Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on the Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Donald Trump, who has not only avoided accountability, but is now running for Senate. This extremist attacked Capitol police, threatened Muslims and Jews, and continues to spread hate. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to sh...

Sam Stein sits down with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) to break down the recent Maduro operation in Venezuela, the challenges of coordinating military and political strategy, and what the U.S. would actually gain from Greenland. Mark will break down the biggest stories involving the military in a series of chats right here, every Thursday, in a special series. Like the name “Command Post” or have...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The trio is back and 2026 is off to a wild start. Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer give their takes on the calls for Nicki Minaj to be deported, the political influencers for sale creating a reality TV show, and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino blasting Matt Gaetz in a fiery MAGA feud. As always: Watch, li...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Tim Miller break down the shocking video from Minneapolis where an ICE agent fatally shot an American woman in her car. Sam and Tim give their take on the deadly escalation of federal ICE operations, and the dangerous spin already coming out from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. As always: Watch, listen, and l...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein talks with Rep. Ritchie Torres about the explosive rise of political prediction markets—and the serious corruption risks we face. 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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Five years after January 6th, the diehards came back to the scene of the crime. Pardoned rioters, conspiracy theories, and a fierce counterprotest collided on the National Mall. Jared Poland gives his take to Sam Stein on what he found from reporting on the ground as Americans argue again over what really happened on...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Matthews was inside Trump’s White House on January 6. Matthews, the former deputy press secretary explains to Sarah Longwell what it was like watching the Capitol attack from the West Wing, why Trump refused to meet the moment, and how that day finally pushed her to resign. Five years later, she reflects on Repu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) joins Sam Stein and Lauren Egan to give his take on why Trump’s Venezuela policy risks another disastrous war. A veteran of the Iraq War, Gallego says the administration is lying about its intentions, prioritizing oil interests and deportation deals over stability and democracy. He also discu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Five years after January 6, Bill Kristol sits down with Tom Joscelyn, the lead writer of the House January 6 Committee report, to assess where the country stands today. They give their takes on why January 6 was not an endpoint, but the beginning of a new political reality: one defined by a lack of accountability with...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL and Jonathan Cohn give their take on the shocking changes coming from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services. The federal government is now recommending fewer vaccines for American children, including RSV and Hep B, while flu, COVID-19, and rotavirus vaccines move to “shared clinical decis...

Senator Mark Warner joins Sam Stein to give his take on the Trump administration’s dramatic actions in Venezuela, congressional oversight, and what comes next. Warner warns that extracting a foreign leader, sidelining Congress, and talking openly about “running” other countries reflects an imperial mindset that America has spent decades trying to move away from. As always: Watch, listen, and leave...

A recording from The Bulwark’s live video reacting to the news that Tim Walz is dropping out of the MN Gov race. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thebulwark.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan takes on Donald Trump’s post-invasion claims about Venezuela and Maduro, putting Marco Rubio into a series of awkward Sunday show cleanups on war powers, oil, and pardons that exposes just how much of Trump’s story doesn’t add up. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to sh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell discuss Bill's thoughts on possible paths 2026 could take—from a democratic rebound to a far darker slide. 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 t...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Sonny Bunch take on new reporting on Donald Trump’s health—from repeated cognitive tests and confusing medical disclosures to visible signs of aging and a White House press operation that won’t give straight answers. Read the WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/us-news/as-signs-of-aging-emerge-trump-respond...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein, Mark Hertling, Sarah Longwell, Ben Parker and Joe Perticone cover the breaking news about the Venezuela regime change operation and react to the Trump administration’s press event. Please note: The population of Venezuela was incorrectly stated during this conversation as "about 90 million." It is about 30...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The Bulwark team makes their predictions for 2026—from MAGA infighting and Trump’s fading grip on power to economic fallout, media chaos, a midterm backlash, and changes to Trump’s cabinet. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusivel...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com From the Trump–Elon Musk Twitter war that briefly melted everyone’s brain, to the election of the Bulwark Pope, and the moments of real tragedy and moral collapse, the year of 2025 delivered a nonstop barrage of chaos, absurdity, and consequence. The Bulwark team looks back at the craziest, most astonishing moments of...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Mark Cuban joins Jonathan Cohn to give his take on why America’s healthcare system is broken and what it would take to fix it. Cuban breaks down prescription drug pricing, the role of PBMs, and how his Cost Plus Drug Company is making medications affordable for millions. Cuban also weighs in on system reforms, transpa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Sam Stein give their takes on the Trump cabinet after a full year of chaos, incompetence, and outright danger. From “livable” appointments to the "worst of the worst" category, they rank every cabinet member and argue over who did the most damage in 2025. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. B...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell take on Stephen Miller’s string of Christmas posts—a window into his obsession with immigration, his warped view of American history, and the dark instincts shaping the Trump administration’s policies. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com DHS is using Norman Rockwell’s art to sell an anti-immigrant message and his family is furious. Catherine Rampell sits down with Daisy Rockwell, Norman Rockwell’s granddaughter and a writer and artist herself, to talk about why these images are being misused, what Rockwell actually believed, and get her take on how no...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Bill Kristol sits down with Ryan Goodman to discuss new and upcoming Epstein document releases. They’ll cover which records to watch for next, what the disclosures do—and don’t—tell us so far, and whether the U.S. Department of Justice is dragging its feet, playing procedural games, or protecting powerful interests. A...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker is joined by Derek Owen and R.M. Schneiderman to discuss their deeply reported investigation into how the FBI rebuilt its counterintelligence capabilities after decades of failure—and how Trump-world politics, Kash Patel, and shifting priorities could put America at risk. Read more from Owen and Schneiderma...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Jared Poland give their takes on a curious White House claim. After repeated questions about Donald Trump’s bruised hand, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was caused by constant handshaking and aspirin use. So we decided to test it. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is...