The Bulwark Podcast

First, the Vatican chose a Bulwark pope, not an AR-15 loving, immigrant-hating pope. Then, in a major blow to Steve Bannon, Trump pulled his nominee for U.S. attorney in D.C.—forcing the avid TV watcher in the Oval Office to turn to Fox News for the 23rd time to help fill his administration—this time with Jeanine Pirro. And in the North Carolina Supreme Court race, the Stop the Steal candidate finally conceded to his Democratic opponent seven months late. Plus, Trump is acting like a Soviet central planner, the reconciliation bill fight is starting to look ugly, and the economy proves yet again that it does not lie. Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. Leave a comment show notes Tim's and JVL's 'Bulwark Take' on the new pope JVL's Triad on Pope Leo XIV Damon Linker's tweet about the elderly Fox viewer Linda McMahon's letter to Harvard Poster in Josh Hawley's dorm room Tim and Sam on Trump's fake trade deal with the UK Tim's playlist

Protest is the new brunch again. We're witnessing historic levels of pro-democracy grassroots engagement across a broad-based movement of everyday people. The leaders of Indivisible join Tim to discuss how the movement needs to stay focused on what it agrees on— no kings—and to save ideological disputes for another day. Plus, it also needs to get more young people involved. But it definitely should keep ignoring political consultants who tell Dems not to talk about immigration— because it turns out that the federal government kidnapping people off the street is not popular. Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg join Tim Miller. show notes Indivisible's "No Kings" protest day

The Supreme Court is working hard to tend to Mr. Presidential Immunity's wounds because he just can't abide lower federal court judges telling him he can't kick trans people out of the military, or that the 14th Amendment is a real thing. Meanwhile, Kristi Noem is defiling her own birthright citizenship by kidnapping people and sending them to a foreign gulag. Plus, how the Dems should fight the party that only wants to break things—and craft a better economic message that appeals to both moderates and progressives.  Rep. Greg Casar of Texas and Katie Phang join Tim Miller. show notes Katie's Substack NYT profile of Rep. Casar

Because Donald Trump's stupid trade embargo has us reading shipping charts, we now know that 40% of containership traffic between Asia and the U.S. has been canceled. That means a shortage of consumer goods, which will push prices higher. At the same time, the business environment is too unpredictable for companies to plan. Meanwhile, Trump is reorienting the American economy to a corrupt oligarchy—as he rakes in billions in bribes off his crypto. Plus, Hegseth wants to clear out a chunk of the top brass, U.S. attorney nominee Ed Martin forgot to say he's been on Russian-state media outlets more than 150 times, and the DNC absolutely should not be posting about Kamala at the Met Gala. JVL joins Tim Miller. show notes HuffPost on the trucking company buying Trump's crypto coin The NYT on Trump family business deals JVL on the Ashli Babbitt payout

Trump 2.0 is showing so little concern for his political standing that even Fox made primetime room for Karl Rove to vent about how he's failing at the fundamentals. Our aspiring Gaddafi doesn't care that tariffs aren't popular or that he sounds like Mr. Scrooge when he says kids should have fewer toys. And while belt-tightening is good enough for average Americans, he's throwing himself a giant, ostentatious military parade that will cost tens of millions of dollars. Plus, conservatives in the Anglosphere take another hit, this time down under—and thumbs-up for Maine Gov. Janet Mills, thumbs-down for Gretchen Whitmer.  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Today's "Morning Shots" Jonathan's recent newsletter on Gretchen Whitmer The Atlantic's recent interview with Trump (gifted)

Just imagine Fox's histrionics if a President AOC had said that American kids have too many dolls and that she's raising the price on them. Now the supposedly pro-family administration is doubling down on 'just pay more' for toys, while it waits for China to blink on tariffs—an unlikely event given that it makes a lot of the things the world needs and wants. Meanwhile, AI's economic threat may be here for recent college grads, Marc Andreessen has deep thoughts on VC, and the NIH (and future American Nobel Prizes) are being burned to own the libs. Plus, the Dems should zero in on how Trump is making America less affordable—and very much like 2020 again. show notes Derek's piece on the job market for recent college grads Derek's podcast, "Plain English" The book, "Abundance," by Derek and Ezra Klein Tim's playlist

