The Chuck ToddCast

Chuck Todd argues Republicans and the White House are frantically trying to manufacture headlines about the past precisely because the actual news of the present is terrible for the GOP, and because the very issues that got Trump elected are the ones he's now ignoring. Democrats are winning heading into the midterms, TChuck says; the only real question is by how much, which is exactly why Republicans are so desperate to feed their base culture-war red meat as a distraction. But the story Chuck argues is being dangerously underplayed is the Iran war, which is no longer a regional conflict at all: close to thirty countries have been directly involved, multiple nations have been hit, and the Iran and Ukraine wars have effectively merged through shared supply chains — Russia has launched thousands of Iranian-made drones at Ukraine, improved and manufactured them, and is now shipping them back to Iran, while Ukrainian air defense teams have been redeployed to the Middle East and the American stockpile of interceptor missiles has been so massively depleted that commanders are rationing them. He calls the war the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades, while rising oil prices help both Iran and Russia.. It's not World War III, he cautions, but it's genuinely hard to see how it ends, and Congress should be singularly focused on it and simply isn't. He then pivots to what he calls a politics of AI that hasn't been invented yet, where the public is way ahead of the politicians: 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months and like it, but the vast majority don't trust big tech or the AI companies, and the fierce backlash against data centers is really the manifestation of a deeper anger ever since tech companies stopped trying to improve lives and started maximizing engagement. The public isn't rejecting AI, he argues, it's rejecting the technologists, and Trump has planted himself firmly on the side of the tech companies over the public. He closes by lamenting that political energy is being spent on Fauci rather than pandemic preparedness — before quick hits on Todd Achilles getting a one-on-one race in Idaho, Seth Bodnar leading in Montana if the Democrat can be coaxed into dropping out, and the question hanging over Michigan: if Abdul El-Sayed loses, will it have been because of Mamdani's Israel speech?
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 Independents/Independent minded leaders who could reshape the U.S. Senate and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM.

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.

For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (980) 734-3985 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to askchapter.org/chuck /*Paid Partnership

Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
02:45 Republicans & WH are trying to manufacture the headlines
03:15 Attacking Fauci, going after Smithsonian, relitigating 2020 election
04:00 These stories are about yesterday, modern headlines are bad for GOP
04:30 The issues that got Trump elected are the issues he’s ignoring
05:30 Dems are winning heading into midterms, question is by how much
07:00 Republicans are desperate to distract their base
07:45 They believe the culture war red meat will turn out their base
08:45 The Iran war is being underplayed
09:45 There have been close to thirty countries directly involved in the war
10:45 Multiple countries have been hit directly during the war
11:30 This is not a regional war
12:00 Multiple countries have been directly involved in kinetic action
13:30 Multiple countries also involved in, or hosted peace talks
15:00 The Ukraine & Iran wars have merged through supply chains
15:45 Nervous that this conflict could go global
16:15 Russia has launched thousands of Iranian made drones at Ukraine
16:45 Russia improved & manufactured drones, now shipping them back to Iran
17:30 Ukraine air defence teams have been sent to the middle east
18:45 American stockpile of air defense missiles has been massively depleted
19:30 Military commanders are having to ration interceptor missiles
20:00 This war was the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades
21:15 Both conflicts are eating from the same plate
21:45 War caused a rise in oil prices, which helped both Iran and Russia
22:15 Beijing hasn’t been a bystander in these conflicts
23:15 Decapitation strikes have been proven not to work
24:00 Everyone is learning the same lessons, including America’s adversaries
24:45 This is not World War 3, but it’s hard to see how this war ends
25:45 Congress should be singularly focused on this war, and it isn’t
27:00 This started as an Iran/Israel dispute, now the world has been dragged in
28:15 The politics of AI hasn’t been invented yet, public is ahead of politicians
29:15 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months & like using it
29:45 Vast majority of Americans don’t trust big tech or the AI companies
31:00 There’s a disconnect on AI between politicians the American public
31:45 Backlash against data centers is the manifestation of anger at big tech
32:45 Politicians want to manage backlash, not understand what’s behind it
35:00 Seeing political banners against data centers flying over Pensacola beach
37:15 The politicians are trying to play catch up on the politics of AI
37:45 Americans didn’t always distrust big tech
38:45 Tech companies stopped trying to improve lives, now maximize engagement
40:15 Americans feel we’re being optimized, not served by big tech
41:15 Protecting kids from tech is now an issue with massive bipartisan support
42:45 The public isn’t rejecting AI, they’re rejecting the technologists
44:30 Trump sides with the tech companies over the public
45:45 Politicians are captured by, or afraid of big tech cash in politics
48:00 Frustrating that political energy is spent on Fauci, not pandemic preparedness
48:30 Fauci became a vessel for every frustration about COVID
49:00 Fauci had one job, tell the public what the medical risks were
50:30 We had 2,000 Americans dying a day
51:30 We have to remember the conditions under which decisions were made
52:00 Rand Paul released thousands of pages of Fauci’s pandemic era journals
52:30 Pleading the 5th makes people look guiltier than they are
53:15 We learned Fauci loves media attention, but so does Rand Paul
54:15 Relitigating the origins of Covid doesn’t help prepare for the next pandemic
55:15 Rand Paul is undermining his own credibility by attacking Fauci
55:45 Todd Achilles will get a 1 on 1 race in Idaho
56:30 Seth Bodnar leading in Montana in 1 on 1, but Dem resisting dropping out
57:45 If El-Sayed loses in Michigan… was it because of Mamdani’s Israel speech?
