The Chuck ToddCast

Mike Pesca, host of “The Gist” joins Chuck Todd for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of media, technology, and trust at the end of 2025—and where things may be headed next. They dig into how legacy media is being reshaped by new owners, shrinking business models, and audience capture, with a close look at CBS, the Ellisons, and whether disruption is a threat or a lifeline for traditional news brands. Pesca also reflects on the rise of nonprofit journalism, the limits of AI in reporting, and why Congress has largely abdicated its role in regulating both media and tech. The discussion then turns to the growing unease around AI, gambling, and prediction markets, from bipartisan support for getting smartphones out of schools to fears that unregulated betting is distorting journalism, sports, and public life. Pesca and Todd explore why optimism around AI is collapsing, how insider information can be exploited in everything from sports gambling to political markets, and why many of today’s “innovations” feel eerily similar to past technological panics. The throughline: institutions are lagging behind rapid change, and the cost of that delay is showing up everywhere—from newsrooms to classrooms to democracy itself. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! 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 Mike Pesca joins the Chuck ToddCast 01:30 Rundown of Mike’s many “hustles” 03:15 Is the information ecosystem better or worse at the end of 2025? 04:30 CBS News under Bari Weiss is now selling a different product 06:00 Legacy media could benefit from some disruption 06:45 Weiss gave up working for the Salzbergers to work for the Ellisons 07:30 There’s no money in producing network news 09:45 There was audience capture at the New York Times 11:00 A boring president will make the Ellisons care less about CBS 13:00 David Ellison isn’t ideologically MAGA or even a Republican 14:00 Silicon Valley is less ideological, just want less regulation 14:45 Ellisons are treating CBS as part of their lobbying budget 15:45 A huge part of 60 Minutes popularity is that it airs after football 16:30 CBS has brands that will survive even if the network doesn’t 17:45 We’re a few years away from local TV affiliates going a-la-carte 19:00 Channel numbers are meaningless to younger audiences 19:30 Non profits like ProPublica are doing some of the best journalism 20:45 AI can’t replace people in the journalism space 21:45 NOTUS is the only organization covering DC locally 23:15 Historically, American media has been partisan 24:00 Big newspapers should have two editorial sections 26:30 Imagine if Bezos built an “everything” newspaper like he did Amazon 28:00 AI transition will be painful, fear of AI displacement will dominate 28:45 New polling shows huge drop in optimism surrounding AI 30:15 Sam Altman shocked the world by saying “Please regulate me” 31:15 We need more visibility into how AI actually works 32:00 The regulators are always too old & removed from new tech 32:45 Congress has willingly abdicated their regulatory role 34:30 Employees at AI companies express worry it could go very wrong 35:30 Getting tech/smartphones out of schools has bipartisan agreement 37:15 There have always been panics about major tech change 38:15 Sports gambling without regulation has been a disaster 40:45 Athletes can easily fix a player prop to make money 42:15 Online casinos should have never been allowed to exist 44:15 Insider info can easily been cashed in on prediction markets 46:15 Will insider trading laws now affect copy editors at publications? 47:30 Betting has drastically affected coverage at ESPN 49:00 College football playoff selection is totally subjective 51:30 Potential fixes to college football playoff selection 55:00 Will prediction markets remain legal? 56:45 Pandemics make society do crazy things 57:45 Online casinos will likely become illegal in the coming years 1:00:00 The states didn’t roll out marijuana legalization the right waySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd digs into the growing crisis of trust in American media and politics, sparked by CBS News pulling a 60 Minutes episode amid controversy and perceptions of corporate and political pressure. He examines how Bari Weiss’s handling of the situation exposed a lack of understanding of television news culture, why 60 Minutes has become the ultimate measure of CBS’s credibility, and how ownership, mergers, and appeasing power have once again put business interests ahead of journalism. The episode also explores troubling signals from the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein-related releases and what they reveal about political favoritism and eroding institutional independence. Chuck then widens the lens to the political fallout, arguing that Donald Trump squandered his political capital and failed to build a durable coalition, and lays out how cracks in Trump’s coalition are becoming chasms. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and breaks down the biggest stories in the world of sports. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! 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 02:30 CBS News embroiled with controversy after pulling 60 Minutes episode 03:00 Bari Weiss’s inexperience in TV news is on full display 04:00 Weiss’s made incorrect assumption that everyone saw NYT story 05:15 The perception is the administration leaned on Weiss to kill story 06:30 Too many news executives don’t understand the process 08:00 Trump has complained publicly about 60 Minutes 08:45 Ellison willing to appease Trump in order to get merger approval 09:30 CBS News will be judged entirely on 60 Minutes 11:00 Weiss has lost the trust of the journalists at CBS 11:45 Corporate owned media has once again let the public down 12:30 WaPo’s editorial board completely changed after Bezos bought it 13:30 This event will further erode the public trust in media 14:45 Journalism that’s tethered to popularity will be compromised 15:45 Trust is more important than popularity for journalists 17:15 Corporations won’t let their news divisions interfere with business 18:00 DOJ frontloaded Clinton/Epstein releases & Trump releases later 19:15 DOJ releases statement that sounds like they’re Trump’s defense attorney 21:15 It’s notable that DOJ only singled out Trump for a defensive statement 23:15 Trump blew his “honeymoon” period in less than a year 24:00 Both Biden & Trump burned their political capitol early 26:45 Trump blew the chance to build a GOP that outlasts him 28:00 Trump didn’t win the 2024 election - Biden/Harris lost it 29:45 Voters don’t like party in power, 2008 was last “Vote for” election 31:30 Biden misinterpreted 2022 results, lots of bad GOP candidates 32:30 Liberation Day destroyed Trump’s goodwill with the public 34:45 The cracks in Trump’s coalition are turning into chasms 36:30 The GOP has been too concerned with appeasing the online right 37:45 Democrats could be having their own “Tea Party” moment 45:15 Trump floats leaving the presidency for “hosting” in social post 46:15 Is Trump soft launching stepping down from the presidency? 47:30 Ask Chuck 48:15 What wing of the party will the GOP lean towards in 2028? 54:30 What are the classes you teach like? 1:01:45 How would things be different if H.W. Bush won a second term? 1:06:30 How do we address the erosion of historical education? 1:11:15 Was the country really that united over Garfield’s death? 1:16:45 Sports roundupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd digs into the growing crisis of trust in American media and politics, sparked by CBS News pulling a 60 Minutes episode amid controversy and perceptions of corporate and political pressure. He examines how Bari Weiss’s handling of the situation exposed a lack of understanding of television news culture, why 60 Minutes has become the ultimate measure of CBS’s credibility, and how ownership, mergers, and appeasing power have once again put business interests ahead of journalism. The episode also explores troubling signals from the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein-related releases and what they reveal about political favoritism and eroding institutional independence. Chuck then widens the lens to the political fallout, arguing that Donald Trump squandered his political capital and failed to build a durable coalition, and lays out how cracks in Trump’s coalition are becoming chasms. Then, Mike Pesca, host of “The Gist” joins Chuck Todd for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of media, technology, and trust at the end of 2025—and where things may be headed next. They dig into how legacy media is being reshaped by new owners, shrinking business models, and audience capture, with a close look at CBS, the Ellisons, and whether disruption is a threat or a lifeline for traditional news brands. Pesca also reflects on the rise of nonprofit journalism, the limits of AI in reporting, and why Congress has largely abdicated its role in regulating both media and tech. The discussion then turns to the growing unease around AI, gambling, and prediction markets, from bipartisan support for getting smartphones out of schools to fears that unregulated betting is distorting journalism, sports, and public life. Pesca and Todd explore why optimism around AI is collapsing, how insider information can be exploited in everything from sports gambling to political markets, and why many of today’s “innovations” feel eerily similar to past technological panics. The throughline: institutions are lagging behind rapid change, and the cost of that delay is showing up everywhere—from newsrooms to classrooms to democracy itself. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and breaks down the biggest stories in the world of sports. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! 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 04:00 CBS News embroiled with controversy after pulling 60 Minutes episode 04:30 Bari Weiss’s inexperience in TV news is on full display 05:30 Weiss’s made incorrect assumption that everyone saw NYT story 06:45 The perception is the administration leaned on Weiss to kill story 08:00 Too many news executives don’t understand the process 09:30 Trump has complained publicly about 60 Minutes 10:15 Ellison willing to appease Trump in order to get merger approval 11:00 CBS News will be judged entirely on 60 Minutes 12:30 Weiss has lost the trust of the journalists at CBS 13:15 Corporate owned media has once again let the public down 14:00 WaPo’s editorial board completely changed after Bezos bought it 15:00 This event will further erode the public trust in media 16:15 Journalism that’s tethered to popularity will be compromised 17:15 Trust is more important than popularity for journalists 18:45 Corporations won’t let their news divisions interfere with business 19:30 DOJ frontloaded Clinton/Epstein releases & Trump releases later 20:45 DOJ releases statement that sounds like they’re Trump’s defense attorney 22:45 It’s notable that DOJ only singled out Trump for a defensive statement 24:45 Trump blew his “honeymoon” period in less than a year 25:30 Both Biden & Trump burned their political capitol early 28:15 Trump blew the chance to build a GOP that outlasts him 29:30 Trump didn’t win the 2024 election - Biden/Harris lost it 31:15 Voters don’t like party in power, 2008 was last “Vote for” election 33:00 Biden misinterpreted 2022 results, lots of bad GOP candidates 34:00 Liberation Day destroyed Trump’s goodwill with the public 36:15 The cracks in Trump’s coalition are turning into chasms 38:00 The GOP has been too concerned with appeasing the online right 39:15 Democrats could be having their own “Tea Party” moment 46:45 Mike Pesca joins the Chuck ToddCast 48:15 Rundown of Mike’s many “hustles” 50:00 Is the information ecosystem better or worse at the end of 2025? 51:15 CBS News under Bari Weiss is now selling a different product 52:45 Legacy media could benefit from some disruption 53:30 Weiss gave up working for the Salzbergers to work for the Ellisons 54:15 There’s no money in producing network news 56:30 There was audience capture at the New York Times 57:45 A boring president will make the Ellisons care less about CBS 59:45 David Ellison isn’t ideologically MAGA or even a Republican 1:00:45 Silicon Valley is less ideological, just want less regulation 1:01:30 Ellisons are treating CBS as part of their lobbying budget 1:02:30 A huge part of 60 Minutes popularity is that it airs after football 1:03:15 CBS has brands that will survive even if the network doesn’t 1:04:30 We’re a few years away from local TV affiliates going a-la-carte 1:05:45 Channel numbers are meaningless to younger audiences 1:06:15 Non profits like ProPublica are doing some of the best journalism 1:07:30 AI can’t replace people in the journalism space 1:08:30 NOTUS is the only organization covering DC locally 1:09:00 Historically, American media has been partisan 1:09:45 Big newspapers should have two editorial sections 1:13:15 Imagine if Bezos built an “everything” newspaper like he did Amazon 1:14:45 AI transition will be painful, fear of AI displacement will dominate 1:15:30 New polling shows huge drop in optimism surrounding AI 1:17:00 Sam Altman shocked the world by saying “Please regulate me” 1:18:00 We need more visibility into how AI actually works 1:18:45 The regulators are always too old & removed from new tech 1:19:30 Congress has willingly abdicated their regulatory role 1:21:15 Employees at AI companies express worry it could go very wrong 1:22:15 Getting tech/smartphones out of schools has bipartisan agreement 1:24:00 There have always been panics about major tech change 1:25:00 Sports gambling without regulation has been a disaster 1:27:30 Athletes can easily fix a player prop to make money 1:29:00 Online casinos should have never been allowed to exist 1:31:00 Insider info can easily been cashed in on prediction markets 1:33:00 Will insider trading laws now affect copy editors at publications? 