Chuck Todd opens with a story that seems small and turns out to be a perfect miniature of everything wrong with this Pentagon: a Blue Angels flyover at Pensacola Beach came in too low, the pilot who made the honest mistake felt terrible about it — and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, without bothering to establish a single fact about what happened, seized the moment to gloat and own the libs. Chuck calls Hegseth an absolute clown and a fake soldier, argues the incident is a window into a Pentagon where the boss cares more about winning an online argument than about the safety of the people he commands, and where the entire "military testosterone" discourse — Hegseth's fixation on creating "supertrooper" fighting men is both dumb and genuinely dangerous. His verdict: a great American military culture is being actively degraded. He extends the same argument to ICE, where the violence has been entirely predictable — the officer involved in the latest shooting had enormous red flags in his background, and the agency appears to have no meaningful vetting process at all.

He also explains why, contrary to much of the commentary, he wasn't alarmed by Trump's primetime election-denial address: it was a nothingburger. Trump has no evidence, which is why he keeps turning to cranks — his endorsement of Mike Lindell tells you everything — and there's no policy response attached to his own foreign-interference allegations, since China has faced no sanction whatsoever for what Trump claims it did. He argues American elections are extraordinarily hard to overturn precisely because the system is decentralized, that Trump is too lazy to become a Putin or a Mao… A more disciplined president would frighten Chuck far more. Chuck sees a forever war taking shape in Iran: the strategy amounts to throwing kinetic weight at the problem and hoping the regime collapses, while Iran fights the asymmetric war it always planned, targeting Gulf states and now civilian survival infrastructure — hitting desalination plants could trigger a crisis lasting years — and nobody in Washington actually knows how to win. He closes with a genuinely important profile of Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, the intellectual architect of the new right's foreign policy and a favorite of JD Vance, whose vision of American retreat from its allies would effectively be the policy of a President Vance: Colby has trashed Mark Carney's "middle power" strategy and declared that no country is entitled to the American defense industry — which,  notes, misses that buying military hardware is a 30-year bet on trusting an ally, and middle powers who conclude they can be coerced by Washington will simply take their money somewhere else. Quick hits on a messy Wisconsin governor's race (Tony Evers built no infrastructure and left no obvious heir in one of the country's most misunderstood swing states) and Tuesday's Arizona primary round things out.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to draw parallels between the arguments in modern American politics to the argument between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev in the infamous “kitchen debate” 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

02:15 Pensacola Beach is the home of the Blue Angels

03:15 Low flyover from Blue Angels generated massive controversy

03:45 Hegseth has allowed unsafe flyovers in the past

04:15 Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon has been awful

05:00 Hegseth used the flyover to try to “own the libs”

05:45 The low flyover at the beach was an honest mistake by the pilot

07:30 Online discourse about flyover was both sides trying to prove their point

08:30 Hegseth didn’t even bother to figure out the facts about the incident

09:00 The pilot felt terrible about the mistake, while Hegseth gloated

11:00 Why Chuck isn’t alarmed by Trump’s election denial primetime speech

11:45 Trump has tested constitutional boundaries unlike any other president

13:30 Trump’s endorsement of Mike Lindell says everything

14:00 Trump doesn’t have evidence of fraud, he turns to election denial cranks

15:15 Trump’s speech was a big fat nothingburger

16:30 Trump wanted government to interfere in the 2020 election

17:30 There’s no policy response to Trump’s allegations about foreign interference

18:30 China hasn’t received any sanction or response to allegations

20:00 Trump has lackeys cherry pick facts to try to sew mistrust in elections

22:00 It is extraordinarily difficult to overturn an American election

22:45 The electoral system is decentralized making it harder to meddle with

23:30 A president more disciplined than Trump would be a bigger worry

24:30 We need to repair structural weaknesses in the democracy

25:15 Trump is too lazy to become a dictator like Putin or Mao

26:00 Trump has his sycophants… but they all fear jail too

27:15 Trump wants other people to risk themselves to keep him in power

28:30 We’re on the road to a “forever war” in Iran

29:00 The plan is just to throw kinetic weight & hope the regime collapses

29:45 Iran’s whole strategy is asymmetric, targeting Gulf states

30:15 Iran is now targeting civilian survival infrastructure

30:45 Hitting desalination plants could create a yearslong crisis

31:30 Administration keeps doubling down on the same strategy

33:30 Nobody in Washington knows how to win the war

34:30 Pete Hegseth is an absolute clown… a fake soldier

35:00 The military testosterone discourse is both dumb and dangerous

36:00 Undersecretary Elbridge Colby has a big role in shaping policy

37:30 Colby wants America to retreat from the world & our allies

38:30 Colby has been embraced by JD Vance & the new right

39:15 Colby’s policies would be those of a President JD Vance

40:30 Allies realize they can be coerced by America

42:30 Colby trashed the “middle power” strategy of Mark Carney

43:00 Colby says nobody is entitled to the U.S. military industry

44:00 Buying military hardware is a 30 year bet on trusting an ally

45:00 Middle powers will look elsewhere to buy their military equipment

46:15 Hegseth wants to create testosterone driven “supertroopers”

47:00 Women aren’t being offered a similar screening

48:00 Jesse Watters comments on testosterone were beyond awful

48:30 Most watched cable host was making sexual assault jokes

49:15 Military has had a longstanding issue with sexual assault

50:00 Young men are marketed testosterone from influencers & now government

51:00 Taking outside testosterone shuts down natural production of it

51:45 Taking testosterone has major negative side effects

53:00 Our great military culture is being destroyed by Trump

53:30 The violence from ICE officers has been entirely predictable

54:15 DHS under Trump never deserves the benefit of the doubt

55:15 Officer involved in shooting had massive red flags in his background

56:00 ICE doesn’t appear to have any vetting process for recruits

1:00:00 Wisconsin governor’s race has become a political mess

1:01:00 Tony Evers didn’t build a strong infrastructure around him

1:01:30 Evers didn’t set up an obvious heir in the Democratic party

1:03:00 The party establishment hasn’t responded to all parts of the base

1:03:45 Wisconsin is one of the most misunderstood swing states

1:05:00 Democrats in Wisconsin have to make the political center comfortable

1:07:30 Arizona primary coming up on Tuesday

01:13:15 ToddCast Time Machine July 24, 1959  

01:13:45 Nixon and Krushchev host the “Kitchen Debate”  

01:14:45 The countries were showing off their way of life - Capitalism vs Communism  

01:15:30 Soviets set up a display in New York to show off their society  

01:16:15 Khrushchev believed history would belong to the communists  

01:16:45 The answer to the Soviet display was a model of an American home  

01:17:30 The argument was that a middle class worker could afford that home  

01:18:00 America showed it offered equality of opportunity, not outcome  

01:18:45 Krushchev and Nixon debated knowing the world would hear it  

01:19:45 Krushchev didn’t believe Americans actually lived that well  

01:20:15 Nixon argued that competition inspired innovation and growth  

01:21:45 Market capitalism proved to be the more dynamic economic system  

01:22:15 There are echoes of the Kitchen Debate in modern American discourse  

01:23:45 The Soviet Union disappeared, the debate hasn’t  

01:24:00 Ask Chuck  

01:24:15 Is MLB lockout avoidable? The state of baseball card collecting?  

01:34:45 Is Trump’s erosion of norms a form of the incrementalism you champion?  

01:38:15 What rights are D.C. & Puerto Rico residents still missing beside representation?  

01:44:00 What goes into a decision to run for office?  

01:47:30 MAGA just a rework of Reagan’s slogan? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with a story that seems small and turns out to be a perfect miniature of everything wrong with this Pentagon: a Blue Angels flyover at Pensacola Beach came in too low, the pilot who made the honest mistake felt terrible about it — and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, without bothering to establish a single fact about what happened, seized the moment to gloat and own the libs. Chuck calls Hegseth an absolute clown and a fake soldier, argues the incident is a window into a Pentagon where the boss cares more about winning an online argument than about the safety of the people he commands, and where the entire "military testosterone" discourse — Hegseth's fixation on creating "supertrooper" fighting men is both dumb and genuinely dangerous. His verdict: a great American military culture is being actively degraded. He extends the same argument to ICE, where the violence has been entirely predictable — the officer involved in the latest shooting had enormous red flags in his background, and the agency appears to have no meaningful vetting process at all.

He also explains why, contrary to much of the commentary, he wasn't alarmed by Trump's primetime election-denial address: it was a nothingburger. Trump has no evidence, which is why he keeps turning to cranks — his endorsement of Mike Lindell tells you everything — and there's no policy response attached to his own foreign-interference allegations, since China has faced no sanction whatsoever for what Trump claims it did. He argues American elections are extraordinarily hard to overturn precisely because the system is decentralized, that Trump is too lazy to become a Putin or a Mao… A more disciplined president would frighten Chuck far more. Chuck sees a forever war taking shape in Iran: the strategy amounts to throwing kinetic weight at the problem and hoping the regime collapses, while Iran fights the asymmetric war it always planned, targeting Gulf states and now civilian survival infrastructure — hitting desalination plants could trigger a crisis lasting years — and nobody in Washington actually knows how to win. He closes with a genuinely important profile of Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, the intellectual architect of the new right's foreign policy and a favorite of JD Vance, whose vision of American retreat from its allies would effectively be the policy of a President Vance: Colby has trashed Mark Carney's "middle power" strategy and declared that no country is entitled to the American defense industry — which,  notes, misses that buying military hardware is a 30-year bet on trusting an ally, and middle powers who conclude they can be coerced by Washington will simply take their money somewhere else. Quick hits on a messy Wisconsin governor's race (Tony Evers built no infrastructure and left no obvious heir in one of the country's most misunderstood swing states) and Tuesday's Arizona primary round things out.

