The Chuck ToddCast

Anthony Tommasini — chief classical music critic for the New York Times from 2000 to 2021 — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson, out September 8th as part of the Significations series curated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Tommasini didn't seek the project; he was asked to write it. His argument is that Anderson has been flattened into two civil rights milestones — the 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert before 75,000 people after the DAR barred her from Constitution Hall, and breaking the Met's color line — when the reason she mattered in the first place was the voice. He describes her extraordinary range, her European breakthrough (and the promoters who essentially whitewashed her race to sell her), her decision not to learn Italian because she knew American opera was closed to her, and the fact that had she been born thirty years later she'd have had an opera career.
The human material is remarkable: conscripted into a church choir at six, largely self-taught at piano, denied a hotel room and put up by Albert Einstein, who became a friend and pushed her to speak out more than she wanted to. Anderson's aim was to be a great artist, not an activist. They also get into the state of classical music in 2026 — why symphonies are so expensive to sustain, why live performance can't be replicated, and which American orchestra he'd send you to first.
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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
Timeline:
00:00 Anthony Tommasini joins the Chuck ToddCast
02:15 The origin of "Voice of a Century"
04:00 Marian Anderson as barrier breaker
06:15 Conscripted into the church choir at age six
09:00 Anderson became popular in Europe first
11:00 Promoters practically whitewashed her race to sell her
12:30 Why she never learned Italian
15:30 If born 30 years later, she'd have sung opera
18:30 Seeing Roland Hayes and the epiphany that followed
19:15 She wanted to be a great artist, not a civil rights activist
20:15 Denied a hotel room, invited to stay with Albert Einstein
22:30 Why she came back to America instead of staying in Europe
26:45 Ending every recital with negro spirituals
30:30 The Lincoln Memorial concert and the nerves behind it
37:00 What Anderson meant as a model for the Black community
38:45 Two Anderson recordings everyone should hear
44:30 The state of classical music in 2026
48:00 Why classical music has to be experienced live
53:45 The premiere symphony to attend in America
57:00 "Voice of a Century" is out September 8th
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd reads the New Hampshire results as a straightforward establishment win — the progressive dog didn't bark, outside groups largely stayed out, and Jeanne Shaheen's decades of organization-building still define the state party. He expects a four-to-six point Senate race and would be surprised, though not shocked, if it flipped, since Sununu's politics run a bit conservative for New Hampshire. Then he turns to the redistricting chaos in Missouri, where the state's electoral process has been thrown into genuine disarray: Secretary of State Denny Hoskins sat on 300,000 referendum signatures until primary election day before rejecting them, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled the 2025 map never took effect and ordered November run on the old lines with the new map going to a statewide vote with the August primary already conducted on a map that isn't law. Chuck argues Hoskins created this mess through partisan hackery, points to Texas in 1996 as precedent, and says a special election would be the fairest resolution. He also flags Dan Osborn's tricky balancing act in Nebraska, and a New York Times report that Roger Marshall's practice sued roughly 700 patients over unpaid medical bills — some for just a few hundred dollars — before he later voted to limit hospitals' collection powers. Chuck’s read: damaging material doesn't land on a reporter's desk by accident, the timing could matter enormously in a race Democrats have put in play.
Then, Anthony Tommasini — chief classical music critic for the New York Times from 2000 to 2021 — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss Voice of a Century: The Life and Artistry of Marian Anderson, out September 8th as part of the Significations series curated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Tommasini didn't seek the project; he was asked to write it. His argument is that Anderson has been flattened into two civil rights milestones — the 1939 Lincoln Memorial concert before 75,000 people after the DAR barred her from Constitution Hall, and breaking the Met's color line — when the reason she mattered in the first place was the voice. He describes her extraordinary range, her European breakthrough (and the promoters who essentially whitewashed her race to sell her), her decision not to learn Italian because she knew American opera was closed to her, and the fact that had she been born thirty years later she'd have had an opera career.
The human material is remarkable: conscripted into a church choir at six, largely self-taught at piano, denied a hotel room and put up by Albert Einstein, who became a friend and pushed her to speak out more than she wanted to. Anderson's aim was to be a great artist, not an activist. They also get into the state of classical music in 2026 — why symphonies are so expensive to sustain, why live performance can't be replicated, and which American orchestra he'd send you to first.
