David Frum: Leveraging Violence as a Tool of Power
Trump and the people around him want to use the Kirk assassination to suppress their political opposition. And Trump is clearly laying the groundwork for cracking down on people he doesn't like—peaceful protesters, Dem fundraisers—while also offering rhetorical comfort to potential vigilantes on the right. Meanwhile, we are witnessing the danger of having an incompetent person atop the FBI, who alternates his time between posting for clicks and purging the bureau of highly qualified personnel for political cred. Plus, Vance is running for the 2028 nomination every day, the raid on the Georgia Hyundai plant shows the incoherence and stupidity of Trump's economic vision, and as Putin tests the resilience of NATO, the White House is playing politics in Poland.
David Frum joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes
Frum's "Trump Is No Nationalist" piece
Bill's tribute to Georgia police officer David Rose
Bob Kagan's "The Beginning of the End of Nato" Tim referenced
The poem, "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Tim's playlist
Frum's podcast
Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at TheBulwark.com/events. Tix on sale next week for extra Toronto show!
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1:01:53
Erin Ryan: The Murder of Charlie Kirk
This country has too many guns and too many crazy people. And the social media oligarchs are fanning the flames of violence by constantly trying to piss people off. The Kirk assassination highlights just how dangerous a moment we are living in. America is not free if people are too afraid to speak their minds. Plus, parenting and the surprising gap in what Gen Z women and men think are the highest priorities in life.
Crooked Media's Erin Ryan joins Tim Miller.
show notes
Tim's latest FYPod episode
JVL on Charlie Kirk
Andrew on the reaction to the assassination
Nancy Mace after the shooting
The Wired story on surrogacy
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1:06:32
Stephanie Ruhle and Tom Saenz: Why Aren't People Freaking Out?
If Zohran Mamdani, as NYC mayor-elect, held a dinner with finance bros and threatened them with a huge wealth tax if they didn't sweet-talk him and say how much they agreed with his political vision, the Wall Street community would freak out. Yet, this version of a shakedown is *really* happening at the White House all the time and in response, the country's most powerful and wealthy business leaders can only trip over each other as they jostle for the chance to cut up Trump's well-done steak. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is tripping over its own rulings to green-light ICE's racial profiling in Southern California.
Stephanie Ruhle and MALDEF's Thomas Saenz join Tim Miller.
show notes
Maggie Haberman pursuing the White House's 'hoax' theory on Epstein
Job Garcia's video of his arrest—includes non-visuals when his phone was in his back pocket
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at TheBulwark.com/events. Toronto is SOLD OUT
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James Bennet: Trump Is Still Hacking the Media
More than 10 years in, journalists still have not figured out how to cover Trump. He understands the media environment better than a lot of reporters, and knows his outrageous acts and statements command attention—and that people will not be able to finish processing one outrage before the next one comes down the pike. But now he's laying down the terms of how he expects to be covered, and media orgs are complying by hiring or giving airtime to MAGA avatars. In the process, journalists are failing to hold the powerful to account. Plus, Dems actually went on offense and got their hands on the Epstein birthday book, and Israel is aggressively embracing the age of impunity.
The Economist's James Bennet joins Tim Miller.
show notes
James, in The Economist, on his departure from the NYT over the Tom Cotton op-ed (gifted)
James on the rules for defending democracy under Trump (gifted)
Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at TheBulwark.com/events. Toronto is SOLD OUT
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1:09:06
Bill Kristol: Escalating the Authoritarian Project
In seven months, Trump has accumulated an astonishing amount of unchecked power. No one inside his administration is challenging his will, and Trump is assuming war powers with barely any explanation—while blacklisting Tom Hanks from West Point. At the same time, in the business world, only one MAGA-friendly hedge fund billionaire has raised mild concerns about the Fed, but top-shelf tech leaders can't thank Trump enough just for existing. But, the resistance is showing up in Chicago and the Dems have a chance to throw their weight around with a potential government shutdown. Plus, Vance is an amazingly succinct liar and the White House Rose Garden has had a Panera patio makeover.
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes
Today's "Morning Shots"
Gov. Pritzker responding to Trump's Chi-pocalypse meme
Backgrounder on the Bobbsey Twins
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Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy.
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