Then, bestselling novelist Daniel Silva — creator of the Gabriel Allon series — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a conversation that starts with the craft of spy fiction and quickly becomes something closer to a threat assessment. Silva's newest plot turns on drones, and he's blunt that this isn't speculative: he believes it's a matter of time before a drone carries out an assassination or a mass-casualty attack. He talks about the strange responsibility of writing a fictional event that could plausibly happen next month, why he deliberately withholds visual detail so readers build the scene themselves, and what he learned reporting out how modern kidnappings and ransom negotiations actually work. The darker current running underneath is his read on American intelligence: the FBI is no longer the same place, the U.S. is jettisoning allies and hollowing out its agencies, and Silva poses the question a novelist is uniquely positioned to ask — if you're the GRU right now, where would you most want an asset placed? He notes that the best assets often don't know they're assets, that NATO held a crisis meeting about Trump, and that this is precisely the moment to be putting the screws to a vulnerable Putin, since Ukraine has victory in sight and isn't desperate for any deal.

The conversation turns personal when Chuck asks how Silva handles Israel's collapsing global reputation in a series built around an Israeli intelligence officer. Silva says the shift was entirely foreseeable, that he has no interest in writing about Gaza, and that what saddens him most is the "fortress Israel" mindset — a country founded on European-style socialist ideals now convinced it can go it alone, siloed from the world, while antisemitism surges globally in a way he warns only ever needs the right set of circumstances to reignite. He and Chuck range across the forces reshaping the century: giant corporations approaching the power of nation-states, a new generation of the ultra-wealthy who simply don't believe in philanthropy, AI's capacity to wipe out the knowledge economy, and Silva's conviction that the next great political crisis may be a climate-driven natural disaster — noting that the last major El Niño produced famines that killed millions, that today's migration patterns are already climate-driven, and that people are dying right now as a direct result of cutting humanitarian aid. He's unsparing on writing and AI), amused and appalled that Trump has turned the National Mall into a mess with a reflecting pool gone "Kermit green," and closes on the question every prolific novelist gets asked and rarely answers honestly: does he ever actually rest?

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to draw parallels between the arguments in modern American politics to the argument between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev in the infamous “kitchen debate” 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

02:15 Pensacola Beach is the home of the Blue Angels

03:15 Low flyover from Blue Angels generated massive controversy

03:45 Hegseth has allowed unsafe flyovers in the past

04:15 Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon has been awful

05:00 Hegseth used the flyover to try to “own the libs”

05:45 The low flyover at the beach was an honest mistake by the pilot

07:30 Online discourse about flyover was both sides trying to prove their point

08:30 Hegseth didn’t even bother to figure out the facts about the incident

09:00 The pilot felt terrible about the mistake, while Hegseth gloated

11:00 Why Chuck isn’t alarmed by Trump’s election denial primetime speech

11:45 Trump has tested constitutional boundaries unlike any other president

13:30 Trump’s endorsement of Mike Lindell says everything

14:00 Trump doesn’t have evidence of fraud, he turns to election denial cranks

15:15 Trump’s speech was a big fat nothingburger

16:30 Trump wanted government to interfere in the 2020 election

17:30 There’s no policy response to Trump’s allegations about foreign interference

18:30 China hasn’t received any sanction or response to allegations

20:00 Trump has lackeys cherry pick facts to try to sew mistrust in elections

22:00 It is extraordinarily difficult to overturn an American election

22:45 The electoral system is decentralized making it harder to meddle with

23:30 A president more disciplined than Trump would be a bigger worry

24:30 We need to repair structural weaknesses in the democracy

25:15 Trump is too lazy to become a dictator like Putin or Mao

26:00 Trump has his sycophants… but they all fear jail too

27:15 Trump wants other people to risk themselves to keep him in power

28:30 We’re on the road to a “forever war” in Iran

29:00 The plan is just to throw kinetic weight & hope the regime collapses

29:45 Iran’s whole strategy is asymmetric, targeting Gulf states

30:15 Iran is now targeting civilian survival infrastructure

30:45 Hitting desalination plants could create a yearslong crisis

31:30 Administration keeps doubling down on the same strategy

33:30 Nobody in Washington knows how to win the war

34:30 Pete Hegseth is an absolute clown… a fake soldier

35:00 The military testosterone discourse is both dumb and dangerous

36:00 Undersecretary Elbridge Colby has a big role in shaping policy

37:30 Colby wants America to retreat from the world & our allies

38:30 Colby has been embraced by JD Vance & the new right

39:15 Colby’s policies would be those of a President JD Vance

40:30 Allies realize they can be coerced by America

42:30 Colby trashed the “middle power” strategy of Mark Carney

43:00 Colby says nobody is entitled to the U.S. military industry

44:00 Buying military hardware is a 30 year bet on trusting an ally

45:00 Middle powers will look elsewhere to buy their military equipment

46:15 Hegseth wants to create testosterone driven “supertroopers”

47:00 Women aren’t being offered a similar screening

48:00 Jesse Watters comments on testosterone were beyond awful

48:30 Most watched cable host was making sexual assault jokes

49:15 Military has had a longstanding issue with sexual assault

50:00 Young men are marketed testosterone from influencers & now government

51:00 Taking outside testosterone shuts down natural production of it

51:45 Taking testosterone has major negative side effects

53:00 Our great military culture is being destroyed by Trump

53:30 The violence from ICE officers has been entirely predictable

54:15 DHS under Trump never deserves the benefit of the doubt

55:15 Officer involved in shooting had massive red flags in his background

56:00 ICE doesn’t appear to have any vetting process for recruits

1:00:00 Wisconsin governor’s race has become a political mess

1:01:00 Tony Evers didn’t build a strong infrastructure around him

1:01:30 Evers didn’t set up an obvious heir in the Democratic party

1:03:00 The party establishment hasn’t responded to all parts of the base

1:03:45 Wisconsin is one of the most misunderstood swing states

1:05:00 Democrats in Wisconsin have to make the political center comfortable

1:07:30 Arizona primary coming up on Tuesday

01:14:00 Daniel Silva joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:15:00 Gabriel Allon is ageless

01:16:45 How much do you put yourself into Gabriel Allon?

01:17:30 Gabriel’s character allows Daniel to pursue things he’s interested in

01:19:15 Potentially creating a spin-off series

01:20:30 Vibe of the book series is European art

01:21:15 How did you learn about modern kidnappings and negotiations

01:23:15 Not writing with great visual detail to allow readers to imagine it

01:24:15 We are going to have a major incident triggered by drones

01:25:15 Ukraine has become the drone specialists of the world

01:26:00 Drones will eventually carry out an assassination or mass casualty event

01:27:15 Any trepidation creating a fictional event that could actually happen?

01:28:15 There was an emergency drone incident in Copenhagen

01:28:45 Europeans are already very nervous about impacts of drones

01:29:30 There are cameras everywhere in modern society

01:30:45 The level of criminality & corruption in the world is staggering

01:32:00 The current FBI is no longer the same place

01:32:45 We are jettising allies and destroying our intelligence agencies

01:33:30 If you are the GRU… where would you want an asset to be?

01:34:30 There are different types of intelligence assets

01:35:00 Some of the best assets don’t realize they are assets

01:36:15 Crisis meeting held at NATO headquarters about Trump 

01:39:30 We should be putting the screws to Putin right now, he’s vulnerable

01:40:15 Ukraine has victory in sight, they aren’t desperate for a deal

01:41:00 How do you tackle Israel’s reputation in the world in the books?

01:43:30 The changes to Israel’s reputation were foreseeable

01:44:00 Don’t want to write about the war in Gaza

01:45:00 Is all hope for a two state solution gone?

01:47:45 There’s a “fortress Israel” mindset, they think they can do it alone

01:48:15 Is Gabriel Allon still a zionist?

01:49:00 Israel was founded with tenets of European style socialism

01:50:00 It’s sad seeing Israel becoming so siloed from the world

01:51:30 There’s been a major resurgence of antisemitism

01:53:15 It only takes the right set of circumstances to reignite antisemitism

01:54:30 Giant corporations are becoming as powerful as nation states

01:56:00 The new generation of ultra wealthy don’t believe in philanthropy

01:56:45 AI has the ability to wipe out the knowledge economy

01:58:00 The next great political crisis might be a climate driven natural disaster

01:58:45 The last great El Nino created massive famine, killing millions

01:59:30 The current migration patterns are climate driven

02:00:00 People are dying as a direct result of cutting humanitarian aid

02:03:30 Trump has turned the national mall into a mess

02:04:15 The reflecting pool is now “Kermit green”

02:05:30 If you could write your next book about anything, what would it be?

