Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Mike Rogers’s disastrous Meet the Press interview was a masterclass in political desperation. Catherine Rampell and Jonathan Cohn break down his increasingly absurd attempts to dodge questions about Trump, his contortions over tariffs hurting Michigan, and his ugly attacks on Democratic opponent Abdul El-Sayed.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Could Democrats really flip Senate seats in deep-red states like Mississippi, South Carolina, and Florida? Bill Kristol and Lauren Egan examine the expanding Senate map, surprising opportunities, and whether Democratic optimism is getting ahead of reality.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Texas Republicans are facing a nightmare scenario: Ken Paxton could lose, rural turnout is lagging, and the GOP may have to spend $400 million defending a state it once took for granted. Tim Miller talks with Republican operative Garrett Fulce about the growing anxiety inside the Texas GOP, the possibility of a Democr...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller responds to Elon Musk’s threats to The Bulwark’s after Musk said “if you want to live by the sword, that is how they will die too.” Then, Tim also takes on Iowa Republican congressional candidate Joe Mitchell, who gave Donald Trump a homemade “Man of the Century” award before old college footage surfaced of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller, Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on the latest chaos from the MAGA universe. Top Trump allies Chris LaCivita and James Blair had to hand over their six-figure consulting fees from a pro-Russian Balkan politician to Trump’s presidential library are right-wing influencers embarrassed themselves whi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Matthews joins Nicolle Wallace to discuss the Trump DOJ’s removal of thousands of January 6 records, the effort to preserve the evidence, and what it could mean for the midterms. They also examine Trump’s broken promises, his family’s growing wealth, and why young men who helped return him to office are increasi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The battle for Congress is heating up ahead of the midterms. Tim Miller talks with North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton about key House races, rural voters, and gerrymandering. Plus, Sam Stein joins Rep. Nikema Williams in Georgia to discuss voter turnout, Trump's election interference, and what's at...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out. They examine how fake polling can distort media coverage, influence donors, and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Vivek Ramaswamy has dragged Amy Acton’s estranged mother into the Ohio governor’s race to smear her daughter — even though the mother’s husband was charged with raping Acton when she was just 12. Now Trump and JD Vance are backing the attack, with Trump calling Acton “defective” and demanding Republicans fall in line....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s surprise visit to Israel days before Benjamin Netanyahu’s election and amid the possibility of new strikes against Iran. They also discuss the strain of sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East and the damage Hegset...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller welcomes David Mauricio, the newly minted Jubilee Surrounded star, to break down his viral clashes with MAGA debaters. Mauricio explains why he came out swinging, how Trump’s defenders struggled to answer questions about the president’s corruption, and why one debater’s attempt to question his citizenship b...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Michael Weiss dissect Steve Witkoff’s praise of Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” and JD Vance’s defense of the Trump envoy, exposing the weakness and incompetence behind the administration’s Russia diplomacy. They examine how Trump’s desperation for a deal with Putin is leading to concessions on sanct...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Jonathan Cohn sits down with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to discuss his admiration for Barack Obama, the shortcomings of the Obama presidency, and the lessons he hopes to carry into the Senate. El-Sayed explains why he believes Obama made it possible for people like him to run for office, where he thinks...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com How do democracies fall apart, and why do the people who could stop it so often look the other way? CNN’s Dana Bash joins Sarah Longwell to examine the elections that changed history, including the fatal miscalculation that helped bring Hitler to power and its disturbing echoes in Trump’s Republican Party. They also e...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Donald Trump claims Russia has been “fine” in Ukraine, and Michael Weiss, who has witnessed Russian atrocities firsthand, is furious. Weiss and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos examine Trump’s increasingly alarming alignment with Putin, reports that Elon Musk interfered with Ukraine’s satellite defenses, Pete He...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the disgusting attack ad targeting Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, featuring her estranged mother accusing her of lying. When Acton was 12, her stepfather was accused of sexually abusing her and was indicted by a grand jury before he fled with Amy’s mother. The ad...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan gives his take on the growing panic inside House Republican leadership as bad polls, shrinking campaign budgets, and vulnerable races threaten the GOP’s hold on Congress. Even friendly voices on Fox News are pressing Mike Johnson, Tom Emmer, and Steve Scalise on why Republicans are struggling ahead of the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol give their takes on Trump’s increasingly desperate push to save Republicans two weeks before the midterms. As Trump’s approval rating sinks and Democrats build a major polling advantage, the president is struggling to make the case for his party, resorting to racist attacks, religious big...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Donald Trump can’t seem to stop talking about other men’s bodies, from Republican candidates’ jawlines to their backsides, even as his presidency faces mounting crises. Sam Stein joins Nicolle Wallace on MS NOW to discuss Trump’s bizarre fixation and misplaced priorities, plus why James Talarico’s unconventional campa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the foreign money scandal involving Alina Habba’s new husband, Ric Grenell, and the Kennedy Center. They also examine the protests roiling Albania over Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s controversial resort project, and Bari Weiss’s pursuit of right-wing internet conspiracy theories...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Live from Charlotte, the gang welcomes Pete Buttigieg for a night of politics among friends. This recording of Bulwark LIVE is exclusively for Bulwark+ members.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will is one of the great chroniclers of Lindsey Graham’s career, and his perspective on how we got here is exactly the kind of informed, unsparing analysis we believe is worth supporting. Help us keep bringing you conversations like this by becoming a Bulwark member. Trump is lifting sanctions on Russian energy, his o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com For years, American spies and diplomats have suffered mysterious, debilitating injuries. Was Russia secretly targeting them, and did the CIA cover it up? Former CIA officer Mark Polymeropoulos, whose career was ended by Havana Syndrome, and Michael Weiss welcome 60 Minutes investigative journalist Michael Rey to exami...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller talks with journalist Caolan Robertson, reporting from Ukraine’s front lines, about disruptions to the satellite communications Ukrainian soldiers depend on, Marco Rubio’s baffling explanation, and the deadly consequences of losing that lifeline. They also discuss Russia’s escalating attacks on civilians, U...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A legendary Democratic strategist and a legendary Republican strategist, once on opposite sides of the political battlefield, now fighting for the same cause. Only at The Bulwark. Become a paid member to support more conversations like this. James Carville joins Bill Kristol to explain why he's cautiously optimistic a...