Evening Roundup, April 18 Featuring Jen Rubin with Jason Rezaian; Michael Franklin; Liam Scott; Jennifer Schulze; The Democracy Index; Meredith Blake; Ruben Bolling; Marissa Rothkopf; and our Pet of the Week! The Contrarian Apr 18 Is Kilmar Abrejo Garcia a State Hostage? Jason Rezaian explains Jennifer Rubin and Jason Rezaian · 1:11 PM In 2015, Jason Rezaian was unjustly arrested in Iran and detained for nearly a year and a half. Since his release, he has been advocating for other political hostages imprisoned by foreign nations. Now, he joins Jen to discuss the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to El Salvador and what the Trump administration’s refusal… Read full story ‘One hairdresser' is the voice of complicity in 2025 2:30 PM By Michael Franklin Andry Hernandez Romero and others whose names we don't know are also victims of state-sponsored violence. Read full story Trump Officials Trolling Journalists is Just the Tip of the Iceberg 4:31 PM By Liam Scott Behind the harassment of individual reporters is a full-scale assault on media freedom. Read full story There’s no vacation from Trump. He’s ruining everything. 6:30 PM By Jennifer Schulze Your summer 2025 travel itinerary could include raging fires, germy cruise ships, and burner phones. Read full story Democracy Movement The Democracy Index Joyce Vance, Joshua Kolb, and 4 others · 7:07 PM Remember in “Mary Poppins” when Julie Andrews sings, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down…In a most delightful way?” How she made us feel like we could get through an unpleasant task with a positive attitude? Read full story Culture Corner Why the “feminist” Blue Origin space flight was an affront to women like Sally Ride Meredith Blake · 8:46 PM At the height of the pandemic in 2020, comedian Marcia Belsky went viral with a song called “100 Tampons,” about Sally Ride’s history-making trip to space. Read full story Tom the Dancing Bug Ruben Bolling · 3:02 PM Follow Ruben Bolling on Substack here; Join Tom the Dancing Bug’s Inner Hive here; and here is the Tom the Dancing Bug website, with information about the new book, “It’s the Great Storm, Tom the Dancing Bug!" Read full story Lemon posset meets Eton mess Marissa Rothkopf · 8:30 PM “Yet be cheerful knight: thou shalt eat a posset to-night at my house; Where I will desire thee to laugh at my wife.” —Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5, Scene 5 Read full story Contrarian Pet of the Week Julie Zebrak · 7:30 PM Introducing...Bella! Read full story The Contrarian is reader-supported. To receive new posts and to help us continue to make and amplify good, pro-democratic trouble, please become a free or paid subscriber.