The Chuck ToddCast

Former Trump White House Communications Director and author of the upcoming book All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, Anthony Scaramucci joins the Chuck Toddcast, picking up a conversation the two started in Abu Dhabi just before the Iran war — back when the gulf states were considered one of the safest places on earth. They discuss why America's military industrial complex is badly out of step with modern warfare, and that the circuit running between defense contractors and Washington is why nobody fixes it. He walks through Iran's mosaic defense doctrine and its decentralized command structure, the damage Iranian strikes did to U.S. naval logistics in the Gulf — reporting has traced the USS Abraham Lincoln's resupply crisis back to the destruction of the Navy's main Bahrain hub, which forced operations out to Diego Garcia — and the Pentagon's response to that story, which was to go after the press rather than answer for any of it. Hegseth's Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte, citing insubordination months after the department had already forced out the paper's congressionally mandated ombudsman, who sued over it. Firing the journalists at a publication created specifically to give troops independent information is, as Scaramucci frames it, exactly the instinct of an institution that can't withstand scrutiny. The structural problem underneath: a defense industry consolidated down to five giant companies that function like a cartel, operating in a post-Citizens United Washington where corporations reliably get what they want and lobbyists will smother any real reform. We spent enormous sums, he argues, to get embarrassed by Iran — and the countries hosting American bases are quietly concluding it isn't worth it, which means new defense pacts are going to form without the United States in them.
From there the conversation widens into competition with China and the fracturing of the western alliance. Scaramucci argues China can plan for the long term in ways America simply doesn't, and that the Pentagon still can't pass an audit with nobody ever held accountable — but he's not a declinist: America's freedoms remain a real advantage over Beijing if the country gets its act together, which is precisely the argument in the op-ed on press freedom that started his rift with Trump, and precisely what the Stars and Stripes firings put at risk. He calls Mark Carney the leader of the western world now, credits Carney with understanding that Trump wants to sever the U.S. from the west, and offers the episode's sharpest line: if Trump were a Putin agent, he'd be getting an A+. On the collapsed Canada trade talks, Scaramucci thinks the dispute gets resolved within a couple of weeks, but he's clear that the Carney path — standing up to Trump directly — is not a path Democrats can simply copy. New coalitions have formed since 2016, and he doesn't see a coalition builder anywhere in the current Democratic Party; Gavin Newsom has been pilloried by conservative media for a decade, and the person capable of assembling something genuinely new may have to come from outside politics altogether.
“Pre-order All The Wrong Moves now
https://www.scaramucci.net/books
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 Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.

Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Anthony Scaramucci joins The Chuck ToddCast
00:45 Last time seeing each other was in Abu Dhabi right before Iran war
02:15 Abu Dhabi was one of the safest places in the world pre-war
03:45 How much damage has been done to U.S. & gulf state alliance?
04:15 Our military industrial complex is out of step with modern warfare
05:00 There’s a circuit between defense contractors and D.C.
05:30 Iran will end up closer to their Sunni neighbors after the war
06:15 Iran’s mosaic defense doctrine created decentralized leadership
07:00 Our naval supply depots have been decimated by Iran
08:00 Hegseth’s response was to fire reporters who reported the story
10:30 Defense industry has been consolidated down to 5 big companies
11:30 Those 5 companies act like a monopoly cartel
12:15 Since Citizen’s United, corporations get what they want from D.C.
13:45 We’ve spent huge sums of money to get embarrassed by Iran
15:15 Countries that hosted U.S. bases finding out it’s not worth it
16:00 New defense pacts will be formed without the U.S. involved
17:00 The lobbyists will get in the way of any attempts at reform
19:15 China is able to plan for the long term in a way the U.S. doesn’t
20:15 Anthony’s rift with Trump began was op-ed about importance of free press
20:45 Our freedoms are advantage over China if we get our act together
22:15 China has some advantages over us, but we also have our advantages
23:00 Pentagon can’t pass an audit, but nobody holds them accountable
23:30 Mark Carney is now the leader of the western world now
24:00 Carney understands Trump wants to sever the U.S. from the west
24:30 If Trump was a Putin agent… he would get an A+
26:15 The Canada trade deal stalled over dual language packaging
28:00 Trade dispute will likely get resolved in the next couple weeks
29:15 The Carney path is not a path for the Democrats
30:30 New coalitions have been formed since the 2016 election
31:15 Don’t see a coalition builder in the current Democratic party
32:00 Gavin Newsom has been pilloried by conservative media for a decade
33:00 Someone from outside of politics could potentially build a coalition
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd digs into Darline Graham's 52-48 runoff win over Ralph Norman in South Carolina — a result that snapped Trump's ugly endorsement streak but only barely, and only because Trump personally recruited her, endorsed her, flew to Myrtle Beach for a rally, and dropped more than $800,000 in MAGA Inc. money on a race his PAC had sat out all cycle elsewhere. Chuck's read is that Trump clearly still moves Republican primary voters, but that a four-point squeaker for an appointed newcomer carrying one of the most recognizable names in state politics is not the show of strength the White House wanted. Graham inherited Lindsey's negatives with voters without inheriting his positives, remains an amateur candidate prone to gaffes, and may be dragged down further by resentment over how she got the seat in the first place. Against her is Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician with a real organization raising real money — and while no Democrat has won a Senate race in South Carolina since 1998, Chuck asks the honest question about a favorable environment: what's Andrews' actual ceiling, and can 48% be a winning number in a state where the Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act has produced a surge in Black turnout? If the blue wave turns into a tsunami, South Carolina lands on the map. A Graham loss in this environment would be a genuine disaster for Trump.
