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The Bulwark Podcast

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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.

Bulwark+ members can get a totally ad-free version of the show delivered right to their favorite podcast player.
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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.

Bulwark+ members can get a totally ad-free version of the show delivered right to their favorite podcast player.
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Episodes

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Published 2024-12-09

Bill Kristol and Michael Weiss: Catastrophic Success

57 min
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Trump is threatening members of Congress with jail and GOP senators may be circling the wagons around his nominees, but we still need to protect ourselves from a nihilistic mindset.
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Trump is threatening members of Congress with jail and GOP senators may be circling the wagons around his nominees, but we still need to protect ourselves from a nihilistic mindset.
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Published 2024-12-06

Jamelle Bouie: Bad at Being President

47 min
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Trump may have authoritarian aspirations, but he's very bad at governing and managing—four weeks into the transition, he's had two major Ls.
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Trump may have authoritarian aspirations, but he's very bad at governing and managing—four weeks into the transition, he's had two major Ls.
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Published 2024-12-05

David French: We Are in the Bad Multiverse

62 min
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Kash Patel is making legal threats to try to silence his critics, and Tulsi Gabbard wouldn't even be able to get a security clearance in the regular job market: The parade of incompetence is so bad that Pete Hegseth is being described as the most unqualified Cabinet nominee in American history—and that's before the rape and alcoholism.
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Kash Patel is making legal threats to try to silence his critics, and Tulsi Gabbard wouldn't even be able to get a security clearance in the regular job market: The parade of incompetence is so bad that Pete Hegseth is being described as the most unqualified Cabinet nominee in American history—and that's before the rape and alcoholism.
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Published 2024-12-03

Michael Weiss and Thomas Zimmer: Competent and Radical

64 min
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Russ Vought, Trump's nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget—and a Project 2025 author—believes we are living in a post-constitutional America and that any check on Trump's power would be illegitimate.
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Russ Vought, Trump's nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget—and a Project 2025 author—believes we are living in a post-constitutional America and that any check on Trump's power would be illegitimate.
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Published 2024-12-02

Bill Kristol and Elaina Plott Calabro: A Sordid Lot

73 min
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Kash Patel, who could potentially run the FBI, is a compulsive liar who can't keep his facts straight about his work experience or even where he was born.
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Kash Patel, who could potentially run the FBI, is a compulsive liar who can't keep his facts straight about his work experience or even where he was born.
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Published 2024-11-27

Jonathan Chait: A Scary Clown

52 min
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Pete Hegseth may have a winning Fox & Friends smile, but his desire to shoot protesters, commit war crimes, and purge non-MAGA leaders from the military lines up with Trump's views—and is probably the reason why he was nominated for defense secretary.
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Pete Hegseth may have a winning Fox & Friends smile, but his desire to shoot protesters, commit war crimes, and purge non-MAGA leaders from the military lines up with Trump's views—and is probably the reason why he was nominated for defense secretary.
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Published 2024-11-26

George Will: Democracy Rests on Persuasion

45 min
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For those living under a gray cloud because of what the American electorate has done, it's time to get to work on changing opinions.
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For those living under a gray cloud because of what the American electorate has done, it's time to get to work on changing opinions.
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Published 2024-11-25

Bill Kristol: We Were Right To Be Alarmed

51 min
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The danger of Trump's nominees is that the main condition of employment—aside from being on Fox—is their fealty to him.
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The danger of Trump's nominees is that the main condition of employment—aside from being on Fox—is their fealty to him.
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Published 2024-11-20

Marc Caputo and Dan Goldman: Trump v. the United States

53 min
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The incompetent and compromised nominees Trump has assembled at record pace show how little regard he has for the essential functions our government provides.
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The incompetent and compromised nominees Trump has assembled at record pace show how little regard he has for the essential functions our government provides.
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Published 2024-11-19

Jen Psaki: Don't Speak to Me

41 min
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The Democrats focus too much on reaching white college-educated voters, and the threat to democracy was not the right closing message.
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The Democrats focus too much on reaching white college-educated voters, and the threat to democracy was not the right closing message.
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Published 2024-11-18

Bill Kristol: A Power Play for Autocracy

49 min
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Trump is flooding the zone with nominees who would destroy government norms and standards and create the kind of chaos that would let him do what he wants.
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Trump is flooding the zone with nominees who would destroy government norms and standards and create the kind of chaos that would let him do what he wants.
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Published 2024-11-15

Amanda Carpenter: Lessons from the Tea Party Era

47 min
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Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint ground things to a halt in the Senate quite effectively during the Obama era, and Democrats should take a cue from them for Trump's appointments: Demand hearings or hold their own.
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Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint ground things to a halt in the Senate quite effectively during the Obama era, and Democrats should take a cue from them for Trump's appointments: Demand hearings or hold their own.
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Published 2024-11-14

