Coffee with Contrarians is live every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:15am eastern every week at ContrarianNews.org

He sat down with Contrarian editor Tim Dickinson to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical and why he chose to focus so much of it on the rapid rise of AI and the need to put humanity before technology.

Ezra and Tim also discuss the upcoming midterms and why James Talarico run against Ken Paxton is a once-in-a-generation opportunity in Texas.

Gov. Newsom talked about how the economy is holding up after Trump’s choice to start a war with Iran, the rise of racism in politics and why ‘anti-woke is anti-black,’ and we even asked him if he was willing to spill a little tea on his plans for 2028.

Aaron Parnas, as you might know, is a great journalist on TikTok and Substack, a real reporter’s reporter for the social media age. He talked about how he juggles parenthood and staying on the pulse of breaking news during this era of a 24/7 news cycle.

The Tea with April Ryan is live, every Thursday, at 5pm Eastern at ContrarianNews.org

In it, Andrew points out how America’s political institutions have been exploited by rampant lying and dishonest politicians since the 2020 election. But, there is a way we can fight back, and he talks about it in this episode with journalist Katie Phang.

Yasmine Radjy is on the front lines of that fight. She’s the Executive Director of Swing Left which is targeting 46 House seats in the 2026 election, as well as elections for senate and governor’s races across the country. She and Contrarian Senior Editor Tim Dickinson talked about why now is the moment to take a “Big Swing” and the value of talking to voters who may seem like unlikely targets to build durable governing power in 2028 and beyond.

April Ryan got the chance to sit down with Alabama’s Representative in the 7th district, Terri Sewell [20:15], to look back on the legacy of the civil rights movement, and how we revitalize it. Racists in power have been waiting for this moment to send America back to the Jim Crow era. But, that doesn’t mean we have to let them.

LaTosha Brown is the Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter, and she spoke with Jen Rubin about how organizers and activists have come together to fight back in this historic moment, and why this decision is bigger than just redistricting in the 2026 Midterms.

And, voting rights and election law expert Rick Hasen [20:25] looked at the fallout in elections in Louisiana and Virginia, and why the Supreme Court’s conflicting rulings on voting rights cases have created an electoral kerfuffle.

The Virginia Supreme Court threw out results of an election where 3 million people voted. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry suspended a primary election, already in progress. Tennessee and Florida have already passed new congressional maps that eliminate Black and Brown majority districts, and other states, like South Carolina and Alabama, are fighting to join them.

Ari Berman is the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, and joined Contrarian editor Tim Dickinson to discuss how SCOTUS has gutted the Voting Rights Act and what to expect.

They talked about the Supreme Court’s awful decision in Callais v. Louisiana and the racist, discriminatory gerrymandering we’re already seeing in states like Tennessee.

The Tea with April Ryan is every Thursday at 5pm eastern at ContrarianNews.org

Sam Forstag is a former smokejumper and union leader. Tim and Sam talked about his belief that housing, healthcare, and other necessities should be accessible for all working people. He also talked about how the wealthy are able to take advantage when we aren’t able to rally around common political ground.

And, Ryan Busse [16:20] is a former gun executive turned whistleblower, as well as a former Democratic candidate for governor. He spoke about his advocacy for universal health care and the importance of Democrats busting Fox News stereotypes.

This week, he’s joined by Heather Long. She’s Chief Economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union. They discussed why the stock market continues to rise despite increasing inflation and anemic job growth, and why high gas prices will ripple through the economy for a long time.

Justin Wolfers, Professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Michigan, joins Jen to give his take on the importance of Fed independence and removing conflicts of interest. Additionally, Wolfers recognizes how uncertain Trump has made investors and consumers as a result of his many wars waged across the globe.

Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan, she’s also cohost of the Strict Scrutiny podcast. She spoke with Contrarian contributor Katie Phang about the ramifications of the Callais decision and why this was a gigantic step back for fair voting rights.

The discussed the weekend’s shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, why the White House is more concerned with building a ballroom than protecting schoolchildren and improving Americans’ lives, and ahead of May Day Strong this Friday, why unions are paramount to preserving democracy and reducing income inequality.

Even with a ceasefire in place, people continue to suffer.

David Wood is the Senior Analyst for Lebanon at International Crisis Group, and spoke to Jen from Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, to talk about the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Jen spoke with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) who introduced a Big Oil Windfall Profits Tax that would take that excess profit and return it back to the taxpayers. In honor of Earth Day, they also talked about the damage the Trump administration has done to the planet, how Citizens United opened the door to domination of our politics by the fossil fuel industry, and the latest in the war with Iran.

Joe Kerr [20:33] is a Democrat running in California’s 40th Congressional District. He faces not one, but two Republican incumbents who are trying to outMAGA each other in a primary due to Prop 50 redistricting.

Joe is very different. He is a working-class, lifelong firefighter who’s been involved in causes that affect unions and an advocate of needed reforms for ICE.

Steve Cook, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Jen talked about the enduring impact of Trump’s war of choice, how China is learning lessons on what not to do, and why Europe can no longer look at the U.S. as a reliable partner.