The Chuck ToddCast

Todd Ricketts — Chicago Cubs co-owner and founder of Freespoke, the search engine that labels news sources with media bias ratings — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that bridges the increasingly intertwined worlds of media, technology, and professional sports. Ricketts makes the case that when people are given genuinely good information from across the ideological spectrum, they tend to arrive at good answers — and that Freespoke's mission is to present all sides and then get out of the way, rather than letting ad sales determine what news you see. He pushes back on the idea that the market alone can solve the data privacy crisis, arguing data may eventually need to be regulated like a utility but that nothing changes until there's a major "event" that creates real public groundswell. Ricketts is candid about Freespoke's challenges — paywalls remain a real obstacle, the left/right labeling is imperfect and done by outside groups, and the political landscape itself is shifting in ways that scramble the traditional categories . He observes that podcasts have become a primary news source because people clearly hunger for long-form content with nuance, that politicians are now visibly afraid of giving long answers because they might get clipped, and that legacy media still doesn't seem to understand why its audience has migrated elsewhere.
The second half pivots into the business of running a baseball team, and Ricketts brings the same straight-talking pragmatism to MLB's looming economic crisis. He argues you cannot sell a salary cap to MLB owners without genuine revenue sharing, because if the league itself isn't competitive then everyone eventually loses — including the owners writing the biggest checks. Players currently take roughly 48% of revenue, a number he expects to climb to around 52% in the next deal, and Ricketts is honest that half of MLB's franchises are still essentially mom-and-pop operations even as private equity money is rapidly entering the sport. He talks about the difficulty of running any sports team in 2026 because fans genuinely feel like they own the franchise, why ownership groups are increasingly building entire entertainment districts around their ballparks to control the fan experience end-to-end, and the painful broadcast rights question every team is wrestling with: fans have cut the cord, the old TV economics no longer work, and ownership has to be flexible with new broadcast partners even as they ask themselves whether season ticket holders should be entitled to free access to every game. Ricketts closes by laying out what would qualify as a disappointing season for the Cubs — a sober assessment from an owner who has watched the economics of his sport, and the media landscape his business depends on, both transform at the same time.
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Todd Ricketts joins the Chuck ToddCast
00:45 Providing media bias ratings for online news sources
03:15 When people are given good info, they come up with good answers
03:45 Goal is to present all sides, then let people make up their mind
05:00 You don’t want ad sales for search to determine your information
07:15 Can the market fix data sales, or does the government need to regulate?
09:00 Should data be regulated like a utility?
09:30 There will need to be an “event” to cause groundswell over data privacy
10:30 Does Freespoke labeling news left/right cause users to seek their preferred source?
13:30 Politics are shifting and what used to be a “left” issue is now a right issue etc
14:15 Protectionism has become right and free trade has become left
16:00 How would someone like George Will be labled?
17:30 Labeling is done by outside groups and the labeling isn’t perfect
18:00 The company is for-profit, sells ads and has subscription model
18:45 All the search is AI curated, but people curate the current events page
19:30 Bing and Google are the direct competitors
20:15 The Freespoke algorithm tries to strip out bias
21:45 Some topics get a ton of content from one side & none from the other
23:15 People are informing themselves via podcasts instead of legacy news
24:00 Legacy media needs to understand why audience is going elsewhere
25:45 Popularity of podcasts show people like long form content
27:00 Politicians are afraid of long answers & nuance in case they get clipped
27:30 Paywalls are a challenge for Freespoke, but sources are still included
28:30 Why are there left/right labels on sports coverage?
30:00 What is Freespoke’s position on mis and disinformation?
30:45 What does Freespoke 2.0 look like?
32:00 AI is only as good as the people & information that train it
33:00 Will you get into the newsletter business?
34:45 Can you sell a salary cap to MLB owners without total revenue sharing?
36:00 If the league isn’t competitive, then everyone will eventually lose
37:15 Players currently get 48% of revenue, may move up to about 52%
38:30 Running a sports team is hard because fans feel like they own the team
40:30 What have you learned from running the Cubs?
42:00 Half the teams are still mom & pop operations, but PE is coming in
43:15 Ownership wants to control fan experience, building entertainment districts
44:15 Should teams always be available on free TV?
44:45 Fans have cut the cord, have to be flexible with broadcast partners
46:30 Should season ticket holders be able to get all game broadcasts for free?
