The Chuck ToddCast

Documentary filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough joins the Chuck ToddCast for a provocative, darkly funny, and unsettling conversation about AI, power, and the people building the future faster than anyone can regulate it. Lough unpacks the thinking behind his documentary Deepfaking Sam Altman, exploring why artificial intelligence inspires both awe and terror, how tech elites quietly prepare for social backlash, and why many of the skills we once told young people to master—like coding—may soon be obsolete. From Silicon Valley’s obsession with immortality and bunker-building to the fear that any job done on a computer could disappear within a few years, the discussion confronts what happens when innovation outruns accountability.
The episode also dives deep into Sam Altman’s mystique, Silicon Valley’s moral blind spots, and how fear—of China, regulation, or losing dominance—is used to shape public debate around AI. Lough explains how deepfakes are made, why AI-driven scams are about to explode, and what lawmakers fundamentally misunderstand about regulating rapidly evolving technology. Ultimately, this conversation argues that the antidote to AI anxiety isn’t panic or denial—but transparency, literacy, and a serious public reckoning with who controls the tools reshaping human society.
Timeline:
00:00 Adam Bhala Lough joins the Chuck ToddCast
02:30 Tech titans know the pitchforks are coming & are building bunkers
03:15 Did you create “Deepfaking Sam Altman” assuming the worst about AI?
05:00 The phrase Artificial Intelligence is great branding, but creates fear
06:15 How did you find funding for the documentary?
06:45 AI was one of the reasons the writer’s guild was protesting
07:30 Kids who grew up learning to code won’t have a job due to AI
08:15 Coding is now a useless skill when it was THE skill to have 10 years ago
10:15 Any job done on a computer could be gone within 3 years
10:45 Teaching critical thinking skills when a machine can do it for you?
13:00 Humans won’t be ok with robots replacing, but may not have a choice
13:30 If AI destroys humanity, it wouldn’t be deliberate
14:15 There’s a theory that AI would keep us around & find a use for us
15:00 Sam Altman has a giant collection of guns & weapons, like a prepper
15:45 Wealth creates a “prepper” mentality
17:00 There’s an obsession Silicon Valley with living forever
17:45 Was trying to interview Sam Altman always the premise of the doc?
18:45 Thought getting an interview with Sam Altman would be easy
19:15 Still haven’t heard from Altman in light of the documentary
20:45 What made you so threatening that Altman avoided you?
22:30 Other tech companies were more open to talking than OpenAI
23:15 Altman uses AI to read and summarize his emails, he doesn’t read them
24:00 Tech CEO’s tend to be antisocial, created platforms to compensate?
24:45 Many created products the world didn’t need just to get rich
26:00 Social media causes problems, but also have positives like Arab Spring
26:45 Totalitarian regimes found a way to weaponize social media
27:45 Chinese documentarian used AI to avoid government crackdown
29:15 Altman uses fear of China’s use of AI to avoid regulation & get investment
30:15 Sam Altman is a Marvel level super villain
30:45 Elon Musk is even more of a villain than Altman
31:15 Altman doesn’t have a personality, Elon has a crazy one
32:00 Google’s Gemini has caught up and surpassed ChatGPT
32:45 Altman could be a flash in the pan, or the next Steve Jobs
34:30 Steve Jobs and Sam Altman share a similar drive
35:45 Apple wouldn’t have been as successful under Wozniak, he’s too nice
37:00 You don’t have to be an asshole to be a successful tech CEO
38:30 Political leaders have given business leaders permission to be awful
39:00 What do you want people to take away from the documentary?
39:45 The best way to cure AI anxiety is to create a conversation about it
40:45 Concerned about legal exposure from the documentary?
41:15 The documentary shows how the deepfake was made
42:30 AI image & video generators should be forced to include a logo
43:15 What should politicians understand about AI regulation?
44:30 AI slop is getting harder than ever to identify as fake
46:15 AI will be an incredible tool for scamming people
47:00 People should have a safeword to avoid deepfake scams
49:15 AI will be very useful in creating archival footage
51:00 AI gets dystopian when you put it into weapons
52:30 What topics are you interested in covering next?
