Warwick Sabin — president and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit news network that includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi Today, New Orleans' Verite News, and Lafayette's The Current — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss what may be the most promising model for saving local journalism in America. Sabin, a former three-term Arkansas state legislator and publisher of the Oxford American magazine, explains how he's building a network of nonprofit newsrooms across the Deep South from scratch, starting with Mississippi Today — the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi, now the largest in the state — and expanding into Louisiana and soon Arkansas. He describes the wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model, using the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's decline as a case study, and argues that the nonprofit approach has a critical advantage: starting fresh means avoiding the crushing legacy costs that buried traditional papers, and all revenue gets reinvested directly into the news product. They make the case that service journalism — covering schools, local government, youth sports — is what creates the trust and audience that makes the "sexy" investigative work possible, pointing to the fact that local journalists in his network helped exonerate a man on death row in Mississippi.

The conversation turns to what makes local journalism viable and essential in 2026 and beyond. Sabin argues that human connection to journalists will be the defining differentiator in the age of AI — people won't trust reporters who aren't part of their local community — while acknowledging that AI tools can make reporting dramatically more efficient. He discusses using local and youth sports as a community bonding agent in an era where it's one of the few areas where communities can avoid politics, notes that Mississippi produces terrific writers who need platforms, and emphasizes that having video and audio components is now critical for any news operation. They explore the potential for rebuilding a national network of nonprofit newspapers, discuss which communities are ripe for expansion and make the case that local journalism should be treated as a civic institution deserving of public-private partnership. Sabin's model is free to access, civic-minded, and designed to help citizens survive and thrive in their communities — exactly what Local News Day on April 9th is designed to champion.

Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Warwick Sabin joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:30 Creating the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi

04:30 What went wrong with the Jackson Clarion-Ledger?

06:30 There’s been a wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model

08:00 Potential for rebuilding a national network of newspapers?

09:15 In small markets, newspapers have to be hyper efficient

11:15 Service journalism is what creates the opportunity for “sexy” journalism

12:15 Local journalists exonerated a man on death row in Mississippi

13:15 Using local and youth sports as a community bond

15:00 Local sports is the one area where communities can avoid politics

16:30 Mississippi produces terrific writers

17:30 Having a video/audio component for reporting is critical

19:00 Human connection to journalists will be important in age of AI

21:00 People won’t trust journalists that aren’t part of their local community

22:45 AI tools can make reporting easier and more efficient

24:15 What does a community need to have to become part of your network?

25:30 Arkansas Democrat Gazette weathered the storm better than most

27:30 Arkansas is in need of a local news network 

28:45 Bill Clinton’s election kept Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas

31:00 Northwest Arkansas produced some of America’s biggest companies

34:00 How much do you factor in local resources when launching a new paper?

36:00 What other places have you looked at to expand the network?

38:00 Model is doing civic minded journalism that is free to access

39:00 Starting from scratch, avoiding legacy costs is a huge boon

41:30 All the revenue they generate gets invested back into the news product

43:00 Newspapers & local journalism are a civic institution

45:00 Local journalism should be a public/private partnership

46:00 It is incredibly difficult to deliver straight news in smaller communities

46:45 What do you hope to get out of Local News Day?

49:30 Local journalism can help citizens survive and thrive in their communities

50:30 Is print dead, or is there a viable path for it?

52:15 What has the gutting of local & public radio meant for Mississippi?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens by announcing the launch of "Dynastic," his new sports history podcast with J.A. Adande, before turning to what may be the most consequential inflection point of the Iran war: Trump is running out of patience and actively searching for an off-ramp, but every path forward carries serious risks and his definition of victory keeps shifting by the day. Chuck warns that the U.S. continues to send more troops for potential escalation even as the military acknowledges it has achieved its strategic objectives but can only do so much — the regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly, meaning the war has now become fundamentally about perception rather than territory. He flags General Mattis's warning that Iran will claim control over the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. retreats, that Gulf states are already hedging their security partnerships and leaning toward China, and that standing with America has become politically toxic in allied countries — a direct consequence of Trump choosing to weaken alliances before launching a war that required them. At home, the picture is equally grim: support for Trump among independents has cratered into the low 20s, the MAGA brand has become more toxic with voters than the generic Republican brand, nobody in Trump's orbit wants to own this war, and Chuck warns that while Trump has always bounced back from political crises, this time may be different — the war could be the death knell for the MAGA movement itself, because Trump hollowed out the expertise around him, surrounded himself with sycophants, and now finds both sides stuck in a conflict where retreat looks like defeat and escalation looks like madness.

Then, Warwick Sabin — president and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit news network that includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi Today, New Orleans' Verite News, and Lafayette's The Current — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss what may be the most promising model for saving local journalism in America. Sabin, a former three-term Arkansas state legislator and publisher of the Oxford American magazine, explains how he's building a network of nonprofit newsrooms across the Deep South from scratch, starting with Mississippi Today — the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi, now the largest in the state — and expanding into Louisiana and soon Arkansas. He describes the wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model, using the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's decline as a case study, and argues that the nonprofit approach has a critical advantage: starting fresh means avoiding the crushing legacy costs that buried traditional papers, and all revenue gets reinvested directly into the news product. They make the case that service journalism — covering schools, local government, youth sports — is what creates the trust and audience that makes the "sexy" investigative work possible, pointing to the fact that local journalists in his network helped exonerate a man on death row in Mississippi.

The conversation turns to what makes local journalism viable and essential in 2026 and beyond. Sabin argues that human connection to journalists will be the defining differentiator in the age of AI — people won't trust reporters who aren't part of their local community — while acknowledging that AI tools can make reporting dramatically more efficient. He discusses using local and youth sports as a community bonding agent in an era where it's one of the few areas where communities can avoid politics, notes that Mississippi produces terrific writers who need platforms, and emphasizes that having video and audio components is now critical for any news operation. They explore the potential for rebuilding a national network of nonprofit newspapers, discuss which communities are ripe for expansion and make the case that local journalism should be treated as a civic institution deserving of public-private partnership. Sabin's model is free to access, civic-minded, and designed to help citizens survive and thrive in their communities — exactly what Local News Day on April 9th is designed to champion.

Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose reelection in 2026, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

00:45 Launching the "Dynastic" sports history podcast with J.A. Adande!

09:00 Trump is running out of patience, looking for off-ramp in Iran

10:15 Trump’s definition of victory keeps changing

11:00 Every path forward in Iran carries risks

11:30 We continue to send more troops for potential escalation

12:45 Iran will have a say over who can travel through the Strait of Hormuz

13:15 Gen. Mattis believes Iran will claim control over Strait if U.S. retreats

16:00 The military has had strategic victory, but can only do so much

16:45 Regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly

18:00 Both sides are stuck, so now the war becomes about perception

18:45 Gulf states could hedge their security partnerships, lean to China

19:30 Trump hollowed out expertise & surrounded himself with sycophants

20:30 Nobody in Trump’s orbit want to own this war

21:30 Standing with the U.S. is politically unpopular in allied countries

23:00 Trump chose to weaken America’s alliance prior to launching war

23:45 War is increasingly unpopular at home

25:00 Support for Trump among independents is in the low 20’s

26:30 The MAGA brand is now more toxic with voters than Republican brand

27:30 War could be the death knell for the MAGA brand

28:45 Trump has always bounced back, but he may not be able to this time

37:00 Warwick Sabin joins the Chuck ToddCast

38:30 Creating the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi

41:30 What went wrong with the Jackson Clarion-Ledger?

43:30 There’s been a wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model

45:00 Potential for rebuilding a national network of newspapers?

46:15 In small markets, newspapers have to be hyper efficient

48:15 Service journalism is what creates the opportunity for “sexy” journalism

49:15 Local journalists exonerated a man on death row in Mississippi

50:15 Using local and youth sports as a community bond

52:00 Local sports is the one area where communities can avoid politics

53:30 Mississippi produces terrific writers

54:30 Having a video/audio component for reporting is critical

56:00 Human connection to journalists will be important in age of AI

58:00 People won’t trust journalists that aren’t part of their local community

59:45 AI tools can make reporting easier and more efficient

1:01:15 What does a community need to have to become part of your network?

1:02:30 Arkansas Democrat Gazette weathered the storm better than most

1:04:30 Arkansas is in need of a local news network

1:05:45 Bill Clinton’s election kept Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas

1:08:00 Northwest Arkansas produced some of America’s biggest companies

1:11:00 How much do you factor in local resources when launching a new paper?

1:13:00 What other places have you looked at to expand the network?

1:15:00 Model is doing civic minded journalism that is free to access

1:16:00 Starting from scratch, avoiding legacy costs is a huge boon

1:18:30 All the revenue they generate gets invested back into the news product

1:20:00 Newspapers & local journalism are a civic institution

1:22:00 Local journalism should be a public/private partnership

1:23:00 It is incredibly difficult to deliver straight news in smaller communities

1:23:45 What do you hope to get out of Local News Day?

1:26:30 Local journalism can help citizens survive and thrive in their communities

1:27:30 Is print dead, or is there a viable path for it?

1:29:15 What has the gutting of local & public radio meant for Mississippi? 

1:33:00 ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose in 2026

1:34:15 #1 John Cornyn

1:35:45 #2 Dan McKee

1:38:00 #3 Bill Cassidy

1:40:30 #4 Susan Collins

1:44:30 #5 Pete Ricketts

1:45:45 Ask Chuck

1:46:00 John Hickenlooper is out. Has another state had so many 1-term dropouts?

1:50:15 Would Hilary Clinton have won the presidency if the nominee in a different year?

1:54:00 Any pop culture quotes that you love that carry weight politically?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens by announcing the launch of "Dynastic," his new sports history podcast with J.A. Adande, before turning to what may be the most consequential inflection point of the Iran war: Trump is running out of patience and actively searching for an off-ramp, but every path forward carries serious risks and his definition of victory keeps shifting by the day. Chuck warns that the U.S. continues to send more troops for potential escalation even as the military acknowledges it has achieved its strategic objectives but can only do so much — the regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly, meaning the war has now become fundamentally about perception rather than territory. He flags General Mattis's warning that Iran will claim control over the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. retreats, that Gulf states are already hedging their security partnerships and leaning toward China, and that standing with America has become politically toxic in allied countries — a direct consequence of Trump choosing to weaken alliances before launching a war that required them. At home, the picture is equally grim: support for Trump among independents has cratered into the low 20s, the MAGA brand has become more toxic with voters than the generic Republican brand, nobody in Trump's orbit wants to own this war, and Chuck warns that while Trump has always bounced back from political crises, this time may be different — the war could be the death knell for the MAGA movement itself, because Trump hollowed out the expertise around him, surrounded himself with sycophants, and now finds both sides stuck in a conflict where retreat looks like defeat and escalation looks like madness.

Finally, Chuck gives his ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose reelection in 2026, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

Timeline:

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

00:45 Launching the "Dynastic" sports history podcast with J.A. Adande!

09:00 Trump is running out of patience, looking for off-ramp in Iran

10:15 Trump’s definition of victory keeps changing

11:00 Every path forward in Iran carries risks

11:30 We continue to send more troops for potential escalation

12:45 Iran will have a say over who can travel through the Strait of Hormuz

13:15 Gen. Mattis believes Iran will claim control over Strait if U.S. retreats

16:00 The military has had strategic victory, but can only do so much

16:45 Regime has plenty of loyalists and will not go away quietly

18:00 Both sides are stuck, so now the war becomes about perception

18:45 Gulf states could hedge their security partnerships, lean to China

19:30 Trump hollowed out expertise & surrounded himself with sycophants

20:30 Nobody in Trump’s orbit want to own this war

21:30 Standing with the U.S. is politically unpopular in allied countries

23:00 Trump chose to weaken America’s alliance prior to launching war

23:45 War is increasingly unpopular at home

25:00 Support for Trump among independents is in the low 20’s

26:30 The MAGA brand is now more toxic with voters than Republican brand

27:30 War could be the death knell for the MAGA brand

28:45 Trump has always bounced back, but he may not be able to this time

35:30 ToddCast Top 5 statewide incumbents most likely to lose in 2026

36:45 #1 John Cornyn

38:15 #2 Dan McKee

40:30 #3 Bill Cassidy

43:00 #4 Susan Collins

47:00 #5 Pete Ricketts

48:15 Ask Chuck

48:30 John Hickenlooper is out. Has another state had so many 1-term dropouts?

