The Next Level

The Bulwark

Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and Jonathan V. Last bring their signature political insight and banter to the masses in The Next Level podcast. Tune in to hear them discuss the news of the week, break down campaigns and elections, and wade into pop culture feuds. www.thebulwark.com

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378 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes378

Newest first

Oct 11, 2025 · 18 min
1023: Secret Podcast: Success in a Failing Country
This week Sarah and JVL did something they haven’t done for a couple of years: they just . . . hung out and asked each other questions. Some stuff about life. Some stuff about The Bulwark. Some stuff about the world. Hope you enjoy listening as much as they enjoyed visiting with each other.
Oct 9, 2025 · 1 hr 17 min
1022: MTG's SHOCK Revolt! Dems Grow a SPINE? Tim's TWINK Strike Force?!
The crew is back together, live in D.C. and fired up. From wild personal stories to real talk about how we face this moment as a country, this episode is all about connection, community, and not giving in to the chaos. When things get dark, we stick together.
Oct 3, 2025 · 27 min
1021: Is Gavin Newsom the ONLY One Ready for This Fight? | Secret Podcast
JVL and Sarah Longwell zero in on the government shutdown chaos and what it really means. They debate why Democrats can’t afford to play defense, how Trump is openly embracing authoritarian ideas like Project 2025, and the GOP’s sheer inability to govern even as they drive the country toward crisis.
Sep 30, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
1020: The Worst Case Scenario is Here... And JVL Loves It!
Pete Hegseth calls in the nation’s top generals and admirals so he can lecture them about being in shape and ending wokeness and Donald Trump can speak ominously about “the war from within” and using American cities as training grounds for troops. JVL, Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller react to the supremely weird meeting—and then spend some time reflecting on how the first nine months of Trump’s second term have stacked up against JVL's worst case scenario from a year ago.
Sep 26, 2025 · 30 min
1019: JVL Knows This Will Piss People Off | Secret Podcast
Sarah and JVL talk about big-tent liberalism—who’s in and who’s out of the l-word tent. JVL goes on a riff on Henry Kissinger, which you are absolutely going to HATE. And then we get the main event: JVL doesn’t think [gestures broadly] all this is fixable. Sarah has a plan to fix it. Who’s right?
Sep 24, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min
1018: Theo Von is DONE with Sicko ICE “Snuff Film”! Kimmel Says HELL NO! | The Next Level
Tim, Sarah and JVL are back! They talk about Trump’s mob-style shakedowns of ABC and Disney, Jimmy Kimmel refusing to cave, Kamala Harris admitting "it" about Pete Buttigieg, Trump’s clownish UN meltdown, and the government’s demented social media propaganda. Head to https://ZBiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use the code NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off. Go to https://shopremi.com/THENEXTLEVEL and use CODE THENEXTLEVEL to get up to 50% off Catch The Bulwark on September 27 in Toronto and October 8 in DC. Get your tickets at https://TheBulwark.com/EVENTS
Sep 19, 2025 · 25 min
1017: The Dark Urge to Root for Collapse | Secret Podcast
JVL and Sarah go head-to-head over the New York Times, Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit, and what solidarity really means when democracy is on the line.
Sep 18, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min
1016: Trump CRIES Over Crab Legs! RICO Against PROTESTERS?! Free Speech Is DEAD!
Tim, Sarah and JVL are BACK! Trump’s allies want to charge protesters with RICO, Kash Patel stonewalls, Trump plays the victim, and MAGA world spins truly nuts new conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Get 50% off your first month with Green Chef at https://GreenChef.com/50NEXTLEVEL Get 30% off your order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com and use the code THENEXTLEVEL. For our friends in Canada, we added a second live show with Sarah, Tim and Sam to the schedule. Tickets are on sale now for our bonus Bulwark Live Q&A Matinee show on Saturday, September 27, here: https://admitone.com/events/the-bulwark-podcast-toronto-10155121
Sep 12, 2025 · 19 min
1015: Trump Acts Like a Commenter—With Nukes
Sarah and JVL talk about the president’s response to Charlie Kirk’s murder and why it’s so dangerous. Then we go deep on how to react in moments of crisis: Can you be too nice? How do you balance truth and compassion? What is the impact of timing? And was JVL right to turn the comments off for the first 24 hours? Do us a solid, though: Don’t comment on this until you’ve listened to the episode.
Sep 11, 2025 · 1 hr 8 min
1014: Jobs Numbers CRASH HARD! Kamala SLAMS Biden! Netanyahu PLAYED Us?
Tim, Sarah and JVL are back! Trump shrugs at Russian drones, clings to a laughable “hoax” defense on Epstein, and gets played by Netanyahu yet again — while Kamala Harris calls Biden’s 2024 run reckless. To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to https://NakedWines.com/THENEXTLEVEL and use code THENEXTLEVEL for both the code AND PASSWORD. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code THENEXTLEVEL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/NEXTLEVEL.
