Featuring "Offsides" with Pablo Torre & Jen Rubin; David Bernell & Thomas Graham; Meredith Blake; Austin Sarat; Michael de Adder; "Talking Feds;" and The Democracy Movement
Listening to Jen ask questions about a subject I knew next to nothing about just reminded me how glad I contributed to The Contrarians. Learned a lot tonight. Thank you!
Only time I ever agreed with her. Foreign Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution:
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
Plus “It’s going to be hard for the admin to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and obliterate Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah when Qatar funds the Muslim Brotherhood, harbors HAMAS, and the US just accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar,” Loomer wrote. “The biggest lobby in DC is the Qatar lobby. We are watching an Islamic takeover of our country in real time.”
Qatar has been a significant financial supporter of Hamas, channeling aid to Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, for years. Qatar has given amnesty to Hamas political leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal, in Doha. It held itself out an a mediator but that is baloney.
Mark Levin, a MAGA radio host and a member of Trump’s Department of Homeland Security advisory board, joined Loomer in criticizing the move. But other usual Qatar critics on the Hill remained quiet, at least for now.
Doug Heye, a GOP strategist, said Republicans would have criticized any Democratic move to accept such a significant gift from Qatar. “The ethical problems with this are so obvious that even some of the most ardent Trump defenders are saying, ‘wait a sec,’” he said.
Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in the role which she held in 2020 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2022. In this role, she lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatari interests. She also worked in a separate lobbying position for the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners, where she also lobbied on behalf of Qatari interests and several conglomerates including Amazon.
Wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have invested hundreds of millions of dollars with Jared Kushner's private equity firm.
Things are happening so fast and of course, most of our lazy stenographic media isn't bothering to report them, but the following is significant.
After Trump fired the head of the Copyright Office (in a terse one-sentence email), he appointed the Deputy Attorney General (!) to run the office, who tried to show up today at the outgoing administrator's office at the Library of Congress (LOC). LOC employees BARRED THE DOOR and refused to let him into the building, and consulted their attorney who ordered him to leave since Congress played no part in authorizing the firings or the re-hirings. You can read about it in the Times below if you have access:
There's a powerful message here. Fighting back works. Don't roll over and play dead. Don't allow them to do illegal things. Don't cooperate by using their language, filled with deceit and disinformation. Do not accept their gaslighting as reality. We are stronger than we realize. Take heart.
Hello, Contrarian. Over the last two days, I have recieved emails from twelve different organizations asking me to contact my elected representatives about six different issues, all of which concern me. It would be helpful to me to have a permanent link on the Contarian website which would direct readers to details about news outlets and organizations that have been vetted. I would rather spend my time contacting my elected officials about known issues than running background checks on groups that are sending me emails.
The fight for democracy starts and ends by focusing on what should be the main threats - and I for one believe that the main threat is denying the right of people to exist as a nation, as a land. I keep hoping that at some point the leaders of our platform would show solidarity with the Palestine struggle for liberation and self determination. Or at least empathy for endless victims of the ongoing genocide - especially today when even the food is being denied to Gaza, and we are faced with the threat of famine, on top of everything. This ought to be our primary consideration since it is all done with the total military, political, economical and moral support of the US - and Trump and Netanyahu are seriously planning a resort on the blood soaked land od Gaza, being turned into rubble and dust. Our silence is complicit and it threatens the core of democracy both in Israel and the US, as we have been witnessing now, with illegal detentions of those who have the moral compass and courage to speak their minds.
I understand that people may not have empathy or moral compass - after all, think of Trump and his cronies, or most of the GOP for that matter. But we here are constantly complaining about lack of morality and respect for democracy and the rule of law on the part of Trump enablers- and what is happening in Gaza is arguably the most blatant example of both. The right to self determination is the most basic human right and the central aspect of the international order and law. The fight for Gaza survival is a fight for our own survival, for our own humanity, for our hearts and souls. .