52:45 Would Hilary Clinton have won the presidency if the nominee in a different year?

56:30 Any pop culture quotes that you love that carry weight politically?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the premiere episode of "Dynastic," Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande tell the full history of the Los Angeles Dodgers, from their Brooklyn beginnings, to Jackie Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier, to Kirk Gibson’s World Series heroics, and the Shohei Ohtani era. They examine all the front-office decisions and key turning points that turned the Dodgers into a baseball dynasty.

Please FOLLOW for upcoming episodes.

Follow the show on our social accounts:

https://www.twitter.com/dynasticpod/

https://www.instagram.com/dynasticpod/

https://www.facebook.com/DynasticPod

https://www.tiktok.com/@dynastic.pod

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suzanne Kianpour — the Emmy-nominated journalist, Semafor columnist, and Iran specialist who joins the Chuck Toddcast for an extraordinarily personal and deeply informed conversation about what's actually happening inside Iran as the war enters its third week. Kianpour paints a picture of a country where people are terrified and staying home, where Persian New Year will not be a celebration, and where the fabric of the regime is visibly falling apart — yet there was no pre-war effort by the U.S. to organize a viable opposition, meaning the question of who replaces the regime remains dangerously unanswered. She examines whether President Pezeshkian could serve as a transitional figure, notes that the former foreign minister has gone conspicuously quiet, discusses the role of Reza Pahlavi and the women's movement, and reveals that sources inside Iran believe the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may already be dead. Kianpour delivers the stark bottom line: the regime wins simply by staying intact, and without boots on the ground or a coordinated opposition, air and naval power alone cannot finish the job.

The conversation broadens into a candid assessment of the geopolitical landscape that complicates any clean resolution. Kianpour argues that the U.S. lost the moral high ground when Trump ripped up the Obama nuclear deal a deal she defends as strategically sound even if imperfect — and that Western media has become so reflexively anti-Trump that some outlets almost want the war to fail, which is inadvertently helping the Iranian regime win the information war. She notes that Gulf states were supportive when they thought the strikes would work quickly but are now distancing themselves, that China — which brokered the Iran-Saudi détente — may end up playing the key diplomatic role. Kianpour offers a striking vision of what could emerge from the ashes: a future Iran and Israel could be close allies and co-leaders of a thriving Middle East, tut she cautions that geopolitical forgiveness must be part of any post-regime transition.

Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Suzanne Kianpour joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:45 What Sparked the Protests in Iran

03:30  Suzanne's background in Iran, how she became a conflict journalist

07:30 Reporting on the Iran nuclear deal

09:30 Could the Regime Have Fallen on Its Own? 

12:00 People in Iran are afraid and are staying at home

14:00 Persian New Year will not be a celebration this year.

16:30 Can the Regime Survive? What Would Change It? 

18:30 There was no pre-war effort to organize opposition. 

21:30 Pahlavi and the Women's Movement 

24:30 President Pazeshkian as a potential transitional figure

27:15 Former foreign minister has gone quiet. 

29:00 Regime wins if it stays intact

30:30 Was the Obama Deal naive or strategic? 

32:00 U.S. lost moral high ground after Trump ripped up the deal

34:00 Western and European media is so anti-Trump that they almost want him to fail 

36:30 The Iranian regime is winning the information war. 

39:30 Joe Kent's resignation is being framed as a "wartime defection" 

41:15 Air and naval power alone can't guarantee safe passage in Strait of Hormuz

42:45 Gulf states were supportive when they thought it would work,  now they're distancing 

45:15 China's Role China brokered the Iran-Saudi détente and may play a diplomatic role 

47:30 Social media broke the regime’s control over the Iranian public

50:00 The fabric of the regime is now visibly falling apart.

52:15 Israel wanted to permanently eliminate Iran's proxy war capability post-October 7.

54:30 A future Iran and Israel could be close allies and co-leaders of a thriving Middle East

57:15 Geopolitical forgiveness has to be part of any post-regime transition

59:45 Conflict will back into intelligence and covert operations after the kinetic phase. 

1:01:00 Sources inside Iran believe the new Supreme Leader may already be dead y.

1:04:30 Where to find Suzanne’s work

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the two stories dominating the weekend: the Iran war's cascading economic consequences and Trump's vile celebration of Robert Mueller's death. On Iran, Chuck warns that rising energy costs with oil above $100 a barrel are not politically neutral — they function as a tax on existence that directly breaches the contract Trump's own voters signed up for — and that Trump is visibly panicking about gas prices because they disproportionately hurt his base. He argues that killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime because the Iranian leadership doesn't operate as rational actors who can be deterred by suffering, that Trump made the same catastrophic miscalculation Putin made in Ukraine by assuming it would be easy, and that nobody in Trump's orbit will deliver bad news because there is now a North Korea-level sycophancy around the president. He then turns to Trump's Truth Social post celebrating the death of Mueller — a Bronze Star combat veteran, 12-year FBI director, and lifelong public servant who died at 81 from Parkinson's disease — in which Trump wrote "Good, I'm glad he's dead." Chuck notes that even Fox News' Brit Hume tweeted that this is why people don't merely oppose Trump but actively hate him. He argues that character matters in politics more than any policy position, and that Trump is fundamentally incapable of showing grace or knowing when to shut up He revisits the Mueller investigation itself, arguing that the real failure wasn't the probe's legal conclusions — which confirmed Russia took action to help elect Trump and that the campaign expected to benefit from stolen information — but that there were no consequences, and that Trump's refusal to acknowledge Russian help was never about innocence but about protecting the legitimacy of his presidency, with the entire GOP going along because copping to it would have been politically fatal.

