Chuck Todd delivers a searing indictment of American democracy's collapse as Trump agrees to a Putin summit in Alaska without including Ukraine's Zelenskyy, while both parties abandon constitutional principles in favor of a destructive "cold civil war" over redistricting and power. He warns that Trump's desperation for a peace deal with Putin poses enormous dangers, while Republicans openly flout the Constitution and Democrats have taken the bait to "fight fire with fire" in an immoral game that betrays the founders' vision of preventing both kingship and tyranny of the majority. He argues that constitutional guardrails only work when enforced, and that leaders are capitulating to Trump and refusing to use the tools the founders provided.
Then, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and intelligence expert Tim Weiner joins Chuck for a devastating assessment of how Trump's appointment of "crackpots" to lead America's national security apparatus threatens catastrophic intelligence failures and the potential collapse of democratic institutions. Weiner warns that figures like John Ratcliffe, who has worked to absolve Russia of election interference, and Tulsi Gabbard, whom he describes as an "agent of influence" for the Kremlin, represent unprecedented political bias at intelligence agencies that could lead Trump to declare martial law and cancel elections if another attack occurs. He argues that Trump has taken a "wrecking ball to national security," systematically destroying the trust that serves as the "only currency" in intelligence work, while allied agencies now hesitate to share critical information about Russia and other threats with an administration they cannot trust.
The conversation explores the broader implications of Trump's intelligence appointments, from Marco Rubio putting his "manhood in a blind trust" to serve Trump, to Ratcliffe's exposure of CIA agents recruited during Biden's tenure, making DOGE staffers prime targets for Chinese intelligence operations. Weiner details how China seeks to project its surveillance state into America while Russia continues its aggressive expansion, warning that Putin will attack the Baltics if allowed to keep Ukrainian territory. The episode also delves into the CIA's evolution since the Cold War, their departure from secret prisons, the agency's struggles with cyber capabilities compared to the NSA, and why conspiracy theories—including persistent questions about JFK assassination files—could contribute to democracy's death, even as Weiner definitively states that the CIA didn't kill Kennedy while acknowledging the agency's fear of revealing their Oswald connections.
Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment!
Timeline:
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00:00 Introduction
03:30 Trump agrees to summit with Putin in Alaska
05:30 Western democracies on edge ahead of summit
06:15 Zelenskyy should be at the summit
07:30 The danger is Trump wants a peace deal too badly
08:45 Redistricting war is a sign of a cold civil war
09:30 Trump and Republicans are flouting the constitution
11:00 The Democrats response of “fight fire with fire”
13:00 If Democrats go low, then Trump wins
14:00 Founders feared a king and tyranny of the majority
15:30 The founders gave us tools, people in power refuse to use them
17:00 Congressional Republicans have refused to perform oversight
19:00 Guardrails only work if they’re used and enforced
20:00 Everyone is capitulating to Trump
22:30 Democrats have taken the bait, will play Trump’s immoral game
24:15 The founding fathers would be appalled
25:45 RFK Jr.’s decision will kill people, and they still won’t impeach him
27:15 Leaders in both parties are failing the people
30:30 Fancis Collins desperate to communicate public health tragedy
31:30 It will take years to undo damage RFK has done to health and science
32:30 Vaccine disinfo led to shooting at the CDC
35:15 Tech companies allowed Kennedy’s terrible ideas to spread
37:00 Kennedy has committed multiple impeachable offenses
38:30 Tim Weiner joins the Chuck ToddCast!
40:00 Is the CIA still trying to figure out its role post Cold War?
44:45 The CIA out of the business of secret prisons
46:00 Is there regret at the CIA for their post 9/11 tactics
47:15 The people in currently in charge of national security are crackpots
49:15 Jon Rattcliffe has worked to absolve Russia of election interference
51:00 Political bias at intel agencies is at an unprecedented level
53:00 Fealty to Trump at intel agencies increases risk of catastrophic failure
53:45 How Trump would react if another attack happened
54:45 Trump could use an attack to declare martial law, cancel elections
56:15 Is intelligence sharing with allies at huge risk now?
58:00 The CIA relies on friendly foreign intelligence services
59:15 Allied agencies would hesitate to share intel on Russia with Gabbard
1:00:00 Trump has taken a wrecking ball to national security
1:01:00 If Putin gets to keep a piece of Ukraine, he'll attack the Baltics
1:02:45 What to make of Trump's bromance with Putin?
1:03:45 Trump isn't Putin's agent, he's Putin's ally
1:05:00 Tulsi Gabbard acts as an "agent of influence" for the Kremlin
1:06:15 Trump has ordered intel & DOJ to cook up investigation of Obama
1:07:30 Is Marco Rubio the only hope for the intel community?
1:09:00 Rubio put his manhood in a blind trust and gave Trump the key
1:10:30 Allied intel agencies can't trust anyone in Trump's cabinet
1:13:30 The CIA is not allowed to recruit foreign journalists
1:15:00 The overlap between journalism and spycraft
1:17:45 The CIA is not at all like what you see in the movies
1:20:00 Has the CIA penetrated China the same way they have Russia?
1:21:45 The CIA built a network of agents in China, but they were caught
1:24:15 Ratcliffe fired and exposed the agents recruited during Biden's tenure
1:25:15 DOGE staffers are huge targets for Chinese intel
1:27:30 Chinese intel vs Russian intel
1:28:45 China wants to project their surveillance state into the U.S.
1:30:15 Is the CIA as forward leaning in cyber as the NSA?
1:32:30 William Burns understood the CIA's mission best
1:34:15 Which CIA directors would have warned the world of Russian invasion?
1:37:00 Why does the CIA fight the release of the JFK files?
1:40:45 Conspiracy theories could contribute to the death of democracy
1:42:00 CIA afraid of their Oswald ties?
1:44:00 The CIA didn't kill Kennedy
1:45:15 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Tim Weiner
1:46:45 Colts have been in Indy longer than they were in Baltimore
1:48:00 Mariano Rivera tears his achilles
1:49:00 Nats win 2 out of 3 against Giants
1:51:15 Ask Chuck
1:51:30 How did the U.S. and E.U. drift apart diplomatically?
1:57:15 How was Trump's mental decline been missed by media
1:59:15 How should Democrats fight back against redistricting?
2:00:30 How do you know so much about individual districts?