Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell take on Donald Trump’s unusual speech at the Museum of the Bible. From suggesting that domestic violence shouldn’t count as real crime, to inventing an “anti-Christian bias” crisis, to reframing January 6th rioters as victims, Trump is showing us exactly how his grievance politics work. A...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump stays silent on Epstein while Mike Johnson pushes the bizarre idea he was an FBI informant. Sarah Longwell and Will Sommer look at the fight over the files in Congress, the backlash in focus groups, and the pressure survivors are putting on Washington to act. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwar...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump posted a meme declaring "war" on Chicago, raising questions about whether he’s joking. Tim and Sam take on what this means, why Megyn Kelly of all people is pushing back, and how blue state governors are preparing for Trump’s authoritarian instincts. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes...

Bill Kristol and Ryan Goodman examine the deadly U.S. strike at sea, as officials struggle to keep their story straight, the legal case collapses under scrutiny, and the action points toward a dangerous escalation with Venezuela. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Don’t care for vi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell, JVL, and Sonny Bunch revisit Mike Judge’s Idiocracy — the 2006 comedy that was supposed to be satire but now feels uncomfortably close to reality. Plus: why Sarah never watched it until now, and why JVL ended the movie feeling depressed instead of entertained. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comm...

Tim Miller joins Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House to take on Trump’s ‘Department of War’ rebrand, the collapse of his anti-war image, and how comedians from South Park to MAGA comics are skewering his tough-guy act. Watch Deadline: White House — https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestre...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Jonathan V. Last break down the latest disastrous jobs report and what it reveals about the state of the U.S. economy under Trump. From manufacturing losses to collapsing construction starts, they explain why the numbers are worse than they look, and how policy choices like tariffs, mass deportations, a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein, Will Sommer and Andrew Egger discuss the implosion of MAGA media as several top influencers appear to be turning on Trump. Plus, Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe has a new sting operation targeting Republicans. Read More in Will Sommer's False Flag, "Right-Wing Media Starts Treating Trump Like a Lame D...

Tim Miller joins Katy Tur to take on the pitiful state of Congress. Why are Republican senators too scared of Trump to use their own power? And how did Laura Loomer—a fringe conspiracy troll—manage to cancel a classified intelligence meeting? Watch Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-live-katy-tur As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short vid...

Tim Miller talks to Andrew Egger about his day at the National Conservatism Conference. It is on the rise, and it’s getting darker. At their latest conference, GOP figures pushed a “heritage American” caste system, openly embraced authoritarian power grabs, and even flirted with overturning gay marriage. The movement is fractured between Christian nationalists, tech futurists, and grievance politi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate on Thursday—and, well, it was rocky. Under siege already for scaling back government support for vaccines, and for pushing out top leadership at his and other health agencies, Kennedy received a skeptical welcome from members of both parties. At times, it...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Florida could become the first state to scrap vaccine mandates, and experts warn the fallout would be calamitous. Sam Stein and Jonathan Cohn examine the health risks and the politics driving this crisis. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event arch...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Joe Perticone talk the battle over releasing the Epstein files, as survivors demand full disclosure and a bipartisan push seeks a vote. Marjorie Taylor Greene turns the Trump Administration's words against them, the Republicans try to stall through the Oversight Committee, and Trump continues to call it...

Tim Miller is joined by Caolan Robertson to give us an update from Ukraine. Putin just blew past Trump’s “50-day deadline” and nothing changed. While Russia escalates strikes on EU and NATO-linked targets, Ukrainian kids are starting the school year in bunkers under drone fire. In Moscow, classrooms hand out rifles instead of flowers. On the frontlines, Ukraine is fighting back by targeting Russia...

Tim Miller throws a lot of praise to Paige Gebhardt Cognetti on her new campaign ad, throwing some serious punches to Rob Bresnahan. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Don’t care for video? Use the controls on the left side of the player to toggle to audio. Add Bulwark+ Takes feed...

Tim Miller and Joe Perticone break down new twists in the Epstein files cover-up. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) are leading a bipartisan push to force a vote to release the Epstein files, but the White House is allegedly pressuring Republicans to block it, calling support for transparency a “hostile act.” With accusers set to appear at a press conference, this episode exposes...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Sam Stein take on another weird interview with Donald Trump. From talk of “stage nine cancer”, to a Rose Garden portrait tour, to a rant about AI robots and “so much electric,” the Daily Caller’s interview is deeply strange. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short...

Tim Miller joined Stephanie Ruhle to take on the anger at GOP town halls, Joni Ernst’s exit from the Senate race, and why Republicans still cling to Trump despite his sinking approval. He also warns about a possible “Stop the Steal 2.0” after the next election. Watch MSNBC's Deadline: White House - https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ T...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah, JVL and Sonny take on Armando Iannucci’s 2017 movie, The Death of Stalin—a brutal, hilarious satire about paranoia, sycophancy, and the scramble for power in the aftermath of a dictator’s death. What movies should we cover next? Leave your suggestions in the comments. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comme...

Tim Miller takes on the swirl of Trump health rumors and the bizarre Truth Social post about the Rose Garden patio. After days out of sight, Trump reemerged looking frail—and obsessing over limestone instead of policy. What does it say about his stamina, his priorities, and whether he’s even fit for the job? As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, liv...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein is joined by Matthew MacWilliams to discuss his foreshadowing 2016 article in Politico Magazine linking support for Donald Trump to authoritarian tendencies. They discuss how fear activates authoritarian dispositions, the role of social media in amplifying Trump’s message, the dangers of America’s current dr...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Michael Fanone nearly lost his life defending the Capitol on January 6. Now, he’s watching in disbelief as Trump pardons rioters, grants Ashley Babbitt full military honors, and even parades the military through DC like a strongman. Fanone calls it what it is: a betrayal of the oath he swore to defend the Constitution...

Maryland’s Democratic governor Wes Moore is not known, exactly, as a brass knuckles guy. And when Donald Trump won office in the fall of 2024, he didn’t plan to become one, even as he recognized that life would become much harder for Democrats like himself. But recent events have tested Moore’s approach. It’s not just that Trump is now threatening to withhold bridge funds for his state because Moo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Iowa is cracking: Democrats are winning surprise races, Trump’s faux populism is backfiring, and health care cuts are fueling backlash. Candidate Josh Turek, a prairie populist with firsthand experience of social safety nets, is taking the fight to Joni Ernst and billionaire-driven politics. Josh Turek for Iowa As alw...

Sam Stein, Jonathan Cohn and Dan Diamond (Washington Post) discuss the chaos at the CDC. From Dr. Demetre Daskalakis’s blistering letter slamming RFK Jr. to a wave of departures that put America’s health security at risk, they cover the breaking fallout and what it means going forward. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, v...