Claim OwnershipBulwark Takes
Subscribed: 3,026Played: 231,666
Subscribe
© Bulwark Media
Description
The news cycle doesn’t slow down, and neither does The Bulwark. Bulwark Takes brings you bite-sized takes on the news of the day from the entire Bulwark team, including Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Bill Kristol, and more.
964 Episodes
Reverse
Tim Miller and Andrew Egger give their takes on Donald Trump’s rally at the Mount Airy Casino Resort, where the supposed “affordability” message was instead swallowed by recycled riffs, Somali rants, and compliments about his staffers’ lips.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
1Sam Stein sits down with CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski to discuss Pete Hegseth’s past comments on military law and unlawful orders. Kaczynski unearthed video of Hegseth defending troops for refusing illegal orders—something he now attacks Democratic lawmakers for saying.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Read more of Andrew’s work: https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/08/politics/hegseth-trump-warned-unlawful-orders-kfile
ProPublica’s Justin Elliott talks with Tim Miller about a fresh set of Trump-connected mortgage records that deserve a closer look.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Justin’s story: https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-mortgage-fraud-florida-principal-residences
JVL is joined by Catherine Rampell and Sonny Bunch to give their takes on the wild Warner Brothers takeover drama and the surprising role Jared Kushner is playing in Hollywood’s biggest bidding war. we break down how Kushner and Trump allies are shaping the bidding war and why Paramount and Netflix are fighting over Warner Bros. and CNN.
Get 40% off unlimited access to Calm’s entire library at https://Calm.com/BULWARKTAKES.
Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Will Sommer give their takes on the wild Benny Johnson vs. Milo Yiannopoulos feud that started with with gay allegations, lawsuit threats, and MAGA chaos. Even George Santos somehow becomes the voice of reason in this mess. We dig into the political infighting, factional battles over TPUSA’s legacy, and how the right-wing influencer world weaponizes sexuality for power. Is Benny’s “traditional family man” persona under threat?
Get 40% off unlimited access to Calm’s entire library at https://Calm.com/BULWARKTAKES.
Tim Miller takes on the jaw-dropping story of GOP Rep. Corey Mills with guest Roger Sollenberger—the reporter who’s spent nearly a year digging through Mills’s financial records, sex scandals, secret religious conversion, and his bizarre “rescue mission” abroad.
Get 40% off unlimited access to Calm’s entire library at https://Calm.com/BULWARKTAKES.
Read Roger’s article on Substack, “‘George Santos With a Gun’: The Untold Story of Cory Mills, A Mercenary In Congress”: https://substack.com/home/post/p-180742305
Tim Miller takes on the ICE raids unfolding in Louisiana, exposing how the operation leans on spectacle, intimidation, and political theatrics instead of real public safety.
Sam Stein talks Donald Trump’s chaotic pardons, from Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar to the Honduran ex-president, and the political mess they’ve left for Republicans to attempt to explain.
Bill Kristol is joined by Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia to discuss the boat strikes, what really happened, and the latest intelligence raising new questions.
Sam Stein highlights 16-year-old cancer patient Mikaela Naylon, who spent her final days lobbying Congress for the Give Kids a Chance Act, helping revive the long-stalled pediatric cancer research bill, with her story inspiring new momentum and raising cautious optimism it could finally pass.
Sam's piece from September 2025, "Elon Musk Torpedoed a Beloved Pediatric Cancer Bill. It’s Yet to Recover.": https://www.thebulwark.com/p/elon-musk-pediatric-cancer-bill-congressional-inertia-give-kids-a-chance
Sam's piece from December 2024, "Elon Killed the Budget Deal. Cancer Research for Kids Was Collateral Damage.": https://www.thebulwark.com/p/elon-musk-killed-budget-deal-children-cancer-funding-collateral-damage
Sam Stein and Will Sommer take on The Blaze’s spectacular pipe-bomb fiasco—from the bogus gait analysis to the wrongly accused Capitol Police officer and the scramble to retract the story once the real suspect was arrested. They discuss how the piece got published, why it collapsed so fast, and whether a brutal defamation fight is about to hit The Blaze hard.
Ben Parker and Catherine Rampell give their take on the absurdity of Donald Trump receiving the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, a prize that didn’t exist until it was suddenly handed to the most unlikely recipient imaginable. They walk through the surreal ceremony like the Village People performing, the corruption vibes radiating off every angle of the event, and why FIFA and Trump seem perfectly matched in their mutual need for flattery and image laundering.
Find a doctor near you today with ZocDoc at https://Zocdoc.com/BULWARKTAKES.
Tim Miller and JVL take on the wildly conflicting stories coming out of Congress after lawmakers watched the same “double tap” boat strike video—from Jim Himes’ alarm to Tom Cotton’s macho fantasy version.
In a financial crisis, the markets need to trust the Treasury Secretary and the Fed chair. After watching Scott Bessent posture and preen his way through a NYT interview, it’s clear he can’t be trusted with either role. JVL and Tim give their take on just how dangerous it would be if Trump puts someone this political in charge of the Fed.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell take on Corporate America's biggest concern: how to flatter Donald Trump. From Rolex clocks to Diet Coke trophies, and even a resurrected Rush Hour 4, Sam and Catherine walk through the strangest offerings, the economic harm caused by political suck-ups, and why companies would rather bribe a president than run their businesses.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Sam Stein and Andrew Egger take on Trump’s surreal cabinet meeting—the praise parade, the nodding-off moments, the shifting story on the Venezuela strikes, and the loyalty-pledge Pentagon press corps.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Sam Stein and Will Saletan take on Trump’s bizarre pardon of the former President of Honduras—how he was nudged into it by friends and fixers, why the story he repeated falls apart, and what this decision means for U.S. credibility, drug enforcement, and the growing pattern of Trump siding with corrupt leaders over the law.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Jonathan Cohn and Dr. Demetre Daskalakis take on the FDA’s dramatic “vaccine-death” email, the CDC’s autism web page rewrite, and the turmoil inside RFK Jr.’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—getting into how these moves sow panic, undermine science, and threaten real public-health protections.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling take on the alleged kill order at sea, the Pentagon’s denials, Trump’s contradictory comments, and the White House attempt to blame it on Admiral Bradley.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
JVL and Will Sommer give their take on the latest culture-war absurdity: a 650-word psych class reaction paper at the University of Oklahoma that somehow escalated all the way to the governor’s office and right-wing media ecosystem.
Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARKTAKES. Promo Code BULWARKTAKES
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
The mate was a mighty sailing man, The skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day For a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
Please get a better microphone Senator.
When I tried to play this, the audio was cutting in and out, making it impossible to listen to. Please fix.
Don't defend John Bolton. He is a war criminal at the end of the day. He deserves to be behind bars or worse.
Am I the only one that thought orange Mussolini was falling asleep while putting was talking?
Good old Uncle Tim!!
I had to turn this episode off. I kept missing words Bill was saying because he's audio is so poor. Audio quality matters Bulwark.
Does anyone know why some of this episodes are getting numbers in the title now? I haven't found a rhyme or reason for which get a number and which don't, and the inconsistency is beginning to bug me.
I am sick and tired on Sam Stein's foul mouth. It is so difficult to listen to him and his loud nasty tone full of awful language. BTW, I am a deep democrat, just feel his style is revolting.
Can Sam Stein lighten up and be less aggressive and vulgar his words? When he is host, I now turn the podcast off, just can't handle listening to that anymore.
Bill's sound clarity is awful.
Vance's comments in Munich were not merely astonishing but Appalling.