That leads into the broader strategic picture, where Chuck reports Trump met with advisors about how to deploy his enormous war chest — with the advisors trying to keep the midterms from becoming a referendum on him, and Trump insisting MAGA Inc. spend on ads touting his record. It's a plan built on turning out voters who show up only for Trump, which could either backfire badly or, Chuck concedes, prevent a tsunami. The deeper problem is that Trump is being told what he wants to hear: he thinks the economy is great, voters emphatically don't, and charts are meaningless to people staring at their grocery bills. Unlike Obama, who inherited a mess, Trump's central problems — the tariffs and the Iran war — were his own choices, which is why blaming Joe Biden won't land with any credibility. Chuck also notes that conservative media has spent the week obsessing over the WNBA, a classic look-over-here tactic from outlets that can't discuss the cost of living, and observes something genuinely changed about Trump's second-term psychology: more countries and institutions are willing to push back, and people simply aren't as afraid of him anymore. He is appalled by the reported plan to tear down the Kennedy Center — calling it disgusting to want your name on someone else's tombstone, noting the Kennedy Center was doing fine, and marveling that the Justice Department put any of this in writing. He closes with his argument that America no longer has two functional parties: Democrats are paralyzed, the GOP is owned by Trump, both are held together only by fear of the other side's extremes, nearly half the public identifies with neither, and state law now protects the duopoly from competition. We demand more choice everywhere else in life. His pitch: stop protecting the two parties, let them divorce, and let voters build something that actually looks like the country.


Then, former Trump White House Communications Director and author of the upcoming book All the Wrong Moves: How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, Anthony Scaramucci joins the Chuck Toddcast, picking up a conversation the two started in Abu Dhabi just before the Iran war — back when the gulf states were considered one of the safest places on earth. They discuss why America's military industrial complex is badly out of step with modern warfare, and that the circuit running between defense contractors and Washington is why nobody fixes it. He walks through Iran's mosaic defense doctrine and its decentralized command structure, the damage Iranian strikes did to U.S. naval logistics in the Gulf — reporting has traced the USS Abraham Lincoln's resupply crisis back to the destruction of the Navy's main Bahrain hub, which forced operations out to Diego Garcia — and the Pentagon's response to that story, which was to go after the press rather than answer for any of it. Hegseth's Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, and reporter Lara Korte, citing insubordination months after the department had already forced out the paper's congressionally mandated ombudsman, who sued over it. Firing the journalists at a publication created specifically to give troops independent information is, as Scaramucci frames it, exactly the instinct of an institution that can't withstand scrutiny. The structural problem underneath: a defense industry consolidated down to five giant companies that function like a cartel, operating in a post-Citizens United Washington where corporations reliably get what they want and lobbyists will smother any real reform. We spent enormous sums, he argues, to get embarrassed by Iran — and the countries hosting American bases are quietly concluding it isn't worth it, which means new defense pacts are going to form without the United States in them.
