Explore every episode of the podcast The Contrarian Pod
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why Escalating Rhetoric and Abuses of Justice Put Us All At Risk | 23 Nov 2025 | 00:41:20 | |
Traditionally, itâs authoritarian dictators â not democratically elected presidents â who call for the execution of their perceived political enemies. Yet, President Trump claimed six Democratic senators are seditionists and added âDEATH!â to the end of a recent Truth Social post. Senator Chris Coons from Delaware and Jen Rubin talked about why Trumpâs escalating rhetoric is a danger, not only to the senators named, but also to the country as a whole. They also discussed why he keeps cozying up to autocrats like Saudi crown prince MBS, the unauthorized conflict with Venezuela, and the need for Americans to rediscover shared moral ground. And, you might have seen the Trump administration is being held in contempt after allegedly misleading a federal district court in Washington and defying orders via secret deportations. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island [22:10] and Jen talked about the ongoing court circus that follows Trumpâs Justice Department, his legislation to restore civil remedies for those harmed by federal officers. 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. 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 | |||
| Sen. Whitehouse on DHS Funding, Greenland, and more | 23 Jan 2026 | 00:28:02 | |
Greenland, Iceland, whatever Trump is the name of the country has been spared from U.S. invasion â at least for now. What hasnât been spared is the quickly deteriorating relationships with NATO allies. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Jen discuss NATOâs future, Trumpâs submissiveness towards Russia, and the Democratsâ dilemma over an impending DHS appropriations bill. 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. 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 | |||
| America's Legacy: Beacon of Freedom or White Republic? | 03 Jul 2026 | 00:17:45 | |
Ahead of this weekendâs 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 Americaâs âhope and freedom!â self-proclamations, âpull yourself up by the bootstrapsâ mentality, and the countryâs 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. 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. 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 | |||
| Why SCOTUS Needs Ethics Reform | 01 Jul 2026 | 00:23:06 | |
Yesterday was jam packed with SCOTUSâ 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 courtâs 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. 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. 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 | |||
| How MAGA Weaponizes History and a Historic SCOTUS Win | 30 Jun 2026 | 00:33:44 | |
Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trumpâs executive order that sought to restrict birthright citizenship is unconstitutional. This means that the court has upheld the 14th amendment and reaffirmed that Trump canât 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 MAGAâs 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 â70s social upheaval. And yet, the ânostalgiaâ these right wingers chase doesnât 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. 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 | |||
| SCOTUS' Anti-Immigrant Rulings, Why Trump Derailed Affordable Housing, and Unbiased AI | 26 Jun 2026 | 00:22:24 | |
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 Impactâs 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 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. 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 | |||
| Trump's Troubling Health & Mamdani the Kingmaker? | 24 Jun 2026 | 00:27:06 | |
On Coffee with Contrarians, contributor and independent journalist Katie Phang sat down with political pollster, analyst and organizer extraordinaire Simon Rosenberg. They looked at what last nightâs primary results in New York could mean for the Midterms, the Senateâs vote on a War Powers Resolution, and Trumpâs 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. 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 | |||
| MAGA's Latest Scheme to Disrupt the Midterms | 23 Jun 2026 | 00:25:04 | |
Earlier this week, Contrarian Publisher Norm Eisen sat down with former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance on Coffee with Contrarians. They talked about Trumpâs reflecting pool disaster, the almost $1.8 billion slush fund, and MAGAâs 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. 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 | |||
| 'Weâre Worse Off Than Before Trump Started the War' | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:18:54 | |
Yesterday, 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 âframeworkâ of a peace deal and Todd Blancheâs 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. 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 | |||
| Inflation Numbers, Oil Prices, Social Security, and the World's First Trillionaire | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:29:27 | |
On this weekâs Letâs 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 worldâs 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. 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 | |||