Chuck Todd begins with a rant about his beloved Washington Nationals interesting selection with the #1 overall draft pick. He pivots to the firestorm surrounding the Trump administration over their refusal to release the promised Epstein files to the public and why Trump’s reality TV style of governance is colliding with actual reality. He also discusses Trump’s retribution campaign having a chilling effect on dissent, the ongoing effort to fire Fed chairman Jay Powell, and highlights a troubling trend for Democrats.

Then, Chuck is joined by congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, who offers an insider's perspective on the challenges facing both Congress and her swing district in Colorado. The conversation begins with her advocacy for modernizing congressional rules, particularly around proxy voting for pregnant members, before diving into broader structural issues plaguing the institution. Pettersen argues that Congress has become increasingly dysfunctional due to the consolidation of power in leadership and the erosion of legislative authority, making it especially difficult for women and minority party members to effectively serve their constituents.

The discussion covers a wide range of policy challenges, from the housing crisis and healthcare access to immigration reform and climate change. Pettersen emphasizes the need for massive federal investment in housing rather than tax incentives, warns that Trump's policies will exacerbate the housing crisis, and predicts that the homeowners insurance industry will force Congress to act on climate change. She also tackles the politically sensitive topic of immigration, arguing that outdated policies have worsened border security issues and that comprehensive reform would be the best way to address rising costs. Throughout the conversation, Pettersen stresses the importance of transparency in government spending, believing voters deserve to know exactly what services are sacrificed when tax cuts are implemented.

Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment regarding Trump administration salaries, third party candidates in presidential elections and the immigration bill that never received a vote. 

Timeline:

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00:00 Introduction

00:15 Nationals perplexing #1 draft pick

02:45 The pick isn’t reassuring to Nats fans

04:00 You can’t win if you aren’t willing to spend money

07:00 Trump’s reality TV approach is clashing with reality

08:30 Trump is acting very nervous about the Epstein files

10:00 The most simple explanations for the Epstein file debacle

11:00 What is Trump trying to distract from?

11:45 Trump’s immigration narrative doesn’t match reality

14:00 “Alligator Alcatraz” is a disgusting P.R. stunt

15:15 The fear Trump has created will hurt the economy

16:15 Misinformation made the Texas disaster far worse

18:45 Reality will always get the last word

20:30 Our broken information ecosystem is running into reality

21:30 Trump’s retribution campaign is chilling dissent

23:30 People who know better are staying silent

24:45 Trump is looking for a pretext to fire Jay Powell from the Fed

26:00 Trump wants to use a “cost overrun” loophole to fire Powell

29:00 There is a gender crisis brewing for the Democratic party

31:00 Democrats are being viewed as the “women’s party” and against men

33:30 Check out Chuck’s interview with Rahm Emmanuel on Noosphere!

35:00 Brittany Pettersen joins the Chuck ToddCast! 

35:30 Tour of Colorado's 7th district 

37:15 Changing congressional rules for proxy voting by pregnant members 

40:45 Will she introduce legislation for proxy voting if there's a new speaker? 

42:30 What guardrails should be put on proxy voting? 

44:30 Congress isn't set up for women 

46:45 How difficult is it being in the house minority? 

48:30 Big beautiful bill removed substance abuse waiver from Medicaid 

49:30 Consolidation of power in leadership has been bad for democracy 

52:30 Congress has given away its authority to leadership and the executive 

55:00 Balancing voter concerns in a swing district 

57:30 Social safety nets are being cut off 

1:00:00 Is the housing crisis a state or federal issue? 

1:01:00 Housing needs massive investment, not tax incentives 

1:02:30 What does that investment look like? 

1:04:15 Trump's policies will make the housing crisis worse 

1:05:45 The homeowners insurance industry will force congress to act on climate 

1:07:30 Will leaders re-think killing FEMA after the Texas disaster? 

1:10:15 Will FEMA become Medicaid for disasters? 

1:12:15 Voters deserve a receipt for their tax dollars 

1:14:00 Voters should know what services get sacrificed for tax cuts 

1:15:15 How can the immigration system be improved? 

1:17:00 Fixing immigration would be the best way to address rising costs 

1:18:30 Did Democrats blow it on the issue of border security? 

1:20:00 Outdated immigration policy made the border issue far worse 

1:21:30 Any interest in running for Michael Bennet's senate seat? 

1:23:00 Should there be an age cap for legislators? 

1:25:15 What is wrong with the Colorado Rockies?

1:27:30 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Brittany Petterson 

1:28:45 Ask Chuck 

1:29:00 Do Trump appointees with multiple roles get multiple salaries? 

1:31:00 Would a viable third party cause a deadlock in presidential elections? 

1:35:00 Thoughts on the prior immigration reform bill that was tanked? 

1:40:30 Andrew Cuomo trying to rally support against Mamdani