Bulwark+ Takes

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein and Andrew Egger went live to cover Trump order to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” They give their takes on the absurdity of it, the cost, and why Trump’s latest map-making stunt is a perfect snapshot of a president who seems increasingly out of ideas and out of touch. Plus, they dig into Trump’s biza...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller joins Katy Tur on MS NOW for his take on Trump’s growing disconnect with voters on the economy and affordability—and why his billionaire bubble may be making that problem worse. Tim breaks down new polling showing a dramatic swing toward Democrat James Talarico in key Texas districts and explains why the Te...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller gives his take on the intentional cruelty and escalating human cost of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown—from a five-year-old boy detained by ICE on his way to soccer to the father of a U.S. Navy sailor being detained, with the White House defending the decision. Plus, ICE is planning a facil...

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 Trump’s latest claims that the U.S. has “really dominated” Iran, the Pentagon’s purge of senior military leaders, and reports that a top Army official was pushed out after opening an investigation into the bizarre Kid Rock helicopter flyby. Plus, they di...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Stanley Druckenmiller just delivered a brutal public rebuke of his former protégé, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Catherine Rampell is joined by Bob Elliott, co-founder and chief investment officer at Unlimited, for his take on what’s behind Druckenmiller’s criticism and why Bessent’s bond-market strategy may be ma...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise trip to Moscow has raised major questions: Is he there to warn Putin, negotiate over Ukraine, or deliver a message about Russia’s escalating covert attacks across Europe? Reporter Michael Weiss and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos break down Ratcliffe’s unexpected visit, th...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol went live to cover Trump's dumbest idea yet: renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America." Plus, Andrew and Bill give their takes on the Supreme Court's decision Monday regarding Trump's executive order on mail-in voting and ICE deports the wife of an active-duty Army sergeant.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Sam Stein is joined by UCLA School of Law's Richard Hasen and Georgetown University Law Center's Steve Vladek to break down the Supreme Court's decision to allow Trump to restrict mail-in voting.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Katy Tur hosts Sam Stein, Mona Charen, and others for a wide-ranging discussion of Donald Trump’s role in the 2026 midterms, his focus on sporting events and legacy projects, turnover in the White House, Jared Kushner’s meeting with Hakeem Jeffries, and the growing political backlash to AI and data centers.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller breaks down the ugly smears fueling Michigan’s Senate race, why Mike Rogers’ allies have him furious, and how Republicans are scrambling to distract voters from Trump’s struggling economy. Watch On the Line with Alicia Menendez on MS NOW: https://www.ms.now/on-the-line

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Catherine Rampell give their takes on the latest escalation in Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada. As Trump attacks Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney is looking to deepen economic ties with the European Union, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford fires back with a blunt message of his own to Trump: “Kis...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Congressman Jared Huffman joins Joe Perticone for his take on the rise of Christian nationalism and the religious movements reshaping the American right. Huffman, the author of "No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism," explains how he believes Christian nationalism has become increasingly...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live to cover the IndyCar race in DC, the Republican operative who thought you was being entrapped by the "deep state," Enes Kanter Freedom being ejected from a WNBA game, and Sean Duffy's war against Harvard in his reality tv show.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Michael Wood joins Bill Kristol to assess the failed Iran war, the damage to America’s military, and what it reveals about the limits of U.S. power.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller runs through the disturbing record of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Andy Biggs, from his role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election to his extreme positions on abortion, healthcare, the FBI, and more. Watch Tims’ video on Zach Lahn, Republican candidate for Iowa governor:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The Green Party is supposed to be a left-wing alternative to Democrats. So why are Republican-connected candidates showing up on Green Party ballots in competitive races? Andrew Egger and Brendan Hartnett walk through Brendan’s reporting on a series of suspicious Green Party candidates in Michigan, Arizona, and Pennsy...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Catherine Rampell and JVL went live to cover Scott Bessent flailing as he intervenes in the bond market and Catherine's reporting on how Trump's political appointees hijacked the U.S. Census Bureau, numbers that we're supposed to trust. Plus, for more than a decade, Trump promised to pay down the national debt. This w...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller joins Alicia Menendez on MS NOW to take on the growing questions around Natalie Harp’s access to Trump, why Republicans are hiding from their own voters, and the Trump administration’s increasingly shaky economic message. This video is sponsored by The New York Times. Watch Deadline: White House on MS NOW:...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Michael Weiss and Marc Polymeropoulos discuss Trump’s “economic D-Day” against Iran, the risks of secondary sanctions and a prolonged blockade, and why Tehran may retaliate rather than simply give in. They also examine the bizarre influence and security concerns surrounding Natalie Harp and the dysfunction inside the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Chris Cillizza and JVL use Hulk Hogan and the strange world of professional wrestling to explain Donald Trump’s political dominance, why conventional political skills don’t seem to matter anymore, and why Trumpism may survive long after Trump himself is gone. Check out Chris Cillizza on YouTube: https://www.youtube.co...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Will Saletan tracks House Republicans—Mike Johnson, Gabe Evans, Jason Smith—flailing to defend Trump's Iran war and rising gas prices, catching them in contradictions, dubious legal justifications, and outright lies about the economy ahead of the midterms.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Zach Lahn is the Republican candidate for governor of Iowa with a very unusual résumé and some very unconventional positions. Tim Miller and Brendan Hartnett dig into Lahn’s ties to Kansas and the Koch network, his investment in FirmTech and its award-winning “sex tech” device that Lahn insists is not a sex toy, and q...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Andrew Egger and Lauren Egan break down Florida’s Democratic primaries—and what Angie Nixon’s surprise Senate win means for Democrats in a state they’ve struggled to compete in. They discuss Nixon’s uphill battle against Republican Ashley Moody, David Jolly’s path for governor, and the awkward dynamic of having a self...

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 to cover Trump’s newest push to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Trump contradicting Jared Kushner on Iran. Plus they walk through what a typical Deputies Committee would look like in the NSC. The Good Fight Tour: https://www.thebulwark.com/events

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Tim Miller is back in DC and it's somehow crazier than he left it. With National Guard troops patrolling Dupont Circle, Tim recruits Will Sommer for a scavenger hunt through Trump's Washington: a $500K-to-join MAGA club co-founded by Don Jr., the bar where Rand Paul's son got into it with Rep. Mike Lawler, the strip m...