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

U.S. and Iran had ‘very good meeting’ over ongoing war, Trump says

The United States and Iran held a rare three-hour meeting in New York to discuss ending the war between the two countries, Trump said.

Trump Officials Eject 750,000 From Obamacare Markets, Claiming Fraud

Vice President JD Vance said the measure would save the government $2.2 billion.

America’s AI Future Needs a Building Permit

Today, the technology that could define the next century is AI, and the United States cannot afford to lose.

Hiroshima: A Hinge Point for Humanity

Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s extraordinary testimony about the Hiroshima attack and its aftermath has been published by his daughter some forty years after his death.

Trump says he’s called for a ban on diesel exports

The Trump administration says it is examining whether to implement a diesel export ban as prices rise. Experts say such a move wouldn’t fix high prices at the pump.

Zelensky Says He Hopes Trump Will Help to End Russia-Ukraine War ‘Before Winter’

The remarks by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine came during a meeting with President Trump as an effort to restart talks with Russia has gone nowhere.

F.B.I. Shut Down Inquiry Into Top Ally of Senator Susan Collins

The inquiry was closed last year because senior bureau officials questioned the veracity of a campaign donor’s account, according to current and former officials.

Australia Is Sick: Misha Saul on What Went Wrong

Investor Misha Saul joins Claire Lehmann to discuss Australia’s declining productivity, immigration policy, and the political choices shaping the country’s future.

Increased Ectopic-Pregnancy-Related Deaths Show Why FDA Must Reinstate Abortion Pill Safeguards

Rising ectopic-pregnancy-related deaths show why the FDA should restore in-person safeguards for abortion pills.

Reporter's Notebook: Congress struggles to find a message that resonates with voters ahead of midterms

Marshall McLuhan's "the medium is the message" frames a midterms fight where both parties struggle to sell voters on affordability and AI policy.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Zineb Riboua on Islamism, Israel and the West’s New Culture War | Quillette Cetera Episode 72

Political analyst Zineb Riboua discusses Iran’s declining influence, the Houthis, Turkey’s ambitions, Israel’s changing role in the Middle East, Islamist radicalisation in Europe, AI doomerism, third-worldism and the West’s demographic decline.

Trump Set to Meet With Persian Gulf Allies as Middle East Wars Widen

The Iran war and the fight between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in Yemen have forced Gulf Arab states to reckon with spiraling conflicts and to reassess U.S. security guarantees.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

‘This Country Is But One Scene of Massacre’

In the 31st instalment of ‘Nations of Canada,’ Greg Koabel describes the violent provocations that tipped the St. Lawrence region into all out war in the late 1640s.

Failed School Experiment Has 4 Lessons for the Left

It would be easy to treat Hannah-Jones' essay as a gotcha, and plenty of people will. But the right response to someone who publicly admits a painful mistake is not to gloat-it is to take the admission seriously enough to learn from it.

Suspect Identified in Shooting Near Ontario Synagogue

Isn’t the Absence of Racial Violence Good News?

We should be relieved when it turns out that a murder, gruesome though it may be, wasn’t motivated by rabid racial animus. So why aren’t we?

Red state Dem faces fury for suggesting illegal aliens should replace American workers

Hallie Shoffner said farmers would "trade five Americans just for one" illegal immigrant worker, drawing sharp criticism from Sen. Tom Cotton's campaign.

Trump Is Back on TV, Briefly, as Many Networks Carry His U.N. Speech Live

A suspension of pool coverage remains in effect. But the in-house United Nations broadcaster provided a feed of the president’s remarks.

Citizen Sane

The mainstreaming of therapy culture may be driving us all out of our minds.

Spanberger's data center plan on collision course with her party's green energy push, critics warn

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger's data center plan restricts natural gas generation while demanding grid reliability, raising questions about the gap.

Trump ally skips UNGA for first time — months after face-to-face with president gave way to bitter clash

Giorgia Meloni's decision to skip the United Nations General Assembly follows an escalating public feud with Trump over G7 and NATO encounters.

Mamdani blasts DoorDash CEO's 'greedy algorithm,' NY slaps company with $131 million settlement

Zohran Mamdani announced a historic $131.5 million DoorDash settlement over alleged systematic underpayment of food delivery workers in New York City.

Trump on Cuba: 'It Will Fall'

When a Woke Icon Sacrifices Her Own Child to Angry Progressive Gods Just Because She Can

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Behave Yourself or You're Gonna Get Stationed in Greenland - They Signed the Deal

Immigration: It's Not Whether, but Who

Dem AG running for higher office dodges questions on bid to free man who killed pregnant woman

Nevada AG and governor candidate, Aaron Ford, ducked questions about his decision to back early release for a man who killed a pregnant woman while out on bond for a series of other violent crimes.