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 potential red state sweeps for the Democrats and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!
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
Timeline:
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
02:30 The establishment got its way in NH primary elections
04:45 The progressive dog didn’t bark in New Hampshire
05:15 Outside groups mostly stayed out of NH races
06:45 Jeanne Shaheen built & basically is the NH Democratic Party
08:15 NH senate race will likely be in a 4-6 point range
09:45 Sununu’s politics are a bit conservative for NH
11:30 Would be surprised but not shocked if NH senate goes Republicans
13:30 Missouri election map battle risks disenfranchising voters
14:00 Federal court puts temporary restraining order on the map
14:45 Missouri Republicans drew new maps to achieve 7-1 or 8-0 result
15:45 Voters collected enough signatures for referendum on map
16:30 Missouri secretary of state delayed until day of primary election
18:30 State Supreme Court unanimously ruled new map didn’t take effect
19:30 The old map is still in effect, but primary voters voted on the new map
20:15 SCOTUS declined to intervene, it’s a state issue
21:00 After SCOTUS decision, federal judge in Missouri issued an injunction
23:45 The electoral process in Missouri has been thrown into chaos
25:15 Secretary of state created this mess with partisan hackery
26:30 Texas was in a similar situation in 1996, held a special election
29:30 The special election is the fairest way to resolve this problem
31:30 There could be voter backlash to the redistricting effort
33:30 Dan Osborne trying to pull off a difficult balancing act in Nebraska
34:45 Osborne admits there’s a difference between campaigning & governing
36:30 Dem candidate in Ohio joked he’d lie to voters about being DSA
37:45 Hitting your opponent with their own words is highly effective
40:30 Trump is doing everything he can to screw up the Kansas economy
42:00 NYT reports Roger Marshall sued 700 patients for unpaid medical bills
42:45 Some of the debts were small, in the hundreds of dollars
43:30 Later, Marshall voted to limit hospitals’ ability to collect debts
44:30 Damaging material doesn’t randomly appear on a reporter’s desk
45:30 Report raises a character & empathy question about Marshall
48:15 Story also raises questions about the state of U.S. healthcare
50:15 Timing of the story could seriously impact the election
59:00 Anthony Tommasini joins the Chuck ToddCast
1:01:15 The origin of "Voice of a Century"
1:03:00 Marian Anderson as barrier breaker
1:05:15 Conscripted into the church choir at age six
1:08:00 Anderson became popular in Europe first
1:10:00 Promoters practically whitewashed her race to sell her
1:11:30 Why she never learned Italian
1:14:30 If born 30 years later, she'd have sung opera
1:17:30 Seeing Roland Hayes and the epiphany that followed
1:18:15 She wanted to be a great artist, not a civil rights activist
1:19:15 Denied a hotel room, invited to stay with Albert Einstein
1:21:30 Why she came back to America instead of staying in Europe
1:25:45 Ending every recital with negro spirituals
1:29:30 The Lincoln Memorial concert and the nerves behind it
1:36:00 What Anderson meant as a model for the Black community
1:37:45 Two Anderson recordings everyone should hear
1:43:30 The state of classical music in 2026
1:47:00 Why classical music has to be experienced live
1:52:45 The premiere symphony to attend in America
1:56:00 "Voice of a Century" is out September 8th
1:56:30 ToddCast Top 5 red states where Dems could sweep statewide
2:00:00 #5 Florida
2:01:15 #4 Kansas
2:03:30 #3 Iowa
2:06:15 #2 Texas
2:09:15 #1 Ohio
2:12:00 Ask Chuck
2:12:15 How would history be different if we treated 9/11 as criminal acts rather than war?
2:19:30 Do voters have recourse if an elected official is refusing to do the job?
2:23:30 Why do you shy away from using racism as a voting motive?
2:29:30 If the senate ties 50-50 & one becomes incapacitated, does the chamber flip?
