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The Chuck ToddCast

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The Chuck ToddCast is back! If you're looking for smart, no-nonsense political conversation, you've come to the right place. The Chuck ToddCast goes beyond the headlines, featuring conversations with top reporters, insiders, and newsmakers from D.C. to the heartland. No scripts, no spin—just real discussions about what’s shaping our politics and why it matters.
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Episodes

Full Episode - Trump Is Sabotaging The Midterms For Republicans + Politicizing The Pentagon Is The Most Dangerous Thing Trump Can Do

Is The Most Dangerous Thing Trump Can Do In this episode, Chuck Todd unpacks a week where political theater carried real consequences, from Pam Bondi’s high-profile hearing and the Justice Department’s bruised credibility to renewed controversy over the Epstein files and why Trump appears uneasy about what could surface. Chuck explores how Trump’s actions—from refusing to help key Republicans like John Cornyn in Texas to escalating trade and tariff fights that split his own party—may be doing ta...

Feb 12, 20262 hr 27 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Trump Is Sabotaging The Midterms For Republicans + Pam Bondi Has Destroyed The DOJ’s Credibility

In this episode, Chuck Todd unpacks a week where political theater carried real consequences, from Pam Bondi’s high-profile hearing and the Justice Department’s bruised credibility to renewed controversy over the Epstein files and why Trump appears uneasy about what could surface. Chuck explores how Trump’s actions—from refusing to help key Republicans like John Cornyn in Texas to escalating trade and tariff fights that split his own party—may be doing tactical damage to GOP midterm prospects, e...

Feb 12, 20261 hr 23 min

Interview Only w/ Paul Rieckhoff - Politicizing The Pentagon Is The Most Dangerous Thing Trump Can Do

In this episode of the Chuck Toddcast, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Paul Rieckhoff joins for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from the football field to the battlefield and into the halls of power. Paul shares how his family's experience with Vietnam shaped his own path into the military and explores why the scars of Iraq and Afghanistan haven't left the same political mark as Vietnam did. The discussion dives into the state of today's all-volunteer military, raising...

Feb 12, 20261 hr 10 min

Interview Only w/ John Conyers III - Growing Up in the Shadow of Power & The Civil Rights Movement

Chuck Todd sits down with John Conyers III to discuss his deeply personal memoir "My Father's House." Far from a typical political biography, this book offers a raw, unflinching look at what it's like to grow up as the son of legendary civil rights congressman John Conyers Jr.—inheriting a legacy you never chose and navigating between worlds of poverty and power. John opens up about the family betrayal that triggered his father's 2017 resignation, the complicated truth about Rosa Parks' final ye...

Feb 11, 20261 hr 12 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Major Shake Ups That Affect The 2026 Midterms + Top 5 Things You Won’t Believe Were LEGAL In Politics

In this episode, Chuck Todd breaks down a rapidly shifting 2026 political landscape beginning with Susan Collins’ decision to seek re-election in what could become the toughest race of her career, a contest that may prove pivotal in a potentially tied Senate where Democrats could even attempt to court Lisa Murkowski. Chuck explores how Collins’ choice reshapes the map, why an open Maine seat would have favored Democrats, and how outsider candidates like Graham Platner may challenge both party es...

Feb 11, 20261 hr 6 min

Full Episode - Major Shake Ups That Affect The 2026 Midterms + Growing Up in the Shadow of Power & The Civil Rights Movement

In this episode, Chuck Todd breaks down a rapidly shifting 2026 political landscape beginning with Susan Collins’ decision to seek re-election in what could become the toughest race of her career, a contest that may prove pivotal in a potentially tied Senate where Democrats could even attempt to court Lisa Murkowski. Chuck explores how Collins’ choice reshapes the map, why an open Maine seat would have favored Democrats, and how outsider candidates like Graham Platner may challenge both party es...

Feb 11, 20262 hr 14 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Trump Is Setting Up A Midterm DISASTER For Republicans + America Needs To Side With Democracy In Iran

In this episode, Chuck Todd reacts to the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, then examines the political shockwaves rippling through Washington after Donald Trump’s controversial and widely condemned post about the Obamas, placing it within the broader context of Trump’s long history of racial controversies and growing unease inside his own coalition. As criticism emerges from Republican lawmakers, conservative legal voices, and even Olympic athletes, Todd explores signs that Trump’s influence may...

Feb 09, 20261 hr 34 min

Full Episode - Trump Is Setting Up A Midterm DISASTER For Republicans + AI, Education & 2028: Why The Future Is on the Ballot

In this episode, Chuck Todd reacts to the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, then examines the political shockwaves rippling through Washington after Donald Trump’s controversial and widely condemned post about the Obamas, placing it within the broader context of Trump’s long history of racial controversies and growing unease inside his own coalition. As criticism emerges from Republican lawmakers, conservative legal voices, and even Olympic athletes, Todd explores signs that Trump’s influence may...