The Houthis Are the Last Horcrux. After That, the Iran Regime Is Alone.

Best-Case Midterm Scenarios for Democrats, Republicans

The 2026 midterms currently favor Democrats, who lead in the RealClearPolitics Polling Average Generic Congressional Ballot by 8.1 points, a 10.8-point swing from the 2024 national House vote. If that advantage holds, Democrats could make major ga…

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…

Politico's Hit on David Milstein Is a Journalistic Disgrace

Playbook turned a wedding invitation into a national security story on the word of anonymous sources.

Don’t Ruin GLP-1 Prices by Having the Government Cover Them

Expanding government coverage could smother the market’s competitive pricing.

Can Consumer-Focused AI Save Us from Doom?

AI products that reduce my personal engagement with software and screens while still helping me experience the conveniences of instant communication — that’s a big win.

Florida governor candidate Byron Donalds removes Trump mentions from campaign website

Donalds is the latest Republican to apparently distance himself from the increasingly unpopular president.

We Are Always Doomed Because Scared People Demand to Be Saved

How Unions Are Confronting A.I. Threats in the Workplace

The machinists union shows how workers are negotiating for a say in the ways artificial intelligence is used in their workplaces.

Long Arm of Somali Fraud Diaspora Could Upend Last Week's Swedish Election Results

Veterans Package Stalls After House’s Swift Departure

A veterans benefits bill that Republicans had hoped to pass ahead of the midterm elections is falling apart amid a battle over its cost.

Trump pledges to open new Arctic military bases as he signs Greenland deal

The security agreement gives the president and the Republican Party a foreign policy win heading into the midterm elections.

Don Jr. and the Armor of Impunity

He knows that, one way or another, a presidential pardon just like the one Joe Biden offered to his son is coming.

Republican candidates are breaking with Trump on Iran as midterms loom

Republicans in key battleground states are urging a speedy end to the war as new polling suggests only 1 in 4 Americans support it.

Trump says he’s renaming AI to ‘super intelligence’

The change, which he said will be reflected on government documents, comes amid growing anxiety about artificial intelligence.

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.

Patrick Clancy Lost His Children. We Lost Our Grace

In his 60 Minutes interview, he was a figure unfamiliar to internet mobs: a man emerging from devastation by way of forgiveness and hope.

White House to yank 750,000 fraudsters off ObamaCare, save taxpayers $2.2 billion, Vance says

JD Vance says his White House Fraud Task Force will remove 750,000 fraudulent Obamacare recipients, saving American taxpayers $2.2 billion..

Trump’s Familiar, and Legally Dubious, Move to Revoke White House Press Passes

With the Trump White House revoking CNN’s press pass, it is understandable if you feel like the news is in reruns.

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.

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.

Banning the Horseless Carriage

Bernie Sanders wants to outlaw artificial superintelligence. The risks he points to are real—but the answer to a powerful new technology is regulation, not prohibition, and China has no intention of pausing.

Myths and Illusions of the Digital Age

The digital revolution is not remaking the world as the industrial one did.

Fact-Checking Trump’s Speech at the United Nations

President Trump’s remarks about oil reserves, the drug trade and his peace efforts contained falsehoods and exaggerations.

Warsh’s Quiet Ambition

I offer a suggestion for how Warsh can achieve his goal without that disadvantage.

The United Nations: A Useful Failure

Another year, another United Nations General Assembly that slows traffic to a crawl for ordinary New Yorkers. They (and many other Americans) ask: what's the point, beyond global political theater?

Carney's Eloquent Case for Trying To Sideline the U.S.

The Canadian prime minister's remarks before the European parliament outlined a vision of the west without its most powerful member

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…

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.

The NGO to Government Pipeline

House Republicans drop Jack Smith transcripts in explosive Arctic Frost records fight

House Republicans released transcripts from Jack Smith's team, alleging improper subpoenas targeted GOP lawmakers' phone records in the Arctic Frost probe.

NY-17: Who's Afraid of Rep. Lawler?

Cait Conley is leading the two-term incumbent in the polls, but on the airwaves, Lawler dominates. Why have Democrats been reluctant to spend as much as in other swing districts?

Claire's Weekly Letter: A Dish in the Sink

A man leaves a dish in the sink. By the end of the night he has been accused of gaslighting, told he lacks emotional intelligence, and sent to sleep on the sofa. Our first feature this week comes from Steve Salerno asks a hard question: has a prof…

Hispanic Voters, Abandoning Trump, Are Transforming the Midterm Map

Texas and even Florida are the places to watch in November if a polling pattern holds.

RNC sues New Jersey election officials over alleged withheld voter roll records

The RNC alleges New Jersey election officials are withholding federally mandated voter roll maintenance records after noncitizens were found registered.