From there the conversation widens into competition with China and the fracturing of the western alliance. Scaramucci argues China can plan for the long term in ways America simply doesn't, and that the Pentagon still can't pass an audit with nobody ever held accountable — but he's not a declinist: America's freedoms remain a real advantage over Beijing if the country gets its act together, which is precisely the argument in the op-ed on press freedom that started his rift with Trump, and precisely what the Stars and Stripes firings put at risk. He calls Mark Carney the leader of the western world now, credits Carney with understanding that Trump wants to sever the U.S. from the west, and offers the episode's sharpest line: if Trump were a Putin agent, he'd be getting an A+. On the collapsed Canada trade talks, Scaramucci thinks the dispute gets resolved within a couple of weeks, but he's clear that the Carney path — standing up to Trump directly — is not a path Democrats can simply copy. New coalitions have formed since 2016, and he doesn't see a coalition builder anywhere in the current Democratic Party; Gavin Newsom has been pilloried by conservative media for a decade, and the person capable of assembling something genuinely new may have to come from outside politics altogether.
Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 list of 2028 GOP presidential candidates and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.
“Pre-order All The Wrong Moves now
https://www.scaramucci.net/books

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 Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.

Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
05:30 Darline Graham wins South Carolina runoff w/Trump’s endorsement
06:00 Trump clearly has influence over GOP primary voters
06:45 The race was a test of Trump’s political strength & she barely won
08:15 Darline inherited Lindsey’s negatives with voters, but not the positives
09:15 It took Trump & his operation to get Graham over the finish line
09:45 May not be a path for Annie Andrews to win, but can make it close
10:30 In favorable environment for Dems, what is the ceiling for Andrews?
11:30 Can 48% be a winning number for Annie Andrews?
12:00 Graham is still an amateur candidate, prone to gaffes
13:15 SCOTUS gutting the Voting Rights Act has led to surge in black vote
14:30 Some voters may be turned off by Graham being appointed
15:30 Andrews has a strong organization & is raising real money
16:15 If the blue wave is a tsunami… South Carolina may be on the map
17:15 Trump desperately needed a Darline Graham
19:15 Candidates who ran as Trump candidates are pivoting for the general
21:00 A Graham loss in this environment would be a disaster for Trump
22:00 Trump met with advisors to discuss how to use his giant war chest
22:30 Advisors don’t want the midterms to be a referendum on Trump
23:15 Trump wants MAGA Inc to spend on ads touting his record
24:15 Trump is out of touch, told what he wants to hear
25:45 Trump thinks the economy is great, the voters certainly don’t
27:00 Economic charts are meaningless when costs are so high
27:45 Trump is not meeting voters where they are
28:15 While Obama inherited a mess, the problems now are caused by Trump
29:00 The tariffs and Iran war were Trump’s choices
30:00 Playing the “blame Joe Biden” card won’t land with credibility
31:00 The senate map is still pretty friendly territory for Republicans
31:30 Trump’s strategy is to turn out voters that show up for only for him
32:30 This plan could also backfire on Republicans
33:45 The plan could also possibly prevent a potential blue tsunami
34:15 Conservative media has been obsessing over the WNBA
35:00 They can’t talk about the serious issues, focused on culture wars
35:45 It’s an old political “look over here” tactic
36:45 Conservatives want voters focused on WNBA, not cost of living
37:30 Conservative media tries to change the subject, Trump doesn’t
38:00 Trump’s psychology has clearly changed in term two
38:45 More countries and institutions are willing to push back on Trump
39:30 People aren’t as afraid to stand up to Trump now
40:15 If Trump tears down the Kennedy Center, the symbolism would be powerful
40:45 It’s disgusting to want to put your name on someone else’s tombstone
41:30 The Kennedy Center was doing FINE before Trump
42:15 Trump isn’t nearly as much of a “builder” as he claims to be
43:15 Threatening to tear down the Kennedy Center is just appalling
44:30 It’s crazy that the Department of Justice put this in writing
45:00 Don’t have two functional parties, Dems are paralyzed, GOP owned by Trump
46:30 Both parties contain wings with diverging philosophies
47:45 Both parties stay together because they’re afraid of the other sides extremes
48:45 Nearly half the public doesn’t identify with either major party
49:30 Voters identify as independents to register protest with both parties
51:30 The “left” and “right” labels end up doing the thinking for us
52:15 Parties lost regional identities as politics became nationalized
53:45 State law now protects the two political parties from competition
54:30 We should stop protecting the duopoly
56:30 Every race shouldn’t have to collapse into the same two parties
57:00 There is a constituency for a multiparty democracy
58:30 We keep defending a political system that most agree isn’t working
59:45 Everywhere else in life we demand more choice. Just not in politics
1:00:45 Let the parties divorce and then let the voters decide
1:02:30 Politics should be more representative of what we are
1:07:00 Anthony Scaramucci joins The Chuck ToddCast
1:07:45 Last time seeing each other was in Abu Dhabi right before Iran war
1:09:15 Abu Dhabi was one of the safest places in the world pre-war
1:10:45 How much damage has been done to U.S. & gulf state alliance?
