Amanda Carpenter: Let the Media Dinosaurs Die

Summary of Amanda Carpenter: Let the Media Dinosaurs Die

by The Bulwark

58m•February 27, 2026
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Overview of The Bulwark Podcast — "Amanda Carpenter: Let the Media Dinosaurs Die"

Tim Miller interviews Amanda Carpenter (writer/editor at Project Democracy, guest host on The View and author of Why We Did It). The conversation ranges across political psychology (why Republicans stayed with Trump), DHS/ICE abuses and legal responses, media consolidation and the future of journalism, AI companies pushing back against military/domestic-surveillance requests, election-security threats, and a lighter cultural riff on "looks‑maxing" and drag aesthetics. Amanda mixes reporting, legal/political analysis (Protect Democracy perspective), and personal anecdotes.

Topics discussed

  • Complicity and accountability in Trump-era conservative circles

    • Amanda describes her book research interviewing former aides who left the Trump orbit and why some people bolt only when consequences land directly on them.
    • Discussion of Mike Pence and other Republican figures who delayed breaking from Trump until personal liability became imminent.
    • Anecdotes about Alyssa Farah and Caroline Wren illustrating emotional and coping responses (e.g., heavy medication on Jan. 6 referenced).

  • DHS/ICE actions, abuses, and legal pushback

    • Recent reports of abusive actions: a Rohingya refugee released far from home and later dying; DHS/ICE agents entering a Columbia dorm without warrant and detaining a student.
    • ICE training allegations: ICE lawyer Ryan Schwenk testified he “received secretive orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution.”
    • Protect Democracy’s lawsuit in Maine over DHS collection of facial recognition and plate data to track and intimidate protesters.
    • State-level remedy: Universal Constitutional Remedies Act (state bills to allow suits against federal officers to close accountability gaps).

  • Zoran–Trump meeting (mayor/municipal official meeting Trump)

    • Controversial photo of a mayoral figure visiting Trump with a list of detainees; debate on whether meeting and using Trump for individual wins is politically or morally fraught.
    • Political tradeoffs: outsider appeal vs. normalizing Trump; pragmatic rescue of detainees versus reinforcing Trump’s narrative.

  • Media consolidation and the future of journalism

    • Netflix/Warner Bros. Discovery deal losing to Paramount/Ellisons — concerns about oligarchs consolidating legacy outlets (CBS/CNN) and platform control (TikTok, X).
    • Amanda’s argument: legacy cable dinosaurs are dying; new-media, subscriber-funded models (like Bulwark) and streamers are where independence and growth can live. Still, large-scale investigative and local reporting gaps are a concern.

  • AI, government pressure, and red lines

    • Anthropic’s reported refusal to permit full autonomy in weapons and mass domestic surveillance; government pushing back (threats to label supply-chain risks).
    • OpenAI publicly expressing similar red-line positions — potential positive: tech industry coalition against militarized/domestic-surveillance uses.
    • Amanda frames the government’s behavior as bullying/thuggery and highlights the stakes around AI misuse.

  • Election threats and federal overreach

    • Reports of a draft executive order alleging foreign (Chinese) interference in 2020 as a pretext to declare a national emergency that could expand federal control over elections.
    • Concerns about DHS seeking voter-roll data and the SAVE Act’s implications; tactics expected in a replay of 2020-era subversions: litigation, messaging to delegitimize results, targeting immigrant communities.
    • State-level protection recommended: secure voter data, be transparent about process, mobilize to defend turnout and election infrastructure now.

  • Lighter cultural segment

    • “Looks‑maxing,” men getting cosmetic work, “Mar‑a‑Lago face,” and the observation that conservative women often adopt drag-like aesthetics they politically oppose.

Key takeaways

  • Complicity often persists until perceived personal consequences arrive; understanding that helps explain political behavior in Trump’s orbit.
  • DHS/ICE activities reported recently appear systemic, not isolated; there are constitutional and human-rights implications requiring litigation and state legislative action.
  • States can and should close accountability gaps (allow civil suits against federal officers) and fiercely protect voter-roll data and election processes now.
  • Media consolidation by billionaires is worrying but also accelerates the shift to new, subscription- and digitally driven outlets — “let the dinosaurs die” is Amanda’s provocative shorthand.
  • Anthropic (and potentially other AI firms) drawing red lines on autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance is a hopeful development; government pressure to compel platform cooperation is alarming.
  • The threat to free and fair elections is less about canceling elections than about undermining processes and trust; proactive state and local defenses matter most.

Notable quotes / lines worth remembering

  • On ICE training testimony (Ryan Schwenk): “I received secretive orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution.”
  • On why people “break”: “They go along with it while it’s good for them until they realize the consequences could blow back on them.”
  • On media consolidation: “If the government was going to stamp down on these old dinosaurs, let them die, and let’s just start the new era.”
  • On Anthropic’s stance: two red lines — no fully autonomous weapons and no mass domestic surveillance without proper warrants/safeguards.

Action items / recommendations (what listeners can do)

  • For voters/citizens:

    • Pressure state legislatures to consider remedies like the Universal Constitutional Remedies Act (gives residents a civil cause of action against federal officers).
    • Support and protect local election infrastructure: secure voter-roll data, publicize voting processes, and ensure efficient lines/processing to maintain trust and turnout.
    • Push Congress for oversight into DHS/ICE practices, AI-government interactions, and media-ownership transparency.

  • For journalists / news consumers:

    • Subscribe to independent, subscription-supported outlets (reduces algorithm/advertiser pressure).
    • Demand stronger reporting on DHS/ICE abuses and secure support for investigative/local journalism.

  • For technologists / policy advocates:

    • Promote and defend AI red-line commitments (no autonomous lethal systems; strict limits on domestic surveillance).
    • Build cross-industry coalitions to resist simplistic government coercion of platform capabilities.

Sponsors / production notes

  • Episode includes repeated sponsor messages: Rocket Money, Blue Apron, American Giant.
  • Produced by Katie Cooper; audio engineering/editing by Jason Brown.

Short, sharp, and wide-ranging — Amanda Carpenter combines legal/political analysis with cultural observation, urging legal tools and state-level mobilization to check DHS/ICE abuses, defending election infrastructure, welcoming a reconfigured media ecosystem, and celebrating tech companies’ principled limits on AI misuse.