The Jim Acosta Show: "Coffee with The Contrarians and Jim Acosta"

Date: January 8, 2026
Theme:
A spirited roundtable on the Venezuela intervention, the collapse of mainstream journalism, congressional abdication, and how hope and independent media can prevail in the face of democratic backsliding and authoritarianism.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode brings together Jim Acosta and the hosts of “Coffee with The Contrarians” (Jen, Norm, and others) for a no-holds-barred discussion of America’s controversial military intervention in Venezuela, the resulting political and constitutional crises, the media’s role in normalizing anti-democratic actions, and the growing importance of independent voices in preserving truth and hope.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. The Venezuela Crisis: “Colonialism Gone Wild”

• Discussion kicks off on the aftermath of the U.S. military intervention that ousted and kidnapped Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

• Critique of U.S. strategy:

  • Bipartisan congressional frustration at the lack of a coherent post-invasion plan (00:01–01:55).
  • Armed U.S. presence off Venezuela’s coast and “no plan” for governance or oil extraction.
  • Deep skepticism about Marco Rubio’s involvement and leadership competency.

  “They essentially decapitate a country, ... insist that they’re going to run the country and take the oil and they have no game plan for how they do this.”
  — Jen (00:41)

• Congressional response:

  • Pending War Powers Resolutions—one specific to Venezuela, another to prevent “adventurism” in Greenland, Cuba, Colombia, etc.
  • Tim Kaine’s Senate resolution expected to pass; veto by Trump seen as politically irrelevant to need for congressional assertion (01:56–05:11).

• On the ground in Venezuela:

  • No regime change, just replacement at the top.
  • Escalating repression, violence, and disappearances.
  • Oil companies hesitant to invest; taxpayers potentially funding “bribes” for corporate buy-in (05:12–07:48).

  “This is colonialism gone wild and it is absurd. … wholly unconstitutional.”
  — Jen (07:08)

2. Congressional Abdication & Executive Overreach

• Historical context for war powers:

  • Congress’s negligence emboldening presidential adventurism.
  • Trump’s actions violate both domestic and international law; exploits prior weak precedents.

  “He’s busted through the envelope and run it through the shredder.”
  — Norm (07:54)

• Corruption and Quid Pro Quos:

  • Trump alleged to have solicited campaign donations from oil executives in exchange for oil access post-invasion (08:00–09:43).
  • Ethics essay on “blood for oil” collaboration teased.

3. Media Failure: CBS, Foxification, and the Battle for Truth

• Jim Acosta joins in (10:53):

  • Recounts production gaffes, alluding to chaos and realness of independent media vs. mainstream production.

• CBS News examined:

  • Corporate takeover by Barry Weiss (formerly of Substack) likened to right-wing media shift.
  • Outrage at CBS’s tribute to Marco Rubio, compared to “North Korean state television” and “out-Hannityed Hannity” (13:35–14:33).
  • Real journalism, as represented by the likes of Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer, is portrayed as endangered by propagandist newsrooms.
  • The business model of chasing Fox News viewers is derided as “a fool’s errand.”

  “When I saw that clip last night, I thought it was something from Saturday Night Live.”
  — Jim Acosta (13:39)

  “The people who watch the CBS Evening News are smart f***ing people. And they don’t want propaganda…”
  — Jim Acosta (15:16)

• Media’s role in democracy’s crisis:

  • The mainstream is failing as a check; independent media rises in response.
  • Listeners and citizens can “sniff out” compromised news and reject it for alternative channels.

4. The Political Impact: Latino Communities, Florida, & Immigration

• Trump’s Venezuela gambit:

  • Motivated partly by electoral politics in Florida among Venezuelan and Cuban-American communities (17:38–20:00).
  • ICE raids and anti-immigration policies seen as deeply unpopular.

• Diverse Latino reactions:

  • Latino voters are not monolithic; alienation from Trump is widespread due to hardline immigration and aggressive foreign policy.
  • The move is unlikely to significantly improve Republican standing among most Latino voters.

