The Bulwark

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tom Nichols join Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker to discuss the bleak reality of Trump’s Iran war—where early strikes gave way to confusion, a shaky “ceasefire,” and no clear endgame. They explain how tactical hits didn’t translate into strategic success, why the U.S. may be in a worse position now, and w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL and Andrew Egger went live reacting to Karoline Leavitt's totally divorced from reality press conference as Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump showed that he is completely unequipped to be a war leader. He threatened crimes against humanity, and not only let a foe prove it could take our punches, but also inflict economic pain on the global economy as well. Indeed, with the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran looks to have emerged from the war with a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann explain the legality of Trump’s unhinged Iran threats, the legal reality behind “war crimes” warnings, and the global fallout of a strategy with no clear objective. They also discuss Trump’s push to control elections, why it’s likely unconstitutional—and why losing in court may actu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah, Tim and JVL go live to cover Trump's Iran ultimatum and other news. Watch, listen, and leave a comment . This ad-free video version of The Next Level is exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Click the learn about setting up this show , ad-free, on your podcast player of choice. Or watch in the new Bulwark App—avail...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Rep. Josh Gottheimer joins Tim Miller for a heated debate over the war with Iran—where even pro-war lawmakers admit they still don’t know the plan. They clash over whether weakening Iran justifies the risks, rising costs at home, and the lack of clear objectives, while digging into Trump’s leadership, Israel’s role, a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com AI poses real existential threats. The global economy is dependent on it, it's being deployed in war zones and used for domestic surveillance, and it's increasingly integrated into our medical and financial sectors. But the guy sitting atop the world's biggest AI company, Sam Altman, is regarded by some colleagues as...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol are going live to cover the morning's big news items. 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, here .

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com In threatening to bomb Iran to smithereens, Trump seems to be motivated by a combination of frustration, vengeance, and wanting to look like a tough guy. But he also has a God complex. Destroying the country’s bridges and its entire energy infrastructure has nothing to do with nukes—and everything to do with war crime...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The gang reacts to President Trump’s April 6 press conference. 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, here .

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer were live discussing the significant MAGA pushback against Trump’s Easter post about bombing Iran’s civilian infrastructure, the Jonathan Majors filming incident with The Daily Wire, and more.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com David Frum analyzes the roots of both left and right-wing anti-Semitism and what it means for a liberal democracy. 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 s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Eric welcomes retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, and Penn Washington’s Chief of Staff and Director of Communications, Mike Nelson to the show. They discuss the President’s White House speech to sell the Iran war to the American people, and its failure to address a number of important questions. They discuss Mik...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller takes on Donald Trump’s Easter morning threats to bomb Iran’s bridges, power grid, and energy infrastructure if a deal isn’t reached. 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 fe...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Just Security's Tom Joscelyn joins Bill Kristol to discuss how Trump and his allies are reshaping the DOJ/FBI, DHS/ICE, and the Pentagon — with major implications for civil liberties, political dissent, and the 2026 elections. Correction: Bill incorrectly stated that President Trump will make a speech today. Trump sai...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Trump’s foreign policy is colliding with reality—from Iran to Venezuela to a collapsing Cuba. John Avlon speaks with with former NSC official Juan Gonzalez to break down the unintended consequences: rising oil prices, shaky regime changes, and a growing risk of chaos just 90 miles from Florida. Is there any real strat...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell give their takes on the Trump White House calling an early “lid” during an escalating war with Iran. As Trump claims the U.S. military is “unstoppable," American fighter jets were shot down and a service member is missing. Sarah also explains that swing voters are turning against Trump, f...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The Iran War has been going on for a month, and it’s deeply, DEEPLY unpopular. Plus, we get reactions from swing voters on the characters inside the Trump administration who they like (like Marco Rubio), or REALLY dislike (listen to find out). Atlantic staff writer Ashley Parker returns to the show. By Ashley Parker:...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell give their takes over one of the biggest questions facing Democrats right now: what to do about Hasan Piker? Should the party engage with voices on the far left to reach angry, anti-war voters or draw a hard line against rhetoric they see as toxic and illiberal? The two debate whether Dem...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The pro-Iran war hawks keep crowing about how U.S. military prowess is supposedly striking fear in Beijing and Moscow. But what’s really happening is that Trump is doing exactly what China and Russia hoped he’d do. Beijing has wanted the U.S. out of the Western Pacific and Putin, of course, wants NATO wrecked. Our maj...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL and Sarah discuss Trump’s rambling, unfocused address that failed to clarify any of the war’s goals, even as evidence mounts that the situation is getting worse. They also talk about the Bondi firing, why it may have been timed to shift attention, and what it says about how this White House handles bad news. Plus:...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine and Sam cover economic news, including Trump's new budget proposal and the March jobs numbers. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members.

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Steve Starkey to discuss his new book, On the Set of Forrest Gump . Steve won an Oscar for best picture as producer on that film, but he has a career that, as I told him, has meant a lot to me, with credits on, among other pictures, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , Who Framed Roger Rabbit , the two Back to the Future sequels, Contact , Cast Away ,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Catherine Rampell look back at the first anniversary of Trump’s “Liberation Day,” the administration’s infamous tariff rollout. From tariffing penguins to gold bars from Switzerland, "Liberation Day" has proven to be a bust. The Supreme Court ruled them illegal and companies are still waiting for refu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller takes on a Trump world that’s starting to crack. Even voices from the Theo Von / Joe Rogan universe are turning on Donald Trump—and in some cases making more sense than the people in charge. Tim also digs into the fight over figures like Hasan Piker—arguing that Democrats are blowing a major chance to build...