PODCAST · news
Bulwark Takes
by The Bulwark
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.
Episodes
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BREAKING: Trump Fires New Press Secretary After Five Days (w/ Judd Legum)
Five days. That’s how long Katie Zachariah lasted as Trump’s White House press secretary before a disastrous debut, questions about her legal credentials, and a wave of West Wing backstabbing brought her tenure to an abrupt end. Former Trump White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews joins...
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The Trio: MAGA Influencers Are Running for Cover After Talarico Smear Collapses
Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Will Sommer give an update on the MAGA influencers caught pushing a false story about Texas Democrat James Talarico, and why those behind the smear may face few consequences. They also examine court documents revealing how Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski allegedly fed...
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Elon Musk Has Dumped $276 Million To Save Republicans
Right now, save up to 20% on mattresses when you go to https://Casper.com. #ad Tim Miller gives his take on Elon Musk’s return as the biggest campaign donor of the 2026 midterms, funneling $276 million into Republican groups, including $158 million to help Republicans hold the Senate. After...
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Trump Reportedly Considering Firing Susie Wiles | Morning Shots Live
Right now, save up to 20% on mattresses when you go to https://Casper.com. #ad Is Donald Trump about to fire the woman who has kept his White House from descending into chaos? Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger cover reports that Trump is considering replacements for Susie Wiles, his retreat from Pete...
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Did Trump and DoD Secretly Pull the Plug on Ukraine?
Marc Polymeropoulos and Michael Weiss give their takes on the growing questions surrounding Elon Musk’s Starlink and his company purposely disrupted Ukraine’s war effort. They examine reports of missed Russian missile warnings, the status of U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and why any...
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Command Post: Trump Reportedly Wavering on Livestreamed Execution (w/ Margaret Donovan)
Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) break down the latest developments in Ukraine, including Russia’s escalating attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the growing rift between Washington and Kyiv, and how Ukraine is imposing mounting costs on Russian forces. They also examine how…
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The Man Who Exposed Kimberly Guilfoyle Reacts To Her Resignation (w/ Eric Deters)
Sam Stein again welcomes Eric Deters, the man whose text messages helped expose Kimberly Guilfoyle’s alleged $100,000 ask and preceded her resignation as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Deters discusses why he believes Guilfoyle was forced out, his plans to sue her for defamation, and why he says her...
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BREAKING: Trump Asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to Resign | Morning Shots
Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol give their takes on the news White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia made when she announced on her first day that the White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece. Beyond that, Zacharia’s first briefing was remarkably short, with...
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Senator Who Served With JD Vance Explains Why He’ll Never Be President (w/ Sen. Schatz)
Sen. Brian Schatz joins Sam Stein to explain why Democrats suddenly have a shot at winning Senate races in deep-red states, how they plan to hold Trump’s corrupt officials accountable, and why he doubts JD Vance has what it takes to succeed Trump. From the possibility of impeaching Trump...
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Trump Jokes as Woman Is Beaten at His Rally
Sam Stein and Andrew Egger break down Donald Trump’s bizarre and disturbing Ohio rally, from his repeated comments about Senator Jon Husted’s physique to mocking a woman who was assaulted by a fellow rallygoer for wearing a shirt demanding the release of the Epstein files. Trump revived his…
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The Spectacularly Stupid Collapse of MAGA’s Talarico Conspiracy | MAGA Mondays
MAGA thought it had a career-ending scandal on James Talarico. Instead, it got a spectacular humiliation. Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down how the conspiracy unraveled, including the full phone call obtained by The Bulwark that exposed the holes in the story. Plus, the federal raid on Ilhan...
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Fox News Hosts Clash Over Trump’s Deal with Putin
Michael Weiss and Marc Polymeropoulos give their takes on Trump’s latest deal with Vladimir Putin and why Trump suddenly announced an energy ceasefire. Sources tell Michael that Ukraine was blindsided by this weekend’s series of announcements from Trump as his approach only benefits Moscow even...
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Ron Brownstein: It's MUCH Worse for Trump Than 2018 | Bulwark on Sunday
Trump’s midterm problem may be far worse than it was in 2018, and the warning signs are showing up in places Republicans never expected. Bill Kristol and veteran political analyst Ron Brownstein examine Trump’s collapsing support among core MAGA voters, the surprising Senate races emerging in...
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This Scott Bessent Interview Got Weirder by the Minute
This episode is a little taste of Receipts, Catherine Rampell’s brand-new show from The Bulwark, where she follows the money, cuts through the economic spin, and exposes who’s really paying the price for Trump’s policies. Subscribe to Receipts wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts:...
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Trump’s Putin Deal Is a Disgraceful Act of Betrayal
Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell give their takes on Trump’s decision to buy oil from Putin, just weeks after Trump signed Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill into law. Instead of increasing pressure on Russia, Trump is opening the door to Russian fuel exports that could help bankroll Putin’s…
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Jon Husted Is the Fakest Republican in America
Tim Miller takes a closer look at Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted, whose carefully crafted moderate persona masks a record of corruption allegations, MAGA loyalty, and political opportunism. From his ties to Ohio’s utility scandal and donations from Jeffrey Epstein associate Les Wexner to his...
