Bulwark Takes

Sam Stein and former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos give their takes on the flurry of international headlines over the weekend. The Houthis have escalated attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on Riyadh, while Ukraine has launched a major wave of drone and missile strikes on Moscow and Russian energy infrastructure.
They also discuss the Trump administration’s response to the Saudi crisis, the U.S. role in Ukraine, Russia’s escalating attacks and sabotage efforts across Europe, and the prospect of a brutal winter for Ukraine.

Tim Miller is back with another installment in his continuing series on the Republican candidates running in key races across the country. This time it’s Michael Whatley, Trump’s handpicked Senate candidate in North Carolina, whose record includes appointing a convicted child sex offender to a state GOP committee, hard-line abortion politics, financial interests tied to policies he supports, and questions about his role in Hurricane Helene recovery. Plus, Tim digs into the ugly story behind an anti-Roy Cooper ad featuring a grieving father who says he was misled about how his story would be used.
Explore more in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdXT8ySfDKu0

Bill Kristol talks with Robert Kagan about how Trump’s Iran war is accelerating America’s retreat from the world, leaving allies to fend for themselves while China and Russia gain room to maneuver. They also discuss Trump’s unfinished ambitions in Greenland, Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, and Kagan’s warning that the breakdown of the postwar order could move much faster than Washington is prepared for.

Donald Trump has banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, and this time, he followed through. Will Saletan and Will Sommer discuss Trump’s escalating attack on the press, his claim that the outlets can return if they start covering him more favorably, and what the crackdown could mean for journalists across Washington.
They also discuss the First Amendment implications of viewpoint-based press access, Trump’s broader use of legal and regulatory pressure against media organizations, the FCC’s actions under Brendan Carr, and the White House’s decision to elevate openly partisan right-wing media while shutting out mainstream news organizations.

Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) break down the latest developments in the Iran war, including reports that AI-generated intelligence nearly led the U.S. military to board a Chinese vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. They discuss the dangers of relying on false intelligence, the importance of human oversight, and what can happen when bad information makes its way into military decision-making.
They also examine reports that the Pentagon may be undercounting U.S. military deaths in the Middle East, as well as the growing cost of the Iran war. Plus, sensitive F-35 parts that were supposed to be shipped to the United States somehow ended up in Hong Kong.
Finally, Ben and General Hertling fact-check President Trump’s claims about the massive amount of Venezuelan oil the U.S. supposedly secured, including his claim that America got 65 billion barrels of oil and 500 years’ worth of supply. Hertling explains what the deal actually entails and whether it constitutes a war crime.
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