The Next Level

Sarah and JVL are back together, looking at Trump’s NATO disgrace, wondering if Mitch McConnell is really talking to people on the phone about detailed policy questions, and analyzing the factional fight in the Democratic party between the people trying to elect Democrats and the insurgents focused on displacing the establishment.
Short version: What if Morris Katz is just the left’s Steve Bannon?
Also, there’s some personal stuff at the end.
Get quality window treatments that fit your budget with 3 Day Blinds. Head to https://3DayBlinds.com/THENEXTLEVEL for their buy one get one 50% off deal on custom blinds, shades, and drapery.
Finally: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC! We are about to sell out the orchestra section—but we want to sell out the balcony, too. It’s a point of pride. Come hang with us. Tickets are here.

Tim, Sarah, and Sam Stein (filling in for JVL) take on the political stories dominating the headlines:
• Mitch McConnell is alive and taking calls (maybe, probably?)—despite Laura Loomer’s reports to the contrary..
• Platnerdämmerung; the enormous irresponsibility of the Platner candidacy will have real consequences for his movement and for the country; and the messy road ahead in Maine (even if Platner does the right thing and drops out.).
• In the wake of the Platner debacle, irony is dead as Trump defenders trip over themselves to claim the moral high ground. Case in point: Kevin McCarthy..
• Mallory McMorrow’s failed Michigan Senate campaign exemplifies the challenges of splitting the difference between the moderate and progressive factions of the Democratic Party..
• Plus, the USMNT’s embarrassing loss to the waffle-eating Belgians in the World Cup Round of 16.
Ready to transform your customer support? Go to https://decagon.ai/thenextlevel to get a personalized demo and see what Decagon can do for your team.
Go to https://greenchef.com/50NEXTLEVELGRAZA to get 50% off your first month of healthier meals.
Get 30% off select mattresses PLUS an extra $50 off during Leesa’s July 4 sale. Go to https://Leesa.com, promo code THENEXTLEVEL.

Full episodes of the Bulwark Podcast are available to paid members of The Bulwark via YouTube, Substack, and Apple Podcasts.
Sarah Longwell and Bill Kristol (filling in for JVL) take on America’s 250th birthday under Trump—and how far the GOP has fallen from Reagan’s “you can become an American” to 2,000 ICE arrests a day. They break down the right-wing meltdown over the birthright citizenship ruling, Megyn Kelly’s race to the bottom, why the “socialist takeover” panic misses what Democratic voters actually want, and who’s really rising in the 2028 field.
Read Sarah’s Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-real-reason-the-democratic-socialists-are-surging

Sarah, Tim, and Andrew Egger (filling in for JVL) discuss:
-The Supreme Court's ruling upholding birthright citizenship.
-NPR's retracted report that Justice Alito was retiring.
-The DSA-aligned Democratic candidates winning primaries in New York City, and whether Democrats are headed for a giant fight over socialism in 2027.
-Rep. Tom Kean's return to Congress after his depression diagnosis.
-The gang pops off on the gut-wrenching story of the false CPS report against Pete Buttigieg
-Fresh polling in the Maine and Texas Senate races.
Get 30% off your entire order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com with code THENEXTLEVEL
Join The Bulwark for $86 a year—14 percent off, this week only. Declare your independence today: http://thebulwark.com/july4

The full episode of Secret Podcast is available to paid members of the Bulwark on YouTube, Substack and Apple Podcasts.
It’s a special show this week where JVL gives Sarah a series of impossible choices. Will she choose institutionalism, or Secretary Mayor Pete? Will she endorse the political analysis of [REDACTED]? What will she do when Cletus says that he doesn’t like democracy and wants minority rule?
Come find out!
Also: There are more tickets to see Sarah and JVL on September 8 in NYC. We’ve moved to a bigger room at the 92nd Y and we need to sell it out. So come hang with us. Tickets are here: https://www.92ny.org/event/sarah-longwell-how-to-eat-an-elephant
Visit https://Hims.com/THENEXTLEVEL to get a personalized, affordable weight loss plan that gets you.
show notes
Catherine Rampell: The Americans Trump Would Rather Not See: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-americans-trump-would-rather
JVL’s Traid: What Was Cletus Thinks About Democracy: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-cletus-thinks-about-democracy
Jim Swift: Haitians Prepare for Disaster: https://www.thebulwark.com/i/203693183/forward-together-backward-by-order
This was recorded before Pete's Substack post: https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/p/a-terrible-thing-happened-to-my-family