Podcast appearances and mentions of Chuck Todd

Tony opens the show by talking about the World Baseball Classic with Chuck Todd, who's in Miami right now to see those games, and he also goes through Chuck's bracket for the NCAA Tournament. Michael Wilbon calls in with his bracket picks and he also talks with Tony about what the lead for PTI should be today, Steve Sands calls in to go through his brackets and also to talk about a wild finish at The Players Championship, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag. Songs : The Trend “No One Here But Me Now” ; “Living the Dream Josephine” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the war with Iran continues, gas prices continue to surge and tensions in Washington increase. Political analyst Chuck Todd talks about the fears of terror attacks on U.S. soil and how politicians are handling the conflict.

Chuck Todd opens with a grim inventory of an administration besieged on every front as the Iran war enters its twelfth day with no exit strategy in sight. He then pivots to the SAVE Act — the Republican voting bill that has 50 Senate votes but faces a filibuster John Thune admits he likely can't break. He walks through the details that go well beyond simple voter ID: the bill requires documentary proof of citizenship to register, treats women who change their name through marriage as first-time voters, and Trump is demanding additions including a near-total ban on mail-in voting — turning what polls show is an 80%-popular concept into a toxic package that could disenfranchise millions. He notes that John Cornyn flipped his filibuster position to chase Trump's Texas endorsement, warns that if Republicans nuke the filibuster and Democrats later win the Senate they won't restore it, and argues that Republicans are essentially writing legislation to make Trump's false fraud claims real — while Trump is already setting up the SAVE Act's inevitable failure as his preemptive excuse for midterm losses that have nothing to do with voting rules and everything to do with an unpopular war, a tanking economy, and a completely unserious leader running the Pentagon. Ultimately, he argues that partisan changes to voting rule destroy trust in democracy, whether it be the SAVE Act, or Democrats efforts to pass HR1. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and celebrates the start of March Madness. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 04:30 There’s no easy way for Trump to get out of Iran 05:30 It’s become clear US responsible for bombing Iranian school 06:15 FBI warns California law enforcement of threat of Iranian drone strikes 07:15 The fallout from the war is complicated & Trump can’t just turn it off 08:30 Drone attack that killed US soldiers far more serious than initially reported 09:15 Republicans in congress are demoralized & don’t know what to run on 10:45 Pentagon bars press for publishing “unflattering” photos of Pete Hegseth 12:00 We have a serious war and a completely unserious leader of the Pentagon 12:45 Republican senators knew Hegseth was unqualified & confirmed him anyway 14:15 It’s important to explain the details of the Republican SAVE Act 15:00 John Cornyn flipped position on the filibuster to try to earn Trump endorsement 15:30 Republicans likely don’t have the votes to kill the filibuster 16:15 Contrasting and comparing Democrats HR1 vs Republicans SAVE Act 18:15 SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote 19:00 Trump wants a total ban on mail in voting and all voting on one day 20:00 If GOP kills filibuster & Dems win senate, Dems won’t restore it 20:45 If passed in a partisan vote, SAVE Act would delegitimize democracy 21:45 If rules change based on who’s in power, the public will lose faith in process 23:30 We’re seeing a collision of two partisan visions over who gets to vote 24:30 SAVE Act makes voter registration a “show your papers” event 25:30 There’s a massive gap between bill passed in house & what Trump wants 26:00 Trump is demanding a bill loaded with culture war items 27:30 If Republicans jam through the SAVE Act, it could juice Democratic turnout 29:00 Voter ID isn’t controversial with the public 29:45 There’s 80% support for proof of citizenship when registering to vote 30:15 Republicans believe it should be harder to vote, Dems think it should be easier 31:30 Trump is taking popular ideas and packaging them in a bill that is toxic 32:30 Stability in a democracy doesn’t come from a 51% majority 33:45 34k people in Arizona were barred from state elections, but had federal carve out 35:00 Almost no voter fraud has actually been found 36:00 If you change name or get married, SAVE Act treats you as first time voter 37:30 America already makes life harder on women, SAVE Act makes it worse 38:15 The SAVE Act goes WELL beyond voter ID 39:00 Republicans are writing a bill to make Trump’s bullshit real 39:45 Trump will blame failure to pass SAVE Act for election losses in midterms 41:00 SAVE Act would disenfranchise or add barriers for millions of voters 42:00 Individual citizens have no constitutional right to vote 42:45 State constitutions provide voting guarantees, SAVE Act contradicts that 44:15 Changes to voting rules need bipartisan public consensus 50:00 Ask Chuck 50:15 How is the psyche of the American people able to handle constant crisis? 55:30 Are the war and Epstein files just distracting from importance of midterms? 59:00 Have larger sums of money started to become irrelevant in elections? 1:03:00 At what point does fundraising advantage stop matter? 1:07:15 Chances of false flag blamed on Iran to provide pretext to mess with elections? 1:13:00 Thanks for giving me hope while feeling like we’re living through fall of Rome 1:16:30 How can a future president reverse course on tariffs? 1:19:00 Thoughts on March MadnessSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with a grim inventory of an administration besieged on every front as the Iran war enters its twelfth day with no exit strategy in sight. He then pivots to the SAVE Act — the Republican voting bill that has 50 Senate votes but faces a filibuster John Thune admits he likely can't break. He walks through the details that go well beyond simple voter ID: the bill requires documentary proof of citizenship to register, treats women who change their name through marriage as first-time voters, and Trump is demanding additions including a near-total ban on mail-in voting — turning what polls show is an 80%-popular concept into a toxic package that could disenfranchise millions. He notes that John Cornyn flipped his filibuster position to chase Trump's Texas endorsement, warns that if Republicans nuke the filibuster and Democrats later win the Senate they won't restore it, and argues that Republicans are essentially writing legislation to make Trump's false fraud claims real — while Trump is already setting up the SAVE Act's inevitable failure as his preemptive excuse for midterm losses that have nothing to do with voting rules and everything to do with an unpopular war, a tanking economy, and a completely unserious leader running the Pentagon. Ultimately, he argues that partisan changes to voting rule destroy trust in democracy, whether it be the SAVE Act, or Democrats efforts to pass HR1. Then, Fiona Hill — who served on the National Security Council under three presidents and became a household name during Trump's first impeachment — joins the Chuck ToddCast for a deeply alarming assessment of the Iran war now entering its second week, with Operation Epic Fury having metastasized into a multi-front conflict spanning nine countries, oil prices surging past $100 a barrel, and hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded across the Middle East. Hill dismantles the geopolitical chessboard with surgical precision, explaining that while there is no formal alliance between Russia and Iran and that the relationship is deeply transactional, with Iran having provided Russia with Shahed drones and helped build a drone factory. She argues that China is letting the U.S. "rope-a-dope" itself, sitting back alongside Russia to watch America bleed resources and credibility in yet another Middle Eastern quagmire. She flags the glaring double standard in the administration's diplomacy: envoy Steve Witkoff refused to take the Iranians at their word during nuclear negotiations in Geneva but accepted Russian assurances at face value. The conversation turns existential as Hill warns that Trump's adventurism — which never faced serious consequences through Venezuela or the June 2025 strikes that made Iran look like a paper tiger — has now collided with reality. Trump saw the opportunity to kill Khamenei and took it, hoping for either a popular uprising or a pliant successor, but none of those hopes have materialized. Hill calls it an Afghanistan-and-Iraq-level jam with even less global credibility.. They raise the chilling question of whether Xi Jinping might prioritize seizing Taiwan while America is overextended, observes that NORAD doesn't function without Canada and the Nordic countries that Trump has alienated, warns that the damage to America's reputation will last decades, and notes that individual U.S. states are already setting up their own diplomatic representation with foreign countries to fill the vacuum. They close with a striking contrast: unlike Russians, Americans can still vote their way out of tyranny — but the window in which that remains true may be narrowing, as we are likely entering a post-American empire period. Finally, he answers listeners’ question in the “Ask Chuck” segment and celebrates the start of March Madness. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 04:30 There’s no easy way for Trump to get out of Iran 05:30 It’s become clear US responsible for bombing Iranian school 06:15 FBI warns California law enforcement of threat of Iranian drone strikes 07:15 The fallout from the war is complicated & Trump can’t just turn it off 08:30 Drone attack that killed US soldiers far more serious than initially reported 09:15 Republicans in congress are demoralized & don’t know what to run on 10:45 Pentagon bars press for publishing “unflattering” photos of Pete Hegseth 12:00 We have a serious war and a completely unserious leader of the Pentagon 12:45 Republican senators knew Hegseth was unqualified & confirmed him anyway 14:15 It’s important to explain the details of the Republican SAVE Act 15:00 John Cornyn flipped position on the filibuster to try to earn Trump endorsement 15:30 Republicans likely don’t have the votes to kill the filibuster 16:15 Contrasting and comparing Democrats HR1 vs Republicans SAVE Act 18:15 SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote 19:00 Trump wants a total ban on mail in voting and all voting on one day 20:00 If GOP kills filibuster & Dems win senate, Dems won’t restore it 20:45 If passed in a partisan vote, SAVE Act would delegitimize democracy 21:45 If rules change based on who’s in power, the public will lose faith in process 23:30 We’re seeing a collision of two partisan visions over who gets to vote 24:30 SAVE Act makes voter registration a “show your papers” event 25:30 There’s a massive gap between bill passed in house & what Trump wants 26:00 Trump is demanding a bill loaded with culture war items 27:30 If Republicans jam through the SAVE Act, it could juice Democratic turnout 29:00 Voter ID isn’t controversial with the public 29:45 There’s 80% support for proof of citizenship when registering to vote 30:15 Republicans believe it should be harder to vote, Dems think it should be easier 31:30 Trump is taking popular ideas and packaging them in a bill that is toxic 32:30 Stability in a democracy doesn’t come from a 51% majority 33:45 34k people in Arizona were barred from state elections, but had federal carve out 35:00 Almost no voter fraud has actually been found 36:00 If you change name or get married, SAVE Act treats you as first time voter 37:30 America already makes life harder on women, SAVE Act makes it worse 38:15 The SAVE Act goes WELL beyond voter ID 39:00 Republicans are writing a bill to make Trump’s bullshit real 39:45 Trump will blame failure to pass SAVE Act for election losses in midterms 41:00 SAVE Act would disenfranchise or add barriers for millions of voters 42:00 Individual citizens have no constitutional right to vote 42:45 State constitutions provide voting guarantees, SAVE Act contradicts that 44:15 Changes to voting rules need bipartisan public consensus 50:15 Fiona Hill joins the Chuck ToddCast 51:30 There is no formal alliance between Russia and Iran 52:15 Historically, Russia and Iran clashed over territory 54:00 Iran provided Russia with Shahed drones & helped build factory 54:45 Trump views his relationship with Russia & Putin in a vacuum 55:45 Iran’s relationship with China & Russia is very transactional 56:30 Iran sees itself as a civilization, not just a country 58:15 China is letting the U.S. “rope a dope” itself 59:30 China doesn’t do favors without a cost 1:00:15 Witkoff didn’t take Iranians at their word but did with Russia 1:00:45 China & Russia are sitting back and watching what happens in Iran 1:01:45 Special military operations often become quagmires 1:03:00 Trump hasn’t thought about the knock-on consequences in Iran 1:05:15 Administration thinks they can figure it out as they go 1:06:00 Trump’s adventurism never had serious consequences until now 1:07:45 9/11 shaped the frame for American thinking for 25 years 1:08:45 Do you buy that MBS pushed Trump into striking Iran? 1:09:45 The Chinese didn’t see unintended effects of war in Ukraine 1:10:45 Russia has 20x casualty rate in Ukraine that USSR had in Afghanistan 1:12:45 The Israelis are clear that they want regime change 1:13:00 Outside of eliminating the nuclear program… What's the rest of our aim? 1:14:30 Without regime change, Iranian and Venezuelan people will turn on Trump 1:15:30 There’s a large Iranian population is many countries 1:16:00 Trump is in a Afghanistan/Iraq level jam with no plan 1:16:45 Gutting of national security council effects on Trump’s planning 1:18:00 We’ve lost grip of our political system, congress has abdicated 1:19:15 High oil prices could be a boon to Russia, but shipping is an issue 1:21:30 Putin doesn’t want to end the war in Ukraine unless its on his terms 1:22:15 Ukraine has been an incredibly tough fighting force 1:23:00 The rich & powerful forget that the other 8 billion people have agency 1:24:30 Ukraine won’t have a peace imposed on it by outsiders 1:25:15 Trump assumes everyone else is as transactional as he is 1:26:15 Khamenei is a religious leader, his killing has religious implications 1:29:15 Asymmetrical war feels unwinnable 1:31:30 The damage to America’s reputation in the world will last decades 1:32:30 NORAD doesn’t work without Canada & Nordic countries 1:35:00 How can a future president try to fix the damage with allies? 1:36:00 Individual states are setting up representation with foreign countries 1:38:00 If you’re Xi, do you prioritize seizing Taiwan while Trump’s in office? 1:39:45 We’re likely in a post-American empire period 1:40:30 Is there any heir apparent to Putin? 1:42:45 Next leader of Russia will likely keep the same system in place 1:44:15 Unlike Russians, Americans can still vote their way out of tyranny 1:48:30 Across the country there’s serious frustration with federal politics 1:50:00 Ask Chuck 1:50:15 How is the psyche of the American people able to handle constant crisis? 1:55:30 Are the war and Epstein files just distracting from importance of midterms? 1:59:00 Have larger sums of money started to become irrelevant in elections? 2:03:00 At what point does fundraising advantage stop matter? 2:07:15 Chances of false flag blamed on Iran to provide pretext to mess with elections? 2:13:00 Thanks for giving me hope while feeling like we’re living through fall of Rome 2:16:30 How can a future president reverse course on tariffs? 2:19:00 Thoughts on March MadnessSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd surveys a political landscape where multiple crises are converging on the Trump administration simultaneously — and none of them are going well. The Iran war, which Chuck reiterates is a war of choice, appears to be devouring Trump's presidency: the administration burned through nearly $6 billion in munitions in just two days, is sending contradictory messages of reassurance and escalation that appear designed to manipulate markets, and seems to be operating entirely by the seat of its pants. He warns that asymmetric warfare has never gone well for the United States, that energy markets are in turmoil as Iran deliberately tries to inflict economic pain, that the threat of stagflation and energy shortages is very real, and that Trump's threat to use the Fed to shape oil markets has alarmed economists. He argues that if Trump could undo the war he would — but this won't be Venezuela 2.0, because there's no opposition on the ground to coordinate with, you can't change a regime without boots on the ground that Trump won't commit, and if the regime simply survives, that counts as victory for Iran. Meanwhile, Trump naively buys Putin's claim that Russia isn't helping Iran with targeting, and that new polling shows a majority of Americans oppose the war — with MAGA influencers notably against it even as older rank-and-file supporters stick with Trump. Beyond Iran, Chuck hits the Ticketmaster settlement as proof that Trump talks a big populist game but the lobbyists always win, warns that a partial DHS shutdown risks snarling air travel and punishing the flying public while ICE has already been funded, and cautions Democrats not to overplay their hand on the shutdown. Then, John Adams, editor of the Montana Free Press, joins the Chuck Toddcast to make the case that local journalism has been in crisis — and that saving it might be one of the most important things Americans can do for their democracy. Adams is on the show to promote Local News Day on April 9th, a nationwide effort involving 700 local newsrooms aimed not at fundraising but at spreading awareness. He traces the origin story of the Montana Free Press back to his appearance in the documentary "Dark Money", a story about outside money quietly trying to buy Montana politics at the local level with zero disclosure — and the journalists best positioned to expose it were losing their jobs. Adams argues the economics of local news changed drastically as advertising revenue collapsed and audiences became hypnotized by social media and smartphones, but that the need and appetite for local reporting never went away. The conversation turns to the deeper consequences of local news deserts: the loss of trusted community voices created a vacuum that bred distrust in the national press, because people no longer had local "character references" — journalists they knew and saw at the grocery store — to anchor their understanding of how media works. Adams warns that the rise of AI-generated misinformation makes reliable local sources more important than ever, noting that while younger people tend to be savvier at spotting junk online, older generations are particularly vulnerable. They close by noting that strong local news doesn't just serve democracy — it helps local businesses target customers, creating an economic ecosystem that benefits everyone — and that journalism ultimately has to reach enough people to really matter, which is exactly what Local News Day at localnewsday.org is designed to help make possible. Finally, on the day of the Mississippi primaries, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 All-Time statewide races in Mississippi and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 00:30 Despite runoff, Dems shouldn’t get hopes up for MTG’s district 01:30 Bennie Thompson survives primary challenge in Mississippi 07:15 War of choice in Iran could devour Trump’s presidency 08:00 Administration messaging appears to be manipulating markets 09:30 We got both a message of reassurance and escalation on Monday 10:30 Administration seems to be operating by the seat of their pants 12:00 Administration has eroded trust in institutions for years 13:00 Eventually markets will stop reacting to government statements 13:30 Administration burned through nearly $6B in munitions in two days 14:30 Asymmetric warfare has never gone well for the United States 15:15 Energy markets are in turmoil, Iran wants to create economic pain 16:00 Threat of stagflation & energy shortages are very real 16:45 Trump threatens to use the fed to shape oil markets, alarming economists 17:30 Partial shutdown of DHS agents risks snarling air travel 18:30 When do Dems declare victory on partial shutdown? Noem was fired 19:45 ICE has already been funded. Shutdown punishes the flying public 20:30 Democrats need to be careful not to overplay their hand in shutdown 21:00 If Trump could undo the war, he would. It won’t be Venezuela 2.0 22:15 We’ve always paid to rebuild countries we’ve bombed 23:00 If the regime survives, that’s victory for Iran 24:15 Can’t change regime without boots on the ground, which Trump won’t do 25:15 There’s no opposition on the ground to coordinate with 26:00 Trump buys story from Putin that Russia isn’t assisting Iran w/targeting 26:45 U.S. using up munitions headed to Ukraine is best case for Russia 28:00 DOJ agrees to incredibly friendly settlement with Ticketmaster 28:45 Live Nation lobbyists went straight to Trump, then deal is cut 29:15 Trump talks a big game on populism, but the lobbyists always win 30:45 Young independents hate corporate power & Trump sides with corporations 31:30 New polling shows majority of Americans are against war with Iran 32:15 Older voters continue to be strongest supporters of Trump & war 33:00 MAGA influencers are against war, but rank & file support Trump 42:30 John Adams (Montana Free Press) joins the Chuck ToddCast 43:15 The importance of local news & purpose of Local News Day, April 9th 45:45 Why create Local News Day? 46:45 The crisis with local news isn’t new, been happening for years 48:00 It’s easier to get international news than news from your community 49:00 The need and appetite for local news has never gone away 50:15 Local news has become en vogue like a local craft beer 52:15 People embrace their local identity 54:45 Origin story of the Montana Free Press 55:15 “Dark Money” documentary about fight against Montana copper barons 57:30 Big outside money was trying to buy Montana politics at the local level 59:45 None of the outside money was disclosed 1:00:30 John lost his reporting job during the 2015 legislative session 1:02:30 Three of the most experienced local journalists were jobless 1:03:00 MFP founded on principle that local journalism is essential as a nonprofit 1:04:45 Economics of local news changed drastically, made newspapers expensive 1:06:30 Audiences are highly distracted by social media & smartphones 1:08:00 We need good new sources of information to combat misinfo from AI 1:09:15 Younger people are savvier online, older generations struggle with AI 1:11:00 It’s easier to trust local news sources because they’re in your community 1:11:45 Journalists have to almost “sell” their info for people to see it 1:14:00 It’s important to report on what your audience cares about 1:15:30 AP reporter in Montana was attacked and then the reporter was doxxed 1:17:45 Loss of local news character references created distrust in national press 1:19:00 Importance of local “service journalism” 1:22:30 Recreating the equivalent of morning drive news radio as a podcast 1:23:15 Using google trends questions to help inform your journalism 1:24:30 Algorithms only give people what they want, not what they need to know 1:25:15 Local news at its best reflects what the community cares about 1:26:15 Localnewsday.org is where people can find ways to help & connect 1:28:00 The better local news does, the better local businesses can target customers 1:29:00 700 local newsrooms are taking part in Local News Day 1:30:00 Goal of Local News Day isn’t to raise money, it’s to spread awareness 1:33:00 Journalism has to reach enough people to really matter 1:35:00 Take action on April 9th to support local news 1:35:30 ToddCast Top 5 All-Time Mississippi statewide campaigns 1:40:00 #1 1959 gubernatorial 1:42:00 #2 1978 senate race 1:43:30 #3 1978 gubernatorial 1:45:00 #4 1999 gubernatorial 1:47:00 #5 2014 senate Republican primary 1:49:30 Honorable mentions 1:52:30 Ask Chuck 1:52:45 Do you have a Top 5 list coming for New Jersey? 1:56:00 How do we keep getting into wars without declaration from congress? 1:59:30 What will it take for the U.S. to rebuild trust on the world stage? 2:03:00 Will abortion become an issue in 2028 or has Dobbs taken it off the table? 2:06:30 Should Democrats break norms to prevent authoritarianism?