319. Asha Rangappa. This is Flooding the Zone. Don’t Comply in Advance. How an FBI Background Check Works. CARLA F. BAD. Super Bowl Security. A Radical VA Sec Confirmed. Another J6 Criminal Dies. Stop the Chop. Luca to Lakers.

Whew. This week is what Trump flooding the zone really looks like. He’s throwing political flash-bang after political flash-bang. 

And everyone feels unbalanced and like they have whiplash. While his opponents are overwhelmed, disorganized, leaderless and demoralized. While he continues to gather more and more levers of power. And gain even more momentum. 

This is political shock and awe. And it’s working. 

Because the Democrats are nowhere to be found. They’re old and lost and powerless to stop Trump and his hoard from doing whatever they want. Powerless to stop themselves from appointing radical election deniers like new VA Secretary Doug Collins to cabinet positions. That’s right. 22 Democrat senators voted along with the Republicans to put Collins in charge of the VA. 

They won’t save you. They can’t even save themselves.

But don’t despair fully. Because we’re gonna help you rise above the flood and look upstream to what’s next. Especially around the FBI—which is now under political attack from Trump, Musk and the extreme right. 

And Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) is our guest. A true American badass, she is an Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs and a former Associate Dean at Yale Law School is back. She served as a Special Agent in the New York Division of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. Her work involved assessing threats to national security, conducting classified investigations on suspected foreign agents, and performing undercover work. 

She’s the perfect guest to break it all down to get you caught up and up to speed on all things Trump, national security and FBI. She gives her straight and often sobering assessment of the situation ahead and how and when it will unfold. While also taking you through what’s actually involved in an FBI background, how many agents worked on the Jan 6 investigation and how the FBI has its hands full this weekend with the Super Bowl. It’s a lot. But we’ll cut through it fast and fiercely. 

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 content for the 49% of Americans that proudly call themselves independent. Always with a unique focus on national security, foreign affairs and military and veterans issues. 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. 

Past appearances: Episode 267 and Episode 225.

Be sure to check out the show now on our YouTube page here.

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