Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell take on the early polling after Trump’s strikes on Iran—and the warning signs for his coalition. Independents are overwhelmingly opposed, soft Trump voters are wavering, and the “America First” brand is colliding with a foreign war. Is this the start of a political fracture inside MAGA? Find a doctor you’ll love. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/bulwarktakes to find and instantly book in-network care today.
Mar 03, 2026•18 min•Ep. 639
Sam Stein and Will Sommer discuss MAGA’s growing anger over the war in Iran. Is this a temporary wobble, or the start of a deeper split between isolationists and hawks?
Mar 02, 2026•33 min•Ep. 638
Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell discuss the deafening silence from President Donald Trump and his administration after the U.S. strikes in Iran. As of Sunday evening, no one from the White House has laid out to the American public the case or any clear objectives for the major assault. Three U.S. service members have been killed with others severely wounded. Note: Shortly after this taping, The New York Times published a report about a brief telephone interview the Times conducted with Trump Sunda...
Mar 02, 2026•13 min•Ep. 637
Sam Stein and Will Saletan watched the the Sunday shows and give their takes on the spin after the U.S. strikes on Iran, zeroing in on the mixed messaging from Republican lawmakers defending the action. From Lindsey Graham insisting it’s “not our job” to shape Iran’s future, to Ted Cruz struggling to define an imminent threat, the hawkish case for war raises more questions than it answers. They unpack the interventionists’ victory inside Trump world, the rejection of “you break it, you own it,” ...
Mar 01, 2026•12 min•Ep. 636
Tim Miller and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) join Bill Kristol to discuss the latest developments in Iran.
Mar 01, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 635
Tim Miller takes on Trump’s Texas rally—from floating Ted Cruz for the Supreme Court to teasing a “third term” and congratulating a scandal-plagued congressman. Then he relishes a staggering Truth Social filing: $3.7 million in revenue, $712 million in losses.
Mar 01, 2026•13 min•Ep. 634
Hayden Field of The Verge joins Andrew Egger to discuss the Pentagon’s fight with Anthropic and what it means for the future of AI. After Anthropic drew red lines around autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance, the Department of Defense responded by labeling the company a “supply chain risk” -- a designation typically reserved for foreign adversaries. Read more from Hayden Field in The Verge, "We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robots" Read more from Andrew Egger's Morning Shots...
Feb 28, 2026•24 min•Ep. 633
Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, JVL and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) go live to discuss Trump's attacks on Iran.
Feb 28, 2026•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 632
Tim Miller joins Nicolle Wallace to discuss a stunning new reality: Americans are leaving the country at record levels, the U.S. may be facing population decline, and Trump’s “golden age” looks more like national humiliation. From the Qatari jet embarrassment to foreign-backed media consolidation and escalating tensions with Iran, the conversation covers how corruption, chaos, and bad optics are colliding. Plus: brutal new polling that shows majorities questioning Trump’s honesty, competence, an...
Feb 28, 2026•17 min•Ep. 631
Donald Trump isn’t just attacking voter ID opponents—he’s laying the groundwork to reject the midterms if Republicans lose. Will Saletan traces the throughline from 2020 to now: the claim that Democrats can only win by cheating, the endless escalation from voter ID to reopening old elections, and the growing chorus inside the GOP repeating the same message.
Feb 27, 2026•14 min•Ep. 630
Sam Stein, JVL, Catherine Rampell, and Sonny Bunch respond to Paramount taking over Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix walked away. The deal, still pending regulatory approvals, would put CNN, HBO, and CBS under one Trump-backed company.
Feb 27, 2026•47 min•Ep. 629
Tim Miller and Andrew Egger give their takes on the shocking and strangely stylish White House visit by Zohran Mamdani, who met with Trump to discuss housing plans. They break down Mamdani’s strategy of engaging Trump directly, the optics of the now-viral meeting photo, and whether Mamdani managed to “mog” the president or simply played to Trump’s ego. Is Mamdani’s approach political genius, dangerous flirtation with Trump’s brand, or just effective results-oriented dealmaking?
Feb 27, 2026•22 min•Ep. 628
Tim Miller, Will Sommer and Sam Stein give their takes on down two of the strangest—and most troubling developments in MAGA media right now. First: Nick Shirley promotes a gross "documentary" targeting Jewish people and why anti-Semitic tropes keep surfacing in so-called investigative content. Then the trio goes deep on the premiere of Candace Owens’s “Bride of Charlie” series about Erika Kirk. Owens attempts to build a murder conspiracy out of birth certificate discrepancies, Swedish Freemasons...
Feb 27, 2026•31 min•Ep. 627
In a new edition of Command Post, Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling and Ben Parker give their takes on Trump’s military-heavy State of the Union address, including Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program was “obliterated” even as he suggests military action. They break down how the speech leaned more on ceremony and applause lines than on strategy, vision, or a clear explanation of U.S. national security goals. Former General Hertling also explains why praising military service without explaining...
Feb 26, 2026•27 min•Ep. 626
Tim Miller is joined by reporter Roger Sollenberger to discuss Sollenberger’s reporting on Epstein-related records connected to Donald Trump. Roger breaks down the documents from a survivor who allegedly accused Trump of abuse as a minor, the interviews conducted by the FBI, and claims that portions of the investigative files were held by DOJ. They also examine document logs, slideshow materials listing prominent names associated with the Epstein investigation, and allegations that transparency ...
