Podcast appearances and mentions of Chuck Todd

We'll start the show by airing a conversation Jim and Boston Globe's Shirley Leung had with Rachel Rollins yesterday; Rollins is running for Suffolk DA, to unseat her successor in the position, Kevin Hayden.Chuck Todd zooms in for the latest national political headlines.Andrea Cabral discusses the Supreme Court's final cases this term.Senator Sheldon Whitehouse discusses the Bill Pulte appointment at DNI, and Trump's myriad grifts in the White House.Mitchell Garabedian and Dr. Herb Brennan zoom in to discuss developments for Rhode Island victims of clergy sex abuse

Political analyst Chuck Todd joins Arizona’s Morning News to talk about John Bolton pleading guilty and the U.S. House passing a war powers resolution. 

Belmont Stakes 2026 next Saturday concludes the Triple Crown series as well as the race's three years at Saratoga. It is the focus of this week's Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Maggie Wolfendale-Morley of Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association checks in with early angles on some of the top choices in the Belmont, including likely favorite Renegade as well as Kentucky Derby 2026 winner Golden Tempo. She also has a snapshot of the Grade 1 Met Mile, where Nysos and Journalism are expected to start on the Belmont Stakes undercard. Case Clay of Wathnan Racing talks about Belmont Stakes contender Commandment and multimillionaire Hit Show, who races Saturday on Stephen Foster preview day at Churchill Downs. He also discusses the rapid rise of the Qatar-based operation and his own move from Three Chimneys Farm, which his family used to own. Clay even shares the story of how he tried his hand at comedy with Second City in Chicago. Super Screener creator Mike Shutty has early angles that he is pursuing for the Belmont Stakes as well as handicapping of two of the graded turf stakes on Saturday's card at Churchill Downs. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have their popular chat segment and weigh in on listener and reader feedback from last week's interview with Brent Musburger and Chuck Todd. The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

Political analyst Chuck Todd joins Arizona’s Morning News to talk about Jill Biden’s recent interview about her husband and the extended ceasefire with Iran. 

Broadcasting icons and sports bettors Brent Musburger and Chuck Todd get together to discuss their ideas to cure what ails the Triple Crown in an exclusive conversation on the Ron Flatter Racing Pod. Musburger's years at CBS, ABC and VSiN took him to assignments that included the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Todd's work at NBC did not keep him from having a run at betting on horses. Both accomplished more recently in gambling on other games, they have ideas on how racing can survive in the 21st century. In the blush of Napoleon Solo's victory in Preakness 2026, Maryland Jockey Club president and general manager Bill Knauf assesses the week at Laurel Park and the transition back to Pimlico next year. He also talks about the coming partnership with Churchill Downs, which is poised to take over the intellectual-property rights to the Preakness as it may move forward on a different date in 2027. Handicapper Ed DeRosa offers tips for Memorial Day stakes races, including the big card at Santa Anita on Monday. He also offers advice on how to bet the Keertana Stakes on Saturday at Churchill Downs. Co-hosts John Cherwa of the Los Angeles Times and Keith Nelson of Fairmount Park have their popular chat segment and weigh in on listener and reader feedback from Preakness week. The Ron Flatter Racing Pod via Horse Racing Nation is available via free subscription from Apple, Firefox, iHeart and Spotify as well as HorseRacingNation.com.

Thomas Massie this week lost his primary. Also what's going on with the Despartment of Justice lawsuit? And why is Trump barred from IRS audits? To recap political happenings from our nation's capital is the host of the Chuck Todd cast, Chuck Todd. 

Political analyst Chuck Todd looks ahead to the November midterms and discusses the immense scope of Trump's grift and corruption.Former Public Safety Secretary Andrea Cabral discusses a recent WSJ piece looking into the erosion of trust in the justice system, and how it's playing out in jury trials.Environmentalist Bill McKibben discusses the "reorganization" of the forest service under Trump 2.0 and one of the World Cup's biggest sponsors: big oil.NPR's Eric Deggans discusses Colbert's legacy on The Late Show.

Hold onto your seats, this episode cracks open the truth about AI and the workforce like never before! Mike Ohata shares his bold insights on how AI isn't here to replace us but to transform how we lead, learn, and live. This isn't just about automation; it's about human capability, culture, and daring to rethink everything. In this episode:  Why AI's doom-and-gloom narrative is superficial and how human leadership remains vital  The real impact of AI on task automation versus redesigning work systems  How to cultivate systems thinkers instead of linear learners in a rapidly evolving workplace  The critical importance of judgment, empathy, and entrepreneurial skills in tomorrow's workforce  Rethinking talent development: from skills inventories to ontologies that connect competencies  The role of leaders in embracing AI with agility, curiosity, and ethical responsibility  How AI can enable trade skills and encourage entrepreneurial thinking among trade professionals  Navigating the tension between short-term cost cuts and long-term talent sustainability  Why cultural fit and values matter more than ever in AI-driven organizational change  Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Why this episode changes your view on AI and the future of work 01:22 - Mike's background: Learning environments in professional services and talent development 03:30 - Fun fact about Chuck Todd and political anthropology as a lens for leadership insights 04:49 - The core dilemma: Is AI a threat or an opportunity for organizations? 05:01 - Debunking the AI doom narrative: Tasks vs. systems redesign 06:10 - The integral role of human-AI collaboration in future work 07:26 - Are current automation efforts just "lift and shift"? Or are they a chance to reinvent work? 08:49 - The profound implications of AI for leadership and systemic thinking 09:45 - Risks of resistance and misconceptions about AI adoption in the workplace 10:16 - Human skills like prompting, framing, and judgment as key in AI utilization 11:49 - Protecting institutional knowledge and combating ageism in AI integration 13:24 - Educational shifts: From memorization to systems thinking 14:34 - Leadership development for a connected, systemic mindset 15:07 - How easy answers can mislead us in AI's era of complexity 16:41 - Redefining success: Outcome over process in a world of AI tools 17:08 - The evolving nature of regulated and unregulated work with AI 18:43 - Customer empathy, judgment, and the lasting importance of human touch 20:36 - The challenge of engaging frontline and hourly workers with AI and automation 21:53 - Is enterprise AI adoption a short-term cost play or a strategic transformation? 26:17 - What we're really automating: From low-level analysis to high-level talent strategy 30:11 - The essential role of entrepreneurial skills for trade and technical professions 32:23 - Using skills inventories and ontologies to future-proof organizations 36:25 - Reskilling versus layoffs: How purpose and objectives shape talent decisions 37:51 - Beyond short-term profit: The long-term value of investing in people and culture 40:28 - Ethical considerations, collective values, and navigating AI's future challenges Resources & Links:  Book: Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI by H. James Wilson & Paul R. Daugherty  Mike Ohata - LinkedIn  Understanding Ontologies in Skills & Competencies  AI and Leadership: The Next Frontier – Harvard Business Review  The Future of Work in the Age of AI – McKinsey Report  Connect with Mike Ohata:  LinkedIn  Twitter  Note: This episode is a rallying cry to foster human-centric, ethical AI adoption, challenging the status quo and empowering organizations and individuals to adapt boldly. 

Chuck Todd is terrified for his life. He announced he won't attend any events with Donald Trump anymore. He doesn't feel safe. It's too dangerous. Trump, he insists, will throw everyone else under the bus to protect himself. That's awfully convenient, considering the media is largely responsible for the collective mental health crisis in this country regarding Donald Trump. How do I know? I used to exist inside that insulated Doomsday Cult, and most of the people I know in real life still do. I can see what it's done to them. Ten years of worry, fear, hysteria, and hatred have consumed them.When I talk to my mother, I know she exists in that world defined by hate, as she spends the last few years of what's left of her life as part of this “all of society” effort to bring down the enemy of the Democrats, of Barack Obama. That's all it is. But she has no idea because she takes them at their word, and her perception of reality is limited to the confines of the Doomsday cult. My mother is like I used to be, a committed soldier to believing everything that was pumped into my nervous system from my social media feed, to the headlines at the New York Times, to the opening monologues on Morning Joe, The Daily Show, and MS-Now. Like her, I trusted them. Like her, I couldn't believe they would lie about something so serious. It had to be true, all of it.It's just that it wasn't true, and it was easy to figure it out. All it took was watching Trump's rallies, listening to him talk, getting to know his supporters, seeing things from their point of view, and humanizing them. And yet, even suggesting such a thing, and you watch them flip out. I've always known all it would take is a little bit of courage from the legacy press to help people like my mom, and millions of Americans who believe the lies they pump out every day on behalf of the Democrats. Just a little bit of sanity would go a long way. But instead, they are playing with fire. They are assuming guys like Cole Allen can tell the difference between extreme hyperbole and the truth. Any column about the Left's violence begins and ends with Trump, and all that means is they don't get the message. At best, they “both sides” it, they can't see what they've done to whole generations who actually believe they're growing up in a dictatorship, a regime that disappears people off the streets, wants to turn every woman into a birthing slave, and is shooting protesters just for exercising their First Amendment rights. Who wouldn't want to pick up a gun?At best, the Democrats came out of the potential massacre screaming about gun control, as though they've done anything to protect the students or the schools in 20 years, but all that does is change the channel away from common sense and empathy back to where they want it, right on target.Cole Allen took the press at their word, which is why he couldn't understand how they could have dinner with a “rapist, traitor, and pedophile.” He has a point. After all, why would they if they really meant everything they've been telling us for ten years?Had he been better at breaching security — if he'd had a better weapon that could fire multiple rounds, there is a good chance members of the press could have been mowed down too, along with the very pregnant Karoline Leavitt, who thankfully just welcomed her baby into this world. It feels like a miracle for anyone paying attention. The press didn't seem to get it. None of them even took a pause, except to blame Trump, to say he was nice for a second there, but then turned hostile again at Norah O'Donnell on 60 Minutes. The media focuses intensely on acts of violence by the Right and has for ten years, while ignoring violence from the Left. They do this without even thinking about it, which is why Americans conclude the Right is more violent. The media told them. So why wouldn't it be true?Alex Pretti and Renee Good shouldn't have been shot, but they were attacking federal officers. They aren't the violent ones to the media. It's ICE, the Gestapo. If you aren't aware that there are two sides to every story in America now, what in the world would you think? You wouldn't just be terrified. You would be radicalized. You would think violence is the only answer because everything else has failed.The press, however, should have better discernment. If they could just tell the truth for once, or at least try to correct the record, maybe we wouldn't be here now, where yet another assassin felt he had no other choice but to do the world a favor by killing Hitler. It was the job of the media to push back on the hyperbole and hysteria, but instead they became the delivery device, injecting irrational fear and rage into the veins of this country every second of every day - in airports, gyms, gas stations, and in the living rooms of people who still watch the news, like my mom. Why don't they think of us? Why doesn't just once Joy Behar or Whoopi Goldberg say, “Oh, we don't really mean he's a fascist. We just say that because we want to win elections, but it isn't really true.” They always think of the next round of elections - keep the people afraid, keep them engaged, then we can win. But what has this done to the soul of our nation, and no, they can't keep blaming Donald Trump because look at where that has gotten us. Semi fascists, ultra MAGA, racists, rapists, Nazis. Here is Ben Shapiro. Cole Allen's entire adult life has been shaped by Trump Derangement Syndrome, due almost entirely to the legacy media's partnership with the Democratic Party and their efforts to run a “hearts and minds” campaign on the American people since 2016. They took a side, along with all of our once-shared culture, institutions, corporations, and universities, with no consideration to what that level of sustained hysteria and rage might do to impressionable minds who know no other kind of America, one before the Democrats and the media turned their world into a Doomsday Cult. I also know that all it would take is a little bit of courage from the media to start calling the Democrats out for what they've done to all of us all of these years. Have they ever even thought about what comes next after Trump? There will be nothing left of them. Their entire existence revolves around ridding the world of this evil force, and they wonder why people are picking up guns. Cole Allen, Tyler Robinson, Luigi Mangeone, and Thomas Matthew Crooks are playing out a mainstream, in-the-light-of-day version of the CIA's MK Ultra. They didn't need a secret lab. They didn't even need drugs. They just needed the internet, social media algorithms, and our inability to maintain our sanity while doomscrolling. They knew all this long ago. But it was too useful in growing their “resistance.” Shaping public opinion with influencers who mirror the Democrats' messaging, and before long, for many of them, there was and is no way out.There used to be cultural touchstones that would offer us some kind of relief - like comedy, like movies, like commentary. Instead, we have a monoculture on the Left all pushing the exact same message: we're helpless, we're occupied, please someone just do it. Even now, when we look to them for the truth, we get cherry-picked information stripped of context. Most people only read the headlines now; they don't even bother to dive into the story or check how true it is. It is just Two Minutes of Hate, Orwell style.Like this headline at USA Today. It was obviously a joke; even the reporter laughed. The first paragraph of the story once again does not say it was a joke:Amid renewed scrutiny of his personal security, President Donald Trump said he has resisted the idea of wearing a bulletproof vest, not for safety reasons, but because of how it might make him look.Here are the first two comments under the tweet.Does the distortion of reality even bother the press now? Did they think about that as they entered the Correspondents' Dinner? Did they realize that their messaging had almost caught up with them? Cole Allen was an incompetent assassin, as it would turn out. But it should serve as a warning, one that they should not ignore. This is not a “both sides” issue. Only one side is growing political assassins who echo the exact same messaging of the legacy media and the Democrats. They can deny it all they want, but on that night, it almost caught up with them.Sooner or later, though, they will have to reckon with having lied for so many years, especially if they plan on toasting a glass of champagne, let alone sitting in the same room, with an “existential threat” like Donald Trump. Who knows who else might be out there who takes them at their word?// This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.sashastone.com/subscribe

