Episodes

  • S2 Ep1054: Adam Serwer, Lauren Egan, and Justin Jones: The Attack on Knowledge

    S2 Ep1054: Adam Serwer, Lauren Egan, and Justin Jones: The Attack on Knowledge
    May 30 2025
    The Trump administration is trying to exert ideological control over every knowledge-producing institution in the country. And the assault on colleges is not only about having fewer highly-educated voters, but also depriving Americans of trusted sources of information—much in the way Trump in 2020 wanted to stop counting Covid cases so it looked like he had the pandemic under control. Meanwhile, we're getting too much information about Elon's bladder control problems on his way out the door. Plus, The Bulwark's Lauren Egan and Tennessee's Justin Jones on courage, conscience, fighting a party drunk with power, and the future of the South.

    The Atlantic's Adam Serwer joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod, with a side serving from our live Nashville show.

    show notes
    • Adam's latest piece in The Atlantic, "The New Dark Age"
    • Lawfare's Anna Bower on her search for the administrator of DOGE
    • Adam's book, "The Cruelty Is the Point"
    • The NYT on Elon's intense drug use
    • Tim's playlist
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • S2 Ep1053: Live from Chicago

    S2 Ep1053: Live from Chicago
    May 29 2025
    Adam Kinzinger joined Tim on stage in the Windy City Wednesday night to dis Chicken Trump, who's made bitcoin bros, private prisons, his family and friends—and himself—the main winners in his 'TACO' trade economy. Meanwhile, Obama's nuclear deal with Iran may be getting resurrected, and Trump finally seems to realize that Putin is a warmonger. Plus, Dems should put Qatar and El Salvador on notice that there will be a cost for their free gifts in the future, and we are the guys and girls on the white horse who will save this country.

    show notes
    • Trump being asked about 'TACO' trade
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    44 mins
  • S2 Ep1052: George Packer: JD, Hollow Man

    S2 Ep1052: George Packer: JD, Hollow Man
    May 28 2025
    Our VP used to think his path to power was through the ruling class at Yale Law School. But after 2016, he saw that his route was through Trump, so he swapped one set of elites for another. And now as a lord among the MAGA ruling class, he's embracing his true cruel, lying self—and railing against the globalists who nitpick about this silly due process thing. Meanwhile, even Elon doesn't like the bankruptcy-threatening reconciliation bill, even if it's larded with kickbacks just for him. Plus, America: stay and fight. And the biggest theft in the history of the presidency is happening every day right before our eyes.

    New Mexico congresswoman Melanie Stansbury and The Atlantic's George Packer join Tim Miller.

    show notes

    • George's profile of the VP, "The Talented Mr. Vance"
    • Rep. Stansbury being featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
    • George's piece, "Be A Patriot"
    • George on Ross Douthat
    • Plus, tickets for our live show “Free Andry” on June 6 in DC
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • S2 Ep1051: Pete Buttigieg: Dream Bigger, Talk More Boldly

    S2 Ep1051: Pete Buttigieg: Dream Bigger, Talk More Boldly
    May 27 2025
    Democrats need vastly more imagination to confront the enormous challenges the country faces politically, economically, and on climate. The party can't just focus on stopping what is happening in Washington. Meanwhile, Trump can't stop insulting the intelligence of the American people, every part of the political spectrum has something to hate about the reconciliation bill, and libertarians need to speak up about a president disappearing people to a foreign black site. Plus, cracking the manosphere, what Biden could've done differently on Covid, and the era of politicians sticking to their talking points is over.

    Pete Buttigieg joins join Tim Miller.
    show notes

    • Pete on the “Flagrant” pod on YouTube or on audio
    • Remaining tickets for the live Bulwark show in Nashville on Thursday
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • S2 Ep1050: Bill Kristol: Something Worth Fighting For

    S2 Ep1050: Bill Kristol: Something Worth Fighting For
    May 26 2025
    Despite our missteps in some of our more recent wars, we were fighting to bring freedom, democracy, and self-governance to others. Now, Trump's mercantilist agenda is showing us what it looks like to not have an American-led world order. And even after Russia's largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the war began, he still won't threaten Putin—only Zelensky. Meanwhile, just looking at the math alone, the reconciliation bill is alarming.

    Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for a Memorial Day pod.
    show notes

    • Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' interview, "A Marine's Case Against MAGA"
    • Will Selber on Trump's betrayal of our Afghan allies
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    32 mins
  • S2 Ep1049: James Comey: Uncomfortably Numb

    S2 Ep1049: James Comey: Uncomfortably Numb
    May 23 2025
    Public corruption used to be a congressman hiding $90,000 in his freezer. Now, we have a president taking "me time" to rake in $40 million from a Chinese crypto billionaire who was facing fraud charges under POTUS 46. And that's just a drop in the bucket of some of Trump's recent haul. Of course, today's FBI will do nothing about it, and his buddies at the top of the bureau are instead focusing on celebrities who are definitely not Team Trump, or a person who posted a benign beach meme about 47. Meanwhile, the FBI has been ordered to redirect resources to deportations, raising serious questions about whether counterterrorism and counterintelligence—the agency's main priorities since 9/11—are being neglected.

    James Comey joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

    show notes

    • Comey's latest book, "FDR Drive"
    • Tim's playlist
    • Tim's interview on the Sam Altman book will be released here at 9pm ET
    • Take advantage of Ridge’s once-a-year Memorial Day Sale and get UP TO 40% Off right now by going to https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK
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    53 mins
  • S2 Ep1048: Jonathan Chait: House GOP Doesn't Care How Bad the Bill Is

    S2 Ep1048: Jonathan Chait: House GOP Doesn't Care How Bad the Bill Is
    May 22 2025
    Republicans moved at such lightning speed that even they don't know how many people would lose health insurance— or how much they'd be spiking the deficit with their highly risky and big, ugly turd of a bill. And they don't care because they're cosmically committed to stopping the government from making rich people pay for healthcare for people who aren't. Plus, Dem leaders have an age culture problem, environmental groups are stuck in a Ralph Nader time-warp, and the danger of radical politics and supporting Hamas hits home on the streets of DC.

    Jonathan Chait joins join Tim Miller.
    show notes

    • Jon's new piece on the House GOP bill (gift)
    • Jonathan Cohn on the proposed Medicaid work requirements
    • Tim and Patrick Gaspard on Trump's lies about South Africa
    • Jon's piece on John Fetterman (gift)
    • Jon on Trump's immoral foreign policy (gift)
    • Douthat interviewing JD Vance
    *Join Tim, Sarah and Crooked's Jon Lovett for a FREE ANDRY live show and fundraiser June 6
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • S2 Ep1047: Susan Glasser: American in Name Only

    S2 Ep1047: Susan Glasser: American in Name Only
    May 21 2025
    On deportations and on foreign policy, the Trump administration is swapping out American values and violating everything the U.S. has stood for in exchange for kleptocracy and transactionalism with the world's worst tyrants. But at the same time, Trump can't even seem to grasp that Putin has been waging war for decades to accomplish his goals and is not interested in cutting a deal to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. Plus, the very dim appointees running our federal agencies, Elon and Marco are now trying to deny they cut food aid, and the unwelcome honorific of being a Trump historian.

    Susan Glasser joins join Tim Miller.
    show notes

    • Susan on Trump's plane envy
    • The Playboy interview
    • The president of Finland on a golf course with Trump
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    51 mins
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