02:06:30 Don’t think he could write non-fiction, too many novels to write

02:08:15 If you use AI to do your writing, then that isn’t writing

02:11:30 Anthropic CEO gave a reasoned answer to AI military applications

02:12:00 Could have an AI version of yourself that lives forever

02:13:15 Do you ever take a rest from writing?

02:16:30 ToddCast Time Machine July 24, 1959  

02:17:00 Nixon and Krushchev host the “Kitchen Debate”  

02:18:00 The countries were showing off their way of life - Capitalism vs Communism  

02:18:45 Soviets set up a display in New York to show off their society  

02:19:30 Khrushchev believed history would belong to the communists  

02:20:00 The answer to the Soviet display was a model of an American home  

02:20:45 The argument was that a middle class worker could afford that home  

02:21:15 America showed it offered equality of opportunity, not outcome  

02:22:00 Krushchev and Nixon debated knowing the world would hear it  

02:23:00 Krushchev didn’t believe Americans actually lived that well  

02:23:30 Nixon argued that competition inspired innovation and growth  

02:25:00 Market capitalism proved to be the more dynamic economic system  

02:25:30 There are echoes of the Kitchen Debate in modern American discourse  

02:27:00 The Soviet Union disappeared, the debate hasn’t  

02:27:15 Ask Chuck  

02:27:30 Is MLB lockout avoidable? The state of baseball card collecting?  

02:38:00 Is Trump’s erosion of norms a form of the incrementalism you champion?  

02:41:30 What rights are D.C. & Puerto Rico residents still missing beside representation?  

02:47:15 What goes into a decision to run for office?  

02:50:45 MAGA just a rework of Reagan’s slogan?  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bestselling novelist Daniel Silva — creator of the Gabriel Allon series — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a conversation that starts with the craft of spy fiction and quickly becomes something closer to a threat assessment. Silva's newest plot turns on drones, and he's blunt that this isn't speculative: he believes it's a matter of time before a drone carries out an assassination or a mass-casualty attack. He talks about the strange responsibility of writing a fictional event that could plausibly happen next month, why he deliberately withholds visual detail so readers build the scene themselves, and what he learned reporting out how modern kidnappings and ransom negotiations actually work. The darker current running underneath is his read on American intelligence: the FBI is no longer the same place, the U.S. is jettisoning allies and hollowing out its agencies, and Silva poses the question a novelist is uniquely positioned to ask — if you're the GRU right now, where would you most want an asset placed? He notes that the best assets often don't know they're assets, that NATO held a crisis meeting about Trump, and that this is precisely the moment to be putting the screws to a vulnerable Putin, since Ukraine has victory in sight and isn't desperate for any deal.

The conversation turns personal when Chuck asks how Silva handles Israel's collapsing global reputation in a series built around an Israeli intelligence officer. Silva says the shift was entirely foreseeable, that he has no interest in writing about Gaza, and that what saddens him most is the "fortress Israel" mindset — a country founded on European-style socialist ideals now convinced it can go it alone, siloed from the world, while antisemitism surges globally in a way he warns only ever needs the right set of circumstances to reignite. He and Chuck range across the forces reshaping the century: giant corporations approaching the power of nation-states, a new generation of the ultra-wealthy who simply don't believe in philanthropy, AI's capacity to wipe out the knowledge economy, and Silva's conviction that the next great political crisis may be a climate-driven natural disaster — noting that the last major El Niño produced famines that killed millions, that today's migration patterns are already climate-driven, and that people are dying right now as a direct result of cutting humanitarian aid. He's unsparing on writing and AI), amused and appalled that Trump has turned the National Mall into a mess with a reflecting pool gone "Kermit green," and closes on the question every prolific novelist gets asked and rarely answers honestly: does he ever actually rest?

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 Daniel Silva joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:00 Gabriel Allon is ageless

02:45 How much do you put yourself into Gabriel Allon?

03:30 Gabriel’s character allows Daniel to pursue things he’s interested in

05:15 Potentially creating a spin-off series

06:30 Vibe of the book series is European art

07:15 How did you learn about modern kidnappings and negotiations

09:15 Not writing with great visual detail to allow readers to imagine it

10:15 We are going to have a major incident triggered by drones

11:15 Ukraine has become the drone specialists of the world

12:00 Drones will eventually carry out an assassination or mass casualty event

13:15 Any trepidation creating a fictional event that could actually happen?

14:15 There was an emergency drone incident in Copenhagen

14:45 Europeans are already very nervous about impacts of drones

15:30 There are cameras everywhere in modern society

16:45 The level of criminality & corruption in the world is staggering

18:00 The current FBI is no longer the same place

18:45 We are jettising allies and destroying our intelligence agencies

19:30 If you are the GRU… where would you want an asset to be?

20:30 There are different types of intelligence assets

21:00 Some of the best assets don’t realize they are assets

22:15 Crisis meeting held at NATO headquarters about Trump 

25:30 We should be putting the screws to Putin right now, he’s vulnerable

26:15 Ukraine has victory in sight, they aren’t desperate for a deal

27:00 How do you tackle Israel’s reputation in the world in the books?

29:30 The changes to Israel’s reputation were foreseeable

30:00 Don’t want to write about the war in Gaza

31:00 Is all hope for a two state solution gone?

33:45 There’s a “fortress Israel” mindset, they think they can do it alone

34:15 Is Gabriel Allon still a zionist?

35:00 Israel was founded with tenets of European style socialism

36:00 It’s sad seeing Israel becoming so siloed from the world

37:30 There’s been a major resurgence of antisemitism

39:15 It only takes the right set of circumstances to reignite antisemitism

40:30 Giant corporations are becoming as powerful as nation states

42:00 The new generation of ultra wealthy don’t believe in philanthropy

42:45 AI has the ability to wipe out the knowledge economy

44:00 The next great political crisis might be a climate driven natural disaster

44:45 The last great El Nino created massive famine, killing millions

45:30 The current migration patterns are climate driven

46:00 People are dying as a direct result of cutting humanitarian aid

49:30 Trump has turned the national mall into a mess

50:15 The reflecting pool is now “Kermit green”

51:30 If you could write your next book about anything, what would it be?

52:30 Don’t think he could write non-fiction, too many novels to write

54:15 If you use AI to do your writing, then that isn’t writing

57:30 Anthropic CEO gave a reasoned answer to AI military applications

58:00 Could have an AI version of yourself that lives forever

59:15 Do you ever take a rest from writing?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the news that Trump is planning a primetime address to push election denialism, and uses it as a lens to examine how thoroughly fealty to the 2020 fraud lie has become the price of admission in Trump's Washington. He argues Todd Blanche should have no place in the Department of Justice, that he failed his test under questioning from John Cornyn, and that the weaponization fund could become the red line that finally moves Collins, Tillis, and Cornyn — because an inability to confirm Blanche would be a clear sign of Trump's weakening grip on the GOP. He points to the surreal spectacle of Jay Clayton refusing to answer Jon Ossoff's simple question of who won the 2020 election, looking like a ridiculous sycophant in the process, and to Trump endorsing MyPillow's Mike Lindell — the single biggest election conspiracy theorist in the country, a man who's lost every court case and been forced to pay $5 million over his false claims. He reminds listeners that it was Trump's own appointees who ran election security in 2020, that every major election denier from Giuliani on down has been forced to retract in court, and that Georgia's full hand recount matched the machines exactly — the only real constant in Trumpworld is that any outcome Trump dislikes gets branded fraud. 

He then turns to the mounting deaths during ICE encounters, arguing the violence isn't an anomaly but an entirely predictable consequence of an agency whose culture has been deliberately reshaped: DHS recruited candidates with violent psychological profiles using white nationalist slogans, imposed quotas that put officers under enormous stress, and pushed them into vehicle stops that former officials admit ICE has no experience conducting. In two fatal shootings the men killed weren't even the targets, witnesses have disputed the DHS account, there's no body cam footage, and Chuck argues DHS has zero credibility, even as Trump clearly wants the theater and the violent confrontations. On Iran, Chuck is blunt that having less leverage than before the war started is simply what losing a war looks like: the administration badly underestimated Iran's willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz, Iran deliberately decentralized its regime to survive decapitation strikes, and after three failed military strategies in five months, Trump has spent the entire war negotiating against himself — meaning the best America can now hope for is a managed stalemate, because Iran can't beat the U.S. military, it just has to wait out an increasingly impatient Trump. He closes on a lighter note with the House passing a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, offering the contrarian reminder that the public always wants permanent DST until they actually get it — kids forced to go to school in pitch darkness, and the simple reality that what's good for you in the evening is bad for someone else in the morning. 

Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 list of professional athletes best positioned to run for political office and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at 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.

 Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. 

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

• 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

03:00 Trump planning primetime address to push election denialism

04:15 Todd Blanche should have no place in the Department of Justice

05:00 Blanche failed the test when questioned by John Cornyn

05:30 Weaponization fund could be the red line for Collins, Tillis and Cornyn

07:00 Inability to confirm Blanche would show Trump’s weakening grip on GOP

08:15 John Ossoff asked simple question Jay Clayton wouldn’t answer

09:00 Clayton refused to answer “who won the 2020 election?”

