The Bulwark | Substack

Trump Is an Idiot Spoiling for War. Also, Maduro Is a Bastard.

The enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend.

2 hrs ago • Jonathan V. Last

Why Aren’t Dems Going After Trump’s Tariffs?

They don’t work and Americans hate them. Layup.

5 hrs ago • William Kristol, Andrew Egger, and Jim Swift

Americans Are Turning Hard Against Trumpism

His insane overreaches are giving Americans a new appreciation for free trade, immigration, and international alliances.

11 hrs ago • Matt Johnson

Candace Owens Has Already Won

Plus: MAGA, manliness, and a slap in the face.

20 hrs ago • Will Sommer

This Holiday, Give the Auntly Gift of Books

Young nieces and nephews may not thrill to them—but there is virtually no better way of inviting them into the world of your own childhood imagination.

11 hrs ago • Clare Coffey

The Bulwark +

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Bulwark+ Takes

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20:28

Is the FBI Director Even Doing His Job?

Tim Miller gives his take on Kash Patel using Katie Miller’s podcast to push back on criticism about spending time with his girlfriend, and why the…

2 hrs ago • Tim Miller

9:46

Sam Stein: No One Trashes Trump Like His Own Team

Sam Stein joins Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace to discuss the stunning Vanity Fair interviews of Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles.

16 hrs ago • Sam Stein

17:49

The DOGE Job Cuts Finally Hit And The Jobs Report Is BAD

Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell take on a weak jobs report and why the topline numbers may hide more serious economic trouble.

21 hrs ago • Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell

15:14

America Is About to Betray a Brave Man

Tim Miller takes on the planned deportation of Uyghur whistleblower Heng Guan, a decision that raises deeper moral and strategic failures in America’s…

Dec 16 • Tim Miller

1:20:03

Why Did Susie Wiles Do These Interviews?

Sarah Longwell, JVL, and Tim Miller discuss the jaw-dropping Vanity Fair interviews Susie Wiles gave to Vanity Fair and what they reveal about how…

18 hrs ago • Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Jonathan V. Last

1:03:08

Will Sommer: Conspiracy Theorists Are Behind the Wheel in the Republican Party

Watch now (61 mins) | The people running the Republican grassroots are nativist populists, and it’s a space where opposition to Israel thrives, along…

23 hrs ago • Tim Miller and Will Sommer

Mike Johnson, Speaker Irrelevant

The atrophied chamber is moving legislation without GOP leadership’s blessing.

24 hrs ago • Joe Perticone

Susie Wiles and the Quantum Suicide of Democracy

No one will ever pay for this.

Dec 16 • Jonathan V. Last

The Psych-Ward Presidency

The president has no moral core. And, according to his own chief of staff, he’s surrounded by amateurs, opportunists, and drug users.

Dec 16 • Andrew Egger, Mona Charen, Mark Hertling, and Jim Swift

Don’t Blame the Australia Attack on Palestinian Statehood

Advocates for Israel are claiming that support for Palestinian statehood entails violence against Jews. That’s wrong—and it’s a recipe for terrorism.

Dec 16 • Will Saletan

It’s Still Not Too Late to Do Something About Those Obamacare Premiums

People are already seeing price spikes—and many will have to give up health insurance. But Congress could enact a retroactive fix.

Dec 16 • Jonathan Cohn

1:07:29

Bill Kristol: A Weekend of Tragedy

From the shooting at Brown University, to the Oct.

Dec 15 • Tim Miller and William Kristol

America Is an Unserious Country Filled With Unserious People

Stories about revealed preferences and who we really are.

Dec 15 • Jonathan V. Last

54:43

Forget ‘Double Tap.’ The First Strike Was a Crime (w/ Rosa Brooks)

Georgetown professor Rosa Brooks discusses the legality (or the lack) of Trump’s drug boat attacks as well as the bonkers National Security Strategy…

Dec 15 • Mona Charen

Shock. Horror. Tragedy.

Murder and terror at opposite ends of the world.

Dec 15 • William Kristol, Andrew Egger, Jim Swift, and Hannah Yoest

Rob Reiner, 1947–2025

One of the best and most versatile directors of his era.

Dec 15 • Sonny Bunch

The Bulwark

The Bulwark is home to Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Bill Kristol, JVL, Sam Stein, and more. We are the largest pro-democracy bundle on Substack for news and analysis on politics and culture—supported by a community built on good-faith.