1:11:15 Our military industrial complex is out of step with modern warfare
1:12:00 There’s a circuit between defense contractors and D.C.
1:12:30 Iran will end up closer to their Sunni neighbors after the war
1:13:15 Iran’s mosaic defense doctrine created decentralized leadership
1:14:00 Our naval supply depots have been decimated by Iran
1:15:00 Hegseth’s response was to fire reporters who reported the story
1:17:30 Defense industry has been consolidated down to 5 big companies
1:18:30 Those 5 companies act like a monopoly cartel
1:19:15 Since Citizen’s United, corporations get what they want from D.C.
1:20:45 We’ve spent huge sums of money to get embarrassed by Iran
1:22:15 Countries that hosted U.S. bases finding out it’s not worth it
1:23:00 New defense pacts will be formed without the U.S. involved
1:24:00 The lobbyists will get in the way of any attempts at reform
1:26:15 China is able to plan for the long term in a way the U.S. doesn’t
1:27:15 Anthony’s rift with Trump began was op-ed about importance of free press
1:27:45 Our freedoms are advantage over China if we get our act together
1:29:15 China has some advantages over us, but we also have our advantages
1:30:00 Pentagon can’t pass an audit, but nobody holds them accountable
1:30:30 Mark Carney is now the leader of the western world now
1:31:00 Carney understands Trump wants to sever the U.S. from the west
1:31:30 If Trump was a Putin agent… he would get an A+
1:33:15 The Canada trade deal stalled over dual language packaging
1:35:00 Trade dispute will likely get resolved in the next couple weeks
1:36:15 The Carney path is not a path for the Democrats
1:37:30 New coalitions have been formed since the 2016 election
1:38:15 Don’t see a coalition builder in the current Democratic party
1:39:00 Gavin Newsom has been pilloried by conservative media for a decade
1:40:00 Someone from outside of politics could potentially build a coalition
1:41:00 ToddCast Top 5 2028 GOP Presidential candidates
1:41:45 #1 JD Vance
1:43:15 #2 Marco Rubio
1:46:00 #3 Someone named Trump
1:47:00 #4 Nikki Haley
1:47:30 #5 Rand Paul
1:51:00 Ask Chuck
1:51:30 Thoughts on the long-shot Democratic 2028 candidates?
1:57:00 What would your dream bipartisan ticket look like?
2:00:30 What happened to the ideological principles of both parties?
2:04:15 Could Roger Marshall leave and then just be reappointed?
2:07:00 Are we missing shifts in areas we assume are safely red?
2:11:00 College football preview
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd and J.A. Adande pick up in Part 2 of Alabama football with Bear Bryant’s final chapter and follow the Crimson Tide through decades of dominance, decline and an eventual return to the top.
They explore Alabama’s complicated integration story, Bryant’s reinvention of the program with the wishbone offense, and the championships that cemented his place as a college football icon. Then, after Bryant’s death, Alabama begins a turbulent search for the coach who could live up to the impossible standard he left behind.
That journey eventually leads to Nick Saban. From the Drew Brees decision that could have changed Saban’s future to the philosophy he developed alongside Bill Belichick, the arrival of Lane Kiffin and the offensive transformation that extended Alabama’s dynasty, Chuck and J.R. break down how Saban built the defining college football program of the modern era.
Plus, the Kick Six, the legendary 1992 championship team, Alabama’s greatest players and coaches, and the difficult question facing the Crimson Tide today: What happens after a legend leaves?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After last week's Democratic field audit, Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza turn to the 2028 Republicans — and find a race the markets treat as a two-man affair between JD Vance and Marco Rubio, and one that Chuck thinks is far softer than that looks. His case: no sitting vice president has been denied his party's nomination in the modern era, but Vance sits below 50% in the markets and may be the weakest heir apparent in either man's lifetime, a candidate who has never won anything without Trump carrying him. They dig into why Rubio has kept his hands remarkably clean on the Iran debacle while Vance has ended up owning it, and why Chuck thinks Rubio takes a break, makes money, and waits for 2032. From there they build out the rest of the field: the near-certainty of a Trump family candidate, Sarah Huckabee Sanders as the likeliest VP pick, Joe Lombardo as the pragmatist the party should be building around, Nikki Haley's underrated path, why Tucker Carlson's contrarianism has no Buchanan-style through line, the class of cabinet officials convinced they can do this — and a genuine, surprising case for Rand Paul as the one candidate who could credibly run against Trump's tariffs and Iran war without being an anti-Trumper.
