The Chuck ToddCast

Chuck Todd unleashes a fierce indictment of Trump's Iran war, walking through a series of devastating prophetic quotes from Trump's own 2016 Republican rivals, now supporters — Lindsey Graham calling his foreign policy "gibberish," Marco Rubio warning that turning the nuclear codes over to an erratic individual "wouldn't end well," Ted Cruz suggesting Trump could "nuke Denmark," and Nikki Haley raising alarms about his "irresponsible behavior" — all of which now look less like campaign rhetoric and more like haunting predictions of exactly the moment America finds itself in. He argues that whether you're a hawk or a dove on Iran, Donald Trump has failed you: he's pissed away American prestige and trust around the world, the Strait of Hormuz is now effectively in Iranian hands, the United States doesn't even know who it's negotiating with given uncertainty about the Ayatollah's status, and Trump is so desperate to escape the war he started that he was bizarrely celebrating a "ceasefire and joint venture with Iran" — a phrase that captures just how thoroughly this is turning into a massive humiliation for the United States.
He notes that Netanyahu spent years trying to drag America into a war with Iran and finally found his sucker in Trump, that no advisor had the guts to challenge him before the strikes began, and that Obama's old foreign policy doctrine of "don't do stupid shit" has been violated in spectacular fashion. He flags an absurd new development — Trumpworld is now threatening the Vatican because the Pope spoke against the war, a politically idiotic move given how many Catholics live in swing states — and reiterates that success in the conflict would require ground troops Trump refuses to commit, meaning the damage is done and markets will take a long time to recover. Todd argues that the United States has become an erratic and unreliable ally to every country in the world, that the only nation benefiting from Trump's presidency is Russia. He closes on a political note: Democrats massively overperformed again in recent elections, including a shocking blowout in Wisconsin, the war is accelerating the GOP's problems heading into the midterms, and Republicans who distance themselves from Trump now will be very glad they did by 2028 — because the current political climate is pointing toward a massive blue wave.
Pulitzer Prize finalist and historian Megan Kate Nelson — author of the new book The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a fascinating conversation about how the story of the American West we all grew up with is largely a myth, and what the real history reveals about who actually built the country. Nelson explains that the dominant narrative was essentially invented by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893, who argued the American creed was rooted in conquest and expansion — a framing that conveniently allowed white Americans to rally around westward expansion as a unifying project while papering over the uncomfortable realities of slavery and the brutal treatment of indigenous peoples. She walks through her seven central characters whose stories reclaim that history: Sacagawea (who wasn't actually famous until the 20th century), biracial fur trader Jim Beckwourth, Hispana saloon owner María Gertrudis Barceló (whose Santa Fe establishment inspired the modern Vegas casino), gold miner and newspaperman Ovando Hollister (who believed in human equality and later moved to Salt Lake City to agitate against the Mormons), Northern Cheyenne chief Little Wolf, Canadian immigrant rancher Ella Watson, and Chinese immigrant Polly Bemis. Nelson reveals the most surprising research findings — including how digitized old Colorado newspapers helped her discover stories that had been lost for generations — and discusses how Hollywood created and popularized the caricatures of the West that still dominate pop culture today.
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
00:30 Trump was celebrating the ceasefire & joint venture with Iran??
01:00 This is turning into a massive humiliation for the United States
02:00 Trump’s biggest GOP supporters sounded the alarm on him in 2016
02:45 We have pissed away American prestige and trust around the world
04:00 In May 2016, Lindsey Graham said Trump’s foreign policy is jibberish
05:15 March 2016, Rubio said Trump was the opposite of what America stands for
05:45 Rubio warned about turning over nuclear codes to an erratic individual
06:30 Rubio warned that electing Trump “wouldn’t end well”
07:30 If you’re a hawk or dove on Iran, Donald Trump has failed you*
08:00 In 2016, Ted Cruz warned that Trump could “nuke Denmark”
09:30 In 2016, Nikki Haley also warned about Trump’s “irresponsible behavior”
10:30 Netanyahu tried to drag U.S. into war for years, found a sucker in Trump
11:15 No Trump advisor had the guts to challenge Trump on Iran before war
11:45 Obama’s strategy was “Don’t do stupid shit” - This war is “stupid shit”
12:30 Trump is desperate to get out of war, willing to take any deal
15:00 The Strait is now in the hands of the Iranians
15:30 We don’t know the state of the Ayatollah…who are we negotiating with?
