Oil Hits $120/Barrel. Gas Hits $4.30! Hegseth Gets Lit Up.

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

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

4.6 • 907 Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2026

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The rain has cleared and we can see what the Iran war actually cost. In this solo episode, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the brutal arithmetic: $25 billion spent. 13 American soldiers killed. Hundreds wounded. Oil at $125 a barrel and gas at $4.30 a gallon — up 27 cents in a week. The Strait of Hormuz still not secured. The Iranian regime still in power. The enriched uranium still unaccounted for. After yesterday's testimony from Secretary Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Caine, the spin is gone — and the Pentagon wants $1.5 trillion more. Paul lays out why working Americans are paying the price for a war their leaders can't honestly defend.

Transcript

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0:00.0	It was really like a who's who of the grifters, the appeasers, the sycophants.
0:05.9	Not a single Democrat?
0:07.5	I mean, come on, at least invite one or two to try to build some bridges.
0:11.5	But that's not how Trump is doing things.
0:13.4	He's rewarding his friends.
0:15.2	The corruption is rampant.
0:16.7	The billionaire CEOs are there.
0:18.7	And none of them are worried about gas prices, but you are.
0:36.8	Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 508. I'm your host, Paul Reikoff, and it is Thursday, April 30th. Welcome to the last day of April. And I'm coming to you from New York City, USA, where typically the weather is, again, gloomy and kind of overcast, because that's what
0:56.0	April and 2026 has been like. But we're going to try to get you through it, bring some light to
1:01.8	contrast the gloom. And today's artist is going to do that. It is the great Jimmy Cliff,
1:07.4	because I can see clearly now. The rain is gone, almost, right?
1:11.9	We hope that's April.
1:13.8	If you don't know, Jimmy Cliff's real name was James Chambers, the Jamaican sky,
1:18.8	rock steady, reggae soul legend, one of the most celebrated Jamaican musicians.
1:24.3	He popularized reggae music internationally around the world. And at the time of his death, he was only the fourth reggae musician to hold the order of merit,
1:33.3	the highest honor granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in arts and sciences.
1:37.3	He also was nominated seven times for Grammys.
1:40.3	He won twice.
1:41.3	In addition to I Can See Clearly now, he also did, you can get it if you really want,
1:47.1	Wild World and Vietnam, where he writes and sings, Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam.
1:55.6	Somebody please stop that war now, which is how I think a lot of us feel about Iran right now as history is repeating
	...

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