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The Bulwark Daily
The Bulwark
Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy. Bulwark+ members can get a totally ad-free version of the show delivered right to their favorite podcast player.
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True90% confidence8 sourcesSep 29, 2026Evan Gershkovich was held in Russian custody for a year and a half before being released in a prisoner swap.Said by 3CMultiple tier1 sources (AP, BBC, Reuters-linked coverage) and others confirm Gershkovich was detained in March 2023, held about 16 months, and freed in an August 2024 prisoner swap, matching the claim's 'year and a half' framing. The extraction is faithful: the post itself says 'held for a year and a half and used in a swap,' and the claim's 'Russian custody' and 'prisoner swap' are supported by the sources.True85% confidence6 sourcesSep 29, 2026The 76th Division of the Russian Air Forces occupied the town of Bucha in Ukraine and committed war crimes.Said by 3CMultiple authoritative sources place units of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division in Bucha during the Russian occupation and document or allege war crimes there, including executions and torture. The post's garbled town name 'Putcha' is the same town as Bucha, so the claim's referent matches the post.True60% confidence3 sourcesSep 29, 2026Before the 2018 World Cup, Vladimir Putin ordered the FSB to catch terrorists and extremists.Said by 3CSources show Putin ordered the FSB head in December 2017, before the World Cup, to have officers act decisively against suspected terrorists, and that the FSB led World Cup security. The specific pre-tournament address with the quoted 'catch terrorists and extremists' wording is not found in the sources, but nothing contradicts the core assertion.True80% confidence5 sourcesSep 29, 2026Russia uses journalists as cover for its intelligence operatives.Said by 3CMultiple sources, including a Reuters report quoting Dmitry Muratov that journalists can sometimes be used as spies, a 2017 Politico report on Kremlin agents masked as journalists, and a 2025 Lansing Institute analysis of intelligence officers under journalistic cover, support the claim that Russia uses journalists as cover for intelligence operatives. The claim matches the passage's wording and no source contradicts it; the sources describe the practice as ongoing, though the most recent direct account is from 2025.True92% confidence6 sourcesSep 29, 2026Evan Gershkovich was held in Lefortovo prison.Said by 3CMultiple independent reliable sources state that Evan Gershkovich was held at Lefortovo prison in Moscow during his pretrial detention, including AP (2024), the Washington Post (2023) and the BBC (2026). The claim faithfully reflects the passage, which describes his own transfer to Lafortovo.True90% confidence7 sourcesSep 29, 2026Ukrainian journalist Victoria Roschina died in a Russian prison.Said by 3CMultiple independent reliable sources (Reuters, Washington Post, CPJ, RSF, IPI) report that Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, detained by Russian forces in occupied Ukraine, died in Russian custody in September 2024. The extracted claim's core matches the passage, which describes her as killed in Russian prison; the cause and circumstances remain disputed, but the death in Russian detention is well supported.True90% confidence7 sourcesSep 29, 2026Evan Gershkovich was held in Russian captivity for 16 months.Multiple sources state that Gershkovich spent 16 months in Russian captivity, detained in March 2023 and freed in August 2024. The claim matches the passage's wording, and no source contradicts it.True70% confidence7 sourcesSep 29, 2026The Russian judicial system has a 99% conviction rate.Said by 3CThe AP report (2024) states Russian courts convict more than 99% of defendants, and acquittal figures from 2011 to 2023 (0.15% to 0.3%) are consistent with that. A Novaya Gazeta analysis puts the conviction share nearer 80% once dismissed cases are counted, so the figure depends on how the rate is measured; the claim is not refuted as a defendant-level figure. Sources are dated before 2026-09-29 and none reports a change.True65% confidence8 sourcesSep 29, 2026Evan Gershkovich was held in a prison cell for 23 hours a day for 500 days.Said by AMultiple sources report Gershkovich spent 23 hours a day in his cell at Lefortovo, and several describe his detention as nearly 500 days (one gives 491). The claim's figures fall within rounding of the record, though the sources note a cellmate and a shared daily routine, so the 23-hour figure describes a typical day rather than strict solitary confinement throughout.True85% confidence9 sourcesSep 29, 2026Vladimir Putin is 73 years old.Said by 3CPutin was born October 7, 1952, so on the posting date of 2026-09-29 he was 73, turning 74 only on October 7, 2026. The claim matches the passage's own wording ('he's 73') and the post's referent, so it is graded as made; the later Britannica '74' entry reflects the birthday passing after the claim date.True75% confidence7 sourcesSep 29, 2026Alexei Navalny and Boris Nemtsov attempted to build a democratic and free Russia.Said by 3CSources consistently describe Navalny and Nemtsov as opposition leaders working for a democratic Russia, including a 2015 joint democratic coalition and later accounts of their democratic goals. The claim's wording matches the passage, and no source contradicts the core assertion.True85% confidence5 sourcesSep 29, 2026The FBI announced that it caught a ring of five foreign nationals working for the Russians who were trying to carry out an assassination on U.S. soil.Said by 3CThe DOJ and FBI announced on September 15-16, 2026 charges against five people working for Russian intelligence in an alleged plot to murder a Russian dissident in the Washington, D.C. area, with the FBI saying it disrupted the plot. The defendants are a Russian, a Cuban, and a Venezuelan, and all remain at large, so 'caught' is loose wording, and the announcement was about two weeks before the post's 'last week' framing.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.