Bulwark Takes

Latest Episodes:

The Staggering Dishonesty of JD Vance's Iran Deal Spin Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Will Saletan takes on JD Vance's TV blitz defending the Iran nuclear deal—and checks his claims against the actual text.

The Trio: Fake Badges. A Strip Club. Iran Airstrikes. Two MAGA Weirdos. Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Sam Stein, Tim Miller and Will Sommer take on an insane MAGA scandal in DC—fake Secret Service badges, a strip club blowup, tearful confessions about an Iran airstrike that never happened, and an arrest that finally brought the whole charade crashing down. Plus: what exactly is going on with Kari Lake's face?

Read Will Sommer's False Flag newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-shocking-arrest-of-a-maga-pit-bull-fake-secret-service-pal-ryan-fournier-jordan-daley

Bulwark website subscriptions make a fantastic Father's Day gift! Learn more at https://www.thebulwark.com/subscribe

LIVE: Peeling Paint and Green Water at Trump's "Renovated" Reflecting Pool Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Sam Stein, Brendan Hartnett and Sarah Matthews are going live to cover the mess at Trump's renovated Reflecting Pool.

A Dramatic Reading of JD Vance’s Awful Book Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Tim Miller and JVL attempt to read JD Vance’s new memoir 'Communion' and discover a book full of contradictions, self-owns, political rationalizations, and some very revealing clues about the vice president’s worldview.

Buy Vance's new book (or don't!): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTQ68YZN

CORRECTION: Talking about a Catholic bookstore in Washington, D.C., on K Street, JVL says it was “Pauline Book Center.” This is wrong. JVL was referring to the Catholic Information Center on K Street. There is another Catholic hub, across the river on King Street in Alexandria, Virginia, called Pauline Books. JVL's stupid brain mushed them together. He regrets the error.

U.S. Intelligence is Winning the War in Ukraine (w/ Michael Weiss & Marc Polymeropoulos) Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Journalist Michael Weiss, editor of The Insider, and retired CIA veteran Marc Polymeropoulous take over The Bulwark for the kind of conversation they have with each other every day about the intelligence world, what the hell is happening in the United States and what it means around the globe. As they started recording, Trump was wrapping his bizarre Wednesday speech at the G7 Summit defending his deal with Iran. Marc and Michael go off about the news conference and turn to a riveting conversation about what is different about the war with Iran compared to the continuing show of strength in Ukraine and how that's happening thanks to years of groundwork by the CIA. It's an alliance that is actually winning despite Trump's posture towards Ukraine and the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Follow Marc on X here: https://x.com/Mpolymer

...and Michael here: https://x.com/michaeldweiss

Watch Michael's latest conversation with Tim Miller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85RXVxg8CHI

And you can read Michael's work on his Substack: https://macspaunday.substack.com/

...and at The Insider: https://theins.press/en/authors/weiss

BREAKING: Exhausted Trump Rambles Through Parade of Grievances On G7 Stage Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Sam Stein, Andrew Egger, and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.), went live to cover Trump's appearance at the G7 conference. Plus, the gang reacts to the U.S. unveiling the text in their official MOU with Iran.

Trump Doesn't Understand the War He Just Lost (w/ Tom Nichols) | Command Post Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker are joined by Tom Nichols to discuss the week's military news.

Buy Mark's book here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1966786727/?tag=bulwark08-20

BOMBSHELL: Trump’s Ballroom to Cost Taxpayers $300 Million Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Sam Stein and JVL give their takes on a bombshell new report from the Washington Post showing Trump's White House ballroom project could cost more than $600 million with taxpayers footing half the bill. They break down the ballooning price tag, the demolition of the East Wing, and whether a future president should just tear the whole thing down.

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Trump Loses War Against Reflecting Pool Algae (and Iran) | Morning Shots Live Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol are going live to cover the week's biggest news.

Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/bulwarktakes to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.

Trump’s DOJ Has A New Target: Gavin Newsom (w/ Chris Cadelago) Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Sam Stein and POLITICO’s Chris Cadelago take on reports that the Trump Justice Department is investigating Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. They discuss what's actually known about the probe, the long-running Trump-Newsom rivalry, and whether the investigation is a legitimate corruption case or the latest example of Trump targeting his political opponents.

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