16:30 The Pope spoke against the war, now Trumpworld threatening the Vatican
17:15 There are a lot of Catholics in swing states, picking fight w/pope is idiotic
18:30 Success requires ground troops & Trump doesn’t want to do that
20:00 The damage has been done, it will take time for markets to recover
21:15 The U.S. has become an erratic and unreliable ally
22:15 Trump gravitates toward being sold the best possible outcome
24:00 The word of the United States used to mean something
25:00 Trump has made our relationship with every country worse
26:30 The mistake people make is thinking they can control Trump
27:30 The next president will have to fix or apologize for things Trump did
29:30 Only one country is benefitting from Trump’s presidency…Russia
30:45 Rubio’s quote “this won’t end well” will live in infamy
31:15 Democrats massively overperformed again in recent elections
32:00 Wisconsin election was a shocking blowout for the Democrats
32:30 War is accelerating GOP’s problems heading into midterms
33:15 Republicans that distance from Trump will be glad they did by 2028
34:45 Current political climate portends a massive blue wave
41:45 Megan Kate Nelson joins the Chuck ToddCast
43:15 What got you interested in the topic for The Westerners?
45:30 People still have a very entrenched idea of what the west is
46:45 The portrayal of the west has been improved in pop culture
48:30 Frederick Jackson Turner created the “myth” of the west
50:00 Turner argued the American creed was based on conquest & expansion
51:45 Turner’s narrative became the standard telling of American history
52:45 Western expansion papered over uncomfortable 19th century history
53:30 White Americans could rally around the west & avoid slavery
54:45 How did you get your research on the subjects of The Westerners?
55:30 Sacagawea wasn’t famous until the 20th century
56:15 Lewis & Clark was a core piece of context for the book
57:30 Most unique source material you found that filled in gaps?
1:00:45 Old local newspapers from Colorado were digitized, allowing discovery
1:02:00 Hollywood created and popularized caricatures of the west
1:03:00 Fears and hopes for the new “Little House on the Prairie" reboot?
1:04:45 How much did Laura Ingalls Wilder book create their own mythology?
1:05:45 White settlers received a great deal of help from the federal government
1:06:45 Transcontinental railroad enables the explosion of the cattle industry
1:07:15 Military deployed to protect white settlers, annihilate the indigenous
1:08:30 Expansion wasn’t just an east-west story, it was also a north-south story
1:11:45 Vegas casinos inspired by Maria Barcelo’s Santa Fe saloon
1:14:15 The story of southern migration from Canada
1:16:15 Timeline of the book is most of the 19th century
1:17:00 Role of Chinese workers/immigrants in the story of the west
1:18:45 Chinese workers came on a false promise, were trapped in their labor
1:22:15 Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act
1:23:45 The story of Ovando Hollister
1:25:45 Hollister believed in the equality of all people. Went from military to newspapers
1:27:30 Hollister moved to Salt Lake City & agitated against the Mormons
1:28:15 Stories of the Native Americans are finally being depicted better
1:29:00 The story of Little Wolf
1:30:45 Little Wolf was a great military strategist and leader for his people
1:33:45 Histories of the west were heavily shaded by original bias
1:34:45 Balancing objectivity with your personal bias when writing history
1:36:15 Connecting individual stories in history to larger movements & moments
1:37:15 How would improve school curriculum to honestly depict the west?
1:41:30 The west was fairly violent before law enforcement became normalized
1:42:30 Next project is the story of a Kiowa and Comanche raid on ranching town
1:45:00 Ask Chuck
1:45:15 What is being missed that will bite us in the future?
1:51:00 What’s the most “Veep” thing you’ve seen in DC?
1:54:30 Why haven’t Democrats tapped into talk radio like Republicans have?
2:00:00 Didn’t mention Washington state in one party drought Top 5 list?
2:03:30 If the war ends, can Republicans run on the economy in 2026?
