Why Washington Feels Paralyzed

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck breaks down why Washington feels paralyzed — and how Trump’s gravitational pull still dictates everything from congressional gridlock to campaign strategy. From Mike Johnson’s dependence on Trump to Democrats’ internal tug-of-war between moderates and progressives, Chuck explores how both parties are struggling to govern in a fractured information ecosystem. He also looks at growing calls among policy thinkers for constitutional reform — from term limits and age caps to rethinking the incentives that drive political behavior. Despite the chaos, Chuck makes the case for cautious optimism: America’s democracy may be clogged, but it’s not beyond repair.

Then, filmmaker Billy Corben joins Chuck Todd to talk about his new documentary Men of War—a wild true story that Corben calls “Florida Man with international implications.” The film follows a group of would-be mercenaries and ex-soldiers who tried to stage a coup in Venezuela, exposing how Miami’s shadowy underworld collides with global politics. Corben and Todd dive into the cocaine-fueled chaos of Miami in the ’80s and ’90s, the psychological toll of endless war, and how one ex-Green Beret accidentally stumbled into Trump’s orbit while plotting regime change.

From Marco Rubio’s precarious foreign policy balancing act to the ongoing collapse of the Democratic Party in Florida, Chuck and Billy explore how Latin American politics, disinformation, and corruption all intertwine in the Sunshine State. Plus, they discuss Miami’s misunderstood identity, Trump’s rumored presidential library, and whether the city’s mayoral race signals what’s next for Florida’s political future.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and looks ahead to the weekend in college football.

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Timeline:

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

02:15 When Trump is overseas, the news cycle feels slower & less urgent

03:15 The American government is clogged like a toilet

04:00 Mike Johnson can’t do anything without Trump

05:15 There are not enough empowered moderates in congress

07:00 Republicans haven’t created an ACA alternative for 10 years

08:30 Democrats could pay a price for SNAP benefit cut

10:00 Democrats can extend funding for 3 weeks, and keep their leverage

12:30 The political elite in DC has self segregated in Trump 2.0

13:45 There’s no security for companies holding government contracts 

15:00 Grifters have flooded to DC

15:45 Some progressives feel they can take over the Democratic party

16:30 Moderate Dems trying to find a way to grow the coalition

17:15 Large group of policy analysts worried about information ecosystem

18:45 DC gatherings being held to discuss preventing another Trump

21:00 America desperately needs to update the constitution

22:30 We shouldn’t be afraid to ask voters to make big changes

23:15 Strong argument for a 75 year old age limit for office

25:00 Trump is too lazy to pursue the worst course of history

26:45 The case for optimism during a dark political moment

27:30 Reforming the constitution is an 80/20 issue

28:15 Case for reform needs to tied to voters day to day lives

30:30 A bull in the China shop personality cult can’t run a country

31:30 We need to update the blueprint of the democracy

33:15 We desperately need better incentive structures for leaders

35:15 A leader needs to make the case for reform that isn’t about themselves or Trump

40:30 Billy Corben joins the Chuck ToddCast 

42:30 Men of War is basically "Bay of Pigs" for Venezuela 

43:15 Men of War is perfectly timed for today's news cycle 

44:15 Cocaine boom was huge in Miami in the 80's & 90's 

45:30 Men of War is "Florida Man w/ international implications" 

47:30 The psychological damage of multiple tour deployments 

49:30 The main character Jordan is a "post-modern" version of a soldier 

53:45 Protagonist accidentally entered Trump's high end orbit 

58:00 Jordan needed to put together a trailer to find financiers for his coup 

1:00:00 Shady international characters are common in Miami 

1:00:45 Reception from the Venezuelan community for the doc? 

1:02:45 Everybody in Miami wants to be president of a free Cuba 

1:04:00 1950s cars are the only private possessions in Cuba 

1:06:30 Chuck's grandfather worked in Cuba, had to display photos of Castro 

1:09:00 Miami is misunderstood as a melting pot when it isn't 

1:09:45 Miami has self segregated its neighborhoods 

1:10:30 60% of Florida Venezuelans voted for Trump, now leaving the state 

1:12:00 If ICE targets south Florida, there could be a massive political shift 

1:13:15 Marco Rubio = Anakin Skywalker? Preventing the very worst of Trump 

1:14:00 Rubio will be the fall guy for any major foreign policy failure 

1:15:00 Administration is playing with fire in Venezuela 

1:16:30 Congress has no idea what the administration is doing in Venezuela 

1:18:00 The failed Venezuelan coup was memory holed because of Covid 

1:20:00 Feels like we're redoing Latin American policy of the 80's 

1:20:45 How has Jordan Goudreau not gotten a pardon from Trump? 

1:23:00 American intervention in Latin America never goes well 

1:24:30 End of USAID is creating vacuum in poor countries being filled by China 

1:26:00 What does a "free Venezuela" look like in the Trump 2.0 era? 

1:27:30 Jordan Goudreau feels betrayed by the American government 

1:28:30 Algorithms have ruined social media 

1:29:30 Is Miami-Dade red, blue, purple or something else politically? 

1:33:00 Trump's future presidential library slated for Miami 

1:34:15 Miami is still a firm red county 

1:36:30 Nothing is going well in Florida for the Democratic party 

1:37:15 Trump is less popular in Florida than he was a year ago 

1:38:30 Who wins the mayor's race in Miami? 

1:40:15 Mayor's race will head to a December runoff 

1:42:30 There's historically been brazen corruption in Miami mayoral races 

1:44:00 Trump thinks "asylum" means mental institution 

1:46:30 Thoughts on Mario Cristobal 

1:49:00 Miami can survive 1 loss and make the playoff, but not 2 

1:52:30 Reuben Bain feels like a vintage Miami player

1:58:00 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Billy Corben 

1:58:30 Ask Chuck 

1:59:15 Would Dems impeach with control of both houses of Congress in '27? 

2:03:45 Should we be paying congress more to attract better candidates? 

2:08:45 If possible, would you make the US a parliamentary system? 

2:14:15 Is 60 Minutes devolving into a FOX style program that lobs softballs? 

2:20:15 Violent and dangerous rhetoric not equal on both sides? 

2:24:00 World series reaction 

2:28:00 College football preview

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