Show notes
Six weeks out, Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza open on Trump's ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House — escalated Monday when the rest of the TV pool refused to cover him without CNN. Chuck, who fought the Obama White House's attempt to cut Fox out of a pool, explains why the real story is why now: a president lashing out as he loses control everywhere else. NBC has Trump at 41%, his second-term low; the Fed just raised rates for the first time since 2023; and the three most toxic positions in NBC's message testing are the three things Trump spent the last ten days amplifying. Chuck argues everyone is probably underestimating Democrats, then turns to the party's own problems: a DNC in debt, a brand that polls worse than the GOP's, and Axios reporting that most former Harris aides don't expect her to run in 2028. Plus JB Pritzker's 80-pound GLP-1 disclosure and Jayden Daniels' devastating elbow injury. Timeline: 00:00 Trump bans CNN, MS NOW & Politico — and how the TV pool works 06:00 Why now? A president grabbing what he can control 16:00 Toxic message tests, Iowa defections & a party running from Trump 24:00 Are we underestimating Democrats? Wave, tsunami or mirage 34:00 The Democrats' money problem — the DNC, donors & turnout groups 40:00 Is Kamala Harris running? The Malibu tell and a cycle off 48:00 Pritzker's weight loss, the Democratic brand & the rise of independents 1:00:00 Jayden Daniels, injuries & the college sports bill 1:08:00 NFL chaos, NBA predictability & the case for relegationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
