Episodes

  • BULWARK TAKES: Wrecking Ball TODDLERS Trump and Elon Are Making Susie Wiles' Life HELL

    BULWARK TAKES: Wrecking Ball TODDLERS Trump and Elon Are Making Susie Wiles' Life HELL
    Feb 14 2025
    Tim Miller and John Avlon join forces to talk about Trump and Elon's growing relationship, Susie Wiles having to deal with them, and much more.
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    12 mins
  • Andrew Weissmann and Michael Weiss: Valentine's Massacre

    Andrew Weissmann and Michael Weiss: Valentine's Massacre
    Feb 14 2025
    Unlike the cowardly Republican senators who are rolling over in the face of Kash Patel's bald-faced lies, the men and women of the Justice Department are taking their oaths of office seriously by refusing to comply with a blatantly political order to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Meanwhile, Trump is just over the moon with Vladimir Putin—even though his army is performing quite poorly on the battlefield against Ukraine. Plus, the makeup heir advising Trump on foreign policy, Emil Bove is this moment's cartoon villain, and Pizzagate's Jack Posobiec is somehow inside the administration's inner circle.

    Andrew Weissmann and Michael Weiss join Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
    show notes
    Support "Orange Ribbons for Jamie" here, formed in honor of Parkland shooting victim Jaime Guttenberg
    Details on Zelensky offering Trump a Ukrainian boxer's championship belt
    Tim's playlist
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    56 mins
  • Alex Wagner: The Poster Child for Corruption and Grift

    Alex Wagner: The Poster Child for Corruption and Grift
    Feb 13 2025
    While Elon claims he's storming the government to cut waste, he's also getting himself a big fat check for $400 million from the State Department for Tesla armored vehicles—though administration officials are now trying to hide the grift because the Trump glow does not extend to the weird dude. Meanwhile, McConnell may have voted against confirming RFK Jr, but he's the one who drew up the blueprint for breaking the rules. Plus, the asymmetry in passion between MAGA and the resistance, and Alex's new podcast looks at how people are being affected by the policies and promises of Trumpism.

    MSNBC’s Alex Wagner join Tim.
    show notes
    Trumpland with Alex Wagner
    Dave Weigel's piece that Tim referenced
    Axios piece that was mentioned
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    52 mins
  • Carol Leonnig and Robert Putnam: Lies and Moral Obligations

    Carol Leonnig and Robert Putnam: Lies and Moral Obligations
    Feb 12 2025
    If Republican senators had any shred of dignity left, they'd demand that Kash Patel answer why he brazenly lied under oath to them about the purge of agents at the FBI. Credible sources have come forward to say he was directing the whole thing. Meanwhile, Trump has leveled the playing field so companies doing business overseas can do all the bribing they want. Plus, our modern "boy problem," our genetic wiring to not be loners, and finding a way out of our polarization by seeing we have an obligation to respect and care for other people.

    Carol Leonnig and Bob Putnam join Tim Miller
    show notes

    • Bob's "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community"

    • The documentary about Bob, "Join or Die"

    • Bob's co-written book, "The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again"
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Tom Malinowski: Fight the Power, Dems

    Tom Malinowski: Fight the Power, Dems
    Feb 11 2025
    The Democratic Party was made for different times, when rules were followed. But to preserve the basic power of Congress, and to prove that the Constitution is worth the paper it's printed on, the troublemakers in the Dem caucus have to get busy fighting over tariffs and a looming budget deal. Besides, Trump's strongest hand is performative outbursts—making threats and pretending he got something in return. Plus, Elon is giving away America's greatness, the EU should call Trump's bluff, and the Democrats should quit chasing donations from the social media companies that broke our democracy.

    Former congressman Tom Malinowski joins Tim Miller.
    show notes:

    Tom's Bulwark piece on how the Democrats should fight
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    58 mins
  • Bill Kristol: The Law Be Damned

    Bill Kristol: The Law Be Damned
    Feb 10 2025
    The new administration has been routinely breaking the law, including on Friday when it announced it was cutting funding for universities doing medical research, specifically in violation of legislation passed by Congress last year. And over the weekend, Trump, Musk, and Vance signaled a willingness to ignore court orders—a federal judge on Monday declared that the White House was doing just that in response to his order lifting a freeze on grant spending. Meanwhile, Trump designated himself the Supreme Leader over the Kennedy Center, and canned the national archivist perhaps because the agency happened to notice he was hoarding classified documents. Plus, at a time when we could use some decent role models, Jalen Hurts showed what it's like to win without being petty and consumed by grievance.

    Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
    show notes

    JVL's Triad newsletter on how the Dems can win the USAID fight
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    48 mins
  • Ezra Klein: The Resistance, Back from the Dead

    Ezra Klein: The Resistance, Back from the Dead
    Feb 7 2025
    Partly because of the courts and partly because the White House keeps stepping on rakes or trying to break everything, the Dems who were too chill about Trump pre- and post-election have fully moved into 'threat to the Republic' mode. Meanwhile, angry bureaucrats, particularly at the FBI, are digging in. But don't be sanguine because the administration is still trying to take a wrecking ball to the civil service— anything that goes wrong that involves the government though (like that measles outbreak in Texas) they're going to own from here on out. Plus, Trump's dirty energy policy, the challenge of getting his tax cuts through Congress, and Kanye goes all in on Hitler.

    Ezra Klein joins Tim on the weekend pod.

    show notes
    Ezra's forthcoming book with Derek Thompson, "Abundance"
    Ezra's show on YouTube
    Measles Outbreak Mounts Among Children in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties
    Tim's playlist
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    57 mins
  • Michael Steele: Gum Up the Works

    Michael Steele: Gum Up the Works
    Feb 6 2025
    After the dumbest member of the Senate, Tommy Tuberville, was able to block military promotions for months during the Biden administration, Dems should not back down from slowing the roll of Kash and the other remaining abominable nominees. Meanwhile, more federal workers are going to have to speak up—lawsuits don't make good visuals. The nation needs to see the faces of the men and women who are our public servants. Plus, Elon's poll numbers slip, Trump's Gaza gambit is BS, and who is the new DNC Chair, Ken Martin? Michael Steele joins Tim Miller.
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    52 mins