The Next Level

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Sarah and JVL talk:

Elon dropping another $76m on the election

Fake pollsters

Trump grifters getting cut loose by Big Orange

But the big story is Vivek Ramaswamy working with a woman who aided and abetted a pedophile-rapist. You know the ad we’re talking about. Sarah did a focus group with Ohio Trump voters. They all knew about the ad. And what they told Sarah is . . . not great for Vivek.

This week’s Next Level starts out as a Secret Podcast episode, before Tim and Sam crash the stage. They discuss Sarah’s interview with Pete Buttigieg, why Jon Ossoff might be history’s choice for 2028 whether he likes it or not. Plus: some hopium on some key races across the South. Then the crew turns to Vivek Ramaswamy’s despicable ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, and whether JD Vance might be (shudder) underrated in 2028. who they most want to see hauled before Democratic committees in 2027, with Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Todd Blanche, and Jared Kushner all making the...

Sarah and JVL talk about:

The Media obsessing over the wrong problem with Katie Zacharias.

The Alina Habba - Ric Grenell cage match.

Kimberly Guilfoyle’s stylist Ruby Rhod Fancy James.

And that’s before they get into Senate polling numbers looking really bad for Republicans. You want schadenfreude with a side of hopeium? The best friends have you covered. 

Show notes:

Note: We're doing something a little different today. Paid members of the Bulwark get exclusive access to a extra, super, jumbo-sized TNL with a play-by-play breakdown of Katie Zacharia's disastrous press conference. It's a lot of fun, and you should definitely join to see it. You can join on Apple Podcast, Substack and YouTube.

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together for a super-sized, off-the-rails show. They wish Kimberly Guilfoyle well after she was forced out of the Trump administration, dig into the background of our new White House Press Secretary, discuss the DHS raid on Rep...

The Secret Podcast is available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark on Apple Podcasts, Substack and YouTube.

Elon Musk threatened to destroy Trump’s Republican allies. Now he’s spending hundreds of millions to keep them in power. Sarah Longwell and JVL discuss Musk’s humiliating surrender, the billionaires lining up behind Trump, the MAGA smear campaign against James Talarico, and why Trump’s desperate deal with Putin represents a stunning display of American weakness.

Plus, Sarah has some ideas about holding Trump’s wealthy enablers accountable, and JVL has some big news.

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark. You can join on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and at https://thebulwark.com. If you want to join, you're in luck: We’re running a 30% off October Surprise sale, so it’s a great time to get the full Secret Podcast and all of our members-only reporting.

Sarah and JVL break down Jon Ossoff’s Terminator-style destruction of Mike Collins. Seriously: It was so brutal that someone should have stopped the debate.
Then it’s off to:

Will Sommer joins Sarah and JVL for a wild, wild show. They congratulate Kash Patel on his engagement, discuss JVL's Triad on the White House reporter-turned-press staffer from Real America's Voice. Then: Megyn Kelly's ghoulish rant against Cornell's Jane Doe, and whether we're happy to see John Roberts experiencing public shame. Finally: Two VERY weird campaign ads, one filled with weird innuendo, and the other featuring Angela Paxton announcing her vote for her cheating ex-husband. They wrap up by discussing a long New Yorker article about the Heritage Foundation's groypery turn.

show links:

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of the Bulwark. Join on Substack, YouTube or Apple Podcast.

Sarah and JVL are back apart, as God intended. And there’s lots happening:

- The new jobs report is bad!

- Should Democrats try to impeach Pete Hegseth?

- Trump is sending a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

- And then there are the two interviews. JD Vance seems to be living in one world while mush-brain Donald Trump is living in another reality.

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are all together in-studio. It turns out things are so bad for the GOP, even JVL is hopeful. They discuss Marjorie Taylor Greene calling BS on the GOP's 'caravan' tactic, whether Pete Hegseth could be the administration's fall guy for the Iran war, and a new Marist poll showing Democrats with an almost-too-good-to-be-true lead on the generic congressional ballot.

Later: Did Scott Jennings REALLY talk to Mitch McConnell for 30 minutes? Can Democrats get to 56 Senate seats? The gang has thoughts on how Democrats should handle oversight investigations in 2027. Plus: Bo French is racist...

Live from benefit supporting the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and JVL dig into the quieter tactics behind Trump’s deportation crackdown, what Sarah’s Ohio focus groups are saying about Vivek Ramaswamy, Sherrod Brown, John Husted, and Amy Acton, and just how big the 2026 Senate map could get. Plus, as conservative media struggles to defend Trump, the trio holds a contest to see who can do a better Scott Jennings impression.