47:15 What would qualify this season as disappointing for the Cubs?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with what he calls the unmistakable arrival of a "YOLO caucus" in the Senate — a growing number of congressional Republicans who are simply done capitulating to Trump, evidenced by John Thune publicly declaring there's no need to "weaponize" the DNI position and by the broader sense that the non-Trump part of the GOP is openly preparing to move on. He argues Trump is doing everything possible to accelerate his own lame duck status: he's politicizing America's 250th anniversary in ways that genuinely alarm vulnerable Republicans, he failed to engage any of the former presidents in the 250th planning, and he's creating Marie Antoinette-style "let them eat cake" optics by celebrating himself at a moment of real economic pain for ordinary Americans. Trump's treatment of CNN's Kaitlan Collins was outrageous, his cranky behavior with the press is a tell that things aren't going well, and his decision to formally nominate Todd Blanche for Attorney General has essentially zero chance of confirmation — Blanche has burned his bridges in the Senate and the doomed January 6th weaponization fund was reportedly his idea in the first place. It's almost as if Trump is begging to put a neon "I'm a lame duck" sign on the White House. Chuck then turns to California, where ballots are still being counted at a pace that he says is actively eroding public trust in the democratic process itself — the state desperately needs to find a way to count faster — and notes that CA-06 was drawn as a safe Democratic seat but the top two finishers right now are both Republicans, while Spencer Pratt looks safer in the LA mayoral race than Steve Hilton does in the governor's race. He closes with a fascinating analysis of the Graham Platner situation in Maine, where Janet Mills' decision to leave her name on the ballot has created a Nikki Haley-style protest vote opportunity for nervous Democrats — Mills didn't bow out in disgrace so her floor is high, and if she pulls 25% or more in the primary, Chuck predicts very real conversations about replacing Platner will begin. The number to watch is ME-02: if Platner underperforms there, it's the clearest red flag that a candidate Democrats once viewed as a slam-dunk pickup is now in serious trouble.
Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and spends a few minutes reflecting on the life of his grandmother who passed away this week.
Predict the action all the way through the finals. Sign up now for your twenty-five dollar bonus on https://fanduel.com/predicts
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
06:45 Increasing # of congressional Republicans done capitulating to Trump
07:30 John Thune said we don’t need “weaponization” of DNI position
08:30 There’s a growing “YOLO caucus” in the senate
09:30 The non-Trump part of the GOP is ready to move on from Trump
10:00 Trump’s treatment of Kaitlin Collins is outrageous
11:45 Trump gets cranky with the press when things aren’t going well
12:30 Trump is a terrible negotiator
13:00 Trump is creating huge political risk politicizing America 250
13:45 Trump should have put the UFC on the national mall, not WH
15:00 Trump is celebrating himself for 250, terrible move politically
16:15 Trump didn’t engage with the former presidents for 250
17:00 Trump is creating Marie Antoinette “let them eat cake” optics
18:30 Vulnerable Republicans may fear attending Trump’s 250 events
19:00 Trump is looking to formally nominate Todd Blanche for AG
19:30 There is zero chance Todd Blanche can get confirmed
20:15 Blanche hasn’t made friends. Weaponization fund was his idea
22:15 Trump may be done listening to any rational advice
23:30 It’s like Trump wants to put a neon “I’m a lame duck” sign on WH
24:15 California ballots are still being counted. Can Steyer and Raman catch up?
26:15 Pratt seems to have a more comfortable lead than Hilton
27:30 CA-06 was drawn to be Democratic, top two so far are Republican
29:45 California desperately needs to find a way to count ballots faster
30:30 Slow count erodes trust is democracy and counting process
33:15 Graham Platner visit to D.C. went ok, but there’s trepidation
35:30 Platner wants to drive the narrative he’s still ahead of Collins
36:30 Polling has shown Platner with a massive lead over Collins for weeks
38:15 Platner’s recent scandals have him in trouble, can’t take much more
39:30 New polling shows Platner took a hit, but it’s recoverable
40:00 Janet Mills chose to keep her name on the ballot for uneasy Dems
41:00 Maine is one of the easier states to replace a candidate
42:30 How votes for Mills should be read
44:15 Mills didn’t bow out in disgrace, her floor is higher
45:30 Mills could become a protest vote for Platner, similar to Nikki Haley
47:00 If Maine voters are nervous about Platner, they can vote for Mills
49:00 If Mills gets 25% or more, then there will be talks of replacing Platner
51:15 If Platner underperforms in ME-02, that’s a red flag
55:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Todd Ricketts
57:15 Salary cap proposal for MLB revealed
58:30 Salary cap could be much higher than expected to buy time
59:45 Willingness to pool local revenue is a big deal
1:00:00 Ask Chuck
1:00:15 Is voting for a candidate an indictment of the character of the voter?
