The Chuck ToddCast

Chuck Todd revisits his interview with Iowa Democratic senate candidate and four-time Paralympian and gold medalist Josh Turek for a deeply personal and politically sharp conversation. Josh shares his remarkable journey—from being born with spina bifida caused by his father’s exposure to Agent Orange, to discovering wheelchair basketball as a pathway to college, to becoming one of the winningest athletes in Paralympic history. He opens up about the emotional challenge of leaving the sport he loved and what ultimately pushed him toward public service. Together, Chuck and Josh explore how the ADA reshaped life for disabled Americans, why adaptive and women’s sports remain undervalued, and how equal access—not guaranteed equal outcomes—remains the core civil rights debate for the disability community.
The conversation widens into an unvarnished look at rural politics, Iowa’s sharp rightward turn, and the policies reshaping life in small towns. Josh breaks down why Medicaid denials have exploded, how school choice is quietly devastating rural school districts, and why tariffs—when used chaotically—are crushing family farms. He tackles complex cultural issues such as religion’s decline, the trans sports debate, and why Democrats shouldn’t cede Christianity or populism to the right. They also cover climate messaging, the stakes for U.S. policy in Israel and Ukraine, and whether Congress should step in to regulate collegiate athletics. With insights on Iowa’s political future, the 2026 Democratic opportunity, and even some NBA talk (yes—Jokić and Jordan both make an appearance), Josh Turek offers one of the most candid, wide-ranging conversations you’ll hear about the Midwest, disability rights, and the future of American politics.
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
1:45 Josh Turek joins the Chuck ToddCast
3:15 Josh’s journey as a gold medal winning Paralympian
4:30 Josh’s fathers exposure to agent orange caused his spina bifida
6:15 Wheelchair basketball was his pathway to college
7:30 What do we not value adaptive & female sports in America?
9:45 How hard was it to walk away from basketball?
11:30 What inspired the decision to go into politics?
12:45 There was a 1000% increase in Medicaid denials in Iowa
14:15 The ADA made things better, still a long ways to go
15:30 The ADA gave disabled Americans an onramp to society
18:15 The debate over equal access vs. equal outcome
19:00 Who is the Turek/Trump voter?
21:30 The difficulty of breaking through as a Democrat in rural America
23:30 Iowa has shifted rightward, but could shift back to swing state status
26:45 The right candidate with the right message can win red Iowa counties
29:00 School choice sounds great, but is a huge problem for rural America
30:30 Rural schools are struggling and closing under school choice policies
32:00 There are no standards for private schools spending tax dollars
34:45 Not all tariffs are bad, but Trump’s tariff regime is chaotic
35:45 Tariffs are crushing family farms
36:45 What’s the plan to keep people in Iowa and reverse brain drain?
39:30 How has the decline in religious participation affected Iowa?
40:45 Pushing back against the narrative that Democrats can’t be Christian
41:15 What’s fair to the trans community when it comes to organized sports?
42:30 Politicians shouldn’t be involved in the trans sports conversation
43:15 Why have many Democrats turned to socialism over capitalism?
44:15 We need regulated capitalism and a progressive tax structure
45:00 We are living in a country of have’s and have nots
46:30 Addressing climate change without scaring voters about the economy
48:00 What’s your position on Israel?
49:00 The U.S. should stand in solidarity with Ukraine & aid them
50:00 Does Congress need to get involved in regulating collegiate sports?