1:01:30 ToddCast Top 5 Independents who could shape the senate
1:02:00 #5 Todd Achilles
1:04:30 #4 Dan Osborne
1:06:45 #3 Seth Bodnar
1:08:00 #2 Lisa Murkowski
1:09:00 #1 John Fetterman
1:11:45 Ask Chuck
1:12:45 Correction for answer on the last pod
1:15:00 Why haven’t we heard much about the people who tried to kill Trump?
1:22:15 Can Trump take the Qatari jet that’s had taxpayer $ spent on it?
1:25:30 What motivates those closest to Trump? Do they believe what they’re saying?
1:29:00 Can you explain the history of the term “lobbyist”?
1:34:15 Thoughts on the funding model of the BBC?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear — the popular two-term Democrat in a deep-red state and a name increasingly floated for 2028 — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that opens with Kentucky's famous Fancy Farm Picnic and the increasingly countercultural idea that political disagreement shouldn't make people enemies. Beshear turns pointed on Mitch McConnell, who he says has been absent for six weeks without speaking to him, arguing that McConnell has a fundamental duty to level with the people of Kentucky about his condition.. Beshear notes the governor has no authority to declare a vacancy, calls on John Thune to help put the concerns to rest, and observes pointedly that if the situation were reversed, McConnell would be ruthlessly tactical about it — and that the right should arguably be angrier, since it's one fewer vote for the GOP agenda. Beshear reflects at length and with real emotion on the COVID years, which he calls the war of our time with a higher casualty rate than most Americans appreciate, credits Kentucky's expanded Medicaid with keeping the state from running out of hospital beds, and warning that Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will close 35 hospitals in Kentucky alone. He's sharply critical of Rand Paul for dragging Fauci into character-assassination hearings while staying conspicuously silent on McConnell, and reminds listeners it was Trump who ordered governors to shut down the economy, not Fauci.
The conversation turns to Beshear's political philosophy and the road ahead for Democrats. He rejects the "moderate" label in favor of "pragmatic," arguing that the constant battle to label everyone misses how much more complicated reality actually is. Beshear makes the case that Democrats don't win by becoming a Democratic version of McConnell or Trump, that the party needs to be the party of making the economy work again, and that it should champion structural reforms like campaign finance amendments, outlawing gerrymandering, and directly electing the president. He's visibly frustrated with Democrats who blame other Democrats when Republicans are the ones doing the damage — there's no time for "woulda-couldas," he argues, when Trump and the GOP are inflicting this much harm. As a leader in the Democratic Governors Association, Beshear lays out where he sees real opportunity: big resources heading into Georgia, the critical importance of Katie Hobbs winning in Arizona to ensure a fair 2028 election, and the DGA's willingness to spend anywhere it can win. He addresses the data center backlash as fundamentally rooted in anxiety about AI and big tech's failure to talk to the communities it moves into, and stays characteristically coy about his own 2028 ambitions.
Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM.

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.

