Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A quick note: The Bulwark doesn’t believe in phony balance that gives liars the benefit of the doubt or treats bad-faith arguments as legitimate debate. We call out the lies and explain what’s actually happening. If you value that kind of independent media, join Bulwark+ and help us keep doing it. Sam Stein and Andrew...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com MAGA thought it had a career-ending scandal on James Talarico. Instead, it got a spectacular humiliation. Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down how the conspiracy unraveled, including the full phone call obtained by The Bulwark that exposed the holes in the story. Plus, the federal raid on Ilhan Omar’s home, Pete Hegse...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Michael Weiss and Marc Polymeropoulos give their takes on Trump’s latest deal with Vladimir Putin and why Trump suddenly announced an energy ceasefire. Sources tell Michael that Ukraine was blindsided by this weekend’s series of announcements from Trump as his approach only benefits Moscow even more. They also examine...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sen. Brian Schatz joins Sam Stein to explain why Democrats suddenly have a shot at winning Senate races in deep-red states, how they plan to hold Trump’s corrupt officials accountable, and why he doubts JD Vance has what it takes to succeed Trump. From the possibility of impeaching Trump administration officials to Va...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump’s midterm problem may be far worse than it was in 2018, and the warning signs are showing up in places Republicans never expected. Bill Kristol and veteran political analyst Ron Brownstein examine Trump’s collapsing support among core MAGA voters, the surprising Senate races emerging in deep-red states, and how...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A quick note: The Bulwark doesn’t believe in phony balance that gives liars the benefit of the doubt or treats bad-faith arguments as legitimate debate. We call out the lies and explain what’s actually happening. If you value that kind of independent media, join Bulwark+ and help us keep doing it. If you do want to su...

A quick note: We’re keeping this video free because every Ohio voter deserves to know who they’re voting for. If you have friends or family in Ohio, please send it to them. And if you believe this kind of reporting needs to reach as many people as possible, become a Bulwark member. Your support helps us keep telling these stories without putting them behind a paywall. If you do want to support us,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, and why turning an execution into a public spectacle raises serious moral questions. Hertling explains the potential toll on soldiers ordered to carry...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Could a Democratic landslide in 2026 actually help JD Vance win the presidency? JVL and Jasmine Green answer your questions about Trump’s purge of military leadership, the future of the anti-abortion movement, the allegations at Cornell, and which MAGA heir would make the least disastrous president. Plus, JVL gets per...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Democratic strategist Lis Smith join a live audience at Dartmouth for a spirited debate about Trump’s collapsing political fortunes, the GOP’s future under JD Vance, the Democrats’ struggle to rebuild their coalition, and the wide-open 2028 presidential race. Plus, a sobering question: What...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on JD Vance’s fumbling attempt to define socialism and the hypocrisy at the heart of MAGA’s attacks on Democrats. Asked why socialist candidates are gaining ground across the country, Vance pivots to immigration and transgender athletes instead of explaining what socialism actually means. But...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com This is what makes The Bulwark different : going straight to the people involved, asking the uncomfortable questions, and getting answers you won’t hear anywhere else. If you value that work, please consider supporting us by becoming a Bulwark+ member. Sam Stein speaks with Eric Deters, the man at the center of the Wa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Michael Weiss went live to take on the bombshell Wall Street Journal report that reveals Kimberly Guilfoyle’s extraordinary private messages with a Trump donor, including a $100,000 request to pay her Amex bill and repeated warnings to stop creating a paper trail.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan breaks down the Maine Senate debate between Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, and why Collins is struggling to separate herself from Donald Trump in a state where the president remains deeply unpopular. Jackson repeatedly tied Collins to Trump on the Iran war, tari...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A quick note: This is exactly why we want Bulwark reporters out in the field: not just watching the Senate map change from Washington, but talking to the candidates and voters who are changing it. If you value that kind of on-the-ground reporting, you’re in luck: Bulwark+ memberships are 30% for a limited time! Lauren...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker discuss the U.S. decision to pull B-1 bombers out of the United Kingdom over concerns about Iranian drone attacks, and what the move reveals about the changing nature of modern warfare. They examine the growing vulnerability of U.S. military bases, the risks to American for...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Reporter Michael Weiss and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos break down a staggering spy scandal involving the former head of German intelligence, an alleged Iranian plot targeting U.S. bombers in Britain, and the increasingly strange questions surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle in Greece. Plus: why Russian intellige...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Bill Kristol discuss Donald Trump’s increasingly frantic attacks as Republicans face a surprisingly competitive Senate race in South Carolina, including Trump’s use of an anti-trans slur against Democratic candidate Annie Andrews. They examine what the race says about the Republican Party’s standing hea...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on the Democrats who are already arguing against investigating Donald Trump’s corporate allies, warning that accountability cannot be sacrificed in the name of avoiding political “retribution.” He argues that companies and executives who participated in or benefited from Trump’s corruption sh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and Jonathan Cohn give their takes on Donald Trump’s latest checks to Americans, including $500 payments to some ACA marketplace enrollees and $90 payments to certain Medicare recipients. They explain where the money is coming from, why the ACA payments may lack clear legal authority, and how diverti...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on Kash Patel’s engagement, Benny Johnson facing a lawsuit from two anti-ICE protesters, and The Daily Wire’s new pro-ICE movie being filmed in Livingston, Montana. The film reportedly recreates the shooting of Renee Good before turning it into a fictionalized action story in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller takes on Vivek Ramaswamy’s attempt to show off his strength at a campaign event, then turns to Jon Ossoff’s message to young voters about why they can’t afford to give in to despair and the case for turning frustration and rage into political action. Plus: Tim’s thoughts about James Baldwin and the long his...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan lays out the case against Donald Trump that Jack Smith never got to present at trial. Drawing from Smith’s testimony before Congress, Will looks at the evidence that Trump was repeatedly told the truth about the 2020 election by his own advisers, Republican officials, and Justice Department officials and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger joins Bill Kristol after an extraordinary 24 hours in Ohio: attending the funeral of 20-year-old Haitian immigrant Pierre Bel, then heading straight to a Trump rally, where he found surprising cracks among Trump supporters even as the MAGA faithful rallied around a visibly lower-energy president. They dis...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A bombshell New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrats running surprisingly strong across traditionally red states, including Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas. Catherine Rampell and Bill Kristol explain what the numbers actually tell us, why Trump’s erosion with his own voters matters, and whether this is what a r...