Suzanne Kianpour — the Emmy-nominated journalist, Semafor columnist, and Iran specialist who joins the Chuck Toddcast for an extraordinarily personal and deeply informed conversation about what's actually happening inside Iran as the war enters its third week. Kianpour paints a picture of a country where people are terrified and staying home, where Persian New Year will not be a celebration, and where the fabric of the regime is visibly falling apart — yet there was no pre-war effort by the U.S. to organize a viable opposition, meaning the question of who replaces the regime remains dangerously unanswered. She examines whether President Pezeshkian could serve as a transitional figure, notes that the former foreign minister has gone conspicuously quiet, discusses the role of Reza Pahlavi and the women's movement, and reveals that sources inside Iran believe the new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may already be dead. Kianpour delivers the stark bottom line: the regime wins simply by staying intact, and without boots on the ground or a coordinated opposition, air and naval power alone cannot finish the job.

The conversation broadens into a candid assessment of the geopolitical landscape that complicates any clean resolution. Kianpour argues that the U.S. lost the moral high ground when Trump ripped up the Obama nuclear deal a deal she defends as strategically sound even if imperfect — and that Western media has become so reflexively anti-Trump that some outlets almost want the war to fail, which is inadvertently helping the Iranian regime win the information war. She notes that Gulf states were supportive when they thought the strikes would work quickly but are now distancing themselves, that China — which brokered the Iran-Saudi détente — may end up playing the key diplomatic role. Kianpour offers a striking vision of what could emerge from the ashes: a future Iran and Israel could be close allies and co-leaders of a thriving Middle East, tut she cautions that geopolitical forgiveness must be part of any post-regime transition.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the nuclear meltdown incident at Three Mile Island and argues that it derailed a massive transition to nuclear energy that could have led to energy independence and potentially avoided multiple wars in the middle east. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.

Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast

Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:15 Launching a new sports history podcast on Tuesday!

08:30 Noosphere interview with Joseph Allbriton

09:45 Providing local news services to the Washington D.C. area

11:30 Bezos didn’t live in DC, didn’t understand WaPo’s mission 

12:45 The war in Iran is impacting everything. Everything else is downstream

13:15 Rising energy costs are not politically neutral, a tax on existing

14:15 Rising costs is a breach of the contract Trump voters signed up for

15:45 Iranian regime isn’t going to fight as rational actors, suffering doesn’t deter them

17:00 Killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime

17:45 Nobody will give Trump bad news, he only hears what he wants to hear

19:00 There is a North Korea level of sycophancy around Trump

20:00 Trump made same mistake Putin made in Ukraine… thought it’d be easy

21:15 Trump alienated America’s allies, they want no part of his war

22:00 America is isolated and alone, but really need help from allies

23:45 Trump is finding out the hard way why other presidents didn’t hit Iran

25:15 Trump vacillates on his positions & messaging from day to day

26:15 Trump is panicking about gas prices, affects his voters the most

28:00 Trump celebrates Robert Mueller’s death in Truth Social post

29:45 The levels Trump will stoop to are truly sad

30:30 Brit Hume tweets “This is why people don’t just oppose Trump, they hate him”

31:15 Trump is incapable of ever showing grace or knowing when to shut up

32:15 Character matters in politics more than a policy position

33:15 Failure of Mueller investigation was no consequences for Russian meddling

34:30 Mueller report confirmed that Russia took action to help elect Trump

35:15 Wikileaks releases were very well curated & required American knowledge

37:30 Collusion wasn’t the crime, it was that Trump put himself above the country

39:15 Copping to Russian help would have delegitimized Trump, so GOP went along

40:30 People in Trump’s orbit were fine with Russian meddling since it helped them

41:30 Bob Mueller lived a life of public service, did not deserve Trump’s vile words

42:45 Trump’s supporters were mad about people mocking Charlie Kirk’s death

48:45 Suzanne Kianpour joins the Chuck ToddCast

50:30 What Sparked the Protests in Iran

52:15 Suzanne's background in Iran, how she became a conflict journalist

56:15 Reporting on the Iran nuclear deal

58:15 Could the Regime Have Fallen on Its Own?

1:00:45 People in Iran are afraid and are staying at home

1:02:45 Persian New Year will not be a celebration this year

1:05:15 Can the Regime Survive? What Would Change It?

1:07:15 There was no pre-war effort to organize opposition

1:10:15 Pahlavi and the Women's Movement

1:13:15 President Pazeshkian as a potential transitional figure

1:16:00 Former foreign minister has gone quiet

1:17:45 Regime wins if it stays intact

1:19:15 Was the Obama Deal naive or strategic?

1:20:45 U.S. lost moral high ground after Trump ripped up the deal

1:22:45 Western and European media is so anti-Trump that they almost want him to fail

1:25:15 The Iranian regime is winning the information war

1:28:15 Joe Kent's resignation is being framed as a "wartime defection"

1:30:00 Air and naval power alone can't guarantee safe passage in Strait of Hormuz

1:31:30 Gulf states were supportive when they thought it would work, now they're distancing

1:34:00 China's Role China brokered the Iran-Saudi détente and may play a diplomatic role

1:36:15 Social media broke the regime’s control over the Iranian public

1:38:45 The fabric of the regime is now visibly falling apart

1:41:00 Israel wanted to permanently eliminate Iran's proxy war capability post-October 7

1:43:15 A future Iran and Israel could be close allies and co-leaders of a thriving Middle East

1:46:00 Geopolitical forgiveness has to be part of any post-regime transition

1:48:30 Conflict will back into intelligence and covert operations after the kinetic phase

1:49:45 Sources inside Iran believe the new Supreme Leader may already be dead

1:53:15 Where to find Suzanne’s work  

1:54:30 ToddCast Time Machine - March 28th, 1979 - Three Mile Island

1:55:30 It was the fear, not the details that defined the story of Three Mile Island

1:56:15 In the 60’s and 70’s the U.S. was rapidly building nuclear power plants

1:57:15 Operators at Three Mile Island acted logically, but warning system was flawed

1:59:30 Event happened near population center, which increased the panic

2:00:30 Jimmy Carter shown visiting site in protective gear, which shifted the psychology

2:02:45 US stopped building a nuclear future, and was dependent on foreign oil

2:03:45 Nuclear industry tried to recover in the 80s… then Chernobyl happened

2:05:15 Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima all failed for different reasons

2:06:00 Without Three Mile Island, America’s energy system could look very different

2:08:00 Three Mile Island became a symbol of doubt in nuclear energy

2:08:45 Could we have avoided multiple wars in the Middle East?

