China, Russia: rope-a-dope strategy

Chuck Todd opens with a grim inventory of an administration besieged on every front as the Iran war enters its twelfth day with no exit strategy in sight. He then pivots to the SAVE Act — the Republican voting bill that has 50 Senate votes but faces a filibuster John Thune admits he likely can't break. He walks through the details that go well beyond simple voter ID: the bill requires documentary proof of citizenship to register, treats women who change their name through marriage as first-time voters, and Trump is demanding additions including a near-total ban on mail-in voting — turning what polls show is an 80%-popular concept into a toxic package that could disenfranchise millions. He notes that John Cornyn flipped his filibuster position to chase Trump's Texas endorsement, warns that if Republicans nuke the filibuster and Democrats later win the Senate they won't restore it, and argues that Republicans are essentially writing legislation to make Trump's false fraud claims real — while Trump is already setting up the SAVE Act's inevitable failure as his preemptive excuse for midterm losses that have nothing to do with voting rules and everything to do with an unpopular war, a tanking economy, and a completely unserious leader running the Pentagon. Ultimately, he argues that partisan changes to voting rule destroy trust in democracy, whether it be the SAVE Act, or Democrats efforts to pass HR1.

Then, Fiona Hill — who served on the National Security Council under three presidents and became a household name during Trump's first impeachment — joins the Chuck ToddCast for a deeply alarming assessment of the Iran war now entering its second week, with Operation Epic Fury having metastasized into a multi-front conflict spanning nine countries, oil prices surging past $100 a barrel, and hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded across the Middle East. Hill dismantles the geopolitical chessboard with surgical precision, explaining that while there is no formal alliance between Russia and Iran and that the relationship is deeply transactional, with Iran having provided Russia with Shahed drones and helped build a drone factory. She argues that China is letting the U.S. "rope-a-dope" itself, sitting back alongside Russia to watch America bleed resources and credibility in yet another Middle Eastern quagmire. She flags the glaring double standard in the administration's diplomacy: envoy Steve Witkoff refused to take the Iranians at their word during nuclear negotiations in Geneva but accepted Russian assurances at face value.

The conversation turns existential as Hill warns that Trump's adventurism — which never faced serious consequences through Venezuela or the June 2025 strikes that made Iran look like a paper tiger — has now collided with reality. Trump saw the opportunity to kill Khamenei and took it, hoping for either a popular uprising or a pliant successor, but none of those hopes have materialized. Hill calls it an Afghanistan-and-Iraq-level jam with even less global credibility.. They raise the chilling question of whether Xi Jinping might prioritize seizing Taiwan while America is overextended, observes that NORAD doesn't function without Canada and the Nordic countries that Trump has alienated, warns that the damage to America's reputation will last decades, and notes that individual U.S. states are already setting up their own diplomatic representation with foreign countries to fill the vacuum. They close with a striking contrast: unlike Russians, Americans can still vote their way out of tyranny — but the window in which that remains true may be narrowing, as we are likely entering a post-American empire period.

Finally, he answers listeners’ question in the “Ask Chuck” segment and celebrates the start of March Madness.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

04:30 There’s no easy way for Trump to get out of Iran

05:30 It’s become clear US responsible for bombing Iranian school

06:15 FBI warns California law enforcement of threat of Iranian drone strikes

07:15 The fallout from the war is complicated & Trump can’t just turn it off

08:30 Drone attack that killed US soldiers far more serious than initially reported

09:15 Republicans in congress are demoralized & don’t know what to run on

10:45 Pentagon bars press for publishing “unflattering” photos of Pete Hegseth

12:00 We have a serious war and a completely unserious leader of the Pentagon

12:45 Republican senators knew Hegseth was unqualified & confirmed him anyway

14:15 It’s important to explain the details of the Republican SAVE Act

15:00 John Cornyn flipped position on the filibuster to try to earn Trump endorsement

15:30 Republicans likely don’t have the votes to kill the filibuster

16:15 Contrasting and comparing Democrats HR1 vs Republicans SAVE Act

18:15 SAVE Act requires proof of citizenship to vote

19:00 Trump wants a total ban on mail in voting and all voting on one day

20:00 If GOP kills filibuster & Dems win senate, Dems won’t restore it

20:45 If passed in a partisan vote, SAVE Act would delegitimize democracy

21:45 If rules change based on who’s in power, the public will lose faith in process

23:30 We’re seeing a collision of two partisan visions over who gets to vote

24:30 SAVE Act makes voter registration a “show your papers” event

25:30 There’s a massive gap between bill passed in house & what Trump wants

26:00 Trump is demanding a bill loaded with culture war items

27:30 If Republicans jam through the SAVE Act, it could juice Democratic turnout

29:00 Voter ID isn’t controversial with the public

29:45 There’s 80% support for proof of citizenship when registering to vote

30:15 Republicans believe it should be harder to vote, Dems think it should be easier

31:30 Trump is taking popular ideas and packaging them in a bill that is toxic

32:30 Stability in a democracy doesn’t come from a 51% majority

33:45 34k people in Arizona were barred from state elections, but had federal carve out

35:00 Almost no voter fraud has actually been found

36:00 If you change name or get married, SAVE Act treats you as first time voter

37:30 America already makes life harder on women, SAVE Act makes it worse

38:15 The SAVE Act goes WELL beyond voter ID

39:00 Republicans are writing a bill to make Trump’s bullshit real

39:45 Trump will blame failure to pass SAVE Act for election losses in midterms

41:00 SAVE Act would disenfranchise or add barriers for millions of voters

42:00 Individual citizens have no constitutional right to vote

42:45 State constitutions provide voting guarantees, SAVE Act contradicts that

44:15 Changes to voting rules need bipartisan public consensus

50:15 Fiona Hill joins the Chuck ToddCast

51:30 There is no formal alliance between Russia and Iran

52:15 Historically, Russia and Iran clashed over territory

54:00 Iran provided Russia with Shahed drones & helped build factory

54:45 Trump views his relationship with Russia & Putin in a vacuum

55:45 Iran’s relationship with China & Russia is very transactional

56:30 Iran sees itself as a civilization, not just a country

58:15 China is letting the U.S. “rope a dope” itself

59:30 China doesn’t do favors without a cost

1:00:15 Witkoff didn’t take Iranians at their word but did with Russia

1:00:45 China & Russia are sitting back and watching what happens in Iran

1:01:45 Special military operations often become quagmires

1:03:00 Trump hasn’t thought about the knock-on consequences in Iran

1:05:15 Administration thinks they can figure it out as they go

1:06:00 Trump’s adventurism never had serious consequences until now

1:07:45 9/11 shaped the frame for American thinking for 25 years

1:08:45 Do you buy that MBS pushed Trump into striking Iran?

1:09:45 The Chinese didn’t see unintended effects of war in Ukraine

1:10:45 Russia has 20x casualty rate in Ukraine that USSR had in Afghanistan

1:12:45 The Israelis are clear that they want regime change

1:13:00 Outside of eliminating the nuclear program… What's the rest of our aim?

1:14:30 Without regime change, Iranian and Venezuelan people will turn on Trump

1:15:30 There’s a large Iranian population is many countries

1:16:00 Trump is in a Afghanistan/Iraq level jam with no plan

1:16:45 Gutting of national security council effects on Trump’s planning

1:18:00 We’ve lost grip of our political system, congress has abdicated

1:19:15 High oil prices could be a boon to Russia, but shipping is an issue

1:21:30 Putin doesn’t want to end the war in Ukraine unless its on his terms

1:22:15 Ukraine has been an incredibly tough fighting force

1:23:00 The rich & powerful forget that the other 8 billion people have agency

1:24:30 Ukraine won’t have a peace imposed on it by outsiders

1:25:15 Trump assumes everyone else is as transactional as he is

1:26:15 Khamenei is a religious leader, his killing has religious implications

1:29:15 Asymmetrical war feels unwinnable

1:31:30 The damage to America’s reputation in the world will last decades

1:32:30 NORAD doesn’t work without Canada & Nordic countries

1:35:00 How can a future president try to fix the damage with allies?

1:36:00 Individual states are setting up representation with foreign countries

1:38:00 If you’re Xi, do you prioritize seizing Taiwan while Trump’s in office?

1:39:45 We’re likely in a post-American empire period

1:40:30 Is there any heir apparent to Putin?

1:42:45 Next leader of Russia will likely keep the same system in place

1:44:15 Unlike Russians, Americans can still vote their way out of tyranny

1:48:30 Across the country there’s serious frustration with federal politics

1:50:00 Ask Chuck

1:50:15 How is the psyche of the American people able to handle constant crisis?

1:55:30 Are the war and Epstein files just distracting from importance of midterms?

1:59:00 Have larger sums of money started to become irrelevant in elections?

2:03:00 At what point does fundraising advantage stop matter?

2:07:15 Chances of false flag blamed on Iran to provide pretext to mess with elections?

2:13:00 Thanks for giving me hope while feeling like we’re living through fall of Rome

2:16:30 How can a future president reverse course on tariffs?

2:19:00 Thoughts on March Madness

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