EU stronger; US weaker. It's hard to focus on w/ all the blunders and bluster, but it's a whole chapter how Trump has gone out of his way to alienate and oppress our perennial closest neighbor E.U. Offers to Make Canada ‘Associate Member’ as U.S. Ties Weaken for Both www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/w...

E.U. Offers to Make Canada ‘Associate Member’ as U.S. Ties Weaken for Both

Canada and the European Union have been confronting an increasingly challenging relationship with the United States under President Trump.

nytimes.com

NEW: This week, Alabama held primaries for its four newly drawn congressional districts — but only 5.24% of voters turned out. While the GOP's redistricting bid was a likely culprit, one expert explained why a mix of things created "a perfect storm for nobody to show up."

“A perfect storm for nobody to show up”: Why Alabama voters skipped the redistricting primary

The combination of few competitive races, confusion over the rescheduled primary, the unusual timing of the second vote and things like schools reopening all collided to depress turnout, observers sai...

democracydocket.com

This 👇👇👇👇👇

The Contrarian@contrariannews.org · last mo.

First it was lettuce and Cyclospora; now it’s jalapeños and Salmonella. What is going on at Taylor Farms? Katherine Stewart’s deep dive into Taylor Farms, its connections to Christian Nationalism, and how those factors intersect with the ongoing food safety crisis remains as relevant as ever.

“An attack that Trump believed would very quickly defeat Iran, collapse its regime, and lead to the emergence of a new compliant leadership has proved to be a strategic self-inflicted wound that weakened the position, power, and influence of the United States — with no end in sight.”

Trump Is Losing Control of the Widening Conflict

His lack of planning has left the administration with dwindling influence over the direction of the Iran war.

contrariannews.org

sticking with a moral degenerate comes with a price thehill.com/homenews/cam...

Max Miller down double digits to Democrat Poindexter in new poll

As elections for Ohio’s 7th Congressional District near, Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) is losing traction for his campaign amid allegations of abuse from his ex-wife, as his Democratic opponent pulls ah…

thehill.com

Amid outbreaks of measles and cyclospora, RFK Jr. is focusing his priorities on the most pressing health issue of our time: the need for an out-of-touch, government-sponsored cooking show.

Let Them Eat Salmon Cakes

'RFK Jr's MAHA cooking show is the latest media production from an administration that favors profitable content creatio

contrariannews.org

And Cornyn and Tillis are a couple of chickens. Their righteous indignation was a pathetic charade.

Barb McQuade@barbmcquade.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Blanche’s written update to the slush fund and IRS immunity for Trump is nothing more than a shell game. My thoughts in @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

Exactly 3 months from today is the most important midterm election in our lifetime. Our opportunity to hold him accountable. Register to vote here: Iwillvote.com The stakes have never been higher. Show the world the majority of Americans are good, decent, honest people. #VoteBlue🗳️ #RejectMAGA 👎

It appears Trump was willing to throw the Jan. 6 defendants under the bus while preserving his own IRS immunity deal. Read the fine print. 2/2

🚨NEW: Todd Blanche’s new order rescinds the May 18 Anti-Weaponization Fund—but quietly leaves the May 19 IRS immunity settlement intact. Instead of rescinding it, the accompanying memo reaffirms DOJ’s interpretation, arguing the immunity applies only retroactively and only to the parties involved.1/

Seeing people confused about Fauci taking the Fifth even though he was pre-emptively pardoned by Biden. Pardons only cover past conduct; they don't immunize future lawbreaking. Fauci's claim is Trump II DOJ would gin up a perjury investigation into him based on anything he says today.

Trump Has Lost More Than the Iran War open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Trump Has Lost More Than the Iran War

Nonstop blunders further erode our international standing

open.substack.com

"The erasure of the deaths of Lt. Feehan, Pvt. Gonzales, Sgt. Rampersand, and Sgt. Swinton is one of many instances of the administration’s dishonesty. The dishonesty cannot diminish the honor due to these soldiers. But it does stain the honor of our country." www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-trie...

Trump Tries to Erase the Casualties of His War

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

thebulwark.com

In Texas, a Border Patrol agent was just indicted by a local grand jury for aggravated assault for running down a migrant with his car on January 31, 2025. Video from a homeowner showed the agent driving straight into a man who was calmly walking on the side of the road. myrgv.com/local-news/2...