Few evil deeds by this regime have shaken me as much as our rapid return to Jim Crow. Please, let's call it what it is when Black women in particular but Black and brown people are being systematically persecuted, prosecuted, detained, deported, and erased while the white supremacists from South Africa are feted in Virginia. For the women who voted for drumpf (who of course don't read The Contrarian), I'd say, don't think they won't come for you, despite their elevation of the women woefully unqualified and utterly devoid of integrity drumpf is using as a cover for the reinstated state misogyny.
When will we initiate multiple impeachment proceedings, starting with the more vulnerable Repubicans in Congress, for dereliction of duty, evidenced by their consistent failure to adhere to their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution? Constantly pointing out their silence as Strumpet becomes more and more outrageous does nothing. Impeach the spineless wimps, one after another!!!!!
“The Contrarian covers the Democracy Movement” is a source of inspiration for me. However, I have been repeatedly receiving an error on loading. I don’t have a low-end system; I’m a software engineer. Perhaps there is now too much content (!) and it could be broken down into smaller time frames. And, thanks for all you are doing!
Listening to Jen ask questions about a subject I knew next to nothing about just reminded me how glad I contributed to The Contrarians. Learned a lot tonight. Thank you!
And now the news:
1. Laura Loomer: Qatari jet gift a ‘stain’ on Trump presidency. https://thehill.com/homenews/5295240-laura-loomer-criticizes-trump-qatari-gift/
Only time I ever agreed with her. Foreign Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution:
“No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
Plus “It’s going to be hard for the admin to designate the Muslim Brotherhood and obliterate Iranian proxies in Hamas and Hezbollah when Qatar funds the Muslim Brotherhood, harbors HAMAS, and the US just accepted a $400 million jet from Qatar,” Loomer wrote. “The biggest lobby in DC is the Qatar lobby. We are watching an Islamic takeover of our country in real time.”
Qatar has been a significant financial supporter of Hamas, channeling aid to Gaza, which is controlled by Hamas, for years. Qatar has given amnesty to Hamas political leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal, in Doha. It held itself out an a mediator but that is baloney.
Also implicated is Pam Bondi. Pam Bondi's Qatar Links Under Scrutiny Over Trump's Luxury Plane Gift https://www.newsweek.com/pam-bondi-qatar-links-under-scrutiny-over-trump-luxury-plane-gift-2070774
Mark Levin, a MAGA radio host and a member of Trump’s Department of Homeland Security advisory board, joined Loomer in criticizing the move. But other usual Qatar critics on the Hill remained quiet, at least for now.
Doug Heye, a GOP strategist, said Republicans would have criticized any Democratic move to accept such a significant gift from Qatar. “The ethical problems with this are so obvious that even some of the most ardent Trump defenders are saying, ‘wait a sec,’” he said.
Bondi worked as a foreign lobbyist for the nation of Qatar, earning $115,000 a month in the role which she held in 2020 and in the run up to the World Cup in 2022. In this role, she lobbied Congress on behalf of Qatari interests. She also worked in a separate lobbying position for the Washington, D.C.-based firm Ballard Partners, where she also lobbied on behalf of Qatari interests and several conglomerates including Amazon.
Wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have invested hundreds of millions of dollars with Jared Kushner's private equity firm.
2. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Sunday called threats to arrest Democratic colleagues over an incident at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility “very drastic.” https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5295361-mccaul-threatens-arrest-democrats-ice/?tbref=hp
3. Top Republican Warns GOP Medicaid Cuts Are ‘Morally Wrong’
‘POLITICALLY SUICIDAL’
4. Trump backs down on China Tariffs.
Thank you, Dan Solomon!
This Trump incident requires disinfection by illumination of daylight.
Geesh. Does Trump think no one would notice the president of the United States is accepting bribes from foreign countries??
uh, he doesn't care
and still he does what he wants
Things are happening so fast and of course, most of our lazy stenographic media isn't bothering to report them, but the following is significant.
