Jamie Riley

1 month ago | contrarian.substack.com | Jamie Riley

We told you we wanted to have fun, and we take fun seriously at The Contrarian. Each week we will share The Contrarian pet(s) of the week. (The pet need not be contrarian.) Subscribers are invited to submit their furry friend!Name: Mac. He responded to Jack when I was bringing him home, but that name was vetoed by his older sister, Elise. His shelter name was Tomfoolery, a moniker I started to understand when he decided my new sneakers were a chew toy.

1 month ago | contrarian.substack.com | Jamie Riley

By Hannah Katch and Jared BernsteinBecause so many Americans depend on publicly provided health care, the Trump administration and Republican budget writers have had trouble getting the votes they need to dramatically slash Medicaid funding as an offset for their high-end tax cuts. In an attempt to hit their numbers, they’re now doubling down on a Medicaid work requirement. But no one should be fooled.

2 months ago | contrarian.substack.com | Jamie Riley

Tariffs on, tariffs off, tariffs on hold. Day to day, the status of the Trump regime’s tariffs changes. That’s not good for global imports, not good for American consumers, and not good for business planning. In Fredericksburg, Virginia, pottery store owner Scarlett Pons has resigned herself to a substantial loss of business due to the Trump tariffs. “Pons was keeping track of the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration on goods from China—until they went past 30% earlier this month.

Mar 28, 2025 | contrarian.substack.com | Jamie Riley

“I was born during the war and grew up in a time of rationing. We didn't have anything. It's influenced the way I look at the world.” - Vivienne WestwoodA client at my hotel mailed me a copy of her self-published book of wartime recipes collected by her grandmother and her grandmother’s friends. Originally jotted down by hand in a notebook, the recipes covered a period from 1920 through 1950, just out of one world war and through another.

Mar 25, 2025 | contrarian.substack.com | Jamie Riley

Nick Anderson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist whose cartoons have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and elsewhere. Find him on Substack at nickanderson.substack.com.