The Chuck ToddCast

Chuck Todd reacts to the breaking news that Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi — the second Cabinet member ousted in a month after Kristi Noem — and warns that what should alarm Americans isn't Bondi's departure but what comes next. He explains that like Jeff Sessions before her, Bondi apparently had lines she wouldn't cross: Trump grew frustrated that she hadn't prosecuted enough of his political enemies and was dissatisfied with her handling of the Epstein files. He traces Bondi's complicated history with Trump back to 2013, when she received fraud complaints against Trump University as Florida's attorney general, then dropped the investigation after a Trump PAC donated to her campaign — a transactional relationship that defined her entire arc. He argues that Trump doesn't believe in an independent justice system and never has, that he doesn't care about the law but only about loyalty, and that Bondi — a former Democrat who grew up in politics and was once a mostly by-the-book prosecutor in Tampa — has now destroyed her reputation with everyone by serving a president who discards people the moment they become inconvenient. With Trump's former personal criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche now installed as acting AG and Lee Zeldin reportedly under consideration as permanent replacement, Todd warns the DOJ could get far worse. He closes by turning to the Iran war's cascading energy crisis, which he says will be the worst the world has ever seen with Russia and China as the primary beneficiaries, and lays out the impossible bind: the U.S. will likely have to deploy ground troops to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but there will be disasters whether Trump commits those forces or simply walks away. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the Ask Chuck segment. 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! 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.   Timeline: 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:15 Trump fires Attorney General Pam Bondi 04:15 There were things Bondi wasn’t comfortable doing, like Jeff Sessions 05:30 Trump doesn’t believe in an independent justice system 06:30 Trump wants the DOJ to serve his own ends 07:45 Trump doesn’t care about the law, he cares about loyalty 09:00 Bondi used to be a Democrat, grew up in the world of politics 10:30 Bondi used to be a mostly by the book prosecutor in Tampa 12:00 In 2013, Bondi received fraud complaints against Trump University 12:30 Trump PAC donated to Bondi, the she dropped the lawsuit 13:15 Like Bill Barr, there were lines Bondi wouldn’t cross 14:15 Bondi has hurt her reputation with everyone by working for Trump 15:15 Bondi’s firing should concern everyone. DOJ could get far worse  16:00 Energy crisis due to Iran will be the worst ever. Russia & China benefit 17:30 We’re going to have to use ground troops to secure Strait of Hormuz 18:15 There will be disasters if Trump just leaves, and disasters with ground troops 23:15 Ask ChuckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd reacts to the breaking news that Trump has fired Attorney General Pam Bondi — the second Cabinet member ousted in a month after Kristi Noem — and warns that what should alarm Americans isn't Bondi's departure but what comes next. He explains that like Jeff Sessions before her, Bondi apparently had lines she wouldn't cross: Trump grew frustrated that she hadn't prosecuted enough of his political enemies and was dissatisfied with her handling of the Epstein files. He traces Bondi's complicated history with Trump back to 2013, when she received fraud complaints against Trump University as Florida's attorney general, then dropped the investigation after a Trump PAC donated to her campaign — a transactional relationship that defined her entire arc. He argues that Trump doesn't believe in an independent justice system and never has, that he doesn't care about the law but only about loyalty, and that Bondi — a former Democrat who grew up in politics and was once a mostly by-the-book prosecutor in Tampa — has now destroyed her reputation with everyone by serving a president who discards people the moment they become inconvenient. With Trump's former personal criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche now installed as acting AG and Lee Zeldin reportedly under consideration as permanent replacement, Todd warns the DOJ could get far worse. He closes by turning to the Iran war's cascading energy crisis, which he says will be the worst the world has ever seen with Russia and China as the primary beneficiaries, and lays out the impossible bind: the U.S. will likely have to deploy ground troops to secure the Strait of Hormuz, but there will be disasters whether Trump commits those forces or simply walks away. Then, Eyck Freymann — Hoover Fellow at Stanford University and author of the new book Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a riveting conversation about the world's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint at a moment when America is stretched dangerously thin by the Iran war. Freymann argues that the remainder of Trump's term represents a unique window of opportunity for Xi Jinping to move on Taiwan, not necessarily through a dramatic amphibious invasion — which Taiwan's geography makes incredibly difficult and which would result in the U.S. destroying China's navy and air force in a high-intensity conflict — but through coercion, quarantine, or political manipulation designed to change Taiwan's orientation without firing a shot. He explains that Taiwan is more than a strategic asset for China: it's a democratic success story that represents a shining alternative to CCP rule, making it the lynchpin of Xi's "national rejuvenation" project. Freymann unpacks Xi's recent purges of top military leaders as a sign that he now has full control of the PLA, notes that Western intelligence agencies have struggled to penetrate China's inner circle, and warns that Xi may issue direct threats to Taiwan during their 2028 election — a pattern of coercion that the U.S. must develop tools to deter. The conversation turns to what a realistic defense strategy looks like — and what the Iran war is teaching Beijing in real time. Freymann pushes back on war games that show China winning, arguing they aren't a crystal ball and that the U.S. retains significant advantages in cyber warfare and conventional naval power. But he warns that China is more likely to pursue a "quarantine" rather than a full blockade — a semantic distinction with enormous legal and strategic implications, since a blockade would turn the entire world against China while a quarantine creates more ambiguity. He notes that China is carefully studying both Russia's failures in Ukraine and America's struggles in Iran to learn what not to do. His bottom line: in the best-case scenario, we're headed for another cold war — but China doesn't actually want to fight the United States because the risks are far too high, and the American public, already exhausted by Iran, has zero appetite for another conflict. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the Ask Chuck segment. 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! 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. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 03:15 Trump fires Attorney General Pam Bondi 04:15 There were things Bondi wasn’t comfortable doing, like Jeff Sessions 05:30 Trump doesn’t believe in an independent justice system 06:30 Trump wants the DOJ to serve hi

