<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In addition to the global energy shock brought on by Trump's war, mortgage rates are surging, and labor costs and prices are rising. And Republicans don't seem to have a plan except to spend more, blame trans kids, and feed Trump's megalomania by allowing him to put his ugly signature on our currency. Plus, JD thinks Americans are stupid, the gap between Bibi's and Trump's objectives vis-à-vis&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Iran continues to widen, and where is Marco Rubio?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Michael Steele&lt;/strong&gt; joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ms.now/the-weeknight"&gt;"The Weeknight" on MS Now &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/markets-rattled-consumer-sentiment?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;JVL's and Catherine's live show Friday on the state of the economy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nokings.org/"&gt;Find your local "No Kings" protest &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dApY6YT48kTh6j9xFDQch"&gt;Tim's playlist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

In addition to the global energy shock brought on by Trump's war, mortgage rates are surging, and labor costs and prices are rising. And Republicans don't seem to have a plan except to spend more, blame trans kids, and feed Trump's megalomania by allowing him to put his ugly signature on our currency.

Michael Steele: The King of Debt Is Blowing Up the U.S. Economy

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For nearly 50 years, since the Ayatollah seized power in Iran and took Americans hostage, the U.S. has known that the regime could single-handedly shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Trump was reportedly warned of this threat, but the failed casino owner blew it off. And now Iran unilaterally controls 20% of the world’s oil supply and an even higher percentage of the fertilizer inventory. But the former vice president tells Tim that Trump’s judgment has been even worse on climate change. On the 20th anniversary of “An Inconvenient Truth,” Gore discusses how the rest of the global economy has ‘miraculously’ responded to the climate threat. He also gives high marks to Mamdani, explains Trump’s use of fear, shares details about his relationship with Clinton—and how his actions after the 2000 election inspired Mike Pence on Jan. 6.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Former Vice President Al Gore&lt;/strong&gt; joins Tim Miller.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/press/al-gore-climate-reality-project-mark-20-years-climate-leadership"&gt;Gore’s climate change training in Nashville in May&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/anniversary"&gt;More on Gore’s “Climate Reality Project”&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/no-kings-could-be-the-biggest-protest?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Tim’s ‘Bulwark Take’ with Ezra Levin on Saturday’s “No Kings” protests&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Slow the growth of greys and get 15% off by using code THEBULWARK at &lt;a href="http://arey.com/"&gt;Arey.com&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Take advantage of Ridge’s once-a-year anniversary sale and get UP TO 40% Off by going to &lt;a href="https://www.ridge.com/THEBULWARK"&gt;https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK&lt;/a&gt; #Ridgepod&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to &lt;a href="http://smalls.com/thebulwark"&gt;Smalls.com/thebulwark&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

For nearly 50 years, since the Ayatollah seized power in Iran and took Americans hostage, the U.S. has known that the regime could single-handedly shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Trump was reportedly warned of this threat, but the failed casino owner blew it off. And now Iran unilaterally controls 20% of the world’s oil supply and an even higher percentage of the fertilizer inventory. 

Al Gore: Trump Has Made a Historic Mistake

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Trump's shamelessness has been his political superpower, but the regime in Tehran is seeing a desperate and panicked man doing the opposite of what he's said about Iran for the past decade. But his supporters are not likely to see the dangerous moment we are in unless or until they feel real economic pain personally. Plus, Markwayne Mullin is another shorty tough guy, the Dems don't understand our reality show politics, and how an alternate universe might look if Kamala were president and we weren't in a war. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Phil Gordon &lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt; Angie "Pumps" Sullivan&lt;/strong&gt; join Tim Miller.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;show notes:&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ive-had-it/id1650340709"&gt;The "I've Had It" podcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa2mr0CgSHfgNL0ORZF2EA4tIFIYQOhYg"&gt;"IHIP News" podcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/losing-the-long-game-the-false-promise-of-regime-change-in-the-middle-east-philip-h-gordon/e897d14d56b1f9b4?ean=9781250889911&amp;amp;next=t&amp;amp;next=t&amp;amp;affiliate=93116"&gt;Phil's book, "Losing the Long Game: The False Promise of Regime Change in the Middle East"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/lflorepolitics/status/1724984756604137824?s=20"&gt;Markwayne's booster box&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to &lt;a href="http://nakedwines.com/THEBULWARK"&gt;NakedWines.com/THEBULWARK&lt;/a&gt; and use code THEBULWARK for both the code AND PASSWORD.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

Trump's shamelessness has been his political superpower, but the regime in Tehran is seeing a desperate and panicked man doing the opposite of what he's said about Iran for the past decade. But his supporters are not likely to see the dangerous moment we are in unless or until they feel real economic pain personally.

