The Bulwark Podcast Bill Kristol: This Is So Third World
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Aug 4, 2025 
Bill Kristol, Editor-at-large of The Bulwark and a veteran political analyst, joins Tim Miller to discuss the alarming pressures on government workers to distort economic data for political gain. They delve into the implications of misleading economic indicators and the erosion of trust in institutions. Kristol critiques the Texas redistricting stand-off and rising authoritarian tendencies in governance, while also examining the controversial treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell in prison. The conversation highlights pressing concerns about election integrity and the challenges facing democracy.
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Authoritarian Threat to Data Integrity
- Trump's firing of the Labor Statistics head signals authoritarian disregard for objective facts.
- This threatens government integrity across fields like economy, intelligence, and disaster reporting.
Economic Trust Undermined by Firing
- Firing a public servant for reporting factual economic data undermines trust in government.
- This damages the U.S. economy's reputation as a stable and reliable investment environment.
Texas Redistricting Crisis Unfolds
- Texas Republicans threaten to remove Democratic legislators who deny quorum, manipulating redistricting power.
- This mid-cycle redistricting breaches democratic norms and escalates political conflict dangerously.