Political analyst Chuck Todd joins Arizona’s Morning News to talk about the Iran war, Hegseth hearing, and Trump’s meeting with King Charles. 

And we're back... Iggy's upset about his DFS golf roster. Iggy gives lessons on producing. He's trying to get an STL-based adult star on his podcast. Who's calling in? What goes on for Iggy's Patreon? Friends should always feel free to drop by. The Chuck Todd downfall. We talk Adriana's and comfort food. Iggy needs to borrow a chainsaw. Ray King joins us on the phonelines. Our boss, John, walks in and is not happy with Iggy throwing his phone in the hallway. Nude photos from Ken. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

- A former Fauci adviser is indicted over alleged COVID-origin cover-up activity, and the segment frames it as the first real crack in the wall around Fauci himself. - Federal agents raid more than 20 sites in Minneapolis in a sweeping fraud probe, with the crackdown cast as long-overdue exposure of a taxpayer-funded Somali grift machine. - Ilhan Omar is ridiculed as both corrupt and unserious, with old footage resurfacing to portray her as a symbol of the political decay protecting the Minneapolis fraud culture. - The latest Trump assassination attempt is used to argue that Democrats are not just fueling political hatred but mass-producing unstable believers who act on the party's rhetoric. - Jimmy Kimmel, Joy Reid, Chuck Todd, and Ted Lieu are all cast as parts of the same machine: media and political figures who inflame, deflect, and then pretend they had nothing to do with the consequences. Today's podcast is sponsored by : CHAPTER - If you're turning 65 or already on Medicare, call Chapter at 27-MEDICARE for the plan that suits you best. BOLL & BRANCH - Upgrade your sleep with Boll & Branch! Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://BollAndBranch.com/GERRY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

The rules aren't equal—and now it's out in the open. From late-night “jokes” to media spin, violent rhetoric is creeping into mainstream discourse. Why is one side allowed to say it—and the other punished for less? ⚡ EPISODE SUMMARY In this explosive breakdown, Tara dissects the growing double standard in political speech and media accountability. After controversial remarks from Jimmy Kimmel, the conversation turns to whether “jokes” about violence are being normalized—and who gets a pass. Tara contrasts how conservative and liberal media ecosystems respond to rhetoric involving political violence, highlighting what she argues is a dangerous pattern: one side condemns, the other reframes. The episode also dives into media narratives surrounding Donald Trump, foreign policy tensions with Iran, and commentary from figures like Chuck Todd. The broader theme: how messaging, framing, and selective outrage shape public perception—and potentially fuel real-world consequences.

In the 5 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Bethany Mandel discussed: Bethany’s Super Viral Tweet: Bethany reposts an email on social media that she received on behalf of California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter with the subject line “F Trump” just 18 hours after a third assassination attempt. Hakeem Jeffries’ Warfare: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries doubles down on demands for “maximum warfare” nationwide, after Trump almost got killed. Chuck Todd Avoids Trump: Former “Meet The Press” host Chuck Todd says that “I'm not going to any more events where Trump is at them. I don't feel safe." Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Audible, and Spotify Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @JGunlock, @PatricePinkfile, and @HeatherHunterDC Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Website: WMAL.com/OConnor-Company Episode: Tuesday, April 28, 2026 / 5 AM HourSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony opens the show by talking to Chuck Todd who was at the White House Correspondents Dinner and he describes what it was like after the shots were fired, Michael Wilbon calls in to talk about the NFL Draft and also about the NBA playoffs, Tim Kurkjian calls in to talk about the Red Sox cleaning house by firing the manager and most of the coaching staff, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag. Songs : Dan Mangan “Meolody” ; “Peaks & Valleys” 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

Free range political analyst Chuck Todd joins Arizona’s Morning News to talk about the White House UFC fight and the reclassification of marijuana to a Schedule III drug. 

Political correspondent Chuck Todd; Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral; Boston Globe business columnist Shirley Leung; GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen.

Last week's PRWeek Crisis Conference in Washington, DC, had a who's who list of speakers and attendees.  On this podcast, hear from Kristin Cabot, who talks about taking back the narrative after the Coldplay KissCam incident went viral.  Also hear from attendees and speakers Chuck Todd of the Chuck Toddcast and Noosphere's Sunday Night with Chuck Todd, Marli Collier of Airlines for America and Lauren Odell of Gladstone Partners. PRWeek.comTheme music provided by TRIPLE SCOOP MUSICJaymes - First One Follow us: @PRWeekUSReceive the latest industry news, insights, and special reports. Start Your Free 1-Month Trial Subscription To PRWeek Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on the Gist, pushing back against the pundit-class panic that American democracy is "on the brink." Then, host of the Chuck Toddcast, Chuck Todd joins the show to break down the psychological profile of the modern politician, explaining why the desperate need for public validation consistently elevates slick communicators over serious legislators. Todd and Mike also survey the 2026 Senate landscape, including the vulnerabilities of Susan Collins and Sherrod Brown, and analyze how a shaky economy, new tariffs, and unforced errors are turning the midterm elections into a brutal referendum on Donald Trump. Produced by Corey Wara Video and Social Media by Geoff Craig Do you have questions or comments, or just want to say hello? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at https://www.mikepesca.com/⁠ For ad-free content or to become a Pesca Plus subscriber, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/ For Mike's daily takes on Substack, subscribe to The Gist List https://mikepesca.substack.com/ Follow us on Social Media:⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pescagist/ X https://x.com/pescami TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@pescagist To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠sales@amplitudemediapartners.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Free range political analyst, Chuck Todd, joined Arizona's Morning News to talk about the Build the Red Wall event in Phoenix, recent claims of sexual misconduct against Sen. Gallego, and updates on the war with Iran.

Alan's Soap https://AlansSoaps.com/ToddHonor John's memory and the legacy he created for Ian and Alan with Alan's Artisan Soaps “John's Favorites” bundle.  Get one bar of each of his favorites for only $28.99. Bulwark Capital https://KnowYourRiskPodcast.comBe confident in your portfolio with Bulwark! Schedule your free Know Your Risk Portfolio review. Go to KnowYourRiskPodcast.com today. Renue Healthcare https://Renue.Healthcare/ToddYour journey to a better life starts at Renue Healthcare. Visit https://Renue.Healthcare/Todd Bonefrog https://BonefrogCoffee.com/ToddGet the new limited release, The Sisterhood, created to honor the extraordinary women behind the heroes. Use code TODD at checkout to receive 10% off your first purchase and 15% on subscriptions.LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE at:The Todd Herman Show - Podcast - Apple PodcastsThe Todd Herman Show | Podcast on SpotifyWATCH and SUBSCRIBE at: Todd Herman - The Todd Herman Show - YouTubeEpisode Links:After reviewing 60 million voter records (out of an estimated 174 million nationwide),  @AAGDhillon found *hundreds of thousands* who shouldn't be on the voter rolls—including many noncitizens. We need the SAVE America Act to protect the sanctity of our elections. SCOTUS has now signaled it will strike down state laws that let ballots keep flooding in days (or weeks) after Election Day — a move that could finally kill the mail-in ballot games and restore real election integrity. No more “Election Month.” JUST IN: President Trump demands a clean extension of FISA from Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson, but says the common sense reforms MUST remain: "I was a victim of the worst and most illegal abuse of FISA in our Nation's History, by Radical Left Lunatics who lied to the FISA Court to spy on my 2016 Presidential Campaign in their attempt to RIG the Election in favor of Crooked Hillary Clinton.""Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety," - Benjamin Franklin GUESS who gets an exemption from the massive domestic surveillance expansion in the FISA reauthorization bill? Members of congress JUST IN: Eric Swalwell's close friend Sen. Ruben Gallego is throwing Swalwell UNDER THE BUS ZERO chance Gallego didn't know. He should be investigated GALLEGO: “Eric Swalwell lied to ALL of us. He lies to the most powerful people in this country. And they trusted him. BREAKING: Jaw-dropping moment as Rep. Eric Swalwell accuser SPILLS IT ALL on national TV "He r*ped me and he choked me." 2025. Chuck Todd discusses honesty and the superior morality of the Democrat party with Eric Swalwell. It mattered not to Chuck Todd or to about 100 other hosts that Eric Swalwell spent three years lying on national TV during the Russia collusion hoax.