1:34:15 Betting has drastically affected coverage at ESPN 1:35:45 College football playoff selection is totally subjective 1:38:15 Potential fixes to college football playoff selection 1:41:45 Will prediction markets remain legal? 1:43:30 Pandemics make society do crazy things 1:44:30 Online casinos will likely become illegal in the coming years 1:46:45 The states didn’t roll out marijuana legalization the right way 1:54:00 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Mike Pesca 1:54:45 Trump floats leaving the presidency for “hosting” in social post 1:55:45 Is Trump soft launching stepping down from the presidency? 1:57:00 Ask Chuck 1:57:45 What wing of the party will the GOP lean towards in 2028? 2:04:00 What are the classes you teach like? 2:11:15 How would things be different if H.W. Bush won a second term? 2:16:00 How do we address the erosion of historical education? 2:20:45 Was the country really that united over Garfield’s death? 2:26:15 Sports roundupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd examines the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files, the uneven political fallout, and why some stories break through while others—often more consequential—don’t. The discussion then turns to public health, RFK Jr.’s corrosive influence on vaccine trust, and how misinformation is putting kids at risk just as measles cases surge. Todd closes by unpacking the growing civil war within MAGA world, where influencers—not elected officials—are driving the GOP agenda, competing for clicks with ever more extreme claims, and exposing deep cracks in Trump’s coalition. Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to review the fallout from the dissolution of the Soviet Union and why that story’s ending hasn’t been written yet. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and gives his college football roundup. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! 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 3:15 We all know the broad strokes of the Epstein story 4:00 With enough money you can buy your way out of bad character 5:30 Justice department is slow walking the release of the Epstein files 6:00 Releases have a lot of Bill Clinton, very little Trump 6:45 DOJ will frontload releases that embarrass Democrats 8:00 People were willing to look the other way on Epstein 8:45 Character should matter & Epstein ties should be a demerit 10:30 Many people don’t know about or believe many of Trump’s outrages 11:15 The Epstein story breaks through, many consequential stories don’t 12:30 HHS touts accomplishments, but has done tremendous damage 13:45 2000 confirmed cases of measles, about to lose measles-free status 15:15 RFK Jr. is an incredibly low character individual 16:00 Removing food dyes is the only good work MAHA is doing 17:30 No scientific study links vaccines to autism 18:15 Covid vaccine was touted as a shield 19:15 People exploited poor Covid vaccine communication 19:45 MRNA vaccines are a technological marvel 20:15 Cutting funding for MRNA research is a terrible own goal 21:30 RFK Jr is causing less people to take vaccines, putting kids at risk 22:45 Massive infighting has begun amongst the MAGA influencers 24:15 GOP is captured by influencers the ways Dems were captured by “groups” 26:15 Some MAGA influencers have crazy beliefs and conspiracy theories 27:15 Republicans forced to entertain the crazy beliefs of their influencers 29:15 GOP politicians are taking their cues from their influencer base 30:15 Dems are starting to break free from influence of the groups 31:00 Biden’s poor handling of the border was to satiate the groups 31:30 MAGA influencers are conducting a circular firing squad 32:30 MAGA influencers try to out-crazy each other for clicks 35:00 The MAGA coalition is cracking 41:00 ToddCast Time Machine – December 26, 1991 41:30 Soviet Union officially dissolves, ending the Cold War 42:15 Collapse of the Soviet Union is still unresolved 43:30 It felt like history had chosen a winner, but it was just the first act 44:00 The west felt like the liberal democrats had won 45:15 The US treated the Soviet Union like a failed state, not a fallen empire 46:30 Democracy hasn’t taken hold in many former Soviet states 47:45 Democracy has never landed in Russia due to structural reasons 48:45 Fall of the USSR created oligarchs, but not a middle class 49:45 The Russian people equated oligarchy with democracy 51:30 Russians lost a sense of identity, made them vulnerable to a dictator 52:15 Eastern Europe fears Russia & wanted in on NATO 53:45 Ukraine had the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal, gave it up 54:45 Ukraine should have received NATO membership for giving up nukes 55:30 We’re repeating the 1920’s & 30’s in the U.S. & in Europe 57:15 Russia becoming a democracy seems fanciful, but in time it’s possible 58:45 This period feels unstable, but could be bumps in the road 59:15 Ask Chuck 59:30 Why has the U.S. and Europe had a bond, & thoughts on losing it? 1:04:00 Do you think congress will try to limit the pardon power post-Trump? 