To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Charlie Sykes

You are not the crazy ones.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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223 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes223

Newest first

June 13 · 57 min
Trump’s ‘Sitzkrieg’ in Iran
Atlantic writer Tom Nichols joins Charlie to catch up on Trump's zigzagging on Iran, discuss Elon Musk's new status as a trillionaire, and unpack the absurdity of Pete Hegseth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 11 · 45 min
The Alternative Universe of Grief
In this special To the Contrary episode, Charlie sits down with Danielle Crittenden, whose daughter Miranda died suddenly two years ago. Crittenden recently published Dispatches from Grief: A Mother's Journey Through the Unthinkable. They discuss life after loss, how to talk about grief, and the awkward moments that arise when you tell others you've lost someone you love. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 9 · 44 min
The Ferrets Running Around in Trump’s Brain
Legal analyst and Talking Feds host, Harry Litman, joins Charlie to dissect Trump's brief interview with Meet the Press, his legal battles over the slush fund, and the DOJ declaration that Trump has the right to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 6 · 44 min
Tara Palmeri: Men Behaving Badly
On today’s episode of “To the Contrary,” Charlie sits down with journalist and author of “The Red Letter” Substack, Tara Palmeri. The two of them discuss Main’s messy Senate race, Trump’s behavior with female reporters in the Oval Office and CBS’ continual crumble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 4 · 43 min
"Trump Is Losing Power and It’s Making Him More Malicious"
Jonathan Rauch is a Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. In this episode, he joins Charlie to talk about Trump's-now-killed slush fund, U.S.-Israel relations, and the war with Iran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 2 · 48 min
What Happened to Rudy Giuliani?
John Avlon is chair of Citizens Union, former editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast and former chief speechwriter for Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In this episode, he joins Charlie to discuss Trump's UFC cage, Rudy Giuliani's fall from grace, and John Cornyn's scorpion fable post. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 30 · 46 min
Can Trump Be Stopped? Actually, Yes.
Miles Taylor is a former DHS official during Trump's first term and the founder of Defiance.org. He joins Charlie to discuss how the administration's changes to the green card process reveal that Trump's immigration stance was never about those who entered the country illegally — but about all immigrants. They also cover artists pulling out of the Freedom 250 concert and Trump's potential role in the 60 Minutes shake-up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 28 · 44 min
Trump’s Bread and Circuses Moment
Former Congressman and children’s book author, Adam Kinzinger, joins Charlie to discuss the ridiculousness of the UFC Octagon project on the WH lawn, Megyn Kelly's shock at Trump's corruption, and Texas election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 23 · 50 min
Should We Have Billionaires?
Justin Wolfers is a professor of economics at the University of Michigan and author of the Platypus Economics Substack. In this episode, he joins Charlie to make the case against big tech moguls, discuss the price tag of Trump's Iran adventure, and talk about how crony capitalism is reshaping America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 21 · 51 min
It’s the Corruption, Stupid
Phillips O'Brien is a historian and Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. In this episode, he joins Charlie to discuss Trump's corruption, his desperate Iran's gambit, and his weak position in global politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 19 · 56 min
Trump's Goon Squad Slush Fund
Nicholas Grossman, editor of Arc Digital and professor of international relations at the University of Illinois, joins Charlie to discuss the new levels of corruption Trump and his family have descended into. They also discuss Trump's visit to China, his Iran conundrum, and whether Cuba is next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 16 · 44 min
The Ozymandias Phase of the Trump Presidency
Tim O'Brien, Senior Executive Editor at Bloomberg Opinion, joins Charlie to discuss the President's recent China visit, the poor state of American democracy, and Trump's golden phone scam. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 14 · 54 min
David Frum: Trump’s "America First" Is Actually "America Alone"
David Frum of The Atlantic joins Charlie to discuss Trump's China visit, his ignorance on oil and the global economy, and the Democrats' missteps heading into the midterms. The conversation also turns personal: Frum reflects on loss and his wife's new book about their family's journey through grief after losing their daughter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 9 · 47 min
How to Be a Dissident
On today’s episode, Charlie welcomes Gal Beckerman, a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the book, “How to Be a Dissident.” The two walk through Gal’s book which outlines the simple but difficult steps anyone can take to avoid falling mistakenly in line with a political system that’s going off the rails. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 7 · 33 min
Of Ballrooms, Blasphemy, and the Return of Abortion Politics
On today's 'To the Contrary" podcast, Charlie is joined by NYT contributor Molly Jong-Fast to discuss the latest developments: the GOP's billion dollar ballroom; stunning new polling on the Trump-as-Jesus meme; this week's TACO on Iran, and why the abortion issue has exploded back onto the political scene. (They also talk about Molly's cameo in the new "Devil Wears Prada 2" movie.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 5 · 48 min
From Comey to Kimmel: Trump’s War on Free Speech
On today’s episode, Charlie welcomes attorney, NYT Best-selling author and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Greg Lukianoff. Charlie and Greg discuss the ways Trump is weaponizing the FCC to skirt free speech and how his efforts fit into the larger nuances of 1st Amendment rights in the US today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 2 · 45 min
“The More Unpopular Trump Becomes, the More Extreme He’ll Get”
The New Yorker's Susan Glasser joins Charlie to discuss Trump's war on free speech and press freedom, US relations with Ukraine, Russia, and China, and Trump missing the point of King Charles' speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 30 · 53 min
The Real King Dings Our Fake King
Peter Wehner, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, joins Charlie to dissect King Charles' historic address to Congress and Trump's feud with the pope. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 28 · 44 min
Anne Applebaum: Trump’s Authoritarian Aesthetics
The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum joins Charlie to discuss the fallout from the White House Correspondents' dinner, Victor Orbán's defeat, and why Trump wants to talk about his ballroom and his triumph arch rather than Iran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 25 · 47 min
“Kevin Warsh, You’re a Disgrace”
Economist Justin Wolfers joins Charlie to rage about Trump's Fed chair nominee. They also discuss the importance of Fed independence, prediction markets, and private credit markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Trump’s ‘Sitzkrieg’ in Iran

The Alternative Universe of Grief

The Ferrets Running Around in Trump’s Brain

Tara Palmeri: Men Behaving Badly

"Trump Is Losing Power and It’s Making Him More Malicious"

What Happened to Rudy Giuliani?

Can Trump Be Stopped? Actually, Yes.

Trump’s Bread and Circuses Moment

Should We Have Billionaires?

It’s the Corruption, Stupid

Trump's Goon Squad Slush Fund

The Ozymandias Phase of the Trump Presidency

David Frum: Trump’s "America First" Is Actually "America Alone"

How to Be a Dissident

Of Ballrooms, Blasphemy, and the Return of Abortion Politics

From Comey to Kimmel: Trump’s War on Free Speech

“The More Unpopular Trump Becomes, the More Extreme He’ll Get”

The Real King Dings Our Fake King

Anne Applebaum: Trump’s Authoritarian Aesthetics

“Kevin Warsh, You’re a Disgrace”