A troika of foreign policy amateurs—Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and JD Vance—are trying to impose a Russia-drafted peace plan on Ukraine. While Trump was in the loop, other senior officials in the administration were in the dark, even as Kushner was using backchannels to work with a Putin ally. Vance eagerly got on board because he’s desperate to stab Ukraine in the back and declare himself MAGA’s heir apparent for 2028. But rival Marco Rubio—who sees that Russia doesn’t really want peace—is working on an alternative deal.
Michael Weiss joins Tim Miller to break all the machinations down.
Michael's Substack, "Foreign Office"
Michael's reporting at "The Insider"
Today’s Morning Shots
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52:57
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52:57
Bill Kristol: The Cracks in Trump's Power Are Showing
Unrest has broken out in MAGA, and Mike Johnson looks like he’s losing control of the House—which means that Trump could be losing control of the party. And the fear of Trump is morphing into loathing because Republicans are not winning. Meanwhile, DOGE has ended in another total Elon failure: Not only was no money saved, the program’s biggest success was cutting assistance to the world’s most vulnerable people. Trump has only been ‘fixing’ the government to work for his grift. Plus, Mamdani showed real political skill in meeting Trump, but the left needs to cool it with its 'Trump is a populist' take. As MTG pointed out, he definitely is not.
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes
'Bulwark on Sunday' with Bill and Catherine
Most recent 'Shield of the Republic'
Jon on the fraud in the health care system
Tim's 'Bulwark Take' on Trump turning 'fascist' into a punchline
The Bulwark's new merch!
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54:28
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54:28
Adam Kinzinger: Trump Has Never Seemed this Scared
As a man who’s not used to losing, Trump is going through a bit of a rough patch since his party turned against him over the Epstein case. He’s flailing, lashing out, and acting afraid. After all, he knows how many times his name comes up in the Epstein files, and Ghislaine Maxwell continues to enjoy a bevy of special perks at her cushy prison for some reason. At the same time, the economy isn’t helping him, the stench of a lame duck is growing, and the threat of oversight by Dems after the midterms feels real. Plus, some skepticism about MTG’s new-found clarity, Fox and Trump’s war on Christmas, the crash of bitcoin, and the Kinzinger documentary.
Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes
"The Last Republican," the Kinzinger documentary or watch on YouTube
Kinzinger's Substack
CBS News on the prediction market Kalshi
Ghislaine Maxwell's special prison privileges
Tim's playlist
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54:15
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54:15
Susan Glasser: Our Grotesque, Corrupted Oligarchy
Tim Cook and the other tech titans who dined with bone saw murderer MBS—and who’ve given millions to Trump to knock down our history for his gilded ballroom—expect the people who use their products every day to protect American democracy, while they reap its benefits to freely act against the public’s interest. Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy is acting like an agent of the Russian government, and POTUS shows yet again that he is not a tough negotiator. Plus, Stephen Miller is spreading fear by design, Trump’s Epstein capitulation is still worth savoring, and Tim shares his postmortem on his Kamala interview.
The New Yorker’s Susan Glasser joins Tim Miller.
show notes
Susan and Peter Baker’s book, “The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021”
Tim’s interview with Kamala in Nashville
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49:28
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49:28
Kamala Harris: This Is Our Country
Before a live audience in Nashville Tuesday, Kamala Harris discussed what it takes to fight back against Trump. But she also threw punches—against the corrupt and callous administration that's trying to gaslight Americans about Jeffrey Epstein, and the tech titans who are bending the knee to a tyrant. Also noteworthy: Both MTG and Mamdani come in for some praise. Plus, the power of a consumer boycott, the challenges of being No. 2 on the job, and the still stinging emotions around her 107-day campaign.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris joins Tim Miller.
show notes
"107 Days," by former VP Kamala Harris
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Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy.
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