Bulwark Takes

Tim Miller joined the Deadline: White House panel to discuss Trump’s failed attempt to stop the bipartisan housing bill, the Republican cowardice it exposed, Trump's Qatar jet fiasco, and Graham Platner’s withdrawal from the Maine Senate race. Watch Deadline White House on MS NOW: https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house

Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller take on Donald Trump’s decades-long habit of defending men accused of sexual assault and misconduct. From Roy Moore and Roger Ailes to Mike Tyson and Ghislaine Maxwell, they roll the archival tape and expose the staggering depth of the GOP’s hypocrisy.

Catherine Rampell is joined by special guests from Yale's Budget Lab, Natasha Sarin and Martha Gimbel, to break down Trump's refusal to sign a housing bill he once championed, the bipartisan push for tax breaks for seniors, and what happens when the across-the-board 10% tariffs Trump imposed expire later this month.

Sam Stein, Tim Miller and Will Sommer take on the week's weirdest stories: MAGA Manny changes his story on tape—to a puppet. Colorado GOP frontrunner Victor Marx's confessions keep getting darker, and he's still winning. Meghan McCain posts photographic proof that nobody came to her State Fair broadcast. Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier is arraigned in shackles on new felony charges—with Jeanine Pirro's name on the indictment. Plus: the Candace Owens–Ben Shapiro war over the Kirk trial. This episode is sponsored by The New York Times. Read Will's False Flag newsletter at https://www.th

Sam Stein and Tim Miller take on JD Vance's rough day in Wisconsin: playing Fraud Czar while his Iran deal implodes, and telling a cookie story that accidentally describes Trump. Plus: Patrick Dempsey passes on a Maine Senate run, and Riley Gaines isn't sure Helen Keller existed. (Will Sommer will be back soon. Pray for his wifi.) This episode is sponsored by The New York Times.

Join Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell as they cover the breaking news that Graham Platner has chosen to end his campaign for Senate. For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to https://3DayBlinds.com/BULWARKTAKES.

Sam Stein and Adrian Carrasquillo take on the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, shot dead by ICE in the North Houston suburbs. Lorenzo lived in the U.S. for 35 years, built a construction business, and put three sons in college. DHS released a statement nearly identical to the one it issued after Renee Goode's killing—and ICE won't say where the three witnesses in his car are. Read Adrian's full piece: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/he-lived-here-for-35-years-put-three-kids-in-college-ice-killed-jim-lorenzo-salgado-araujo For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to https://3DayBlinds.com/BULWAR

Catherine Rampell gives her take on Donald Trump's latest attempt to claim credit for Walmart's routine discounts, treating a standard retail promotion like a White House policy victory. From Walmart sales to corporate investment announcements, Trump has repeatedly portrayed business decisions that were already in motion as personal wins for his administration. For their buy 1 get 1 50% off deal, head to https://3DayBlinds.com/BULWARKTAKES.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker went live to cover Trump's press conference at the NATO Summit where called Iran "scum," said negotiations were over, warned of "a big attack" on Iran, and said a U.S. aircraft carrier was struck by "the Islamic Republic of Japan.” Plus, Mark and Ben break down Trump's comments to Ukrainian President Zelensky about the war in Ukraine. Read more from Mark on NATO spending: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-nato-defense-spending-canard-trump-5-percent-europe-turkey-alliance-russia-ukraine Read more from Mark on the NATO Summit: https://www.thebulwark.c

Trump's Versailles peace deal feels truly dead. Iran fired missiles at tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. answered with strikes promised to be "more intense" than last month's—and Tim asks the question nobody in the administration can answer: why? Plus: JD Vance's Iran victory lap ages badly, Trump trolls Meloni then insists he likes her, Belgium dunks on the "Trump curse," and the White House story that shows just how thick the narcissism bubble really is. Larineco is offering listeners up to 50% off at https://BuyLarine.com/BulwarkTakes Watch Clint Smith on The Bulwark Podcast: https

Bill Kristol and Ben Parker (filling in for Andrew Egger) went live to cover Trump's trip to the NATO summit, where he said the war in Ukraine "doesn't affect us," announced he would remove sanctions from Turkey, and renewed his calls for the U.S. to control Greenland. Plus, the continued fallout in Maine following POLITICO's reporting on Graham Platner. Larineco is offering listeners up to 50% off at https://BuyLarine.com/BulwarkTakes