For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (980) 734-3985 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to askchapter.org/chuck /*Paid Partnership

Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Governor Andy Beshear joins the Chuck ToddCast
01:15 Kentucky’s Fancy Farm Picnic & its role in politics
02:30 Picnic brings politicians from both sides of the aisle together
03:00 Having different political beliefs shouldn’t make you an “enemy”
03:30 Not attending the picnic to attend his son's final travel baseball game
05:15 Haven’t spoken to Mitch McConnell, he’s been absent six week
05:45 McConnell has a duty to level with the people of Kentucky
06:30 The governor doesn’t have authority to declare a vacancy
07:00 John Thune should help put the concerns to rest
08:45 The harm is that the senator refuses to level with his constituents
09:15 If situation was reversed, McConnell would be ruthlessly tactical
09:45 There’s one less vote for GOP agenda, the right should be more mad
10:45 Social media helps create a misinformation vacuum about McConnell
12:15 Democrats don’t win by being a Democratic version of McConnell or Trump
13:00 If he had to miss a week as governor, he’d feel obligated to inform the public
13:45 Lack of video of McConnell makes the public think he can’t do it
14:30 McConnell tried to beat him three straight times and failed
15:00 McConnell may end up tarnishing his legacy due to unexplained absence
15:45 Rand Paul dragged Fauci into a hearing, but mum on McConnell
16:30 Fauci hearings are just an exercise in character assassination
17:45 This feels like a personal vendetta from Paul against Fauci
18:30 Mike Pence set up a competent experienced team during COVID
19:00 Trump ordered the governors to shut down the economy, not Fauci
19:30 Vaccine was the fastest remedy created in human history
21:15 Made pandemic decisions based on what would save the most lives
21:45 Remember the death toll in Kentucky vividly
22:45 COVID was ultimate test of the parable of the good samaritan
23:30 COVID was the war of our time, with an even higher casualty rate
24:00 Teachers & educators needed to be in the first batch of vaccinations
25:30 Kentucky didn’t run out of hospital beds due to expanded Medicaid
26:00 Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will close 35 hospitals in Kentucky
27:00 Doesn’t consider himself a “moderate”, but instead he’s “pragmatic”
27:45 Can be both pro-business and pro-worker
28:15 There’s a battle to label everyone, but reality is more complicated
28:45 How big should the Democratic tent be?
29:45 There’s space to do things that both sides agree on
30:15 Why are Democratic activists so mad at the establishment?
31:00 Democrats need to be the party of making the economy work again
31:30 Need amendments for campaign finance & outlawing gerrymandering
32:15 The president should be directly elected
32:45 Dems blame others Dems when Republicans are doing something wrong
33:30 Can’t do “woulda couldas” when Trump & GOP are doing so much damage
35:00 What’s the pitch in Wisconsin gubernatorial if both candidates are outsiders?
35:45 Joe Biden won on the idea of him being the most electable
36:15 Trump’s policies are hitting everyday Americans harder
37:00 Governor’s association plan to put big resources into Georgia
37:30 Believe that Democrats will flip the governor’s mansion in GA
38:00 Katie Hobbs has to win to ensure a fair election in Arizona in ‘28
40:15 Trump inspired Canadian boycotts that have hit the economy hard
41:30 Winner of the Wisconsin primary will come out stronger
42:00 Jocelyn Benson is a great candidate for Michigan
42:45 Amy Acton can win regardless of the senate race
43:15 Correlation between governor and senate races
46:00 Can Dems pull off gubernatorial upsets in Texas or Florida?
46:30 DGA will spend resources wherever they can win
47:45 Focused on winning gubernatorial races, then will ponder run in ‘28
48:30 Important to declare presidential candidacy early?
49:15 Dems primary calendar will produce candidate that can win everywhere
50:15 Do you consider Kentucky a southern state?
51:00 Could Israel splinter the party and make elections unwinnable?
51:45 Will Doug Jones get DGA help?
53:15 Data center backlash comes from concern about AI
54:00 Big tech isn’t talking to the communities where they put data centers
54:30 Tech should be paying for their electricity & fair share of taxes
57:00 We need rational leaders, don’t know where AI/tech is going
58:15 Any effort to get an NBA franchise in Kentucky?
1:00:00 Favorite NBA team
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd argues Republicans and the White House are frantically trying to manufacture headlines about the past precisely because the actual news of the present is terrible for the GOP, and because the very issues that got Trump elected are the ones he's now ignoring. Democrats are winning heading into the midterms, TChuck says; the only real question is by how much, which is exactly why Republicans are so desperate to feed their base culture-war red meat as a distraction. But the story Chuck argues is being dangerously underplayed is the Iran war, which is no longer a regional conflict at all: close to thirty countries have been directly involved, multiple nations have been hit, and the Iran and Ukraine wars have effectively merged through shared supply chains — Russia has launched thousands of Iranian-made drones at Ukraine, improved and manufactured them, and is now shipping them back to Iran, while Ukrainian air defense teams have been redeployed to the Middle East and the American stockpile of interceptor missiles has been so massively depleted that commanders are rationing them. He calls the war the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades, while rising oil prices help both Iran and Russia.. It's not World War III, he cautions, but it's genuinely hard to see how it ends, and Congress should be singularly focused on it and simply isn't. He then pivots to what he calls a politics of AI that hasn't been invented yet, where the public is way ahead of the politicians: 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months and like it, but the vast majority don't trust big tech or the AI companies, and the fierce backlash against data centers is really the manifestation of a deeper anger ever since tech companies stopped trying to improve lives and started maximizing engagement. The public isn't rejecting AI, he argues, it's rejecting the technologists, and Trump has planted himself firmly on the side of the tech companies over the public. He closes by lamenting that political energy is being spent on Fauci rather than pandemic preparedness — before quick hits on Todd Achilles getting a one-on-one race in Idaho, Seth Bodnar leading in Montana if the Democrat can be coaxed into dropping out, and the question hanging over Michigan: if Abdul El-Sayed loses, will it have been because of Mamdani's Israel speech?
