@BulwarkOnline Economics Editor. @MSNOWNews (formerly known as MSNBC) Anchor. In prior lives: WaPo, NYT, CNN, NewsHour.
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Articles by Catherine Rampell
Mark Cuban Goes Nuclear on America’s Healthcare Giants
Mark Cuban joins Catherine Rampell to discuss why he believes America’s healthcare giants inflate drug prices, bury hidden fees, and profit from a system that leaves patients paying the price. He explains how he’s fighting back, why he thinks Democrats have Medicare for All all wrong, and what he really thinks of the Trump administration’s healthcare agenda.
Mike Rogers’s Interview Goes From Laughable to Repulsive
Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this story and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL.
Trump’s Cruelty to Abuse Victims Extends Far Beyond Amy Acton
(Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images) THE CLOSING STAGES of midterm season have highlighted one of the ugly contradictions of the Trumpist movement: The same people who insist on policing public bathrooms to protect little girls from sexual predators are also smearing an actual child rape survivor. It is loathsome. And yet, in a way, it is also perfectly on message. It is a microcosm of the broader Trump agenda: professing support for the vulnerable while shielding their abusers.
Oil Prices Spike to $117 Over Fear of Iran War Escalation
Unlock this story—and everything from The Bulwark🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this story and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Never hit a Bulwark paywall again — get every article and newsletter, including JVL's Triad, The Focus Group, and Receipts. Get more from the voices you follow — ad-free podcasts plus member-only shows like The Secret Podcast with Sarah Longwell and JVL.
Is This Economy Trump’s Fault?
VideoIs This Economy Trump’s Fault? Ahead of the midterms, Natasha Sarin and Catherine Rampell unpack the state of the economy — and how much responsibility the president bears for it.CreditCredit...The New York Times One of the biggest issue driving the midterm elections? The economy. On “The Opinions,” the economist Natasha Sarin and the Bulwark editor Catherine Rampell examine the strange disconnect between how the economy is doing and how Americans feel about it.
Is This Economy Trump’s Fault?
Lebron James 4 hours ago LeBron James responds to Trump's national anthem criticism: 'Slow news day' USA TODAY Sports - Jace Evans • 4h President Donald Trump criticized Philadelphia 76ers star LeBron James on social media Thursday for what he perceived as James disrespecting the country with his actions during the national anthem before Tuesday's season opener.
Kara Swisher Warns Elon Musk: A Reckoning Is Coming
Why is Elon Musk pouring hundreds of millions into Republican campaigns, and what is he afraid will happen if Democrats regain power? Kara Swisher joins Catherine Rampell to explain Musk’s increasingly desperate alliance with Trump, how Silicon Valley billionaires are buying political influence, and why Big Tech’s loyalty to MAGA may have an expiration date. Plus, Swisher dishes on JD Vance, her surprising new partnership with Hillary Clinton, and why she’s walking away from CNN.
Bulwark LIVE: Charlotte
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By Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller Verified, Jonathan V. Last Verified, Catherine Rampell Verified, Lauren Egan Verified, Pete Buttigieg, Sam Stein Verified
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The Trump Corruption Poll That Should Terrify the White House
A quick note: There’s no shortage of people telling you Trump is corrupt. Catherine brings the numbers, the evidence, and, well, the receipts. Support that kind of journalism by becoming a Bulwark member. Even Republicans are starting to notice Trump’s staggering corruption.
Just. So. Much. Corruption.
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) DONALD TRUMP IS ROBBING Americans blind, and even Republicans are starting to notice. You may recall that back in March, there were some suspiciously timed, uncannily lucrative oil and stock trades. About fifteen minutes before Trump abruptly announced he was retracting some threats against Iran, billions of dollars’ worth of contracts were placed on bets that oil prices would fall and the S&P 500 would jump.
“Superpower Suicide”: Dissecting Trump’s Deal With Putin
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) Should Canada consider withholding oil sales from the United States? How should the world respond to Donald Trump’s decision to openly side with Putin and against Ukraine? And what the hell happened to Scott Bessent?? Those are some of the biggest questions at the nexus of business and politics right now.
Canada’s Former Deputy PM: Appeasing Trump Will NEVER Work! (w/ Chrystia Freeland & Andrew Egger)
Catherine Rampell is joined by Andrew Egger to discuss Elon Musk’s $276 million effort to rescue Republicans in the midterms, Trump’s DOJ targeting news organizations, and his latest deal with Vladimir Putin. Then, former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland shares what she learned negotiating with Trump, why appeasing him doesn’t work, and what America’s billionaires should learn from the rise of Russia’s oligarchs.
