Bill Kristol and Jane Fonda: The New 'Fierce Urgency of Now'
ICE is intentionally provoking violence in the nation’s cities and then glorifying it with their crack video team. Meanwhile, the rhetoric coming from Trump true believers about their desire for a ‘benevolent’ authoritarian strongman is truly alarming. But governors and members of the judiciary are behaving like we still have a republic —and that the insurrectionist president can’t just deploy Guard troops in whatever state he wants. Plus, the Dems should consider broadening their aims with the shutdown, and Jane Fonda is reviving her father’s McCarthy-Era free expression group. Jane Fonda and Bill Kristol join Tim Miller. Leave a comment show notes Monday's "Morning Shots" Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Ryan Goodman Fonda's Committee for the First Amendment "Bulwark Takes" podcast Lauren on Geoff Duncan's campaign for governor in Georgia Tim at Barstool HQ with KFC Pic of Kristi Noem working out Where to watch the Fonda's 1971 film, "Klute" Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) with special guest Rep. Sarah McBride On sale at TheBulwark.com/events. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.
6 Okt 20251h 3min
Tom Nichols: All The Circuit Breakers Are Gone
President Trump’s loyalty purges continue. Prosecutors are fired from the U.S. attorney’s office in Eastern Virginia, including people who had nothing to do with the Comey case. And Kash Patel pushes out an FBI agent in training for displaying a rainbow flag in his workspace. Meanwhile, reports surface that Marco Rubio is leading a push among Trump’s top aides to topple Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. The Atlantic’s Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller to discuss. Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) with Sarah, Tim and JVL. Tickets on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events. Tim's playlist
3 Okt 20251h 1min
Symone Sanders-Townsend: The White House’s Goal Is Enacting Pain
The Trump administration is turning up the heat now that the government has shut down, cancelling billions for green projects, targeting funding for infrastructure in New York and threatening mass firings of federal workers. Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to hold the line in the Senate with their demands about health care. Elsewhere, the White House is asking a group of top universities to join a compact supporting the president’s political agenda so that they can get federal funds. MSNBC’s Symone Sanders-Townsend joins Tim Miller to talk about the shut down fight and whether the president has overplayed his hand, how Democrats can eventually win seats back in the Senate and what the administration’s pressure on academia is really all about. Show Notes: Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) with Sarah, Tim and JVL. Tickets on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events.
2 Okt 202554min
Ken Burns: You Have To Be A Bulwark
A government shutdown begins, as a standoff over spending enters what could be a painful phase. And President Trump kicks off the week warning his military leaders about facing an invasion from within. Ken Burns joins Tim Miller to talk about his new documentary, “The American Revolution,” what lessons from history he tries to apply our current politics and how the country has navigated unrest in the past. Show Notes: Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events.
1 Okt 202557min
Van Lathan and David Jolly: How To Beat Middle Finger MAGAism
Pete Hegseth convenes the military’s top leaders to complain about fat troops and generals and plug his book. Meanwhile, Charlie Kirk’s assassination continues to drive debate about how to confront MAGA as a cultural and political movement. David Jolly, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida, joins Tim to talk about his campaign, why he switched parties and how he thinks he can reverse his state’s political trajectory. Then, The Ringer’s Van Lathan talks with Tim about our recent interview with Ezra Klein and what political conversations about beating MAGA are missing. Show Notes: Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events. For a limited time only, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/THEBULWARK.
30 Sep 20251h 24min
Bill Kristol: Trump Wants Troops in Portland
President Trump orders the National Guard to be deployed to Portland, Ore., after declaring it a war-ravaged city. And reports surface that the administration is considering strikes in Venezuela. Meanwhile, the military’s top generals are on their way to Quantico for a mysterious meeting called by Pete Hegseth that the president now wants to crash. Congressional leaders meet with the White House with the clock running out on the window to avert a government shutdown. And the nation reels after a weekend of violence in Michigan and North Carolina. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. Show Notes: Arnold and Porter NSPM-7 Memo Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events.
29 Sep 202553min
Adam Kinzinger: We Can’t Be Intimidated
President Trump’s quest for revenge escalates, as a grand jury indicts former FBI Director James Comey days after Trump forced out a prosecutor who refused to bring charges against his political enemies. Trump, meanwhile, is cheerleading the indictment and publicly encouraging prosecutors to go after more Democrats and left-leaning organizations. Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller to talk about the merits of the indictment, why we can’t afford to be intimidated by it and what comes next. They also discuss why Pete Hegseth called generals to a mysterious meeting, how the administration released the military record of New Jersey’s Democratic candidate for governor to her political opponent and how Democrats need to play the fight over a looming government shutdown. Show Notes: Adam Kinzinger Substack Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events. NEW show added to Toronto schedule: Bulwark Live Q&A Matinee show on Saturday, September 27 —tickets are on sale now, here. Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.
26 Sep 202551min
Ezra Klein: Protecting People Means Winning Power
The White House readies plans for mass firings in the federal government as Democrats weigh the stakes of forcing a government shutdown. The Justice Department prepares to seek an indictment for former FBI Director James Comey as President Trump hunts for revenge against his political enemies. Ezra Klein of The New York Times joins Tim to discuss what a fight about a shutdown should really be about, how Democrats can find a message that can meet the moment and what it will take to pull our politics out of a violent moment. Show Notes: Ezra Klein: “Charlie Kirk Was Practicing Politics The Right Way.” Ezra Klein: “We Are Going to Have To Live With Each Other.” (An Interview with Ben Shapiro) Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events. NEW show added to Toronto schedule: Bulwark Live Q&A Matinee show on Saturday, September 27 —tickets are on sale now, here.
25 Sep 20251h 10min
