Interview Preview: Leland Vittert On Autism

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck unpacks the latest government shutdown and the political brinkmanship that created it. He explores how shutdowns—once unthinkable—have become a partisan weapon, wasting money while allowing leaders like Donald Trump to punish opponents and play to their base. With Democrats at risk of shouldering equal or greater blame, Chuck asks whether the public is even paying attention, and what role figures like Russ Vought could play in reshaping government permanently. Beyond the shutdown, the conversation turns to the bigger picture: why voters never saw Trump as an aberration, why 2020 wasn’t a full repudiation of 2016, and what Democrats must do to win back Trump voters in 2028. From Harris’s struggle to differentiate herself from Biden to Clinton’s careful dance with Reagan’s legacy, Chuck argues that Democrats may need to admit Trump identified real problems—even as his solutions and behavior, especially with military leaders, remain deeply troubling.

Then, Chuck is joined by NewsNation host Leland Vittert, who opens up about his personal journey growing up on the autism spectrum, the struggles his family faced, and the lessons that shaped his outlook on life and journalism. From being misunderstood in school and learning to navigate social cues, to the pivotal role his mother played in holding the family together, Vittert reflects on why he chose to go public with his story and how his experiences inform his new book—a parenting guide told from the child’s perspective. He also explores how autism has served as both a challenge and, at times, a superpower in his career and personal life.

The conversation widens to America’s media landscape, where Vittert argues for a “radical center” approach and a journalism that calls balls and strikes on both sides rather than chasing flashy headlines. He stresses the importance of reviving local news, curating coverage around what matters most, and confronting the biases not only in how stories are told, but in which stories get told at all. This candid discussion is part memoir, part media critique, and a call for greater honesty—both in parenting and in public life.

Finally, Chuck presents his ToddCast Top 5 senate races most likely to flip parties, answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment, and recaps a frustrating night at the Cowboys/Packers game. 

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Introduction - Government begins shutting down

01:15 Congress created shutdown conditions for political leverage

02:00 Could shutdown trigger the end of the senate filibuster rule?

02:45 Democrats have always messaged that shutdowns are bad

04:30 Democrats could shoulder equal or more blame for shutdown

06:30 Shutdowns are a massive waste of money

07:30 Trump seems excited for shutdown to punish opponents

09:15 Terrible trend of politicians only governing for their base 

11:15 Independents are pretty sour on Trump’s presidency

13:00 Russ Vought at OMB could use shutdown to reorient gov’t permanently

14:30 Big danger for Democrats is whether the public is paying attention

15:30 Chuck Schumer is “Mitch McConnell” level unpopular

18:45 If Dems want to win in 28 they’ll have to win over some Trump voters

20:15 Democrats thought Trump was an aberration, voters didn’t

21:15 2020 wasn’t a repudiation of why Trump was elected in 2016

24:00 Voters don’t want status quo, which is why they elected Trump twice

26:15 Harris needed to prove she was different from Biden and didn’t

27:45 For Clinton to win, he couldn’t repudiate everything Reagan did

30:00 Trump’s behavior in front of military leaders was outrageous

31:30 The military leaders handled the situation exactly as they should

32:30 Hegseth lectured leaders of far higher rank than he earned in military

33:45 Democrats will have to admit that Trump correctly identified problems

34:45 Voters picked “political division” as the 2nd biggest problem after economy

39:45 Leland Vittert joins the Chuck ToddCast 

41:30 The public doesn't grasp autism and child development issues 

42:45 Autism wasn't well understood in the 80s 

43:30 Parents struggle to raise neurodivergent children 

44:45 Adapting to the world you live in, not expecting world to adapt to you 

46:30 Leland's father didn't want him to be defined by his disability 

47:15 PE teacher put Leland in with the girls "to protect him" 

48:00 The struggle with learning to pick up social queues 

53:00 Everyone in DC always wanted to be student body president 

53:45 Why go public with your story of being on the spectrum? 

56:15 There's a "parental reckoning" happening in America 

57:15 There are lots of broken young men susceptible to radicalization 

58:45 Nobody has definitive answers about causes of autism 

1:01:00 Scientists need to be humble enough to say "I don't know" 

1:02:15 80% of parents with disabled children get divorced 

1:04:15 Leland's mother held the family together, hero of the story 

1:06:15 Telling this story publicly is like going to therapy on live TV 

1:07:45 How did you share the story of your autism with your wife? 

1:10:45 You don't "get over" autism 

1:12:15 Where has autism showcased itself as a superpower in your life? 

1:14:15 Book is a parenting book written from the child's perspective 

1:16:00 There's no one answer to America's media problem 

1:17:30 What works and doesn't work in the news media?? 

1:18:45 There is a "radical center" that's sick of extremes on both sides 

1:19:30 Journalists should call balls and strikes and call out both sides 

1:21:30 Cable news tends to obsess over stories that are flashy over substantive 

1:22:45 Journalists should curate stories that are most important 

1:24:30 Bias isn't just how you cover the news, it's what you cover 

1:26:15 Local news was a character reference for the national network journalists 

1:28:00 How to revive local news/journalism? 

1:30:45 Leland really put himself out there with this book

1:31:15 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Leland Vittert 

1:31:45 ToddCast Top 5 Senate races most likely to flip parties 

1:32:15 #1 North Carolina 1:34:00 #2 Georgia 1:36:00 #3 Michigan 

1:37:45 #4 Maine 1:39:45 #5 New Hampshire 

1:45:15 Honorable mentions 

1:45:45 Ask Chuck 

1:46:00 Why is the lie that shutdown is over money for illegal immigrants pervasive? 

1:49:00 Democrats feeling disheartened after talking to Trump supporters? 

1:53:00 Would the country be better off if Trump was reelected in 2020? 

1:57:15 Will Des Moines superintendent arrest derail Iowa senate campaign? 

1:59:00 Chuck's experience at Cowboys/Packers game in Dallas 

2:04:15 It was a great weekend of college football

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