Claim OwnershipThe Next Level
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Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and Jonathan V. Last bring their signature political insight and banter to the masses in The Next Level podcast. Tune in to hear them discuss the news of the week, break down campaigns and elections, and wade into pop culture feuds. www.thebulwark.com
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This a preview of The Secret Podcast, where Sarah and JVL go off-leash and uncensored in an intimate conversation. The full episode is available for paid Bulwark members on Apple Podcasts, Substack and YouTube!
Sarah and JVL are in meat-space talking about the Donald J. Trump buildings coming soon to a town near you. And also why liberalism needs to fight.
But the big topic is all of the feelings they’ve got from being at the annual Bulwark all-hands get together. Warning: Emo JVL is a bit much.
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and JVL get through a chaotic week in Trump’s Washington: Elise Stefanik and Mike Johnson tearing each other apart, Hegseth’s shifting alibis for a possible war crime, Trump nodding off while his cabinet members freelance policy, and a fresh round of immigration extremism that targets even legal residents. They also discuss population-collapse warnings, the “narco-terror” fantasy, JD Vance’s pathetic theatrics, and Tim’s interview with Olivia Nuzzi.
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Note: Sarah and JVL recorded this episode on Wednesday, November 26.
JVL and Sarah Longwell break down why pardoning January 6 felons might be the most dangerous move of his presidency yet. By promising protection to anyone who commits crimes on his behalf, Trump is building a loyalty pipeline straight out of a mob movie… and the Supreme Court is giving him the cover he needs.
2Trump’s revenge crusade is collapsing in real time. Botched prosecutions, clown-car legal teams, foreign bot armies propping up MAGA influencers, and a GOP in full-blown identity crisis. JVL, Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller talk about Trump’s latest humiliations, the Marjorie Taylor Greene detonation, the Mamdani Oval Office shocker, and the wild bot-farm revelations shaking the right. Oh and Trump looks like he can't walk.
Just another week!
Trump crossed a line, again. JVL and Sarah Longwell discuss Trump’s latest tantrum: calling for Democratic senators to be put to death after they released a video reminding service members they don’t have to follow illegal orders. Yes, really.Then we get into the Epstein-email panic, why Trump suddenly pretended to support releasing documents he fought for years, and what’s really pressuring him behind the scenes, Dick Cheney’s funeral, and the singles vaccine. Don’t worry, Sarah WILL BE GETTING IT!
Trump’s awful month keeps getting worse: the botched Comey indictment, the Epstein files exploding, Trump snapping at reporters, and signs that the MAGA machine isn’t running like it used to. JVL, Sarah, and Tim talk about the panic inside Trumpworld, the fallout from his dictator cosplay with MBS, and why the movement suddenly looks shakier than it has in years.
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JVL and Catherine Rampell (filling in for Sarah) dig into the latest Epstein revelations and what they expose about the darker, unsteady corners of the GOP. The conversation traces how a party already splintering under internal contradictions keeps getting dragged into fresh scandals, bad actors, and self-inflicted wounds.
Sarah Longwell, JVL, and Tim Miller take on the explosive Epstein emails tying Trump to victims, the shutdown fight and ACA fallout, and the MAGA civil war erupting around Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, and Nick Fuentes.
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JVL is half-delirious from the shingles vaccine and Sarah Longwell is dragging him through one of the wildest weeks in politics. From massive Democratic wins to Jeff Flake’s fantasy-land op-ed, Elon Musk’s trillion-dollar ego trip, and the jaw-dropping humanitarian fallout from dismantling USAID. They break down why Republicans are in full disarray, how Trump’s SNAP showdown is backfiring, and what new polling says about the road ahead.
In the first major set of elections of Donald Trump’s second term, voters deliver a rebuke to Trumpism. Democrats win gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, and Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral race in New York City after Trump endorses Andrew Cuomo. JVL, Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller react on Election Night to what these results mean in the fight against MAGA, assess the leverage Democrats may have gained in the government shutdown debate and take stock of the political landscape a year out from the 2026 midterms.
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JVL and Sarah talk about Socialism, Jersey, Virginia, MTG, and the Heritage Foundation’s panic that someone might think they don’t approve of white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
It’s a whole thing. You’ll love it.
JVL, Sarah, and Tim talk about the intra-MAGA war inside immigration enforcement, the bizarre fall of Tom Homan, Stephen Miller’s power games, RFK Jr.’s unhinged HHS drama, Trump teasing war in Venezuela, and the new Democratic memo that’s tearing the party apart.
