Spotlight Story
Charter Cities and the Desire for Social and Ideological Conformity
Out in the beautiful rolling lands of Gainesboro, Tennessee, a group of far-right real estate developers, backed by Silicon Valley venture capital and with powerful ties to MAGA and other authoritarian-friendly activist groups around the country, is buying up land. It is part of a plan to
In the Headlines
What’s Going On with the Federal Reserve?
Defying Trump’s demands, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh announced yesterday that the Fed would raise interest rates for the first time since 2023. Reminding us that economic policy shifts are not unusual in an evolving economy, Professor and economist Justin Wolfers points out that “if you think nothing’s happened in the economy over the past three y…
Is Censorship the Best PR?
In 2003, a photo identifying a Malibu mansion as Barbra Streisand’s was included in a documentary project about coastal erosion. Streisand sued the photographer (and associated website) for $50 million. Only six people had downloaded the photo before the suit (two were Streisand’s lawyers). But thanks to the PR fallout, the downloads soon ballooned past…
On the Hill
Hormones on Capitol Hill
Hormonal health conversations have been happening all over Capitol Hill this week. Within the past 24 hours, the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging convened the first-ever formal Senate hearing on the need for menopause policy reforms; Health and Human Services held a panel with manufacturers and physicians to troubleshoot the
Act Now
Mobilize for the Midterms; Join ‘Hands Around the Kennedy Center’
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Whether you want to exercise your right to vote, join a protest, call your elected officials, run for office, or keep tabs on the week’s hottest issues and protests, The Contrarian has you covered.
Thank you, Contrarians, for a lot of excellent essays in this collection.