Then, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear — the popular two-term Democrat in a deep-red state and a name increasingly floated for 2028 — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that opens with Kentucky's famous Fancy Farm Picnic and the increasingly countercultural idea that political disagreement shouldn't make people enemies. Beshear turns pointed on Mitch McConnell, who he says has been absent for six weeks without speaking to him, arguing that McConnell has a fundamental duty to level with the people of Kentucky about his condition.. Beshear notes the governor has no authority to declare a vacancy, calls on John Thune to help put the concerns to rest, and observes pointedly that if the situation were reversed, McConnell would be ruthlessly tactical about it — and that the right should arguably be angrier, since it's one fewer vote for the GOP agenda. Beshear reflects at length and with real emotion on the COVID years, which he calls the war of our time with a higher casualty rate than most Americans appreciate, credits Kentucky's expanded Medicaid with keeping the state from running out of hospital beds, and warning that Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will close 35 hospitals in Kentucky alone. He's sharply critical of Rand Paul for dragging Fauci into character-assassination hearings while staying conspicuously silent on McConnell, and reminds listeners it was Trump who ordered governors to shut down the economy, not Fauci.
The conversation turns to Beshear's political philosophy and the road ahead for Democrats. He rejects the "moderate" label in favor of "pragmatic," arguing that the constant battle to label everyone misses how much more complicated reality actually is. Beshear makes the case that Democrats don't win by becoming a Democratic version of McConnell or Trump, that the party needs to be the party of making the economy work again, and that it should champion structural reforms like campaign finance amendments, outlawing gerrymandering, and directly electing the president. He's visibly frustrated with Democrats who blame other Democrats when Republicans are the ones doing the damage — there's no time for "woulda-couldas," he argues, when Trump and the GOP are inflicting this much harm. As a leader in the Democratic Governors Association, Beshear lays out where he sees real opportunity: big resources heading into Georgia, the critical importance of Katie Hobbs winning in Arizona to ensure a fair 2028 election, and the DGA's willingness to spend anywhere it can win. He addresses the data center backlash as fundamentally rooted in anxiety about AI and big tech's failure to talk to the communities it moves into, and stays characteristically coy about his own 2028 ambitions.
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 Independents/Independent minded leaders who could reshape the U.S. Senate and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM.

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.

For free and unbiased Medicare help, dial (980) 734-3985 to speak with my trusted partner, Chapter, or go to askchapter.org/chuck /*Paid Partnership

Chapter and its affiliates are not connected with or endorsed by any government entity or the federal Medicare program. Chapter Advisory, LLC represents Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and PFFS organizations and stand alone prescription drug plans that have a Medicare contract. Enrollment depends on the plan’s contract renewal. While we have a database of every Medicare plan nationwide and can help you to search among all plans, we have contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, we do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 50 organizations which offer 18,160 products nationwide. We search and recommend all plans, even those we don’t directly offer. You can contact a licensed Chapter agent to find out the number of products available in your specific area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
02:45 Republicans & WH are trying to manufacture the headlines
03:15 Attacking Fauci, going after Smithsonian, relitigating 2020 election
04:00 These stories are about yesterday, modern headlines are bad for GOP
04:30 The issues that got Trump elected are the issues he’s ignoring
05:30 Dems are winning heading into midterms, question is by how much
07:00 Republicans are desperate to distract their base
07:45 They believe the culture war red meat will turn out their base
08:45 The Iran war is being underplayed
09:45 There have been close to thirty countries directly involved in the war
10:45 Multiple countries have been hit directly during the war
11:30 This is not a regional war
12:00 Multiple countries have been directly involved in kinetic action
13:30 Multiple countries also involved in, or hosted peace talks
15:00 The Ukraine & Iran wars have merged through supply chains
15:45 Nervous that this conflict could go global
16:15 Russia has launched thousands of Iranian made drones at Ukraine
16:45 Russia improved & manufactured drones, now shipping them back to Iran
17:30 Ukraine air defence teams have been sent to the middle east