You can help, too: https://thebulwark.com/springfield

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of the Bulwark on Apple Podcasts, Substack and YouTube.

JVL is already in Ohio. Sarah is about to run to the airport. It’s a wheels-off kind of show. This week:

- The government seems to have lied to a court again.

- JD Vance was the leaker who threatened national security.

- Mary Peltola gets caught in context collapse.

- Trump had compromat on Susan Collins.

- JVL feels guilty about cutting a promo.

Sarah's back from the book tour! The gang discusses Sarah's Focus Group Newsletter, George W. Bush's fundraiser for Republican Senate candidates (we thought he was staying out of politics?) Then they get into Trump's ban on CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO from the White House press pool, and whether we still care. Sarah also has some words about Zohran Mamdani sharing a podium with Donald Trump.

Then, the gang talks about a Wall Street Journal columnist who has "TDS" (maybe not the TDS you're thinking of). Also: The FBI was investigating Susan Collins for bribery, Tim is mad...

Sarah and JVL are together again and JVL is raging.

And there’s a 90 percent chance that AI doesn’t kill everyone alive.

It’s a short show, but a great show.

Also: Sarah talks about the book tour and what it’s like to feel the love y...

JVL's on the west coast for Sarah's book event, and he, Tim, and Andrew Egger discuss Mitch McConnell's triumphant (?) return to the Senate, Donald Trump casually floating conspiracy theories over the Butler, PA assassination attempt, and Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth. Then, they turn their attention to a New York Times poll with some GREAT news for Democrats in the midterms (with the exception of one issue: AI). They discuss the developments from the world of AI in the last week and how our political leaders should respond. Then: Is Gavin Newsom really thinking about NOT...

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JVL and Bill Kristol look at the increasingly messy fight to succeed Trump, from JD Vance and Don Jr. to Tucker Carlson, as Trump keeps the possibility of a third term hanging over the party. Plus, the war with Iran is getting worse, Pete Hegseth’s damage to the military is becoming harder to ignore, and 25 years after 9/11, they consider the unsettling question of what terrorism ca...

Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss Trump's Labor Day Weekend with his favorite person, Corey Lewandowski's possible ‘light extortion,’ and whether Trumpworld will circle the wagons around him. Plus: why the GOP's midterm convention shows Trump losing his fastball, ABC News's bizarre framing of Rudy Giuliani's Islamophobic comments about Zohran Mamdani, and John Fetterman's total lack of interest in doing the job of a U.S. senator.

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Today Sarah and JVL try to figure out who’s worse: John Fetterman or Susan Collins. (Give us your answer in the comments.) Also, the Big Orange Arch is coming. And we chew over Doug Sosnik’s recommendations for the Democratic party. It’s a big show.

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Plus: it’s almost Book Week!

Don’t let Teddy Cancun and High Life Clarenc...

Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss the U.S. Supreme Court letting Trump’s ballroom go ahead (for now), why JVL thinks John Roberts is the Susan Collins of the Supreme Court, and whether Sarah is warming up to tearing down the ballroom in 2029. Plus: Trump says Kristen Welker should be punished for pointing out that his endorsed candidates are losing more often, and JVL wonders whether Republicans will have to be an anti-Canada party now. Later: The gang discusses Bari Weiss’s kinda racist headline about Abdul El-Sayed’s past tweets, why elected Republicans around the country (but especially Ken Pa...

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are a special perk just for paid members of the Bulwark. We put almost every video out for free, because we don't think you can save the country from behind a paywall. This is one of the rare things we do reserve just for members. Come ride with us.

- Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/py-SBnizZ3U
- Full episode on Substack: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/mark-cuban-thinks-he-could-run-as

JVL is out this week, so Tim and Sarah discuss Mark Cuban’s comments that he could run fo...

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together for a JAM-PACKED show. They discuss:

-Dolly Parton's passing and her legacy.
-America's war (not the Iran war, our trade war with Canada), and why the rest of the world can't count on American anymore--even if Democrats win in 2028.
-Sarah's Focus Group Podcast episode from Georgia--which Tim found pleasant (for once).
-The South Carolina primary runoff, and whether having Donald Trump's endorsement is enough to put a political novice in the Senate.
-The first U.S. measles deaths of the year in Pennsylvania.
-Does the...

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for paid members of the Bulwark on YouTube, Substack and Apple Podcasts.

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Sarah and JVL did a BIG show today. Sample awesome:

Sen. Darlene Graham says that voters in South Carolina don’t care about Taiwan—they care about boys playing girls sports.

Spoiler: There are exactly zero (0) boys in South Carolina playing girls sports.

