The Bulwark

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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The one presidential election Trump lost was when he was in power and in charge of election integrity. Still, Trump is asking his supporters to believe the most preposterous lie yet: The elections run by Democrats in '16 and '24 were legitimate, but the election he oversaw wasn't. And he seems determined to take matte...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Join Catherine Rampell and Justin Wolfers as they cover the week's biggest economics and finance news. Check out Justin's Substack, Platypus Economics: https://platypuseconomics.com/

On this week’s episode, I’m rejoined by Chris Fenton to discuss efforts to pass a federal tax credit that would help reshore American film production and his own made-in-America film, Bad Counselors , which hits theaters next week. Things got a little spicy as we debated some of the downsides of these programs—and, specifically, how they might come to pass; I think the federal government should be...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Join Sarah Longwell and Sonny Bunch as they cover Trump's July 16, 2026 prime time speech.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein speaks with Reuters national security reporter Erin Banco about Trump’s planned election speech, his administration’s moves against federal election officials, and concerns inside his own White House that reviving voting-machine conspiracies could backfire by convincing MAGA voters to stay home. White House...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The men serving Trump are so used to getting away with punking people, including too many members of the media, that they sometimes walk into a trap they don't see coming, and the truth slips out. Like Todd Blanche—Trump's personal attorney masquerading as acting AG—having to own the fact that he collaborated with Ghi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker take on the Pentagon's bizarre new testosterone screening program for troops, a promotion list with zero women admirals, and China's quiet power grab as America's alliances crack under Trump. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short vid...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Buckle up. It’s the last Trio video of July—and it’s a big one. The guys start by reacting to Joe Rogan’s interview of JD Vance, in which the Vice President trafficked in Epstein conspiracy theories. Vance also reflected on more important matters, like who’s cooler: Republicans or Democrats? His expertise on coolness...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Join Sam Stein, Bill Kristol and Will Saletan as they cover the Todd Blanche confirmation hearing live.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com While ICE is still murdering people in the streets, more than 60,000 people are currently being held in ICE detention centers across the country. The largest facility is at Fort Bliss in El Paso—which was an actual Japanese internment site in WWII. Detainees there are being deprived of needed medication; some have bee...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lauren Egan speaks with Democratic congressional candidate Cait Conley about taking on Mike Lawler, Trump’s broken promise to avoid new wars, and Lawler’s four votes against reining in the administration’s Iran conflict. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The whole gang is back together, for the last time until August. Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss:- Two more killings by ICE officers. JVL asks whether we're getting numb to this. No one on this show is numb.- Trump's aborted plan to toll the Strait of Hormuz--and whether it was an act of war.- Sarah lets Todd Blanche (and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein speaks with Ben Wikler, former chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, about why Trump is not the main character for many voters, how groceries, gas prices, roads, and local relationships shape elections, and his plan for rebuilding Democratic power from the ground up. Buy Ben's book, "This Is The Plan: How...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Saletan take on Trump's rare triple L: his 20% Strait of Hormuz toll dies within 24 hours, E. Jean Carroll finally collects $5.62 million after his lawyers claimed presidential immunity, and ICE halts vehicle stops after multiple fatal shootings. E. Jean Carroll receives $5.62 million sex abuse, def...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Join Bill Kristol and Ben Parker (filling in for Andrew Egger) as they cover the week's biggest stories.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Democrats tend to defend the institutions that Trump is tearing apart, but Pete Buttigieg says the party should be focusing on the bigger, deeper structural problems the country is facing and the need for political reform. The kind of radical institutional changes he’d like to see include: expanding SCOTUS and the Hou...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Jonathan Cohn talks with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina about the record-breaking cyclospora outbreak, which foods to avoid, why officials still haven’t found the source, and how cuts to public health could make outbreaks like this more common. Follow Katelyn Jetelina and Your Local Epidemiologist on Substack . As al...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The Trump administration is going full speed ahead on its authoritarian project to intimidate the media and the business world—and to gun people down in the streets. And in Israel, Netanyahu is allowing settler militias to run amok in the West Bank, killing Palestinians and destroying their villages and property. Rep....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer take on the conspiracy theories surrounding Lindsey Graham’s death and Mitch McConnell’s hospital “proof of life” photo, Jared and Ivanka Kushner’s scandal-plagued Albanian excursion, Libs of TikTok embedding with ICE, and the latest drama from the online looksmaxxers.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Eric and Eliot catch up for the first time in a month after returning from overseas. They break down the latest jackassery, from Graham Platner’s campaign implosion to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gifting revolvers and live, gold-plated ammunition to the heads of state at the recent NATO summit. They assess the NATO summit mo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein takes on Trump's escalating war on the press: subpoenas targeting NYT reporters over Air Force One security reporting, a rambling 450-word attack on Maggie Haberman, and the irony of Trump attending the White House Correspondents' Dinner just weeks later—while Mark Zuckerberg stays conspicuously silent. As a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Many Democratic primaries in 2026 have been hashing out America’s relationship with Israel, because Democratic voters' opinions of Israel have taken a nosedive the last three years. Pod Save America and Pod Save the World co-host Tommy Vietor joins Sarah to discuss the role Israel-related politics has played in the 20...