1:19:15 How would the logistics work for expanding the house?
1:23:15 How much should a candidate’s private behavior affect their electability?
1:31:00 How does a state with no income tax like Florida fund services?
1:35:45 With government agreeing to large settlements, won’t future admins do the same?
1:44:30 Chuck’s eulogy for his grandmother
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with what he calls the unmistakable arrival of a "YOLO caucus" in the Senate — a growing number of congressional Republicans who are simply done capitulating to Trump, evidenced by John Thune publicly declaring there's no need to "weaponize" the DNI position and by the broader sense that the non-Trump part of the GOP is openly preparing to move on. He argues Trump is doing everything possible to accelerate his own lame duck status: he's politicizing America's 250th anniversary in ways that genuinely alarm vulnerable Republicans, he failed to engage any of the former presidents in the 250th planning, and he's creating Marie Antoinette-style "let them eat cake" optics by celebrating himself at a moment of real economic pain for ordinary Americans. Trump's treatment of CNN's Kaitlan Collins was outrageous, his cranky behavior with the press is a tell that things aren't going well, and his decision to formally nominate Todd Blanche for Attorney General has essentially zero chance of confirmation — Blanche has burned his bridges in the Senate and the doomed January 6th weaponization fund was reportedly his idea in the first place. It's almost as if Trump is begging to put a neon "I'm a lame duck" sign on the White House. Chuck then turns to California, where ballots are still being counted at a pace that he says is actively eroding public trust in the democratic process itself — the state desperately needs to find a way to count faster — and notes that CA-06 was drawn as a safe Democratic seat but the top two finishers right now are both Republicans, while Spencer Pratt looks safer in the LA mayoral race than Steve Hilton does in the governor's race. He closes with a fascinating analysis of the Graham Platner situation in Maine, where Janet Mills' decision to leave her name on the ballot has created a Nikki Haley-style protest vote opportunity for nervous Democrats — Mills didn't bow out in disgrace so her floor is high, and if she pulls 25% or more in the primary, Chuck predicts very real conversations about replacing Platner will begin. The number to watch is ME-02: if Platner underperforms there, it's the clearest red flag that a candidate Democrats once viewed as a slam-dunk pickup is now in serious trouble.
Then, Todd Ricketts — Chicago Cubs co-owner and founder of Freespoke, the search engine that labels news sources with media bias ratings — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that bridges the increasingly intertwined worlds of media, technology, and professional sports. Ricketts makes the case that when people are given genuinely good information from across the ideological spectrum, they tend to arrive at good answers — and that Freespoke's mission is to present all sides and then get out of the way, rather than letting ad sales determine what news you see. He pushes back on the idea that the market alone can solve the data privacy crisis, arguing data may eventually need to be regulated like a utility but that nothing changes until there's a major "event" that creates real public groundswell. Ricketts is candid about Freespoke's challenges — paywalls remain a real obstacle, the left/right labeling is imperfect and done by outside groups, and the political landscape itself is shifting in ways that scramble the traditional categories . He observes that podcasts have become a primary news source because people clearly hunger for long-form content with nuance, that politicians are now visibly afraid of giving long answers because they might get clipped, and that legacy media still doesn't seem to understand why its audience has migrated elsewhere.
The second half pivots into the business of running a baseball team, and Ricketts brings the same straight-talking pragmatism to MLB's looming economic crisis. He argues you cannot sell a salary cap to MLB owners without genuine revenue sharing, because if the league itself isn't competitive then everyone eventually loses — including the owners writing the biggest checks. Players currently take roughly 48% of revenue, a number he expects to climb to around 52% in the next deal, and Ricketts is honest that half of MLB's franchises are still essentially mom-and-pop operations even as private equity money is rapidly entering the sport. He talks about the difficulty of running any sports team in 2026 because fans genuinely feel like they own the franchise, why ownership groups are increasingly building entire entertainment districts around their ballparks to control the fan experience end-to-end, and the painful broadcast rights question every team is wrestling with: fans have cut the cord, the old TV economics no longer work, and ownership has to be flexible with new broadcast partners even as they ask themselves whether season ticket holders should be entitled to free access to every game. Ricketts closes by laying out what would qualify as a disappointing season for the Cubs — a sober assessment from an owner who has watched the economics of his sport, and the media landscape his business depends on, both transform at the same time.
Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and spends a few minutes reflecting on the life of his grandmother who passed away this week.
Predict the action all the way through the finals. Sign up now for your twenty-five dollar bonus on https://fanduel.com/predicts
Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
06:45 Increasing # of congressional Republicans done capitulating to Trump
07:30 John Thune said we don’t need “weaponization” of DNI position
08:30 There’s a growing “YOLO caucus” in the senate
09:30 The non-Trump part of the GOP is ready to move on from Trump
10:00 Trump’s treatment of Kaitlin Collins is outrageous
11:45 Trump gets cranky with the press when things aren’t going well
12:30 Trump is a terrible negotiator
13:00 Trump is creating huge political risk politicizing America 250
13:45 Trump should have put the UFC on the national mall, not WH
15:00 Trump is celebrating himself for 250, terrible move politically
16:15 Trump didn’t engage with the former presidents for 250
17:00 Trump is creating Marie Antoinette “let them eat cake” optics
18:30 Vulnerable Republicans may fear attending Trump’s 250 events
19:00 Trump is looking to formally nominate Todd Blanche for AG
19:30 There is zero chance Todd Blanche can get confirmed
20:15 Blanche hasn’t made friends. Weaponization fund was his idea
22:15 Trump may be done listening to any rational advice
23:30 It’s like Trump wants to put a neon “I’m a lame duck” sign on WH
24:15 California ballots are still being counted. Can Steyer and Raman catch up?
26:15 Pratt seems to have a more comfortable lead than Hilton
27:30 CA-06 was drawn to be Democratic, top two so far are Republican
29:45 California desperately needs to find a way to count ballots faster
30:30 Slow count erodes trust is democracy and counting process
33:15 Graham Platner visit to D.C. went ok, but there’s trepidation
35:30 Platner wants to drive the narrative he’s still ahead of Collins
36:30 Polling has shown Platner with a massive lead over Collins for weeks
38:15 Platner’s recent scandals have him in trouble, can’t take much more
39:30 New polling shows Platner took a hit, but it’s recoverable
40:00 Janet Mills chose to keep her name on the ballot for uneasy Dems
41:00 Maine is one of the easier states to replace a candidate
42:30 How votes for Mills should be read
44:15 Mills didn’t bow out in disgrace, her floor is higher
45:30 Mills could become a protest vote for Platner, similar to Nikki Haley
47:00 If Maine voters are nervous about Platner, they can vote for Mills
49:00 If Mills gets 25% or more, then there will be talks of replacing Platner
51:15 If Platner underperforms in ME-02, that’s a red flag
59:45 Todd Ricketts joins the Chuck ToddCast
1:00:30 Providing media bias ratings for online news sources
1:03:00 When people are given good info, they come up with good answers
1:03:30 Goal is to present all sides, then let people make up their mind
1:04:45 You don’t want ad sales for search to determine your information
1:07:00 Can the market fix data sales, or does the government need to regulate?
1:08:45 Should data be regulated like a utility?
1:09:15 There will need to be an “event” to cause groundswell over data privacy
1:10:15 Does Freespoke labeling news left/right cause users to seek their preferred source?
1:13:15 Politics are shifting and what used to be a “left” issue is now a right issue etc
1:14:00 Protectionism has become right and free trade has become left
1:15:45 How would someone like George Will be labled?
1:17:15 Labeling is done by outside groups and the labeling isn’t perfect
1:17:45 The company is for-profit, sells ads and has subscription model
1:18:30 All the search is AI curated, but people curate the current events page
1:19:15 Bing and Google are the direct competitors
1:20:00 The Freespoke algorithm tries to strip out bias
1:21:30 Some topics get a ton of content from one side & none from the other
1:23:00 People are informing themselves via podcasts instead of legacy news
1:23:45 Legacy media needs to understand why audience is going elsewhere
1:25:30 Popularity of podcasts show people like long form content
1:26:45 Politicians are afraid of long answers & nuance in case they get clipped
1:27:15 Paywalls are a challenge for Freespoke, but sources are still included
1:28:15 Why are there left/right labels on sports coverage?
1:29:45 What is Freespoke’s position on mis and disinformation?
1:30:30 What does Freespoke 2.0 look like?
1:31:45 AI is only as good as the people & information that train it
1:32:45 Will you get into the newsletter business?
1:34:30 Can you sell a salary cap to MLB owners without total revenue sharing?
