# Can Ed Sheeran bring peace to the Middle East? Congress shuts down two weeks early. 19% Approval for Trump. The Iran War Grinds On. PLUS: Friday Football!

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/can-ed-sheeran-bring-peace-to-the-middle-east-congress-shuts-down-two-weeks-early-19-approval-for-trump-the-iran-war-grinds-on-plus-friday-football
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/can-ed-sheeran-bring-peace-to-the-middle-east-congress-shuts-down-two-weeks-early-19-approval-for-trump-the-iran-war-grinds-on-plus-friday-football.md
Podcast: [Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff](https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737)
Published: 2026-09-18T09:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/?post_type=gp_podcast_episode&p=652
Audio file: https://pdrl.fm/c39fb6/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1385/injector.simplecastaudio.com/c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626/episodes/06d88948-2cfd-4264-8f68-cd89a9073771/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=c67dcf2c-bdc6-42d2-91a1-db918b8e8626&awEpisodeId=06d88948-2cfd-4264-8f68-cd89a9073771&feed=8GTvjwcf
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Duration seconds: 1316

## Resource

Congress has left the building — for two months. No AI legislation, no check on an Iran war the American people never signed up for, no oversight while Trump threatens Cuba, threatens Greenland, watches the Fed raise rates, and lets his son throw a Russian-funded wedding party. Trump sits at 19% approval. J.D. Vance and Pete Hegseth are already jockeying to succeed him. Republicans are scrubbing him from their own ads. And the Democrats aren't exactly filling the vacuum. That's the opening for independents — and Paul Rieckhoff lays out exactly where the movement is building, from Brian Bengs in South Dakota to Dan Osborn in Nebraska to Seth Bodnar in Montana to Todd Achilles in Idaho.

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