On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck unpacks the latest government shutdown and the political brinkmanship that created it. He explores how shutdowns—once unthinkable—have become a partisan weapon, wasting money while allowing leaders like Donald Trump to punish opponents and play to their base. With Democrats at risk of shouldering equal or greater blame, Chuck asks whether the public is even paying attention, and what role figures like Russ Vought could play in reshaping government permanently. Beyond the shutdown, the conversation turns to the bigger picture: why voters never saw Trump as an aberration, why 2020 wasn’t a full repudiation of 2016, and what Democrats must do to win back Trump voters in 2028. From Harris’s struggle to differentiate herself from Biden to Clinton’s careful dance with Reagan’s legacy, Chuck argues that Democrats may need to admit Trump identified real problems—even as his solutions and behavior, especially with military leaders, remain deeply troubling.

Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 senate races most likely to flip parties, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment, and recaps a frustrating night at the Cowboys/Packers game.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Introduction - Government begins shutting down

01:15 Congress created shutdown conditions for political leverage

02:00 Could shutdown trigger the end of the senate filibuster rule?

02:45 Democrats have always messaged that shutdowns are bad

04:30 Democrats could shoulder equal or more blame for shutdown

06:30 Shutdowns are a massive waste of money

07:30 Trump seems excited for shutdown to punish opponents

09:15 Terrible trend of politicians only governing for their base

11:15 Independents are pretty sour on Trump’s presidency

13:00 Russ Vought at OMB could use shutdown to reorient gov’t permanently

14:30 Big danger for Democrats is whether the public is paying attention

15:30 Chuck Schumer is “Mitch McConnell” level unpopular

18:45 If Dems want to win in 28 they’ll have to win over some Trump voters

20:15 Democrats thought Trump was an aberration, voters didn’t

21:15 2020 wasn’t a repudiation of why Trump was elected in 2016

24:00 Voters don’t want status quo, which is why they elected Trump twice

26:15 Harris needed to prove she was different from Biden and didn’t

27:45 For Clinton to win, he couldn’t repudiate everything Reagan did

30:00 Trump’s behavior in front of military leaders was outrageous

31:30 The military leaders handled the situation exactly as they should

32:30 Hegseth lectured leaders of far higher rank than he earned in military

33:45 Democrats will have to admit that Trump correctly identified problems

34:45 Voters picked “political division” as the 2nd biggest problem after economy

37:30 ToddCast Top 5 Senate races most likely to flip parties

38:00 #1 North Carolina

39:45 #2 Georgia

41:45 #3 Michigan

43:30 #4 Maine

45:30 #5 New Hampshire

51:00 Honorable mentions

51:30 Ask Chuck

51:45 Why is the lie that shutdown is over money for illegal immigrants pervasive?

54:45 Democrats feeling disheartened after talking to Trump supporters?

58:45 Would the country be better off if Trump was reelected in 2020?

1:03:00 Will Des Moines superintendent arrest derail Iowa senate campaign?

1:04:45 Chuck's experience at Cowboys/Packers game in Dallas

1:10:00 It was a great weekend of college football

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On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, NewsNation host Leland Vittert opens up about his personal journey growing up on the autism spectrum, the struggles his family faced, and the lessons that shaped his outlook on life and journalism. From being misunderstood in school and learning to navigate social cues, to the pivotal role his mother played in holding the family together, Vittert reflects on why he chose to go public with his story and how his experiences inform his new book—a parenting guide told from the child’s perspective. He also explores how autism has served as both a challenge and, at times, a superpower in his career and personal life.

The conversation widens to America’s media landscape, where Vittert argues for a “radical center” approach and a journalism that calls balls and strikes on both sides rather than chasing flashy headlines. He stresses the importance of reviving local news, curating coverage around what matters most, and confronting the biases not only in how stories are told, but in which stories get told at all. This candid discussion is part memoir, part media critique, and a call for greater honesty—both in parenting and in public life.

Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Leland Vittert joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:45 The public doesn’t grasp autism and child development issues
03:00 Autism wasn’t well understood in the 80s

03:45 Parents struggle to raise neurodivergent children

05:00 Adapting to the world you live in, not expecting world to adapt to you

06:45 Leland’s father didn’t want him to be defined by his disability

07:30 PE teacher put Leland in with the girls “to protect him”

08:15 The struggle with learning to pick up social queues

13:15 Everyone in DC always wanted to be student body president

14:00 Why go public with your story of being on the spectrum?