Eyck Freymann — Hoover Fellow at Stanford University and author of the new book Defending Taiwan: A Strategy to Prevent War with China — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a riveting conversation about the world's most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint at a moment when America is stretched dangerously thin by the Iran war. Freymann argues that the remainder of Trump's term represents a unique window of opportunity for Xi Jinping to move on Taiwan, not necessarily through a dramatic amphibious invasion — which Taiwan's geography makes incredibly difficult and which would result in the U.S. destroying China's navy and air force in a high-intensity conflict — but through coercion, quarantine, or political manipulation designed to change Taiwan's orientation without firing a shot. He explains that Taiwan is more than a strategic asset for China: it's a democratic success story that represents a shining alternative to CCP rule, making it the lynchpin of Xi's "national rejuvenation" project. Freymann unpacks Xi's recent purges of top military leaders as a sign that he now has full control of the PLA, notes that Western intelligence agencies have struggled to penetrate China's inner circle, and warns that Xi may issue direct threats to Taiwan during their 2028 election — a pattern of coercion that the U.S. must develop tools to deter. The conversation turns to what a realistic defense strategy looks like — and what the Iran war is teaching Beijing in real time. Freymann pushes back on war games that show China winning, arguing they aren't a crystal ball and that the U.S. retains significant advantages in cyber warfare and conventional naval power. But he warns that China is more likely to pursue a "quarantine" rather than a full blockade — a semantic distinction with enormous legal and strategic implications, since a blockade would turn the entire world against China while a quarantine creates more ambiguity. He notes that China is carefully studying both Russia's failures in Ukraine and America's struggles in Iran to learn what not to do. His bottom line: in the best-case scenario, we're headed for another cold war — but China doesn't actually want to fight the United States because the risks are far too high, and the American public, already exhausted by Iran, has zero appetite for another conflict. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Eyck Freymann joins The Chuck ToddCast 02:00 What is the strategy for defending Taiwan? 02:45 The U.S. has a long-standing “One China” policy 03:45 The goal is to let the Taiwan situation get resolved peacefully 05:15 What’s the practical reason the Chinese want Taiwan so badly? 05:45 Taiwan is a democratic success story, shining alternative to CCP 06:45 Taiwan’s geography makes an invasion incredibly difficult 08:15 If China can take Taiwan, other dominoes in the region could fall 09:00 Taiwan is a “nice to have” not “need to have” for China 10:30 China’s project is “national rejuvenation”, Taiwan is lynchpin of that 12:00 U.S. stretched thin, best chance for China is while Trump is president? 13:15 Remainder of Trump’s term is unique opportunity for Xi 15:45 How should we read Xi’s purges of top military leaders? 17:15 Xi Jinping doesn’t give many interviews, remains an enigma 20:00 Western intelligence agencies have struggled to penetrate China 21:45 Xi is in full control of the PLA after the military purges 22:45 The last thing you want to be in CCP is the rumored successor to Xi 24:00 Xi may issue threats to Taiwan during their 2028 election 26:30 How does the U.S. deter coercion of Taiwan by China? 27:45 War games showing China wins more often are not a crystal ball for reality 28:30 A high intensity war would result in the U.S. destroying PLA navy & air force 29:15 U.S. has advantage over China in cyber warfare 30:45 U.S. can stabilize the situation by responding proportionally 32:00 China thinks they can win a PR war, change Taiwan politically in their favor 33:30 American public has no appetite for war, Iran war unpopular from Day 1 35:00 Could Taiwanese who want independence just flee the country? 37:15 Occupying Taipei would make Kabul & Mosul look like child’s play 38:15 A blockade of Taiwan is Plan B, not Plan A 39:30 A blockade would turn the entire world against China 40:15 China more likely to “quarantine” Taiwan than blockade 42:00 China has grown a middle class that will demand services & stability 43:30 China’s economic ties to other countries create their own deterrence 46:00 China is 1/3rd of world manufacturing, in every global supply chain 47:45 Some version of TPP is coming back because we don’t have a choice 49:30 In the best case scenario, we’re headed for another cold war 52:00 Invading via the Taiwan strait is incredibly difficult 53:00 Chinese military is u

Chuck Todd delivers a devastating week-by-week timeline of Trump's increasingly incoherent Iran war messaging that reads like a case study in presidential self-entrapment. He reports that military movements on the ground suggest escalation even as Trump's rhetoric promises de-escalation, that Defense Secretary Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before the war began, that Pam Bondi's DOJ has been quietly dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases, and that in the middle of a war, Trump has proposed building a massive skyscraper Trump library in Miami — all while reports emerge that the president is simply getting bored with the conflict. He warns that the second and third-order effects of the war haven't landed yet but will hit hard in the next four to six weeks, that markets look calmer than they should given the geopolitical reality. He also flags that Trump's poll numbers are lower than ever and the political environment is so favorable for Democrats they should win both chambers without even needing redistricting help, and closes with the emergence of a new but manageable COVID variant dubbed "Cicada" — a reminder that we can no longer rely on HHS to provide normal, common-sense public health guidance when the country needs it most. Finally Chuck updates his ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue in the midterm elections and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. 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! 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. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15 Trump’s rhetoric over the war is confusing. Keeps saying it’s almost over 02:45 Military movements suggest we’re about to escalate the war 03:15 Trump is trying to balance the war with the markets 04:45 Week 1 Trump tried to project a sense of control, and says war will be short 05:30 In Week 2, Trump proposes something like a Marshall Plan for Iran 06:15 In Week 3, Trump promises that Iran is seeking a deal 07:00 Week 4, Trump proposes a pause on strikes to calm markets 07:45 Now Trump says talks are happening, but also issues threats to infrastructure 08:30 Trump’s social posts are frontrunning the Pentagon briefings 09:15 Trump knows he’s boxed himself in, put himself in impossible situation 10:30 Trump is clearly manipulating the markets with his social posts 11:45 Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before war 13:30 Pam Bondi’s DOJ has been dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases 15:30 During a war, Trump proposes a huge skyscraper Trump library in Miami 17:15 Reports are that Trump is getting bored with the war 18:00 Trump’s poll numbers are lower than ever, Dems should win both houses 19:00 Political environment is so favorable for Dems, they don’t need redistricting 21:00 Markets look calmer than they should considering geopolitical concerns 22:00 2nd & 3rd effects of the war haven’t landed yet 23:30 The effects of the war are likely to hit hard in the next 4-6 weeks 24:30 Trump treated NATO allies terribly, then gets mad they won’t bail him out 25:30 If Trump walks away, he hands Iran more leverage of Strait of Hormuz 26:45 Eventually the markets & traders will have to accept reality 27:30 Trump cares most about his financial allies that pay him personally 29:30 The Gulf states thought they could manipulate Trump, but he’s erratic 30:15 Gulf states are probably having buyer’s remorse 31:30 War is accelerating green energy transition, China set to benefit most 32:45 War has strengthened Russia & China, weakened the United States 34:30 New but manageable COVID variant has emerged, the Cicada variant 36:00 We can’t rely on HHS to give us normal common sense health advice 40:00 Don’t forget Local News Day on April 9th! 40:45 ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue 42:15 The political environment for Republicans is terrible 43:15 May will be the month where we see if Republicans break with Trump 44:30 #1 North Carolina 46:00 #2 Maine 48:00 #3 Ohio 50:45 #4 Alaska 52:00 #5 Nebraska 57:45 Ask Chuck 58:00 What is going on with all the alien talk from government officials lately? 1:01:45 Is it possible to play by the old rules when both parties feel fight is existential? 1:05:15 Why don’t journalists more directly call out obvious lies?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vanan Murugesan — executive director of Sahan Journal, Minnesota's only nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering immigrants and communities of color — joins the Chuck Toddcast ahead of Local News Day on April 9th to discuss a dimension of the local news crisis that rarely gets attention: community news deserts. Murugesan explains that even in Minnesota — a state with relatively strong local news — immigrant stories were consistently missed or covered with biased narratives by mainstream outlets. He draws a vivid analogy: mainstream news organizations are like Target, offering broad coverage for a general audience, while immigrant outlets are specialty stores that reflect the specific realities of their communities.  The conversation turns to the business of sustaining community journalism in a fractured media landscape. Murugesan argues that the ideal model is 50 to 70 percent reader-funded through a combination of subscribers and donors, noting that audience size isn't the ultimate goal — who the audience is can matter as much as how large it is. He explains that immigrant newsrooms actually have an advantage because they don't follow the conservative, cautious practices of legacy media — they're willing to experiment with video, social media, and syndication partnerships that allow them to overindex their audience relative to their size. They discuss why  local service journalism — helping people navigate schools, immigration processes, and government services — isn't always sexy but is incredibly useful, while insisting that the joyful parts of the immigrant experience need to be better covered alongside the hardship. 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! 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. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Vanan Murugesan (Sahan Journal) joins the Chuck ToddCast 02:00 There are both local news deserts, and community news deserts 03:00 How would you describe the Sahan Journal and its mission? 04:00 Minnesota has great local news, but immigrant stories were missed 06:30 Immigrant media was created to reflect realities of their audience 08:30 Immigrants truly want to understand the place they’re living in 10:00 Mainstream outlets are like Target, immigrant outlets are specialty stores 12:00 How do you decide when a community needs a full time reporter? 13:00 Sahan publishes in English to serve all Minnesotans  15:00 Addressing immigrant issues can uplift the entire community 16:30 Why not publish in multiple languages? Is it a resource issue? 17:30 Sahan added a spanish language version 18:30 Insisted on using a spanish speaking human for translations 19:30 Digital tools allow for pretty good translation 22:30 What works about the nonprofit model? Could you see going for-profit? 23:30 Sustainability is the ultimate goal regardless of profit model 25:15 Generating revenue from subscribers + donors is the ideal model 26:45 Washington Post has become beholden to Jeff Bezos 28:45 Ideally, 50-70% reader funded is the business model 29:30 Audience size isn’t the ultimate panacea 30:30 Who the audience is can matter as much as the size of it 32:30 Craigslist destroyed the business model for local newspapers 35:00 Newsrooms tend to be conservative and cautious trying new models 38:30 Immigrant newsrooms due well to not follow national media practices 41:00 Media is fracturing, but the barrier to entry is getting lower 43:00 Able to overindex audience by using video & social media 44:00 Are you able to syndicate any of your work to other outlets? 45:30 Finding stories they can collaborate on with other outlets 46:30 Local service journalism isn’t always sexy but is incredibly useful 47:30 What type of service journalism do you produce? 