Trump’s Putin Deal Is a Disgraceful Act of Betrayal Original
Sam Stein and Catherine Rampell give their takes on Trump’s decision to buy oil from Putin, just weeks after Trump signed Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill into law. Instead of increasing pressure on Russia, Trump is opening the door to Russian fuel exports that could help bankroll Putin’s war on Ukraine. Plus, they examine the bill’s loopholes, whether the deal will actually lower fuel prices, and why Trump is pressuring Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries.
Trump's Huge Problem: Voters Don't Buy His Economic Spin | Receipts LIVE
Catherine Rampell and JVL break down Trump’s escalating war on the Federal Reserve, including his latest attempt to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook and the growing threat to the central bank’s independence. They discuss how Trump’s tariffs and war with Iran are fueling inflation, driving up prices for everything from tomatoes to Texas brisket, and potentially hurting Republicans in key Senate races.
Trump Accounts Were a GOOD Idea. He Just Made It an Icky One.
(Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Bulwark | Photos: Shutterstock) SHAMELESS BRANDING ASIDE, “Trump Accounts,” the new program that gives every baby in America access to some savings, is generally benign, and maybe even useful. But Donald Trump being Donald Trump, he can’t help but taint an otherwise inoffensive concept with a bit of good old-fashioned corruption. Or at least, corruption-adjacent activity.
Scott Bessent’s Interview Gets Weirder and Weirder
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) Hi everyone, I think you’re going to love the new episode of my Receiptspodcast. Sam Stein and I decided to dissect Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s very odd interview with Axios. Among other things, Bessent declared he was totes in the right for declaring “I am the house now” in his failed bond-market interventions, before determining that, eh, sometimes the house loses.
Scott Bessent’s Interview Got Weirder by the Minute
Catherine Rampell and Sam Stein discuss Scott Bessent’s strange interview, from his “I am the house” bravado and boasts about Melania’s friends to his temper and possible political ambitions. They also react to Trump’s latest pitch for $5,000 checks and his remarkable claim that he knows more about basically everything than anyone.
Trump Has ANOTHER New Plan to Buy Off Voters Before the Midterms
Catherine Rampell and Jonathan Cohn give their takes on Donald Trump’s latest checks to Americans, including $500 payments to some ACA marketplace enrollees and $90 payments to certain Medicare recipients. They explain where the money is coming from, why the ACA payments may lack clear legal authority, and how diverting money from healthcare outreach could further undermine the Affordable Care Act.
BOMBSHELL POLL: NYT/Siena Finds a Stunning Shift in Red America
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. Plus community chats and commenting features.
BREAKING: September Jobs Report Falls Far Short of Forecasts
Catherine Rampell and JVL break down the weak jobs report, the impact of immigration and tariffs on the labor market, and the economic challenges facing Trump’s manufacturing agenda. They also discuss Trump’s ideas for dealing with the national debt, including his suggestion that inflation could help pay it off, and what his attacks on the Federal Reserve could mean for America’s borrowing costs.
Who Cut The Cheese? Trump Did.
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Shutterstock, Getty) IN HIS OTHERWISE INEXPLICABLE trade war with Canada, U.S. dairy was supposed to be the one industry President Donald Trump was actually helping. He frequently namechecks the sector in his socialmediapostsandinterviews about Canada, citing it as evidence that our polite northern neighbors are really a bunch of dirty cheats.
Trump’s War With Canada Has Officially Lost the Plot (w/ Sam Stein)
Catherine Rampell and Sam Stein bring the receipts on Trump’s increasingly baffling fight with Canada, his latest promise of $5,000 checks and the ugly polling behind it, and his move to weaken fuel-efficiency standards while gas prices are sky-high. Plus, Sydney Sweeney’s unexpected conversion news. Enjoy this ad-free preview. This premium edition of Receipts is exclusively for Bulwark+ members.
Trump’s MAGA Replacement for the Media Is an Amateur-Hour Disaster
Catherine Rampell and Will Sommer take on Trump’s escalating war on the White House press, the amateur-hour MAGA media operation stepping in to replace the traditional White House pool, and Byron Donalds’ awkward attempt to put a little distance between himself and Trump.
Receipts Live: Higher Mortgages, Higher Bills, and Trump’s Latest “Fix”
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. Plus community chats and commenting features.
