The Next Level

Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together for their last Next Level before Election Day. They discuss Marco Rubio helping Flavio Bolsonaro take refuge in the United States after losing Brazil's presidential election, RFK Jr's wildly racist comments about Arabs in Michigan, and the continued fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy's ghoulish ad against Amy Acton.Then: a Kansas City Star report finds Roger Marshall’s own hometown turning on him, and Susan Collins is running a snobby ad against Troy Jackson. The gang runs through the whole Senate map and how big the Democratic wave could get, then they react to reports that Pete Hegseth has his eye on Marsha Blackburn’s Senate seat. And finally, after seeing the new Elizabeth Holmes documentary, Tim is soft-on-crime. Again.Send your political questions or pleas for life advice for future Next Level episodes to [email protected].

This week’s Next Level starts out as a Secret Podcast episode, before Tim and Sam crash the stage. They discuss Sarah’s interview with Pete Buttigieg, why Jon Ossoff might be history’s choice for 2028 whether he likes it or not. Plus: some hopium on some key races across the South. Then the crew turns to Vivek Ramaswamy’s despicable ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother, and whether JD Vance might be (shudder) underrated in 2028. who they most want to see hauled before Democratic committees in 2027, with Elon Musk, RFK Jr., Todd Blanche, and Jared Kushner all making the list. Right now, TNL listeners can save up to 48% off their first order at https://pendulumlife.com/thenextlevel. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping with Boll and Branch at https://BollAndBranch.com/nextlevel with code nextlevel. For a limited time, Tempo is offering out listeners SIXTY PERCENT OFF your first box! Go to https://TempoMeals.com/THENEXTLEVEL.

Note: We're doing something a little different today. Paid members of the Bulwark get exclusive access to a extra, super, jumbo-sized TNL with a play-by-play breakdown of Katie Zacharia's disastrous press conference. It's a lot of fun, and you should definitely join to see it. You can join on Apple Podcast, Substack and YouTube.Tim, Sarah, and JVL are back together for a super-sized, off-the-rails show. They wish Kimberly Guilfoyle well after she was forced out of the Trump administration, dig into the background of our new White House Press Secretary, discuss the DHS raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar's home, discuss the right-wing meltdown over James Talarico's absence from the campaign trail, and gloat about the GOP pulling resources out of some key House races.Then, they go behind they paywall, and it REALLY gets fun: They watch Katie Zacharia's entire White House press briefing (all 15 minutes), and give their minute-by-minute commentary. Then: Sarah and JVL ask Tim whether he's reconsidered his stance on a take that got MANY Bulwark listeners mad a few months ago.Make today a good day, and get yourself some Soul gummies. Go to https://GetSoul.com and use the code THENEXTLEVEL for 30% off your order.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince, at https://Quince.com. Tell them The Next Level sent you!

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of The Bulwark. You can join on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and at https://thebulwark.com. If you want to join, you're in luck: We’re running a 30% off October Surprise sale, so it’s a great time to get the full Secret Podcast and all of our members-only reporting.Sarah and JVL break down Jon Ossoff’s Terminator-style destruction of Mike Collins. Seriously: It was so brutal that someone should have stopped the debate.Then it’s off to: The Eric Deters interview that broke our brains. Pete Hegseth tugging it at the prospect of a livestreamed execution. The Pro-Life movement is practicing its strategic silence. Potato discourse. And The Golden Girls! Definitely a top quartile show.Want a Woke Bill Kristol tee? Get it at The Bulwark Store.

Full episodes of The Secret Podcast are available exclusively to paid members of the Bulwark. Join on Substack, YouTube or Apple Podcast. Sarah and JVL are back apart, as God intended. And there’s lots happening:- The new jobs report is bad!- Should Democrats try to impeach Pete Hegseth?- Trump is sending a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East.- And then there are the two interviews. JD Vance seems to be living in one world while mush-brain Donald Trump is living in another reality.Plus: Trump’s DoJ wants to go after the real villains of Watergate: The prosecutors who investigated poor, innocent Richard Nixon.Also: JVL needs help picking a so-bad-it’s-awesome family movie.---You asked, we listened! Bulwark LIVE: Charlotte featuring Pete Buttigieg & The Gang—will be live streamed on Sunday, October 18 starting at 7pm EDT.Paid Bulwark members will be able to tune in from home for this exclusive members-only live streamed event. At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too. We’ll keep you sane.If you live in Carolinas or Georgia and want attend one of our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour stops from Oct 16-20 details and tickets are available at https://TheBulwark.com/Events.

Live from benefit supporting the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, and JVL dig into the quieter tactics behind Trump’s deportation crackdown, what Sarah’s Ohio focus groups are saying about Vivek Ramaswamy, Sherrod Brown, John Husted, and Amy Acton, and just how big the 2026 Senate map could get. Plus, as conservative media struggles to defend Trump, the trio holds a contest to see who can do a better Scott Jennings impression.You can help, too: https://thebulwark.com/springfield

Sarah's back from the book tour! The gang discusses Sarah's Focus Group Newsletter, George W. Bush's fundraiser for Republican Senate candidates (we thought he was staying out of politics?) Then they get into Trump's ban on CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO from the White House press pool, and whether we still care. Sarah also has some words about Zohran Mamdani sharing a podium with Donald Trump.Then, the gang talks about a Wall Street Journal columnist who has "TDS" (maybe not the TDS you're thinking of). Also: The FBI was investigating Susan Collins for bribery, Tim is mad at Jared Golden, and JVL wants to discuss the Department of Defense's "Gender-Affirming Care."Upgrade your sleep with Boll & Branch. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at https://Bollandbranch.com/NEXTLEVEL with code NEXTLEVELGo to https://GetSoul.com and use promo code THENEXTLEVEL for 30% off your order.Ready to reach your goals? Visit https://hims.com/THENEXTLEVEL to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.Show links:Sarah's Focus Group Newsletter about Vivek RamaswamyAmy Acton’s adGerard Baker has TDSPropublica's investigation into Susan Collins and her Super PAC's donors

JVL's on the west coast for Sarah's book event, and he, Tim, and Andrew Egger discuss Mitch McConnell's triumphant (?) return to the Senate, Donald Trump casually floating conspiracy theories over the Butler, PA assassination attempt, and Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth. Then, they turn their attention to a New York Times poll with some GREAT news for Democrats in the midterms (with the exception of one issue: AI). They discuss the developments from the world of AI in the last week and how our political leaders should respond. Then: Is Gavin Newsom really thinking about NOT running for president? There's a really, really, REALLY racist Republican running for Texas Railroad Commission, and Tim debriefs on a rather contentious interview he did on The Bulwark Daily.Show links: Read JVL’s Monday and Tuesday Triads on the AI race, and how our political leaders can respond. Get your tickets for our September 25 show in Dayton, Ohio to benefit the Springfield, OH Haitian community. Get your copy of How to Eat an Elephant, Sarah’s first book! Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/THENEXTLEVEL.Go to https://zbiotics.com/nextlevel anduse NEXTLEVEL at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySauce with code THENEXTLEVEL at https://laundrysauce.com/THENEXTLEVEL #laundrysaucepod