Chuck’s Commentary - Bari Weiss Burns The Credibility Of CBS News + Trump Wasted The "Honeymoon" Phase Of His Presidency
The Chuck ToddCast
Closing Notes and Upcoming Episodes
Todd previews next week's episode, replays a prior interview, and signs off for the holidays.
Chuck Todd digs into the growing crisis of trust in American media and politics, sparked by CBS News pulling a 60 Minutes episode amid controversy and perceptions of corporate and political pressure. He examines how Bari Weiss’s handling of the situation exposed a lack of understanding of television news culture, why 60 Minutes has become the ultimate measure of CBS’s credibility, and how ownership, mergers, and appeasing power have once again put business interests ahead of journalism. The episode also explores troubling signals from the Justice Department’s handling of Epstein-related releases and what they reveal about political favoritism and eroding institutional independence.
Chuck then widens the lens to the political fallout, arguing that Donald Trump squandered his political capital and failed to build a durable coalition, and lays out how cracks in Trump’s coalition are becoming chasms.
Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and breaks down the biggest stories in the world of sports.
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Timeline:
00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction
02:30 CBS News embroiled with controversy after pulling 60 Minutes episode
03:00 Bari Weiss’s inexperience in TV news is on full display
04:00 Weiss’s made incorrect assumption that everyone saw NYT story
05:15 The perception is the administration leaned on Weiss to kill story
06:30 Too many news executives don’t understand the process
08:00 Trump has complained publicly about 60 Minutes
08:45 Ellison willing to appease Trump in order to get merger approval
09:30 CBS News will be judged entirely on 60 Minutes
11:00 Weiss has lost the trust of the journalists at CBS
11:45 Corporate owned media has once again let the public down
12:30 WaPo’s editorial board completely changed after Bezos bought it
13:30 This event will further erode the public trust in media
14:45 Journalism that’s tethered to popularity will be compromised
15:45 Trust is more important than popularity for journalists
17:15 Corporations won’t let their news divisions interfere with business
18:00 DOJ frontloaded Clinton/Epstein releases & Trump releases later
19:15 DOJ releases statement that sounds like they’re Trump’s defense attorney
21:15 It’s notable that DOJ only singled out Trump for a defensive statement
23:15 Trump blew his “honeymoon” period in less than a year
24:00 Both Biden & Trump burned their political capitol early
26:45 Trump blew the chance to build a GOP that outlasts him
28:00 Trump didn’t win the 2024 election - Biden/Harris lost it
29:45 Voters don’t like party in power, 2008 was last “Vote for” election
31:30 Biden misinterpreted 2022 results, lots of bad GOP candidates
32:30 Liberation Day destroyed Trump’s goodwill with the public
34:45 The cracks in Trump’s coalition are turning into chasms
36:30 The GOP has been too concerned with appeasing the online right
37:45 Democrats could be having their own “Tea Party” moment
45:15 Trump floats leaving the presidency for “hosting” in social post
46:15 Is Trump soft launching stepping down from the presidency?
47:30 Ask Chuck
48:15 What wing of the party will the GOP lean towards in 2028?
54:30 What are the classes you teach like?
1:01:45 How would things be different if H.W. Bush won a second term?
1:06:30 How do we address the erosion of historical education?
1:11:15 Was the country really that united over Garfield’s death?
1:16:45 Sports roundup
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