55:00 Terms & conditions that force arbitration is very coercive
57:15 Deepfaking Sam Altman took 18 months to create
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this urgent and unsettling episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck argues that America is in the midst of a historic “Great Unraveling,” marked by the collapse of trust, consent, and the basic social contract that has held the country together for generations. He examines a chilling series of events in Minneapolis—two fatal shootings by federal agents in three weeks, including the killing of Alex Pretti, who was legally carrying a firearm—raising profound questions about accountability, constitutional rights, and whether the federal government can still be trusted to tell the truth when video evidence directly contradicts official accounts. As administration officials stumble through indefensible explanations, Chuck connects the domestic breakdown to a broader global rupture: allies like Canada openly describing relations with the U.S. as “ruptured,” the post–World War II rules-based order splintering, science and public health consensus eroding, and political power being wielded through favoritism and fear. The episode paints a stark picture of a country growing weaker, more isolated, and more vulnerable—not because of fate, but because unraveling is a process, and it’s happening in real time.
Finally, Chuck weighs in on the political disaster that is unfolding for Republicans, hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to draw parallels between modern America and Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in the 70’s and answers listeners’ question in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
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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
01:45 America is going through a “Great Unraveling”
03:30 January 2026 has been a horrendous month in American history
04:30 We’re watching the collapse of consent
05:00 Federal agents involved in 2 fatal shootings in 3 week in Minneapolis
05:45 Alex Pretti was shot 10 times, this was an assassination
06:15 No consequences for agent that shot Renee Good sent a message
07:00 The federal government won’t uphold the law or constitutional rights
08:15 Administration officials make fools of themselves defending this
09:00 Alex Pretti was legally carrying his firearm
09:30 January 6th protestors were also armed
10:30 The federal government is behaving like fascists
11:30 What remains of the social contract?
12:00 Trump’s leadership is destroying everything we knew about America
12:45 Canada’s PM Mark Carney describes relations with U.S. as “ruptured”
13:30 The rules based order in splintering
14:00 TikTok deal was purely favoritism & media alignment for Trump allies
15:00 CDC now discarding science, openly questioning the polio vaccine
15:45 Government shutdown is coming later this week
16:45 100 years of consensus is shattering
17:45 Alex Pretti was carrying, not brandishing his weapon
18:30 Alex Pretti was killed in cold blood
19:15 Thank god there was video, you can’t trust the federal government
19:45 Bystander video contradicts federal government account
20:30 Patel and Noem have no credibility outside of Trump’s base
21:30 Federal agents violated half the bill of rights in one incident
23:15 Middle powers can’t assume alignment with US gives stability
24:15 Canada’s response to Trump is seismic & entirely rational
25:15 The post WW2 order was held together by trust, & that’s been shattered
27:00 Trump’s appointees are making us vulnerable to eradicated diseases
28:15 TikTok will be used by Trump allies for political alignment
29:30 Unraveling isn’t destiny… it’s process
30:15 Trump is making us weaker, more vulnerable and poorer
31:30 We’re losing our country… literally
32:15 We can’t believe anything the federal government says
36:30 Elected Republicans trying to distance from Trump’s DHS
38:00 Marjorie Taylor-Greene argues the small c conservative position
39:00 MTG uses hypothetical shooting of a MAGA by Biden’s DOJ
41:00 Trump’s defenders try to blame Trump’s advisors rather than Trump
42:00 The administration is trampling the Bill of Rights
43:00 Minneapolis is a political disaster for Trump
44:00 Conservative pundits are pitching a Minneapolis off-ramp
45:45 Greg Bovino is trying invoke violence in the way he dresses
47:00 Trump’s coalition is breaking apart
48:45 ToddCast Time Machine
49:30 January 30th, 1972 — Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland
50:45 British army turned into an occupying force
51:30 Unarmed civilians were shot by soldiers
52:00 Bloody Sunday ended the belief that the government could be neutral
53:00 When the state lies about violence, radicalism ensues
54:30 U2’s anthem about Bloody Sunday is expression of moral fatigue
55:30 Trump is the only person that can de-escalate and he refuses to
57:00 States tell themselves they are restoring order, consequences are permanent
57:45 Trust collapsed in Northern Island & happening now in Minneapolis
58:45 Ask Chuck
59:15 Agents involved in shootings weren’t new recruits?
1:05:00 How naive were we to think “it can’t happen here” How do we navigate it?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this urgent and unsettling episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck argues that America is in the midst of a historic “Great Unraveling,” marked by the collapse of trust, consent, and the basic social contract that has held the country together for generations. He examines a chilling series of events in Minneapolis—two fatal shootings by federal agents in three weeks, including the killing of Alex Pretti, who was legally carrying a firearm—raising profound questions about accountability, constitutional rights, and whether the federal government can still be trusted to tell the truth when video evidence directly contradicts official accounts. As administration officials stumble through indefensible explanations, Chuck connects the domestic breakdown to a broader global rupture: allies like Canada openly describing relations with the U.S. as “ruptured,” the post–World War II rules-based order splintering, science and public health consensus eroding, and political power being wielded through favoritism and fear. The episode paints a stark picture of a country growing weaker, more isolated, and more vulnerable—not because of fate, but because unraveling is a process, and it’s happening in real time.