Podcasts

The Bulwark Podcast

Will Sommer: Conspiracy Theorists Are Behind the Wheel in the Republican Party

Bulwark+ Takes

Is the FBI Director Even Doing His Job?

George Conway Explains It All

Running the Same Dead Case Back to Another Grand Jury? That’s Desperation.

The Secret Podcast

Fear the Reaper

The Next Level

Why Did Susie Wiles Do These Interviews?

FYPod

Cam’s Gone & Things Are Getting Weirder (w/ Tahra Hoops)

The Focus Group

The Civilian-Military Relationship (with Mark Hertling)

The Mona Charen Show

Forget ‘Double Tap.’ The First Strike Was a Crime (w/ Rosa Brooks)

How to Fix It with John Avlon

The Damage to America Is Permanent (w/ Michael Luttig & Jeh Johnson)

Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

‘Knives Out’ and Time for Forgiveness

Shield of the Republic

Double Taps and Drug Lord Pardons

The Michael Steele Podcast

What Will Happen to the Republican Party Post-Trump? (w/ Chris Vance, Barbara Comstock & Charlie Dent)

Just Between Us

Demolition Donald

Recommendations

The UnPopulist

Shikha Dalmia

Crooked Media

Letters from an American

Heather Cox Richardson

Home of the Brave

Newsletters

The Triad

Three things to read, from JVL.

Morning Shots

Politics and news, every morning with Bill Kristol and Andrew Egger.

Receipts

Sharp insights and fresh reporting on our nation’s economy, delivered to your inbox by the inimitable Catherine Rampell.

Overtime

Start your Saturdays with a roundup of what's happening in the news and around The Bulwark.

Press Pass

In-depth reporting on Congress, campaigns, and the way Washington works from Joe Perticone.

The Opposition

Charting the Democrats as they try to emerge from the political wilderness. A twice-weekly newsletter from Lauren Egan.

Huddled Masses

A newsletter by Adrian Carrasquillo chronicling immigration in America.

False Flag

Unparalleled reporting and insights into the online culture and communities that now run our country. A twice-weekly newsletter from Will Sommer.

The Breakdown

A newsletter from Jonathan Cohn that will tell you what the hell is actually happening to our government.

Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

Sonny Bunch on movies, technology, and understanding the next Hollywood

MAGAville (Archived)

MAGAville (Archived) featured reporting from inside MAGA World, by Marc Caputo in 2024.

Bulwark Offers

Welcome to The Bulwark!

1:02:21

Double Taps and Drug Lord Pardons

Eric and Eliot discuss the newly released National Security Strategy’s flaws, highlighting its incoherence and hostility to Europe.

Dec 15 • Eric S. Edelman and Eliot A Cohen

If Any Dem Can Be Governor of Alabama, It’s This Guy. It Still May Take a Miracle.

Running against Tommy Tuberville may not seem like a major challenge. But it is in the deep-red South.

Dec 14 • Lauren Egan

47:47

The Damage to America Is Permanent (w/ Michael Luttig & Jeh Johnson)

John Avlon is joined by Judge Michael Luttig and former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, co-chairs of the American Bar Association’s Task Force on American…

Dec 14 • John Avlon

The FBI Spent a Generation Relearning How to Catch Spies. Then Came Kash Patel.

As China’s spies grow more aggressive, the FBI is distracted and off-balance.

Dec 14 • Derek Owen and R.M. Schneiderman

The latest from

Jonathan V. Last

Trump Is an Idiot Spoiling for War. Also, Maduro Is a Bastard.

William Kristol

Why Aren’t Dems Going After Trump’s Tariffs?

Andrew Egger

Why Aren’t Dems Going After Trump’s Tariffs?

Jim Swift

Why Aren’t Dems Going After Trump’s Tariffs?

Sarah Longwell

Why Did Susie Wiles Do These Interviews?

Will Sommer

Candace Owens Has Already Won

Joe Perticone

Mike Johnson, Speaker Irrelevant

Mona Charen

The Psych-Ward Presidency

Mark Hertling

The Psych-Ward Presidency

Will Saletan

Don’t Blame the Australia Attack on Palestinian Statehood

Show 6 more