3 Pillars of a New Era for Schools

If your house crumbles in a storm, your first instinct probably goes something like this: Rebuild your house exactly as it was. Get a roof over your head and return to your normal life as soon as possible. Never mind that the foundation was cracki…

The Ape in the Basement

Why is masturbation so shameful?

If Only Nikole Hannah-Jones Knew Someone in the New York City School System

If you write a piece denouncing the system’s poor performance without mentioning that your husband works for the system . . . that’s an intriguing subtext.

GOP senator calls for probe of Trump’s son over Russian oligarch’s role in wedding

The Utah senator is asking the Judiciary Committee to probe business dealings of presidential family members, also including Hunter Biden.

History Uprooted

A new exhibition at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg peddles PLO myths about Israel’s war for independence in 1948.

The Price of Affirmative Action in Canadian Academia

Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Eric Kaufmann about his new report, ‘⁠The Equity-Excellence Trade-Off: A Study of EDI in the Canada Research Chairs Program⁠’

‘Shame on you,’ Netanyahu says of Mamdani ahead of trip to NYC

The Israeli leader’s appearance at the U.N. General Assembly this week will be his first time in New York since the mayor called for his arrest.

What's Next in Iran?

Trump officials cut 760,000 enrollees from ACA, claiming fraud

Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force concluded that the people were wrongly signed up for the government health care program.

Politico’s Disgusting Yom Kippur War on David Milstein

An innocent wedding invite was used to push an ongoing narrative of Jewish-American disloyalty and untrustworthiness.

Dem Rep. Making Sure Austin Stays Angry Over ICE Shooting

Greenland Bases Forever

Since at least 2019, Trump has publicly spoken out about the need to protect the Arctic corridor by replacing the 1951 Treaty. And he was reviled unfairly for the effort.

Sacrificing Children at the Altar of Race Communism

Hannah-Jones sacrificed her daughter. Imagine what she and others like her would do to your children if given the chance?

I, Victim

Pascal Bruckner’s book about victimhood culture invites us to choose liberation, and to move from resentment to a secular kind of grace.

Another U.S. service member dies amid Iran war, Pentagon tally shows

The Defense Department’s disclosed total stands at 19 fatalities, though U.S. officials say the actual number is higher.

From campus radicals to Beijing's AI sabotage: Rep Randy Fine says 'US fighting to save Western civilization'

Florida Congressman Randy Fine on being an unapologetic defender of the MAGA agenda and the pressing need to emerge victorious against China in AI battle

Federal indictment handed down in Minnesota related to issue some Dems claim never happens: 'Hotbed for fraud'

Mukeshkumar Chaudhari, an Indian national, faces a federal indictment for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote in Minnesota's 2024 election.

The Scourge of Obsessive Positioning in the Right’s Media and Politics

Unfortunately, so much of what we see these days is people deliberately trying to position themselves within the right, rather than advance anything larger.

60 percent of Democrats Would Approve of Military Coup, 31 percent Assassination of Trump

What’s on the ballot in these midterm elections

Democrats have a chance this fall to win control of both chambers of Congress and regain power in some swing states.

Rubio’s meme-worthy job collection takes new turn with permanent Trump upgrade

Trump signed a commission making Secretary of State Marco Rubio his permanent national security adviser, a dual role unseen since the 1970s.

An Army of Paid Creators Is Carpeting the Web With Political Content

Unlike celebrity influencers with large followings, these creators produce a blizzard of videos for a fraction of the cost of traditional online campaigns and, in the process, shift public conversation.

Trump warns U.N. he might ‘annihilate’ Iran as war overshadows diplomacy

The president signed an agreement on Greenland after a speech in which he said domestic politics won’t sway his Iran policy.

The GOP's Incredible Shrinking Senate Map

Trump has so badly damaged the Republican Party's brand that strategists are contemplating bitter fights-and losses-in races they'd been banking on as sure things.

Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Custody Fight Over Surrogacy and Abortion

A surrogate refused to have an abortion after the fetus was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. She asked the justices to block a court order giving custody to the biological parents.

Republicans in Tight Senate Races Call for End to Iran War

Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa and Mike Rogers of Michigan distanced themselves from President Trump amid concern that high diesel prices could hurt the party in November.

DOJ Restores 2nd Amendment Rights to Millions

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) delivered a major victory to law-abiding Americans in September after concluding that the federal government cannot constitutionally enforce a handgun purchasing ban on adults ages 18 through 20.

Trump, Xi Seek Trade Stability, Deals--AI, Tariffs, Iran Loom

Trump, facing low approval on the economy ahead of the midterm election, has an added incentive to emerge from the summit with China's Xi touting trade wins.