16:30 There’s a “parental reckoning” happening in America

17:30 There are lots of broken young men susceptible to radicalization

19:00 Nobody has definitive answers about causes of autism

21:15 Scientists need to be humble enough to say “I don’t know”
22:30 80% of parents with disabled children get divorced

24:30 Leland’s mother held the family together, hero of the story

26:30 Telling this story publicly is like going to therapy on live TV

28:00 How did you share the story of your autism with your wife?

31:00 You don’t “get over” autism

32:30 Where has autism showcased itself as a superpower in your life?

34:30 Book is a parenting book written from the child’s perspective

36:15 There’s no one answer to America’s media problem

37:45 What works and doesn’t work in the news media??

39:00 There is a “radical center” that’s sick of extremes on both sides

39:45 Journalists should call balls and strikes and call out both sides

41:45 Cable news tends to obsess over stories that are flashy over substantive

43:00 Journalists should curate stories that are most important

44:45 Bias isn’t just how you cover the news, it’s what you cover

46:30 Local news was a character reference for the national network journalists

48:15 How to revive local news/journalism?

51:00 Leland really put himself out there with this book

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As a bonus for Chuck ToddCast listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Kamala: Next in Line, a six-part podcast from MSNBC and Wondery that goes inside the cross-cultural journey that led Senator Kamala Harris from her humble roots to become the first African-American woman to be the Vice Presidential nominee for a major party. From Oakland to Howard University, and California to Washington DC, experience her story as it has never been told before. Hosted by MSNBC's Joy Reid, the show features exclusive interviews with those who know her best, painting a picture of a woman who has fought her way to the top at every turn. Listen to the first episode, and subscribe to the series now: https://link.chtbl.com/description-kamala

Silvio Berlusconi was a charismatic multi-millionaire real-estate mogul who upended the Italian political order and hypnotized an entire nation. He was the longest-serving prime minister of one of the world’s wealthiest countries, until he was brought down by three powerful women - and two words: “Bunga Bunga.” From Wondery, the makers of Dirty John and The Shrink Next Door, and hosted by comedian Whitney Cummings, “Bunga Bunga” is an eight part series on the incredible true story of the rise and fall of Silvio Berlusconi, told with Whitney’s signature wit and style. 

Subscribe today: Wondery.fm/BungaBunga_NBCTC

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, veteran journalist for The Economist, James Bennet joins Chuck to break down Donald Trump’s scathing U.N. speech and what it reveals about his worldview: not isolationist, but relentlessly self-centered, with his personal interest framed as national interest. Bennet warns that Trump’s grip on power is existential for him and his administration, and if institutions like the Supreme Court allow unchecked presidential firings, the rule of law itself could unravel. From the Cold War’s stabilizing influence to the fractures of today’s four-party system crammed into two, Bennet and Chuck explore whether America can navigate its political turmoil without mass violence, and how drone warfare, refugee flows, and the collapse of the international rules-based order are reshaping global politics.

The conversation also turns inward, examining how journalism has struggled to adapt in the Trump era. Bennet reflects on writing for international audiences, the dangers of catering to niche media bubbles, and why legacy outlets must rediscover local reporting. He argues that deplatforming Trump was a massive mistake that accelerated the collapse of resistance, while public pressure against platforming controversial voices continues to erode open debate. From Biden’s misunderstood mandate to the Senate’s paralysis and the rise of cult-of-personality politics, this episode considers what reforms will be necessary both in government and in journalism.

Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 James Bennet joins the Chuck ToddCast

01:30 Trump scolds other nations in scathing U.N. speech

02:30 Trump behaved like Hugo Chavez in U.N. speech

03:45 Trump is not an isolationist, but it’s all centered around him

04:30 Trump sees his interest as the national interest

06:15 How alarmed should we be?