18:45 American stockpile of air defense missiles has been massively depleted
19:30 Military commanders are having to ration interceptor missiles
20:00 This war was the dumbest mistake a president has made in decades
21:15 Both conflicts are eating from the same plate
21:45 War caused a rise in oil prices, which helped both Iran and Russia
22:15 Beijing hasn’t been a bystander in these conflicts
23:15 Decapitation strikes have been proven not to work
24:00 Everyone is learning the same lessons, including America’s adversaries
24:45 This is not World War 3, but it’s hard to see how this war ends
25:45 Congress should be singularly focused on this war, and it isn’t
27:00 This started as an Iran/Israel dispute, now the world has been dragged in
28:15 The politics of AI hasn’t been invented yet, public is ahead of politicians
29:15 72% of Americans have used AI in the past three months & like using it
29:45 Vast majority of Americans don’t trust big tech or the AI companies
31:00 There’s a disconnect on AI between politicians the American public
31:45 Backlash against data centers is the manifestation of anger at big tech
32:45 Politicians want to manage backlash, not understand what’s behind it
35:00 Seeing political banners against data centers flying over Pensacola beach
37:15 The politicians are trying to play catch up on the politics of AI
37:45 Americans didn’t always distrust big tech
38:45 Tech companies stopped trying to improve lives, now maximize engagement
40:15 Americans feel we’re being optimized, not served by big tech
41:15 Protecting kids from tech is now an issue with massive bipartisan support
42:45 The public isn’t rejecting AI, they’re rejecting the technologists
44:30 Trump sides with the tech companies over the public
45:45 Politicians are captured by, or afraid of big tech cash in politics
48:00 Frustrating that political energy is spent on Fauci, not pandemic preparedness
48:30 Fauci became a vessel for every frustration about COVID
49:00 Fauci had one job, tell the public what the medical risks were
50:30 We had 2,000 Americans dying a day
51:30 We have to remember the conditions under which decisions were made
52:00 Rand Paul released thousands of pages of Fauci’s pandemic era journals
52:30 Pleading the 5th makes people look guiltier than they are
53:15 We learned Fauci loves media attention, but so does Rand Paul
54:15 Relitigating the origins of Covid doesn’t help prepare for the next pandemic
55:15 Rand Paul is undermining his own credibility by attacking Fauci
55:45 Todd Achilles will get a 1 on 1 race in Idaho
56:30 Seth Bodnar leading in Montana in 1 on 1, but Dem resisting dropping out
57:45 If El-Sayed loses in Michigan… was it because of Mamdani’s Israel speech?
1:04:15 Governor Andy Beshear joins the Chuck ToddCast
1:05:30 Kentucky’s Fancy Farm Picnic & its role in politics
1:06:45 Picnic brings politicians from both sides of the aisle together
1:07:15 Having different political beliefs shouldn’t make you an “enemy”
1:07:45 Not attending the picnic to attend his son's final travel baseball game
1:09:30 Haven’t spoken to Mitch McConnell, he’s been absent six week
1:10:00 McConnell has a duty to level with the people of Kentucky
1:10:45 The governor doesn’t have authority to declare a vacancy
1:11:15 John Thune should help put the concerns to rest
1:13:00 The harm is that the senator refuses to level with his constituents
1:13:30 If situation was reversed, McConnell would be ruthlessly tactical
1:14:00 There’s one less vote for GOP agenda, the right should be more mad
1:15:00 Social media helps create a misinformation vacuum about McConnell
1:16:30 Democrats don’t win by being a Democratic version of McConnell or Trump
1:17:15 If he had to miss a week as governor, he’d feel obligated to inform the public
1:18:00 Lack of video of McConnell makes the public think he can’t do it
1:18:45 McConnell tried to beat him three straight times and failed
1:19:15 McConnell may end up tarnishing his legacy due to unexplained absence
1:20:00 Rand Paul dragged Fauci into a hearing, but mum on McConnell
1:20:45 Fauci hearings are just an exercise in character assassination
1:22:00 This feels like a personal vendetta from Paul against Fauci
1:22:45 Mike Pence set up a competent experienced team during COVID
1:23:15 Trump ordered the governors to shut down the economy, not Fauci
1:23:45 Vaccine was the fastest remedy created in human history
1:25:30 Made pandemic decisions based on what would save the most lives
1:26:00 Remember the death toll in Kentucky vividly
1:27:00 COVID was ultimate test of the parable of the good samaritan
1:27:45 COVID was the war of our time, with an even higher casualty rate
1:28:15 Teachers & educators needed to be in the first batch of vaccinations
1:29:45 Kentucky didn’t run out of hospital beds due to expanded Medicaid
1:30:15 Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill will close 35 hospitals in Kentucky
1:31:15 Doesn’t consider himself a “moderate”, but instead he’s “pragmatic”
1:32:00 Can be both pro-business and pro-worker
1:32:30 There’s a battle to label everyone, but reality is more complicated
1:33:00 How big should the Democratic tent be?