2:33:30 As a Steelers fan, which college QB should I be keeping an eye on?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd reads the New Hampshire results as a straightforward establishment win — the progressive dog didn't bark, outside groups largely stayed out, and Jeanne Shaheen's decades of organization-building still define the state party. He expects a four-to-six point Senate race and would be surprised, though not shocked, if it flipped, since Sununu's politics run a bit conservative for New Hampshire. Then he turns to the redistricting chaos in Missouri, where the state's electoral process has been thrown into genuine disarray: Secretary of State Denny Hoskins sat on 300,000 referendum signatures until primary election day before rejecting them, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled the 2025 map never took effect and ordered November run on the old lines with the new map going to a statewide vote with the August primary already conducted on a map that isn't law. Chuck argues Hoskins created this mess through partisan hackery, points to Texas in 1996 as precedent, and says a special election would be the fairest resolution. He also flags Dan Osborn's tricky balancing act in Nebraska, and a New York Times report that Roger Marshall's practice sued roughly 700 patients over unpaid medical bills — some for just a few hundred dollars — before he later voted to limit hospitals' collection powers. Chuck’s read: damaging material doesn't land on a reporter's desk by accident, the timing could matter enormously in a race Democrats have put in play.
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 potential red state sweeps for the Democrats and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

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
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
02:30 The establishment got its way in NH primary elections
04:45 The progressive dog didn’t bark in New Hampshire
05:15 Outside groups mostly stayed out of NH races
06:45 Jeanne Shaheen built & basically is the NH Democratic Party
08:15 NH senate race will likely be in a 4-6 point range
09:45 Sununu’s politics are a bit conservative for NH
11:30 Would be surprised but not shocked if NH senate goes Republicans
13:30 Missouri election map battle risks disenfranchising voters
14:00 Federal court puts temporary restraining order on the map
14:45 Missouri Republicans drew new maps to achieve 7-1 or 8-0 result
15:45 Voters collected enough signatures for referendum on map
16:30 Missouri secretary of state delayed until day of primary election
18:30 State Supreme Court unanimously ruled new map didn’t take effect
19:30 The old map is still in effect, but primary voters voted on the new map
20:15 SCOTUS declined to intervene, it’s a state issue
21:00 After SCOTUS decision, federal judge in Missouri issued an injunction
23:45 The electoral process in Missouri has been thrown into chaos
25:15 Secretary of state created this mess with partisan hackery
26:30 Texas was in a similar situation in 1996, held a special election
29:30 The special election is the fairest way to resolve this problem
31:30 There could be voter backlash to the redistricting effort
33:30 Dan Osborne trying to pull off a difficult balancing act in Nebraska
34:45 Osborne admits there’s a difference between campaigning & governing
36:30 Dem candidate in Ohio joked he’d lie to voters about being DSA
37:45 Hitting your opponent with their own words is highly effective
40:30 Trump is doing everything he can to screw up the Kansas economy
42:00 NYT reports Roger Marshall sued 700 patients for unpaid medical bills
42:45 Some of the debts were small, in the hundreds of dollars
43:30 Later, Marshall voted to limit hospitals’ ability to collect debts
44:30 Damaging material doesn’t randomly appear on a reporter’s desk
45:30 Report raises a character & empathy question about Marshall
48:15 Story also raises questions about the state of U.S. healthcare
50:15 Timing of the story could seriously impact the election
56:30 ToddCast Top 5 red states where Dems could sweep statewide
1:00:00 #5 Florida
1:01:15 #4 Kansas
1:03:30 #3 Iowa
1:06:15 #2 Texas
1:09:15 #1 Ohio
1:12:00 Ask Chuck
1:12:15 How would history be different if we treated 9/11 as criminal acts rather than war?
1:19:30 Do voters have recourse if an elected official is refusing to do the job?
1:23:30 Why do you shy away from using racism as a voting motive?
1:29:30 If the senate ties 50-50 & one becomes incapacitated, does the chamber flip?
1:33:30 As a Steelers fan, which college QB should I be keeping an eye on?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande sit down with ESPN’s Paul Finebaum and dive into Alabama football.
Finebaum shares his perspective on Bear Bryant’s complicated legacy and the integration of Alabama football, explains why Nick Saban succeeded where so many post-Bryant coaches failed, and reveals how Saban established total control over the program from the moment he arrived in Tuscaloosa.

