Jonathan V. Last and Carol Leonnig: The Danger of a Weakened Bully

Trump took it on the chin in Tuesday's elections, SCOTUS sounds skeptical about his tariffs, and his plan to 'gerry-rig' the midterms looks like it is slipping away—but he is still the most powerful president since FDR. And murmurs about a lame duck may prompt him to take even more extreme actions. Plus, the still infuriating inability to hold Trump accountable for trying to steal the 2020 election, and the long-term damage he has done to the DOJ. Carol Leonnig and JVL join Tim Miller. show notes Carol's new book, "Injustice" on the DOJ, Merrick Garland, and the Jack Smith investigations JVL's Wednesday Triad on Hispanic voters and 2028  Tim's 'Bulwark Take' with Rep. Pat Ryan on sports blackouts Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

The huge Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey, NYC, and California spoke loud and clear—and make Trump’s 2024 supposed ‘landslide’ margin of 1.5% look even more wimpy. Trump is not delivering on his economic promises and the backlash was across the board. Voters are also rejecting the overreach of Stephen Miller’s nativist immigration policy, particularly Latino voters. One of the biggest impacts from Tuesday’s elections is that redistricting suddenly looks like it favors the Dems. Plus, what Mamdani could teach Democrats, and the bad place the Republicans put the party in by focusing on Trump’s random obsessions instead of talking about the concerns of voters. Semafor’s Dave Weigel joins Tim Miller. show notes Dave’s election reaction piece Dave's book, "The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock" Go to https://zbiotics.com/THEBULWARK and use THEBULWARK at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BULWARK at https://www.oneskin.co/BULWARK #oneskinpod

With Trump slashing SNAP benefits, Gov. Beshear is asking the people of Kentucky to look out for their neighbors so they don't go hungry—since the administration won't. Meanwhile, Trump's tariffs are hammering farmers in the Bluegrass State at the same time Republicans are sabotaging rural healthcare. And reporting from Chicago, Moran finds his hometown still full of tough, independent people who won't be pushed around. True to form: Moms, bystanders, and priests are standing up to immigration agents while Trump tries to flex the full force of his authoritarian ambitions. Plus, Norah O'Donnell did not stand up for the truth, and the legacy and patriotism of Dick Cheney. Gov. Andy Beshear and Terry Moran join Tim Miller. show notes The Bulwark's Special Election Night Coverage at 8ET Bill and JVL on the legacy of Dick Cheney Terry's Substack Terry's recent reporting from Chicago Andrew's recent interview with Iowa's Rob Sand To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/THEBULWARK and use code THEBULWARK for both the code AND PASSWORD.

CBS News heavily edited its ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Trump, not only removing his lies about 2020, but also conveniently cutting the part about how the news show paid him off for his bogus lawsuit over a Kamala interview last year. That payoff may well have been how the one-time legendary news network landed a 90-minute interview with Trump to begin with. Meanwhile, the ‘peace’ president is conducting an illegal war in the Caribbean, and also happens to know nothing about the crypto magnate he just pardoned—even though he’s funneling billions to the Trump family’s crypto venture. Plus, Dems are definitely united in wanting the party to show some cojones, Republicans are trying some rage bait against Mamdani, and the ‘strong’ president who won a ‘big’ mandate has not been invited to campaign the night before tomorrow’s elections. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Ryan Goodman Monday's "Morning Shots"

It’s hard to find a better example of seizing the means of production than our government seizing an equity stake in a company—which Trump keeps doing over and over again. And what do the diehard Republican capitalists have to say about all this socializing of the private sector? Nothing, of course. But they definitely were up in arms over Bill Kristol saying he’d probably vote for Mamdani if he still lived in NYC, and that voting for Cuomo was ridiculous. Plus, the crypto-based bribery of Trump and his family is flourishing, SNAP cuts and Head Start closures will have a big impact on rural areas, businesses have been trying to find ways to lower their tariff burden since Trump won last November, and the potential ties between recent layoffs and the AI arms race. The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell joins Tim Miller for the Halloween weekend pod.  show notes Tim's playlist Tim's Halloween playlist

