Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein joined Katy Tur on MS Now to break down the Trump administration’s increasingly desperate messaging on the economy as prices keep climbing and voters feel the squeeze. As top Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett pointed to soaring credit card spending as proof the economy is “strong,” Trump is now proposing...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer went live to discuss the golden statue of Trump just unveiled at his golf club, the Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy going on a 7-month road trip, Trump's obsession with painting the reflecting pool, and the UFC fight next month on the White House lawn. Join Sam and Will each Monday at...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sonny Bunch and Lt. General Mark Hertling (Ret.) break down the greatest war movies ever made from "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down" to "Gettysburg" and "Patton." But this isn’t just a movie ranking. Hertling explains what these films reveal about leadership, combat, strategy, sacrifice, and the real human c...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com In a special pre-recorded edition of Bulwark on Sunday, Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell discuss the Virginia redistricting shock, the fight for the 2026 Senate map, Trump’s falling approval numbers, and why Democrats have a much bigger opening than they realize. They also talk about inflation, tariffs, the Iran war’s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller reacts to the escalating fight over redistricting and voting rights after appearances on 'All In with Chris Hayes' and 'Katy Tur Reports,' breaking down the Louisiana and Tennessee map battles, canceled votes, and why he believes Republicans are trying to rig the midterms in plain sight. Plus, Tim discusses...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL is joined by SiriusXM's The Catholic Channel host Katie McGrady to break down one of the strangest diplomatic moments of the year: Secretary of State Marco Rubio meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican and gifting him a crystal football paperweight. They unpack the awkward exchange, why the Trump administration seems...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Sarah Longwell break down the shocking Virginia Supreme Court decision overturning the state’s new redistricting maps and what it means for the battle for control of the House in 2026. Democrats believed Virginia was their biggest answer to Republican-led mid-cycle gerrymandering in states like Texas, Fl...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and JVL discuss the week's economic and financial news. ON SALE NOW: Bulwark Live is coming to San Diego on May 20 and Los Angeles on May 21. Just announced! We’re adding some chatty friends to the lineups for both shows. Grab your seats now to join Sarah, Tim and Sam for an evening of politics among...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Jasmine poses Triad readers’ questions to JVL: How close are we to organized political violence? What should be Democrats’ top-three priorities if they retake power? What’s the deal with JVL’s history with Tucker Carlson? What can American’s be proud of today? All that and more (like why Jasmine, a Chicago native, wil...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Jonathan Cohn is joined by epidemiologist and former CDC consultant Katelyn Jetelina to unpack the emerging hantavirus outbreak linked to a small expedition cruise ship in the South Atlantic. Katelyn breaks down what hantavirus is, how it typically spreads, why this outbreak is unusual, and what health officials actua...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell and Catherine Rampell react to the absurd new YouGov poll asking whether Americans think they—or even an 8-year-old boy—could beat Donald Trump in a fight. Bulwark Live: California tickets are on sale now! Sarah and gang return to sunny Southern California for two nights May 20 & 21. For details and tic...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller breaks down the rapidly escalating confrontation between the U.S. and Iran after Iranian forces targeted American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. responded with new strikes on Iranian military assets. Despite active combat at sea, Donald Trump insists the ceasefire is still intact, even call...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Lauren Egan give their takes on the first ads from Maine Senate candidates Graham Platner and Susan Collins. The two campaigns couldn’t be more different. Platner comes out aggressively, launching a hard-hitting populist message that goes straight at Collins’ record and frames the race as part of a broad...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell takes on growing backlash from Trump’s own voters as rising gas prices, grocery costs, and the fallout from the Iran war hammer household budgets. New focus groups reveal frustration, disappointment, and anger from people who believed Trump’s promises on the economy and “no more forever wars.”Bulwark Li...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller joins Nicole Wallace on MSNBC with General Mark Hertling to discuss the Iran war chaos—Trump undercut Rubio twice in one day, the ceasefire is already wobbling, and the "deal" is one page long. Plus: Trump declared war on the Pope and is losing that one too. Watch Deadline: White House on MS NOW: https://ww...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller reacts to Barack Obama and Stephen Colbert joking about Trump, “Colbert 2028,” Democratic messaging failures, and the corruption Americans have somehow normalized in modern politics. Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events As always: Watch, liste...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Saletan give their takes on the breaking news that the FBI raided the office of Virginia Democrat Louise Lucas, the bizarre presence of a Fox News crew already on the scene, and the FBI’s reported investigation into leaks connected to a damaging Atlantic story about FBI Director Kash Patel. Tickets...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker went live to discuss the Washington Post’s reporting that Iran has hit more U.S. military assets than previously reported, the pause on Trump’s Project Freedom hours after it was announced, and whether Putin had any say about the U.S. withdrawing troops from Germany. Read m...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein joined Nicolle Wallace on Deadline: White House to break down Trump’s billion-dollar White House ballroom boondoggle, the GOP’s corruption problem, Democratic Senate momentum, and why the “Epstein class” attack line may be landing harder than Republicans expected. Watch Deadline: White House on MS NOW: https...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Will Sommer give their take on the Libs of TikTok’s latest campaign targeting a Louisiana doctor and the disturbing evolution of the account growing into right-wing influencer operation. As Libs of TikTok is now deploying a rotating cast of influencer-style hosts to mass-produce outrage content, Tim and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Bill Kristol are going live to discuss Senate Republicans' request for $1 billion in taxpayer money for Trump's ballroom after Trump claimed it was "free of charge." Plus Pete Hegseth announces a new military campaign in Iran, while also claiming the ceasefire is still in place. Tickets for our Bulwark L...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller is joined by GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan for his take on the escalating oil crisis, surging gas prices, and why Americans could be feeling the effects for a long time. De Haan warns that every day the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted could mean weeks of recovery for global oil ma...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Jared Poland headed to Capitol Hill after reports that Donald Trump will put his face on U.S. passports—and finds Republicans either defending it, laughing it off, or refusing to engage. Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events As always: Watch, listen, and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan breaks down Tucker Carlson’s series of interviews with the New York Times and shows why his “apology tour” doesn’t hold up. From flat-out denials caught on tape to wild swings between moral outrage and shrugging off atrocities, the pattern is the story: in one moment he sounds reasonable, in the next he’s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Sommer and Sam Stein are going live to cover the biggest news in the right wing fever swamp. Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events