The Bulwark Podcast

Because Donald Trump has so thoroughly hijacked the Department of Justice, the public can no longer be confident that a criminal investigation or indictment is legitimate. The default assumption is that official DOJ actions are about servicing Trump's needs for validation, power, or retribution—like the latest seashell-related charges against Comey. Acting AG Todd Blanche acts like a mobster, wears his partisanship on his sleeve, and appears to be breaking the law himself. And at the FBI, Kash Patel presides over a smaller and demoralized and distracted staff, which leaves Comey worried for the safety of our country. Plus, the prospects for accountability post-Trump and the stepped-up investigations into journalists reporting news the administration does not like.
James Comey joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Comey's new thriller, "Red Verdict"

Just announced: San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and our own MAGA culture expert, Will Sommer, will join the gang on stage at Bulwark Live: San Diego on May 20. And on May 21 at Bulwark Live: LA our friends Jane Coaston, Jon Favreau, Erin Ryan from Crooked Media, The Ringer’s Van Lathan and progressive commentator Brian Tyler Cohen will join Sarah, Tim and Sam on stage. Grab your seats today at TheBulwark.com/Events

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Instead of doing the job Americans have been paying Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for—like trying to alleviate the high price of gas and air travel—he's been shirking his responsibilities on a seven-month-long family road trip paid for by industry lobbyists. And of course, Trump is also being looked after: His ghastly, 22-foot golden sculpture was unveiled, and Republicans promised a billion taxpayer dollars for what was supposed to be a donor-funded ballroom. POTUS needs a little bit of a psychological boost after his apparent defeat in Iran. Plus, Ukraine is gaining ground and Putin sounds like he's winding his war down, Trump has basically ended the post-WWII order, and Tennessee's redistricting was pure racial gerrymandering.
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Monday's "Morning Shots"

Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday"

Cathy on Putin's pathetic parade

Politico's Jonathan Martin on Trump's redistricting

Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego on 5/20 and in LA on 5/21: TheBulwark.com/Events

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Tennessee just completely disenfranchised its black voters after the Supreme Court gave red states the green light to rig the midterms by redistricting black majority districts out of existence—as long as lawmakers pretend they don’t see color when they’re doing it. And while partisan gerrymandering is A-OK with Alito & co., it apparently is not alright for Democratic voters in Virginia to do anything like that to Republicans. Sure sounds like the free speech rules of the Trump administration, where people are free to say what Republicans want said. Plus, the burning rage in the Democratic base, the male doomer industry is selling a bill of goods, and Trump’s very Victorian underestimation of Iran’s ability to fight back.
The Atlantic's Adam Serwer joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes

Adam's response to the Voting Rights Act ruling

JVL on the prospects of Platner in 2028

Tim's playlist

Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego on 5/20 and in LA on 5/21: TheBulwark.com/Events

Trump's corruption is so astonishing, extensive, and overwhelming that most people can't keep up with all the ways he's profiting off his presidency every single day. Isaac examined the reporting on the First Family's self-dealing in Trump's second term, and he's compiled the most exhaustive accounting of it so far. Just two examples: Trump's sons are doing business with a criminal syndicate that stole billions from Americans; and Trump last year branded a cellphone, had it certified by the FCC, and never delivered them to buyers who paid $100 for the device. The Dems are not doing nearly enough to highlight Trump's corruption. Plus, Saudi-paid Jared really needs to testify before Congress, the value of a news source that breaks our algorithmic siloes, and the risk of the Iran war just fading into the background.
Tangle News' Issac Saul joins Tim Miller. 
show notes

Isaac's compilation of the Trump family's self-dealing

Mona's piece on Trump's corruption

Isaac on "This American Life"

Tangle's home page

Just announced! We'll have some chatty friends joining us on stage for Bulwark Live: LA on May 21. For details and to grab your seats head to TheBulwark.com/Events

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The regime in Tehran is not as fractured as is commonly portrayed, and it is also pragmatic enough to see the economic opportunities that would follow from a deal with an eager-to-please-the-markets Donald Trump. But the contours of a potential agreement look like a win for Iran—not for the U.S., which has spent billions a day, lost military personnel and assets, and handed Iran new-found leverage over the global economy. Also, in this season of commencement, Jodi has advice for new college grads on how to navigate the tough employment market and a digitized hiring process. Plus, the Supreme Court's embrace of the shadow docket and John Roberts' pivotal role in the shift, what it's like to listen to Harvey Weinstein mansplain, moneyed Iranians apocalypsemaxxing, and examining Zionism through the prism of the nationalism movement at the time of Israel's founding.
The Times’s Jodi Kantor and The Atlantic’s Arash Azizi join Tim Miller. 
show notes

Arash on Iran mostly wanting a deal

Jodi's new book, "How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work"

Arash's book, "What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom"

Arash on Zionism and the nationalism movement

Jodi and Adam Liptak on the birth of the shadow docket at SCOTUS

Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego on 5/20 and in LA on 5/21: TheBulwark.com/Events

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