and good time and helps us reach a lot of folks. So I'll be headed out to the west coast for a quick hit. And a reminder, this show is reaching more and more people. We're reaching for the stars in independent media and we're daily now. So help keep this rocket ship soaring. Help us stay on the charts by subscribing and by sharing and by following us everywhere on all platforms, including on blue sky, Instagram, TikTok, X, all of them. We're also on LinkedIn, but you, you can subscribe and get IA merch. I want to give a shout out to NASA and the shirt I'm wearing right now because I think NASA has shown us that America can do great things and we are more united than we are divided. And at independent Americans, I am working to change that and build on that every day, adding light to contrast the heat. We want to be more like the Artemis launch and less like Trump's crazy ass speech last night. So if you're among the now 45% of Americans who are independent, this is your show. Our independent movement is hope for the future. Country over party, people over politics, light over heat, challenging the status quo and fueling a new movement that spans all across our society. It's a moonshot for politics, but it is possible and our movement is growing and our hope is the oxygen of democracy. If you enjoyed this episode with Congressman Ro Khanna, please share it far and wide and invite others to declare their independence. And let me know what you think of this episode. Put comments on our YouTube page, hit us up on social media and help me challenge Ro Khanna to leave the Democratic Party and challenge others like Don Bacon and Tom Massie to leave the Republican Party. When that seal breaks, it's going to be on, folks. So stay vigilant, my friends, because eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. And no, you're not alone in your vigilance. We're all vigilant and we're all in this together. Just like those astronauts up in the Artemis and all of us who are rooting for them down here. I'm your host, Paul Rykoff. Thank you for tuning into Independent Americans. I will see you tomorrow with astronaut Scott Kelly. Happy Thursday, Happy Passover and a happy Easter and a big shout out to the Artemis crew. Go Artemis. We all love you, we support you, we're rooting for you, and we are inspired by you. And you're helping us all. Stay vigilant, America. Stay vigilant, Archipelago.
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He tells me the left and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wait, it's time to
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grow and it's not cool to believe in school but if I can say
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one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble they can bring. He says the red and blue identity dependent is an attitude an island in the sea of rhetoric and I can probably go he tells me the left is we write our dreams with those
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without a clue and when you wait, it's time to grow. Power by Righteous Media
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if you like the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.