To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

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.

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.  

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 one — in schools, universities, and public life.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.