Trump Shows Up and Wrecks Everything!

What are they talking about re: Sam??!!! He is never rude and I never notice him interrupting.

Dammit Tim why won't you let Sam talk?!

Seriously though, if you've watched Tim as long as I have - here and everywhere else - he's the one that gets worked up and won't stop interrupting. Frankly, I think Sam gets it from you Tim😎

Sam, you are a doll❣️

Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" isn’t just about tax cuts for billionaires (while low-income Americans will ultimately face a greater tax burden); it also quietly guts federal protections and reshapes entire agencies. Here is some of what is also buried inside:
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● Slash Medicaid and SNAP, harming the most vulnerable among us
● A mandate that no court can enforce a contempt charge against Trump or his people unless the person or group who brought the charges against the president or his administration had first posted a cash bond. (In civil proceedings, like virtually most of the cases Trump is involved with regarding his abuse of power and refusal to acknowledge due process, there is no bond involved. There almost never is bond in any civil cases like these, in fact. Thus, if this becomes law, Congress will have stripped the courts--including the Supreme Court--of their ability to use the power of contempt to enforce their rulings.)
● Closure of the U.S. Department of Education
● 25% expansion of logging in national forests, bypassing environmental reviews and fast-tracking timber production
● Rollbacks on clean energy incentives, cutting tax credits for EVs and renewables, and gutting key climate provisions
● More public lands opened up for sale (including 11,000 acres in Nevada and Utah), drilling, mining, and logging, with royalty breaks for fossil fuel companies, and with no clear purpose or public consultation
● Withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, ending U.S. participation in global climate efforts
● Executive Order 14215, forcing independent federal agencies to follow White House legal interpretations and centralizing authority under the presidency
● Pension changes for federal workers hired before 2014, cutting take-home pay by raising required contributions, reducing future payouts, and eliminating early retirement supplements
● REINS Act-style regulation repeal, where major federal rules expire unless Congress re-approves them every 5 years, allowing Trump to quietly erase protections without rewriting laws
● Expanded executive control over agency budgets, allowing the White House to move federal funds internally without explicit congressional approval
● Restoration of impoundment powers, giving Trump the ability to block or delay spending already passed by Congress reviving powers stripped after Watergate
● Creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), placing White House-aligned teams inside every federal agency with access to internal systems and influence over hiring and daily operations
● Sharp cuts in regulatory enforcement, with agencies like the EPA, CFPB, and Labor and Transportation Departments halting enforcement of key safety, environmental, and anti-discrimination rules
● Trump’s personal control over economic policy, strengthening his power to direct tariffs, pressure private companies, and dictate pricing with little resistance treating the U.S. economy like his own business
● A rollback of environmental safeguards, including fast-tracking mining and oil projects
● A 10-year prohibition on states and localities from regulating artificial intelligence models, systems, or automated decision systems, with no public oversight
● Bar Medicaid funds from being used for services provided by Planned Parenthood
● Bar ACA marketplace plans from covering abortion care
● The elimination of the nearly century-old requirement that gun silencers be registered (sneaked into the budget bill on behalf of the gun industry by House Republicans on May 21, 2025)

O come on, sam always makes me laugh. I love watching Tim and Sam, they always laugh and they make me feel good (which I need because I am so concerned about what is happening to our Democracy.

"Give an Inch, Take a Mile" Authoritarian Playbook
(How Trump Tests Boundaries to Expand Power)

PHASE 1: NORMALIZE OVERREACH
Example: Refuses to concede 2020 election
Tactic: Undermines trust in democracy without immediate consequences.
Next Step: "If they accept this, what else can I get away with?"

PHASE 2: GUT CHECKS and BALANCES
Example: Threatens to prosecute opponents ("Lock her up" "I am your retribution")
Tactic: Uses DOJ as a weapon, eroding impartial justice.
Next Step: Loyalists replace nonpartisan officials.

PHASE 3: LEGALIZE AUTOCRACY
Example: Schedule F (Fire 50,000 civil servants, hire loyalists)
Tactic: Turns government into a patronage system.
Next Step: Laws passed to criminalize dissent ("anti-woke" bills, protest bans).

PHASE 4: CRISIS = EXCUSE FOR POWER GRAB
Example: Invokes "national emergency" (border, elections, "leftist violence")
Tactic: Expands executive power indefinitely.
Next Step: Elections become formalities (see Hungary, Turkey).

PHASE 5: DEMOCRACY DISMANTLED
Endgame: "Leader for life" rhetoric (e.g., "Maybe we'll have to do X for another 4 years... or more!")
Reality: Opposition neutered, media controlled, courts compliant.
HOW TO STOP THE SLIDE

Enforce red lines early (hold abusers accountable immediately).
Protect institutions (courts, civil service, free press).
Mobilize public backlash (autocrats fear mass resistance).

Add historical parallels (e.g., Hitler's Enabling Act, Orb'n's Hungary).

Contrast Trump's rhetoric ("just common sense!") vs. impact (power consolidated).

Would you like a specific template (e.g., Canva link) or a more detailed breakdown of each phase
very good

INFOGRAPHIC: "GIVE AN INCH, TAKE A MILE"
(How Authoritarianism Advances Step-by-Step-And How to Stop It)

PHASE 1: TEST BOUNDARIES

Trump Example:
Claims "voter fraud" with no evidence 2020 election).
Result: 1/3 of Americans now doubt elections.
Historical Parallel: Hitler called Weimar elections "rigged" before the Enabling Act.

