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To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes
Harry Litman: The Epstein Files Fallout
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Charlie Sykes and legal analyst Harry Litman break down why the newly released Epstein files have Donald Trump and his allies unusually on edge. They discuss the political stakes behind the looming House vote on releasing the full Epstein cache, as well as Trump's sweeping pardons and efforts to rewrite the narrative of January 6th. The conversation also explores recent legal pushback against Trump-era overreach and the shifting public sentiment revealed in the latest elections.
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Should We Have Billionaires?
50:46|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.It’s the Corruption, Stupid
51:20|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.Trump's Goon Squad Slush Fund
56:31|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.The Ozymandias Phase of the Trump Presidency
44:39|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.David Frum: Trump’s "America First" Is Actually "America Alone"
54:00|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.How to Be a Dissident
47:58|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.Of Ballrooms, Blasphemy, and the Return of Abortion Politics
33:58|On today's 'To the Contrary" podcast, Charlie is joined by NYT contributor Molly Jong-Fast to discuss the latest developments: the GOP's billion dollar ballroom; stunning new polling on the Trump-as-Jesus meme; this week's TACO on Iran, and why the abortion issue has exploded back onto the political scene. (They also talk about Molly's cameo in the new "Devil Wears Prada 2" movie.)From Comey to Kimmel: Trump’s War on Free Speech
48:03|On today’s episode, Charlie welcomes attorney, NYT Best-selling author and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Greg Lukianoff. Charlie and Greg discuss the ways Trump is weaponizing the FCC to skirt free speech and how his efforts fit into the larger nuances of 1st Amendment rights in the US today.“The More Unpopular Trump Becomes, the More Extreme He’ll Get”
45:39|The New Yorker's Susan Glasser joins Charlie to discuss Trump's war on free speech and press freedom, US relations with Ukraine, Russia, and China, and Trump missing the point of King Charles' speech.