2:09:00 Ask Chuck

2:09:15 Is Trump’s vilification of political opponents more extreme than other presidents?

2:18:00 Can you recommend some books on James Garfield?

2:20:15 What issues can Democrats moderate on to appeal to independent voters?

2:23:45 Why are Republicans so much better than Democrats at messaging?

2:27:00 Any organizations to help TSA agents affected by shutdown?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the two stories dominating the weekend: the Iran war's cascading economic consequences and Trump's vile celebration of Robert Mueller's death. On Iran, Chuck warns that rising energy costs with oil above $100 a barrel are not politically neutral — they function as a tax on existence that directly breaches the contract Trump's own voters signed up for — and that Trump is visibly panicking about gas prices because they disproportionately hurt his base. He argues that killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime because the Iranian leadership doesn't operate as rational actors who can be deterred by suffering, that Trump made the same catastrophic miscalculation Putin made in Ukraine by assuming it would be easy, and that nobody in Trump's orbit will deliver bad news because there is now a North Korea-level sycophancy around the president.

He then turns to Trump's Truth Social post celebrating the death of Mueller — a Bronze Star combat veteran, 12-year FBI director, and lifelong public servant who died at 81 from Parkinson's disease — in which Trump wrote "Good, I'm glad he's dead." Chuck notes that even Fox News' Brit Hume tweeted that this is why people don't merely oppose Trump but actively hate him. He argues that character matters in politics more than any policy position, and that Trump is fundamentally incapable of showing grace or knowing when to shut up He revisits the Mueller investigation itself, arguing that the real failure wasn't the probe's legal conclusions — which confirmed Russia took action to help elect Trump and that the campaign expected to benefit from stolen information — but that there were no consequences, and that Trump's refusal to acknowledge Russian help was never about innocence but about protecting the legitimacy of his presidency, with the entire GOP going along because copping to it would have been politically fatal.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the nuclear meltdown incident at Three Mile Island and argues that it derailed a massive transition to nuclear energy that could have led to energy independence and potentially avoided multiple wars in the middle east. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:15 Launching a new sports history podcast on Tuesday!

08:30 Noosphere interview with Joseph Allbriton

09:45 Providing local news services to the Washington D.C. area

11:30 Bezos didn’t live in DC, didn’t understand WaPo’s mission 

12:45 The war in Iran is impacting everything. Everything else is downstream

13:15 Rising energy costs are not politically neutral, a tax on existing

14:15 Rising costs is a breach of the contract Trump voters signed up for

15:45 Iranian regime isn’t going to fight as rational actors, suffering doesn’t deter them

17:00 Killing the Ayatollah was never going to topple the regime

17:45 Nobody will give Trump bad news, he only hears what he wants to hear

19:00 There is a North Korea level of sycophancy around Trump

20:00 Trump made same mistake Putin made in Ukraine… thought it’d be easy

21:15 Trump alienated America’s allies, they want no part of his war

22:00 America is isolated and alone, but really need help from allies

23:45 Trump is finding out the hard way why other presidents didn’t hit Iran

25:15 Trump vacillates on his positions & messaging from day to day

26:15 Trump is panicking about gas prices, affects his voters the most

28:00 Trump celebrates Robert Mueller’s death in Truth Social post

29:45 The levels Trump will stoop to are truly sad

30:30 Brit Hume tweets “This is why people don’t just oppose Trump, they hate him”

31:15 Trump is incapable of ever showing grace or knowing when to shut up

32:15 Character matters in politics more than a policy position

33:15 Failure of Mueller investigation was no consequences for Russian meddling

34:30 Mueller report confirmed that Russia took action to help elect Trump

35:15 Wikileaks releases were very well curated & required American knowledge

37:30 Collusion wasn’t the crime, it was that Trump put himself above the country

39:15 Copping to Russian help would have delegitimized Trump, so GOP went along

40:30 People in Trump’s orbit were fine with Russian meddling since it helped them

41:30 Bob Mueller lived a life of public service, did not deserve Trump’s vile words

42:45 Trump’s supporters were mad about people mocking Charlie Kirk’s death

47:30 ToddCast Time Machine - March 28th, 1979 - Three Mile Island

48:30 It was the fear, not the details that defined the story of Three Mile Island

49:15 In the 60’s and 70’s the U.S. was rapidly building nuclear power plants

50:15 Operators at Three Mile Island acted logically, but warning system was flawed

52:30 Event happened near population center, which increased the panic

53:30 Jimmy Carter shown visiting site in protective gear, which shifted the psychology

55:45 US stopped building a nuclear future, and was dependent on foreign oil

56:45 Nuclear industry tried to recover in the 80s… then Chernobyl happened

58:15 Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima all failed for different reasons

59:00 Without Three Mile Island, America’s energy system could look very different

1:01:00 Three Mile Island became a symbol of doubt in nuclear energy

1:01:45 Could we have avoided multiple wars in the Middle East?

1:02:00 Ask Chuck

1:02:15 Is Trump’s vilification of political opponents more extreme than other presidents?

1:11:00 Can you recommend some books on James Garfield?

1:13:15 What issues can Democrats moderate on to appeal to independent voters?

1:16:45 Why are Republicans so much better than Democrats at messaging?

1:20:00 Any organizations to help TSA agents affected by shutdown? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Oklahoma Congressman and now president of Americans for Responsible Innovation Brad Carson joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about why AI may be the most consequential policy issue nobody in Washington is seriously addressing. They discuss why  Americans are uniquely pessimistic about AI compared to the rest of the world, and for good reason: huge AI money is pouring into races like the Illinois Senate primary where outside groups and PACs are far outspending actual campaigns, Elon Musk's Grok chatbot adopted a "MechaHitler" persona and is now integrated at the Pentagon, we have virtually no visibility into what's happening inside AI labs or how these systems are being deployed, and the same technology that could deliver incredible medical breakthroughs could also be used to develop bioweapons. Carson argues that immunizing tech companies with Section 230 was a massive mistake — the law passed before anyone understood how the technology would evolve — and that recommendation algorithms effectively make platforms publishers, meaning the Supreme Court has fundamentally misinterpreted the First Amendment when it comes to tech regulation. 