09:30 You must agree with election denialism to work for Trump

10:30 Clayton looked like a ridiculous sycophant

12:00 Administration convinced deportations will help in midterms

12:30 Trump is completely misreading the situation, but nobody will tell him

13:15 Trump gives his endorsement to Mike Lindell from MyPillow

13:45 Trump supporting biggest election conspiracy theorist in the country*

14:30 Lindell was forced to pay $5 million due to his false claims

15:15 Lindell has lost every time his claims ended up in court

15:45 Lindell is a lunatic

16:45 The only constant for Trump is “it’s fraud” if he doesn’t get his way

17:30 It was Trump appointees who ran election security in 2020

18:15 The election fraud claims from Trumpworld kept changing 

19:15 Guliani was forced to refute his election denial in court

20:00 Every election denier has had to retract in a court of law

21:15 Georgia conducted a full recount and it matched the machines

23:00 Multiple deaths have occurred during encounters with ICE

24:00 In the two shootings the men killed were not the targets of the operation

24:45 Witnesses have challenged DHS account & there’s no body cam footage

25:15 DHS has no credibility, can’t trust their account of events

26:00 ICE announced they have paused most vehicle stops nationwide

28:00 Trump wants the theater with ICE, he wants violent confrontations*

29:30 The violence isn’t an anomaly, it’s entirely predictable

30:00 DHS’s recruiting for ICE has changed the culture of the organization

31:00 ICE targeted candidates with a violent psychological profile

32:15 ICE used white nationalist slogans in recruitment ads

34:00 The culture of ICE promotes violent confrontation

34:45 Administration’s quotas has put officers under stress

36:45 Former ICE officials admit the agency doesn’t have experience for vehicle stops

37:30 Tragedy isn’t a risk under these circumstances… it’s a guarantee

38:15 Federal law enforcement has turned into a theater of dominance

39:00 ICE set itself up for a war… and we’re seeing the consequences

39:45 Iran has more leverage than before the war… that’s called losing

40:15 Houthis may close another chokepoint

41:15 The U.S. military always knew the Strait of Hormuz was the ballgame

41:45 Administration underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait

42:30 Iran set up the regime to be decentralized in case of decapitation strikes

43:15 We’ve tried 3 major military strategies in 5 months & none worked

44:30 Trump has negotiated against himself for the entire war

46:00 This has now become a fight over leverage

47:00 Every week the war grinds on, the more unpopular it becomes

47:30 Iran can’t beat the U.S. military, they just need to wait out Trump

48:15 The best we can hope for is a managed stalemate

48:45 House passed a bill to make daylight savings time permanent

49:45 The public always wants permanent daylight savings, until they get it

50:15 Kids are forced to get to school in the dark, results in deaths

51:30 What’s good for you in the evening is bad for someone else in the morning

57:00 ToddCast Top 5 American athletes that could transition to politics

1:01:00 #5 Travis Kelce

1:02:15 #4 Paul Skenes 

1:03:15 #3 Patrick Mahomes

1:04:00 #2 Steph Curry

1:05:00 #1 Caitlin Clark

1:08:15 Ask Chuck

1:08:30 Favorite old 40s and 50s films?

1:14:45 Your work made a real difference in my life

1:16:15 Are there any states where a congressperson could do what Farage did in UK?

1:19:45 Why don’t presidential campaigns create buzz around VP selection?

1:24:15 What signs would show us we’re turning the corner on this divisive era?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with the news that Trump is planning a primetime address to push election denialism, and uses it as a lens to examine how thoroughly fealty to the 2020 fraud lie has become the price of admission in Trump's Washington. He argues Todd Blanche should have no place in the Department of Justice, that he failed his test under questioning from John Cornyn, and that the weaponization fund could become the red line that finally moves Collins, Tillis, and Cornyn — because an inability to confirm Blanche would be a clear sign of Trump's weakening grip on the GOP. He points to the surreal spectacle of Jay Clayton refusing to answer Jon Ossoff's simple question of who won the 2020 election, looking like a ridiculous sycophant in the process, and to Trump endorsing MyPillow's Mike Lindell — the single biggest election conspiracy theorist in the country, a man who's lost every court case and been forced to pay $5 million over his false claims. He reminds listeners that it was Trump's own appointees who ran election security in 2020, that every major election denier from Giuliani on down has been forced to retract in court, and that Georgia's full hand recount matched the machines exactly — the only real constant in Trumpworld is that any outcome Trump dislikes gets branded fraud. 

He then turns to the mounting deaths during ICE encounters, arguing the violence isn't an anomaly but an entirely predictable consequence of an agency whose culture has been deliberately reshaped: DHS recruited candidates with violent psychological profiles using white nationalist slogans, imposed quotas that put officers under enormous stress, and pushed them into vehicle stops that former officials admit ICE has no experience conducting. In two fatal shootings the men killed weren't even the targets, witnesses have disputed the DHS account, there's no body cam footage, and Chuck argues DHS has zero credibility, even as Trump clearly wants the theater and the violent confrontations. On Iran, Chuck is blunt that having less leverage than before the war started is simply what losing a war looks like: the administration badly underestimated Iran's willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz, Iran deliberately decentralized its regime to survive decapitation strikes, and after three failed military strategies in five months, Trump has spent the entire war negotiating against himself — meaning the best America can now hope for is a managed stalemate, because Iran can't beat the U.S. military, it just has to wait out an increasingly impatient Trump. He closes on a lighter note with the House passing a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, offering the contrarian reminder that the public always wants permanent DST until they actually get it — kids forced to go to school in pitch darkness, and the simple reality that what's good for you in the evening is bad for someone else in the morning. 

Then, John Opdycke — founder and president of Open Primaries, one of the leading organizations pushing to end closed partisan primaries — joins the Chuck Toddcast to make the case that the exclusion of independent voters is one of the great overlooked scandals of American democracy. Opdycke walks through the byzantine patchwork of voter and party registration rules that vary wildly by state, explains why so many independents sit out partisan primaries entirely, and argues that after 30 years of closed primaries the cumulative effect has been a system where the parties function as both the umpires and the players — a structure that simply doesn't work. He makes the bipartisan argument that tax dollars shouldn't fund the private nominating contests of what are essentially private organizations, and is pointedly critical of Democrats for actively fighting open primary initiatives.He notes that policies with 80% public support routinely fail to pass because voters don't actually have a meaningful say.

The conversation turns tactical and forward-looking, with Opdycke offering a sober assessment of the broader reform landscape and its persistent failures. He argues the ranked-choice voting movement has made serious tactical errors, that the party in power always fights ranked choice voting, and that the modern reform and independent movement suffers from a fundamental lack of a compelling public face — as well as from philanthropic funders who attach outcome expectations that distort the work. Opdycke is candid that third parties fare poorly in nearly every electoral system, that Ross Perot's Reform Party is now essentially a shell, and that the American people still don't trust the reform movement — but he sees real opportunity in specific fights, particularly mobilizing Florida's independents to change the law and pursuing top-two systems that would genuinely open the door to competition. He notes the striking statistic that 10,000 people per week are changing their voter registration, laments the general lack of curiosity (and polling) about who swing voters actually are, and argues there's meaningful left-right overlap among libertarians that reformers could tap. They explore whether the redistricting wars could create a backlash against the two-party system, why there are only about 25 competitive House districts left, and why several states are now actually moving back toward closed primaries. They close with a clear-eyed take on 2028: the reform movement needs a credible presidential candidate, and with 2028 shaping up to be a wild and unpredictable year, the opening for that kind of disruption may be wider than it's been in decades.

Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 list of professional athletes best positioned to run for political office and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at 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.

 Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. 

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

• 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

03:00 Trump planning primetime address to push election denialism

04:15 Todd Blanche should have no place in the Department of Justice

05:00 Blanche failed the test when questioned by John Cornyn

05:30 Weaponization fund could be the red line for Collins, Tillis and Cornyn

07:00 Inability to confirm Blanche would show Trump’s weakening grip on GOP

08:15 John Ossoff asked simple question Jay Clayton wouldn’t answer

09:00 Clayton refused to answer “who won the 2020 election?”