2:06:30 Forcing ownership changes if sports teams underperform?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pulitzer Prize finalist and historian Megan Kate Nelson — author of the new book The Westerners: Mythmaking and Belonging on the American Frontier — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a fascinating conversation about how the story of the American West we all grew up with is largely a myth, and what the real history reveals about who actually built the country. Nelson explains that the dominant narrative was essentially invented by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893, who argued the American creed was rooted in conquest and expansion — a framing that conveniently allowed white Americans to rally around westward expansion as a unifying project while papering over the uncomfortable realities of slavery and the brutal treatment of indigenous peoples.
She walks through her seven central characters whose stories reclaim that history: Sacagawea (who wasn't actually famous until the 20th century), biracial fur trader Jim Beckwourth, Hispana saloon owner María Gertrudis Barceló (whose Santa Fe establishment inspired the modern Vegas casino), gold miner and newspaperman Ovando Hollister (who believed in human equality and later moved to Salt Lake City to agitate against the Mormons), Northern Cheyenne chief Little Wolf, Canadian immigrant rancher Ella Watson, and Chinese immigrant Polly Bemis. Nelson reveals the most surprising research findings — including how digitized old Colorado newspapers helped her discover stories that had been lost for generations — and discusses how Hollywood created and popularized the caricatures of the West that still dominate pop culture today.
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 Megan Kate Nelson joins the Chuck ToddCast
01:30 What got you interested in the topic for The Westerners?
03:45 People still have a very entrenched idea of what the west is
05:00 The portrayal of the west has been improved in pop culture
06:45 Frederick Jackson Turner created the “myth” of the west
08:15 Turner argued the American creed was based on conquest & expansion
10:00 Turner’s narrative became the standard telling of American history
11:00 Western expansion papered over uncomfortable 19th century history
11:45 White Americans could rally around the west & avoid slavery
13:00 How did you get your research on the subjects of The Westerners?
13:45 Sacagawea wasn’t famous until the 20th century
14:30 Lewis & Clark was a core piece of context for the book
15:45 Most unique source material you found that filled in gaps?
19:00 Old local newspapers from Colorado were digitized, allowing discovery
20:15 Hollywood created and popularized caricatures of the west
21:15 Fears and hopes for the new “Little House on the Prairie" reboot?
23:00 How much did Laura Ingalls Wilder book create their own mythology?
24:00 White settlers received a great deal of help from the federal government
25:00 Transcontinental railroad enables the explosion of the cattle industry
25:30 Military deployed to protect white settlers, annihilate the indigenous
26:45 Expansion wasn’t just an east-west story, it was also a north-south story
30:00 Vegas casinos inspired by Maria Barcelo’s Santa Fe saloon
32:30 The story of southern migration from Canada
34:30 Timeline of the book is most of the 19th century
35:15 Role of Chinese workers/immigrants in the story of the west
37:00 Chinese workers came on a false promise, were trapped in their labor
40:30 Impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act
42:00 The story of Ovando Hollister
44:00 Hollister believed in the equality of all people. Went from military to newspapers
45:45 Hollister moved to Salt Lake City & agitated against the Mormons
46:30 Stories of the Native Americans are finally being depicted better
47:15 The story of Little Wolf
49:00 Little Wolf was a great military strategist and leader for his people
52:00 Histories of the west were heavily shaded by original bias
53:00 Balancing objectivity with your personal bias when writing history
54:30 Connecting individual stories in history to larger movements & moments
55:30 How would improve school curriculum to honestly depict the west?
59:45 The west was fairly violent before law enforcement became normalized
1:00:45 Next project is the story of a Kiowa and Comanche raid on ranching town
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd unleashes a fierce indictment of Trump's Iran war, walking through a series of devastating prophetic quotes from Trump's own 2016 Republican rivals, now supporters — Lindsey Graham calling his foreign policy "gibberish," Marco Rubio warning that turning the nuclear codes over to an erratic individual "wouldn't end well," Ted Cruz suggesting Trump could "nuke Denmark," and Nikki Haley raising alarms about his "irresponsible behavior" — all of which now look less like campaign rhetoric and more like haunting predictions of exactly the moment America finds itself in. He argues that whether you're a hawk or a dove on Iran, Donald Trump has failed you: he's pissed away American prestige and trust around the world, the Strait of Hormuz is now effectively in Iranian hands, the United States doesn't even know who it's negotiating with given uncertainty about the Ayatollah's status, and Trump is so desperate to escape the war he started that he was bizarrely celebrating a "ceasefire and joint venture with Iran" — a phrase that captures just how thoroughly this is turning into a massive humiliation for the United States.
