Evening Roundup, April 15
LIVE post-Senate hearing w/ Katie Phang & Norm Eisen, Messy CA Governor race, Make Teen Pregnancy Great Again?, "happy" Tax Day, Russ Vought tries to waste taxpayer money, The Pod, & more!
Spotlight
Hot Topics
Socio-political Sphere
Fewer Teen Births is Good, Unless You’re the Patriarchy
How on-brand for the federal government to announce that U.S. birth rates are falling — just as The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaids Tale, dropped on Hulu last week. In the fictional nation of Gilead, first envisioned by Margaret Atwood in her 1985 dystopian novel and expanded on screen for nearly a decade now, declining fertility ca…
Election Epicenter
The CA Governor's Race is a Mess. Here's Why That Matters.
[VIDEO] California weather: gorgeous. Its governor’s race: a bat from hell.
Right On The Money
The Tax Fairness Question Dominating This Filing Season
As of early April, nearly 100 million Americans have filed their 2025 tax returns. The average refund is up 11% to $3,462, and the administration is touting “historic tax relief” from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). But a comprehensive preliminary assessment
Executive Dysfunction
Russ Vought Is Rewriting America's Budget
[ VIDEO ] Today, Russ Vought, the Office of Management and Budget Director, testified before the House Budget Committee. Lawmakers quizzed him on Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget (a 44% increase) and cuts to domestic programs.
Media Center
McDonald "Jesus" Trump
As McDonald “Jesus” Trump and his cronies try to pass themselves off as righteous crusaders, Pope Leo has some choice words for our nation’s false-prophet-in-chief. The Contrarian is community-supported. Join now to support bold journalism and help fund critical litigation to stop Trump’s corruption.
What the Polls Tell Us about Iran, California & the Midterms
Jen and Norm spoke with pollster G. Elliott Morris who writes the substack Strength in Numbers, a valuable resource with Eliott’s own polling plus analysis of other polls in the news cycle.
Steyer is my choice. He checks all the boxes. And he can win. That’s what matters here. Democrats still haven’t learned that winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
His 5 Rights Platform:
The Right to Clean Air and Clean Water: Everyone deserves to breathe fresh air and drink clean water, free from industrial poisons.
The Right to Learn: Protection of the right to a free, quality, public education, from preschool through college and skills training.
The Right to a Living Wage: Ensuring all workers earn enough to support themselves and their families.
The Right to Health Care: Guaranteeing access to quality, affordable healthcare.
The Right to an Equal Vote: Ensuring that every citizen has an equal voice in our democracy
I’m pulling for Norm and Katie to block that merger!!