The Trio comes together on the daily pod for the first time to give a little taste of the MAGA-land news Sam, Will, and Tim are covering for The Bulwark. The latest developments include speculation that Candace Owens may be a lesbian and that Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds pretended he was Jamaican. He may also have very poor judgment on financial matters. But first, Maria talks with Tim about Eric Schmitt and what may be the biggest self-own in the history of the Senate. Plus: Most of the media is still doing fake balance in favor of Trump, the pivotal scandal that knocked Chris Christie out as the 2016 frontrunner—and may have opened the door to you-know-who—and Tim shares details about a kiss he wanted but never got. 

Ex-Christie aide Maria Comella and Trio members Sam Stein and Will Sommer join Tim Miller.
show notes:

• Tim’s updated list of additional Democratic candidates to support in “The Triad”
• Will’s “False Flag” newsletter
• The Trio on Youtube or on Substack
• The campaign site for Montana’s Sam Forstag
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark store
  
  

Vigilance is still in order, but Trump’s efforts to rig the midterms have so far flopped. And that includes Trump’s self-sabotaging of his own plan to blame China for hacking our voting machines. But should the Dems win back Congress, they’re going to be busy tracing all the money that was stolen for the ballroom, the arch, and Pentagon contracts with Trump family members. Plus: Evan discusses his new book, which memorializes both his 16 months in Russian captivity—and the recent history of Russia at war under Putin.

Amanda Carpenter and Evan Gershkovich join Tim Miller.

show notes:

• Evan’s book, “This Cursed Beautiful Land”
• Protect Democracy’s Substack
• Andrew in “Morning Shots” on impeaching Trump again
• Sam and Will on Texas’s Bo French
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark store

The Trump administration stole our tax dollars to run a campaign ad during NFL games on Sunday. They're also breaking the law on congressional funding appropriations—and enjoying rubbing the public's face in all the illegality they're getting away with. In Dayton, The Bulwark had its largest live show ever, and the community came through in a huge way with donations for Haitian immigrants in Springfield. For a taste of the event, we're sharing Tim's interview with Democratic strategist Patrick Gaspard. Plus: Tim and Bill launch a new segment on longshot picks to back in the midterms, Trump is being unbelievably irresponsible on AI, the media is still not talking about the Iranian green card-holding family being held at the Dilley detention center, and Americans need a reminder of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Bill Kristol and Patrick Gaspard join Tim Miller.

show notes:

• Monday's "Morning Shots," with Bill on Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington
• Bill’s longshot in Idaho, Todd Achilles
• Tim’s longshot in Colorado, Jessica Killin
• The Trio on Victor Marx, running for governor in Colorado
• A sampling of Jim’s newsletters on Springfield
• Ohio’s Don Leonard for Congress campaign site
• Dan Scavino’s AI image Tim referenced
• Closing Song: MJ Lenderman - She’s Leaving You
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark store

Trump pulled out all the stops at the state dinner to regale the guy who is working with our enemy: Not only has China been helping Iran target and kill American soldiers, it's also been shipping Tehran component parts for drones and missile guidance systems. Senate Republicans, of course, blocked an effort to end the war as one of their last votes before the midterms. Meanwhile, election deniers keep showing us that they're going to try to monkey around with the election results in November. Plus: Alex discusses her new book about the origin story behind today's supermajority Supreme Court, and warns that Republicans may try to steal another SCOTUS seat in the lame duck Congress. 

Alex Wagner joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes:

• Alex’s book, “The Steal”
• Tim’s ‘Take’ on Republican candidates trying to run from their record on the Iran war
• The WSJ on China shipping drone parts to Iran
• Tim’s playlist
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark store

First, Sam Stein sits down with Tim to discuss the latest humiliation of our troops: Trump’s red carpet welcome for President Xi. Plus: the White House’s insane propaganda machine, a new Maine poll throws some cold water on the midterms hopium, Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s obsession with furries, and is RFK Jr. running for president? Then, Tim pulls back the curtain on his interview with Mary Peltola, which wrapped just hours before a new critical New York Times piece dropped. In their conversation, Peltola explained how nearly every issue Alaskans care about can be summed up by “fish, family, and freedom.” And that viral debate moment with Dan Sullivan revealed something deeper: He is not doing enough to protect Alaskans from corporate greed in Washington.

