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The Bulwark

Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy.

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The Bulwark Podcast

Crime is down in D.C., but Trump is using the pretext of an attempted carjacking of "Big Balls," the former 19-year-old DOGE employee, to take over the city's police department and deploy the National Guard. It's a threat to other blue cities, and an ominous sign ahead of 2026 and 2028. Meanwhile, the DOJ has appointed 'a special attorney' and empaneled grand juries to investigate Trump enemies Adam Schiff and Tish James. Plus, it's odd how JD never seems to defend Trump on Epstein, and Putin has already scored a psychological victory by the promise of being welcomed to the United States as an equal—rather than the war criminal he is.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

show notes

 • 
Cathy's piece on the upcoming Alaska summit

 • 

 • 
Bill in "Morning Shots" on how Vance keeps drawing attention to the Epstein matter

 •

Bill Kristol: The Lawless Administration

There's a direct line between when the Democratic Party got nationalized and when it started getting wiped out in red states. Dems need to embrace heterodoxy in their candidates—running in New York City is not the same as running in Nebraska. And the party has to exorcise itself of people like Andrew Cuomo. Plus, the administration has upped the cruelty quotient by denying retirement benefits to longtime trans members of the Air Force, the FBI gets deployed to advance the Republicans redistricting, and avoiding the scam PACs preying on Democrats.

show notes

 • 
Tim's interview with Andry on Substack • or 
YouTube • 

Lis's book, "Any Given Tuesday"
Stanford's Adam Bonica on Mothership Strategies
Cook Political Report's 2026 House rankings
Tim's playlist

Lis Smith: Dems Need to Burn Down the Party Establishment

The United States, through USAID, not only supplied a big chunk of the world's humanitarian aid, it also provided almost all of the logistical support for other aid organizations to deliver relief as well. Now in Sudan, where the state has disintegrated and millions of people are trying to flee anarchy and civil war, virtually no Western organization is there to provide food and shelter. And no American is working on trying to end the conflict. Plus, Tim Cook joins the CEO suck-up to Trump, a top, well-regarded FBI official who was trying to hold the line under Kash has been pushed out, and Putin may be trying to pause Ukraine's punishing air war on Russia—but he's not showing any sign that he wants peace.

Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller.

show notes

Anne's piece on Sudan, “The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth”
Anne's wildflower garden
The NYT on the continuing purge at the FBI
Anne's "Autocracy, Inc.," out in paperback Aug. 25
"The Director," book recommendation from Anne

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Anne Applebaum: What USAID's Absence Looks Like on the Ground

Gerrymandering has always been partisan, but what's happening in Texas is straight-up racial politics. Republicans are targeting and trying to disenfranchise black voters while betting that Latino voters will stick with them. And because Trump hasn't had a lot of luck making the furor over Epstein and Ghislaine go away, JD is stepping in to host a totally 100% aboveboard damage control session at his house—with the top officials at the DOJ. Plus, the U.S. had almost zero job growth in May and June, the economy is slowing, and prices are ticking up. 

Josh Barro and Zerlina Maxwell join Tim Miller.

show notes:

Tim, Sam, and Will Sommer on the MAGA girl meltdown
Zerlina's book, "The End of White Politics"
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Zerlina Maxwell and Josh Barro: We Are in a Bad Place

Voters in the seven swing states that elected Trump in 2024 thought he'd make the economy better. His perceived strength on the economy is the cornerstone Jenga piece of the whole Trump Tower. And he keeps making the economy worse. Meanwhile, Democratic voters are highly engaged—but just not with the party, whose brand is struggling. Plus, Republicans are still trying to steal the House, and how a stronger, re-imagined local news media can help restore trust in national news.

Chuck Todd joins Tim Miller.

show notes

Chuck's Sunday Night with Chuck Todd on the Noosphere app
The Chuck Toddcast
 • 
"The Stranger," Chuck's book about Obama

 •

Chuck Todd: Is the Economy the Biggest Political Threat to Trump?

