The Next Level

Latest Episodes:

1097: Sarah’s Latest Focus Group Almost Broke JVL’s Brain Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

The whole gang is back together, for the last time until August. Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss:

- Two more killings by ICE officers. JVL asks whether we're getting numb to this. No one on this show is numb.
- Trump's aborted plan to toll the Strait of Hormuz--and whether it was an act of war.
- Sarah lets Todd Blanche (and Republican senators) have it.
- After JVL's wifi goes bad, Tim and Sarah discuss Tim's interview with Pete Buttigieg, and why Tim is glad Josh Shapiro isn't wading into intra-Democratic turf wars.

Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code THENEXTLEVEL at https://laundrysauce.com/THENEXTLEVEL #laundrysaucepod

Make your summer wardrobe feel easier. Go to https://Quince.com/THENEXTLEVEL for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

1096: Secret Podcast: Republicans Screamed About Socialism. Then Trump Did This. Jul 11, 2026

Show notes

Sarah and JVL are back together, looking at Trump’s NATO disgrace, wondering if Mitch McConnell is really talking to people on the phone about detailed policy questions, and analyzing the factional fight in the Democratic party between the people trying to elect Democrats and the insurgents focused on displacing the establishment.

Short version: What if Morris Katz is just the left’s Steve Bannon?

Also, there’s some personal stuff at the end.

Get quality window treatments that fit your budget with 3 Day Blinds. Head to https://3DayBlinds.com/THENEXTLEVEL for their buy one get one 50% off deal on custom blinds, shades, and drapery.

Finally: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC! We are about to sell out the orchestra section—but we want to sell out the balcony, too. It’s a point of pride. Come hang with us. Tickets are here.

1095: Even Marjorie Taylor Greene Doesn’t Buy the McConnell Story Jul 08, 2026

Show notes

Tim, Sarah, and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) take on the political stories dominating the headlines:

• Mitch McConnell is alive and taking calls (maybe, probably?)—despite Laura Loomer’s reports to the contrary..
• Platnerdämmerung; the enormous irresponsibility of the Platner candidacy will have real consequences for his movement and for the country; and the messy road ahead in Maine (even if Platner does the right thing and drops out.).
• In the wake of the Platner debacle, irony is dead as Trump defenders trip over themselves to claim the moral high ground. Case in point: Kevin McCarthy..
• Mallory McMorrow’s failed Michigan Senate campaign exemplifies the challenges of splitting the difference between the moderate and progressive factions of the Democratic Party..
• Plus, the USMNT’s embarrassing loss to the waffle-eating Belgians in the World Cup Round of 16.

Ready to transform your customer support? Go to https://decagon.ai/thenextlevel to get a personalized demo and see what Decagon can do for your team.

Go to https://greenchef.com/50NEXTLEVELGRAZA to get 50% off your first month of healthier meals.

Get 30% off select mattresses PLUS an extra $50 off during Leesa’s July 4 sale. Go to https://Leesa.com, promo code THENEXTLEVEL.

1094: Secret Preview: It's 100x Worse Than Watergate—and Republicans Still Won't Quit Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Full episodes of the Bulwark Podcast are available to paid members of The Bulwark via YouTube, Substack, and Apple Podcasts.

Sarah Longwell and Bill Kristol (filling in for JVL) take on America’s 250th birthday under Trump—and how far the GOP has fallen from Reagan’s “you can become an American” to 2,000 ICE arrests a day. They break down the right-wing meltdown over the birthright citizenship ruling, Megyn Kelly’s race to the bottom, why the “socialist takeover” panic misses what Democratic voters actually want, and who’s really rising in the 2028 field.

Read Sarah’s Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-real-reason-the-democratic-socialists-are-surging

1093: Trump Will Put a PSYCHO on the Court—If He Gets a Chance Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

Sarah, Tim, and Andrew Egger (filling in for JVL) discuss:

-The Supreme Court's ruling upholding birthright citizenship.
-NPR's retracted report that Justice Alito was retiring.
-The DSA-aligned Democratic candidates winning primaries in New York City, and whether Democrats are headed for a giant fight over socialism in 2027.
-Rep. Tom Kean's return to Congress after his depression diagnosis.
-The gang pops off on the gut-wrenching story of the false CPS report against Pete Buttigieg
-Fresh polling in the Maine and Texas Senate races.