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd surveys a political landscape where multiple crises are converging on the Trump administration simultaneously — and none of them are going well. The Iran war, which Chuck reiterates is a war of choice, appears to be devouring Trump's presidency: the administration burned through nearly $6 billion in munitions in just two days, is sending contradictory messages of reassurance and escalation that appear designed to manipulate markets, and seems to be operating entirely by the seat of its pants. He warns that asymmetric warfare has never gone well for the United States, that energy markets are in turmoil as Iran deliberately tries to inflict economic pain, that the threat of stagflation and energy shortages is very real, and that Trump's threat to use the Fed to shape oil markets has alarmed economists. He argues that if Trump could undo the war he would — but this won't be Venezuela 2.0, because there's no opposition on the ground to coordinate with, you can't change a regime without boots on the ground that Trump won't commit, and if the regime simply survives, that counts as victory for Iran. Meanwhile, Trump naively buys Putin's claim that Russia isn't helping Iran with targeting, and that new polling shows a majority of Americans oppose the war — with MAGA influencers notably against it even as older rank-and-file supporters stick with Trump. Beyond Iran, Chuck hits the Ticketmaster settlement as proof that Trump talks a big populist game but the lobbyists always win, warns that a partial DHS shutdown risks snarling air travel and punishing the flying public while ICE has already been funded, and cautions Democrats not to overplay their hand on the shutdown. Finally, on the day of the Mississippi primaries, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 All-Time statewide races in Mississippi and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 00:30 Despite runoff, Dems shouldn’t get hopes up for MTG’s district 01:30 Bennie Thompson survives primary challenge in Mississippi 07:15 War of choice in Iran could devour Trump’s presidency 08:00 Administration messaging appears to be manipulating markets 09:30 We got both a message of reassurance and escalation on Monday 10:30 Administration seems to be operating by the seat of their pants 12:00 Administration has eroded trust in institutions for years 13:00 Eventually markets will stop reacting to government statements 13:30 Administration burned through nearly $6B in munitions in two days 14:30 Asymmetric warfare has never gone well for the United States 15:15 Energy markets are in turmoil, Iran wants to create economic pain 16:00 Threat of stagflation & energy shortages are very real 16:45 Trump threatens to use the fed to shape oil markets, alarming economists 17:30 Partial shutdown of DHS agents risks snarling air travel 18:30 When do Dems declare victory on partial shutdown? Noem was fired 19:45 ICE has already been funded. Shutdown punishes the flying public 20:30 Democrats need to be careful not to overplay their hand in shutdown 21:00 If Trump could undo the war, he would. It won’t be Venezuela 2.0 22:15 We’ve always paid to rebuild countries we’ve bombed 23:00 If the regime survives, that’s victory for Iran 24:15 Can’t change regime without boots on the ground, which Trump won’t do 25:15 There’s no opposition on the ground to coordinate with 26:00 Trump buys story from Putin that Russia isn’t assisting Iran w/targeting 26:45 U.S. using up munitions headed to Ukraine is best case for Russia 28:00 DOJ agrees to incredibly friendly settlement with Ticketmaster 28:45 Live Nation lobbyists went straight to Trump, then deal is cut 29:15 Trump talks a big game on populism, but the lobbyists always win 30:45 Young independents hate corporate power & Trump sides with corporations 31:30 New polling shows majority of Americans are against war with Iran 32:15 Older voters continue to be strongest supporters of Trump & war 33:00 MAGA influencers are against war, but rank & file support Trump 37:45 Take action on April 9th to support local news 38:15 ToddCast Top 5 All-Time Mississippi statewide campaigns 42:45 #1 1959 gubernatorial 44:45 #2 1978 senate race 46:15 #3 1978 gubernatorial 47:45 #4 1999 gubernatorial 49:45 #5 2014 senate Republican primary 52:15 Honorable mentions 55:15 Ask Chuck 55:30 Do you have a Top 5 list coming for New Jersey? 58:45 How do we keep getting into wars without declaration from congress? 1:02:15 What will it take for the U.S. to rebuild trust on the world stage? 1:05:45 Will abortion become an issue in 2028 or has Dobbs taken it off the table? 1:09:15 Should Democrats break norms to prevent authoritarianism?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens the episode with a blunt assessment: it's starting to feel like the beginning of the end of Donald Trump's presidency. From an open-ended war in Iran to a cratering stock market, Trump finds himself sinking deeper into what Chuck calls "presidential quicksand," with every show of strength only revealing more weakness. Chuck breaks down the staggering early costs of the Iran conflict — over 1,000 casualties and $6 billion spent in just one week — and asks the question no one in Washington seems willing to answer: does anyone actually have an exit strategy? On the economy, the latest jobs report is sending ominous signals. With slow growth, rising prices, and tariff uncertainty dominating the economic discourse, Chuck makes the case that the swing voters who put Trump back in the White House for his perceived economic expertise are the first ones who'll walk away when their wallets take the hit. Corporate America is also starting to find its backbone. From Anthropic refusing to strip safety guardrails to Netflix walking away from a bad deal, Chuck sees a telling pattern: companies are pushing back on a president who looks weak. Finally, Chuck takes an illuminating detour into his "Time Machine" segment, tracing how communication technology has permanently reshaped the American presidency, from Alexander Graham Bell’s first phone call, to FDR's fireside chats, all the way to Trump’s constant social media use. Plus, Chuck answers listener questions touching subjects like the potential similarities between Pearl Harbor and Trump’s Iran strikes, NIL in college sports, what's really going on with Democrats’ reactions to politicians like John Fetterman straying from the party line, and James Talarico’s bid for Congress. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 7:00 Trump's presidency entering "presidential quicksand" 9:00 Iran war: an expensive political disaster 11:00 Trump has no strategic endgame in Iran 12:00 Why regime change in Iran won't work 15:00 Trump's market collapse & terrible jobs report 19:00 Swing voters abandoning Trump 21:00 Supreme Court striking down Trump's tariffs 23:00 Corporate America pushing back: Anthropic, Netflix, small businesses 32:00 Republican label becoming a liability 36:00 Montana: Daines retirement stuns state 39:00 Trump no longer an outsider, now seen as the establishment 43:00 Biden/Afghanistan parallel: one bad moment can permanently crater approval ratings 57:00 Time Machine: how technology transformed the presidency 59:00 Lincoln's telegraph, FDR's fireside chats, and the evolution of presidential communication 1:09:00 How communication technology reshaped corporate leadership 1:11:00 Technology's role in weakening Congress 1:13:00 Ask Chuck: Iran vs. Pearl Harbor comparison 1:15:00 Trump's inane college football roundtable 1:31:00 Fetterman & Sinema: Democrats' narrowing ideology 1:36:00 Question about changing county borders 1:40:00 Talarico's congressional bid 1:42:00 World Baseball ClassicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens the episode with a blunt assessment: it's starting to feel like the beginning of the end of Donald Trump's presidency. From an open-ended war in Iran to a cratering stock market, Trump finds himself sinking deeper into what Chuck calls "presidential quicksand," with every show of strength only revealing more weakness. Chuck breaks down the staggering early costs of the Iran conflict — over 1,000 casualties and $6 billion spent in just one week — and asks the question no one in Washington seems willing to answer: does anyone actually have an exit strategy? On the economy, the latest jobs report is sending ominous signals. With slow growth, rising prices, and tariff uncertainty dominating the economic discourse, Chuck makes the case that the swing voters who put Trump back in the White House for his perceived economic expertise are the first ones who'll walk away when their wallets take the hit. Corporate America is also starting to find its backbone. From Anthropic refusing to strip safety guardrails to Netflix walking away from a bad deal, Chuck sees a telling pattern: companies are pushing back on a president who looks weak. Legendary documentarian Ken Burns joins the Chuck Toddcast for a sweeping conversation about American history, the craft of telling it honestly, and why historical perspective has never mattered more than it does right now. Burns addresses head-on the criticism that his work is "woke," arguing that his documentaries have a perspective but it's not left versus right — he wants to call balls and strikes, and the truth shouldn't be something people fear. He offers a striking defense of nuance, noting that the Republican Party has been the most successful political party on earth and that his life's work has been about making films about both the U.S. and "us" — the complicated, contradictory people who built and continue to shape the country. Burns discusses his latest project on the American Revolution, which he insists he didn't intentionally time to the 250th anniversary, and reveals he's also working on a film about Reconstruction and potentially a documentary on the Cold War. He walks through his rigorous process for evaluating source material, the challenge of needing great actors to bring the founders to life, and how those founders were obsessively focused on virtue — creating something genuinely new in human history while writing a Constitution brilliant enough to endure centuries but unable to foresee Congress voluntarily abdicating its own power. The conversation takes a fascinating philosophical turn as they explore the recurring patterns of American history: the manufacture of fear as a tool for authoritarians, the repeated failure of using government to force social change, and the way religion has been wielded as a cudgel by governments despite the founders being explicitly against a national religion. Burns offers a revealing window into his methodology, explaining that you need 25 to 30 years of distance before you can responsibly cover a historical subject, and that Trump's presidency has effectively constipated the scholarship on the Obama era because the two will be forever intertwined in history. He notes that views on Vietnam's legacy shifted vastly over decades, and that the passage of time is essential for triangulating toward truth — take historians for their knowledge, not always their perspective. Finally, Chuck takes an illuminating detour into his "Time Machine" segment, tracing how communication technology has permanently reshaped the American presidency, from Alexander Graham Bell’s first phone call, to FDR's fireside chats, all the way to Trump’s constant social media use. Plus, Chuck answers listener questions touching subjects like the potential similarities between Pearl Harbor and Trump’s Iran strikes, NIL in college sports, what's really going on with Democrats’ reactions to politicians like John Fetterman straying from the party line, and James Talarico’s bid for Congress. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 7:00 Trump's presidency entering "presidential quicksand" 9:00 Iran war: an expensive political disaster 11:00 Trump has no strategic endgame in Iran 12:00 Why regime change in Iran won't work 15:00 Trump's market collapse & terrible jobs report 19:00 Swing voters abandoning Trump 21:00 Supreme Court striking down Trump's tariffs 23:00 Corporate America pushing back: Anthropic, Netflix, small businesses 32:00 Republican label becoming a liability 36:00 Montana: Daines retirement stuns state 39:00 Trump no longer an outsider, now seen as the establishment 43:00 Biden/Afghanistan parallel: one bad moment can permanently crater approval ratings 57:00 Ken Burns joins the Chuck ToddCast 58:45 Having historical perspective is incredibly important 1:00:30 American Revolution one of the most important events in history 1:01:00 Criticism of his documentary as being "woke" 1:02:15 The Republican party has been the most successful party on earth 1:04:00 Ken's documentaries have a perspective, but it's not left vs. right 1:07:00 The author's politics matter when consuming historical books 1:08:15 People want historical events to match their worldview 1:09:30 The process for evaluating source material for his documentaries 1:11:45 The founders were incredibly focused on virtue 1:13:15 The American experiment was something new in human history 1:15:30 Constitution is a brilliant document, didn't foresee congress abdicating 1:21:00 The manufacture of fear empowers authoritarians 1:25:30 Using government as instrument of social change 1:26:45 Prohibition was going to happen with or without the Spanish Flu pandemic 1:29:30 Forcing social change via government was never going to work well 1:31:30 We don't teach the history of religion out of fear 1:41:00 Founders were explicitly against a national religion 1:44:00 The story of America's progress & transformation is incredible 1:45:15 Most recent past events that Burns is comfortable covering? 1:47:15 Trump & Obama will be intertwined in history 1:48:30 Views on the legacy of Vietnam changed vastly over the decades 1:51:15 It's good to take historians for their knowledge, not always their perspective 1:52:15 Potentially producing a documentary about the Cold War 1:54:45 We've had 3 straight one-term presidents, never happened in 20th century 1:56:15 After the USSR dissolved, Republicans made Bill Clinton the enemy 1:58:45 Race is a part of telling every historical American story 2:00:00 Killer Angels is Ken's favorite historical fiction 2:03:15 How should we celebrate America 250? 2:05:15 Yellowstone covers many facets of the American experience 2:06:45 Simplifying complex history is the behavior of authoritarians 2:09:00 Thoroughly enjoy doing the hard work of making documentaries 2:12:00 Time Machine: how technology transformed the presidency 2:14:00 Lincoln's telegraph, FDR's fireside chats, and the evolution of presidential communication 2:24:00 How communication technology reshaped corporate leadership 2:26:00 Technology's role in weakening Congress 2:28:00 Ask Chuck: Iran vs. Pearl Harbor comparison 2:30:00 Trump's inane college football roundtable 2:46:00 Fetterman & Sinema: Democrats' narrowing ideology 2:51:00 Question about changing county borders 2:55:00 Talarico's congressional bid 2:57:00 World Baseball ClassicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political commentator Chuck Todd discusses the latest national political headlines and how Republicans are walking a tight-rope between Trump and the party's anti-interventionists. Olga Cherevko is  head of communications for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She joins us again via zoom to discuss how the US-Israel war on Iran is impacting Palestinians.Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral on why the Minneapolis prosecutors office is launching an investigation into top border patrol officials.The Culture Show host Jared Bowen joins us briefly to discuss why composer Philip Glass chose to withdraw his Symphony No. 15: Lincoln from the Kennedy Center.And for this week's Am I the A-hole: rims-up or rims-down for storing coffee mugs? 

Chuck Todd delivers a blistering assessment of Trump's Iran war, arguing that the conflict has gone sideways in virtually every way imaginable — and that the lack of consequences for Trump's past norm-breaking gave him a false sense of impunity that led him here. Todd traces the logic: Iran looked like a paper tiger after the limited strikes in 2025, Trump saw the opportunity to kill Khamenei and took it, hoping for either a popular uprising or a pliant regime insider to step forward — but none of those hopes have materialized. Instead, the forces that wanted to overthrow the regime have gone underground, the CIA is now arming and training Kurds in what Chuck bluntly asks amounts to deliberately triggering a civil war, Iran has inflicted real damage on multiple Gulf states, and stranded Americans were told by the State Department they were on their own because the administration made no evacuation plan whatsoever. He zeroes in on the damning timeline: if the administration had time to move an armada into position, they had time to warn American citizens. He flags that passing a war supplemental will be a brutal vote for GOP members, that JD Vance now has to defend a war antithetical to his entire political identity, and pivots to the Texas runoff noting that James Talarico's biggest vulnerability is being more progressive than his nice-guy persona suggests, but that demeanor may be his superpower in a cycle where voters are exhausted by bomb-throwers. Finally, he reacts to the breaking news that Montana senator Steve Daines retired minutes before the filing deadline and argues that Republicans will be forced to defend what was a safe seat, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:45 Trump’s war with Iran is not going well for him politically 02:30 Multiple countries have been dragged into a piece of the war 03:30 Lack of consequences for past actions gave Trump sense of impunity 04:45 Iran looked like a paper tiger after strikes in June 2025 05:30 Trump saw the opportunity to kill Khamenei and took it 07:30 Trump hoped for an uprising or a pliant member of the regime 08:45 None of those hopes have materialized 09:30 Forces that wanted to overthrow regime went underground 10:30 The CIA is arming and training Kurds to overthrow the regime 11:45 Are we TRYING to trigger a civil war??? 12:30 Regime change won’t come nearly as easy as Trump thought 13:15 Iran has inflicted damage to multiple gulf states 14:45 You can’t discount Trump’s business relationship as factors for war 16:00 Kushner involved in negotiations and has serious conflicts of interest 17:15 The administration is trying to use Israel as a shield 18:15 Administration made no plan to evacuate stranded Americans 19:00 Clearly was no imminent threat from Iran 20:30 If they had time to move the armada, they had time to warn Americans 21:30 The Iranians weren’t surprised that we were going to attack 22:30 Trump promised Iranian protestors “Help is on the way” - Took 40 days 23:00 State department told stranded Americans they were on their own 24:30 They put thought into the war itself, but not for the consequences 26:30 What’s Plan C? Hoping for a civil war? 27:15 This is Iraq on steroids and we have less credibility globally 28:30 Cost of providing stability in the region is politically unpopular 29:30 It’s a lot easier to start a war than to finish one 30:45 George H.W. Bush had a clean war with Iraq and voters punished him 32:00 When you’re under 80% support with your own party, you’re in trouble 33:30 Trump isn’t an isolationist, he’s a unilateralist. Do what he says 34:45 Passing a supplemental bill for war funding will be tough vote for GOP 36:30 J.D. Vance has to defend a war that’s antithetical to his political identity 37:30 Trump will endorse in Texas primary and expects the other to drop out 38:15 What will Trump offer Paxton to drop out early? 40:45 Republicans can’t win primary without Trump & he’s general election baggage 41:30 Talarico’s biggest vulnerability is he’s more progressive than his persona 42:15 Demeanor goes a long way in politics, could be Talarico’s superpower 45:00 Good for the Dems brand that first nominee (Talarico) isn’t a bomb thrower 53:30 Montana senator Steve Daines announces retirement 54:15 Retirement will put Montana senate seat into play 54:45 Will this put pressure on Jon Tester to come out of retirement? 55:15 Montana will now be a key cog in campaign 2026 56:30 Potential that transplants could turn Montana into Colorado politically 57:30 Republicans will be favored, but it will require work & money 59:00 Democrats have had success in Montana in midterm years 59:30 This week just keeps getting worse for Republicans 1:00:30 Ask Chuck 1:01:00 Do reliably red/blue states get less investment from the federal government? 1:06:45 Could Trump try to trigger NATO’s Article V over Iran? 1:15:30 Will Texas AG runoff produce even more radical anti-trans rhetoric & policy? 1:18:30 My son thinks voting is useless. How do we teach the new generation it matters?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd delivers a blistering assessment of Trump's Iran war, arguing that the conflict has gone sideways in virtually every way imaginable — and that the lack of consequences for Trump's past norm-breaking gave him a false sense of impunity that led him here. Todd traces the logic: Iran looked like a paper tiger after the limited strikes in 2025, Trump saw the opportunity to kill Khamenei and took it, hoping for either a popular uprising or a pliant regime insider to step forward — but none of those hopes have materialized. Instead, the forces that wanted to overthrow the regime have gone underground, the CIA is now arming and training Kurds in what Chuck bluntly asks amounts to deliberately triggering a civil war, Iran has inflicted real damage on multiple Gulf states, and stranded Americans were told by the State Department they were on their own because the administration made no evacuation plan whatsoever. He zeroes in on the damning timeline: if the administration had time to move an armada into position, they had time to warn American citizens. He flags that passing a war supplemental will be a brutal vote for GOP members, that JD Vance now has to defend a war antithetical to his entire political identity, and pivots to the Texas runoff noting that James Talarico's biggest vulnerability is being more progressive than his nice-guy persona suggests, but that demeanor may be his superpower in a cycle where voters are exhausted by bomb-throwers. Political commentator Chris Cillizza — who co-hosted the live Texas primary night coverage with Chuck— rejoins the show to dissect the aftermath of the Texas results and the broader 2026 landscape. With Jasmine Crockett having conceded to James Talarico and the Paxton-Cornyn race headed to a runoff that's essentially a coin flip, Todd and Cillizza dig into what Talarico's victory really means: he dominated in counties Bernie Sanders won, Latino voters broke decisively his way, and his ground game should terrify Republicans — but they caution against mistaking someone who is temperamentally moderate and perceived as "nice" for being politically moderate. They argue that Texas Democrats, having lost for so long, were desperate for something new, and that constant losing has made electability matter more than ideology — Democrats had to vote with their heads, not their hearts. They assess Crockett's future (great political athlete, bad campaign infrastructure, potential to compete for Ted Cruz's seat someday), debate whether Democrats should meddle in the GOP runoff to boost Paxton, and note that Talarico’s floor is around 47-48% — meaning Texas is genuinely in play. The conversation then expands to the national map and the broader forces shaping 2026. They unpack Kamala Harris's late endorsement of Crockett — which came too late to matter and reinforces the same knock Biden got about indecisiveness — and Gavin Newsom's conspicuous shift on Israel in front of a liberal audience. They contrast that with the authenticity of politicians like Bernie Sanders and early-career JD Vance, noting that Vance has now lost his anti-interventionist identity after backing the Iran war while the administration's narrative spinning on the conflict is "an absolute mess." Looking ahead, they agree that the perception of the economy in June will be what drives the midterms, that the war will consume the administration — especially given the embarrassing lack of an evacuation plan for Americans in the Middle East, Trump's biggest critique of Biden — and that prediction markets now give Democrats a 45% chance of winning the Senate. They close by surveying pickup opportunities in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas, flagging independent candidates in the Midwest who know they can't win as Democrats, and declaring that 2026 will be the clearest preview yet of how 2028 plays out. Finally, he reacts to the breaking news that Montana senator Steve Daines retired minutes before the filing deadline and argues that Republicans will be forced to defend what was a safe seat, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:45 Trump’s war with Iran is not going well for him politically 02:30 Multiple countries have been dragged into a piece of the war 03:30 Lack of consequences for past actions gave Trump sense of impunity 04:45 Iran looked like a paper tiger after strikes in June 2025 05:30 Trump saw the opportunity to kill Khamenei and took it 07:30 Trump hoped for an uprising or a pliant member of the regime 08:45 None of those hopes have materialized 09:30 Forces that wanted to overthrow regime went underground 10:30 The CIA is arming and training Kurds to overthrow the regime 11:45 Are we TRYING to trigger a civil war??? 12:30 Regime change won’t come nearly as easy as Trump thought 13:15 Iran has inflicted damage to multiple gulf states 14:45 You can’t discount Trump’s business relationship as factors for war 16:00 Kushner involved in negotiations and has serious conflicts of interest 17:15 The administration is trying to use Israel as a shield 18:15 Administration made no plan to evacuate stranded Americans 19:00 Clearly was no imminent threat from Iran 20:30 If they had time to move the armada, they had time to warn Americans 21:30 The Iranians weren’t surprised that we were going to attack 22:30 Trump promised Iranian protestors “Help is on the way” - Took 40 days 23:00 State department told stranded Americans they were on their own 24:30 They put thought into the war itself, but not for the consequences 26:30 What’s Plan C? Hoping for a civil war? 27:15 This is Iraq on steroids and we have less credibility globally 28:30 Cost of providing stability in the region is politically unpopular 29:30 It’s a lot easier to start a war than to finish one 30:45 George H.W. Bush had a clean war with Iraq and voters punished him 32:00 When you’re under 80% support with your own party, you’re in trouble 33:30 Trump isn’t an isolationist, he’s a unilateralist. Do what he says 34:45 Passing a supplemental bill for war funding will be tough vote for GOP 36:30 J.D. Vance has to defend a war that’s antithetical to his political identity 37:30 Trump will endorse in Texas primary and expects the other to drop out 38:15 What will Trump offer Paxton to drop out early? 