SEASON 4 EPISODE 78: COUNTDOWN WITH KEITH OLBERMANN A-Block (2:30) BREAKING: Trump attacks and threatens Pope Leo in insane online rant, criticizing him for being opposed to Nuclear Weapons. Then in an in-person interview upon his return to Joint Base Andrews tonight insists Pope Leo was wrong to SUPPORT Nuclear Weapons. Trump then posts an image of himself dressed in Jesus-like attire apparently healing a hospital patient. No comment yet from the world's 1,200,000,000 Catholics. (8:30) SPECIAL COMMENT: I know, I know, lots of stuff just happened: Orban topples in Hungary, Vance beclowns himself there and in talks with Iran, Trump basically ends the ceasefire and threatens war against EVERY country in the world if they send a ship through the strait of Hormuz, the Houthis are trying to blockade the OTHER shipping bottle-neck there, Trump caught staring at cleavage at the cage fighting in Miami, Swalwell self-defenestrating. But I'll stick to this: The Melania Trump speech about Epstein was the single most important public statement by anybody connected to Trump in the last decade. She, personally, out of nowhere, moved the Epstein story back to center stage. A month of world-shaking cataclysm by her husband to bury the Epstein story and HIS COVER-UP OF IT and in 535 words she undid all that. And the thing that will keep this story alive for months: NONE of her words were in defense of her husband. She never said WE are innocent. She said I am innocent. She said it TWENTY FOUR TIMES. Her speech could’ve been only FIVE words long. Five words that may end the Trump presidency: I’M not taking the fall. PLUS: No, Swalwell isn't the victim and the allegations aren't anonymous and this isn't a Roger Stone set-up. He just knew there was a story, the way in 2017 I knew there was a story that would end up getting Matt Lauer fired from NBC and I knew it six days before Lauer knew it. That "B" follows "A" does not mean "A" caused "B." B-Block (42:00) THE WORST PERSONS IN THE WORLD: Chuck Todd blames Trump's pardons on Biden because Chuck Todd Disease. The Financial Times with one of the great corrections of our time. The banner if not the roof falls in on Gov. Shapiro. And what exactly are Kalshi, pro golf, and golfer Bryson deChambeau trying to sell in a commercial that ends with deChambeau evidently moving to a crashed UFO to beat an injured extraterrestrial to death with some golf clubs? C-Block (56:00) THINGS I PROMISED NOT TO TELL: My greatest sports record fell last night. It was 21 years and two months between episodes of ESPN's SportsCenter that I anchored. My old friend Rich Eisen has now made it 23 years. A good time to describe the Rip Van Winkle effect, and the bizarre stories about my goin' back to Bristol, Bristol, Bristol, in 2005, 2013, and 2018.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Free range political analyst, Chuck Todd, joined Arizona's Morning News to discuss the latest CPI numbers caused by the war in Iran, as well as Melania Trump speaking from the White House about her relationship with Epstein.

Tom Haberstroh, Amin Elhassan and producer Anthony Mayes feast on the smorgasbord of details in Shams' story about the Milwaukee Bucks that had one source saying "It feels like a funeral". Class is in session as Professor Adande returns to Illuminati U for a graduate seminar on the state of the association, or as he wants it known, the WemByA. J.A. takes us inside the selection process for his new podcast with Chuck Todd called Dynastic, wonders if the NCAA Tournament is a predictor of NBA Success and expresses concern about the future of journalism with media consolidation. Plus a whole lot of reminiscing about past NBA Finals. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to the Illuminati YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Basketball Illuminati is now part of the Count The Dings Network. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join the Count The Dings Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to support the show, get ad free episodes and exclusive content at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/countthedings⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ILLUMINATI MERCH HAS RETURNED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Check it out here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Basketball Illuminati! On⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Email us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠basketballilluminati@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@bballilluminati⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@basketballilluminati⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Free range political analyst, Chuck Todd, joined Arizona's Morning News to talk about the ongoing conflict with Iran, Pam Bondi getting fired, and Trump's most recent speech to the nation.

Chuck Todd asks the most uncomfortable question in American politics: is the country's current dysfunction a problem that can be resolved at the ballot box, or are we living through a pre-Civil War style pressure buildup where fundamental divisions keep getting papered over rather than addressed? He draws a striking parallel between today's hyperpartisan era — where both parties are simultaneously fighting each other and tearing themselves apart internally — and the post-Jackson period of American politics, when the country flipped back and forth between parties without ever resolving the underlying wound of slavery. He traces the arc from the Compromise of 1850, when Millard Fillmore believed he'd saved the republic, through the repeal of the Missouri Compromise that led to Bleeding Kansas, to James Buchanan handing Abraham Lincoln a country already on fire — and asks whether modern America can heal its divides without mass violence. He closes with Lincoln's insight that you couldn't solve the divide by managing it — but insists it doesn't have to take a hot civil war to resolve America's fractures, even if it increasingly feels like the country still isn't ready to do the hard work of actually turning the page. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the creation of NATO in 1949 and asks whether an alliance built on stability and values can survive a transactional president like Donald Trump, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 01:00 Reaction to March Madness 03:15 Nats are 2-1! 6:45 Trump orders TSA workers to be paid via executive order 7:45 Both parties are fighting each other, and also infighting 8:45 The house has the hardliners, the senate has the compromisers 9:15 Is the country ready to move on from dysfunction & hyperpartisanship? 11:30 For the 21st century, the country has flipped back & forth between parties 12:15 Similarities to the post-Jackson era of American politics 14:30 Problems and divisions were left unresolved 16:00 The wound over slavery was never healed, pressure kept building 17:00 Fillmore offered the compromise of 1850, thought he saved the republic 18:45 The Missouri Compromise was repealed, led to conflict in Kansas 20:30 Buchanon handed Lincoln a country already on fire 21:15 Can modern America heal its divides without mass violence? 22:15 8 million turned out for No Kings protests 23:45 CPAC was completely different universe compared to No Kings 25:00 Trump’s poll numbers are tanking on multiple issues 25:45 Democrats brand is still worse than Republicans in polls 26:30 We don’t seem to have the leaders we need to turn the page 27:15 The economy is a mess and it’s almost entirely Trump’s fault 28:15 The GOP hasn’t finished its own internal reckoning 29:30 It feels like America still isn’t ready to turn the page yet 30:30 The two parties have two fundamentally different visions for America 33:00 Will 2026 be a paradigm shift, or yet another pendulum swing? 34:00 Lincoln understood you couldn’t solve the divide by managing it 37:00 It doesn’t have to take a hot civil war to solve America’s divides 42:30 California’s governor race still shaping up 44:15 ToddCast Time Machine April 4th 1949 45:00 12 countries met to create the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 46:15 League of Nations didn’t have any binding enforcement mechanisms 47:15 Breakthrough came via the Vandenberg Resolution 48:15 Article 5 allowed constitutional discretion, made ratification possible 49:30 In 1955, West Germany was admitted, but it was uncomfortable 50:15 NATO has a simple purpose, deter the Soviet Union 50:45 NATO continued to grow eastward 53:00 Trump believes NATO should do whatever he wants them to 53:30 Trump has made NATO believe America’s help is conditional 54:30 Can an alliance built on certainty function in this era? 55:45 What happens to Ukraine portends whether NATO can survive 56:00 Ask Chuck 56:15 Why has job creation stopped being part of our political discourse? 1:00:15 What other points of leverage like the Strait of Hormuz exist in the world? 1:02:15 Trump conflates political asylum with insane asylums? 1:03:15 Democrats' problem less about leaders & instead poor messaging? 1:06:30 A 2/3rds vote in the senate as a check on the pardon power? 1:08:00 Will attorney John Morgan run for governor? 1:04:30 Thoughts of putting all parties on the same primary ballot? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd asks the most uncomfortable question in American politics: is the country's current dysfunction a problem that can be resolved at the ballot box, or are we living through a pre-Civil War style pressure buildup where fundamental divisions keep getting papered over rather than addressed? He draws a striking parallel between today's hyperpartisan era — where both parties are simultaneously fighting each other and tearing themselves apart internally — and the post-Jackson period of American politics, when the country flipped back and forth between parties without ever resolving the underlying wound of slavery. He traces the arc from the Compromise of 1850, when Millard Fillmore believed he'd saved the republic, through the repeal of the Missouri Compromise that led to Bleeding Kansas, to James Buchanan handing Abraham Lincoln a country already on fire — and asks whether modern America can heal its divides without mass violence. He closes with Lincoln's insight that you couldn't solve the divide by managing it — but insists it doesn't have to take a hot civil war to resolve America's fractures, even if it increasingly feels like the country still isn't ready to do the hard work of actually turning the page. Then, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan — the moderate Democrat, former tech entrepreneur, and Harvard-educated candidate for California governor — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a policy-dense conversation about what's wrong with California governance and how to fix it. Mahan argues that California has enormous resources but isn't delivering better results, and that the best form of resistance to Trumpism isn't performative opposition but good governance that actually improves people's lives. He walks through his record in San Jose — where he prioritized basic dignified shelter over expensive permanent housing and is now leading the state in reducing unsheltered homelessness — and makes the case that expensive housing is fundamentally a public policy failure driven by environmental review processes that needlessly slow construction. On AI, Mahan notes that Silicon Valley's libertarian tech culture has historically disengaged from civic life, but warns that AI is coming fast and California has both the responsibility and the opportunity to set guardrails that could become the national standard — particularly around transparency in government data use and serious law enforcement around data violations. The conversation gets politically candid as they navigate the tensions within the Democratic Party. Mahan argues that California Democrats can't blame anyone else for the state's governance failures, that every year revenue goes up faster than population growth yet outcomes get worse, and that highly organized interest groups end up wielding a veto over meaningful change. He opposes the proposed California billionaire wealth tax — not because he's defending billionaires, he insists, but because taxing the ultra-wealthy needs to happen at the federal level to avoid driving companies out of state — and disagrees with Newsom's handling of Proposition 36, arguing the state should force people into either treatment or jail rather than allowing open drug markets. On California's jungle primary, Mahan dismisses concerns about two Republican candidates advancing as overblown, pushes back on the idea he should run as an independent, and contends that Democrats need to update their platform and make government actually work rather than relying on "resistance warrior" posturing. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the creation of NATO in 1949 and asks whether an alliance built on stability and values can survive a transactional president like Donald Trump, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 01:00 Reaction to March Madness 03:15 Nats are 2-1! 08:45 Trump orders TSA workers to be paid via executive order 09:45 Both parties are fighting each other, and also infighting 10:45 The house has the hardliners, the senate has the compromisers 11:15 Is the country ready to move on from dysfunction & hyperpartisanship? 13:30 For the 21st century, the country has flipped back & forth between parties 14:15 Similarities to the post-Jackson era of American politics 16:30 Problems and divisions were left unresolved 18:00 The wound over slavery was never healed, pressure kept building 19:00 Fillmore offered the compromise of 1850, thought he saved the republic 20:45 The Missouri Compromise was repealed, led to conflict in Kansas 22:30 Buchanon handed Lincoln a country already on fire 23:15 Can modern America heal its divides without mass violence? 24:15 8 million turned out for No Kings protests 25:45 CPAC was completely different universe compared to No Kings 27:00 Trump’s poll numbers are tanking on multiple issues 27:45 Democrats brand is still worse than Republicans in polls 28:30 We don’t seem to have the leaders we need to turn the page 29:15 The economy is a mess and it’s almost entirely Trump’s fault 30:15 The GOP hasn’t finished its own internal reckoning 31:30 It feels like America still isn’t ready to turn the page yet 32:30 The two parties have two fundamentally different visions for America 35:00 Will 2026 be a paradigm shift, or yet another pendulum swing? 36:00 Lincoln understood you couldn’t solve the divide by managing it 39:00 It doesn’t have to take a hot civil war to solve America’s divides 47:00 Mayor Matt Mahan (San Jose) joins the Chuck ToddCast 48:30 What got you into politics and made you want to run for mayor? 50:30 What are the other Dems in the race missing that you can bring? 51:45 California has a lot of resources but isn’t delivering better results 53:00 San Jose become the place where Palo Alto workers actually live 54:30 Why has San Jose lacked a real urban center? 55:45 Tech sector is very libertarian & didn’t really engage the community 58:15 Concerns that AI is coming quickly & can do both good and harm 59:45 If California puts guardrails on AI, that could become national standard 1:01:00 Government has responsibility to be transparent about AI data use 1:02:30 California has to create framework for AI security, regulation & transparency 1:03:15 The unknown of AI has created fear amongst the American public 1:04:30 The lack of trust in AI is because social media has been such a negative 1:06:00 There needs to be serious law enforcement around data violations 1:07:15 Media literacy & critical thinking need to be taught in public schools 1:08:45 What are you getting right in tackling homelessness in San Jose? 1:09:45 Prioritized basic dignified shelter over expensive permanent housing 1:11:00 San Jose is leading California in solving homelessness 1:12:00 California hasn’t built enough shelter or treatment facilities 1:13:00 Expensive housing is a public policy failure 1:13:45 Why does environmental review have to slow down construction? 1:15:00 Environmental impacts go far beyond just clean air & water 1:15:45 Technology can drastically speed up environmental review 1:17:00 Infill construction permits should be approved/denied in 30 days 1:18:30 Are tenant protection laws sufficient to protect ADU renters? 1:20:00 22% of new housing built in San Jose is ADUs 1:20:30 Are taxes too high in California? 1:21:15 California has one of the most progressive tax structures in the country 1:21:45 Gas tax is one of California’s most regressive, EV owners need to pay 1:23:15 A per vehicle flat fee for both gas & EVs makes the most sense 1:25:00 Every year revenue goes up faster than population w/ worse outcomes 1:26:15 What has Newsom gotten right & wrong? 1:28:30 Disagreed with Newsom on Prop 36 & force either treatment or jail 1:29:30 Highly organized interests end up getting a veto over change 1:31:30 Best form of resistance to Trumpism is good governance 1:32:30 The math problem for Democrats in California’s jungle primary 1:33:15 The concern over two GOP candidates winning is overblown 1:36:15 Voters are skeptical of both parties, why not run as an independent? 1:38:00 Democrats need to update the party platform & make government work 1:39:30 Voters frustrated with Trump gravitate towards “resistance warriors” 1:41:00 California Democrats can’t blame anyone else for California’s governance 1:41:30 Better ways to make tax code fairer than proposed billionaire wealth tax 1:42:30 Taxing the ultra wealthy needs to be done at the federal level 1:43:15 Opposing CA wealth tax isn’t defending billionaires 1:45:45 California’s governor race still shaping up 1:47:30 ToddCast Time Machine April 4th 1949 1:48:15 12 countries met to create the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 1:49:30 League of Nations didn’t have any binding enforcement mechanisms 1:50:30 Breakthrough came via the Vandenberg Resolution 1:51:30 Article 5 allowed constitutional discretion, made ratification possible 1:52:45 In 1955, West Germany was admitted, but it was uncomfortable 1:53:30 NATO has a simple purpose, deter the Soviet Union 1:54:00 NATO continued to grow eastward 1:56:15 Trump believes NATO should do whatever he wants them to 1:56:45 Trump has made NATO believe America’s help is conditional 1:57:45 Can an alliance built on certainty function in this era? 1:59:00 What happens to Ukraine portends whether NATO can survive 1:59:15 Ask Chuck 1:59:30 Why has job creation stopped being part of our political discourse? 2:03:30 What other points of leverage like the Strait of Hormuz exist in the world? 2:05:30 Trump conflates political asylum with insane asylums? 2:06:30 Democrats' problem less about leaders & instead poor messaging? 2:09:45 A 2/3rds vote in the senate as a check on the pardon power? 2:11:15 Will attorney John Morgan run for governor? 2:07:45 Thoughts of putting all parties on the same primary ballot?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Political analyst Chuck Todd joined Arizona's Morning News to talk about how the Senate passed a DHS funding bill overnight that excludes ICE and part of CBP. The bill now heads to the house, where it is expected to pass.

