Evening Roundup, April 15
Featuring Andrew Weissmann with Jen Rubin; Carron J. Phillips; Brian O'Neill; RJ Matson; Josh Levs; William Gale; and The Democracy Movement
Andrew Weissmann on Trump's Inhumane Refusal to Return Maryland Man to U.S.
Yesterday, Trump hosted El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, in the Oval Office to discuss the heinous “administrative error” that sent an American man to a Salvadoran prison. Despite the Supreme Court ordering his release, neither Trump nor Bukele have made moves to do so. Andrew Weissmann joins Jen Rubin to explain...
The disrespect toward Jackie Robinson’s legacy isn’t new. It’s always been this way.
By Carron J. Phillips
If you’re upset at the recent attempts to diminish who No. 42 was, sadly, you’re most likely part of the problem.
A most perfect specimen
RJ draws several editorial cartoons each week for his substack, e pluribus cartoonum, and for Roll Call, the newspaper of Congress and Capitol Hill. His work is widely syndicated to print newspapers by Cagle Cartoons.
Trump team's newest misinformation blitz goes unchecked by big media
When Trump’s team takes to the political TV talk shows, it always leaves a disastrous mess of misinformation in its wake. Sadly, the media helps by failing to correct or even challenge many of the plainly false statements.
The Contrarian covers the Democracy Movement
Every day (Monday-Friday), we’ll update this space with protests, signs, and other public demonstrations against the actions of this administration. Keep checking to see how Americans all across the country are protecting and defending democracy.
Tariffs: A bad idea, poorly implemented
By William Gale
The president's trade policy is threatening a global recession.
Thanks for being with us, friends. And don’t forget to tune in to Coffee with the Contrarians tomorrow morning at 9:15 ET. Founding Contrarian and special guest Harry Litman will be joining Norm and Jen tomorrow. See you then!
Andrew Weissmann does a great job explaining the legal decisions by the courts. I appreciate that.
The Contrarian needs to be the clarion. Opinions alone are worthless.
"Everything that is worthwhile in the world has been accomplished by the free, inquiring, critical spirit, and that the preservation of this spirit is more important than any social system whatsoever." Sinclair Lewis, It Can’t Happen Here, 1935.
That is a "spirit" that is awakened, nurtured and thriving through a free, public educational system unfettered by racist, bigoted, chauvinistic and jingoistic political propaganda, an educational system that recognizes and celebrates its diverse society and student body, is inclusive and treats all with equity and equanimity.
That is and has been the American public educational system that has maintained a democratic representative government of the people, by the people and for the people. Such a government cannot be founded upon or maintained by ignorance. Indeed, ignorance is the fertile ground of autocracy. Donald Trump is committed to destroying that educational system in order to further his autocracy.
As a majority of Congress is complacent, if not actually complicit, and the courts are powerless, there is little to stop him except the people themselves, and that will only be for so long as they have the knowledge and understanding to appreciate and denounce the horrors of his evil. Once that knowledge no longer is shared, the nation is doomed to the damnation of popular ignorance.
That will be when it "can happen here." The preservation of that knowledge through the maintenance of the American public educational system is in the hands of our teachers, and no one else. They must be organized in solidarity with the cause, and they must strike. They must shut down the schools until the damage is undone and the threat is eliminated. No one and nothing else can stop Donald Trump in this regard.
The Demands are simple:
1. Vest all authority for school programs of study and administration in the States.
2. Re-establish the U.S. Department of Education to administer all otherwise applicable national programs and funding.
3. Restoration of all educational federal funding and grants.
4. Termination of all DOJ investigations of educational institutions.
5. Revocation of Executive Order 14151 entitled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
6. Recognition that diversity, equity and inclusion are proper considerations in programs of study and administration.
STRIKE