Marco Rubio was supposed to be one of the only adults in the room, and now he's become a shell of himself executing Trump's unwinding of the US role in the world. Meanwhile, Pam Bondi just can't keep her blubbering sycophancy under wraps. Plus, Mike Waltz's ouster at NSA, our shakedown of Ukraine with a minerals deal, Trump's pettiness is getting lost in the firehose of his revenge, and even the president of El Salvador doubts the criminality of the people ICE is sending to CECOT.  Tom Nichols join Tim Miller. show notes Tim's interview with Rep. Chris Van Hollen NYT's recent story on the deportations to El Salvador (gift)  The link for tonight's AMA at 8pm ET

For 80 years, the United States built strong economic, military, and political alliances around the world. But in just 100 days, that trust has been dismantled, and our friends are now working without us to forge new relationships. Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken joins Tim to discuss how hard it will be to rebuild after what Trump has done—plus the Biden administration's response to the Gaza protests, and the continuing questions over why Biden did not step aside earlier. And, Alex Wagner joins from Hungary to discuss the mass protests there. Tony Blinken and Alex Wagner join Tim Miller. show notes Alex's "Trumpland" podcast Tim on Trump's ABC News interview

The markets may be hanging in there but they also held strong in early 2020—right up until Covid hit New York. Meanwhile, tariffs are driving consumer confidence down, firms are talking about cutting back on hiring and investments, and Goldman Sachs is predicting that the U.S. will have the highest inflation and lowest growth of any developed economy this year. Plus, Scott Bessent is not a calming influence, and Trump has a real 'War on Christmas' in the works. The Stalwart Joe Weisenthal joins Tim Miller.  show notes Joe and Tracy Alloway's newsletter on how the markets can get things wrong (gift) Recent 'Odd Lots' pod on the coming empty shelves & the War on Christmas Joe's Bluesky post on the War on Christmas

The Trump administration keeps showing it's sooo tough on immigration that it deported three U.S. citizen children, arrested the wife of a member of the Coast Guard because her visa expired, and perp-walked an allegedly immigrant-concealing Wisconsin judge in handcuffs—instead of showing her the kind of deference Trump received over the course of his four indictments. Plus, the wildly wealthy jackasses behind Trump, the missing cargo ships at the ports, and Scott Pelley at 60 Minutes shows how it's done. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim on Trump's bad polling numbers for his first 100 days Adrian on a focus group of Latino men in Arizona who are disappoined in Trump Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' interview with Ryan Goodman Semafor's piece, "The Group Chats that Changed America"

Since this country's founding, we have been tested. And the Americans before us somehow stood up and fought the good fight. We can't be the generation that loses it all 249 years into this experiment. But that doesn't mean we can't laugh about the stupid clowns—like Trump showing once again that he has no idea how tariffs work. Plus, RFK's dangerous proposed autism registry is selling a cruel fantasy. And Democrats need to lock down what they're selling and listen to what voters want from the government. Beto O'Rourke joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Beto's Substack Beto's "Powered by People" NY Post story on the Venezualan stylist, Andry, imprisoned in El Salvador Tim's interview with David Pakman about not traveling abroad Tim's book recommendation, "Diary of a Man in Despair" Tim's playlist

Donald Trump is trying to foist the worst peace deal in the last 100 years on Ukraine, as he gets repeatedly played by foreign leaders on the world stage. At home, he's turned JFK's "Ask not" upside down to 'Ask what you can do for Donald Trump.' But when will the cowardly law firms or CEOs groveling for a tariff exemption stand up for patriotism, our core constitutional values—and America's better vision of itself? Plus, Tim challenges an 11-year-old block from Twitter's golden era, and Booker shares diet & exercise tips. Sen. Cory Booker joins Tim Miller.

Trump may be brilliant at assaulting us with his daily distractions, but Democrats need to relentlessly target his corruption because that may be his weak spot. He is running the government in a pre-modern way—like it's his own personal piggy bank. And he has replaced rules-oriented bureaucrats with mostly incompetent loyalists who are only there to do his bidding. Meanwhile, Christianity could help heal the country's partisan polarization if it returns to the teachings of Jesus instead of the gospel of Donald Trump. Plus, the constant burden of having to fight the cognitive warfare and sensory overload coming out of the White House.  Brookings' Jonathan Rauch joins Tim Miller.joins Tim Miller.  show notes Jon's piece on Trump's patrimonialism Jon's predictions in 2022 about a Trump second term A Chris Murphy Senate floor speech on Trump's corruption Mark Hertling piece on the Russian and Ukrainian armies that Tim referenced Jon's new book, "Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy" Jon's book, "The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50" The opening scene of The Godfather

Trump and the people around him are trying to weaken our constitutional protections like due process. Because people see that the Abrego Garcia story is not about the man, but our rights, and because people keep protesting, the administration is getting rattled. We have to keep gumming up the works. Meanwhile, why aren't the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups howling while Trump single-handedly ruins our country's global economic status? Plus, our fully-grown SecDef is blaming the deep state for his troubles, even though they involve his wife, his brother, and his phone. And Dear Charleston: Please un-elect Nancy Mace. Michael Steele joins Tim Miller. show notes Support the Jesuit Refugee Service here More on the Harvard scientist being held in ICE detention

Republican senators could have insisted on someone who was even minimally competent to run our military, but because of their spinelessness, we've now got a SecDef who can't resist texting top secret war plans. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court shows it doesn't trust the Trump administration, and judges on lower federal courts have stopped believing what its lawyers say. Plus, Joe Perticone joins from Rome to discuss the passing of Pope Francis. And the uncanny relevance of the American revolutionaries' grievances against King George. Bill Kristol and Joe Perticone joins Tim Miller. show notes Ryan Holiday on the Naval Academy canceling his speech (gift) Prof. Manisha Sinha sharing an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence

Sen. Van Hollen showed that Congress actually does have agency, and a federal judge finally scorched the administration in crystal-clear language about how it's violating the essence of our constitutional republic. But the White House is just treating the whole Abrego Garcia affair like it's a joke. Meanwhile, Trump is elevating his own businesses over the nation's, and is quickly adopting the kleptocratic models of Russia and China—while overlooking the fact that the Chinese have maintained a functional and competent government. Plus, children all over the world are going to die because Elon wants our money to go to his companies, and Marco signaled that the big talker who promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours is ready to give up and walk away. Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Anne's recent piece, "Kleptocracy, Inc." The Atlantic on Trump ending lifesaving humanitarian aid JVL's Triad on the mindset of ICE agents Tim's playlist

The White House is doubling down on justifying its extra-judicial actions around Abrego Garcia by trying to incriminate him in the court of public opinion. But the government still can't pluck people off an American street and send them to a concentration camp without due process. Plus, Judge Boasberg is not letting Stephen Miller off the hook for defying his order to turn the Salvadoran-bound planes around. And while the administration tries to stir up outrage about one immigrant's marital problems, they admiringly describe the evil, blood-thirsty Vladimir Putin as a good guy. Ben Wittes joins Tim Miller. show notes CNBC on Chris Krebs leaving his company after being targeted by Trump Boasberg's probable cause finding to hold the goverment in criminal contempt Tim's 2019 Bulwark piece that he referenced  Support Lawfare

Manufacturing orders are down, stocks are down, and mortgage rates are up. But Trump and his family are wealthier than they've ever been. He's got his Ponzi-like crypto scheme, his meme coin, and a boatload of big money types showing up at Mar-a-Lago trying to curry favors from him for some cold, hard cash. Meanwhile, Trump is play-acting like he has a strong hand, but he's begging China to make a deal. Plus, the administration is defunding science and our world-renowned medical centers to buy crypto. And the Abrego Garcia kidnapping and imprisonment has touched a nerve in surprising ways. Stephanie Ruhle joins Tim Miller. show notes Chuck Grassley getting grilled at town hall over Abrego Garcia WSJ story on Elon's 'legion of babies,' and their mothers (behind firewall) Mediaite summary of WSJ piece Bluesky post on the fake gold medallions in the Oval Office Bloomberg on United Airlines having two profit scenarios because of the trade war (gifted) *The Bulwark Podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp

Trump & company want to turn us into Taiwan circa 1985. But the brilliant minds behind the idea of intentionally weakening the dollar are prioritizing making America a good place to manufacture rather than a good place to live. If the administration stays on this track, this country will have lower incomes, higher inflation, and weaker buying power—and more expensive beer and tomatoes. Maybe we were better off with Jared there. Meanwhile, in the Rust Belt, some Dems are arguing for a smarter version of tariffs. Plus, Abrego Garcia's union brothers want him home and Trump wants to fight with Harvard. Rep. Chris Deluzio and Josh Barro join Tim Miller. show notes Rep. Deluzio's NYT piece arguing for smarter tariffs Josh's NYT piece on how Trump is giving Dems a gift with his tariffs

We are here: Trump is openly defying the Supreme Court while sitting side-by-side with a Latin American strongman who openly mocked our judicial system from inside the Oval Office. Trump so badly wants his one-man rule and Republicans keep helping him, while corporate America keeps trying to get on his good side. Meanwhile, the intimidation is chilling free speech on college campuses and within immigrant communities.  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes JVL's emergency Triad from Sunday JVL's latest Triad The latest Focus Group on the fighting mood among Dem voters 

Trump has effectively imposed a trade embargo on China, which means that after the inventory runs out, American retail will soon dry up. Since Europeans are already bypassing U.S. military contractors to beef up their defense spending —El Salvador is our only ally now— Trump is likely to do something desperate, like firing the Fed chair or seizing Greenland. American presidents decades from now will still be cleaning up what Trump did to this country in 2025. David Frum breaks down the insanity and stupidity of the vision behind the tariffs regime as well as the deep feelings of betrayal in Canada. If globalism means peace, prosperity, and commerce, then let's be globalists.  David Frum joins guest host Jonathan V. Last for the weekend pod. show notes David's new Atlantic podcast David on screw manufacturing and the absurdity of Trump's tariffs David on how the tariffs will make smuggling great again Tim's playlist

Just before he paused the tariffs on Wednesday, an unusual spike in activity on the S&P 500 prompted speculation that Trump was orchestrating an insider trading scheme. After the markets closed, he joked with *the* Charles Schwab about how the financier had made $2.5 billion in trades that day. Meanwhile, Trump ordered the DOJ to investigate two former officials he regards as enemies—this comes on the heels of his efforts to intimidate law firms from taking on clients who oppose him. Plus, Trump's long obsession with white South Africans, and do Democrats listen too much to grassroots activist groups? Andrew Weissmann and Patrick Gaspard join Tim Miller. show notes Andrew's Substack Rep. Steve Horsford questioning whether the tariff pause was market manipulation

The White House is pumping out a lot of happy talk about countries wanting to make deals over the tariffs, but the tumult Trump has created has spread to the bond market. And that may be a sign that he has people so spooked about the U.S. economy that our treasuries are no longer seen as a safe bet. Meanwhile, China has a lot of leverage here and may be using it.  Plus, the Democrats' candidate recruiter for the midterms, Colorado's Jason Crow, discusses how to win back working class voters.  Catherine Rampell and Rep. Jason Crow join Tim Miller. show notes Catherine's column, "Who will tell Trump he's naked?" Catherine's column on the Senate GOP tax plan NYT profile of Jason Crow 

When it comes to biomedical research, America is already great. We are the world's leader in the field. But the Trump administration is gutting research and innovation on things like cancer, Alzheimer's, and arthritis—and the amputation of our scientific expertise under RFK, Jr. has been about as thoughtful as the tariffs rollout. Meanwhile, when it comes to the developing budget bill, Medicaid is getting some surprising red state support from people like Josh Hawley. Plus, when people willfully choose ignorance as a way to cope with an uncertain world. Professor Mark Lilla and The Bulwark's Jonathan Cohn join Tim Miller.  show notes Mark Lilla's new book, "Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know" Mark's website Jonathan on Trump's cuts at child-care programs like Head Start