48:45 The joyful part of the immigrant experience needs to be better covered 50:00 Trying to balance what the audience wants with what they need 51:45 Celebrating Local News Day on April 9thSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd delivers a devastating week-by-week timeline of Trump's increasingly incoherent Iran war messaging that reads like a case study in presidential self-entrapment. He reports that military movements on the ground suggest escalation even as Trump's rhetoric promises de-escalation, that Defense Secretary Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before the war began, that Pam Bondi's DOJ has been quietly dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases, and that in the middle of a war, Trump has proposed building a massive skyscraper Trump library in Miami — all while reports emerge that the president is simply getting bored with the conflict. He warns that the second and third-order effects of the war haven't landed yet but will hit hard in the next four to six weeks, that markets look calmer than they should given the geopolitical reality. He also flags that Trump's poll numbers are lower than ever and the political environment is so favorable for Democrats they should win both chambers without even needing redistricting help, and closes with the emergence of a new but manageable COVID variant dubbed "Cicada" — a reminder that we can no longer rely on HHS to provide normal, common-sense public health guidance when the country needs it most. Then, Vanan Murugesan — executive director of Sahan Journal, Minnesota's only nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering immigrants and communities of color — joins the Chuck Toddcast ahead of Local News Day on April 9th to discuss a dimension of the local news crisis that rarely gets attention: community news deserts. Murugesan explains that even in Minnesota — a state with relatively strong local news — immigrant stories were consistently missed or covered with biased narratives by mainstream outlets. He draws a vivid analogy: mainstream news organizations are like Target, offering broad coverage for a general audience, while immigrant outlets are specialty stores that reflect the specific realities of their communities.  The conversation turns to the business of sustaining community journalism in a fractured media landscape. Murugesan argues that the ideal model is 50 to 70 percent reader-funded through a combination of subscribers and donors, noting that audience size isn't the ultimate goal — who the audience is can matter as much as how large it is. He explains that immigrant newsrooms actually have an advantage because they don't follow the conservative, cautious practices of legacy media — they're willing to experiment with video, social media, and syndication partnerships that allow them to overindex their audience relative to their size. They discuss why  local service journalism — helping people navigate schools, immigration processes, and government services — isn't always sexy but is incredibly useful, while insisting that the joyful parts of the immigrant experience need to be better covered alongside the hardship. Finally Chuck updates his ToddCast Top 5 Republican senate seats most likely to turn blue in the midterm elections and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. 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! 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. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 02:15 Trump’s rhetoric over the war is confusing. Keeps saying it’s almost over 02:45 Military movements suggest we’re about to escalate the war 03:15 Trump is trying to balance the war with the markets 04:45 Week 1 Trump tried to project a sense of control, and says war will be short 05:30 In Week 2, Trump proposes something like a Marshall Plan for Iran 06:15 In Week 3, Trump promises that Iran is seeking a deal 07:00 Week 4, Trump proposes a pause on strikes to calm markets 07:45 Now Trump says talks are happening, but also issues threats to infrastructure 08:30 Trump’s social posts are frontrunning the Pentagon briefings 09:15 Trump knows he’s boxed himself in, put himself in impossible situation 10:30 Trump is clearly manipulating the markets with his social posts 11:45 Hegseth was allegedly looking into investments in defense stocks before war 13:30 Pam Bondi’s DOJ has been dropping huge numbers of white-collar cases 15:30 During a war, Trump proposes a huge skyscraper Trump library in Miami 17:15 Reports are that Trump is getting bored with the war 18:00 Trump’s poll numbers are lower than ever, Dems should win both houses 19:00 Political environment is so favorable for Dems

Chuck Todd asks the most uncomfortable question in American politics: is the country's current dysfunction a problem that can be resolved at the ballot box, or are we living through a pre-Civil War style pressure buildup where fundamental divisions keep getting papered over rather than addressed? He draws a striking parallel between today's hyperpartisan era — where both parties are simultaneously fighting each other and tearing themselves apart internally — and the post-Jackson period of American politics, when the country flipped back and forth between parties without ever resolving the underlying wound of slavery. He traces the arc from the Compromise of 1850, when Millard Fillmore believed he'd saved the republic, through the repeal of the Missouri Compromise that led to Bleeding Kansas, to James Buchanan handing Abraham Lincoln a country already on fire — and asks whether modern America can heal its divides without mass violence. He closes with Lincoln's insight that you couldn't solve the divide by managing it — but insists it doesn't have to take a hot civil war to resolve America's fractures, even if it increasingly feels like the country still isn't ready to do the hard work of actually turning the page. Then, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan — the moderate Democrat, former tech entrepreneur, and Harvard-educated candidate for California governor — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a policy-dense conversation about what's wrong with California governance and how to fix it. Mahan argues that California has enormous resources but isn't delivering better results, and that the best form of resistance to Trumpism isn't performative opposition but good governance that actually improves people's lives. He walks through his record in San Jose — where he prioritized basic dignified shelter over expensive permanent housing and is now leading the state in reducing unsheltered homelessness — and makes the case that expensive housing is fundamentally a public policy failure driven by environmental review processes that needlessly slow construction. On AI, Mahan notes that Silicon Valley's libertarian tech culture has historically disengaged from civic life, but warns that AI is coming fast and California has both the responsibility and the opportunity to set guardrails that could become the national standard — particularly around transparency in government data use and serious law enforcement around data violations. The conversation gets politically candid as they navigate the tensions within the Democratic Party. Mahan argues that California Democrats can't blame anyone else for the state's governance failures, that every year revenue goes up faster than population growth yet outcomes get worse, and that highly organized interest groups end up wielding a veto over meaningful change. He opposes the proposed California billionaire wealth tax — not because he's defending billionaires, he insists, but because taxing the ultra-wealthy needs to happen at the federal level to avoid driving companies out of state — and disagrees with Newsom's handling of Proposition 36, arguing the state should force people into either treatment or jail rather than allowing open drug markets. On California's jungle primary, Mahan dismisses concerns about two Republican candidates advancing as overblown, pushes back on the idea he should run as an independent, and contends that Democrats need to update their platform and make government actually work rather than relying on "resistance warrior" posturing.  Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the creation of NATO in 1949 and asks whether an alliance built on stability and values can survive a transactional president like Donald Trump, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 01:00 Reaction to March Madness 03:15 Nats are 2-1!  08:45 Trump orders TSA workers to be paid via executive order 09:45 Both parties are fighting each other, and also infighting 10:45 The house has the hardliners, the senate has the compromisers 11:15 Is the country ready to move on from dysfunction & hyperpartisanship? 13:30 For the 21st century, the country has flipped back & forth between parties 14:15 Similarities to the post-Jackson era of American politics 16:30 Problems and divisions were left unresolved 18:00 The wound over slavery was never healed, pressure kept bui

Chuck Todd asks the most uncomfortable question in American politics: is the country's current dysfunction a problem that can be resolved at the ballot box, or are we living through a pre-Civil War style pressure buildup where fundamental divisions keep getting papered over rather than addressed? He draws a striking parallel between today's hyperpartisan era — where both parties are simultaneously fighting each other and tearing themselves apart internally — and the post-Jackson period of American politics, when the country flipped back and forth between parties without ever resolving the underlying wound of slavery. He traces the arc from the Compromise of 1850, when Millard Fillmore believed he'd saved the republic, through the repeal of the Missouri Compromise that led to Bleeding Kansas, to James Buchanan handing Abraham Lincoln a country already on fire — and asks whether modern America can heal its divides without mass violence. He closes with Lincoln's insight that you couldn't solve the divide by managing it — but insists it doesn't have to take a hot civil war to resolve America's fractures, even if it increasingly feels like the country still isn't ready to do the hard work of actually turning the page. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to revisit the creation of NATO in 1949 and asks whether an alliance built on stability and values can survive a transactional president like Donald Trump, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 01:00 Reaction to March Madness 03:15 Nats are 2-1!  6:45 Trump orders TSA workers to be paid via executive order  7:45 Both parties are fighting each other, and also infighting  8:45 The house has the hardliners, the senate has the compromisers  9:15 Is the country ready to move on from dysfunction & hyperpartisanship?  11:30 For the 21st century, the country has flipped back & forth between parties  12:15 Similarities to the post-Jackson era of American politics  14:30 Problems and divisions were left unresolved  16:00 The wound over slavery was never healed, pressure kept building  17:00 Fillmore offered the compromise of 1850, thought he saved the republic  18:45 The Missouri Compromise was repealed, led to conflict in Kansas  20:30 Buchanon handed Lincoln a country already on fire  21:15 Can modern America heal its divides without mass violence?  22:15 8 million turned out for No Kings protests  23:45 CPAC was completely different universe compared to No Kings  25:00 Trump’s poll numbers are tanking on multiple issues  25:45 Democrats brand is still worse than Republicans in polls  26:30 We don’t seem to have the leaders we need to turn the page  27:15 The economy is a mess and it’s almost entirely Trump’s fault  28:15 The GOP hasn’t finished its own internal reckoning  29:30 It feels like America still isn’t ready to turn the page yet  30:30 The two parties have two fundamentally different visions for America  33:00 Will 2026 be a paradigm shift, or yet another pendulum swing?  34:00 Lincoln understood you couldn’t solve the divide by managing it  37:00 It doesn’t have to take a hot civil war to solve America’s divides 42:30 California’s governor race still shaping up 44:15 ToddCast Time Machine April 4th 1949 45:00 12 countries met to create the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 46:15 League of Nations didn’t have any binding enforcement mechanisms 47:15 Breakthrough came via the Vandenberg Resolution 48:15 Article 5 allowed constitutional discretion, made ratification possible 49:30 In 1955, West Germany was admitted, but it was uncomfortable 50:15 NATO has a simple purpose, deter the Soviet Union 50:45 NATO continued to grow eastward 53:00 Trump believes NATO should do whatever he wants them to 53:30 Trump has made NATO believe America’s help is conditional 54:30 Can an alliance built on certainty function in this era? 55:45 What happens to Ukraine portends whether NATO can survive 56:00 Ask Chuck 56:15 Why has job creation stopped being part of our political discourse? 1:00:15 What other points of leverage like the Strait of Hormuz exist in the world? 1:02:15 Trump conflates political asylum with insane asylums? 1:03:15 Democrats' problem less about leaders & instead poor mes

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan — the moderate Democrat, former tech entrepreneur, and Harvard-educated candidate for California governor — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a policy-dense conversation about what's wrong with California governance and how to fix it. Mahan argues that California has enormous resources but isn't delivering better results, and that the best form of resistance to Trumpism isn't performative opposition but good governance that actually improves people's lives. He walks through his record in San Jose — where he prioritized basic dignified shelter over expensive permanent housing and is now leading the state in reducing unsheltered homelessness — and makes the case that expensive housing is fundamentally a public policy failure driven by environmental review processes that needlessly slow construction. On AI, Mahan notes that Silicon Valley's libertarian tech culture has historically disengaged from civic life, but warns that AI is coming fast and California has both the responsibility and the opportunity to set guardrails that could become the national standard — particularly around transparency in government data use and serious law enforcement around data violations. The