53:15 We need more genuine populists in congress to push back against oligarchs
55:00 Nikola Jokic is Josh’s favorite basketball player to watch
56:30 Michael Jordan is the GOAT
57:30 Historic opportunity for Democrats in Iowa in ‘26
58:45 Democrats focused too much on identity in Iowa
1:01:15 Public schools will be a huge issue for Iowa voters
1:03:00 If Democrats can’t win Iowa in this environment, it could take a generation
1:07:15 There are three great candidates for the Iowa Democratic senate seat
1:08:15 Primaries sharpen candidates and improve party registration
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd & J.A. Adande tell the complete history of The Golden State Warriors, who certainly didn't become a dynasty overnight. Long before Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and the NBA's greatest three-point revolution, the Warriors were one of the most fascinating—and frustrating—franchises in professional sports. Chuck & J.A. take you from their origins as one of the NBA's founding franchises to the rise of Wilt Chamberlain, the 1975 championship team led by Rick Barry, the Run TMC era, the We Believe Warriors, and ultimately the dynasty that changed basketball forever.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with what he calls the unmistakable arrival of a "YOLO caucus" in the Senate — a growing number of congressional Republicans who are simply done capitulating to Trump, evidenced by John Thune publicly declaring there's no need to "weaponize" the DNI position and by the broader sense that the non-Trump part of the GOP is openly preparing to move on. He argues Trump is doing everything possible to accelerate his own lame duck status: he's politicizing America's 250th anniversary in ways that genuinely alarm vulnerable Republicans, he failed to engage any of the former presidents in the 250th planning, and he's creating Marie Antoinette-style "let them eat cake" optics by celebrating himself at a moment of real economic pain for ordinary Americans. Trump's treatment of CNN's Kaitlan Collins was outrageous, his cranky behavior with the press is a tell that things aren't going well, and his decision to formally nominate Todd Blanche for Attorney General has essentially zero chance of confirmation — Blanche has burned his bridges in the Senate and the doomed January 6th weaponization fund was reportedly his idea in the first place. It's almost as if Trump is begging to put a neon "I'm a lame duck" sign on the White House. Chuck then turns to California, where ballots are still being counted at a pace that he says is actively eroding public trust in the democratic process itself — the state desperately needs to find a way to count faster — and notes that CA-06 was drawn as a safe Democratic seat but the top two finishers right now are both Republicans, while Spencer Pratt looks safer in the LA mayoral race than Steve Hilton does in the governor's race. He closes with a fascinating analysis of the Graham Platner situation in Maine, where Janet Mills' decision to leave her name on the ballot has created a Nikki Haley-style protest vote opportunity for nervous Democrats — Mills didn't bow out in disgrace so her floor is high, and if she pulls 25% or more in the primary, Chuck predicts very real conversations about replacing Platner will begin. The number to watch is ME-02: if Platner underperforms there, it's the clearest red flag that a candidate Democrats once viewed as a slam-dunk pickup is now in serious trouble.
Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and spends a few minutes reflecting on the life of his grandmother who passed away this week.
Predict the action all the way through the finals. Sign up now for your twenty-five dollar bonus on https://fanduel.com/predicts
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!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
06:45 Increasing # of congressional Republicans done capitulating to Trump
07:30 John Thune said we don’t need “weaponization” of DNI position
08:30 There’s a growing “YOLO caucus” in the senate
09:30 The non-Trump part of the GOP is ready to move on from Trump
10:00 Trump’s treatment of Kaitlin Collins is outrageous
11:45 Trump gets cranky with the press when things aren’t going well
12:30 Trump is a terrible negotiator
13:00 Trump is creating huge political risk politicizing America 250
13:45 Trump should have put the UFC on the national mall, not WH
15:00 Trump is celebrating himself for 250, terrible move politically
16:15 Trump didn’t engage with the former presidents for 250
17:00 Trump is creating Marie Antoinette “let them eat cake” optics
18:30 Vulnerable Republicans may fear attending Trump’s 250 events
19:00 Trump is looking to formally nominate Todd Blanche for AG
19:30 There is zero chance Todd Blanche can get confirmed
20:15 Blanche hasn’t made friends. Weaponization fund was his idea
22:15 Trump may be done listening to any rational advice
23:30 It’s like Trump wants to put a neon “I’m a lame duck” sign on WH
24:15 California ballots are still being counted. Can Steyer and Raman catch up?
26:15 Pratt seems to have a more comfortable lead than Hilton
27:30 CA-06 was drawn to be Democratic, top two so far are Republican
29:45 California desperately needs to find a way to count ballots faster
30:30 Slow count erodes trust is democracy and counting process
33:15 Graham Platner visit to D.C. went ok, but there’s trepidation
35:30 Platner wants to drive the narrative he’s still ahead of Collins
36:30 Polling has shown Platner with a massive lead over Collins for weeks
38:15 Platner’s recent scandals have him in trouble, can’t take much more
39:30 New polling shows Platner took a hit, but it’s recoverable
40:00 Janet Mills chose to keep her name on the ballot for uneasy Dems
41:00 Maine is one of the easier states to replace a candidate
42:30 How votes for Mills should be read
44:15 Mills didn’t bow out in disgrace, her floor is higher
45:30 Mills could become a protest vote for Platner, similar to Nikki Haley
47:00 If Maine voters are nervous about Platner, they can vote for Mills
49:00 If Mills gets 25% or more, then there will be talks of replacing Platner
51:15 If Platner underperforms in ME-02, that’s a red flag
55:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Todd Ricketts
57:15 Salary cap proposal for MLB revealed
58:30 Salary cap could be much higher than expected to buy time
59:45 Willingness to pool local revenue is a big deal
1:00:00 Ask Chuck
1:00:15 Is voting for a candidate an indictment of the character of the voter?
1:19:15 How would the logistics work for expanding the house?
1:23:15 How much should a candidate’s private behavior affect their electability?
1:31:00 How does a state with no income tax like Florida fund services?
1:35:45 With government agreeing to large settlements, won’t future admins do the same?
1:44:30 Chuck’s eulogy for his grandmother
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Todd Ricketts — Chicago Cubs co-owner and founder of Freespoke, the search engine that labels news sources with media bias ratings — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that bridges the increasingly intertwined worlds of media, technology, and professional sports. Ricketts makes the case that when people are given genuinely good information from across the ideological spectrum, they tend to arrive at good answers — and that Freespoke's mission is to present all sides and then get out of the way, rather than letting ad sales determine what news you see. He pushes back on the idea that the market alone can solve the data privacy crisis, arguing data may eventually need to be regulated like a utility but that nothing changes until there's a major "event" that creates real public groundswell. Ricketts is candid about Freespoke's challenges — paywalls remain a real obstacle, the left/right labeling is imperfect and done by outside groups, and the political landscape itself is shifting in ways that scramble the traditional categories . He observes that podcasts have become a primary news source because people clearly hunger for long-form content with nuance, that politicians are now visibly afraid of giving long answers because they might get clipped, and that legacy media still doesn't seem to understand why its audience has migrated elsewhere.
The second half pivots into the business of running a baseball team, and Ricketts brings the same straight-talking pragmatism to MLB's looming economic crisis. He argues you cannot sell a salary cap to MLB owners without genuine revenue sharing, because if the league itself isn't competitive then everyone eventually loses — including the owners writing the biggest checks. Players currently take roughly 48% of revenue, a number he expects to climb to around 52% in the next deal, and Ricketts is honest that half of MLB's franchises are still essentially mom-and-pop operations even as private equity money is rapidly entering the sport. He talks about the difficulty of running any sports team in 2026 because fans genuinely feel like they own the franchise, why ownership groups are increasingly building entire entertainment districts around their ballparks to control the fan experience end-to-end, and the painful broadcast rights question every team is wrestling with: fans have cut the cord, the old TV economics no longer work, and ownership has to be flexible with new broadcast partners even as they ask themselves whether season ticket holders should be entitled to free access to every game. Ricketts closes by laying out what would qualify as a disappointing season for the Cubs — a sober assessment from an owner who has watched the economics of his sport, and the media landscape his business depends on, both transform at the same time.
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!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Todd Ricketts joins the Chuck ToddCast
00:45 Providing media bias ratings for online news sources
03:15 When people are given good info, they come up with good answers
03:45 Goal is to present all sides, then let people make up their mind
05:00 You don’t want ad sales for search to determine your information
07:15 Can the market fix data sales, or does the government need to regulate?
