Evening Roundup: Helping guide you through the chaos
February 4: The zone is being flooded by design! To help you parse through what matters, we have pieces by and with Norm Ornstein, Rep. Dan Goldman, Ilan Goldenberg, Senator Andy Kim, Jason Furman
Good evening Contrarians! Let’s begin with a conversation with our founders, Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen:
The 'Shock and Awe' of Democracy
Hear from our Editor-in-Chief Jen Rubin, in conversation with our Publisher and Litigator-in-Chief, Norm Eisen.
Fighting the Putsch
Elon Musk has no position in government. His “organization,” the fancily-named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has no official responsibility, and its “employees” have no governmental standing. It is a Potemkin Village of a federal agency. None of those involved have taken an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.
Jen Rubin and Congressman Dan Goldman on Elon Musk's Power Grab
Jen Rubin and Congressman Dan Goldman discuss the impact of Elon Musk’s meddling in federal funds and grants.
Prime Minister Daylight Comes to Washington
Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will bask in the glow of being the first foreign leader to visit the White House since President Trump’s inauguration. This visit is for him the culmination of a 15-year strategy that has fundamentally reshaped the U.S.-Israel alliance from one undergirded by bipartisan unity to one bound by his and Trump’…
Jen Rubin and Senator Andy Kim on Musk's Interference in the Executive Branch
Jen Rubin and Senator Andy Kim talk about what it means now that Elon Musk has been given access to the inner workings of the Executive Branch, including USAID.
The Real Pain of Tariffs
By Jason Furman
When he announced sweeping tariffs on our three largest trading partners on Sunday, President Trump admitted that they would cause “some pain.” He seems to have since recognized this as an understatement, postponing the proposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico—possibly indefinitely—in exchange for no meaningful new commitments on their part.
As always, thank you for being a part of our community. See you tomorrow morning!
I am really disappointed with The Contrarian. As soon as I saw Jen Rubin's name on it, that very first day, I signed up and paid for a subscription. However, I don't want to watch a bunch of video interviews. I like to read, or perhaps - maybe - listen to an article read by an AI voice while I do something else. Reading is quiet and quick. A video demands that it be watched, and I don't have the interest, the time, or the patience to do that. There's also a lot of silly laughing and giggling, which is irritating. So, Jen - I read your WaPo columns for years, even as a liberal, I subscribed to your podcast, and I immediately signed up for this substack, paid for it, and have generally been a longtime supporter. But I'm not going to stick around much longer if it's going to be primarily video interviews. If I'm in the minority, then you won't miss me anyway.
A large contingent of people keep banging on about how DOGE isn't an official government agency, its minions aren't government workers, that what they are doing is unconstitutional and illegal, and yet damned little is being done to resist their efforts, which are clearly a real and present danger to the country. We need some immediate action. Somebody please, enforce the laws!