Sam Stein and Mary Peltola join Tim Miller.
show notes:

• The New York Times story on Mary Peltola
• Trump’s new propaganda ad paid for by your tax dollars
• Video of Trump greeting President Xi
• The White House’s AI reconstruction of the meeting
• Jonathan Cohn’s newsletter “The Breakdown”
• Closing Song: MJ Lenderman - “She’s Leaving You”
  
  

The cozy White House Correspondents' Dinner, where Trump joked around with reporters, was only in July. But now he's ripping away press credentials and setting up state-run media. Sarah scolds the WHCA for bending the knee to Trump to begin with. And recent Italian history even foreshadowed the Trump era. Jason, in his new book, explains how Silvio Berlusconi learned how to become the central character in the media. The more he was talked about, the more powerful he became—and the more his opposition became trapped. Plus: a case study of Giorgia Meloni, her love of the hobbits, her opposition to Trump, and the rise of far-right populism in Italy. Also, a little hopium for Texas turning blue. And today's Republicans will always choose power over the interests of women.

Sarah Matthews and The New York Times' Jason Horowitz join Tim Miller.

show notes:

• Brendan on watching six straight hours of Trump TV
• Sarah on MAGA world trying to save Max Miller
• Jason's new book, "The Italian Job"
• Catch Tim's TNL rant on George W. Bush
• Nicole Bassett's Oregeon state senate campaign site
• BJ's Lounge in NOLA
• Go to https://zbiotics.com/thebulwark and use THEBULWARK at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.

The party has been busy playing defense in Trump states, and now comes the news that Susan Collins is corrupt on top of being a loyal MAGA supplicant. More Democrats should walk with Ossoff's swagger and keep their message simple: attack Trump on his corruption and the war. (And in colder climes, the price of heating oil.) Meanwhile, subpoenas over Trump Jr.'s Russian mobster-funded wedding are coming, and even some Republicans are likely to get on board. Plus: Ukraine is showing how to fight wars now and how the U.S. under Trump and Hegseth is not ready. And Tim keeps his promise and puts on a hair shirt after LSU's loss to Ole Miss. 

Stuart Stevens joins Tim Miller.

show notes:

• ProPublica’s reporting on Susan Collins
• Lauren on how Dems are dealing with the Republicans’ huge war chest
• Tim’s interview with Wright Thompson last week
• Stuart’s books, including “The Conspiracy to End America” and “The Last Season”
• Stuart on performance-enhancing drugs
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark store
• Head to https://forkfulmeals.com/thebulwark for 50% off your first order today!
  

As Trump’s war of choice continues to expand in the Middle East, it’s clear that the president is desperate not to show how weak he really is. The administration is out of time and out of both strategic and rhetorical options in Iran. Another sign that he is flailing: Trump is trying to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House press pool. But other TV outlets are pushing back in solidarity, forcing Trump to choose between two of his favorite things: punishing his critics and dominating the airwaves. Plus why the triumphal arch would be the silliest possible place for a military installation, Trump’s American Idol-style vote on what to call AI, and the unaddressed, ongoing education crisis.

Sitting in for Bill Kristol, Andrew Egger joins Tim Miller on the Monday pod.
show notes:

• Tim’s conversation about the latest AI news with Stephen Witt
• Tim and JVL’s 2023 conversation with Reid Hoffman
• Andrew in today’s “Morning Shots” on AI
• Dan Selsam’s statement
• Nikole Hannah-Jones on her daughter’s public school education
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark Store
• Song of the Day: MJ Lenderman - “She’s Leaving You”
• For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/THEBULWARK.