09:00 Should data be regulated like a utility?
09:30 There will need to be an “event” to cause groundswell over data privacy
10:30 Does Freespoke labeling news left/right cause users to seek their preferred source?
13:30 Politics are shifting and what used to be a “left” issue is now a right issue etc
14:15 Protectionism has become right and free trade has become left
16:00 How would someone like George Will be labled?
17:30 Labeling is done by outside groups and the labeling isn’t perfect
18:00 The company is for-profit, sells ads and has subscription model
18:45 All the search is AI curated, but people curate the current events page
19:30 Bing and Google are the direct competitors
20:15 The Freespoke algorithm tries to strip out bias
21:45 Some topics get a ton of content from one side & none from the other
23:15 People are informing themselves via podcasts instead of legacy news
24:00 Legacy media needs to understand why audience is going elsewhere
25:45 Popularity of podcasts show people like long form content
27:00 Politicians are afraid of long answers & nuance in case they get clipped
27:30 Paywalls are a challenge for Freespoke, but sources are still included
28:30 Why are there left/right labels on sports coverage?
30:00 What is Freespoke’s position on mis and disinformation?
30:45 What does Freespoke 2.0 look like?
32:00 AI is only as good as the people & information that train it
33:00 Will you get into the newsletter business?
34:45 Can you sell a salary cap to MLB owners without total revenue sharing?
36:00 If the league isn’t competitive, then everyone will eventually lose
37:15 Players currently get 48% of revenue, may move up to about 52%
38:30 Running a sports team is hard because fans feel like they own the team
40:30 What have you learned from running the Cubs?
42:00 Half the teams are still mom & pop operations, but PE is coming in
43:15 Ownership wants to control fan experience, building entertainment districts
44:15 Should teams always be available on free TV?
44:45 Fans have cut the cord, have to be flexible with broadcast partners
46:30 Should season ticket holders be able to get all game broadcasts for free?
47:15 What would qualify this season as disappointing for the Cubs?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chuck Todd opens with what he calls the unmistakable arrival of a "YOLO caucus" in the Senate — a growing number of congressional Republicans who are simply done capitulating to Trump, evidenced by John Thune publicly declaring there's no need to "weaponize" the DNI position and by the broader sense that the non-Trump part of the GOP is openly preparing to move on. He argues Trump is doing everything possible to accelerate his own lame duck status: he's politicizing America's 250th anniversary in ways that genuinely alarm vulnerable Republicans, he failed to engage any of the former presidents in the 250th planning, and he's creating Marie Antoinette-style "let them eat cake" optics by celebrating himself at a moment of real economic pain for ordinary Americans. Trump's treatment of CNN's Kaitlan Collins was outrageous, his cranky behavior with the press is a tell that things aren't going well, and his decision to formally nominate Todd Blanche for Attorney General has essentially zero chance of confirmation — Blanche has burned his bridges in the Senate and the doomed January 6th weaponization fund was reportedly his idea in the first place. It's almost as if Trump is begging to put a neon "I'm a lame duck" sign on the White House. Chuck then turns to California, where ballots are still being counted at a pace that he says is actively eroding public trust in the democratic process itself — the state desperately needs to find a way to count faster — and notes that CA-06 was drawn as a safe Democratic seat but the top two finishers right now are both Republicans, while Spencer Pratt looks safer in the LA mayoral race than Steve Hilton does in the governor's race. He closes with a fascinating analysis of the Graham Platner situation in Maine, where Janet Mills' decision to leave her name on the ballot has created a Nikki Haley-style protest vote opportunity for nervous Democrats — Mills didn't bow out in disgrace so her floor is high, and if she pulls 25% or more in the primary, Chuck predicts very real conversations about replacing Platner will begin. The number to watch is ME-02: if Platner underperforms there, it's the clearest red flag that a candidate Democrats once viewed as a slam-dunk pickup is now in serious trouble.
