The Bulwark

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Conor Kilgore and Rachel Janfaza discuss why Noah Kahan has become a defining voice for Gen Z—and what his music reveals about a generation shaped by COVID, social media overload, and constant comparison. They get into the mental health themes, the push to log off and reconnect with real life, and why so many young pe...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The Pentagon is under fire after the Jacqueline Smith, ombudsman for Stars and Stripes, says she was dismissed for raising concerns about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. What does this mean for press independence inside the military? 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 Tim Miller joins the Lib & Learn podcast to discuss the WHCD incident, the media spin that followed, and why both parties keep getting the moment wrong. He explains the real problem inside the Democratic coalition, how the GOP’s viral messaging machine works, and what it would actually take for Democrats to win again....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Ben Parker break down a Bulwark exclusive that the State Department is putting Trump's face on U.S. passports, as part of "America 250." Sam and Ben walk through what the redesign would actually include, why it’s unprecedented, and how it fits into a broader pattern of Trump branding across federal symbo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah, Tim and JVL went LIVE for this episode of The Next Level to cover yet another indictment of former FBI Director James Comey by the Trump administration. Plus an attempted shooting at the WHCD and The Bulwark’s own Ben Parker breaks news! Read Ben Parker’s exclusive reporting on Trump’s plan to put his own face...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sonny Bunch and Catherine Rampell break down a wave of major FCC developments shaping the future of American media. Paramount is asking the FCC to approve up to 100% foreign ownership in a massive media deal that could impact CBS and CNN. Foreign money is flowing deeper into American news—and regulators may be on the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Acting AG Todd Blanche, who watched Pam Bondi get fired, knows exactly what his assignment is: Go after every political enemy Trump wants targeted, and charge them—even without evidence of a crime. At the FBI, officials under Kash have pursued dubious or phony leads while career agents are seething over what the direc...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol are going live at 10am ET to discuss the week's biggest news items. Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and Los Angeles in May: https://thebulwark.com/events As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein welcomes Axios' Marc Caputo to discuss Florida’s new redistricting map—and the legal storm it’s about to trigger. Governor Ron DeSantis has unveiled a plan that could shift Florida’s congressional delegation from 20–8 to as much as 24–4 in favor of Republicans. But there’s a major problem: Florida’s constitu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump is a terrible president and he deserves to be criticized, even in personal terms. Our pro-democracy movement has shown time and time again that we can oppose him—and oppose any attempt at violence at the same time. Even putting aside POTUS's own hypocritical calls for violence or his celebrating the deaths of hi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com AEI’s Dalibor Rohac analyzes Hungary’s stunning rebuke of Orban and implications for other democratic nations. The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer are going live to discuss how Trump’s allies are relentlessly using the WHCD shooting to push the new ballroom, the fascinating details of the individual reactions from Trump cabinet members to the shooting, and the absurd fight at the Substack party. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a com...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Eric and Eliot review an extended buffet of jackassery before turning to the current state of affairs in Iran. They assess the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the war, and whether we could end up in a "no war, no peace" situation. They also discuss the mutual incomprehension that leaders in both countries exh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Bill Kristol and Tom Joscelyn went live to discuss white supremacy in the online Right and why they're obsessed with attacking the Southern Poverty Law Center. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Add Bu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Bill Kristol and Sam Stein went live to discuss the aftermath of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Add Bulwark+ Takes feed to your player of choice, he...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com John Avlon speaks with Alanna McCargo, Senior Fellow for Inclusive Capitalism at the Clinton Foundation, to explore a surprisingly old idea that could fix a very modern problem: what if workers actually owned a piece of what they build? Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations Employee Ownership and ESPOS Coun...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein reacted live to the shooting at the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Trump's press event afterward. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Add Bulwark+ Takes feed to your pl...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller joins David Pakman for a wide-ranging conversation on Trump’s unraveling, the “MAGA betrayal” moment among anti-war influencers, and what comes next for the right. They discuss why some of Trump’s loudest supporters feel misled, who actually drives conservative media, and how Never Trump has evolved into so...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Everyone agrees that America is too divided. But ALMOST everyone is also contributing to that division in one way or another. So, how do we rebuild a country where Americans can live with each other a little easier? Sarah and our guest both have some ideas. Professional disagreer Jessica Tarlov of the Raging Moderates...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and Sarah Matthews take on the botched White House photo op that went viral. Donald Trump hosted the 2025 NCAA champion Georgia Bulldogs women’s tennis team—but puts them in the background and skips their handshake. They break down the optics, the politics, and what it reveals about the “women’s spor...

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 Trump’s new acting Navy secretary, Hung Cao. From viral podcast clips to resurfaced campaign interviews, Cao leans hard into “alpha male” rhetoric, conspiracy-adjacent claims about witches, and extreme takes on immigration, NATO, and the military. It’s a wild collection o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL and Sarah Longwell talk about the firing of the Navy secretary mid-conflict and the bizarre “Trump-class battleship” saga, exposing a pattern of impossible promises and chaotic leadership. Plus: the Spirit Airlines bailout and what it says about Trump’s commitment to “capitalism.” ON SALE NOW: Bulwark Live is comi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Not only is the new hardline regime in Tehran now more likely to go rogue as a nuclear power a la North Korea, ordinary Iranians—who Trump and Bibi initially claimed we were rescuing—are also living under even harsher conditions. At the same time, the war has burned through billions worth of our critical weapons stock...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell breaks down California’s chaotic governor’s race, where 61 candidates and a fractured Democratic field could open the door for Republicans. In polls, Xavier Becerra is quietly rising as the “safe” choice with Katie Porter still facing questions about her personal baggage, and billionaire Tom Steyer took...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and JVL are going live at 12:30pm ET on Friday, April 23 to cover the week's biggest developments in the world of finance and the economy. Read Catherine Rampell's 'Receipts' Newsletter Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and LA in May As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwar...