January 2026: The 'Great Unraveling' Framing

In this urgent and unsettling episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck argues that America is in the midst of a historic “Great Unraveling,” marked by the collapse of trust, consent, and the basic social contract that has held the country together for generations. He examines a chilling series of events in Minneapolis—two fatal shootings by federal agents in three weeks, including the killing of Alex Pretti, who was legally carrying a firearm—raising profound questions about accountability, constitutional rights, and whether the federal government can still be trusted to tell the truth when video evidence directly contradicts official accounts. As administration officials stumble through indefensible explanations, Chuck connects the domestic breakdown to a broader global rupture: allies like Canada openly describing relations with the U.S. as “ruptured,” the post–World War II rules-based order splintering, science and public health consensus eroding, and political power being wielded through favoritism and fear. The episode paints a stark picture of a country growing weaker, more isolated, and more vulnerable—not because of fate, but because unraveling is a process, and it’s happening in real time.

Finally, Chuck weighs in on the political disaster that is unfolding for Republicans, hops into the ToddCast Time Machine to draw parallels between modern America and Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland in the 70’s and answers listeners’ question in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

01:45 America is going through a “Great Unraveling”

03:30 January 2026 has been a horrendous month in American history

04:30 We’re watching the collapse of consent

05:00 Federal agents involved in 2 fatal shootings in 3 week in Minneapolis

05:45 Alex Pretti was shot 10 times, this was an assassination

06:15 No consequences for agent that shot Renee Good sent a message

07:00 The federal government won’t uphold the law or constitutional rights

08:15 Administration officials make fools of themselves defending this

09:00 Alex Pretti was legally carrying his firearm

09:30 January 6th protestors were also armed

10:30 The federal government is behaving like fascists

11:30 What remains of the social contract?

12:00 Trump’s leadership is destroying everything we knew about America

12:45 Canada’s PM Mark Carney describes relations with U.S. as “ruptured”

13:30 The rules based order in splintering

14:00 TikTok deal was purely favoritism & media alignment for Trump allies

15:00 CDC now discarding science, openly questioning the polio vaccine

15:45 Government shutdown is coming later this week

16:45 100 years of consensus is shattering

17:45 Alex Pretti was carrying, not brandishing his weapon

18:30 Alex Pretti was killed in cold blood

19:15 Thank god there was video, you can’t trust the federal government

19:45 Bystander video contradicts federal government account

20:30 Patel and Noem have no credibility outside of Trump’s base

21:30 Federal agents violated half the bill of rights in one incident

23:15 Middle powers can’t assume alignment with US gives stability

24:15 Canada’s response to Trump is seismic & entirely rational

25:15 The post WW2 order was held together by trust, & that’s been shattered

27:00 Trump’s appointees are making us vulnerable to eradicated diseases

28:15 TikTok will be used by Trump allies for political alignment

29:30 Unraveling isn’t destiny… it’s process

30:15 Trump is making us weaker, more vulnerable and poorer

31:30 We’re losing our country… literally

32:15 We can’t believe anything the federal government says

36:30 Elected Republicans trying to distance from Trump’s DHS

38:00 Marjorie Taylor-Greene argues the small c conservative position

39:00 MTG uses hypothetical shooting of a MAGA by Biden’s DOJ

41:00 Trump’s defenders try to blame Trump’s advisors rather than Trump

42:00 The administration is trampling the Bill of Rights

43:00 Minneapolis is a political disaster for Trump

44:00 Conservative pundits are pitching a Minneapolis off-ramp

45:45 Greg Bovino is trying invoke violence in the way he dresses

47:00 Trump’s coalition is breaking apart

48:45 ToddCast Time Machine

49:30 January 30th, 1972 — Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland

50:45 British army turned into an occupying force

51:30 Unarmed civilians were shot by soldiers

52:00 Bloody Sunday ended the belief that the government could be neutral

53:00 When the state lies about violence, radicalism ensues

54:30 U2’s anthem about Bloody Sunday is expression of moral fatigue

55:30 Trump is the only person that can de-escalate and he refuses to

57:00 States tell themselves they are restoring order, consequences are permanent

57:45 Trust collapsed in Northern Island & happening now in Minneapolis

58:45 Ask Chuck

59:15 Agents involved in shootings weren’t new recruits?

1:05:00 How naive were we to think “it can’t happen here” How do we navigate it?

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