Donald Trump spent America's 250th birthday celebrating one person: himself. Will Saletan breaks down Trump's July 4th speeches, his bizarre Mount Rushmore post, his obsession with foreign leaders praising him, and why Trump's version of patriotism always revolves around Donald Trump. From claiming America was "dead" before his return to joking about a third term, Trump reveals a vision of the country where loyalty to him matters more than loyalty to the Constitution. Taking care of your health just got easier – start here with Zocdoc: https://zocdoc.com/BULWARKTAKES #sponsored

Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller went live to cover POLITICO's bombshell story on Graham Platner, Platner's response, and the future of the campaign. Taking care of your health just got easier – start here with Zocdoc: https://zocdoc.com/BULWARKTAKES #sponsored

Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live to cover the week's craziest stories from the right wing fever swamp, including MAGA blaming liberals for the rain on Trump's fireworks show, the conspiracy involving rap music and USAID, Trump asking FIFA's president to investigate the red card call, and the latest charges filed against Students for Trump founder. Taking care of your health just got easier – start here with Zocdoc: https://zocdoc.com/BULWARKTAKES #sponsored

Will Saletan and Jonathan Cohn take on the shakeup in Michigan's Senate race: Mallory McMorrow has dropped out, leaving a two-way Democratic primary between establishment favorite Haley Stevens and Bernie-backed progressive Abdul El-Sayed. Was McMorrow pushed? Where do her voters go? And is the man who would be America's first Muslim senator the party's biggest risk—or its best shot at holding a seat Democrats have kept for decades?

Trump's massive America 250 celebration was supposed to be a patriotic showcase, but it quickly descended into chaos. Sam Stein and Bill Kristol give their takes on the biggest failures of the day, from Patriot Front's march through Washington, D.C. and Republicans' attempts to blame the left, to Doug Burgum's refusal to clearly condemn neo-Nazis, hours-long security delays, thunderstorms, and a celebration that seemed designed more to glorify Donald Trump than the country itself.

Jay Nordlinger joins Bill Kristol for Bulwark on Sunday. Read Jay's Substack, "Onward and Upward" https://www.jaynordlinger.com/

Tim Miller is joined by TMZ DC's Charlie Cotton and Jacob Wasserman to talk about their unlikely rise on Capitol Hill and why lawmakers keep stopping to talk to them. From Lindsey Graham's infamous Disney bubble wand to chasing members of Congress through the Capitol, the pair discuss how they're bringing a fresh approach to political reporting, what surprised them most about Washington, and why asking different questions can reveal a different side of the people in power. They also share behind-the-scenes stories from their first two months covering Congress and what it's like building relati

Tim Miller takes on Trump's 327 unreported stock trades made the day before his surprise tariff pause—and why Tim has come around on impeachment. He also breaks down the July 4th speech from Mayor Mamdani that even this ex-Republican appreciated. Plus, Tim appears on Deadline: White House to discuss a new congressional report on how the White House hijacked America's 250th, from the shadow charity Freedom 250 to Park Service workers made to wear "Vichy pins." Watch Deadline: White House on MS NOW: https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house

Sarah Longwell and Andrew Egger give their takes on the surprisingly competitive political race in Iowa, where Democratic nominee Rob Sand is trying to build a new kind of populist message: less culture-war confrontation, more competence, accountability, and structural reform. Andrew went to Iowa to attend Sand’s campaign events in rural Iowa, where Rob is blending local concerns like affordability, school funding, abortion restrictions, and agricultural policy into a broader pitch against one-party Republican control. Despite Iowa’s recent GOP dominance, new polling suggests a closer-than-exp

Tim Miller recaps his appearance with Katy Tur: Trump's vow to give a "really long" July 4th speech in extreme heat, the "threesome" medal moment in North Dakota, and Tim's theory of why Trump has stopped trying to win the midterms—he's chasing statues, arches, and grotesque wealth instead. Plus, an ugly June jobs report.

Tim Miller is joined Jared Poland and Brendan Hartnett after they spent time at Trump's "Great American State Fair" on the National Mall. What was billed as a patriotic celebration to celebrate America's 250th anniversary felt more like an underwhelming county fair, complete with sparse crowds, overpriced food, empty podcast tapings, Michael Knowles debating the Salem witch trials and a lumberjack competition. This episode is sponsored by The New York Times.

Sam Stein and Will Sommer take on the lewd "Uncle Sam" court battle to get back on the National Mall, Stephen Miller's deranged pregnancy-test proposal for women entering the country, Scott Presler getting blocked from the South Dakota GOP convention, Trump's $700 million Qatari Air Force One, James Fishback's residency lawsuit and his cringeworthy iShowSpeed stream-snipe, MAGA's blackmail-debate meltdown, and JD Vance bombing in front of the troops. This episode is sponsored by The New York Times.