He notes that Netanyahu spent years trying to drag America into a war with Iran and finally found his sucker in Trump, that no advisor had the guts to challenge him before the strikes began, and that Obama's old foreign policy doctrine of "don't do stupid shit" has been violated in spectacular fashion. He flags an absurd new development — Trumpworld is now threatening the Vatican because the Pope spoke against the war, a politically idiotic move given how many Catholics live in swing states — and reiterates that success in the conflict would require ground troops Trump refuses to commit, meaning the damage is done and markets will take a long time to recover. Todd argues that the United States has become an erratic and unreliable ally to every country in the world, that the only nation benefiting from Trump's presidency is Russia. He closes on a political note: Democrats massively overperformed again in recent elections, including a shocking blowout in Wisconsin, the war is accelerating the GOP's problems heading into the midterms, and Republicans who distance themselves from Trump now will be very glad they did by 2028 — because the current political climate is pointing toward a massive blue wave.
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
00:30 Trump was celebrating the ceasefire & joint venture with Iran??
01:00 This is turning into a massive humiliation for the United States
02:00 Trump’s biggest GOP supporters sounded the alarm on him in 2016
02:45 We have pissed away American prestige and trust around the world
04:00 In May 2016, Lindsey Graham said Trump’s foreign policy is jibberish
05:15 March 2016, Rubio said Trump was the opposite of what America stands for
05:45 Rubio warned about turning over nuclear codes to an erratic individual
06:30 Rubio warned that electing Trump “wouldn’t end well”
07:30 If you’re a hawk or dove on Iran, Donald Trump has failed you*
08:00 In 2016, Ted Cruz warned that Trump could “nuke Denmark”
09:30 In 2016, Nikki Haley also warned about Trump’s “irresponsible behavior”
10:30 Netanyahu tried to drag U.S. into war for years, found a sucker in Trump
11:15 No Trump advisor had the guts to challenge Trump on Iran before war
11:45 Obama’s strategy was “Don’t do stupid shit” - This war is “stupid shit”
12:30 Trump is desperate to get out of war, willing to take any deal
15:00 The Strait is now in the hands of the Iranians
15:30 We don’t know the state of the Ayatollah…who are we negotiating with?
16:30 The Pope spoke against the war, now Trumpworld threatening the Vatican
17:15 There are a lot of Catholics in swing states, picking fight w/pope is idiotic
18:30 Success requires ground troops & Trump doesn’t want to do that
20:00 The damage has been done, it will take time for markets to recover
21:15 The U.S. has become an erratic and unreliable ally
22:15 Trump gravitates toward being sold the best possible outcome
24:00 The word of the United States used to mean something
25:00 Trump has made our relationship with every country worse
26:30 The mistake people make is thinking they can control Trump
27:30 The next president will have to fix or apologize for things Trump did
29:30 Only one country is benefitting from Trump’s presidency…Russia
30:45 Rubio’s quote “this won’t end well” will live in infamy
31:15 Democrats massively overperformed again in recent elections
32:00 Wisconsin election was a shocking blowout for the Democrats
32:30 War is accelerating GOP’s problems heading into midterms
33:15 Republicans that distance from Trump will be glad they did by 2028
34:45 Current political climate portends a massive blue wave
40:00 Ask Chuck
40:15 What is being missed that will bite us in the future?
46:00 What’s the most “Veep” thing you’ve seen in DC?
49:30 Why haven’t Democrats tapped into talk radio like Republicans have?
55:00 Didn’t mention Washington state in one party drought Top 5 list?
58:30 If the war ends, can Republicans run on the economy in 2026?