He makes the case that state-level regulation may be the more immediate solution given congressional dysfunction and warns that surveillance pricing — where companies like the Washington Post reportedly examined subscribers' credit reports when setting prices — seems blatantly unconstitutional. They contend that consumer protection for AI would be a winning political message for either party, that the electrical grid alone will need a trillion dollars in investment to support AI's energy demands, and that letting the private sector roll out this technology without guardrails is an enormous risk. 

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Rep. Brad Carson joins the Chuck ToddCast

02:30 Americans are uniquely pessimistic about AI

03:30 What is Americans for Responsible Innovation & who funds it?

05:15 Anthropic believes that AI needs reasonable guardrails

05:45 Huge AI money pouring into Illinois primary races

06:45 Outside groups & PACs are far outspending actual campaigns

08:15 Money is destroying democracy, SCOTUS let it get out of hand

09:45 Immunizing tech companies with Section 230 was a huge mistake

11:00 Courts need to develop common law for regulating tech

12:15 Recommendation algorithms make tech platforms a publisher

13:15 SCOTUS misinterpreted 1st amendment when regulating tech

14:15 Sec. 230 passed before knowing how the tech would evolve

15:30 State level regulation may be the more immediate solution

16:30 How do you determine which candidates to support?

18:00 The tech isn’t unpopular, it’s how it has interacted with U.S. politics

19:00 We know social media is bad for us, but can’t quit it

20:15 Congressional leadership has stood in the way of regulation

21:30 What’s a safer way to roll out AI regulation in a broken political system?

22:45 There are certain safeguards that must be built into AI models

23:30 Grok took on a “MechaHitler” persona & is integrated at the Pentagon

25:15 Letting the private sector roll out AI without regulation is a huge risk

26:00 We have no visibility into AI labs or how it’s being deployed

27:30 AI can be used for incredible medical advances… or bioweapons

29:30 Ron DeSantis is proposing an “AI Bill of Rights” in Florida

30:15 Surveillance pricing seems incredibly unconstitutional and illegal

31:00 Washington Post looked at subscribers’ credit reports when pricing

32:30 People deserve to know if AI is evaluating them when applying for jobs

34:00 We haven’t had enough debate around the AI issue

34:45 Who can be a trusted voice to lead the debate?

36:15 Consumer protection for AI would be a winning political message

38:30 Fear of AI job displacement & rising electricity prices at the forefront

39:45 The electrical grid will need a trillion dollars invested into it

41:15 The difference between Oklahoma Democrats & national ones?

43:45 The tribes have become the check on Republicans in Oklahoma

45:45 Ossoff & Buttigieg are two potential ‘28 Dems that stand out

46:45 Dems need to attack Trump for lying to base, rather than attack his voters

48:00 How did you like being the president of Tulsa University?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd digs into the wreckage of the Illinois primary — where more than $50 million in outside money from crypto, AI, and AIPAC-linked groups flooded Democratic races — and asks what it means for the future of American democracy when PACs and outside groups are far outspending the actual campaigns they're trying to influence. He credits Stratton for being able to overcome the massive crypto onslaught — a rare and significant defeat for an industry that has been buying influence across both parties — but warns that her victory required a billionaire governor's financial backing to counteract billionaire-funded opposition, which only underscores the problem.

He traces the rot back to McCain-Feingold, arguing that the landmark campaign finance law inadvertently weakened the parties by decentralizing money, which in turn decentralized accountability — and that the Supreme Court's subsequent decisions let the situation spiral completely out of control. He calls out Chuck Schumer directly for caving to crypto money and pressuring his caucus to go along, notes that campaign finance reform feels like an unwinnable issue because the people who benefit from the current system are the ones who'd have to change it, He closes with a broader observation: with money deciding which candidates are viable before voters even weigh in, and with the country having produced three consecutive one-term presidents, American politics is likely to remain deeply unstable for years to come.

Former Oklahoma Congressman and now president of Americans for Responsible Innovation Brad Carson joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about why AI may be the most consequential policy issue nobody in Washington is seriously addressing. They discuss why  Americans are uniquely pessimistic about AI compared to the rest of the world, and for good reason: huge AI money is pouring into races like the Illinois Senate primary where outside groups and PACs are far outspending actual campaigns, Elon Musk's Grok chatbot adopted a "MechaHitler" persona and is now integrated at the Pentagon, we have virtually no visibility into what's happening inside AI labs or how these systems are being deployed, and the same technology that could deliver incredible medical breakthroughs could also be used to develop bioweapons. Carson argues that immunizing tech companies with Section 230 was a massive mistake — the law passed before anyone understood how the technology would evolve — and that recommendation algorithms effectively make platforms publishers, meaning the Supreme Court has fundamentally misinterpreted the First Amendment when it comes to tech regulation. 

He makes the case that state-level regulation may be the more immediate solution given congressional dysfunction and warns that surveillance pricing — where companies like the Washington Post reportedly examined subscribers' credit reports when setting prices — seems blatantly unconstitutional. They contend that consumer protection for AI would be a winning political message for either party, that the electrical grid alone will need a trillion dollars in investment to support AI's energy demands, and that letting the private sector roll out this technology without guardrails is an enormous risk. 

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00: Chuck Todd’s introduction

02:15: AI & Pac money dominates the Illinois Primary

05:30: Campaign finance reform feels like an “unwinnable issue”

08:30 McCain-Feingold weakened the parties 

11:00 Chuck Schumer caves to huge crypto money

12:30 Illinois primary became Ground Zero for Donor-Centered Politics 

15:15 Juliana Stratton was able to overcome massive crypto donors.

16:45: Decentralizing money decentralized accountability

18:15 Money decides which candidates are viable

21:45 Should Democrats find their own billionaire?

26:30 U.S. politics likely to remain unstable, with multiple 1 term presidents

36:00 Rep. Brad Carson joins the Chuck ToddCast

38:30 Americans are uniquely pessimistic about AI

39:30 What is Americans for Responsible Innovation & who funds it?