40:45 Republicans can’t win primary without Trump & he’s general election baggage 41:30 Talarico’s biggest vulnerability is he’s more progressive than his persona 42:15 Demeanor goes a long way in politics, could be Talarico’s superpower 45:00 Good for the Dems brand that first nominee (Talarico) isn’t a bomb thrower 53:30 Chris Cillizza joins the Chuck ToddCast 55:00 Jasmine Crockett concedes race to James Talarico 55:45 Race between Paxton & Cornyn essentially a wash 56:30 Big question is “Can Cornyn get to 50%” 57:15 Public is getting tired with the bomb throwers in politics 59:15 Talarico did well in counties that Bernie Sanders won 1:00:15 Texas Dems have been losing forever, desperate for “new” 1:02:00 Don’t mistake politically & temperamentally “moderate” 1:02:45 Being perceived as “nice” goes a long way 1:04:00 Online Dems are mad, but many want a change in tone 1:05:30 If Platner beats Mills by 15, Talarico data point feels like outlier 1:06:15 Have constant Dem losses in TX made “electability” more important? 1:07:15 Dems in Texas have to vote with their head and not their heart 1:09:00 Crockett is a great political athlete with bad campaign infrastructure 1:10:00 Talarico had a great ground game, should scare Republicans 1:11:15 Crockett could compete for Ted Cruz’s senate seat 1:12:00 Unlikely this is the last we hear from Crockett in politics 1:13:00 Crockett did well where she was well known 1:14:00 Kamala Harris endorsement came too late for Crockett 1:15:00 Harris shows herself to be incredibly risk averse 1:17:45 We’ll get the full story on the late endorsement in six months 1:18:30 Harris shares the same knock Biden got… can’t make decisions 1:19:15 Newsom signals shift on Israel in front of a very liberal audience 1:20:30 Newsom just pandering? Or is it a genuine flip 1:22:00 Gavin Newsom is a politician to his core 1:23:30 Newsom looked like he was desperate to find traction 1:24:00 Trump didn’t change, the moment came to him 1:25:00 Tariffs are terrible politics, but Trump’s liked them for decades 1:25:30 Bernie Sanders has been the most authentic politician for years 1:26:45 Sanders and Ron Paul ended up voting together many times 1:28:15 Vance lost the anti-interventionist part of his identity after Iran war 1:30:00 The spinning for a narrative for the war is an absolute mess 1:31:30 The perception of the economy in June will be what affects midterms 1:32:45 War will consume the administration 1:33:30 Administration had no plan to evacuate Americans from middle east 1:34:30 Trump’s big critique of Biden was the Afghanistan withdrawal 1:37:00 Prediction markets have Dems chances of winning senate at 45% 1:39:45 How should Dems try to affect Texas runoff? 1:41:30 Meddling works and if Cornyn is the nominee Talarico loses 1:42:00 Talarico’s floor is around 47-48 1:42:30 How do Dems sort Alaska, Ohio, Texas and Iowa? 1:43:45 If Josh Turek is the nominee in Iowa, race could be interesting 1:45:00 2026 will give us a clue as to how 2028 will play out 1:46:30 If one of the independent candidate wins statewide it’s a BIG deal 1:49:00 Midwest independent candidates know they can’t run as Dems and win 1:55:00 Montana senator Steve Daines announces retirement 1:55:45 Retirement will put Montana senate seat into play 1:56:15 Will this put pressure on Jon Tester to come out of retirement? 1:56:45 Montana will now be a key cog in campaign 2026 1:58:00 Potential that transplants could turn Montana into Colorado politically 1:59:00 Republicans will be favored, but it will require work & money 2:00:30 Democrats have had success in Montana in midterm years 2:01:00 This week just keeps getting worse for Republicans 2:02:00 Ask Chuck 2:02:30 Do reliably red/blue states get less investment from the federal government? 2:08:15 Could Trump try to trigger NATO’s Article V over Iran? 2:17:00 Will Texas AG runoff produce even more radical anti-trans rhetoric & policy? 2:20:00 My son thinks voting is useless. How do we teach the new generation it matters?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd breaks down the Texas primary results and finds a political landscape that should terrify the Republican establishment. Ken Paxton and John Cornyn are headed to a runoff on the GOP side, but the headline number is stunning: Democrats posted a higher overall vote total than Republicans in the Texas primary, a seismic signal in what has long been the country's biggest red state. He credits Talarico's viral Colbert moment with giving him a massive boost, notes that Latino voters broke decisively for Talarico over Jasmine Crockett — who ran an unconventional campaign and is unlikely to concede quickly — and argues that a Paxton vs. Talarico general election would genuinely put Texas in play. He walks through the strategic calculus: history favors Paxton in a runoff, Cornyn has outperformed polling but a Cornyn nomination would draw less national Democratic investment in the race, and Democrats should have the budget to compete in Texas regardless — because Texas is "nice to have" for Democrats but "must have" for Republicans, and if Democrats win even once there, it opens the floodgates. He also flags Dan Crenshaw losing after failing to secure Trump's endorsement, the razor-thin two-vote margin for the state senate campaign in North Carolina, and a broader pattern of bad developments piling up for the GOP — capped by Trump stoking voter skepticism with an unpopular Iran war. His verdict: this is the worst possible start to an election cycle for Republicans, because it's easy to start a war and very hard to end one. Finally, Chuck lists his ToddCast Top 5 All-Time Texas statewide elections and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:00 Ken Paxton & John Cornyn headed to a runoff 02:30 Democrats had a higher vote total than Republicans in Texas primary 03:45 Talarico’s moment with Stephen Colbert gave him a huge boost 05:00 Several house races headed to a run off 07:00 Latino voters broke fairly decisively for Talarico 07:45 Crockett didn’t run a conventional campaign 08:30 Crockett is unlikely to concede quickly 10:00 We never got the full story on the Colbert moment 11:15 Fighter vs Uniter is the divide amongst Democrats 13:00 If Cornyn can stay ahead of Paxton, that will matter to Trump 14:30 Talarico being the nominee will make establishment Republicans nervous 16:00 History says it’s more likely that Paxton wins the runoff 18:00 Cornyn has outperformed the polling 18:30 With Paxton & Talarico as the nominees, Texas is in play 19:30 Do senate Democrats play in the Republican runoff? 20:30 If it’s Cornyn vs. Talarico, the national party won’t help Talarico as much 22:00 Will Dems spend on Alaska, Iowa and Nebraska? 23:15 Dems should have the budget to target Texas 24:00 Texas is “nice to have” for Dems, it’s “must have” for Republicans 25:30 If Democrats win once in Texas, it opens the door for more wins 26:45 Two vote margin for the state senate president in North Carolina 27:45 Dan Crenshaw didn’t get Trump endorsement and lost 29:15 Bad developments keep happening for the Republican party 30:15 Trump is only stoking voter skepticism with Iran war 31:30 It’s easy to start a war, it’s hard to end one 32:00 Worst possible start to an election cycle for the Republicans 41:30 ToddCast Top 5 All-Time statewide campaigns in Texas history 43:30 #5 2006 Governor’s race 49:00 #4 1994 Governor’s race 52:00 #3 1924 Governor’s race 55:30 #2 1962 special election for senate 1:00:15 #1 1948 Democratic senate primary 1:07:45 Honorable mentions 1:10:15 Ask Chuck 1:10:30 Take on Pete Hegseth’s briefing on the Iran war? What are the objectives? 1:16:45 Why is a war powers resolution needed? How can congress restrain Trump? 1:20:00 Will this war be better received if not launched during tax season? 1:24:30 Explaining complex political & world events to your kids?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd breaks down the Texas primary results and finds a political landscape that should terrify the Republican establishment. Ken Paxton and John Cornyn are headed to a runoff on the GOP side, but the headline number is stunning: Democrats posted a higher overall vote total than Republicans in the Texas primary, a seismic signal in what has long been the country's biggest red state. He credits Talarico's viral Colbert moment with giving him a massive boost, notes that Latino voters broke decisively for Talarico over Jasmine Crockett — who ran an unconventional campaign and is unlikely to concede quickly — and argues that a Paxton vs. Talarico general election would genuinely put Texas in play. He walks through the strategic calculus: history favors Paxton in a runoff, Cornyn has outperformed polling but a Cornyn nomination would draw less national Democratic investment in the race, and Democrats should have the budget to compete in Texas regardless — because Texas is "nice to have" for Democrats but "must have" for Republicans, and if Democrats win even once there, it opens the floodgates. He also flags Dan Crenshaw losing after failing to secure Trump's endorsement, the razor-thin two-vote margin for the state senate campaign in North Carolina, and a broader pattern of bad developments piling up for the GOP — capped by Trump stoking voter skepticism with an unpopular Iran war. His verdict: this is the worst possible start to an election cycle for Republicans, because it's easy to start a war and very hard to end one. Then, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Seftel joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss All the Empty Rooms, his devastating Netflix documentary short that chronicles the untouched bedrooms of children killed in school shootings since Sandy Hook. Seftel describes a country that has grown numb to over 100 school shootings just this year — where the reporting cycle moves on before victims' stories can truly be told — and explains how the simple, visceral act of standing in a dead child's bedroom forces viewers to feel something that statistics never could. He reveals that many parents have kept these rooms exactly as their children left them, preserving even the smell, creating what amounts to sacred spaces frozen in time.Chuck draws the parallel to the decision to show Emmett Till's open casket, and Seftel argues these painful stories must be told regardless of how uncomfortable they make us, because imagery can be more powerful than the spoken word. What makes the film's approach so striking — and so strategically effective — is what it leaves out. The word "gun" is never mentioned, a deliberate choice to avoid triggering the political reflexes that shut down conversation before it starts. And it's working: Seftel shares that a Second Amendment enthusiast changed his mind after seeing the photos of empty rooms, and even a Sandy Hook denier reached out after watching. The film's funders didn't want to make money — they wanted to make change — and Netflix's global distribution has given it a massive reach. Seftel says the conversation has to start with one simple question — "How do we keep kids safe at school?" — and that the film intentionally got better as it got shorter, stripping away prescription and polemic to let the silence of those rooms do the work. Finally, Chuck lists his ToddCast Top 5 All-Time Texas statewide elections and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:00 Ken Paxton & John Cornyn headed to a runoff 02:30 Democrats had a higher vote total than Republicans in Texas primary 03:45 Talarico’s moment with Stephen Colbert gave him a huge boost 05:00 Several house races headed to a run off 07:00 Latino voters broke fairly decisively for Talarico 07:45 Crockett didn’t run a conventional campaign 08:30 Crockett is unlikely to concede quickly 10:00 We never got the full story on the Colbert moment 11:15 Fighter vs Uniter is the divide amongst Democrats 13:00 If Cornyn can stay ahead of Paxton, that will matter to Trump 14:30 Talarico being the nominee will make establishment Republicans nervous 16:00 History says it’s more likely that Paxton wins the runoff 18:00 Cornyn has outperformed the polling 18:30 With Paxton & Talarico as the nominees, Texas is in play 19:30 Do senate Democrats play in the Republican runoff? 20:30 If it’s Cornyn vs. Talarico, the national party won’t help Talarico as much 22:00 Will Dems spend on Alaska, Iowa and Nebraska? 23:15 Dems should have the budget to target Texas 24:00 Texas is “nice to have” for Dems, it’s “must have” for Republicans 25:30 If Democrats win once in Texas, it opens the door for more wins 26:45 Two vote margin for the state senate president in North Carolina 27:45 Dan Crenshaw didn’t get Trump endorsement and lost 29:15 Bad developments keep happening for the Republican party 30:15 Trump is only stoking voter skepticism with Iran war 31:30 It’s easy to start a war, it’s hard to end one 32:00 Worst possible start to an election cycle for the Republicans 42:00 Josh Seftel joins the Chuck ToddCast 43:45 People are surprised by the portrayal in “All the Empty Rooms” 44:15 Public has grown to accept over 100 school shootings a year 45:00 Seeing the empty rooms of victims forces you to feel something 46:30 Why has mass shooting frequency been accelerating? 48:00 Does media coverage of shootings plant the seed for more? 49:15 Says a lot about American psyche that True Crime is so popular 50:30 Focus of the doc is on victims, not the shooters 51:00 Asked parents of every child killed since Sandy Hook to film their room 54:00 Media that means to come back to tell victims stories aren’t able to 55:00 Stories must be told, regardless of how painful. Like Emmit Til 56:15 Many parents kept their slain children’s rooms untouched 57:15 Parents want to preserve the smell of their children 58:15 How did you compartmentalize when making this doc? 1:00:15 The hope of the doc is that everyone can feel the weight of the loss 1:01:30 People with the power to fix this problem need to see this doc 1:03:00 The word “Gun” is never mentioned, didn’t want to turn off viewers 1:04:45 Photos of empty rooms led 2A enthusiast to change his mind 1:05:30 Got an email from a Sandy Hook denier that watched the doc 1:07:30 The doc paints a 3D image of the victims, that gets missed normally 1:10:00 Parents choose to grieve & respond in different ways 1:12:00 Each family & parent has a different relationship with the empty room 1:13:45 Some families want to move, but can’t bring themselves to pack up room 1:15:30 Was it hard not to get prescriptive? 1:18:00 Conversation must start with “How do we keep kids safe at school?” 1:19:00 The film got better as it got shorter 1:20:00 Imagery can be more powerful than spoken word 1:21:15 Streaming on Netflix allows for far wider distribution 1:22:30 Funders for the doc didn’t want to make money, they wanted to make change 1:26:00 The topic wasn’t just powerful, it was visually powerful 1:31:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Josh Seftel 1:34:30 Texas senate race has a chance to become an all-timer 1:35:15 ToddCast Top 5 All-Time statewide campaigns in Texas history 1:37:15 #5 2006 Governor’s race 1:42:45 #4 1994 Governor’s race 1:45:45 #3 1924 Governor’s race 1:49:15 #2 1962 special election for senate 1:54:00 #1 1948 Democratic senate primary 2:01:30 Honorable mentions 2:04:00 Ask Chuck 2:04:15 Take on Pete Hegseth’s briefing on the Iran war? What are the objectives? 2:10:30 Why is a war powers resolution needed? How can congress restrain Trump? 2:13:45 Will this war be better received if not launched during tax season? 2:18:15 Explaining complex political & world events to your kids?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd delivers a searing assessment of a war he calls one of choice, not necessity. He argues that "ends justify the means" sums up everything about Trump's presidency, noting that the rationale for the war has shifted multiple times, there was no smoking gun incident to prompt the strikes, the administration's credibility with the public is extremely low, and Trump's own surrogates spent years warning that Democrats would start a war with Iran. He questions whether the U.S. got boxed in by Netanyahu and whether Trump is simply looking for his own Delcy Rodriguez-style compliant leader in Tehran, pointing out the absurdity of calling on Iran's military to surrender without clarifying to whom. He warns that regime change is a tall order that gives America enormous responsibility it isn't prepared for, that oil prices are set to soar with massive domestic political consequences, and that the prior cuts to Voice of America were a shortsighted mistake now that winning hearts and minds actually matters. He warns that if unilateral executive war-making becomes normalized, America will have fundamentally changed its republic. He closes by pivoting to the Texas primary, where Talarico appears to have momentum heading into election day, Trump has refused to endorse in the GOP race leaving Cornyn exposed, and total primary turnout will serve as a critical bellwether for November's midterms. Then, Rep. Sean Casten — the Illinois Democrat, clean energy entrepreneur, and scientist-turned-congressman who was inspired to run for office by Trump's first election — joins the Chuck ToddCast for a candid and wide-ranging conversation about what's broken in Congress and how to fix it. Casten pulls back the curtain on congressional dysfunction, describing a body increasingly populated by pundits and influencers rather than legislators, where televised hearings reward political theater over policymaking and cabinet secretaries like Scott Bessent feel they don't have to answer to Congress at all. He walks through his grilling of Bessent on the legality of the Venezuelan oil seizure — a moment where the Treasury Secretary had no good answer. Casten warns that congressional weakness is the single biggest issue plaguing the federal government. They debate Chuck’s long-standing position of uncapping the House of Representatives to bring the ratio down to 400-500,000 constituents per member, Casten pitches creating a block of 12 nationally elected senators to serve the national interest, and — most provocatively — stripping the Supreme Court of its self-granted power to set its own docket, a power Congress gave and can take away. He notes that Iceland copied America's government structure and eventually scrapped its senate. He closes by identifying income inequality, AI, and the changing job market as the seminal issues of 2028, warning that if Trump's own supporters prioritize economic concerns, the pitchforks will be coming out. Finally, ahead of the Texas primaries on Tuesday, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit Texas’s declaration of independence from Mexico & the unique forces that shaped the state’s “Lone Star” mentality. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 06:00 “Ends justify the means” sums up everything about Trump’s presidency 06:45 The administration’s credibility with the public is extremely low 07:30 Military sources are less likely to lie to reporters than political ones 08:30 The rationale for the war has changed multiple times 09:15 There was no smoking gun incident to prompt the war 10:30 Regime change is a tall order & gives us more responsibility 12:00 Trump has called for the Iranian military to surrender… but to whom? 12:45 Cuts to Voice of America was a shortsighted mistake 13:30 After massacre of protesters, there was a humanitarian case for strikes 15:00 Is Trump looking for his own Delcy Rodriguez in Iran? 15:30 Did the U.S. get boxed in by Netanyahu? 16:30 This a war of choice, not a war of necessity 17:15 Trump & surrogates warned for years that Dems would start a war with Iran 18:00 Trump has targeted two world leaders in less than a year 19:00 The administration has created a massive political problem 19:30 Trump has given up domestically, focused on foreign policy legacy 20:30 Trump doesn’t think about consequences beyond what’s good for him 21:15 This war will create an identity crisis for the Republican party 21:45 This has the potential to be incredibly good for the middle east 22:15 10/7 was the biggest strategic mistake Iran has ever made 23:30 Gulf states can’t keep their neutrality, MBS talked Trump into attacking 24:30 Iran’s proxies were more effective than their actual military 25:00 Israel is clearly the military power of the middle east 25:45 Oil prices likely to soar and will impact politics domestically 27:15 Trump probably cuts the deal if Iran completely capitulated 28:00 Iran was more forthcoming in negotiations than Russia is 29:15 Trump only chooses fights he knows he can dominate 30:00 Congress has itself to blame by not even bothering to vote 31:00 Will the American people decide that congress is optional 31:45 Contradiction between campaign rhetoric & governance should matter 32:45 If unilateral executive action becomes normal, we change our republic 34:15 Success overseas rarely translates to votes at the ballot box 35:30 Iraq & Afghanistan are still a mess twenty years after intervening 36:15 Talarico seems to have momentum prior to Texas primary 36:45 Trump refused to endorse in Texas 37:30 Dan Crenshaw is the only Republican in Texas without Trump’s support 38:30 Total turnout in Texas primary will be a bellwether for November 39:15 There are a lot of Cornyn/Talarico voters 49:00 Rep. Sean Casten joins the Chuck ToddCast 50:45 Leadership has hijacked congress 51:45 Congress increasingly has more pundits/influencers than legislators 52:30 Hearings being televised leads to more political theater 53:00 In the minority, all you can do is move public opinion 54:00 Grilling Scott Bessent on legality of Venezuelan oil seizure 55:15 Bessent is the adult behind the scenes, but not publicly 57:00 There was no way for Bessent to answer the question well 57:30 Administration has no authority to distribute Venezuelan oil 58:45 Rubio and Bessent didn’t coordinate their stories 1:00:00 Cabinet secretaries feel they don’t have to answer to congress 1:00:45 Trump was constrained in his first term, not in this term 1:02:00 Rubio will get blamed if foreign adventurism goes poorly 1:03:15 Loyalty is a one-way street with Trump 1:04:00 Congressional dysfunction is biggest issue with federal government 1:04:45 Why give up your job as CEO to run for congress? 1:05:45 Wanted to combat climate change as a member of congress 1:07:15 Trump’s election inspired many people to get off the sidelines 1:08:00 Congress rarely takes back its power, other branches grab more 1:09:15 American democracy only gets updated after major upheaval 1:11:45 What structural reforms to democracy would you like to work on? 1:13:00 Senate, electoral college and Supreme Court are holding us back 1:13:45 Create a block of 12 nationally elected senators to serve national interest 1:14:30 Congress can strip appellate jurisdiction from the Supreme Court 1:15:30 Congress gave SCOTUS power to set their own docket, can take it away 1:17:15 Without lifetime appointments, Trump probably fires Gorsuch & Barrett 1:18:15 SCOTUS justices are mostly partisan warriors 1:19:30 Iceland copied U.S. government structure, eventually scrapped senate 1:21:30 Size of the House of Representatives needs to be uncapped 1:24:30 400-500k constituents per congress member seems about right 1:26:15 What’s the appetite in congress for real structural reform? 1:27:45 New construction for a bigger congress is a solvable challenge 1:29:30 Members in less than safe seats incentivized to be in-district over D.C. 1:32:30 There’s value in being in-district and having the pulse of the community 1:33:15 Democratic party is viewed as poorly as Trump in polls 1:35:30 Do Democrats have a leadership problem or party brand problem? 1:36:15 Democratic voters punishing the party for not putting Trump away? 1:37:30 Biden had major legislative wins because he understood process 1:39:00 America needs a Churchill, fighter type in the Oval Office 1:40:30 Obama, Clinton and Carter weren’t on the radar 2-3 years before election 1:42:00 Do Democrats want a “fighter” or “uniter” as their next nominee? 1:44:15 Income inequality, AI & job market will be seminal issues in 2028 1:46:30 If Trump supporters prioritize economic concerns, pitchforks will be out 1:51:00 Congress has same proportion of “knuckleheads” as any workplace 1:53:30 ToddCast Time Machine - March 2nd 1836 1:54:15 Texas formally declares independence from Mexico 1:55:00 Independence declared in a small town, not a capital 1:56:15 There was a substantial population of Tejanos already in Texas 1:57:00 The revolution was multiethnic 1:57:30 Texas received exemptions for slavery under indentured structures 1:58:00 How the Alamo became a symbol 1:58:45 “Remember the Alamo” was a powerful rallying cry 2:00:00 Sam Houston eventually defeated the Mexican forces 2:00:30 From 1836-1845, Texas was an independent republic 2:01:30 The disputed border provided the pretext for war 2:02:00 Texas retained extraordinary autonomy compared to other states 2:03:30 Texas doesn’t just have an origin story, but an argument with its past 2:04:30 Ask Chuck 2:04:45 What is the political risk for Trump in not making war case to the public? 