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Bulwark Takes

Donald TrumpGeopoliticsUS Foreign PolicyUS PoliticsTrump AdministrationForeign PolicyPolitical StrategyPolitical CorruptionRepublican PartyDemocratic PartyIran WarEconomic ImpactDemocratic Party StrategyGerrymanderingMilitary StrategyNational SecurityIran ConflictVoter BehaviorInflationIranPolitical PolarizationAuthoritarianismUS Supreme CourtConspiracy TheoriesArtificial IntelligenceStrait Of HormuzDepartment Of JusticePolitical CommentaryElectionsNATOPolitical PollingEconomic PolicyRedistrictingPopulismDepartment of Justice (DOJ)Iran Nuclear DealMAGA MovementDemocracyDiplomacyUkraine WarCampaign FinanceCorruptionVoting Rights ActCongressional OversightRule Of LawAccountabilityVoting RightsUkraineConstitutional LawChinaInternational RelationsPresidential PowerSupply ChainsHungarian PoliticsViktor OrbanAmerica FirstCuba PolicyGovernment AccountabilityExecutive PowerJudicial SystemImmigration PolicyMilitary LeadershipPublic OpinionGas PricesFederal ReserveTrade PolicyRussiaElection IntegrityVoter SentimentGovernment CorruptionJanuary 6thMiddle EastMidterm ElectionsJD VanceSenate RacesFederal Reserve SystemEconomic InequalityPolitical HypocrisySocial MediaTechnologyFinancePoliticsMiddle East GeopoliticsIsrael-US RelationsRussia-Ukraine WarMedia CriticismRepublican PrimaryMiddle East ConflictGenerational ChangeCivil RightsDomestic PoliticsFilm AnalysisIdentity PoliticsImpeachmentCalifornia PoliticsEconomyConsumer ConfidenceTariffsDefense SpendingEpstein FilesDefense PolicyJournalism EthicsDefense BudgetPolitical CampaignsEducation PolicyTaxationHousing CrisisChina RelationsSupreme CourtFBIJudicial ReformElectoral StrategyDefamation LawsuitsFree SpeechGlobal EconomyHousing PolicyJudicial ActivismElectoral PoliticsDemocratic NormsPolitical MessagingPolitical WeaponizationCivil ServiceAlliancesUS Domestic PoliticsLeadershipAffordable HousingLouisiana PoliticsMarco RubioDonald Trump Jr.Healthcare PolicyRacial DiscriminationJournalismFirst Amendment RightsEnergy MarketsPolitical ViolencePolitical RhetoricMedia AnalysisLiberal DemocracyZoning LawsRight-Wing MediaGun ControlEconomic WarfareImmigrationWhite Christian NationalismMedia InfluenceTrump PresidencyNuclear ProliferationJeffrey EpsteinFBI OversightFISA Section 702International AlliancesCatholicismUS-Israel RelationsMedia controlHungary ElectionIlliberalismPolitical ScandalsPolitical Accountability
Why in the World Are We Pulling Troops out of Poland? | Command Post
US Foreign PolicyNATOMilitary Alliances

Why in the World Are We Pulling Troops out of Poland? | Command Post

The US is systematically undermining its own strategic interests and long-standing alliances by unilaterally withdrawing troops from key European partners like Poland and Germany, signaling weakness to adversaries and eroding trust with allies.

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Trump’s Humiliation in Iran Changes Everything (w/ Bill Kristol) | The Bulwark Podcast
GeopoliticsUS Foreign PolicyIran

Trump’s Humiliation in Iran Changes Everything (w/ Bill Kristol) | The Bulwark Podcast

This episode details how Trump's foreign policy failures in Iran and Europe, coupled with domestic political maneuvers like gerrymandering and cabinet incompetence, are fundamentally reshaping the global order and American political landscape.

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Can Iran Take More Pain Than Us? | Shield of the Republic
GeopoliticsUS Foreign PolicyIran

Can Iran Take More Pain Than Us? | Shield of the Republic

This episode dissects the US-Iran war's stalemate, revealing a dangerous mutual incomprehension between leaders and deep dysfunction within the US defense establishment and its alliances.