Part of the reason for the market bloodbath is because the finance wizzes didn't factor in that Trump would actually do the truly moronic thing he kept saying he would. Their shock over his recklessness is intensifying the crash. Meanwhile, a trio of administration fools trying to defend the tariffs—Lutnick, Bessent, and Hassett—showed there is no grand design to the trade war, White House infighting is getting hot enough that even Elon is subtweeting Trump, and the folks we elected over on the Hill could actually do something to try to stop the market carnage. Plus, new reporting on our government's kidnapping of migrants, Republicans in North Carolina are trying to steal a supreme court seat, and where is JD Vance? Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes JVL on the end of the American Age  Lauren on the backlash against Dems in major law firms who are bending the knee  60 Minutes segment on migrants sent to the Salvadoran penal colony  Tim's 'Bulwark Take' responding to the 60 Minutes report  Tim talking with AEI's Stan Veuger about Trump's terrible tariff math The book, "The Captive Mind" by Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz 

It's been great to live in America since World War II, but Trump is in the process of blowing up that whole order. Even Canada is looking to lead a new alliance, because how can other countries trust us after voters put the stupidest convicted American back in charge? And never forget that Russia is not on the tariff list—despite the fact that the US does more trade with Russia than a number of other countries on the list. Meanwhile, Trump opted to head to a golf tournament instead of attending the dignified return of the four dead servicemen who were killed in Lithuania. Plus, 9/11 truther Laura Loomer is running the National Security Council and we're still bombing the Houthis. Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Video of Lithuanians paying homage to the four American soldiers who died in a training accident Tim's playlist

The market plunge is just pure Trump chaos, and perfectly matches his record as a businessman. From his numerous bankruptcies and many failures—including his airline, his casinos, his university, his water, and his steaks—he's been running one long con. And the supposedly smart people who should have known better put him back in power, somehow thinking he would never do something like destroy global trade. Meanwhile, in Michigan, where there have already been job losses directly caused by Trump's tariff war, State Senator Mallory McMorrow announced she's running for the U.S. Senate—saying she's had enough of the leadership and the bullshit in DC. Bloomberg's Tracy Alloway and Mallory McMorrow join Tim Miller. show notes  Tracy's Bloomberg podcast, "Odd Lots" Mallory McMorrow's Instagram Mallory's new book, “HATE WON'T WIN: Find Your Power and Leave This Place Better Than We Found It.” 

Musk was so high on his own supply that he thought he and his money were magic—but Wisconsin voters turned out in droves to prove to him just how toxic his brand and DOGE are. Meanwhile, the Dem base is looking highly engaged as they keep showing up for special elections in numbers Republicans used to deliver in off-cycle races. Plus, Cory Booker's epic filibuster, Mike Johnson gets owned by moms, and China will fill all the vacuums Trump is creating in science, foreign aid, and trade. Sam Stein joins Tim Miller.

The administration admits it mistakenly sent a Maryland father with protected status to the Salvadoran penal colony—but at the same time, it says the federal courts have no jurisdiction over him because he is now in a foreign country. If some of us have no due process, that opens the door to none of us having due process. Meanwhile, Trump's administration seems hellbent on destroying the U.S.-led world order, Marco Rubio is acting very un-American, and we actually do have long-standing protocols for how a president's national security team should discuss a military strike. Plus, Mother Jones reporters show the absurdity of ICE's assertions about migrant gang membership. Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, along with Noah Lanard and Isabela Dias, join Tim Miller. show notes Atlantic piece on the Maryland father sent to El Salvador Tim's Bulwark Take on ICE's 'mistaken' deportation Mother Jones on the shoddy tattoo evidence being used to disappear migrants

If Joe Rogan is the voice in the wilderness on the disappearing of migrants to El Salvador, then the Democratic leadership really needs to rethink its cautiousness. Meanwhile, the Bluffer-in-Chief is musing about a third term and Elon seems to be skirting the law in Wisconsin over an election he claims will determine the fate of civilization. Plus, the tariffs threats are rattling the markets, Trump's gullibility with Putin is coming through loud and clear, and why does JD hate Europe so much?  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes The Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial on Boston Common Official trailer for the film, Glory Texas Democrat Veronica Escobar on the deportations to El Salvador Elon in a cheesehead *Secure your privacy with Surfshark! Go to surfshark.com/thebulwark for 4 extra months of Surfshark.

