(Note: Most of this episode was recorded prior the Wednesday’s vote in the house)

Chuck Todd breaks down Republicans electing John Thune and Jim Jordan to leadership — arguing Jordan is who you pick when you’ve accepted being in the minority for a while, a choice that makes the base feel better without winning anything back, with the GOP now facing a two-cycle deficit. The bulk of the episode is Thomas Massie’s impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth over unauthorized hostilities in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen. He argues Hegseth’s press conference was performed for an audience of one, that hiding behind the troops was disgusting, and that civilian military leadership should be held to the highest account — the military belongs to all of us, not to Trump. The public deserves to hear the evidence a trial would produce, particularly on war powers and the Caribbean boat strikes. He also breaks down several important ballot measure results from across the country.

Then, veteran sports labor attorney Jim Quinn joins the Chuck ToddCast with MLB barreling toward a December 2 lockout. The collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, owners are pushing a salary cap and floor — currently proposed to phase in by 2028 at roughly $258 million and $180 million — and the players’ association has vowed never to accept one. Quinn walks through the nuclear option nobody’s modeled out: if the union decertifies, it’s unclear who could stop a lockout, whether guaranteed contracts survive, and whether every superstar in the sport suddenly hits free agency. He explains why owners failed to win a cap in 1994, why MLB franchise values haven’t kept pace with other leagues because of media rights, and why Rob Manfred doesn’t want a lockout defining his legacy. Plus a detailed turn to college sports, where Quinn gives the Protect College Sports Act zero chance of passing.

Finally, Chuck presents the ToddCast Top 5 states that will enter battleground status for the 2028 election and answers listeners’ questions in the Ask Chuck segment. 

Timeline:

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:00 Thune, Jordan, and what the leadership picks signal

12:00 The Hegseth impeachment push and a Pentagon in disarray

20:30 A devastated GOP conference and the vote math

27:00 Would a trial happen in this Senate or the next one?

30:00 The Mayorkas precedent and what Thune could do

37:30 Headaches for Thune and Johnson, and chaos in DC

42:15 War powers, the boat strikes, and the evidence voters deserve

45:45 The “warrior ethos” and hiding behind the troops

1:00:30 Amendment 3 and a possible rural revolt in Florida

1:02:30 Missouri rejects the map, and the fight over ballot measures

1:09:30 Ranked choice survives in Alaska

1:12:15 Tax measures fail, and Washington’s anti-trans sports bill passes 

1:24:00 Jim Quinn joins the Chuck ToddCast

1:26:45 Decertification and who could stop a lockout

1:30:15 December lockout, ongoing talks, and the pressure on both sides

1:33:30 Would contracts be voided? And the superstar free agency risk

1:35:45 What success looks like for owners — and the 1994 precedent

1:42:00 Franchise values, media rights, and why MLB lags

1:45:30 Manfred’s legacy and whether players accept an incremental cap

1:50:45 The Dodgers problem and which owners can reach Manfred

1:57:00 Is there a revenue sharing deal to be had?

2:00:15 Fixing college sports’ labor structure

2:03:00 Why the Protect College Sports Act is dead

2:06:30 The NLRB’s role, mock negotiations, and the NIL correction

2:13:00 ToddCast Top 5 states to end up in the fall 2028 battleground

2:14:00 #5 Minnesota

2:16:15 #4 Mississippi

2:17:15 #3 South Carolina

2:18:00 #2 Florida

2:19:45 #1 Texas

2:20:45 Honorable mentions

2:21:00 Ask Chuck

2:21:15 What happens if popular vote compact elects a Republican?

2:24:45 Should congress ask Trump for a written SOTU rather than speech?

2:26:00 Shouldn’t the Utah Utes get more love from the ToddCast

2:29:30 Election night coverage in the US versus Europe