It Didn’t Have to Be This Way
It Didn’t Have to Be This Way
Philip Wallach on what we can learn from the failures of the Trump COVID task force
Leading The Bulwark…
It Didn’t Have to Be This Way
PHILIP A. WALLACH: What we can learn from the failures of the Trump COVID task force—and why science needs to be guided by politics.
🎧 On the Pods… 🎧
'Shang-Chi' Review
Plus: Does Paramount's release date shuffle presage yet another round of blockbuster delays?Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Theaters)
Tim Miller Braces for Cold Joe Fall
On today's podcast, Tim Miller joins host Charlie Sykes to answer the question: what opinion are you most nervous about expressing in public? (Plus, Biden's polls, abortion, and the future of Never Trump.)
Can We Avoid Another January 6?
Greg Sargent joins to talk about vote counting reform, not vote casting reform. The group (including Tim Miller) then discuss refugees and Biden's sinking popularity.
For Bulwark+ Members… 🔐
MORNING SHOTS: The Dog That Caught The Bus 🔐
CHARLIE SYKES has a personal note: I’m going to be off the next few days, so don’t expect a weekend newsletter — or Morning Shots for the first few days of next week. I’ll be back Thursday. Stay sane!
THE TRIAD: Why I Opted Out of the Abortion Wars 🔐
JVL: What are you supposed to do when you think abortion is a tragedy and that Pro-Life Inc. doesn't really care about life?
A Substandard Secret Show 🔐
Sonny Bunch sits in for Sarah and talks about the future of Hollywood, great movies you missed during the pandemic, and more, with JVL.
TNB: What Happened to the Kraken? 🔐
Bill Kristol, Mona Charen, and JVL are joined by Kim Wehle to check in on what has happened to Team Kraken so far—and how bad it’s going to get. Plus, Texas's abortion law and the Supreme court.
From The Bulwark Aggregator…
Scenes from Ida’s Chaotic, Tragic Night in New York - The Curbed Staff
Georgia’s Witch Hunt: Who Helped the Feds Fight Our Voting Laws? - Jose Pagliery, The Daily Beast
Texas Republicans Got What They Wanted. They Might Regret It. - David Frum, The Atlantic
Biden Faces Sanctions Test in Afghanistan as Taliban Take Over - Saleha Mohsin, Bloomberg Businessweek
The Red Warning Light on Richard Branson's Space Flight - Nicholas Schmidle, The New Yorker
Trump Tower’s key tenants have fallen behind on rent and moved out. But Trump has one reliable customer: His own PAC. - Shayna Jacobs, David A. Fahrenthold, Jonathan O'Connell and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post
British national pleads guilty to role in terror beheadings - Associated Press
In Today’s Bulwark...
‘Donda’ is Kanye West’s Seventh-Best Album. It’s Also a Masterwork.
ARMIN ROSEN: Name another pop star who can release a challenging piece of art that also fills stadiums and assails streaming records.
Donald Westlake, Criminal Mastermind
BILL RYAN: The master of the crime novel has more to offer than just his “Parker” stories.
🚨OVERTIME 🚨
Happy Friday. I hope you have good weekend plans for the holiday. My family is coming to town, and I have a #pupdate. Rusty gets to stay for now. Which is a short way of saying we’re gonna take a chance and hope that he and Area Dog become best friends and we’ll lose the deposit if that doesn’t happen. That’s OK in my book. These things take time and we’ve already seen progress, even though Rusty is in the chewing phase and may have ruined a favorite piece of furniture the wife bought after we moved. And he escaped again this morning through his harness and I had to chase him down. Puppies are puppies. And we’re gonna keep giving this one a chance.
The Afghan wish list. A great read by Shannon Last, wife of our editor, JVL, at America Magazine. #AMDG
It’s answer time. Matt Continetti wonders… will GOP pols have answers?
Being a COVID truther has consequences. Sorry, not sorry, Candace Owens.
A suite of weekend recipes for you… This Ragu stuffed fried paccheri and this recipe for Nashville hot chicken, which I made yesterday.
“How does someone in Boston or Salt Lake City or Los Angeles end up buying a home in Peoria that they’ve never even seen?” Well, the answer, as the Post highlights, is more complicated than you may think.
Under the U.S.S. Cod… Cleveland’s WWII sub.
That’s it for me for today. We’ll see you back here Monday. Tech support questions? Email support@substack.com. Questions for me? Drop me a line: swift@thebulwark.com
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Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.