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Hegseth’s Livestreamed Execution Exposes His Pathetic Tough-Guy Act
Sam Stein and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, and why turning an execution into a public spectacle raises serious moral questions. Hertling explains the potential toll on...
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Democrats Aren’t Winning Because They’re Brilliant. It’s Trump.
Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Democratic strategist Lis Smith join a live audience at Dartmouth for a spirited debate about Trump’s collapsing political fortunes, the GOP’s future under JD Vance, the Democrats’ struggle to rebuild their coalition, and the wide-open 2028 presidential race. Plus, a...
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JD Vance Humiliates Himself Trying to Define "Socialism"
Tim Miller gives his take on JD Vance’s fumbling attempt to define socialism and the hypocrisy at the heart of MAGA’s attacks on Democrats. Asked why socialist candidates are gaining ground across the country, Vance pivots to immigration and transgender athletes instead of explaining what…
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We Spoke to the Guy Who Snitched on Kimberly Guilfoyle (w/ Eric Deters)
Sam Stein speaks with Eric Deters, the man at the center of the Wall Street Journal’s explosive report on Kimberly Guilfoyle. Deters describes his relationship with Guilfoyle, the hundreds of thousands of dollars he spent in Trump world, and his claims that she promised access and favors in...
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BOMBSHELL: Leaked Kimberly Guilfoyle Texts Reveal Brazen Corruption
Ready to be seen? Check that appointment off your to-do list with Zocdoc ✅ : https://zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes #sponsored Sam Stein, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Michael Weiss are going live to take on the bombshell Wall Street Journal report that reveals Kimberly Guilfoyle’s extraordinary private...
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Susan Collins Couldn't Answer One Simple Question About Trump
Ready to be seen? Check that appointment off your to-do list with Zocdoc ✅: https://zocdoc.com/ bulwarktakes #sponsored Will Saletan breaks down the Maine Senate debate between Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson, and why Collins is struggling to separate...
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Republicans Are Panicking Over the Kansas Senate Race
Ready to be seen? Check that appointment off your to-do list with Zocdoc ✅: https://zocdoc.com/ bulwarktakes #sponsored Lauren Egan travels to Kansas to report on one of the most surprising Senate races of the 2026 midterms, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is running neck-and-neck with Republican...
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Hegseth’s Grand Plan for the Military Raises Major Red Flags
Ready to be seen? Check that appointment off your to-do list with Zocdoc ✅ : https://zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes #sponsored Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker discuss the U.S. decision to pull B-1 bombers out of the United Kingdom over concerns about Iranian drone attacks, and what the move...
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Ex-CIA Officer Reacts to Insane Spy Scandal Rocking the Intelligence World
Reporter Michael Weiss and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos break down a staggering spy scandal involving the former head of German intelligence, an alleged Iranian plot targeting U.S. bombers in Britain, and the increasingly strange questions surrounding Kimberly Guilfoyle in Greece. Plus:...
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Morning Shots: Republicans are Worried They'll Lose South Carolina
Ben Parker and Bill Kristol discuss Donald Trump’s increasingly frantic attacks as Republicans face a surprisingly competitive Senate race in South Carolina, including Trump’s use of an anti-trans slur against Democratic candidate Annie Andrews. They examine what the race says about the…
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Trump’s Corporate Enablers Should Be VERY Worried About 2027
Tim Miller gives his take on the Democrats who are already arguing against investigating Donald Trump’s corporate allies, warning that accountability cannot be sacrificed in the name of avoiding political “retribution.” He argues that companies and executives who participated in or benefited from...
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Trump Has ANOTHER New Plan to Buy Off Voters Before the Midterms
Catherine Rampell and Jonathan Cohn give their takes on Donald Trump’s latest checks to Americans, including $500 payments to some ACA marketplace enrollees and $90 payments to certain Medicare recipients. They explain where the money is coming from, why the ACA payments may lack clear legal...
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LEAKED AUDIO: Ken Paxton Says D.C. Is Running His Campaign | MAGA Mondays
Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on Kash Patel’s engagement, Benny Johnson facing a lawsuit from two anti-ICE protesters, and The Daily Wire’s new pro-ICE movie being filmed in Livingston, Montana. The film reportedly recreates the shooting of Renee Good before turning it into a...
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Jon Ossoff Has a Blunt Message for Cynics and Whiners
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...
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Jack Smith Reveals the Words That Could Have Buried Trump
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...
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A Trump Rally, A Funeral and a Revealing Day in Ohio | Bulwark on Sunday
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.
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BOMBSHELL POLL: NYT/Siena Finds a Stunning Shift in Red America
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...
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Trump Just Posted GOP Sen. Tom Cotton’s Private Phone Number
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...
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LIVE: Sarah Longwell AMA
Ben Parker puts Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell through an AMA on how a Democratic House should investigate the Trump administration, what focus groups reveal about James Talarico’s path in Texas, and how a future Democratic president should balance accountability with reform. Longwell also...
