The Next Level
The Next Level
The Bulwark
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and Jonathan V. Last bring their signature political insight and banter to the masses in The Next Level podcast. Tune in to hear them discuss the news of the week, break down campaigns and elections, and wade into pop culture feuds. www.thebulwark.com
1009: Vance is a DORK! MAGA is GAY! Sandwich Man WINS!
Sarah Longwell is back and ready to go! They dive into Trump’s accelerating authoritarian moves, from masked cops snatching people off the streets to purging the Federal Reserve, while Gavin Newsom trolls Trump with meme-style politics that energize Democrats but raise doubts about his 2028 chances. Meanwhile, the DNC looks out of touch, bogged down in land acknowledgments and bad messaging, leaving many wondering if the party is ready to stand up to Trump’s power grab.
Aug 27
1 hr 16 min
1008: Gavin Goes FULL TRUMP! Tucker DROOLS Over Dictatorship! Trump’s CULT Has COPS?!
JVL, Tim Miller, and special guest Andrew Egger get into the rise of Trump’s cult cops, the right’s open flirtation with Caesarism, and whether Newsom’s new “mean streak” is a weapon or a trap for Democrats. Head to https://greenchef.com/50NEXTLEVEL and use code 50NEXTLEVEL to get 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months--with free shipping! Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Get 60% off your first Smalls order PLUS free shipping when you head to https://Smalls.com/THENEXTLEVEL. Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the promo code THENEXTLEVEL for 30% off.
Aug 20
1 hr 18 min
1007: We Love You, Boomers — Seriously! | Secret Podcast
Sarah and JVL defend the honor of Baby Boomer protestors and debate the merits of anti-fascist sandwich throwing before hunkering down for a loooong conversation about whether Trumpism is a perversion of conservatism, or a fulfillment of it.
Aug 15
22 min
1006: PITIFUL GOP Candidate in VA! Goateed LOSER Cooking Books! Leningrad...WHAT?! | Next Level
Sarah, Tim and JVL are BACK! Trump turns a late-night DC fight into an excuse for a full-blown National Guard takeover — complete with a TV personality running the cops. The gang tackles this absurd “Big Balls” pretext, Trump’s upcoming Alaska summit with Putin (and the Billy Joel geography lesson), his bizarre choice of an unqualified weirdo to cook the jobs numbers, and what it all means for the economy, authoritarian crackdowns, and the next elections. Plus: Sherrod Brown’s uphill Ohio battle, and why Democrats need real butch he-men running for office.
Aug 14
1 hr 8 min
1005: Trump’s Economy Is Sputtering—Make Him Pay for It!
Bill Kristol fills in for JVL during this extra super secret edition of the Secret Podcast. Trump’s economy is cracking under its own weight—grocery prices, tariffs, and a sputtering job market are chipping away at his support. Could these numbers spell trouble for 2026?
Aug 8
27 min
1004: Trump’s Polls Could COLLAPSE! Epstein Cover-Up Keeps ROLLING! Newsom Goes HARD!
Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Tim, Sarah, and Sam talk Trump’s continuing Epstein nightmare, the GOP’s redistricting chaos in Texas, and RFK Jr.‘s disastrous anti-vax decisions. Plus, Megyn Kelly picks a fight with Sarah, Acosta creeps everyone out by interviewing an AI ghost, and conservatives suddenly think they made human breasts cool again.
Aug 6
1 hr 8 min
1003: The Go-Home for Summer Show | Secret Podcast Preview
Sarah and JVL give you the mega-show you’ve been waiting for: Trump’s $200 million presidential palace ballroom! Tariff TACOs! Kamala’s book! Hunter Biden! Vegas, Baby! All this and Sydney Sweeney, too. It’s a super-sized go-home show as JVL heads out for vacation.
Aug 1
29 min
1002: ICE Website Goes Full Fascist! Trump’s Personal Army? Epstein Excuse Blows Up!
Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller and JVL discuss the recent ICE job postings. These listings describe positions for “Deportation Officer”, "Criminal Investigator" and "General Attorney". They suggest this is part of a broader strategy to staff a loyalty-vetted enforcement agency with little oversight or transparency.  Then back to Epstein, who “stole” a 16-year-old girl from a Mar-a-Lago Spa, to work for him. They examine the deeply unsettling context of this story and how Trump appears to recount it without moral concern. They connect it to a broader pattern of normalization of sexual misconduct and the erosion of outrage in political culture.  Finally, the story of Luke Farritor, a young man who used AI to help decipher text from a scroll. Then went on to work for DOGE and who is to blame for his work. Get 10% off your first month of therapy with BetterHelp at BetterHelp.com/THENEXTLEVEL. #sponsored
Jul 30
1 hr 11 min
1001: Evil Is As Evil Does | Secret Podcast
Sarah and JVL talk about Hulk Hogan, MAGA’s coming pivot on Ghislaine Maxwell, and Derek Huffman, the MAGA dad who joined Putin’s war on Ukraine. And the new Superman movie, too. It’s a doozy. This is a special preview of an episode that’s JUST for paid Bulwark subscribers. If you’d like to hear the full episode, you can subscribe via thebulwark.com, YouTube, or right through Apple Podcasts!
Jul 25
26 min
1000: Trump Spooked! Oval Office Barf! Gen-Z Goes Full Fascist!
Celebrate the chaos with Sarah, Tim and JVL! Trump panics over Epstein revelations and demands Barack Obama’s arrest for “treason,” sending MAGA into conspiracy-theory overdrive. Republicans literally flee Congress to avoid tough votes, Jerome Powell’s Fed independence hangs by a thread, and Gen-Z conservatives openly embrace fascism as their new ideology. Meanwhile, Trump’s Oval Office gets a garish, gold-plated, dictator-inspired makeover. Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/NEXTLEVEL. Get 60% off your first order with Smalls at https://Smalls.com/THENEXTLEVEL Get 30% off your first order with Soul at https://GetSoul.com and use the code THENEXTLEVEL. Go to https://zbiotics.com/NEXTLEVEL and use NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.
Jul 23
1 hr 14 min
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