Podcast appearances and mentions of Bill Kristol

Crime is down in D.C., but Trump is using the pretext of an attempted carjacking of "Big Balls," the former 19-year-old DOGE employee, to take over the city's police department and deploy the National Guard. It's a threat to other blue cities, and an ominous sign ahead of 2026 and 2028. Meanwhile, the DOJ has appointed 'a special attorney' and empaneled grand juries to investigate Trump enemies Adam Schiff and Tish James. Plus, it's odd how JD never seems to defend Trump on Epstein, and Putin has already scored a psychological victory by the promise of being welcomed to the United States as an equal—rather than the war criminal he is. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Cathy's piece on the upcoming Alaska summit Bill in "Morning Shots" on how Vance keeps drawing attention to the Epstein matter

Bill Kristol fills in for JVL during this extra super secret edition of the Secret Podcast. Trump's economy is cracking under its own weight—grocery prices, tariffs, and a sputtering job market are chipping away at his support. Could these numbers spell trouble for 2026?

The boss only wants to hear good news: that's the takeaway from Trump's high-profile firing over the weak job numbers. So if a government worker has something bad to report, they now know they'll have to lie to keep their jobs. And this isn't only about key information on the economy—it's also about hurricane forecasts, intel threats, and potential military mishaps. Meanwhile, the Texas redistricting stand-off is fraying the fabric of our democracy. Plus, Fox's own producers think Jeanine Pirro is a reckless maniac, direction from the top was the only way Ghislaine Maxwell could have been moved to a 'Club Fed' prison, and Democrats debate how much to work with Republicans who don't keep their word. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Today's 'Morning Shots' The 'Bulwark Takes' Apple feed Tim on 'Pod Save America' on Friday Some of the victims' testimony from Maxwell's trial Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Friday, August 1, and reports on President Trump's trade war entering a new phase and his firing of the Commissioner of Labor Statistics after the latest report fell far short of expectations. Melber also covers Kamala Harris' first major interview since the election and renewed scrutiny over Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Plus, hip hop duo Clipse join the show, along with Bill Kristol, Margaret Carlson and Paul Krugman.

For three decades, Bill Kristol has been a leading participant in American political debates and a widely respected analyst of American political developments. He served in senior positions in the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations and as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. He is the founding director of Defending Democracy Together, an organization dedicated to defending America's liberal democratic norms, principles, and institutions, focusing on issues ranging from American foreign policy to the future of the Republican Party and the meaning of American conservatism. Bill is editor-at-large of The Bulwark, frequently appears on all the major television talk shows, and also is the host of the highly regarded video series and podcast, Conversations with Bill Kristol. Bill and I get into the state of the Republican Party and its fealty to Trump; Democrats and the midterms; Mamdani and the NYC mayoral race; and more. Got somethin' to say?! Email us at BackroomAndy@gmail.com Leave us a message: 845-307-7446 Twitter: @AndyOstroy Produced by Andy Ostroy, Matty Rosenberg, and Jennifer Hammoud @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff Design by Cricket Lengyel

The man who cavorted with Jeffrey Epstein for 15 years never even bothers to feign empathy for Epstein's victims—even a sociopath would fake it. And neither Trump nor his administration and supporters can get their talking points straight on the scandal: The files are a hoax, but Ghislaine Maxwell is going to name names; she's a horrible person, but the public is supposed to believe her; POTUS didn't go to Epstein's island but it would have been a "privilege" if he had. Meanwhile, Trump is tying himself in knots on Gaza and Russia. Plus, for our audio listeners, former model Stacey Williams tells Tim about briefly dating Epstein, getting groped by Trump, and why she's going public with her story. Bill Kristol and Stacey Williams join Tim Miller. show notes Video of Tim's interview with Stacey Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' interview with Tom Joscelyn Subscribe to 'Bulwark Takes' here Lauren on how the Dems plan to use the congressional recess Peter Strzok on David Frum's podcast To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/THEBULWARK and use code THEBULWARK for both the code AND PASSWORD

