The Bulwark

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comBen Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) break down the latest developments in the Iran war, including reports that AI-generated intelligence nearly led the U.S. military to board a Chinese vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. They discuss the dangers of relying on false intelligence, the importance of human oversight, and what can happen when bad information makes its way into military decision-making.They also examine reports that the Pentagon may be undercounting U.S. military deaths in the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comRecorded on Monday, Sept. 14 at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, Sarah and Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer discuss her book, How to Eat an Elephant, what focus groups are, why she does them, and she uncorks some fresh focus group content on-stage. Sarah will be back behind the mic next week.Watch, listen, and leave a comment.Would you like to see a Bulwark show recorded live and in person? Join Sarah and the gang Oc...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comJVL is joined by Alex Wagner to trace how four conservative power brokers built the legal machine that would reshape the Supreme Court decades later, and how that project helped create the politics we’re living with today. Plus, they break down Samuel Alito’s dissent in the Supreme Court’s mail-ballot ruling and Trump’s escalating fight over the Kennedy Center.Get The Steal by Alex Wagner, here.How to Eat An Elephant is here! Get your own copy tod...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comJoin George Conway, Andrew Egger and Catherine Rampell as they cover the protests at the Kennedy Center.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comBill Kristol talks with Nathaniel Zelinsky, the lead counsel challenging Trump’s efforts at the Kennedy Center, about the president’s demolition threats, the judge putting new limits on what the administration can do, and what happens if Trump simply refuses to obey a court order. Zelinsky explains why this fight over one building could become a much bigger test of the rule of law.A quick note: We want you to hear directly from the...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comIn Greenland, the Trump administration has got tech bros and hedge fund guys running an influence operation there. The aim may be to fulfill Trump's territorial ambitions—or to create a sovereign state run by CEOs. In Venezuela, the administration is imperialistically seizing its gold, oil and other assets with no oversight. And in Brazil, the White House is trying to bring the Bolsonaro family back to power—which may or may not have something to do with Elon being angry abou...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comSarah and JVL are together again and JVL is raging.* The president of the United States accused the Democratic party plotting to assassinate him and . . . everyone just pretends it didn’t happen.* Diesel prices are going to the moon.* Trump wants to demolish the Kennedy Center.* Joe Manchin came back from the grave to endorse Susan Collins.* And there’s a 90 percent chance that AI doesn’t kill everyone alive.It’s...

On this week’s episode, I’m rejoined by the one and only Chris McKenna who, alongside writing partner Erik Sommers, co-wrote the highest-grossing film of all time, domestically: Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He broke down the thought process that went into getting Peter Parker back together with his friends, the tricky negotiations between Marvel and Sony over who could use which characters and when, and posited some alternate futures about what the story could have looked like. On the episode, we also discussed Haunted Hotel, which comes back for season number two on October 9. Chris is an executive prod...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comSam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes to The Daily Wire’s bizarre new movie, Run Hide Fight: Infidels. They dig into the film’s deeply anti-Muslim premise, its portrayal of liberals, LGBTQ students and campus progressives, and the strange political fantasy at the center of the story.Will explains the chaotic plot and bizarre characters to Jonathan Majors’ surprisingly limited role, despite the over-sized marketing. Plus, they discuss the Daily Wire’s response to Will’s review and the wildest mo...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com Republicans are reeling, the vibes are shifting, and the wave is building. Jesse serves up a particularly optimistic view of the Democrats’ chances in the midterms, with even stretch districts now in play. And ahead of Saturday’s Ole Miss-LSU game, Wright shares how Mississippians are responding to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and says that conservative farmers in the state are turning on MAGA. Plus, the love of a father and Ole Miss football, some Magnolia Bowl lore, why...

Trump is threatening the future of the Kennedy Center if he doesn’t get the recognition he wants. Andrew Egger and George Conway give their takes on Trump’s push to put his name on the institution, his talk of demolishing the building, and the surreal image of Trump looking at a mock-up of the Kennedy Center in ruins.They also discuss the growing clash between the Trump administration and the courts, the administration’s conflicting claims about the Kennedy Center’s closure, and why the courts alone may not be enough to check presidential power. Plus, Conway explains why Cong...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comA quick note: Bulwark+ members make shows like the Trio possible, including the substantial workplace hazard of making Will Sommer investigate all these weirdos. Join today and help us keep Will where he belongs: several Chrome tabs deeper into the internet than any sane person should be.Tim Miller, Sam Stein and Will Sommer take on a bizarre collection of stories from MAGA and the Republican Party, including Milo Yiannopoulos’ messy divorce, a GO...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comGas prices are surging and this time, the outlook is getting even uglier. Tim Miller is joined by Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, to break down why oil prices are climbing, why diesel prices are hitting record levels, and why Americans could be facing $7 and $8 diesel this winter.De Haan explains how the escalating conflict in the Middle East, attacks on Russian refineries, tight diesel inventories, and refinery disruptions are squeezing the global fuel market. Forty-two states...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.com The Fed raised interest rates to curb inflation, as expected, but mortgage rates are surging and flailing Scott Bessent remains the treasury secretary. Meanwhile, the alarm raised in the AI community is not an op despite the backlash from people like Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who seems to get everything he wants from Donald Trump. Plus, the Europeans who once parked their gold in the US to hide it from the Nazis are now trying to protect it from Trump. ...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comMona Charen is joined by Sonny Bunch to talk about The Odyssey for the September edition of The Bulwark Book Club with viewers. Mona and Sonny read Emily Wilson’s translation–the first English translation by a woman–and discuss the differences between the epic poem and Christopher Nolan’s recent film adaptation.October Bulwark Book Club pick: Jon Grinsp…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comBen Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on the rapidly expanding Iran war, from attacks on U.S. military installations and disruptions to oil supplies to the growing conflict with the Houthis and the strain on American forces across the Middle East. They discuss the potential economic consequences, including the estimated $38 billi…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comSam Stein is joined by Chris Whipple, who wrote in Vanity Fair about the remarkable political transformation of J.D. Vance, from a young Trump critic at Yale Law School to Trump’s vice president and a potential MAGA successor. They dig into Vance’s behind-the-scenes efforts in 2016 to help Hillary Clinton defeat Trump and examine what drove his dramatic reversal. Was Vance always destined for MAGA, or did something change along the way?Plus, Chris shares what Susie Wiles told him...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comJVL's on the west coast for Sarah's book event, and he, Tim, and Andrew Egger discuss Mitch McConnell's triumphant (?) return to the Senate, Donald Trump casually floating conspiracy theories over the Butler, PA assassination attempt, and Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth. Then, they turn their attention to a New York Times poll with some GREAT news for Democrats in the midterms (with the exception of one issue: AI). They discuss the developments from the world of AI in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comTrump is raging at the Supreme Court after his own appointees helped block his administration’s mail-ballot rules, and George Conway joins Sam Stein to discuss the ruling, Trump’s extraordinary attack on the justices he picked, and what could come next as the midterms approach. Then things take a sharp turn as they watch Kash Patel try to explain one of the strangest—and grossest—FBI controversies you’re ever likely to hear discussed in a Senate hearing.Bulwark LI...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.thebulwark.comThe co-author of the signature book inside Trump 2.0 says the media only knows 5% of what is happening inside the administration—particularly when it comes to national security, the money-making, and the self-dealing. Jonathan does have new reporting about how the administration keeps pretending that our military is not running low on long-range missiles. In reality, the war is costing us a month's worth of Patriots almost every day. Plus: Stephen Miller has become the White House's resident kingmaker, why Trump is tu...