BREAKING: Sen. Ernst OUT as GOP Struggles With Trump’s Grip on Party
JVL and Sarah take on the breaking news that Senator Joni Ernst may not run for reelection in 2026 — and why her exit signals much deeper problems inside the GOP. From retirements to Trump’s stranglehold on the party, they discuss what this means for Iowa, the Senate map, and the future of the Republican Party after Trump.
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Capitol Police Betrayed AGAIN (w. Michael Fanone)
Michael Fanone nearly lost his life defending the Capitol on January 6. Now, he’s watching in disbelief as Trump pardons rioters, grants Ashley Babbitt full military honors, and even parades the military through DC like a strongman. Fanone calls it what it is: a betrayal of the oath he swore to defend the Constitution.
The Michael Fanone Show
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Wes Moore Calls Out Trump’s Lies (w/ John Avlon)
Maryland’s Democratic governor Wes Moore is not known, exactly, as a brass knuckles guy. And when Donald Trump won office in the fall of 2024, he didn’t plan to become one, even as he recognized that life would become much harder for Democrats like himself. But recent events have tested Moore’s approach. It’s not just that Trump is now threatening to withhold bridge funds for his state because Moore pushed back on Trump’s criticism of crime rates in Baltimore. It’s a series of other decisions, too: from the denial of disaster relief for Maryland flooding, to the DOGE cuts impacting Maryland’s federal workforce, to the decision by the president to stop the FBI from relocating to the Terrapin State.
In an interview with The Bulwark—parts of which we are teasing now—Moore delivered some of his sharpest pushback against Trump to date, accusing him of being motivated by pettiness and partisanship. And he outlined how Maryland has responded creatively to the challenges Trump has posed.
John's full interview with Governor Wes Moore drops Sunday morning. Don't miss it!
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Could Iowa Be The Democrats’ Next Pickup? (w. Josh Turek)
Iowa is cracking: Democrats are winning surprise races, Trump’s faux populism is backfiring, and health care cuts are fueling backlash. Candidate Josh Turek, a prairie populist with firsthand experience of social safety nets, is taking the fight to Joni Ernst and billionaire-driven politics.
Josh Turek for Iowa
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Why Donors Are Giving Up on Democrats (w/ Tom Steyer)
Tom Steyer joins Lauren Egan to talk about the rise of populism on the left, why short-term fixes like rent control can backfire, and what Democrats need to do to counter Trump.
The news cycle doesn’t slow down, and neither does The Bulwark. Bulwark Takes brings you bite-sized takes on the news of the day from the entire Bulwark team, including Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and Bill Kristol, and more.
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