Then, Todd Ricketts — Chicago Cubs co-owner and founder of Freespoke, the search engine that labels news sources with media bias ratings — joins the Chuck Toddcast for a wide-ranging conversation that bridges the increasingly intertwined worlds of media, technology, and professional sports. Ricketts makes the case that when people are given genuinely good information from across the ideological spectrum, they tend to arrive at good answers — and that Freespoke's mission is to present all sides and then get out of the way, rather than letting ad sales determine what news you see. He pushes back on the idea that the market alone can solve the data privacy crisis, arguing data may eventually need to be regulated like a utility but that nothing changes until there's a major "event" that creates real public groundswell. Ricketts is candid about Freespoke's challenges — paywalls remain a real obstacle, the left/right labeling is imperfect and done by outside groups, and the political landscape itself is shifting in ways that scramble the traditional categories . He observes that podcasts have become a primary news source because people clearly hunger for long-form content with nuance, that politicians are now visibly afraid of giving long answers because they might get clipped, and that legacy media still doesn't seem to understand why its audience has migrated elsewhere.
The second half pivots into the business of running a baseball team, and Ricketts brings the same straight-talking pragmatism to MLB's looming economic crisis. He argues you cannot sell a salary cap to MLB owners without genuine revenue sharing, because if the league itself isn't competitive then everyone eventually loses — including the owners writing the biggest checks. Players currently take roughly 48% of revenue, a number he expects to climb to around 52% in the next deal, and Ricketts is honest that half of MLB's franchises are still essentially mom-and-pop operations even as private equity money is rapidly entering the sport. He talks about the difficulty of running any sports team in 2026 because fans genuinely feel like they own the franchise, why ownership groups are increasingly building entire entertainment districts around their ballparks to control the fan experience end-to-end, and the painful broadcast rights question every team is wrestling with: fans have cut the cord, the old TV economics no longer work, and ownership has to be flexible with new broadcast partners even as they ask themselves whether season ticket holders should be entitled to free access to every game. Ricketts closes by laying out what would qualify as a disappointing season for the Cubs — a sober assessment from an owner who has watched the economics of his sport, and the media landscape his business depends on, both transform at the same time.
Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and spends a few minutes reflecting on the life of his grandmother who passed away this week.
Predict the action all the way through the finals. Sign up now for your twenty-five dollar bonus on https://fanduel.com/predicts
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!
Timeline:
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
06:45 Increasing # of congressional Republicans done capitulating to Trump
07:30 John Thune said we don’t need “weaponization” of DNI position
08:30 There’s a growing “YOLO caucus” in the senate
09:30 The non-Trump part of the GOP is ready to move on from Trump
10:00 Trump’s treatment of Kaitlin Collins is outrageous
11:45 Trump gets cranky with the press when things aren’t going well
12:30 Trump is a terrible negotiator
13:00 Trump is creating huge political risk politicizing America 250
13:45 Trump should have put the UFC on the national mall, not WH
15:00 Trump is celebrating himself for 250, terrible move politically
16:15 Trump didn’t engage with the former presidents for 250
17:00 Trump is creating Marie Antoinette “let them eat cake” optics
18:30 Vulnerable Republicans may fear attending Trump’s 250 events
19:00 Trump is looking to formally nominate Todd Blanche for AG
19:30 There is zero chance Todd Blanche can get confirmed
20:15 Blanche hasn’t made friends. Weaponization fund was his idea
22:15 Trump may be done listening to any rational advice
23:30 It’s like Trump wants to put a neon “I’m a lame duck” sign on WH
24:15 California ballots are still being counted. Can Steyer and Raman catch up?
