Hegseth & Caine Testify for $1.5 TRILLION for More Forever War. Kash/Crash Patel Testifies Too.

Inflation Jumps 3.8%. Trump Disapproval on Economy Hits 70%! Senator McConnell is Not Well. Osborn Leads Ricketts in Nebraska. Mendoza Gives Trump the Stiff-arm. Kari Lake Appointed Ambassador to Jamaica!?  It's Testimony Tuesday and the corruption is on full display. Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine are on the Hill asking Congress for $1.5 trillion more for the Pentagon — a Christmas tree budget designed to bankroll the unauthorized Iran war and whatever comes next, whether that's Venezuela, Greenland, Mexico, or Cuba. Buried in the same hearing: the Pentagon's own CFO admitting the Iran tab is now $29 billion and counting, $4 billion more than Americans were told. Gas is up, beef is up, tomatoes are up 40%, inflation just hit a five-year high, and 70% of the country disapproves of Trump on the economy. The pigs are at the trough and the rest of us are getting screwed. Paul breaks down why the December defense vote is the real fight, why Hegseth's open defiance of Congress on Ukraine aid is impeachment-grade, and why FBI Director Crash Patel spending his testimony defending his sobriety is not a sign of a healthy republic. He hits the Mitch McConnell mid-hearing meltdown — fitness, not age, is the metric — calls out Kari Lake being shipped to Jamaica, flags Dan Osborn pulling ahead of Pete Ricketts in Nebraska, and closes with the people stepping up to be the vaccine: nurses on International Nurses Day, Ukrainian medics under shellfire, and the new Astronauts for America. Righteous anger, patriotic hope, no BS. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Join IVA and stand up to Trump’s Forever Wars. -Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -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.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.