Then, documentary filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough joins the Chuck ToddCast for a provocative, darkly funny, and unsettling conversation about AI, power, and the people building the future faster than anyone can regulate it. Lough unpacks the thinking behind his documentary Deepfaking Sam Altman, exploring why artificial intelligence inspires both awe and terror, how tech elites quietly prepare for social backlash, and why many of the skills we once told young people to master—like coding—may soon be obsolete. From Silicon Valley’s obsession with immortality and bunker-building to the fear that any job done on a computer could disappear within a few years, the discussion confronts what happens when innovation outruns accountability.
The episode also dives deep into Sam Altman’s mystique, Silicon Valley’s moral blind spots, and how fear—of China, regulation, or losing dominance—is used to shape public debate around AI. Lough explains how deepfakes are made, why AI-driven scams are about to explode, and what lawmakers fundamentally misunderstand about regulating rapidly evolving technology. Ultimately, this conversation argues that the antidote to AI anxiety isn’t panic or denial—but transparency, literacy, and a serious public reckoning with who controls the tools reshaping human society.
Finally, Chuck weighs in on the political disaster that is unfolding for Republicans, hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to draw parallels between modern America and Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in the 70’s and answers listeners’ question in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
01:45 America is going through a “Great Unraveling”
04:45 January 2026 has been a horrendous month in American history
05:45 We’re watching the collapse of consent
06:15 Federal agents involved in 2 fatal shootings in 3 week in Minneapolis
07:00 Alex Pretti was shot 10 times, this was an assassination
07:30 No consequences for agent that shot Renee Good sent a message
08:15 The federal government won’t uphold the law or constitutional rights
09:30 Administration officials make fools of themselves defending this
10:15 Alex Pretti was legally carrying his firearm
10:45 January 6th protestors were also armed
11:45 The federal government is behaving like fascists
12:45 What remains of the social contract?
13:15 Trump’s leadership is destroying everything we knew about America
14:00 Canada’s PM Mark Carney describes relations with U.S. as “ruptured”
14:45 The rules based order in splintering
15:15 TikTok deal was purely favoritism & media alignment for Trump allies
16:15 CDC now discarding science, openly questioning the polio vaccine
17:00 Government shutdown is coming later this week
18:00 100 years of consensus is shattering
19:00 Alex Pretti was carrying, not brandishing his weapon
19:45 Alex Pretti was killed in cold blood
20:30 Thank god there was video, you can’t trust the federal government
21:00 Bystander video contradicts federal government account
21:45 Patel and Noem have no credibility outside of Trump’s base
22:45 Federal agents violated half the bill of rights in one incident
24:30 Middle powers can’t assume alignment with US gives stability
25:30 Canada’s response to Trump is seismic & entirely rational
26:30 The post WW2 order was held together by trust, & that’s been shattered
28:15 Trump’s appointees are making us vulnerable to eradicated diseases
29:30 TikTok will be used by Trump allies for political alignment
30:45 Unraveling isn’t destiny… it’s process
31:30 Trump is making us weaker, more vulnerable and poorer
32:45 We’re losing our country… literally
33:30 We can’t believe anything the federal government says
40:00 Adam Bhala Lough joins the Chuck ToddCast
42:30 Tech titans know the pitchforks are coming & are building bunkers
43:15 Did you create “Deepfaking Sam Altman” assuming the worst about AI?
45:00 The phrase Artificial Intelligence is great branding, but creates fear
46:15 How did you find funding for the documentary?
46:45 AI was one of the reasons the writer’s guild was protesting
47:30 Kids who grew up learning to code won’t have a job due to AI
48:15 Coding is now a useless skill when it was THE skill to have 10 years ago
50:15 Any job done on a computer could be gone within 3 years
50:45 Teaching critical thinking skills when a machine can do it for you?
53:00 Humans won’t be ok with robots replacing, but may not have a choice
53:30 If AI destroys humanity, it wouldn’t be deliberate
54:15 There’s a theory that AI would keep us around & find a use for us
55:00 Sam Altman has a giant collection of guns & weapons, like a prepper
55:45 Wealth creates a “prepper” mentality
57:00 There’s an obsession Silicon Valley with living forever
57:45 Was trying to interview Sam Altman always the premise of the doc?
58:45 Thought getting an interview with Sam Altman would be easy
59:15 Still haven’t heard from Altman in light of the documentary
1:00:45 What made you so threatening that Altman avoided you?
