Check Out a Preview for “Clock It”

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Best People with Nicolle Wallace
Preview Episode: “Clock It”
Release Date: February 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

This preview introduces “Clock It,” the new podcast from MS NOW, hosted by Eugene Daniels and Simone Sanders Townsend. Drawing on their extensive political experience—Sanders Townsend’s background as a campaign strategist and White House staffer, and Daniels’ as a political correspondent and former White House Correspondents’ Association president—they aim to demystify political maneuvering and explore how culture, technology, and shifting media landscapes impact American politics today. The episode offers an inside look at the Democratic primary in Texas, particularly the race between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Representative James Talarico, highlighting current challenges in political communication, party dynamics, and the role of online influencers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why “Clock It” Exists: Exposing Political Maneuvering

• Hosts’ Motivation:

  • Sanders Townsend and Daniels share that their years in DC have taught them how to “see through political machinations and maneuvering.” (00:08–00:18)
  • They reflect on the ways the Trump administration is “trying to legitimize itself by hijacking the arts, sports, basically the culture.” (Daniels, 00:22)

• Cultural and Political Fusion:

  • “Slapping Trump’s name on the kitchen, dispatching ICE to the Super Bowl, uploading TikToks set to Nicki Minaj songs. It looks trivial, but this stuff matters.” (Sanders Townsend, 00:30)

2. Opening Up Off-Air Conversations

• Podcast Premise:
  • The hosts invite listeners to their “group chat” to help them “start to clock it too”—to critically analyze what’s really happening beneath political headlines. (00:45)

3. Deep Dive: Texas Democratic Primary in 2026

• Setting the Stage:

  • “No state’s race, though I think right about now is more interesting and more… popping up in my group chats than what’s going on in Texas in the Democratic primary between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and State Representative James Talarico.” (Sanders Townsend, 01:03–01:22)

• Democratic Party Dynamics:

  • “The split in the party is no longer ideological… the actual split is whether you want to fight or not. And I think these two people show how different groups in the Democratic Party want to fight.” (Daniels, 01:26)

4. Candidate Contrasts: Crockett & Talarico

• James Talarico:

  • “He’s much more, you know, his demeanor’s calmer.” (Daniels, 01:40)
  • Talarico shares his origin story:
    • “I got into this because of my students… I had 45 kids in one classroom… I had students sitting on the air conditioning unit. It’s unacceptable.” (Talarico, 01:46)
    • Highlights flipping a Trump district. (01:57)

• Jasmine Crockett:

  • “Much more, I think, like a lot of members of Congress that are Democrats, much more in your face.” (Daniels, 02:09)
  • Crockett’s approach:
    • “They’re killing people in the middle of the street. They decided to execute a mother of three in broad daylight. I don’t understand how we are sitting here and acting like this is normal.” (Crockett, 02:19)
  • Daniels adds:
    • “She seems much more ready maybe to fight Donald Trump the way Donald Trump fights.” (02:30)
  • Rochett is described as “unconventional.” (Sanders Townsend, 02:36)

5. Social Media, Influencers, and the New Political Landscape

• Controversy on Threads and TikTok:
  • A recent controversy emerged online about Talarico’s comments, surfacing from a Texas TikToker named Morgan Thompson. (03:06)
  • Thompson claims Talarico told her he “signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a formidable and intelligent black woman.” (03:13)
  • Sanders Townsend points out the risks of private conversations with influencers:
    • “These are also not journalists… it was a private conversation. Like the creators don’t understand… off the record. No, they do not.” (Sanders Townsend and Daniels, 03:38–04:09)

6. Political Communication & Accountability

• Lessons for Politicians:

  • “If you start talking off the record, they gonna tell. They gonna tell it.” (Sanders Townsend, 04:14)
  • On Talarico’s response:
    • “His team, when they sent out the sort of apology, whatever, what he said was, I did call him mediocre.” (Daniels, 04:21)
    • “He said he called his campaign mediocre.” (Sanders Townsend, 04:30)

• Deeper Issues of Race and Language:

  • “Should the white man be talking about another elected official and feel comfortable calling him a mediocre black man? No. And trying to pump up a black lady? Hell no.” (Sanders Townsend, 05:14)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Political Strategy:

  • “The split in the party is no longer ideological… it’s whether you want to fight or not.”
    — Eugene Daniels (01:26)

• On Campaign Communication:

  • “If you start talking off the record, they gonna tell. They gonna tell it.”
    — Simone Sanders Townsend (04:14)

• On the Dangers of Social Media:

  • “These are also not journalists… it was a private conversation. Like the creators don’t understand… off the record. No, they do not.”
    — Eugene Daniels and Simone Sanders Townsend (03:38–04:09)

• On Misusing Racial Language:

  • “Should the white man be talking about another elected official and feel comfortable calling him a mediocre black man? No. And trying to pump up a black lady? Hell no.”
    — Simone Sanders Townsend (05:14)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|------------| | Introduction to “Clock It” | 00:01–00:22| | The hosts’ off-air approach | 00:40–00:50| | Preview of Texas Democratic Primary | 01:03–01:26| | Crockett vs. Talarico: Styles and Stories | 01:46–02:35| | Social media controversy: Thompson & Talarico | 03:06–04:09| | Off-the-record and influencer risks | 04:09–04:21| | Race, accountability, and apology | 04:21–05:24|

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Conclusion

This preview of “Clock It” sets up a show focused on unfiltered, candid analysis of American politics and culture. By demystifying political strategies and exploring the influence of nontraditional media, Daniels and Sanders Townsend offer listeners the tools to “clock” what’s really happening behind the headlines—making it essential listening for anyone who wants a deeper, more critical view of politics in 2026.