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Trump’s obsession with tearing up the East Wing turns into a fight over symbolism, willpower, and what it really takes to undo his damage. JVL and Sarah Longwell go back and forth over what matters, what’s just noise, and why elites still won’t stand up to him. Plus: Trump’s love for dictators, Reagan on tariffs, and Canada making him mad again.
JVL, Sarah, and Tim discuss the drama over Democrat Graham Platner’s “Nazi tattoo,” the Maine Senate race, and the left’s weird obsession with finding their own Trump-style outsider. Plus: Trump’s corrupt White House ballroom, the “No Kings” protests, and just how far America’s slipped into banana-republic territory.
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JVL ambushes Sarah with The Darkness. It’s a fun-filled episode with the indictment of John Bolton, the decimation of the Pentagon press corps, another extra-legal killing off the coast of Venezuela, the resignation of the head of SouthCom, and the weaponization of the IRS.
Good times.
This week on The Next Level Jonathan V. Last, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the GOP’s accelerating moral collapse. MAGA wants to discredit No Kings protests as “Hate America” rallies, and a racist Young Republicans group chat leak shows how deep the rot goes. They explore how Kristi Noem’s taxpayer-funded ad blitz crosses every ethical line and what it says about ICE’s power in the administration. Plus, they debate whether establishment Democrats are sabotaging the party’s Senate chances by pushing candidates they feel are safer bets.
Live from New York, Sarah Longwell, JVL and Tim Miller tear into America’s culture of cowardice—from billionaires hiding in Hawaii to Merrick Garland’s endless hesitation. They discuss into how Trump’s intimidation works, why “lawfare” backfired, and why too many Democrats STILL seem afraid to fight.
Note: This was recorded on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
This week Sarah and JVL did something they haven’t done for a couple of years: they just . . . hung out and asked each other questions. Some stuff about life. Some stuff about The Bulwark. Some stuff about the world.
Hope you enjoy listening as much as they enjoyed visiting with each other.
The crew is back together, live in D.C. and fired up. From wild personal stories to real talk about how we face this moment as a country, this episode is all about connection, community, and not giving in to the chaos. When things get dark, we stick together.
JVL and Sarah Longwell zero in on the government shutdown chaos and what it really means. They debate why Democrats can’t afford to play defense, how Trump is openly embracing authoritarian ideas like Project 2025, and the GOP’s sheer inability to govern even as they drive the country toward crisis.
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For me, this was just ~3 minutes of ads, no episode. Please fix!
I don't want to hate on Kamala, but I think you guys are too easy on her. She had a lead, and it dissipated, in large part, because she refused to create any space between her and Joe. This is extremely misplaced loyalty. her first loyalty should have been to the USA and protecting it from the clear and present danger that Trump represented.
"Read-only access is not safe... it usually, almost always, implies "copy" access as well.
I’ve been thoroughly impressed with ‘The Next Level’ podcast! The insights and actionable strategies shared are both inspiring and practical. https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/deli-wrap-solutions-5796598/episodes/how-deli-paper-is-made-218086040
Question at end of "How we got here?" How did the convo go straight to Joe stepping down and wholly bypassing the strategy/possibility of expanding his current VP/successors role as a strategy? With Kamala highest likely replacement whether via the polling or structural issues, why not run THEM as a TEAM? Seems she's in the best position to "understudy" Joe in international affairs, where the other possible top ticket options seem limited in that area. Trump on global stage= terrifying
Tim, I can NEVER remember the name of this pod. I listened to the New Orleans live and agree. I vote for a rebrand.
I came here looking for Tim Miller content. I can only say, RUN TIM!!! Get as far away from these old people (I, too, am old) as you can because their taint will totally degrade your brand. The lady is a petulant scold who has a very perverse notion of propriety. (Who cares what Sen. Fetterman wears?!) The dude lost me when he started making excuses for BoBo Boebert and the theater fondle. I like Tim best on the Bulwark pod with Charlie. Hope he's there more often.
So, you want me to pay to listen about more hunter Biden bs? No thank you.
Holy hell... I would be mortified if my child supported Trump. I would be incredibly depressed wondering what I did wrong.
Funny how JVL had no idea his "BFF" Tim had been arrested back in the day.
What's the story behind the personal gym trainer who has a story somewhat akin to this tale. And are we to assume no homosexual activity took place to Falwell and Johan Carlos?
honestly. never heard this before, this is a great show
I love this pod. I so appreciate the humility you all exhibit. I'm a crazy liberal, and I feel like you're a moderating influence on me.