<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Trump is taking billion dollar bribes for his ‘Board of Peace,’ where he can pretend he’ll be the head of a new world order in partnership with Putin. He’s also looking for his next foreign policy adventure since he didn’t get any mileage with Greenland or Iran. And he’s acting like socialist-fascist Juan Perón—taking stakes in U.S. companies while continuing to sic the American gestapo on the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, a handful of House Dems took a bad vote to fund DHS. Plus, the latest in the annals of unlikeable JD, Gavin’s trolling of MAGA has served him well, Trump is no friend to the domestic auto industry, CEOs are so short-sighted, and Kash Patel is a total clown.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mike Murphy j&lt;/strong&gt;oins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.&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/deadly-keystone-cops-ice-dhs-chunly-thao-minnesota-minneapolis-jack-smith-congress-testimony?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Andrew's reporting on DHS's lies in Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/jd-vance-defends-the-indefensible?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Tim's 'Take' on JD's press conference in Minneapolis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/20/california-billionaire-tax-faces-uphill-battle-new-poll-finds.html"&gt;More on Mike's polling on the potential CA wealth tax measure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hacks-on-tap/id1467297559"&gt;"Hacks on Tap" podcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/gavin-newsom-record-democrat-california/685423/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfBwITngss3hBy5ahZElLK0X0&amp;amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;amp;utm_medium=social&amp;amp;utm_campaign=share"&gt;Jonathan Chait on the problems with Newsom's record&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/22/magazine/trump-kash-patel-fbi-agents.html"&gt;The NYT on Kash Patel&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>

Trump is taking billion dollar bribes for his ‘Board of Peace,’ where he can pretend he’ll be the head of a new world order in partnership with Putin. He’s also looking for his next foreign policy adventure since he didn’t get any mileage with Greenland or Iran. And he’s acting like socialist-fascist Juan Perón—taking stakes in U.S. companies while continuing to sic the American gestapo on the twin cities.

Mike Murphy: We’re Living in a Nightmare

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Donald Trump is so enamored with Vladimir Putin he doesn't even know the Russian leader is regularly making fun of him in ways that can’t easily be translated. Trump is also running the White House like it's the Kremlin, with backdoor deals, quick enrichment schemes, nefarious activities, and cronies calling the shots—while people in official positions, like Marco, are just fig leaves. It’s the exact kind of political world where Putin flourishes. And his operation against the United States continues apace. Plus, the backstory on the proposed Venezuela-Ukraine swap, Trump's TACO on Greenland, Canada and Europe have had enough of the U.S. and buying American, Western allies don’t trust Vance’s dependence on tech bros, and hello: Ozempic is a Danish drug.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The one and only &lt;strong&gt;Fiona Hill &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://bookshop.org/p/books/there-is-nothing-for-you-here-finding-opportunity-in-the-twenty-first-century-fiona-hill/00f2f7c6d544bee5"&gt;Fiona's memoir, " There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.brookings.edu/books/mr-putin-new-and-expanded/"&gt;Fiona's book, "Mr. Putin: The Operative in the Kremlin"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-trump-sides-with-putin/id1305908387?i=1000745991297"&gt;David Frum's interview with Fiona&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

Donald Trump is so enamored with Vladimir Putin he doesn't even know the Russian leader is regularly making fun of him in ways that can’t easily be translated. Trump is also running the White House like it's the Kremlin, with backdoor deals, quick enrichment schemes, nefarious activities, and cronies calling the shots—while people in official positions, like Marco, are just fig leaves.

