Bulwark Takes

Andrew Egger and Jonathan Cohn give their takes on the stunning back-and-forth at the FDA over Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine, why the agency initially refused to even review the application, and what the sudden reversal says about political pressure inside the Trump administration’s health agencies.

Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on the latest lawsuit against Steve Bannon. The suit alleges investors behind a pro-Trump meme coin that Bannon promoted saw $2.7 million in transaction fees meant for charity go missing. They break down how the “FJB Coin,” launched to capitalize on the “Let’s Go Brandon” movement, promised that a portion of every transaction would go to conservative-friendly charities, but now investors claim the money can’t be accounted for. Plus, they explore Bannon’s ongoing ties to Jeffrey Epstein and what it all means for his standing in Trumpworld.
Read more from Will's reporting: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/steve-bannon-lawsuit-memecoin-fjb

Tim Miller and JVL give their takes on the escalating drama at CBS. The Colbert-Talarico interview controversy is less about FCC fears and more about high-stakes merger politics tied to CBS’ fight to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. They break down Bari Weiss’ role at CBS News, the internal fight over contributor Peter Attia following disgusting emails he sent to Jeffrey Epstein, and why Weiss drove Anderson Cooper to not renew his deal at 60 Minutes.

Will Sommer and Lauren Egan give their takes on the unlikely rise of Louise Lucas, the 82-year-old Virginia lawmaker whose unapologetic, meme-heavy social media presence has Democrats buzzing. As Virginia Democrats push an aggressive redistricting plan, Lucas has become a lightning rod for her online trolling of Republicans, including high-profile sparring with Ted Cruz. Meanwhile, figures like Gavin Newsom and Brian Schatz are experimenting with punchy online voices of their own. Is this the future of Democratic politics and does going viral translate into votes?
Read more from Lauren’s reporting: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-82-year-great-grandmother-louise-lucas-became-masterclass-democratic-shitposter
Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. Plus, we have a handful of seats still available for our second show in Minneapolis on February 18: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events

In a special edition of Bulwark Takes, “Morning Shots” authors Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol give a “Morning Chaser,” reacting to the news of CBS blocking Stephen Colbert’s interview with Democrat Texas Senate Candidate James Talarico, the passing of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, the implications of Sec. Rubio’s speech in Munich, and the latest on ICE and Minneapolis.