The Chuck ToddCast

It’s been a busy few weeks in politics — an attempted assassination, the Republican convention, President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race. But lost in all of those dramatic changes was this piece of news: Sunday, July 21st was the hottest day ever recorded on earth. It was an alarming piece of history, with heat waves sweeping across Europe, the Western United States and extreme weather around the world. It was one of those landmark moments that makes some people stop and focus on climate change. And then those very records were broken 24 hours later, when global average temperatures went even higher on Monday, July 22nd. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Iowa and the chair of the Conservative Climate Caucus, joins Chuck to discuss.

After President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential campaign, NBC News White House correspondent Mike Memoli and longtime Biden-reporter describes the many twists and turns that the Biden epic took.

Former President Trump delivered a historically long acceptance speech on Thursday night, and Chuck Todd asks if his energy shift is a sign of things to come. Plus, author and scholar Elaine Karmack explains the byzantine rules and options that a political party has for replacing a candidate, as calls for Joe Biden to step aside as the 2024 Democratic nominee grow louder.

Stephen Hayes, CEO and editor of The Dispatch, joins the ToddCast from the site of the Republican National Convention as former President Trump is officially tapped as the party’s presidential nominee and picks Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate.

President Biden answers questions at a press conference, but leaves Democrats without a clear path forward. Marc Short, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, joins Chuck to talk veepstakes as former President Donald Trump weighs his decision on a running mate with the start of the Republican National Convention just days away.

After almost two weeks of turmoil, President Biden has a chance to put concerns about his vitality to rest, with a major NATO summit and upcoming press conference. But at the same time, his performance could reignite concerns. Jonathan Martin, senior political columnist for Politico, joins Chuck to discuss.

Chuck moderates a debate between Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) as part of the fifth installment of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and Orrin G. Hatch Foundation's joint "Senate Project." They debate climate change, how to view China, health care and more.

After President Biden and former President Trump squared off in their first general election debate of 2024, Chuck talks about the consequences of President Biden’s performance. Plus, former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels discusses his experience as the president of Purdue University and why the historic path to the Senate for former governors has started to fade away.

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt (R) and Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther (D) join Chuck to talk about the role of elected officials closest to the people in showing the federal government how bipartisanship works, and why there's "hardly any better job in American politics" than mayor of a city.

Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief for The Economist, joins Chuck to talk about French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to call snap legislative elections following his party's shellacking by the far right in the E.U. elections.

Erik Wemple, media critic for the Washington Post, joins Chuck to talk about the scandal unfolding at his newspaper over the conduct of the Post's publisher and CEO. Plus, they analyze the downsizing of media outlets, as big tech, disinformation and a deeply divisive election put additional strain on those who report the news.

Carlos Orta, author of, “From Havana to DC: The Rise of Cuban Americans in Florida Politics,” talks about his “love letter” to the Latino trailblazers who shaped U.S. politics. Plus, Chuck’s thoughts on how international affairs affect how U.S. elections on the heels of far-right gains in European elections.

Chuck talks with Lakshya Jain and Harrison Lavelle, political scientists at Split Ticket, a new organization that presents electoral data in simple, easy-to-understand maps and graphs.

Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-Kansas) joins Chuck to talk about his decision not to seek a third term in Congress, and discusses the "sadness" and "burden" that lawmakers carry with them.

Steven Brill, author of "The Death of Truth," joins Chuck to talk about the spread of misinformation and disinformation and what his company NewsGuard is trying to do to restore trust in media.

Former President Trump is guilty, but how will the campaigns handle it? And Chuck speaks with John Ellis, the author of a simple but elegant newsletter on Substack called Political News Items, to talk about the data that matters from across economic and political indicators, both foreign and domestic.

Reid Wilson, founder and editor of Pluribus News, focuses on statehouses across the country as local leaders reckon with AI, abortion and marijuana legalization.

Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis joins Chuck to talk about the intersection of sports, business and politics ... and how he miscalculated on his plan to move the teams to Virginia.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, historian and author of "An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s" joins Chuck to talk about what she learned working on a biography of someone unusually close to her life — her husband, Dick.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, joins Chuck for an exit interview on what she’s learned during her decades in Congress, and her ongoing fight to regulate Big Tech.