Feb 26, 2026•19 min•Ep. 625
Sam Stein, Sonny Bunch, and Ben Parker give their takes on a Wall Street Journal story about a DC tax policy expert who made nearly $500,000 betting that Elon Musk wouldn’t actually cut federal spending, a wager that turned out to be almost free money. They break down how the bet worked, why it was such a lock, how political betting markets create openings for insider trading, and just how absurd some of these political wagers have become. Get 30% off your order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com ...
Feb 26, 2026•19 min•Ep. 624
After the State of the Union, Tim Miller spoke with Pete Buttigieg for a rapid-fire breakdown of the speech. They took on affordability, immigration, corruption, AI, corporate capitulation to Trump, and what Democrats need to do differently. Get 30% off your order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com with promo code BULWARKTAKES.
Feb 25, 2026•16 min•Ep. 623
Join Sam Stein, Tim Miller, Andrew Egger Joe Perticone, and more for real-time reaction and analysis as President Trump delivers his State of the Union address. One more thing: special guest Pete Buttigieg will join the panel after the address.
Feb 25, 2026•3 hr 18 min•Ep. 622
Will Saletan gives his take on Donald Trump’s escalating war against anyone who refuses to show total loyalty, including his own appointees. After the Supreme Court ruled against Trump on tariffs, the president lashed out at the justices, even targeting justices he nominated. But it’s not just the Supreme Court, it’s also Jerome Powell, Republican senators, governors, and lawmakers who dared to exercise independent judgment. In Trump’s eyes, if you cross him, you’re a traitor.
Feb 24, 2026•15 min•Ep. 621
Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger are going live to discuss Trump’s brutal poll numbers and the political stakes of his State of the Union address.
Feb 24, 2026•42 min•Ep. 620
Candace Owens just dropped a trailer for her new “Bride of Charlie” series—and it is something else. Tim Miller and Will Sommer discuss the wild claims, the "handler" plotline, the Romania detour, and the right-wing civil war it’s fueling. Plus: Tucker Carlson’s latest White House visit, his clash with Mike Huckabee over Israel and Iran, and why parts of MAGA are threatening to revolt.
Feb 24, 2026•17 min•Ep. 619
Sam Stein is joined by Drew Harwell of The Washington Post to talk about his reporting on one of the most disturbing viral stories of the year. Ben Palmer, a Nashville comedian, set up a fake ICE deportation tip line and watched as Americans flooded it with calls. The callers weren’t trolls. They were neighbors, coworkers, even a kindergarten teacher, calmly trying to get families deported. What began as a prank by Palmer turned into a horrifying window into people's worst instincts. Read more f...
Feb 24, 2026•14 min•Ep. 618
Sam Stein and Will Sommer go live to discuss the Kash Patel Olympics controversy—from the FBI jet questions to that now-viral hockey locker room moment. Plus: the blowback from Tucker Carlson’s sit-down with Mike Huckabee, and a James Fishback update after Byron Donalds labeled him a fake groyper.
Feb 23, 2026•36 min•Ep. 617
Bill Kristol and Tim Miller go live on Sunday—fresh off their Minneapolis trip. Read JVL's The Triad newsletter, "What I Saw at the Battle of Minneapolis"
Feb 22, 2026•34 min•Ep. 616
Sam Stein is joined by Columbia Heights Superintendent Zena Stenvik for a sobering conversation about what happened when ICE began targeting families in her school district. After multiple students were detained, including five-year-old Liam Ramos, Stenvik describes how her community mobilized, how schools shifted to online learning out of fear, and why she says “we can never normalize this.” It’s a firsthand account of how Trump's national immigration policy collides with real kids, real classr...
Feb 22, 2026•26 min•Ep. 615
Catherine Rampell is joined by Obama’s former U.S. Trade Representative Mike Froman for his take on Friday’s landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump's emergency tariffs. They explore the implications of the court’s decision on executive power, the future of U.S. trade policy under Trump, and what it means for American consumers.
Feb 21, 2026•28 min•Ep. 614
Tim Miller and Sonny Bunch give their takes on Trump’s bizarre temper tantrum after the Supreme Court ruled against his emergency tariffs. In weird mood lighting, Trump bashed the Supreme Court justices, announced new tariffs, and kept repeating stories about how much men want to kiss him.
Feb 21, 2026•20 min
Catherine Rampell and Andrew Egger take on the breaking news that the SCOTUS has blocked Trump's tariffs.
Feb 20, 2026•49 min•Ep. 613
Sonny Bunch speaks with Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman to discuss their Oscar-nominated documentary, The Alabama Solution. Currently streaming on HBO, their documentary combines interviews, investigative journalism, and footage from within the prisons themselves obtained via contraband cellphones to reveal the horrible and dangerous living conditions of those serving time in the Alabama correctional system. It’s a documentary primed to shock the conscience, and I hope everyone out there wa...
Feb 20, 2026•52 min•Ep. 612
In this edition of Command Post,” Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on the alarming report that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is blocking military promotions because one colonel worked for General Mark Milley, a former Trump adviser turned foe. Plus, the team breaks down the "toxic leadership" behind Kristi Noem’s Coast Guard scandal and why the Trump administration’s approach to NATO at the Munich Security Conference missed the point. Europe isn't a burden, it’s ...
Feb 19, 2026•28 min