President Trump meets with Xi Jinping and agrees to an embarrassingly one-sided trade deal, as the “China Hawks” in the administration cower. Meantime, the government shutdown moves to a more painful phase, with funding for SNAP expiring on Nov. 1. Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp joins Tim to discuss how the chaos from Trump’s trade wars has already hurt farmers, how Democrats should play their next moves on the shutdown, and her surprising support for Mamdani/Platner style candidates. show notes: The One Country Project’s Hot Dish Podcast

From the jump, the administration has been all about the memes, owning the libs, and pissing people off. But Abby says she wants Trump’s supporters to have a chance to share their points of view on her show—and be challenged in real time. Meanwhile, during the weirdest shutdown ever, Republicans are at risk on SNAP and Obamacare subsidies. And policing the Caribbean and the Pacific to commit summary executions is not America First. Plus, the roots of Bernie Sanders’s populist campaigns were planted by Jesse Jackson’s runs for the presidency in ‘84 and ‘88. But Trump too also echoes Jackson as a political figure—through their use of celebrity, personality, and similar outsider populist messaging. Abby Phillip joins Tim Miller. show notes Abby's book, "A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power" CNN's NewsNight with Abby Phillip Tim and Bill on Trump creepiest propaganda yet

While the inhumane and aggressive tactics unfolding in Chicago are repelling many Americans, they are having the opposite effect among Trump's top aides. The Kristi Noem clique wants more— much more— of the Border Patrol's "Midway Blitz" around the country, and they're busy purging local ICE leadership in a number of cities in an attempt to dramatically ramp up the pace of deportations. Meanwhile, Trump keeps talking like he's all for regime change in Venezuela. Plus, how conspiracy and our phones helped fuel the rise of global populism, why the left and right yearn for a struggle in an age of peace and prosperity, and the modern effort to reclaim the word 'liberal.' Frank Fukuyama and Sam Stein join Tim Miller. show notes: Adrian's recent reporting from Chicago Isaac Chotiner's interview with Karine Jean-Pierre Frank on Substack Frank's "Liberalism and Its Discontents" and his "The End of History and the Last Man" "Termination Shock," referenced by Frank

Trump was so embarrassed by Canada using Reagan’s warnings about tariffs that he had a little hissy fit and decided to punish Americans for buying Canadian goods. And by the way, stuffed shirt Scott Bessent: Real American soybean farmers are being hurt by tariffs while you bail out Argentina and pretend that your dainty hands are tilling the soil on the farmland you bought as an investment. Meanwhile, the White House isn’t even pretending that it’s going after corrupt moneyed interests, as the Trump family rolls in dough from the most entrenched swampy types in DC. Plus, Dems get pressure on the shutdown and Trump weighs in on the VP gimmick for 2028. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Scott Bessent saying he's a soybean farmer Monday's "Morning Shots" For a limited time only, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/THEBULWARK.

Members of the administration, like Stephen Miller, who spend hours every day kissing Trump’s ass look so pathetic—but since the time of the ancients, courtiers have gone to great lengths to degrade themselves before the vain and vindictive. And one lesson for the ages is to not compromise with an extortionist: it will only lead to more extortion and more pressure because the extortionist wants everything. Meanwhile, Elon’s brain is broken, Peter Thiel spends too much time at dinner parties, Trump’s media diet allows no time for presidential reflection, and authoritarians can be seductive. Plus, Tim sees the redistricting fight looking better for Democrats, and argues that the best way to shut down the talk of a decrepit Trump running in ‘28 is to make sure the Dems win the House in 2026. Ryan Holiday joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.  show notes Ryan's new book, "Wisdom Takes Work"  Ryan's book, "Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue" Tim and JVL's interview with Ryan about being a dad The Daily Stoic Podcast Tim's playlist