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The Daily Wire is Making the Most MAGA Movie Imaginable
Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the leaked script for the Daily Wire’s upcoming fictional movie Pawn Shop, a pro-ICE thriller set amid an imagined Antifa siege of a Minneapolis pawn shop. They discuss the film’s fictionalized version of the Renee Good shooting, its portrayal of ICE agents,...
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Trump Crashes Out: You Haven't Asked "One F'ing Positive Question"
Catherine Rampell and Andrew Egger break down Donald Trump’s bizarre new interview with Time Magazine, from his claims about having the “highest” IQ to his ever-changing story about how long the war in Iran was supposed to last. They also discuss Trump’s claim that annihilating Iran would create...
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Elissa Slotkin Spots a Big Warning Sign for Trump’s GOP | Command Post
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) joins Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker to share her takes on what she learned from her recent trips to Hungary and Poland and what those lessons could mean for America after the Trump era. Slotkin explains how countries can recover from authoritarianism, why...
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Ex-CIA Officer Warns: Trump is Gutting the Expertise America Needs Right Now
Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos and national security reporter Michael Weiss take on the attempted hijacking of a flight bound for Tel Aviv, a suspected plot targeting an air base in Britain, and the troubling signs that Iran may be taking its fight abroad. They also ask whether America is...
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Pete Hegseth’s Speech Was a Hyper-Macho Freak Show
Sam Stein and Ben Parker give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s bizarre State of the Force address, from his “no fatties, no weirdos” vision for the military to his fixation on testosterone, wokeness and American universities. They also dig into Hegseth’s new Project Meridian, which will bring…
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Ken Paxton’s Leaked Trump Comments Are a Spectacular Own Goal
Ken Paxton is caught on tape blaming Donald Trump for hurting his Senate campaign, telling a small group of donors that Trump’s Texas convention actually hurt his numbers. The New York Times first reported on the leaked recording, which came from a small Paxton fundraiser where an attendee…
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Command Post: Hegseth Takes an Axe to Generals, Admirals and Military Education
Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s reported plan to cut 20% of the military’s general and flag officers, and what that could mean for military leadership, congressional oversight, and civilian-military relations. They also discuss Hegseth’s push to...
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GOP Senator’s Jack Smith Ambush Ends in Spectacular Humiliation
Sam Stein and Andrew Egger give their takes on Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt’s disastrous attempt to catch former special counsel Jack Smith in a perjury trap during a Senate Judiciary hearing. Schmitt thought he had a smoking gun showing Smith was in Atlanta for a Hawks game on the same day as a...
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BREAKING: Jack Smith Comes Out Swinging in Hearing | Morning Shots
Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol give their takes on Jack Smith’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Smith defended his decision to prosecute Donald Trump and said he would make the same decision regardless of whether Trump were a Republican or Democrat. They also discuss...
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This Kash Patel Photo Raises Some VERY Awkward Questions
Michael Weiss and Marc Polymeropoulos are back to give their takes on the latest allegations of corruption and counterintelligence concerns surrounding the Trump administration, including Alina Habba’s star-studded wedding and the appearance of FBI Director Kash Patel alongside a former informant...
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MAGA Mondays: Trump Admin Party Video Sparks MAGA Backlash
Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the latest drama on the online right, from a bizarre AI video posted by Trump aide Dan Scavino to the growing influence of QAnon conspiracy theories inside Trump world. Will explains why QAnon followers believe Scavino was sending them a coded signal and what...
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Trump Said It Out Loud. His Cabinet Says It Never Happened.
Trump says he’s banning news organizations over negative coverage. Then his own officials go on TV and insist that’s not what’s happening. Will Saletan meticulously breaks down Todd Blanche’s defense of Trump’s press crackdown, Mike Waltz getting confronted with the president’s own words, and the...
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Just How Crazy is the White House Right Now? (w/ Sarah Matthews) | Bulwark on Sunday
Trump’s White House is racking up losses, picking fights with the press, and increasingly operating without anyone willing to tell the president no. Bill Kristol talks with former Trump White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews about what’s happening behind the scenes, why Republicans are...
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Trump’s MAGA Replacement for the Media Is an Amateur-Hour Disaster
Catherine Rampell and Will Sommer take on Trump’s escalating war on the White House press, the amateur-hour MAGA media operation stepping in to replace the traditional White House pool, and Byron Donalds’ awkward attempt to put a little distance between himself and Trump. Plus, Kimberly…
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Inside the Strange CIA Briefing That Sent Europe Into a Panic
Marc Polymeropoulos and Michael Weiss examine the growing Russian threat in Europe, separating the real danger of Russian sabotage and state terrorism from the media panic over a potential Russian invasion of NATO territory. They discuss the intelligence briefing that sparked concerns across...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
The Bulwark
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Bulwark Takes have?
Bulwark Takes currently has 500 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Bulwark Takes about?
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.
How often does Bulwark Takes release new episodes?
Bulwark Takes publishes regularly with 500 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Bulwark Takes?
You can listen to Bulwark Takes on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Bulwark Takes?
Bulwark Takes is created and hosted by The Bulwark.
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