Bulwark Takes

JVL and Will Sommer give their takes on the explosive showdown inside CBS News after Scott Pelley confronted new 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton during his first meeting with staff. According to reporting from Oliver Darcy's Status newsletter, Pelley blasted CBS leadership and declared that Bari Weiss is "murdering 60 Minutes." JVL and Will break down what happened in the meeting, why Bilton appeared unprepared for the backlash, the firing of key 60 Minutes staffers, and what the corporate overhaul could mean for the future of the iconic broadcast. They also discuss why many journalists believe the changes have little to do with digital growth and everything to do with control over the newsroom.
Read more from Status: https://www.status.news/p/scott-pelley-60-minutes-nick-bilton-bari-weiss

Sam Stein and Andrew Egger give their takes on the breaking news that the Trump administration is reportedly pausing and potentially abandoning the controversial $1.8 billion slush fund for January 6 defendants and other Trump allies. Sam and Andrew walk through how the arrangement came together, why judges are now scrutinizing it, and why even Republican lawmakers are growing uneasy with the implications. But just because they said it's "paused," is it actually over?

Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live on Monday at 10am to cover the outrage from Republicans about artists cancelling on America 250 and Trump making it a rally instead, the Proud Boys bringing cookies to a pro-ICE rally, Trump’s former Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino hanging with white nationalists, and James Fishback’s ex-girlfriend speaking out.
Read more from Will: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/false-flag

Catherine Rampell and Will Sommer take on one of the strangest stories in American politics: a mystery candidate named Dan Sullivan has entered the Alaska Senate race—as a Republican—to run against the incumbent Republican senator also named Dan Sullivan. Who recruited him, why does his photo look AI-generated, and why is a Peltola-aligned strategist's name buried in the press release metadata?

Nathaniel Zelinsky, lead counsel in the Kennedy Center case against Trump, joins Bill Kristol for Bulwark on Sunday to discuss the current situation with Trump and the courts.
Nathaniel Zelinsky is a senior counsel and member of the Washington Litigation Group’s steering committee. He is an appellate lawyer who has handled high stakes cases involving major constitutional questions and multibillion dollar disputes, and has argued at every level of the federal judiciary, including before the Supreme Court.