Political Readiness and Reflection

Chuck Todd digs into the looming threat of a government shutdown and the political gamesmanship behind it. He explores whether Democrats will force a showdown with Republicans, the risks and rewards of standing their ground, and how history shows the party that triggers a shutdown usually pays the price. With Trump giving Democrats little incentive to compromise and a restless base demanding a fight, Chuck explains why avoiding confrontation could hurt incumbents more than a shutdown itself. Plus, in the ToddCast Top 5, he breaks down the best Senate pickup opportunities for both Democrats and Republicans heading into the midterms.

Then, Pulitzer prize winning war correspondent Dexter Filkins joins Chuck to explore whether the U.S. military is prepared for the realities of modern warfare. From Ukraine’s innovative battlefield tactics to Israel’s use of AI, militaries around the world are embracing cheap, agile technologies that challenge America’s reliance on massive, legacy weapons systems. They examine how Congress’s instinct to protect jobs keeps outdated systems alive, why the Pentagon is scrambling to produce affordable drones, and how America’s vast defense supply chain quietly runs through China. The conversation turns to Taiwan—home to 90% of the world’s advanced microchip production—and whether the U.S. and its allies are truly ready to defend it in the event of a conflict with China.

The discussion also delves into the vulnerabilities of low-earth orbit satellites, the role of companies like Palantir in military tech, and whether autonomous targeting and video game–like interfaces are desensitizing the nature of war. Beyond weapons, Filkins and Todd confront America’s recruiting crisis, where three-quarters of young adults aren’t eligible for service, forcing the military to experiment with “pre-boot camps.” They close with reflections on fractured alliances, Trump’s effect on European defense spending, Putin’s ambitions to reconstitute the Soviet Union, and Filkins’s own harrowing experiences covering war zones—from Taliban executions in Kabul to jihadi training camps before 9/11.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Introduction

02:15 Will the Democrats force a showdown over a government shutdown?

04:30 Can Democrats trust Republicans to spend appropriated money?

05:15 Trump has given Democrats no incentive to come to the table

06:15 GOP forced shutdown in 2013, paid a heavy political price

08:45 Usually the party that forces shutdown goes down in polls

10:45 Democrats would do well to get caught fighting

13:00 If Democrats roll over, a “burn the establishment” mood will follow

14:45 The Democratic base is angry, not fighting puts incumbents at risk

16:00 Gavin Newsom has been rewarded for fighting

18:00 Trump has written off catering to the middle

19:15 Shutdown is risky, but provides a message for the midterms

22:00 A government shutdown is more likely than not

23:15 ToddCast Top 5 - Best senate pickup opportunities for each party

24:30 Top 5 senate seats for Democrats to pick up

31:45 Democrats need to put more seats in play

32:30 Top 5 senate seats for Republicans to pick up

40:45 Dexter Filkins joins the Chuck ToddCast 

42:45 Is the U.S. military vulnerable to small tech innovation? 

43:15 U.S. military is studying Ukraine and Israel's innovations

 44:45 U.S. military relies on few, very expensive weapons 

46:15 Legacy weapon systems get updated, rarely replaced 

47:30 Congress defends status quo to protect jobs in their district 

49:00 America spends huge money, doesn't get bang for buck 

50:15 Pentagon has new program making cheap, accurate drones 

51:30 50,000 American defense supply chains lead back to China 

53:45 Defending Taiwan is a massive logistical challenge 

54:30 Is America ready to help Taiwan survive war with China? 

55:30 Taiwan produces 90% of the world's advanced microchips 

56:30 If Taiwan falls, the world economy would grind to a halt 

57:45 The Asian-Pacific alliance isn't rock solid 

59:15 War between the U.S. and China would be ugly 

1:00:00 Low-earth orbit satellites are vulnerable to attack 

1:01:00 Destroying the satellite network is mutually assured destruction 

1:02:15 China is watching the U.S. response to Ukraine war 

1:04:30 Would Japan jump into a war between the U.S. and China? 

1:05:30 Israel's military is using AI for targeting 

1:08:30 What is Palantir's role with military applications? 

1:10:00 Military systems aren't interconnected for cybersecurity safety 

1:11:30 Modern warfare will require a rapid decision making process 

1:12:45 Autonomous targeting required to avoid jamming 

1:14:15 Modern targeting systems are incredibly advanced 

1:16:00 How much is war desensitized by its video game nature? 

1:18:00 Recruiting problems for the U.S. military 

1:19:15 75% of prime age military recruits don't qualify for service 

1:20:45 Military has set up a pre-boot camp for recruits to lose weight 

1:22:15 What size of military force do we need? 

1:23:45 The fracturing of U.S. alliances in an era of nationalism 

1:25:15 Trump scared the Europeans into increasing defense spending 

1:27:00 Putin has been clear he wants to reconstitute the Soviet Union 

1:27:30 Would Trump defend/liberate the Baltics in an article 5 scenario? 

1:28:30 If Europe gets serious about defense, Trump did a good thing 

1:29:45 How did defense/military become your beat? 

1:31:15 Surviving close calls when covering a war zone 

1:32:30 Watching a live execution at the Kabul sports stadium in the 90s 

1:33:30 Seeing the jihadi training camps in Afghanistan prior to 9/11 

1:34:30 Any desire to cover an active war zone again?

1:38:00 Ask Chuck 

1:38:15 Book suggestions for 2000 era politics? 

1:45:00 Love for the DeMaurice Smith interview 

1:46:45 Why isn't the public more up in arms over unilateral tariffs?

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