341. Congressman Mike Lawler. Independents Day 2025. What Mamdani Means. The Weakness of the GOP in NY. Will He Run For Governor? The AUMF Must Go. Ukraine Sanctions Bill Update. Vets Need Bi-Partisan Support —Especially Now. Happy Birthday, America!

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

Daily News, Veteran, News, Politics, News Commentary, National Security

4.6 • 907 Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s the Fourth of July, and she might be a little dinged up, but after 249 years, America is still standing. And she will keep standing as long as there are independent Americans out there to stay vigilant and ensure that the torch that Lady Liberty holds high above her head as a beacon for all stays lit. And this show will always stay vigilant. Especially on Independence Day. Or INDEPENDENTS Day! It’s a time for us all to reflect on what independence really means. And explore who will stand up now and fight for it. Men and women of all backgrounds—united in a love for America. And a dedication to making it better. Men and women like the fine residents of New York’s 17th that are represented by this episode's guest. He’s Republican Congressman Mike Lawler—and he’s here to mix it up with Paul and react to the New York mayor’s race, Ukraine, the AUMF, Trump’s Iran strikes, the dropping popularity of his party, and his support for veterans. He’s been effective in representing a rare moderate perspective inside the GOP. It’s how he has won in a 2 to 1 Democrat district. And how he might try and win the New York governor’s seat next year. It’s America’s birthday and after the start to this year, we could all use a break. So put your feet up, kick back and press play. Listen now or watch us on YouTube. Welcome to Independent Americans, Episode 341. Every episode of Independent Americans is independent light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s content for the 49% of Americans that call themselves independent. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and vets issues. This is another pod to help you stay vigilant. Because vigilance is the price of democracy. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics and inspiration. -Get extra content, connect with guests, events, merch discounts and support this show that speaks truth to power by joining us on Patreon. -WATCH video of Paul and Congressman Lawler’s conversation. -NEW! Watch the video version of the entire podcast here. Help us continue the fight to empower all independents by passing open primaries: And the fight for open primaries nationwide: https://openprimaries.org/ -Check #LookForTheHelpers on Twitter. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. -Hear other Righteous pods like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by Righteous Media. America’s next great independent media company.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Power by Righteous Media.
0:16.2	Welcome to Independent Americans.
0:20.0	Welcome to episode 341.
0:24.0	I'm your host, Paul Reikoff.
0:26.4	And welcome to July 4th weekend.
0:30.2	Welcome to Independence Day.
0:32.8	Welcome to Independence Day.
0:36.5	And even as we celebrate America's birth on this Independence Independence Day, even now, from here on the beach at barbecues across this country and all across America, even now, it's still a time to stay vigilant.
1:06.8	And for our annual Independence Day special episode, I'm coming to you from the beaches of the great state of New York, one of my favorite places in the world. And fittingly, we're going to
1:13.3	have a conversation with Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. He's the rare type of Republican
1:20.2	that won a congressional district that is majority Democrats. He's been a strong voice in
1:26.4	support of Trump. He's been somewhat of a moderate,
1:30.3	and he might be running for governor of this state. And coming up, I'm going to talk to him about
1:35.9	that. Ukraine, Mom Donnie's shocking win in the Democratic primary, the New York City mayor's
1:41.7	race, and much more. But before we get to that, very quickly, my top topics.
1:58.9	This week's main top topic is pretty straightforward.
2:00.6	Happy Birthday America.
2:02.6	Look, there's a lot going on.
2:04.9	There are fires underway.
2:06.6	There are fights and disagreements all across this country.
2:09.8	But on July 4th, all across this great country of ours,
2:13.6	it's still a time to celebrate America in whatever way you see fit. Whether it's coming
	...

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