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Bulwark Takes

Bulwark Takes
Author: The Bulwark
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© Bulwark Media
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The news cycle doesn’t slow down, and neither does The Bulwark. Bulwark Takes brings you bite-sized takes on the news of the day from the entire Bulwark team, including Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Bill Kristol, and more.
808 Episodes
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JVL and Will Saletan take on Donald Trump’s strange, childlike theology — a worldview where heaven is a reward for “winning” and faith is just another transaction.
Tim Miller is joined by Robby Roadsteamer to discuss his recent arrest at the ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, after a face off with officers turned from singing a rendition of 'Do You Think I'm Sexy' by Rod Stewart to a bombardment of pepper-spray projectiles and being pulled into the ICE facility for detainment.
Sam Stein and Tim Miller take on the indictment of former National Security Adviser John Bolton by a federal grand jury in Maryland. Bolton is accused of sharing classified information with his wife and daughter over email — a move that raises questions about selective justice and the politicization of law enforcement.
Joe Perticone talks with Pentagon reporter Mallory Shelbourne about the Defense Department’s new “pledge” that forced dozens of journalists to turn in their badges. They break down how Pete Hegseth’s team clamped down on press access, why even conservative outlets refused to sign, and what this means for freedom of the press in America.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went on Charlie Kirk’s show and said the quiet part way too loud: calling Kirk’s assassination a “domestic 9/11” and promising to “compile lists” of left-wing groups to investigate. Tim Miller breaks down how this rhetoric crosses every line and why this “war on terror 2.0” mentality is straight-up un-American.
Tim Miller joins MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports to talk about Trump’s lawless power plays and why neither side is backing down. They also discuss Marjorie Taylor Greene’s attacks on her own party—torching GOP leadership, blaming “weak men,” and accidentally(?) helping Democrats in the shutdown fight.
Watch Katy Tur Reports on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/katy-tur-reports
Tim, Sam and Will reunite to take on the disturbing reporting from Politico exposing leaked messages among Young Republicans joking about gas chambers, racial slurs, slavery, sexual assault, and many other problematic topics.
JVL and Andrew Egger take on Pete Hegseth’s strange, insecure reign over the Department of Defense.
Tim Miller joins MSNBC to talk about the immigration fallout, the absurd smear of the “No Kings” protests, and cracks forming in the MAGA world as Trump’s tactics backfire.
Sam Stein talks with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro about how the Israel-Hamas war finally ended — and why it took two years to get here. Shapiro explains why Donald Trump had the leverage to force a ceasefire when Joe Biden didn’t, how Netanyahu’s political survival instincts prolonged the conflict, and what “phase two” of the ceasefire will really mean for Israel, Gaza, and the region.
Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer take on Glenn Beck’s bizarre claim that FBI agents showed up at his house to “investigate Antifa,” and the right-wing fantasy world that takes him seriously.
Sam Stein and Sarah Longwell take on how Trump has broken every source of resistance that once held him back — from corporate America to Congress — and why cowardice, fear, and fatigue have left him acting untouchable. They discuss the Wall Street Journal story about Trump’s growing power, the CEOs too scared to cross him, and the moment he was even too extreme for RFK Jr.
Will Saletan and Mona Charen take on JD Vance’s reality-bending interviews—where every inconvenient fact becomes “left-wing” and every lie gets a new excuse. From calling governors criminals to dismissing real corruption as “media reports,” Will and Mona expose how MAGA’s gaslighting has replaced truth with loyalty.
Jack Cocchiarella takes on JD Vance’s excruciating Sunday-show performance—from dodging questions about the $50,000 bribe to getting booted off the air by George Stephanopoulos.
Trump wants you to think he’s inevitable. He’s not. Jack Cocchiarella takes on how Trump and Kristi Noem are turning ICE into a private army — recruiting extremists, spreading propaganda, and selling power through fear.
Bill Kristol and Tom Joscelyn take on the Trump administration's plan to crush dissent.
Sam Stein takes on the shocking Friday night purge inside the federal government—with mass firings at the CDC, Education Department, and more—explaining what really happened, why it breaks every precedent, and why insiders need to speak up now.
- Secure Tip Line: https://thebulwark.com/tips
- Sam Stein’s Signal Handle: asteinindc.09
Jack Cocchiarella and Tim Miller take on Jesse Watters, Fox’s extremely suspicious "guests," and the right-wing propaganda turning cruelty into entertainment.
Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell go off on House Speaker Mike Johnson — the “Eddie Haskell of MAGA.” They call out his fake piety, his loyalty to Trump over the country, and his awful attempt to brand peaceful protesters as “anti-American.”
Tim Miller is joined by George Retes, a U.S. Army veteran and American citizen who was wrongfully arrested and brutalized by ICE while simply trying to get to work. George shares his harrowing story of being surrounded by agents, pepper-sprayed, dragged from his car, locked in a detention center, and even placed on suicide watch—missing his young daughter’s birthday in the process.
Read more about George's story: https://newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-a-us-citizen-and-a-veteran-ice
سبحان الله و الحمدلله و لا اله الا الله و الله اکبر 🇵🇸❤️🇮🇷 Free Palestine boom boom 💥 Tel Aviv اسراییل نابود است اسلام و جمهوری اسلامی ایران پیروز است
Don't defend John Bolton. He is a war criminal at the end of the day. He deserves to be behind bars or worse.
Am I the only one that thought orange Mussolini was falling asleep while putting was talking?
سبحان الله و الحمدلله و لا اله الا الله و الله اکبر 🇵🇸❤️🇮🇷 Free Palestine boom boom Tel Aviv
Good old Uncle Tim!!
I had to turn this episode off. I kept missing words Bill was saying because he's audio is so poor. Audio quality matters Bulwark.
Does anyone know why some of this episodes are getting numbers in the title now? I haven't found a rhyme or reason for which get a number and which don't, and the inconsistency is beginning to bug me.
I am sick and tired on Sam Stein's foul mouth. It is so difficult to listen to him and his loud nasty tone full of awful language. BTW, I am a deep democrat, just feel his style is revolting.
Can Sam Stein lighten up and be less aggressive and vulgar his words? When he is host, I now turn the podcast off, just can't handle listening to that anymore.
Bill's sound clarity is awful.
Vance's comments in Munich were not merely astonishing but Appalling.