In Greenland, the Trump administration has got tech bros and hedge fund guys running an influence operation there. The aim may be to fulfill Trump's territorial ambitions—or to create a sovereign state run by CEOs. In Venezuela, the administration is imperialistically seizing its gold, oil and other assets with no oversight. And in Brazil, the White House is trying to bring the Bolsonaro family back to power—which may or may not have something to do with Elon being angry about the country's tech regulation laws. In Trump 2.0, informal envoys, private companies, and hardened ideologues are turning American diplomacy upside down. Plus: Putin has played Kushner like a fiddle, don't let the story of Don Jr.'s Russian gangster-funded wedding die, new additions to the Applebaum book club, and we're going to have to bulldoze the ballroom.

Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes:

• Anne’s Atlantic cover story, “Empire of Grift”
• “Whistler: A Novel,” Anne's latest book recommendation
• Tim’s book recommendation, “The Disappearers: A Novel”
• The Bulwark’s campaign to help the Haitian community of Springfield
• The Bulwark store
• Tim’s playlist
• Closing song - War on Drugs - “Suffering”
• Try ZipRecruiter to post your job FOR FREE at http://ziprecruiter.com/BULWARK
  4 out of 5 employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.
  

Republicans are reeling, the vibes are shifting, and the wave is building. Jesse serves up a particularly optimistic view of the Democrats' chances in the midterms, with even stretch districts now in play. And ahead of Saturday's Ole Miss-LSU game, Wright shares how Mississippians are responding to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and says that conservative farmers in the state are turning on MAGA. Plus, the love of a father and Ole Miss football, some Magnolia Bowl lore, why 1956 is the linchpin year in college sports history, and predicting the hate ratio on Saturday in Oxford.

Wright Thompson and Jesse Lehrich join Tim Miller.

show notes:

• Wright's books, including "The Barn" and "The Cost of These Dreams"
• Wright's ESPN piece on Friday will post here
• Jesse's "Nobody Knows Anything" podcast
• "Nobody's Listening," Jesse's newsletter
• Campaign site for Eliott Rodriguez, Maria Elvira Salazar's opponent
• Erick Erickson piece Tim mentioned
• Bulwark LIVE: Benefit for Springfield
• The Bulwark Store
• Try ZipRecruiter to post your job FOR FREE at http://ziprecruiter.com/BULWARK
  4 out of 5 employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day.

The Fed raised interest rates to curb inflation, as expected, but mortgage rates are surging and flailing Scott Bessent remains the treasury secretary. Meanwhile, the alarm raised in the AI community is not an op despite the backlash from people like Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who seems to get everything he wants from Donald Trump. Plus, the Europeans who once parked their gold in the US to hide it from the Nazis are now trying to protect it from Trump.

Catherine Rampell and Stephen Witt join Tim Miller.

show notes:

• Subscribe to Catherine Rampell's Receipts podcast and newsletter on Substack or follow her new show wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | More 
• Stephen's "This Is Really Bad" piece in the NYT
• Stephen's "The Thinking Machine," about Nvidia and Jensen Huang
• The latest episode of "The Next Level"
• Dan Selsam's statement on Twitter that Tim read from
• "If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies," the book Stephen mentioned
• Huang's "impromptu" phone call with Trump
• Closing song - Orville Peck - It's the End of the World
• NOBL gives you real travel peace of mind — security, design, and convenience all in one. Head to NOBLTravel.com for 46% off your entire order! #NOBL #ad
• Bulwark LIVE: Benefit for Springfield
  Some moments require you to step up. Some require you to show up. That’s why The Bulwark is coming to Ohio.  Join Tim, Sarah, JVL, Sam and friends Friday, September 25 at the Dayton Masonic Center for an evening of politics and fellowship.