Feb 09, 20262 hr 47 min

Interview Only w/ Rahm Emmanuel - AI, Education & 2028: Why The Future Is on the Ballot

Former White House Chief of Staff & Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel joins the Chuck ToddCast for a wide-ranging conversation on the forces shaping America’s political and economic future. He discusses why the 2028 election will be about what’s ahead—not what’s behind—and argues that understanding AI, energy, and the changing nature of work is now essential for anyone seeking leadership. Emanuel makes the case that education and vocational training remain the clearest pathway to the middle cla...

Feb 09, 20261 hr 15 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Jeff Bezos Gutting The Washington Post Is A Dark Day For Journalism + The One Loophole For A Third Trump Term

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck digs into the stunning implosion of The Washington Post after Jeff Bezos ordered layoffs of nearly a third of its staff—breaking a decade-old promise to provide the paper with long-term financial runway. The conversation explores how Bezos treated the Post less like a civic institution and more like a trophy asset, useful for currying favor, protecting government contracts, and advancing Amazon and Blue Origin, but never truly prioritized for success....

Feb 05, 20261 hr 28 min

Interview Only w/ Danny Funt - Addicted, Unregulated, and Everywhere: The Sports Betting Explosion

Author and Washington Post contributor Danny Funt joins the Chuck ToddCast to discuss his new book “Everybody Loses”, and for a sobering, wide-ranging conversation about how the rapid legalization of sports betting quietly reshaped American sports—and not in the ways fans were promised. What began as a state-by-state experiment after a 2018 Supreme Court ruling has exploded into a highly profitable, lightly regulated industry where sportsbooks are household names, leagues are financial stakehold...

Feb 05, 202656 min

Full Episode - Jeff Bezos Gutting The Washington Post Is A Dark Day For Journalism + Addicted, Unregulated, and Everywhere: The Sports Betting Explosion

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck digs into the stunning implosion of The Washington Post after Jeff Bezos ordered layoffs of nearly a third of its staff—breaking a decade-old promise to provide the paper with long-term financial runway. The conversation explores how Bezos treated the Post less like a civic institution and more like a trophy asset, useful for currying favor, protecting government contracts, and advancing Amazon and Blue Origin, but never truly prioritized for success....

Feb 05, 20262 hr 25 min

Full Episode - Trump’s Most Consequential Scandal Wasn’t Clickable Enough + What Teddy Roosevelt Can Teach Us About Trump’s America

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , Chuck unpacks what may be the most brazen presidential corruption scandal in modern history—Donald Trump allegedly selling U.S. foreign policy to the UAE for personal gain—barely registered in the public conversation, drowned out by louder, more sensational distractions. The discussion explores why Trump’s election-interference rhetoric breaks through while substantive corruption stories vanish, how media incentives favor spectacle over consequence, and wh...

Feb 04, 20262 hr 14 min

Interview Only w/ David S. Brown - What Teddy Roosevelt Can Teach Us About Trump’s America

Historian David S. Brown joins the Chuck ToddCast to unpack why Theodore Roosevelt remains a gravitational force for understanding American power—and why his era echoes so loudly today. Drawing from his book In the Arena , Brown explores what pulled him to Roosevelt, how TR reshaped the presidency, and the surprising parallels (and sharp limits) between Roosevelt and Donald Trump. From narcissism and disruption to populism, primaries, and the rise of the imperial presidency, the conversation dig...

Feb 04, 20261 hr 1 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Trump’s Most Consequential Scandal Wasn’t Clickable Enough + Democrats Need A “Project 2032” To Stay Electorally Viable

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , Chuck unpacks what may be the most brazen presidential corruption scandal in modern history—Donald Trump allegedly selling U.S. foreign policy to the UAE for personal gain—barely registered in the public conversation, drowned out by louder, more sensational distractions. The discussion explores why Trump’s election-interference rhetoric breaks through while substantive corruption stories vanish, how media incentives favor spectacle over consequence, and wh...

Feb 04, 20261 hr 16 min

Full Episode - The Worst Presidential Corruption Scandal In American History + Can Democrats Finally Unseat Lindsey Graham?

It feels like Groundhog Day in Washington, but with far higher stakes: Chuck Todd unpacks how the constant churn of déjà vu political scandals has morphed from quirky repetition into full-blown national exhaustion. This episode dives into a rapidly growing blue-wave electorate colliding with what may be the most consequential corruption story of our time—allegations that Trump-era public policy was effectively put up for sale. From a $500 million UAE investment in a Trump-linked company to the a...

Feb 02, 20262 hr 3 min

Interview Only w/ Dr. Annie Andrews - Can Democrats Finally Unseat Lindsey Graham?

Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and Democratic candidate challenging Lindsey Graham for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, joins the Chuck ToddCast to discuss why healthcare providers must lead the fight for reform in an era of collapsing trust in federal institutions. Andrews explains that pediatricians should be at the forefront because Medicaid—the largest insurer of children—has been gutted, and doctors are now disputing dangerous government vaccine policies from an administration where medica...

