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To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes
Olivia Troye: The Enemy Within, Shutdowns, and Jane Goodall
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Charlie Sykes and Olivia Troye take a journey through the week’s political turmoil — from Trump’s Oval Office trolling and the specter of a third term to the weaponization of ICE and the military’s role in domestic politics. Drawing on Olivia’s firsthand experiences inside the Trump administration, the two discuss how fear and intimidation reshape institutions and the lives of public servants. Amid the gloom, they pause to reflect on Jane Goodall’s passing, the lessons of courage she left behind, and the small ways people can still make a difference.
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Don't Normalize This
53:54|Charlie goes solo today to discuss Trump cozying up to another despot, pumping the brakes on data centers and who the hell is Natalie Harp.Blanche Proves He Is Trump's Toady. As If There Was Any Doubt.
46:17|Harry Litman, host of the Talking Feds podcast, joins Charlie to talk about Trump's continued warping of reality, Blanche showing the era of DOJ impartiality is over, and the possibility the Republicans in Congress will refuse to seat a newly elected Democratic member on January 3rd.Ed Luce: We Are at Peak Denial
43:29|Ed Luce from the Financial Times joins Charlie to talk about today's political climate, the undeniable reality of global warming and the existential threat of AI.It's Electability Stupid
42:04|The co-founder of Third Way, Matt Bennett joins Charlie to talk about the DSA's stunning defeat in Wisconsin, their agenda to destroy the Democratic Party and why electability still matters.Peter Wehner: Trump Prefers Infamy to Irrelevance
50:37|The Atlantic's Peter Wehner joins Charlie to talk about Trump's desperate attempts to remain relevant, his miscalculations about Iran, and MAGA's obsession with Anthony Fauci.Anne Applebaum: “I Can’t Think of Anything More Corrupt”
45:33|The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum joins Charlie to discuss Trump's sale of early access to Truth Social posts, his doubling down on the reflecting pool vandalism lie, and the Ceuta border crisis and how the far right has weaponized it.Trump's Banana Republic
51:55|New York Times Opinion writer David French joins Charlie to discuss Trump's unprecedented corruption, the Todd Blanche Attorney General nomination now in limbo, and Anthony Fauci's Senate hearing.Trump Attacks a Female Journalist. The Press Looks Away.
43:56|Tara Palmeri, host of The Tara Palmeri Show and author of the newsletter "The Red Letter," joins Charlie to unpack Trump's attack on Kaitlan Collins at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Todd Blanche's role in the Epstein cover-up, and Lindsey Graham's fraught legacy.Does Trump Think AI Slop Makes Him Look Tough?
50:36|Nicholas Grossman, editor of Arc Digital and professor of international relations at the University of Illinois, joins Charlie to discuss Trump's frenzied posting of AI slop about Iran, the bizarre White House Correspondents' Dinner, and the global implications of the newly announced Saudi nuclear deal.