It was the week when the Epstein scandal showed up in earnest and looked as if it would be staying for a while. Susan Glasser, Adam Klasfeld, and Bill Kristol join Harry to break down what is powering it and assess Trump's various efforts to shake himself free, including dispatching the Deputy AG to Florida to interview Epstein's co-conspirator, Ghislane Maxwell. But the week also brought key advances in Trump's totalitarian agenda, with successful shakedowns of prominent civic institutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our government disappeared hundreds of Venezuelans to a hellish Salvadoran prison for 125 days. When Trump's and Stephen Miller's whole CECOT plan even became too much for the dictator who runs El Salvador, Marco Rubio helped orchestrate a political win for Venezuela's strongman, Nicolas Maduro—who gets to look like a white knight in the hostage exchange. Meanwhile, the administration still has not recovered from its rake-step claim that there was no Epstein list. Did Bondi release her memo because the 1,000 FBI personnel who were made to review the Epstein documents kept finding Trump's name? Cover-ups are hard. Plus, now the Dems have new reasons to not cooperate with Republicans. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim and Sam's livestream after Andry and the other Venezuelans were released from CECOT Bill and Sarah discuss the Epstein timeline for 'Bulwark on Sunday' Rep. Boyle on not cooperating with Republicans on the budget Lauren on Democratic messaging for the midterms

Bill Kristol, editor-at-large of The Bulwark, is back to break down the messy break up between President Trump and the MAGA movement and other trending political topics. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

With the Epstein case, the conspirator-in-chief has finally found a hoax that MAGA isn't buying—and he's risking his credibility among his newer supporters in the manosphere by continuing to hawk it. Meanwhile, Trump may have figured out that Putin has not been nice to him. Plus, troops are still in Los Angeles, immigration laws meant for the border are being applied to gardeners and farmworkers in the country's interior, and there's a big serving of fascism that goes with all the clownishness. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim's interview with Julie K. Brown last year Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' conversation with Julie Brown

Republicans are creating, and celebrating, an immigration police state financed by their megabill. Our cities will be militarized, we'll have prison camps, more masked agents, and more dehumanization—like their sicko alligator hats. And the motivation all seems to be so Trump has a win and the Dems don't. But this is Stephen Miller's administration now. Expect net zero migration, less tourism, less international business, and a lower GDP. As we head into Independence Day, it's hard to see the Jeffersonian aspirational promise of America right now. Plus, the administration's freeze on some air defense weapons to Ukraine, how a younger Sam used to think about Bill Kristol, and Candace Owens's potential influence on geopolitical affairs.  Sam Stein joins Tim Miller for the holiday weekend pod. show notes This week's TNL Adrian on how deportations are impacting the Latin music industry Will Sommer's new piece that Sam referenced Thomas Jefferson's letter to Roger Weightman Tim's playlist Tim's July 4th playlist Food relief organizations to support, mentioned in the Nick Kristof interview Helen Keller International Edesia Nutrition in Rhode Island Mana Nutrition in Georgia

Thom Tillis finally showed some backbone and opposed Trump—because of the giant Medicaid cuts in the Big Fugly Bill—but now he has to self-deport from the Senate. Meanwhile, the bill funds a giant internal police force for Trump, and gives a handout to the Dr. Strangeloves of Silicon Valley who don't want AI regulated. It would also cripple wind and solar energy, which even the ex-shadow president says is insane and destructive. Plus, ICE's racial and ethnic targeting, the plutocrats are the biggest suck-ups, and Peter Thiel—the man who gave us JD Vance—isn't sure he wants the human race to continue.  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" interview with Tom Joscelyn Douthat's interview with Thiel

Tim and Bill may have different takes on the wisdom of the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear sites—and on potential regime change—but they see eye-to-eye on the risks of Trump's ego and his incapable advisers in a dangerous situation. And where is the missing enriched uranium? Meanwhile, Stephen Miller's masked goons violently assaulted an immigrant landscaper and father of three Marines in Southern California. Plus, the trans military ban is un-American, local anti-trans laws are trampling all over parents' rights, and why didn't the moderate Dem establishment circle the wagons around a candidate who could've knocked Cuomo out of contention?  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller show notes Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' with Eric Edelman Sam's interview with Rep. Jim Himes about the Iran strikes Landscaper being punched by masked officers in So Cal gifted: Bob Kagan on the threat to American democracy from a Trump war on Iran The Post on the transgender troops who want to keep serving  F*%k your khakis and get The Perfect Jean 15% off with the code BULWARK15 at theperfectjean.nyc/BULWARK15 #theperfectjeanpod

