Bulwark Takes

Former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman joined Bill Kristol live for Bulwark on Sunday to discuss the latest on Ukraine, how Putin is playing Trump and how NATO is preparing. Join us next Sunday on Substack for the next episode.

Tim Miller REACTS to another DOGE mistake. They fired nuclear staff without really knowing what they did, and then tried to rehire them. Outrageous!

Sarah and Sam break down Mitch McConnell's decision to vote against Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, and RFK Jr. despite his history of enabling Donald Trump.

 Lawfare’s Ben Wittes joined JVL to talk if the courts can really stop Trump, how impeachment is essentially dead and more. 

Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell discuss JD Vance’s Munich meltdown—where he attacked U.S. allies, ignored Russia, and cozied up to authoritarians. Plus, the DOJ scandal that could shake the country—thanks to Barb McQuade’s revelation.

Tim Miller and John Avlon join forces to talk about Trump and Elon's growing relationship, Susie Wiles having to deal with them, and much more.

Ben Parker is joined by retired United States Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling to discuss the impacts and success USAID has had around the world, and the repercussions of withdrawing that much needed aid. Also, as Donald Trump meets with Vladimir Putin and Pete Hegseth meets with NATO leaders, where will Ukraine stand as the war continues and America’s support is pulled back? 

Read More in The Bulwark: 
How USAID Helped Us Defeat the Iraqi Insurgency 

Team Trump Promises ‘Shock and Awe.’ Do They Know What That Means?

Sam Stein is joined by Ryan Goodman, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Just Security, to discuss the resignations at the Southern District of New York as charges against Mayor Eric Adams are to be dropped.

Tim Miller discusses the WSJ Editorial Board calling out Donald Trump's rising inflation with "Trumponomics" as it appears he has no understand how money and economics work at all.

Tim joined Vibe Check to chat with Sam and Zach about normal gays” for Trump, and why the Democratic party has seemingly not pushed back against Trump’s latest political moves.

Subscribe here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6opdmdnDLOwgOcK1LX7VuG

And watch more from the Vibe Check crew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A-ZXkIy58U

Sam Stein and Bill Kristol discuss the meeting between Trump and Putin. Agreeing to visit each other's countries, how they will stop the war and much more.

Sam Stein and Tim Miller talk Donald Trump's broken promise to lower inflation on day one, as inflation rises 3% and consumer prices 0.5% amidst Trump's proposed policies.

Tim Miller breaks down the whistleblower report alleging Kash Patel’s involvement in firings at the FBI, which contradicts his testimony at his confirmation hearing that he was not aware of any terminations associated with investigations.

Sam Stein is surprised after the AP is banned from an Oval Office event after it refused to use The Gulf of America. Trump and Musk also had an awkward press conference where Trump said he will make sure there is no conflict of interest with Elon Musk and DOGE.

Tim Miller talks the breaking news that Steve Bannon pleaded guilty for defrauding border wall donors, as MAGA loyalist Mo Brooks calls him out, saying, "I prefer listening to honest people."

Tim Miller and Sam Stein discuss NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption cases being dismissed after getting friendly with Donald Trump.

Sam Stein is joined by Ryan Goodman, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Just Security, to discuss JD Vance’s assertion that executive power could overrule a judge’s decision.

JVL and Hannah Yoest talk Tesla design and more. JVL goes into the recent decline in Telsa sale worldwide. How Tesla is resale values are terrible. How Trump voters like Tesla but would never buy an EV.

Tim Miller recaps MAGA's reaction to Pulitzer Prize winner Kendrick Lamar's halftime show, whining about DEI and "wokeness" in music, sports, and commercials.

Tim Miller is joined by Jeremiah Johnson to discuss Vice President JD Vance defending the re-hiring of racist DOGE employee, while supporting the firing of thousands of federal workers as Elon Musk’s team continues to take over government departments.

Follow Jeremiah Johnson on Substack:
https://substack.com/@jeremiahjohnson

Tim Miller appeared on MSNBC with Alex Witt and Shelby Talcott. They discussed this weeks mayhem in the Trump administration, from Bondi, Project 2025, Elon Musks "Move fast and break things" technique and much more.

Sam Stein is joined by Congressman Maxwell Frost to discuss Democrats’ denied entry to the Department of Education as DOGE targets their next department takeover.

Sarah Longwell and Sam Stein go off on JD Vance and Elon Musk after they defend the racist DOGE employee who was removed.

Sam Stein is joined by Josh Gerstein, Senior Legal Affairs Reporter at Politico, to talk about the last minute legal efforts to stop Donald Trump and Elon Musk from dismantling USAID.

Sam Stein goes over some of the effects of the funding freeze implemented by Elon Musk and DOGE. Pain is felt throughout USAID, PEPFAR and from Virginia to South Africa.

Tipline: thebulwark.com/tips

Tim Miller reacts to the WSJ article about the firing of the first Trump employee Marko Elez. Marko has some pretty horrendous posts on his social media.

Sam Stein and JVL talk about Elon Musk and his DOGE team losing favor with the electorate. Does MAGA like Elon or not? Is DOGE overstepping and will Elon become the scapegoat of the Trump administration?

Adrian Carrasquillo deep dives into MAGA world's plans to create narratives around mass deportations with a gilded frame to control the public perception of Donald Trump's extreme executive order. 

Read more in Adrian's newsletter Huddled Masses, Inside Trump World’s Plans To Gloss Up Mass Deportations

Sam Stein and Tim Miller discuss Donald Trump's press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu where he said he wants the US to take over Gaza Strip.

Sam Stein and Huffington Post senior reporter Arthur Delaney discuss the funding freeze one week on and all the confusion.

Tim Miller and JVL recap on the stock markets not having the projected fall with Donald Trump's tariff plans, revealing the market stability saw through Trump's bluff.

Read JVL's The Triad:
Follow the Money: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/follow-the-money-trump-musk-market-reaction-tariffs-canada-mexico-nyse-dow-sp500-treasury
Vox Pecunia, Vox Dei: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/vox-pecunia-vox-dei

Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling joins Ben Parker to discuss how Trump’s extreme plan to send migrants to Guantanamo Bay would be both immensely expensive and enormously inhumane.

Sam Stein, Mona Charen, and Joe Perticone talk RFK Jr.'s approval vote in the senate committee making him one step closer to becoming HHS Secretary, and the dangers that Sen. Cassidy, who ultimately voted yes, laid out with RFK's continued misinformation on public health.

Sam Stein is joined by Alex Ward, National Security Reporter for the Wall Street Journal, to discuss what happened today at USAID, how Elon Musk and his team took over, and with Marco Rubio appointed acting administrator, what happens from here.

We received tons of emails from federal workers and many who are affected by the mass confusion created by Elon Musk's initiatives at government agencies. Sam Stein shares insights from viewers and the importance of transparency as government workers continue to sift through chaos.

For any information or insight, submit tips to https://thebulwark.com/tips