2:08:15 Why is the media so quick to jump onboard the administration’s framing? 2:12:30 How strong was the nuclear deal Obama struck with Iran? 2:17:00 Why aren’t drafters of the Articles of Confederation considered founding fathers? 2:20:30 Is Trump trying to elicit a “rally around the flag” effect to help the midterms? 2:24:00 Will Trump force through tariffs using a different emergency authority? 2:28:15 How was the career change from network to independent?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd delivers a searing assessment of a war he calls one of choice, not necessity. He argues that "ends justify the means" sums up everything about Trump's presidency, noting that the rationale for the war has shifted multiple times, there was no smoking gun incident to prompt the strikes, the administration's credibility with the public is extremely low, and Trump's own surrogates spent years warning that Democrats would start a war with Iran. He questions whether the U.S. got boxed in by Netanyahu and whether Trump is simply looking for his own Delcy Rodriguez-style compliant leader in Tehran, pointing out the absurdity of calling on Iran's military to surrender without clarifying to whom. He warns that regime change is a tall order that gives America enormous responsibility it isn't prepared for, that oil prices are set to soar with massive domestic political consequences, and that the prior cuts to Voice of America were a shortsighted mistake now that winning hearts and minds actually matters. He warns that if unilateral executive war-making becomes normalized, America will have fundamentally changed its republic. He closes by pivoting to the Texas primary, where Talarico appears to have momentum heading into election day, Trump has refused to endorse in the GOP race leaving Cornyn exposed, and total primary turnout will serve as a critical bellwether for November's midterms. Finally, ahead of the Texas primaries on Tuesday, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit Texas’s declaration of independence from Mexico & the unique forces that shaped the state’s “Lone Star” mentality. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or AmericanFinancing.net/TheChuckToddCast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 06:00 “Ends justify the means” sums up everything about Trump’s presidency 06:45 The administration’s credibility with the public is extremely low 07:30 Military sources are less likely to lie to reporters than political ones 08:30 The rationale for the war has changed multiple times 09:15 There was no smoking gun incident to prompt the war 10:30 Regime change is a tall order & gives us more responsibility 12:00 Trump has called for the Iranian military to surrender… but to whom? 12:45 Cuts to Voice of America was a shortsighted mistake 13:30 After massacre of protesters, there was a humanitarian case for strikes 15:00 Is Trump looking for his own Delcy Rodriguez in Iran? 15:30 Did the U.S. get boxed in by Netanyahu? 16:30 This a war of choice, not a war of necessity 17:15 Trump & surrogates warned for years that Dems would start a war with Iran 18:00 Trump has targeted two world leaders in less than a year 19:00 The administration has created a massive political problem 19:30 Trump has given up domestically, focused on foreign policy legacy 20:30 Trump doesn’t think about consequences beyond what’s good for him 21:15 This war will create an identity crisis for the Republican party 21:45 This has the potential to be incredibly good for the middle east 22:15 10/7 was the biggest strategic mistake Iran has ever made 23:30 Gulf states can’t keep their neutrality, MBS talked Trump into attacking 24:30 Iran’s proxies were more effective than their actual military 25:00 Israel is clearly the military power of the middle east 25:45 Oil prices likely to soar and will impact politics domestically 27:15 Trump probably cuts the deal if Iran completely capitulated 28:00 Iran was more forthcoming in negotiations than Russia is 29:15 Trump only chooses fights he knows he can dominate 30:00 Congress has itself to blame by not even bothering to vote 31:00 Will the American people decide that congress is optional 31:45 Contradiction between campaign rhetoric & governance should matter 32:45 If unilateral executive action becomes normal, we change our republic 34:15 Success overseas rarely translates to votes at the ballot box 35:30 Iraq & Afghanistan are still a mess twenty years after intervening 36:15 Talarico seems to have momentum prior to Texas primary 36:45 Trump refused to endorse in Texas 37:30 Dan Crenshaw is the only Republican in Texas without Trump’s support 38:30 Total turnout in Texas primary will be a bellwether for November 39:15 There are a lot of Cornyn/Talarico voters 48:00 ToddCast Time Machine - March 2nd 1836 48:45 Texas formally declares independence from Mexico 49:30 Independence declared in a small town, not a capital 50:45 There was a substantial population of Tejanos already in Texas 51:30 The revolution was multiethnic 52:00 Texas received exemptions for slavery under indentured structures 52:30 How the Alamo became a symbol 53:15 “Remember the Alamo” was a powerful rallying cry 54:30 Sam Houston eventually defeated the Mexican forces 55:00 From 1836-1845, Texas was an independent republic 56:00 The disputed border provided the pretext for war 56:30 Texas retained extraordinary autonomy compared to other states 58:00 Texas doesn’t just have an origin story, but an argument with its past 59:00 Ask Chuck 59:15 What is the political risk for Trump in not making war case to the public? 1:02:45 Why is the media so quick to jump onboard the administration’s framing? 1:07:00 How strong was the nuclear deal Obama struck with Iran? 1:11:30 Why aren’t drafters of the Articles of Confederation considered founding fathers? 1:15:00 Is Trump trying to elicit a “rally around the flag” effect to help the midterms? 1:18:30 Will Trump force through tariffs using a different emergency authority? 1:22:45 How was the career change from network to independent gone?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode is as urgent as it gets — Chuck Todd breaks down the seismic events of February 28, 2026, as the United States and Israel launched "Operation Epic Fury," a massive joint military strike against Iran targeting nuclear facilities, missile infrastructure, and senior regime leadership, including attempts on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei himself. Trump announced "major combat operations" in a prerecorded video, urging Iranians to "take over your government" — a sweeping regime-change ambition that stands in stunning contrast to his campaign promises to end foreign entanglements and never play the role of the world's police. Iran has already retaliated, firing missiles at U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, with Houthi rebels in Yemen threatening to resume Red Sea shipping strikes and Hezbollah calling for regional unity against the U.S. and Israel. While a free Iran could indeed be transformational, the hard, inconvenient questions are piling up fast: What happens when the next terror attack comes in response? Who pays to rebuild Iran after we've bombed it — the same taxpayers already on the hook for Gaza and Venezuela? How does Congress respond to a president who, legal scholars argue, went to war without authorization, relying on a constitutionally dubious Article II justification even thinner than the case for Iraq? The strikes came hours after Oman's foreign minister reported "significant progress" in nuclear negotiations, making this a war of choice that blindsided America's own diplomatic efforts. Today's bombs may be the easy part — the next six months, as the law of unintended consequences takes hold across a destabilized Middle East, will be the real reckoning for a country that was told, repeatedly, it was done doing exactly this. Timeline: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction - Trump strikes Iran with help from Israel 00:30 Trump campaigned against being the world’s police & war with Iran 01:45 A free Iran would be great and transformational for the world 03:30 There will a terror attack somewhere in response 04:45 Good luck explaining to taxpayers that we’re rebuilding Iran 05:15 Rebuilding Gaza, Venezuela and now Iran are our responsibility? 06:30 How will congress respond? 07:30 Trump went to war with less evidence than Bush in Iraq 09:00 The law of unintended consequences is in full effect 10:30 The Iranian regime is horrible, but Trump owes Americans an explanation 12:30 Trump ignored the constitution here, but congress has been impotent 14:00 Today is the easy part, the hard part is the next 6 months 16:15 What we’re doing is exactly what Trump said he’d never do 18:15 The country is tired of intervention around the worldSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political analyst, Chuck Todd, joined Arizona's Morning News to talk about FBI Director, Kash Patel seen celebrating with the U.S. men's hockey team after their gold medal win against Canada. And of course, Todd gave us his thoughts on the State of the Union Address.

Chuck Todd with his State of the Union analysis Andrea Cabral discusses the 'Dalilah Law' & Trump's proposal to target immigrant driver's licenses and how it would impact Mass, which passed the Work and Family Mobility Act in 2023.Shirley Leung discusses her reporting on deaths of homeless people outside South Station ... plus, the surge on pot shops during the winter storm.

Chuck Todd unpacks the fallout from Trump's State of the Union address and previews what's shaping up to be a pivotal primary season. He argues that the speech wasn't designed to be coherent — it was engineered for social media moments and base solidification, with Trump drafting off the popularity of others like the Olympic hockey team rather than making a case to swing voters, and echoing Biden's mistake of trying to sell a country that doesn't feel it on the economy. He breaks down the JD Vance "fraud czar" announcement and the immediate move to suspend Medicaid funding to Minnesota as classic base-juicing, then pivots to a sharp analysis of the Iran standoff: Trump's base won't tolerate a prolonged war but might accept limited strikes, Iran knows this and could rope-a-dope the administration, and you can't air strike your way to regime change. He argues that Cuba on the brink of societal collapse with Cuban Americans eager to help rebuild — represents a far easier foreign policy win that Trump is inexplicably ignoring. He then turns to the Texas primaries, where Cornyn has trailed Paxton in every poll and likely can't win without a Trump endorsement, while the Crockett-Talarico Democratic race is showing Clinton-Sanders demographic splits with Crockett leading among groups more likely to actually vote. He notes that many of Chuck Schumer's recruited candidates nationally are already losing, and that the establishment is deeply unpopular this cycle — with a new poll showing insurgent Graham Platner crushing Janet Mills by 40 points as further proof that 2026 is shaping up as an anti-establishment wave. Katherine Mangu-Ward — editor-in-chief of Reason magazine and author of the viral New York Times op-ed "Libertarians: We Told You So" — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a sharp, wide-ranging conversation about what the libertarian moment looks like when executive power has run amok. She opens with a disarming observation: Americans tend to discover their inner libertarian whenever they dislike the president — and notes that a version of her op-ed could have been written under Biden too. But the Trump era, she argues, has vindicated libertarian warnings in ways that should alarm everyone: warrantless ICE entries that have silenced the very conservatives who once championed the Fourth Amendment, tech CEO congressional hearings that were really about locking in corporate access to state power, and a cronyism so brazen it has paradoxically made citizens hate corporations more than the government enabling them. The conversation takes a fascinating turn into policy territory rarely explored on political podcasts. Mangu-Ward engages seriously with the question of whether there's a libertarian case for nationalized healthcare. They also tackle Trump turning Democrats into free-trade activists, the risks of economic nationalism, why demands for safety net cuts fall far short of solving the budget problem, and the fine line between prediction markets and sportsbooks. Looking ahead to 2026, Mangu-Ward points to Arizona — a state that has always produced what she calls "mutant strains" of libertarianism — as the place to watch for whether libertarian-leaning candidates can finally break through at the ballot box. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and explains his beef with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 04:00 Initial fallout from Trump’s State of the Union speech 05:45 Trump’s focus is to solidify his base, not reach swing voters 07:00 Speech wasn’t coherent, it was meant for social media moments 07:45 Trump tried to draft on the popularity of others during speech 08:30 Like Biden, Trump tried to sell the country that the economy is working 10:30 Trump announced JD Vance as “fraud czar” 11:15 Vance announces they’ll suspend Medicaid funding to Minnesota 12:15 Trump isn’t politically nimble, but knows how to juice the base 13:15 Trump’s speech only played one note to his base 15:30 It’s tough to understand what Trump is up to with Iran 16:15 Trump’s base won’t accept a prolonged war with Iran, just limited strikes 17:00 Iran knows Trump’s base isn’t on board, could rope-a-dope him 18:45 You can’t air strike your way to regime change… so what’s the plan? 20:00 25% chance of regime change, 25% chance it strengthens regime 21:15 Trump’s impatience is one of his worst political instincts 22:15 Cuba is on the brink of societal/regime collapse 23:00 Cuban Americans would jump at opportunity to rebuild Cuba 24:15 Cuba is a much easier potential foreign policy victory for Trump 25:30 War with Iran could be a massive resource drain on the U.S. 26:00 Primary season about to kick off, starting with Texas 26:30 What happens in Dem primary, will affect GOP runoff 27:15 Cornyn has trailed Paxton in every poll 28:30 Cornyn can’t win without Trump’s endorsement 30:15 Divide between Talarico and Crockett has been fascinating 30:45 Bernie Sanders & AOC have stayed out of Texas primary 32:00 If 3rd candidate gets over 3 points, real chance of Dem runoff 33:00 Polling for Talarico/Crockett shows similar splits to Clinton/Sanders 33:45 Crockett ahead with demographic groups more likely to vote 35:00 Talarico is trying to tout his electability in the general 36:00 It’s hard to know whether Talarico or Crockett is more electable 39:00 If Talarico wins, it might force Trump off the fence & to back Cornyn 40:30 It will be hard for Dems to win in Texas, but it will be competitive 41:15 Many people are betting Talarico will be the next Pete Buttigieg 42:15 New poll shows Graham Platner beating Janet Mills by 40 points 44:00 Many candidates Chuck Schumer recruited are losing 45:15 The establishment is deeply unpopular this year 54:30 Katherine Mangu-Ward joins the Chuck ToddCast 55:30 We’re all more libertarian when we don’t like the president 56:15 Motivation for writing NYT op-ed “Libertarians: We Told You So” 58:00 Libertarian has been typically conservative in western U.S. 59:00 Kentucky has been sending most libertarians to congress 1:00:00 Different version of Op-ed could have been written under Biden 1:01:45 American elections recently haven’t given anyone a mandate 1:03:00 Supreme Court begged congress to do their job in tariff decision 1:04:30 Where are the conservatives now that warrantless entries are happening? 1:06:00 Trump has bullied out libertarians and unsupportive Republicans 1:08:15 Biggest worries about big tech are worries about the state 1:09:45 Don’t want big tech to enable state actions against individual rights 1:11:45 We might need a cultural sea change for congress to rein in big tech 1:13:15 Trump’s cronyism has made citizens hate only corporations, not government 1:14:00 Less government reduces opportunity for cronyism 1:16:00 Tech CEO hearings were CEOs trying to lock in their place 1:17:00 Market discipline does seem to be working in the AI space 1:18:30 Where is some government regulation acceptable for libertarians? 1:20:30 Trump has turned Democrats into free-trade activists 1:22:00 The risks of economic nationalism 1:24:30 Where do libertarians draw the line on the social safety net? 1:25:15 Demands for safety net cuts fall very short of solving budget problem 1:27:00 Student loan debt forgiveness would benefit higher earners 1:28:30 More people want government to have a larger role 1:30:45 Is there a libertarian argument for nationalized healthcare? 1:32:45 Regulation in healthcare & childcare have exploded costs 1:35:00 Market forces haven’t worked in healthcare pricing 1:36:30 We’re being lied to about pricing practices in healthcare 1:37:45 Should insurance be able to price based on preexisting conditions? 1:39:30 Catastrophic coverage is basically illegal now 1:40:45 We should just pay out of pocket for small, regular procedures 1:42:15 Charity or government subsidies should assist preexisting conditions 1:45:00 How would a libertarian clean up the prediction markets? 1:47:30 Not a major difference between prediction markets & sportsbooks 1:50:00 Will libertarians have a moment at the ballot box in 2026? 1:50:45 Arizona has always produced mutant strains of libertarian 1:54:00 Arizona has always been libertarian socially & economically 1:55:30 It’d be interesting to hear a libertarian proposal for healthcare 1:56:00 Ask Chuck 1:56:15 Will Republicans divert focus from anti-trans rhetoric to the economy? 1:59:00 Trump’s three part strategy to State of the Union? 2:02:45 Does America’s GDP actually translate to a higher standard of living? 2:05:30 How can Florida's government function without property tax? 2:09:30 After the TX & NC primaries, will GOP candidates distance from Trump? 2:12:45 Thoughts on the Rock & Roll Hall of FameSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd unpacks the fallout from Trump's State of the Union address and previews what's shaping up to be a pivotal primary season. He argues that the speech wasn't designed to be coherent — it was engineered for social media moments and base solidification, with Trump drafting off the popularity of others like the Olympic hockey team rather than making a case to swing voters, and echoing Biden's mistake of trying to sell a country that doesn't feel it on the economy. He breaks down the JD Vance "fraud czar" announcement and the immediate move to suspend Medicaid funding to Minnesota as classic base-juicing, then pivots to a sharp analysis of the Iran standoff: Trump's base won't tolerate a prolonged war but might accept limited strikes, Iran knows this and could rope-a-dope the administration, and you can't air strike your way to regime change. He argues that Cuba on the brink of societal collapse with Cuban Americans eager to help rebuild — represents a far easier foreign policy win that Trump is inexplicably ignoring. He then turns to the Texas primaries, where Cornyn has trailed Paxton in every poll and likely can't win without a Trump endorsement, while the Crockett-Talarico Democratic race is showing Clinton-Sanders demographic splits with Crockett leading among groups more likely to actually vote. He notes that many of Chuck Schumer's recruited candidates nationally are already losing, and that the establishment is deeply unpopular this cycle — with a new poll showing insurgent Graham Platner crushing Janet Mills by 40 points as further proof that 2026 is shaping up as an anti-establishment wave. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and explains his beef with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:45 Initial fallout from Trump’s State of the Union speech 03:30 Trump’s focus is to solidify his base, not reach swing voters 04:45 Speech wasn’t coherent, it was meant for social media moments 05:30 Trump tried to draft on the popularity of others during speech 06:15 Like Biden, Trump tried to sell the country that the economy is working 08:15 Trump announced JD Vance as “fraud czar” 09:00 Vance announces they’ll suspend Medicaid funding to Minnesota 10:00 Trump isn’t politically nimble, but knows how to juice the base 11:00 Trump’s speech only played one note to his base 13:15 It’s tough to understand what Trump is up to with Iran 14:00 Trump’s base won’t accept a prolonged war with Iran, just limited strikes 14:45 Iran knows Trump’s base isn’t on board, could rope-a-dope him 16:30 You can’t air strike your way to regime change… so what’s the plan? 17:45 25% chance of regime change, 25% chance it strengthens regime 19:00 Trump’s impatience is one of his worst political instincts 20:00 Cuba is on the brink of societal/regime collapse 20:45 Cuban Americans would jump at opportunity to rebuild Cuba 22:00 Cuba is a much easier potential foreign policy victory for Trump 23:15 War with Iran could be a massive resource drain on the U.S. 23:45 Primary season about to kick off, starting with Texas 24:15 What happens in Dem primary, will affect GOP runoff 25:00 Cornyn has trailed Paxton in every poll 26:15 Cornyn can’t win without Trump’s endorsement 28:00 Divide between Talarico and Crockett has been fascinating 28:30 Bernie Sanders & AOC have stayed out of Texas primary 29:45 If 3rd candidate gets over 3 points, real chance of Dem runoff 30:45 Polling for Talarico/Crockett shows similar splits to Clinton/Sanders 31:30 Crockett ahead with demographic groups more likely to vote 32:45 Talarico is trying to tout his electability in the general 33:45 It’s hard to know whether Talarico or Crockett is more electable 36:45 If Talarico wins, it might force Trump off the fence & to back Cornyn 38:15 It will be hard for Dems to win in Texas, but it will be competitive 39:00 Many people are betting Talarico will be the next Pete Buttigieg 40:00 New poll shows Graham Platner beating Janet Mills by 40 points 41:45 Many candidates Chuck Schumer recruited are losing 43:00 The establishment is deeply unpopular this yearSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode recorded immediately after Trump's record-breaking 108-minute State of the Union address, Chuck Todd argues that while Trump's base will love the "own the libs" moments — from trolling Democrats in the chamber to the raucous "USA" chants from Republicans — the speech was fundamentally a missed opportunity that did nothing to help the GOP heading into the midterms. He contends that Trump chose to be a party leader rather than a president, turning the address into something resembling an award show by packing it with medal presentations, the Olympic men's hockey team, honorees who deserved more dedicated recognition rather than being used as applause props in an already bloated speech. He argues that Trump's tone on the economy couldn't have been worse for Republicans: with his approval at 60% disapproval and the Supreme Court having just struck down his tariffs days earlier, Trump barely addressed voters' core concerns about costs and affordability, instead declaring a "turnaround for the ages" that doesn't match most Americans' lived experience. He notes Trump’s highlighting of Iran's ballistic missiles sounded like a pretext for war that won't play well with parts of his own base. He praises Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's Democratic response as simple and effective — particularly her pointed questions about whether the president is actually working to make life more affordable — and argues she clearly won over independents. He closes with a bigger-picture observation: that there's a 60% majority coalition available on populist economic issues like protecting the safety net from cuts to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, but that Democrats still have a damaged brand despite Trump's terrible numbers, and that voters who thought they were getting first-term Trump are reckoning with something very different. Finally, Chuck presents his updated ToddCast Top 5 list of senate seats most likely to flip in the midterms and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 2:15 Trump’s base will love “own the libs” moments from SOTU 3:30 Most of Trump’s base was celebrating himself & animating his base 4:15 Trump’s tone on the economy couldn’t have been worse for GOP 5:30 Trump hid behind the glory of others, turned speech into award show 6:45 Awards are an incredible honor, deserved more time & recognition 8:30 Hopefully the recipients get dedicated events to honor them 9:00 Overloading the speech with awards felt a bit gimmicky 10:00 Trump mostly bit his tongue when addressing SCOTUS 10:30 Trump chose to be a party leader rather than president, trolled Dems 11:15 Spanberger’s response to SOTU was simple & effective 13:00 Spanberger definitely did better with independents than Trump 13:45 Trump’s proposal to make AI companies provide their power is a winner 14:15 Trump highlighting Iran’s ballistic missiles sounds like a pretext for war 15:30 Attacking Iran won’t play well with parts of Trump’s base 16:30 Trump didn’t talk about Venezuelan democracy, just oil 17:15 Trump’s still working with the Maduro regime 18:45 Are we trying to prevent Iranian nukes, or attempting regime change? 