Fiona Hill: Putin and the Art of Manipulating Trump

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In his rambling mess of a speech at Davos, Trump confused Iceland and Greenland, and demonstrated that he doesn't understand how NATO works. The infamous draft-dodger also seemed to call Truman and Eisenhower "stupid" for not just taking Greenland after WWII. Nevertheless, his threat to somehow get the island is undermining our international rules-based order. Plus, the secret, imperfect alliance in Congress that is blocking anti-trans legislation, the growing Dem opposition to the DHS funding bill, and the need to fight the trust deficit in the country —and the anger-tainment that is driving it.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Delaware's &lt;strong&gt;Rep. Sarah McBride &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.youtube.com/live/SEsiX7elLTs?si=bJxXCDK8Jd5raKHI"&gt;Sam's, JVL's and Andrew's reaction to the Davos speech&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/2026/01/14/sarah-mcbride-delaware-representative-donald-trump-opinion/88161879007/"&gt;McBride's column in Delaware's News Journal&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get 20% off when you go to &lt;a href="http://trustandwill.com/BULWARK"&gt;trustandwill.com/BULWARK&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

In his rambling mess of a speech at Davos, Trump confused Iceland and Greenland, and demonstrated that he doesn't understand how NATO works. The infamous draft-dodger also seemed to call Truman and Eisenhower "stupid" for not just taking Greenland after WWII. 

Rep. Sarah McBride: Our President's Drunk History Take

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Republican Party may be deeply unpopular, but the Democratic Party is even more so. The Dems' brand is weak despite the success of the off-year elections in 2025. To have a shot at winning back the Senate in the midterms, and the White House in 2028, the most successful Dems will be the ones who run against the status quo of their own party. In the meantime, Dems should be aggressively holding Republicans responsible for the tariffs, the threat against Greenland, and the terrorizing of Minnesotans— because they're not stopping the administration. Plus, cowardly CEOs, how to use A.I. as a political issue, and Trump &amp;amp; co's efforts to silence Americans.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; Veteran strategist &lt;strong&gt;David Plouffe &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.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/opinion/democrats-strategy-elections.html?unlocked_article_code=1.F1A.Y_KU.h43QJ5U4s6I1&amp;amp;smid=url-share"&gt;Plouffe's NYT piece&lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/ryan-grim-an-unconscionable-reaction?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Tim's interview with Ryan Grim, the recent lefty guest Tim referenced&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code THEBULWARK at &lt;a href="https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK"&gt;https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK&lt;/a&gt; #Ridgepod&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;NOBL gives you real travel peace of mind — security, design, and convenience all in one. Head to &lt;a href="http://nobltravel.com/"&gt;NOBLTravel.com&lt;/a&gt; for 46% off your entire order! #NOBL #ad&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

The Republican Party may be deeply unpopular, but the Democratic Party is even more so. The Dems' brand is weak despite the success of the off-year elections in 2025. To have a shot at winning back the Senate in the midterms, and the White House in 2028, the most successful Dems will be the ones who run against the status quo of their own party.

David Plouffe: Democrats Have to Run Against Their Party

<description>&lt;div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The president's demented rant that the United States has to take Greenland because the Nobel committee has not awarded him his much coveted peace prize is farcical and embarrassing—we are in 25th Amendment territory. At the same time, Trump's alternate claim that conquering the island is about being tough on Russia is so phony since he's busy trying to help give Ukraine to Putin. Meanwhile, ICE agents' constant videotaping of members of the public may be tied to their use of facial recognition software. Plus, in this particularly horrible period of news, we are remembering the hope and optimism that pushed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight for a better America.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bill Kristol &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://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/exclusive-viral-protester-speaks?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Tim's interview with "Minnesota Angry Man," Chris Ostroushko &lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wright-thompson-the-ghosts-of-mississippi/id1447684472?i=1000745479682"&gt;The holiday-themed Bulwark Pod with Wright Thompson &lt;br&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/celebrate-a-king-not-a-trump-mlk-jr-day-norway-denmark-greenland-nobel?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Monday's "Morning Shots"&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="http://Dupe.com"&gt;Dupe.com&lt;/a&gt; today and find similar products for less. It’s 100% free to use. Stop wasting money on brand names and start saving with &lt;a href="http://dupe.com/"&gt;Dupe.com&lt;/a&gt; today.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;</description>

The president's demented rant that the United States has to take Greenland because the Nobel committee has not awarded him his much coveted peace prize is farcical and embarrassing—we are in 25th Amendment territory. At the same time, Trump's alternate claim that conquering the island is about being tough on Russia is so phony since he's busy trying to help give Ukraine to Putin.

Bill Kristol: Trump Is Humiliating Us

<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>
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