The Bulwark

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Nate Jones of Vulture to discuss his monumental effort to rank the 100 most powerful directors in Hollywood . We discussed how the audience has shifted from stars to IP to maybe, now, directors, and what that means for the industry. Plus: Who did his inside sources think he rated too highly … and too lowly? All that and more on this week’s (if I do say so myse...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Ben Parker give their takes on why the DOJ abruptly withdrew its subpoenas against three New York Times reporters and their family members over reporting on security flaws in Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One. But the losses in court don't stop there, the administration also quietly dropped its demand...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com In 2026, everyone who follows politics has an opinion about Maine politics. Here’s the thing: a lot of people in Maine think they’re wrong. So, Sarah talked to a former national political reporter who moved his family to Maine to help stand up a local paper. Former NBC News reporter Alex Seitz-Wald, now deputy editor...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the double standard at the heart of the GOP right now: Democrats forced Graham Platner off the ballot over disturbing allegations, while Republicans stand by candidates and members with far more documented records. Texas gun-YouTuber Brandon Herrera made disgusting comments about w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Andrew Egger give their takes on Trump's new threats of war crimes to Iran, the new polling showing MAGA support for the war cratering, and the new U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement. Plus, they dig into the White House's ever-expanding gold decor of oversized frames, mystery bells, and speculation ab...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell welcomes George Conway back to The Illegal News to discuss Trump Media’s plan to sell Wall Street firms early access to Trump’s market-moving Truth Social posts. They also talk about DOJ subpoenas targeting New York Times reporters and their families, Trump’s Qatar jet, the newly activated Alien Terrori...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump keeps promising more bombs and bigger explosions in Iran, but the regime knows he’s just trying to disguise his retreat. And the Iranians are not going to back down until the whole world can see that they beat Trump. Meanwhile, in the middle of a war that is ostensibly about stopping Iran from getting a nuke, PO...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan breaks down how Donald Trump’s empty threats, reckless boasts, and shifting stories turned his Iran deal into a deadly fiasco—and exposed just how little he understands the war he started. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archive...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker are joined by Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) for her take on the state of the Iran war, U.S. military strategy, and the health of American democracy heading into the midterms. Slotkin, a former CIA analyst with three tours in Iraq, pushes back on Secretary of Defense Pete He...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey just pulled in $124.5 million over its opening weekend, the biggest domestic opening for a live-action film this year. So why has MAGA Twitter spent the weekend insisting it's a woke disaster, a box office fraud, and a betrayal of Homer himself? Sam Stein, Sonny Bunch, and Will Sommer g...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah, JVL, and False Flag author Will Sommer (sitting in for Tim) discuss: * Whether Laura Loomer is one of the adults in MAGA-land? I’m Ron Burgundy? * The state of the Iran War. * The ridiculous AI advertisement being run by a Ted Cruz-aligned outside group in Florida (and the whacky candidates in the ad). * The un...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Join Sam Stein and HuffPost's Arthur Delaney as they cover the brewing dissatisfaction with Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Todd Blanche.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ronald Reagan said it best: One of the greatest sources of America's greatness are the people drawn to the country from every corner of the globe, who become American and keep the country young, vital, and modern. But Trump and Stephen Miller are sticking to their absolutist deportation plan without regard to history...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger went live to cover CNN's reporting that Trump and Elon Musk's cuts through DOGE to the CDC and USAID slowed the response to the cyclosporiasis outbreak, the Pentagon withholding the number of U.S. military injuries from the war with Iran, and why Trump's strategy appears trapped between m...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Brendan Hartnett and Will Saletan put their encyclopedic knowledge of Donald Trump to the test by predicting which words he would use in a major speech. The fake bets produce some eerie wins, one brutal near-miss, and a new appreciation for how quickly prediction markets can become addictive. As always: Watch, listen,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump tried to steal the limelight and the valor of Spain at the World Cup, even as more troops died overseas; Stephen Miller regularly encourages ICE to be violent while Pete Hegseth pushes soldiers to be macho bullies. The leaders in this country are men with no center and no core. Now with the arrest of the Tate br...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live to cover Trump refusing to leave Spain’s World Cup celebrations, the MAGA right questioning Trump’s claim that Iran is “obliterated” after deadly attacks on U.S. bases, the Tate brothers arrested in Florida, and Clavicular explaining “looksmaxxing” to Sean Hannity.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Eric welcomes back friend of the show Professor Hal Brands, the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. The two discuss Hal’s recent work, beginning with his column in Bloomberg dissecting the key strategic errors that Trump h...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Join Bill Kristol and former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer as they discuss Oyer's testimony at Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing. Read Liz's Substack, Lawyer Oyer: https://www.lawyeroyer.com/

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Mona Charen and Eric Edelman examine how Trump stumbled into the Iran war without a clear plan, alienated allies, strengthened Tehran’s position, and left the United States looking weaker. Inside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad US lacks scores of ambassadors in Africa Bulwark Book Club pick for Augu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) take on the deadly Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Jordan, the mounting American casualties, and a rapidly widening war with no clear path to de-escalation. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archive...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com On a week that tested both of them, Sarah and Andrew discuss: Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing, and Trump's prime-time speech on election interference. Andrew walks through the cross-examination Senate Democrats didn't run—the statements that went unchallenged, the follow-ups nobody asked, and the one question abou...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com American politics and politicians are decidedly lower-character than they used to be. So, how did we get here? And why have voters seemingly lowered their expectations? The New York Times ’ David French joins the show to discuss Americans’ relationship with low-character politicians like Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein speaks with Rep. Jim Himes about Trump’s election speech, his attacks on voting systems, and the danger of declaring sitting senators illegitimate. They also examine how Trump’s own foreign-interference files document Russia’s efforts to help him, spread the Burisma story, and create chaos in American politi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) discuss Trump’s tedious (and still scary!) election speech, the documents that undercut his election claims, JD Vance’s cringe appearance on Joe Rogan, Trump voters’ brutal reactions to Vance, and Democrats’ missed opportunities at the Todd Blanche hearing. Finally: Th...