Trump is siccing the thought police on the Smithsonian, he's got an FBI task force set up to protect Elon's car company, and he's turning random tattoos into gang insignia—unless they're on Pete Hegseth. Meanwhile, Greenlanders did not come to play, Elise Stefanik gets benched, the DOJ won't do its real job, and next week's elections are making Republicans nervous. Plus, courage is contagious—make them come after everybody. Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes "Hands Off" demonstrations on April 5 Protect Democracy's "If You Can Keep It" newsletter Tim and JVL on JD and Usha Vance's Greenland trip MTG lashing out at a British reporter Tim's playlist

Trump so far is not delivering on his promised spike in deportations, but he is creating a permission structure where we lock up people without due process in a foreign gulag—and where masked, plainclothes officers in unmarked cars can grab an international student off the street because of her speech. Meanwhile, a Rolex-wearing Kristi Noem is shooting videos in front of people we've turned into hostages, the mainstream media is struggling to respond to the moment, we can't count on judges siding with the Constitution, Republicans refuse to be honest, and far too much of the public is not paying attention.  Jon Lovett joins Tim Miller. show notes FDR's "Rendevous with Destiny" speech

No matter how hard Republicans try to spin the sharing of top secret military attack plans on an insecure app, the colossal f***up of an administration that claimed it was rooting out incompetence is plain on its face. And while Jeffrey Goldberg told Tim Tuesday that he was mulling over releasing the Signal messages, he went ahead and did so after the administration accused him of lying and sneaking into the Signal group chat. Plus, Russia pretends to agree to a cease-fire, Breitbart kind of grows up, and a new book examines Capitol Hill's craziness—including Trump's control of the House GOP, Nancy Mace's delusions of grandeur, and Schumer's infinite faith in the Republican Party of old. Michael Weiss, Ben Smith, and Annie Karni join Tim Miller. show notes Annie's new book, "Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress" Ben's pod, "Mixed Signals" More on Tulsi's Vatican trip paid by a Belgian businessman with ties to the Kremlin Ben's interview with Megyn Kelly at Semafor Events Phillips O'Brien's Substack piece on the “Black Sea Ceasefire” 

Senior members of Trump's Cabinet got caught sharing attack plans—down to details of who they were planning to kill, and with what kind of weapons, while also wishing Godspeed to our soldiers—and now they'll say anything to get out of the jam they put themselves in. Also, JD Vance openly questioned the judgement of the president in front of those very senior Cabinet members. Meanwhile, vengeance has long been a defining feature of Trump, but the habits of his heart have also infected his supporters. And they've become a moral freak show cheering on deportations of families and starving Africans. Jeff Goldberg and Pete Wehner join Tim Miller. show notes Jeff's original scoop on getting texted war plans (gifted) Pete's piece on Trump's insatiable appetite for revenge Trump's 1992 interview with Charlie Rose

Bill Kristol joined Tim Saturday in Arizona to rip the atrocious behavior of our government—depriving even lawful Venezuelan migrants of due process, and shipping them off to a mega-prison in San Salvador where they may be being tortured. Any Democratic politician failing to speak out on this is wrong politically, morally, and ethically. Meanwhile, the DOJ is gearing up to charge Tesla vandals with domestic terrorism and Trump sent a Putin fanboy and very useful idiot, Steve Witkoff, to negotiate over Ukraine. Plus, AOC, Bernie, and Bill 2003 vs. Bill 2025. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Time magazine piece on the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador Sam talking with Lindsay Toczylowski, who represents Andrys, the gay barber and Salvadoran prisoner Photos of Andrys as a barber/makeup artist Call your Democratic senator: 202-224-3121. Immigrant Defenders Law Center The immigrants' rights division of the ACLU

