Righteous Media
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll just walked into the Oval Office and resigned to President Trump personally — a Ukraine hawk, a drone-defense innovator, and a JD Vance ally who had finally had enough of Pete Hegseth. Paul Rieckhoff joins Connell McShane on News Nation to break down the flag officer promotions Hegseth has frozen, the reporting that he's paying people inside the Pentagon to troll Americans on X, an Iran war going poorly, and why Hegseth is on thinner ice than anyone else in the cabinet. Then to the Senate map — Ed Markey beating Marine veteran Seth Moulton in a closed Massachusetts primary that locked out more than 60% of the state's independents, and the rise of independent veteran candidates Todd Achilles in Idaho, Brian Bengs in South Dakota, and Seth Bodnar in Montana. Independent is an Attitude. Stay vigilant.
Get the latest episodes of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff on the podcast's YouTube channel.
Paul Rieckhoff joins Connell McShane for his weekly appearance on NewsNation as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll becomes the latest high-level departure from a Pentagon in turmoil — with Axios reporting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth now has fewer leaders and fewer critical weapons six months into the war with Iran. "Chaos is the norm under Hegseth," Paul says, and the turnover is staggering. He argues Driscoll's exit matters most because he quit: a voice of conscience and reason on the inside, an innovator strong on Ukraine and drone defense, and a close ally of JD Vance who resigned to Trump personally and voiced his concerns on the way out. Paul reads it as a breaking point that exposes a widening cleavage inside the Pentagon — one deepened by Hegseth blocking promotions for senior officers, reporting about staff paid to troll critics online, and plans to summon senior leaders back to Washington for another culture-war address. With the Iran war going badly and Sen. Thom Tillis calling for his replacement, Paul says Hegseth is on thinner ice than anyone else in the cabinet.
On the midterms, Paul reads Ed Markey's win over Marine veteran Seth Moulton as another victory for the Democratic left inside the party — and another loss nationally. Progressives and the DSA can reliably turn out in primaries, he argues, but those wins become general election nightmares once the map moves to purple and red states. With Democrats moving left and Republicans moving right, more and more moderates and independents are left politically homeless. Paul points to Massachusetts as a case study: plenty of independents, but a closed primary where the general election is effectively over before it starts. Citing polling on where independents actually stand — strong support for taxing corporations and billionaires, majority support for government-provided health care, and notably low support for continued military and economic aid to Israel — he argues this is what the future looks like. Independents are already the outright majority in Rhode Island and outnumber both parties in New Hampshire, with primaries there next week, and at least five or six Senate races now feature increasingly competitive independent veterans, including Todd Achilles in Idaho, Brian Bengs in South Dakota, and Seth Bodnar in Montana.