Chuck Todd reveals that Trump's planned visit to Beijing on May 14th and 15th may function as a de facto deadline for wrapping up the Iran war, noting that Trump wants to end the conflict more than the Iranian regime does — a devastating negotiating position — and that his own voters are being hit hardest by soaring gas prices since they drive more than the average American, while lawmakers in compact D.C. remain insulated from the pain. He unpacks the Gulf states' precarious calculus: the Saudis and Emiratis are terrified Trump will retreat and leave Iran with leverage, knowing that once the U.S. leaves the region it isn't coming back anytime soon, but they also have significant business leverage over Trump and his family that complicates every decision. He then pivots to what should be a triumphant moment for Democrats — they've flipped 30 Republican seats since Trump took office without losing a single one, won two government shutdowns, and are operating in the best political climate in years — but finds a party that feels leaderless, with Chuck Schumer at the center of the dysfunction. He reports that some Senate Democrats want Schumer to step aside, that he's become paranoid about leaks and tells different caucus members what they want to hear (a tactic known internally as "getting Schumed"), He closes with a sharp critique of Democrats in Virginia who are advocating for indefensible partisan redistricting — arguing that the Democratic brand still has lower favorability than both the GOP and MAGA brands, that the Democratic base is smaller than the Republican base and therefore needs moderates to win, and that deploying the same gerrymandering tactics they claim to oppose is exactly the kind of hypocrisy that keeps voters from trusting the party. Then, Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski — the author of the Pardon Integrity Act, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to reject presidential pardons with a two-thirds supermajority vote — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a frank conversation about fixing a broken democracy and what Democrats should prioritize if they retake the House. Olszewski argues that the presidential pardon is the biggest loophole between democracy and autocracy, a power straight out of a monarchy that the founders failed to adequately check, and notes that Congress actually tried to curb pardon authority after Nixon but the effort stalled. His amendment, which is structured like a veto override and has already attracted Republican co-sponsor Don Bacon, would allow 20 House members and five senators to initiate a review process with 60 days to nullify a pardon. Olszewski is careful to spread the blame across parties — calling Trump's 1,600 pardons in 2025 alone "exceptionally egregious" but acknowledges that Biden’s preemptive pardons were a bad thing — and says nobody in Congress actually thinks the proposal is a bad idea. The conversation broadens into a sobering assessment of congressional dysfunction and the state of American democracy. Olszewski describes the current Congress as one of the least productive ever, with both parties proposing unpassable messaging bills rather than legislating, and warns that partisan redistricting combined with partisan primaries creates a vicious cycle where the Republicans most willing to compromise are the ones most likely to lose their primaries. On Democratic strategy, Olszewski argues that if impeachable offenses exist they should be pursued but the party must focus on voters' needs, that Hakeem Jeffries should center his speakership on affordability if Democrats retake the House, and that Congress needs to come together to ban bipartisan gerrymandering. He insists that repairing democracy transcends partisan politics — the country needs people to believe in the institution of Congress again, and that requires restraints not just on this president but on all future ones. Finally, Chuck proposes a major change to the NCAA basketball tournament… an expanded, 96 team playoff that would benefit both athletics and academics, celebrates the start of the MLB season, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 07:30 We may have a new deadline for Trump to wrap up the Iran war 08:00 Trump to visit Beijing on May 14th & 15th 09:15 Trump wants to end the war more than the Iranian regime 10:45 Trump voters drive more, gas prices will impact them more 12:00 Lawmakers are insulated from gas prices since D.C. is compact 13:15 Saudis and Emirates afraid Trump will retreat & leave Iran with leverage 14:15 Gulf states know that once the U.S. leaves they aren’t coming back soon 15:45 Saudis and Emirates have business leverage over Trump & his family 16:30 Trump will have to weigh business vs. political interests 17:30 Ground forces still being deployed to the region 18:30 Democrats in great political climate, but party feels rudderless & leaderless 19:15 Dems have flipped 30 Republican seats since Trump took office, lost none 20:00 Democrats have ushered in two government shutdowns & winning both 21:30 ICE’s abuses drove Dems to shutdown, the public largely supports them 22:15 Deploying ICE to airports is a dumb political move by Trump 23:45 Markwayne Mullin seems open to getting rid of ICE masking 25:45 The traveling public needs to be insulated from these political fights 27:00 Democrats should make the deal, but Chuck Schumer struggling to lead 27:45 Senate Democrats want Schumer to step aside as leader 30:30 Brian Schatz could be potential replacement, but expressed support for Schumer 33:00 Many longtime establishment senators have rallied behind Schumer 34:00 Schumer seems paranoid of leaks, and doesn’t share enough information 35:30 Confusion between senate Dems over whether there was deal to end shutdown 36:45 Schumer trying to appease everyone, telling them what they want to hear 37:30 The tactic is known as “Getting Schumed” 39:30 Schumer seems to have lost his fastball & is always looking over his shoulder 40:45 Schumer has become the stand-in for the establishment 42:15 Schumer can’t be seen as fighting the progressives and losing 44:30 Abigail Spanberger didn’t run as a partisan, forced into partisan redistricting 46:15 Partisan redistricting results in the election of partisan hacks 49:15 Dem base is smaller than GOP base, Dems need to win moderates 50:15 Dems in Virginia are advocating for indefensible partisan redistricting 51:15 Democratic brand still has lower favorability than GOP & MAGA 57:30 Rep. Johnny Olszewski joins the Chuck ToddCast 58:45 Pardon clause is biggest loophole between democracy & autocracy 1:00:30 Do you have more Republicans on board with the pardon amendment? 1:01:15 Pardon amendment is structured like a veto override 1:01:45 Trump’s pardons are exceptionally egregious 1:02:15 Biden’s preemptive pardons for family members were also terrible 1:04:00 Pardon power is a loophole right out of a monarchy 1:05:00 Congress wanted to curb pardon power after Nixon, but it stalled 1:06:45 We need people to believe in the institution of congress again 1:08:00 Should a pardon board be created similar to those at the state level? 1:10:00 What’s the strategy for getting the pardon amendment passed? 1:10:45 Nobody in congress thinks the proposal is a bad idea 1:13:00 We haven’t passed a meaningful amendment since JFK assassination 1:13:45 Repairing the democracy transcends partisan politics 1:15:00 What should Democrats prioritize if they retake the house majority? 1:15:45 If impeachable offenses exist, pursue them, but focus on voters’ needs 1:18:00 The current congress is one of the least productive ever 1:20:30 Both parties propose unpassable messaging bills 1:22:15 The minority is rarely treated well by the majority 1:24:30 Democrats can compromise on policy but not core values 1:25:30 Depending on the members, there may be space for compromise 1:26:00 R’s willing to compromise are most likely to lose their primary 1:26:45 Partisan redistricting + partisan elections leads to bad outcomes 1:30:00 Seriously concerned about certification of the 2028 election 1:31:00 Worried that Speaker Johnson will mess with the 2026 result? 1:33:30 Government has resources to make lives better if not for partisanship 1:36:00 Congress has passed almost no meaningful legislation 1:38:15 Congress needs to come together and ban bipartisan gerrymandering 1:40:30 No appetite in congress for uncapping size of house, talk of rank choice voting 1:41:45 If Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker, he needs to focus on affordability 1:42:45 The numbers aren’t there to advance an impeachment inquiry 1:44:30 We need restraints on this president and future presidents 1:45:00 Thoughts on Wes Moore running for president? 1:46:00 What’s “electability” going to mean in 2028? 1:50:00 Chuck’s proposal for the NCAA basketball tournament 1:51:15 Big East is closer to the A10 than the other power conferences 1:52:15 People say they love cinderellas in the Final Four, then don’t watch 1:53:30 Applications surge to mid-majors that advanced far in tournament 1:55:30 Schools were able to get higher quality students & faculty 1:56:00 Success in athletics leads to success in academics 1:56:30 Expand the tournament to 96 teams 1:57:45 96 teams is still less than 1/3rd of potential schools 1:59:15 Expanded tournament would be a net positive for higher education 2:00:45 Four regions, 24 teams per region - 2 teams seeded 9-16 2:03:30 You get more basketball, and a better chance for midmajors 2:05:45 Everybody would make more money, & it’d be more fan friendly 2:08:00 The best teams would still advance 2:10:30 It’s opening day in Major League Baseball 2:12:30 Most intriguing MLB teams 2:15:45 MLB dark horses 2:17:00 Ask Chuck 2:17:15 Why didn’t you include 1858 Lincoln v Douglas in Top 5 Illinois campaigns? 2:19:15 If we don’t get oil from the Strait of Hormuz, why have our gas prices gone up? 2:21:00 How can we rebalance focus from national to local politics? 2:26:30 Was Kristi Noem’s DHS PR campaign in service of a presidential run? 2:30:00 Do you think Trump will invade Iran with boots on the ground? 2:32:45 Who is advising the president on potential outcomes, intel seems degraded? 2:39:45 Could Democrats benefit from putting forward a “contract with America” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd reveals that Trump's planned visit to Beijing on May 14th and 15th may function as a de facto deadline for wrapping up the Iran war, noting that Trump wants to end the conflict more than the Iranian regime does — a devastating negotiating position — and that his own voters are being hit hardest by soaring gas prices since they drive more than the average American, while lawmakers in compact D.C. remain insulated from the pain. He unpacks the Gulf states' precarious calculus: the Saudis and Emiratis are terrified Trump will retreat and leave Iran with leverage, knowing that once the U.S. leaves the region it isn't coming back anytime soon, but they also have significant business leverage over Trump and his family that complicates every decision. He then pivots to what should be a triumphant moment for Democrats — they've flipped 30 Republican seats since Trump took office without losing a single one, won two government shutdowns, and are operating in the best political climate in years — but finds a party that feels leaderless, with Chuck Schumer at the center of the dysfunction. He reports that some Senate Democrats want Schumer to step aside, that he's become paranoid about leaks and tells different caucus members what they want to hear (a tactic known internally as "getting Schumed"), He closes with a sharp critique of Democrats in Virginia who are advocating for indefensible partisan redistricting — arguing that the Democratic brand still has lower favorability than both the GOP and MAGA brands, that the Democratic base is smaller than the Republican base and therefore needs moderates to win, and that deploying the same gerrymandering tactics they claim to oppose is exactly the kind of hypocrisy that keeps voters from trusting the party. Then, Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski — the author of the Pardon Integrity Act, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to reject presidential pardons with a two-thirds supermajority vote — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a frank conversation about fixing a broken democracy and what Democrats should prioritize if they retake the House. Olszewski argues that the presidential pardon is the biggest loophole between democracy and autocracy, a power straight out of a monarchy that the founders failed to adequately check, and notes that Congress actually tried to curb pardon authority after Nixon but the effort stalled. His amendment, which is structured like a veto override and has already attracted Republican co-sponsor Don Bacon, would allow 20 House members and five senators to initiate a review process with 60 days to nullify a pardon. Olszewski is careful to spread the blame across parties — calling Trump's 1,600 pardons in 2025 alone "exceptionally egregious" but acknowledges that Biden’s preemptive pardons were a bad thing — and says nobody in Congress actually thinks the proposal is a bad idea. The conversation broadens into a sobering assessment of congressional dysfunction and the state of American democracy. Olszewski describes the current Congress as one of the least productive ever, with both parties proposing unpassable messaging bills rather than legislating, and warns that partisan redistricting combined with partisan primaries creates a vicious cycle where the Republicans most willing to compromise are the ones most likely to lose their primaries. On Democratic strategy, Olszewski argues that if impeachable offenses exist they should be pursued but the party must focus on voters' needs, that Hakeem Jeffries should center his speakership on affordability if Democrats retake the House, and that Congress needs to come together to ban bipartisan gerrymandering. He insists that repairing democracy transcends partisan politics — the country needs people to believe in the institution of Congress again, and that requires restraints not just on this president but on all future ones. Finally, Chuck proposes a major change to the NCAA basketball tournament… an expanded, 96 team playoff that would benefit both athletics and academics, celebrates the start of the MLB season, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 3:00 We may have a new deadline for Trump to wrap up the Iran war 3:30 Trump to visit Beijing on May 14th & 15th 4:45 Trump wants to end the war more than the Iranian regime 6:15 Trump voters drive more, gas prices will impact them more 7:30 Lawmakers are insulated from gas prices since D.C. is compact 8:45 Saudis and Emirates afraid Trump will retreat & leave Iran with leverage 9:45 Gulf states know that once the U.S. leaves they aren’t coming back soon 11:15 Saudis and Emirates have business leverage over Trump & his family 12:00 Trump will have to weigh business vs. political interests 13:00 Ground forces still being deployed to the region 14:00 Democrats in great political climate, but party feels rudderless & leaderless 14:45 Dems have flipped 30 Republican seats since Trump took office, lost none 15:30 Democrats have ushered in two government shutdowns & winning both 17:00 ICE’s abuses drove Dems to shutdown, the public largely supports them 17:45 Deploying ICE to airports is a dumb political move by Trump 19:15 Markwayne Mullin seems open to getting rid of ICE masking 21:15 The traveling public needs to be insulated from these political fights 22:30 Democrats should make the deal, but Chuck Schumer struggling to lead 23:15 Senate Democrats want Schumer to step aside as leader 26:00 Brian Schatz could be potential replacement, but expressed support for Schumer 28:30 Many longtime establishment senators have rallied behind Schumer 29:30 Schumer seems paranoid of leaks, and doesn’t share enough information 31:00 Confusion between senate Dems over whether there was deal to end shutdown 32:15 Schumer trying to appease everyone, telling them what they want to hear 33:00 The tactic is known as “Getting Schumed” 35:00 Schumer seems to have lost his fastball & is always looking over his shoulder 36:15 Schumer has become the stand-in for the establishment 37:45 Schumer can’t be seen as fighting the progressives and losing 40:00 Abigail Spanberger didn’t run as a partisan, forced into partisan redistricting 41:45 Partisan redistricting results in the election of partisan hacks 44:45 Dem base is smaller than GOP base, Dems need to win moderates 45:45 Dems in Virginia are advocating for indefensible partisan redistricting 46:45 Democratic brand still has lower favorability than GOP & MAGA 53:00 Chuck’s proposal for the NCAA basketball tournament 54:15 Big East is closer to the A10 than the other power conferences 55:15 People say they love cinderellas in the Final Four, then don’t watch 56:30 Applications surge to mid-majors that advanced far in tournament 58:30 Schools were able to get higher quality students & faculty 59:00 Success in athletics leads to success in academics 59:30 Expand the tournament to 96 teams 1:00:45 96 teams is still less than 1/3rd of potential schools 1:02:15 Expanded tournament would be a net positive for higher education 1:03:45 Four regions, 24 teams per region - 2 teams seeded 9-16 1:06:30 You get more basketball, and a better chance for midmajors 1:08:45 Everybody would make more money, & it’d be more fan friendly 1:11:00 The best teams would still advance 1:13:30 It’s opening day in Major League Baseball 1:15:30 Most intriguing MLB teams 1:18:45 MLB dark horses 1:20:00 Ask Chuck 1:20:15 Why didn’t you include 1858 Lincoln v Douglas in Top 5 Illinois campaigns? 