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Reflections on a Quietly Depressing Week | Secret Podcast Preview

2025-10-19 News & Politics
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The Bulwark
The Bulwark
1.7m subscribers

Analyzing DOJ Indictments and Media Capture Under Potential Authoritarian Shifts

Discover the critical differences between high-profile DOJ indictments involving Trump associates and assess how the consolidation of media ownership signals widening authoritarian trends.

Short Summary

  • Analyze why the John Bolton document case may be substantively different from the Tish James (regarding Trump) and Jim Comey cases.
  • Evaluate the role of the jury court system as a potentially incorruptible political check against a politicized Department of Justice (DOJ).
  • Note that the Pentagon press corps has been drastically limited, favoring state-sanctioned media proxies.
  • Recognize an accelerating trend where major media ecosystems are being bought by entities sympathetic to Donald Trump.

The speakers detail their analysis of recent legal actions, specifically comparing the indictments of John Bolton and Jim Comey, suggesting intent and underlying criminal actions heavily influence prosecutorial merit. They express cautious optimism regarding jury independence as a necessary safeguard against DOJ politicization. Furthermore, the conversation shifts to systemic risks, highlighting the shrinking Pentagon press corps and the dangerous concentration of media ownership under Trump-aligned interests.

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Description

The Secret Podcast is available only to paid members of the Bulwark. You can watch the whole thing here: https://youtu.be/LRBEsXvhbmo JVL ambushes Sarah with The Darkness. It’s a fun-filled episode with the indictment of John Bolton, the decimation of the Pentagon press corps, another extra-legal killing off the coast of Venezuela, the resignation of the head of SouthCom, and the weaponization of the IRS. Good times.

Top Comments (10)

@mlshore 2025-10-19

We actually had a major disaster in southwest Alaska this past week, where a typhoon caused major flooding, destroyed entire villages, and displaced (possibly permanently) ~2000 people. The feds are nowhere to be seen. Because the EPA had rescinded a $20 million coastal erosion grant and were kind of nasty about it, folks in this red state are quite happy to blame the federal government.

240 28 replies
@LAWandCoach 2025-10-19

National Guard needs to be in Alaska helping.

156 4 replies
@justh6868 2025-10-19

They should have posted this last night. Today was invigorating. Even JVL was smiling!

134 4 replies
@BassDad8 2025-10-19

This is why, when you have someone as slippery and slimy as DJT dead to rights, you don’t drag your feet. You nail them to the wall. Lessons have been learned, I just hope it’s not too late…

127 17 replies
@ruthmoser9622 2025-10-19

Real emergency: Like the flooding this week in Alaska?

94 4 replies
@OBEllabeach 2025-10-19

They want us to give up. So, we don't give up.

87 5 replies
@AngeKiwi 2025-10-19

ELBOWS UP USA 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 ❤❤❤ From Aotearoa NZ 🇳🇿 You can do this. Your friends and Allies are here too 👍🏽 🌸 🌻👍🏽 PS: Keep your eye on the Supreme Court too. (Voting Rights via Louisiana)

68 1 replies
@3ld919 2025-10-19

JVL tends to look at worst case scenarios while Sarah tends to look at best case scenarios. Both views are important to consider to be effective. JVL kicks us in the rear to face the gravity of the situation we find ourselves in, while Sarah balances the message by reminding us all, things may be dark but are not hopeless and we still have power. Together they deliver the message we need to survive and beat this P0S, fascist regime.

51 2 replies
@PaulSink 2025-10-19

7 million protested NO KINGS day and did it peacefully .

28 2 replies
@jls5373 2025-10-19

There's a natural disaster in Alaska right now and we're hearing crickets

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