JVL, Sarah, and Tim discuss the drama over Democrat Graham Platner’s “Nazi tattoo,” the Maine Senate race, and the left’s weird obsession with finding their own Trump-style outsider. Plus: Trump’s corrupt White House ballroom, the “No Kings” protests, and just how far America’s slipped into banana-republic territory. Listen to "The Bulwark's Seven-Year War" from Puck: https://puck.news/podcast_episode/the-bulwarks-seven-year-war/ Go to https://shopremi.com/THENEXTLEVEL and use CODE THENEXTLEVEL ...
Oct 22, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 1026
JVL ambushes Sarah with The Darkness. It’s a fun-filled episode with the indictment of John Bolton, the decimation of the Pentagon press corps, another extra-legal killing off the coast of Venezuela, the resignation of the head of SouthCom, and the weaponization of the IRS. Good times.
Oct 18, 2025•21 min•Ep. 1025
This week on The Next Level Jonathan V. Last, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the GOP’s accelerating moral collapse. MAGA wants to discredit No Kings protests as “Hate America” rallies, and a racist Young Republicans group chat leak shows how deep the rot goes. They explore how Kristi Noem’s taxpayer-funded ad blitz crosses every ethical line and what it says about ICE’s power in the administration. Plus, they debate whether establishment Democrats are sabotaging the party’s Senate chance...
Oct 15, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Live from New York, Sarah Longwell, JVL and Tim Miller tear into America’s culture of cowardice—from billionaires hiding in Hawaii to Merrick Garland’s endless hesitation. They discuss into how Trump’s intimidation works, why “lawfare” backfired, and why too many Democrats STILL seem afraid to fight. Note: This was recorded on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
Oct 14, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1024
This week Sarah and JVL did something they haven’t done for a couple of years: they just . . . hung out and asked each other questions. Some stuff about life. Some stuff about The Bulwark . Some stuff about the world. Hope you enjoy listening as much as they enjoyed visiting with each other.
Oct 11, 2025•19 min•Ep. 1023
The crew is back together, live in D.C. and fired up. From wild personal stories to real talk about how we face this moment as a country, this episode is all about connection, community, and not giving in to the chaos. When things get dark, we stick together.
Oct 09, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 1022
JVL and Sarah Longwell zero in on the government shutdown chaos and what it really means. They debate why Democrats can’t afford to play defense, how Trump is openly embracing authoritarian ideas like Project 2025, and the GOP’s sheer inability to govern even as they drive the country toward crisis.
Oct 03, 2025•28 min•Ep. 1021
Pete Hegseth calls in the nation’s top generals and admirals so he can lecture them about being in shape and ending wokeness and Donald Trump can speak ominously about “the war from within” and using American cities as training grounds for troops. JVL, Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller react to the supremely weird meeting—and then spend some time reflecting on how the first nine months of Trump’s second term have stacked up against JVL's worst case scenario from a year ago.
Sep 30, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1020
Sarah and JVL talk about big-tent liberalism—who’s in and who’s out of the l-word tent. JVL goes on a riff on Henry Kissinger, which you are absolutely going to HATE. And then we get the main event: JVL doesn’t think [gestures broadly] all this is fixable. Sarah has a plan to fix it. Who’s right?
Sep 26, 2025•30 min•Ep. 1019
Tim, Sarah and JVL are back! They talk about Trump’s mob-style shakedowns of ABC and Disney, Jimmy Kimmel refusing to cave, Kamala Harris admitting "it" about Pete Buttigieg, Trump’s clownish UN meltdown, and the government’s demented social media propaganda. Head to https://ZBiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use the code NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off. Go to https://shopremi.com/THENEXTLEVEL and use CODE THENEXTLEVEL to get up to 50% off Catch The Bulwark on September 27 in Toronto and October 8 in ...
Sep 24, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 1018
JVL and Sarah go head-to-head over the New York Times, Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit, and what solidarity really means when democracy is on the line.