1:35:45 If the league isn’t competitive, then everyone will eventually lose
1:37:00 Players currently get 48% of revenue, may move up to about 52%
1:38:15 Running a sports team is hard because fans feel like they own the team
1:40:15 What have you learned from running the Cubs?
1:41:45 Half the teams are still mom & pop operations, but PE is coming in
1:43:00 Ownership wants to control fan experience, building entertainment districts
1:44:00 Should teams always be available on free TV?
1:44:30 Fans have cut the cord, have to be flexible with broadcast partners
1:46:15 Should season ticket holders be able to get all game broadcasts for free?
1:47:00 What would qualify this season as disappointing for the Cubs?
1:49:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Todd Ricketts
1:51:15 Salary cap proposal for MLB revealed
1:52:30 Salary cap could be much higher than expected to buy time
1:53:45 Willingness to pool local revenue is a big deal
1:54:00 Ask Chuck
1:54:15 Is voting for a candidate an indictment of the character of the voter?
2:13:15 How would the logistics work for expanding the house?
2:17:15 How much should a candidate’s private behavior affect their electability?
2:25:00 How does a state with no income tax like Florida fund services?
2:29:45 With government agreeing to large settlements, won’t future admins do the same?
2:38:30 Chuck’s eulogy for his grandmother
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd walks through a primary night that was, in his words, a really good night for Democrats — and one that may have just answered whether 2026 is shaping up as a genuine blue wave. The night's biggest single story came out of Iowa, where Zach Lahn pulled off a stunning upset of Randy Feenstra in what Chuck characterizes as a "MAHA vs. MAGA" race — Trump endorsed the establishment Feenstra and lost, which Chuck predicts will drive the president absolutely nuts. Iowa Democrats also got a substantial ticket boost when Josh Turek blew out Zach Wahls in the Senate primary, and combined with the surprisingly strong gubernatorial candidacy of Rob Sand, Iowa is now the cleanest test case in the country for whether the political wind has truly shifted — a right-leaning state where the politics are visibly in flux. Chuck flags that Lahn can probably be painted as too far right in a general, that having "congressman" as your first name has become a real disadvantage in 2026, and that the night was an unambiguous positive for Democrats nationally. He also walks through results elsewhere: New Jersey's seventh district will see Tom Keane (still mysteriously MIA from his own campaign) face Rebecca Bennett; South Dakota's gubernatorial race is headed to its first-ever runoff after four candidates each cleared 20%, and Deb Haaland is on track to become the first Native American woman governor in U.S. history.
The conversation then turns to California, where Chuck warns it will be days before we have full primary results but where turnout is already on pace to exceed 2022. He cautions viewers about the inevitable early "red mirage" from the mail-vote curve, predicts Hilton has enough of a lead over Steyer that he likely survives, and argues Xavier Becerra would much rather face Hilton than Steyer in a general — though a potential scandal is looming over Becerra that could reshape the whole race. Chuck argues a Becerra-Hilton race would be a conventional Democrat-versus-Republican contest, that Steyer has spent $500 million across his last two campaigns and still has a low ceiling because he's created a genuine sense of voter exhaustion, and that the single most fascinating race in the state right now is CA-06 and Kevin Kiley. The Los Angeles mayoral picture is clarifying too: Karen Bass and Spencer Pratt appear set to advance, which Todd argues is exactly what Bass wanted — it will be far easier to turn Pratt into a Trump acolyte in a general election than to face the formidable Nithya Raman. He notes that Matt Mahan became known as "big tech's candidate" in ways that genuinely hurt him, and closes with one to watch in Montana, where independent Seth Bodner is quietly hoping the Democratic candidate eventually bows out so he can consolidate the anti-incumbent vote into a real challenge.
Then, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings — the former Orlando police chief turned local executive who is now running for governor of Florida — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a candid conversation about the challenges of being a Democrat in modern Florida and the lessons his unusual career path (accountant, then cop, then mayor) brings to executive leadership. Demings reveals that Governor Ron DeSantis personally threatened to remove him from office over his opposition to ICE operations in Orange County, and uses that experience as the entry point to a broader discussion about what's gone wrong with American law enforcement. He argues you cannot solve police shortages by lowering recruiting standards — exactly what he says ICE did when it ramped up so quickly that screening and training went out the window, with the predictable consequence that ICE has now begun poaching trained officers from state and local departments. Demings makes the case that we have to get criminals off the streets but it has to be done lawfully, that state law enforcement should not be doing immigration work, and that being elected sheriff as a partisan position creates real tensions because the actual responsibilities of the job aren't partisan at all. He pushes back on the idea that he's running to be a "performance politician" and frames his candidacy as wanting to bring competent local-government experience to a state level that he says is suffering from leaders chasing viral moments rather than delivering services.