Trump loves to complain about the deep state while Elon claims he's rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse with all his mass firings. But DOGE should be looking higher up the food chain to target the graft: for example, the South African immigrant whose car company would not have gotten off the ground without the taxpayer money he still collects. In contrast, government workers are mainly mission-driven and they're not in it for the money. Michael's new collection of essays takes a look at some of the characters who populate our federal workforce, including people performing small miracles without fame and glory. Plus, the risk of Trump politicizing economic data and his plan to destroy whatever trust people still have in the government. Michael Lewis—and Sarah Vowell, who profiled a record keeper at the National Archives for the new book—join Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes The new book, "Who Is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service" Tim's "Bulwark Takes" on some of the men taken taken to the El Salvador prison camp Adrian's "Huddled Masses" newsletter on ICE deportations based on tattoos George Conway emergency pod on the Paul Weiss law firm caving to Trump Michael's book, "Losers: The Road to Everyplace but the White House" Tim's playlist

Trump is a vessel for frustration over the status quo, but he is not a vehicle for a solution—since he has no idea about how to make things better for anyone besides himself. He's made clear that his personal interests come before the country's, and he's willing to trade away the superpowers that made America the globe's Dream Team. The Democrats need to seize the moment to argue for a smarter, more humane way to do efficiency. Plus, the Maryland governor shares his disgust over DOGE's disrespect of veterans and discusses his commitment to elevating boys and men. Gov. Wes Moore joins Tim Miller. show notes Richard Reeves on Moore's commitment to help boys and men New York magazine on David Shor's 2024 election data 

The Art of the Deal guy gave a master class on how to get worked over by Putin: First, wait around for an hour like an obedient puppy only to have your ceasefire proposal summarily rejected. Then, watch the Kremlin issue a statement that flatly contradicts your claims of what transpired during a phone call on Ukraine. Will there ever be a point when Putin embarrasses Trump so much that he has to defend his manhood? Plus, the possible interpretations of John Roberts's rebuke of Trump, and the administration's sacrifice of even more U.S. power—by silencing the Voice of America. Ben Wittes joins Tim Miller. show notes Ben's Lawfare piece on Trump destroying the Voice of America Tim's and Sam's interview with Tim Mak on the Trump-Putin phone call NYT story on the possibly deleted data on kidnapped Ukrainian children (gifted)

The fastest growing demographic class in America is billionaires—we've gone from 500 to 2,500 in the past 10 years. And they know the cheapest, easiest way to get richer: Give a million bucks to Mr. Pay-to-Play in the Oval Office. Meanwhile, maybe just maybe POTUS's confidant in Moscow deposited some cash in his Swiss bank account AKA TrumpCoin, and that's why he is working so hard to get Ukraine to surrender. Also, Dems really need to focus on one or two issues to counter Trump's flood the zone strategy: like the threat to Social Security or questioning why Elon is not applying DOGE to his own Tesla subsidies. Plus, young men are the most anxious, depressed, and obese generation in history and we've really got to help them.  Jessie Tarlov and Scott Galloway join Tim Miller. show notes Raging Moderates podcast

Trump is taking liberties with our country's role in the world as a land of hope and opportunity by summarily locking up and deporting law-abiding immigrants—including people with legitimate asylum claims, people here on proper visas, and people with minor errors in their paperwork. And it's all being done with intentional cruelty to convey the message: Don't even think of coming to Fortress America. Meanwhile, his tone-deaf billionaire treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, is mocking Americans for wanting cheap TVs. Plus, Schumer postpones his book tour as Democrats look elsewhere for a fighter, and Trump throws a late-night tantrum about Biden's pardons. show notes: White House sizzle reel of immigrants being sent to penal colony in El Salvador Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' conversation with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick

Trump & company aren't even attempting to create a pretext for why they're punishing the free speech of political opponents. They are basically confessing in writing to violating the First Amendment. At the same time, the administration claims it's throwing a Hamas supporter out of the country in the name of fighting antisemitism—while giving jobs to the 'right kind' of antisemites. Plus, MAGA turns on Amy Coney Barrett, Trump sees Canada as 'our Ukraine,' and we're looking at a party that is governing like it will never give up power. David French joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes David's column on Trump's attack on the First Amendment (gifted) Post that David referenced that was retweeted by Jessica Riedl Tim's playlist

Democrats are stuck with two terrible options: Either facilitating a government shutdown or allowing Republicans to pass a spending bill that would defund D.C.'s police and schools. Meanwhile, CEOs are getting rattled by Trump's tariff and trade-war chaos, a 'Hispanic Hibernation' is leading to job loss, and Marco Rubio is turning Hamas supporter Mahmoud Khalil into a martyr—as the campus free speech warriors go missing. Plus, California congressman Jimmy Gomez joins Tim to discuss how Dems need to finesse their 'relatable' skills, and man up against the billionaire establishment.  Sam Stein and Rep. Jimmy Gomez joins Tim Miller. show notes Morning Shots on Puma cutting jobs because of a 'Hispanic Hibernation' The Bulwark's tip line Mona on the Mahmoud Khalil case

Putin has been named a war criminal because of the Russian way of war in Ukraine—bombing Kyiv and other cities, attacking civilians and first aid workers, and destroying infrastructure. The administration's pause on aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine made the US complicit in those crimes. Meanwhile, Trump does not have any leverage to force Russia to comply with the proposed cease-fire. Plus, the escalating trade war with the EU harms our national security, our allies' hesitancy to share intelligence because of Tulsi, and the South African DOGE bro's laughably absurd attack on Mark Kelly. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling joins Tim Miller. show notes Hertling's Bulwark piece on the damage of Trump's pause on aid and intel sharing with Ukraine Hertling's Bulwark piece on a frozen conflict in Ukraine Andrew's interview with Sen. Mark Kelly

To find out what's really going on in Trumpistan, the AP is out and random lifestyle Instagrammers and MAGA conspiracy posters are in. Meanwhile, hothead Dan Bongino couldn't join the FBI until he fulfills his commitments to his podcast advertisers, Seb Gorka—the new counterterrorism chief—is a prank caller, and RFK Jr. resurfaced to ordain beef tallow fries a healthy food choice. Plus, did Elon go to Trump with tears in his eyes, and ask, "Sir, will you buy one of my cars?" The Bulwark's new Senior Reporter Will Sommer joins Tim Miller. show notes Ben Dreyfuss tribute to Kevin Drum Tim's 2024 interview with Julie K. Brown about Jeffrey Epstein Bloomberg story on Don Jr's plans to monetize MAGA (gifted) New International Version of Proverbs 1:33

This time around, Trump has dispensed with the ribbon-cutting side of being president—he's just not giving average Americans anything to feel good about. Instead, his administration is defunding the police, freeing criminals, and welcoming home the alleged sexual predator Tate brothers. Meanwhile, Trump is also shrugging off the economic news even as Maria Bartiromo is raising the threat of a recession. Plus, our allies and trading partners are infuriated, and we've officially become one of the bad guys in Ukraine. S.E. Cupp joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim joined Bill for the "Bulwark on Sunday" "Bulwark Takes" on Apple Podcasts The Noah Smith piece Tim referenced

They end up sounding ridiculous whenever they try—like the treasury secretary saying that access to cheap goods is not part of the American dream. At the same time, Trump's circle of plutocrats don't seem to mind that the stock market is tanking. And while the administration is cutting Ukraine off from US intelligence to serve up an unjust peace, the Pentagon is on a CTRL-F "gay" delete rampage. Plus, Dems need to skip the kooky TikToks, and the SpaceX rocket explosion was only one part of Elon's very bad day.  Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Tom's piece about Dems acting too normal (gifted) Tim's interview with a reporter in Ukraine Clip from French senator's speech calling out Trump and Elon MAGA hat guy thinking he's gone into the lion's den at Disney World Debris from the latest SpaceX rocket explosion reentering the atmosphere over the Bahamas Tim's playlist