The Next Level

This full episode of The Next Level is available to paid subscribers of The Bulwark on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Substack. There's literally never been a better time to come and ride with us.

The election is over, but the reveling is not. Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together to discuss the fallout from the election, including the ascension of Stephen Miller and Jim Jordan to White House Chief of Staff and House Minority Leader. Then: Axios is saying that the system held, so we shouldn’t have been so worried about Donald Trump meddling with the election. And JVL's quite mad. Plus: what really drove the Democratic wave? 

Then: Josh Hawley is fasting for America…for only one hour. Then, they discuss a very strange Will Sommer newsletter about a Neo-Nazi streamer in a compromising position.

Then, behind the paywall: Tim has a rant about how we all need to be a little happier. Then, the gang takes listener questions: It’s career advice, life advice, Tim and Sarah’s favorite gay media, and why none of the gang are going to run for office.

Full episodes of the Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of the Bulwark on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Substack. But trust us—it's worth it.

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Sarah and JVL are still coming to grips with the enormity of this week.

Feelings!

These Democrats are good, actually.

Ways the Democratic Congress will be able to make the world better even with Trump still in office.

Is Hegseth cooked?

How long will Rubio wait?

Can JD outfight Trump?

Is MAGA trying to force Alito to resign?

All that and we take time to make Susan Collins wear the clown suit she made for herself.

And then, at the end? Well, don’t leave early. This is a top 2 percent episode. Instant classic.

Election night delivers a stunning rebuke of Donald Trump as Democrats seize control of Congress and score extraordinary victories in Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Maine, Ohio and beyond. Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, JVL, and the Bulwark team react to the results in real time, joined by Pete Buttigieg, Ro Khanna, Lis Smith and others to break down the races, MAGA’s meltdown, and what comes next for Trump.

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Full episodes of the Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark. Join on Apple Podcasts, Substack or YouTube.

Sarah and JVL are ready for midterms.  

- Early voting numbers and the possibility of a Republican turnout collapse.
- Why gas prices might be Trump’s biggest problem.
- JD Vance getting the “pugnacious” treatment from the New York Times.
- Peggy Noonan’s MAGA redemption fantasy.
- Haley Stevens’ jaw-dropping weekend.

It’s the last Secret Podcast before Election Day. The hopium is flowing.

Full episodes of the Secret Podcast are available exclusively for paid members of The Bulwark on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Substack. 

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This is it: The last Friday Secret before the elections.

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together for their last Next Level before Election Day. They discuss Marco Rubio helping Flavio Bolsonaro take refuge in the United States after losing Brazil's presidential election, RFK Jr's wildly racist comments about Arabs in Michigan, and the continued fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy's ghoulish ad against Amy Acton.

Then: a Kansas City Star report finds Roger Marshall’s own hometown turning on him, and Susan Collins is running a snobby ad against Troy Jackson. The gang runs through the whole Senate map and how big the Democratic wave could get, then they react to reports that Pete Hegseth has his eye on Marsha Blackburn’s Senate seat. And finally, after seeing the new Elizabeth Holmes documentary, Tim is soft-on-crime. Again.

Send your political questions or pleas for life advice for future Next Level episodes to [email protected].

The Secret Podcast is exclusively for paid members of The Bulwark. Join on Apple Podcasts, YouTube or Substack.

Sarah and JVL talk:

Elon dropping another $76m on the election

Fake pollsters

Trump grifters getting cut loose by Big Orange

But the big story is Vivek Ramaswamy working with a woman who aided and abetted a pedophile-rapist. You know the ad we’re talking about. Sarah did a focus group with Ohio Trump voters. They all knew about the ad. And what they told Sarah is . . . not great for Vivek.

If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to [email protected] and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.

This week’s Next Level starts out as a Secret Podcast episode, before Tim and Sam crash the stage. They discuss Sarah’s interview with Pete Buttigieg, why Jon Ossoff might be history’s choice for 2028 whether he likes it or not. Plus: some hopium on some key races across the South. Then the crew turns to Vivek Ramaswamy’s despicable ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, and whether JD Vance might be (shudder) underrated in 2028. who they most want to see hauled before Democratic committees in 2027, with Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Todd Blanche, and Jared Kushner all making the list.

Sarah and JVL talk about:

And that’s before they get into Senate polling numbers looking really bad for Republicans. You want schadenfreude with a side of hopeium? The best friends have you covered. 

Show notes:

• If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to [email protected] and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.

Note: We're doing something a little different today. Paid members of the Bulwark get exclusive access to a extra, super, jumbo-sized TNL with a play-by-play breakdown of Katie Zacharia's disastrous press conference. It's a lot of fun, and you should definitely join to see it. You can join on Apple Podcast, Substack and YouTube.

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together for a super-sized, off-the-rails show. They wish Kimberly Guilfoyle well after she was forced out of the Trump administration, dig into the background of our new White House Press Secretary, discuss the DHS raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar's home, discuss the right-wing meltdown over James Talarico's absence from the campaign trail, and gloat about the GOP pulling resources out of some key House races.

Then, they go behind they paywall, and it REALLY gets fun: They watch Katie Zacharia's entire White House press briefing (all 15 minutes), and give their minute-by-minute commentary. Then: Sarah and JVL ask Tim whether he's reconsidered his stance on a take that got MANY Bulwark listeners mad a few months ago.

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