1:22:15 If we don’t get oil from the Strait of Hormuz, why have our gas prices gone up? 1:24:00 How can we rebalance focus from national to local politics? 1:29:30 Was Kristi Noem’s DHS PR campaign in service of a presidential run? 1:33:00 Do you think Trump will invade Iran with boots on the ground? 1:35:45 Who is advising the president on potential outcomes, intel seems degraded? 1:42:45 Could Democrats benefit from putting forward a “contract with America”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens by announcing the launch of "Dynastic," his new sports history podcast with J.A. Adande, before turning to what may be the most consequential inflection point of the Iran war: Trump is running out of patience and actively searching for an off-ramp, but every path forward carries serious risks and his definition of victory keeps shifting by the day. Chuck warns that the U.S. continues to send more troops for potential escalation even as the military acknowledges it has achieved its strategic objectives but can only do so much — the regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly, meaning the war has now become fundamentally about perception rather than territory. He flags General Mattis's warning that Iran will claim control over the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. retreats, that Gulf states are already hedging their security partnerships and leaning toward China, and that standing with America has become politically toxic in allied countries — a direct consequence of Trump choosing to weaken alliances before launching a war that required them. At home, the picture is equally grim: support for Trump among independents has cratered into the low 20s, the MAGA brand has become more toxic with voters than the generic Republican brand, nobody in Trump's orbit wants to own this war, and Chuck warns that while Trump has always bounced back from political crises, this time may be different — the war could be the death knell for the MAGA movement itself, because Trump hollowed out the expertise around him, surrounded himself with sycophants, and now finds both sides stuck in a conflict where retreat looks like defeat and escalation looks like madness. Then, Warwick Sabin — president and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit news network that includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi Today, New Orleans' Verite News, and Lafayette's The Current — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss what may be the most promising model for saving local journalism in America. Sabin, a former three-term Arkansas state legislator and publisher of the Oxford American magazine, explains how he's building a network of nonprofit newsrooms across the Deep South from scratch, starting with Mississippi Today — the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi, now the largest in the state — and expanding into Louisiana and soon Arkansas. He describes the wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model, using the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's decline as a case study, and argues that the nonprofit approach has a critical advantage: starting fresh means avoiding the crushing legacy costs that buried traditional papers, and all revenue gets reinvested directly into the news product. They make the case that service journalism — covering schools, local government, youth sports — is what creates the trust and audience that makes the "sexy" investigative work possible, pointing to the fact that local journalists in his network helped exonerate a man on death row in Mississippi. The conversation turns to what makes local journalism viable and essential in 2026 and beyond. Sabin argues that human connection to journalists will be the defining differentiator in the age of AI — people won't trust reporters who aren't part of their local community — while acknowledging that AI tools can make reporting dramatically more efficient. He discusses using local and youth sports as a community bonding agent in an era where it's one of the few areas where communities can avoid politics, notes that Mississippi produces terrific writers who need platforms, and emphasizes that having video and audio components is now critical for any news operation. They explore the potential for rebuilding a national network of nonprofit newspapers, discuss which communities are ripe for expansion and make the case that local journalism should be treated as a civic institution deserving of public-private partnership. Sabin's model is free to access, civic-minded, and designed to help citizens survive and thrive in their communities — exactly what Local News Day on April 9th is designed to champion. Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose reelection in 2026, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 00:45 Launching the "Dynastic" sports history podcast with J.A. Adande! 09:00 Trump is running out of patience, looking for off-ramp in Iran 10:15 Trump’s definition of victory keeps changing 11:00 Every path forward in Iran carries risks 11:30 We continue to send more troops for potential escalation 12:45 Iran will have a say over who can travel through the Strait of Hormuz 13:15 Gen. Mattis believes Iran will claim control over Strait if U.S. retreats 16:00 The military has had strategic victory, but can only do so much 16:45 Regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly 18:00 Both sides are stuck, so now the war becomes about perception 18:45 Gulf states could hedge their security partnerships, lean to China 19:30 Trump hollowed out expertise & surrounded himself with sycophants 20:30 Nobody in Trump’s orbit want to own this war 21:30 Standing with the U.S. is politically unpopular in allied countries 23:00 Trump chose to weaken America’s alliance prior to launching war 23:45 War is increasingly unpopular at home 25:00 Support for Trump among independents is in the low 20’s 26:30 The MAGA brand is now more toxic with voters than Republican brand 27:30 War could be the death knell for the MAGA brand 28:45 Trump has always bounced back, but he may not be able to this time 37:00 Warwick Sabin joins the Chuck ToddCast 38:30 Creating the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi 41:30 What went wrong with the Jackson Clarion-Ledger? 43:30 There’s been a wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model 45:00 Potential for rebuilding a national network of newspapers? 46:15 In small markets, newspapers have to be hyper efficient 48:15 Service journalism is what creates the opportunity for “sexy” journalism 49:15 Local journalists exonerated a man on death row in Mississippi 50:15 Using local and youth sports as a community bond 52:00 Local sports is the one area where communities can avoid politics 53:30 Mississippi produces terrific writers 54:30 Having a video/audio component for reporting is critical 56:00 Human connection to journalists will be important in age of AI 58:00 People won’t trust journalists that aren’t part of their local community 59:45 AI tools can make reporting easier and more efficient 1:01:15 What does a community need to have to become part of your network? 1:02:30 Arkansas Democrat Gazette weathered the storm better than most 1:04:30 Arkansas is in need of a local news network 1:05:45 Bill Clinton’s election kept Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas 1:08:00 Northwest Arkansas produced some of America’s biggest companies 1:11:00 How much do you factor in local resources when launching a new paper? 1:13:00 What other places have you looked at to expand the network? 1:15:00 Model is doing civic minded journalism that is free to access 1:16:00 Starting from scratch, avoiding legacy costs is a huge boon 1:18:30 All the revenue they generate gets invested back into the news product 1:20:00 Newspapers & local journalism are a civic institution 1:22:00 Local journalism should be a public/private partnership 1:23:00 It is incredibly difficult to deliver straight news in smaller communities 1:23:45 What do you hope to get out of Local News Day? 1:26:30 Local journalism can help citizens survive and thrive in their communities 1:27:30 Is print dead, or is there a viable path for it? 1:29:15 What has the gutting of local & public radio meant for Mississippi? 1:33:00 ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose in 2026 1:34:15 #1 John Cornyn 1:35:45 #2 Dan McKee 1:38:00 #3 Bill Cassidy 1:40:30 #4 Susan Collins 1:44:30 #5 Pete Ricketts 1:45:45 Ask Chuck 1:46:00 John Hickenlooper is out. Has another state had so many 1-term dropouts? 1:50:15 Would Hilary Clinton have won the presidency if the nominee in a different year? 1:54:00 Any pop culture quotes that you love that carry weight politically?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens by announcing the launch of "Dynastic," his new sports history podcast with J.A. Adande, before turning to what may be the most consequential inflection point of the Iran war: Trump is running out of patience and actively searching for an off-ramp, but every path forward carries serious risks and his definition of victory keeps shifting by the day. Chuck warns that the U.S. continues to send more troops for potential escalation even as the military acknowledges it has achieved its strategic objectives but can only do so much — the regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly, meaning the war has now become fundamentally about perception rather than territory. He flags General Mattis's warning that Iran will claim control over the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. retreats, that Gulf states are already hedging their security partnerships and leaning toward China, and that standing with America has become politically toxic in allied countries — a direct consequence of Trump choosing to weaken alliances before launching a war that required them. At home, the picture is equally grim: support for Trump among independents has cratered into the low 20s, the MAGA brand has become more toxic with voters than the generic Republican brand, nobody in Trump's orbit wants to own this war, and Chuck warns that while Trump has always bounced back from political crises, this time may be different — the war could be the death knell for the MAGA movement itself, because Trump hollowed out the expertise around him, surrounded himself with sycophants, and now finds both sides stuck in a conflict where retreat looks like defeat and escalation looks like madness. Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose reelection in 2026, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 00:45 Launching the "Dynastic" sports history podcast with J.A. Adande! 09:00 Trump is running out of patience, looking for off-ramp in Iran 10:15 Trump’s definition of victory keeps changing 11:00 Every path forward in Iran carries risks 11:30 We continue to send more troops for potential escalation 12:45 Iran will have a say over who can travel through the Strait of Hormuz 13:15 Gen. Mattis believes Iran will claim control over Strait if U.S. retreats 16:00 The military has had strategic victory, but can only do so much 16:45 Regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly 18:00 Both sides are stuck, so now the war becomes about perception 18:45 Gulf states could hedge their security partnerships, lean to China 19:30 Trump hollowed out expertise & surrounded himself with sycophants 20:30 Nobody in Trump’s orbit want to own this war 21:30 Standing with the U.S. is politically unpopular in allied countries 23:00 Trump chose to weaken America’s alliance prior to launching war 23:45 War is increasingly unpopular at home 25:00 Support for Trump among independents is in the low 20’s 26:30 The MAGA brand is now more toxic with voters than Republican brand 27:30 War could be the death knell for the MAGA brand 28:45 Trump has always bounced back, but he may not be able to this time 35:30 ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose in 2026 36:45 #1 John Cornyn 38:15 #2 Dan McKee 40:30 #3 Bill Cassidy 43:00 #4 Susan Collins 47:00 #5 Pete Ricketts 48:15 Ask Chuck 48:30 John Hickenlooper is out. Has another state had so many 1-term dropouts? 52:45 Would Hilary Clinton have won the presidency if the nominee in a different year? 56:30 Any pop culture quotes that you love that carry weight politically?