Plus, Finebaum offers a warning about Alabama’s future.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eight Tuesdays out, Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza open on the first midterm convention in modern American history — two nights at Dallas's American Airlines Center with 109 speakers, Trump appearing both nights, and House members getting billed $25,000 to attend. The guys are skeptical of nearly all of it: the event lands on NFL kickoff night, it butts up against the 25th anniversary of September 11th, and Politico found 45 of 70 Republican candidates and members skipping it. Their sharper point is that the whole thing is a microcosm of the party's bind — you cannot win without the MAGA base, and you cannot win with only the MAGA base — which is why swing-state nominees like Jon Husted and Mike Rogers will show up and try very hard to deliver a forgettable speech. Chuck argues nationalizing the election isn't crazy on its own terms, since the other side is going to run against Trump anyway, but doubts Trump can hit any register besides red meat, and doubts even more that he can find a second gear for the September 11th anniversary the following day.
From there they dig into Texas, where MAGA Inc's first $10 million buy is running a half-negative, half-positive ad about taxes — a signal, Chuck says, that they know the target is suburban Romney Republicans, not the base. He walks through Greg Abbott's steadily declining margins, the four-to-eight-point scandal penalty that history says attaches to a candidate like Paxton, and lands somewhere that surprises Chris: he now likes Talarico's odds better than Sherrod Brown's in Ohio. They check the prediction markets, unpack the Missouri Supreme Court ruling that blocked the Republican-drawn map and effectively hands Emanuel Cleaver his seat back, and take apart Trump's request that the Supreme Court impose a national check on mail voting — a policy every Republican strategist will tell you privately hurts their own side. Then a long, unsparing conversation about the Wall Street Journal's reporting on John Fetterman and what it means for control of the Senate on January 3rd, a real case for a third Senate conference built around Murkowski and a possible independent, and a closing riff on Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and why the Protect College Sports Act is doomed without collective bargaining.

Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Eight Tuesdays out — and why they actually prepare for these now
03:00 The first midterm convention since the early '80s
04:00 $25,000 a head, and Tim Burchett's surprise invoice
05:00 It lands on the opening night of the NFL season
07:00 The Trump trap — you can't afford to say no
08:00 Nationalizing the election isn't the crazy part
11:00 The convention as a microcosm of the GOP's whole problem
13:00 "Trumpapalooza" — so what's the actual message?
14:00 Conventions aren't for swing voters, and never have been
16:00 Husted, Rogers & the art of the deliberately forgettable speech
19:00 Trump as TV producer — and the 9/11 anniversary the next day
20:00 Will he turn the 25th anniversary into a political speech?
23:00 MAGA Inc's first $10M buy lands in Texas
26:00 They tried calling Talarico weird. It didn't take.
27:00 Trump throws Paxton under the bus in the Oval
29:00 Abbott's slipping margins and the blue tsunami scenario
31:00 South Texas Latinos appear to be shifting back
33:00 Clinton lost Texas by less than she lost Iowa in 2016
34:00 Blue-collar trade unions and the industrial Midwest problem
38:00 Trump asks the Supreme Court for a national mail-voting check
39:00 The rural voters his own rule would punish hardest
42:00 Democrats at 85-88% to take the House
43:00 The Missouri ruling
46:00 Why this is anti-voter, full stop
47:00 The Senate sits at 52-48 Republican. A year ago it was 71-29.
49:00 Alaska, and Dan Sullivan's troubling primary numbers
51:00 The Wall Street Journal's Fetterman story
54:00 The practical stakes: who controls the Senate on January 3rd
55:00 Does Fetterman leave the party?
58:00 He's already built the intellectual case for walking
1:00:00 January 3rd is the whole ballgame
1:02:00 Osborn, Bodner, Banks and the independent wave
1:03:00 The real case for a third Senate conference
1:05:00 Saban and McAfee push the Protect College Sports Act
1:07:00 No labor at the table means it dies in court
1:08:00 Ashley Moody's quiet ACC poison pill
1:12:00 The Nats chase the blown-save record. Sell the team.
1:13:00 Dynastic: Finebaum on why Alabama may not run it back
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.