This Middle East Negotiator Breaks Down Trump's Impulsive War

Trump's Troubling Health & Mamdani the Kingmaker?

On Coffee with Contrarians, contributor and independent journalist Katie Phang sat down with political pollster, analyst and organizer extraordinaire Simon Rosenberg [https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/]. They looked at what last night’s primary results in New York could mean for the Midterms, the Senate’s vote on a War Powers Resolution, and Trump’s allegedly deteriorating health. Coffee with Contrarians is live every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15 AM ET. The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack [http://contrariannews.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe [https://www.contrariannews.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

MAGA's Latest Scheme to Disrupt the Midterms

Earlier this week, Contrarian Publisher Norm Eisen sat down with former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance [https://joycevance.substack.com/] on Coffee with Contrarians. They talked about Trump’s reflecting pool disaster, the almost $1.8 billion slush fund, and MAGA’s current plan to disrupt the midterms. Coffee with Contrarians is live every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15 AM ET. The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack [http://contrariannews.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe [https://www.contrariannews.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

'We’re Worse Off Than Before Trump Started the War'

Yesterday [https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/15/world/live-news/iran-war-g7-summit], Trump and Vance virtually signed an agreement to end the blockade of Iranian ports, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and start 60 days of nuclear negotiations. Contrarian Publisher Norm Eisen sat down with the Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) to talk about the so-called “framework” of a peace deal and Todd Blanche’s nomination as Attorney General. The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack [http://contrariannews.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe [https://www.contrariannews.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Inflation Numbers, Oil Prices, Social Security, and the World's First Trillionaire

On this week’s Let’s Do Lunch, economist and Senior Fellow at Center for American Progress Jared Bernstein chatted with Jason Furman, economist and former chair at the Council of Economic Advisers under the Obama administration. Jared and Jason answered all of your burning questions on the economy and went over inflation numbers, oil prices, social security, and the debut of the world’s first trillionaire. You can get your own questions answered about the economy every other Tuesday at 12pm ET by following us on Bluesky and Substack. The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack [http://contrariannews.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe [https://www.contrariannews.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

This Middle East Negotiator Breaks Down Trump's Impulsive War

Jen spoke with Dennis Ross, former Ambassador and Middle East negotiator, who has decades of experience in the region under presidents of both parties. They discussed the current status of the war, what Iran still has left, the future of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and why the essence of good statecraft is marrying your objectives and your means: “That means you think through your objectives and you think about not only your means, but who else has means that you can mobilize to help achieve your objective. When you don’t define a clear objective, it’s not a surprise that you haven’t thought through the means that you need.” The Contrarian is owned by nobody. Your paid subscription helps us bring you the brightest voices in politics & culture and fight every day against the Trump chaos machine. Join us on Substack [http://contrariannews.org]. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.contrariannews.org/subscribe [https://www.contrariannews.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]