Top CIA analyst Julia Curlee served Trump, Biden, and then Trump again honorably. Then she was fired because some MAGA influencers discovered she was tran...

Tim, JVL, and Andrew Egger discuss:
-(Yet another) story of a former Trump voter seeing a loved one run into the immigration policies he voted for.
-The faux outrage from MAGA-world at Sen. Jon Ossoff pointing out that Donald Trump and Natalie Harp travel together a lot.
-Karoline Leavitt leaving the White House, and who might come next.
-The Florida primary, and how Trump's hand-picked candidate MIGHT fumble the state away this fall.
-Pete Hegseth traveling to Iowa. Is HE running?
-Andrew breaks down the latest weird trend on right wing twitter...

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available only to paid members of The Bulwark. You can join on Substack, YouTube or Apple Podcasts!

Lots of stuff this week.

(1) There are still balcony seats left for the Best Friends Show in NYC on September 8. Come sell out the 92nd Street Y with us! You can get tickets here.

If we sell this show out, JVL will do something nuts.

(2) Sarah, Tim, Sam and I are coming to South Carolina, North Carolina, and Atlanta in October. We’re bringing friends. Tickets go on...

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are BACK TOGETHER after a month apart. They discuss:

-Bill Cassidy’s pathetic, weepy floor speech before casting the deciding vote to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General.
-What Tucker Carlson is up to these days…from interviewing Hunter Biden, to a monologue that sounds a LOT like the prelude to a presidential campaign.
-DSA-aligned Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, and the stakes of experimenting with a DSA-aligned candidate in a swing state like Wisconsin.
-Democrats like AOC saying that ‘Woke 1 was crazy,’ and how much of an ‘apology’ Democrats owe for ‘Wok...

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark. Join on Substack, Apple Podcast or YouTube!

JVL and Tim did a GIANT show this week.

Seriously: Instant classic. This one goes in the vault.

Read JVL’s Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/thetriad

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Sam joins Tim and JVL to discuss:
-Live results from the (unexpectedly close) Michigan Senate primary, and discuss what an Abdul El-Sayed or Haley Stevens win would mean for November.
-The horrifying child abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller, and his disastrous CNN interview.
-Trump's anger at Jeanine Pirro after she dropped vandalism charges related to the reflecting pool.
-Todd Blanche advancing out of the Senate Judiciary Committee
-Finally, they discuss JVL's triad about democratic socialists (meh) versus social democrats (better), and how Democrats can stop letting Republicans set the narrative of this election.<...

Sarah and JVL have a It’s a super-sized, instant classic:

The Trump administration is using ChatGPT for everything.

Why are Cornyn and Tillis even bothering with their fake protest of Todd Blanche?

The Dem Senate map is looking . . . possible?

Trump has raised $800 million from “donors” since coming back to office.

And JVL finally explains why he’s obsessed with 60 Minutes investigative reporter Ross Douthat.

Plus: Emo JVL needs your advice in the comments!

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Sarah, JVL, and Catherine Rampell discuss:

- Mitch McConnell's SECOND proof of life photo, and what's really going on with him.

- The White House Correspondents' Dinner do-over, Trump's comments about Kaitlan Collins, why anyone goes to it anymore, and how the whole thing seems to be playing into Trump's hands.

- The drama inside the Democratic National Committee, and how (and whether) having a strong national party committee matters anymore.

- The proposed new primary calendar for the 2028 Democratic primaries.

- The final stretch of the Michigan Senate...

Paid members of the Bulwark get access to FULL episodes of the Secret Podcast. You can join via Apple Podcasts, Substack and YouTube.

Big show today: It’s the dawn of Streamer JVL? 

Plus: Some questions for Tom Homan about shooting January 6 insurrectionists; Haley Stevens and authenticity; and the Mitch McConnell conspiracy theory. Also, a conversation about raising good men.

But the big topic is the Department of Defense suddenly removing the names of four dead soldiers from the Iran war casualty list because they were killed after Trump declared a ceasefire in Apr...

Sarah, JVL, and Will Sommer (sitting in for Tim) discuss: Whether Laura Loomer is one of the adults in MAGA-land? I'm Ron Burgundy? The state of the Iran War. The ridiculous AI advertisement being run by a Ted Cruz-aligned outside group in Florida (and the whacky candidates in the ad). The unfolding special Republican primary for Senate in South Carolina The Michigan Senate race...and how all of the online conventional wisdom stacks up with reality.

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Sarah Longwell and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) discuss Trump’s tedious (and still scary!) election speech, the documents that undercut his election claims, JD Vance’s cringe appearance on Joe Rogan, Trump voters’ brutal reactions to Vance, and Democrats’ missed opportunities at the Todd Blanche hearing.

