The Chuck ToddCast

In this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck digs into the stunning implosion of The Washington Post after Jeff Bezos ordered layoffs of nearly a third of its staff—breaking a decade-old promise to provide the paper with long-term financial runway. The conversation explores how Bezos treated the Post less like a civic institution and more like a trophy asset, useful for currying favor, protecting government contracts, and advancing Amazon and Blue Origin, but never truly prioritized for success. As newsroom cuts gut coverage across the board and the Post retreats from its role as D.C.’s essential local authority, the episode argues this isn’t just a media story—it’s a case study in billionaire power, tech hubris, and how America’s wealthiest figures play by a different set of rules, even as blue-collar and white-collar anger begin to converge. Finally, Chuck previews the Super Bowl between the Seahawks & Patriots and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/chuck. Application times may vary. Rates may vary. Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:00 Washington Post lays off 1/3rd of its staff on orders from Bezos 02:45 Bezos told Woodward in 2013 he’d provide financial runway to the Post 03:30 Bezos just did the opposite of what he said he’d do 04:45 Matt Murray, editor of the post, isn’t in charge of business strategy 06:15 Cuts will affect all areas of the Post’s coverage 08:15 Structural issues at the Post have existed for years 09:30 The NYT diversified and it worked brilliantly 10:15 DC is an educated affluent market, comfortable paying for news 11:00 Bezos needed a leg up for Blue Origin in the space race 12:45 So why did 2013 Bezos buy the Post? Government contracts. 13:45 Amazon held almost an American Idol style bid process for HQ 14:30 Wish Amazon would have chosen St. Louis for HQ 17:45 Buying the Post was a way to curry favor for Amazon 18:30 Bezos saw the Post as a trophy that would help his other businesses 19:45 Trump cancelled a Bezos contract over unfavorable Post coverage 21:00 Bezos wasn’t interested in the success of the Post 23:15 Why not sell the Post? Trump would blame him for negative coverage 25:30 Whether the Post fails doesn’t matter to Bezos, his other businesses do 27:00 Bezos has only done one thing well: Building Amazon 28:00 High net worth doesn’t mean high IQ 30:00 WaPo was the regional and local authority in DC & is giving that up 32:00 Post wants to retreat and become just offer political coverage 33:15 Bezos is behaving like the metaphorical rich guy villain 34:15 Rich people play by their own rules and get away with everything 36:45 Blue collar anger is about to be coupled with white collar anger 37:30 The tech titans don’t know how to read the room 39:00 Biggest trade for Washington Wizards in years not covered by the Post 40:30 The Post won’t recover from this 46:45 Super Bowl preview 52:15 Ask Chuck 52:30 What incentives allow congress to just fall in line behind the president? 56:30 Why aren’t we seeing bigger protests in the streets? 57:45 Is the divide between MAGA & liberal America unbridgeable? 1:05:00 Could Trump legally get a third term via the line of succession? 1:10:00 How concerned should we be with the FBI raid at Fulton county election office? 1:13:00 Is it unusual for the out party to get a bill through congress? 1:17:00 If the Senate ends up split, how is majority control determined? 1:19:45 If Talarico wins his primary, could he catch fire all the way to the White House? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.