The Next Level
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and Jonathan V. Last bring their signature political insight and banter to the masses in The Next Level podcast. Tune in to hear them discuss the news of the week, break down campaigns and elections, and wade into pop culture feuds. www.thebulwark.com
Episodes
Sarah, JVL, and Catherine Rampell discuss:
- Mitch McConnell's SECOND proof of life photo, and what's really going on with him.
- The White House Correspondents' Dinner do-over, Trump's comments about Kaitlan Collins, why anyone goes to it anymore, and how the whole thing seems to be playing into Trump's hands.
- The drama inside the Democratic National Committee, and how (and whether) having a strong national party committee ma...
Paid members of the Bulwark get access to FULL episodes of the Secret Podcast. You can join via Apple Podcasts, Substack and YouTube.
Big show today: It’s the dawn of Streamer JVL?
Plus: Some questions for Tom Homan about shooting January 6 insurrectionists; Haley Stevens and authenticity; and the Mitch McConnell conspiracy theory. Also, a conversation about raising good men.
But the big topic is the Department of De...
- Whether Laura Loomer is one of the adults in MAGA-land? I'm Ron Burgundy?
- The state of the Iran War.
- The ridiculous AI advertisement being run by a Ted Cruz-aligned outside group in Florida (and the whacky candidates in the ad).
- The unfolding special Republican primary for Senate in South Carolina
- The Michigan Senate race...and how all of the online convention...
Sarah Longwell and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) discuss Trump’s tedious (and still scary!) election speech, the documents that undercut his election claims, JD Vance’s cringe appearance on Joe Rogan, Trump voters’ brutal reactions to Vance, and Democrats’ missed opportunities at the Todd Blanche hearing.
Finally: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC! We are about to sell o...
The whole gang is back together, for the last time until August. Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss:
- Two more killings by ICE officers. JVL asks whether we're getting numb to this. No one on this show is numb.
- Trump's aborted plan to toll the Strait of Hormuz--and whether it was an act of war.
- Sarah lets Todd Blanche (and Republican senators) have it.
- After JVL's wifi goes bad, Tim and Sarah discuss Tim's interview w...
Sarah and JVL are back together, looking at Trump’s NATO disgrace, wondering if Mitch McConnell is really talking to people on the phone about detailed policy questions, and analyzing the factional fight in the Democratic party between the people trying to elect Democrats and the insurgents focused on displacing the establishment.
Short version: What if Morris Katz is just the left’s Steve Bannon?
Also, there’...
Tim, Sarah, and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) take on the political stories dominating the headlines:
• Mitch McConnell is alive and taking calls (maybe, probably?)—despite Laura Loomer’s reports to the contrary..
• Platnerdämmerung; the enormous irresponsibility of the Platner candidacy will have real consequences for his movement and for the country; and the messy road ahead in Maine (even if Platner does the...
Full episodes of the Bulwark Podcast are available to paid members of The Bulwark via YouTube, Substack, and Apple Podcasts.
Sarah Longwell and Bill Kristol (filling in for JVL) take on America’s 250th birthday under Trump—and how far the GOP has fallen from Reagan’s “you can become an American” to 2,000 ICE arrests a day. They break down the right-wing meltdown over the birthright citizenship rul...
Sarah, Tim, and Andrew Egger (filling in for JVL) discuss:
-The Supreme Court's ruling upholding birthright citizenship.
-NPR's retracted report that Justice Alito was retiring.
-The DSA-aligned Democratic candidates winning primaries in New York City, and whether Democrats are headed for a giant fight over socialism in 2027.
-Rep. Tom Kean's return to Congress after his depression diagnosis.
-The gang pops off on ...
The full episode of Secret Podcast is available to paid members of the Bulwark on YouTube, Substack and Apple Podcasts.
It’s a special show this week where JVL gives Sarah a series of impossible choices. Will she choose institutionalism, or Secretary Mayor Pete? Will she endorse the political analysis of [REDACTED]? What will she do when Cletus says that he doesn’t like democracy and wants minority rule?
Come find o...
Tim is sick, but he's strapping on his football helmet. Tim, Sarah, and JVL cover:
-The mysterious 79 year-old receiving non-public weight loss drugs (and if not Trump, who?)
-The latest revelations from Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman's new book.
-Tucker Carlson supposedly leaving the Republican Party...or is it all a long game to help JD Vance?
-The Trump administration's ongoing capitulation to Iran...and even JD...
The Iran war deal is falling apart (already). Israel is turning on Trump. And the two most insipid trad-Cath poasters in America are podcasting together again.
Plus: JVL (finally) explains his disdain for the NYT’s DEI Trump apologist.
Read JVL's Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-iran-hawks-found-a-way-to-love-surrender
JVL, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the Iran "deal" that isn't really a deal—a memorandum of understanding that lifts sanctions immediately and hands Iran $300 billion while punting everything else down the road. Then: the war hawks who drummed up the Iran war—Thiessen, Graham, Levin, the WSJ editorial board — are repositioning and refusing to say they were wrong. Plus: Trump's accelerating dec...
A super-sized Secret this week:
- Sarah and JVL are coming to the legendary 92nd Street Y in New York on September 8. Come and hang out with them in JVL’s back yard! It’s possible he’ll have the championship belt! (Tickets on sale here.)
- JVL actually thinks the Iran deal might be real this time. He’s got a theory.
- Sarah has a theory of her own about who leaked to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Sw...
The gang is back together, and the U.S. and Iran are back at war...maybe? Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss the latest in Iran, Donald Trump storming off of Meet the Press, the 'stolen election' freakout in Los Angeles, Todd Blanche's nomination as Attorney General, and JVL's Triad about former DHS commander Greg Bovino (kinda sorta maybe) eyeing a presidential run.
Plus: Graham Platner, Lindsey Graham's primary in South Carolina, a...
Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and JVL talk about the week's biggest stories: Trump installs a meme stock grifter as acting Director of National Intelligence, the $1.8 billion weaponization slush fund may be dying (or just hibernating), Tina Peters walks free and heads straight to Steve Bannon, Scott Pelley goes out swinging at 60 Minutes, and the leaked Trump-Netanyahu call reveals a president trapped by his own unworkable coalition...
Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available to paid members of the Bulwark, on Apple Podcasts, Substack and YouTube.
Sarah and JVL talk about the ongoing meltdown of Trump’s Freedom 250 event; the inappropriateness of putting a UFC cage fight on the White House lawn; John Cornyn’s sudden understanding of what Trump is; and Bari Weiss’s murder of 60 Minutes.
It’s a good show / short show bec...
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and JVL went live to cover the Texas primary runoff election, Megyn Kelly (maybe?) turning against Trump, and much more.
Visit http://upwork.com/THENEXTLEVEL right now and post your job for free.
Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available to paid members of The Bulwark via Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Substack.
Sarah is in the City of Angels; JVL is in the Big Apple;) and they have A LOT to catch up on. Gas is at $4.65. Trump is at -22 in the latest Fox poll. The Senate said no to the billi for his ballroom.
Oh, and maybe we’re going to do regime change in Cuba soon?
Plus: They recap the California live shows...
Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Sam Stein debate whether Democrats should just “let Trump cook” as his approval numbers crater, Republicans start breaking ranks, and the MAGA coalition begins to fracture. Plus: Rubio takes heat over Iran, the gang ranks Trump’s worst cabinet members, and they roast Trump’s gaudy gold makeover of Washington.
Get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping during the Mem...
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