The Bulwark Daily

Canada flat-out rejected Trump’s terms in trade talks, so now it looks like we are going to have a trade war with our friends in the Great White North. Sorry, Maine. Sorry, bourbon industry. And in MAGA farm country, ranchers are furious that POTUS is increasing beef imports free of tariffs. Even Tom Cotton has dared to question Trump’s move. And on the other side of the aisle, Democrats should maximize their attacks on ICE, the midterms are looking wave-ish, and Hakeem should explain why he would have a conversation with Kushner that did not involve a subpoena. Plus: the Iran war has been a strategic loss for the U.S., Trump’s summer 250 celebrations were a bust, Lindsey’s sister is an empty vessel, and hater Enes Kanter’s campaign against the WNBA is gross and disgusting.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
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Melania had to come out of hiding and practice her English after days of embarrassing coverage of Trump aide Natalie Harp. And now Harp’s newly released gushing notes to POTUS show unparalleled devotion to him. But they also hint at an abusive relationship built around trying to manage his easily-wounded ego with fantasy-grade good news stories. Meanwhile, Michael Cohen reminded everyone that he is a pathetic little lapdog. Plus: Trump is running the country like a socialist, he’s driving up the debt to dangerous levels, he seems determined to muck with the midterms—and the ‘orange man bad' resistance has been right all along.

George Conway joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

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Mark the summer of 2026 as the moment when an unlikely supermajority of Americans came together on one issue: their opposition to data centers. This new, big, messy coalition spans the political spectrum and is rooted in a fear that the sociopaths of Silicon Valley will determine the future of our lives, our communities, and our economic prospects. And (most) politicians have noticed which way the wind is blowing. Plus: Carbon emissions are getting better but the planet is still getting warmer, the coming El Niño may be the strongest ever, and ICE arrests are dramatically up because Stephen Miller is siccing agents on immigrants who are following the rules.

The New York Times' David Wallace-Wells joins Tim Miller.

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Bulwark LIVE: GOOD FIGHT TOUR with Tim, Sarah, Sam and JVL is coming to the Southeast in October. Tickets go on sale August 21. Bulwark+ members get early access via our presale NOW. Head to TheBulwark.com/Events for details and to get your tickets.

When Trump came back into power, his administration leaned heavily on former CIA analyst Julia Curlee to help safeguard our national security. The first CIA officer to transition openly, Curlee had worked at the highest levels in the White House for years. But once her gender identity became public through a witch hunt, she was hounded out. Curlee talks with Tim about the chaos of Trump’s slash-and-burn firings, the administration’s demonizing of trans people, and how Mike Pence treated her with dignity and respect when she was his personal briefer. Plus: The 19th’s Errin Haines joins to discuss the Florida primaries, the Dems’ prospects in the South, the real backlash against the Callais decision, and AOC’s Woke 1 comments. And Tim asks The Bulwark community to help Venezuelan detainees Freddys Revilla and Edgarianny Gervis.

Julia Curlee and Errin Haines join Tim Miller.

show notes:

Bulwark LIVE: GOOD FIGHT TOUR with Tim, Sarah, Sam and JVL is coming to the Southeast in October. Tickets go on sale August 21. Bulwark+ members get early access via our presale NOW. Head to TheBulwark.com/Events for details and to get your tickets.

Trump is flailing so badly on Iran. He dispatched Jared Kushner to negotiate with the regime but then denies that any talks are happening at all. He also threatened to bomb one ally and hammered another for not helping him fight his war. And somehow, in all of this, Kushner—a private businessman and a consultant for the Saudis—is meeting with Hamas officials and Netanyahu while also looking out for his own financial interests. Plus: a primer on why we keep troops in South Korea, Hegseth may be mulling a presidential run, and Gen Alpha may save us all.

Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller.

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Thanks to a shrewdly-timed Jon Ossoff campaign event, a lot more people are suddenly learning about young and blonde Trump confidante Natalie Harp AKA ‘the human printer’—and one of only three aides who accompanied POTUS on his catering truck-secret flight escape. Meanwhile, Trump is lending a hand to white-collar criminals and expanding his extortion and bribery options with his crypto firm. Plus: the flat-out lies about Fauci and miscarriages, Andrew loves the Great Lakes, the tariffs have done so much damage that even Sherrod Brown is against them, and Tim has some choice words about the primary challenge against Jared Moskowitz in Florida.

Andrew Egger joins Tim Miller.

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When Graham Platner’s campaign was imploding, Republicans made sure to hang him around every Democrat's neck. Now, Democrats need to make Republicans own Rep. Max Miller, the alleged violent domestic abuser. That definitely includes Neverland Ranch fan Mike Lawler. Plus: Tim reads from the mailbag, more and more focus group voters are seeing that Trump only cares about his vanity projects, Joe Rogan does not seem to be following the news, Woke 1 got some things wrong but not "Abolish ICE," Sarah is sounding kind of left on healthcare, and Bill K is mayor of The Bulwark.

Sarah Longwell joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

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What a way to run a country: ICE thugs will soon have special gloves that deliver an electric shock to people they’re trying to detain; D.C. residents have to contend with National Guard troops on their streets because the president likes fascist theater; and sailors who’ve been at sea for more than 250 days—for a war that no one understands—are trying to kill themselves by jumping overboard. Plus: Most of the media is ignoring that Republicans are running nutso candidates all over the place, Karoline Leavitt has been a pretty talented liar, and what did Trump smell like when he emerged from the catering cart?

Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller.
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Democratic primary voters in Wisconsin didn’t care much for how hard Republicans were working to try to make democratic socialist Francesca Hong the Dems' nominee for governor. That whole strategy helped draw last night’s primary winner, David Crowley, back into the race three weeks ago. Maybe there is not a secret socialist vote in rural America, after all. Plus: the fallout from ICE on key Minnesota races, the Dems are still going to war against their gerontocracy, Nate Silver has some very encouraging polls, and Fetterman could use a Democratic friend. And Tim asks The Bulwark community to help a family of legal immigrants who are currently being held in one of the country’s new internment camps.

Dave Weigel joins Tim Miller.

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Trump may have the pardon power, but all those people making bank off of shady contracts from the administration or doing pay-to-play can lose all that money through forfeiture and seizure laws already on the books. Taxpayers are going to want their money back. And why are Chinese nationals continuing to bribe the president of the United States—and does his soft-on-China policies have anything to do with it? Plus: Trump used a catering cart to sneak out of Turkey, the Dems need to do a better job highlighting the fact that the White House is doing socialist-style company takeovers, and the National Guard will now be in DC until 2029.

Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller.

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