26:15 Pratt seems to have a more comfortable lead than Hilton
27:30 CA-06 was drawn to be Democratic, top two so far are Republican
29:45 California desperately needs to find a way to count ballots faster
30:30 Slow count erodes trust is democracy and counting process
33:15 Graham Platner visit to D.C. went ok, but there’s trepidation
35:30 Platner wants to drive the narrative he’s still ahead of Collins
36:30 Polling has shown Platner with a massive lead over Collins for weeks
38:15 Platner’s recent scandals have him in trouble, can’t take much more
39:30 New polling shows Platner took a hit, but it’s recoverable
40:00 Janet Mills chose to keep her name on the ballot for uneasy Dems
41:00 Maine is one of the easier states to replace a candidate
42:30 How votes for Mills should be read
44:15 Mills didn’t bow out in disgrace, her floor is higher
45:30 Mills could become a protest vote for Platner, similar to Nikki Haley
47:00 If Maine voters are nervous about Platner, they can vote for Mills
49:00 If Mills gets 25% or more, then there will be talks of replacing Platner
51:15 If Platner underperforms in ME-02, that’s a red flag
59:45 Todd Ricketts joins the Chuck ToddCast
1:00:30 Providing media bias ratings for online news sources
1:03:00 When people are given good info, they come up with good answers
1:03:30 Goal is to present all sides, then let people make up their mind
1:04:45 You don’t want ad sales for search to determine your information
1:07:00 Can the market fix data sales, or does the government need to regulate?
1:08:45 Should data be regulated like a utility?
1:09:15 There will need to be an “event” to cause groundswell over data privacy
1:10:15 Does Freespoke labeling news left/right cause users to seek their preferred source?
1:13:15 Politics are shifting and what used to be a “left” issue is now a right issue etc
1:14:00 Protectionism has become right and free trade has become left
1:15:45 How would someone like George Will be labled?
1:17:15 Labeling is done by outside groups and the labeling isn’t perfect
1:17:45 The company is for-profit, sells ads and has subscription model
1:18:30 All the search is AI curated, but people curate the current events page
1:19:15 Bing and Google are the direct competitors
1:20:00 The Freespoke algorithm tries to strip out bias
1:21:30 Some topics get a ton of content from one side & none from the other
1:23:00 People are informing themselves via podcasts instead of legacy news
1:23:45 Legacy media needs to understand why audience is going elsewhere
1:25:30 Popularity of podcasts show people like long form content
1:26:45 Politicians are afraid of long answers & nuance in case they get clipped
1:27:15 Paywalls are a challenge for Freespoke, but sources are still included
1:28:15 Why are there left/right labels on sports coverage?
1:29:45 What is Freespoke’s position on mis and disinformation?
1:30:30 What does Freespoke 2.0 look like?
1:31:45 AI is only as good as the people & information that train it
1:32:45 Will you get into the newsletter business?
1:34:30 Can you sell a salary cap to MLB owners without total revenue sharing?
1:35:45 If the league isn’t competitive, then everyone will eventually lose
1:37:00 Players currently get 48% of revenue, may move up to about 52%
1:38:15 Running a sports team is hard because fans feel like they own the team
1:40:15 What have you learned from running the Cubs?
1:41:45 Half the teams are still mom & pop operations, but PE is coming in
1:43:00 Ownership wants to control fan experience, building entertainment districts
1:44:00 Should teams always be available on free TV?
1:44:30 Fans have cut the cord, have to be flexible with broadcast partners
1:46:15 Should season ticket holders be able to get all game broadcasts for free?
1:47:00 What would qualify this season as disappointing for the Cubs?
1:49:45 Chuck’s thoughts on interview with Todd Ricketts
1:51:15 Salary cap proposal for MLB revealed
1:52:30 Salary cap could be much higher than expected to buy time
1:53:45 Willingness to pool local revenue is a big deal
1:54:00 Ask Chuck
1:54:15 Is voting for a candidate an indictment of the character of the voter?
2:13:15 How would the logistics work for expanding the house?
2:17:15 How much should a candidate’s private behavior affect their electability?
2:25:00 How does a state with no income tax like Florida fund services?
2:29:45 With government agreeing to large settlements, won’t future admins do the same?
2:38:30 Chuck’s eulogy for his grandmother
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.