Sep 9, 2025 · 14 min
1013: They All Forking KNEW About Epstein
Sarah and JVL go through the Epstein Birthday Book in detail. We tell you what’s actually in it, no euphemisms. And what it means for Trump and 2026. But before you ask: It’s Tuesday. So no Rebecca.
Sep 5, 2025 · 19 min
1012: Your Obedient Servants | Secret Podcast
Sarah and JVL go long on the economy, The People, double standards, RFK, and . . . Hamilton. It’s a super-sized Secret pod. In the comments, we want you to talk about whether or not the double-standard is real—is it true, as JVL proposes—that voters obsess over Democratic mistakes while waiving away Republican insanity? And if it is true, why is it? Remember: We’re not just talking about partisans, but about the generalized broader public. We want to hear your theories.
Sep 3, 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
1011: GOP’s Epstein FREAKOUT! Mace in Tears! MTG Joins the REBELS!
Sarah, JVL and Tim are back! Trump disappears for a weekend and sets off health rumors, Epstein victims speak out on Capitol Hill, and Congress releases “new” files that turn out to be mostly recycled documents. Meanwhile, Trump tries to change the subject with National Guard deployments, a tariff scheme runs into the courts, and GOP leaders flirt with blood-and-soil politics. Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/THENEXTLEVEL Go to https://Zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use promo code NEXTLEVEL for 15% off your first order.
Aug 29, 2025 · 26 min
1010: Things Fall Apart | Secret Podcast
Another dark week: Trump toys with occupying Chicago, the FBI under Kash Patel ignores domestic terrorism, RFK Jr. runs HHS with conspiracy theories, and even the CDC is led by a political crony. JVL and Sarah Longwell ask the hard question, what if our democracy is already too broken to fix?
Aug 27, 2025 · 1 hr 16 min
1009: Vance is a DORK! MAGA is GAY! Sandwich Man WINS!
Sarah Longwell is back and ready to go! They dive into Trump’s accelerating authoritarian moves, from masked cops snatching people off the streets to purging the Federal Reserve, while Gavin Newsom trolls Trump with meme-style politics that energize Democrats but raise doubts about his 2028 chances. Meanwhile, the DNC looks out of touch, bogged down in land acknowledgments and bad messaging, leaving many wondering if the party is ready to stand up to Trump’s power grab.
Aug 20, 2025 · 1 hr 10 min
1008: Gavin Goes FULL TRUMP! Tucker DROOLS Over Dictatorship! Trump’s CULT Has COPS?!
JVL, Tim Miller, and special guest Andrew Egger get into the rise of Trump’s cult cops, the right’s open flirtation with Caesarism, and whether Newsom’s new “mean streak” is a weapon or a trap for Democrats. Head to https://greenchef.com/50NEXTLEVEL and use code 50NEXTLEVEL to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months--with free shipping! Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Get 60% off your first Smalls order PLUS free shipping when you head to https://Smalls.com/THENEXTLEVEL. Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the promo code THENEXTLEVEL for 30% off.
Aug 15, 2025 · 22 min
1007: We Love You, Boomers — Seriously! | Secret Podcast
Sarah and JVL defend the honor of Baby Boomer protestors and debate the merits of anti-fascist sandwich throwing before hunkering down for a loooong conversation about whether Trumpism is a perversion of conservatism, or a fulfillment of it.
Aug 14, 2025 · 58 min
1006: PITIFUL GOP Candidate in VA! Goateed LOSER Cooking Books! Leningrad...WHAT?! | Next Level
Sarah, Tim and JVL are BACK! Trump turns a late-night DC fight into an excuse for a full-blown National Guard takeover — complete with a TV personality running the cops. The gang tackles this absurd “Big Balls” pretext, Trump’s upcoming Alaska summit with Putin (and the Billy Joel geography lesson), his bizarre choice of an unqualified weirdo to cook the jobs numbers, and what it all means for the economy, authoritarian crackdowns, and the next elections. Plus: Sherrod Brown’s uphill Ohio battle, and why Democrats need real butch he-men running for office.
Aug 8, 2025 · 27 min
1005: Trump’s Economy Is Sputtering—Make Him Pay for It!
Bill Kristol fills in for JVL during this extra super secret edition of the Secret Podcast. Trump’s economy is cracking under its own weight—grocery prices, tariffs, and a sputtering job market are chipping away at his support. Could these numbers spell trouble for 2026?
Aug 6, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
1004: Trump’s Polls Could COLLAPSE! Epstein Cover-Up Keeps ROLLING! Newsom Goes HARD!
Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Tim, Sarah, and Sam talk Trump’s continuing Epstein nightmare, the GOP’s redistricting chaos in Texas, and RFK Jr.‘s disastrous anti-vax decisions. Plus, Megyn Kelly picks a fight with Sarah, Acosta creeps everyone out by interviewing an AI ghost, and conservatives suddenly think they made human breasts cool again.