1:01:30 Forcing ownership changes if sports teams underperform?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd predicts Trump will look for an offramp after his shocking "civilization will die" threat, noting that even in an era where people are numb to Trump's rhetoric, this particular statement genuinely rattled supporters and critics alike — yet only two elected Republicans have expressed even mild discomfort, which he calls unacceptable when a sitting president is openly threatening a war crime and behaving, in his words, like a terrorist thug. He then unpacks a blockbuster New York Times report detailing how Trump was talked into the Iran war, revealing that only two people in the entire decision-making process thought it was a good idea: Trump himself and Benjamin Netanyahu. The Times piece shows that Trump's own advisors tried to steer him away from the conflict, that JD Vance was privately against it, and that Netanyahu — who has spent years trying to get an American president to fight Iran on Israel's behalf, only to be rebuffed by Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden finally found his willing partner in Trump..
He then pivots to JD Vance campaigning in Europe on behalf of Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán while trashing America's European allies — effectively siding with Putin in the Hungarian election and betraying the values America was founded on — and predicts it will be a generation before the U.S. is trusted on the world stage again. He closes with sharp analysis of the Virginia redistricting referendum, which he says is hurting Governor Abigail Spanberger politically by labeling her as "partisan" in ways she didn't earn, noting that Democrats would have picked up 2-3 Virginia seats without the aggressive redistricting push and that independent voters — already exhausted by partisan garbage — may punish Democrats for fighting fire with fire.
Then, Lauren Gustus — executive editor of The Salt Lake Tribune — joins the Chuck Toddcast ahead of Local News Day on April 9th to discuss how a legacy daily newspaper completely reimagined itself as a nonprofit and is now taking its paywall down entirely in May, betting that free access and a members-based support model is the path to long-term sustainability. Gustus walks through the Tribune's fascinating history: the newspaper once had a 50-person desk dedicated just to youth sports, was heavily supported by the Huntsman family, had a joint operating agreement with the Deseret News, and — like so many local papers — eventually became a target for private equity firms. She explains how the Tribune transitioned to its nonprofit structure, acquired the Moab Times and retained those subscribers, created unique member benefits that require a paid subscription, and is now experimenting with how to serve Utah as both a statewide and hyper-local paper. She emphasizes that local news consumers are incredibly engaged and curious, that reporters need to understand their audience before doing the work, and that there has to be a genuine public service aspect to local journalism or the whole model falls apart.
The conversation turns to the specific challenges of covering Utah — a state where the intersection of faith, business, and politics is uniquely intense. Gustus explains that the Tribune's reporters covering the LDS church are themselves LDS members, which she argues allows them to report honestly and with context rather than creating conflict of interest concerns. She notes that Utah politics is often described as divisive but more polite than elsewhere, and suggests that the state's tradition of mission service creates a more worldly electorate than outsiders assume. On the editorial page, Gustus says the Tribune still sends questionnaires to political candidates because voters need information, not instruction on how to vote, and reveals that the paper receives dozens of Trump op-ed submissions but declines to run them. She discusses the messy ongoing redistricting war in Utah, the potential opportunity created by the Nexstar/Tegna merger consolidating local TV news, and makes the case that the Tribune's model — nonprofit structure, reader engagement, statewide ambition, and free access — is fundamentally repeatable in other markets across the country, which is exactly the kind of story Local News Day is designed to amplify.
Finally, he gives his ToddCast Top 5 states most likely to end their 4 term one-party drought in the 2026 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
00:45 Trump will look for offramp after threatening civilizational destruction
01:30 People are numb to Trump, but this statement still shocked people
03:00 Only two elected Republicans have expressed discomfort
05:30 When the president threatens a war crime, leaders need to speak out
06:45 Trump is behaving like a terrorist thug
08:00 Everybody saw Trump’s comment, even supporters are uncomfortable
09:15 NYT reporters release piece explaining how Trump was talked into war
10:45 Only two people thought war was a good idea: Trump & Netanyahu
12:00 Iran wanted to assassinate Trump, there’s personal animosity here
12:45 This war has NOT been in the best interest of the United States
13:30 Advisors to Trump tried to steer him away from war
14:30 NYT piece will make Trump nuts over “leaks”
16:00 Vance shown as against the war in the NYT piece
17:00 Trump is on an island over the war, even amongst his staff
18:00 Netanyahu made it sound like regime change would be easy
18:30 Bibi wanted a U.S. president to go to war for years, they all said no
19:15 Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden all rebuffed Netanyahu
21:15 Biden shouted down Bibi as a liar
22:00 Bibi finally found a president willing to acquiesce in Trump
22:45 Bibi’s power in Israel comes from fear of the Iranians
23:45 This story will poison Israel’s reputation with the American public
25:30 NYT story should be more explosive, but Trump’s rhetoric stole headlines
27:00 Trump is advocating war crimes even if he doesn’t commit one
27:45 Trump has not brainwashed the public into thinking war is a good idea
28:45 Vance is campaigning on behalf of Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban
29:45 Vance is in Europe trashing America’s European allies
30:30 The U.S. is siding with Putin in Hungarian election, betraying our values
31:15 It’ll be a generation before America is trusted again on the world stage
33:45 America fought for independence against autocratic rule
35:00 Can Trump get a deal to open the Strait without embarrassing the U.S.?
