Chuck begins with house Republicans struggling to pass their “Big Beautiful Bill” and reflecting on the president’s ability to influence the culture versus imposing on the culture.

Then, Chuck welcomes Spencer Kornhaber, staff writer at The Atlantic to discuss his piece on contemporary pop culture and its perceived decline in quality. They dive into the impact of streaming algorithms impacting music discovery, revealing that old music now earns three times the streams of new releases as algorithms trigger nostalgia rather than innovation. The conversation explores how the music industry has lost its traditional gatekeepers, leading to a landscape where new music often sounds "rehashed and doesn't move the ball forward," while examining whether rock music has stopped evolving and how country music is experiencing a resurgence. They also tackle the growing influence of AI on music production and debate whether algorithms, despite their flaws, are actually helping people discover music in different languages and cultures.

The discussion expands to examine whether television represents the one area where pop culture is genuinely "better than ever," with prestige TV becoming the cultural center and episodic storytelling reshaping moviemaking. They explore the "Barbenheimer summer" phenomenon as evidence that theatrical experiences still matter, before diving into literature's current state amid declining readership among younger generations. They debate whether high-resolution photography and AI are diminishing visual arts, speculate about experiences becoming the next major art form for Gen Z, and examine how competition with AI might actually make human artists more innovative. They conclude by discussing the enduring popularity of live elements in sports and music—with Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift reigning as pop royalty—while questioning who truly rules Hollywood and acknowledging the surprising innovations happening in live theater.

Finally he addresses listeners’ questions in the Ask Chuck segment, weighing in on Europe’s race to rearm itself, his preferred voting method to incentivize legislative compromise and whether the questions surrounding Joe Biden’s decline will loom over the 2028 presidential race.

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

00:30 Republicans struggling to pass the “Big Beautiful Bill”

02:00 Partisan governance is bad governance

03:30 The bill will pass, it’s just a matter of when

05:45 We’re in a “culture cold war”

08:00 Should political leaders impose culture, or influence it?

09:45 Who we elect as president is reflective of the culture

11:45 If a president imposes on culture, they impose on speech

14:45 The public will want a president who doesn’t impose on culture

17:40 Spencer Kornhaber joins the Chuck ToddCast

18:40 What inspired his piece on current pop culture being terrible?

22:25 Algorithms are terrible at introducing new music

23:10 Old music earns 3x the streams of new music

24:40 Algorithms use music to trigger nostalgia

26:10 New music sounds rehashed and doesn't move the ball forward

28:10 The music industry lost its gatekeepers

29:55 Algorithms help people discover music in a different language

32:10 Has rock music stopped evolving?

33:20 Country music is having a resurgence

34:00 The impact of AI on music production

35:40 Is television the one area of pop culture that's better than ever?

36:55 Prestige TV has become the center of the culture

38:25 How has episodic tv impacted moviemaking?

40:40 "Barbenheimer summer" wasn't a fluke

42:40 Are we also in a golden age of literature?

45:25 Younger generations are reading less

46:10 Do high resolution pictures + AI diminish the visual arts?

48:55 Will experiences become the next big artform for Gen Z

50:25 How well will his piece age?

51:55 Will competition with AI make human artists more innovative?

54:25 Will society decide to reinvest in the arts?

55:25 Gaming and sports are more popular than ever

57:10 Is the live element of sports and music driving popularity?

58:10 Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift are the king and queen of pop

59:10 Who rules Hollywood?

1:02:25 We've seen major innovation in live theater

1:04:45 Chuck's thoughts on the interview with Spencer Kornhaber

1:05:00 Algorithms suck at making culture, humans are good at it

1:05:15 Ask Chuck - Should we be concerned about Europe rearming?

1:07:55 What is your preferred voting method to incentivize compromise?

1:13:45 Will the Biden cognitive question loom over the 2028 election?

Chuck Todd begins the episode with an examination of the election landscape starting with the California gubernatorial race and a demographic breakdown that indicates Democrats could perform very well in both 2025 and 2026.

Then, is joined by businessman Stephen Cloobeck, who discusses his candidacy for California governor as the "only non-traditional candidate" in the race. Cloobeck offers sharp criticism of the Harris/Walz presidential campaign, which he characterizes as "tone deaf," while proposing concrete solutions for California's most pressing issues.

Cloobeck outlines his vision for a new department of "performance and results" to increase government accountability and presents his approach to addressing California's homelessness crisis. Drawing on lessons learned from his adopted father, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Cloobeck positions himself as a Democrat who understands business concerns, directly addressing why corporate leaders are "tempted" to leave California while asserting that "you can't buy an election" and pledging not to self-fund his campaign.

Chuck presses Cloobeck on whether Democrats need their own version of "Donald Trump," and what the party should learn from Trump's political approach. He also offers insight into his success in the timeshare industry, explaining how Marriott ultimately copied his business model and addressing whether AirBnB has undermined the traditional timeshare market. Chuck challenges Cloobeck about potential competition from other business figures like Rick Caruso and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Chuck speculating that by 2026, voters might be "burned out on bravado" after Trump's presidency.

Finally, Chuck digs into the mailbag of listeners’ questions in Ask Chuck and responds to questions about six year presidential terms, quirky personal preferences that lead to political preferences and whether it’s harder for him to land interviews with Republicans.

Timeline:

00:00 Introduction

00:30 The importance of the California gubernatorial race

01:15 Kloobeck intro

02:30 Kamala Harris preparing to run for governor in California?

03:45 Younger and infrequent voters were Trump’s “secret sauce”

05:00 Can a Democratic woman win the presidency?

06:30 Higher turnout is better for Republicans

08:15 Trends favor Democrats in non-presidential elections

09:30 Democrats became the “rules” party

11:15 Jared Golden not running for must-win Maine senate seat

12:30 Republicans are already writing off Virginia

13:30 Could New Jersey become a swing state?

14:30 Can the Trump coalition succeed without Trump on the ballot?

15:45 Could Senator Bill Cassidy retire for LSU chancellor job?

17:15 Stephen Cloobeck joins the Chuck ToddCast!

18:30 Why is he the only non-traditional candidate running for CA governor?

23:05 Are California's issues a governor issue or does it run deeper?

26:05 What should Gavin Newsom have done differently?

29:00 The Harris/Walz campaign was tone deaf

30:25 What did Gray Davis get right as governor?

31:55 Creating a department of "performance and results"

33:30 Solution to California's homelessness problem

35:00 Schwarzenegger was an outsider that ran into the bureaucracy

39:30 What makes him a democrat and not an independent?

41:55 Why are business leaders "tempted" to leave California?

44:35 What he learned from his adopted father, Harry Reid

46:15 Do we need a "Donald Trump" in the democratic party?

48:00 What should the democratic party learn from Trump?

48:45 You can't buy an election. Won't self fund his campaign.

51:00 Why couldn't Trump start a casino in Nevada?

53:20 Should people be skeptical of the timeshare industry?

54:35 Has AirBnB killed the timeshare industry?

58:00 Marriott copied his timeshare model

58:45 What would you say to Harris if she wanted help with the governor race?

1:02:00 Are you ready for the arrows coming your way

1:04:25 Did you have high expectations for Joe Biden?

1:07:15 If Rick Caruso jumps in, will you cannibalize each other's candidacies

1:10:35 Would Arnold Schwarzenegger be the front-runner if he ran?

1:11:35 By 2026 could voters be burned out on bravado by Trump

1:13:30 Chuck's thoughts on Stephen Kloobeck interview

1:14:45 Check out Chuck's interviews on Noosphere!

1:16:20 Ask Chuck

1:16:45 If congress was expanded, should the president get one 6 year term?

1:19:50 What odd voter personal preferences indicate their political preferences?

1:24:00 Do you find it harder to get interviews with Republicans?

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

As a bonus for Chuck ToddCast listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Kamala: Next in Line, a six-part podcast from MSNBC and Wondery that goes inside the cross-cultural journey that led Senator Kamala Harris from her humble roots to become the first African-American woman to be the Vice Presidential nominee for a major party. From Oakland to Howard University, and California to Washington DC, experience her story as it has never been told before. Hosted by MSNBC's Joy Reid, the show features exclusive interviews with those who know her best, painting a picture of a woman who has fought her way to the top at every turn. Listen to the first episode, and subscribe to the series now: https://link.chtbl.com/description-kamala