Independent Times is the source for independent voters' no-spin news and analysis. Welcome to the first podcast built for America’s largest voting bloc: 43% of voters now identify as independent, outpacing both Democrats and Republicans.

Host Lisa Singer, joined by co-hosts Leyla Gullen (FOX24 News Now) and Bryan Gallo (Emmy-winning producer), unpack:

• Why most Americans reject Red vs. Blue labels
• How independents have swung every election since 2004
• Frustration with a system that locks 27 million out of primaries
• The power of independents to heal a divided nation

Independent Hero of the Week: Dr. Jackie Salit, author of Independents Rising, co-author of The Independent Voter, and co-director of ASU’s Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, shares her 30+ years advocating for independent voters to unite America.

Timestamps:

00:00 | Title Sequence

00:44 | Opening Clip: Family Guy Sketch

01:17 | Welcome & Introductions by Lisa, Bryan, and Leyla

02:48 | Video Clip: Independent voters – America’s largest voting bloc

03:43 | Discussion: Analyzing the 43% independent voter majority

04:42 | Video Clip: Independents are a rising new force in our politics

05:54 | Key Question: What do independent voters actually want?

08:40 | Video Clip: Who are independent voters?

12:18 | Discussion: The power of independents to swing an election

13:44 | Video Clip: Exploring the phenomenon of "split-ticket voters"

16:19 | The purpose of the Independent Times podcast

19:01 | Independent Hero: Featuring Dr. Jackie Salit

19:33 | Wrap-up & Outro

Don't Miss Out! Join the Independent Times community on our website:

www.IndependentTimes.news

Find Us Everywhere! Follow us on all social media platforms:

@IndyTimesNews

How to Listen! Available on all podcast platforms:

Search "Independent Times" on your favorite podcast app

Independent Times is the source for independent voters' no-spin news and analysis. Welcome to the first podcast built for America’s largest voting bloc: 43% of voters now identify as independent, outpacing both Democrats and Republicans.

Host Lisa Singer, joined by co-hosts Leyla Gullen and Bryan Gallo, investigates the history and the enormous barriers facing independent political candidates.

We unpack:

• You are America's largest voting bloc, yet true independent politicians are nearly extinct.

• The Legacy of Ross Perot and other disruptors like Ralph Nader, and whether independents risk being "spoilers."
• The Rare Breed: Why only 25 out of 7,386 state legislative seats are held by independents and zero in the U.S. House.
• The Forward Movement: Andrew Yang's crusade to fix the system using ranked-choice voting and open primaries to give voters real choices.
• The Two-Party Grip: How confusing ballot rules, lack of funding, and state-by-state election laws keep 3rd parties out.

Independent Hero of the Week: Andrew Yang, the founder of the Forward Party, on how “changing the incentives” with open primaries and ranked-choice voting forces politicians to represent the nation’s majority, not the extremes of each party.

Timestamps:
00:00 Title Sequence
00:44 Seinfeld Clip – Kramer asks, “What’s the deal with politics?”
00:58 Intro by Lisa, Bryan, and Leyla – the rarity of independent politicians
02:55 Ross Perot's Presidential Bid (1992 Clip)
05:44 Bernie Sanders Presidential Bid (montage)
07:03 Bernie Sanders on Joe Rogan to discuss the minimum wage (clip)
08:25 Angus King explains that most Maine voters are unenrolled (clip)
09:40 The Statehouse Scarcity
10:05 Andrew Yang makes the case for universal basic income (clip)
11:15 Andrew Yang, The Forward Party, and Local Wins
11:42 Andrew Yang makes the case for the Forward Party (clip)
14:20 The Barrier: Sore Loser Laws & Party Flipping
14:24 NYC 2025 Mayoral Race, Cuomo and Adams switching to independent (clip)
15:22 Is the Two-Party System in the Constitution?
18:00 Steve Kornacki on how independents vote (clip)
19:15 RFK Jr. flips to independent in the 2024 election (clip)

20:47 Unaffiliated independent voters explain why (clip)
24:19 The best reform ideas for independents (clip)
26:26 Andrew Yang is our independent hero of the week
26:59 Independent Hero: Andrew Yang's TED Talk
28:27 Outro

Independent Times is the source for independent voters' no-spin news and analysis. Welcome to the first podcast built for America’s largest voting bloc: 43% of voters now identify as independent, outpacing both Democrats and Republicans.

Don't Miss Out! Join the Independent Times community on our website:

www.IndependentTimes.news

Find Us Everywhere! Follow us on all social media platforms:

@IndyTimesNews

How to Listen! Available on all podcast platforms:

Search "Independent Times" on your favorite podcast app

Independent Times is the source for independent voters' no-spin news and analysis. Welcome to the first podcast built for America’s largest voting bloc: 43% of voters now identify as independent, outpacing both Democrats and Republicans.

The Founding Fathers established the free press as the "Fourth Estate," a vital check on government power. Today, with only 16% of Americans subscribing to a newspaper and one to two papers closing weekly, that pillar is crumbling.

Host Lisa Singer and co-hosts Leyla Gullen and Bryan Gallo uncover what's at stake and how independents can help save this essential safeguard of democracy.

We unpack:

• The Core Fight: From Thomas Jefferson's scandal to Nixon's Watergate, why the battle between politicians and the press is constant.
• The Laws That Bind: Key historical laws, the Sedition Act, the Espionage Act, and modern challenges like Florida's weakened protections that make investigative reporting harder.
• Journalism's Shield: The landmark Supreme Court cases of NYT v. United States, The Pentagon Papers, NYT v. Sullivan "Actual Malice" standard, and why they are under threat.
• The Cost of Truth: The financial and legal risks facing journalists and how the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 offers limited defense.
• Independent Hero of the Week: The American Journalism Project (AJP), which invests in nonprofit news organizations to sustain local news.

Timestamps:

00:00 | Title Sequence

00:45 | Clip: “JFK on the Vital Role of a Free Press”

01:20 | The free press as the "fourth estate" and its current struggle.

03:26 | The Partisan Press: Jefferson/Sally Hemings scandal (1802)

03:59 | The eternal love-hate relationship between politicians and the press.

06:34 | Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's Watergate investigation.

12:21 | Florida and Texas are weakening protections for journalists

14:56 | Historical Laws Limiting the Press: Sedition Act, Espionage Act

16:05 | Julian Assange and the Espionage Act Danger

20:12 | Privacy Protection Act of 1980 to shield work product

23:49 | New York Times v. United States (1971)

26:02 | New York Times v. Sullivan – The “Actual Malice” Shield (1964)

28:41 | Donald Trump calls for "opening up" libel law protections

30:07 | Independent Hero of the Week: The American Journalism Project

32:13 | Final thoughts, next week's topic, and call to action.

Don't Miss Out! Join the Independent Times community on our website:

www.IndependentTimes.news

Find Us Everywhere! Follow us on all social media platforms:

@IndyTimesNews

How to Listen! Available on all podcast platforms:

Search "Independent Times" on your favorite podcast app

️ Independent Times – Season 1

Independent Times is the source for independent voters' news and analysis.