Advertise on podcast: To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Charlie invites Joe Klein, political commentator and author of Primary Colors, to discuss the 1961 film Judgment at Nuremberg and the 2025 film Nuremberg, and why they resonate today. They also talk about some of the latest news, their political trajectories, and their disagreements.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Olivia Troye, a former DHS official who served under Trump during his first term, joins Charlie to talk about the week’s news and what’s been worrying her lately, including the dangers of DHS messaging on social media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing writer at The Atlantic, joins Charlie to explain why he thinks Trump is following a European authoritarian playbook.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Miles Taylor, a former DHS official during Trump's first term, joins Charlie to dissect the administration's response to the ICE killing of Nicole Renee Good in Minneapolis.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Charlie answers your questions about the ICE killing in Minneapolis, the Donroe Doctrine, and the psychological and physical burdens of living under Trumpism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Laura K. Field, the author of the new book "Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right," joins Charlie to explain why we should pay attention to the new right intellectuals and the seductive nature of their ideas. Field is a nonresident fellow in the Governance Studies program at Brookings Institution. She holds a Ph.D. in political theory and public law from the University of Texas at Austin and has held faculty positions at Rhodes College, Georgetown University, and American University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum joins Charlie from Poland to discuss the troubling start to 2026 with Trump's actions in Venezuela. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.