The conversation turns to the structural challenges facing Florida and the deeper question of why Democrats can't win statewide in a state that's growing more diverse by the year. Demings argues Florida's underpaid state legislators simply don't attract quality talent, that many longtime Florida Democrats have left the party out of pure frustration, and that the party's central task is to restore basic public belief in government's capacity to function. He's willing to give DeSantis credit for diversifying and growing Florida's economy, but argues the state needs to find efficiencies rather than continually burdening local governments with expenses it should be covering itself — and points to slashed state mental health funding as a direct driver of the violent crime he sees in his community. Demings is sharp on Florida's climate exposure, arguing the state is building in places it absolutely should not be building, and that hurricane-hardened construction standards need a major overhaul, He flags the NAACP's call for athletes to avoid schools in remapping states as the kind of extreme response that extreme government actions inevitably provoke, and warns that the politics of division are starting to genuinely threaten Florida's tourism economy — meaning the state's longtime economic engine may finally be running into the consequences of the culture wars its leaders have spent the past decade fueling.
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 list of instances that Republicans have rebuked Donald Trump in his second term, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Predict the action all the way through the finals. Sign up now for your twenty-five dollar bonus on https://fanduel.com/predicts

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

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

Timeline:
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
01:00 Tuesday was a REALLY good night for Democrats nationally
01:30 Tom Keane still MIA, will face Rebecca Bennett in NJ-07
04:00 Iowa results made Democratic ticket substantially stronger
04:30 Josh Turek blew out Zach Wahls in Iowa
05:30 Biggest upset of the night was Zach Lahn beating Randy Feenstra
08:15 Lahn vs. Feenstra was a MAHA vs. MAGA race
08:45 Iowa is a right leaning state, but the state’s politics are in flux
09:45 Having a first name of “congressman” is a major disadvantage
11:30 Rob Sand is a very strong Democratic candidate for governor in Iowa
13:15 It’s possible Lahn can be painted as too far to the right
14:15 Iowa will be the test of whether 2026 is a blue wave election
15:30 Iowa was a huge positive development for team blue
16:45 Trump endorsing Feenstra then losing will drive Trump nuts
19:00 South Dakota governor’s race headed to runoff for first time
20:45 Four candidates in SD gubernatorial race received 20% of vote
23:00 Voters keep rewarding political bomb throwers
24:00 Trump endorsed the least Trump-like candidate, voters chose the Trumpy one
25:00 Deb Haaland on track to be the first Native American woman governor
25:30 It will be days before we know the full results of California primaries
27:30 California turnout will exceed turnout in 2022
28:30 Early on there will be a red mirage in California due to early vote
31:00 Hilton has enough of a lead over Steyer that he likely hangs on
32:15 Becerra would rather run against Hilton than Steyer
32:45 Steyer has created a sense of exhaustion
33:45 A Becerra v Hilton race would be a conventional D vs. R race
34:15 Potential scandal looms over Becerra
35:45 Most fascinating race is CA-06 and Kevin Kiley
38:15 It looks like Karen Bass & Spencer Pratt will move on in LA mayoral
40:30 It will be easier for Bass to turn Pratt into a Trump acolyte than face Raman
41:45 Steyer has a low ceiling, and has spent $500M in last two campaigns
43:30 Matt Mahan became known as “big tech’s candidate” and that hurt him
46:00 Independent Seth Bodner hoping Democratic candidate bows out in Montana
54:30 Jerry Demings joins the Chuck ToddCast
55:30 How did you go from accountant to police to mayor?
56:45 Accounting background helped with managing the city budget
58:00 How has Orlando changed since the time you were a police officer in the 80s?
59:30 Working on police reform both locally and nationally
1:00:45 Should the focus for police be better recruiting or better training?
1:01:30 Lowering recruiting standards can’t be the answer to police shortages
1:02:15 ICE was forced to ramp up so fast they didn’t screen or train recruits properly
1:03:45 We have to get criminals off the street, but it has be done lawfully
1:04:30 What were the unintended consequences of ICE’s questionable recruitment?
1:05:45 ICE began poaching state and local police officers
1:07:45 Should county sheriff be an elected position?