conversation gets politically candid as they navigate the tensions within the Democratic Party. Mahan argues that California Democrats can't blame anyone else for the state's governance failures, that every year revenue goes up faster than population growth yet outcomes get worse, and that highly organized interest groups end up wielding a veto over meaningful change. He opposes the proposed California billionaire wealth tax — not because he's defending billionaires, he insists, but because taxing the ultra-wealthy needs to happen at the federal level to avoid driving companies out of state — and disagrees with Newsom's handling of Proposition 36, arguing the state should force people into either treatment or jail rather than allowing open drug markets. On California's jungle primary, Mahan dismisses concerns about two Republican candidates advancing as overblown, pushes back on the idea he should run as an independent, and contends that Democrats need to update their platform and make government actually work rather than relying on "resistance warrior" posturing.  Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 Mayor Matt Mahan joins the Chuck ToddCast 01:30 What got you into politics and made you want to run for mayor? 03:30 What are the other Dems in the race missing that you can bring? 04:45 California has a lot of resources but isn’t delivering better results 06:00 San Jose become the place where Palo Alto workers actually live 07:30 Why has San Jose lacked a real urban center? 08:45 Tech sector is very libertarian & didn’t really engage the community 11:15 Concerns that AI is coming quickly & can do both good and harm 12:45 If California puts guardrails on AI, that could become national standard 14:00 Government has responsibility to be transparent about AI data use 15:30 California has to create framework for AI security, regulation & transparency 16:15 The unknown of AI has created fear amongst the American public 17:30 The lack of trust in AI is because social media has been such a negative 19:00 There needs to be serious law enforcement around data violations 20:15 Media literacy & critical thinking need to be taught in public schools 21:45 What are you getting right in tackling homelessness in San Jose? 22:45 Prioritized basic dignified shelter over expensive permanent housing 24:00 San Jose is leading California in solving homelessness 25:00 California hasn’t built enough shelter or treatment facilities 26:00 Expensive housing is a public policy failure 26:45 Why does environmental review have to slow down construction? 28:00 Environmental impacts go far beyond just clean air & water 28:45 Technology can drastically speed up environmental review 30:00 Infill construction permits should be approved/denied in 30 days 31:30 Are tenant protection laws sufficient to protect ADU renters? 33:00 22% of new housing built in San Jose is ADUs 33:30 Are taxes too high in California? 34:15 California has one of the most progressive tax structures in the country 34:45 Gas tax is one of California’s most regressive, EV owners need to pay 36:15 A per vehicle flat fee for both gas & EVs makes the most sense 38:00 Every year revenue goes up faster than population w/ worse outcomes 39:15 What has Newsom go

Chuck Todd reveals that Trump's planned visit to Beijing on May 14th and 15th may function as a de facto deadline for wrapping up the Iran war, noting that Trump wants to end the conflict more than the Iranian regime does — a devastating negotiating position — and that his own voters are being hit hardest by soaring gas prices since they drive more than the average American, while lawmakers in compact D.C. remain insulated from the pain. He unpacks the Gulf states' precarious calculus: the Saudis and Emiratis are terrified Trump will retreat and leave Iran with leverage, knowing that once the U.S. leaves the region it isn't coming back anytime soon, but they also have significant business leverage over Trump and his family that complicates every decision. He then pivots to what should be a triumphant moment for Democrats — they've flipped 30 Republican seats since Trump took office without losing a single one, won two government shutdowns, and are operating in the best political climate in years — but finds a party that feels leaderless, with Chuck Schumer at the center of the dysfunction. He reports that some Senate Democrats want Schumer to step aside, that he's become paranoid about leaks and tells different caucus members what they want to hear (a tactic known internally as "getting Schumed"), He closes with a sharp critique of Democrats in Virginia who are advocating for indefensible partisan redistricting — arguing that the Democratic brand still has lower favorability than both the GOP and MAGA brands, that the Democratic base is smaller than the Republican base and therefore needs moderates to win, and that deploying the same gerrymandering tactics they claim to oppose is exactly the kind of hypocrisy that keeps voters from trusting the party. Then, Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski — the author of the Pardon Integrity Act, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to reject presidential pardons with a two-thirds supermajority vote — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a frank conversation about fixing a broken democracy and what Democrats should prioritize if they retake the House. Olszewski argues that the presidential pardon is the biggest loophole between democracy and autocracy, a power straight out of a monarchy that the founders failed to adequately check, and notes that Congress actually tried to curb pardon authority after Nixon but the effort stalled. His amendment, which is structured like a veto override and has already attracted Republican co-sponsor Don Bacon, would allow 20 House members and five senators to initiate a review process with 60 days to nullify a pardon. Olszewski is careful to spread the blame across parties — calling Trump's 1,600 pardons in 2025 alone "exceptionally egregious" but acknowledges that Biden’s preemptive pardons were a bad thing — and says nobody in Congress actually thinks the proposal is a bad idea. The conversation broadens into a sobering assessment of congressional dysfunction and the state of American democracy. Olszewski describes the current Congress as one of the least productive ever, with both parties proposing unpassable messaging bills rather than legislating, and warns that partisan redistricting combined with partisan primaries creates a vicious cycle where the Republicans most willing to compromise are the ones most likely to lose their primaries. On Democratic strategy, Olszewski argues that if impeachable offenses exist they should be pursued but the party must focus on voters' needs, that Hakeem Jeffries should center his speakership on affordability if Democrats retake the House, and that Congress needs to come together to ban bipartisan gerrymandering. He insists that repairing democracy transcends partisan politics — the country needs people to believe in the institution of Congress again, and that requires restraints not just on this president but on all future ones. Finally, Chuck proposes a major change to the NCAA basketball tournament… an expanded, 96 team playoff that would benefit both athletics and academics, celebrates the start of the MLB season, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 07:30 We may have a new deadline for Trump to wrap up the Iran war 08:00 Trump to visit Beijing on May 14th & 15th 09:15 Trump wants to end the war more than the Iranian regime 10:45 Trump voters

