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This week’s episode of The Chuck ToddCast dives into the full spectrum of Donald Trump’s political chaos — from a deadly Venezuela boat strike that jolted Congress awake to an explosive shooting in Washington, D.C., where Trump delivered the most divisive response imaginable. Chuck breaks down how the shooter’s surprising CIA ties, Trump’s immediate “blame game,” and his increasingly politicized rhetoric toward the military risk putting service members in harm’s way. He examines Trump’s contradictory foreign policy moves, including pardoning a cocaine-trafficking former Honduran president and a billionaire fraudster, all while saber-rattling toward Venezuela and relying on Roger Stone as his unofficial “pardon broker.” With Republicans bracing for a wave of resignations and watchdog committees gearing up for investigations, Chuck argues that the founders never intended the pardon power to be used this way — and that a constitutional fix may now be essential.

Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to December 7th, 1941 when FDR addressed the nation via radio after Pearl Harbor, and traces the history of media fragmentation throughout the decades. He also answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and gives his college football update. 

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! 

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

02:00 We got the full spectrum of Trump this week

02:45 Venezuela boat strike has awoken congress from its slumber

03:15 Pete Hegseth could take the fall for war crime strike

04:00 Resignation of head of SouthCom was a flashing red light

05:45 Two national guardsmen shot in Washington D.C.  

06:45 Trump’s response to shooting was most divisive possible

07:30 Surprising that shooter was Afghan employee of CIA

08:45 It’s likely shooter was mentally unstable & something triggered him

09:30 Trump immediately went into “blame game” mode after shooting

10:15 Trump’s entire political currency is division

11:00 Trump’s politicization of military risks putting target on their back

12:00 Trump blames Biden’s vetting, but administration rarely vets anything

12:45 Trump gave away everything U.S. won in Afghanistan to Taliban

14:30 Every president in the 21st century has screwed up Afghanistan

15:45 Trump tried to weaponize the shooting for political gain

17:30 Pay attention to what Trump does, not what he says

18:15 Trump pardons cocaine trafficking ex president of Honduras

19:00 Trump threatens war with Venezuela over drugs, then gives this pardon??

20:00 Trump threatens voters of Honduras over their election

20:45 Roger Stone has become Trump’s pardon merchant

21:45 Pardon was direct result of Roger Stone’s lobbying

22:15 Trump has normalized pardoning of convicted felons

24:15 Trump pardons executive guilty of 1.6B fraud scheme

25:15 Trump’s pardons are far more corrupt than prior president’s pardons

26:30 We need a constitutional amendment to change the pardon power

29:30 Founder imagined congress would prevent abuse of pardon power

28:15 We’ll likely see 2-4 retirements per week in congress through December

29:45 Senate Armed Services committee will do thorough investigation of strike

31:15 Trump is likely to give an illegal order w/ military action in Venezuela

32:45 Trump’s coalition wanted less military intervention overseas

38:45 ToddCast Time Machine - December 7th, 1941

39:30 The shock of Pearl Harbor is almost gone from living memory

40:00 Pearl Harbor showed the power of shared media experience

41:00 Radio was the height of communal media

41:15 December 1945, FCC gave massive expansion of FM radio

42:00 FM created the first fragmentation of media

43:00 Summer of 1980, Walkman introduced personalization in media

44:30 The Walkman was the beginning of mass media fragmentation

46:30 By 1990, 40% of minutes listened in the car weren’t radio

47:15 Radio never recovered from the Walkman

47:45 Streaming and social are diminishing TV & cable

48:30 For Americans under 60, almost all media consumption is on smartphones

51:00 Ask Chuck

51:15 Love for “The Barn” and the book recommendations

54:30 Is there any hope for a return to respectful bipartisan discourse?

1:00:15 Should we consider distributing presidential roles & diluting power?

1:05:00 What benefits do members of congress receive after leaving?