09:30 You must agree with election denialism to work for Trump

10:30 Clayton looked like a ridiculous sycophant

12:00 Administration convinced deportations will help in midterms

12:30 Trump is completely misreading the situation, but nobody will tell him

13:15 Trump gives his endorsement to Mike Lindell from MyPillow

13:45 Trump supporting biggest election conspiracy theorist in the country*

14:30 Lindell was forced to pay $5 million due to his false claims

15:15 Lindell has lost every time his claims ended up in court

15:45 Lindell is a lunatic

16:45 The only constant for Trump is “it’s fraud” if he doesn’t get his way

17:30 It was Trump appointees who ran election security in 2020

18:15 The election fraud claims from Trumpworld kept changing 

19:15 Guliani was forced to refute his election denial in court

20:00 Every election denier has had to retract in a court of law

21:15 Georgia conducted a full recount and it matched the machines

23:00 Multiple deaths have occurred during encounters with ICE

24:00 In the two shootings the men killed were not the targets of the operation

24:45 Witnesses have challenged DHS account & there’s no body cam footage

25:15 DHS has no credibility, can’t trust their account of events

26:00 ICE announced they have paused most vehicle stops nationwide

28:00 Trump wants the theater with ICE, he wants violent confrontations*

29:30 The violence isn’t an anomaly, it’s entirely predictable

30:00 DHS’s recruiting for ICE has changed the culture of the organization

31:00 ICE targeted candidates with a violent psychological profile

32:15 ICE used white nationalist slogans in recruitment ads

34:00 The culture of ICE promotes violent confrontation

34:45 Administration’s quotas has put officers under stress

36:45 Former ICE officials admit the agency doesn’t have experience for vehicle stops

37:30 Tragedy isn’t a risk under these circumstances… it’s a guarantee

38:15 Federal law enforcement has turned into a theater of dominance

39:00 ICE set itself up for a war… and we’re seeing the consequences

39:45 Iran has more leverage than before the war… that’s called losing

40:15 Houthis may close another chokepoint

41:15 The U.S. military always knew the Strait of Hormuz was the ballgame

41:45 Administration underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait

42:30 Iran set up the regime to be decentralized in case of decapitation strikes

43:15 We’ve tried 3 major military strategies in 5 months & none worked

44:30 Trump has negotiated against himself for the entire war

46:00 This has now become a fight over leverage

47:00 Every week the war grinds on, the more unpopular it becomes

47:30 Iran can’t beat the U.S. military, they just need to wait out Trump

48:15 The best we can hope for is a managed stalemate

48:45 House passed a bill to make daylight savings time permanent

49:45 The public always wants permanent daylight savings, until they get it

50:15 Kids are forced to get to school in the dark, results in deaths

51:30 What’s good for you in the evening is bad for someone else in the morning

00:00 John Opdycke joins the Chuck ToddCast

59:45 Voter & party registration rules vary greatly by state

1:01:00 Why do so many independents sit out partisan primaries?

1:03:30 NYC Democratic party actively fought open primary initiative

1:05:00 There have been cumulative effects of 30 years of closed primaries

1:06:15 Voter apathy across the board for voting in primaries

1:07:00 Independents showing strong support for Open Primaries

1:08:45 Parties have every right to choose their candidates

1:09:15 Parties now are both the umpires and the players, it doesn’t work

1:11:00 There’s bipartisan arguments for not using tax dollars for private orgs

1:12:15 Why are Democrats fighting against open primaries?

1:14:15 Ross Perot’s Reform Party is basically a shell at this point

1:17:00 Independent voters are incorrectly understood as in the middle

1:17:30 Independents are moderate in temperament, not ideology

1:19:15 Politics post-Clinton/Gingrich designed to keep independents down

1:20:15 The modern reform/independent movement lacks a face

1:21:15 Philanthropic funders come with expectations of outcomes

1:22:15 Ranked choice voting movement has made serious tactical errors

1:24:30 Party in power always fights ranked choice voting

1:26:00 Exclusion of independent voters is a Jim Crow level violation of rights

1:26:30 Policies with 80% support don’t pass, voters don’t have a say

1:28:00 Third parties don’t do well in almost any electoral system

1:29:15 Swing voters are ignored until October

1:29:45 Which states offer best opportunities for a third party?

1:30:30 Independents require the Democrat to drop out in senate races

1:34:00 Could the redistricting wars create backlash to the two party system?

1:34:45 There’s only 25 competitive house district

1:35:30 Leaders in several states now looking to go back to closed primaries

1:36:45 The American people don’t trust the Reform movement

1:38:45 Mobilizing independents in Florida to change the law

1:41:15 There’s left-right overlap amongst the libertarians

1:42:45 There’s a lack of curiosity about independent/swing voters

1:44:45 10,000 people per week change their voter registration

1:45:30 We need a flood of polling and research about independent voters

1:46:45 What does success look like for Open Primaries this year?

1:49:45 A top two system would open up the door to competition

1:51:15 There are fewer “generic” candidates, much more variance

1:53:45 The Reform movement needs a presidential candidate in ‘28

1:57:30 Perot had to scare both parties to get them to make reforms

1:59:00 Have to creative in ‘28, it will be a wild year in politics

2:00:00 Primaries should be open to all voters

2:00:15 ToddCast Top 5 American athletes that could transition to politics

2:04:15 #5 Travis Kelce

2:05:30 #4 Paul Skenes 

2:06:30 #3 Patrick Mahomes

2:07:15 #2 Steph Curry

2:08:15 #1 Caitlin Clark

2:11:30 Ask Chuck

2:11:45 Favorite old 40s and 50s films?

2:18:00 Your work made a real difference in my life

2:19:30 Are there any states where a congressperson could do what Farage did in UK?

2:23:00 Why don’t presidential campaigns create buzz around VP selection?

2:27:30 What signs would show us we’re turning the corner on this divisive era?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Opdycke — founder and president of Open Primaries, one of the leading organizations pushing to end closed partisan primaries — joins the Chuck Toddcast to make the case that the exclusion of independent voters is one of the great overlooked scandals of American democracy. Opdycke walks through the byzantine patchwork of voter and party registration rules that vary wildly by state, explains why so many independents sit out partisan primaries entirely, and argues that after 30 years of closed primaries the cumulative effect has been a system where the parties function as both the umpires and the players — a structure that simply doesn't work. He makes the bipartisan argument that tax dollars shouldn't fund the private nominating contests of what are essentially private organizations, and is pointedly critical of Democrats for actively fighting open primary initiatives.He notes that policies with 80% public support routinely fail to pass because voters don't actually have a meaningful say.

The conversation turns tactical and forward-looking, with Opdycke offering a sober assessment of the broader reform landscape and its persistent failures. He argues the ranked-choice voting movement has made serious tactical errors, that the party in power always fights ranked choice voting, and that the modern reform and independent movement suffers from a fundamental lack of a compelling public face — as well as from philanthropic funders who attach outcome expectations that distort the work. Opdycke is candid that third parties fare poorly in nearly every electoral system, that Ross Perot's Reform Party is now essentially a shell, and that the American people still don't trust the reform movement — but he sees real opportunity in specific fights, particularly mobilizing Florida's independents to change the law and pursuing top-two systems that would genuinely open the door to competition. He notes the striking statistic that 10,000 people per week are changing their voter registration, laments the general lack of curiosity (and polling) about who swing voters actually are, and argues there's meaningful left-right overlap among libertarians that reformers could tap. They explore whether the redistricting wars could create a backlash against the two-party system, why there are only about 25 competitive House districts left, and why several states are now actually moving back toward closed primaries. They close with a clear-eyed take on 2028: the reform movement needs a credible presidential candidate, and with 2028 shaping up to be a wild and unpredictable year, the opening for that kind of disruption may be wider than it's been in decades.

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.

 Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. 

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

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 John Opdycke joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:45 Voter & party registration rules vary greatly by state

03:00 Why do so many independents sit out partisan primaries?

05:30 NYC Democratic party actively fought open primary initiative

07:00 There have been cumulative effects of 30 years of closed primaries

08:15 Voter apathy across the board for voting in primaries

09:00 Independents showing strong support for Open Primaries

10:45 Parties have every right to choose their candidates

11:15 Parties now are both the umpires and the players, it doesn’t work

13:00 There’s bipartisan arguments for not using tax dollars for private orgs

14:15 Why are Democrats fighting against open primaries?

16:15 Ross Perot’s Reform Party is basically a shell at this point

19:00 Independent voters are incorrectly understood as in the middle

19:30 Independents are moderate in temperament, not ideology

21:15 Politics post-Clinton/Gingrich designed to keep independents down

22:15 The modern reform/independent movement lacks a face

23:15 Philanthropic funders come with expectations of outcomes

24:15 Ranked choice voting movement has made serious tactical errors

26:30 Party in power always fights ranked choice voting

28:00 Exclusion of independent voters is a Jim Crow level violation of rights

28:30 Policies with 80% support don’t pass, voters don’t have a say

30:00 Third parties don’t do well in almost any electoral system

31:15 Swing voters are ignored until October

31:45 Which states offer best opportunities for a third party?

32:30 Independents require the Democrat to drop out in senate races

36:00 Could the redistricting wars create backlash to the two party system?

36:45 There’s only 25 competitive house district

37:30 Leaders in several states now looking to go back to closed primaries

38:45 The American people don’t trust the Reform movement

40:45 Mobilizing independents in Florida to change the law

43:15 There’s left-right overlap amongst the libertarians

44:45 There’s a lack of curiosity about independent/swing voters

46:45 10,000 people per week change their voter registration

47:30 We need a flood of polling and research about independent voters

48:45 What does success look like for Open Primaries this year?