19:30 Trump claiming credit for getting Mexican cartel leader is a big faux pax 20:45 Allies feel like Trump will sell them out just so he can take credit 21:30 Trump didn’t address voters concerns on costs & the economy 22:45 Trump is better on the attack than defending his record 23:30 The speech didn’t give Republicans a boost for the midterms 24:30 Most Americans don’t support cutting safety net for tax cuts 26:30 There’s a 60% majority to be had on economic issues, not cultural ones 28:15 Voters keep picking the out party 29:30 There’s a majority coalition to be won with populist economic policy 31:30 This could be a moment for candidates to shed the party label 32:00 Democrats will have a strong midterm just being against Trump 32:45 Class politics could create a strong majority 34:30 Voters thought they’d get 1st term Trump, not what they’re getting 44:45 ToddCast Top senate seats most likely to flip in midterms 45:00 #1 North Carolina 46:45 #2 Maine 49:45 #3 Michigan 54:15 #4 Alaska 57:15 #5 Texas 1:02:30 Honorable mentions: South Dakota & Minnesota 1:07:30 Ask Chuck 1:07:45 Promoting tariffs & AI have to only be bad for Trump? 1:08:45 Can Republicans not endorsed by Trump win their primaries? 1:10:15 Will lifting pesticide bans cause MAHA voters to turn on Trump?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode recorded immediately after Trump's record-breaking 108-minute State of the Union address, Chuck Todd argues that while Trump's base will love the "own the libs" moments — from trolling Democrats in the chamber to the raucous "USA" chants from Republicans — the speech was fundamentally a missed opportunity that did nothing to help the GOP heading into the midterms. He contends that Trump chose to be a party leader rather than a president, turning the address into something resembling an award show by packing it with medal presentations, the Olympic men's hockey team, honorees who deserved more dedicated recognition rather than being used as applause props in an already bloated speech. He argues that Trump's tone on the economy couldn't have been worse for Republicans: with his approval at 60% disapproval and the Supreme Court having just struck down his tariffs days earlier, Trump barely addressed voters' core concerns about costs and affordability, instead declaring a "turnaround for the ages" that doesn't match most Americans' lived experience. He notes Trump’s highlighting of Iran's ballistic missiles sounded like a pretext for war that won't play well with parts of his own base. He praises Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger's Democratic response as simple and effective — particularly her pointed questions about whether the president is actually working to make life more affordable — and argues she clearly won over independents. He closes with a bigger-picture observation: that there's a 60% majority coalition available on populist economic issues like protecting the safety net from cuts to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, but that Democrats still have a damaged brand despite Trump's terrible numbers, and that voters who thought they were getting first-term Trump are reckoning with something very different. Then, Paul Auslander, President of SeaBridge Private Wealth, a division of SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about the intersection of money, markets, and the current political moment. Auslander walks through how the political climate now factors directly into financial planning projections, noting that European indices doubled the S&P's performance last year as capital flows shift overseas, and that a growing number of wealthy clients are hedging by moving money out of the United States. He offers candid takes on the issues keeping investors up at night: the inevitability of Social Security cuts (though he argues simply pushing retirement age from 67 to 69 would stabilize the fund), the likely future of Social Security privatization, crypto's evolution from a technological revolution into a special interest that bought its own policy outcomes, and whether there's money to be made off bad Trump policies that are likely to be reversed. Auslander also explains why the bond market is a better barometer of economic health than the stock market, why private equity is sitting on mountains of sidelined capital, and why he remains cautiously bullish on 2026 — largely because AI is only in the "second inning" and massive disruption is still ahead. The conversation also ventures into territory financial planners don't usually discuss publicly. Auslander addresses whether the wealthy are worried the "pitchforks are coming for them," pointing to economic anxiety driving a spike in gun sales and a pop culture landscape that increasingly portrays corporations and the ultra-rich as villains. He breaks down the rise of family offices — private wealth management firms for the ultra-wealthy that take a long-term investment view — and explains why companies increasingly choose to stay private thanks to nearly unlimited private capital, rather than face the scrutiny of public markets. They also dig into the generational divide between investing and gambling, the casino-like nature of prediction markets, and the burden that post-Lehman Brothers insurance and regulatory requirements have placed on small businesses and regional banks that had nothing to do with the 2008 financial crisis. Auslander closes with a pointed message: that Fed independence and the rule of law are paramount to economic stability, and that centrism — not ideological extremism — remains the best way to run the country. Finally, Chuck presents his updated ToddCast Top 5 list of senate seats most likely to flip in the midterms and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:15 Trump’s base will love “own the libs” moments from SOTU 04:30 Most of Trump’s base was celebrating himself & animating his base 05:15 Trump’s tone on the economy couldn’t have been worse for GOP 06:30 Trump hid behind the glory of others, turned speech into award show 07:45 Awards are an incredible honor, deserved more time & recognition 09:30 Hopefully the recipients get dedicated events to honor them 10:00 Overloading the speech with awards felt a bit gimmicky 11:00 Trump mostly bit his tongue when addressing SCOTUS 11:30 Trump chose to be a party leader rather than president, trolled Dems 12:15 Spanberger’s response to SOTU was simple & effective 14:00 Spanberger definitely did better with independents than Trump 14:45 Trump’s proposal to make AI companies provide their power is a winner 15:15 Trump highlighting Iran’s ballistic missiles sounds like a pretext for war 16:30 Attacking Iran won’t play well with parts of Trump’s base 17:30 Trump didn’t talk about Venezuelan democracy, just oil 18:15 Trump’s still working with the Maduro regime 19:45 Are we trying to prevent Iranian nukes, or attempting regime change? 20:30 Trump claiming credit for getting Mexican cartel leader is a big faux pax 21:45 Allies feel like Trump will sell them out just so he can take credit 22:30 Trump didn’t address voters concerns on costs & the economy 23:45 Trump is better on the attack than defending his record 24:30 The speech didn’t give Republicans a boost for the midterms 25:30 Most Americans don’t support cutting safety net for tax cuts 27:30 There’s a 60% majority to be had on economic issues, not cultural ones 29:15 Voters keep picking the out party 30:30 There’s a majority coalition to be won with populist economic policy 32:30 This could be a moment for candidates to shed the party label 33:00 Democrats will have a strong midterm just being against Trump 33:45 Class politics could create a strong majority 35:30 Voters thought they’d get 1st term Trump, not what they’re getting 45:30 Paul Auslander joins the Chuck ToddCast 47:00 Paul’s origin story 48:15 Financial planning was mostly done by insurance companies in 70’s 49:00 Northerners move to FL for taxes & weather, but FL is pushing it socially 51:30 Fiduciary responsibility is the line of demarcation in financial planning 52:30 Factoring the political climate into financial planning projections 54:00 European index doubled the performance of the S&P last year 55:00 Tax policy is generally the biggest concern for investors 57:30 A cut to social security payments is bound to happen 58:30 If you push retirement from 67 to 69 the SS fund becomes healthy 1:00:45 Social security privatization likely to happen in the future 1:02:45 Money to be made off bad Trump policies that are likely to go away? 1:03:45 Crypto became a special interest & bought support for pro crypto policy 1:05:30 Crypto is a revolution that predates Trump & will outlast him 1:07:00 Lesson to be learned from rise then collapse in price of silver? 1:08:00 Central banks are buying silver, gold and assets 1:09:30 How many people are hedging by moving money out of the U.S.? 1:10:15 Europe is spending big money on arms & infrastructure 1:11:30 Definition of a “Family Office” 1:14:00 Family office investments are increasingly popular & take the long view 1:15:30 Are the investors/wealthy worried the pitchforks are coming for them? 1:17:00 Economic anxiety driving a spike in gun sales 1:18:30 Pop culture portrays corporations & wealthy as the villains 1:20:00 Private equity has a lot of money on the sideline, looking for investments 1:23:00 The burden of insurance requirements on small business 1:25:30 Small & regional banks paying for the sins of Lehman Brothers 1:26:30 Companies stay private due to near unlimited private capital 1:27:15 Do young people like investing… or do they just like gambling? 1:28:15 Thoughts on prediction markets? 1:29:30 There’s a casino like approach to certain markets 1:30:45 If the house flips, you could see money get withdrawn from markets 1:32:00 How do Trump’s relationships with world leaders affect projections? 1:33:15 The bond market is more indicative of economic health than stock market 1:34:15 Uncertainty will impact earnings 1:34:45 Why are you feeling bullish on 2026? 1:37:00 AI is only in the 2nd inning. Disruption is coming 1:40:00 Thom Tillis sounds like a different man now that he’s retiring 1:41:00 Centrism seems like the best way to run the country 1:43:00 AI won’t be replacing financial advisors anytime soon 1:45:15 What’s one question you want every presidential candidate to answer? 1:45:45 Fed independence and rule of law are paramount 1:47:30 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Paul Auslander 1:48:45 ToddCast Top senate seats most likely to flip in midterms 1:49:00 #1 North Carolina 1:50:45 #2 Maine 1:53:45 #3 Michigan 1:58:15 #4 Alaska 2:01:15 #5 Texas 2:06:30 Honorable mentions: South Dakota & Minnesota 2:11:30 Ask Chuck 2:11:45 Promoting tariffs & AI have to only be bad for Trump? 2:12:45 Can Republicans not endorsed by Trump win their primaries? 2:14:15 Will lifting pesticide bans cause MAHA voters to turn on Trump?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd argues that the United States is in an especially precarious moment of Trump's presidency — but that the guardrails of American democracy are proving they still exist. Todd breaks down the ruling's implications, noting that without tariff revenue the already ballooning U.S. budget deficit will accelerate, and that the coming chaos over refunds for billions in illegally collected duties will be a mess for businesses, consumers, and the trade deals that were negotiated under a now-invalidated framework. He highlights the emerging three distinct wings of the Supreme Court — with Gorsuch writing a pointed concurrence calling out his colleagues, Kavanaugh dissenting on foreign policy grounds, and the liberal justices joining Roberts on textual grounds — and argues the ruling reflects the public's own disapproval of Trump, which a new poll now places at 60% disapproval. He reserves his sharpest commentary for Trump's reaction: rather than pivot, the president attacked his own Supreme Court appointees for disloyalty and accused the Court of "foreign influence," a response Chuck calls a gift to Democrats and a sign that Trump is terrified dissent will become contagious among Republicans. Chuck also cautions that Democrats shouldn't celebrate too much — their brand remains damaged despite Trump's cratering numbers — and offers a counterintuitive observation: that Trump's greatest weakness isn't his authoritarian instincts but his laziness, arguing that his reliance on emergency powers is a shortcut to avoid the hard work of legislating. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the Reichstag fire & how Hitler was able to turn Germany’s democracy into a dictatorship through the use of emergency powers he was granted. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:45 We are in an especially precarious moment of Trump’s presidency 7:15 Supreme Court tariff ruling shows the guardrails still exist 8:00 Without tariffs, U.S. budget deficit will grow even faster 9:45 Trump plans on going down with the ship, may sink GOP 11:45 Courts ruling wasn’t surprising, tariff authority belongs to congress 13:15 Gorsuch called out his colleagues in his opinion 14:45 Kavanaugh’s dissent argued tariffs as a foreign policy issue 16:45 There are three distinct wings in this Supreme Court 18:30 Ruling reflects the public's disapproval of Trump 20:00 We saw tariff price spikes in Q4, ruling would help GOP 20:45 Trump’s response was to attack his own appointees for disloyalty 22:30 Trump lashed out, afraid dissent will become contagious 23:30 Trump accused SCOTUS of “foreign influence” 26:00 Trump is too lazy to become one of history’s worst autocrats 27:45 Trump’s laziness is his greatest weakness 29:15 Emergency powers are a shortcut to avoid legislating 30:45 Chaos is coming, people will want refunds for illegal tariffs 32:30 Consumption taxes put the burden on lower income people 34:00 Fallout from the ruling will be a mess for businesses 34:45 What will happen to trade deals that were cut based on illegal tariffs? 35:15 Trump has alienated every major ally the U.S. has 36:15 Trump is vulnerable to Republicans walking away from him 38:30 Trump reaction to tariffs was a gift to the Democrats 40:15 New poll shows Trump’s disapproval at 60% 41:45 Democrats brand still bad despite Trump’s terrible approval 52:30 ToddCast Time Machine - February 27th, 1933 53:00 Reichstag fire gave Hitler emergency powers 53:45 Germany’s economy had been devastated 55:00 In three years, Germany cycled through three unstable governments 56:00 German elites thought they could use Hitler’s popularity & manage him 57:00 Whether Nazi’s helped, or just exploited the fire is still debated 58:15 Reichstag Fire decree suspended civil liberties 59:30 Enabling Act allowed Hitler to legislate without parliamentary approval 1:00:15 The German dictatorship was created via constitutional rules 1:01:30 Emergency powers aren’t always authoritarian, it’s who uses them 1:02:30 Ask Chuck 1:02:45 Why does populism lead to antisemitism? 1:06:15 Is this the administration that’s run the most like a business? 1:11:30 Starting to see Republicans breaking with Trump? 1:13:30 What if the Constitutional Convention had not been held in summer? 1:16:30 Thoughts on Gallup ending presidential tracking, NJ-11 election? 1:23:30 Need for regulation on prediction markets 1:25:30 What’s going on with Virginia’s redistricting effort? 1:30:30 Does international diplomacy have a greater impact on the president's legacy?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd argues that the United States is in an especially precarious moment of Trump's presidency — but that the guardrails of American democracy are proving they still exist. Todd breaks down the ruling's implications, noting that without tariff revenue the already ballooning U.S. budget deficit will accelerate, and that the coming chaos over refunds for billions in illegally collected duties will be a mess for businesses, consumers, and the trade deals that were negotiated under a now-invalidated framework. He highlights the emerging three distinct wings of the Supreme Court — with Gorsuch writing a pointed concurrence calling out his colleagues, Kavanaugh dissenting on foreign policy grounds, and the liberal justices joining Roberts on textual grounds — and argues the ruling reflects the public's own disapproval of Trump, which a new poll now places at 60% disapproval. He reserves his sharpest commentary for Trump's reaction: rather than pivot, the president attacked his own Supreme Court appointees for disloyalty and accused the Court of "foreign influence," a response Chuck calls a gift to Democrats and a sign that Trump is terrified dissent will become contagious among Republicans. Chuck also cautions that Democrats shouldn't celebrate too much — their brand remains damaged despite Trump's cratering numbers — and offers a counterintuitive observation: that Trump's greatest weakness isn't his authoritarian instincts but his laziness, arguing that his reliance on emergency powers is a shortcut to avoid the hard work of legislating. Then, Emmy Award-winning director and Academy Award nominee Geeta Gandbhir joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss her critically acclaimed Netflix documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which uses years of police bodycam footage to reconstruct the events leading to the 2023 fatal shooting of Ajike Owens by her neighbor Susan Lorincz in Ocala, Florida. Gandbhir reveals that Owens was a personal friend of her family — her sister-in-law's best friend — and that the film was never initially planned as a documentary; she and her partner went to Florida to support the family and keep the story in the news, fearing Lorincz would walk free under Florida's stand your ground laws. The Sundance Directing Award winner explains how the production team obtained the bodycam footage through the family's attorneys, Benjamin Crump and Anthony Thomas, and describes the rare experience of having not just the aftermath but years of "before" footage — creating a slow-building tension she compares to Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity. Gandbhir emphasizes that the film doesn't preach; it simply presents the chronology and lets the audience decide. The conversation goes deeper into the systemic failures the footage revealed: Lorincz was the only person in the neighborhood who repeatedly called police, yet officers saw her as a nuisance rather than a threat — her whiteness, Gandbhir argues, shielding her from scrutiny. Police never checked whether Lorincz owned a gun, and in other states, her pattern of behavior would have resulted in harassment charges long before the shooting. Gandbhir explains why the case resulted in a manslaughter conviction rather than a more serious charge, advocates for the eradication of stand your ground laws that exist in 38 states, and makes a compelling case that some police funding would be better directed toward social workers and mental health professionals. She also reflects on what the film has meant to Owens' four children and their family, the power of bodycam footage as both a tool for truth and a potential instrument of surveillance, and what a potential Academy Award would mean — not for herself, but as a platform to drive real change. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the Reichstag fire & how Hitler was able to turn Germany’s democracy into a dictatorship through the use of emergency powers he was granted. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Go to https://zbiotics.com/CHUCKTODDCAST and use CHUCKTODDCAST at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.” Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:45 We are in an especially precarious moment of Trump’s presidency 08:30 Supreme Court tariff ruling shows the guardrails still exist 09:15 Without tariffs, U.S. budget deficit will grow even faster 11:00 Trump plans on going down with the ship, may sink GOP 13:00 Courts ruling wasn’t surprising, tariff authority belongs to congress 14:30 Gorsuch called out his colleagues in his opinion 16:00 Kavanaugh’s dissent argued tariffs as a foreign policy issue 18:00 There are three distinct wings in this Supreme Court 19:45 Ruling reflects the public's disapproval of Trump 21:15 We saw tariff price spikes in Q4, ruling would help GOP 22:00 Trump’s response was to attack his own appointees for disloyalty 23:45 Trump lashed out, afraid dissent will become contagious 24:45 Trump accused SCOTUS of “foreign influence” 27:15 Trump is too lazy to become one of history’s worst autocrats 29:00 Trump’s laziness is his greatest weakness 30:30 Emergency powers are a shortcut to avoid legislating 32:00 Chaos is coming, people will want refunds for illegal tariffs 33:45 Consumption taxes put the burden on lower income people 35:15 Fallout from the ruling will be a mess for businesses 36:00 What will happen to trade deals that were cut based on illegal tariffs? 36:30 Trump has alienated every major ally the U.S. has 37:30 Trump is vulnerable to Republicans walking away from him 39:45 Trump reaction to tariffs was a gift to the Democrats 41:30 New poll shows Trump’s disapproval at 60% 43:00 Democrats brand still bad despite Trump’s terrible approval 52:00 Geeta Gandbhir joins the Chuck ToddCast 52:45 “The Perfect Neighbor” isn’t a gun story, it’s a societal story 53:30 How important is a potential Academy Award for you? 54:15 Awards give you a platform to talk about issues & bring change 55:00 Film produced independently, then Netflix gave it a huge platform 56:00 How close did you follow this story in real time? 56:30 Ajike Owens was a personal friend of Geeta 57:45 There’s so much gun violence, individual stories don’t break through 58:45 The production team received body cam footage from family lawyers 1:00:00 We usually see the aftermath of shootings, rarely the before footage 1:01:45 Needed to understand chronology of body cam footage 1:03:00 Film’s tension building compared to Blair Witch & Paranormal Activity 1:03:45 Racial justice/tension movies can make for a difficult watch 1:04:45 Movie doesn’t preach, just shows the event & let’s audience decide 1:06:30 Footage portrayed a working class, striving community 1:08:00 Everyone knows the Susan Lorincz, “get off my lawn” type character 1:08:45 No understanding of why Susan Lorincz was so broken as a person 1:11:30 Lorincz was the only woman in the neighborhood that complained to police 1:12:15 This didn’t feel like manslaughter, it felt pre-meditated 1:13:00 Prosecutors felt a manslaughter charge would be easier to convict 1:13:30 Hope DeSantis understands the damage stand your ground laws cause 1:14:45 If there was no body camera footage, Susan could have walked 1:16:00 Police bodycams should be on at all times to prevent distortion of truth 1:16:45 Bodycam footage is a double edged sword, can be used for surveillance 1:17:30 Original footage included protests, funerals & B-roll of the neighborhood 1:19:15 Neighbors had a very visceral reaction to the film, but did find it therapeutic 1:20:45 Having body camera footage could have prevented historical race riots 1:22:15 The ultimate hope is to eradicate “stand your ground” laws 1:23:15 There’s power in telling a true story with unscripted footage 1:25:30 Ajike Owens was a bright young woman with a promising future 1:26:45 How are her children doing? 1:28:15 Watching the grief of the children was devastating & powerful 1:29:30 Family wanted the world to see their grief 1:30:00 Hope the film can inform police training 1:30:45 In other states, Susan would have been charged for nuisance or harassment 1:32:00 Some police funding would be better spent on social workers, psychiatrists etc 1:33:15 It felt like police didn’t know how to handle Susan 1:34:45 Police saw Susan as a nuisance, not a threat. Her whiteness protected her 1:36:30 Susan seemed to be a loner & clearly always miserable 1:37:30 Police never checked into whether Susan was a gun owner 1:38:30 What type of projects are you working on next? 1:39:45 Another documentary will be announced in a couple weeks 1:41:00 Telling the story in a visual medium reaches people who don’t read 1:43:00 Comedy and humor is a great way to teach 1:43:30 How do you use AI, what are you comfortable with, what will you fight? 1:47:15 ToddCast Time Machine - February 27th, 1933 1:47:45 Reichstag fire gave Hitler emergency powers 1:48:30 Germany’s economy had been devastated 1:49:45 In three years, Germany cycled through three unstable governments 1:50:45 German elites thought they could use Hitler’s popularity & manage him 1:51:45 Whether Nazi’s helped, or just exploited the fire is still debated 1:53:00 Reichstag Fire decree suspended civil liberties 1:54:15 Enabling Act allowed Hitler to legislate without parliamentary approval 1:55:00 The German dictatorship was created via constitutional rules 1:56:15 Emergency powers aren’t always authoritarian, it’s who uses them 1:57:15 Ask Chuck 1:57:30 Why does populism lead to antisemitism? 2:01:00 Is this the administration that’s run the most like a business? 2:06:15 Starting to see Republicans breaking with Trump? 2:08:15 What if the Constitutional Convention had not been held in summer? 2:11:15 Thoughts on Gallup ending presidential tracking, NJ-11 election? 2:18:15 Need for regulation on prediction markets 2:20:15 What’s going on with Virginia’s redistricting effort? 2:25:15 Does international diplomacy have a greater impact on the president's legacy?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Save America Act is continuing to make its way through Congress. Political Analyst Chuck Todd explains how this will impact Arizona.

