The Bulwark

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and JVL break down Trump’s escalating war on the Federal Reserve, including his latest attempt to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook and the growing threat to the central bank’s independence. They discuss how Trump’s tariffs and war with Iran are fueling inflation, driving up prices for everything from to...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Could a Democratic landslide in 2026 actually help JD Vance win the presidency? JVL and Jasmine Green answer your questions about Trump’s purge of military leadership, the future of the anti-abortion movement, the allegations at Cornell, and which MAGA heir would make the least disastrous president. Plus, JVL gets per...

On this week’s episode, I’m rejoined by Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen, the Prestige Junkies over at The Ankler, to talk about the early days of the Oscar campaign. It’s finally heating up now that we’re hitting awards season and the prestige pictures are making their debuts; you can find our early preferred nominees at the Ankler Pundits landing page . But we cover a ton of ground in this episo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Democratic strategist Lis Smith join a live audience at Dartmouth for a spirited debate about Trump’s collapsing political fortunes, the GOP’s future under JD Vance, the Democrats’ struggle to rebuild their coalition, and the wide-open 2028 presidential race. Plus, a sobering question: What...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on JD Vance’s fumbling attempt to define socialism and the hypocrisy at the heart of MAGA’s attacks on Democrats. Asked why socialist candidates are gaining ground across the country, Vance pivots to immigration and transgender athletes instead of explaining what socialism actually means. But...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Let’s be clear about what we’re doing here. The Bulwark exists to fight authoritarianism and defend American democracy. We do that with reporting, analysis, accountability, and by building a community of people who refuse to look away or pretend this is normal. If you believe this fight matters, join Bulwark+ and help...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The king of the birther conspiracy knows he needs to round up the white male vote, so he's serving up one of his old faves—straight-up anti-Muslim bigotry. And he's added a new one: Making Americans pay for another political ad, this time about what a tough guy he is. But Trump also has another corruption problem, cou...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com This is what makes The Bulwark different : going straight to the people involved, asking the uncomfortable questions, and getting answers you won’t hear anywhere else. If you value that work, please consider supporting us by becoming a Bulwark+ member. Sam Stein speaks with Eric Deters, the man at the center of the Wa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Michael Weiss went live to take on the bombshell Wall Street Journal report that reveals Kimberly Guilfoyle’s extraordinary private messages with a Trump donor, including a $100,000 request to pay her Amex bill and repeated warnings to stop creating a paper trail.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan breaks down the Maine Senate debate between Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, and why Collins is struggling to separate herself from Donald Trump in a state where the president remains deeply unpopular. Jackson repeatedly tied Collins to Trump on the Iran war, tari...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Florida's Democratic nominee for the Senate says average Americans right now are living in the dreams of oligarchs and the super-rich, and it's time for regular people to live their own dreams. The progressive maverick promises to fight to help all Floridians—regardless of party—to be healthy, prosperous, and safe. An...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A quick note: This is exactly why we want Bulwark reporters out in the field: not just watching the Senate map change from Washington, but talking to the candidates and voters who are changing it. If you value that kind of on-the-ground reporting, you’re in luck: Bulwark+ memberships are 30% for a limited time! Lauren...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker discuss the U.S. decision to pull B-1 bombers out of the United Kingdom over concerns about Iranian drone attacks, and what the move reveals about the changing nature of modern warfare. They examine the growing vulnerability of U.S. military bases, the risks to American for...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Memberships are 30% off for our October sale, a discount so large that JVL and Sarah would like it known they personally object to it. Please take advantage of this terrible business decision while you can. The gang congratulates Kash Patel on his engagement, discuss JVL's Triad on the White House reporter-turned-pres...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Reporter Michael Weiss and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos break down a staggering spy scandal involving the former head of German intelligence, an alleged Iranian plot targeting U.S. bombers in Britain, and the increasingly strange questions surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle in Greece. Plus: why Russian intellige...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Destroying trust in the government is one of Trump's key sources of power, but Michael reports from the front lines of the deep state that there still are good employees serving the public interest. In his new book, Michael celebrates some of the heroes who either managed to survive DOGE—or were stupidly pushed out de...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and Sam Stein discuss Scott Bessent’s strange interview, from his “I am the house” bravado and boasts about Melania’s friends to his temper and possible political ambitions. They also react to Trump’s latest pitch for $5,000 checks and his remarkable claim that he knows more about basically everythin...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Bill Kristol discuss Donald Trump’s increasingly frantic attacks as Republicans face a surprisingly competitive Senate race in South Carolina, including Trump’s use of an anti-trans slur against Democratic candidate Annie Andrews. They examine what the race says about the Republican Party’s standing hea...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on the Democrats who are already arguing against investigating Donald Trump’s corporate allies, warning that accountability cannot be sacrificed in the name of avoiding political “retribution.” He argues that companies and executives who participated in or benefited from Trump’s corruption sh...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and Jonathan Cohn give their takes on Donald Trump’s latest checks to Americans, including $500 payments to some ACA marketplace enrollees and $90 payments to certain Medicare recipients. They explain where the money is coming from, why the ACA payments may lack clear legal authority, and how diverti...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Like all good demagogues, Trump's appeal works when he's got someone to blame. But it's on his watch that we've got a war-related global food crisis brewing and mass layoffs in Ohio—where Trump just happened to hold a rally over the weekend. So, POTUS is focused on getting his family more money through a new bribery s...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on Kash Patel’s engagement, Benny Johnson facing a lawsuit from two anti-ICE protesters, and The Daily Wire’s new pro-ICE movie being filmed in Livingston, Montana. The film reportedly recreates the shooting of Renee Good before turning it into a fictionalized action story in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller takes on Vivek Ramaswamy’s attempt to show off his strength at a campaign event, then turns to Jon Ossoff’s message to young voters about why they can’t afford to give in to despair and the case for turning frustration and rage into political action. Plus: Tim’s thoughts about James Baldwin and the long his...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan lays out the case against Donald Trump that Jack Smith never got to present at trial. Drawing from Smith’s testimony before Congress, Will looks at the evidence that Trump was repeatedly told the truth about the 2020 election by his own advisers, Republican officials, and Justice Department officials and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger joins Bill Kristol after an extraordinary 24 hours in Ohio: attending the funeral of 20-year-old Haitian immigrant Pierre Bel, then heading straight to a Trump rally, where he found surprising cracks among Trump supporters even as the MAGA faithful rallied around a visibly lower-energy president. They dis...