Rick Wilson and David Brooks: MAGA to the Max

52 min
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Trump's appointments—like degenerate Matt Gaetz and Putin stooge Tulsi Gabbard—are about his raw power and his stupid show, but are also a risk to our nation's security and institutions.
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Trump's appointments—like degenerate Matt Gaetz and Putin stooge Tulsi Gabbard—are about his raw power and his stupid show, but are also a risk to our nation's security and institutions.
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Published 2024-11-13

Osita Nwanevu: Democrats Need A Better Story

52 min
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Republicans have been good at telling a story about the economy and how people should feel about it, and Democrats haven't responded in a sufficiently compelling way.
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Republicans have been good at telling a story about the economy and how people should feel about it, and Democrats haven't responded in a sufficiently compelling way.
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Published 2024-11-12

Jon Lovett: The Worst People Are Happy

53 min
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The worst people believe their worldview has been validated, while the best people are uncertain, scared, and angry.
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The worst people believe their worldview has been validated, while the best people are uncertain, scared, and angry.
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Published 2024-11-11

Bill Kristol: A Pro-Putin America First

40 min
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The Trump team is moving quickly to sell out Ukraine, but it's not clear yet whether Putin would settle for taking a quarter of the country—or if he intends to crush it, so he can plant the Russian flag in Kiev.
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The Trump team is moving quickly to sell out Ukraine, but it's not clear yet whether Putin would settle for taking a quarter of the country—or if he intends to crush it, so he can plant the Russian flag in Kiev.
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Published 2024-11-09

BONUS EPISODE with James Carville: We Are the Opposition

24 min
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It's time to get our opposition organized and develop a narrative about Trump. And one narrative that's likely to emerge is how he betrayed his voters.
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It's time to get our opposition organized and develop a narrative about Trump. And one narrative that's likely to emerge is how he betrayed his voters.
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Published 2024-11-08

Ben Wittes: Americans Elected a Serial Criminal to Be President

47 min
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The Trump trials were a cosmic democratic disaster, and the justice system did not do justice: Trump was not treated in the same way as other people who've stolen classified docs or tried to overthrow the election—and his conviction and indictments made him more qualified in MAGA's eyes.
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The Trump trials were a cosmic democratic disaster, and the justice system did not do justice: Trump was not treated in the same way as other people who've stolen classified docs or tried to overthrow the election—and his conviction and indictments made him more qualified in MAGA's eyes.
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Published 2024-11-07

Tom Nichols: This Is What They Want

46 min
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The American people made their choice, and the fight to preserve the global democratic coalition against the global authoritarian movement continues.
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The American people made their choice, and the fight to preserve the global democratic coalition against the global authoritarian movement continues.
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Published 2024-11-05

David Frum: Pride in the Fight

44 min
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Whatever happens tonight, Never Trumpers and voters should be proud that we rose to the challenge of Trump—and that a majority of Americans see through this fraudster.
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Whatever happens tonight, Never Trumpers and voters should be proud that we rose to the challenge of Trump—and that a majority of Americans see through this fraudster.
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Published 2024-11-04

Bill Kristol: Maybe It's Dobbs, After All

40 min
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Republicans are crowing about a big turnout of early rural voters and a decrease in African American voters in the cities.
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Republicans are crowing about a big turnout of early rural voters and a decrease in African American voters in the cities.
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Published 2024-11-03

Ann Selzer: How Could This Be?

21 min
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Few states are as red as Iowa, and yet the legendary Iowa pollster Ann Selzer found that Kamala has leapfrogged over Trump to take the lead there.
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Few states are as red as Iowa, and yet the legendary Iowa pollster Ann Selzer found that Kamala has leapfrogged over Trump to take the lead there.
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Published 2024-11-01

Mehdi Hasan: Memory-Holing the Worst President

55 min
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The WSJ wants readers to think that Trump is too stupid to coup—despite Jack Smith's indictment showing a very clear plan.
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The WSJ wants readers to think that Trump is too stupid to coup—despite Jack Smith's indictment showing a very clear plan.
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Published 2024-10-31

Adam Kinzinger: All the Little Bros

47 min
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Trump and his pack of dude-bros are pitting men against women, even inside the home—the current Republican Party is definitely not pro-family or pro-marriage.
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Trump and his pack of dude-bros are pitting men against women, even inside the home—the current Republican Party is definitely not pro-family or pro-marriage.
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Published 2024-10-30

Alex Vindman and Lakshya Jain: No More Petty Tyrants

65 min
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The character of the nation is on the line: We have to stop an autocratic minority from imposing its will on the majority of Americans.
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The character of the nation is on the line: We have to stop an autocratic minority from imposing its will on the majority of Americans.
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Published 2024-10-29

Robert Draper: The Prosecutor

46 min
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Kamala Harris sees the world as divided between those who follow the rules and those who break them—and that injustice requires action, not whining.
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Kamala Harris sees the world as divided between those who follow the rules and those who break them—and that injustice requires action, not whining.
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Published 2024-10-25

Bret Stephens: Pray Kamala Wins

51 min
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Trump is corrosive to the soul of our democracy. He's a bigot, an ogre, and an isolationist.
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Trump is corrosive to the soul of our democracy. He's a bigot, an ogre, and an isolationist.
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Published 2024-10-24

