Bulwark Takes

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Command Post: Trump Admits To War Crimes During UN Speech Sep 23, 2026

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Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) break down President Trump’s extraordinary comments at the United Nations about Venezuela, including his claim that “to the victor belong the spoils.” Hertling explains why that language raises serious questions under international law and walks through the laws and treaties that prohibit pillage and establish a nation’s sovereignty over its natural resources.

They also discuss the growing power of the Houthis in Yemen, Saudi Arabia’s complicated relationship with the United States, and what Riyadh could do if it can no longer rely on American support. Hertling also weighs in on Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new system for evaluating senior military officers and the history Hegseth is invoking to defend it.

Even Putin Is Getting Sick of Witkoff and Kushner (w/ Rep. Jim Himes) Sep 22, 2026

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Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, joins Marc Polymeropoulos and Michael Weiss for his take on the major national security risks surrounding the Trump administration.

Himes explains the counterintelligence concerns surrounding the reported Russian financing of Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding and why the access to Trump’s inner circle at the event could have created an unusually soft target for Russian intelligence. They also discuss the intelligence community’s warnings about war with Iran, and the possibility of another Middle East conflict.

Plus, Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump’s negotiations with Vladimir Putin, John Ratcliffe’s role in the talks, and the ongoing investigation into Havana syndrome and anomalous health incidents.

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LIVE REACTION: Trump Delivers Speech To UN Amid War In Iran Sep 22, 2026

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Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol went live to react to Trump’s address to the United Nations, breaking down his claims about Iran, Russia and Ukraine, Venezuela, Greenland, the economy and America’s role in the world.

Trump made wild comments about Russia’s war against Ukraine, including a grotesque false equivalence between Ukrainian children abducted into Russia and his claim that Russian children were also abducted into Ukraine. They also examine Trump’s claims about Iran, including his repeated insistence that he had no choice but to launch the war, his promises that a deal is still just around the corner, and the widening gap between his self-image as a president who ends wars and the reality of a conflict he chose to start.

Plus, Trump’s vision for artificial intelligence includes renaming it “super intelligence,” and insisting that the United States must stay ahead of China while resisting international efforts to regulate the technology.

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Trump Just Hit His Worst Approval Number EVER (w/ David Pakman) Sep 22, 2026

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Tim Miller and David Pakman take on Trump’s plummeting poll numbers, the White House putting Pakman on its official “Media Offenders” list, and the creators who Pakman says are now afraid to interview him because they fear becoming targets themselves. They also discuss how algorithms reward outrage and misinformation, the coming flood of synthetic political content, and Pakman’s new book, Pay Attention, about what the attention economy is doing to our politics and our brains.

David Pakman’s new book, Pay Attention: How the Algorithms and Media Wars Are Suppressing Truth and Rewiring Your Brain:
https://davidpakman.com/davids-books/

The David Pakman Show:
https://davidpakman.com/

Trump’s War on the Press Just Backfired in the Funniest Possible Way Sep 21, 2026

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The White House is trying to defend Donald Trump’s decision to ban major news organizations from covering the White House and the policy is already producing some pretty absurd results.

JVL and Will Sommer discuss Trump’s crackdown on the press, including a Newsmax broadcast where viewers couldn’t hear the president because the press pool wasn’t there to provide audio. They also examine the upcoming court fight over White House press access, the administration’s new White House app, and the question of whether Democrats should respond by restricting access for outlets like Fox News and Newsmax.

Plus, JVL and Will debate the broader problem facing the press: Trump’s escalating efforts to favor friendly media, punish outlets he dislikes, and blur the line between journalism and political propaganda.

MAGA’s Far-Right Feud Is Spilling Into Turning Point USA | MAGA Mondays Sep 21, 2026

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Will Sommer and Sonny Bunch take on Trump’s escalating war on the press, the TV networks pushing back on his White House ban, and the growing signs that even some longtime allies are getting sick of the chaos. Plus: Trump’s plan to put snipers in his giant D.C. arch, the bizarre MAGA fight over Indian Americans, Turning Point’s James Fishback problem, and the very questionable Lauren Boebert allegations.

Trump’s New Defense Of The Arch Is INCREDIBLY Stupid Sep 21, 2026

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Sam Stein and Will Saletan take a look at Donald Trump’s latest architectural fever dream: a 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery that Trump says will double as a “top grade Military Complex,” complete with drones and snipers. They dig into the bizarre location, the questionable military rationale and Trump’s claim that the project came at the “strong request” of the military. As Sam and Will point out, this is an enormous armed monument sitting near Reagan National Airport, the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery. What could possibly go wrong?

Then they turn to Trump’s escalating crackdown on the press. CNN, MS NOW and Politico lost White House credentials after Trump objected to their coverage, and Republicans defended the move. And if you think the press should simply accept this as the new normal, Sam has a story from the Obama years that offers a different lesson.

Russia’s Shadow War Is Spreading Across Europe Sep 20, 2026

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Sam Stein and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos give their takes on the flurry of international headlines over the weekend. The Houthis have escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on Riyadh, while Ukraine has launched a major wave of drone and missile strikes on Moscow and Russian energy infrastructure.

They also discuss the Trump administration’s response to the Saudi crisis, the U.S. role in Ukraine, Russia’s escalating attacks and sabotage efforts across Europe, and the prospect of a brutal winter for Ukraine.

Tim Miller Goes Off on the GOP's Trainwreck NC Senate Candidate Sep 20, 2026

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Tim Miller is back with another installment in his continuing series on the Republican candidates running in key races across the country. This time it’s Michael Whatley, Trump’s handpicked Senate candidate in North Carolina, whose record includes appointing a convicted child sex offender to a state GOP committee, hard-line abortion politics, financial interests tied to policies he supports, and questions about his role in Hurricane Helene recovery. Plus, Tim digs into the ugly story behind an anti-Roy Cooper ad featuring a grieving father who says he was misled about how his story would be used.

Explore more in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdXT8ySfDKu0

Trump’s Iran Disaster Is Reshaping the World (w/ Robert Kagan) | Bulwark on Sunday Sep 20, 2026

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Bill Kristol talks with Robert Kagan about how Trump’s Iran war is accelerating America’s retreat from the world, leaving allies to fend for themselves while China and Russia gain room to maneuver. They also discuss Trump’s unfinished ambitions in Greenland, Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, and Kagan’s warning that the breakdown of the postwar order could move much faster than Washington is prepared for.

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