Bulwark Takes

Sam Stein and Ben Parker unpack a brutal 24 hours for press freedom: Trump threatening Kristen Welker with the FCC, journalists barred from G20 Treasury access, a leaked Pentagon assessment on Iran drawing threats against reporters, and big tech's silent complicity as DHS bypasses judges to subpoena journalists' data.

Tim Miller talks with author and Tulane professor Nathaniel Rich about climate change, the growing backlash to data centers, their security and privacy risks, and Rich’s new novel, Cloudthief. They also discuss public anxiety about AI and technology, the appeal of scams and get-rich-quick thinking, and how people navigate a future that increasingly feels uncertain.
Buy Cloudthief: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619794/cloudthief/

Bill Kristol talks with Jim Swift, reporting from Springfield, Ohio on ICE's crackdown on Haitians who lost protected status, and ACLU attorney Sarah Mehta on third-country deportations, "remigration," and the legal and legislative fights over immigration enforcement.

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer give their takes on Milo Yiannopoulos being detained by ICE, Laura Loomer taking credit, and the latest bizarre fallout inside the MAGA world. Plus, a KKK/Nazi-linked staffer in the orbit of Georgia Senate candidate Mike Collins, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s unforgettable message to JVL, and the latest bizarre saga surrounding Colorado gubernatorial nominee Victor Marx.
If the Trio’s particular brand of political insanity is your thing, watch the full video and subscribe to The Bulwark. There’s nowhere else you’ll get this kind of reporting and commentary on the characters Will is tracking—and there are plenty more freaks where these came from.
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Trump’s immigration crackdown isn’t just targeting people who entered the country illegally—it’s making it harder for legal immigrants, international students, nurses, and highly skilled workers to come to and stay in the United States. Catherine Rampell and Doug Rand, former senior advisor at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, break down how the administration is shutting down legal pathways, imposing massive new barriers on H-1B workers, and driving international talent toward other countries.
Listen to Doug Rand's podcast, 'The Melting Pod' — https://meltingpod.org/
A quick note: This is the kind of conversation we want to do more of at The Bulwark: bringing in people who have actually worked inside the agencies and understand how these policies operate beyond the headlines. There aren’t many outlets putting out substantive conversations with experts like Doug, giving them the time to explain what’s changing and why it matters. If you value having that kind of expertise available—and accessible to everyone—becoming a Bulwark member helps us keep making it possible.