1:34:00 There’s space to do things that both sides agree on
1:34:30 Why are Democratic activists so mad at the establishment?
1:35:15 Democrats need to be the party of making the economy work again
1:35:45 Need amendments for campaign finance & outlawing gerrymandering
1:36:30 The president should be directly elected
1:37:00 Dems blame others Dems when Republicans are doing something wrong
1:37:45 Can’t do “woulda couldas” when Trump & GOP are doing so much damage
1:39:15 What’s the pitch in Wisconsin gubernatorial if both candidates are outsiders?
1:40:00 Joe Biden won on the idea of him being the most electable
1:40:30 Trump’s policies are hitting everyday Americans harder
1:41:15 Governor’s association plan to put big resources into Georgia
1:41:45 Believe that Democrats will flip the governor’s mansion in GA
1:42:15 Katie Hobbs has to win to ensure a fair election in Arizona in ‘28
1:44:30 Trump inspired Canadian boycotts that have hit the economy hard
1:45:45 Winner of the Wisconsin primary will come out stronger
1:46:15 Jocelyn Benson is a great candidate for Michigan
1:47:00 Amy Acton can win regardless of the senate race
1:47:30 Correlation between governor and senate races
1:50:15 Can Dems pull off gubernatorial upsets in Texas or Florida?
1:50:45 DGA will spend resources wherever they can win
1:52:00 Focused on winning gubernatorial races, then will ponder run in ‘28
1:52:45 Important to declare presidential candidacy early?
1:53:30 Dems primary calendar will produce candidate that can win everywhere
1:54:30 Do you consider Kentucky a southern state?
1:55:15 Could Israel splinter the party and make elections unwinnable?
1:56:00 Will Doug Jones get DGA help?
1:57:30 Data center backlash comes from concern about AI
1:58:15 Big tech isn’t talking to the communities where they put data centers
1:58:45 Tech should be paying for their electricity & fair share of taxes
2:01:15 We need rational leaders, don’t know where AI/tech is going
2:02:30 Any effort to get an NBA franchise in Kentucky?
2:04:15 Favorite NBA team
2:05:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Andy Beshear
2:07:00 ToddCast Top 5 Independents who could shape the senate
2:07:30 #5 Todd Achilles
2:10:00 #4 Dan Osborne
2:12:15 #3 Seth Bodnar
2:13:30 #2 Lisa Murkowski
2:14:30 #1 John Fetterman
2:17:15 Ask Chuck
2:18:15 Correction for answer on the last pod
2:20:30 Why haven’t we heard much about the people who tried to kill Trump?
2:27:45 Can Trump take the Qatari jet that’s had taxpayer $ spent on it?
2:31:00 What motivates those closest to Trump? Do they believe what they’re saying?
2:34:30 Can you explain the history of the term “lobbyist”?
2:39:45 Thoughts on the funding model of the BBC?
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Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza dig into the biggest structural story of the 2028 race: the DNC's proposed new Democratic nominating calendar, which would open in South Carolina and run through Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia. The guys make the case that a calendar starting in the least progressive early state and ending in another one looks engineered to stop a Bernie- or AOC-style insurgent — then debate who it actually helps. Chris sees a raised bar and a no-backup-plan trap for Kamala Harris; Chuck argues the map is a dream scenario for Wes Moore, with three heavily African-American states and two big military populations, while making the counterintuitive case that a splintered field could still let a progressive win South Carolina on a McCain-in-2008-style plurality. Along the way they weigh Buttigieg's veterans play, Mark Kelly's underrated prospects, Pritzker's self-funding edge, and why they'd have picked Arizona over Nevada.
From there they turn to an idea from Chuck's wife for reinventing the White House Correspondents' Dinner — hand the South Lawn to reporters and their families once a year, and keep the president and the TV cameras out of it — before tackling the deepening mystery around Mitch McConnell's health and monthslong public silence, and why the conspiracy theories collapse the moment you ask what the upside would be. Then it's on to the stakes of next week's Michigan Senate primary between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens, which both sides are treating as the first existential fight over the Democratic Party's identity, and how Zohran Mamdani may have reshaped it. They close, as always, with the Nats: the looming trade deadline, why Foster Griffin is expendable but CJ Abrams isn't, and the case for building a brand around the team's young Black stars.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 The DNC's proposed 2028 Democratic nominating calendar
01:00 The six-state lineup
01:42 Why South Carolina and Virginia matter most
02:56 Going first means six months of attention, not a week
03:52 Is South Carolina good for Kamala Harris?