The Next Level

1023: Secret Podcast: Success in a Failing Country

1022: MTG's SHOCK Revolt! Dems Grow a SPINE? Tim's TWINK Strike Force?!

1021: Is Gavin Newsom the ONLY One Ready for This Fight? | Secret Podcast

1020: The Worst Case Scenario is Here... And JVL Loves It!

1019: JVL Knows This Will Piss People Off | Secret Podcast

1018: Theo Von is DONE with Sicko ICE “Snuff Film”! Kimmel Says HELL NO! | The Next Level

1017: The Dark Urge to Root for Collapse | Secret Podcast

1016: Trump CRIES Over Crab Legs! RICO Against PROTESTERS?! Free Speech Is DEAD!

1015: Trump Acts Like a Commenter—With Nukes

1014: Jobs Numbers CRASH HARD! Kamala SLAMS Biden! Netanyahu PLAYED Us?

1013: They All Forking KNEW About Epstein

1012: Your Obedient Servants | Secret Podcast

1011: GOP’s Epstein FREAKOUT! Mace in Tears! MTG Joins the REBELS!

1010: Things Fall Apart | Secret Podcast

1009: Vance is a DORK! MAGA is GAY! Sandwich Man WINS!

1008: Gavin Goes FULL TRUMP! Tucker DROOLS Over Dictatorship! Trump’s CULT Has COPS?!

1007: We Love You, Boomers — Seriously! | Secret Podcast

1006: PITIFUL GOP Candidate in VA! Goateed LOSER Cooking Books! Leningrad...WHAT?! | Next Level

1005: Trump’s Economy Is Sputtering—Make Him Pay for It!

1004: Trump’s Polls Could COLLAPSE! Epstein Cover-Up Keeps ROLLING! Newsom Goes HARD!