Trump L’Oil: A Fake Fix for High Diesel Prices
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) Dallas, Texas Diesel prices have soared to all-time highs, nearly double their pre-Iran-war levels. This has devastated truckers, farmers, and really anyone who buys goods that need to be moved from one place to another. It’s all pretty inconvenient for an incumbent party heading into an election, obviously.
Obama’s Top Economist Has a Warning for the Country
Hey everyone, ICYMI: Last week I launched a new podcast—Receipts with Catherine Rampell. This new Bulwark show is a companion to my weekly newsletter, which isn’t going anywhere. I hope you’ll check out my latest episode—a conversation with the economist Jason Furman, a former top adviser to Barack Obama and occasional liberal apostate. You may know him as one of the few prominent Democratic administration alumni who warned about Bidenflation early on.
Trump’s Fed Chair Put Him in a Very Awkward Spot (w/ Jason Furman)
Catherine Rampell welcomes former Obama economic adviser Jason Furman to make sense of an economy that keeps confusing almost everyone. They also talk about Trump’s pressure on the Fed, the White House’s economic spin, the risks of politicizing scientific research, and why Democrats may be learning the wrong lessons from inflation and the affordability crisis. This premium edition of Receipts with Catherine Rampell is exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Enjoy this ad-free preview.
Canada’s Break With Trump Just Got MUCH Bigger
Catherine Rampell and JVL break down Mark Carney’s rising popularity in Canada and the country’s growing push to strengthen ties with Europe as relations with the United States deteriorate.
Canada’s Break With Trump Just Got MUCH Bigger
This is just more Bullshit from the Liberal propaganda machine designed to stir you up. Carney is a proven Liar. How can we make that determination? When we have never been allowed to see the terms of the deal that was walked away from.
Here’s Who Trump Should Blame for the Rate Hike He’s Raging About
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) THE FEDERAL RESERVE RAISED interest rates today, and Donald Trump is Big Mad. After all, his litmus test when choosing a new Fed chair was a pledge to cut rates, and Kevin Warsh delivered the opposite. But if Trump doesn’t like how things turned out, he has only himself to blame.
Catherine Rampell and Stephen Witt: Can We Avert Economic Disaster and the Robot Apocalypse?
The Fed raised interest rates to curb inflation, as expected, but mortgage rates are surging and flailing Scott Bessent remains the treasury secretary. Meanwhile, the alarm raised in the AI community is not an op despite the backlash from people like Nvidia's Jensen Huang, who seems to get everything he wants from Donald Trump. Plus, the Europeans who once parked their gold in the US to hide it from the Nazis are now trying to protect it from Trump.
Kennedy Center’s Bizarre Documents Are Pure Trumpian Madness
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. Plus community chats and commenting features.
Receipts Live: Diesel Prices Soar to $6 a Gallon, Inflation Outpaces Wages
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. Plus community chats and commenting features.
Trump’s $5,000 Midterm Ploy Is Even Dumber Than It Sounds
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) DEAR LORD, DO WE REALLY have to take this seriously? Again? On Wednesday at the RNC midterm “convention,” Donald Trump promised yet another round of stimulus checks. This time, the pledged cash is a $5,000 “dividend,” paid out to every adult U.S. citizen, conditional on Republicans winning both houses of Congress in the midterms.
Trump Wants to Take the Guardrails Off AI. What Could Go Wrong?
Catherine Rampell and Andrew Egger take on the increasingly hard-to-dismiss warnings about superintelligent AI, after an Anthropic researcher quit over fears that the technology could eventually threaten humanity. They ask whether anyone can actually control increasingly powerful AI, whether the Trump administration is making the problem worse, and why Washington seems so unprepared for what may be coming. Plus: Hunter Biden launches a meme coin—and it goes about as well as you’d expect.
Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social)
This is a heavily interactive web application, and JavaScript is required. Simple HTML interfaces are possible, but that is not what this is. Learn more about Bluesky at bsky.social and atproto.com.
Live Coverage of Trump's Midterm Convention Speech
This is a long one, folks! If you’re not strong enough to enduring Trump’s speech, skip to 2:07:00 for post-ordeal commentary. Join Sam Stein, Catherine Rampell, Will Sommer and Sonny Bunch for live coverage of Donald Trump's keynote address to the RNC's midterm convention. If you think Sam, Sonny, Catherine and Will deserve a little bit of compensation for their suffering, consider becoming a Bulwark+ member.