In contrast to the saddest military junta parade in history, millions of patriotic people took to the streets on Saturday to defend American values and principles against Trump. But the deflated birthday boy now wants to ramp up the militarization of our largest cities on a completely partisan basis to achieve his mass deportation. Meanwhile, folks on the right are showing a vicious irresponsibility about the assassination in Minnesota—Mike Lee in particular should have his head examined since he's showing a complete disregard for the truth. Plus, Terry Moran discusses his firing from ABC, his truth-telling about Stephen Miller, and how Trump is mean, but not that tough. Terry Moran and Bill Kristol join Tim Miller. show notes Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' with Seth Moulton The Michael Scherer piece on Trump's response to Tucker's criticism that Tim referenced For our video audience, here's the Substack interview with Moran Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/bulwark

Where is Obama? Where is George W. Bush? A Marine battalion and the National Guard have been deployed in response to a spark Trump set off by sweeping up people who aren't doing anything illegal besides being present here. And the administration may ramp up the tension if it uses the military for domestic law enforcement purposes. At least Gavin is finally angry. Plus, MAGA is built around conspiracists and conspiracy theories, so RFK Jr can do what he wants with vaccines because he's only making doctors and public health experts mad—constituents Trump couldn't care less about. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' interview with Adrian Focus Group Pod on the Dem primary for governor in NJ For an extra 25% off your order and a special gift, head to Pacagen.com/THEBULWARK

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Tuesday, June 3, and reports on Elon Musk's abrupt exit from politics. Melber is joined by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who is suing former Trump lawyer Alina Habba and a DHS investigator for arresting him outside of an ICE detention facility last month. Plus, Melber sits down for an extended interview with renowned historian and best-selling author Yuval Noah Harari. Political strategist Bill Kristol also joins.

Mike Johnson and Russ Vought outright lied on camera about the proposed Medicaid cuts and the impact they would have on millions of Americans. Marco Rubio lied about the children who are dying because of USAID cuts. And Joni Ernst is reimagining Christianity to be about Jesus teaching his followers not to care about the sick and the poor because they're going to die anyway. And through it all, Peter Thiel is doing everything in his power not to die—or even age. But one saving grace is that Ukraine kicked some Russian ass this weekend. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

Despite our missteps in some of our more recent wars, we were fighting to bring freedom, democracy, and self-governance to others. Now, Trump's mercantilist agenda is showing us what it looks like to not have an American-led world order. And even after Russia's largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began, he still won't threaten Putin—only Zelensky. Meanwhile, just looking at the math alone, the reconciliation bill is alarming. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for a Memorial Day pod. show notes Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' interview, "A Marine's Case Against MAGA" Will Selber on Trump's betrayal of our Afghan allies

A terrific round table of Alisyn Camerota, Bill Kristol, and Mike Podhorzer join Harry to analyze a week in which only a couple things went right for Trump this week, but they were big-ticket items. The House R's dragged the “big beautiful bill” over the finish line by a single vote. And the Supreme Court gave Trump a big victory that will permit him to fire leaders of certain important agencies without cause. But otherwise the courts forcefully rejected Trump's overreaching executive orders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, the Trump administration is not focused on the forgotten man or bringing industrial jobs back. Instead, the real estate developer is handing out threats left and right—fresh off his Middle East trip, where he scored numerous deals with Islamofascists for himself, his family, and his cronies. And no matter what he says, the 'Palace in the Sky' is for him, once taxpayers pony up all the funds for retrofitting. Meanwhile, House Republicans are attempting to ram through their reconciliation bill—which is a huge debt bomb and is a big reason why Moody's downgraded the credit rating of the United States. Plus, Biden's cancer diagnosis, Epstein's 'absolutely crystal-clear' suicide, Trump proves Springsteen's point, and the administration gladly takes some of Mexico's worst. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Jonathan Cohn on the reconciliation bill's Medicaid cuts El Chapo's ex-wife and extended family at the US Southern border Springsteen in Manchester commenting on the current administration

Trump can't abide flying around in crusty, old Air Force One. Qatar—funder of both Hamas and the leading U.S. college Gaza protest group—just happens to have a spare, pimped-out 747 lying around, which they'd like to gift to Trump so he can use that instead. Pay no attention to the complete hypocrisy of an administration that says that students protesting for Gaza are a threat to our foreign policy. Plus, Trump's fake drug price cap, the White House caves to China on tariffs, Herr Miller becomes the leading voice for disappearing people, and Bill tells Tim he's rethinking his position on "Abolish ICE."  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Sen. Barrasso dodging NBC's questions on habeas corpus  Tim's FYPod Go to https://surfshark.com/thebulwark or use code THEBULWARK at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