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Europe Is Preparing for Life Without America (w/ Richard Stengel) | How to Fix It
Public DiplomacySoft PowerUS Foreign Policy

Europe Is Preparing for Life Without America (w/ Richard Stengel) | How to Fix It

As American soft power declines and alliances fray, Europe is actively preparing for a future without consistent US leadership, while recent elections in Hungary offer a surprising blueprint for restoring democracy against authoritarianism.

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Trump’s Frightening Late-Night Posting Spree (w/ Michael Weiss) | The Bulwark Podcast
US PoliticsForeign PolicyIran

Trump’s Frightening Late-Night Posting Spree (w/ Michael Weiss) | The Bulwark Podcast

Tim Miller and Michael Weiss dissect Trump's erratic late-night social media activity, the complex US-Iran ceasefire negotiations, and the surprising political upset in Hungary, highlighting shifts in global alliances and domestic political vulnerabilities.

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Trump's Path of Destruction | Shield of the Republic
US Foreign PolicyNATOInternational Alliances

Trump's Path of Destruction | Shield of the Republic

This episode dissects how former President Trump's actions and rhetoric are systematically dismantling America's global alliances and democratic norms, from NATO to the Middle East, and the alarming rise of illiberalism both domestically and abroad.

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Trump Wants to Invent a Fake Reality (w/ Anne Applebaum) | The Bulwark Podcast
Hungarian PoliticsViktor OrbanAuthoritarianism

Trump Wants to Invent a Fake Reality (w/ Anne Applebaum) | The Bulwark Podcast

Anne Applebaum details how Hungary's Viktor Orban employs 'post-reality' politics and disinformation to maintain power, a model increasingly adopted by the American far-right, while critiquing Trump's chaotic foreign policy and the breakdown of international relations.

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This is Beyond Mere Incompetence (w/ Robert Kagan) | The Bulwark Podcast
US Foreign PolicyGeopoliticsIran Conflict

This is Beyond Mere Incompetence (w/ Robert Kagan) | The Bulwark Podcast

Robert Kagan details how the ongoing US military action in Iran, initiated under the Trump administration, is dismantling the post-WWII global order, isolating the US, and empowering rivals like China and Russia.

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Trump’s Alternate Reality War Speech | The Bulwark Podcast
Donald TrumpForeign PolicyIran War

Trump’s Alternate Reality War Speech | The Bulwark Podcast

Tim Miller and Susan Glasser dissect Donald Trump's 'alternate reality' war speech, exposing its lack of a coherent plan, the administration's dysfunction, and the severe global consequences of his 'magical thinking' approach to foreign policy.

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Tim Miller, Sam Stein, JVL and Mark Hertling React to Trump's Iran Address
US foreign policyIran conflictGeopolitics

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, JVL and Mark Hertling React to Trump's Iran Address

A panel of analysts dissects a recent presidential address on Iran, framing it as an incoherent, contradictory, and strategically damaging 'Truth Social rant' with severe economic and geopolitical consequences.

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Did Trump Just Reveal an Attack on a US Aircraft Carrier?
Donald TrumpPolitical RhetoricUS Military

Did Trump Just Reveal an Attack on a US Aircraft Carrier?

The host unpacks Donald Trump's recent public appearances, highlighting a pattern of bizarre, potentially revealing, and often fabricated statements, including a possible accidental disclosure of an attack on a US aircraft carrier.

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The 5 Most Unhinged Things Trump Said in One Cabinet Meeting
Trump administrationCabinet meetingsPolitical commentary

The 5 Most Unhinged Things Trump Said in One Cabinet Meeting

Hosts Sam Stein and Andrew Egger dissect a recent Trump cabinet meeting, ranking the five most 'unhinged' and factually dubious statements made by the former president and his allies, from Sharpie rants to alarming claims about nuclear weapons and NATO.

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Former General Gives Brutally Honest Iran War Assessment | Command Post
Iran WarGeopoliticsMilitary Strategy

Former General Gives Brutally Honest Iran War Assessment | Command Post

General Mark Hertling and Ben Parker dissect the ongoing Iran war, highlighting the critical mismatch between US kinetic military objectives and Iran's asymmetric political and economic warfare, emphasizing the lack of a clear US end state.

