Independent Vets Surging In Idaho, Montana, Nebraska & South Dakota. Achilles Up 5 On Risch. Plus: Abbey Gate 5 Years Later: 13 Empty Seats. Zero Accountability. Media Blitz Pod

Five years after the bombing at Abbey Gate, 13 Gold Star families are still waiting for a real, bipartisan accounting of what happened during the withdrawal from Afghanistan — and of the two decades of war that led to it. Paul Rieckhoff sits down with Connell McShane on News Nation for the weekly Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Wednesday hit and refuses to let the anniversary pass as another partisan food fight. He walks through what he calls the great American betrayal of Afghanistan, the Afghan allies still hung out to dry at home and abroad, and why an honest after-action review matters more than another round of finger-pointing.

From there, the conversation pivots to the story the legacy media keeps missing: independents are now the plurality in sixteen states, roughly 48% of the country, while Republicans and Democrats sit at 27% each. Ten thousand Americans leave the two parties every single week. Paul breaks down the new farm team of independent veteran candidates — Todd Achilles up 5 on Jim Risch in Idaho, Seth Bodnar in Montana, competitive races in Nebraska and South Dakota — and explains why a single independent win in November could break the logjam the way Joe Manchin, Angus King, and Jesse Ventura have shown is possible. This is the map of the movement the MAGA machine and the DNC both want you to ignore.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

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-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.

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