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’ve moved to a bigger room at the 92nd Y and we need to sell it out. So come hang with us. Tickets are here: https://www.92ny.org/event/sarah-longwell-how-to-eat-an-elephant

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show notes

Catherine Rampell: The Americans Trump Would Rather Not See: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-americans-trump-would-rather

JVL’s Traid: What Was Cletus Thinks About Democracy: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-cletus-thinks-about-democracy

Jim Swift: Haitians Prepare for Disaster: https://www.thebulwark.com/i/203693183/forward-together-backward-by-order

This was recorded before Pete's Substack post: https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/p/a-terrible-thing-happened-to-my-family

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 drama.
-How Pete Buttigieg got 'radicalized' by his time in the Biden administration...and Tim's warning for Democrats.
-FINALLY: The Washington Post's monster feature on the cult leader who's been coaching Tulsi Gabbard through her political career.

Get your tickets to Sarah's How to Eat an Elephant book tour in September at https://TheBulwark.com/EVENTS.

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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

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 investigation on every 2028 Democratic nominee regardless of who it is.

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A super-sized Secret this week:

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 Talarico in a dress? Finally, Tim debriefs on his interview with a Silicon Valley vibes-whisperer.

Read JVL's Triad, here.

Watch Tim's interview with Jason Calacanis, here.

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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.

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Read JVL’s Triad, here: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/thetriad

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.

Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and JVL went live to cover the Texas primary runoff election, Megyn Kelly (maybe?) turning against Trump, and much more.

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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.

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