David French: 2017 Trump Is Gone

51 min
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A whole faction of Red America thinks the judges and tax cuts in the first half of Trump's presidency were the 'real' Trump.
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A whole faction of Red America thinks the judges and tax cuts in the first half of Trump's presidency were the 'real' Trump.
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Published 2024-10-18

Live from Philadelphia (Again)

47 min
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The Bulwark kicked off its weekend 'Swing State Swing" in the City of Brotherly Love Thursday before a packed house.
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The Bulwark kicked off its weekend 'Swing State Swing" in the City of Brotherly Love Thursday before a packed house.
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Published 2024-10-17

Bob Woodward: The Threat Is High

38 min
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Since the release of Woodward's "War," Gen. James Mattis has reached out to the journalist to endorse the book's warnings about Trump, and to urge that they not be downplayed.
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Since the release of Woodward's "War," Gen. James Mattis has reached out to the journalist to endorse the book's warnings about Trump, and to urge that they not be downplayed.
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Published 2024-10-16

Susan Rice and Mondaire Jones: The Dictator Hugger

51 min
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Amb. Rice says Trump is a "surrender monkey" who is all about building up and benefitting Russia and China for his own benefit—and to the detriment of our national security.
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Amb. Rice says Trump is a "surrender monkey" who is all about building up and benefitting Russia and China for his own benefit—and to the detriment of our national security.
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Published 2024-10-15

Tom Nichols: He's Bait for the 25th Amendment

56 min
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Trump's fitness for office is a central question now more than ever after his bizarre town hall Monday night, where instead of taking questions, he called out songs, bopped, and swayed—for 39 minutes.
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Trump's fitness for office is a central question now more than ever after his bizarre town hall Monday night, where instead of taking questions, he called out songs, bopped, and swayed—for 39 minutes.
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Published 2024-10-15

BONUS EPISODE with Jason Calacanis: The Civil War in Silicon Valley

44 min
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Trump used to be considered an existential threat throughout Silicon Valley, but now the tech world is split between Mark Cuban and Reid Hoffman on one side, and Elon and David Sacks on the latter.
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Trump used to be considered an existential threat throughout Silicon Valley, but now the tech world is split between Mark Cuban and Reid Hoffman on one side, and Elon and David Sacks on the latter.
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Published 2024-10-14

Bill Kristol: He's Not Hiding the Authoritarianism Anymore

40 min
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Trump's authoritarianism has intensified—with his calls for using military force against political opponents, taking away broadcast licenses, and deporting even legal immigrants.
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Trump's authoritarianism has intensified—with his calls for using military force against political opponents, taking away broadcast licenses, and deporting even legal immigrants.
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Published 2024-10-10

David Axelrod: Change Agent

46 min
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Voters have a real hunger for something beyond the constant state of pugilism and the weaponizing of every problem.
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Voters have a real hunger for something beyond the constant state of pugilism and the weaponizing of every problem.
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Published 2024-10-09

James Carville: We Just Have to Win

42 min
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The information ecosystem is getting crazier than ever: The monster Trump created must be fed, even when the lies are too much for some MAGA members of Congress.
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The information ecosystem is getting crazier than ever: The monster Trump created must be fed, even when the lies are too much for some MAGA members of Congress.
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Published 2024-10-08

Timothy Snyder: The Politics of Impotence

47 min
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Trump and Vance are pioneering a form of politics where American power means nothing, everything is bad, and politicians focus on tearing people down—and getting other Americans to do the same.
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Trump and Vance are pioneering a form of politics where American power means nothing, everything is bad, and politicians focus on tearing people down—and getting other Americans to do the same.
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Published 2024-10-07

Bill Kristol: The Musk of it All

50 min
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Do not sleep on this: The billionaire tech bros are on board with the authoritarian project so they can capture the regulatory state.
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Do not sleep on this: The billionaire tech bros are on board with the authoritarian project so they can capture the regulatory state.
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Published 2024-10-04

BONUS EPISODE with Doug Emhoff: We Have a Mission

25 min
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The second gentleman says Kamala has really stepped it up for this abbreviated campaign, and is showing the country the most badass version of herself.
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The second gentleman says Kamala has really stepped it up for this abbreviated campaign, and is showing the country the most badass version of herself.
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Published 2024-10-04

John Dickerson: Hero Story

53 min
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Liz Cheney sticks to her values under incredible pressure in an old-fashioned Republican way.
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Liz Cheney sticks to her values under incredible pressure in an old-fashioned Republican way.
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Published 2024-10-03

Kaitlan Collins: Still Surreal

39 min
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Jack Smith's filing on Jan 6 reads almost like a novel—with Trump shrugging about Pence having to be evacuated, mocking true believer Sidney Powell, and implicating himself with a damning phone-data footprint.
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Jack Smith's filing on Jan 6 reads almost like a novel—with Trump shrugging about Pence having to be evacuated, mocking true believer Sidney Powell, and implicating himself with a damning phone-data footprint.
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