36:00 Redistricting referendum in VA has hurt Abigail Spanberger politically
37:00 Yes on redistricting will win, but margins are narrow
39:15 Independent voters don’t like the partisan garbage, Dems could lose them
41:00 Spanberger is getting labeled as “partisan” in all the wrong ways
41:45 Democrats would have picked up 2-3 seats without redistricting
43:15 Voters will tire of either party governing in a too partisan manner
50:00 Lauren Gustus joins the Chuck ToddCast
52:30 SL Tribune is a legacy publication that’s been reimagined
53:30 The Tribune used to have a 50 person desk for youth sports
55:00 Huntsman family was a massive booster of the Tribune
55:45 Transitioning the Tribune to a nonprofit model
57:30 In May, the Tribune will be taking down their paywall
59:30 Private Equity bought newspapers in order to obtain their real estate
1:00:45 Tribune had a joint operating agreement with Deseret News
1:02:30 Local news has to constantly pivot between revenue sources
1:04:30 How many hybrid funding models were considered?
1:05:45 Acquired the Moab Times & subscribers kept paying
1:06:30 Creating unique member benefits that require a paid subscription
1:08:00 Local news consumers are incredibly engaged and curious
1:09:15 Reporters need to understand the audience before doing the work
1:11:15 There has to be a public service aspect to local journalism
1:14:30 Has local advertising gotten harder, easier or just different?
1:17:30 Are there different models for relationships with reporters?
1:18:30 Independent contractor/freelancer model hasn’t caught on in SLC
1:20:30 Stories should be tailored to the platform if resources allow
1:22:45 Instagram isn’t monetizable, but good for reaching a subscriber base
1:24:30 What model have you chosen for your editorial page?
1:26:00 Tribune still sends questionnaires to political candidates
1:26:45 Voters need info, don’t need to be told how to vote
1:28:30 Trib receives dozens of Trump Op-Eds, doesn’t run them
1:29:00 How do you cover the LDS church?
1:30:30 Tribune team covering the church are LDS members, but still report honestly
1:32:00 Intersectionality of faith, business and politics is huge in Salt Lake City
1:33:30 Utah politics is seen as divisive but more polite… is that true?
1:34:00 Mission service creates a more worldly electorate in Utah
1:36:00 The redistricting war in Utah has been incredibly messy
1:37:45 Nexstar/Tegna merger will consolidate TV news, is that an opportunity for you?
1:39:00 Tribune strives to be a statewide & local paper for all of Utah
1:41:30 Tribune model is repeatable
1:42:00 Plans for Local News Day on April 9th?
1:42:30 New episode of the “Dynastic” podcast available!
1:44:45 ToddCast Top 5 states that could end their 4 term one party droughts
1:46:45 #1 Iowa
1:47:15 #2 Ohio
1:49:30 #3 Georgia
1:51:15 #4 Alabama
1:53:30 #5 Texas
1:55:30 Honorable mentions
1:56:45 Ask Chuck
1:57:00 What would campaigning look like if the electoral college was abolished?
2:00:30 Is there any chance Republicans will find a way to remove Trump from office?
2:02:45 What’s with Hegseth ousting top generals? Are Geneva Conventions defunct?
2:05:00 Why haven’t Dems taken steps in court over War Powers?
