Bulwark Takes

Sam Stein, JVL, Catherine Rampell, and Sonny Bunch respond to Paramount taking over Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix walked away. The deal, still pending regulatory approvals, would put CNN, HBO, and CBS under one Trump-backed company.

Tim Miller and Andrew Egger give their takes on the shocking and strangely stylish White House visit by Zohran Mamdani, who met with Trump to discuss housing plans. They break down Mamdani’s strategy of engaging Trump directly, the optics of the now-viral meeting photo, and whether Mamdani managed to “mog” the president or simply played to Trump’s ego. Is Mamdani’s approach political genius, dangerous flirtation with Trump’s brand, or just effective results-oriented dealmaking?

Tim Miller, Will Sommer and Sam Stein give their takes on down two of the strangest—and most troubling developments in MAGA media right now. First: Nick Shirley promotes a gross "documentary" targeting Jewish people and why anti-Semitic tropes keep surfacing in so-called investigative content. Then the trio goes deep on the premiere of Candace Owens’s “Bride of Charlie” series about Erika Kirk. Owens attempts to build a murder conspiracy out of birth certificate discrepancies, Swedish Freemasons, Marine Corps symbolism, charter schools, bees, gambling great-grandmothers, and Jewish Studies departments. Does any of it amount to evidence? Or is this what happens when engagement becomes the only goal?

In a new edition of Command Post, Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling and Ben Parker give their takes on Trump’s military-heavy State of the Union address, including Trump’s claim that Iran’s nuclear program was “obliterated” even as he suggests military action. They break down how the speech leaned more on ceremony and applause lines than on strategy, vision, or a clear explanation of U.S. national security goals. Former General Hertling also explains why praising military service without explaining its purpose risks misunderstanding the meaning of sacrifice, and why the State of the Union is meant to be more than a performance, it’s supposed to inform Congress and the American people about the country’s direction.
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Tim Miller is joined by reporter Roger Sollenberger to discuss Sollenberger’s reporting on Epstein-related records connected to Donald Trump. Roger breaks down the documents from a survivor who allegedly accused Trump of abuse as a minor, the interviews conducted by the FBI, and claims that portions of the investigative files were held by DOJ. They also examine document logs, slideshow materials listing prominent names associated with the Epstein investigation, and allegations that transparency obligations required by law related to the Epstein files were not met.
Roger Sollenberger Substack

DOJ Deleted Record Revealing That Maxwell Holds Potential Blackmail Over Trump

DOJ Removed Record of Multiple FBI Interviews with Underage Trump Accuser, Epstein Data Shows