Evening Roundup: March 13
Featuring Jeff Nesbit, Jared Bernstein, Marvin Kalb, Jess Piper, Barb McQuade, The Democracy Movement, Maria Peralta, and a massive legal victory!
We Won! Federal Employees to be Re-hired Immediately
BREAKING: A U.S. district judge just ruled that thousands of fired probationary federal workers must be reinstated. This is a huge win for federal workers and The Contrarian’s own Norm Eisen was on the front lines. Hear his thoughts just moments after leaving court now.
Maria Peralta and Jen Rubin on community organizing and collective action
As we see more and more Americans take to the streets to rally against the Trump-Musk regime, Jen Rubin interviews Maria Peralta about the strength of grassroots organizing.
Trump’s deliberate destruction of biomedical research institutions
The actions have ground NIH to a halt and sent shockwaves through academia and the biomedical research institutions.
By Jeff Nesbit
Is There a Murrow in the House?
Edward R. Murrow exemplified a free press unbowed by autocracy—and if American democracy is to survive, we need his like again
By Marvin Kalb
The Contrarian covers the Democracy Movement
Every day (Monday-Friday), we’ll update this space with protests, signs and other public demonstrations against the actions of the administration. Keep checking to see how Americans all across the country are protecting and defending democracy. Subscribers can submit their own protests in the chat for consideration.
Jess Piper and Jen Rubin on failing Democratic strategy in rural America
Jess Piper joins Jen Rubin to talk about how Trump’s policies are disproportionately harming rural Americans, and how the Democratic Party cannot abandon the rural vote if they want to be successful.
Elon Musk's social insecurity
The billionaire's reckless claims seem intended to manufacture outrage to justify an end to what he refers to as an “entitlement program.”
By Barbara McQuade
How Trump's reckless economic agenda united the country
President Donald Trump is typically—and correctly—viewed as one of the most aggressive partisans ever seen in American politics, pitting his MAGA supporters and the Republican politicians he controls against the rest of us.
This is so heartening, THANK YOU! I felt so much better all day, in spite of the gloom and doom feeling about what is going to happen if they government shuts down. Judges like Alsup, and lawyers like you have made me feel so much more hope! <3
We've left (yet two more) phone messages for our Senators Booker and Kim, asking them to pass our outrage along to Sen. Schumer.