Kash Patel’s Embarrassing Video Botches the Name of the FBI
Catherine Rampell and Joe Perticone discuss the growing signs that Republicans see Trump as a midterm liability, from candidates scrubbing his photos and endorsements from their websites to vulnerable members finding excuses to skip his big convention. They also look at the collapse of the MAGA merch business, Trump’s post about renaming New Mexico, and Kash Patel’s embarrassing AI-generated FBI propaganda. Links: Joe Perticone, The Bulwark — “Sorry, Mr. President.
BREAKING: Trump Misreads Jobs Report, Threatens To Cut Off Trade | Receipts Live
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. Plus community chats and commenting features.
Europe’s Gold Fled the Nazis. Now It’s Fleeing Trump.
ALSO SEE: As U.S. Treasury Intervened in the Bond Market, the Netherlands Rushed 86 Tons of Gold Out of America Because of ‘Geopolitical Unrest’ Our allies once trusted America to safeguard their reserves. Now they worry the president might freeze them. Nearly a century ago, our European allies evacuated their gold to America to safeguard it from the Nazis. Today, some European countries are taking it back—apparently to protect it from Donald Trump.
Europe’s Gold Fled the Nazis. Now It’s Fleeing Trump. Original
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Getty, Shutterstock) NEARLY A CENTURY AGO, our European allies evacuated their gold to America to safeguard it from the Nazis. Today, some European countries are taking it back—apparently to protect it from Donald Trump. I wish this were a gag about our president’s garish tastes. It is not.
Follow the Receipts
Everyone has a take on the economy. Catherine Rampell has the receipts. After getting its start on Bulwark Takes, Receipts is becoming a show of its own—launching September 18 here on our site, Substack, YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. Ad-free and member-only editions will be exclusively available for Bulwark+ members on Substack and YouTube.
The President Is Posting Fake Bombings and Threatening Allies
Donald Trump is posting AI-generated war footage, threatening Canada, spreading dangerous vaccine misinformation, and flooding Truth Social with bizarre content—and Andrew Egger and Catherine Rampell are trying to make sense of it all. From the fake footage showing U.S. strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island to Trump’s bizarre AI videos about Canada, the president’s latest posting binge raises a bigger question: Does Trump know what’s real anymore?
Trump Said He’d Target Illegal Immigration. That Was a Lie. (w/ Doug Rand)
Trump’s immigration crackdown isn’t just targeting people who entered the country illegally—it’s making it harder for legal immigrants, international students, nurses, and highly skilled workers to come to and stay in the United States.
Opinion: Wall Street loved Scott Bessent and Kevin Warsh. Not anymore.
Sure, maybe everyone else in the Trump administration arrived via clown car — loyalists, quacks and quislings, plucked from a Fox News green room or President Trump’s crack legal team. But at least two of Mr. Trump’s top economic appointees were supposed to be “serious people.” After all, competent financial stewardship is pretty important for the domestic economy, the global payments system and the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.
Receipts Live: Trump Has Absolutely No Idea How Trade with Canada Works
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest🔓 Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you: Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell. Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast. Plus community chats and commenting features.
The Dawn of FAFO Economics
(Photo illustration by Bill Kuchman/The Bulwark | Photos: Shutterstock) FEW THINGS IN AMERICA TODAY can win broad bipartisan support: Dolly Parton (may her memory be a blessing), interspecies friendships, and data-center bans are among them. And now comes another addition to that list: a hankering for Big Daddy government to set prices in the private market.
Wall Street Loved Scott Bessent and Kevin Warsh. Not Anymore.
Wall Street Loved Scott Bessent and Kevin Warsh. Not Anymore. Credit...Nathan Howard/Reuters Ms. Rampell is the economics editor of The Bulwark and an anchor for MS NOW. Sure, maybe everyone else in the Trump administration arrived via clown car — loyalists, quacks and quislings, plucked from a Fox News green room or President Trump’s crack legal team.
Wall Street Legend Calls Out Scott Bessent
Stanley Druckenmiller just delivered a brutal public rebuke of his former protégé, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Catherine Rampell is joined by Bob Elliott, co-founder and chief investment officer at Unlimited, for his take on what’s behind Druckenmiller’s criticism and why Bessent’s bond-market strategy may be making things worse.
Canada’s Message to Trump: Kiss My Ass
Andrew Egger and Catherine Rampell give their takes on the latest escalation in Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada.
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