Finally: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC! We are about to sell out the orchestra section—but we want to sell out the balcony, too. It’s a point of pride. Come hang with us. Tickets are here: https://www.92ny.org/event/sarah...

The whole gang is back together, for the last time until August. Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss:

- Two more killings by ICE officers. JVL asks whether we're getting numb to this. No one on this show is numb.
- Trump's aborted plan to toll the Strait of Hormuz--and whether it was an act of war.
- Sarah lets Todd Blanche (and Republican senators) have it.
- After JVL's wifi goes bad, Tim and Sarah discuss Tim's interview with Pete Buttigieg, and why Tim is glad Josh Shapiro isn't wading into intra-Democratic turf wars.<...

Sarah and JVL are back together, looking at Trump’s NATO disgrace, wondering if Mitch McConnell is really talking to people on the phone about detailed policy questions, and analyzing the factional fight in the Democratic party between the people trying to elect Democrats and the insurgents focused on displacing the establishment.

Short version: What if Morris Katz is just the left’s Steve Bannon?

Also, there’s some personal stuff at the end.

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Tim, Sarah, and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) take on the political stories dominating the headlines:

• Mitch McConnell is alive and taking calls (maybe, probably?)—despite Laura Loomer’s reports to the contrary..
• Platnerdämmerung; the enormous irresponsibility of the Platner candidacy will have real consequences for his movement and for the country; and the messy road ahead in Maine (even if Platner does the right thing and drops out.).
• In the wake of the Platner debacle, irony is dead as Trump defenders trip over themselves to claim the moral high ground. Case in point: Kevi...

Full episodes of the Bulwark Podcast are available to paid members of The Bulwark via YouTube, Substack, and Apple Podcasts.

Sarah Longwell and Bill Kristol (filling in for JVL) take on America’s 250th birthday under Trump—and how far the GOP has fallen from Reagan’s “you can become an American” to 2,000 ICE arrests a day. They break down the right-wing meltdown over the birthright citizenship ruling, Megyn Kelly’s race to the bottom, why the “socialist takeover” panic misses what Democratic voters actually want, and who’s really rising in the 2028 field.

Read Sarah’s Triad news...

Sarah, Tim, and Andrew Egger (filling in for JVL) discuss:

-The Supreme Court's ruling upholding birthright citizenship.
-NPR's retracted report that Justice Alito was retiring.
-The DSA-aligned Democratic candidates winning primaries in New York City, and whether Democrats are headed for a giant fight over socialism in 2027.
-Rep. Tom Kean's return to Congress after his depression diagnosis.
-The gang pops off on the gut-wrenching story of the false CPS report against Pete Buttigieg
-Fresh polling in the Maine and Texas Senate races.

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The full episode of Secret Podcast is available to paid members of the Bulwark on YouTube, Substack and Apple Podcasts.

It’s a special show this week where JVL gives Sarah a series of impossible choices. Will she choose institutionalism, or Secretary Mayor Pete? Will she endorse the political analysis of [REDACTED]? What will she do when Cletus says that he doesn’t like democracy and wants minority rule?

Come find out!

Also: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC. We’ve moved to a bigger room at the...

Tim is sick, but he's strapping on his football helmet. Tim, Sarah, and JVL cover:

-The mysterious 79 year-old receiving non-public weight loss drugs (and if not Trump, who?)
-The latest revelations from Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman's new book.
-Tucker Carlson supposedly leaving the Republican Party...or is it all a long game to help JD Vance?
-The Trump administration's ongoing capitulation to Iran...and even JD Vance used to think it was stupid!
-The latest National Mall reflecting pool drama.
-How Pete Buttigieg got 'radicalized' by his time in the Biden...

The Iran war deal is falling apart (already). Israel is turning on Trump. And the two most insipid trad-Cath poasters in America are podcasting together again.

Plus: JVL (finally) explains his disdain for the NYT’s DEI Trump apologist.

Read JVL's Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-iran-hawks-found-a-way-to-love-surrender

JVL, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the Iran "deal" that isn't really a deal—a memorandum of understanding that lifts sanctions immediately and hands Iran $300 billion while punting everything else down the road. Then: the war hawks who drummed up the Iran war—Thiessen, Graham, Levin, the WSJ editorial board — are repositioning and refusing to say they were wrong. Plus: Trump's accelerating  decline, the corruption behind the White House UFC fight, and why Trump's DOJ will open a federal investigation on every 2028 Democratic nominee regardless of who it is.

Sleep cooler this summer with Boll & Branch during...