391. Governor Wes Moore. The Opposite of Trump. “I Have to be a Healer.” Can He Stop Trump’s Military Overreach? Focusing on Men & Boys. Hosting The Cabinet for Army Navy Sat. Pull-Up Challenges vs RFK Jr. Illegal Orders, Lamar & Losing The Locker Room.

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

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

4.6 • 907 Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Governor Wes Moore is back—and this time, the stakes are even higher. As Trump tests the limits of presidential power, perhaps the most exciting and inspiring Governor in America joins Paul Rieckhoff to explain how far the White House can really go in deploying the National Guard into American cities, what is and is not a “lawful order,” and how governors can (and must) hold the line. From war-crime allegations to loose talk about striking Venezuela, Moore lays out what responsible, principled leadership looks like when America’s global reputation is collapsing fast. Recorded during Army–Navy week, Paul and Wes dig into why that game should be “mandatory viewing” for anyone who wants to understand real patriotism, service, and brotherhood. Moore talks candidly about his role as commander in chief of Maryland’s Guard, what he’d do if he were president right now, and why he sees himself as a “healer” for all 6.5 million Marylanders—not a partisan warrior. They also dive deep on Moore’s pioneering work with men and boys—from getting more men into classrooms and hospitals to building healthier models of masculinity that steer young guys away from grievance and extremism. Moore explains how Maryland went from 43rd in unemployment to one of the lowest jobless rates in America, cut violent crime and teacher shortages, and launched a first-in-the-nation “Feds to Eds” program that turns fired federal workers into urgently needed teachers. And, talks openly about the struggles of his beloved Baltimore Ravens. Plus, Paul opens the show hitting the hottest stories: Trump’s refusal to release the December 2nd boat strike video, the latest on Ukraine’s fight and Zelensky’s resolve, the Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury files, RFK Jr.’s pull-up stunts, Nancy Mace’s TSA tirade, Golden Globe snubs, and a wild NFL Monday night. And they both close with “Something Good”—that’ll leave you feeling warm for the holidays and more hopeful about the days ahead. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It’s independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours. -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us. -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the holidays. -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm. Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook Ways to listen:Social channels:

Transcript

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0:00.0	Powered by Righteous Media.
0:17.5	Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 391. It's a big one. I'm your host, Paul Reikoff. It is Tuesday, December 9th, Tuesday, and it is cold as hell here in New York City, USA, where I am coming to you from. It is 16 days till Christmas, but a lot to do before then. Our guests coming up, a returning champion.
0:39.3	His sixth visit, the great and powerful Governor Westmore, is coming up in a second to give
0:44.2	us an early Christmas present of his inspiration and positivity and leadership. But first,
0:48.6	there's a ton happening. A powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast Monday, triggering
0:55.8	evacuation orders and a tsunami warning.
0:58.6	In times like this, there are things like that that you might not even be tracking on
1:01.8	because there are so many other tsunamis hitting our country and our politics.
1:06.1	Speaking of which, Trump has reversed himself on releasing the December 2nd boat strike video. Last week, he said he would release it. They asked him yesterday, and he said, I didn't say that. You said that. I didn't say that. This is ABC fake news. And then he said, whatever they have, we'd certainly release, no problem. So he's going back and forth. This is what I think a cover-up looks like. Release to tapes. We've covered it at
1:28.1	length. The American people have a right to know, and our troops especially have a right and a need
1:32.8	to know. Also, a judge has granted a request to unseal grand jury records in the Jelaine Maxwell
1:38.8	case. So that will be another wave hitting our politics coming up. Alina Haba, the Trump loyalist,
1:44.0	has resigned as New Jersey's
1:45.7	top prosecutor. She has had no shortage of controversy, and she's going out swinging. Trump is
1:50.6	potentially weighing getting rid of Christie Nome as Homeland Security Director, which I think
1:55.5	would be a wonderful early Christmas for America and our democracy. We'll keep an eye on that.
2:00.0	The latest on the boat strikes,
2:01.2	we talked about Trump's response, but as of today, there have been no new boat strikes since November
2:06.3	5th so far. 87 people killed 22 strikes, still no authorization from Congress. And we're going to get
2:12.7	into this with Governor Moore, but the most important story in the world, I think, is still that Trump
2:17.2	can do whatever he wants with the most powerful in the world, I think, is still that Trump can do
2:17.5	whatever he wants with the most powerful military the world has ever seen, and nothing is stopping him.
	...

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