1:09:00 Political considerations do enter the equation when you’re elected
1:10:30 Size of jurisdiction does matter when it comes to appointed vs. elected
1:11:30 Sheriff is elected as a partisan position, but the responsibilities aren’t partisan
1:12:30 Why did you want to run for governor?
1:15:00 Want to take experience at local level government to a larger level
1:15:45 Ron DeSantis threatened to remove him over opposition to ICE
1:18:30 How would you work with the Republican dominated legislature?
1:20:30 Republicans have a large voter registration advantage in Florida
1:21:45 Not interested in being a performance politician
1:23:00 Why have Democrats been unable to elect a governor in Florida?
1:23:30 Florida’s legislators are underpaid, don’t attract quality talent
1:25:15 Many Florida Democrats left the party due to their frustration
1:27:00 Democrats need to restore belief in government
1:28:30 What has Ron DeSantis done right? Diversified & grown the economy
1:30:45 Does Florida need more tax revenue and how do you acquire it?
1:32:30 Government should always look to find inefficiencies & fix them
1:33:30 The state keeps burdening local governments with expenses
1:35:00 State has slashed funding for mental health, leading to violent crime
1:38:00 There is a lot of fraudulent claims made in Florida, state bad at investigating
1:39:00 State law enforcement shouldn’t be doing immigration enforcement
1:39:45 Florida is building in places they shouldn’t be, not factoring climate change
1:40:45 Florida should be hardening their building and infrastructure
1:42:00 Should Florida ban manufactured housing?
1:43:15 Florida needs housing construction standards that make sense
1:44:30 NAACP calling on athletes to not attend schools in remapping states
1:45:30 Extreme actions by the government elicit extreme responses
1:47:30 Tourism in Florida is being threatened by politics
1:49:45 Politics is dividing people by racial lines
1:51:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Jerry Demings
1:53:45 DeSantis trying to ram through property tax cut before November
1:55:45 Trump replacing Tulsi Gabbard with Bill Pulte for DNI
1:56:45 Republicans immediately starting pushing back on Pulte as nominee
1:58:15 No need for NDI. CIA has won the intel agency turf battle
1:59:00 Bill Pulte makes Tulsi Gabbard look qualified for DNI role
2:01:15 ToddCast Top 5 instances Republicans successfully rebuked Trump
2:01:30 #5 The Epstein files
2:03:00 #4 Trump’s threat to take over Greenland
2:04:00 #3 Fed chair Jay Powell
2:05:15 #2 Matt Gaetz nomination for AG
2:07:15 #1 Death of Trump’s anti-weaponization slush fund
2:13:00 Ask Chuck
2:13:15 Thoughts on potential reforms, how realistic are they?
2:20:30 Why do you call Democrats the party that’s held to a higher standard?
2:24:15 Do you see Wes Moore as a top Democratic contender in ‘28?
2:29:15 Is Mike Johnson’s speakership at risk? Would he be the minority leader?
2:31:30 Can Keir Starmer survive as PM? Will Nigel Farage be PM?
2:36:30 Do you think a more virtual governance model rather than in-person would work?

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Chuck Todd walks through a primary night that was, in his words, a really good night for Democrats — and one that may have just answered whether 2026 is shaping up as a genuine blue wave. The night's biggest single story came out of Iowa, where Zach Lahn pulled off a stunning upset of Randy Feenstra in what Chuck characterizes as a "MAHA vs. MAGA" race — Trump endorsed the establishment Feenstra and lost, which Chuck predicts will drive the president absolutely nuts. Iowa Democrats also got a substantial ticket boost when Josh Turek blew out Zach Wahls in the Senate primary, and combined with the surprisingly strong gubernatorial candidacy of Rob Sand, Iowa is now the cleanest test case in the country for whether the political wind has truly shifted — a right-leaning state where the politics are visibly in flux. Chuck flags that Lahn can probably be painted as too far right in a general, that having "congressman" as your first name has become a real disadvantage in 2026, and that the night was an unambiguous positive for Democrats nationally. He also walks through results elsewhere: New Jersey's seventh district will see Tom Keane (still mysteriously MIA from his own campaign) face Rebecca Bennett; South Dakota's gubernatorial race is headed to its first-ever runoff after four candidates each cleared 20%, and Deb Haaland is on track to become the first Native American woman governor in U.S. history.
