Evening Roundup, January 21
Featuring Katie Phang LIVE at SCOTUS, Tim Dickinson, Brian O'Neill, Jennifer Rubin with Dr. Jensen, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Susan Grundmann, and Matthias Matthijs
Days Trump’s DOJ has been illegally withholding all non-exempt, unclassified Epstein files: 33
Days until Jack Smith publicly testifies to evidence of Trump’s wrongdoing: 1
Running total of cash and gifts amassed by Trump and his family since his second inauguration: $1,833,917,899
SCOTUS Arguments on Trump’s Fed Power Grab
[VIDEO] Katie Phang breaks down what happened at SCOTUS today after sitting in on arguments in Trump v. Cook, the Supreme Court case deciding if Trump has the power to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Trump is attempting yet another power grab of an independent agency, in an attempt to politicize the finances of the American people.
14 Ways The Trump Administration is Trying to Kill Us
One year into the second Trump administration, and it’s apparent that the president and his regime have little care for your welfare or mine. In fact, it often seems as if Trump & Co. would prefer that many more Americans go ahead and die — of infectious disease; a l…
An Open Letter to European Leaders
You did not misread Donald Trump. You misread the fight. You brought an épée — process, nuance, and the belief that rules still matter in the room. He brought a shotgun — deadlines, threats, and punishments designed to end the argument, not negotiate it. One style wins quickly. That is not an accident. It is the method.
A Guide to Resist Violent Extremism
[VIDEO] Love it or hate it, a majority of our lives are now enmeshed with the online ecosystem. We are constantly subject to hearing the opinions of other people and discerning what is true and what is misinformation. While usually innocuous, sometimes these unsolicited opinions can be dangerous.
Move Over Childless Cat Ladies. There’s a New Broad in Town.
Last week, my Contrarian column explored the misogyny directly heaped on Renee Nicole Good — the Minneapolis resident, wife, and mother shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent — and highlighted the anti-woman actions taken by immigration enforcement agents over the past year.
NATO No More?
[VIDEO] After weeks of dangling tariff and military threats over our European Allies to force the seizure of Greenland, Trump has chickened out, once again. However, the constant uncertainty and instability coming from the states is causing our allies to view
The End of the Lawsuit But Not the End of the Fight
By Susan Tsui Grundmann
Not everything is negotiable in the government, but it is vital that those who perform the work of our federal agencies have their voices heard.
Will ICE Target World Cup Fans Too?
The world is falling apart, but hey—at least football’s on tonight! This past Monday, we saw the Indiana Hoosiers best the Miami Hurricanes with quarterback Fernando Mendoza at the helm. Likewise, the New England Patriots won against the Houston Texans, sending them one step closer to the Super Bowl.
The Imagery of Inflection Points
A series of pivotal moments in American history have been captured and influenced by images that proliferate the public consciousness and discourse.
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 the administration. Keep checking to see how Americans all across the country are protecting and defending democracy. Get help organizing from
ICE AGENTS CLAIM RIGHT TO BREAK INTO HOMES WITHOUT JUDICIAL WARRANTS IN VIOLATION OF THE 4th AMENDMENT
As reported today by the Associated Press, ICE agents are now claiming that they have the right to use force to break into homes to arrest residents without a warrant signed by a judge.
The Fourth Amendment provides:
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
It is settled law, as proclaimed by the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts and state courts throughout the land that such warrants to enter homes by force must be signed by judges, and not mere civil servants or other administrative functionaries.
Whistleblower Aid, a non-profit legal organization, stated that it represents two anonymous U.S. government officials who have revealed “a secretive - and seemingly unconstitutional - policy directive.” This directive was in the form of an ICE memo that states that their officers can forcibly enter homes and arrest immigrants using just a signed administrative warrant known as an I-205. While it provides guidelines to first seek either permission to enter the home or attempt to draw the subject out of the home, such failure may be followed by forcibly entering the home to search for and arrest the subject.
Under this directive, who is authorized to issue these “administrative warrants” that are used to displace judges?: civil service functionaries or other administrative personnel within the Department of Homeland Security, the Secretary of which is - you guessed it- Kristi Noem.
One of the whistleblowers within ICE had been allowed to view the memo only in the presence of a supervisor and then had to give it back. That person was not allowed to take notes. A whistleblower was able to access the memo and lawfully disclose it to Congress, according to Whistleblower Aid. While the memo is addressed to all ICE personnel, it has been shown only to “select DHS officials” who then shared it with some employees who were told to read it and return it. The memo was signed by the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, and dated May 12, 2025. According to the whistleblowers’ account, newly hired ICE officers are being told they can rely solely on these administrative warrants to enter homes by force to make arrests even though that conflicts with written Homeland Security training materials.
As each day passes, ICE’s tactics and ruthlessness look more and more like Himmler’s Gestapo.
Katie Phang's overview of the Supreme Court discussions was priceless. Thank you, Katie!