Sep 19, 2025•26 min•Ep. 1017
Tim, Sarah and JVL are BACK! Trump’s allies want to charge protesters with RICO, Kash Patel stonewalls, Trump plays the victim, and MAGA world spins truly nuts new conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Get 50% off your first month with Green Chef at https://GreenChef.com/50NEXTLEVEL Get 30% off your order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com and use the code THENEXTLEVEL. For our friends in Canada, we added a second live show with Sarah, Tim and Sam to the schedule. Tickets are on ...
Sep 18, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 1016
Sarah and JVL talk about the president’s response to Charlie Kirk’s murder and why it’s so dangerous. Then we go deep on how to react in moments of crisis: Can you be too nice? How do you balance truth and compassion? What is the impact of timing? And was JVL right to turn the comments off for the first 24 hours? Do us a solid, though: Don’t comment on this until you’ve listened to the episode.
Sep 12, 2025•19 min•Ep. 1015
Tim, Sarah and JVL are back! Trump shrugs at Russian drones, clings to a laughable “hoax” defense on Epstein, and gets played by Netanyahu yet again — while Kamala Harris calls Biden’s 2024 run reckless. To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to https://NakedWines.com/THENEXTLEVEL and use code THENEXTLEVEL for both the code AND PASSWORD. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THENEXTLEVEL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivere...
Sep 11, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 1014
Sarah and JVL go through the Epstein Birthday Book in detail. We tell you what’s actually in it, no euphemisms. And what it means for Trump and 2026. But before you ask: It’s Tuesday. So no Rebecca.
Sep 09, 2025•15 min•Ep. 1013
Sarah and JVL go long on the economy, The People, double standards, RFK, and . . . Hamilton. It’s a super-sized Secret pod. In the comments, we want you to talk about whether or not the double-standard is real—is it true, as JVL proposes—that voters obsess over Democratic mistakes while waiving away Republican insanity? And if it is true, why is it? Remember: We’re not just talking about partisans, but about the generalized broader public. We want to hear your theories....
Sep 05, 2025•20 min•Ep. 1012
Sarah, JVL and Tim are back! Trump disappears for a weekend and sets off health rumors, Epstein victims speak out on Capitol Hill, and Congress releases “new” files that turn out to be mostly recycled documents. Meanwhile, Trump tries to change the subject with National Guard deployments, a tariff scheme runs into the courts, and GOP leaders flirt with blood-and-soil politics. Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/THENEXTLEVEL Go to https://Zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVE...
Sep 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 1011
Another dark week: Trump toys with occupying Chicago, the FBI under Kash Patel ignores domestic terrorism, RFK Jr. runs HHS with conspiracy theories, and even the CDC is led by a political crony. JVL and Sarah Longwell ask the hard question, what if our democracy is already too broken to fix?
Aug 29, 2025•26 min•Ep. 1010
Sarah Longwell is back and ready to go! They dive into Trump’s accelerating authoritarian moves, from masked cops snatching people off the streets to purging the Federal Reserve, while Gavin Newsom trolls Trump with meme-style politics that energize Democrats but raise doubts about his 2028 chances. Meanwhile, the DNC looks out of touch, bogged down in land acknowledgments and bad messaging, leaving many wondering if the party is ready to stand up to Trump’s power grab.
Aug 27, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 1009
JVL, Tim Miller, and special guest Andrew Egger get into the rise of Trump’s cult cops, the right’s open flirtation with Caesarism, and whether Newsom’s new “mean streak” is a weapon or a trap for Democrats. Head to https://greenchef.com/50NEXTLEVEL and use code 50NEXTLEVEL to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months--with free shipping! Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Get 60% off your f...
Aug 20, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1008
Sarah and JVL defend the honor of Baby Boomer protestors and debate the merits of anti-fascist sandwich throwing before hunkering down for a loooong conversation about whether Trumpism is a perversion of conservatism, or a fulfillment of it.