The conversation then turns to California, where Chuck warns it will be days before we have full primary results but where turnout is already on pace to exceed 2022. He cautions viewers about the inevitable early "red mirage" from the mail-vote curve, predicts Hilton has enough of a lead over Steyer that he likely survives, and argues Xavier Becerra would much rather face Hilton than Steyer in a general — though a potential scandal is looming over Becerra that could reshape the whole race. Chuck argues a Becerra-Hilton race would be a conventional Democrat-versus-Republican contest, that Steyer has spent $500 million across his last two campaigns and still has a low ceiling because he's created a genuine sense of voter exhaustion, and that the single most fascinating race in the state right now is CA-06 and Kevin Kiley. The Los Angeles mayoral picture is clarifying too: Karen Bass and Spencer Pratt appear set to advance, which Todd argues is exactly what Bass wanted — it will be far easier to turn Pratt into a Trump acolyte in a general election than to face the formidable Nithya Raman. He notes that Matt Mahan became known as "big tech's candidate" in ways that genuinely hurt him, and closes with one to watch in Montana, where independent Seth Bodner is quietly hoping the Democratic candidate eventually bows out so he can consolidate the anti-incumbent vote into a real challenge.
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 list of instances that Republicans have rebuked Donald Trump in his second term, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
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Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
01:00 Tuesday was a REALLY good night for Democrats nationally
01:30 Tom Keane still MIA, will face Rebecca Bennett in NJ-07
04:00 Iowa results made Democratic ticket substantially stronger
04:30 Josh Turek blew out Zach Wahls in Iowa
05:30 Biggest upset of the night was Zach Lahn beating Randy Feenstra
08:15 Lahn vs. Feenstra was a MAHA vs. MAGA race
08:45 Iowa is a right leaning state, but the state’s politics are in flux
09:45 Having a first name of “congressman” is a major disadvantage
11:30 Rob Sand is a very strong Democratic candidate for governor in Iowa
13:15 It’s possible Lahn can be painted as too far to the right
14:15 Iowa will be the test of whether 2026 is a blue wave election
15:30 Iowa was a huge positive development for team blue
16:45 Trump endorsing Feenstra then losing will drive Trump nuts
19:00 South Dakota governor’s race headed to runoff for first time
20:45 Four candidates in SD gubernatorial race received 20% of vote
23:00 Voters keep rewarding political bomb throwers
24:00 Trump endorsed the least Trump-like candidate, voters chose the Trumpy one
25:00 Deb Haaland on track to be the first Native American woman governor
25:30 It will be days before we know the full results of California primaries
27:30 California turnout will exceed turnout in 2022
28:30 Early on there will be a red mirage in California due to early vote
31:00 Hilton has enough of a lead over Steyer that he likely hangs on
32:15 Becerra would rather run against Hilton than Steyer
32:45 Steyer has created a sense of exhaustion
33:45 A Becerra v Hilton race would be a conventional D vs. R race
34:15 Potential scandal looms over Becerra
35:45 Most fascinating race is CA-06 and Kevin Kiley
38:15 It looks like Karen Bass & Spencer Pratt will move on in LA mayoral
40:30 It will be easier for Bass to turn Pratt into a Trump acolyte than face Raman
41:45 Steyer has a low ceiling, and has spent $500M in last two campaigns
43:30 Matt Mahan became known as “big tech’s candidate” and that hurt him
46:00 Independent Seth Bodner hoping Democratic candidate bows out in Montana
54:15 Trump replacing Tulsi Gabbard with Bill Pulte for DNI
55:15 Republicans immediately starting pushing back on Pulte as nominee
56:45 No need for NDI. CIA has won the intel agency turf battle
57:30 Bill Pulte makes Tulsi Gabbard look qualified for DNI role
59:45 ToddCast Top 5 instances Republicans successfully rebuked Trump
1:00:00 #5 The Epstein files
1:01:30 #4 Trump’s threat to take over Greenland
1:02:30 #3 Fed chair Jay Powell
1:03:45 #2 Matt Gaetz nomination for AG
1:05:45 #1 Death of Trump’s anti-weaponization slush fund
1:11:30 Ask Chuck
1:11:45 Thoughts on potential reforms, how realistic are they?
1:19:00 Why do you call Democrats the party that’s held to a higher standard?
1:22:45 Do you see Wes Moore as a top Democratic contender in ‘28?
1:27:45 Is Mike Johnson’s speakership at risk? Would he be the minority leader?
1:30:00 Can Keir Starmer survive as PM? Will Nigel Farage be PM?
1:35:00 Do you think a more virtual governance model rather than in-person would work?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.