51:45 A top two system would open up the door to competition

53:15 There are fewer “generic” candidates, much more variance

55:45 The Reform movement needs a presidential candidate in ‘28

59:30 Perot had to scare both parties to get them to make reforms

1:01:00 Have to creative in ‘28, it will be a wild year in politics

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Cillizza and Chuck Todd open on a jolting weekend in politics: the sudden death of Lindsey Graham and the frantic — and faintly unseemly — scramble to replace him. Rather than relitigate Graham through the usual partisan lens, the guys argue that his loss, alongside the coming departures of Cornyn, Tillis, Cassidy, Durbin and others, amounts to a gutting of the Senate's dealmaking center, and they lay out their favorite framework for understanding him: the difference between "ideologues" and "politicians," and why the politicians are the ones who actually get things passed. They break down the near-term fallout for Trump, who just lost his most effective back-channel to skeptical senators and to Ukraine, and handicap the wide-open South Carolina race — from Henry McMaster's likely caretaker appointment to a crowded August primary featuring Pamela Evette, Nancy Mace, and a possible Trey Gowdy compromise play.

From there it's on to two health stories the news cycle nearly buried — the mystery around Mitch McConnell's fall, pneumonia and rehab stay, and Trump's latest Walter Reed cognitive test — before a deep dive into Maine, where Susan Collins suddenly has no opponent after Graham Platner's exit and seven Democrats will fight it out at a 600-person nominating convention. Chuck and Chris debate whether Collins is now more or less vulnerable, take a spirited detour through New England blue bloods and Platner's "oyster farmer" branding, and skewer the knives-out world of political consultants. Then they close personal and sporty: their National Journal origin story, and a nerdy back-and-forth on the reinvented Home Run Derby, All-Star nostalgia, a World Baseball Classic pitch, and the Nats' latest heartbreak.

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Welcome to Super Tuesdays 

01:29 Lindsey Graham dies Saturday night of an aortic rupture

02:01 When death hits mid-campaign, everything accelerates 

03:59 The "humans vs. aliens" acting analogy, applied to politicians

04:43 Ideologues vs. politicians — and why Graham was the latter

05:42 Democratic senators genuinely liked working with Graham

06:21 The real story: the gutting of the Senate's dealmaking center

11:33 Graham would've been a Democrat if he'd grown up in Oregon

14:26 Near-term fallout — Graham was Thune & Trump's whisperer

14:59 Why Todd Blanche's confirmation just got harder

16:14 Zelensky lost his best Trump whisperer, too

17:30 Republicans have functionally lost control of the Senate

19:37 An open South Carolina Senate seat comes once a generation

22:09 South Carolina's factional GOP sets up a free-for-all

24:43 A full six-year term raises the stakes 

29:06 Could Trey Gowdy be the compromise candidate?

31:02 What is going on with Mitch McConnell?

35:45 The buried health story: Trump's new Walter Reed cognitive test

36:36 Should cognitive tests be mandatory for presidents over 75?

38:26 On Graham, Trump can only make it about himself

39:32 The Butler anniversary crowd-size claim

40:32 To Maine: Collins is the most vulnerable Republican 

41:02 Handicapping the seven-Democrat nominating convention

45:07 Is Susan Collins more or less vulnerable than a month ago?

47:13 Why the right Democratic nominee could actually beat her

51:15 Platner's privilege & the "oyster farmer" brand

51:39 The knives-out world of nepo-baby campaign consultants

51:56 Chuck & Chris's National Journal origin story

54:35 Why "he's a farmer, not a politician" branding is hypnotic nonsense

56:20 To sports: the reinvented, 20-swing Home Run Derby

56:41 The Nats blow three leads 

58:04 Empty-nesting & the streaming shows worth your night

59:42 All-Star nostalgia in the age of the MLB app and interleague play

1:02:42 A pitch for a two-week WBC break every July

1:04:25 The Futures Game & Nats prospect Eli Willits

1:05:06 Wrap-up: subscribe to Super Tuesdays

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd devotes much of this episode to a rich, personal reflection on the death of Senator Lindsey Graham at 71 — a figure who can only be understood if you separate the ideologues from the pure politicians, because Graham was unambiguously the latter. Graham always wanted to be in the middle of the Republican Party, treated his Senate seat as something as precious to him as a spouse, and was a genuine political creature who could nonetheless work with everyone, partnering with both Trump and Obama across his career. Chuck shares personal memories — interviewing Graham alongside John McCain, the two of them giving outsized attention to the Steele Dossier; Graham losing his parents in his 20s and raising his 13-year-old sister; even reassuring Chuck’s own wife about her worries over Trump — and argues that Graham, for all his capitulations, actually served as one of the few moderating forces on Trump. He  lays out the very real political fallout: Todd Blanche's confirmation as Attorney General is now in serious jeopardy, Graham leaves a massive vacuum in the GOP conference, and his South Carolina seat could actually be competitive for Democrat Annie Andrews if the Republican primary lurches far enough to the right. From there Chuck draws a series of parallels between American and British politics — Labour returning to power on a promise of competence and stability, Nigel Farage (like Trump) trying to convert political fame into personal wealth, and the satirical candidate "Count Binface" holding up a mirror to a political culture that has become pure theater — musing, only half-jokingly, that America could use its own Count Binface. Chuck closes on a sober note about the U.S.-Israel relationship, which he believes is heading for a real retreat: he recalls how close the region came to a two-state peace two decades ago, how the collapse of that moment allowed radicalism to escalate on both sides until each could argue the other doesn't want peace, and points to Rahm Emanuel's recent speech in Israel — warning that Israel must articulate a vision for what comes after the war or risk isolating itself from younger and moderate Americans — as the sound of someone trying to save a political center that vanishes the moment people conclude moderates don't have answers. 

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to break down the messy build up and coalitions involved in the Spanish civil war, and what lessons modern America can take from it. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and make a proposal for a change to the baseball Hall of Fame.

From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at 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.

 Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. 

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

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:15 Senator Lindsey Graham dead at 71

04:45 Reactions to Graham are filtered through one’s personal politics

05:30 There are ideologues and there are politicians. Graham was the latter

06:45 Graham always wanted to be in the middle of the Republican party

09:00 Graham’s senate seat was as important to him as a spouse

11:15 Certain people are just political creatures, like Graham and Cruz

12:45 Graham was able to work with everyone on both sides of the aisle

13:30 Graham worked with both Trump and Obama

15:30 Conspiracy theories are swirling about Graham’s death

16:15 There needs to be a thorough autopsy to put conspiracies to rest

17:30 Chuck interviewed Graham & McCain, they mentioned the Steele Dossier

18:15 Graham and McCain gave the most attention to the Dossier

20:30 Graham’s parents died in his 20s, he raised his 13 year old sister

22:30 Chuck had Graham as a dark horse candidate for 2008

23:15 Graham was aware of the rumors and never addressed them directly

24:30 The real world impact on politics from Graham’s passing 

25:00 Todd Blanche’s confirmation is now in serious jeopardy

25:30 Graham leaves a massive vacuum in the GOP conference

28:00 Graham kept Trump from fully going down the fascist road

29:15 Unlike Trump, Graham sees Putin as a threat & backed Ukraine

31:15 Impact on the South Carolina elections

32:00 There will be lots of Republicans looking to jump into the primary

33:15 If primary goes super right-wing, Democrat Annie Andrews has a shot

35:15 Graham reassured Chuck’s wife after expressing worries about Trump

37:45 Graham knew if he had gone hard on Trump, he’d lose his senate seat

38:45 There are parallels between U.S. and U.K politics

39:45 Labour came back into power promising competence and stability

40:45 Nigel Farage, like Trump… is trying to turn political fame into wealth

42:30 “Count Binface” has been challenging Farage as a satirical candidate

43:30 The man who made UK politics theatrical, now facing a theatrical challenge

44:00 The U.S. could really use a “Count Binface” to hold up a mirror

45:15 What if we accepted the premise of politics as entertainment?

46:00 Should we host a political reality show on an island

47:15 Governing experience has become a liability in American politics

48:00 Media rewards performance more than competency 

50:15 There is going to be a retreat in the American-Israeli partnership

50:45  20 years ago we were very close to peace & two state solution

52:45 When moderation & compromise fail, radicalism takes its place

54:00 There was a serious chance for peace two decades ago

54:30 After both sides walked away, the radicalism escalated

56:15 The extremes can now argue the other side doesn’t want peace

57:00 Rahm Emmanuel travels to Israel to give speech

58:00 Rahm says Israel must provide vision for what comes after war

59:15 Rahm warns Israel risks isolating itself from younger & moderate Americans

1:00:45 Rahm sounds like someone trying to save the political center

1:02:00 Moderation disappears when it feels like moderates don’t have answers

01:12:00 ToddCast Time Machine - July 17th, 1936  

01:12:30 Start of the Spanish civil war  

01:13:15 Why does Spain’s civil war stand out in history?  

01:14:30 The war wasn’t simply a fight between left and right  

01:15:00 1930s Spain had every divide imaginable  

01:16:00 Political violence became common, political center got smaller  

01:16:45 The left wing coalition that won was barely united at all  

01:17:45 Military units in Morocco revolted, then coup spread to Spain  

01:18:30 Franco eventually united a fascist coalition with military command  

01:19:15 The left’s internal divisions became one of Franco’s advantages  

01:20:30 Civilians became part of the battlefield and were targeted  

01:22:00 George Orwell’s writing came directly from his experiences in Spain  

01:23:15 The fascist wing won the war and Franco ruled until 1975  

01:24:00 Pluralism only emerged after decades of authoritarian rule  

01:25:30 The transition out of authoritarianism came from exhaustion, not agreement  

01:27:00 Sharing power with opponents is preferable to violence  

01:28:15 Book recommendations for learning more about the Spanish civil war  

01:29:15 Ask Chuck  

01:29:30 How can we get back to lasting governance and progress?  

