Chuck Todd examines the mounting political and institutional strain as the government shutdown drags on — and why Democrats may need to declare a partial victory just to move forward. The episode explores how Trump’s rise has exposed deep vulnerabilities in the American system, from unchecked profiteering and politicized justice to the growing entanglement of big tech, big money, and government power. Todd breaks down the Democrats’ limited leverage, the GOP’s dependence on Trump’s engagement, and the urgent need for new constitutional and institutional guardrails. Plus, he looks at the emerging generational clash in the Democratic Party senate primary in Maine, as Janet Mills and Graham Platner become avatars for an “old vs. new” fight that could reshape the party’s future.

Finally, he gives his ToddCast Top 5 list of potential political comebacks where politicians could win their old seat back, then 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

02:15 Democrats need to find a way to declare victory and end shutdown

03:30 Democrats drew attention to healthcare, but will see diminishing returns

04:15 Trump's rise has exposed tremendous vulnerabilities in our system

05:45 There's nobody in Trump's feedback loop that will expose him to bad info

07:00 Democrats need how to learn to embrace small victories

09:30 Democrats only have the power to win the argument

11:15 Republicans won't move without Trump engaging on shutdown

12:30 Trump takes victory lap on Israel, hard part is making agreement stick

13:30 If profiting off the presidency goes unchecked, we risk more in the future

14:45 Emoluments clause is not enough, need a constitutional amendment

15:30 Big tech, big money and the government have all become intertwined

18:00 Two big reforms that could help fix the democracy

20:00 We need to reform the Justice Department to prevent politicization

21:30 Companies that capitulated to Trump had the law on their side

23:00 The country needs to build new guardrails

24:00 Janet Mills vs Graham Platner will become avatars for "old vs new"

25:45 The older generation of Democratic leaders refuses to retire

27:30 If Mills wins, she'll be the oldest freshman senator of all time

28:15 Graham Platner already has released attack ad against Mills

29:30 Platner vs. Mills will become a headache and money sink for Democrats

32:30 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Tom Bonier

33:30 ToddCast Top 5 - Most Likely Political Comebacks

35:00 #1 Jesse Jackson Jr.

37:00 #2 Cori Bush

38:15 #3 John E. Sununu

41:15 #4 Sherrod Brown

42:15 Honorable mentions

43:00 #5 Javier Suarez

49:15 Ask Chuck

49:30 Why aren't presidential debates moderated as vigorously as local debates?

53:45 What are legal repercussions for violations of the HATCH Act?

59:00 Appreciation for interview with Paul Glastris on higher education

1:01:30 What is likely for Universal Basic Income as AI takes jobs?

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