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Putin, Bone Saw, and Gnomes: Inside Trump’s ‘Peace’ Board (w/ Michael Weiss) | The Bulwark Podcast
US Foreign PolicyTrump AdministrationIran Conflict

Putin, Bone Saw, and Gnomes: Inside Trump’s ‘Peace’ Board (w/ Michael Weiss) | The Bulwark Podcast

This episode dissects the Trump administration's chaotic foreign policy, from a Supreme Court ruling against his tariffs to the perplexing 'Board of Peace' and the precarious state of US-European alliances amid escalating tensions with Iran and Russia.

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Colbert Calls Out FCC and His Own Network Over Talarico Censorship
Political CensorshipFCC RegulationsLate Night Television

Colbert Calls Out FCC and His Own Network Over Talarico Censorship

This episode dissects recent political controversies, from media censorship of a Texas Senate candidate to shifting conservative ideologies and federal immigration enforcement tactics, revealing underlying power struggles and citizen resistance.

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America's New Defense Strategy is Nonsense | Shield of the Republic
US National Defense StrategyGeopoliticsForeign Policy

America's New Defense Strategy is Nonsense | Shield of the Republic

This episode dissects the US's 'unserious' National Defense Strategy, Trump's 'tacoing' on Greenland, and the implications of China's military purge and potential action against Iran, highlighting a world increasingly defined by disorder and US fatigue.

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Retired General: Minneapolis Exposes Leadership Crisis Among ICE and CBP
Military LawNational GuardInsurrection Act

Retired General: Minneapolis Exposes Leadership Crisis Among ICE and CBP

Retired General Mark Hertling dissects the critical legal distinctions between military and law enforcement roles, arguing that the deployment of untrained ICE and Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis exposed severe leadership failures and risked escalating civil unrest.

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Europe Is Planning for a Post-America World (w/ Fiona Hill) | The Bulwark Podcast
GeopoliticsUS Foreign PolicyRussia

Europe Is Planning for a Post-America World (w/ Fiona Hill) | The Bulwark Podcast

Fiona Hill details how Europe is actively preparing for a post-America world, driven by US unreliability and Trump's disruptive foreign policy, leading to a "rupture" in global alliances and potential nuclear proliferation.

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Retired General Breaks Down Trump’s Davos Speech | Command Post
Donald TrumpDavos SpeechGreenland

Retired General Breaks Down Trump’s Davos Speech | Command Post

Retired General Mark Hertling and Ben Parker dissect former President Trump's Davos speech, revealing critical misinterpretations of military strategy, international relations, and domestic troop deployment.

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Putin Won Davos Without Even Showing Up (w/ Caolan Robertson)
Ukraine WarGeopoliticsEuropean Security

Putin Won Davos Without Even Showing Up (w/ Caolan Robertson)

While Kyiv faces a catastrophic winter and European leaders gather in Davos, the focus has shifted from Ukraine to Trump's potential actions, inadvertently benefiting Russia and weakening NATO.

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TNL LIVE: Sundowning Trump Stumbles Through Press Event | The Next Level
Donald TrumpInternational RelationsGlobal Order

TNL LIVE: Sundowning Trump Stumbles Through Press Event | The Next Level

The hosts dissect a chaotic, hours-long Trump press conference, revealing it as a desperate attempt to boost declining poll numbers and a dangerous display of unseriousness that accelerates the unraveling of the U.S.-led world order.

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The Worst Interview of the Trump Administration So Far
Trump administrationGreenland acquisitionForeign policy

The Worst Interview of the Trump Administration So Far

The host dissects Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant's 'embarrassing' attempts to justify former President Trump's threats against Europe over Greenland, highlighting the administration's aggressive and illogical foreign policy stance.

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Trump's Greenland Text Is Publicly Embarrassing America
US Foreign PolicyInternational RelationsDonald Trump

Trump's Greenland Text Is Publicly Embarrassing America

President Trump's bizarre text to Norway's Prime Minister, demanding Greenland and linking it to his unreceived Nobel Peace Prize, exposed a 'mob boss' approach to international relations that is driving Europe towards China and dismantling the American-led world order.

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Trump’s Polls Are Slipping—So Why Does He Feel More Dangerous Than Ever?
US PoliticsPresidential Approval RatingsEconomic Sentiment

Trump’s Polls Are Slipping—So Why Does He Feel More Dangerous Than Ever?

Despite consistently low approval ratings, Donald Trump's administration is accelerating its authoritarian and isolationist policies, alienating allies and potentially solidifying an 'iron wall of opposition' among swing voters.

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