<![CDATA[The Bulwark: The Mona Charen Show]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/s/monacharenshowhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QWq4!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe7bdbd69-ae32-45de-8348-8913f6966d53_256x256.pngThe Bulwark: The Mona Charen Showhttps://www.thebulwark.com/s/monacharenshowSubstackSun, 19 Jul 2026 07:43:13 GMT<![CDATA[How Badly Has Trump Botched the Iran War?]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-badly-has-trump-botched-the-iranhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-badly-has-trump-botched-the-iranSun, 19 Jul 2026 01:01:33 GMTMona Charen and Eric Edelman examine how Trump stumbled into the Iran war without a clear plan, alienated allies, strengthened Tehran’s position, and left the United States looking weaker.

Inside Israel’s Secret Operation to Cultivate Ahmadinejad

US lacks scores of ambassadors in Africa

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Bulwark Book Club pick for August: Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson. Join Mona Charen and Bill Kristol to discuss this classic that explores racism and slavery. Published in 1894, the novel tells the story of two boys – one born into slavery, the other the master’s son – who were switched at birth. Send your questions, comments, and thoughts on the book here.

Watch your inbox for details on when the episode will drop.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access this member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google. Or set up the ad-free edition of this Bulwark show on your player of choice using your private RSS feed here.

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]]><![CDATA[Bulwark Book Club for August: Mark Twain’s “Pudd’nhead Wilson”]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-book-club-for-august-markhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-book-club-for-august-markFri, 10 Jul 2026 15:47:42 GMT
Photo Illustration by The Bulwark | Book Cover Penguin Random House

August’s Book Club pick is Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson.

Bill and Mona are both Mark Twain fans – well, who isn’t? And they thought this novel about the antebellum south would be very interesting for them and for our very history-aware audience!

Published in 1894, the novel tells the story of two boys – one born into slavery, the other the master’s son – who were switched at birth. It’s the continuation of a theme. In The Prince and the Pauper, Twain also used the switching places motif.

Bill and Mona are eager to have you join the conversation. Send your questions, comments, and thoughts to us in the comments section of this post and join us for a live show on Substack for Bulwark+ members in August.

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Programming note: Mona and Bill will discuss Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson live on Wednesday, August 12 for Bulwark+ members at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. Stay tuned for details in your inbox.

If you’re not yet a member, join today so you can participate in the discussion.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump, Platner, and the Mistake America Keeps Making]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-platner-and-the-mistake-americahttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-platner-and-the-mistake-americaThu, 09 Jul 2026 17:06:08 GMTDemocrats swore they'd never do what Republicans did with Trump. Then came Graham Platner. Mona Charen and Will Saletan on the fake oysterman, the vetting failure, and the death of shame—plus Trump's World Cup meddling and the loss Mona says America needed.

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Bulwark Book Club pick for August: Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson. Join Mona Charen and Bill Kristol to discuss this classic that explores racism and slavery. Published in 1894, the novel tells the story of two boys – one born into slavery, the other the master’s son – who were switched at birth. Send your questions, comments, and thoughts on the book here.

Watch your inbox for details on when the episode will drop.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access this member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google. Or set up the ad-free edition of this Bulwark show on your player of choice using your private RSS feed here.

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]]><![CDATA[A Belated Appreciation of John Adams]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-belated-appreciation-of-john-adamshttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-belated-appreciation-of-john-adamsSun, 05 Jul 2026 00:30:16 GMTHistorian Lindsay Chervinsky discusses her book on our second president, John Adams, and how crucial his decisions were in solidifying our democratic republic.

For The Bulwark Book Club for July, Mona interviews presidential historian Lindsay about her book Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

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show notes:
Follow Lindsay at

Read Lindsay’s essay “Who Gets to Claim 1776?”

Bulwark Book Club pick for August: Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson. Join Mona Charen and Bill Kristol to discuss this classic that explores racism and slavery. Published in 1894, the novel tells the story of two boys – one born into slavery, the other the master’s son – who were switched at birth.

Watch your inbox for details on when the episode will drop.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access this member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google. Or set up the ad-free edition of this Bulwark show on your player of choice using your private RSS feed here.

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]]><![CDATA[This Reporter Calls Trump—And He Answers! (w/ Ed Luce)]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/this-reporter-calls-trumpand-he-answershttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/this-reporter-calls-trumpand-he-answersSun, 28 Jun 2026 01:17:43 GMTMona Charen and FT columnist Ed Luce dig into Giorgia Meloni's public dressing down of Trump, the UK's political chaos, and the fallout from Trump's Iran war—including the case that the U.S. is now paying Iran reparations and Israel is boxed into an impossible corner. Plus: Luce's surreal Sunday phone calls with Trump himself.

show notes

FT Swamp Notes with Ed Luce: How to lose a war in three easy steps

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Bulwark Book Club: Mona will interview presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky about her book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

Join the conversation! Drop your questions about the book for Mona to discuss with Lindsay here. This post is pinned to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.

