To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum joins Charlie from Poland to discuss the troubling start to 2026 with Trump's actions in Venezuela.

Charlie and The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols reflect on the upheavals of 2025 and debate whether Trump really has three more years in office — or only one, if Democrats retake the House in 2026.

Charlie invites Matt Lewis, author of Filthy Rich Politicians and Too Dumb to Fail, to look back at the year. They also look ahead and ask how the next president can fix the culture and repair the harm done by Trump. (Hint: it’s going to be extremely hard.)