Bulwark Takes

Join Catherine and JVL at 12:30pm on Friday to discuss the week's economic and financial news. Read Catherine's 'Receipts' newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/receipts Read JVL's 'Triad' newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/thetriad

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer are back and the FBI is coming after Will! How much time is Kash Patel's bureau spending on posting memes than fighting crime? Then, RFK Jr. sits down with a wellness guru whose résumé includes injecting stem cells into his own penis. Naturally, he's now dispensing health advice from the Health and Human Services podcast studio. And finally, the man leading t...

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker are going live to cover President Trump's post threatening an invasion of Iran's Kharg Island. Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat, Aspen, and Walden frames at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES . Promo Code BULWARKTAKES

Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Sonny Bunch give their takes on the New York Times bombshell surrounding the Trump White House’s frantic effort to manage the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Behind the several meetings in the Situation Room, JD Vance looks ahead to his own 2028 prospects, Dan Bongino screamed at Pam Bondi, and Susie Wiles and Stephen Chung were left trying to contain damage that k...

JVL, Andrew Egger and Ben Parker are going live to discuss Trump's June 10th press event where he said he "loves" inflation and claimed to reveal military secrets about oil in Iran. Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Right now, Soul is offering 30% off your entire order! Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the code BULWARKTAKES.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker are discussing the week's major military and foreign policy news. Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Right now, Soul is offering 30% off your entire order! Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the code BULWARKTAKES.

Join Sam Stein and Bill Kristol as they cover the evening's primary elections: Maine, South Carolina, and more. Plus, the latest on Iran and Trump digging his heels in on the appointment of Bill Pulte. Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat, Aspen, and Walden frames at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES . Promo Code BULWARKTAKES

Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol went live to cover Trump falling asleep after getting booed at the NBA Finals, Mike Johnson and the GOP launching back into election-fraud conspiracy theories, and an update to the Pentagon's fighting with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat, Aspen, and Walden frames at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES . Promo Code BULWA...

Jonathan Cohn interviewed all three major Democratic candidates in Michigan’s high-stakes Senate race—Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow, and Haley Stevens—to compare their views on healthcare, electric vehicles, government spending, and the future of the Democratic Party. Exclusive $35-off Carver Mat, Aspen, and Walden frames at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES . Promo Code BULWARKTAKES Read...

Tim Miller gives his take on Donald Trump's appearance at Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, where the president was met with a chorus of boos from Knicks fans. Tim breaks down the reaction inside MSG, the even harsher response from fans gathered outside to watch the game, and the attempts by Fox News to spin away what everyone could plainly hear. Why does Trump's movement always...

Sam Stein went on MS Now to give his take on the lawsuit trying to stop Donald Trump’s planned UFC event at the White House, the legal questions surrounding it, and why it’s yet another example of Trump blurring the line between public office and private interests. His longtime ally Dana White is involved, Trump holds a financial stake in UFC’s parent company, it's on federal property, and they're...

Andrew Egger is joined by Casey Michel, author of the forthcoming book United States of Oligarchy: How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy, to examine how Jared Kushner became a walking conflict of interest at the center of American foreign policy. From cultivating relationships with Saudi royals and Gulf autocrats while serving in the White House to la...

Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on the flurry of stories across the right-wing fever swamp. They discuss: Mike Lee blasting Pete Hegseth for snubbing Mormons, Kash Patel launching attacks against Judicial Watch, Republicans claiming fraud because Spencer Pratt is losing in the LA mayoral race, Lauren Boebert sounding off on a Fox News reporter, and whether Albania’s PM could be ousted o...

Sonny Bunch and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) review Pressure, the new film about the D-Day weather decision that nearly derailed the largest invasion in history. They discuss what Eisenhower was really up against: a catastrophic dress rehearsal, a ghost army commanded by Patton, alliance politics, and a lone British meteorologist telling him the June 5th launch date would be a disaster. Plus: Her...

Tim Miller reacts to Donald Trump’s combative NBC interview, where the president lashes out at the press, revives election conspiracy theories, defends his Jan. 6 compensation fund, dismisses farmers’ economic pain, and makes fresh promises on gas prices and Iran. By the end, the interview devolves into a shouting match—and Trump storms out.

Tom Joscelyn joins Bill Kristol for Bulwark on Sunday.

Sam Stein and Brendan Hartnett take on the most important research project in American political journalism: documenting every time Donald Trump has publicly lost his mind over how handsome a man is. After over 100 documented instances, it's fair to say we have a pattern on our hands. The president  cannot stop slow-panning across a room full of guys and narrating what he sees. We're not here to j...

Donald Trump has spent years giving his critics material. Will Saletan brings together some of his favorite Bulwark Takes videos covering Trump's most absurd interviews, bizarre conspiracy theories, embarrassing gaffes, and unforgettable Fox News trainwrecks. From anchors desperately trying to coach him through interviews, to the dumbest lies he's said about elections, to his strange relationship...

Catherine Rampell and Jonathan Cohn give their takes on the return of the flesh-eating parasite screwworm. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has already blamed the Biden's border and immigration policies as a potential cause after saying in November that it was under control. But is that the full story? We examine whether DOGE-related staffing cuts and the broader erosion of international coope...

Catherine Rampell and Sam Stein went live to cover the week's financial and economic news. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://ZocDoc.com/BULWARKTAKES to find and instantly book a doctor you love today. Read Catherine Rampell's 'Receipts' newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/receipts

Hunter Biden is back online and he’s not just lurking. He’s posting, replying, and diving headfirst into viral Twitter debates with users big and small. JVL, Sam Stein, and Sonny Bunch give their takes on whether Hunter’s unexpected social media renaissance is just chaos…or something more strategic. Could this be a redemption arc? A political liability? Or even the beginning of a strange new media...

Tim Miller takes on the Senate vote that kept Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion fund alive, exposing the Republican lawmakers who condemned it in public and then helped save it behind closed doors. Plus, the growing controversy surrounding Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, and Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s luxury island project in Albania as questions about corruption and self-enrichment...

CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan joins Sam Stein and Will Sommer to discuss his new reporting on the Groypers, the followers of white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes. Donie spoke to two Groypers who defended Fuentes sexist and racist views. But shortly after they spoke, the two were admonished by Fuentes and faced calls by other supporters to be doxxed because of how they looked. Sam, Will and Donie break...

As House Democrats look to reclaim the majority in 2026, DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene joins Joe Perticone to unveil four new Democratic target districts and explains why her party believes the political map is expanding. DelBene discusses emerging pickup opportunities in New Jersey, California, Nebraska, and Florida, including the growing controversy surrounding Tom Kean Jr., who has been absent from...

Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Will Sommer are back to give their takes on Ivanka and Jared Kushner’s luxury island project in Albania that's sparking mass protests, the candidate in Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial race who claims he performs exorcisms, and the federal insider trading investigation into George Santos. Plus, Will brings the latest update from the increasingly chaotic world of right...