Bulwark Takes

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer take on Glenn Beck’s bizarre claim that FBI agents showed up at his house to “investigate Antifa,” and the right-wing fantasy world that takes him seriously.

Sam Stein and Sarah Longwell take on how Trump has broken every source of resistance that once held him back — from corporate America to Congress — and why cowardice, fear, and fatigue have left him acting untouchable. They discuss the Wall Street Journal story about Trump’s growing power, the CEOs too scared to cross him, and the moment he was even too extreme for RFK Jr.

Will Saletan and Mona Charen take on JD Vance’s reality-bending interviews—where every inconvenient fact becomes “left-wing” and every lie gets a new excuse. From calling governors criminals to dismissing real corruption as “media reports,” Will and Mona expose how MAGA’s gaslighting has replaced truth with loyalty.

Jack Cocchiarella takes on JD Vance’s excruciating Sunday-show performance—from dodging questions about the $50,000 bribe to getting booted off the air by George Stephanopoulos.

Trump wants you to think he’s inevitable. He’s not. Jack Cocchiarella takes on how Trump and Kristi Noem are turning ICE into a private army — recruiting extremists, spreading propaganda, and selling power through fear.

Bill Kristol and Tom Joscelyn take on the Trump administration's plan to crush dissent.

Sam Stein takes on the shocking Friday night purge inside the federal government—with mass firings at the CDC, Education Department, and more—explaining what really happened, why it breaks every precedent, and why insiders need to speak up now.- Secure Tip Line: https://thebulwark.com/tips- Sam Stein’s Signal Handle: asteinindc.09

Jack Cocchiarella and Tim Miller take on Jesse Watters, Fox’s extremely suspicious "guests," and the right-wing propaganda turning cruelty into entertainment.

Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell go off on House Speaker Mike Johnson — the “Eddie Haskell of MAGA.” They call out his fake piety, his loyalty to Trump over the country, and his awful attempt to brand peaceful protesters as “anti-American.”

Tim Miller is joined by George Retes, a U.S. Army veteran and American citizen who was wrongfully arrested and brutalized by ICE while simply trying to get to work. George shares his harrowing story of being surrounded by agents, pepper-sprayed, dragged from his car, locked in a detention center, and even placed on suicide watch—missing his young daughter’s birthday in the process.Read more about George's story: https://newsletter.ofthebrave.org/p/im-a-us-citizen-and-a-veteran-ice

Sam Stein is joined by Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii to discuss the ongoing government shutdown amid Russ Vought's government control, and the situation in Chicago with the Texas National Guard and Trump calling for the mayor and governor’s arrest. Plus, Schatz’s surprising recent retweets of Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Tim Miller breaks down Joe Rogan’s rare moment of moral clarity on immigration, where Rogan slams the idea of deporting longtime residents and families. Tim explains why this clip could shift the conversation, and why even some conservatives don’t want to be the “bad guys” in America’s immigration fight.

Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down one of RFK Jr.’s strangest moments yet: suggesting during a Trump cabinet meeting that circumcision might cause autism. The pair unpack the pseudoscience behind RFK’s claim, the misuse of disputed Danish studies, and the way his comments echo the administration’s earlier Tylenol panic.

Andrew Egger and Will Sommer take on of the most surreal events of the Trump era: a White House “roundtable” where Trump met with right-wing influencers to discuss Antifa as if it were an organized terror group. Egger and Sommer expose the theater behind the event, the made-up claims of an “Antifa hierarchy,” and the absurd partnership between DHS and online agitators. It’s part authoritarian propaganda, part farce, and all dangerous.

Lauren Egan sits down with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to look beyond D.C. and see what the government shutdown really means for Americans far from Capitol Hill. Mayor Lucas explains how tens of thousands of federal workers in the Midwest are going unpaid while still expected to work, and how that strain ripples through food pantries, healthcare, and housing programs. He calls out the moral hypocrisy of a government that enforces bills on citizens but refuses to pay its own. The conversation also turns to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to blue cities and his bizarre threat to move World Cup games.

Candace Owens and Dinesh D’Souza are in the weirdest feud on the internet, and somehow it involves farm animals. Then Candace brings up a dream she had where she was visited by a ghost. JVL, Sarah, and Will try to make sense of MAGA’s new reality show.

JVL and Andrew Egger take on Donald Trump’s latest threats to jail his political opponents—including governors and protesters—as he sends National Guard troops into Chicago.

Sam Stein and Will Sommer take on Candace Owens leaking Charlie Kirk’s texts, the “New Charlie Kirk” Brilyn Hollyhand’s failed debut, and MAGA turning on Trump’s own lawyer.Read Will Sommer's newsletter — False Flag:https://www.thebulwark.com/s/false-flagGet 30% off your first order from Soul at https://GetSoul.com with promo code BULWARKTAKES.

Tim Miller joins Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC’s Deadline: White House to discuss the alarming National Guard escalation in Chicago, DHS using Zach Bryan’s music as propaganda, and his interview with Kevin Clancy from Barstool Sports.Watch Deadline: White House on MSNBC – https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-houseGet 30% off your first order from Soul at https://GetSoul.com with promo code BULWARKTAKES.