Eliot and Eric welcome Larry Summers, former President of Harvard University and former Secretary of Treasury in the Clinton Administration. They discuss why his prescient advice about the dangers of inflation were ignored by the Biden Administration and whether or not Democrats have learned the lesson that inflation affects all Americans with corrosive political effects. They also touch on the prospects for the US economy given Trump's misguided and haphazard policies as well as the role they have played in the decline of the stock market and dollar and increase in bond yields and touch on the role that the loss of the US reputation for being a rule of law nation might have on long run prospects for the economy. They also examine his role as President of Harvard, his determination to participate in ROTC commissioning ceremonies, the danger of identity concerns devolving into a "victimization Olympics," his concerns about the decline of universities as an ivory tower where the search for truth goes on as well as the excesses of anti-Semitism that Harvard among other universities have suffered as well as more general reflections on the role of universities on the nation's public life. Larry Summers on Conversations with Bill Kristol: https://conversationswithbillkristol.org/conversation/larry-summers-trump-tariffs-threats-us-economy/ Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

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)

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"

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

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 

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 

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.

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 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

In the 6 AM Hour: Larry O’Connor and Julie Gunlock discussed: Trump's speech is longest joint address to Congress in recent history. 6:35 AM - INTERVIEW - CAL THOMAS - Syndicated columnist – discussed the president’s speech. Bill Kristol on X: "Stand with trans Americans. You don’t have to understand everything about the transgender experience to know that Trump’s acts of humiliation and dehumanization Where to find more about WMAL's morning show: Follow the Show Podcasts on Apple podcasts, Audible and Spotify. Follow WMAL's "O'Connor and Company" on X: @WMALDC, @LarryOConnor, @Jgunlock, @patricepinkfile, and @heatherhunterdc. Facebook: WMALDC and Larry O'Connor Instagram: WMALDC Show Website: https://www.wmal.com/oconnor-company/ How to listen live weekdays from 5 to 9 AM: https://www.wmal.com/listenlive/ Episode: Wednesday, March 5, 2025 / 6 AM Hour See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump is trying to chuck the post-WWII order and firmly pivot American foreign policy away from Europe and toward Putin—the poor guy who got dragged into totally-not-a-hoax Russia Russia Russia. And Lil' Marco and Lindsey rushed to defend Trump and JD against Zelensky, who dared to question in the Oval Office whether Putin could be trusted in any ceasefire deal. At the same time, DOGE is putting the lives of malnourished children and pregnant women at risk in the name of cost-cutting while Trump is planning to use taxpayer money to prop up crypto, so he and his cronies can personally profit off it even more. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Sam joins Bill for the most recent "Bulwark on Sunday" More on the USAID memo laying out Rubio's failure to provide life-saving foreign aid

Trump keeps filling out his administration with the unqualified and the inexperienced, including the recent addition of the borderline literate hack Dan Bongino at the FBI. Meanwhile, Trump's Friday night DOD purge was another step in embedding autocracy in our government. Plus, Elon's and Vance's efforts to influence the German elections seem to have backfired. And before the Proud Boy drama and the bomb threat at the annual Principles First conference, Tim spoke with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis about the right way to cut government waste and build more houses—and how the Dems should polish their prosperity messaging. Gov. Jared Polis and Bill Kristol join Tim Miller. show notes Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" interview with Bob Kagan Principles First's "Declaration of Principles"

Firing air traffic controllers over a busy holiday travel weekend, cutting a veterans crisis hotline, axing and then rehiring people who maintain and keep our nuclear arsenal safe: Musk and his minions aren't trying to "fix" the government. They're trying to make it more susceptible to Trump's personalized leadership. And the MIA Dems need to get out there and throw some punches since the media loves fights. Meanwhile, the US is now more of a problem than a solution on Ukraine, Elon's massive corruption isn't drawing anywhere near the same attention as Hunter/Burisma—and Bill Cassidy could just vote against Kash or delay his confirmation if he's really worried about the FBI.   Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller  show notes Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' conversation with Eric Edeleman Don Moynihan's newsletter that Bill mentioned

The new administration has been routinely breaking the law, including on Friday when it announced it was cutting funding for universities doing medical research, specifically in violation of legislation passed by Congress last year. And over the weekend, Trump, Musk, and Vance signaled a willingness to ignore court orders—a federal judge on Monday declared that the White House was doing just that in response to his order lifting a freeze on grant spending. Meanwhile, Trump designated himself the Supreme Leader over the Kennedy Center, and also childishly canned the national archivist because she discovered he was hoarding classified documents. Plus, at a time when we could use some decent role models, Jalen Hurts showed what it's like to win without being petty and consumed by grievance. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes JVL's Triad newsletter on how the Dems can win the USAID fight

It's a DOGE-eat-DOGE world.Before I get into my thoughts on DOGE—and I have quite a few—the reason I haven't written much about it (we did touch on USAID in Wednesday's update) is that I'm still wrapping my head around it.There's a lot of noise surrounding DOGE, and beyond the clatter, it's unclear exactly what's happening. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is in the valley. They lost a big election, have no effective power in government for at least the next two years, and have been throwing a lot of spaghetti at the wall. Chuck Schumer was parading around with a Corona and lime when it looked like we were going to hit Mexico with 25% tariffs, and now, the focus of the last 72 hours has been Elon Musk and DOGE.Because DOGE sits at the center of a political noise machine, I tend to be cautious about jumping in while everything is still in motion.That being said, DOGE is a significant development. What they're doing is something every Republican candidate in my lifetime has promised—and it may very well be illegal. We don't know if they're actually cutting the budget in the way they claim, nor do we know if anything they're doing is truly unlawful. But the fact that both of those questions exist simultaneously is reason enough to take a deeper look.Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency—DOGE—was conceived during Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and made official on January 20, 2025, the first day of Trump's second term. However, it is not a formal cabinet department. Instead, it began under the U.S. Digital Service, which was rebranded as the U.S. DOGE Service, before being placed under the Chief of Staff's office—likely to avoid transparency requirements. The stated goal of DOGE is to modernize federal technology and software to maximize government efficiency, with Musk claiming they aim to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Musk has admitted that if they say $2 trillion, they might actually cut $1 trillion, but the ambition remains.DOGE operates out of the Eisenhower Executive Building next to the White House with a small headquarters of about 20 people. Rather than a traditional hierarchy, it functions as a task force embedded across government agencies, with small teams of DOGE operatives placed inside agencies to audit systems and pursue efficiency measures. Musk himself serves as a special government employee, a temporary advisory role that grants him broad access while allowing him to bypass disclosure requirements that apply to full-time officials. This is especially notable given Musk's extensive business interests in China—something so controversial that a bipartisan group of lawmakers banned TikTok last year.Key figures in DOGE include Steve Davis, CEO of The Boring Company and a longtime Musk confidant, who allegedly leads day-to-day operations. Then there are the so-called “DOGE Kids”—young adults, typically aged 19 to 24, from elite universities with backgrounds in Musk companies or the Peter Thiel machine. Some, like Luke Farritor, gained fame for achievements like using AI to decode ancient Roman scrolls. Others, like Marko Elez, have already faced controversy. Ellis resigned after the Wall Street Journal uncovered racist posts he made in 2024, including advocating for eugenic immigration policies and saying he would never marry outside his ethnicity.In its first 80 hours, Musk tweeted that DOGE had canceled $420 million worth of federal contracts. Get it. The issue? DOGE doesn't technically have the authority to cancel contracts. That power belongs to Congress and the departments that administer the funds. So the real question is whether DOGE is canceling these contracts or simply recommending their termination, with the speed of the Trump administration making it appear as though they're acting unilaterally.DOGE's aggressive approach has already ruffled feathers. On inauguration day, Musk's team assumed control of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) headquarters, installing sofa beds in the director's office and working around the clock. Within days, they cut off career OPM staff from internal systems, effectively giving Musk's team exclusive control over federal HR records. Two OPM employees filed a lawsuit in late January, alleging that DOGE unlawfully installed a private server on the agency's network.Things escalated further when DOGE turned its attention to the U.S. Treasury Department's payment system, which processes $5 trillion annually, handling everything from Social Security checks to federal salaries. When David Liebrich, a top Treasury official, refused to grant DOGE access, he was reportedly forced out. By January 31, Trump's new Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, approved DOGE's access. Soon after, a DOGE tech aide obtained unrestricted access to the payment system's code base and began making changes with minimal supervision—an alarming development that has raised red flags in Congress.And then there's USAID. Musk tweeted, “We're shutting it down,” referring to the agency responsible for international aid. But does Musk actually have the authority to do that? Or is he merely advising Marco Rubio, who, as head of the State Department, technically oversees USAID?If Musk is making these decisions, it's illegal. If Rubio is doing it, it's just an unusually fast-moving government operation. The speed and opacity of DOGE make it difficult to tell the difference.Meanwhile, DOGE has brought a renewed focus on federal spending. Social media has been ablaze with revelations about who benefits from government funds. Bill Kristol, a Never Trump figure, was found to have received money through USAID-funded organizations. More controversially, it was revealed that Politico received $8.2 million in federal funding last year. While some jumped to the conclusion that this was a Democratic subsidy for favorable coverage, the truth is more complicated. The money was for Politico Pro, a premium service used by government officials and lobbyists for networking and policy tracking. However, everyone I talked to in pulling this together told me Politico Pro sucks. Specifically compared to competitors like Bloomberg Government, raising questions about why agencies chose it over better alternatives.So how does this end? At some point, DOGE will hit a regulatory or legal wall that slows its momentum. They need enough public goodwill to sustain them when that happens, or the entire operation could grind to a halt.There's already evidence that Musk's influence is waning. A YouGov poll from November 2024 showed that 47% of Republicans wanted Musk to have significant influence in government. That number has since dropped to 26%, with 43% now preferring that he have only limited influence. Among all Americans, only 13% want Musk to have a lot of influence, while 46% want him to have none.DOGE's speed and disruption are unprecedented, but whether they represent true reform or reckless overreach remains an open question.All that… plus Jen Briney gives me her Doge thoughts and our final assessments of the confirmation hearings. Karol Markowicz joins the show to discuss Trump's musings on Gaza and the GOP infighting in Florida over immigration.Chapters00:00 Intro00:56 Let's Talk DOGE24:02 Jen Briney on DOGE and Confirmation Hearings40:18 Jen Briney on Confirmation Hearings01:10:02 UPDATE01:19:06 Karol Markowicz This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/subscribe

Send us a textTrump has built towers across the country – now he's branching out to Gaza? Gaza-Lago anyone? Nerds in T-shirts are taking over government agencies, men will be banished from women's sports, and Washington is forced to work a 40 hour week. Finally, is Politico a government sleeper org? All this and more on the LOOPcast! EMAIL US: loopcast@catholicvote.org  SUPPORT LOOPCAST: www.loopcast.org  Did you know… LOOPcast is on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe on Apple, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen! LINKS YOU'LL LOVEList of “aid” sent abroadHeroic sports fan saves sisterPolitico funded by USAID?All opinions expressed on LOOPcast by the participants are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CatholicVote.00:00 – Welcome back to the LOOPcast!00:52 – Charity Mobile02:10 – Gaza-Lago13:20 – DOGE29:00 – Men Out of Women's Sports36:30 – On the Ground Vibes41:27 – Confirmation Hearings46:05 – Bill Kristol's comments48:10 – Twilight Zone

Gullible Republicans have really been proving what they're made of recently, including Susan Collins, who claims Trump wants to root out corruption, even though his whole life has been a fraud—the water, the university, and "The Apprentice," just for starters. Meanwhile, the presidents of Mexico and Colombia are showing that they're not going to bend over in service of Trump's vanity. Plus, JD's Johnny-come-lately Catholicism, and the tech titans's clash with DEI may be helping the US lose the lead in AI.  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Colombian President Gustavo Petro's statement on Twitter (hit translate post) Timothée Chalamet on SNL

No need to mince words: it was the most damaging week for the constitution, and the Founders' carefully calibrated system of checks & balances, since at least the Civil War. Trump put into place a series of executive orders & actions that if upheld will expand his power enormously and cut out the legs from most opposition. A great roundtable of Susan Glasser, David Jolly, and Bill Kristol joins Harry to assess the damage and what it portends for degradations of American law, politics, and life.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump wants us to believe that nothing matters, so we'll brush off all his corruption and grifting as though everybody does it. That's what aspiring authoritarians always do, including the guy who didn't place his hand on a Bible when he was sworn in today. Meanwhile, Trump just launched probably the biggest scam in the history of the presidency with his memecoin—ordinary people will lose real money, nothing like the small-ball amounts he scoops up with his shoes, mugs, and digital baseball cards. Plus, Biden's pardons, Trump's Day One executive orders, and seizing the means of content production with TikTok. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY: Make The Bulwark your home for coverage of Trump 2.0. Get 2 months FREE of Bulwark+ now for exclusive content, ad-free commentary and more:  thebulwark.com Subscribe to The Bulwark

Trump's favorite judge, Aileen Cannon, has been attempting to exercise authority she doesn't have over Jack Smith's required report on his investigations of the Jan 6 case and the hoarding of classified docs—but she'll be a model of loyalty that Trump will expect for all his judicial appointments. Meanwhile, it's a big week of hearings for his nominees, Wray could do more to oppose the politicization of the FBI, and what is up with Fetterman?  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Bob Kagan's Atlantic piece on Ukraine that Bill referenced

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Monday, Jan. 6, and reports on the first election certification since the Jan. 6 insurrection. Douglas Brinkley, Neal Katyal, Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Bill Kristol join.

Kash Patel's Jan 6 lie requires FBI officials to have been able to see into the future: to *know* that Trump would lose in 2020 and then try to get Congress to reverse the election results. And they also would have to have known they could get thousands of people to attack the Capitol—just to make MAGA look bad. Are GOP senators really going to clear this conspiracy theorist extraordinaire to run the bureau? Plus, the martyrology around Jan 6 and the mass exodus of journalists from The Washington Post. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Tom Jocelyn and Norm Eisen on Kash Sgt. Gonell's reflection on Jan 6 Michael Kruse on Al Gore and Mike Pence

MSNBC's Ari Melber hosts "The Beat" on Thursday, January 2, and reports on the New Orleans truck attack, Congress and SCOTUS. Wendell Potter, Bill Kristol, Frank Figliuzzi and Cynthia Miller-Idriss join.

MAGA v DOGE, the Christmas gift that keeps on giving, is an early sign of the coming infighting that could diminish Trump's power—we're definitely not seeing signs of an iron fist amid all that golfing and DJ-ing at Mar-a-Lago. Meanwhile, the world he'll be dealing with is far less stable than it was in 2017. Plus, a Carter appreciation, love for Chalamet's Dylan portrayal, and anticipation of a wild January. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim's Bannon interview Tim's dispatch from AmericaFest & Kari Lake Part Deux Bill's conversation with Eric Edelman The Post on retribution advocate Ivan Raiklin (gifted) Sonny's review of Chalamet's "A Complete Unknown"

ABC News and George Stephanopoulos have joined the preemptive capitulation parade by settling Trump's defamation suit—and by conspicuously paying out protection money ahead of the inauguration. The potential chilling effect on a key First Amendment issue is breathtaking. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney backs off of his criticism of Trump and Vance. Plus, the anti-oligarchic, semi-populist grounds for challenging the incoming administration. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: NYT piece Bill mentioned Bulwark debate on potentially ending Daylight Saving Time Bill's conversation with Jack Goldsmith

Trump is threatening members of Congress with jail, Republican senators may be circling the wagons around his nominees, but we still need to protect ourselves from a nihilistic mindset. Plus, the cautious optimism and uncertainty after the fall of Syria's brutal dictatorship, and No, Tulsi: You were wrong. Assad was our enemy.  Bill Kristol and Michael Weiss join Tim Miller. Show notes: Tim's Triad piece on fighting a nihilistic mindset

Kash Patel, who could potentially run the FBI, is a compulsive liar who can't keep his facts straight about his work experience or even where he was born. Aside from being a player in the attempted coup, even Trump loyalists are alarmed by his devotion to the president-elect. Meanwhile, by pardoning Hunter, Biden is not only putting his family ahead of the public interest, he's also giving a giant gift to Trump. Plus, more details on Pete Hegseth's disqualifying behavior, and Trump's avenue for getting around the Senate confirmation process. Elaina Plott Calabro and Bill Kristol join Tim Miller. show notes: Elaina's profile of Kash Patel Patel's target list Jack Goldsmith on Trump getting around the Senate confirmation process Tim and Sam on Biden's pardon of Hunter Tim and Sam on Pete Hegseth's mom