To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

Charlie Sykes

You are not the crazy ones.

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223 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes223

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March 7 · 53 min
All the Things That Didn’t Get Noem Fired (But Should Have)
In this solo episode, Charlie is recapping the long awaited firing of Homeland Security Secretary. He also answers the questions you sent us on a wide range of current issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 5 · 46 min
The Government Can’t Keep Its War Story Straight
Josh Barro, co-host of Central Air and author of the Very Serious Substack, joins Charlie to discuss a wide range of political news: the Iran war, the Texas primaries, Anthropic, and Trump’s tariff obsession. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
March 3 · 43 min
Trump’s War of Choice
The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum joins Charlie to try to figure out why we're at war with Iran. Is it about Trump's friends and business partners in Gulf states and Israel? Was Iran a long-term obsession of Trump? Or is it just the ultimate wag-the-dog move for him at this moment? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 28 · 54 min
Trump and the Death of Shame
The Atlantic writer, Tom Nichols, joins Charlie to discuss the rise of extremist ideologies within the Republican Party, the Epstein files, and whether we're going to war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 26 · 45 min
Democrats Need a Winning Formula
Voters have soured on Trump, but polls suggest they still have their doubts about Democrats. Long time Democratic strategist and president of The Searchlight Institute, Adam Jentleson, joins Charlie to discuss past mistakes and the challenges now facing the Democratic Party. Also, Trump's State of the Union, and Senator John Fetterman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 24 · 43 min
"Trump Uses Racism to Weaken American Democracy"
Jamil Smith, a columnist at The Guardian, and lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, joins Charlie to discuss the State of the Union, Trump's blatant racism, and the latest environmental policy shift you probably didn't hear about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 21 · 45 min
What’s the Matter with Lindsey Graham?
Former Congressman and now children’s book author, Adam Kinzinger, joins Charlie to discuss Lindsey Graham’s behavior at the Munich Security Conference, the Trump administration inching closer to a conflict with Iran and how all this foreign policy affects the political landscape at home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 19 · 43 min
Epstein Has Hijacked Trump’s Presidency
Tara Palmeri, host of The Tara Palmeri Show and the author of the newsletter “The Red Letter”, joins Charlie to discuss the latest on the Epstein scandal that shadowed almost every aspect of the second Trump presidency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 17 · 47 min
Trump Just Did Something No President Has Tried Since 1798
Susan Glasser of The New Yorker joins Charlie to talk about Trump's attempt to arrest and indict six sitting members of Congress, Marco Rubio in Munich, and DHS asking tech companies to expose the personal details of "anti-ICE" social media accounts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 14 · 51 min
David Frum: Why Trump is Failing
David Frum of The Atlantic joins Charlie to break down the shifting public opinion on Trump, Pam Bondi’s congressional testimony, and how AI is changing us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 12 · 47 min
Jeff Bezos’ Murder of the Washington Post
Reporter Ashley Parker spent eight years at The Washington Post before joining The Atlantic. She’s been watching the recent moves by owner Jeff Bezos and the paper’s leadership, and explains to Charlie why she believes they may be leading the paper toward its demise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 10 · 39 min
When Viciousness Becomes a Virtue
Peter Wehner, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, joins Charlie to explain why some evangelicals see Trump as a defender of their values. Also: Bad Bunny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 7 · 52 min
What’s With Rich People These Days?
Following Jeff Bezos's gutting of the Washington Post, economist Justin Wolfers joins Charlie to try to unpack billionaires' actions. Also, how's the American economy really doing these days? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 5 · 54 min
Why ICE Can’t Be "Fixed"
Garrett M. Graff, a contributing editor at WIRED and former editor of POLITICO Magazine, joins Charlie to try to answer that question. Also (not unrelated): where did the Proud Boys go? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
February 3 · 47 min
Lincoln Warned Us About Trump
Legal analyst and Talking Feds host, Harry Litman, joins Charlie to talk about Trump shutting down Kennedy Center, the release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos, and the dire state of the U.S. Attorney office for the District of Minnesota. To read Litman's piece on the Kennedy Center: Trump Meets Lincoln, Doesn’t Recognize Him Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 31 · 47 min
Will Renee Good and Alex Pretti Ever Get Justice?
Kristy Greenberg, former Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and a legal analyst for MS Now, joins Charlie to dive into the current legal landscape and discuss the integrity of our justice system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 29 · 51 min
Why Trump's ICE Strategy Backfired
Mike Pesca, host of The Gist, joins Charlie to unpack how the administration’s “chaos is a ladder” approach to immigration enforcement is failing. Public perception is shifting and ICE is increasingly viewed as the problem, not the protesters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 27 · 46 min
Money, Lies, God, and State Sponsored Murder
Katherine Stewart, journalist and author of the book Money, Lies, and God joins Charlie to process the killing of Alex Pretti and share insights from her work on the New Right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 24 · 44 min
The Violent Occupation of an American City
New York Times Opinion writer David French joins Charlie to discuss the rising tensions in Minneapolis and Trump's newly formed "Board of Peace." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
January 22 · 50 min
MAGA Jesus Versus the Real Jesus
Peter Wehner, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, joins Charlie to discuss the latest DHS video and why many evangelical pastors are not standing up to Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

All the Things That Didn’t Get Noem Fired (But Should Have)

The Government Can’t Keep Its War Story Straight

Trump’s War of Choice

Trump and the Death of Shame

Democrats Need a Winning Formula

"Trump Uses Racism to Weaken American Democracy"

What’s the Matter with Lindsey Graham?

Epstein Has Hijacked Trump’s Presidency

Trump Just Did Something No President Has Tried Since 1798

David Frum: Why Trump is Failing

Jeff Bezos’ Murder of the Washington Post

When Viciousness Becomes a Virtue

What’s With Rich People These Days?

Why ICE Can’t Be "Fixed"

Lincoln Warned Us About Trump

Will Renee Good and Alex Pretti Ever Get Justice?

Why Trump's ICE Strategy Backfired

Money, Lies, God, and State Sponsored Murder

The Violent Occupation of an American City

MAGA Jesus Versus the Real Jesus