41:15 Anthropic believes that AI needs reasonable guardrails

41:45 Huge AI money pouring into Illinois primary races

42:45 Outside groups & PACs are far outspending actual campaigns

44:15 Money is destroying democracy, SCOTUS let it get out of hand

45:45 Immunizing tech companies with Section 230 was a huge mistake

47:00 Courts need to develop common law for regulating tech

48:15 Recommendation algorithms make tech platforms a publisher

49:15 SCOTUS misinterpreted 1st amendment when regulating tech

50:15 Sec. 230 passed before knowing how the tech would evolve

51:30 State level regulation may be the more immediate solution

52:30 How do you determine which candidates to support?

54:00 The tech isn’t unpopular, it’s how it has interacted with U.S. politics

55:00 We know social media is bad for us, but can’t quit it

56:15 Congressional leadership has stood in the way of regulation

57:30 What’s a safer way to roll out AI regulation in a broken political system?

58:45 There are certain safeguards that must be built into AI models

59:30 Grok took on a “MechaHitler” persona & is integrated at the Pentagon

1:01:15 Letting the private sector roll out AI without regulation is a huge risk

1:02:00 We have no visibility into AI labs or how it’s being deployed

1:03:30 AI can be used for incredible medical advances… or bioweapons

1:05:30 Ron DeSantis is proposing an “AI Bill of Rights” in Florida

1:06:15 Surveillance pricing seems incredibly unconstitutional and illegal

1:07:00 Washington Post looked at subscribers’ credit reports when pricing

1:08:30 People deserve to know if AI is evaluating them when applying for jobs

1:10:00 We haven’t had enough debate around the AI issue

1:10:45 Who can be a trusted voice to lead the debate?

1:12:15 Consumer protection for AI would be a winning political message

1:14:30 Fear of AI job displacement & rising electricity prices at the forefront

1:15:45 The electrical grid will need a trillion dollars invested into it

1:17:15 The difference between Oklahoma Democrats & national ones?

1:19:45 The tribes have become the check on Republicans in Oklahoma

1:21:45 Ossoff & Buttigieg are two potential ‘28 Dems that stand out

1:22:45 Dems need to attack Trump for lying to base, rather than attack his voters

1:24:00 How did you like being the president of Tulsa University?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd digs into the wreckage of the Illinois primary — where more than $50 million in outside money from crypto, AI, and AIPAC-linked groups flooded Democratic races — and asks what it means for the future of American democracy when PACs and outside groups are far outspending the actual campaigns they're trying to influence. He credits Stratton for being able to overcome the massive crypto onslaught — a rare and significant defeat for an industry that has been buying influence across both parties — but warns that her victory required a billionaire governor's financial backing to counteract billionaire-funded opposition, which only underscores the problem. He traces the rot back to McCain-Feingold, arguing that the landmark campaign finance law inadvertently weakened the parties by decentralizing money, which in turn decentralized accountability — and that the Supreme Court's subsequent decisions let the situation spiral completely out of control. He calls out Chuck Schumer directly for caving to crypto money and pressuring his caucus to go along, notes that campaign finance reform feels like an unwinnable issue because the people who benefit from the current system are the ones who'd have to change it, He closes with a broader observation: with money deciding which candidates are viable before voters even weigh in, and with the country having produced three consecutive one-term presidents, American politics is likely to remain deeply unstable for years to come.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00: Chuck Todd’s introduction

02:15: AI & Pac money dominates the Illinois Primary

05:30: Campaign finance reform feels like an “unwinnable issue”

08:30 McCain-Feingold weakened the parties 

11:00 Chuck Schumer caves to huge crypto money

12:30 Illinois primary became Ground Zero for Donor-Centered Politics 

15:15 Juliana Stratton was able to overcome massive crypto donors.

16:45: Decentralizing money decentralized accountability

18:15 Money decides which candidates are viable

21:45 Should Democrats find their own billionaire?

26:30 U.S. politics likely to remain unstable, with multiple 1 term presidents

33:00 Ask Chuck

33:15 Would National Press Club membership be good for young journalists?

37:15 When did America actually become a country?

40:30 Is it worth contacting reps who already agree with you?

44:30 Thoughts on Mississippi as a potential Democratic opportunity?

48:45 Viability of the National Popular Vote Compact?

55:30 Will congress ever address daylight savings time?

58:45 NCAA tournament picks

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the bluntest assessment yet of the Iran war as it enters its third week: America's position as leader of the free world is unraveling in real time, the risk of mission creep is enormous, and we are now seeing exactly why every previous president chose not to attack Iran. Trump is ranting and begging allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz. He notes that Trump is even angling for a joint operation with China to police the strait — a surreal proposition given the broader geopolitical rivalry — and that Trump is learning the hard way why you don't alienate allies before starting a war that requires their help. The Director of Counterterrorism has resigned over the conflict, DNI Tulsi Gabbard is performing rhetorical contortions to signal she doesn't believe in the war while keeping her job, and the administration has entered what Chuck calls the "cover your ass" stage. He argues that Trump's coalition has been fracturing for six months, that America is demonstrably less secure today than before the strikes began, and that this war — which has confirmed to the world that America is truly alone — could ultimately prove more damaging than Vietnam or Iraq. He closes by noting softening poll numbers for Republicans like Lindsey Graham and Vivek Ramaswamy, and that Maine Governor Janet Mills has gone sharply negative against progressive challenger Graham Platner in their Senate primary — a sign that the vetting process is heating up in ways that will ultimately be healthy for the party.

Then, Amy Littlefield — investigative reporter for The Nation and author of the new book Killers of Roe: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Abortion Rights — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a fascinating deep dive into the decades-long campaign that dismantled abortion rights in America, framed through the lens of an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery where the killers turn out to be the people you least suspect. Littlefield reveals that the death of Roe was not a single blow but death by a thousand stab wounds from multiple suspects: a Catholic hospital system that now controls one in six beds in America with reproductive care restrictions, an evangelical movement that amassed enormous political power in the Reagan era, a Democratic Party that was deeply complicit — the Hyde Amendment passed through a Democratic-majority Congress and real women died as a result — and operatives like Leonard Leo, who hand-delivered Trump a list of Supreme Court justices guaranteed to overturn Roe. Littlefield argues that anti-abortion activists brilliantly copied the playbook of the civil rights movement, that fighting against something is inherently more galvanizing than defending something, and that reproductive rights groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL were constantly outflanked by a more organized, more disciplined opposition that understood single-issue voters could be leveraged for outsized political power.

