Jonathan V. Last: Burning Things Down

The Bulwark Podcast

The Bulwark

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 8.9K Ratings

🗓️ 1 September 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Red States are flexing their muscles and imposing their will on the other states through their coordinated redistricting efforts. And if they deploy their Guard troops to other blue cities beyond D.C., the only real precedent would be the era before the Civil War when the South tried to force more slave states on the union. Meanwhile, the infighting at the CDC over the Covid vaccine seems to be upsetting Trump, but what can he do about it? He's only the president. And in China, a new axis of authoritarians is creating a post-American world order, thanks to voters putting Trump back in office. Plus, his faux golf outings and declarations of perfect health are very Soviet, and Giuliani wants people to think 'America's Mayor' is back—this time as Batman.

JVL joins Tim Miller.
show notes

"The Triad," JVL's newsletter
"The Secret Podcast," with Sarah and JVL
Jon Cohn on the crisis at the CDC in his 'Breakdown' newsletter
Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT
Go to Dupe.com today and find similar products for less. It’s 100% free to use. Stop wasting money on brand names and start saving with Dupe.com today.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Building a coffee business?
0:01.9	Serving the best Americano in town is up to you. But winning back time and growing your business, leave that to sum-up. Take orders and payments anywhere with the new SumUp terminal. Turn occasional customers into regulars with a free loyalty program. And with the Sumup point-of-sale system, you'll always know when you're running low on your best-selling blends. Visit sumup.co.uk to learn more. The weather. Tomorrow, expect a...
0:23.4	Biting cold front.
0:24.8	Mmm, how naughty.
0:26.2	I wonder what I'll be wearing or taking off.
0:29.2	The night will be wild and untamed.
0:31.4	Expect heavy, lashing rain that'll soak you to the skin.
0:35.2	By Monday, temperatures will rise,
0:37.3	slowly but surely reaching their peak in the afternoon.
0:41.4	Not in the mood for miserable weather?
0:43.6	Fly cheaply to Turkey with Sun Express.
0:46.5	Sun Express, non-stop sunshine.
0:48.8	Music Hello and welcome to the Bullard podcast. I'm your host, Tim Miller. It is Monday. I promised you a Labor Day podcast on Friday with Bill Crystal as usual. But we have some
1:12.5	scheduling snafus. We have a sub. Bill Crystal is the editor at large. We brought in instead the
1:17.5	editor in large. The editor in charge, JVL, Jonathan V. Last. What, I know, man, what is an editor
1:23.6	at large? What does that? I don't even really know what that means. I think it means he just goes, goes where he wants and does what he pleases.
1:30.9	You know, I can do my best Bill Crystal bit for you.
1:35.1	Please.
1:35.3	If it'll make everybody feel more comfortable, you know, Jim.
1:38.6	Yeah.
1:39.2	As, you know, I remember having lunch with Bella Abzug once and, you know, back in the day,
1:45.2	it was, I don't know.
	...

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