Evening Roundup, Jan 12
Jeff Nesbit, Jennifer Rubin and Pablo Torre, Maya Cook, Tim Dickinson, Brian O'Neill, Jared Bernstein, Norman Eisen and Joshua Kolb, "Talking Feds," & a special announcement!
***Scroll to the bottom for a surprise announcement!***
Trump’s Billionaires and His New ‘Oil-for-Blood’ Doctrine
By Jeff Nesbit
‘Liberation’ is now merely a euphemism for the acquisition of oil reserves by presidential donors.
Who Actually Wants to Come to the U.S. Right Now?
[VIDEO] This weekend, anti-ICE protests proliferated across the country. Despite obvious public disapproval, the Trump administration shows no sign of backing down, declaring that “hundreds” of additional ICE agents will be deployed to Minneapolis. With such a fraught political climate, why would anyone want to come to the U.S. this summer for the FIFA World Cu…
A Year After the L.A. Fires, A Community Grapples with Who Gets to Rebuild
By Maya Cook
Altadena was shaped by, and celebrated for, its history of Black home ownership. After the Eaton Fire, residents wonder how much will change.
America Shows up for Renee Good
[VIDEO] A somber protest in Portland to remember a Minnesota mom shot dead by immigration agents.
The War Powers Resolution Remains a Paper Tiger
On Thursday, the Republican-led U.S. Senate voted 52–47 to advance a War Powers resolution that would constrain President Donald Trump’s ability to order further military actions in Venezuela without congressional approval. All Democrats and five Republicans supported it. This was not a tectonic shift or a principled reawakening. It reflects a Congress …
Lookahead to the 2026 Economy
As 2026 gets underway, it’s a good time to polish off the crystal ball and make some informed guesses about the economic outlook for the year. As anyone who follows econ zigs and zags knows, the future these days is especially uncertain. As I was writing this, the news broke that at President Donald Trump’s behest, the Federal Reserve received grand jur…
Donald Trump Is Losing in Court
The New York Times this weekend provocatively declared that Donald Trump’s appointees to federal courts of appeals are “clearing the way for his policies and gradually eroding a perception early last year that the legal system was thwarting his efforts to amass presidential power.” That is wrong.
Gasoline on the Fire
[AUDIO] Guest host Jonathan Alter brings together former Senator Barbara Boxer, Norm Ornstein, and Stuart Stevens to break down the Trump administration’s mounting aggression, at home and abroad. The four talk through the shocking killing of Renee Good in Minnesota and the fallout from the toppling of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro...
***In celebration of our 1st birthday tomorrow, we will be issuing a quiz about our fearless leaders, Jennifer Rubin and Norman Eisen. Only true regulars will get all of these right. Answering all questions correctly will give you a chance to win a prize from The Contrarian merch store. The quiz will be available from 10-2 ET.***
Barry A Rosenbaum
4h
I often write with too many words. So, I think it is time to be short and explicit (although this may not qualify). There is no "other" now. There never should have been, but ICE has made that point abundantly clear with the murder of Renee Good. We are all randomly subject to stop by ICE wherever we may be and whatever we may be doing and if that illegitimate order is disobeyed, we can be summarily put to death. Don't think it cannot happen to you. This Administration simply does not care. In fact, it will find a way to support it. If we visibly support democracy, we are Antifa (which is described as a highly decentralized anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement, so not so bad). In contrast, ICE is a centralized fascist and racist organization armed to the teeth to kill. We are not yet at the point at which the Administration will authorize the indiscriminate shooting into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators, as is occurring in Iran. I fear we may be headed there. We must not back down.
In all the chaos, murder and distractions, what is being done to the DOJ and Pam Bondi for thwarting the law requiring release of Epstein files? So much of the regime’s actions are clearly designed to divert attention from that.