The Bulwark

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Everyone loves to complain about how California is governed...even some of the Democrats in our focus groups. So, how is the Democratic primary to replace Gavin Newsom shaping up? Plus, a proto-Trump is running for Los Angeles mayor, and Republicans are noticing beyond California. Puck News's Peter Hamby returns to th...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Sonny Bunch give their takes on the news that a federal judge's ruled that Trump's name must be removed from Kennedy Center. They examine the legal battle, the mass exodus of performers, the uncertain future of upcoming seasons, and how Trump's efforts to remake the Kennedy Center may have backfired. Re...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim just happened to quote from an official Iranian news agency about how the regime is cleaning up in their negotiations with the Trump administration, and the White House accused him of being a foreign agent. Maybe the administration should take a closer look at all the money the guy sitting behind the Resolute Desk...

Sarah and JVL talk about the ongoing meltdown of Trump’s Freedom 250 event; the inappropriateness of putting a UFC cage fight on the White House lawn; John Cornyn’s sudden understanding of what Trump is; and Bari Weiss’s murder of 60 Minutes. It’s a good show / short show because we’re both playing hurt today, so forgive us if we’re not at our most dazzling. Read JVL’s Triad newsletter about 60 Mi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine and JVL went LIVE at 12:30pm on Friday. Read Catherine Rampell's 'Receipts' newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/receipts

Just as a heads up: This episode was posted on the Takes feed over the weekend, but I wanted to make sure and share it with y’all because a.) it was a lot of fun and b.) I did a weirdly large amount of work for it, having to rewatch three films and read a bunch of stuff. But I wanted to make sure you guys heard it in case you haven’t subscribed to the Takes feed. (And if you haven’t, for shame! Yo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller reacts after the official White House account suggested he should be investigated under FARA over his commentary on the Iran war. He also breaks down the Trump administration’s escalating use of the DOJ against critics, including a criminal investigation against E. Jean Carroll, and explains why he believes...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL and Sam Stein give their takes on CBS News firing Sharyn Alfonsi, Cecilia Vega, and top executives at 60 Minutes. Plus, they break down why the changes at CBS News appear tied to corporate merger politics from Trumpworld and what the shakeup says about the future of independent journalism in America. As always: Wa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Bezos, Elon, Andreessen and the whole lot are such terrible, tiny, greedy people. They blow off the public’s concerns about AI while living apart from us in their cashmere prisons; they keep talking about things they know nothing about; and they figured out how cheap it is to buy and manipulate a president. The pitchf...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com JVL and Sonny Bunch take on Trump's "Freedom 250" disaster—the washed-up acts already bailing on the Great American State Fair, the UFC cage being built on the White House lawn, and why the whole spectacle looks less like a birthday party and more like something straight out of The Boys. As always: Watch, listen, and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam and Will went live at 11am ET to cover the week’s biggest developments in the right wing fever swamp.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Will Saletan give their takes on Trump’s latest cabinet meeting spectacle, from his bizarre rant about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, potentially bombing Oman, and Pete Hegseth pitching a staggering $1.5 trillion defense budget. As Trump’s poll numbers slide and Republicans brace for a brutal m...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The United States lost the Iran war back in March when Trump chickened out and didn’t retaliate against Tehran once it proved it could inflict economic pain on the Gulf states. While much of the mainstream media keeps hyping the negotiations and the ceasefire, Iran is not making concessions and is focused on shaking T...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah Longwell welcomes Mary McCord—former DOJ prosecutor and co-host of the Main Justice podcast—to discuss a series of jaw-dropping legal scandals surrounding Trump’s Justice Department. They include the secretive $1.776 billion “slush fund” for January 6 defendants, a federal judge exposing shocking grand jury misc...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker went live on Wednesday at 10:30am ET to cover the latest on the war in Iran and Pete Hegseth's graduation speech at West Point where he blamed “foolish and feckless leaders” for promoting diversity. Programming note: On June 8 at 7pm ET, Mona Charen and Mark Hertling will k...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sarah, Tim and JVL went live to cover the Texas primary runoff election, Megyn Kelly (maybe?) turning against Trump, and much more. 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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Saletan give their takes on Donald Trump’s latest visit to Walter Reed, the White House’s growing secrecy around his health, and the bizarre effort by the White House to defend footage of the president appearing to fall asleep during meetings. They discuss Trump’s repeated medical checkups, his conf...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com As we barrel towards July 4th, Trump wants the celebration of our country's 250th anniversary to be not only about him but also about America as a white republic. But this diverse nation needs to speak up and speak back loudly to drown out that MAGA messaging. In his new book, Glaude lays out the inherent contradictio...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew and Bill went live at 10am ET on Tuesday to cover the notable deflections over the weekend from a small group of GOP Senators about a potential deal with Iran, the worsening approval ratings for Trump and the war, and the reported potential plan by the U.S. to have Iran send its enriched uranium to Pakistan, Tu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The master negotiator couldn't have been more clear how badly he wants out of his war, and now the Iranians are enjoying twisting the knife over a murky developing deal that will likely deliver sanctions relief and more. Trump keeps trying to shoehorn the Abraham Accords into the negotiations as a face-saving move, bu...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com 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...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com 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. 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 Eliot and Eric discuss the current state of the Iran negotiations, the apparent US-Israeli plan to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a Delcy Rodríguez-type figure early in the war, and Reuters’ report on the ongoing hollowing out of U.S. diplomacy. They assess Trump’s apparent designs in Cuba, noting the indictment of Ra...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com 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' — ht...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com 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. P...