Bulwark Takes

Tim Miller takes on Vivek Ramaswamy’s attempt to show off his strength at a campaign event, then turns to Jon Ossoff’s message to young voters about why they can’t afford to give in to despair and the case for turning frustration and rage into political action. Plus: Tim’s thoughts about James Baldwin and the long history of people overcoming seemingly impossible odds.Get $80 off your first month with Talkspace when you go to https://www.talkspace.com and enter promo code SPACE80. Match with a licensed therapist today at https://www.talkspace.com and use promo code SPACE80.

Will Saletan lays out the case against Donald Trump that Jack Smith never got to present at trial. Drawing from Smith’s testimony before Congress, Will looks at the evidence that Trump was repeatedly told the truth about the 2020 election by his own advisers, Republican officials, and Justice Department officials and chose to ignore it.From Georgia and Pennsylvania to the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Will walks through what prosecutors would have shown a jury about Trump’s election lies, his efforts to pressure officials, and his refusal to stop the violence after it began.

Bill Kristol is joined by Andrew Egger, reporting fresh from Ohio after an extraordinary day on the ground: the funeral of 20-year-old Haitian immigrant Pierre Damas Bel in Springfield, followed by Donald Trump’s rally nearby.

A bombshell New York Times/Siena poll shows Democrats running surprisingly strong across traditionally red states, including Texas, Alaska, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas. Catherine Rampell and Bill Kristol explain what the numbers actually tell us, why Trump’s erosion with his own voters matters, and whether this is what a real electoral wave looks like.

Donald Trump posted Tom Cotton’s private phone number because the Arkansas senator is blocking his push for permanent daylight saving time. Will Saletan and Joe Perticone take on the strange fight, the golf-industry interests behind it, and why Trump is picking on one of his own loyal allies with Republicans already staring down a brutal midterm environment.