Smash The Bubble

News and opinion from both the left and the right, mixed together so you can break out of your filter bubble.

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Today's Headlines

The Gods of the Grid

A mostly forgotten movie of 2010 illuminates fundamental issues of artificial intelligence today.

CNN Political Briefing

The political news you need to know, in 10 minutes or less. Hosted by David Chalian.

How Pittsburgh Became the Early Alarm Bell for the DSA's Rise

Pirro, Trump’s longtime champion, is on the outs over Reflecting Pool move

D.C.’s top prosecutor spent a year navigating the president’s demands. Now she finds her job at risk amid a rare break with him over cases of alleged vandalism.

Politicising the Humanities: Sociology as Case Study

Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with University of Hawaii professor Ashley Rubin, co-author of the recently published ‘Special Commission Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences’

Claire's Weekly Letter: Truths About Men and Women

Who Really Speaks for the Working Class?

Mike Rowe calls out the Democratic leaders who are flirting with the ‘really bad idea’ of socialism.

A Spurned Schumer Reaches Out to the Left

In a phone call this week, the Democratic leader told the new Michigan Senate nominee who had opposed him to just win, working to foster unity ahead of a difficult race.

Cassidy backs Blanche for attorney general, appearing to clear way for confirmation

The Senate could hold the final vote on President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department as soon as Friday.

The notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump

All eyes are on former President Donald Trump, who has launched another White House bid.

Friday's Final Word

In Confirming Blanche, Senators Endorse a Justice Dept. Under Trump’s Sway

Time and again, Todd Blanche has made it clear that he believes President Trump possesses a nearly limitless right to directly control the actions of the Justice Department.

A Beautiful Odyssey, Made Dreary By Remorse

Christopher Nolan’s creation is a big movie in every technical sense. But inside, it is diminished and faded: heroes who aren’t allowed to be heroes and gods who aren’t allowed to be gods.

Dem Senate hopeful flip-flops on emerging issue impacting communities across US

Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown celebrated Amazon datacenter construction in Ohio in 2015 but now campaigns against them as an electric grid drain.

Why Universities Won't Reform Themselves

DEI is based on a kind of identitarianism that strips away incentives toward merit and excellence.

Next Stop on the Krugman Apology Tour

The Paul Krugman faux apology tour continues. A few weeks ago, we highlighted Krugman's acknowledgment on Wall Street Week that, "I am really reluctant to be where I am right now, but I do think that conditional tariffs on Chinese cars are probabl…

'DEI queen': Virginia Dem's past embrace of far-left prosecutors unearthed

Shannon Taylor's record as Henrico County prosecutor clashes with her tough-on-crime campaign image as she seeks Virginia's 1st congressional district.

Trump DOJ Has Fired Over 100 Immigration Judges So Far

Trans Players Lining Up to Join WNBA; I Suggest That the WNBA and NBA Merge Instead

Five Lessons Learned From the Fauci Fiasco

How To Spot an Intellectual Impostor

Amid much attention to Jason Arday's plagiarism and advanced Walter Mittyfication, the gobbledygook of his writing style has been largely overlooked, not least by the professorial electors at Cambridge and the PhD examiners at Liverpool John Moore…

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Glimmers of Hope in Higher Ed

Civics programs are on the rise.

Iran Plots To Deal Midterm Blow by Keeping U.S. Entangled

By dragging out talks, Tehran aims to damage the US president politically - but some fear a bruised and weakened Trump could lash back

Trump won’t let the Supreme Court have the last word

The president moved this week to counter legal defeats on ending birthright citizenship and firing a Fed governor, while seeking the justices’ help with his ballroom.

Mary Eberstadt’s Upcoming Novel, The Washington Zoo

I have it on good authority — which should not be a surprise to anyone who knows the author — that this is not a thinly veiled tell-all.

A Defense of the President's Strategy in Iran

He must deny our permanent enemy the permanent object of its ambition. That's the task we must achieve sooner rather than later.

Does the Fifth Amendment Protect Fauci?

Our chief legal affairs correspondent, Adam Liptak, discusses whether Anthony Fauci’s presidential pardon makes him ineligible to take advantage of Fifth Amendment protections.

Schumer said ‘Democrats support voter ID’ — then every Senate Democrat voted against GOP bill

Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats blocked Jon Husted's voter ID bill despite Schumer's past claims that Democrats support voter identification.

Sex Differences Above the Neck

The evidence for innate sex differences has been accumulating for decades. Steve Stewart-Williams's new book is a welcome inventory.

Lindsey Graham Loved to Gab With Reporters. His Sister Won’t.

Senator Darline Graham, who took her brother’s place after his death and is now seeking to succeed him, has mostly declined to answer questions from reporters at the Capitol.

Trump pumps brakes on Senate budget plan, delaying GOP SAVE America push

Senate Republicans left D.C. without passing the SAVE America Act as Trump intervened on the budget reconciliation vote over concerns it would fail.

Capturing the ‘Odyssey’

Homer’s epic provides a window on to a strange, paradoxical, fascinating, beautiful, and terrifying world that is at once familiar and unfamiliar. 

Trump Officials Under Pressure to Deport Haitians After Supreme Court Win on T.P.S. Program

The lack of visible raids aggressively targeting Haitians who lost temporary status has frustrated some of President Trump’s most fervent supporters.

How Kyrsten Sinema's decision makes Democrats' 2024 Senate map tighter

Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema decided to shake up the political world on Friday by becoming an independent. The former Democrat is still caucusing with the party in the Senate, so the Democratic caucus still has 51 members. Now, instead of 49 Democr…

What's Tucker Carlson's Endgame?

Friday, August 7th on RealClearPolitics - Joined by RCP National Correspondent Susan Crabtree and RealClearInvestigations Editor J. Peder Zane

Justice Alito: 'Practical Originalism' and Its Facile Critics

He explains his interpretive method and defends it against a hostile biographer-and his high-school English teacher.

SEE IT: Dem senators rally behind El-Sayed but duck questions on progressive agenda

Abdul El-Sayed's progressive policies on defunding police, abolishing ICE, and Medicare for all leave Senate Democrats dodging questions.

Pundit-Driven K-Shaped Economy Narrative Does Not Hold Up

A familiar act of mainstream media sophistry: work backward from a partisan verdict and then call the result analysis.The truth is wages are up for Americans across the distribution, but importantly earnings growth for Main Street workers at the 2…

They’re Battle-Tested Democrats. Do Voters Care?

Haley Stevens and Angie Craig were celebrated by Democrats in 2018. This year, they’ve faced tough primaries.

DSA Stands for Freeloaders – Hold Onto Your Wallets

Fact-Checking 3 Competitive Senate Races in Maine, Michigan and Ohio

Republican attacks have focused on terrorism and illegal immigration, while Democrats have sought to capitalize on the unpopularity of President Trump’s cuts to Medicaid.

Birthright Citizenship: Trump Thinks He Can Defy SCOTUS

The White House appears to think that it can ignore a Supreme Court ruling by lying about its previous defeat and trying to achieve the same goal another way.

Crémieux on Fertility Collapse, Ozempic, IQ & Pit Bulls | Quillette Cetera Episode 69

Why a Victorian obscenity trial tanked the birth rate, what the wellness industry gets wrong, and the case for choosing your baby's genes — with the internet's most data-obsessed anon.

A Well-Wisher Advises El-Sayed

Bill Scher of the Washington Monthly has advice.

Everything you need to know about Biden's student loan forgiveness program

President Joe Biden's federal student loan forgiveness program, which promises to deliver up to $20,000 of debt relief for millions of borrowers, is on hold indefinitely as legal challenges work their way through the courts.

Hunter Biden opens up about his pardon and Joe Biden’s cancer

In a BBC interview, Hunter Biden faced questions about his actions’ toll on his father’s health and the propriety of his father’s act of clemency.

Margins of Error

Look closely at almost anything and you'll find data—lots of it. But what are those numbers really saying about who we are and what we believe? Harry Enten is on a mission to find out.

Awkward: DC Circuit Tells Trump Not to Knock Down East Wing of the White House

Democrats Vow to Unite Behind Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, but Tensions Remain

The party is racing to get behind Dr. Abdul El-Sayed after a poisonous Senate primary in Michigan, but some Democrats still have reservations.

Democrats Need To Face Their Real Liability

The Democratic Party's problem is not that it is seen as too centrist on economics.

Don’t Eliminate the Filibuster, But . . .

This is not the same minority protection the Senate had for most of its history.

The U.S. Is Burning Through Weapons in Iran. Russia and China Are Taking Note.

The Iran war has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, resulting in a significant erosion of firepower. A more drawn-out Iran conflict benefits Moscow and Beijing, some analysts say.

The Lancet: Wildfires the Latest “Health Emergency”

The plan here could not be more obvious: Treat fires as a public health emergency and justify increasingly coercive regulation of individual freedom.

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong has former child star, OnlyFans model in senior campaign role: report

An OnlyFans model and sex worker advocate is reportedly serving as deputy campaign manager for Francesca Hong's Wisconsin governor campaign.

Amid Abuse Claims Against Max Miller, This Democrat Thinks He Can Win His Seat

Brian Poindexter, an ironworker, is in the spotlight in Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, where Mr. Miller faces multiple calls to step aside.

What happened under Trump this week

The administration approved a new flu shot but is raising fresh questions about the relationship between autism and other vaccines.

Hogg to Schumer: Get Out of Our 'Big Tent' and Take Moderates With You

Why a prosecution of Anthony Fauci could face challenges in court

The Justice Department faces numerous pressures and challenges as it decides whether to prosecute Anthony Fauci following a Senate committee's contempt referral.

What Is the Point of Anthropology?

How a discipline lost interest in the people it was founded to understand.

The Allegedly Awful Jobs Report

Our sense of what counts as a bad or good jobs report hasn’t kept up with population trends.

Don’t Blame the Iran War for the Awful Jobs Report

Anemic job growth under Trump began around the spring of 2025, coinciding with the start of the president’s trade war with nearly every nation on earth.

Joe Biden's cancer has spread further, leaving him in 'very painful' condition, Hunter reveals

Hunter Biden told the BBC that his father's prostate cancer has metastasized into his bones, calling it "very painful" and "very debilitating."

Democratic voters who used to back Susan Collins aren’t so sure anymore

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has counted on split-ticket voters to help her win office in a blue state. Some of those supporters are more reluctant to vote for her again.

Did a Wyoming Trans Activist Act in Self-Defense?

Hawaii voters hit the polls as Gov. Josh Green dominates, progressive takes aim at Dem congressman

Hawaii's 1st Congressional District primary pits Rep. Ed Case against Jarrett Keohokalole, who opposes Donald Trump tariffs and ICE enforcement.

Trump says he’ll bring ballroom fight to Supreme Court after lower court halts work

An appeals court ruled earlier Friday that construction must stop until Congress authorizes the project. The ballroom is among the president’s top priorities for this term.

Is This Why We Never Got the Full Story on Swalwell and Fang Fang?

The Tip of the Iceberg

The Jason Arday fiasco is a reminder why academia has developed a reputation for cowardice, careerism, and conformism in recent years.

US Intelligence: Putin May Want to Test the Resolve of NATO

Blanche survives Republican defectors as Trump gets his new attorney general

Todd Blanche, Trump's pick to lead the DOJ, survived a razor-thin Senate vote early Saturday morning after Sen. Bill Cassidy emerged as a last-minute ally on Friday.

Senate Passes Stopgap Bill to Avert Shutdown, Avoiding Skirmish Before Midterms

The move came more than a month before the spending deadline, reflecting an eagerness in both parties to avoid a messy fight before the midterm elections.

The fine print of the Respect for Marriage Act

Let's start with the positive: Republicans and Democrats are coming together to protect same-sex marriage from the Supreme Court.

Three Ancient Ways of War

In a new book, Robert O’Connell situates the battlefield tactics of ancient Greek hoplites within the grand sweep of bronze-age military history.

Voter turnout surges in Tennessee after Black-majority district is erased

High Democratic turnout for House primaries in Shelby County, which includes Memphis, is the latest sign that redistricting may be energizing Black Southern voters.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

Go beyond the soundbites and get to know some of the most interesting players in politics.

Socialist wave 'ripping America apart' will hit a wall with Michigan voters: rising star House candidate

Mike Bouchard Jr. slams Abdul El-Sayed's campaign with Hasan Piker and vows Michigan voters will reject socialism in the 10th Congressional District.

Unintended Consequences on the Filibuster

What Senate leadership intended in the 1970s and what actually resulted don’t match up.

Senate narrowly approves Todd Blanche as AG, capping tough confirmation fight

The early-morning 50-49 vote grants President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer a full stint as the head of the Justice Department, which has been rocked by vacancies and controversies.

McMahon's Latest Offensive on American Universities

Divisiveness is the mechanism through which President Donald Trump pursues his radical agenda, including for higher education.

Court deals setback to Trump’s war on wind as Pentagon is ordered to review projects

The Defense Department stopped processing national security reviews of wind projects in May, despite a law demanding they be completed in 75 days.

Scientists Used AI to Create Viruses: Are We Guarding Against Dangers?

Political leaders, here and around the world, need to grapple with tech’s acute challenge to the human future.

Max Miller Continues to Resist Pressure to Drop Out as Deadline Looms

The Republican House member from Ohio was accused of holding a gun to his ex-wife’s head and fracturing the collarbone of their young daughter. He has denied the accusations.

Schumer caves, hands Republicans shutdown win after months of uncertainty

Senate Democrats relented on shutdown threats, with John Thune accusing Chuck Schumer of making a political calculation ahead of midterm elections.

Democrats Should Be Wary of 'Vote Blue No Matter Who'

Could Mike Rogers have asked for a better outcome in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary? Doubtful. A photo finish campaign with one of the most extreme Democratic candidates squeaking out the narrowest of wins over an opponent supported by mos…

Biting the Hand

Artists increasingly insist that their work and their politics are indivisible. They should not be surprised when the institutions that fund them agree.

Socialism’s campus appeal meets Gen Z resistance as students keep score on communism

John Fetterman joined 800 pro-Israel students in Washington as socialist primary wins signal a leftward shift reshaping Democrats' stance on Israel.

The Passion of Bess McNeill

Lars von Trier’s harrowing but resplendent story of suffering and grace turns thirty this year.

What Do We Want Congress to Do?

Before deciding whether to change the filibuster, we should decide what we actually want Congress to do.

Longtime San Francisco nonprofit will close as city gets tougher on crime

The demise of SF Pretrial, which for 50 years has provided diversion services, came after the mayor cut its budget and as Democrats’ attitudes toward crime shift.

'Leftists Hate Fun': Skateboarder Taylor Silverman and Rejecting the Culture of Complaint

Dark Artist

Frank Miller’s valuable new memoir explores the creative life of one of America’s most gifted writers and artists.

Meet the woman steering Biden's bipartisan winning streak on Capitol Hill

The Biden administration managed to rack up a long list of major legislative wins in its first two years despite facing one of the most closely-divided Congresses in history. From bipartisan action on infrastructure, gun safety and same-sex marria…