1:02:30 Other tech companies were more open to talking than OpenAI
1:03:15 Altman uses AI to read and summarize his emails, he doesn’t read them
1:04:00 Tech CEO’s tend to be antisocial, created platforms to compensate?
1:04:45 Many created products the world didn’t need just to get rich
1:06:00 Social media causes problems, but also have positives like Arab Spring
1:06:45 Totalitarian regimes found a way to weaponize social media
1:07:45 Chinese documentarian used AI to avoid government crackdown
1:09:15 Altman uses fear of China’s use of AI to avoid regulation & get investment
1:10:15 Sam Altman is a Marvel level super villain
1:10:45 Elon Musk is even more of a villain than Altman
1:11:15 Altman doesn’t have a personality, Elon has a crazy one
1:12:00 Google’s Gemini has caught up and surpassed ChatGPT
1:12:45 Altman could be a flash in the pan, or the next Steve Jobs
1:14:30 Steve Jobs and Sam Altman share a similar drive
1:15:45 Apple wouldn’t have been as successful under Wozniak, he’s too nice
1:17:00 You don’t have to be an asshole to be a successful tech CEO
1:18:30 Political leaders have given business leaders permission to be awful
1:19:00 What do you want people to take away from the documentary?
1:19:45 The best way to cure AI anxiety is to create a conversation about it
1:20:45 Concerned about legal exposure from the documentary?
1:21:15 The documentary shows how the deepfake was made
1:22:30 AI image & video generators should be forced to include a logo
1:23:15 What should politicians understand about AI regulation?
1:24:30 AI slop is getting harder than ever to identify as fake
1:26:15 AI will be an incredible tool for scamming people
1:27:00 People should have a safeword to avoid deepfake scams
1:29:15 AI will be very useful in creating archival footage
1:31:00 AI gets dystopian when you put it into weapons
1:32:30 What topics are you interested in covering next?
1:35:00 Terms & conditions that force arbitration is very coercive
1:37:15 Deepfaking Sam Altman took 18 months to create
1:41:30 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Adam Bhala Lough
1:43:30 Elected Republicans trying to distance from Trump’s DHS
1:45:00 Marjorie Taylor-Greene argues the small c conservative position
1:46:00 MTG uses hypothetical shooting of a MAGA by Biden’s DOJ
1:48:00 Trump’s defenders try to blame Trump’s advisors rather than Trump
1:49:00 The administration is trampling the Bill of Rights
1:50:00 Minneapolis is a political disaster for Trump
1:51:00 Conservative pundits are pitching a Minneapolis off-ramp
1:52:45 Greg Bovino is trying invoke violence in the way he dresses
1:54:00 Trump’s coalition is breaking apart
1:55:45 ToddCast Time Machine
1:56:30 January 30th, 1972 - Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland
1:57:45 British army turned into an occupying force
1:58:30 Unarmed civilians were shot by soldiers
1:59:00 Bloody Sunday ended the belief that the government could be neutral
2:00:00 When the state lies about violence, radicalism ensues
2:01:30 U2’s anthem about Bloody Sunday is expression of moral fatigue
2:02:30 Trump is the only person that can de-escalate and he refuses to
2:04:00 States tell themselves they are restoring order, consequences are permanent
2:04:45 Trust collapsed in Northern Island & happening now in Minneapolis
2:05:45 Ask Chuck
2:06:15 Agents involved in shootings weren’t new recruits?
2:11:00 How naive were we to think “it can’t happen here” How do we navigate it?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this special episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck addresses the latest fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, the third such incident in recent weeks amid the Trump administration’s intensified enforcement operations. A man was shot and killed by federal officers during an ICE-linked operation, reigniting outrage and controversy over the use of force by federal law enforcement and further eroding trust in the Department of Homeland Security’s narrative after Minneapolis residents and officials disputed the official account and demanded transparency.
Chuck unpacks why video and witness accounts have raised serious questions about the necessity and proportionality of deadly force, why many critics call for a neutral, third-party investigation rather than relying on the federal government’s account, and how this incident compounds public concerns about aggressive policing tactics and civil liberties in enforcement operations. He also explores how the recurring confrontations between federal agents and Minneapolis residents are fueling broader political backlash, deepening tensions between local and federal authorities, and challenging Americans’ confidence in how federal agencies conduct operations on U.S. soil.