Watch your inbox for details on when the episode will drop.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access this member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google. Or set up the ad-free edition of this Bulwark show on your player of choice using your private RSS feed here.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump Bombed Iran—Then Gave It Everything It Wanted]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-bombed-iranthen-gave-it-everythinghttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-bombed-iranthen-gave-it-everythingSun, 21 Jun 2026 00:31:00 GMTMona Charen welcomes military analyst Andrew Fox for a conversation on Trump’s Iran ceasefire, whether America squandered its leverage against Tehran, the growing influence of Qatar and Turkey, Israel’s military and political mistakes, Hamas’s strategy in Gaza, and the battle over public opinion that could shape the future of the Middle East.

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show notes:

Follow and read his dispatches on his Substack Fox on War

Bulwark Book Club: Mona will interview presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky about her book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

Join the conversation! Drop your questions about the book for Mona to discuss with Lindsay here. This post is pinned to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.

Watch your inbox for details on when the episode will drop.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access this member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google. Or set up the ad-free edition of this Bulwark show on your player of choice using your private RSS feed here.

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]]><![CDATA[Bulwark Book Club for July: “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic”]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-book-club-for-july-makinghttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-book-club-for-july-makingThu, 11 Jun 2026 19:17:19 GMT
Photos by Hannah Yoest, Mount Vernon Ladies Association, and Oxford University Press

Join us for another edition of The Bulwark Book Club with Mona Charen to observe America’s 250th anniversary.

July’s pick: Lindsay Chervinsky’s book, Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

Mona and Lindsay discussed the book and addressed your questions during a special edition of The Mona Charen Show for July 4th. Watch the show below.

Lindsay Chervinsky, presidential historian and executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, gives a definitive look at the second president’s lasting legacy on the nation’s highest office in Making the Presidency. Details on ordering the book can be found here.

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]]><![CDATA[Book Club: “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal” (w/ Mark Hertling) | Mona Charen Show]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/book-club-if-i-dont-return-a-fathershttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/book-club-if-i-dont-return-a-fathersTue, 09 Jun 2026 00:25:21 GMTOn the inaugural Bulwark Book Club, Mark Hertling joins Mona Charen to discuss his new book—If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal—a journal he began during the Gulf War for his young sons in case he never returned home. Their conversation explores combat, leadership, moral injury, fatherhood, friendship, military culture, and what it means to live a life worthy of the sacrifices made by those who serve.

Buy Mark's book: Here
Get a signed copy of Mark’s book: Here

This advanced edition of The Mona Charen Show is exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump's Tough-Guy Act Is Finally Falling Apart (w/ Will Saletan)]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-tough-guy-act-is-finally-fallinghttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-tough-guy-act-is-finally-fallingSun, 07 Jun 2026 01:00:34 GMTMona Charen and Will Saletan on Texas's political earthquake: Paxton's shocking primary win, whether Democrat James Talarico can actually flip the state, the YOLO Republicans finally speaking up too late, and what Bill Cassidy's post-loss laugh tells you about everything.

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Bulwark Book Club: Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling abour his book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.

Join the conversation! Drop your questions or comments about the book for Mona to explore with Gen. Hertling here. We’ll pin this post to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.

Programming note: June 8 at 7pm EDT, Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about his new book If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal live on Substack. Watch your inbox for details.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump's Staggering Corruption Is Finally Catching Up to Him]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-staggering-corruption-is-finallyhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-staggering-corruption-is-finallySat, 30 May 2026 22:23:50 GMTJonathan Chait of The Atlantic joins Mona to discuss the incredible scope and scale of Trump’s corruption—from the $4 billion the Trump family has added to its net worth since January 2025, to the $1.776 billion “weaponization” slush fund, to the dozens of DOJ officials who quit rather than follow corrupt orders. They trace how a century of progressive-era reforms that kept American government relatively clean is being systematically dismantled, and why the mafia-style loyalty-and-punishment logic now governing federal law enforcement is more authoritarian than merely corrupt.

Plus: are Senate Republicans finally showing a spine? And is the Democratic Party’s new obsession with monopolies as the root of all evil a winning strategy—or a trap?

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show notes

Read Jonathan’s article on the $1.8 billion slush fund

Read Mona’s article on Trump’s corruption

Bulwark Book Club: Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling abour his book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.

Join the conversation! Drop your questions or comments about the book for Mona to explore with Gen. Hertling here. We’ll pin this post to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.

Programming note: June 8 at 7pm EDT, Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about his new book If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal live on Substack. Watch your inbox for details.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google.

Read more

]]><![CDATA[Danielle Crittenden on Losing Her Daughter]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/danielle-crittenden-on-losing-herhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/danielle-crittenden-on-losing-herSat, 23 May 2026 22:35:10 GMTMona Charen is joined by her dear friend Danielle Crittenden for a powerful and honest discussion about the journey that led Danielle to write a book titled Dispatches from Grief. Danielle’s daughter died suddenly in early 2024 at the age of 32. Mona and Danielle talk about the shock of the loss, the ongoing emotional and physical pain of grief, the power of religious rituals and how eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) has helped with Danielle’s healing.

