The Bulwark Daily

If Republican senators had any shred of dignity left, they'd demand that Kash Patel answer why he brazenly lied under oath to them about the purge of agents at the FBI. Credible sources have come forward to say he was directing the whole thing. Meanwhile, Trump has leveled the playing field so companies doing business overseas can do all the bribing they want. Plus, our modern "boy problem," our genetic wiring to not be loners, and finding a way out of our polarization by seeing we have an obligation to respect and care for other people. 

Carol Leonnig and Bob Putnam join Tim Miller
 show notes

Bob's "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community"

The documentary about Bob, "Join or Die"

Bob's co-written book, "The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again"

The Democratic Party was made for different times, when rules were followed. But to preserve the basic power of Congress, and to prove that the Constitution is worth the paper it's printed on, the troublemakers in the Dem caucus have to get busy fighting over tariffs and a looming budget deal. Besides, Trump's strongest hand is performative outbursts—making threats and pretending he got something in return. Plus, Elon is giving away America's greatness, the EU should call Trump's bluff, and the Democrats should quit chasing donations from the social media companies that broke our democracy.

Former congressman Tom Malinowski joins Tim Miller.
show notes:

Tom's Bulwark piece on how the Democrats should fight

The new administration has been routinely breaking the law, including on Friday when it announced it was cutting funding for universities doing medical research, specifically in violation of legislation passed by Congress last year. And over the weekend, Trump, Musk, and Vance signaled a willingness to ignore court orders—a federal judge on Monday declared that the White House was doing just that in response to his order lifting a freeze on grant spending. Meanwhile, Trump designated himself the Supreme Leader over the Kennedy Center, and canned the national archivist perhaps because the agency happened to notice he was hoarding classified documents. Plus, at a time when we could use some decent role models, Jalen Hurts showed what it's like to win without being petty and consumed by grievance.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes

JVL's Triad newsletter on how the Dems can win the USAID fight

Partly because of the courts and partly because the White House keeps stepping on rakes or trying to break everything, the Dems who were too chill about Trump pre- and post-election have fully moved into 'threat to the Republic' mode. Meanwhile, angry bureaucrats, particularly at the FBI, are digging in. But don't be sanguine because the administration is still trying to take a wrecking ball to the civil service— anything that goes wrong that involves the government though (like that measles outbreak in Texas) they're going to own from here on out. Plus, Trump's dirty energy policy, the challenge of getting his tax cuts through Congress, and Kanye goes all in on Hitler.

Ezra Klein joins Tim on the weekend pod.

show notes
Ezra's forthcoming book with Derek Thompson, "Abundance"
Ezra's show on YouTube
Measles Outbreak Mounts Among Children in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties
Tim's playlist

After the dumbest member of the Senate, Tommy Tuberville, was able to block military promotions for months during the Biden administration, Dems should not back down from slowing the roll of Kash and the other remaining abominable nominees. Meanwhile, more federal workers are going to have to speak up—lawsuits don't make good visuals. The nation needs to see the faces of the men and women who are our public servants. Plus, Elon's poll numbers slip, Trump's Gaza gambit is BS, and who is the new DNC Chair, Ken Martin? Michael Steele joins Tim Miller.

With Elon's 20-something operatives running the Treasury Department, it's hard not to feel that we've been severed from reality and a better Earth someplace else. Ben Stiller talks with Tim about metaphysics, avoiding politics in public, and advocating for the millions of people displaced around the world. 

Plus, the origin story of Severance, Adam Scott, John Turturro, and whether the show is a metaphor for life itself. Also, Tim gives a pop quiz, Ben shares his love for the Knicks, and both ponder why there aren't good comedies anymore. 

Ben Stiller joins Tim Miller.
show notes:

Watch Severance
The Albert Brooks film, 'Real Life.'
Trailer for "Real Life'
Ben's New York Times interview
Video of one of Musk's engineers/operatives

If the Chinese hacked the U.S. government the way private citizen Elon has, it would be a major act of cyber warfare. And since Elon is a government contractor, he's now in a position to make policy calls that benefit his own companies and hurt his competitors—following the Russian oligarch model. We are in a completely lawless realm, and this is likely to continue until he is stopped. Meanwhile, government employees are being forced to choose between conforming or protecting the public. Plus, Elon is also sabotaging America's soft power and influence in Africa while he and the other tech overlords plot how to derail Europe's effort to regulate them.

Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Wired article on the young, inexperienced engineers helping Elon

Anne's 2020 piece about complicity (gifted)

Josh Marshall's piece about Elon's operative *already* rewriting code at the Treasury Department

Book Anne mentioned, "The Captive Mind"

Anne's piece, "Europe's Elon Musk Problem" (gifted) 

The president of the United States is putting his Jan 6 accomplices in charge of the Justice Department and the FBI, and clearing out any officials who would be willing to investigate the administration. It's anti-democratic, it's a coup, and it's allowing Elon and his 20-something DOGE buddies to act with impunity as they illegally access classified information and the Treasury's payment system. Meanwhile, the White House can't even get its messaging straight on the tariffs as they sabotage our relationship with allies in the process. Plus, the ethnic scapegoating continues and the Dems at the DNC go all Portlandia when they need to be fighting the aspiring authoritarians. 

Will Saletan and Scott Lincicome join Tim Miller.
show notes
Tim's interview with J.J. McCullough on Canada's retaliatory tariffs

While Republican senators worked to protect Kash Patel from answering some ver-wee hard questions at his confirmation hearing, not one of them had the audacity to suggest that he is the best person to lead the FBI. Meanwhile, the new administration is clearing out some of the most seasoned and effective veterans at the bureau who will be needed during a crisis. Plus, Elon is trying to get our private financial records at the Treasury Department, and Paramount is so worried that mean Mr. Trump would block a merger deal that it's ready to settle his frivolous, written-in-crayon lawsuit against "60 Minutes." Also, Tim makes an earnest plea to Sen. Bill Cassidy from the heart of New Orleans. 

Andrew Weissmann joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes
Weissmann's and Mary McCord's podcast, "Main Justice"
Weissmann's Substack page
Tim's playlist

Republican senators don't care that Trump's nominees are lying—like Kash pretending he didn't know a Nazi-adjacent podcaster whose show he's been on eight times—because the confirmation process to them is all a game and truth is irrelevant. And nominees are also mad-flipping on their signatures issues: RFK, Jr. on vaccines, Tulsi on Edward Snowden, and Kash on the Jan 6 cop beaters. Meanwhile, RFK knows embarrassingly little about the programs he'd be administering, Democrats should try combat on for size, and the Fox hosts/reality show stars turned in quite a performance after the first plane crash in 16 years. 

Tommy Vietor joins Tim Miller.