The U.S. and Israel started dropping bombs on Iran because the regime, amid mass street protests, appeared to be in a weakened state. But the regime has now ended up with a much stronger hand: It's proven its leverage over the global economy with the Strait of Hormuz, and under Trump's offer, Iran will get a huge infusion of cash to rebuild its ballistic missiles program and fund its proxy terror groups. At the same time, Trump has made the United States look like a rogue state—while spending billions for a deal he could have got without a war. Plus, Israelis are likely not happy, the Gulf states realize America can't protect them from Iran's drones, Cuba is readying to be next, Dems should make clear they are the anti-war party now, Trump is fighting his demons from his first term, and JD has a radical and un-American world view.

Ben Rhodes joins Tim Miller for the holiday weekend pod.

show notes

• Ben's podcast, "Pod Save the World"
• Ben's forthcoming book, "All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches"
• Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and LA in May: TheBulwark.com/Events
• Tim's playlist
• For 30% off your order, head to BloodFlow7.com/THEBULWARK and use code THEBULWARK.
• Post jobs for free at ziprecruiter.com/BULWARK

From Trump's sacrilegious use of Jesus, to his massively corrupt pardon scheme, and his desire to plaster his name on every federal building and institution, this country has never had such a bad president. The Dems need to plan now how they will do oversight and also keep his loyalists from helping him cheat in the midterms. Plus, Hegseth really doesn't know his Scripture, Trump is turning America's 250th birthday into a party for himself, and RFK has really got a thing about dead animals.

Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller.

show notes

• Protect Democracy's website
• ProPublica's reporting on Trump's effort to "take over" the midterms
• JVL on driving the stake through the heart of Trumpism
• Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/BULWARK

The Irish are protesting in the streets over the price of fuel, Qatar's GDP is plummeting, and heating bills are skyrocketing in France. And today, every world leader and every CEO of every major corporation is having to address the consequences of this war of choice on Iran—and Trump couldn't care less. Instead, he's working on a new distraction to get the media to talk about something besides his and Bibi's catastrophic error. But European leaders are finally starting to hit back against Trump, and Xi is trolling him on a genius level. Plus, Vance can't stop making a fool of himself, a debate over the merits of Europe v. the United States, and a healthy serving of fresh British insults to try on for size.

Alastair Campbell joins Tim Miller.

show notes

• Tim’s livestream Wednesday at 7pm ET on YouTube or Substack
• Alastair's podcast, "The Rest Is Politics"
• Alastair's recent interview with Zelensky
• ON SALE NOW: Bulwark+ members-only presale for Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and LA through TheBulwark.com/Events
• Tickets for these shows go on sale for everyone else at Noon PT on Friday

• Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BULWARK at https://www.oneskin.co/BULWARK #oneskinpod

The Iranian regime may be wounded, but it’s likely to seek revenge for the war at some point, maybe even through sleeper cells in the United States. And with a second round of peace negotiations potentially in the works, Iran could rake in billions in return for pausing its nuclear program. On the more uplifting side, the election news out of Hungary has feel-good shades of 1989, and is a reminder that reality and facts can get in the way of a stubborn authoritarian. Plus, Tim on Trump's Jesus post and how he's losing political allies by the minute.

Michael Weiss once again joins Tim Miller.

show notes:

• Michael's Substack
• ON SALE NOW: Bulwark+ members-only presale for Bulwark Live shows in San Diego and LA through TheBulwark.com/Events
• Tickets for these shows go on sale for everyone else at noon P.T. April 17
• Tim’s livestream Wednesday on Coachella and more
• Cathy on how the Iran war looks from Russia
  
  

Orbán’s loss in Hungary was so overwhelming he couldn’t cheat his way out of it. But the decisive defeat for both Putin and authoritarianism may also suggest that the vibes they are a changin’. For instance, at home, Trump had to take down his Jesus post because of the backlash from across the political spectrum. People can see he’s flailing on the war and the economy. Plus, Vance has the stink of a loser, Dems can learn some campaigning tricks from Peter Magyar, the Melania-Epstein mystery continues, Trump and Marco are likely to regret those images from the UFC fight, and The Bulwark remains Team Pope Leo.

Bill Kristol joins special guest host, Sarah Longwell.

show notes

• This week's Focus Group pod with sad, mad GOP base voters
• Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Sarah Matthews
• Monday's "Morning Shots," with David Baer from Budapest
• Pre-order Sarah’s book, How to Eat an Elephant, coming in September!
• Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

No one was really asking about Melania’s ties to Epstein. But after her surprise White House statement to the press on Thursday, the questions are flowing—particularly because a former Brazilian model who moved in both Trump and Epstein circles is posting threats against the First Lady on social media. Tim and Jane break it all down. Plus, Melania does not speak or read English very well, Trump is furious about Tucker & co.’s opposition to the Iran war, Vance’s motives for converting to Catholicism are disgusting and unchristian, and why would Iran permit Saudi-paid Jared to participate in the Islamabad peace talks? Jane Coaston joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

Jane Coaston joins Tim Miller for the holiday weekend pod.

show notes

• JVL and Catherine LIVE on the not-so-great economic news
• Tim's deep dive on Oscar Romero was in this episode
• Tix on sale soon for The Bulwark LIVE in San Diego on May 20 and in Los Angeles on May 21
• Follow "Bulwark Takes" for breaking news over the weekend
• Tim's playlist
  
  

Putin puppet Viktor Orbán—whose nepotistic and corrupt government in Hungary has become the model for the far-right in America and Europe—is facing his first serious election challenge in 16 years. It turns out that voters get mad when a president steals from the public and tanks the economy. Vance tried to bolster Orbán with Kremlin-esque fake propaganda, but the energy may be with the grassroots campaign of Peter Magyar. Plus, Vance's arrogance and ignorance about Ukraine, Trump is still coming up short on his Iran war goals, the administration made some weird threats against Pope Leo, and Kari Lake is still a loser.

Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller.

show notes

• Anne's piece on Hungary, "The First Post-Reality Political Campaign"
• Thursday's "Morning Shots"
• Giselle Donnelly's Bulwark piece on how Trump's war is impacting global navigation
• Anne's book, "Twilight of Democracy"
• Anne's "Autocracy, Inc." in paperback
• Anne's book recommendation, "Furious Minds: The Making of the Maga New Right"
• Letters from Leo on Substack
  
  

Trump showed that he is completely unequipped to be a war leader. He threatened crimes against humanity, and not only let a foe prove it could take our punches, but also inflict economic pain on the global economy as well. Indeed, with the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran looks to have emerged from the war with a stronger hand. We also don't know how much Trump's financial ties to Gulf countries are influencing his wild and erratic handling of the war. And if this military operation was just about Israel's national security, then that should have been explained to the American people from the start. Plus, the threat an Orbán loss would pose to MAGA, the key redistricting election in Virginia, and how Dems would prioritize oversight if they win back the House.

David French and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam join Tim Miller.

show notes

• TNL live last night after Trump folded
• Wednesday's "Morning Shots"
• Tim's debate over the war with Rep. Josh Gottheimer
• Tix on sale soon for The Bulwark LIVE in San Diego on May 20 and in Los Angeles on May 21