The Supreme Court left birthright citizenship intact, but the bigger story may be everything else it handed the Trump administration. Ben Parker and Adrian Carrasquillo are joined by the American Immigration Council's Michelle LaPointe and Todd Schulte from FWD.us to break down the Court's immigration rulings, what they mean for Temporary Protected Status asylum, and Trump's mass deportation agenda. They also react to Stephen Miller's explosive response to the birthright citizenship decision, the far-right rhetoric surrounding immigration, and explain why hundreds of thousands of immigrants co

Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and Will Sommer take on the Great American State Fair fiasco, MAGA's rival Freedom Fest lineup (starring Dog the Bounty Hunter), and Colorado's stranger-than-fiction GOP frontrunner Victor Marx—live from the Aspen Ideas Festival. Plus: an audience Q&A on hate, hope, and why authoritarians want you exhausted.

Join Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker as they cover the latest on negotiations with Iran, why Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio are still using Signal despite the blatant security risks, and why American allies are losing trust in the United States.  This week, The Bulwark is running our July 4th sale—a full year of membership for our email newsletters, articles, and everything else that we offer on our website for $86. Because this holiday, this flag, this country—it belongs to all of us. Not one party. Not one person. Come join us: https://thebulwark.com/july4

Tim Miller recaps his appearance on Deadline: White House with Nicole Wallace—discussing new polls for the Texas Senate race, the Supreme Court's liberal justices sounding the alarm in recent rulings, and new reporting on Trump's East Wing ballroom, which broke ground under no-bid contracts despite Trump's repeated promises that it would cost taxpayers "not 10 cents."

Join Sam Stein and Brian Tyler Cohen as they go live to cover the day's news and discuss BTC's new book, "The Day After." Pre-order the book: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/thedayafter

Sam Stein, Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol went live to cover the Supreme Court's decision to uphold birthright citizenship in a major blow to Trump's agenda. They break down the decision and the political impact it could have for Republicans ahead of the midterms. This week, The Bulwark is running our July 4th sale—a full year of membership for everything we offer on our website for $86. Because this holiday, this flag, this country—it belongs to all of us. Not one party. Not one person. Come join us. Become a Bulwark+ member: thebulwark.com/july4

Will Saletan gives his take on Sen. Bill Cassidy's remarkable CBS interview, where the outgoing Louisiana Republican criticizes Trump on everything from Iran and affordability to executive power, RFK Jr., vaccines, and the Constitution. Cassidy says RFK Jr. is building public health on "a foundation of lies," warns against putting any president above the law, and reflects on why standing up to Trump ultimately cost him his Senate seat. Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Right now, Soul is offering 30% off your entire order! Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the code BUL

Former Republican Senator Jeff Flake joins Sarah Longwell for his take on the moment Republicans could have stopped Donald Trump and why they didn't. Flake reflects on his famous 2017 speech, the GOP's surrender of congressional power, why so few Republicans stood up to Trump, and whether the party can ever return to its conservative roots. Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Right now, Soul is offering 30% off your entire order! Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the code BULWARKTAKES.

Sam Stein, Andrew Egger, and Politico's Kyle Cheney go live to break down the Supreme Court's latest rulings, including decisions upholding mail-in voting, blocking President Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and allowing him to remove independent regulators. Read more from Kyle: https://www.politico.com/staff/kyle-cheney Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Right now, Soul is offering 30% off your entire order! Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the code BULWARKTAKES.

Will Saletan takes on Trump's unraveling Iran war—drone strikes on U.S. allies, Iran's claim to control the Strait of Hormuz, and a new threat to build nuclear weapons. He breaks down the actual text of the agreement Trump signed, fact-checks a week of contradictory claims about oil prices and military control, and explains why Iran knows Trump's threats are empty.

Former Pardon Attorney Liz Oyer joins Bill Kristol to discuss Todd Blanche, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Read Liz Oyer's Substack

Sonny Bunch and Catherine Rampell take on Mel Brooks' 100th birthday and AFI's new ranking of Blazing Saddles as the funniest movie ever made. They dig into his EGOT-winning career, his fearless mockery of Hitler, why his comedy still holds up — plus the upcoming Spaceballs sequel and Catherine's middle-school Spaceballs obsession.

Tim Miller and Will Sommer to give their takes on one of the strangest weeks in MAGA world. They unpack the arrest of a pro-Trump streamer accused of committing lewd acts at Trump's Great American State Fair, the latest legal troubles facing Students for Trump founder Ryan Fournier, and the new report raising questions about Rep. Abe Hamadeh's live-in senior staffer. Read more from Sources Say News: https://sourcessay.news/p/looksmaxxing-gilded-offices-and-a-live-in-staffer-insider-allegations-of-abe-hamadeh-s-capitol-hill

Tim Miller takes on the collapsing Iran ceasefire—Iranian drones hitting ships in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. counterstrikes, Iran retaliating against U.S. targets in Bahrain, and JD Vance's tough-guy statement that's landing nowhere. Plus: Trump's new self-portrait passport, and whether he understands what a passport is.

