The Contrarian Pod

Trump Heads to NATO Summit, White Nationalists March on D.C., and World Cup Fever

On Monday’s Coffee with Contrarians, our publisher Norm Eisen chatted with independent journalist and contributor Katie Phang, on everything from the chaotic July 4th celebrations in DC to what happened with Team USA. During their chat, the two previewed Trump’s trip to the NATO summit, analyzed the white nationalist march in Washington, D.C., and discussed the latest in World Cup drama. Coffee with Contrarians is live every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:15am ET at ContrarianNews.org [https://contrariannews.org]. 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]

America's Legacy: Beacon of Freedom or White Republic?

Ahead of this weekend’s Independence Day celebrations, April Ryan discussed the dichotomy of America with Professor Eddie Glaude, who teaches African American studies and religion at Princeton. The two examined the contradictions between America’s “hope and freedom!” self-proclamations, ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps’ mentality, and the country’s legacy of racism. Professor Glaude asks, will the US be a beacon of freedom or a white republic? It cannot be both. The Tea with April Ryan is live every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30pm ET at ContrarianNews.org [https://contrariannews.org]. 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]

Why SCOTUS Needs Ethics Reform

Yesterday was jam packed with SCOTUS’ final case decisions of the season: trans athletes in sports, campaign finance, and birthright citizenship. To make sense of what exactly these decisions were and their likely implications, April spoke to Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, on The Tea. The Legal Defense Fund is one of the strongest legal organizations in the country fighting for racial justice. The pair broke down the highly anticipated birthright citizenship case that ended in both a 6-3 and 5-4 decision. They also reviewed the court’s decision to uphold state-wide bans on transgender athletes participating in sports, voting rights, and the need for SCOTUS reform. The Tea with April Ryan is live every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30pm ET at ContrarianNews.org [https://contrariannews.org]. 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]

How MAGA Weaponizes History and a Historic SCOTUS Win

Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to restrict birthright citizenship is unconstitutional. This means that the court has upheld the 14th amendment and reaffirmed that Trump can’t just take a pen and change the Constitution. Our Publisher Norm Eisen led this litigation alongside the ACLU and was on the steps of SCOTUS when the decision came down. While we protected birthright citizenship today, the fight is far from over. In fact, America has encountered many attempts to overturn rights in an age of progress. To kickstart a week of commemorating America 250, Contrarian senior editor Tim Dickinson sat down with Kevin Kruse [06:55], Professor of History at Princeton University, to analyze MAGA’s desire to erase history in order to control the future. Professor Kruse dives into historical examples of this, from the retaliatory rise of the Klu Klux Klan to the ‘70s social upheaval. And yet, the “nostalgia” these right wingers chase doesn’t actually correspond to a real point in time. 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]

SCOTUS' Anti-Immigrant Rulings, Why Trump Derailed Affordable Housing, and Unbiased AI

On the Tea with April Ryan, April sat down with Esosa Osa, the Founder and CEO of Onyx Impact. They looked at the recent SCOTUS ruling allowing Trump to strip Temporary Protected Status from millions of legal immigrants and how Trump derailed a bipartisan bill in Congress that hoped to make housing affordable. Plus, Esosa unveiled the backstory of Onyx Impact’s new digital assistant, Aisha.AI, supported by clean energy and designed to remove bias against the Black community. You can join The Tea with April Ryan, live twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30pm eastern at ContrarianNews.org [http://ContrarianNews.org] 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]