01:35:00 Could Trump run as VP or speaker then ascend back to the presidency?  

01:38:15 Why do prominent political interviews not have aggressive follow ups?  

01:44:45 Who was the best pitcher of this generation that’s retiring? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd devotes much of this episode to a rich, personal reflection on the death of Senator Lindsey Graham at 71 — a figure who can only be understood if you separate the ideologues from the pure politicians, because Graham was unambiguously the latter. Graham always wanted to be in the middle of the Republican Party, treated his Senate seat as something as precious to him as a spouse, and was a genuine political creature who could nonetheless work with everyone, partnering with both Trump and Obama across his career. Chuck shares personal memories — interviewing Graham alongside John McCain, the two of them giving outsized attention to the Steele Dossier; Graham losing his parents in his 20s and raising his 13-year-old sister; even reassuring Chuck’s own wife about her worries over Trump — and argues that Graham, for all his capitulations, actually served as one of the few moderating forces on Trump. He  lays out the very real political fallout: Todd Blanche's confirmation as Attorney General is now in serious jeopardy, Graham leaves a massive vacuum in the GOP conference, and his South Carolina seat could actually be competitive for Democrat Annie Andrews if the Republican primary lurches far enough to the right. From there Chuck draws a series of parallels between American and British politics — Labour returning to power on a promise of competence and stability, Nigel Farage (like Trump) trying to convert political fame into personal wealth, and the satirical candidate "Count Binface" holding up a mirror to a political culture that has become pure theater — musing, only half-jokingly, that America could use its own Count Binface. Chuck closes on a sober note about the U.S.-Israel relationship, which he believes is heading for a real retreat: he recalls how close the region came to a two-state peace two decades ago, how the collapse of that moment allowed radicalism to escalate on both sides until each could argue the other doesn't want peace, and points to Rahm Emanuel's recent speech in Israel — warning that Israel must articulate a vision for what comes after the war or risk isolating itself from younger and moderate Americans — as the sound of someone trying to save a political center that vanishes the moment people conclude moderates don't have answers. 

Then, John Morgan — founder of Morgan & Morgan, one of the largest personal injury firms in the country & author of "Life is Luck: Lessons From a Paperboy and How to Improve Your Luck"  joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about civil litigation, the failures of government regulation, and his plan to launch a third party in Florida. Morgan makes the case that civil litigation has grown precisely because government has failed to regulate — social media is a genuine threat to human wellbeing (especially for children), monopolies are squeezing consumers, and processed foods, he argues, are the new tobacco: extremely harmful and ripe for legal reckoning. He offers a candid, colorful assessment of his former firm member RFK Jr. — "smart and crazy," a man who falls down some rabbit holes but also champions legitimate causes — and walks through the thorny reality that vaccine makers enjoy total indemnity while sovereign immunity exists in some form in all 50 states. Morgan is refreshingly honest about the ethics of his own industry, arguing that ads gloating about settlement numbers are a mistake because the real goal of a settlement is to give someone back something they lost, not to celebrate a payday.

The heart of the conversation is Morgan's plan to launch a new third party in Florida called "Common Ground," rooted in his conviction that the two-party system itself is what's fundamentally broken in America. Morgan argues that moderates should function as the tiebreakers in a polarized system — that picking up just a few seats could turn an uncommitted moderate bloc into a genuine fulcrum of power in Congress — and explains why he'd rather build something new than partner with the existing Forward Party. He handicaps Florida's political landscape with an insider's candor: Byron Donalds likely wins the governorship but it'll be close, the Charlie Crist party-switch playbook never worked, and he's genuinely unsure whether voters can find David Jolly credible after his own party change.. Morgan laments that too many people now enter politics for the pension and salary rather than public service, criticizes DeSantis for appointing cronies as university presidents, and argues age limits are overdue because government should be about the future and very few politicians remain effective past 70. Along the way he explains why he thinks Texas Democrats fielded a more viable ticket than Florida's (James Talarico, he says, simply has "it"), why Andy Beshear won in Kentucky, why charter schools are about money rather than choice, and why DeSantis's property tax proposal could become a Brexit-style case study in voters making decisions that make no sense once the consequences arrive.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to break down the messy build up and coalitions involved in the Spanish civil war, and what lessons modern America can take from it. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and make a proposal for a change to the baseball Hall of Fame.

Get John Morgan's book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Life-is-Luck/dp/B0H2K52H4G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LF7S7OGAT46F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CaRKVB4mHJGTS0bVFd7ONcU6YfsmpGl_tDncLiWRzCNecvHPOVtdrMbXsFl_LNyLxyW8nLRxXL3j5wdKGrHq7hSKazupgR14cC3u74xjkQpTUw2_xdJsVkC21K2kobaEZpdGZJsOkB5HdKgNBvyzjcb0eh8sdqhprrTbUo_1Fss.iLY1CiUpIpHB0Z1TbM0GJH2COy5EqaDcd3D_ItY0mfg&dib_tag=se&keywords=John+Morgan+life+is+luck&qid=1784135091&s=books&sprefix=john+morgan+life+is+luck%2Cstripbooks%2C177&sr=1-1

From the opening whistle to the final kick. Bet on a match and get bonus bets for every goal scored at 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.

 Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. 

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

Timeline:

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:15 Senator Lindsey Graham dead at 71

04:45 Reactions to Graham are filtered through one’s personal politics

05:30 There are ideologues and there are politicians. Graham was the latter

06:45 Graham always wanted to be in the middle of the Republican party

09:00 Graham’s senate seat was as important to him as a spouse

11:15 Certain people are just political creatures, like Graham and Cruz

12:45 Graham was able to work with everyone on both sides of the aisle

13:30 Graham worked with both Trump and Obama

15:30 Conspiracy theories are swirling about Graham’s death

16:15 There needs to be a thorough autopsy to put conspiracies to rest

17:30 Chuck interviewed Graham & McCain, they mentioned the Steele Dossier

18:15 Graham and McCain gave the most attention to the Dossier

20:30 Graham’s parents died in his 20s, he raised his 13 year old sister

22:30 Chuck had Graham as a dark horse candidate for 2008

23:15 Graham was aware of the rumors and never addressed them directly

24:30 The real world impact on politics from Graham’s passing 

25:00 Todd Blanche’s confirmation is now in serious jeopardy

25:30 Graham leaves a massive vacuum in the GOP conference

28:00 Graham kept Trump from fully going down the fascist road

29:15 Unlike Trump, Graham sees Putin as a threat & backed Ukraine

31:15 Impact on the South Carolina elections

32:00 There will be lots of Republicans looking to jump into the primary

33:15 If primary goes super right-wing, Democrat Annie Andrews has a shot

35:15 Graham reassured Chuck’s wife after expressing worries about Trump

37:45 Graham knew if he had gone hard on Trump, he’d lose his senate seat

38:45 There are parallels between U.S. and U.K politics

39:45 Labour came back into power promising competence and stability

40:45 Nigel Farage, like Trump… is trying to turn political fame into wealth

42:30 “Count Binface” has been challenging Farage as a satirical candidate

43:30 The man who made UK politics theatrical, now facing a theatrical challenge

44:00 The U.S. could really use a “Count Binface” to hold up a mirror

45:15 What if we accepted the premise of politics as entertainment?

46:00 Should we host a political reality show on an island

47:15 Governing experience has become a liability in American politics

48:00 Media rewards performance more than competency 

50:15 There is going to be a retreat in the American-Israeli partnership

50:45  20 years ago we were very close to peace & two state solution

52:45 When moderation & compromise fail, radicalism takes its place

54:00 There was a serious chance for peace two decades ago

54:30 After both sides walked away, the radicalism escalated

56:15 The extremes can now argue the other side doesn’t want peace

57:00 Rahm Emmanuel travels to Israel to give speech

58:00 Rahm says Israel must provide vision for what comes after war

59:15 Rahm warns Israel risks isolating itself from younger & moderate Americans

1:00:45 Rahm sounds like someone trying to save the political center

1:02:00 Moderation disappears when it feels like moderates don’t have answers

01:12:30 John Morgan joins the Chuck ToddCast  

01:13:15 What is most difficult about nationalizing a law firm?  

01:14:15 When screening for good lawyers, it’s obvious who stands out  

01:15:30 Lawsuits always seem frivolous until it happens to you  

01:16:15 Ads that gloat about settlement numbers are a mistake  

01:17:00 The goal of settlements is to give back something that was lost  

01:18:15 Thoughts on private equity using civil litigation to hedge?  

