Sam Stein and Talmon Smith: Brain Drain

The Bulwark Podcast

The Bulwark

News, Society & Culture, Politics, News Commentary

4.6 • 11.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The resignations of senior leaders at the CDC is a calamity. People with decades of expertise in infectious disease are leaving the agency because the new director—who Trump just appointed—refused to get on board with RFK's anti-vax crusade, including limiting access to Covid boosters. And Wednesday's violence in Minneapolis may be a sign that the FBI should be keeping its eye on the threats from domestic terror instead of arresting day laborers at Home Depot. Meanwhile, Trump's threat to the Fed's independence could pose a real risk to the stability of the U.S. Plus, more on the shifting attitudes about Israel among Dems, the latest attack on Kyiv is another reminder of how much Putin is mocking Trump, and remembering Katrina 20 years later.

Sam Stein and the NYT's Talmon Smith join Tim Miller.

show notes

Thursday's "Morning Shots"
Tim, Sam, and Will Sommer on a MAGA brawl, the “Bulwark Take” Tim mentioned
Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT

Transcript

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0:34.7	Hello and welcome to the Bullard podcast.
0:36.1	I'm your host Tim Miller.
0:37.9	We have a double header today.
0:46.1	I had Talman Smith, who's a New Orleans who writes about economics on to talk about the purges of the Fed, the attempted purge,
0:52.7	police a cook at the Fed. But there's been so much news, so much dark news. I like to bring on, I like to bring on this guest for comedic news.
0:54.8	But in this case, we're going to find his sensitive side. It's the managing editor of the bulwark, Sam Stein. How you doing, man? I'm good, man. How are you? I am well, all things considered. We got a bunch of news we've got to get to. So yesterday, a shooter opened fire during morning mass at a Catholic school in Minneapolis,
1:13.6	killed two children, injured 17 others. The shooter is identified as a 23-year-old, likely trans,
1:21.3	or trans-identifying person, Robin Westman, who killed themselves. They left behind a trail of
1:27.1	insane conspiracy,
1:28.2	theory-addled videos and writings don't really
1:30.5	map on any ideological spectrum.
1:33.6	I know you did a video on this yesterday,
1:35.2	but just kind of after 24 hours,
1:36.9	just wondering what your reactions are,
1:39.0	or if you have anything new to say about this American
	...

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