1:10:00 College football update

This week&rsquo;s episode of The Chuck ToddCast dives into the full spectrum of Donald Trump&rsquo;s political chaos &mdash; from a deadly Venezuela boat strike that jolted Congress awake to an explosive shooting in Washington, D.C., where Trump delivered the most divisive response imaginable. Chuck breaks down how the shooter&rsquo;s surprising CIA ties, Trump&rsquo;s immediate &ldquo;blame game,&rdquo; and his increasingly politicized rhetoric toward the military risk putting service members in harm&rsquo;s way. He examines Trump&rsquo;s contradictory foreign policy moves, including pardoning a cocaine-trafficking former Honduran president and a billionaire fraudster, all while saber-rattling toward Venezuela and relying on Roger Stone as his unofficial &ldquo;pardon broker.&rdquo; With Republicans bracing for a wave of resignations and watchdog committees gearing up for investigations, Chuck argues that the founders never intended the pardon power to be used this way &mdash; and that a constitutional fix may now be essential.
Finally, Chuck hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to December 7th, 1941 when FDR addressed the nation via radio after Pearl Harbor, and traces the history of media fragmentation throughout the decades. He also answers listeners&rsquo; questions in the &ldquo;Ask Chuck&rdquo; segment and gives his college football update.&nbsp;
Go to<a href="https://getsoul.com/"> https://getsoul.com</a> &amp; enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order.
Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit<a href="http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST"> http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST</a> and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life!&nbsp;
Got injured in an accident? You could be one click away from a claim worth millions. Just visit<a href="https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST"> https://www.forthepeople.com/TODDCAST</a> to start your claim now with Morgan &amp; 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&rsquo;s introduction
02:00 We got the full spectrum of Trump this week
02:45 Venezuela boat strike has awoken congress from its slumber
03:15 Pete Hegseth could take the fall for war crime strike
04:00 Resignation of head of SouthCom was a flashing red light
05:45 Two national guardsmen shot in Washington D.C.&nbsp;&nbsp;
06:45 Trump&rsquo;s response to shooting was most divisive possible
07:30 Surprising that shooter was Afghan employee of CIA
08:45 It&rsquo;s likely shooter was mentally unstable &amp; something triggered him
09:30 Trump immediately went into &ldquo;blame game&rdquo; mode after shooting
10:15 Trump&rsquo;s entire political currency is division
11:00 Trump&rsquo;s politicization of military risks putting target on their back
12:00 Trump blames Biden&rsquo;s vetting, but administration rarely vets anything
12:45 Trump gave away everything U.S. won in Afghanistan to Taliban
14:30 Every president in the 21st century has screwed up Afghanistan
15:45 Trump tried to weaponize the shooting for political gain
17:30 Pay attention to what Trump does, not what he says
18:15 Trump pardons cocaine trafficking ex president of Honduras
19:00 Trump threatens war with Venezuela over drugs, then gives this pardon??
20:00 Trump threatens voters of Honduras over their election
20:45 Roger Stone has become Trump&rsquo;s pardon merchant
21:45 Pardon was direct result of Roger Stone&rsquo;s lobbying
22:15 Trump has normalized pardoning of convicted felons
24:15 Trump pardons executive guilty of 1.6B fraud scheme
25:15 Trump&rsquo;s pardons are far more corrupt than prior president&rsquo;s pardons
26:30 We need a constitutional amendment to change the pardon power
29:30 Founder imagined congress would prevent abuse of pardon power
28:15 We&rsquo;ll likely see 2-4 retirements per week in congress through December
29:45 Senate Armed Services committee will do thorough investigation of strike
31:15 Trump is likely to give an illegal order w/ military action in Venezuela
32:45 Trump&rsquo;s coalition wanted less military intervention overseas
38:45 ToddCast Time Machine - December 7th, 1941
39:30 The shock of Pearl Harbor is almost gone from living memory
40:00 Pearl Harbor showed the power of shared media experience
41:00 Radio was the height of communal media
41:15 December 1945, FCC gave massive expansion of FM radio
42:00 FM created the first fragmentation of media
43:00 Summer of 1980, Walkman introduced personalization in media
44:30 The Walkman was the beginning of mass media fragmentation
46:30 By 1990, 40% of minutes listened in the car weren&rsquo;t radio
47:15 Radio never recovered from the Walkman
47:45 Streaming and social are diminishing TV &amp; cable
48:30 For Americans under 60, almost all media consumption is on smartphones
51:00 Ask Chuck
51:15 Love for &ldquo;The Barn&rdquo; and the book recommendations
54:30 Is there any hope for a return to respectful bipartisan discourse?
1:00:15 Should we consider distributing presidential roles &amp; diluting power?
1:05:00 What benefits do members of congress receive after leaving?
1:10:00 College football update

The Chuck ToddCast is back! If you're looking for smart, no-nonsense political conversation, you've come to the right place. The Chuck ToddCast goes beyond the headlines, featuring conversations with top reporters, insiders, and newsmakers from D.C. to the heartland. No scripts, no spin—just real discussions about what’s shaping our politics and why it matters.

The Chuck ToddCast

Chuck’s Commentary - The Full Spectrum of Trump: Chaos Abroad, Division at Home + We Need To Amend The Pardon Power

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ec3b2193-d0c0-4b19-bf82-b3a6000a8382/transcript

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