The Bulwark Daily

When it comes to biomedical research, America is already great. We are the world's leader in the field. But the Trump administration is gutting research and innovation on things like cancer, Alzheimer's, and arthritis—and the amputation of our scientific expertise under RFK, Jr. has been about as thoughtful as the tariffs rollout. Meanwhile, when it comes to the developing budget bill, Medicaid is getting some surprising red state support from people like Josh Hawley. Plus, when people willfully choose ignorance as a way to cope with an uncertain world.

Professor Mark Lilla and The Bulwark's Jonathan Cohn join Tim Miller. 
show notes

Mark Lilla's new book, "Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know"

Mark's website

Jonathan on Trump's cuts at child-care programs like Head Start

Part of the reason for the market bloodbath is because the finance wizzes didn't factor in that Trump would actually do the truly moronic thing he kept saying he would. Their shock over his recklessness is intensifying the crash. Meanwhile, a trio of administration fools trying to defend the tariffs—Lutnick, Bessent, and Hassett—showed there is no grand design to the trade war, White House infighting is getting hot enough that even Elon is subtweeting Trump, and the folks we elected over on the Hill could actually do something to try to stop the market carnage. Plus, new reporting on our government's kidnapping of migrants, Republicans in North Carolina are trying to steal a supreme court seat, and where is JD Vance?

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes

JVL on the end of the American Age 

Lauren on the backlash against Dems in major law firms who are bending the knee 

60 Minutes segment on migrants sent to the Salvadoran penal colony 

Tim's 'Bulwark Take' responding to the 60 Minutes report 

Tim talking with AEI's Stan Veuger about Trump's terrible tariff math

The book, "The Captive Mind" by Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz 

It's been great to live in America since World War II, but Trump is in the process of blowing up that whole order. Even Canada is looking to lead a new alliance, because how can other countries trust us after voters put the stupidest convicted American back in charge? And never forget that Russia is not on the tariff list—despite the fact that the US does more trade with Russia than a number of other countries on the list. Meanwhile, Trump opted to head to a golf tournament instead of attending the dignified return of the four dead servicemen who were killed in Lithuania. Plus, 9/11 truther Laura Loomer is running the National Security Council and we're still bombing the Houthis.

Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes

Video of Lithuanians paying homage to the four American soldiers who died in a training accident

Tim's playlist

The market plunge is just pure Trump chaos, and perfectly matches his record as a businessman. From his numerous bankruptcies and many failures—including his airline, his casinos, his university, his water, and his steaks—he's been running one long con. And the supposedly smart people who should have known better put him back in power, somehow thinking he would never do something like destroy global trade. Meanwhile, in Michigan, where there have already been job losses directly caused by Trump's tariff war, State Senator Mallory McMorrow announced she's running for the U.S. Senate—saying she's had enough of the leadership and the bullshit in DC.

Bloomberg's Tracy Alloway and Mallory McMorrow join Tim Miller.
show notes 

Tracy's Bloomberg podcast, "Odd Lots"

Mallory McMorrow's Instagram

Mallory's new book, “HATE WON’T WIN: Find Your Power and Leave This Place Better Than We Found It.” 

Musk was so high on his own supply that he thought he and his money were magic—but Wisconsin voters turned out in droves to prove to him just how toxic his brand and DOGE are. Meanwhile, the Dem base is looking highly engaged as they keep showing up for special elections in numbers Republicans used to deliver in off-cycle races.
Plus, Cory Booker's epic filibuster, Mike Johnson gets owned by moms, and China will fill all the vacuums Trump is creating in science, foreign aid, and trade. Sam Stein joins Tim Miller.

The administration admits it mistakenly sent a Maryland father with protected status to the Salvadoran penal colony—but at the same time, it says the federal courts have no jurisdiction over him because he is now in a foreign country. If some of us have no due process, that opens the door to none of us having due process. Meanwhile, Trump's administration seems hellbent on destroying the U.S.-led world order, Marco Rubio is acting very un-American, and we actually do have long-standing protocols for how a president's national security team should discuss a military strike. Plus, Mother Jones reporters show the absurdity of ICE's assertions about migrant gang membership.

Former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, along with Noah Lanard and Isabela Dias, join Tim Miller.
show notes

Atlantic piece on the Maryland father sent to El Salvador

Tim's Bulwark Take on ICE's 'mistaken' deportation

Mother Jones on the shoddy tattoo evidence being used to disappear migrants

If Joe Rogan is the voice in the wilderness on the disappearing of migrants to El Salvador, then the Democratic leadership really needs to rethink its cautiousness. Meanwhile, the Bluffer-in-Chief is musing about a third term and Elon seems to be skirting the law in Wisconsin over an election he claims will determine the fate of civilization. Plus, the tariffs threats are rattling the markets, Trump's gullibility with Putin is coming through loud and clear, and why does JD hate Europe so much? 

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes

The Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial on Boston Common

Official trailer for the film, Glory

Texas Democrat Veronica Escobar on the deportations to El Salvador

Trump is siccing the thought police on the Smithsonian, he's got an FBI task force set up to protect Elon's car company, and he's turning random tattoos into gang insignia—unless they're on Pete Hegseth. Meanwhile, Greenlanders did not come to play, Elise Stefanik gets benched, the DOJ won't do its real job, and next week's elections are making Republicans nervous. Plus, courage is contagious—make them come after everybody. Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes

"Hands Off" demonstrations on April 5

Protect Democracy's "If You Can Keep It" newsletter

Tim and JVL on JD and Usha Vance's Greenland trip

MTG lashing out at a British reporter

Tim's playlist

Trump so far is not delivering on his promised spike in deportations, but he is creating a permission structure where we lock up people without due process in a foreign gulag—and where masked, plainclothes officers in unmarked cars can grab an international student off the street because of her speech. Meanwhile, a Rolex-wearing Kristi Noem is shooting videos in front of people we've turned into hostages, the mainstream media is struggling to respond to the moment, we can't count on judges siding with the Constitution, Republicans refuse to be honest, and far too much of the public is not paying attention. 

Jon Lovett joins Tim Miller.
show notes

FDR's "Rendevous with Destiny" speech

No matter how hard Republicans try to spin the sharing of top secret military attack plans on an insecure app, the colossal f***up of an administration that claimed it was rooting out incompetence is plain on its face. And while Jeffrey Goldberg told Tim Tuesday that he was mulling over releasing the Signal messages, he went ahead and did so after the administration accused him of lying and sneaking into the Signal group chat. Plus, Russia pretends to agree to a cease-fire, Breitbart kind of grows up, and a new book examines Capitol Hill's craziness—including Trump's control of the House GOP, Nancy Mace's delusions of grandeur, and Schumer's infinite faith in the Republican Party of old.

Michael Weiss, Ben Smith, and Annie Karni join Tim Miller.

show notes

Annie's new book, "Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, a Former Used Car Salesman, a Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man with Rats in His Walls Broke Congress"

Ben's pod, "Mixed Signals"

More on Tulsi's Vatican trip paid by a Belgian businessman with ties to the Kremlin

Ben's interview with Megyn Kelly at Semafor Events

Phillips O'Brien's Substack piece on the “Black Sea Ceasefire”