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the premiere episode of "Dynastic," Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande tell the full history of the Los Angeles Dodgers, from their Brooklyn beginnings, to Jackie Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier, to Kirk Gibson’s World Series heroics, and the Shohei Ohtani era. They examine all the front-office decisions and key turning points that turned the Dodgers into a baseball dynasty. Please FOLLOW for upcoming episodes. Follow the show on our social accounts: https://www.twitter.com/dynasticpod/ https://www.instagram.com/dynasticpod/ https://www.facebook.com/DynasticPod https://www.tiktok.com/@dynastic.pod See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the two stories dominating the weekend: the Iran war's cascading economic consequences and Trump's vile celebration of Robert Mueller's death. On Iran, Chuck warns that rising energy costs with oil above $100 a barrel are not politically neutral — they function as a tax on existence that directly breaches the contract Trump's own voters signed up for — and that Trump is visibly panicking about gas prices because they disproportionately hurt his base. He argues that killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime because the Iranian leadership doesn't operate as rational actors who can be deterred by suffering, that Trump made the same catastrophic miscalculation Putin made in Ukraine by assuming it would be easy, and that nobody in Trump's orbit will deliver bad news because there is now a North Korea-level sycophancy around the president. He then turns to Trump's Truth Social post celebrating the death of Mueller — a Bronze Star combat veteran, 12-year FBI director, and lifelong public servant who died at 81 from Parkinson's disease — in which Trump wrote "Good, I'm glad he's dead." Chuck notes that even Fox News' Brit Hume tweeted that this is why people don't merely oppose Trump but actively hate him. He argues that character matters in politics more than any policy position, and that Trump is fundamentally incapable of showing grace or knowing when to shut up He revisits the Mueller investigation itself, arguing that the real failure wasn't the probe's legal conclusions — which confirmed Russia took action to help elect Trump and that the campaign expected to benefit from stolen information — but that there were no consequences, and that Trump's refusal to acknowledge Russian help was never about innocence but about protecting the legitimacy of his presidency, with the entire GOP going along because copping to it would have been politically fatal. Suzanne Kianpour — the Emmy-nominated journalist, Semafor columnist, and Iran specialist who joins the Chuck Toddcast for an extraordinarily personal and deeply informed conversation about what's actually happening inside Iran as the war enters its third week. Kianpour paints a picture of a country where people are terrified and staying home, where Persian New Year will not be a celebration, and where the fabric of the regime is visibly falling apart — yet there was no pre-war effort by the U.S. to organize a viable opposition, meaning the question of who replaces the regime remains dangerously unanswered. She examines whether President Pezeshkian could serve as a transitional figure, notes that the former foreign minister has gone conspicuously quiet, discusses the role of Reza Pahlavi and the women's movement, and reveals that sources inside Iran believe the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may already be dead. Kianpour delivers the stark bottom line: the regime wins simply by staying intact, and without boots on the ground or a coordinated opposition, air and naval power alone cannot finish the job. The conversation broadens into a candid assessment of the geopolitical landscape that complicates any clean resolution. Kianpour argues that the U.S. lost the moral high ground when Trump ripped up the Obama nuclear deal a deal she defends as strategically sound even if imperfect — and that Western media has become so reflexively anti-Trump that some outlets almost want the war to fail, which is inadvertently helping the Iranian regime win the information war. She notes that Gulf states were supportive when they thought the strikes would work quickly but are now distancing themselves, that China — which brokered the Iran-Saudi détente — may end up playing the key diplomatic role. Kianpour offers a striking vision of what could emerge from the ashes: a future Iran and Israel could be close allies and co-leaders of a thriving Middle East, tut she cautions that geopolitical forgiveness must be part of any post-regime transition. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the nuclear meltdown incident at Three Mile Island and argues that it derailed a massive transition to nuclear energy that could have led to energy independence and potentially avoided multiple wars in the middle east. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 04:15 Launching a new sports history podcast on Tuesday! 08:30 Noosphere interview with Joseph Allbriton 09:45 Providing local news services to the Washington D.C. area 11:30 Bezos didn’t live in DC, didn’t understand WaPo’s mission 12:45 The war in Iran is impacting everything. Everything else is downstream 13:15 Rising energy costs are not politically neutral, a tax on existing 14:15 Rising costs is a breach of the contract Trump voters signed up for 15:45 Iranian regime isn’t going to fight as rational actors, suffering doesn’t deter them 17:00 Killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime 17:45 Nobody will give Trump bad news, he only hears what he wants to hear 19:00 There is a North Korea level of sycophancy around Trump 20:00 Trump made same mistake Putin made in Ukraine… thought it’d be easy 21:15 Trump alienated America’s allies, they want no part of his war 22:00 America is isolated and alone, but really need help from allies 23:45 Trump is finding out the hard way why other presidents didn’t hit Iran 25:15 Trump vacillates on his positions & messaging from day to day 26:15 Trump is panicking about gas prices, affects his voters the most 28:00 Trump celebrates Robert Mueller’s death in Truth Social post 29:45 The levels Trump will stoop to are truly sad 30:30 Brit Hume tweets “This is why people don’t just oppose Trump, they hate him” 31:15 Trump is incapable of ever showing grace or knowing when to shut up 32:15 Character matters in politics more than a policy position 33:15 Failure of Mueller investigation was no consequences for Russian meddling 34:30 Mueller report confirmed that Russia took action to help elect Trump 35:15 Wikileaks releases were very well curated & required American knowledge 37:30 Collusion wasn’t the crime, it was that Trump put himself above the country 39:15 Copping to Russian help would have delegitimized Trump, so GOP went along 40:30 People in Trump’s orbit were fine with Russian meddling since it helped them 41:30 Bob Mueller lived a life of public service, did not deserve Trump’s vile words 42:45 Trump’s supporters were mad about people mocking Charlie Kirk’s death 48:45 Suzanne Kianpour joins the Chuck ToddCast 50:30 What Sparked the Protests in Iran 52:15 Suzanne's background in Iran, how she became a conflict journalist 56:15 Reporting on the Iran nuclear deal 58:15 Could the Regime Have Fallen on Its Own? 1:00:45 People in Iran are afraid and are staying at home 1:02:45 Persian New Year will not be a celebration this year 1:05:15 Can the Regime Survive? What Would Change It? 1:07:15 There was no pre-war effort to organize opposition 1:10:15 Pahlavi and the Women's Movement 1:13:15 President Pazeshkian as a potential transitional figure 1:16:00 Former foreign minister has gone quiet 1:17:45 Regime wins if it stays intact 1:19:15 Was the Obama Deal naive or strategic? 1:20:45 U.S. lost moral high ground after Trump ripped up the deal 1:22:45 Western and European media is so anti-Trump that they almost want him to fail 1:25:15 The Iranian regime is winning the information war 1:28:15 Joe Kent's resignation is being framed as a "wartime defection" 1:30:00 Air and naval power alone can't guarantee safe passage in Strait of Hormuz 1:31:30 Gulf states were supportive when they thought it would work, now they're distancing 1:34:00 China's Role China brokered the Iran-Saudi détente and may play a diplomatic role 1:36:15 Social media broke the regime’s control over the Iranian public 1:38:45 The fabric of the regime is now visibly falling apart 1:41:00 Israel wanted to permanently eliminate Iran's proxy war capability post-October 7 1:43:15 A future Iran and Israel could be close allies and co-leaders of a thriving Middle East 1:46:00 Geopolitical forgiveness has to be part of any post-regime transition 1:48:30 Conflict will back into intelligence and covert operations after the kinetic phase 1:49:45 Sources inside Iran believe the new Supreme Leader may already be dead 1:53:15 Where to find Suzanne’s work 1:54:30 ToddCast Time Machine - March 28th, 1979 - Three Mile Island 1:55:30 It was the fear, not the details that defined the story of Three Mile Island 1:56:15 In the 60’s and 70’s the U.S. was rapidly building nuclear power plants 1:57:15 Operators at Three Mile Island acted logically, but warning system was flawed 1:59:30 Event happened near population center, which increased the panic 2:00:30 Jimmy Carter shown visiting site in protective gear, which shifted the psychology 2:02:45 US stopped building a nuclear future, and was dependent on foreign oil 2:03:45 Nuclear industry tried to recover in the 80s… then Chernobyl happened 2:05:15 Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima all failed for different reasons 2:06:00 Without Three Mile Island, America’s energy system could look very different 2:08:00 Three Mile Island became a symbol of doubt in nuclear energy 2:08:45 Could we have avoided multiple wars in the Middle East? 2:09:00 Ask Chuck 2:09:15 Is Trump’s vilification of political opponents more extreme than other presidents? 2:18:00 Can you recommend some books on James Garfield? 2:20:15 What issues can Democrats moderate on to appeal to independent voters? 2:23:45 Why are Republicans so much better than Democrats at messaging? 2:27:00 Any organizations to help TSA agents affected by shutdown?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the two stories dominating the weekend: the Iran war's cascading economic consequences and Trump's vile celebration of Robert Mueller's death. On Iran, Chuck warns that rising energy costs with oil above $100 a barrel are not politically neutral — they function as a tax on existence that directly breaches the contract Trump's own voters signed up for — and that Trump is visibly panicking about gas prices because they disproportionately hurt his base. He argues that killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime because the Iranian leadership doesn't operate as rational actors who can be deterred by suffering, that Trump made the same catastrophic miscalculation Putin made in Ukraine by assuming it would be easy, and that nobody in Trump's orbit will deliver bad news because there is now a North Korea-level sycophancy around the president. He then turns to Trump's Truth Social post celebrating the death of Mueller — a Bronze Star combat veteran, 12-year FBI director, and lifelong public servant who died at 81 from Parkinson's disease — in which Trump wrote "Good, I'm glad he's dead." Chuck notes that even Fox News' Brit Hume tweeted that this is why people don't merely oppose Trump but actively hate him. He argues that character matters in politics more than any policy position, and that Trump is fundamentally incapable of showing grace or knowing when to shut up He revisits the Mueller investigation itself, arguing that the real failure wasn't the probe's legal conclusions — which confirmed Russia took action to help elect Trump and that the campaign expected to benefit from stolen information — but that there were no consequences, and that Trump's refusal to acknowledge Russian help was never about innocence but about protecting the legitimacy of his presidency, with the entire GOP going along because copping to it would have been politically fatal. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the nuclear meltdown incident at Three Mile Island and argues that it derailed a massive transition to nuclear energy that could have led to energy independence and potentially avoided multiple wars in the middle east. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 04:15 Launching a new sports history podcast on Tuesday! 08:30 Noosphere interview with Joseph Allbriton 09:45 Providing local news services to the Washington D.C. area 11:30 Bezos didn’t live in DC, didn’t understand WaPo’s mission 12:45 The war in Iran is impacting everything. Everything else is downstream 13:15 Rising energy costs are not politically neutral, a tax on existing 14:15 Rising costs is a breach of the contract Trump voters signed up for 15:45 Iranian regime isn’t going to fight as rational actors, suffering doesn’t deter them 17:00 Killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime 17:45 Nobody will give Trump bad news, he only hears what he wants to hear 19:00 There is a North Korea level of sycophancy around Trump 20:00 Trump made same mistake Putin made in Ukraine… thought it’d be easy 21:15 Trump alienated America’s allies, they want no part of his war 22:00 America is isolated and alone, but really need help from allies 23:45 Trump is finding out the hard way why other presidents didn’t hit Iran 25:15 Trump vacillates on his positions & messaging from day to day 26:15 Trump is panicking about gas prices, affects his voters the most 28:00 Trump celebrates Robert Mueller’s death in Truth Social post 29:45 The levels Trump will stoop to are truly sad 30:30 Brit Hume tweets “This is why people don’t just oppose Trump, they hate him” 31:15 Trump is incapable of ever showing grace or knowing when to shut up 32:15 Character matters in politics more than a policy position 33:15 Failure of Mueller investigation was no consequences for Russian meddling 34:30 Mueller report confirmed that Russia took action to help elect Trump 35:15 Wikileaks releases were very well curated & required American knowledge 37:30 Collusion wasn’t the crime, it was that Trump put himself above the country 39:15 Copping to Russian help would have delegitimized Trump, so GOP went along 40:30 People in Trump’s orbit were fine with Russian meddling since it helped them 41:30 Bob Mueller lived a life of public service, did not deserve Trump’s vile words 42:45 Trump’s supporters were mad about people mocking Charlie Kirk’s death 47:30 ToddCast Time Machine - March 28th, 1979 - Three Mile Island 48:30 It was the fear, not the details that defined the story of Three Mile Island 49:15 In the 60’s and 70’s the U.S. was rapidly building nuclear power plants 50:15 Operators at Three Mile Island acted logically, but warning system was flawed 52:30 Event happened near population center, which increased the panic 53:30 Jimmy Carter shown visiting site in protective gear, which shifted the psychology 55:45 US stopped building a nuclear future, and was dependent on foreign oil 56:45 Nuclear industry tried to recover in the 80s… then Chernobyl happened 58:15 Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima all failed for different reasons 59:00 Without Three Mile Island, America’s energy system could look very different 1:01:00 Three Mile Island became a symbol of doubt in nuclear energy 1:01:45 Could we have avoided multiple wars in the Middle East? 1:02:00 Ask Chuck 1:02:15 Is Trump’s vilification of political opponents more extreme than other presidents? 1:11:00 Can you recommend some books on James Garfield? 1:13:15 What issues can Democrats moderate on to appeal to independent voters? 1:16:45 Why are Republicans so much better than Democrats at messaging? 1:20:00 Any organizations to help TSA agents affected by shutdown? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd, political analyst and host of the "Chuck Todd-cast", joined Arizona's Morning News to talk about the Trump administration asking for $200 billion dollars to fund the Iran conflict, possible DHS funding, and Markwayne Mullin's fight with Rand Paul.