01:18:45 Involvement in cases against big tech companies  

01:19:15 Social media is a threat to human wellbeing, especially children  

01:21:00 Civil litigation has grown as government has failed to regulate  

01:22:30 Monopolies are squeezing consumers  

01:23:00 Processed foods are like tobacco, extremely harmful  

01:23:30 RFK Jr. was a member of the firm, he’s smart and crazy  

01:24:45 RFK falls down some BS rabbit holes but also has good causes  

01:25:15 Vaccine makers have total indemnity  

01:26:00 Sovereign immunity exists in some fashion in all 50 states  

01:26:30 What’s your process for vetting science?  

01:28:00 Will be launching a third party in Florida - The Common Ground  

01:30:00 Other wealthy people have considered starting third parties  

01:32:30 The two party system is what is broken in the country  

01:33:00 Why not partner with the Forward Party?  

01:34:30 Moderates should be the tiebreakers  

01:36:00 A few uncommitted moderates could be a swing vote in congress  

01:36:45 All you need to do is pick up a few seats to act as a fulcrum  

01:38:15 It’s likely that Donalds wins in Florida, but it will be close  

01:39:00 Why didn’t the Charlie Crist move work for Florida Democrats?  

01:40:15 Can voters find David Jolly credible after changing parties?  

01:42:00 More people are getting into politics for a pension & salary  

01:43:00 People are going into politics for the wrong reasons  

01:44:15 DeSantis appointed his cronies to be university presidents  

01:45:00 Still deciding on whether to support Donalds or Jolly  

01:46:30 Vindman doesn’t have a chance at winning  

01:47:30 Texas Dem ticket is more liberal, why is it more viable than Florida’s?  

01:48:15 James Talarico is very formidable, he has “it”  

01:50:30 Andy Beshear won because Bevin turned on public school teachers  

01:51:15 Charter schools aren’t about choice, they’re about money  

01:52:00 Parental involvement is the best indicator of school performance  

01:53:15 How would you message against DeSantis’s property tax proposal?  

01:54:15 Americans are less interested in “us” and more interested in “me”  

01:54:45 Implementing the property tax proposal will be like Brexit  

01:57:00 Voters can make decisions that make no sense  

01:57:45 Had the itch to run for office, but unlikely to do it  

01:58:15 Government is for the future, should be age limits for elected officials  

01:59:30 Very few elder politicians remain effective past 70 years old  

02:02:30 Thoughts on the interview with John Morgan  

02:03:00 ToddCast Time Machine - July 17th, 1936  

02:03:30 Start of the Spanish civil war  

02:04:15 Why does Spain’s civil war stand out in history?  

02:05:30 The war wasn’t simply a fight between left and right  

02:06:00 1930s Spain had every divide imaginable  

02:07:00 Political violence became common, political center got smaller  

02:07:45 The left wing coalition that won was barely united at all  

02:08:45 Military units in Morocco revolted, then coup spread to Spain  

02:09:30 Franco eventually united a fascist coalition with military command  

02:10:15 The left’s internal divisions became one of Franco’s advantages  

02:11:30 Civilians became part of the battlefield and were targeted  

02:13:00 George Orwell’s writing came directly from his experiences in Spain  

02:14:15 The fascist wing won the war and Franco ruled until 1975  

02:15:00 Pluralism only emerged after decades of authoritarian rule  

02:16:30 The transition out of authoritarianism came from exhaustion, not agreement  

02:18:00 Sharing power with opponents is preferable to violence  

02:19:15 Book recommendations for learning more about the Spanish civil war  

02:20:15 Ask Chuck  

02:20:30 How can we get back to lasting governance and progress?  

02:26:00 Could Trump run as VP or speaker then ascend back to the presidency?  

02:29:15 Why do prominent political interviews not have aggressive follow ups?  

02:35:45 Who was the best pitcher of this generation that’s retiring? 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Morgan — founder of Morgan & Morgan, one of the largest personal injury firms in the country & author of "Life is Luck: Lessons From a Paperboy and How to Improve Your Luck" joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation about civil litigation, the failures of government regulation, and his plan to launch a third party in Florida. Morgan makes the case that civil litigation has grown precisely because government has failed to regulate — social media is a genuine threat to human wellbeing (especially for children), monopolies are squeezing consumers, and processed foods, he argues, are the new tobacco: extremely harmful and ripe for legal reckoning. He offers a candid, colorful assessment of his former firm member RFK Jr. — "smart and crazy," a man who falls down some rabbit holes but also champions legitimate causes — and walks through the thorny reality that vaccine makers enjoy total indemnity while sovereign immunity exists in some form in all 50 states. Morgan is refreshingly honest about the ethics of his own industry, arguing that ads gloating about settlement numbers are a mistake because the real goal of a settlement is to give someone back something they lost, not to celebrate a payday.

The heart of the conversation is Morgan's plan to launch a new third party in Florida called "Common Ground," rooted in his conviction that the two-party system itself is what's fundamentally broken in America. Morgan argues that moderates should function as the tiebreakers in a polarized system — that picking up just a few seats could turn an uncommitted moderate bloc into a genuine fulcrum of power in Congress — and explains why he'd rather build something new than partner with the existing Forward Party. He handicaps Florida's political landscape with an insider's candor: Byron Donalds likely wins the governorship but it'll be close, the Charlie Crist party-switch playbook never worked, and he's genuinely unsure whether voters can find David Jolly credible after his own party change.. Morgan laments that too many people now enter politics for the pension and salary rather than public service, criticizes DeSantis for appointing cronies as university presidents, and argues age limits are overdue because government should be about the future and very few politicians remain effective past 70. Along the way he explains why he thinks Texas Democrats fielded a more viable ticket than Florida's (James Talarico, he says, simply has "it"), why Andy Beshear won in Kentucky, why charter schools are about money rather than choice, and why DeSantis's property tax proposal could become a Brexit-style case study in voters making decisions that make no sense once the consequences arrive.

Get John's book here

https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Life-is-Luck/dp/B0H2K52H4G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LF7S7OGAT46F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CaRKVB4mHJGTS0bVFd7ONcU6YfsmpGl_tDncLiWRzCNecvHPOVtdrMbXsFl_LNyLxyW8nLRxXL3j5wdKGrHq7hSKazupgR14cC3u74xjkQpTUw2_xdJsVkC21K2kobaEZpdGZJsOkB5HdKgNBvyzjcb0eh8sdqhprrTbUo_1Fss.iLY1CiUpIpHB0Z1TbM0GJH2COy5EqaDcd3D_ItY0mfg&dib_tag=se&keywords=John+Morgan+life+is+luck&qid=1784135091&s=books&sprefix=john+morgan+life+is+luck%2Cstripbooks%2C177&sr=1-1

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.

 Refresh your wardrobe with Quince. Go to https://Quince.com/chuck for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. 

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

Timeline:

00:00 John Morgan joins the Chuck ToddCast

00:45 What is most difficult about nationalizing a law firm?

01:45 When screening for good lawyers, it’s obvious who stands out

03:00 Lawsuits always seem frivolous until it happens to you

03:45 Ads that gloat about settlement numbers are a mistake

04:15 The goal of settlements is to give back something that was lost

05:00 Thoughts on private equity using civil litigation to hedge?

06:15 Involvement in cases against big tech companies

06:45 Social media is a threat to human wellbeing, especially children

08:30 Civil litigation has grown as government has failed to regulate

10:00 Monopolies are squeezing consumers

10:30 Processed foods are like tobacco, extremely harmful

11:00 RFK Jr. was a member of the firm, he’s smart and crazy

12:15 RFK falls down some BS rabbit holes but also has good causes

12:45 Vaccine makers have total indemnity

13:30 Sovereign immunity exists in some fashion in all 50 states

14:00 What’s your process for vetting science?

15:30 Will be launching a third party in Florida - The Common Ground

17:30 Other wealthy people have considered starting third parties 

20:00 The two party system is what is broken in the country

20:30 Why not partner with the Forward Party?

22:00 Moderates should be the tiebreakers

23:30 A few uncommitted moderates could be a swing vote in congress

24:15 All you need to do is pick up a few seats to act as a fulcrum

25:45 It’s likely that Donalds wins in Florida, but it will be close

26:30 Why didn’t the Charlie Crist move work for Florida Democrats?

27:45 Can voters find David Jolly credible after changing parties?

29:30 More people are getting into politics for a pension & salary

30:30 People are going into politics for the wrong reasons

31:45 DeSantis appointed his cronies to be university presidents

32:30 Still deciding on whether to support Donalds or Jolly

34:00 Vindman doesn’t have a chance at winning

35:00 Texas Dem ticket is more liberal, why is it more viable than Florida’s?

35:45 James Talarico is very formidable, he has “it”

38:00 Andy Beshear won because Bevin turned on public school teachers

38:45 Charter schools aren’t about choice, they’re about money

39:30 Parental involvement is the best indicator of school performance

40:45 How would you message against DeSantis’s property tax proposal?

41:45 Americans are less interested in “us” and more interested in “me”

42:15 Implementing the property tax proposal will be like Brexit

44:30 Voters can make decisions that make no sense

45:15 Had the itch to run for office, but unlikely to do it

45:45 Government is for the future, should be age limits for elected officials

47:00 Very few elder politicians remain effective past 70 years old

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.