To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Charlie Sykes

You are not the crazy ones.

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

Listen in podnod RSS feed Show website

223 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes223

Newest first

April 23 · 51 min
Kinzinger: How the Next President Can Erase Donald Trump
Former Congressman and now children’s book author, Adam Kinzinger, joins Charlie to discuss gerrymandering, the state of Congress, and what should the next President do to make sure there isn't another Trump-style presidency in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 21 · 46 min
“What Did These People Think Would Happen?”
Tom Nichols, Atlantic staff writer and author of The Death of Expertise, joins Charlie to discuss the anti-vax movement, the continuing crisis with Iran, and why Trump and his cabinet are "melting down." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 18 · 48 min
How Trump Took a Hatchet to America’s “Shining City”
On today’s episode, Charlie sits down with former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, former Managing Editor of TIME, and author, Richard Stengel. The two discuss the Trump administration’s ever-worsening performative piousness, how the Iran “deal” is just a recovery of Trump’s own doing and how the US’s global reputation is changing for the worse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 16 · 39 min
Trump‘s DOJ: From Bad to Worse
Legal analyst and Talking Feds host, Harry Litman, joins Charlie to break down the Justice Department's efforts to vacate January 6 convictions for far-right extremists as well as its surprising position on the Presidential Records Act. Also in the episode: JD Vance's latest bizarre comments, the administration fight with the Pope, and the Epstein scandal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 14 · 49 min
The Coalition We Need to Beat Trump: Lessons From Hungary
Ian Bassin is Co-founder and Executive director of Protect Democracy and a 2023 recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant. He joins Charlie to discuss what are the lessons from Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Hungary's elections, global authoritarian trends, and the importance of coalition-building in defending democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 11 · 51 min
The Strangest Week (Plus the Attack on Free Speech)
Sarah McLaughlin is a Senior Scholar of Global Expression at FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), and author of Authoritarians in the Academy. She joins Charlie to explore the global threats to free speech, especially with recent developments in Turkey, the UK, and Australia, and their implications for free expression in the US. Also, Charlie summarizes one of the strangest weeks we've witnessed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 9 · 41 min
“January 6th Reshaped My View of Legacy Media”
Scott MacFarlane recently left CBS News and joined Substack as well as MeidasTouch. In this episode, he tells Charlie about his transition from traditional to independent media and what drove his decision. They also discuss whether the Iran deal is a strategic failure, the new acting US Attorney General, and the ongoing court cases involving Trump's ballroom and Kennedy Center. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 7 · 47 min
Yes, the Epstein Files Are Going to Rock the Midterms
Sarah Fitzpatrick is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers national security and the Department of Justice. She joins Charlie to talk about why the Jeffrey Epstein scandal is here to stay, digest Trump's "Open the f***in' strait" post, and discuss the effects of gutting expertise within the Pentagon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 4 · 47 min
Trump's Easter Purge
New York Times Opinion writer David French joins Charlie to discuss the beginning of "the great Trump purge," which started with the firing of Pam Bondi but is now rippling through the Pentagon and the military. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 1 · 58 min
Trump's War Blunder
In this solo episode, Charlie answers listeners' questions on Trump's order on mail-in voting, the reports on Pete Hegseth's war stock, the future of NATO, and more. We decided to release this episode earlier than usual because of Trump's address to the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 31 · 40 min
“The Military Has Been a Little Bit Confused”
Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling served as commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe during the Obama administration. In this episode, he tells Charlie that it's very difficult for the military to draft a campaign plan for Iran when the end state goal is unclear. He also discusses his new book: “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 28 · 45 min
It’s Time to Admit It: We Have a Psychotic Government
Jonathan Rauch is a Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. In this episode, he makes the case that the Trump administration is, as a whole, psychotic, erratic, and unpredictable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 26 · 45 min
“There’s No National Interest With Trump, Just Personal”
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 the different ways Trump could operate in Iran right now and the biggest obstacle to it all — the fact that Trump is only motivated by personal gain and that many people have given up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 24 · 41 min
Is Trump TACOing on Iran?
Former Congressman and Substack superstar, Adam Kinzinger, joins Charlie to discuss the economic implications of the Iran war, Trump's response to the death of Robert Mueller, and ICE deployment at airports. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 21 · 51 min
The "Wing Nut" Rise to Power
On today’s episode, Charlie welcomes author, journalist, political commentator and former Congressional candidate, John Avlon. The two discuss the stark contrast between the decorum of past presidents and Trump, along with the broken incentive structures at the heart of the American political system, and how all this has brought political extremists to the forefront of American politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 19 · 47 min
“I Phoned Donald Trump. He Answered...”
Ed Luce from the Financial Times joins Charlie to discuss his recent phone call with the president, Trump's obsession with the British Prime Minister, and whether the US is opening another front in Cuba. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 17 · 48 min
Trumpology and the Iran Quagmire
Trying to make sense of Trump's incoherent approach to war and peace with the New Yorker's Susan Glasser, one of the nation's foremost Trumpologists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 14 · 44 min
Iran War: It’s Not Just the Economy, Stupid
Economist Justin Wolfers joins Charlie to explain the impact of rising oil prices but also to remind us that there are much deeper questions that need to be asked. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 12 · 29 min
Trump’s Iran FUBAR
Molly Jong-Fast, host of the Fast Politics podcast and a contributing NYT Opinion writer, joins Charlie to discuss the miscalculations of the Iran war, the newly-streamable docu-bribe Melania, and Trump's troubles in Texas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 10 · 35 min
The "Crude" Economic Reality of War in Iran
Author and Senior Editor of Arc Digital, Nicholas Grossman, joins Charlie to discuss the White House's "hype videos" concerning the War in Iran, the economic consequences of the conflict and how the SAVE act may affect the upcoming midterms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Kinzinger: How the Next President Can Erase Donald Trump

“What Did These People Think Would Happen?”

How Trump Took a Hatchet to America’s “Shining City”

Trump‘s DOJ: From Bad to Worse

The Coalition We Need to Beat Trump: Lessons From Hungary

The Strangest Week (Plus the Attack on Free Speech)

“January 6th Reshaped My View of Legacy Media”

Yes, the Epstein Files Are Going to Rock the Midterms

Trump's Easter Purge

Trump's War Blunder

“The Military Has Been a Little Bit Confused”

It’s Time to Admit It: We Have a Psychotic Government

“There’s No National Interest With Trump, Just Personal”

Is Trump TACOing on Iran?

The "Wing Nut" Rise to Power

“I Phoned Donald Trump. He Answered...”

Trumpology and the Iran Quagmire

Iran War: It’s Not Just the Economy, Stupid

Trump’s Iran FUBAR

The "Crude" Economic Reality of War in Iran