Chuck Todd digs into the wreckage of the Illinois primary — where more than $50 million in outside money from crypto, AI, and AIPAC-linked groups flooded Democratic races — and asks what it means for the future of American democracy when PACs and outside groups are far outspending the actual campaigns they're trying to influence. He credits Stratton for being able to overcome the massive crypto onslaught — a rare and significant defeat for an industry that has been buying influence across both parties — but warns that her victory required a billionaire governor's financial backing to counteract billionaire-funded opposition, which only underscores the problem. He traces the rot back to McCain-Feingold, arguing that the landmark campaign finance law inadvertently weakened the parties by decentralizing money, which in turn decentralized accountability — and that the Supreme Court's subsequent decisions let the situation spiral completely out of control. He calls out Chuck Schumer directly for caving to crypto money and pressuring his caucus to go along, notes that campaign finance reform feels like an unwinnable issue because the people who benefit from the current system are the ones who'd have to change it, He closes with a broader observation: with money deciding which candidates are viable before voters even weigh in, and with the country having produced three consecutive one-term presidents, American politics is likely to remain deeply unstable for years to come. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00: Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15: AI & Pac money dominates the Illinois Primary 05:30: Campaign finance reform feels like an “unwinnable issue” 08:30 McCain-Feingold weakened the parties 11:00 Chuck Schumer caves to huge crypto money 12:30 Illinois primary became Ground Zero for Donor-Centered Politics 15:15 Juliana Stratton was able to overcome massive crypto donors. 16:45: Decentralizing money decentralized accountability 18:15 Money decides which candidates are viable 21:45 Should Democrats find their own billionaire? 26:30 U.S. politics likely to remain unstable, with multiple 1 term presidents 33:00 Ask Chuck 33:15 Would National Press Club membership be good for young journalists? 37:15 When did America actually become a country? 40:30 Is it worth contacting reps who already agree with you? 44:30 Thoughts on Mississippi as a potential Democratic opportunity? 48:45 Viability of the National Popular Vote Compact? 55:30 Will congress ever address daylight savings time? 58:45 NCAA tournament picksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd digs into the wreckage of the Illinois primary — where more than $50 million in outside money from crypto, AI, and AIPAC-linked groups flooded Democratic races — and asks what it means for the future of American democracy when PACs and outside groups are far outspending the actual campaigns they're trying to influence. He credits Stratton for being able to overcome the massive crypto onslaught — a rare and significant defeat for an industry that has been buying influence across both parties — but warns that her victory required a billionaire governor's financial backing to counteract billionaire-funded opposition, which only underscores the problem. He traces the rot back to McCain-Feingold, arguing that the landmark campaign finance law inadvertently weakened the parties by decentralizing money, which in turn decentralized accountability — and that the Supreme Court's subsequent decisions let the situation spiral completely out of control. He calls out Chuck Schumer directly for caving to crypto money and pressuring his caucus to go along, notes that campaign finance reform feels like an unwinnable issue because the people who benefit from the current system are the ones who'd have to change it, He closes with a broader observation: with money deciding which candidates are viable before voters even weigh in, and with the country having produced three consecutive one-term presidents, American politics is likely to remain deeply unstable for years to come. Former Oklahoma Congressman and now president of Americans for Responsible Innovation Brad Carson joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about why AI may be the most consequential policy issue nobody in Washington is seriously addressing. They discuss why Americans are uniquely pessimistic about AI compared to the rest of the world, and for good reason: huge AI money is pouring into races like the Illinois Senate primary where outside groups and PACs are far outspending actual campaigns, Elon Musk's Grok chatbot adopted a "MechaHitler" persona and is now integrated at the Pentagon, we have virtually no visibility into what's happening inside AI labs or how these systems are being deployed, and the same technology that could deliver incredible medical breakthroughs could also be used to develop bioweapons. Carson argues that immunizing tech companies with Section 230 was a massive mistake — the law passed before anyone understood how the technology would evolve — and that recommendation algorithms effectively make platforms publishers, meaning the Supreme Court has fundamentally misinterpreted the First Amendment when it comes to tech regulation. He makes the case that state-level regulation may be the more immediate solution given congressional dysfunction and warns that surveillance pricing — where companies like the Washington Post reportedly examined subscribers' credit reports when setting prices — seems blatantly unconstitutional. They contend that consumer protection for AI would be a winning political message for either party, that the electrical grid alone will need a trillion dollars in investment to support AI's energy demands, and that letting the private sector roll out this technology without guardrails is an enormous risk. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00: Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15: AI & Pac money dominates the Illinois Primary 05:30: Campaign finance reform feels like an “unwinnable issue” 08:30 McCain-Feingold weakened the parties 11:00 Chuck Schumer caves to huge crypto money 12:30 Illinois primary became Ground Zero for Donor-Centered Politics 15:15 Juliana Stratton was able to overcome massive crypto donors. 16:45: Decentralizing money decentralized accountability 18:15 Money decides which candidates are viable 21:45 Should Democrats find their own billionaire? 26:30 U.S. politics likely to remain unstable, with multiple 1 term presidents 36:00 Rep. Brad Carson joins the Chuck ToddCast 38:30 Americans are uniquely pessimistic about AI 39:30 What is Americans for Responsible Innovation & who funds it? 41:15 Anthropic believes that AI needs reasonable guardrails 41:45 Huge AI money pouring into Illinois primary races 42:45 Outside groups & PACs are far outspending actual campaigns 44:15 Money is destroying democracy, SCOTUS let it get out of hand 45:45 Immunizing tech companies with Section 230 was a huge mistake 47:00 Courts need to develop common law for regulating tech 48:15 Recommendation algorithms make tech platforms a publisher 49:15 SCOTUS misinterpreted 1st amendment when regulating tech 50:15 Sec. 230 passed before knowing how the tech would evolve 51:30 State level regulation may be the more immediate solution 52:30 How do you determine which candidates to support? 54:00 The tech isn’t unpopular, it’s how it has interacted with U.S. politics 55:00 We know social media is bad for us, but can’t quit it 56:15 Congressional leadership has stood in the way of regulation 57:30 What’s a safer way to roll out AI regulation in a broken political system? 58:45 There are certain safeguards that must be built into AI models 59:30 Grok took on a “MechaHitler” persona & is integrated at the Pentagon 1:01:15 Letting the private sector roll out AI without regulation is a huge risk 1:02:00 We have no visibility into AI labs or how it’s being deployed 1:03:30 AI can be used for incredible medical advances… or bioweapons 1:05:30 Ron DeSantis is proposing an “AI Bill of Rights” in Florida 1:06:15 Surveillance pricing seems incredibly unconstitutional and illegal 1:07:00 Washington Post looked at subscribers’ credit reports when pricing 1:08:30 People deserve to know if AI is evaluating them when applying for jobs 1:10:00 We haven’t had enough debate around the AI issue 1:10:45 Who can be a trusted voice to lead the debate? 1:12:15 Consumer protection for AI would be a winning political message 1:14:30 Fear of AI job displacement & rising electricity prices at the forefront 1:15:45 The electrical grid will need a trillion dollars invested into it 1:17:15 The difference between Oklahoma Democrats & national ones? 1:19:45 The tribes have become the check on Republicans in Oklahoma 1:21:45 Ossoff & Buttigieg are two potential ‘28 Dems that stand out 1:22:45 Dems need to attack Trump for lying to base, rather than attack his voters 1:24:00 How did you like being the president of Tulsa University?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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 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.