The boss only wants to hear good news: that's the takeaway from Trump's high-profile firing over the weak job numbers. So if a government worker has something bad to report, they now know they'll have to lie to keep their jobs. And this isn't only about key information on the economy—it's also about hurricane forecasts, intel threats, and potential military mishaps. Meanwhile, the Texas redistricting stand-off is fraying the fabric of our democracy. Plus, Fox's own producers think Jeanine Pirro is a reckless maniac, direction from the top was the only way Ghislaine Maxwell could have been moved to a 'Club Fed' prison, and Democrats debate how much to work with Republicans who don't keep their word.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

show notes

Today's 'Morning Shots'
The 'Bulwark Takes' Apple feed
Tim on 'Pod Save America' on Friday
 • 
Some of the victims' testimony from Maxwell's trial
 • 

 • 

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Bill Kristol: This Is So Third World

Osborn, the populist independent who ran a surprisingly close campaign for a Senate seat in Nebraska last year, is back for another run in the 2026 midterms. A steamfitter and union member, he says he naturally connects with other workers drawing paychecks who are feeling the squeeze. And he likes to point out that his opponent last time took money from corporate donors; but this time, his opponent is a corporate donor—incumbent Pete Ricketts, one of the wealthiest members of Congress. Plus, the pain from tariffs on Main Street, the inhumanity of masked ICE agents, and the peril for Democrats if they can't figure out how to talk to Trump voters.

Dan Osborn joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes

 • 
Tucker talking about home ownership and the American dream

 • 

Tim's playlist

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Dan Osborn: Connecting with Working People

Texas Republicans are busy gerrymandering their already gerrymandered congressional map, and other red states are looking to do the same—all aimed at blocking the Dems from winning back the House and shielding Donald Trump at all costs. Meanwhile, the DOJ is trying to get state voter rolls and is laying the groundwork for interfering in the midterms. Democrats need to fight fire with fire in blue states. Plus, the cowardice of Big Law, the power politics behind the Emil Bove confirmation, and the pathetic deference Republicans are showing to convicted sex crimes monster Ghislaine Maxwell.

Marc Elias joins Tim Miller.

show notes

 • 
Elias's Democracy Docket • 

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Marc Elias: An Election War Machine

The rise of Elon—and why he is still involved with our government—has everything to do with the dimming of America's one-time crown jewel, NASA. We are now dependent on his rockets and his satellites because Obama and the U.S. government saved SpaceX. Of course, Elon's hypocrisy knows no bounds, because when he had the power, he quickly worked to dismantle the very same government that came to his rescue. The Atlantic's Franklin Foer explains how NASA engineered its own decline, as well as Elon's prophecy about becoming the engineer savior who colonizes Mars. Plus, Zelensky's giant misstep on corruption, and how humanitarian groups need to get back into Gaza to flood it with food.

Frank Foer joins Tim Miller.

show notes

 • 
Frank's reporting on NASA and Musk

 • 

 • 
Frank on Zelensky's misstep on corruption

 • 

 • 
Tim's FYPod 

 •

Franklin Foer: Elon, the Man Who Ate NASA

Gaza is strewn with rubble, the war's end is nowhere in sight, and an entirely predictable humanitarian disaster is unfolding. With daily reports of starvation and malnutrition, Israel must provide a systematic and orderly distribution of large amounts of aid to stem the crisis—and stave off a Mad Max situation. Meanwhile, our abdication on USAID has led to human suffering elsewhere in the world, and Trump's supporters still seem more preoccupied with trans people in women's sports and a swimmer who came in 5th place. Plus, Trump's betrayal of the voters who fervently believed he would expose a global pedophile ring, how being gay has evolved into a 'super sin' among evangelicals, and reading the tea leaves on whether Trump is really getting tougher on Putin or if it's just a mood swing. 

David French joins Tim Miller.

show notes

David's piece on Christian cancel culture and HBO's "Back to the Frontier."
David's column on MAGA and Epstein
How Israel made the same mistakes the U.S. did in Iraq — David's piece from last year
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David French: Israel's Humanitarian Obligations

Kamala looks to have a very narrow lead in the polls, but she needs to do more to drive Trump down—a good target would be his announcement that he's voting against protecting abortion rights in Florida. Plus, his sudden concern for Pence and Vance's copious podcast blathering. 

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for a special Labor Day pod. 

show notes:

USA Today piece about Will Selber

Hersh Goldberg-Polin's childhood bedroom with art about Jerusalem

Bill Kristol: Stay on Offense

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