The Bulwark Podcast

Acting AG Tood Blanche announced over the weekend that basically everybody in America can use the expression "86 47" without fear of prosecution—except James Comey, who Trump yearns to see behind bars.  Also, POTUS is still so steamed that NATO is not helping him with the Iran war that he's ordered thousands of U.S. troops withdrawn from Germany—even though the bases there are key to the war effort. Plus, the ceasefire looks to be in trouble, the Dems need to cool it on the 'burn the witch' culture, and Trump's vanity public projects are becoming increasingly grotesque.
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes  :

Monday's "Morning Shots"

Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with David Baer

Tim's 'Bulwark Take' with Marc Elias on the SCOTUS VRA ruling

JVL on the risks of Fetterman flipping parties

Lauren on how some Dems want Chair Ken Martin to go

Mark Hertling on Trump pulling troops out of Germany

Eric Edelman on the troop drawdown

Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego on 5/20 and LA on 5/12: TheBulwark.com/Events

Fox News wouldn't shut up about Hunter and Burisma, but its viewers aren't likely to hear any criticism of Eric and Don Jr. raking it in through government contracts approved by the Trump administration. Unlike in Hunter's case, the U.S. government is paying millions of dollars to the president's sons. Plus, Trump is losing the information war on Iran, Bibi is oddly chummy with Putin—given his alliance with Israel's enemy Iran, the nation's debt is larger than our GDP, the governor of Louisiana is outright assaulting democracy, and Kinzinger explains why we need to celebrate heroes. Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes

Preorder Kinzinger's new children’s book, “That's What Heroes Do"

Kinzinger's Substack

FT story on the Trump sons/Kazakhistan company deal

WSJ story on Trump sons/drone company deal

Tim's playlist

Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego on 5/20 and LA on 5/12: TheBulwark.com/Events

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The bombshell voting rights ruling from the Supreme Court may have been years in the making, but Ossoff sees a tie-in to Trump's sore-loserdom and his inability to accept that black voters in Georgia were responsible for his 2020 defeat. And the senator expects a full-court press to get Alito and Thomas to retire so Trump can nominate MAGA fanatics to the court—and impose his most durable legacy on the country. Ossoff also discussed potential limits on aid to Israel, the geopolitical malpractice of the Iran war, and the brazen corruption of the Trump family’s overseas business deals. Plus, Luke Thomas explains the links between MMA and Trump world, the UFC’s key role in rehabilitating Trump after Jan 6, and the sportswashing behind the upcoming fights at the White House. Extra bonus: Tim weighs in on the Maine Senate race.
Sen. Jon Ossoff and Morning Kombat host Luke Thomas join Tim Miller.
show notes:

Ossoff's campaign website

Ossoff in 2024, explaining his vote for a resolution that would've blocked arms sales to Israel

Luke's "Morning Kombat"

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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At home, POTUS shows how much he wants to be like an Arab despot, plastering his mug all over the place and deploying the Justice Department to fatuously claim that Comey’s use of seashell art can rise to a crime. But on Iran, he seems to have backed off his promise of a short war, and he’s making pretty wimpy threats against the regime. Plus, Disney’s new CEO is standing by Kimmel, Barney Frank has a warning for Democrats, and recent polling data is not backing up the Dems’ midterms bullishness—even if voter sentiment is very bad for Trump and the Republicans.
John Heilemann joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Subscribe to The Bulwark's YouTube

John's "Impolitic" podcast

Tim’s livestream Wednesday at 8pm ET on Substack or YouTube

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

Acting AG Todd Blanche, who watched Pam Bondi get fired, knows exactly what his assignment is: Go after every political enemy Trump wants targeted, and charge them—even without evidence of a crime. At the FBI, officials under Kash have pursued dubious or phony leads while career agents are seething over what the director has done to the place. Plus, the podcastistan wars may be doing real harm to the MAGA movement, influencers in the Trump echo chamber are looking pretty lame in comparison to key right-wing figures who are breaking ranks with him, and the latest on post-overdose looksmaxxer Clavicular.
Will Sommer and Carol Leonnig join Tim Miller. 
show notes

Carol's latest reporting on the case of assassination suspect, Cole Allen

Carol's book about the Secret Service, "Zero Fail" and her latest, "Injustice"

Will's new "False Flag" on Clavicular

Will on a wild and unnecessary FBI raid

TNL's live pod from Tuesday

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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