Evening Roundup, June 26
America 250 special message, our path forward, SCOTUS' immigration hallpass, Larry David's 4th of July, preserving democracy, Larry O'Brien, lazy chickpeas, Pets, and The Pod
Get your sparklers out — we’re celebrating America 250 Contrarian style. Over the next week and a half, we are releasing special written and video pieces to commemorate the holiday. From voting rights and the American worker to extremism and culture, you’ll enjoy a wide variety of unique America 250 content. Thank you for joining our Contrarian community and making these stories — and our pro-democracy litigation — possible.
Additionally, a special shoutout and bon voyage to our extraordinary Associate Producer and dear friend Lily Conway. Lily is an indispensable and founding member of the Contrarian family, who will continue to fight for democracy as she pursues her doctorate! Thank you for bringing so much Moon Joy and untouchable brilliance to The Contrarian. We will miss you!
Spotlight Story
America 250: Our Progress. Our Peril. Our Path Forward.
I was born a couple of years shy of the nation’s bicentennial, which is to admit I’ve lived through a fifth of the American experiment. And, as the nation teeters towards its 250th birthday, I am struck both by how much hard progress has been won in the last fifty years — and also why the reactionary MAGA movement remains so eager to stage a
America
An Annotated Declaration for Our Time
As the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence, we are called not only to commemorate our founding but also to ask what we are willing to do to preserve the democracy it created.
SCOTUS
SCOTUS Just Gave Trump a Hall Pass on Immigration Law
The Supreme Court just gave Stephen Miller and other white wingers in the Trump administration what they wanted: the power to ignore federal immigration law and remake the country to be less diverse and less inclusive.
Culture Corner
Feeling Cranky this July 4th? So is Larry David
The last time the United States celebrated a major birthday, back in 1976, there were only three national TV networks, and cable was just beginning to be a thing. But it was the first major anniversary of that nascent TV era, and bicentennial fever was ubiquitous on the …
Larry O’Brien, Whose Name Adorns NBA Trophy, Ascended to Height of Sports and Politics
By Frederic J. Frommer
He had a unique perch at the pinnacle of sports and politics, two of America’s favorite pastimes.
The best way to honor America is to impeach and priosecute all corrupt officehiolders.
Thanks to Katie Pfang, we should have a roadmap to the EPSTEIN saga. Apparently the Epstein estate paid off many victims but had them accept non disclsure and risk their settlements if they come forward. IMHO, this violates public policy as crime is involved..... There are probably at least three sets of lawyers involved in every settlement.
AI. Major Financial Institution Settlements
Bank of America: Agreed to a $72.5 million settlement in 2026 with survivors who alleged the bank facilitated his sex trafficking operation and ignored financial red flags.JPMorgan Chase: Reached a $290 million settlement in 2023 with Epstein survivors who claimed the bank benefited from and enabled his crimes.
Deutsche Bank: Agreed to a $75 million settlement in 2023 for its failure to properly vet and monitor Epstein as a client.
Epstein's Estate and Associate PayoutsEpstein Estate (Adviser Class Action): The estate agreed to pay up to $35 million in February 2026 to resolve claims against Epstein’s former personal lawyer, Darren Indyke, and former accountant, Richard Kahn, who were accused of facilitating his sex trafficking operations.
Epstein Victims Compensation Program (EVCP): Prior to recent litigation, the estate distributed over $121 million to 135 survivors. A subsequent settlement of $48 million also covered 59 additional victims.Individual
Friend and Associate SettlementsSeveral lawsuits filed against Epstein's prominent associates have ended in secret or confidential settlements.In 2022, Virginia Giuffre settled a civil lawsuit with Prince Andrew, which involved a "substantial donation" to her charity and recognized her as an established victim of abuse.Giuffre also settled a lawsuit with Alan Dershowitz, with both parties stating the resolution involved no payments.Many accusers have also signed confidential, pre-litigation settlements directly with other individuals they accused of misconduct.9 sites
The History of the Epstein Victims' Compensation ProgramDec 28, 2023 — Key Takeaways * The Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund (VCF) was formed after Jeffrey Epstein's suicide in August 2019 to establis...
Epstein Victims Compensation Program (EVCP): Prior to recent litigation, the estate distributed over $121 million to 135 survivors. A subsequent settlement of $48 million also covered 59 additional victims.
IMHO the Nipplegate conspirators need to immediately be investigation for conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The key political figures and administration officials involved in this specific July 17, 2025 meeting and the resulting strategy include:
J.D. Vance (Vice President): Argued in favor of full transparency, suggesting the administration should release the documents because Trump had weathered worse allegations and it would make them look open.
Susie Wiles (White House Chief of Staff): Blocked Vance's idea to release the files, recognizing it would cause severe political damage and widespread anger from the president.
Pam Bondi (Former Attorney General): Faced heavy internal blame for mismanaging the early handling of the Epstein file scandal and subpoena responses.
Dan Bongino (Conservative Commentator / Former Federal Agent): Reportedly attended the high-stakes damage-control efforts and got into a screaming match with Pam Bondi, telling her she "f***ed this thing up from the start".
Todd Blanche (Acting Attorney General): Central to the legal management of the files, who has since faced lawsuits and federal judge orders regarding the withholding or over-redacting of these documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Steven Cheung (Director of Communications): Led the public-facing response, heavily blasting the underlying claims as "baseless accusations" that were completely false and legally retracted.
Sarah Ransome: The Epstein victim whose unsealed 2022 legal depositions contained the raw, unverified allegations regarding Donald Trump that sparked the administration's panic.
I'm hosting a big party to celebrate the 250th Anniversary and the party favors are pocket-sized copies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights! No sweaty wrestlers! No branded souvenirs for me to monetize! No MacDonalds hamburgers to show what a great host I am!