The Bulwark Podcast
Charlie Sykes and guests discuss the latest news from inside Washington and around the world. No shouting, grandstanding, or sloganeering. Truth over tribalism. Principles over partisanship.
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1
Astead Herndon: Our Broken Politics
Too many of today's politicians don't care that they are undermining their own parties with messages the general public doesn't support.
42 min
2
Will Saletan: The Dem’s RFK, Jr. Problem
Steve Bannon and company are helping give anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy a boost in the polls, Trump gets challenged from the right on foreign policy, Haley is fantastically cynical, and CNN tried to make Trump happy.
50 min
3
Tim Miller: Normal v Crazy
It wasn't like the boring 90s, but politics this week felt almost normal. Meanwhile, Trump's bleats are getting more demented and DeSantis is all-in on attacking him for fast-tracking a vaccine.
43 min
4
Lordy, There Are Tapes
Trump's own recorded words appear to undercut his already weak defense that he had declassified the documents he took from the White House—and he may have invited a charge under the Espionage Act.
46 min
5
Michael Steele: We're Way Past Kumbaya
The media thinks the GOP base could still want 'Morning in America,' Citizens United is keeping no-hopers in the race, Charlie totally called it on Tara Reade Biden made McCarthy grow up, and MAGA world turns to infighting.
43 min
6
Tom Nichols: Knuckleheads with Flamethrowers
McCarthy cut a normal deal with Biden when the GOP caucus couldn't agree on what to demand—beyond just shouting and pounding the table.
47 min
7
Luke Russert: Look for Me There
In the summer of 2016, on the eve of the Republican and Democratic conventions, Luke Russert—an NBC News star and a scion of media royalty—walked away from it all.
46 min
8
Indictment Time?
Jack Smith is wrapping up his investigation into the Mar-a-Lago classified document collection, and Trump world is bracing for indictments.
46 min
9
David Frum: Losing the Dominance Primary
DeSantis claims he doesn't back down, but most of the time, he is flinching and cowering—and now he's allowing Musk to push him around. Plus, Trump v Kamala, felons can't vote for themselves in Florida, and the Russians fighting for Ukraine. David Frum joins Charlie Sykes today.
36 min
10
Philip Bump: Running Against Reality
Reality is Kari Lake's biggest opponent, Tim Scott is warmly welcomed into a growing candidate field, Biden gets blamed for guns, and younger voters are more likely to vote for Democrats. Plus, did Twitter grave-rob a username for DeSantis?
39 min
11
Will Saletan: Is Tim Scott Running a Potemkin C...
Are Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pence really running for the VP slot—or a chance to increase their speaking fees?
54 min
12
The Bulwark: Live from New York
Charlie Sykes and Tim Miller held court on the Upper West Side Thursday night, weighing in on Rudy's medical experiments on himself, Disney's humiliation of DeSantis, Trump's legal setbacks in his own hometown, and more. Plus, Charlie and Tim play "Name That Musical" for your weekend pod.
45 min
13
Steve Vladeck: The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket
43 min
14
Durham's Fizzle
John Durham didn't report anything new, and he took longer to produce less useful material than Mueller did to expose Russian election interference in 2016—Mueller also had Flynn and Manafort indicted. Plus, only Benedict Arnold has fallen as far as Rudy.
42 min
15
Anne Applebaum: The Case for a Complete Ukraini...
Ukraine's freedom is on the line, but America's role in the world is also at stake. And if a democratic Ukraine can win against autocratic Russia, the world's geopolitics could be altered for a generation.
34 min
16
Will Saletan: We Are Not the Crazy Ones
DeSantis tries to pretend he's normal, James Comer can't find his Biden informants, Republicans are disappointed there's not a bigger crisis at the border, Trump wants Mike QAnon Flynn back as an adviser, and Lindsey can't stop rationalizing.
46 min
17
Richard Reeves: The Trouble with Boys
Girls are blowing past boys in school, and while most men are poorer than they were 50 years ago, women's incomes have risen across the board. A new kind of gender inequality is drawing men into MAGA's poisonous politics.
43 min
18
Trump vs Law and Order
From promising a general amnesty to Jan 6 rioters, to re-victimizing E. Jean Carroll on CNN's town hall, and calling a police officer a thug, Trump is sure making it easy for Biden to claim the mantle of law and order.
55 min
19
The Counteroffensive Against Trump—and Putin
Turns out that being a star doesn't allow you to get away with sexual assault after all.
34 min
20
Felix Salmon: The New Not Normal Economy
Globalism is dead, the remote work revolution is here to stay, and more people are pursuing their big dreams in smaller cities.
41 min
21
Will Saletan: A New American Exceptionalism?
Greg Abbott says gun violence is due to a mental health crisis, not guns. So, America is exceptionally crazy?
49 min
22
Tim Miller: The Thomas Family Grift
Clarence and Ginni are enjoying the grift that keeps on giving, Fox's PR moves are not helping, seditious conspiracy doesn't require actually being at the Capitol on Jan 6, God bless E. Jean Carroll, and Colin Allred vs. the podcaster.
53 min
23
The Proud Boys: GUILTY
It was not an Ocean's 11-style conspiracy that convicted the Proud Boys in their sedition case. But the government made a compelling case that the conspirators' goal was to stop the certification of the election by any means necessary.
47 min
24
Ben Smith: The Rise and Fall of the Social Medi...
The pioneers of the digital media age thought they were building a progressive answer to Drudge—that would help get a Democrat elected in '08. But the architects of the new rightwing populism were also there, watching and learning.
39 min
25
A.B. Stoddard: Normalizing Trump Again
For the first time since 2016, Trump will be back on CNN for a live event. It's a huge gift to Trump. Will the media once again center their campaign coverage on him—to the disadvantage of the Biden?
44 min