Aug 15, 2025•23 min•Ep. 1007
Sarah, Tim and JVL are BACK! Trump turns a late-night DC fight into an excuse for a full-blown National Guard takeover — complete with a TV personality running the cops. The gang tackles this absurd “Big Balls” pretext, Trump’s upcoming Alaska summit with Putin (and the Billy Joel geography lesson), his bizarre choice of an unqualified weirdo to cook the jobs numbers, and what it all means for the economy, authoritarian crackdowns, and the next elections. Plus: Sherrod Brown’s uphill Ohio battle...
Aug 14, 2025•59 min•Ep. 1006
Bill Kristol fills in for JVL during this extra super secret edition of the Secret Podcast. Trump’s economy is cracking under its own weight—grocery prices, tariffs, and a sputtering job market are chipping away at his support. Could these numbers spell trouble for 2026?
Aug 08, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1005
Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Tim, Sarah, and Sam talk Trump’s continuing Epstein nightmare, the GOP’s redistricting chaos in Texas, and RFK Jr.‘s disastrous anti-vax decisions. Plus, Megyn Kelly picks a fight with Sarah, Acosta creeps everyone out by interviewing an AI ghost, and conservatives suddenly think they made human breasts cool again.
Aug 06, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1004
Sarah and JVL give you the mega-show you’ve been waiting for: Trump’s $200 million presidential palace ballroom! Tariff TACOs! Kamala’s book! Hunter Biden! Vegas, Baby! All this and Sydney Sweeney, too. It’s a super-sized go-home show as JVL heads out for vacation.
Aug 01, 2025•29 min•Ep. 1003
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and JVL discuss the recent ICE job postings. These listings describe positions for “Deportation Officer”, "Criminal Investigator" and "General Attorney". They suggest this is part of a broader strategy to staff a loyalty-vetted enforcement agency with little oversight or transparency. Then back to Epstein, who “stole” a 16-year-old girl from a Mar-a-Lago Spa, to work for him. They examine the deeply unsettling context of this story and how Trump appears to recount it w...
Jul 30, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 1002
Sarah and JVL talk about Hulk Hogan, MAGA’s coming pivot on Ghislaine Maxwell, and Derek Huffman, the MAGA dad who joined Putin’s war on Ukraine. And the new Superman movie, too. It’s a doozy. This is a special preview of an episode that’s JUST for paid Bulwark subscribers. If you’d like to hear the full episode, you can subscribe via thebulwark.com , YouTube, or right through Apple Podcasts!
Jul 25, 2025•27 min•Ep. 1001
Celebrate the chaos with Sarah, Tim and JVL! Trump panics over Epstein revelations and demands Barack Obama’s arrest for “treason,” sending MAGA into conspiracy-theory overdrive. Republicans literally flee Congress to avoid tough votes, Jerome Powell’s Fed independence hangs by a thread, and Gen-Z conservatives openly embrace fascism as their new ideology. Meanwhile, Trump’s Oval Office gets a garish, gold-plated, dictator-inspired makeover. Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 1000
Sarah and JVL break down the WSJ Trump-Epstein story. Sarah has some rage and JVL has a brand new conspiracy theory involving JD Vance. This is a special preview of an episode that's JUST for paid Bulwark subscribers. If you'd like to hear the full episode, you can subscribe via thebulwark.com , YouTube, or right through Apple Podcasts!
Jul 18, 2025•19 min•Ep. 999
Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell and JVL debate whether Trump’s reaction to the Epstein files, calling it a “hoax” and lashing out at former supporters, marks a turning point. They explore whether this could crack the deep trust his base has in him, especially conspiracy-driven voters who saw him as the one to expose elites. They also argue Democrats should lean into the issue, pushing for hearings and accountability. While Trump’s health and appearance come up briefly, the real question is whether th...
Jul 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min
