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The Next Level
30 episodes
1106: Secret Podcast: American Stasi
Ep 1106 · Aug 15, 2026 · 18 min
Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available only to paid members of The Bulwark. You can join on Substack, YouTube or Apple Podcasts! Lots of stuff this week. (1) There are still balcony seats left for the Best Friends Show in NYC on September 8. Come sell out the 92nd Street Y with us! You can get tickets here. If we sell this show out, JVL will do something nuts. (2) Sarah, Tim, Sam and I are coming to South Carolina, North Carolina, and Atlanta in October. We’re bringing friends. Ticket…
1105: Tucker Carlson Learned the Most Dangerous Lesson From Donald Trump
Ep 1105 · Aug 12, 2026 · 1 hr 11 min
Tim, Sarah, and JVL are BACK TOGETHER after a month apart. They discuss: -Bill Cassidy’s pathetic, weepy floor speech before casting the deciding vote to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General. -What Tucker Carlson is up to these days…from interviewing Hunter Biden, to a monologue that sounds a LOT like the prelude to a presidential campaign. -DSA-aligned Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong, and the stakes of experimenting with a DSA-aligned candidate in a swing state like Wiscons…
1104: Secret Podcast: The GOAT Episode
Ep 1104 · Aug 7, 2026 · 20 min
Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark. Join on Substack, Apple Podcast or YouTube! JVL and Tim did a GIANT show this week. Uncanny Callista Gingrich. Thom Tillis publishes his burn book. Tucker’s running for president. Burrito discourse. And more! Seriously: Instant classic. This one goes in the vault. Read JVL’s Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/thetriad Get $30 off your first order and free croissants for life at https://Wildg…
1103: Michigan Senate Primary Becomes a Late-Night Nail-Biter
Ep 1103 · Aug 5, 2026 · 1 hr 30 min
Sam joins Tim and JVL to discuss: -Live results from the (unexpectedly close) Michigan Senate primary, and discuss what an Abdul El-Sayed or Haley Stevens win would mean for November. -The horrifying child abuse allegations against Rep. Max Miller, and his disastrous CNN interview. -Trump's anger at Jeanine Pirro after she dropped vandalism charges related to the reflecting pool. -Todd Blanche advancing out of the Senate Judiciary Committee -Finally, they discuss JVL's triad about democratic soc…
1102: Secret Podcast: You Can See the Bush Line from Your House
Ep 1102 · Jul 31, 2026 · 23 min
Sarah and JVL have a It’s a super-sized, instant classic: The Trump administration is using ChatGPT for everything. Why are Cornyn and Tillis even bothering with their fake protest of Todd Blanche? The Dem Senate map is looking . . . possible? Trump has raised $800 million from “donors” since coming back to office. And JVL finally explains why he’s obsessed with 60 Minutes investigative reporter Ross Douthat. Plus: Emo JVL needs your advice in the comments! Ready to reach your goals? Visit https…
1101: The WHCD Walked Straight Into Trump’s Trap
Ep 1101 · Jul 28, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
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 matters anymore. - The proposed new primary calendar for the 2028 Demo…
1100: Secret Podcast: The Second Iran War?
Ep 1100 · Jul 24, 2026 · 19 min
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 Defense suddenly removing the names of four dead soldiers from the Iran war casual…
1099: This Deranged New Campaign Ad Creeped Us Out!
Ep 1099 · Jul 21, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min
Sarah, JVL, and Will Sommer (sitting in for Tim) discuss: 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 conventional wisdom stacks up with reality. Get 30% off your entire order with Soul at htt…
1098: Secret Podcast: Trump Voters Say JD Vance Gives Them the Willies
Ep 1098 · Jul 17, 2026 · 27 min
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 out the orchestra section—but we want to sell out the balcony, too. It’s a point of pride. Come…
1097: Sarah’s Latest Focus Group Almost Broke JVL’s Brain
Ep 1097 · Jul 15, 2026 · 1 hr 5 min
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 with Pete Buttigieg, and why Tim is glad Josh Shapiro isn't wading into intra-De…
1096: Secret Podcast: Republicans Screamed About Socialism. Then Trump Did This.
Ep 1096 · Jul 11, 2026 · 27 min
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’s some personal stuff at the end. Get quality window treatments that fit your budget wi…
1095: Even Marjorie Taylor Greene Doesn’t Buy the McConnell Story
Ep 1095 · Jul 8, 2026 · 1 hr 19 min
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 right thing and drops out.). • In the wake of the Platner debacle, irony is dead as…
1094: Secret Preview: It's 100x Worse Than Watergate—and Republicans Still Won't Quit
Ep 1094 · Jul 3, 2026 · 32 min
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 ruling, Megyn Kelly’s race to the bottom, why the “socialist takeover” panic misses what Democratic vot…
1093: Trump Will Put a PSYCHO on the Court—If He Gets a Chance
Ep 1093 · Jun 30, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
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 gut-wrenching story of the false CPS report against Pete Buttigieg -Fresh poll…
1092: Secret Podcast: The Last Temptation of Sarah Longwell
Ep 1092 · Jun 27, 2026 · 30 min
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 out! Also: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC. We’v…
1091: JD Vance Called His OWN Iran Policy “Complete Idiocy”
Ep 1091 · Jun 24, 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
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 Vance used to think it was stupid! -The latest National Mall reflecting pool d…
1090: Secret Podcast: JD Vance. Ross Douthat. 'Nuff Said.