1:10:00 What does the GOP look like if it loses in 2028? 1:13:30 What was it like working with Topps for your trading card? 1:24:30 College football roundupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chief Washington correspondent for Puck News, Leigh Ann Caldwell joins the Chuck ToddCast to unpack how Washington looks different when covered from outside the constraints of legacy media—and why independent journalism may be better suited to capture the dysfunction of Trump’s second term. Caldwell reflects on the groupthink and reaction-driven coverage that defined Trump’s first presidency, the erosion of Congress’s authority in Trump 2.0, and the deep personal animus now defining relationships on Capitol Hill. Together, she and Chuck examine how social media has shaped a younger generation of staffers, why Speaker Mike Johnson may be remembered as one of the weakest in history, and how Congress has willingly made itself irrelevant in the face of executive power. The conversation also digs into healthcare politics, looming shutdown risks, and why Republicans remain unable to act without Trump’s approval—even as he digs in against ACA subsidies out of lingering grievance toward Obama. Caldwell and Todd explore the brewing chaos inside the GOP, from mass retirements and redistricting fights to the staggering cost of House races and the nonstop fundraising grind. The episode closes with a candid assessment of party leadership heading into 2026, why a third Trump impeachment would be a mistake, and why covering Congress—rather than the White House—may now offer the clearest window into where American politics is headed. Get your wardrobe sorted and your gift list handled with Quince. Don't wait! Go to https://Quince.com/CHUCK for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! Go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST to start your claim now with Morgan & Morgan without leaving your couch. Remember, it's free unless you win! 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 Leigh Ann Caldwell joins the Chuck ToddCast 01:30 Covering politics as independent media vs legacy media 04:45 There was little ability for original thought doing network news 05:45 Legacy media gets stuck in groupthink 07:30 People blame the Gingrich years for our current political dysfunction 09:00 Covering Trump’s 1st term was asking for reactions to Trump 09:30 Congress has handed away their authority in Trump 2.0 10:15 The personal animus between the two parties is very real 11:30 Young staffers had their politics formed by social media 13:30 Mike Johnson will go down as one of the weakest speakers ever 14:30 Johnson has willingly made congress irrelevant 16:15 Are we underplaying the chances of a January shutdown? 17:30 With premiums set to rise, why couldn’t Dems corner the GOP? 18:15 Dems know healthcare is good politics for them 19:15 Trump is digging in rather than caving on ACA subsidies 21:00 Trump doesn’t want to prop up the ACA because Obama passed it 22:00 Lots of Republicans have “Obama Derangement Syndrome” 23:30 The framework of the ACA came from the Heritage Foundation 24:00 Trump comes close to advocating for single payer healthcare 26:15 Republicans can’t do anything on healthcare without Trump 27:15 Trump is done with congress, thinks he can do everything via EO 29:15 Trump lied and claimed military bonuses came from tariff revenue 30:15 If SCOTUS takes tariff power from Trump, will he go to congress? 31:15 Congress unlikely to hand tariff authority to Trump 32:15 Republican bracing for another 20 retirement announcements 33:45 Texas & California members are mad about redistricting 35:30 House races will likely cost $60 million in 2026 37:00 Members of congress spend 50% of their time fundraising 39:30 Democrats would be stupid to try to impeach Trump a third time 41:00 Which congressional leaders will still be in place in 2027? 42:30 Johnson won’t be speaker in a new congress 43:30 Jim Jordan is the quiet favorite to be the house GOP leader 45:00 It’d be shocking if Chuck Schumer ran again 46:30 DSCC botched their oppo release on Graham Platner 48:45 There are doubts about Jeffries, but unlikely to be challenged 50:30 Schumer & Jeffries botched the NYC mayors race 52:15 Does John Thune have support in the senate? 55:00 Covering the hill is a better beat than the White HouseSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.