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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.
63 claims
True70% confidence7 sourcesSep 29, 2026Violating Russia's law against fake news can result in a 10-year prison sentence.Said by 3CThe claim matches the 2022 Russian 'fake news' law, under which penalties reach up to 15 years, with tiers of 5 to 10 years and 10 to 15 years for aggravated cases, so a 10-year sentence is a possible outcome. Some sources describe lower maxima for the basic offense of Article 207.3 (up to 3 or 5 years), but these do not contradict the claim that a 10-year sentence can result. The extraction faithfully reflects the post's 'can land you for 10 years in prison'.True90% confidence6 sourcesSep 29, 2026Anna Politkovskaya was a journalist for Novaya Gazeta who was murdered on Vladimir Putin's birthday in 2006.Said by 3CMultiple independent sources confirm Anna Politkovskaya was a Novaya Gazeta journalist shot dead on October 7, 2006, which was Vladimir Putin's birthday. The claim's wording ('murdered on Putin's birthday in 2006') matches the passage's intent; the passage's garbled 'Nova Gazeta' and 'polikovsky' are resolved to the same journalist by the sources.True90% confidence6 sourcesSep 29, 2026The Russian government split the KGB into multiple agencies after the formation of the Russian Federation.Said by 3CMultiple sources, including a primary Congressional Research Service report, state that after the KGB was dissolved in December 1991 its functions were divided among several agencies, such as the SVR and what became the FSB. The claim's 'after the formation of the Russian Federation' timing is a peripheral detail that the sources describe as coinciding with the same 1991 transition, and the extraction faithfully reflects the passage.True95% confidence10 sourcesSep 29, 2026Donald Trump stated during his first campaign that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose support.Said by 3CMultiple independent outlets (Reuters, NBC, Politico, NPR, CNN, ABC) report Trump saying at a January 23, 2016 Sioux Center, Iowa rally, during his first presidential campaign, that he could stand on Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any voters. The claim matches the reported quote and the 'first campaign' timing; the sources note he was a campaign candidate then and the remark was widely reproduced accurately, though the broader loyalty context was often omitted.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True85% confidence5 sourcesSep 29, 2026Greece and Spain had autocratic regimes in the past.Said by 3CReuters reports that Franco ran Spain as a right-wing dictatorship for four decades until 1975, and several sources describe the 1967–1974 military junta in Greece as an authoritarian regime. The claim's 'not that long ago' qualifier was dropped in extraction, which does not change the verdict.True70% confidence8 sourcesSep 29, 2026Donald Trump attempted to rig the 2026 midterm elections.Tier1 and tier2 sources document concrete federal efforts in the 2026 midterms, including DOJ subpoenas to California election officials, criminal and civil probes tied to the Alaska Senate race, and attempts to block certification, which support the claim that Trump attempted to manipulate the midterms. The claim's characterization as "rigging" is an interpretive label, and the post itself says these efforts "have so far flopped," which is consistent with an attempt; the sources do not show the efforts succeeded, and the claim does not assert that they did.Can’t tell30% confidence6 sourcesSep 29, 2026Democrats are planning to cheat in the upcoming midterm elections.Said by AThe claim departs from the passage: the post's "they" refers to Trump and his administration, who it accuses of trying to rig the midterms, not to Democrats. The sources describe Democrats preparing defensively for interference and fraud claims, and Republicans and the administration as the side accused of rigging, so nothing here supports or refutes a claim that Democrats plan to cheat.Can’t tell30% confidence5 sourcesSep 29, 2026A drone parts manufacturer backed by Donald Trump Jr. congratulated a drone manufacturer backed by Eric Trump on winning a Department of Defense contract.The sources confirm that Donald Trump Jr. backs Unusual Machines and that Eric Trump backs Xtend and Powerus, and that Unusual Machines and Xtend have won defense work. No source reports that Unusual Machines congratulated any Eric Trump-backed company on a DOD contract, so the central act is unaddressed. The claim matches the post's wording, so this is not an extraction departure.Can’t tell35% confidence8 sourcesSep 29, 2026The Chili Pad 2.0 has a value of up to 1038 dollars when including a three-year protection plan.Said by ANone of the sources mentions a $1,038 figure or defines a 'value' that includes a three-year protection plan. Sources show the Chilipad 2.0 priced from $1,599 to $3,198 and the three-year plan at $199 (Yahoo, Mattress Clarity) or $398 (Business Insider), so $1,038 cannot be checked as a total and does not match any listed price. The claim matches the passage's wording, which describes the plan as free, and the sources do not show whether that offer existed on 2026-09-29.Can’t tell35% confidence6 sourcesSep 29, 2026There are laws that apply to judges and members of Congress that do not apply to the president and the vice president.Said by BThe sources do not directly test the claim that some laws apply to judges and members of Congress but not to the president and vice president. The main conflict-of-interest and emergency-powers statutes in the sources exempt all of these officials alike, which cuts against the claim's implied asymmetry, but the impeachment and Texas Law Review sources do not settle the point either way.Can’t tell50% confidence4 sourcesSep 29, 2026Vladimir Putin told a head of state that Evan Gershkovich was a spy who operated too openly.Said by 3CThe sources corroborate that Putin told a world leader Gershkovich was an intelligence operative and said he was 'much too obvious,' but the extracted claim's 'operated too openly' is not in the passage, which says only 'a stupid spy,' so the claim departs from the post and is graded unverifiable.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.Can’t tell30% confidence5 sourcesSep 29, 2026Vladimir Putin expressed confusion to Tucker Carlson that the United States would work to secure the release of a basketball player but not a spy.Said by 3CNo source reports Putin telling Carlson he was confused that the US would work harder to recover a basketball player than a spy; the claim comes from the post's own account of a post-interview Kremlin tour. The sources cover the February 2024 Carlson interview and Putin's remarks on Gershkovich, but none addresses this tour remark, so it can be neither confirmed nor refuted.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.