  “This ICE policy has been an utter debacle for them, politically speaking.”
  — Jim Acosta (19:28)

5. Adventurism, Law, and Eroding Checks

• Media failure & authoritarian momentum:

  • As legacy news organizations bow to government pressure, independent voices fill the gap.
  • Corporate media is compared to past historic failures; modern independent channels likened to “muckrakers” and Edward R. Murrow (21:33–23:16).

• January 6th’s legacy and Trump’s unchecked power:

  • Mainstream neglect of police officers who defended the Capitol.
  • Supreme Court’s rulings have removed the last criminal liability threats for the presidency.

  “Donald Trump thinks he has a blank check to do whatever he wants ... This is what we all warned...”
  — Jim Acosta (27:15)

6. Legal Analysis and Potential for Change

• Legal community’s mood:

  • Attorneys like Glenn Kirschner are still holding out hope for future accountability.
  • Possibility of political change ushering in new Supreme Court justices and court reform.

  “You packed the court, you stack the deck. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. We're going to have more justices on the court to bring balance...”
  — Jim Acosta (28:36)

• Supreme Court watched warily:

  • Upcoming cases over tariffs, birthright citizenship, and redistricting could drive seismic shifts.
  • Concerns about re-imposing Jim Crow-era political structures through court decisions (29:56–32:01).

NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• “Donald Trump has reappropriated the Monroe Doctrine as the Donroe Doctrine. I think we should call it the Donroe Dictator Dunce Doctrine.”
  — Norm (01:58)

• “This is Iraq, frankly, on steroids.”
  — Jen (05:37)

• “It was like North Korean state television.”
  — Norm (14:21)

• “When I saw that clip last night, I thought it was something from Saturday Night Live.”
  — Jim Acosta (13:39)

• “The people who watch CBS News are smart f***ing people. And they don't want propaganda, they don't want government sanctioned news.”
  — Jim Acosta (15:16)

• “The mainstream media is just going to fail us and not meet the moment, then you're going to see sort of a new media in this country … independent media is flourishing.”
  — Jim Acosta (21:33)

• “What the Supreme Court did under Chief Justice John Roberts, it has fundamentally changed this country ... it is supercharged with jet fuel, his dictator-like ambitions.”
  — Jim Acosta (27:16)

• “This is the year when America stands tall ... There's a voter revolt in this country. It has already begun.”
  — Jim Acosta (32:07)

TIMESTAMPS FOR IMPORTANT SEGMENTS

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | | ---------- | --------------- | | 00:01–05:11 | Venezuela intervention critique, war powers resolutions | | 05:12–09:43 | Deterioration in Venezuela, oil company politics, ethics concerns | | 10:53 | Jim Acosta joins the conversation | | 12:05–16:22 | Media collapse, CBS critique, propaganda concerns | | 17:38–20:00 | Latino political response to Venezuela policy and immigration | | 21:33–23:16 | Role of new independent media amid mainstream collapse | | 23:33–27:15 | January 6th legacy, lack of media recognition for Capitol police | | 27:15–29:25 | Legal legacy, Supreme Court’s empowerment of Trump | | 32:07–37:27 | Hopes for democracy, grassroots energy, ACA, and future political fights |

CONCLUSION & HOPES FOR THE FUTURE

All hosts emphasize urgency, vigilance, and hope. The U.S. is at a democratic crossroads, but the public's growing awareness and organizing—especially visible in electoral shifts and independent media's ascendancy—suggest the fight is far from over. Panelists predict a powerful voter backlash, with a resurgent democracy toppling both illiberal governance and the media structures that have enabled it.

Bottom Line:
Despite daunting threats to democracy and truth, the spirit of resistance and hope prevails. As the hosts and Jim Acosta affirm, now is the time to “hold on to the truth. And hope.”