Defense:

Fact-check aggressively. Punish lies (e.g., lawsuits against Fox News).

PHASE 2: WEAK INSTITUTIONS Trump Example:
Calls judges "biased" if they rule against him.
Plans Schedule F to replace 50k civil servants with loyalists.

Historical Parallel: Erdogan jailed critical judges in Turkey.

we're not gonna make, are we? people, i mean. it's in your nature to destroy yourselves...

We love you both! Seriously, if Sam interrupts anyone, it's only to correct, clarify or elaborate on a point. And, for that reason, we should all be thanking him. THANK YOU, Sam! 💯

MAGA does this in mass. Don’t even give it a second thought.

Sam, you are perfect just the way you are

The worst interrupter ever is Joe Scarborough. I’m so sorry for Mika.

This was the best discussion abt the 2 of your relationship!
I was the middle of 3 sisters (in H.S. Together!!), so I empathize Sam!
Interesting content also!
The cast of Bulwark is so great!

Stop picking on Sam! You may be more beautiful and possibly more talented, Tim, but Sam is the engine of pugnacious inquiry on this gunwhale of The Bulwark.

Sam Stein is the reason I have UNsubscribed to The Bulwark podcasts. He is rude. He's unprofessional. He's a jerk.

Sam you do a good job and I bet the moaners were all MAGAs trying to undermine you! I enjoy your content!

Give Sam a red light/green light. Hand remote to guest/moderator. Problem solved ;-)

Love Sam - but he does interrupt too much. Said with love and affection, Sam!

I've not seen any comments about Sam's taste in art.

Okay Jan

People need to chill. There is alot to say and sometimes not much time.. ❤❤

The scariest thing about the bill is the elimination of court contempt powers.

Thanks Tim good save

Sam, you are a delight. Easy to smile and laugh in a dark world. You Tim together bring a little joy to my world. Don't listen to the nasty naysayers.

Sam keeps guests focussed and doesn't waste time. Dont change.

If he wrecked everything, then why did the bill pass?

I check in once a week to see how America is going, listen for ten minutes go outside and have a cigarette ...... You literally can't make this level of incompetency, corruption and entitlement up ..... I think its a foredrawn conclusion its just going to get alot worse ..... 🤔🤪😐

I have never thought Sam was rude!!

Lol love Sam.

Oh phooey, you two are always sassy and fun!

Sam, you are OK… it’s called Interjection… in a CONVERSATION!

Why does nobody talk about Andry Hernandez anymore, the wrongfully to El Salvador deported gay barber from Venezuela?

IDK about Sam being a bad host but that redheaded kid is.

OMG so sorry Sam. You are the best as far as I am concerned. Thanks for everything! Best Toni

"that's what he's going to be telling his grandchildren about"

😂😂😂

Ok honestly glad people said something about the interrupting lol it was driving me nuts

"Look, SQUIRREL".....Dems are such dupes. Keep going, Sam, ignore Tim.

If you live in the NE, especially NY they will interrupt and talk all over you 24/7. Annoying for me, normal for them

I think you misunderstand. The interruptions make it hard to get the point the guests are trying to make. It's confusing and frustrating that we're listening to answers and conversation for the information and the interruptions are distracting. And the interruptions aren't helpful, they're just quips and comedic moments, you're both just laughing and snorting that sound like frat boys and dudes in a pub trying to be more clever than each other. Thats ok among friends. Im Italian. We interrupt, but we also roll our eyes at the jokey uncle. On a imquickly. podcast, it's annoying more like a tik tok quicky. I simply switched off to something else. There are a lot more podcasts we can choose from. Be yourselves but be your most focused selves.

I loved you talking to the couple from Indivisible and how it impacted their working relationship

I think Sam took interrupting lessons from Tim.

Isn't Trump the deal maker? Shouldn't he be acing everything?

Sam, here’s a “Top Tip” look interested in what the other person is saying!! 🤦‍♀️ for the love of god - your interest meter helps to zero the minute someone else starts speaking. Come on, you can do this!

The SALT deduction limits hurt some middle-class folks in blue states where real estate costs millions for modest homes.

You guys have an amazing chemistry. Love to see it.

Contact your senators.

WTF! What is wrong w/The Bulwark "metasphere"?! Guys, those are THE DUMBEST comments I have ever encountered. Admittedly, both Tim & Sam have different sryles of interviewing. The same could be said about JVL, Sarah Longwell & George Conway. My theory re: why this is happening is because t***p, the martificially named JD Vance & "Moses" Mike Johnson (a deeply troubled yet obvious "Closet Case") have knocked out the tripod that has held up our country's hypocrisy for ages! Therefore, many formerly smart people have succumbed to stupidity. Help!

Folks, I apologize in advance. But here's the thing. As one who was considered to be a "mover & shaker" for 13 1/2 years at the 7th largest A&D firm in the 4th largest city in this country (Houston), I often marveled at how seemlessly all of us from different firms mingled @ multiple "after business hours" events sponsored by vendors of architectural components & commercial furniture. In other words, if you couldn't keep up w/the ever changing banter, you simply had to go home.

You have a thief as your president.