07:15 Things have gotten pretty dark in the past two weeks

08:00 Staying in power is existential for Trump & his administration

09:30 If you lose the rule of law, you lose the country

10:15 If SCOTUS allows fed firing, there’s no going back

11:00 John Roberts desperate to avoid constitutional showdown

12:30 Government will require major reform after Trump

15:00 The cold war was a stabilizing force in American politics

17:00 America is a four party system crammed into two parties

19:00 Public sentiment has been pessimistic the entire 21st century

20:45 Can we get through this without mass violence?

22:30 It’s hard to imagine a productive modern constitutional convention

24:00 The last “protectionist race” led to a world war

25:15 We’re no longer living in the international rules based order

26:30 Drones are massively changing the dynamics of warfare

28:00 Refugee flows are causing political instability worldwide

28:30 Trump has no interest in leading internationally

30:00 Trump is constantly campaigning and only for his base

32:00 Did we export our politics to Israel, or the other way around?

33:45 Only Obama had a majority of the vote in the 21st century

34:45 Governors are the only politicians that campaign beyond their base

37:00 Biden misunderstood his 2020 mandate and overreached

38:30 Who is the Economist reader?

40:30 Writing about American politics for an international audience

42:30 If you had more resources, what would you focus on covering?

43:30 Legacy media needs to give more attention beyond D.C. and NYC

45:00 Need to find a new model in order to bring back local journalism

47:45 There’s too many journalists in D.C. and not enough in America

49:30 Journalism now caters to niche audiences

51:15 Deplatforming Trump was a massive mistake

52:00 Once ABC caved in lawsuit, resistance to Trump collapsed

54:00 Public pressures journalists to not platform people they disagree with

55:00 Michael Bennet was consensus candidate to replace Schumer

56:45 Nothing gets done in the senate, many senators leaving

1:00:15 In the TV era, successful presidents have had cults of personality

1:01:15 Newsom having success emulating Trump’s style

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On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck looks at new polling showing just how unsettled Americans feel heading into yet another potential government shutdown. With 93% of the country agreeing that political violence is a problem and a majority believing we’re in a full-blown political crisis, partisanship has hardened to the point where disagreement itself is seen as betrayal. Chuck traces how government shutdowns—once unheard of before 1980—became a recurring political weapon, thanks to Justice Department rulings, congressional maneuvering, and laws that reduced the political pain by exempting things like military pay and Social Security. The result: contractors left stranded, bipartisanship all but eliminated, and a system designed to fail.

Finally, Chuck takes a trip in the ToddCast Time Machine to 1974, when congress gave the Freedom of Information Act teeth, plus answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win!

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Introduction

01:00 New polling out leading into potential government shutdown

02:00 93% of the country believe political violence is a problem

03:00 Majority of the country believes we're in a "political crisis"

04:00 Democrats less likely to talk politics across the aisle

05:30 Partisans believe you're on "the other side'' if you don't agree with them

07:45 People need to feel secure in having political debate

09:00 Independent voters are disenfranchised relative to D & R voters

11:15 Before 1980 America never had a government shutdown

12:30 Two Justice Department opinions created the legal basis for shutdowns

15:00 Government shutdown threats are now an annual occurrence

16:15 Two laws passed to make political cost of a shutdown less painful

17:45 Exemptions for military pay and social security make shutdowns easier

18:45 Proposals for automatic government funding haven't passed

21:15 Government contractors can't work under shutdowns or CR's

22:30 Politicians deliberately created the conditions that lead to shutdowns

23:45 Congressional leadership wanted to create artificial leverage

25:00 The incentive structures for bipartisan compromise are gone

27:30 Congress had the power to deal with shutdowns and didn't

30:30 The ToddCast Time Machine

31:00 October 5th, 1974 Congress put teeth in the Freedom of Information Act

32:30 Cheney and Rumsfeld argued transparency would hurt national security

33:00 Lawmakers overruled the presidential veto

35:00 Florida has some of the strongest government transparency laws

35:45 Multiple states created their own transparency laws after FOIA

37:00 Pentagon demanded restrictions on journalists, no outlets agree

39:00 We can't have a democracy without transparency

41:45 When your party is out of power you're more likely to believe nonsense

43:00 Ask Chuck

43:15 Parallels between LDS church in UT & OK nearly becoming a black state?

46:00 Chances the Republican gerrymanders backfire?

50:45 How can Americans abroad stay civically engaged and bring about change?

55:45 Where do you get your optimism from in this political climate?

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