Show overview
To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes launched in 2025 and has put out 191 episodes, alongside 1 trailer or bonus episode in the time since. That works out to roughly 150 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a several-times-a-week cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 43 min and 51 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. The publisher flags most episodes as explicit, so expect adult themes or strong language throughout. It is catalogued as a EN-language News show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 56 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2025, with 135 episodes published. Published by Charlie Sykes.
From the publisher
You are not the crazy ones. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest Episodes
View all 191 episodesDavid Frum: Trump’s "America First" Is Actually "America Alone"
How to Be a Dissident
Of Ballrooms, Blasphemy, and the Return of Abortion Politics
From Comey to Kimmel: Trump’s War on Free Speech
“The More Unpopular Trump Becomes, the More Extreme He’ll Get”
The Real King Dings Our Fake King
Anne Applebaum: Trump’s Authoritarian Aesthetics
“Kevin Warsh, You’re a Disgrace”
Kinzinger: How the Next President Can Erase Donald Trump
“What Did These People Think Would Happen?”
How Trump Took a Hatchet to America’s “Shining City”
Trump‘s DOJ: From Bad to Worse
The Coalition We Need to Beat Trump: Lessons From Hungary
The Strangest Week (Plus the Attack on Free Speech)
ESarah McLaughlin is a Senior Scholar of Global Expression at FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression), and author of Authoritarians in the Academy. She joins Charlie to explore the global threats to free speech, especially with recent developments in Turkey, the UK, and Australia, and their implications for free expression in the US. Also, Charlie summarizes one of the strangest weeks we've witnessed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“January 6th Reshaped My View of Legacy Media”
EScott MacFarlane recently left CBS News and joined Substack as well as MeidasTouch. In this episode, he tells Charlie about his transition from traditional to independent media and what drove his decision. They also discuss whether the Iran deal is a strategic failure, the new acting US Attorney General, and the ongoing court cases involving Trump's ballroom and Kennedy Center. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Yes, the Epstein Files Are Going to Rock the Midterms
ESarah Fitzpatrick is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where she covers national security and the Department of Justice. She joins Charlie to talk about why the Jeffrey Epstein scandal is here to stay, digest Trump's "Open the f***in' strait" post, and discuss the effects of gutting expertise within the Pentagon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Trump's Easter Purge
ENew York Times Opinion writer David French joins Charlie to discuss the beginning of "the great Trump purge," which started with the firing of Pam Bondi but is now rippling through the Pentagon and the military. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Trump's War Blunder
EIn this solo episode, Charlie answers listeners' questions on Trump's order on mail-in voting, the reports on Pete Hegseth's war stock, the future of NATO, and more. We decided to release this episode earlier than usual because of Trump's address to the nation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“The Military Has Been a Little Bit Confused”
ERetired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling served as commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe during the Obama administration. In this episode, he tells Charlie that it's very difficult for the military to draft a campaign plan for Iran when the end state goal is unclear. He also discusses his new book: “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s Time to Admit It: We Have a Psychotic Government
EJonathan Rauch is a Brookings Institution Senior Fellow and a contributing writer at The Atlantic. In this episode, he makes the case that the Trump administration is, as a whole, psychotic, erratic, and unpredictable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.