Zohran Mamdani STUNS With Victory Over Andrew Cuomo + The NIGHTMARE Of Living Undocumented In Trump’s America

Chuck Todd begins with Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory over Andrew Cuomo in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He points to Mamdani’s cost of living messaging and youth as major factors in the victory, but cautions the party against embracing the “socialist” label, and wonders whether the party establishment will embrace or shun Mamdani. Then, Chuck is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who shares his deeply personal journey of living as an undocumented immigrant in America and how it shaped his perspective on one of the nation's most divisive issues. Vargas, who publicly revealed his undocumented status over a decade ago, discusses the atmospheric shift in immigration discourse under Trump, the bipartisan failures that have plagued reform efforts, and why he believes coming out as gay was actually easier than revealing his immigration status. He offers a unique insider's view of working at major outlets like the Washington Post while hiding his legal status, living in constant fear of deportation. The conversation delves into the broader media and political landscape surrounding immigration, with Vargas arguing that Democrats have failed to provide a positive counter-narrative to right-wing messaging that has made anti-immigration sentiment central to Republican identity. He challenges both parties for using immigration as a political football rather than addressing the human reality of 40 million people of Mexican heritage living in America. Vargas advocates for journalism that goes beyond economic impact stories to humanize immigrants' experiences, while grappling with the tension between objective reporting and advocacy journalism. The discussion also touches on America's demographic future, the need for immigrant labor to offset declining birth rates, and whether the nation can reconcile its identity as both a country of immigrants and a Judeo-Christian society. Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment regarding the viral Ted Cruz vs Tucker Carlson interview and addresses the conspiracy theory that Starlink hacked voting machines in the 2024 election. Timeline:  (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Zohran Mamdani beats Andrew Cuomo in NYC mayoral primary 02:30 Multiple possible explanations for Mamdani’s victory 03:30 Cost of living messaging resonated 04:30 This will supercharge the young vs old debate in the party 05:30 Will the “democratic socialism” label become a liability for the party? 08:00 Moderates rallying around Cuomo made no sense 09:00 This should be a wake up call for the Democratic establishment 10:00 Democratic voters are looking for “new” 11:45 Mamdani fired first shot in battle to rebrand the party 13:30 Rallying around Eric Adams would be a bad move for the establishment 15:30 Mamdani needs to expand his tent 17:30 The big tent illusion - Both parties claim to be "big tent" but aren't  19:15 It's hard to not have a "label" in our current politics  21:00 The Republican party has become a cult of personality  21:45 Politicians can't ever agree with the other side  22:30 The only politicians with a big tent approach are governors  25:00 The coalition that elected Trump is big tent, he isn't governing like it  26:30 Our politics would be healthier if there was four parties  28:00 Politics wasn't designed to be winner-take-all  29:30 Bipartisanship would produce better, more durable legislation  33:30 John Cornyn may drop out, but only if he can stop Ken Paxton  35:45 If Ken Paxton is the nominee, Democrats could win the TX senate seat  37:00 Center-right voters in Texas are homeless  37:45 The TikTok extension via executive order is illegal  38:30 Donald Trump has refused to enforce the law with TikTok  39:45 Politicians are fearful of alienating TikTok users 41:30 Jose Antonio Vargas joins the Chuck ToddCast!  42:00 What year did you go public with your undocumented status?  44:00 The atmospheric shift around immigration under Trump  45:30 George W. Bush was much more compassionate to immigrants  46:30 Immigration has been a bipartisan mess  47:30 Immigration has been the central issue in right wing media  49:00 Democrats haven't provided a positive counter narrative  50:15 Being undocumented is living a life of fear  51:45 Nobody at the Washington Post knew he was undocumented  53:30 People following the proper process are being arrested  56:00 Backlash to demographic changes  58:00 White immigrants can hide in plain sight  59:00 Anti-immigration is the currency of the Republican party  01:00:30 Immigration wasn't always covered politically  01:03:30 Jose was shocked he wasn't contacted by ICE  01:04:30 Both parties have used immigration to score political points  01:06:30 Coming out as gay was easier than coming out as undocumented  01:09:00 Obligation to be doing advocacy journalism?  01:11:30 We haven't felt the economic effects of mass deportation yet  01:13:45 Why is it so hard to positively sell immigration to conservatives?  01:16:30 Journalists need to be educators  01:18:15 We live in a post-literate world  01:21:15 Journalism vs Advocacy  01:22:30 Helping people tell immigrant stories  01:25:15 Holding people in power to account  01:26:30 Need for immigrants to compensate for declining birth rates  01:28:00 Immigrant stories rarely get told outside of economic impact  01:31:00 Segregation still exists, but it's in media/information ecosystems  01:32:45 Are we a nation of immigrants or a Judeo-Christian society?  01:37:30 The case for optimism  01:39:15 Journalists need to humanize the immigration issue 01:40:45 Chuck's thoughts on interview with Jose Antonio Vargas  01:42:00 Is the rift between Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz real or manufactured?  01:47:05 When did U.S. politics become so hyperpartisan?  01:52:00 Thoughts on the theory that Starlink tampered with voting machines?