2:07:30 Are all hopes of a two-state solution dead?
2:09:45 Raphael Warnock’s chances as a dark horse presidential candidate?
2:15:30 Shoutout to the Packers
2:17:45 Could a southern Dem put Florida in play in 2028?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Gustus — executive editor of The Salt Lake Tribune — joins the Chuck Toddcast ahead of Local News Day on April 9th to discuss how a legacy daily newspaper completely reimagined itself as a nonprofit and is now taking its paywall down entirely in May, betting that free access and a members-based support model is the path to long-term sustainability. Gustus walks through the Tribune's fascinating history: the newspaper once had a 50-person desk dedicated just to youth sports, was heavily supported by the Huntsman family, had a joint operating agreement with the Deseret News, and — like so many local papers — eventually became a target for private equity firms. She explains how the Tribune transitioned to its nonprofit structure, acquired the Moab Times and retained those subscribers, created unique member benefits that require a paid subscription, and is now experimenting with how to serve Utah as both a statewide and hyper-local paper. She emphasizes that local news consumers are incredibly engaged and curious, that reporters need to understand their audience before doing the work, and that there has to be a genuine public service aspect to local journalism or the whole model falls apart.
The conversation turns to the specific challenges of covering Utah — a state where the intersection of faith, business, and politics is uniquely intense. Gustus explains that the Tribune's reporters covering the LDS church are themselves LDS members, which she argues allows them to report honestly and with context rather than creating conflict of interest concerns. She notes that Utah politics is often described as divisive but more polite than elsewhere, and suggests that the state's tradition of mission service creates a more worldly electorate than outsiders assume. On the editorial page, Gustus says the Tribune still sends questionnaires to political candidates because voters need information, not instruction on how to vote, and reveals that the paper receives dozens of Trump op-ed submissions but declines to run them. She discusses the messy ongoing redistricting war in Utah, the potential opportunity created by the Nexstar/Tegna merger consolidating local TV news, and makes the case that the Tribune's model — nonprofit structure, reader engagement, statewide ambition, and free access — is fundamentally repeatable in other markets across the country, which is exactly the kind of story Local News Day is designed to amplify.
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 Lauren Gustus joins the Chuck ToddCast
02:30 SL Tribune is a legacy publication that’s been reimagined
03:30 The Tribune used to have a 50 person desk for youth sports
05:00 Huntsman family was a massive booster of the Tribune
05:45 Transitioning the Tribune to a nonprofit model
07:30 In May, the Tribune will be taking down their paywall
09:30 Private Equity bought newspapers in order to obtain their real estate
10:45 Tribune had a joint operating agreement with Deseret News
12:30 Local news has to constantly pivot between revenue sources
14:30 How many hybrid funding models were considered?
15:45 Acquired the Moab Times & subscribers kept paying
16:30 Creating unique member benefits that require a paid subscription
18:00 Local news consumers are incredibly engaged and curious
19:15 Reporters need to understand the audience before doing the work
21:15 There has to be a public service aspect to local journalism
24:30 Has local advertising gotten harder, easier or just different?
27:30 Are there different models for relationships with reporters?
28:30 Independent contractor/freelancer model hasn’t caught on in SLC
30:30 Stories should be tailored to the platform if resources allow
32:45 Instagram isn’t monetizable, but good for reaching a subscriber base
34:30 What model have you chosen for your editorial page?
36:00 Tribune still sends questionnaires to political candidates
36:45 Voters need info, don’t need to be told how to vote
38:30 Trib receives dozens of Trump Op-Eds, doesn’t run them
39:00 How do you cover the LDS church?
40:30 Tribune team covering the church are LDS members, but still report honestly
42:00 Intersectionality of faith, business and politics is huge in Salt Lake City
43:30 Utah politics is seen as divisive but more polite… is that true?
44:00 Mission service creates a more worldly electorate in Utah
46:00 The redistricting war in Utah has been incredibly messy
47:45 Nexstar/Tegna merger will consolidate TV news, is that an opportunity for you?
49:00 Tribune strives to be a statewide & local paper for all of Utah
51:30 Tribune model is repeatable
52:00 Plans for Local News Day on April 9th?
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