Chuck Todd reveals that Trump's planned visit to Beijing on May 14th and 15th may function as a de facto deadline for wrapping up the Iran war, noting that Trump wants to end the conflict more than the Iranian regime does — a devastating negotiating position — and that his own voters are being hit hardest by soaring gas prices since they drive more than the average American, while lawmakers in compact D.C. remain insulated from the pain. He unpacks the Gulf states' precarious calculus: the Saudis and Emiratis are terrified Trump will retreat and leave Iran with leverage, knowing that once the U.S. leaves the region it isn't coming back anytime soon, but they also have significant business leverage over Trump and his family that complicates every decision. He then pivots to what should be a triumphant moment for Democrats — they've flipped 30 Republican seats since Trump took office without losing a single one, won two government shutdowns, and are operating in the best political climate in years — but finds a party that feels leaderless, with Chuck Schumer at the center of the dysfunction. He reports that some Senate Democrats want Schumer to step aside, that he's become paranoid about leaks and tells different caucus members what they want to hear (a tactic known internally as "getting Schumed"), He closes with a sharp critique of Democrats in Virginia who are advocating for indefensible partisan redistricting — arguing that the Democratic brand still has lower favorability than both the GOP and MAGA brands, that the Democratic base is smaller than the Republican base and therefore needs moderates to win, and that deploying the same gerrymandering tactics they claim to oppose is exactly the kind of hypocrisy that keeps voters from trusting the party. Then, Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski — the author of the Pardon Integrity Act, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to reject presidential pardons with a two-thirds supermajority vote — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a frank conversation about fixing a broken democracy and what Democrats should prioritize if they retake the House. Olszewski argues that the presidential pardon is the biggest loophole between democracy and autocracy, a power straight out of a monarchy that the founders failed to adequately check, and notes that Congress actually tried to curb pardon authority after Nixon but the effort stalled. His amendment, which is structured like a veto override and has already attracted Republican co-sponsor Don Bacon, would allow 20 House members and five senators to initiate a review process with 60 days to nullify a pardon. Olszewski is careful to spread the blame across parties — calling Trump's 1,600 pardons in 2025 alone "exceptionally egregious" but acknowledges that Biden’s preemptive pardons were a bad thing — and says nobody in Congress actually thinks the proposal is a bad idea. The conversation broadens into a sobering assessment of congressional dysfunction and the state of American democracy. Olszewski describes the current Congress as one of the least productive ever, with both parties proposing unpassable messaging bills rather than legislating, and warns that partisan redistricting combined with partisan primaries creates a vicious cycle where the Republicans most willing to compromise are the ones most likely to lose their primaries. On Democratic strategy, Olszewski argues that if impeachable offenses exist they should be pursued but the party must focus on voters' needs, that Hakeem Jeffries should center his speakership on affordability if Democrats retake the House, and that Congress needs to come together to ban bipartisan gerrymandering. He insists that repairing democracy transcends partisan politics — the country needs people to believe in the institution of Congress again, and that requires restraints not just on this president but on all future ones. Finally, Chuck proposes a major change to the NCAA basketball tournament… an expanded, 96 team playoff that would benefit both athletics and academics, celebrates the start of the MLB season, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 3:00 We may have a new deadline for Trump to wrap up the Iran war 3:30 Trump to visit Beijing on May 14th & 15th 4:45 Trump wants to end the war more than the Iranian regime 6:15 Trump voters dri

Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski — the author of the Pardon Integrity Act, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to reject presidential pardons with a two-thirds supermajority vote — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a frank conversation about fixing a broken democracy and what Democrats should prioritize if they retake the House. Olszewski argues that the presidential pardon is the biggest loophole between democracy and autocracy, a power straight out of a monarchy that the founders failed to adequately check, and notes that Congress actually tried to curb pardon authority after Nixon but the effort stalled. His amendment, which is structured like a veto override and has already attracted Republican co-sponsor Don Bacon, would allow 20 House members and five senators to initiate a review process with 60 days to nullify a pardon. Olszewski is careful to spread the blame across parties — calling Trump's 1,600 pardons in 2025 alone "exceptionally egregious" but acknowledges that Biden’s preemptive pardons were a bad thing — and says nobody in Congress actually thinks the proposal is a bad idea. The conversation broadens into a sobering assessment of congressional dysfunction and the state of American democracy. Olszewski describes the current Congress as one of the least productive ever, with both parties proposing unpassable messaging bills rather than legislating, and warns that partisan redistricting combined with partisan primaries creates a vicious cycle where the Republicans most willing to compromise are the ones most likely to lose their primaries. On Democratic strategy, Olszewski argues that if impeachable offenses exist they should be pursued but the party must focus on voters' needs, that Hakeem Jeffries should center his speakership on affordability if Democrats retake the House, and that Congress needs to come together to ban bipartisan gerrymandering. He insists that repairing democracy transcends partisan politics — the country needs people to believe in the institution of Congress again, and that requires restraints not just on this president but on all future ones. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 Rep. Johnny Olszewski joins the Chuck ToddCast 01:15 Pardon clause is biggest loophole between democracy & autocracy 03:00 Do you have more Republicans on board with the pardon amendment? 03:45 Pardon amendment is structured like a veto override 04:15 Trump’s pardons are exceptionally egregious 04:45 Biden’s preemptive pardons for family members were also terrible 06:30 Pardon power is a loophole right out of a monarchy 07:30 Congress wanted to curb pardon power after Nixon, but it stalled 09:15 We need people to believe in the institution of congress again 10:30 Should a pardon board be created similar to those at the state level? 12:30 What’s the strategy for getting the pardon amendment passed? 13:15 Nobody in congress thinks the proposal is a bad idea 15:30 We haven’t passed a meaningful amendment since JFK assassination 16:15 Repairing the democracy transcends partisan politics 17:30 What should Democrats prioritize if they retake the house majority? 18:15 If impeachable offenses exist, pursue them, but focus on voters’ needs 20:30 The current congress is one of the least productive ever 23:00 Both parties propose unpassable messaging bills 24:45 The minority is rarely treated well by the majority 27:00 Democrats can compromise on policy but not core values 28:00 Depending on the members, there may be space for compromise 28:30 R’s willing to compromise are most likely to lose their primary 29:15 Partisan redistricting + partisan elections leads to bad outcomes 32:30 Seriously concerned about certification of the 2028 election 33:30 Worried that Speaker Johnson will mess with the 2026 result? 36:00 Government has resources to make lives better if not for partisanship 38:30 Congress has passed almost no meaningful legislation 40:45 Congress needs to come together and ban bipartisan gerrymandering 43:00 No appetite in congress for uncapping size of house, talk of rank choice voting 44:15 If Hakeem Jeffries becomes speaker, he needs to focus on affordability 45:15 The numbers aren’t there to advance an impeachment inquiry 47:00 We need restraints on this president and future presidents 47:30 Thoughts on Wes Moore running for president? 48:30 What’s “electability” going to mean in 2028?See omnystudio.com/listener for priva

Warwick Sabin — president and CEO of Deep South Today, the nonprofit news network that includes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Mississippi Today, New Orleans' Verite News, and Lafayette's The Current — joins the Chuck Toddcast to discuss what may be the most promising model for saving local journalism in America. Sabin, a former three-term Arkansas state legislator and publisher of the Oxford American magazine, explains how he's building a network of nonprofit newsrooms across the Deep South from scratch, starting with Mississippi Today — the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi, now the largest in the state — and expanding into Louisiana and soon Arkansas. He describes the wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model, using the Jackson Clarion-Ledger's decline as a case study, and argues that the nonprofit approach has a critical advantage: starting fresh means avoiding the crushing legacy costs that buried traditional papers, and all revenue gets reinvested directly into the news product. They make the case that service journalism — covering schools, local government, youth sports — is what creates the trust and audience that makes the "sexy" investigative work possible, pointing to the fact that local journalists in his network helped exonerate a man on death row in Mississippi. The conversation turns to what makes local journalism viable and essential in 2026 and beyond. Sabin argues that human connection to journalists will be the defining differentiator in the age of AI — people won't trust reporters who aren't part of their local community — while acknowledging that AI tools can make reporting dramatically more efficient. He discusses using local and youth sports as a community bonding agent in an era where it's one of the few areas where communities can avoid politics, notes that Mississippi produces terrific writers who need platforms, and emphasizes that having video and audio components is now critical for any news operation. They explore the potential for rebuilding a national network of nonprofit newspapers, discuss which communities are ripe for expansion and make the case that local journalism should be treated as a civic institution deserving of public-private partnership. Sabin's model is free to access, civic-minded, and designed to help citizens survive and thrive in their communities — exactly what Local News Day on April 9th is designed to champion. Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code CHUCKTODDCAST at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/chucktoddcast 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 Warwick Sabin joins the Chuck ToddCast 01:30 Creating the first nonprofit newsroom in Mississippi 04:30 What went wrong with the Jackson Clarion-Ledger? 06:30 There’s been a wholesale implosion of the old newspaper model 08:00 Potential for rebuilding a national network of newspapers? 09:15 In small markets, newspapers have to be hyper efficient 11:15 Service journalism is what creates the opportunity for “sexy” journalism 12:15 Local journalists exonerated a man on death row in Mississippi 13:15 Using local and youth sports as a community bond 15:00 Local sports is the one area where communities can avoid politics 16:30 Mississippi produces terrific writers 17:30 Having a video/audio component for reporting is critical 19:00 Human connection to journalists will be important in age of AI 21:00 People won’t trust journalists that aren’t part of their local community 22:45 AI tools can make reporting easier and more efficient 24:15 What does a community need to have to become part of your network? 25:30 Arkansas Democrat Gazette weathered the storm better than most 27:30 Arkansas is in need of a local news network  28:45 Bill Clinton’s election kept Walmart’s headquarters in Arkansas 31:00 Northwest Arkansas produced some of America’s biggest companies 34:00 How much do you factor in local resources when launching a new paper? 36:00 What other places have you looked at to expand the network? 38:00 Model is doing civic minded journalism that is free to access 39:00 Starting from scratch, avoiding legacy costs is a huge boon 41:30 All the revenue they generate gets invested back into the news product 43:00 Newspapers & local journalism are a civic institution 45:00 Local journalism should be a public/private partnership 46:00 It is incredibly difficult to deliver straight news in smaller communities 46:45 What do you hope to get out of Local News Day? 49:30 Local journalism can help citizens survive and thrive in their communities 50:30 Is print dead, or is t