Transcript

[Eugene Daniels]

Hey y'.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

All.

It's Eugene Daniels and Simone Sanders Townsend.

[Eugene Daniels]

We're the hosts of a brand new podcast, Ms. Now presents Clock It.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

We're starting this show because over our years in dc, Me on campaigns and working in the White House and me

[Eugene Daniels]

covering it all, plus running the White House Correspondents association, we've learned to see

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

through political machinations and maneuvering, whatever that is. Right, Eugene?

[Eugene Daniels]

Uh huh. Cause right now we're watching the Trump administration try to legitimize itself by hijacking the arts, sports, basically the culture.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

See? Slapping Trump's name on the kitchen, dispatching ice to the super bowl, uploading tiktoks set to Nicki Minaj songs. It looks trivial, but this stuff matters.

[Eugene Daniels]

So we wanna open up our off air conversations, our group chat, if you will, to everybody.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Every Thursday we'll talk about what we see and hear in the news so you can start to clock it too.

[Eugene Daniels]

Our first episode is out right now and new episodes drop every Thursday. Subscribe to MSNow Premium on Apple Podcasts to get the show ad free. Plus you'll get an exclusive bonus episode as soon as this week.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Stay right here to get a preview of our first episode, then search for Clockett and hit that follow button. No state's race, though I think right about now is more interesting and more, you know, popping up in my group chats than what's going on in Texas in the Democratic primary between Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett.

Yes.

And State Representative James Talarico. James Talarico.

[Eugene Daniels]

The thing that I think is most interesting about this primary for Democrats is that the split in the party is no longer ideological, right? No, the actual split is whether you want to fight or not. And I think these two people show how different groups in the Democratic Party want to fight. Right. Like James Talarico, he's much more, you know, his demeanor's calmer.

[James Talarico]

I got into this because of my students. I got into the classroom in the fall of 2011, right after the state legislature cut $5 billion from our schools. I had 45 kids in one classroom. There weren't enough desks for all those kids, so I had, I had students sitting on the air conditioning unit. It's unacceptable. And that's why I ran for the state legislature. It's why I flipped a Trump district that no one thought was winnable.

[Eugene Daniels]

And you have someone like Congresswoman Crockett and she is much more, I think, like a lot of members of Congress that are Democrats, much more in your face.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

They're killing people in the Middle of the street. They decided to execute a mother of three in broad daylight. I don't understand how we are sitting here and acting like this is normal.

[Eugene Daniels]

Right. She's much more clear and concise. She seems much more ready maybe to fight Donald Trump the way Donald Trump fights.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Some would call her unconventional. Some reports have called her and her campaign unconventional. This recently. Recently, okay, there was a controversy that popped off on the Internet. The fact that in 2026, campaigns are being and races are being appended by what happens on threads. I don't know if. And TikTok, I don't know if this was a scheme that Todd set up to encourage people to sign up for threads. Todd is busy, child. But if you weren't on threads, you were not understanding where this. What happened here. Exactly.

[Eugene Daniels]

So this is Texas based tiktoker Morgan Thompson. She said she met Talarico and this is what she says happened.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

James Talarico told me that he signed up to run against a mediocre black man, not a formidable and intelligent black woman. Colin Allred, the mediocre black man that he's referring to as an attorney, a former professional football player and a former congressman. Up until this comment, the conversation was going well. That's why it threw me off so much to have a white man say this to a black woman who is coming to him with concerns in relation to him for black people, child.

Now, can I just say, a lot of different conversations have sprouted out from this. But as a former comms person, I will say in this new media landscape where folks are making their candidates available to influencers, people, creators. Right. People with platforms that have substantial social media followings, particularly in the state or the district, that makes a difference. These are also not journalists. And this isn't a slight to Morgan. I'm not trying to slight her, but it was a private conversation. Like the creators don't understand.

[Eugene Daniels]

Off the record. No, they do not. So politicians, take a note, take notes, baby.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

If you start talking off the record, they gonna tell. They gonna tell it. And so she told about a private conversation she had. And to be clear, his comments were problematic.

[Eugene Daniels]

I will say this. His team, when they sent out the sort of apology, whatever, what he said was, I did call him mediocre.

[James Talarico]

I don't.

[Eugene Daniels]

It doesn't sound.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

He said he called his campaign mediocre. And I mean, to be very clear, Colin Allred did not run a stellar Senate campaign.

[Eugene Daniels]

He's no longer running for Senate. So what does that mean?

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Well, because Jasmine Crockett came in and kind of like, to be honest, put him out of the race. And there were concerns, I mean, if you talk to Democrats in Texas, like strategists and whatnot and people that do campaign work, there was a concern about the kind of campaign Colin Allred ran the last time he ran for Senate and when he lost. When he lost. And Democrats do believe that this is an opportunity, that this is one of the seats that they can take, like Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, they are talking about expanding the map. So I just don't think it is ever. Okay, though. Like, yeah, was his campaign, was he running a mediocre campaign? Sure. Should the white man be talking about another elected official and feel comfortable calling him a mediocre black man? No. And trying to pump up a black lady? Hell no.

[Eugene Daniels]

It makes no sense.

[Simone Sanders Townsend]

Thanks for listening. For more search clock it and follow the show.

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