Welcome to the Bullwark Podcast.

I'm Charlie Sykes.

It is Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

And oh my God, there are more tapes.

I'm going to get to that in just a moment, I guess, today.

Is Ben Terris, feature writer at the Washington Post, who focuses on national politics and

the author of an incredible new book, The Big Break.

The gamblers, party animals, and true believers trying to win in Washington while America loses

its mind.

Ben, welcome to the podcast.

Thanks so much for having me on.

You described yourself as having what day you called the Weirdo Beat, which really doesn't

narrow it down these days at all, does it?

I mean, it seems rather expansive to have the Weirdo Beat in Washington politics.

Yeah, I mean, I used to sort of have it to myself.

And now it's like the entire Washington Press Corps is on the Weirdo Beat.

I want to talk about all of this, but speaking of the Weirdo Beat, look, I mean, everybody

knew it was coming because the tape recording is described in the indictment of Donald Trump.

But listen to the actual audio of a laughing, confessing, coke drinking ex-president talking

about secret war plans.

I mean, it's really, really something.

So Ben, can we just start here with this and how people are going to process through

...