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Show notes:

Danielle’s book Dispatches From Grief: A Mother’s Journey Through The Unimaginable

We know so many of you love reading, so we are excited to share with you that we are starting a monthly book club with Mona Charen.

Mona’s first pick: retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling’s book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.

Join the conversation! Drop your questions or comments about the book for Mona to explore with Gen. Hertling here. We’ll pin this post to the top of The Mona Charen Show page on the site.

Programming note: June 8 at 7pm EDT, Mona will interview retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling about his new book If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal live on Substack. Watch your inbox for details.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Saturdays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members. Access member edition in the Bulwark App—now available on Apple and Google.

]]><![CDATA[Bulwark Book Club for June: Mark Hertling’s, “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal”]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-book-club-for-june-with-mark-hertlinghttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-book-club-for-june-with-mark-hertlingSat, 23 May 2026 18:30:00 GMT

Hey Bulwark fam –

We know so many of you love reading, so we are excited to share with you that we are starting a monthly book club with Mona Charen.

Mona’s first pick: retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling’s book, If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal

Mark and Mona discussed the book and answered your questions live on Monday, June 8 for Bulwark+ members:

If you’re not yet a member, join today so you can catch the next Bulwark Book Club discussion the week of July 4, featuring Lindsay Chervinsky’s Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic.

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]]><![CDATA[What Can 'A Man for All Seasons' Tell Us About Today?]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-can-a-man-for-all-seasons-tellhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-can-a-man-for-all-seasons-tellSat, 16 May 2026 20:08:39 GMTA Man for All Seasons is one of cinema's great moral arguments—six Oscars, a cast of legends, and a story about conscience under autocracy that feels more relevant than ever. Mona Charen and Sonny Bunch dig into why this 1966 film became a touchstone for conservative intellectuals, what it says about people who preach virtue and then fold when it counts, and why Robert Bolt—a leftist—wrote the right's favorite movie. Plus: the rule of law, the seduction of power, and what it means to stand fast even when it costs you everything.


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The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump's Tariffs Trashed the Economy. Why Won't We Say That? (w/ Matt Bennett)]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-tariffs-trashed-the-economyhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-tariffs-trashed-the-economySat, 09 May 2026 22:31:04 GMTMona Charen spoke with Matt Bennett of Third Way for a diagnosis of where the Democratic Party actually stands: a brand stuck at 28% approval, an immigration message that still hasn't landed, the Hasan Piker debate, a Supreme Court that just made gerrymandering easier, and a tariff-driven economic crisis that Democrats inexplicably won't run on.

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The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[Trump's War on the Enlightenment (w/ Steven Pinker)]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-war-on-the-enlightenment-whttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-war-on-the-enlightenment-wMon, 04 May 2026 10:02:21 GMTSteven Pinker joins Mona Charen to discuss why the world is improving in ways most people don’t recognize—and why so many still believe everything is falling apart. They explore the case for Enlightenment values like reason, science, and liberal democracy, the growing backlash from both the left and MAGA world, and how media and human psychology fuel constant pessimism.

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The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[Orbán Rigged the Game—and Still Lost]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/orban-rigged-the-gameand-still-losthttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/orban-rigged-the-gameand-still-lostMon, 27 Apr 2026 17:02:33 GMTAEI’s Dalibor Rohac analyzes Hungary’s stunning rebuke of Orban and implications for other democratic nations.

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The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[A Beautiful Victory in Hungary]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-beautiful-victory-in-hungaryhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-beautiful-victory-in-hungaryMon, 20 Apr 2026 10:02:44 GMTMona brings the Beg to Differ panel back for a reunion. They address Orban, Democrats, and Trump Jesus among much else.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

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Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[A 250-Foot Monument to Trump's Ego (w/ Philip Kennicott)]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-250-foot-monument-to-trumps-egohttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-250-foot-monument-to-trumps-egoMon, 13 Apr 2026 14:03:50 GMTWashington Post architecture critic Philip Kennicott discusses Trump’s physical desecration of Washington DC.

Read more from Philip Kennicott: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/04/07/artemis-moon-trump-iran-war/

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]]><![CDATA[Confronting Antisemitism, Left and Right (w/ David Frum)]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/confronting-anti-semitism-left-andhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/confronting-anti-semitism-left-andMon, 06 Apr 2026 10:03:55 GMTDavid Frum analyzes the roots of both left and right-wing anti-Semitism and what it means for a liberal democracy.

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

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Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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]]><![CDATA[Is RFK Jr. Being Defanged?]]>https://www.thebulwark.com/p/is-rfk-jr-being-defangedhttps://www.thebulwark.com/p/is-rfk-jr-being-defangedMon, 30 Mar 2026 16:31:06 GMT Jonathan Cohn analyzes the first godawful year of MAHA, but are things changing for the better? Or slightly better?

The Mona Charen Show is a weekly, one-on-one discussion that goes in depth on political and cultural topics. New shows drop Mondays. Find this show wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube. Add the show to your player of choice, here.

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Ad-free editions of The Mona Charen Show are exclusively available for Bulwark+ members.

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