Angie "Pumps" Sullivan and Phil Gordon: The Dumbest People Are Running this Country

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A war of choice may evolve into a war of necessity because the brains at the White House apparently did not anticipate that Iran—in response to the bombing campaign—would shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which the global economy depends on being open. It's also not a good look for the U.S. to be got by a power like Iran because China is watching. Plus, how the war is impacting the supply chain, the markets may be underpricing oil because traders keep banking on Trump to do his usual TACO, and Israel acting like an illiberal Middle Eastern regime is creating a disconnect with American Jews.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Atlantic’&lt;/em&gt;s&lt;strong&gt; Jeffrey Goldberg &lt;/strong&gt;and&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;Bloomberg’s&lt;strong&gt; Joe Weisenthal &lt;/strong&gt;join Tim Miller.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/@bulwarkmedia"&gt;Where to catch Tim's Tuesday livestream at 8:30pm ET &lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/signalgate-consequences-national-security/686056/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfB2gzr3zCVtF87QZ5pAa8Xrw&amp;amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;amp;utm_medium=social&amp;amp;utm_campaign=share"&gt;Jeffrey on Signalgate and Hegseth one year later &lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/04/online-sports-betting-app-addiction/686061/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfB5lgccPLLWVFBfAvGj1x_CA&amp;amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;amp;utm_medium=social&amp;amp;utm_campaign=share"&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Atlantic&lt;/em&gt;'s McKay Coppins on America's sports betting boom&lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/odd-lots/id1056200096"&gt;Joe's "Odd Lots" podcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to &lt;a href="https://zbiotics.com/THEBULWARK"&gt;https://zbiotics.com/THEBULWARK&lt;/a&gt; and use THEBULWARK at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to &lt;a href="http://joindeleteme.com/BULWARK"&gt;joindeleteme.com/BULWARK&lt;/a&gt; and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

A war of choice may evolve into a war of necessity because the brains at the White House apparently did not anticipate that Iran—in response to the bombing campaign—would shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which the global economy depends on being open. It's also not a good look for the U.S. to be got by a power like Iran because China is watching. 

Jeffrey Goldberg and Joe Weisenthal: Pandora's Box Has Been Opened

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The man in charge is bluffing, blustering, and trying to manipulate the markets by claiming that the administration is in negotiations with Iran and was holding off on further military strikes. Israel's reaction was to drop more bombs on Iran, and the regime itself used Trump's own lines against him in its response. In any event, Iran has shown it can close the Strait of Hormuz, which is much more of a power move than the degradation of Tehran's missile capacity. With the war hitting Americans financially in their daily lives—and Trump now refusing a deal to fund TSA—the Dems have to hammer home that it's POTUS who has delivered higher gas prices and long lines at the airport. Plus, JD is in a job bind, the head of FEMA has a teleporting issue, and Trump showed utter depravity over the passing of Bob Mueller. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/better-to-taco-than-not-to-taco-trump-iran-war-threat-power-plants-strait-hormuz-oil?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Monday's "Morning Shots"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/the-economic-consequences-of-trumps?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;"Bulwark on Sunday" with Bill and Catherine&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-celebrates-robert-muellers-death/id1794450472?i=1000756506915"&gt;Tim's and Bill's 'Bulwark Take' on Trump's reaction to Mueller's death&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/12882/to-a-friend-whose-work-has-come-to-nothing"&gt;Yeats' poem, "To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.newsmuseum.pt/en/duelos/saddams-gatekeeper"&gt;The real "Baghdad Bob"&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

The man in charge is bluffing, blustering, and trying to manipulate the markets by claiming that the administration is in negotiations with Iran and was holding off on further military strikes. Israel's reaction was to drop more bombs on Iran, and the regime itself used Trump's own lines against him in its response. In any event, Iran has shown it can close the Strait of Hormuz, which is much more of a power move than the degradation of Tehran's missile capacity. 

Bill Kristol: Trump Is in Way over His Head

<div>Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy.<br>
<br>
Bulwark+ members can get a totally ad-free version of the show delivered right to their favorite podcast player.</div>


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