Get 30% off your entire order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com with code THENEXTLEVEL

Join The Bulwark for $86 a year—14 percent off, this week only. Declare your independence today: http://thebulwark.com/july4

1092: Secret Podcast: The Last Temptation of Sarah Longwell Jun 27, 2026

Show notes

The full episode of Secret Podcast is available to paid members of the Bulwark on YouTube, Substack and Apple Podcasts.

It’s a special show this week where JVL gives Sarah a series of impossible choices. Will she choose institutionalism, or Secretary Mayor Pete? Will she endorse the political analysis of [REDACTED]? What will she do when Cletus says that he doesn’t like democracy and wants minority rule?

Come find out!

Also: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC. We’ve moved to a bigger room at the 92nd Y and we need to sell it out. So come hang with us. Tickets are here: https://www.92ny.org/event/sarah-longwell-how-to-eat-an-elephant

Visit https://Hims.com/THENEXTLEVEL to get a personalized, affordable weight loss plan that gets you.

show notes

Catherine Rampell: The Americans Trump Would Rather Not See: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-americans-trump-would-rather

JVL’s Traid: What Was Cletus Thinks About Democracy: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-cletus-thinks-about-democracy

Jim Swift: Haitians Prepare for Disaster: https://www.thebulwark.com/i/203693183/forward-together-backward-by-order

This was recorded before Pete's Substack post: https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/p/a-terrible-thing-happened-to-my-family

1091: JD Vance Called His OWN Iran Policy “Complete Idiocy” Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Tim is sick, but he's strapping on his football helmet. Tim, Sarah, and JVL cover:

-The mysterious 79 year-old receiving non-public weight loss drugs (and if not Trump, who?)
-The latest revelations from Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman's new book.
-Tucker Carlson supposedly leaving the Republican Party...or is it all a long game to help JD Vance?
-The Trump administration's ongoing capitulation to Iran...and even JD Vance used to think it was stupid!
-The latest National Mall reflecting pool drama.
-How Pete Buttigieg got 'radicalized' by his time in the Biden administration...and Tim's warning for Democrats.
-FINALLY: The Washington Post's monster feature on the cult leader who's been coaching Tulsi Gabbard through her political career.

Get your tickets to Sarah's How to Eat an Elephant book tour in September at https://TheBulwark.com/EVENTS.

Ready to transform your customer support? Go to https://decagon.ai/thenextlevel to get a personalized demo and see what Decagon can do for your team.

1090: Secret Podcast: JD Vance. Ross Douthat. 'Nuff Said. Jun 20, 2026

Show notes

The Iran war deal is falling apart (already). Israel is turning on Trump. And the two most insipid trad-Cath poasters in America are podcasting together again.

Plus: JVL (finally) explains his disdain for the NYT’s DEI Trump apologist.

Read JVL's Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-iran-hawks-found-a-way-to-love-surrender

1089: Ben Shapiro's Tears Aren't Enough. The Iran War Hawks Owe Us More. Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

JVL, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the Iran "deal" that isn't really a deal—a memorandum of understanding that lifts sanctions immediately and hands Iran $300 billion while punting everything else down the road. Then: the war hawks who drummed up the Iran war—Thiessen, Graham, Levin, the WSJ editorial board — are repositioning and refusing to say they were wrong. Plus: Trump's accelerating decline, the corruption behind the White House UFC fight, and why Trump's DOJ will open a federal investigation on every 2028 Democratic nominee regardless of who it is.

Sleep cooler this summer with Boll & Branch during their Annual Summer Event. For a limited time, get 20% off sitewide at https://BollAndBranch.com/nextlevel with code nextlevel. Exclusions apply.

1088: Secret Podcast: We've Got a Situation Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

A super-sized Secret this week:

Sarah and JVL are coming to the legendary 92nd Street Y in New York on September 8. Come and hang out with them in JVL’s back yard! It’s possible he’ll have the championship belt! (Tickets on sale here.)
JVL actually thinks the Iran deal might be real this time. He’s got a theory.
Sarah has a theory of her own about who leaked to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan about the Trump administration’s big Situation Room summit on how to handle the Epstein files?
JVL makes progress on his continuing quest to bring Sarah around on “the free market” and court expansion. Is this the week the dam breaks?

It’s a good show, long show.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected