The Bulwark

Detail of a mural in the Richmond campaign headquarters of Abigail Spanberger during her first run for Congress in 2018. In those midterm elections during Donald Trump’s first term, Democrats netted 41 House seats—and Spanberger won her election. (Photo by Julia Rendleman for the Washington Post / Getty Images)FOR A PARTY PERPETUALLY anticipating doom and engaging in acts of self-destruction, Democrats have, in recent weeks, grown shockingly optimistic about the state of the midterms

Eric welcomes retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, and Penn Washington’s Chief of Staff and Director of Communications, Mike Nelson to the show. They discuss the President’s White House speech to sell the Iran war to the American people, and its failure to address a number of important questions. They discuss Mike’s recent Dispatch article on the risks and benefits of different proposed courses of action for U.S. military forces on the ground in Iran, including the difficu

Tim Miller takes on Donald Trump’s Easter morning threats to bomb Iran’s bridges, power grid, and energy infrastructure if a deal isn’t reached.Leave a commentAs always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members.Add Bulwark+ Takes feed to your player of choice, here. Read more

Just Security's Tom Joscelyn joins Bill Kristol to discuss how Trump and his allies are reshaping the DOJ/FBI, DHS/ICE, and the Pentagon — with major implications for civil liberties, political dissent, and the 2026 elections. Correction: Bill incorrectly stated that President Trump will make a speech today. Trump said he will hold a news conference on Monday, April 6, at 1 p.m. ET. Leave a commentAs always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livest

Donald Trump on April 1, 2026, as he gave his remarks about daycare. (Screenshot via YouTube)DONALD TRUMP LAST WEEK gave an unexpectedly candid riff on his governing priorities—and, in the process, revealed that he’s losing one of his most important political skills.It happened on Wednesday, during a private Easter luncheon at the White House. Here’s what Trump said:We’re fighting wars, we can’t take care of daycare. You’ve got to let a state take care of dayc

Trump’s foreign policy is colliding with reality—from Iran to Venezuela to a collapsing Cuba. John Avlon speaks with with former NSC official Juan Gonzalez to break down the unintended consequences: rising oil prices, shaky regime changes, and a growing risk of chaos just 90 miles from Florida. Is there any real strategy here—or are we making things worse?Leave a commentWatch, listen and leave a comment. How to Fix It with John Avlon is available wherever you get your podcasts

Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell give their takes on the Trump White House calling an early “lid” during an escalating war with Iran. As Trump claims the U.S. military is “unstoppable," American fighter jets were shot down and a service member is missing. Sarah also explains that swing voters are turning against Trump, feeling misled as the war drags on and prices rise. They also discuss Trump’s repeated “48-hour” threats, rising oil costs, and the growing gap b

Eileen Higgins on December 10, 2025, the day after she won the runoff in the Miami mayoral race. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)POP QUIZ: WHICH CITY is leading the nation in ICE arrests so far this year? It’s not the Twin Cities, which clocked in at over 5,000 arrests from mid-December to mid-March. And it’s not Chicago or Los Angeles, which were targeted by Donald Trump aggressively last year; they have had, respectively, about 4,900 and 3,300 arrests so far this year.It’s

Happy Saturday! Overtime is for everyone. If you’re a Bulwark+ member: thank you. If you’re not, there’s no better time to subscribe to Bulwark+ than today. If you like today’s issue, you can share this newsletter with someone you think would value it.This week’s Overtime is going to be a bit different. Come with me on a brief journey to remember our friend Shane DiGiovanna.Join now(Composite by Hannah Yoest/ Photos: Aaron Bludworth / GettyImages / Shutterstock)Shan

The Iran War has been going on for a month, and it’s deeply, DEEPLY unpopular. Plus, we get reactions from swing voters on the characters inside the Trump administration who they like (like Marco Rubio), or REALLY dislike (listen to find out). Atlantic staff writer Ashley Parker returns to the show.By Ashley Parker:The Wrath of Stephen MillerPre-order Sarah’s book, How to Eat an Elephant, coming in September!Leave a commentWatch, listen, and leave a comment. Hit that like 🤍 b

Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell give their takes over one of the biggest questions facing Democrats right now: what to do about Hasan Piker? Should the party engage with voices on the far left to reach angry, anti-war voters or draw a hard line against rhetoric they see as toxic and illiberal? The two debate whether Democrats are picking the wrong fight at the wrong time, how to talk to audiences outside the traditional coalition, and whether engaging controversial figures risks amplifying them.Re

Noah Wyle in The Pitt, a show shot in California. (Courtesy HBO Max)I INTERVIEWED OSCAR-WINNING PRODUCER Steve Starkey this week about his new book, On the Set of Forrest Gump, for The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood. He had a ton of great stories to tell from the making of that film. (My favorite: the favor Robert Zemeckis called in to get the perfect voice for their Elvis stand-in.) I hope you give it a listen:Steve was Zemeckis’s producing partner for many years, producing Death Becomes Her,

The pro-Iran war hawks keep crowing about how U.S. military prowess is supposedly striking fear in Beijing and Moscow. But what’s really happening is that Trump is doing exactly what China and Russia hoped he’d do. Beijing has wanted the U.S. out of the Western Pacific and Putin, of course, wants NATO wrecked. Our major allies are scrambling to form new economic and military relationships, and America is likely to be very lonely in the world with only a few stooges to count as friend

JVL and Sarah discuss Trump’s rambling, unfocused address that failed to clarify any of the war’s goals, even as evidence mounts that the situation is getting worse. They also talk about the Bondi firing, why it may have been timed to shift attention, and what it says about how this White House handles bad news.Plus: rising oil prices, market jitters, and new warning signs from voters who are starting to turn against Trump.Leave a commentPre-order Sarah’s book, How to Eat an El

Catherine and Sam cover economic news, including Trump's new budget proposal and the March jobs numbers.Leave a commentAs always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams, and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members.Add Bulwark+ Takes feed to your player of choice, here. Read more

‘Forrest Gump’ (Paramount)On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Steve Starkey to discuss his new book, On the Set of Forrest Gump. Steve won an Oscar for best picture as producer on that film, but he has a career that, as I told him, has meant a lot to me, with credits on, among other pictures, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the two Back to the Future sequels, Contact, Cast Away, and, of course, Forrest Gump.We discussed all sorts of

It’s a big week in religious circles! A blessed end to Holy Week for all celebrating Easter this weekend, and a belated chag sameach to everyone celebrating Passover. And here’s an ecumenical offering for readers of all faith persuasions: At 11:45 a.m. E.D.T., Catherine Rampell and Sam Stein will be going live on YouTube and Substack to talk about the troubling state of the economy—unfortunately, it’s been a big week for other reasons, too. Happy Friday.U.S. Attorney Gene

The Exodus from Egypt: The Israelites celebrate the Passover meal and the angel of the Lord kills the firstborn of the Egyptians (Exodus 12). Wood engraving after Karl Gottlob Schönherr (1824–1906), published in 1883. (GettyImages)PASSOVER HAS ARRIVED in a season of challenge, complexity, and conflict for Jews: Israel’s wars rage in Lebanon and Iran, and around the world antisemitism is surging in many places where Jews once felt secure, at home, and even loved. In this moment o

(Shutterstock)LANGUAGE IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING, and Donald Trump is a restless innovator. Three weeks ago, The Bulwark published a glossary of terms he had redefined in his war with Iran. The list included imminent, obliterate, and unconditional surrender. Since then, he has added more words and phrases to his lexicon. Here are some of the most creative.Before (adj): after. On March 15, Trump rebuked British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for failing to supply aircraft carriers “before we star

Zendaya and Robert Pattinson in The Drama. (Courtesy A24)[Note: The Drama is a film about secrets and our reaction to them, and, as such, it is difficult to discuss without spoilers. So in the top half of this essay, I will endeavor to review it sans significant plot points outside of the very basics; after the jump, we’ll discuss a bit more of what writer-director Kristoffer Borgli is up to.]As I was walking out of The Drama on Thursday night, I heard one of my fellow moviegoers admit som