Tim Miller went on MS Now to talk to Nicolle Wallace to give his take on one of the most disturbing political stories of the year after Pete Buttigieg revealed that a false report led child protective services to investigate his family. Tim explains why weaponizing the government against political opponents should alarm every American. Plus, Tim reacts to Megyn Kelly's comments about Haitian immigrants and fact-checks JD Vance's take on Watergate. Read more from Pete: https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/p/a-terrible-thing-happened-to-my-family

Join Catherine Rampell and JVL as they cover the week's financial and economics stories. Read more from Catherine's newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-americans-trump-would-rather

Will Saletan takes on Donald Trump’s vision of American power, arguing that military force is increasingly being used as a tool for profit—through oil, minerals, trade concessions, and economic leverage rather than the defense of allies or democratic values. Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/bulwarktakes to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

JVL and Will Sommer give their takes on Trump’s kickoff event for the America 250 celebration and the president’s immediate lie that 45,000 people packed the National Mall and “nobody left” early. They dig into the crowd-size lies, the campaign-style speech at an official government event, Trump’s promises about the White House ballroom, and why the America 250 rollout already feels more focused on Trump’s image than America’s birthday. Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/bulwarktakes to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

Sam Stein and Jonathan Cohn discuss the major SCOTUS decision that would allow the White House to deport more than 350,000 refugees.  Read more from Jonathan Cohn: https://www.thebulwark.com/trumps-deportation-agenda-awaits-supreme-court-grandma-haitians-temporary-protected-status-heath-aides Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/bulwarktakes to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

Join Sam Stein, Will Sommer, Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol as they cover Trump's "Freedom 250" rally in Washington, DC. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.

Andrew Egger, Catherine Rampell and Joe Perticone are going live to cover Trump's sudden decision not to sign the bipartisan housing bill. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.

Join Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker as they cover the week's biggest military and foreign policy stories. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes to find and instantly book a doctor you love today.

Jonathan Cohn takes on Trump's push to end temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants—following home healthcare worker Maryse, who cares for a 96-year-old in South Florida, and what's actually at stake for the 350,000+ people (and their U.S.-born children) facing deportation as early as July 2nd if the Supreme Court sides with the administration. Read more from Jonathan Cohn: https://www.thebulwark.com/trumps-deportation-agenda-awaits-supreme-court-grandma-haitians-temporary-protected-status-heath-aides Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/bulwarktake

Sen. Mark Warner joins Sam Stein for his take on the chaos surrounding acting DNI Bill Pulte, alarming reports of potential firings inside the intelligence community, and why Warner believes Pulte poses a national security risk. They also dive into explosive questions surrounding former DNI Tulsi Gabbard after reports detailing her ties to a cult and why those revelations surfaced only after she left office. Plus, Warner weighs in on Trump's Iran negotiations, the lack of congressional oversight, and what lawmakers still don't know about the administration's plans.

Andrew and Bill went live to talk about Trump's hatchet man Bill Pulte firing people as his first day at DNI, JD Vance getting embarrassed by Iran, the Trump official making the case that taking over Greenland could help Red Lobster, and Trump blames Obama for Trump's poor job renovating the Reflecting Pool. Read more from Morning Shots: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/morningshots

Tim Miller and JVL take a victory lap through some of the most confident predictions from the Iran War's biggest cheerleaders. Scott Jennings, Ben Shapiro, Hugh Hewitt, Mark Levin, and Bari Weiss' bloggers promised total victory, regime change, and a transformed Middle East. Instead, Trump ended up signing a deal with the very regime they said had to be defeated. Now, those same loudest voices cheering for "total victory" are scrambling to explain Trump's deal with Iran. Head to https://Superpower.com and use code BULWARKTAKES at checkout for $20 off your membership. Unlock your new health int

Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live as they cover the craziest stories from the right wing fever swamp, including Trump threatening people with a 10-year prison sentence over the Reflecting Pool, the false Candace Owens death conspiracy theory, Tulsi Gabbard being controlled by a cult leader, and Greg Bovino's love for Dracula. Head to Superpower.com and use code BULWARKTAKES at checkout for $20 off your membership. Unlock your new health intelligence. 100+ biomarkers. Every year. Detect early signs of 1,000+ conditions. #superpowerpod  You can buy Will's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Trus