Chuck Todd opens with a sobering analysis of the post-Correspondents' Dinner shooting political climate, arguing that both sides are now busy blaming each other for violent rhetoric while past presidents from both parties always understood their job was to lower the temperature, not raise it. He argues that while Democratic rhetoric has gotten harsher in recent years, Trump is the one who fundamentally changed what was acceptable to say out loud — his January 6th pardons effectively created a permission slip for political violence, and the public barely batted an eye when he celebrated Robert Mueller's death — and warns it only takes one unstable person to take the wrong cue from this environment. He says American politics has become genuinely brutal and violent, that the "cold civil war" is warming up, and that two wrongs don't make a right: just because Trump started this race to the bottom doesn't mean everyone has to engage in it. He then pivots to the Iran war, where he says the U.S. and Iran are measuring the conflict in fundamentally different ways — for the regime, victory is simply surviving — and argues that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz has to be addressed before any nuclear threat. He closes with the proposed Florida redistricting map (which looks great for the GOP in a presidential year but terrible in a midterm), a new Texas poll showing Talarico leading both potential GOP nominees, and Susan Collins going negative on Graham Platner before the Maine primary.

Finally, he gives his ToddCast Top 5 list of Republican races that could signal trouble for Donald Trump and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

02:45 Both sides blaming each other for “violent rhetoric”

03:15 Past presidents always tried to lower the temperature

04:30 Both sides confident they are right & other side is wrong

05:30 We’ve produced a new political environment that is scary

06:45 Trump changed what was acceptable to say out loud

07:45 Democratic rhetoric has also gotten harsher, but Trump took us here

08:30 Two wrongs don’t make a right*

09:15 Trump’s J6 pardons created a permission slip for political violence

10:30 Public barely batted an eye when Trump celebrated death of Mueller

11:15 One unstable person will take the wrong cue from this environment

13:15 American politics is now brutal and violent. Cold civil war is warming up

14:15 Both sides are racing to the bottom, and nobody wins

15:30 Just because Trump started it doesn’t mean everyone should engage in it

16:45 American leadership is not meeting the moment

18:00 You can’t “secure” your way out of a volatile political climate

19:30 At the ballot box, character and temperament need to matter

20:15 James Comey indicted again by Trump’s DOJ

21:00 Administration is weaponizing the Comey case 

22:30 If Dems immediately go for impeachment in 27’, the cycle will continue

23:45 Jimmy Kimmel should apologize, but government shouldn’t target him

25:00 You can be a deescalator or an accelerant in this moment

26:30 The U.S. and Iran are measuring the war in different ways

27:00 Victory for the regime is simply surviving

28:30 Iranian control of the Strait has to be dealt with before nuclear threat

29:30 The Iranians understand us better than we understand them

30:30 Florida releases proposed redistricting map

31:15 The map is great for GOP in presidential year, bad in a midterm election

32:00 Map targets Jared Moskowitz & Debbie Wasserman Schultz

33:30 Analysis of how the new districts will look politically

37:30 Republicans might only break even, or only pick up 1-2 seats in ‘26

38:45 Poll out of Texas shows Talarico with a lead over both GOP candidates

39:45 Susan Collins has gone negative on Platner before the primary

40:15 Move shows that Collins would rather face Mills over Platner

41:00 Platner is in a strong position to win the senate seat

45:30 ToddCast Top 5 Republican races that could signal trouble for Trump

47:30 We’ll find out in May if Trump’s grip on the party is slipping

48:15 #5 North Carolina senate

50:30 #4 Louisiana senate primary

52:15 #3 Texas senate primary

53:45 #2 Georgia governor

56:00 #1 Kentucky 4th district & Thomas Massie

58:00 Ask Chuck

58:15 Did Ohio Democrats make a mistake by backing Sherrod Brown?

1:03:30 Is Trump liable for violating contracts by cancelling offshore wind projects?*

1:07:15 If Trump had bought the Bills would it have kept him from running in ‘16?

1:12:30 Navigating the reverence for founders when proposing amendments?

1:18:00 How do we move beyond violence to remove a tyrant?