Sam Stein Used to Be a Thief

August 27, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Sam Stein Used to Be a Thief

Tim Miller and Sam Stein kicked off this episode of The Bulwark Daily with an honest premise: it's late August, the news cycle is slow, and Trump has been unusually quiet—possibly, Miller speculated, because he's getting a hair transplant and "bleeding all day." So they decided to loosen up, dabble in some conspiracies, and do a cabinet member ranking. But before the fun, they covered several serious developments that matter for the midterms and the immigration debate.

ICE's Escalating Dragnet

The New York Times reported a sharp increase in ICE arrests of non-criminals this summer—people who had never been the focus of mass deportation efforts. These include individuals married to U.S. citizens (one was sent to the Central African Republic), people who entered legally and were pursuing asylum claims, and Haitians and others whose temporary legal status was revoked. The numbers show a "hockey stick" rise in detentions of people with no criminal history.

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What you'll learn

1 (04:09) **ICE Arrests of Non-Criminals Surge** - Tim and Sam analyze a New York Times report on ICE detaining thousands of people with no criminal record, including legal residents and U.S. citizen spouses.
2 (13:42) **Trump's Super PAC Strategy for the Midterms** - The Atlantic reports Trump held an Oval Office meeting to direct his super PAC's massive war chest, wanting ads focused on himself rather than attacking Democrats.
3 (20:26) **Trump Blames Congress for Impending Loss** - Trump re-posts a rant from a right-wing pundit complaining that the GOP hasn't delivered on mass deportations or deficit cuts, signaling he is already preparing a scapegoat for a potential midterm defeat.
4 (23:07) **DeSantis Grand Jury: Medicaid Money to Anti-Marijuana PACs** - A Florida grand jury found the DeSantis administration illegally diverted $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to defeat a marijuana ballot initiative, funneling it through charities to PACs.
5 (27:34) **Cabinet Rankings: The Worst of the Worst** - Tim and Sam rank the five worst members of Trump's cabinet, with a new number one emerging.
6 (45:50) **Mailbag: Morning Routines** - Sarah asks about morning routines; Tim describes a leisurely routine of staying in bed while his husband brings him iced coffee, while Sam details a chaotic morning of cooking breakfast, walking the dog, and managing kids.
7 (49:42) **Mailbag: Bessent's Smugness & the "F Slur"** - Nick from Erie asks why Scott Bessent is so triggering, noting his smugness and the way he sounds like his mouth is full of saliva.

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Guests on this episode

Tim Miller Sam Stein

Show Notes

We’ve hit the August doldrums, so Tim is taking the daily pod on a little excursion. The Bulwark community delivered some epic mailbag questions, one of which prompted Sam to make one of the nerdiest confessions ever. Also, Tim and Sam adjust their Cabinet member rankings: Marco is an utter catastrophe, RFK Jr. is failing on all fronts, and Kelly Loeffler is proof that aliens exist. Plus, DeSantis is doing some seemingly dirty dealing down in Florida, ICE arrests are soaring—and here’s hoping that Trump’s super PAC spends millions on ads for the midterms extolling what a great job he’s doing as president.

Sam Stein joins Tim Miller.

show notes:

Bulwark LIVE: GOOD FIGHT TOUR with Tim, Sarah, Sam and JVL is coming to the Southeast in October. Tickets are on sale NOW. Head to TheBulwark.com/Events for details and to get your tickets.