In this breaking-news episode recorded immediately after the Supreme Court's landmark 6-3 ruling striking down Trump's sweeping tariffs under IEEPA, Chuck Todd breaks down what he calls one of the most consequential decisions of the Trump era — and argues the Court did elected Republicans an enormous favor. Chief Justice Roberts, joined by Gorsuch, Barrett, and the three liberal justices, ruled that the 1977 emergency powers law "does not authorize the President to impose tariffs," leaving only Thomas, Alito, and Kavanaugh in dissent — a split Chuck argues should have been 9-0 given that the Constitution plainly gives Congress the power of the purse. He contends that the 6-3 margin is critical because it prevents Trump from framing the decision as a partisan attack, and gives congressional Republicans cover to move on from a policy that has devastated America's farm economy, spooked markets with uncertainty, and could now require the Treasury to refund an estimated $175 billion to importers. With Trump calling the ruling "a disgrace" and his State of the Union address just days away, Chuck notes the president has a lot of explaining to do — particularly since he could have sought tariff authority from Congress in the spring of 2025 when he had the political capital, but instead chose to go it alone through executive action. Trump, Chuck concludes, is a huge loser here, and the uncertainty is far from over. Timeline: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s intro - Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs 00:45 SCOTUS did elected Republicans a favor 02:00 Trump doesn’t have the votes in congress to enact tariffs 03:00 There’s a ton of uncertainty coming from this ruling 04:45 Trump has a lot of explain to do at State of the Union 06:00 Alito & Thomas always side with Trump, Kavanaugh mostly 06:45 Congress has power of purse, ruling should have been 9-0 09:00 Supreme Court has given Republicans cover 10:15 Tariffs have been devastating to America’s farm economy 11:45 Markets face a ton of uncertainty 12:30 6-3 ruling means it won’t be viewed as a partisan decision 13:00 Trump is a huge loser here 14:30 Trump could have gotten tariff authority from congress in Spring ‘25 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd tackles three fast-moving stories shaping the political landscape. First, he digs into the escalating Iran crisis, where the Trump administration has deployed two aircraft carriers, hundreds of fighter jets, and a dozen warships to the Middle East — what Todd calls military adventurism without the consent of Congress. With nuclear talks in Geneva producing no breakthrough and Trump advisers saying there's a 90% chance of kinetic action in the coming weeks, Todd warns that history says hot intervention is coming and that the U.S. may have gone too far to back down, while cautioning that any regime change scenario means America would own the outcome — a lesson the country should have learned from its disastrous track record in Iran. From there, he turns to the Texas Senate race, which he calls an all-timer, breaking down the volatile primaries on both sides: Ken Paxton leading despite millions spent by the GOP establishment to take him down, the tight Crockett-Talarico Democratic primary, and the explosive Colbert-CBS controversy — in which CBS lawyers blocked Colbert from airing a Talarico interview over FCC "equal time" threats, only for the resulting firestorm to generate millions more views on YouTube than it ever would have gotten on broadcast, making Jasmine Crockett the quiet loser in the saga. Todd closes with a sharp critique of crypto's financial coercion of the Democratic Party — pointing to Chuck Schumer reportedly urging Senate Democrats to get on crypto's side after the industry spent heavily to defeat Sherrod Brown — and a Potomac sewage dump that underscores how even basic governance has become hostage to political blame games. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 2:15 Are we about to go to war with Iran? 3:15 This is military adventurism without consent of congress 4:15 We’ve moved a massive amount of military assets to Middle East 5:30 It’s possible this is all posturing for negotiations 7:45 Does Trump have room to back down, or will it only escalate? 8:45 Will Trump want part of Iran’s oil business in order to back down? 9:15 History says hot military intervention is coming, best not miss 10:15 If we get involved in regime change then we own it 11:15 It feels like we’ve gone too far to back down 13:00 American interventions in Iran have gone terribly in the past 13:45 A democratic Iran would be amazing, but dictating outcomes is hard 14:15 The Texas senate race is becoming an all-timer 15:45 Polls have shown Crockett ahead of Talarico 16:15 Establishment GOP feels Paxton is unelectable 17:00 Millions have been spent by GOP to beat Paxton, he’s still leading 18:30 Paxton’s numbers have gotten worse in general, not benefiting Cornyn 19:15 Both Talarico & Crockett lead Paxton in recent polls 19:45 Democrats are getting help from GOP softening up their nominee 21:45 What’s the path for Coryn to get to 50% + 1? 23:15 Colbert interview with Talarico yanked by CBS due to FCC threats 23:45 The controversy generated millions more views than it would have 25:15 What the “equal time rule” actually states 26:15 Don’t know if either side, Colbert or CBS is giving the full story 27:15 Jasmine Crockett is the loser here 29:15 The unanswered questions from the Colbert controversy persist 31:45 This controversy has been a massive boon for Talarico 33:30 Chuck Schumer begging senate Dems to get to crypto’s side 34:15 This goes beyond lobbying, this is financial coercion 35:00 Crypto used their money to defeat & make example of Sherrod Brown 36:45 Big money is threatening dissent in politics 38:45 Schumer is saying when opponent has enough money, you must appease 39:30 Trump only wants to point fingers over sewage dump in Potomac 40:45 We can’t deal with disaster only based on politics 41:45 Can we stop the blame game and just fix the problem? 42:45 Lack of local coverage from WaPo has been a glaring issue 51:45 George Conway makes a persuasive argument for impeachment 54:15 History will be kinder if we use the constitution to throw out Trump 55:00 Ask Chuck 55:15 Why not give Trump accolades in exchange for good policy? 57:30 Fresh candidates on the pod restoring a sense of optimism 1:00:15 Did the Inflation Reduction Act include EPA’s ability to regulate air pollution? 1:04:15 Book recommendations for understanding fall of the Ottoman empire? 1:06:45 Which house races are you watching closely and why? 1:09:00 Not as optimistic about passing constitutional amendments 1:11:45 How did the one-term presidents lose if they weren’t politically astute?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

*Disclaimer* This episode contains strong language Chuck Todd tackles three fast-moving stories shaping the political landscape. First, he digs into the escalating Iran crisis, where the Trump administration has deployed two aircraft carriers, hundreds of fighter jets, and a dozen warships to the Middle East — what Todd calls military adventurism without the consent of Congress. With nuclear talks in Geneva producing no breakthrough and Trump advisers saying there's a 90% chance of kinetic action in the coming weeks, Todd warns that history says hot intervention is coming and that the U.S. may have gone too far to back down, while cautioning that any regime change scenario means America would own the outcome — a lesson the country should have learned from its disastrous track record in Iran. From there, he turns to the Texas Senate race, which he calls an all-timer, breaking down the volatile primaries on both sides: Ken Paxton leading despite millions spent by the GOP establishment to take him down, the tight Crockett-Talarico Democratic primary, and the explosive Colbert-CBS controversy — in which CBS lawyers blocked Colbert from airing a Talarico interview over FCC "equal time" threats, only for the resulting firestorm to generate millions more views on YouTube than it ever would have gotten on broadcast, making Jasmine Crockett the quiet loser in the saga. Todd closes with a sharp critique of crypto's financial coercion of the Democratic Party — pointing to Chuck Schumer reportedly urging Senate Democrats to get on crypto's side after the industry spent heavily to defeat Sherrod Brown — and a Potomac sewage dump that underscores how even basic governance has become hostage to political blame games. Then, George Conway — the conservative lawyer turned leading Trump critic, Lincoln Project co-founder, and now Democratic congressional candidate in New York — joins the Chuck Toddcast for an urgent, no-holds-barred conversation about what he sees as an existential crisis for American constitutional government. Conway, who became a Republican in the 1980s as a "legal conservative" grounded in the Constitution, argues that the party he once joined is now unrecognizable, and that young people have been led to believe conservatism and Trumpism are the same thing. He makes an impassioned case that a third impeachment of Trump isn't just politically justified but a constitutional imperative, warning that Trump is psychologically deteriorating while controlling the military and nuclear arsenal, creating a domestic army through ICE, and presiding over what Conway calls the most corrupt government in America's 250-year history. He points to Mitch McConnell's failure to vote for conviction during the second impeachment trial as the hinge point that could have changed everything — and argues that if impeachment doesn't apply to what Trump has done, the mechanism has no meaning. The conversation goes beyond Trump himself into deeper structural questions about how to repair American democracy. Conway endorses the bipartisan constitutional amendment circulating in the House to nullify presidential pardons — citing Trump intermediaries allegedly being paid for sold pardons — but argues that statutory fixes will be more achievable than amendments, and that Congress needs to codify the old "norms" into enforceable law. He argues that that Democrats should fight fire with fire, with Chuck warning it only feeds whataboutism, and makes the case for incrementalism and welcoming converts rather than saying "I told you so" — pointing to figures like Marjorie Taylor Greene as case studies in evolving away from Trump. Throughout, Conway returns to a central theme: that no positive policy agenda is possible until the current constitutional crisis is resolved, and that America simply cannot survive three more years of a government working to serve one man. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. American Finance Disclaimer: NMLS 182334, nmlsconsumeraccess.org. APR for rates in the 5s start at 6.196% for well qualified borrowers. Call 866-885-1081, for details about credit costs and terms. Or https://apply.americanfinancing.net/thechucktoddcast Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:30 GUEST TEASE 03:30 Are we about to go to war with Iran? 04:30 This is military adventurism without consent of congress 05:30 We’ve moved a massive amount of military assets to Middle East 06:45 It’s possible this is all posturing for negotiations 09:00 Does Trump have room to back down, or will it only escalate? 10:00 Will Trump want part of Iran’s oil business in order to back down? 10:30 History says hot military intervention is coming, best not miss 11:30 If we get involved in regime change then we own it 12:30 It feels like we’ve gone too far to back down 14:15 American interventions in Iran have gone terribly in the past 15:00 A democratic Iran would be amazing, but dictating outcomes is hard 15:30 The Texas senate race is becoming an all-timer 17:00 Polls have shown Crockett ahead of Talarico, 17:30 Establishment GOP feels Paxton is unelectable 18:15 Millions have been spent by GOP to beat Paxton, he’s still leading 19:45 Paxton’s numbers have gotten worse in general, not benefiting Cornyn 20:30 Both Talarico & Crockett lead Paxton in recent polls 21:00 Democrats are getting help from GOP softening up their nominee 23:00 What’s the path for Coryn to get to 50% + 1? 24:30 Colbert interview with Talarico yanked by CBS due to FCC threats 25:00 The controversy generated millions more views than it would have 26:30 What the “equal time rule” actually states 27:30 Don’t know if either side, Colbert or CBS is giving the full story 28:30 Jasmine Crockett is the loser here 30:30 The unanswered questions from the Colbert controversy persist 33:00 This controversy has been a massive boon for Talarico 34:45 Chuck Schumer begging senate Dems to get to crypto’s side 35:30 This goes beyond lobbying, this is financial coercion 36:15 Crypto used their money to defeat & make example of Sherrod Brown 38:00 Big money is threatening dissent in politics 40:00 Schumer is saying when opponent has enough money, you must appease 40:45 Trump only wants to point fingers over sewage dump in Potomac 42:00 We can’t deal with disaster only based on politics 43:00 Can we stop the blame game and just fix the problem? 44:00 Lack of local coverage from WaPo has been a glaring issue 53:15 George Conway joins the Chuck ToddCast 54:45 The Republican party is unrecognizable today 55:45 Why George became a Republican in the 80’s 57:15 George was a “legal” conservative based on the Constitution 58:15 Nixon did some not so conservative things because they were popular 59:45 Young people think conservatism & Trumpism are the same thing 1:00:30 The Democratic party is trying to fit a broad coalition under one tent 1:01:15 We can’t have serious policy debates until the current crisis is over 1:02:45 Hating corrupt politicians of all stripes, not just one side 1:03:45 Can’t retire because the last few years have been appalling 1:05:00 The courts aren’t equipped to deal with someone like Trump 1:06:45 Could a third impeachment trial weaken the impeachment process? 1:07:45 Mitch McConnell choked during Trump’s 2nd impeachment trial 1:08:15 If McConnell voted to convict, others would have followed 1:09:15 If we can’t impeach Trump for what he’s done… Then why have impeachment? 1:10:30 Do we want a constitutional government or not? 1:12:15 Impeaching Trump is as constitutional imperative for congress 1:12:45 Trump is deteriorating psychologically and controls military & nukes 1:13:30 Trump is creating his own domestic army with ICE 1:14:15 The Republic, the constitution and rule of law are all on the line 1:15:00 We can’t survive three more years of this 1:16:00 In 250 years, we’ve never seen a government this corrupt 1:17:45 The internet & media only have so much bandwidth, can’t handle Trump 1:19:00 The government is only working to serve one man 1:20:00 If we don’t impeach Trump, we’re throwing out the constitution 1:20:45 Can you convince Hakeem Jeffries to impeach Trump a 3rd team? 1:21:45 Trump & his actions will only get worse in the coming months 1:23:45 American politics has deteriorated due to the weakness of congress 1:24:15 Everything has gone to the courts since congress won’t legislate 1:25:30 Constitutional amendment to nullify pardons introduced in house 1:27:45 Passing amendments is hard, statutory fixes will be easier to pass 1:29:15 Congress gets to set the rules, and has defaulted on responsibility 1:30:00 The old “norms” need to be codified into law 1:31:30 Our backs are against the wall, normal politics don’t apply 1:33:15 Fighting fire with fire feeds into “whataboutism” 1:34:45 Want to go back to an America where the president isn’t a “piece of shit” 1:37:15 Only four people control congress & that’s the problem 1:38:00 What do you say to the voter who supports Trump for policy reasons? 1:39:30 Nobody has done more damage to restriction immigration than Trump 1:40:30 How did the Reagan GOP you joined become Trump acolytes? 1:41:15 Victimhood is clearly the currency of the right 1:43:00 The right’s grievance complex leads them to only oppose the left 1:44:15 The case for incrementalism, democracy is a dialogue 1:45:30 There is a nihilistic animus amongst Trump’s inner circle 1:48:00 Bush has stayed fairly quiet about Trump, should have spoken sooner 1:51:00 The only way to win converts is to welcome them i.e. Marjorie Taylor-Greene 1:52:00 Mike Pence deserves credit for J6, but should have conceded in November 1:53:15 Marjorie Taylor-Greene is a case study in evolving away from Trump 1:55:45 The spirit of democracy requires being to admit you were wrong 1:56:30 Nobody likes to hear “I told you so” - It’s why Trumpism has persisted 1:57:45 What questions do voters ask you that aren’t about Trump? 2:00:30 We can’t do positive things for people until Trump is gone 2:02:30 George Conway makes a persuasive argument for impeachment 2:05:00 History will be kinder if we use the constitution to throw out Trump 2:05:45 Ask Chuck 2:06:00 Why not give Trump accolades in exchange for good policy? 2:08:15 Fresh candidates on the pod restoring a sense of optimism 2:11:00 Did the Inflation Reduction Act include EPA’s ability to regulate air pollution? 2:15:00 Book recommendations for understanding fall of the Ottoman empire? 2:17:30 Which house races are you watching closely and why? 2:19:45 Not as optimistic about passing constitutional amendments 2:22:30 How did the one-term presidents lose if they weren’t politically astute?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd explores whether the United States is on the verge of a new reform era — and argues that the signs are more promising than you might think. Starting with a constitutional amendment now circulating in Congress to nullify presidential pardons, backed by both a Maryland Democrat and Republican Don Bacon to give it bipartisan credibility, Todd makes the case that the pardon power has been so thoroughly abused — from Biden's preemptive pardons giving Trump political cover, to Trump intermediaries allegedly being paid for sold pardons — that the kind of structural corruption requiring structural repair is now undeniable. He puts this moment in historical context, drawing parallels to the reform cascades that produced the 16th Amendment (born from rampant income inequality), the 17th Amendment (born from a corruption scandal involving the sale of Senate seats), and the 19th Amendment (born when democracy itself felt like it was slipping away), while cautioning that not every reform era gets it right — the 18th Amendment and Prohibition being a case study in moral panic and overcorrection. His broader argument is that reform eras tend to cascade once they begin, that the tools to demand a better democratic structure already exist, and that if Congress shifts from debating revenge to debating reforms, that alone represents meaningful progress. Finally, Chuck gives his reaction the Munich Security Conference, offers up his ToddCast Top 5 “Most Absurd Awards Created To Soothe Trump’s Ego” and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 00:30 A constitutional amendment circulating to nullify presidential pardons2:00 We may be seeing a structural shift at a time that it’s needed2:45 Reform eras happen when both sides decide rules need to be tightened3:15 We’ve seen governors sell pardons, nothing like what Trump’s doing4:15 Trump intermediaries are getting paid for sold pardons5:30 Biden’s pardons basically gave Trump license for his corrupt pardons6:45 For institutional change, you need bad actors on both sides7:45 Maryland congressman introduced amendment to override pardons8:30 Don Bacon signed on to endorse amendment, makes it bipartisan9:30 Nullification threshold is set pretty high10:45 17th amendment was born out of political corruption scandal12:30 16th amendment born out of rampant income inequality13:45 19th amendment came when it felt like democracy was slipping away14:30 18th amendment came from moral panic, was later repealed15:15 Reforms can be necessary, some are an overcorrection16:15 Structural corruption requires structural repair, requires amendment17:30 Other areas of structural reform that could gain traction19:15 Reform eras don’t stop with one thing, tend to cascade21:00 We have the tools to demand a better structure for democracy22:45 If congress is debating reforms instead of revenge, that’s progress 31:15 We need a consensus on America’s role in the world 32:00 Reaction to Munich security conference 32:30 Rubio sees himself as a bridge to the rules based order & Trump 33:45 Trump will easily throw Rubio or Vance under the bus 35:00 AOC didn’t seem to have the most prepared answers in Munich 36:30 The right wants to dunk on AOC, when Trump is far more ignorant 37:45 We hold political opponents to far higher standards than our own team 38:15 ToddCast Top 5 Most Absurd Awards Created To Soothe Trump’s Ego 39:00 #5 McDonald’s french fry certification pin 39:45 #4 Undisputed Champion of Clean Coal award 40:45 #3 FIFA Peace Prize 41:45 #2 The Tim Cook Special 42:45 #1 NRSC Champion For Freedom Bowl 44:15 Giving out these awards is a terrible look 44:45 The actual Nobel Peace Prize given by Machado did not qualify for list 45:45 Trump is desperate for historic accolades 46:30 Ask Chuck 46:45 Will we live to see a Democratic elected statewide in Tennessee? 53:00 Loved history lesson on importance of 1848, could you expand on it? 56:45 What rights from the Bill of Rights has Trump NOT violated? 58:45 Why aren’t SCOTUS potential retirements getting more attention?