The second half is a brutal accounting of Trump's August. With Canada moving to retaliate after the administration began enforcing 50% tariffs on a slate of Canadian goods and Mark Carney declaring his country "at war," and a temporary waiver on tariffs for 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef drawing pushback from ranchers, Chuck argues Trump has become the single most effective partner Chuck Schumer has — turning Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota into live races and making life impossible for Collins, Rogers, Hinson, and Husted. They walk through the Arkansas poll showing Tom Cotton in a real race, why they think Republicans have already wasted their financial advantage, and Trump's insistence he deserves a perfect grade on the economy. Then they preview Tuesday's high-stakes South Carolina runoff between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman — a race Trump has personally invested in, with a striking stat about appointed senators in the South — before closing on the Nats' collapse and a hard look at how the front office handled CJ Abrams.
Timeline:
00:00 Last week was the Democrats — today it's the 2028 Republican field
00:40 The markets read it as a two-man race: Vance 47%, Rubio 20%
00:57 Who else clears 3%: Tucker, Trump Sr., DeSantis, Don Jr.
01:35 History says the sitting VP gets it
02:51 Vance reminds Chuck of Kamala Harris
03:19 A frontrunner with no positive track record to point to
04:05 Vance probably isn't even a senator without Trump
04:51 How much of Vance's weakness is actually Trump's decline?
06:26 If Trump loses the House and Senate, the field blows open
07:28 Why a Trump family candidacy isn't a 0% proposition
08:03 Ivanka as heir apparent? The Don Jr. vs. Eric assumption
08:44 Rubio: does he run, or take the VP slot?
10:07 Hegseth as McNamara, and Vance owning a war he questioned
10:48 How has Rubio kept his hands this clean?
12:42 The one cabinet member with no visible pay-for-play story
13:13 Chuck's prediction: Rubio sits it out, runs in 2032
14:21 Who else? A Hawley or Cotton as Trumpism 2.0
14:48 Sarah Huckabee Sanders as the most likely VP pick
15:24 Youngkin's problem, and the Huntsman-Kasich empathy lane
16:17 Spencer Cox and the never-Trump ceiling
17:59 How the war with Canada gutted the Las Vegas economy
19:30 Can a Jim Banks run against Vance?
20:42 Brian Kemp passed on the Senate to look at 2028
21:24 What do Republican primary voters even want after a wipeout?
22:11 Are we underwriting Nikki Haley?
23:45 What to make of Tucker Carlson's ten-point plan
25:37 MTG, Massie & the America First lane
27:12 Why Never Trumpers overrate his constituency
28:40 The cabinet members who all think they'll be president
30:09 The Portnoy/Cuban outsider slot
31:19 The one advantage — Vance runs the RNC's fundraising operation
34:06 The real problem for Rand Paul: he isn't likable
35:02 Tariffs and Iran — Trump's two great failures, and Paul opposed both
36:27 Under 1% on the board: the dark-horse buy
36:51 To Trump: a trade war with Canada, and more sanctions on Iran
38:20 The beef decision and what it does to midwest states
39:05 Why the Canada fight hits Vegas and Orlando hardest
40:21 Has Trump found a floor lower than Bush's?
41:41 The Arkansas poll putting Tom Cotton in a real race
42:03 Reading the methodology honestly
43:18 Donald Trump has declared war on rural America
44:55 Trump says he deserves 100% on the economy
46:22 Republicans wasted their financial advantage
47:59 Tuesday night preview: the Graham-Norman runoff
48:40 Trump calls in, rallies in Myrtle Beach t
50:16 Appointed senators survive at 44% in the South vs. 81% elsewhere
52:26 Trump's endorsement record & why he wants to reassert dominance
53:27 What a Graham loss would mean for Hinson and Husted
54:41 Why Collins doesn't want Trump in Maine
57:02 Vance as a cipher — from near-primary-loss to vice president
59:37 What has JD Vance actually done?
