Bulwark Takes

Van Lathan joined Tim Miller at the Los Angeles live show to break down the SCOTUS VRA ruling and what it really means for the Deep South—including a conversation with his 88-year-old grandmother who thought the civil rights battle was already won. Plus: Van's gym run-in with Theo Von, whether MAGA can be deprogrammed, and why he's not the one to do it (but Tim might be).

Ebola is back. Hantavirus is spreading. So Sonny Bunch and Jonathan Cohn revisited three pandemic "classics"—And the Band Played On, Contagion, and Outbreak—to see which one we're actually living in.

Before the DNC released its unfinished autopsy report on May 21, The Bulwark published an exclusive behind-the-scenes article with an accounting of what happened inside the Biden and Harris presidential campaigns in 2024. It was written by Rob Flaherty who served as deputy campaign manager. Flaherty had been interviewed for the autopsy and, before anything was released from the DNC, felt it was cr...

Catherine Rampell welcomes former DHS official Doug Rand to take on Trump’s purposely chaotic new green card policy, why legal immigrants and Silicon Valley are panicking, and how the administration may be using confusion and fear to push people out of the country. Listen to Doug Rand's podcast, 'The Melting Pod' — https://meltingpod.org/

Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, Sam Stein, Van Lathan, Brian Tyler Cohen, Jon Favreau, Jane Coaston and Erin Gloria Ryan appeared on stage LIVE in Los Angeles on May 21, 2026. The Bulwark hosted a live quiz pitting the two teams against each other on the most obscure—and embarrassing—chapters of recent political history. Plus: the DNC autopsy gets roasted, California goes on trial, and JD Vance receiv...

Bill Kristol talks with Michael Wood about his military service and the debacle of Trump's Iran war.

Tim Miller, Sam Stein & Andrew Egger went live to cover what appears to be an imminent deal to end the war in Iran.

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer descend into the strangest corners of MAGA internet culture: January 6 reparations, Hunter Biden teaming up with Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes feuding with Tucker Carlson, and the surreal “Beartaria” compound where the internet’s saddest men are trying to build a right-wing utopia. Plus: San Diego Republican drama, burglar twinks, and more deeply cursed politic...

Join Catherine Rampell and JVL at 12:30pm ET as they go live to discuss the biggest political, financial and economic stories of the week. Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/BULWARKTAKES to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

Tim Miller and Andrew Egger are going live to give their takes on Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation from the Trump administration. Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/BULWARKTAKES to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

Catherine Rampell is joined by Thomas Florsheim Jr., whose company makes the president’s favorite shoe brand, to discuss what Trump’s tariff agenda has meant for his business. From skyrocketing import costs to supply-chain chaos to millions paid in tariffs, Thomas explains why reshoring production to the United States still doesn’t make economic sense. He describes the scramble to move manufacturi...

Will Saletan gives his take on Todd Blanche’s embarrassing performance as Donald Trump’s acting Attorney General, and why his public defenses of the administration keep collapsing under scrutiny. From reviving debunked 2020 election claims to arguing that indictments themselves are proof of guilt, except when it comes to Trump, Blanche repeatedly finds himself trying to justify glaring double stan...

Join Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Sam Stein live on the Bulwark tour bus, as they head to Los Angeles. Get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping during the Memorial Day Sale at https://www.bollandbranch.com/bulwarktakes with code bulwarktakes.

Jonathan Cohn is joined by Dr. Craig Spencer to break down the growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, why global health officials are sounding the alarm, and how Trump-era cuts to public health infrastructure could affect the response. Spencer is an emergency medicine physician and Ebola survivor. During the historic 2014 outbreak, he treated patients and then contracted Ebola himself, became o...

JVL and Andrew Egger give their takes on Donald Trump’s bizarre comments about wanting to be prime minister of Israel, his relationship with Netanyahu, and his supposed “99%” approval rating in Israel. They also break down the growing MAGA divide over Israel and Iran, Thomas Massie’s defeat, and why Trump’s political instincts may finally be slipping. Plus: the Republican backlash to Trump’s billi...

Donald Trump turns 80 next month, but Democrats still seem reluctant to make his age and health a political issue. Sam Stein and Lauren Egan give their takes on the questions about Trump’s bruised hands, dentist visits, public appearances, and why the overall transparency about Trump's health hasn't become a bigger story even after Republicans spent years relentlessly attacking Joe Biden over age...

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker went live on Wednesday morning to give their takes on NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's comments about the Strait of Hormuz and the reported plan by the U.S. and Israel to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad back to power in Iran. Plus, Ben and Mark break down why Pete Hegseth's decision to pull troops out of Poland makes no sense and dismiss Vance's ridiculo...

Donald Trump just endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime Senator John Cornyn. Tim Miller joined Chris Jansing on MS Now to say it’s one of the most humiliating political rejections imaginable. After years of defending Trump, flattering Trump, and publicly groveling for Trump’s approval, Cornyn still got tossed aside in favor of Paxton, a scandal-plagued MAGA loyalist. Tim breaks...

Sam Stein and JVL give their takes on Rep. Thomas Massie's primary loss to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein. 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.

Andrew Egger and Will Sommer take on the chaos erupting inside the January 6th world now that Trump's $1.776 billion "weaponization" slush fund is real — including two MAGA lawyers in an all-out war over who gets to skim 30% off the rioters' windfall, and one miraculous lung recovery that happened to coincide with the fund's announcement. Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies....

Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol went live to discuss the terms of Trump’s $1.776 billion slush fund for his fans, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending the outrageous fund to Congress, Trump’s slipping poll numbers. Plus, amid a war in Iran and surging gas prices, Trump has his eyes on one thing: the ballroom. Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Right now, Soul is off...

Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Will Sommer are finally doing it live—and before they hit the stage in San Diego, they’re warming up with the week’s most unhinged news from MAGA World. Trump is amplifying bizarre (flattering?) information about Thomas Massie’s sex life. Hunter Biden is going on Candace Owens. And a January 6th grifter made a miraculous recovery the moment reparations money appeared. Th...

Tim Miller takes on Trump's last-minute decision to stand down from a planned military strike on Iran, and why the real story isn't the diplomacy, it's who's doing the asking. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE told Trump to hold off, and he said yes. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.

Andrew Egger and Joe Perticone give their takes on Trump’s shocking new $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” settlement fund, a scheme that could funnel taxpayer money to January 6 defendants and other Trump allies. They explain how the administration rushed the deal to avoid judicial scrutiny, why Congress likely won’t stop it, and how Republicans could end up politically trapped ahead of a tough...

Sam Stein and Will Sommer went live to cover Trump withdrawing his $10B lawsuit against the IRS, the $1.7B slush fund for MAGA allies, Trump’s bizarre Bible reading, Laura Loomer’s fight with Thomas Massie that includes accusations of swinging and cocaine, and groyper drama involving a witch that you need to hear to believe. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/...