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd explores whether the United States is on the verge of a new reform era — and argues that the signs are more promising than you might think. Starting with a constitutional amendment now circulating in Congress to nullify presidential pardons, backed by both a Maryland Democrat and Republican Don Bacon to give it bipartisan credibility, Todd makes the case that the pardon power has been so thoroughly abused — from Biden's preemptive pardons giving Trump political cover, to Trump intermediaries allegedly being paid for sold pardons — that the kind of structural corruption requiring structural repair is now undeniable. Todd puts this moment in historical context, drawing parallels to the reform cascades that produced the 16th Amendment (born from rampant income inequality), the 17th Amendment (born from a corruption scandal involving the sale of Senate seats), and the 19th Amendment (born when democracy itself felt like it was slipping away), while cautioning that not every reform era gets it right — the 18th Amendment and Prohibition being a case study in moral panic and overcorrection. His broader argument is that reform eras tend to cascade once they begin, that the tools to demand a better democratic structure already exist, and that if Congress shifts from debating revenge to debating reforms, that alone represents meaningful progress. Then, Ambassador Robert Blackwill — a towering figure in American foreign policy who served under Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, and is the only person to have served as both U.S. Ambassador to India and Deputy National Security Advisor — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a sweeping and sobering conversation about America's position in the world. Blackwill, currently the Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Lost Decade: The U.S. Pivot to Asia and the Rise of Chinese Power, argues that the U.S. urgently needs to recapture the kind of bipartisan foreign policy consensus that defined the Cold War era. He calls China the most dangerous rival America has ever faced, warning that Beijing is actively preparing its military for a potential Taiwan invasion — a threat that has only intensified amid China's massive late-2025 military exercises around the island and growing questions about whether the Trump administration would intervene to defend Taipei. The conversation spans the full scope of the global chessboard, from NATO's potential collapse — an especially timely concern as the Pentagon has moved to scale back U.S. participation in NATO advisory groups and Defense Secretary Hegseth skipped the latest defense ministers' meeting in Brussels — to why any Ukraine peace deal will inevitably reward Russian aggression, to Trump's puzzling warmth toward adversaries like China and Russia while publicly disparaging European allies. Blackwill warns that Trump is driving swing countries like India into China's orbit, and that the U.S. isn't headed for a multipolar world but a bipolar one, with China gaining ground across Africa, South America, and Asia. With the 2028 presidential race on the horizon, Blackwill makes a forceful case that the next generation of candidates must present a clear, durable vision for America's role in the world — before it's too late. Finally, Chuck gives his reaction the Munich Security Conference, offers up his ToddCast Top 5 “Most Absurd Awards Created To Soothe Trump’s Ego” and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15 A constitutional amendment circulating to nullify presidential pardons 03:45 We may be seeing a structural shift at a time that it’s needed 04:30 Reform eras happen when both sides decide rules need to be tightened 05:00 We’ve seen governors sell pardons, nothing like what Trump’s doing 06:00 Trump intermediaries are getting paid for sold pardons 07:15 Biden’s pardons basically gave Trump license for his corrupt pardons 08:30 For institutional change, you need bad actors on both sides 09:30 Maryland congressman introduced amendment to override pardons 10:15 Don Bacon signed on to endorse amendment, makes it bipartisan 11:15 Nullification threshold is set pretty high 12:30 17th amendment was born out of political corruption scandal 14:15 16th amendment born out of rampant income inequality 15:30 19th amendment came when it felt like democracy was slipping away 16:15 18th amendment came from moral panic, was later repealed 17:00 Reforms can be necessary, some are an overcorrection 18:00 Structural corruption requires structural repair, requires amendment 19:15 Other areas of structural reform that could gain traction 21:00 Reform eras don’t stop with one thing, tend to cascade 22:45 We have the tools to demand a better structure for democracy 24:30 If congress is debating reforms instead of revenge, that’s progress 33:15 Ambassador Robert Blackwill joins the Chuck ToddCast 35:15 America needs to recapture its cold war “bipartisan consensus” 35:45 Alliances contributed to American strength 37:15 Why were assumptions of China joining the world wrong? 39:15 China is the most dangerous rival America has ever had 40:30 Should we have developed an Asian security pact sooner? 42:15 Marxism tells China that for it to be safe, it must lead the world 43:45 Liberal internationalism has gotten weaker in its expression 44:45 What should we make of Xi purging his military leadership? 46:00 U.S. intelligence penetration of China has been limited 47:45 China is working very hard to prepare military for Taiwan invasion 49:00 Worse outcome: Let China invade Taiwan or fight them over it? 50:00 Biden clearly said he’d intervene on behalf of Taiwan 50:45 Trump doesn’t seem inclined to defend Taiwan 51:45 China’s military isn’t battle tested, invasion is a huge risk 52:45 How have Iraq/Afghanistan informed the debate over defending Taiwan? 54:00 A majority of Americans wouldn’t support war with China over Taiwan 55:30 What would you advise next President to do with Taiwan if no war by 2028? 56:15 Trump is unique, will take most of “Trumpism” with him when he leaves 57:45 Debate after Trump will be between nationalism & liberal internationalism 59:15 Tough to know what Democrats strategy for role in the world is 1:00:15 How do you rebuild alliances in a more durable way? 1:02:45 The American people don’t support the admins “gangster” foreign policy 1:04:30 If Europe is separated from the U.S., they’ll truly go on their own 1:05:00 Trump says nothing positive about Europe, but praises China & Russia 1:07:15 Hard to believe Donald Trump would abide Article 5 1:08:00 NATO could collapse if Trump doesn’t respond to action against Baltics 1:08:45 Taiwan remains greatest risk for the duration of Trump’s term 1:09:45 Any peace deal in Ukraine will reward Russia’s aggression 1:10:30 Ukraine remains determined not to lose their statehood 1:11:15 Putin knows he’ll never have a friendlier American president than Trump 1:12:15 Intelligence sharing is most valuable thing America provides Ukraine 1:14:15 Trump can do so much more to rupture our alliances in 3 years 1:15:15 Europe is more traumatized by what Trump says than what he does 1:16:15 What to make of Marco Rubio’s role in the administration? 1:18:15 Rubio has to perform an incredible balancing act 1:20:15 Trump is driving “swing countries” like India into China’s arms 1:20:45 We aren’t headed for a multipolar world, it will be bipolar 1:21:45 Partners want consistency from America, based on strength 1:24:15 2028 candidates need to present a vision for America’s role 1:25:45 China ahead of America in Africa, South America & Asia…not Europe 1:26:15 China isn’t ahead yet, but trends are bad 1:27:45 America’s contempt for the third world has been detrimental 1:29:30 Trump’s approach to the world won’t change in the next 3 years 1:31:15 We need a consensus on America’s role in the world 1:32:00 Reaction to Munich security conference 1:32:30 Rubio sees himself as a bridge to the rules based order & Trump 1:33:45 Trump will easily throw Rubio or Vance under the bus 1:35:00 AOC didn’t seem to have the most prepared answers in Munich 1:36:30 The right wants to dunk on AOC, when Trump is far more ignorant 1:37:45 We hold political opponents to far higher standards than our own team 1:38:15 ToddCast Top 5 Most Absurd Awards Created To Soothe Trump’s Ego 1:39:00 #5 McDonald’s french fry certification pin 1:39:45 #4 Undisputed Champion of Clean Coal award 1:40:45 #3 FIFA Peace Prize 1:41:45 #2 The Tim Cook Special 1:42:45 #1 NRSC Champion For Freedom Bowl 1:44:15 Giving out these awards is a terrible look 1:44:45 The actual Nobel Peace Prize given by Machado did not qualify for list 1:45:45 Trump is desperate for historic accolades 1:46:30 Ask Chuck 1:46:45 Will we live to see a Democratic elected statewide in Tennessee? 1:53:00 Loved history lesson on importance of 1848, could you expand on it? 1:56:45 What rights from the Bill of Rights has Trump NOT violated? 1:58:45 Why aren’t SCOTUS potential retirements getting more attention?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe talks about who's keeping order in Minnesota, what the Left is ignoring, and what Chuck Todd's shutdown solution isSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd takes a hard look at the state of American governance and institutional trust — or the lack of it. He starts by reflecting on the historical significance of three consecutive one-term presidents, ranking his top five most underrated commanders-in-chief and arguing that both Biden and Trump are unlikely to be viewed as consequential a century from now. From there, Todd pivots to a searing indictment of the current moment: from the Epstein reckoning exposing the government's inability to tell the truth, to DHS being treated as a political plaything by Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, to the DOD endangering lives in the El Paso FAA incident with zero accountability, to Moderna alleging that HHS refused to even review an mRNA flu vaccine under RFK Jr.'s watch. He connects the dots across a pattern of institutional dishonesty — a Justice Department focused on narrative management, masked ICE agents no one can justify, a fired antitrust chief clearing the way for powerful interests, and a "hostage system" style of governing that holds federal paychecks as leverage — making the case that when the government lies this often, it forfeits the benefit of the doubt on everything, and that the Epstein scandal isn't just a story about one man, but a mirror reflecting a system designed to protect the powerful. Then, Gene Sperling — the only person to serve as Director of the National Economic Council under two presidents (Clinton and Obama), a senior advisor to President Biden who oversaw the American Rescue Plan, and a consultant and co-writer on NBC's The West Wing — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation. Sperling shares the wild story of how he ended up in Santa Monica, his brush with Aaron Sorkin's legal troubles, and his insider take on how real Washington compares to its fictional portrayals. The conversation then turns to Sperling's deep expertise on the economy, from his defense of the Biden administration's "soft landing" amid global post-Covid inflation to the political lessons of how rising prices have sunk presidencies on both sides of the aisle — including Biden's own re-election bid. The back half of the episode looks squarely at the future. Sperling, who says he's unlikely to serve in another Democratic administration, offers a forceful argument about what comes next: the rising threat of unchecked corporate and tech power, the urgent need for AI policy that puts working people first, and the lessons of globalization that policymakers can't afford to repeat. Drawing on themes from his book Economic Dignity, he makes the case that Americans are hungry for leaders who pair optimism with a real confrontation of economic injustice — and warns that a handful of AI and crypto companies, flush with lobbying dollars, could end up shaping the structure of the economy if left unchallenged. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the publishing of the Communist Manifesto and argues that while its critiques of the excesses of capitalism were correct… it’s revolutionary prescriptions led to the worst authoritarian states in modern history. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:30 We’ve had 3 straight one term presidents, deem them all failures 04:45 Inability to win reelection will always be seen as an asterisk 05:45 Top 5 most underrated presidents 06:00 James Polk was the only voluntary one term president 06:45 James Garfield was a fierce advocate for civil rights 07:30 George H.W. Bush was accomplished, but not a good politician 08:30 John Quincy Adams laid out modern American infrastructure 09:00 Jimmy Carter did many things that have aged well 10:15 In 100 years, Biden & Trump likely won’t be viewed as consequential 11:45 Biden & Trump can’t be evaluated fairly for many years 12:30 What does a real reckoning look like in the Trump era? 13:45 The institution least capable of reckoning with Epstein is the government 14:15 The private sector is forcing accountability, the government isn’t 15:15 Trust is the currency of government, and Trump’s doesn’t have it 16:15 The Justice Department is only worried about narrative management 17:30 The system looks like a club, designed to protect the powerful 18:45 Epstein is a test of whether the government can tell the truth 20:00 DHS shutting down, politicians using paychecks as leverage 20:30 We a governing via a “hostage system” 21:45 There isn’t a single good argument for masking ICE agents 22:15 The Democrats’ demands are not extreme, they’re common sense 23:15 Noem & Lewandowski treating DHS like their personal plaything 24:00 Pattern of government saying one thing, facts saying another 25:15 Whatever Noem says first, you can’t believe it. She gaslights the public 26:00 The government has lied too many times, gets no benefit of the doubt 26:45 El Paso FAA incident is case study for public distrusting institutions 27:45 DoD was lying to the FAA, FAA pulled the emergency brakes 29:00 DoD put lives in danger with no accountability 29:30 Moderna says HHS refused to review MRNA flu vaccine 30:15 The U.S. is not a stable country to develop & release products 31:00 Kennedy only offers crackpot theories & totally unfit for office 32:00 We can’t trust the government to tell us the truth about anything 32:30 DOJ fired antitrust chief, powerful interests get what they want 34:00 Epstein isn’t just a scandal, it’s a mirror 43:30 Gene Sperling joins the Chuck Toddcast 45:30 The wild story of how Gene ended up in Santa Monica 46:45 Aaron Sorkin couldn’t meet with Gene due to legal trouble 49:45 Real politics/news look nothing like “West Wing” or “The Newsroom” 51:00 The one truism about the West Wing is good people trying to do good 52:45 Politics is NOT like House of Cards 54:15 West Wing still remains viable, any chance of a reboot? 55:30 What’s the state of the economy? What do you look for? 56:15 Biden economy was strong growth, but high inflation 57:00 Biden achieved the “soft landing” they were trying for 58:15 Inflation was global and mostly due to Covid supply chain shocks 59:45 The American Rescue Plan had many positive effects 1:00:45 Every head of state poured money into economies during Covid 1:01:45 Covid was going to result in either inflation or recession 1:03:30 Obama couldn’t pass enough stimulus during Great Recession 1:04:30 A little extra stimulus can help offset future unknowns 1:05:15 Millennials’ future was permanently damaged by Great Recession 1:06:30 A generation had never seen high inflation until Covid 1:07:30 Anger over inflation sunk Biden’s re-election 1:08:30 Inflation is bipartisan, took down 3 different presidents 1:09:30 Inflation affects everyone, jobs & unemployment don’t 1:10:45 Every head of state suffered politically post pandemic 1:12:45 Will Biden baggage sink Pete Buttigieg, or is that overstated? 1:14:30 Biden’s conflict was empathy for suffering vs touting achievements 1:16:45 Biden had the tiniest of margins to pass major legislation 1:18:00 Gene is unlikely to work in a future Democratic administration 1:18:45 Pitchforks are being sharpened for corporations and big tech 1:19:30 Will worker rage fuel the next election? 1:20:30 Presidents that do well offer optimism, but confront economic injustice 1:22:00 People don’t want to feel like they are being extracted for profits 1:24:00 AI growth can’t come at the expense of working people 1:25:30 AI policy should be shaped around improving conditions for people 1:26:45 What lessons from globalization can be used to alleviate AI disruption? 1:28:30 Clinton believed in robust response to globalization 1:29:30 Clinton couldn’t implement strong safety net after losing congress 1:31:15 You have to have policies where people don’t feel left behind 1:33:00 We need to create and fund jobs that create dignity 1:33:45 We need to create an economic dignity floor for all Americans 1:35:45 When is a company too big to regulate? 1:38:00 If companies are disproportionately determining policies, they’re too big 1:38:45 Crypto & AI are getting what they want from huge lobbying money 1:39:30 A handful of AI companies could determine structure of the economy 1:41:45 The Trump White House has invited corporate influence 1:49:45 What if Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie ran on “accountability” ticket 1:51:00 A bipartisan ticket of “pox on both their houses” could be powerful 1:51:45 ToddCast Time Machine February 21st, 1848 1:52:00 Marx & Engels publish the communist manifesto 1:52:45 Monarchies were colliding with modern economic forces 1:54:15 Marx argued that capitalism is destabilizing if left unchecked 1:55:15 If the manifesto was called something else, how would we view it? 1:55:45 Marx doesn’t argue reform, says that capitalism will destroy itself 1:56:30 Communist states didn’t emerge until decades after manifesto 1:57:15 Manifesto gave dictators arguments to grab power 1:58:00 Marx talked in economics, dictators exploited his language 1:59:30 Communism took hold in places where industrialization fell behind 2:00:15 Manifesto gets invoked badly by both sides in American politics 2:01:00 Marx’s diagnosis was spot on, his solutions were questionable 2:02:30 Lack of regulation for AI will push people to radicalism 2:03:00 Ask Chuck 2:03:15 Does something seem off with the administration’s economic numbers? 2:07:30 Do we need a punchier title than “Gate” for political scandals? 2:10:00 Do we need to withhold congressional salaries during shutdowns? 2:14:00 Missing intellectuals like Rahm Emmanuel leading the country 2:16:00 What is the criteria for impeachment of cabinet members? 2:18:45 Favorite football/baseball players as a kid?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd takes a hard look at the state of American governance and institutional trust — or the lack of it. He starts by reflecting on the historical significance of three consecutive one-term presidents, ranking his top five most underrated commanders-in-chief and arguing that both Biden and Trump are unlikely to be viewed as consequential a century from now. From there, Todd pivots to a searing indictment of the current moment: from the Epstein reckoning exposing the government's inability to tell the truth, to DHS being treated as a political plaything by Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, to the DOD endangering lives in the El Paso FAA incident with zero accountability, to Moderna alleging that HHS refused to even review an mRNA flu vaccine under RFK Jr.'s watch. He connects the dots across a pattern of institutional dishonesty — a Justice Department focused on narrative management, masked ICE agents no one can justify, a fired antitrust chief clearing the way for powerful interests, and a "hostage system" style of governing that holds federal paychecks as leverage — making the case that when the government lies this often, it forfeits the benefit of the doubt on everything, and that the Epstein scandal isn't just a story about one man, but a mirror reflecting a system designed to protect the powerful. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the publishing of the Communist Manifesto and argues that while its critiques of the excesses of capitalism were correct… it’s revolutionary prescriptions led to the worst authoritarian states in modern history. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:30 We’ve had 3 straight one term presidents, deem them all failures 03:45 Inability to win reelection will always be seen as an asterisk 04:45 Top 5 most underrated presidents 05:00 James Polk was the only voluntary one term president 05:45 James Garfield was a fierce advocate for civil rights 06:30 George H.W. Bush was accomplished, but not a good politician 07:30 John Quincy Adams laid out modern American infrastructure 08:00 Jimmy Carter did many things that have aged well 09:15 In 100 years, Biden & Trump likely won’t be viewed as consequential 10:45 Biden & Trump can’t be evaluated fairly for many years 11:30 What does a real reckoning look like in the Trump era? 12:45 The institution least capable of reckoning with Epstein is the government 13:15 The private sector is forcing accountability, the government isn’t 14:15 Trust is the currency of government, and Trump’s doesn’t have it 15:15 The Justice Department is only worried about narrative management 16:30 The system looks like a club, designed to protect the powerful 17:45 Epstein is a test of whether the government can tell the truth 19:00 DHS shutting down, politicians using paychecks as leverage 19:30 We a governing via a “hostage system” 20:45 There isn’t a single good argument for masking ICE agents 21:15 The Democrats’ demands are not extreme, they’re common sense 22:15 Noem & Lewandowski treating DHS like their personal plaything 23:00 Pattern of government saying one thing, facts saying another 24:15 Whatever Noem says first, you can’t believe it. She gaslights the public 25:00 The government has lied too many times, gets no benefit of the doubt 25:45 El Paso FAA incident is case study for public distrusting institutions 26:45 DoD was lying to the FAA, FAA pulled the emergency brakes 28:00 DoD put lives in danger with no accountability 28:30 Moderna says HHS refused to review MRNA flu vaccine 29:15 The U.S. is not a stable country to develop & release products 30:00 Kennedy only offers crackpot theories & totally unfit for office 31:00 We can’t trust the government to tell us the truth about anything 31:30 DOJ fired antitrust chief, powerful interests get what they want 33:00 Epstein isn’t just a scandal, it’s a mirror 42:15 What if Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie ran on “accountability” ticket 43:30 A bipartisan ticket of “pox on both their houses” could be powerful 44:15 ToddCast Time Machine February 21st, 1848 44:30 Marx & Engels publish the communist manifesto 45:15 Monarchies were colliding with modern economic forces 46:45 Marx argued that capitalism is destabilizing if left unchecked 47:45 If the manifesto was called something else, how would we view it? 48:15 Marx doesn’t argue reform, says that capitalism will destroy itself 49:00 Communist states didn’t emerge until decades after manifesto 49:45 Manifesto gave dictators arguments to grab power 50:30 Marx talked in economics, dictators exploited his language 52:00 Communism took hold in places where industrialization fell behind 52:45 Manifesto gets invoked badly by both sides in American politics 53:30 Marx’s diagnosis was spot on, his solutions were questionable 55:00 Lack of regulation for AI will push people to radicalism 55:30 Ask Chuck 55:45 Does something seem off with the administration’s economic numbers? 1:00:00 Do we need a punchier title than “Gate” for political scandals? 1:02:30 Do we need to withhold congressional salaries during shutdowns? 1:06:30 Missing intellectuals like Rahm Emmanuel leading the country 1:08:30 What is the criteria for impeachment of cabinet members? 1:11:15 Favorite football/baseball players as a kid?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd, political analyst and host of "The Chuck ToddCast" joins Arizona's Morning News to talk about Mark Kelly's recent legal victory against the Trump administration and if Republicans and Democrats will ever agree on DHS funding.