NEWS: WV GOP Assistant Majority Leader Elliott Pritt has been arrested and charged with enticing a minor after allegedly grooming a 15-year-old through Roblox and Snapchat, then having her meet him in his classroom. GOP leadership won't call for his resignation.

I know many people whose justification for being pro-Trump has been "But, Israel." Will they rationalize a deal that smooths Saudi Arabia's path to nuclear weapons with few safeguards, and undermines what's left of the wildly overhyped Abraham accords? Or will they have the courage to oppose Trump?

"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." ~ George Orwell

Financial disclosures show that Susan Collins was taking checks from some of the men named in Epstein Files.

More Donations from Epstein Contacts to Susan Collins Uncovered

Collins took money from men on the Epstein list before voting against releasing the files

meidasnews.com

Words & Phrases open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Words & Phrases

‘Disarray’ is another word for healthy politics

open.substack.com

Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche, who is facing his Senate confirmation hearing, previously shut down DOJ crypto investigations while holding more than $150,000 in crypto investments. From our Dec. 2025 investigation:

Top DOJ Official Todd Blanche Shut Down Crypto Enforcement While Holding Crypto Assets

The second-highest official at the DOJ, Todd Blanche rose to prominence as Trump’s personal defense attorney. His actions violated the federal conflicts of interest law and his ethics agreement, exper...

propublica.org

Oh, c’mon. Really? They are just aces at killing people. And oh, btw insurers, testing for cancer is way cheaper than treating it.

It's ME(Jaime)@exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The only reason to hold back cervical cancer screening recommendations is to benefit insurers. thehill.com/policy/healt...

2nd year in a row CNBC ranked Tennessee last in quality of life under @GovBillLee and the Republican supermajority: “factors such as crime rates, air quality, health care, availability of childcare, inclusiveness of state laws & reproductive rights…” www.cnbc.com/2026/07/11/w...

👇👇

Oh, FFS.

Harry Litman@harrylitman.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Cognitive dissonance and olfactory breakdown on Capitol Hill: Tillis says that he wd oppose Blanche’s nomination if he detected “even a whiff of a lack of independence.” Also wd vote no if Blanche was too soft on the Jan 6 rioters But he has a “positive predisposition” after meeting w Blanche

Yup. A real hinge of history.

Elizabeth Spiers@espiers.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Also just thinking about different Mitch McConnell’s legacy would be if he’d voted for impeachment and conviction. Had a chance to have a right side of history last roll of the dice and chickened out

Joe Mitchell won the Republican nomination for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District in June by campaigning against the sway of insiders and lobbyists, but a new report laid bare that his own record tells a different story.

Republican caught benefiting from the very thing he campaigned against: report

Joe Mitchell won the Republican nomination for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District in June by campaigning against the sway of insiders and lobbyists, but a new report laid bare that his own record tells a different story.Mitchell, a 29-year-old former state representative and real estate developer, pi...

bit.ly

Last year ICE said a man tried to murder a female ICE officer while she was trying to arrest him. They swore under oath he grabbed her by the neck and tried to choke her to death. He was even indicted for attempted murder. Problem is, it never happened! Bystander video unraveled the lie.

A Venezuelan man was accused of attempting to choke an ICE officer to death in Bellevue. Bystander video tells a different story

Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco was referred to by DHS as a “criminal illegal alien” and a “known Tren de Aragua terrorist.” The agency said he “violently attacked an ICE agent” by slamming her head into the ...

nebraskapublicmedia.org

Ossoff: I never want to hear these two pretend they give a damn about working people again. Because while hundreds of thousands of Georgians lose their health care, Mike Collins builds Trump a ballroom. They worked harder burying the Epstein files than they ever did lowering your grocery bill.

OMG 😳 we could have had ACA healthcare extended, snap benefits for kids and the damn illegal war isn’t even over yet. This regime is bankrupting our country.

Steve Rattner@steverattner.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The cost of the Iran War has been massive. Direct military costs will likely approach $100 billion. But the total could be closer to $1 trillion when long-term costs from inflation impacts, debt interest payments, and veterans’ benefits are included. My @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social Chart