The conversation turns to the future of reproductive rights in a post-Dobbs America — and the picture is more complicated than either side admits. Littlefield points out that the number of abortions has actually increased since the Dobbs decision, that anti-abortion ballot initiatives consistently lose even in conservative areas, and that there's 80% public support that could be leveraged if the movement reframed its message around freedom rather than choice and connected reproductive rights to economic concerns. But she warns that anti-abortion activists aren't done: they want birth control and IVF outlawed next, and anti-women political movements are gaining momentum globally. 

Finally, Chuck lists his ToddCast Top 5 statewide campaigns from the state of Illinois 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

05:00 Iran war keeps getting worse for Trump, risk of mission creep is high

05:15 America’s place as “Leader of the Free World” is unraveling 

06:00 The military part is going well, the diplomatic part is a disaster

06:45 We’re seeing the reasons previous presidents didn’t attack Iran

07:30 Director of Counterterrorism resigns over the war

09:00 Trump is either not getting the truth or being told what he wants to hear

10:00 Gabbard argues Trump has mandate despite not getting 50% of the vote

11:00 Gabbard says only Trump can determine what is an "imminent threat”

11:45 Gabbard wants she signal she doesn’t believe in war, but keep her job

12:45 We’re in the “cover your ass” stage of the war

15:30 Many MAGA true believers like Joe Kent & MTG wanted no more wars

18:00 If you can’t serve the president, resigning is the right thing to do

18:45 We’re less secure today than before the war started

19:30 Trump’s coalition has been fracturing for six months

21:30 Trump’s ranting and begging for help with the Strait of Hormuz

23:00 Strait of Hormuz has always been the Iranian regime’s leverage

24:00 Securing the strait requires boots on the ground

24:45 Trump is learning the hard way why you don’t alienate allies

26:30 If the regime stays in place, it’ll look like Trump retreated

27:30 This war has been confirmation that America is alone

29:15 This war could be more damaging that Vietnam or Iraq 2

30:00 We need real diplomacy and there hasn’t been any of it

30:45 Trump angling for joint operation with China which is… weird

31:15 Trump wants a way out, but boxed himself in

32:30 We’re starting to see softening support for other elected Republicans

33:15 Polls show Lindsey Graham & Vivek Ramaswamy’s support way down

34:30 Janet Mills decides to go sharply negative against Graham Platner

36:45 The vetting in the primary will be healthy for the Democrats

41:30 Amy Littlefield joins the Chuck ToddCast

43:00 Why did you choose the murder mystery framing for this book?

44:15 1 in 6 beds is in a Catholic hospital that have reproductive care restrictions

45:45 Agatha Christie’s style was an inspiration for the book

48:45 We know the political side of the story, wanted to tell the activist story

50:15 Getting the Roe v. Wade decision required a strong grassroots movement

50:45 The Catholic church has a strong organizational operation

52:00 Reproductive rights wasn’t a left vs. right issue in the 70s and 80s

54:15 Democrats have been complicit in the erosion of reproductive rights

55:15 The Hyde Amendment got through a Democratic majority congress

56:15 Evangelicals amassed huge political power in the Reagan era

57:00 Ronald Reagan flipped his position on abortion during his presidency

58:45 Abortion and guns are the two single-issue voting issues

59:30 Republicans extracted huge power out of single issue voters

1:00:45 People are willing to compromise other values for anti-abortion position

1:01:30 Anti-abortion activists know they don’t have majority support

1:03:00 Was “choice” the worst word they could pick? Why not frame it as freedom?

1:05:45 Examining the first deaths after the passage of Hyde amendment

1:06:30 Why didn’t deaths due to the Hyde amendment galvanize voters?

1:09:00 Justices didn’t want 5-4 on Roe so they came up with convoluted argument

1:10:00 A flawed legal rationale isn’t why Roe fell

1:11:30 The abortion rights fight has always been in the states

1:13:15 The debate has been over codifying Roe or codifying a right

1:15:15 Repealing the Hyde amendment was biggest win in years for abortion rights

1:17:00 Planned Parenthood has had an oversized role in defending abortion rights

1:17:45 Would there be a Federalist Society without Roe?

1:18:30 Leonard Leo handed Donald Trump the names of justices that would overturn Roe

1:19:45 Anti-abortion activists copied the playbook of the civil rights movement

1:21:15 Is there anybody on the pro-abortion rights side that deserves blame for Dobbs

1:22:30 Reproductive rights groups like PP and NARAL were constantly outflanked

1:23:30 Fighting against something is more galvanizing than defending something

1:25:00 Anti-abortion ballot initiatives consistently lose, even in conservative areas

1:27:30 Conservatives have laid claim to the words “freedom” and “patriot”

1:29:45 Does the codification of abortion rights happen by the 2030s?

1:31:45 Reproductive rights aren’t talked about in an economic framing

1:33:30 Can abortion rights movement draft off heavy support for birth control?

1:34:00 Anti-abortion activists want to see birth control and IVF outlawed

1:36:00 Will activists go to congress for an answer or will it be a long campaign?

1:37:00 Number of abortions has gone up since the Dobbs decision

1:39:00 Death of Roe was death by a thousand stab wounds from many suspects

1:41:00 Anti-abortion and anti-women political movements are gaining momentum

1:42:15 Republican women look uncomfortable with position they’ve been put in

1:44:15 People sharing their stories with abortion is incredibly important

1:47:00 Abortion may take a backseat to economy, but could affect midterms

1:48:45 ToddCast Top 5 statewide races in Illinois

1:49:45 Illinois has produced 2 presidents and sent 4 governors to prison

1:51:30 #1 Barack Obama’s 2004 senate campaign

1:57:00 #2 1992 senate campaign

2:00:00 1960 United States presidential election

2:03:00 1984 Paul Simon vs. Charles H. Percy

2:05:30 1986 Democratic primary chaos

2:09:00 Honorable mentions

2:11:00 Ask Chuck

2:11:15 Are we normalizing the denigration of female journalists by Donald Trump?

2:15:30 Why do politics feel so much harder now, and we can’t find agreement?

2:17:30 Did gutting Department of State lead to evacuation debacle in middle east?

2:21:15 Did Abigail Spanberger tee up a wave in the next election with gun control legislation?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.