1:00:45 The Nats get swept by the Marlins
1:05:04 How you actually screw up a team
1:06:23 Where this front office is genuinely excellent
1:07:48 It's still a people business, just like politics
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Ohio Governor and presidential candidate John Kasich joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that keeps returning to one uncomfortable diagnosis: Americans say they want the political middle and then retreat to their partisan corners the moment it counts. Kasich's read on this cycle is bracing coming from a Republican — the democratic socialists are talking about things voters actually care about, while moderate Democrats have stayed conspicuously quiet, which is exactly why the left has struck a nerve. On the data center backlash, Kasich has a straightforward answer — make them provide their own power — and points out that Ohio ratepayers are already footing higher bills for facilities located in Virginia. He's blunt that politicians are beholden to special interests before they're even sworn in, supports public financing of elections, and warns that neither the center-right nor center-left is producing genuinely interesting solutions to anything, least of all a national debt he says is going to hurt everybody if it isn't addressed.
Kasich also addresses recent concerns with the Pentagon, where he brings real budget-committee experience to a question few politicians take seriously: what exactly are we getting for a defense budget this size? He argues Pentagon leadership is deeply resistant to change, that America isn't developing new systems and technology well, that only about 1% of defense dollars go toward new systems, and that we simply don't need this many nuclear weapons — one alone, as he puts it, will ruin your day. He uses the B-2 bomber, built with parts manufactured across a strategically chosen array of states, to explain why reform is so brutally hard, while insisting it remains possible with the right political leadership. From there the conversation widens into Kasich's argument that moderates have historically been the bulwark against the extremes, that outside forces are often what actually force change , and that people outside both parties are about to turn hard on the tech companies. He wonders aloud whether a backlash to private equity could become a genuine threat to capitalism itself — pointing to private equity buying up youth sports to raise prices, and to firms that can effectively choose which regulators they deal with. Kasich closes with Ohio: whether the state is genuinely purple again or just having a bad Republican year, why he thinks it drifts back toward swing status over time, why the Senate race is too close to call, and whether Amy Acton or Vivek Ramaswamy faces the harder barrier to winning the governorship.
Play ball and swing for the fences on FanDuel, an official partner of the MLB at https://FANDUEL.COM.

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 Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 John Kasich joins the Chuck ToddCast
02:15 People say they want the middle, then retreat to partisan corners
03:30 Voters keep rejecting the party in power
05:45 It took six presidential elections to get beyond Lincoln
06:45 Democratic socialists are talking about things voters care about
07:30 Moderate Dems are staying quiet while socialists have struck a nerve
11:00 Rent control doesn’t work, but sounds appealing to voters in NYC
12:00 The healthcare system doesn’t keep us healthy, only treats the sick
13:30 Healthcare and education have atrophied over the years
15:00 Competition drives change in education, teachers union doesn’t want change
16:15 How would you handle the public backlash to data centers and big tech?
16:45 Data centers should be forced to provide their own power
17:15 Customers in Ohio are paying higher rates for data centers in Virginia
18:30 Politicians are beholden to special interests before they’re sworn in
18:45 Support public financing for elections
20:00 The center right & left aren’t coming up with interesting solutions
21:30 If we don’t fix the national debt it’s going to hurt everybody
23:00 What are we getting from our massive military budget?
23:45 Pentagon leaders are highly resistant to change
25:30 We aren’t developing new systems & tech well
26:00 Only 1% of the defense dollars go to new systems
27:00 Don’t need this many nukes, one alone will ruin your day
27:45 Trying to change the Pentagon is incredibly difficult
28:15 B2 bomber was built with parts all manufactured in different states
29:30 It is possible for the Pentagon to be reformed with right political leadership
32:00 Moderates have served as the bulwark against the extremes
32:45 Who are leaders from the past who electrified the country?
35:00 Bill Clinton isn’t a budget balancer without Ross Perot
36:30 Ralph Nader also forced change from the outside
38:00 People outside the parties will start turning on the tech companies
39:45 Could backlash to private equity become a threat to capitalism?
40:15 Private equity is now buying up youth sports to raise prices?
43:15 Ohio went from #47 to #1 by hiring smart business investors
44:45 Private equity can pick the regulators they want to deal with
46:30 Is Ohio purple again or is this just a bad year for Republicans?
47:00 Over time, Ohio will naturally drift back to swing status
48:00 Ohio senate is too close to call
50:30 Harder barrier to break: Amy Acton or Vivek Ramaswamy?
51:45 Ramaswamy will run into friction with Ohio voters due to his race
53:15 Would still bet that Ramaswamy will win
54:30 There’s a formula to what makes a good leader
56:00 Rural communities are being devastated by drugs & homelessness
56:45 There is abject poverty in appalachia
57:45 What young leaders have impressed you in the past couple years?
1:00:15 Predictions for Miami’s upcoming football season
1:02:00 Check out the John Kasich Show on SiriusXM
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.