Skip to content
Melo Podcasts Home
CategoriesLanguagesFollowing

Episode notes

Sam Stein and Ben Parker give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s bizarre State of the Force address, from his “no fatties, no weirdos” vision for the military to his fixation on testosterone, wokeness and American universities. They also dig into Hegseth’s new Project Meridian, which will bring together Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich to study the future of warfare, as well as his proposal to have governors compete for new troop deployments. Sam and Ben discuss Hegseth’s attacks on the press, his history of purging military leaders and advisory boards, and the growing signs that he may…

Bulwark Takes

by The Bulwark · English · News

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.

More from Bulwark Takes

  1. E1198 · 1 Oct 2026 · 24 min

    Trump Crashes Out: You Haven't Asked "One F'ing Positive Question"

    Catherine Rampell and Andrew Egger break down Donald Trump’s bizarre new interview with Time Magazine, from his claims about having the “highest” IQ to his ever-changing story about how long the war in Iran was supposed to last. They also discuss Trump’s claim that annihilating Iran would create peace, his latest attempt to rewrite his four-to-six-week timeline, his complaints about “negative” questions, and his fixation on the White House renovations and other personal projects.

  2. E1197 · 1 Oct 2026 · 22 min

    Elissa Slotkin Spots a Big Warning Sign for Trump’s GOP | Command Post

    Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) joins Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) and Ben Parker to share her takes on what she learned from her recent trips to Hungary and Poland and what those lessons could mean for America after the Trump era. Slotkin explains how countries can recover from authoritarianism, why she believes the U.S. needs to “Trump-proof” its government, and why Democrats need a new generation of leaders with big and bold ideas. She also discusses the growing grassroots pressure around government surveillance, the need for congressional oversight of war powers, and the threat she sees to…

  3. E1196 · 1 Oct 2026 · 34 min

    Ex-CIA Officer Warns: Trump is Gutting the Expertise America Needs Right Now

    Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos and national security reporter Michael Weiss take on the attempted hijacking of a flight bound for Tel Aviv, a suspected plot targeting an air base in Britain, and the troubling signs that Iran may be taking its fight abroad. They also ask whether America is prepared for a renewed terror threat as experienced counterterrorism personnel and resources are pulled toward other priorities.

  4. E1194 · 30 Sep 2026 · 20 min

    Ken Paxton’s Leaked Trump Comments Are a Spectacular Own Goal

    Ken Paxton is caught on tape blaming Donald Trump for hurting his Senate campaign, telling a small group of donors that Trump’s Texas convention actually hurt his numbers. The New York Times first reported on the leaked recording, which came from a small Paxton fundraiser where an attendee recorded the conversation. JVL and Andrew Egger break down Paxton’s donor problems, his reliance on Trump’s financial support, and what the recording reveals about his struggling campaign. They also discuss Paxton’s political baggage, the Texas Senate race against James Talarico, and Angela Paxton’s…

  5. E1193 · 30 Sep 2026 · 54 min

    Command Post: Hegseth Takes an Axe to Generals, Admirals and Military Education

    Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s reported plan to cut 20% of the military’s general and flag officers, and what that could mean for military leadership, congressional oversight, and civilian-military relations. They also discuss Hegseth’s push to remake Department of Defense schools, including curriculum changes and book bans, as well as growing concerns about the Pentagon’s handling of military casualty reporting. Plus, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue’s odd comments that Trump reportedly offered to sell U.S. weapons to China and the end…

  6. E1192 · 29 Sep 2026 · 17 min

    GOP Senator’s Jack Smith Ambush Ends in Spectacular Humiliation

    Sam Stein and Andrew Egger give their takes on Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt’s disastrous attempt to catch former special counsel Jack Smith in a perjury trap during a Senate Judiciary hearing. Schmitt thought he had a smoking gun showing Smith was in Atlanta for a Hawks game on the same day as a controversy involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. But there was one problem: Smith wasn’t at the Hawks game. The text messages Schmitt’s team found were apparently referring to the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team, who were playing in Maryland that same day. Sen. Amy Klobuchar…

  7. E1219 · 11 Oct 2026 · 1 hr 4 minNew

    This Scott Bessent Interview Got Weirder by the Minute

    This episode is a little taste of Receipts , Catherine Rampell’s brand-new show from The Bulwark, where she follows the money, cuts through the economic spin, and exposes who’s really paying the price for Trump’s policies. Subscribe to Receipts wherever you listen to podcasts: Apple Podcasts: ⁠ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/receipts-with-catherine-rampell/id6807470569 Spotify: ⁠ https://open.spotify.com/show/1O2Z2akwyonpAsbxyMqBTV Scott Bessent thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room, but his disastrous financial record and increasingly strange public statements tell another story.…

  8. E1218 · 10 Oct 2026 · 19 minNew

    Trump’s Putin Deal Is a Disgraceful Act of Betrayal

    Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell give their takes on Trump’s decision to buy oil from Putin, just weeks after Trump signed Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill into law. Instead of increasing pressure on Russia, Trump is opening the door to Russian fuel exports that could help bankroll Putin’s war on Ukraine. Plus, they examine the bill’s loopholes, whether the deal will actually lower fuel prices, and why Trump is pressuring Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries. As Zelensky pushes back, Trump’s deal risks a major rupture in U.S.-Ukraine relations.

  9. E1217 · 10 Oct 2026 · 13 minNew

    Jon Husted Is the Fakest Republican in America

    Tim Miller takes a closer look at Ohio Senate candidate Jon Husted, whose carefully crafted moderate persona masks a record of corruption allegations, MAGA loyalty, and political opportunism. From his ties to Ohio’s utility scandal and donations from Jeffrey Epstein associate Les Wexner to his opposition to releasing the Epstein files, Husted has plenty of explaining to do. Tim also examines Husted’s role in bringing data centers to Ohio, his support for the Iran war and Trump’s tariffs, his dismissive comments about people living in poverty, and his decision to hire a political director…

  10. E1217 · 9 Oct 2026 · 25 minNew

    Hegseth’s Livestreamed Execution Exposes His Pathetic Tough-Guy Act

    Sam Stein and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan, and why turning an execution into a public spectacle raises serious moral questions. Hertling explains the potential toll on soldiers ordered to carry out the firing squad and warns that the spectacle could inflame tensions rather than deter future attacks. After we recorded, Vice President JD Vance addressed Hegseth’s plan, saying he wasn’t sure the livestream would actually happen and adding, “If it’s ultimately…

Every episode of Bulwark Takes →

Take it with you

The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.

Get it on Google Play