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.

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

Tony opens the show by talking with Kevin Sheehan about how big the winter storm bearing down on DC is. Michael Wilbon calls in to talk about the newest members of the baseball hall of fame, and he also talks about the rough Bears loss, the upcoming Conference Championship games and about Indiana winning the Football Championship. Chuck Todd was at that game and calls in to talk about that and he also makes his weekly picks against Reginald the Monkey, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag.Songs : Don Stewart “Same Fate” ; “Whisper” 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

Tony opens the show by talking about his new favorite whiskey, and he also talks about Mike Tomlin leaving the Steelers. Chuck Todd calls in to talk about how he thinks Miami will do against Indiana, and he also makes his weekly picks against Reginald the Monkey. Booger McFarland calls in to give his thoughts on the Divisional round games as well the National Championship game, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag. Songs : Mixed Apes “B.I.M.D” ; “Simple” 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

Tony opens the show by talking about having to go live on PTI after the news broke about John Harbaugh getting fired by Baltimore, and Tony also talks about a development in his quest to get a better deal on his heating oil. Chuck Todd calls in to make his weekly football picks against Reginald the Monkey, Greg Cote calls in to talk about the Hurricanes run to the semifinals of the college football playoffs, and he also talks about what's going on with the Dolphins, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag. Songs : Philip Martin “Sandy” ; “Road To Irpin” 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

Tony opens the show by talking by talking with Michael about whether Tiger Woods will play in the Senior Tour, and Tony talks about the IRS changing the way you pay your quarterly taxes. Chuck Todd calls in to make his weekly football picks against Reginald the Monkey, Bob Ryan calls in to talk about the amazing turnaround year the Patriots have had, and also about the state of the Celtics and he and Tony talk about their favorite memories from their days as a sports writer, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag. Songs : Erik DeLong and the Slappy Boys “The Devil's Orphan” ; “Danielle” 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

Tony opens the show by reading an email from an old camp friend, he also talks about the trouble he's having getting emails on his phone, and about the 49ers beating the Colts and the Chiefs moving out of Arrowhead Stadium. Chuck Todd calls in to make his weekly picks against Reginald the Monkey, Chuck Culpepper calls in to talk about the College Football Playoffs, and Tony closes out the show by opening up the Mailbag.Songs : Alex and the Old Fashioneds “A Miami Holiday” ; “This Is It” 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

For 20 years, Chuck Todd has been a ubiquitous face of politics in the United States, most visibly as the host of Meet the Press through the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. Now, as traditional media struggles to keep up with the digital age, he's left it behind. On South Beach Sessions, Chuck unwraps the influence of his father on his career - that's where his love of politics (and sports) came from - and explains why, growing up, he never thought he'd be a journalist. He and Dan also discuss the frailty of our current media ecosystem, reminisce a bit about the (better) old days, and what's next. Listen, watch, and subscribe to "The Chuck Toddcast".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices