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 THENEXTLEVELJoin 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-elephantVisit https://Hims.com/THENEXTLEVEL to get a personalized, affordable weight loss plan that gets you.show notesCatherine Rampell: The Americans Trump Would Rather Not See: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-americans-trump-would-ratherJVL’s Traid: What Was Cletus Thinks About Democracy: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/what-cletus-thinks-about-democracyJim Swift: Haitians Prepare for Disaster: https://www.thebulwark.com/i/203693183/forward-together-backward-by-orderThis was recorded before Pete's Substack post: https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/p/a-terrible-thing-happened-to-my-family

Tim is sick, but he's strapping on his football helmet. Tim, Sarah, and JVL cover another crazy week.

The Iran war deal is falling apart (already). Israel is turning on Trump. And the two most insipid trad-Cath poasters in America are podcasting together again.Plus: JVL (finally) explains his disdain for the NYT’s DEI Trump apologist.Read JVL's Triad newsletter: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trumps-iran-hawks-found-a-way-to-love-surrender

JVL, Sarah Longwell, and Tim Miller discuss the Iran "deal" that isn't really a deal—a memorandum of understanding that lifts sanctions immediately and hands Iran $300 billion while punting everything else down the road. Then: the war hawks who drummed up the Iran war—Thiessen, Graham, Levin, the WSJ editorial board — are repositioning and refusing to say they were wrong. Plus: Trump's accelerating  decline, the corruption behind the White House UFC fight, and why Trump's DOJ will open a federal investigation on every 2028 Democratic nominee regardless of who it is.Sleep cooler this summer with Boll & Branch during their Annual Summer Event. For a limited time, get 20% off sitewide at https://BollAndBranch.com/nextlevel with code nextlevel. Exclusions apply.

A super-sized Secret this week: Sarah and JVL are coming to the legendary 92nd Street Y in New York on September 8. Come and hang out with them in JVL’s back yard! It’s possible he’ll have the championship belt! (Tickets on sale here.) JVL actually thinks the Iran deal might be real this time. He’s got a theory. Sarah has a theory of her own about who leaked to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan about the Trump administration’s big Situation Room summit on how to handle the Epstein files? JVL makes progress on his continuing quest to bring Sarah around on “the free market” and court expansion. Is this the week the dam breaks? It’s a good show, long show.

The gang is back together, and the U.S. and Iran are back at war...maybe? Tim, Sarah, and JVL discuss the latest in Iran, Donald Trump storming off of Meet the Press, the 'stolen election' freakout in Los Angeles, Todd Blanche's nomination as Attorney General, and JVL's Triad about former DHS commander Greg Bovino (kinda sorta maybe) eyeing a presidential run.Plus: Graham Platner, Lindsey Graham's primary in South Carolina, and the gang reacts to a completely wild AI-generated ad of...James Talarico in a dress? Finally, Tim debriefs on his interview with a Silicon Valley vibes-whisperer.Read JVL's Triad, here.Watch Tim's interview with Jason Calacanis, here.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/THENEXTLEVELGet started on your weight loss goals with Hims at https://Hims.com/THENEXTLEVEL.Get 30% off your entire order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com with code THENEXTLEVEL.

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and JVL talk about the week's biggest stories: Trump installs a meme stock grifter as acting Director of National Intelligence, the $1.8 billion weaponization slush fund may be dying (or just hibernating), Tina Peters walks free and heads straight to Steve Bannon, Scott Pelley goes out swinging at 60 Minutes, and the leaked Trump-Netanyahu call reveals a president trapped by his own unworkable coalition of MAGA, Iran hawks, and Mark Levin all turning at once.Get 25% off select mattresses PLUS an extra $50 off during Leesa’s extended Memorial Day sale. Go to https://Leesa.com, promo code THENEXTLEVEL.Go to https://GreenChef.com/50NEXTLEVEL and use code 50NEXTLEVEL for 50% off your first month, then 20% off for your next two months.Read JVL’s Triad, here: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/thetriad