Listener Mail: State Legislatures, Minnesota, Media, Parties

Chuck Todd unpacks the fallout from Charlie Kirk’s assassination and what it means for public displays of democracy, as lawmakers debate whether fear should keep them from showing up for their constituents. He also dives into explosive Senate testimony from former CDC director Dr. Monarez, who detailed political interference in vaccine policy under the Trump administration. The conversation shifts to the economic strain of tariffs and subsidy cuts—driving up everything from prescription drugs to coffee prices—alongside predictions of mass white-collar job losses fueled by AI. From Trump’s push to end quarterly earnings reports to the unresolved fight over TikTok, he highlights how politics, economics, and technology are colliding in ways that test both government accountability and public trust.

Then, he’s joined by former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Rohit Chopra for a deep dive into the role of the agency and the broader fight to regulate powerful financial institutions. Chopra explains why the agency has struggled to gain footing in Washington, the skepticism the public feels toward banks, and how past regulatory failures contributed to the 2008 financial crisis. They discuss how the CFPB uncovered systemic abuses, the resistance it faces from well-funded interests, and the ongoing debate over who should regulate emerging sectors like cryptocurrency and consumer data.

The conversation also tackles the independence of the Federal Reserve, the risks of politicizing monetary policy, and how unchecked corporate power—from Wall Street to Silicon Valley—continues to shape the economy. Chopra pulls back the curtain on algorithmic lending practices, the dangers of personalized pricing, and why fines alone aren’t enough to hold companies accountable. From junk fees to crypto, from AI abuse to executive impunity, this episode explores why Americans are increasingly demanding regulators who stand up to entrenched financial interests—and why another populist economic revolt may be closer than we think.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and previews the upcoming weekend in college football.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Introduction

02:00 Will we have public displays of democracy after Kirk’s death?

02:30 Lawmakers are reconsidering public events

04:00 If public servants are afraid of the public, they need to leave public service

05:30 Lawmakers should take precautions, but they have to show up

06:30 Social media platforms suppress content criticizing them

08:30 Former CDC director Dr. Monarez testified before senate committee

09:30 Trump nominated Dr. Monarez in March 2025

11:00 Dr. Monarez was fired less than a month after swearing

12:45 Kennedy instructed Monarez not to interact with members of congress

14:00 Monarez testifies Kennedy had no science backing change in vaccine schedule

15:30 Chief of staff at HHS says there would be political review of scientific data

17:30 Monarez says the no evidence support change to under 2 vaccine schedule

18:45 Republican senators seemed troubled by the testimony

19:45 You have to be skeptical of any info that comes from the Trump admin

21:00 Prescription drug prices skyrocketing due to tariffs & subsidy cuts

23:00 Coffee prices will become the new gas prices as bellwether for economy

25:00 Tariff impacts are really starting to show up in the economy

26:00 Anthropic predicting massive job losses in the white collar sector

26:45 Mark Kelly proposes AI companies set up special fund to offset job losses

28:30 Trump comes out against quarterly earnings reports

29:30 Quarterly reports make companies focus on short term profits

31:15 Investors punish long term focus from companies and it’s unhealthy

32:00 Trump’s motives are always questionable, but this isn’t a bad policy

34:00 A functional congress, wouldn't let the Chinese run TikTok’s algorithm post-sale

36:00 Why bother with TikTok ban at all

37:15 Major corporations view fines as the cost of doing business

40:15 Rohit Chopra joins the Chuck ToddCast 

42:00 Why has it been so difficult for the CFPB to take root in DC? 

42:45 The public is skeptical of financial institutions 

43:30 What exactly is the CFPB and what is it supposed to do? 

45:00 The fed board wasn't regulating leading up to financial crisis 

46:15 Why were prior regulators ineffective? 

47:00 The CFPB has discovered multiple systemic abuses 

47:45 Multiple companies settled, and new head of CFPB is ripping them up 

48:45 Russ Vought is currently running the CFPB 

50:00 What's the difference between the FTC and the CFPB? 

51:00 CFPB is responsible for regulating all financial institutions/lenders 

52:45 Voters from both parties benefit from the CFPB protecting them 

53:30 Deep pocketed interests want to defang the regulators 

54:00 Who should be regulating crypto? 

54:45 Is crypto a stock or a commodity? 

56:15 Data from stablecoins can be used for targeting consumers 

57:15 Which agency should protect Americans from abuse of their data? 

59:00 Trump attempting to make more direct control of the Fed 

59:45 The founders were against the president controlling the money supply 

1:02:00 Federal Reserve hasn't been independent under Trump 

1:03:30 The fed has saved the economy twice, but may not if corrupted 

1:04:30 Inflation is just one piece of the equation if the fed loses independence 

1:06:30 Libertarians argue against having a fed, what's the counter argument? 

1:08:30 The fed should be focused on the entire economy and not just Wall St 

1:10:15 Big moneyed interests wield huge power to avoid regulation 

1:11:15 Did you ever look under the hood of a lending company's algorithm? 

1:14:15 We need to outlaw AI being used for personal pricing 

1:15:15 What is the legal justification for personalizing pricing? 

1:17:45 The administration is destroying financial law enforcement 

1:19:00 No consequences for bad behavior by banks & corporations 

1:20:15 Fines aren't a deterrent, criminal charges are 

1:22:30 Tech companies are never held accountable 

1:24:00 How did you become a financial regulator? 

1:27:00 Prior generations had an easier path to financial stability 

1:28:15 Who deserved to be brought up on criminal charges for the financial crisis? 

1:29:15 So many investigations were never even started after crisis 

1:31:15 Potential market disruptions dissuaded DOJ from prosecuting executives 

1:33:15 Federal agencies give white glove treatment to big firms 

1:34:15 We are close to another populist economic revolt 

1:36:00 Americans want the government to stand up to private interests 

1:38:30 The CFPB helped billions of dollars in junk fees

1:40:45 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Rohit Chopra 

1:42:30 Ask Chuck 

1:42:45 If state senates duplicate their districts, why have the districts at all? 

1:48:00 Why doesn't Minnesota get swing state attention like other midwest states? 

1:56:15 Should we stop treating real debate the same as clickbait debate? 

2:00:15 Is there any benefit to parties besides the rich being able to push their agenda? 

2:05:45 College football preview - Miami vs. Florida 

2:12:00 The Iron Skillet SMU vs TCU

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