Ep 1090 · Jun 20, 2026 · 20 min
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
1089: Ben Shapiro's Tears Aren't Enough. The Iran War Hawks Owe Us More.
Ep 1089 · Jun 17, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
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 decline, the corruption behind the White House UFC fight, and why Trump's DOJ will open a federal…
1088: Secret Podcast: We've Got a Situation
Ep 1088 · Jun 12, 2026 · 35 min
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 Swan about the Trump administration’s big Situation Room summit on how to handle the Epstein files? JVL mak…
1087: LIVE: Booed at the NBA Finals, Stormed Off NBC—Trump Is DOWN BAD
Ep 1087 · Jun 9, 2026 · 1 hr 22 min
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, and the gang reacts to a completely wild AI-generated ad of...James Tal…
1086: Even TRUMP Thinks Netanyahu Went Too Far? | The Next Level
Ep 1086 · Jun 2, 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
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 of MAGA, Iran hawks, and Mark Levin all turning at once. Get 25% off s…
1085: Secret Podcast: A Cage Fight for America's Soul
Ep 1085 · May 29, 2026 · 25 min
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 because we’re both playing hurt today, so forgive us if we’re not at our most dazzling.
1084: Texas Primary Results! Megyn Kelly Turns on Trump?!
Ep 1084 · May 27, 2026 · 1 hr 17 min
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.
1083: Secret Podcast: The Walls Are Closing In
Ep 1083 · May 23, 2026 · 28 min
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 and go deep on Tina Peters. Refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actu…
1082: Trump Could Tarnish the GOP for YEARS to Come
Ep 1082 · May 22, 2026 · 51 min
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 Memorial Day Sale at https://BollAndBranch.com/nextlevel with code nextlevel. Ready to reach your…
1081: Secret Podcast: Trump's $1.7b Friends and Family Fund
Ep 1081 · May 15, 2026 · 37 min
The Secret Podcast is available exclusively to paid subscribers of The Bulwark. You can join on Apple Podcasts, Substack or YouTube! Last night news broke that President Trump would drop his $10b lawsuit against the IRS if the people who work for him at the Justice Department would create a $1.7b fund out of taxpayer dollars and allow him to appoint five commissioners to run this fund and they would award money to anyone they deemed fit. Oh, and that the list of people given money would be secre…
1080: Should the Next Democrat Punish Red States? JVL Says... Maybe
Ep 1080 · May 13, 2026 · 1 hr 25 min
JVL, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the Virginia redistricting ruling, what it means for elections this November, and whether Democrats need to start playing as dirty as their opponents. Plus: the Iran war is a strategic catastrophe that most Americans don't understand yet, and what Bob Kagan—the man who cheered on every Middle East intervention—now thinks about where this is all heading. And Marjorie Taylor Greene has moved to Costa Rica. Seriously. Refresh your everyday with luxury you…
1079: Secret Podcast Preview: The Primary Was Over Before It Started
Ep 1079 · May 9, 2026 · 24 min
The full episode is available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark. You can join on Apple Podcasts, Substack or YouTube. Sarah and JVL had a big show planned for you. Lots of different subjects. Important news. Funny stories. The whole nine. And then everything derailed as they went SUPER deep on Graham Platner and the meta-debate about him. If you think Platner has electoral upside, you love Nazis. If you have concerns about Platner’s populism, you’re a closet Republican. The internet has…
1078: This is The Stupidest War You Can Possibly Imagine
Ep 1078 · May 5, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) discuss the Trump administration’s assertion that the effort to protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz is "separate and distinct" from the larger war effort in Iran. Plus, they get into the drama over Ken Martin’s time as DNC chair, the effect the Supreme Court’s recent voting rights ruling might have on the midterms, the wisdom of Senate Republicans allocating $1 billion for the ballroom Trump promised would be completed without publi…
1077: Secret Podcast: JVL Wants Every Trump Voter to Know, THIS IS YOUR FAULT!
Ep 1077 · May 1, 2026 · 49 min
Full episodes of the Secret Podcast are available to paid members of the Bulwark on Substack, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. JVL and Sarah Longwell discuss the signs that voters are starting to regret their Trump vote—and why that doesn’t mean politics is getting any simpler. Gas prices are rising, a gerrymandering arms race is raging and the Supreme Court reshaped the rules. Plus: the Maine race, the rise of populist candidates like Platner, and what The Bulwark actually stands for.
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