Timeline:
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
00:30 Another Minneapolis resident shot dead by federal agents
01:15 Video is disturbing. Man looked to be subdued before being shot
01:45 DHS says man was armed, didn’t say he was brandishing it
02:15 Conceal carry & open carry are allowed in Minnesota with permit
03:15 DHS has very low credibility with the press & the public
04:30 Why did agents back away and shoot rather than cuff the suspect
05:15 We need a neutral investigation into the shooting
06:00 We can’t trust the story from the federal government
07:00 The grotesque policing by ICE is incredibly unpopular
07:30 DHS used bloodthirsty rhetoric in recruiting videos
09:00 The administration has deliberately put Minneapolis in harm’s way
10:30 ICE are untrained thugs attacking Americans
11:30 Trump donors that employ undocumented workers aren’t targeted
12:30 It feels like ICE is looking for a fight
13:45 American wants law enforcement to follow the law
14:30 The federal government & their agents are on a power trip
16:00 How DHS words their statements is very telling
16:45 Need a third party investigation since DHS can’t be trusted
18:00 The reputation of every law enforcement agency has been tarnished
18:45 Kristi Noem is the obvious scapegoat if Trump wants an offramp
19:30 Where are all the libertarians and small government conservatives?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joins the Chuck ToddCast to discuss the unprecedented federal immigration enforcement crisis unfolding in his city as masked ICE and DHS agents have effectively occupied Minneapolis in what appears to be an operation designed more for political retribution than public safety. Frey explains the complex dynamics between city, state, and federal authority, noting that Minneapolis maintains a policy of not coordinating with federal immigration enforcement because police officers should focus on keeping communities safe rather than targeting immigrants. He reveals alarming constitutional violations, including non-white off-duty Minneapolis police officers being racially profiled and harassed by ICE agents and residents being stopped and asked for ID based on their accents. With Minneapolis already critically understaffed on police officers per capita, the massive imbalance between local law enforcement and ICE agents has created a tenuous situation where police are forced to respond to citizens being harassed while protesters exercise their First Amendment rights.
The crisis has been compounded by what Frey describes as a weaponized Department of Justice that can't be trusted, evidenced by his office receiving a subpoena. The mayor emphasizes that much of the federal action stems from a fraud issue that had nothing to do with illegal immigration, yet racist attacks on the Somali community followed—despite the fact that Somalis in Minneapolis came legally as refugees and most are U.S. citizens. Frey has held discussions with Governor Tim Walz about potentially deploying the Minnesota National Guard and worries about his ability to conduct a real investigation into the shooting of Renee Good by ICE. Frey contends the operation is designed to whip the public into a frenzy rather than address genuine immigration concerns.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey joins the Chuck ToddCast
00:30 Structure of Minneapolis law enforcement & the mayor’s powers
01:45 What is the line between city & state, and federal vs. state/city authority?
02:30 Minneapolis officials don’t coordinate with feds on immigration
03:30 Police officers should keep community safe, not target immigrants
04:30 Would you release a proven criminal into ICE custody?
06:00 Escalation with ICE & DHS went from 0-100 in Minneapolis
06:45 OMB sent a letter threatening to cut all fed funds over DEI
07:45 DHS seems intent on political retribution, not safety or immigration
09:30 There was a real issue with fraud, & racist attacks on Somalis followed
10:15 Somalis in Minneapolis came legally as refugees, most are citizens
11:00 Fraud issue had nothing to do with illegal immigrants
12:15 Is ICE responsible for longer 911 wait times?
12:45 Minneapolis is very low on police officers per capita
13:15 There’s a massive imbalance between police officers & ICE agents
13:45 What are the police supposed to do if citizens are harassed by ICE?
15:00 Police are forced into a difficult & tenuous situation dealing with ICE
16:00 Do you believe the ICE operations are designed to provoke a response?
16:30 ICE are trying to whip the public into a frenzy
17:15 Is there a legal avenue for you to push back against DHS/ICE?
18:15 There have been unimaginable constitutional violations by ICE
19:15 Non-white off duty Minneapolis officers have been harassed by ICE
20:30 People are being racially profiled and asked for their ID
21:30 ICE needs to be better trained and have a moral compass
22:15 Police received a call from a 5 year old whose parents were taken
23:00 Worried that residents could take matters into their own hands?
24:00 Has the “No ICE on city property” policy worked?
25:00 There have been talks with Tim Walz over deploying MN national guard
26:15 What’s behind the subpoena received by the mayor’s office?
26:45 DOJ is being weaponized to target leaders that disagree with Trump
27:45 The current Department of Justice can’t be trusted
29:15 There’s so much value to having career civil servants over political loyalists
31:15 There’s been a failure to believe that Trump will do what he says he’ll do
32:00 Any end in sight to the ICE occupation of Minneapolis?
32:45 Will you be able to do a real investigation into the shooting of Renee Good?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.