The Bulwark Podcast

Todd Blanche did one singular thing that particularly pleased Donald Trump: He organized and executed the Epstein cover-up. Democrats must ruthlessly hang Blanche's dirty work on every Republican senator who's willing to confirm him as AG. That includes his moving Ghislaine Maxwell to a cushier prison, the millions of documents he's not releasing, and his complete disregard for the survivors. Plus, Bill Pulte is the linchpin in Trump's plot to interfere with the midterms, Pratt lost fair and square in LA, Scott Pelley made clear how hard Bari Weiss is working to serve POTUS, and Trump managed to make Iran even stronger over the weekend.
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
Show notes

Monday's "Morning Shots" 

Tim's 'Take' on Trump's "Meet the Press" interview 

Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday with Tom Joscelyn 

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The corruption in the Trump administration is so shameless and so abundant that neither the media nor regular people can keep up. While Ivanka’s purchase of a private “fixer-upper” island is getting a lot of attention (aside from infuriated Albanians), the private equity deals her husband is making while supposedly negotiating Middle East peace are not. Trump himself has never had so much money—including from the top businesses paying to play—that the corrupt generational wealth he’s creating will even be around for Barron’s great-grandkids to enjoy. Dems need to start connecting the dots now. Plus, Bill Cassidy is putting his future lobbying career ahead of the American people, no one should ever count Pelosi out, and Tim says Platner is looking like a risky choice.
Stephanie Ruhle joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes

Joe on Trump's stock trades 

Tim on Cassidy protecting Trump's $1.8 fund 

Tim's playlist

Most of the multibillionaires are not only hoarding their money and failing to contribute to the public good, they're also using their wealth-based power to manipulate the government, the markets, or our elections. Like Elon, for instance, who just manipulated the Nasdaq so all Americans with a 401(k) can help him become the first trillionaire by the end of the year. At some point, there is such a thing as too many billions for one person, and we need to start applying the pre-Reagan tax rate. Plus, 'vanilla' Dems are doing pretty well, maybe not so fast on Pratt 2028, and Trump will never forgive Vance for being right about the Iran war. And Lawfare's Katherine Pompilio discusses her exclusive reporting on the significant number of pardoned J6ers who went on to commit subsequent crimes.
Katherine Pompilio and JVL join Tim Miller.
show notes

Katherine's reporting on the scores of pardoned J6ers committing new crimes

JVL on how Marco beat out JD for the Trump's Favorite Adopted Son spot

JVL's "Trump Madman Theory’ of . . . the Stock Market"

Lauren on the 'vanilla' dems 

The Secret Podcast 

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After "60 Minutes" veteran Scott Pelley was fired, he said that the new management at CBS News had instructed him to put false information in his political stories. Coupled with the decimation at The Washington Post, it feels like there is a vast rightwing conspiracy to take over the media. Plus, the much-promised ceasefire with Iran is nowhere in sight, Megyn Kelly feels duped by Trump, California's marquee races look like they'll be Dem v. MAGA, and Steve King gets revenge. Also, newly minted Democratic Senate nominee in Iowa, Josh Turek, talks about his prairie populism, how he'll win over Trump voters, the state's farmaggedon, and its growing cancer rate. And three NBA super-fans give their picks for the finals.
Josh Turek and Luke Russert join Tim Miller.
show notes

Turek's campaign website

Luke will be a new co-anchor on MS NOW's "The Weeknight" on June 15

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Republicans never defend Trump’s corruption on the merits. Their lot in life is just to serve up anti-moral excuses for his repeated acts of immorality. And the Dems are currently in a bit of a moral dilemma of their own over the latest Platner revelations, given the moral imperative of having a Senate that obstructs Trump’s worst policies. Questions of morality also surface with AI, particularly if we allow machines to do the thinking for us. Plus, the Dems need a Wemby, an American debt crisis seems inevitable, the global fertility crisis may be too hard to fix, and why is the English-language world the most unhappy? 
Derek Thompson joins Tim Miller.
show notes

“The Next Level” pod will be out later today

Derek’s piece on vicemaxxing

Derek on the great AI cost panic

The “Plain English” pod, hosted by Derek

“Mere Christianity,” by C.S. Lewis

“Pluribus”