After Trump fired the head of the Copyright Office (in a terse one-sentence email), he appointed the Deputy Attorney General (!) to run the office, who tried to show up today at the outgoing administrator's office at the Library of Congress (LOC). LOC employees BARRED THE DOOR and refused to let him into the building, and consulted their attorney who ordered him to leave since Congress played no part in authorizing the firings or the re-hirings. You can read about it in the Times below if you have access:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/us/politics/trump-library-of-congress.html
There's a powerful message here. Fighting back works. Don't roll over and play dead. Don't allow them to do illegal things. Don't cooperate by using their language, filled with deceit and disinformation. Do not accept their gaslighting as reality. We are stronger than we realize. Take heart.
This is great news. Well done them! Should be more of it!
Thank you for adding public protests and outcries. We need that encouragement.
Many thanks to Contrarian for shedding light on Trump’s scoundrel dealing.
Light = disinfectant IF we act on the information.
Hello, Contrarian. Over the last two days, I have recieved emails from twelve different organizations asking me to contact my elected representatives about six different issues, all of which concern me. It would be helpful to me to have a permanent link on the Contarian website which would direct readers to details about news outlets and organizations that have been vetted. I would rather spend my time contacting my elected officials about known issues than running background checks on groups that are sending me emails.
I have tried to submit photos of protests in La Grande, Oregon via the suggested email (submit@contrarian.org) but my email bounced back.
Apologies for the late reply here. For future, the email is submit@contrariannews.org. Hope this helps!
The fight for democracy starts and ends by focusing on what should be the main threats - and I for one believe that the main threat is denying the right of people to exist as a nation, as a land. I keep hoping that at some point the leaders of our platform would show solidarity with the Palestine struggle for liberation and self determination. Or at least empathy for endless victims of the ongoing genocide - especially today when even the food is being denied to Gaza, and we are faced with the threat of famine, on top of everything. This ought to be our primary consideration since it is all done with the total military, political, economical and moral support of the US - and Trump and Netanyahu are seriously planning a resort on the blood soaked land od Gaza, being turned into rubble and dust. Our silence is complicit and it threatens the core of democracy both in Israel and the US, as we have been witnessing now, with illegal detentions of those who have the moral compass and courage to speak their minds.
I understand that people may not have empathy or moral compass - after all, think of Trump and his cronies, or most of the GOP for that matter. But we here are constantly complaining about lack of morality and respect for democracy and the rule of law on the part of Trump enablers- and what is happening in Gaza is arguably the most blatant example of both. The right to self determination is the most basic human right and the central aspect of the international order and law. The fight for Gaza survival is a fight for our own survival, for our own humanity, for our hearts and souls. .
Few evil deeds by this regime have shaken me as much as our rapid return to Jim Crow. Please, let's call it what it is when Black women in particular but Black and brown people are being systematically persecuted, prosecuted, detained, deported, and erased while the white supremacists from South Africa are feted in Virginia. For the women who voted for drumpf (who of course don't read The Contrarian), I'd say, don't think they won't come for you, despite their elevation of the women woefully unqualified and utterly devoid of integrity drumpf is using as a cover for the reinstated state misogyny.
When will we initiate multiple impeachment proceedings, starting with the more vulnerable Repubicans in Congress, for dereliction of duty, evidenced by their consistent failure to adhere to their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution? Constantly pointing out their silence as Strumpet becomes more and more outrageous does nothing. Impeach the spineless wimps, one after another!!!!!
I read that article by Austin Sarat. Fake news! There is no way you can get that font out of a Smith Corona.
“The Contrarian covers the Democracy Movement” is a source of inspiration for me. However, I have been repeatedly receiving an error on loading. I don’t have a low-end system; I’m a software engineer. Perhaps there is now too much content (!) and it could be broken down into smaller time frames. And, thanks for all you are doing!
https://randoliberal.substack.com/p/active-cases
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from banning transgender people from military service
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes was the second judge of the day to rule against the administration.
March 18, 2025
https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1:2025cv00240/276845/89/0.pdf
and still he does it