To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

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

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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.

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 acas...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.