Feb 02, 202656 min

Special Episode - Don Lemon’s Arrest By Trump’s DOJ Is CHILLING For Journalism

Chuck Todd reacts to the news of independent journalist and former CNN host Don Lemon being arrested and charged by Trump’s Department of Justice over the Minnesota church protest and calls it chilling. He argues this is a direct assault on the First Amendment right to freedom of the press, but believes Lemon will beat the charges. He believes the arrest is Trump’s way of trying to distract from a terrible month for the president. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Don...

Jan 30, 202613 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Trump’s Poll Numbers Are Sinking: Will Kristi Noem Take The Fall? + How Do We Get Out Of This?

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , Chuck digs into the political fallout surrounding Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and a Trump White House that remains intensely reactive to public opinion. While Noem keeps her job—for now—new polling paints a bleak picture for both her and the administration, with Trump’s economic numbers underwater, disapproval near all-time highs, and even his own base increasingly uneasy with ICE’s aggressive tactics. Chuck unpacks why Noem’s performative politics may ma...

Jan 29, 20261 hr 18 min

Interview Only w/ Jason Zengerle - Hated By All The Right People: The Rise Of Tucker Carlson

Author and writer for The New Yorker , Jason Zengerle joins the Chuck ToddCast for a deep dive into his book “Hated By All The Right People” about Tucker Carlson’s rise—and why he’s become the clearest avatar for the unraveling of modern American conservatism. The conversation traces how Carlson’s personal history, elite upbringing paired with outsider grievance, and long-running resentments toward figures like Bill Kristol helped shape a worldview centered on anger, masculinity, and cultural ba...

Jan 29, 20261 hr 7 min

Full Episode - Trump’s Poll Numbers Are Sinking: Will Kristi Noem Take The Fall? + Hated By All The Right People: The Rise Of Tucker Carlson

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , Chuck digs into the political fallout surrounding Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and a Trump White House that remains intensely reactive to public opinion. While Noem keeps her job—for now—new polling paints a bleak picture for both her and the administration, with Trump’s economic numbers underwater, disapproval near all-time highs, and even his own base increasingly uneasy with ICE’s aggressive tactics. Chuck unpacks why Noem’s performative politics may ma...

Jan 29, 20262 hr 25 min

Full Episode - Kristi Noem Should Be Fired…But Will She? + The 1980s Blueprint for Today’s Culture Wars

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , Chuck breaks down the mounting political fallout from a string of fatal and controversial shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, including the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti—an incident that has sparked protests, outrage, and deep questions about federal law-enforcement use of force. Bystander video and independent analysis have sharply contradicted official claims that Pretti posed a threat, amplifying criticism from local officials and...

Jan 28, 20262 hr 11 min

Chuck’s Commentary - Kristi Noem Should Be Fired…But Will She? + If Iowa Goes Blue, Republicans Are COOKED

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , Chuck breaks down the mounting political fallout from a string of fatal and controversial shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, including the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti—an incident that has sparked protests, outrage, and deep questions about federal law-enforcement use of force. Bystander video and independent analysis have sharply contradicted official claims that Pretti posed a threat, amplifying criticism from local officials and...

Jan 28, 20261 hr 9 min

Interview Only w/ Heather Ann Thompson - The 1980s Blueprint for Today’s Culture Wars

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast , historian Heather Ann Thompson discusses her new book “Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings and the Rebirth” that revisits the 1984 Bernie Goetz subway shooting and explains why it remains a chilling precursor to the racialized fear and political rage shaping America today. Thompson walks through who Goetz was, how he shot four unarmed Black teenagers, and how—without video evidence—the media constructed a vigilante narrative that...

Jan 28, 20261 hr 3 min

Interview Only w/ Adam Bhala Lough - Deepfakes, Bunkers, and Billionaires: Inside The AI Arms Race

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 obsol...

Jan 26, 20261 hr 7 min

Chuck’s Commentary - America Is Unraveling Under Trump + Echoes of “Bloody Sunday” In Minneapolis

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, constitu...

Jan 26, 20261 hr 15 min

Full Episode - America Is Unraveling Under Trump + Deepfakes, Bunkers, and Billionaires: Inside The AI Arms Race

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, constitu...

Jan 26, 20262 hr 19 min

Special Episode - Another ICE Shooting In Minneapolis Raises Serious Questions

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...

Jan 24, 202620 min

Chuck’s Commentary - TACO Trump Backs Down From Greenland Threats + Democrats Need To Be Smart About Candidate Selection For Midterms

On this “TACO Trump Thursday” episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck breaks down how market pressure forced Donald Trump to abruptly back off his Greenland threats and announce a face-saving deal—one that looks suspiciously like what already existed—underscoring how easily Trump can be manipulated and how desperate he is to cement a sense of historical relevance. Even as Republicans in Congress continue to appease him, the damage to America’s relationships with Canada and Europe is already done, a...

Jan 22, 20261 hr 24 min

Interview Only w/ Mayor Jacob Frey - Minneapolis Is Under SIEGE By ICE & DHS

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 ...

Jan 22, 202640 min
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