04:54 Win the Black vote, win South Carolina
06:32 The Black vote isn't a monolith
07:51 The calendar is a dream scenario built for Wes Moore
08:34 Is Jon Ossoff the real winner? The neighbor-state theory
10:45 A map that looks designed to stop a Bernie or AOC insurgency
12:24 The progressive math — how 15% could be enough
13:04 A four-state path for the left: fourth, first, second, first
14:41 South Carolina as a race-ender i
15:23 The McCain lesson: 42% as a loss in 2000, 33% as a win in 2008
17:43 Southern Super Tuesday was built to stop liberals
20:08 Use the primary calendar to build the party
21:52 South Carolina's growth & the rural Black voters Democrats ignore
23:00 Why start where you can't win in November?
25:26 Why it's actually a good map for Pete Buttigieg
27:53 Why the expensive states favor self-funder JB Pritzker
30:21 Michigan gets its own week — just as the Israel issue splits the party
31:24 Why Nevada was picked for the interest groups
32:10 White House Correspondents' Dinner and why it felt so off
35:13 The pitch: hand over the South Lawn to the press corps
36:18 Keep the cameras and the president out
38:16 Trump will always make it about himself
40:13 The Mitch McConnell timeline
41:20 A proof-of-life photo — but not a proof-of-speech one
43:03 McConnell has always been intensely private
45:23 The most important Democratic primary in the country
45:49 Why Abdul El-Sayed is all but running for president
46:56 Mamdani's "arrest Netanyahu" speech reshaped the movement
48:24 Gary Peters, Whitmer & the raised stakes
50:00 The morning-after narratives already written for either outcome
53:36 El-Sayed's real problem: little traction in the Black community
54:00 To the Nats: the trade deadline is the biggest day
54:52 Trade Foster Griffin — but don't you dare trade CJ Abrams
57:03 The case for building a DC brand around Abrams & James Wood
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Chuck Todd delivers a masterclass on the single most underappreciated force in presidential politics: the primary calendar, which he argues reveals exactly what kind of nominee a party actually wants long before a single vote is cast. He explains that the Democratic decision to put South Carolina first is by design a test of Black support and viability in the South — and one that's deliberately engineered to hurt progressives, who have consistently gotten thumped in South Carolina primaries. He believes that Democrats have badly underinvested in South Carolina and Mississippi, meaning a little TLC could plausibly turn South Carolina into a genuine swing state. The calendar's practical effect, he argues, is that it sets up well for Wes Moore (if he runs) and is nearly as favorable for Pete Buttigieg, while raising the stakes for Kamala Harris to the point that if she doesn't win South Carolina, she's essentially finished. He is sharp on the flaws of the rest of the early window — Nevada isn't the test Democrats claim because the culinary union shapes everything and Arizona would better measure the Latino vote, Michigan is theoretically ideal but is getting torn apart over Israel in ways that could hurt Democrats in a general, and Virginia (now the last stop before Super Tuesday) reliably serves as a bulwark for moderates because it's a center-left rather than hard-left blue state — and he lays out what the ideal calendar would look like for progressives and for MAGA respectively. He's blunt that Ken Martin's leadership of the DNC has been a major problem, questioning whether Democrats really want him refereeing the nomination fight when the party's money troubles are a reflection on Martin himself. He then turns to Trump backing down on Iran yet again — halting strikes less than 12 hours after issuing fresh threats — calling the entire Iran adventure easily the dumbest thing a president has done this century, especially now that an administration once committed to non-proliferation appears to be helping the Saudis with nuclear technology. He notes Democrats nominated Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner, making the Maine Senate seat winnable again even as Trump has made the races in both Maine and Michigan harder, and closes with a run of telling contrasts: the White House openly bragging that it added tariffs to help big tech, data centers emerging as the top issue for voters in many states, Trump calling LeBron James a racist from the Oval Office while Obama quietly reached out to offer Caitlin Clark advice and comfort — a perfect encapsulation, He argues, of one leader who wants to divide and another trying to turn the temperature down.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the ratification of the 14th amendment at a time when the idea of birthright citizenship is being called into question, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
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Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
02:30 A primary calendar shows the type of nominee a party wants
03:15 The calendar dictates where candidates spend their time
04:15 The first state on the calendar is massively important
05:00 The Democratic nominee will have to survive South Carolina
05:30 Iowa has gone first for decades
07:15 First in the calendar matters more than anything else
07:45 South Carolina is a test for black support & viability in the south
08:30 South Carolina going first is designed to hurt the viability of progressives
09:15 Going first created robust state parties in Iowa & New Hampshire
10:00 Democrats have underinvested in South Carolina & Mississippi
13:15 Strong state organizations create future candidates & elected reps
14:45 With more TLC, Democrats should be able to make SC a swing state
15:45 South Carolina will determine which candidates are viable
17:15 Progressives have gotten thumped in SC primaries
18:15 Calendar is designed to make life harder for progressives
19:45 The calendar doesn’t always produce the intended candidate
22:00 20% in a crowded field could be enough to win or take 2nd
24:00 If Kamala Harris doesn’t win South Carolina she’s basically out
24:45 On paper, this is a huge boost for Wes Moore if he runs
26:00 Whoever is in 1st place this far out is a measurement of name ID
26:30 New Hampshire Dems are upset about not being first
28:30 Nevada is not the test that Democrats claim it is
29:00 The culinary union shapes the entire state’s politics in Nevada
30:00 The DNC wanted states that could produce same-night results
31:30 Nevada isn’t a good test of the latino vote, Arizona would be better
32:45 In theory, Michigan is a good state to test, but it’s getting divided over Israel
33:30 Israel could get so divisive it could hurt Dems in a general election
34:15 Virginia is now the last state of the early window before Super Tuesday
34:45 Virginia tends to serve as a bulwark for the moderate candidates
36:00 Virginia is a blue state, but it’s a center-left state
37:15 More than any candidate, the table is set for Wes Moore
37:45 The calendar is also good for Pete Buttigieg
39:15 What the best primary calendar would look like for progressives
41:00 What the best MAGA primary calendar would look like
44:00 The calendar dictates who candidates must become during campaign
45:45 Super Tuesday was created to balance out the early base voters
47:30 Legislature control also dictated the creation of this Dem primary calendar
49:15 Ken Martin’s leadership at the DNC has been major problem
50:00 Do Dems want Martin serving as the referee for the nomination fight?
50:45 Martin is clearly not in the right headspace to lead the DNC
51:45 The DNC’s money problems are a reflection on Martin, not the party
52:45 Trump bloviated & issued more threats to Iran & he’s backing down again
53:45 Less than 12 hours after making threats, he halted strikes
54:45 Trump is completely out of ideas on Iran
55:45 Iran is easily the dumbest thing a president has done this century
56:30 For years the goal was non-proliferation, now we’re helping the Saudis?
58:15 If we’re helping Saudis with nuke technology, who are we to tell others no?
59:00 Trump’s personal financial gain may have accelerated this
59:30 Dems nominate Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner
1:00:00 Maine senate is once again a very winnable race for Democrats
1:01:15 Trump has made the races in Michigan and Maine much harder
1:02:15 Trump has no idea what’s going on in American politics, can’t read a room
1:03:00 White House bragged that they added tariffs to help big tech
1:04:15 Data centers are the biggest issue for voters in many states
1:05:45 Trump calls LeBron James a racist at oval office press conference
1:06:45 Obama reached out to give Caitlin Clark advice & words of comfort
1:08:00 Trump showed he wants to divide, Obama tried to turn temperature down
1:09:15 Mrs. Todd’s suggestion for changing the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
1:16:00 ToddCast Time Machine - July 28th, 1968
1:16:30 This was the day William Seward certified the 14th Amendment
1:17:15 Some states tried to rescind their certification
1:17:45 Congress declared the amendment ratified
1:18:30 “Who gets to be an American?” was a question the founders left open
1:19:15 Birthright citizenship was an open question at the time
1:19:45 Dred Scott was one of the worst SCOTUS decisions of all time
1:20:30 States tried to reassemble the structures of slavery after the war
1:21:00 Abolishing slavery and securing freedom were two different things
1:21:45 Citizenship couldn’t rest on a law, it had to be in the constitution
1:22:30 Trump vs. Barbara ended with SCOTUS upholding birthright citizenship
1:23:30 The case of Won Kim Ark became foundation of this summer’s ruling
1:24:30 Congress addressed Native American citizenship in 1924 via statute
1:26:30 Someone from anywhere could become an American
1:27:15 Every generation has found new ways to fall short of the American promise
1:28:15 Certification of the 14th amendment is what makes America different
1:29:00 Ask Chuck
1:29:15 Have you seen anything to suggest Trump has a religious faith?
1:32:30 Goal of NDAA integrating more between the U.S. & Israeli militaries?
1:37:30 If a president were convicted and removed via impeachment… What happens next?
1:41:00 Recommendations for political books?
1:46:00 Has the kind of voter fraud cited by Republicans ever changed an outcome?
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