Is The Most Dangerous Thing Trump Can Do In this episode, Chuck Todd unpacks a week where political theater carried real consequences, from Pam Bondi’s high-profile hearing and the Justice Department’s bruised credibility to renewed controversy over the Epstein files and why Trump appears uneasy about what could surface. Chuck explores how Trump’s actions—from refusing to help key Republicans like John Cornyn in Texas to escalating trade and tariff fights that split his own party—may be doing tactical damage to GOP midterm prospects, even putting critical races in Michigan and beyond at risk. He also examines donor frustration, the political fallout of Trump’s UAE corruption scandal, and why internal Republican divisions could shape whether Democrats win a narrow or sizable House majority. Finally, Chuck looks at the surprisingly strong jobs report, the murky influence of prediction markets, and why, if Democrats ultimately capture the Senate, Trump himself may be the biggest reason why. Then, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Paul Rieckhoff joins for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from the football field to the battlefield and into the halls of power. Paul shares how his family's experience with Vietnam shaped his own path into the military and explores why the scars of Iraq and Afghanistan haven't left the same political mark as Vietnam did. The discussion dives into the state of today's all-volunteer military, raising concerns about recruiting under Pete Hegseth's leadership at the Pentagon, the politicization of military culture, and the promotion of a specific ideological agenda within the Department of Defense—including what it means for democracy when the most powerful military in the world operates with fewer checks than ever. The conversation then shifts to the growing power of political independents, with Paul making the case that unaffiliated voters and veteran candidates could serve as a moderating force in American politics. From the potential impact of just a handful of independent senators to why no military veteran has won the presidency since George H.W. Bush, Paul and Chuck explore what it would take to break the two-party stranglehold. They also touch on the challenges of independent media, how national security can be a clarifying lens for consuming news, and why Paul believes every voter should consider declaring independence—arguing it gives them more power, not less. Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:00 The Pam Bondi hearing was all theater, but it did matter 04:30 Trump’s cabinet hearings have an audience of one…Trump 05:00 DOJ’s credibility took a massive hit this week 05:45 Grand jury refused to indict Democratic members of congress 07:15 Bondi fanned the flames over Epstein files, now she’s backtracking 08:00 Trump seems awfully nervous about the files, like he’s hiding something 09:30 The question is do the Dems get a large or small majority in the house 11:00 There is a ceiling for Democratic gains 11:45 Trump isn’t interested in helping Republicans in the midterms 12:15 Trump not endorsing Cornyn in Texas put the senate seat in play 13:45 Republican donors are upset Trump won’t help in Texas 15:15 Trump’s UAE corruption scandal the worst of all time 16:45 Trump’s threats over bridge to Canada hurts GOP in Michigan 18:00 Owner of other bridge lobbied Lutnick, now Trump threatens shutdown 18:30 New bridge is good for Michigan, this put Mike Rogers in jeopardy 19:30 Trump is doing tactical harm to their midterm election chances 20:15 Trump’s tariff mess has divided his own party 21:30 Mike Johnson couldn’t stop vote in the house on tariffs 23:00 Trump doesn’t care about the future of the Republican party 24:45 Trump says no to another reconciliation bill, also bad for GOP 26:30 Jobs report was good despite admin officials previewing a bad one 27:15 Are administration officials cashing in on the prediction markets? 28:00 Prediction markets are extraordinarily corruptable 29:30 Higher tax refunds will get eaten by higher costs, not politically helpful 30:45 If Democrats win the senate, they’ll have Donald Trump to thank 32:00 Far right candidate beat the center left coalition in Japan 33:30 Independents need to assert their political power in America 36:00 The country’s political affiliations don’t fix neatly into two boxes 45:00 Paul Rieckhoff joins the Chuck Toddcast 47:00 Why football is the most selfless sport 48:45 Defense in football feels like it has caught up to offense 51:00 How & why did you get into the military? 52:45 Nobody feels the acute impact of politics more than military members 54:00 Impact of Vietnam on Paul’s father & family 56:00 Anyone eligible for the draft in Vietnam were obsessive over details 57:30 No Vietnam vet ever won the presidency, but came close 59:15 Scars from Iraq/Afghanistan haven’t affected politics like Vietnam did 59:45 All-volunteer military is good for military but terrible for democracy 1:00:30 Shunning NATO would have been unthinkable just a decade ago 1:01:15 Worried about military recruiting under Pete Hegseth 1:02:00 Hegseth is waging a culture war from the Pentagon 1:03:15 Recruiting tactics are recruiting a very specific type of candidate 1:04:30 Changes in policy are politicizing the military & changing culture 1:05:45 Hegseth is prioritizing & promoting christianity at the Pentagon 1:06:15 Trump has the most powerful military & can do what he wants with it 1:06:45 Most dangerous thing Trump can do is invoke Insurrection Act 1:07:30 Pentagon press corp has been replaced with propogandists 1:09:45 The only thing checking Trump is himself & Chairman of Joint Chiefs 1:11:00 Trump has been more strategic this term, & is ahead of schedule 1:12:30 Military culture & families historically tend to lean right politically 1:13:45 Many veterans remain politically unaffiliated 1:14:45 We haven’t elected a military veteran since George H.W. Bush 1:15:45 Combat service gives you a true sense of the cost of war 1:17:30 Washington & Eisenhower closest to being “independent” presidents 1:18:45 Efforts to get veterans elected to local/state office 1:21:00 Independents have their leanings but reject the two parties 1:23:00 A true independent could be the most powerful member of senate 1:23:45 4-6 independent’s could be a moderating fulcrum in senate 1:25:30 Even two independents breaking with their caucus would be huge 1:28:00 How can each party appeal to independent veterans? 1:31:00 Every voter should declare independence, gives them more power 1:32:00 Balancing creating vs. ingestion working in independent media 1:35:00 National security is a great clarifier when consuming news 1:36:15 Waking up early is the best way to avoid distractions 1:37:30 Israel’s citizen-military culture creates a lot of activism 1:38:30 Instability created by Trump has engaged the electorate 1:40:45 ICE has made the danger posed by administration very immediate 1:41:45 If running for office was viable for independents, Paul would consider it 1:43:30 Veterans that want to service should run for office, not join ICE 1:47:45 Races with independents to track 1:49:00 Ask Chuck 1:49:15 Isn’t congress responsible for border policy? 1:55:30 Is the reason Noem hasn’t been fired, that Trump wants on Mt. Rushmore? 1:58:00 Why do celebrities lend their names to companies that hurt their customers? 2:03:15 Would moderate Democrats do better running as independents? 2:08:30 Does Utah law to expand Supreme Court open the door for court packing? 2:12:15 What can be done to modernize education, add national service? 2:23:45 Thoughts on sports post-footballSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Chuck Todd unpacks a week where political theater carried real consequences, from Pam Bondi’s high-profile hearing and the Justice Department’s bruised credibility to renewed controversy over the Epstein files and why Trump appears uneasy about what could surface. Chuck explores how Trump’s actions—from refusing to help key Republicans like John Cornyn in Texas to escalating trade and tariff fights that split his own party—may be doing tactical damage to GOP midterm prospects, even putting critical races in Michigan and beyond at risk. He also examines donor frustration, the political fallout of Trump’s UAE corruption scandal, and why internal Republican divisions could shape whether Democrats win a narrow or sizable House majority. Finally, Chuck looks at the surprisingly strong jobs report, the murky influence of prediction markets, and why, if Democrats ultimately capture the Senate, Trump himself may be the biggest reason why. Then, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Paul Rieckhoff joins for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from the football field to the battlefield and into the halls of power. Paul shares how his family's experience with Vietnam shaped his own path into the military and explores why the scars of Iraq and Afghanistan haven't left the same political mark as Vietnam did. The discussion dives into the state of today's all-volunteer military, raising concerns about recruiting under Pete Hegseth's leadership at the Pentagon, the politicization of military culture, and the promotion of a specific ideological agenda within the Department of Defense—including what it means for democracy when the most powerful military in the world operates with fewer checks than ever. The conversation then shifts to the growing power of political independents, with Paul making the case that unaffiliated voters and veteran candidates could serve as a moderating force in American politics. From the potential impact of just a handful of independent senators to why no military veteran has won the presidency since George H.W. Bush, Paul and Chuck explore what it would take to break the two-party stranglehold. They also touch on the challenges of independent media, how national security can be a clarifying lens for consuming news, and why Paul believes every voter should consider declaring independence—arguing it gives them more power, not less. Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 2:00 The Pam Bondi hearing was all theater, but it did matter 3:30 Trump’s cabinet hearings have an audience of one…Trump 4:00 DOJ’s credibility took a massive hit this week 4:45 Grand jury refused to indict Democratic members of congress 6:15 Bondi fanned the flames over Epstein files, now she’s backtracking 7:00 Trump seems awfully nervous about the files, like he’s hiding something 8:30 The question is do the Dems get a large or small majority in the house 10:00 There is a ceiling for Democratic gains 10:45 Trump isn’t interested in helping Republicans in the midterms 11:15 Trump not endorsing Cornyn in Texas put the senate seat in play 12:45 Republican donors are upset Trump won’t help in Texas 14:15 Trump’s UAE corruption scandal the worst of all time 15:45 Trump’s threats over bridge to Canada hurts GOP in Michigan 17:00 Owner of other bridge lobbied Lutnick, now Trump threatens shutdown 17:30 New bridge is good for Michigan, this put Mike Rogers in jeopardy 18:30 Trump is doing tactical harm to their midterm election chances 19:15 Trump’s tariff mess has divided his own party 20:30 Mike Johnson couldn’t stop vote in the house on tariffs 22:00 Trump doesn’t care about the future of the Republican party 23:45 Trump says no to another reconciliation bill, also bad for GOP 25:30 Jobs report was good despite admin officials previewing a bad one 26:15 Are administration officials cashing in on the prediction markets? 27:00 Prediction markets are extraordinarily corruptable 28:30 Higher tax refunds will get eaten by higher costs, not politically helpful 29:45 If Democrats win the senate, they’ll have Donald Trump to thank 31:00 Far right candidate beat the center left coalition in Japan 32:30 Independents need to assert their political power in America 35:00 The country’s political affiliations don’t fix neatly into two boxes 44:00 Races with independents to track 45:15 Ask Chuck 45:30 Isn’t congress responsible for border policy? 51:45 Is the reason Noem hasn’t been fired, that Trump wants on Mt. Rushmore? 54:15 Why do celebrities lend their names to companies that hurt their customers? 59:30 Would moderate Democrats do better running as independents? 1:04:45 Does Utah law to expand Supreme Court open the door for court packing? 1:08:30 What can be done to modernize education, add national service? 1:20:00 Thoughts on sports post-footballSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Chuck Todd breaks down a rapidly shifting 2026 political landscape beginning with Susan Collins’ decision to seek re-election in what could become the toughest race of her career, a contest that may prove pivotal in a potentially tied Senate where Democrats could even attempt to court Lisa Murkowski. Chuck explores how Collins’ choice reshapes the map, why an open Maine seat would have favored Democrats, and how outsider candidates like Graham Platner may challenge both party establishments. The conversation widens to key battleground developments in Texas and Florida, including Alexander Vindman’s Senate bid and the risks of divisive primaries, while Republicans face mounting structural challenges and a slipping grip on the House. Chuck also examines why Democrats are expanding their target map, what could still derail a major Democratic wave, and the intensifying fight over voting legislation like the SAVE Act—arguing that partisan “poison pills” have deepened gridlock and made meaningful compromise in Washington increasingly rare. Then, Chuck sits down with John Conyers III to discuss his deeply personal memoir "My Father's House." Far from a typical political biography, this book offers a raw, unflinching look at what it's like to grow up as the son of legendary civil rights congressman John Conyers Jr.—inheriting a legacy you never chose and navigating between worlds of poverty and power. John opens up about the family betrayal that triggered his father's 2017 resignation, the complicated truth about Rosa Parks' final years, and his own journey from the music industry to confronting his predetermined path. This isn't hagiography or exposé—it's a son trying to understand how a public giant could be both indispensable to a movement and deeply flawed in private. The conversation ranges from the intimate—John's anger at having expectations placed on him, his career as a songwriter and producer—to broader questions about how we reckon with complicated heroes, from his father to MLK to LeBron James. Todd and Conyers explore Detroit's cultural legacy, the emotional toll of creative work, and what it means to accept the full humanity of the figures we elevate. It's a fascinating discussion about legacy, identity, and the cost of living in a house built by history, featuring unexpected detours into NBA debates and why Detroit will always be a cultural exporter, not an importer. Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 crazy things that used to be LEGAL in politics and a bonus Top 5 list of things that shouldn’t be. Plus, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:30 Susan Collins announces she’ll run for re-election 04:15 2026 will be the toughest race Collins has ever faced 05:15 In a 50-50 senate, Dems will court Murkowski to flip parties 06:00 Trump doesn’t court challengers for Susan Collins 08:30 Had Collins not sought re-election, it’s a guaranteed Dem win 10:00 Platner will be able to run against both party establishments 11:15 Developments in Texas have been terrible for Republicans 11:45 Surprising that Turning Point would tie themselves to Ken Paxton 13:00 The last things Dems need is a racially divisive primary in TX 13:45 Alexander Vindman joins Florida senate race 16:30 Vindman fits profile of Dem that can win in a light red state 17:30 The house has slipped away from GOP, can they hold the senate? 18:45 It would take a major outside event to change environment for GOP 20:00 Dems add new seats to their target list 21:45 Only thing standing between Dems & huge win is their nominees 23:30 Republicans are trying to shove through the SAVE Act 24:15 SAVE Act unnecessarily complicates trying to vote 25:30 SAVE Act & HR1 were loaded with poison pills 26:30 Neither side willing to compromise to pass these bills 28:15 Poison pills were features, not bugs 37:30 John Conyers III joins the Chuck ToddCast 38:45 The unexpected insider account 40:00 Caught between two worlds 41:00 The book that almost wasn't 41:45 The breaking news that changed everything 43:15 Family betrayal and the leak 44:00 The conversation that never happened 45:15 Identity wrapped in work 48:45 Rosa Parks and the untold story 53:15 The anger of expectations 1:00:45 Watching power up close 1:09:15 The music business years 1:17:00 Detroit's cultural legacy 1:21:45 The complications of heroism 1:28:00 MLK's complexity and humanity 1:35:00 Detroit's next cultural chapter 1:36:00 NBA talk: The Pistons and Giannis 1:38:00 LeBron's impossible standard 1:40:00 Magic Johnson's underrated legacy 1:41:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with John Conyers III 1:42:15 A few changes to law drove wave of congressional retirements 1:45:45 ToddCast Top 5 crazy things that used to be LEGAL in politics 1:46:30 #5 Corporations used to be able to give directly to candidates 1:48:15 #4 Party machines openly bought votes 1:49:00 #3 Federal jobs used as campaign currency 1:50:45 #2 Candidates could accept unlimited, anonymous cash 1:52:00 #1 Candidates could keep their war chest after leaving office 1:52:45 Top 5 list of legal things in politics that should be made illegal 1:53:15 #5 Members of congress trading stocks 1:55:30 #4 Leadership PACs 1:56:15 #3 Lobbyist bundling 1:57:30 #2 Members of congress can negotiate a future job & still vote 1:59:00 #1 Presidential pardon power 2:01:00 Ask Chuck 2:01:15 Can Trump be unpopular and still be a populist? 2:03:00 What happened to the Supreme Court tariffs case? 2:04:45 Sharice Davids eyeing a run for senate? 2:06:45 How can we heal as a country while swamped with divisive content? 2:09:30 How could the media better explain the levels of Trump’s corruptionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the United States a nation state? Does it have a national identity? On this episode of the Transatlantic, scholar Colin Woodard discusses his early career experiences as a journalist in Eastern Europe and the Balkans at the end of the Cold War and how that work informs his work on national identity in the United States. He then talks about his current research uncovering what he describes as eleven distinct nations that make up the United States and how their clashing cultures and traditions have defined the country's struggle to form a national story and identity.    Colin Woodard – a New York Times bestselling historian and Polk Award-winning journalist – is one of the most respected authorities on North American regionalism, the sociology of United States nationhood, and how our colonial past shapes and explains the present. Compelling, dynamic and thought provoking, he offers a fascinating look at where America has come from, how we ended up as we are, and how we might shape our future. Author of the award winning Wall Street Journal bestseller American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, Woodard has written six books including The Republic of Pirates — a New York Times bestselling history of Blackbeard's pirate gang that was made into a primetime NBC series with John Malkovich and Claire Foye – and Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood, which tells the harrowing story of the creation of the American myth in the 19th century, a story that reverberates in the news cycle today. His latest book is Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America, released by Viking/Penguin in November 2025. He is the founder and director of Nationhood Lab at the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University, an interdisciplinary research, writing, testing and dissemination project focused on counteracting the authoritarian threat to American democracy and the centrifugal forces threatening the federation's stability. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a visiting scholar at the Minneapolis-based HealthPartners Institute and a POLITICO contributing writer. As State and National Affairs Writer at the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram he received a 2012 George Polk Award, was named Maine Journalist of the Year in 2014, and was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. A longtime foreign correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, he has reported from more than fifty foreign countries and seven continents from postings in Budapest, Zagreb, Washington, D.C. and the US-Mexico border and covered the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and its bloody aftermath. His work has appeared in dozens of publications including The Economist, The New York Times, Smithsonian, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek and Washington Monthly and has been featured on CNN, the Rachel Maddow Show, Chuck Todd's The Daily Rundown, The PBS News Hour, and NPR's Weekend Edition. A graduate of Tufts University and the University of Chicago, he's received the 2004 Jane Bagley Lehman Award for Public Advocacy, a Pew Fellowship in International Journalism at the Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Study and was named one of the Best State Capitol Reporters in America by the Washington Post. He lives in Maine.   This podcast is hosted by Bakhti Nishanov and produced by Alanna Novetsky, in conjunction with the Senate Recording Studio.

Washington Post Wreckage. Bezos the New Bad Guy? Independent Media's Moment. US Russia Nuke Treaty Expires. Nancy Guthrie Rivets Nation. Fallout & Rising Hatred for Corporations. NBA Trade Madness. The news is flying. And we're keeping you ahead of it. And focused on what matters most. Paul is joined by the venerable Chuck Todd—host of the Chuck Toddcast and former moderator of NBC's Meet the Press and more— for a raw, candid, often funny kitchen-table conversation America needs right now that takes you behind the curtain on media, news and politics. They break down ICE agents leaving “death cards” with white supremacist history, detaining citizens, and now, local cops; Jeff Bezos's gutting of the Washington Post and layoffs hitting reporters in war zones; and how billionaire power—from Bezos and Musk to Trump—is hollowing out the Fourth Estate and putting our democracy, national security, and truth itself up for sale. They also unpack the TV show Fallout's dystopian world of bunkered elites and abandoned wastelands, and what it reveals about America's rapidly-growing anti-corporate mood cutting across all political lines.  Together, Paul and Chuck go hard at the rise of independent voters and candidates, the promise of open primaries and mayors, and the pivotal role veterans and independent leaders will play in the next political realignment. They talk Jesse Ventura, Ross Perot, Bill McRaven, The Rock, Mark Cuban, Matthew McConaughey, Dan Osborne, Todd Achilles, and the real possibility that a celebrity or billionaire like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos could hijack—or turbocharge—the independent movement. If you're furious at ICE, worried about the attacks on the press, disgusted with both parties, and hungry for independent, patriotic analysis that refuses to bow to the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Trump, Bezos, Musk or any corporate overlord, this episode is for you—and a call to declare your independence, stay vigilant, and choose country over party, people over politics, and light over heat. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories--and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows. It's independent content for independent Americans. In these trying times especially, Independent Americans is your trusted place for independent news, politics, inspiration and hope. The podcast that helps you stay ahead of the curve--and stay vigilant. -WATCH video of this episode on YouTube now. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Check out Chuck Todd's The Chuck ToddCast.  -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -Check the hashtag #LookForTheHelpers. And share yours.  -Find us on social media or www.IndependentAmericans.us.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  -Check out other Righteous podcasts like The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra, Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed and B Dorm.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Ways to listen: Spotify • Apple Podcasts • Amazon Podcasts  Ways to watch: YouTube • Instagram  Social channels: X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

-The Winter Olympics begin today in Italy ahead of Super Bowl Sunday. -NEWSMAX's Carl Higbie absolutely shatters House Minority Leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries' ICE reform demands. -Dr. Mehmet Oz joins “Wake Up America” to discuss the launch of TrumpRX, a new platform aimed at reducing prescription drug costs for Americans. -Rob Finnerty and Chuck Todd debate Jeff Bezos' management of the Washington Post, the Epstein files, and more. -Sage Steele slams the upcoming NFL Super Bowl halftime show and weighs in on the NFL's unfounded diversity push. -AG Pam Bondi: 'Key Participant' in 2012 Benghazi Terror Attack Arrested. -NEWSMAX host Rob Schmitt and CEO Chris Ruddy are in Venezuela to speak with leaders on the Trump/Rubio plan to “Make Venezuela Great Again.” Today's podcast is sponsored by :  QUINCE CLOTHING : Refresh your wardrobe with Quince! Go to http://Quince.com/NewsmaxDaily for free shipping on your order plus 365-day returns! WEBROOT : No more stress over data breaches, scammers, identity theft, or accidental file deletion. With Webroot Total Protection, your entire digital life is protected by one subscription. Get 60% off now at http://Webroot.com/Newsmax Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at ⁠http://Newsmax.com/Listen⁠ Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at ⁠http://NewsmaxPlus.com⁠ Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : ⁠http://nws.mx/shop⁠ Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: ⁠http://nws.mx/FB⁠  -X/Twitter: ⁠http://nws.mx/twitter⁠ -Instagram: ⁠http://nws.mx/IG⁠ -YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV⁠ -Rumble: ⁠https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV⁠ -TRUTH Social: ⁠https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX⁠ -GETTR: ⁠https://gettr.com/user/newsmax⁠ -Threads: ⁠http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX⁠  -Telegram: ⁠http://t.me/newsmax⁠  -BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com⁠ -Parler: ⁠http://app.parler.com/newsmax⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Minneapolis 700 ICE agents are being with drawn, Trump is launched the Trump Rx website and DHS is the center of another congressional battle. To breakdown the latest political headlines, Political Analyst Chuck Todd joins.

The Washington Post laid off 300 employees this week, transforming billionaire owner Jeff Bezos into a James Bond villain. Chuck Todd tweeted he was “leaning into the evil rich guy stereotype.” Owners must lose hundreds of millions of dollars for that “vital pillar of democracy” -- leftist media bias.

Tony opens the show by talking about golfing with Michael during their trip to Florida and all the people they got to see. Chuck Todd calls in to make his Super Bowl picks against Reginald the Monkey, Bob Ryan calls in to talk about how the Patriots got back to the Super Bowl, an also about Bob Kraft and Bill Belichick not getting into the Hall of Fame, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag. Songs : Jim Basnight “Out & About” ; “Children of the Night” To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

(00:00-32:36) Starting the day off with an apology. Unacceptable and it won't happen again. A topical, relevant surprise guest. Doug's still furious over Matt Vasgersian's Cardinals Franchise Favorites list from yesterday. Pre and post game bottle service for TMA Night at the Billiken game. Beggin' for Chuck Todd. Blue Fog. Most transient cities. Doug thought there'd be more moves by the Cardinals. Cardinal discussion.(32:45-55:39) Where's the Incel From the Other End of the Couch been? Doug Armstrong had a blunt assessment of the Blues season so far. The loafer boys down at Busch. Ankle cleavage is very fashion forward. Dressin' for the bros. We need Bruce in Shoes. Chairman wants a Dressin' For the Bois podcast. Lots of ankle and fashion talk.(55:49-1:04:41) Nevin Shapiro thinks he needs to be a part of the NCAA. Welcome back, P Reed. LIV Golf. The Dotem and the Bubba Watson Ball Striker's Bracket.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.