The Contrarian

Articles

What's Happening at the Supreme Court?

1 day ago | contrarian.substack.com | Harry Litman |Steve Vladeck

Founding Contrarian Harry Litman and our resident SCOTUS expert Steve Vladeck of Georgetown dig into what went down today in the high-stakes birthright citizenship argument: what did the justices say, what are the stakes for the nation, and what was on tap today in this nuanced, massively consequential case.
Coffee with The Contrarians 05/14

2 days ago | contrarian.substack.com | Norman Eisen |Katie Phang

, and many others for tuning into a special Coffee with The Contrarians with! We’re live every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15 AM ET. Join us!Get more from The Contrarian in the Substack app Available for iOS and Android
Medicaid works, as do most of the adults it covers

3 days 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.
Third Term Threat

4 days ago | contrarian.substack.com | Harry Litman

It was a week that brought a series of stinging court defeats for Trump and his bevvy of executive orders, which have as a common theme the disregard of constitutional limits. Michael Scherer, Ali Vitali, and Charlie Sykes join Harry on to consider whether Trump is adjusting his approach or just erratic. They break down Trump’s recent legacy media blitz before moving to the inauspicious mess of his tariff policy. Finally, they take up the significance of the defeat of the Ed Martin nomination.
Everyday (Fabulous) French Bread

1 week ago | contrarian.substack.com | Jamie Schler

“All woes are lighter if there’s bread.”—Miguel de Cervantes“The most necessary of all foods, which Divine Goodness has created for the maintenance of man's life, is Bread. His blessing extends so far over this food that we are never disgusted by it, and the most precious Meats cannot be eaten without Bread.” So wrote Nicolas de Bonnefons in 1655 in his influential tome Les Délices de la Compagne, explaining why he opens his book with the chapter on bread. Bread. The staff of life.
The 'Not Me' Trump administration's blame-shifting

1 week ago | contrarian.substack.com | Shalise Manza Young

By Shalise Manza YoungWhen we were younger and something happened in our house, some small infraction that was more aggravating to her than egregious, my mother would ask my sister and I who was responsible. Often, the answer was “not me.” To our mom, it was often enough that one year there was a gift under our Christmas tree for Not Me, her unseen third child.
Trump wants a military themed birthday party: Adam Kinzinger on the waste and corruption of the Trump Administration

1 week ago | contrarian.substack.com | Adam Kinzinger

Donald Trump had his own Marie Antoinette moment stating, “maybe the children will have two dolls instead of thirty” when answering questions on his awful tariff policy. To add insult to injury, it was recently confirmed that a massive military parade will be held in downtown D.C. costing American taxpayers $45 million.
The Black Men who Took Part in Tyre Nichols’ Death were Acquitted because They were Cops

1 week ago | contrarian.substack.com | Carron J. Phillips

By Carron J. PhillipsTadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith should be remembered in the same way as Stacey C. Koon, Laurence M. Powell, Theodore J. Briseno, and Timothy E. Wind. This is Rodney King all over again — but worse. On Wednesday afternoon, three former Black Memphis police officers were acquitted in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.
Coffee with the Contrarians 05/08

1 week ago | contrarian.substack.com | Norman Eisen

Archive of live conversations with special guests on news essential to safeguarding against autocracy. Get your morning dose of democracy on Coffee with The Contrarians, with Co-founders Jen Rubin and Norm Eisen. Jared Bernstein answers your questions about all things economy on Let's Do Lunch. Plus, breaking legal and political news. Archive of live conversations with special guests on news essential to safeguarding against autocracy.
Why states must focus on women's health

1 week ago | contrarian.substack.com | Jennifer Weiss-Wolf

As the Contrarian rallied and tallied the Trump administration first 100 days scorecard last week, the federal government unceremoniously did a massive flip-flop on women’s health, defunding and then refunding the decades-old Women’s Health Initiative (WHI). The WHI was created in 1991, the brainchild of Bernadine Healy, appointed by President George H.W. Bush as the first woman to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH).