Removing the paywall and membership model

Chuck Todd predicts Trump will look for an offramp after his shocking "civilization will die" threat, noting that even in an era where people are numb to Trump's rhetoric, this particular statement genuinely rattled supporters and critics alike — yet only two elected Republicans have expressed even mild discomfort, which he calls unacceptable when a sitting president is openly threatening a war crime and behaving, in his words, like a terrorist thug. He then unpacks a blockbuster New York Times report detailing how Trump was talked into the Iran war, revealing that only two people in the entire decision-making process thought it was a good idea: Trump himself and Benjamin Netanyahu. The Times piece shows that Trump's own advisors tried to steer him away from the conflict, that JD Vance was privately against it, and that Netanyahu — who has spent years trying to get an American president to fight Iran on Israel's behalf, only to be rebuffed by Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Biden finally found his willing partner in Trump..

He then pivots to JD Vance campaigning in Europe on behalf of Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán while trashing America's European allies — effectively siding with Putin in the Hungarian election and betraying the values America was founded on — and predicts it will be a generation before the U.S. is trusted on the world stage again. He closes with sharp analysis of the Virginia redistricting referendum, which he says is hurting Governor Abigail Spanberger politically by labeling her as "partisan" in ways she didn't earn, noting that Democrats would have picked up 2-3 Virginia seats without the aggressive redistricting push and that independent voters — already exhausted by partisan garbage — may punish Democrats for fighting fire with fire.

Then, Lauren Gustus — executive editor of The Salt Lake Tribune — joins the Chuck Toddcast ahead of Local News Day on April 9th to discuss how a legacy daily newspaper completely reimagined itself as a nonprofit and is now taking its paywall down entirely in May, betting that free access and a members-based support model is the path to long-term sustainability. Gustus walks through the Tribune's fascinating history: the newspaper once had a 50-person desk dedicated just to youth sports, was heavily supported by the Huntsman family, had a joint operating agreement with the Deseret News, and — like so many local papers — eventually became a target for private equity firms. She explains how the Tribune transitioned to its nonprofit structure, acquired the Moab Times and retained those subscribers, created unique member benefits that require a paid subscription, and is now experimenting with how to serve Utah as both a statewide and hyper-local paper. She emphasizes that local news consumers are incredibly engaged and curious, that reporters need to understand their audience before doing the work, and that there has to be a genuine public service aspect to local journalism or the whole model falls apart.

The conversation turns to the specific challenges of covering Utah — a state where the intersection of faith, business, and politics is uniquely intense. Gustus explains that the Tribune's reporters covering the LDS church are themselves LDS members, which she argues allows them to report honestly and with context rather than creating conflict of interest concerns. She notes that Utah politics is often described as divisive but more polite than elsewhere, and suggests that the state's tradition of mission service creates a more worldly electorate than outsiders assume. On the editorial page, Gustus says the Tribune still sends questionnaires to political candidates because voters need information, not instruction on how to vote, and reveals that the paper receives dozens of Trump op-ed submissions but declines to run them. She discusses the messy ongoing redistricting war in Utah, the potential opportunity created by the Nexstar/Tegna merger consolidating local TV news, and makes the case that the Tribune's model — nonprofit structure, reader engagement, statewide ambition, and free access — is fundamentally repeatable in other markets across the country, which is exactly the kind of story Local News Day is designed to amplify.

Finally, he gives his ToddCast Top 5 states most likely to end their 4 term one-party drought in the 2026 elections, and answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment.

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction

00:45 Trump will look for offramp after threatening civilizational destruction

01:30 People are numb to Trump, but this statement still shocked people

03:00 Only two elected Republicans have expressed discomfort 

05:30 When the president threatens a war crime, leaders need to speak out

06:45 Trump is behaving like a terrorist thug

08:00 Everybody saw Trump’s comment, even supporters are uncomfortable

09:15 NYT reporters release piece explaining how Trump was talked into war

10:45 Only two people thought war was a good idea: Trump & Netanyahu

12:00 Iran wanted to assassinate Trump, there’s personal animosity here

12:45 This war has NOT been in the best interest of the United States

13:30 Advisors to Trump tried to steer him away from war

14:30 NYT piece will make Trump nuts over “leaks”

16:00 Vance shown as against the war in the NYT piece

17:00 Trump is on an island over the war, even amongst his staff

18:00 Netanyahu made it sound like regime change would be easy

18:30 Bibi wanted a U.S. president to go to war for years, they all said no

19:15 Clinton, Bush, Obama and Biden all rebuffed Netanyahu

21:15 Biden shouted down Bibi as a liar

22:00 Bibi finally found a president willing to acquiesce in Trump

22:45 Bibi’s power in Israel comes from fear of the Iranians

23:45 This story will poison Israel’s reputation with the American public

25:30 NYT story should be more explosive, but Trump’s rhetoric stole headlines

27:00 Trump is advocating war crimes even if he doesn’t commit one

27:45 Trump has not brainwashed the public into thinking war is a good idea

28:45 Vance is campaigning on behalf of Hungarian dictator Viktor Orban

29:45 Vance is in Europe trashing America’s European allies

30:30 The U.S. is siding with Putin in Hungarian election, betraying our values

31:15 It’ll be a generation before America is trusted again on the world stage

33:45 America fought for independence against autocratic rule

35:00 Can Trump get a deal to open the Strait without embarrassing the U.S.?

36:00 Redistricting referendum in VA has hurt Abigail Spanberger politically

37:00 Yes on redistricting will win, but margins are narrow

39:15 Independent voters don’t like the partisan garbage, Dems could lose them

41:00 Spanberger is getting labeled as “partisan” in all the wrong ways

41:45 Democrats would have picked up 2-3 seats without redistricting

43:15 Voters will tire of either party governing in a too partisan manner

50:00 Lauren Gustus joins the Chuck ToddCast

52:30 SL Tribune is a legacy publication that’s been reimagined

53:30 The Tribune used to have a 50 person desk for youth sports

55:00 Huntsman family was a massive booster of the Tribune

55:45 Transitioning the Tribune to a nonprofit model

57:30 In May, the Tribune will be taking down their paywall

59:30 Private Equity bought newspapers in order to obtain their real estate

1:00:45 Tribune had a joint operating agreement with Deseret News

1:02:30 Local news has to constantly pivot between revenue sources

1:04:30 How many hybrid funding models were considered?

1:05:45 Acquired the Moab Times & subscribers kept paying

1:06:30 Creating unique member benefits that require a paid subscription

1:08:00 Local news consumers are incredibly engaged and curious

1:09:15 Reporters need to understand the audience before doing the work

1:11:15 There has to be a public service aspect to local journalism

1:14:30 Has local advertising gotten harder, easier or just different?

1:17:30 Are there different models for relationships with reporters?

1:18:30 Independent contractor/freelancer model hasn’t caught on in SLC

1:20:30 Stories should be tailored to the platform if resources allow

1:22:45 Instagram isn’t monetizable, but good for reaching a subscriber base

1:24:30 What model have you chosen for your editorial page?

1:26:00 Tribune still sends questionnaires to political candidates

1:26:45 Voters need info, don’t need to be told how to vote

1:28:30 Trib receives dozens of Trump Op-Eds, doesn’t run them

1:29:00 How do you cover the LDS church?

1:30:30 Tribune team covering the church are LDS members, but still report honestly

1:32:00 Intersectionality of faith, business and politics is huge in Salt Lake City

1:33:30 Utah politics is seen as divisive but more polite… is that true?

1:34:00 Mission service creates a more worldly electorate in Utah

1:36:00 The redistricting war in Utah has been incredibly messy

1:37:45 Nexstar/Tegna merger will consolidate TV news, is that an opportunity for you?

1:39:00 Tribune strives to be a statewide & local paper for all of Utah

1:41:30 Tribune model is repeatable

1:42:00 Plans for Local News Day on April 9th?

1:42:30 New episode of the “Dynastic” podcast available!

1:44:45 ToddCast Top 5 states that could end their 4 term one party droughts

1:46:45 #1 Iowa

1:47:15 #2 Ohio

1:49:30 #3 Georgia

1:51:15 #4 Alabama

1:53:30 #5 Texas

1:55:30 Honorable mentions

1:56:45 Ask Chuck

1:57:00 What would campaigning look like if the electoral college was abolished?

2:00:30 Is there any chance Republicans will find a way to remove Trump from office?

2:02:45 What’s with Hegseth ousting top generals? Are Geneva Conventions defunct?

2:05:00 Why haven’t Dems taken steps in court over War Powers?

2:07:30 Are all hopes of a two-state solution dead?

2:09:45 Raphael Warnock’s chances as a dark horse presidential candidate?

2:15:30 Shoutout to the Packers

2:17:45 Could a southern Dem put Florida in play in 2028?

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