To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

You are not the crazy ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

"Our Democracy Cannot Survive a Presidency for Sale"

July 14, 2026 • 47 mins

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 discuss the economic and political implications of current global events, AI advancements, and Trump's corruption. 

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The Bill for Trump’s Vanity Presidency

July 11, 2026 • 54 mins
Atlantic writer Tom Nichols joins Charlie to discuss the Maine Senate election fiasco, Trump's antics at the NATO summit, and the Administration looking for a plan C in Iran. 

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Are We at War With Iran Again?

July 8, 2026 • 42 mins
Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling served as commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe during the Obama administration. He's also the author of “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.” In this episode, he and Charlie discuss the conflict with Iran, Trump insulting our NATO allies, Ukraine's struggles, and Pete Hegseth's unusual leadership style.

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Is America Capable of Renewal?

July 7, 2026 • 48 mins
Legal analyst and Talking Feds host Harry Litman joins Charlie to talk about the state of American democracy 250 years after independence, recent Supreme Court decisions and their implications, and Trump's unparalleled corruption.

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Rerun: How to Be a Dissident

July 4, 2026 • 48 mins
For the 4th July we're re-running Charlie's conversation with 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.

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Corruption. Immigration, Abortion and The Broken Brains of MAGA

July 2, 2026 • 51 mins
On today’s episode of “To the Contrary,” Charlie welcomes back journalist and author of “The Red Letter,” Tara Palmeri. They discuss Trump’s obsession with image leading up to the 4th of July holiday, immigration and Palmeri’s recent interview with Congresswoman, Kat Cammack. 

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“Trump Is Entering a Dark Season”

June 30, 2026 • 47 mins
Peter Wehner, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, joins Charlie to talk about Trump's recent Supreme Court wins and losses, Trump's state fair fiasco, and the consequences of cultural degradation.

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Trump Is Sabotaging the American Idea

June 27, 2026 • 52 mins
Jamil Smith is a columnist at The Guardian and a lecturer at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. In this episode, he joins Charlie to discuss what America's upcoming 250th birthday means to them, the latest Supreme Court decisions and their implications, and Trump's obsession with voter suppression.

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"Trump's Key Policies Are Fundamentally Anti-Libertarian"

June 25, 2026 • 47 mins
Peter Suderman is the features editor for Reason, a free market libertarian magazine. In this episode he joins Charlie to discuss the decline of libertarian influence in the Republican Party, the relationship between government power and corporate influence, and the rise of progressive candidates following the recent elections in New York.

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Donald Trump's Megalomania

June 20, 2026 • 50 mins
Sofia Kinzinger was a WH staffer under Trump during his first term. In this episode, she talks to Charlie about what it was like, and about her journey and political awakening. They also discuss JD Vance's book launch and the future of the Republican Party.

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Trump’s Deal Is an Abject Surrender

June 18, 2026 • 48 mins

Ed Luce from the Financial Times joins Charlie to discuss the deal with Iran, the Netanyahu-Trump fallout, and Elon Musk's obsession with Britain.  

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America Gave Up on Its Own History

June 16, 2026 • 47 mins
Yoni Appelbaum, historian and deputy executive editor at The Atlantic, joins Charlie to go over what we know — and don't know — about the deal with Iran and what it all means for US interests in the region. They also discuss Appelbaum's latest article, in which he argues that the US has lost the ability to agree on a shared national story and, as a result, has largely stopped trying to tell one — in schools, ...

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Trump’s ‘Sitzkrieg’ in Iran

June 13, 2026 • 57 mins

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.

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The Alternative Universe of Grief

June 11, 2026 • 45 mins
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.

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The Ferrets Running Around in Trump’s Brain

June 9, 2026 • 44 mins

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. 

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Tara Palmeri: Men Behaving Badly

June 6, 2026 • 44 mins
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. 

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

June 4, 2026 • 43 mins
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.

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What Happened to Rudy Giuliani?

June 2, 2026 • 48 mins
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.

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Can Trump Be Stopped? Actually, Yes.

May 30, 2026 • 46 mins
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.
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Trump’s Bread and Circuses Moment

May 28, 2026 • 44 mins
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.

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