Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow joins Sam Stein for her take on how a fabricated poll had real consequences for her Senate campaign, drying up donations, rattling volunteers, and prompting reporters to ask when she would drop out. They examine how fake polling can distort media coverage, influence donors, and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Vivek Ramaswamy has dragged Amy Acton’s estranged mother into the Ohio governor’s race to smear her daughter — even though the mother’s husband was charged with raping Acton when she was just 12. Now Trump and JD Vance are backing the attack, with Trump calling Acton “defective” and demanding Republicans fall in line....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s surprise visit to Israel days before Benjamin Netanyahu’s election and amid the possibility of new strikes against Iran. They also discuss the strain of sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East and the damage Hegset...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller welcomes David Mauricio, the newly minted Jubilee Surrounded star, to break down his viral clashes with MAGA debaters. Mauricio explains why he came out swinging, how Trump’s defenders struggled to answer questions about the president’s corruption, and why one debater’s attempt to question his citizenship b...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Ben Parker and Michael Weiss dissect Steve Witkoff’s praise of Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” and JD Vance’s defense of the Trump envoy, exposing the weakness and incompetence behind the administration’s Russia diplomacy. They examine how Trump’s desperation for a deal with Putin is leading to concessions on sanct...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Jonathan Cohn sits down with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to discuss his admiration for Barack Obama, the shortcomings of the Obama presidency, and the lessons he hopes to carry into the Senate. El-Sayed explains why he believes Obama made it possible for people like him to run for office, where he thinks...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com How do democracies fall apart, and why do the people who could stop it so often look the other way? CNN’s Dana Bash joins Sarah Longwell to examine the elections that changed history, including the fatal miscalculation that helped bring Hitler to power and its disturbing echoes in Trump’s Republican Party. They also e...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Donald Trump claims Russia has been “fine” in Ukraine, and Michael Weiss, who has witnessed Russian atrocities firsthand, is furious. Weiss and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos examine Trump’s increasingly alarming alignment with Putin, reports that Elon Musk interfered with Ukraine’s satellite defenses, Pete He...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the disgusting attack ad targeting Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, featuring her estranged mother accusing her of lying. When Acton was 12, her stepfather was accused of sexually abusing her and was indicted by a grand jury before he fled with Amy’s mother. The ad...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan gives his take on the growing panic inside House Republican leadership as bad polls, shrinking campaign budgets, and vulnerable races threaten the GOP’s hold on Congress. Even friendly voices on Fox News are pressing Mike Johnson, Tom Emmer, and Steve Scalise on why Republicans are struggling ahead of the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol give their takes on Trump’s increasingly desperate push to save Republicans two weeks before the midterms. As Trump’s approval rating sinks and Democrats build a major polling advantage, the president is struggling to make the case for his party, resorting to racist attacks, religious big...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Donald Trump can’t seem to stop talking about other men’s bodies, from Republican candidates’ jawlines to their backsides, even as his presidency faces mounting crises. Sam Stein joins Nicolle Wallace on MS NOW to discuss Trump’s bizarre fixation and misplaced priorities, plus why James Talarico’s unconventional campa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the foreign money scandal involving Alina Habba’s new husband, Ric Grenell, and the Kennedy Center. They also examine the protests roiling Albania over Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s controversial resort project, and Bari Weiss’s pursuit of right-wing internet conspiracy theories...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Live from Charlotte, the gang welcomes Pete Buttigieg for a night of politics among friends. This recording of Bulwark LIVE is exclusively for Bulwark+ members.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will is one of the great chroniclers of Lindsey Graham’s career, and his perspective on how we got here is exactly the kind of informed, unsparing analysis we believe is worth supporting. Help us keep bringing you conversations like this by becoming a Bulwark member. Trump is lifting sanctions on Russian energy, his o...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com For years, American spies and diplomats have suffered mysterious, debilitating injuries. Was Russia secretly targeting them, and did the CIA cover it up? Former CIA officer Mark Polymeropoulos, whose career was ended by Havana Syndrome, and Michael Weiss welcome 60 Minutes investigative journalist Michael Rey to exami...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller talks with journalist Caolan Robertson, reporting from Ukraine’s front lines, about disruptions to the satellite communications Ukrainian soldiers depend on, Marco Rubio’s baffling explanation, and the deadly consequences of losing that lifeline. They also discuss Russia’s escalating attacks on civilians, U...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com A legendary Democratic strategist and a legendary Republican strategist, once on opposite sides of the political battlefield, now fighting for the same cause. Only at The Bulwark. Become a paid member to support more conversations like this. James Carville joins Bill Kristol to explain why he's cautiously optimistic a...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Recorded live in Columbia, South Carolina, on October 16, 2026, Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer take a hilarious tour through the latest MAGA madness: Kimberly Guilfoyle’s increasingly messy scandals, Tucker Carlson’s inexplicable horse commentary, James O’Keefe’s $3,000 journalism awards, the mystery of $60,00...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Gen. Mark Hertling and Ben Parker welcome renowned military strategist Eliot Cohen to discuss what makes great leaders, the dysfunction inside Trump’s Pentagon, and the difficult choices facing military officers. Drawing on lessons from Churchill, Afghanistan, and Iraq, they explore why wars go wrong, how to recognize...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller ventures outside the Bulwark bubble for a candid conversation with Mario Nawfal, a Trump-friendly influencer who’s having serious buyer’s remorse. They discuss Trump’s disastrous Iran war, the voters abandoning his coalition, his increasingly dangerous obsession with his legacy, and his willingness to throw...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com This is something you won’t find anywhere else: firsthand reporting from the journalist who investigated the story, paired with the perspective of someone who’s actually worked inside Trump’s White House. Become a Bulwark member to support more conversations like this. Five days. That’s how long Katie Zachariah lasted...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Look, we’ll keep this simple: It’s the Trio. Uncut, ad-free, and uncensored. There could not possibly be a better reason to become a paid member of The Bulwark. Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Will Sommer give an update on the MAGA influencers caught pushing a false story about Texas Democrat James Talarico, and why those...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on Elon Musk’s return as the biggest campaign donor of the 2026 midterms, funneling $276 million into Republican groups, including $158 million to help Republicans hold the Senate. After threatening to launch his own political party and breaking with Donald Trump, Musk is back in the GOP’s co...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Is Donald Trump about to fire the woman who has kept his White House from descending into chaos? Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger cover reports that Trump is considering replacements for Susie Wiles, his retreat from Pete Hegseth’s planned livestreamed execution, and his increasingly alarming efforts to appease Vladimir...