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

Two Former Officers File Suit To Block Trump's 'Slush Fund'

The existence of the new lawsuit is a reminder that the slush fund controversy is unfolding on multiple fronts.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Phantom employees' scandal spurs GOP crackdown on $36B incentive for companies to bypass Americans

A new House bill targets the OPT program's payroll tax loophole after ICE found over 10,000 foreign students tied to suspect employers in fraud scheme.

Palmer Luckey Wants America to Win

A provocative discussion about patriotism, innovation, deterrence, and whether the U.S. still has what it takes to defend itself in a rapidly changing world.

Pentagon says U.S. will cut thousands of troops from Europe

Poland was set to receive forces whose deployment was abruptly halted last week.

Throwing an S-Fit over S-Style Guitars

The guitar ‘community’ is rebelling against a recent move by guitar manufacturer Fender.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

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.

Tracking who Trump is appointing to fill key administration roles

Follow President Trump’s progress filling over 800 positions, among about 1,300 that require Senate confirmation, in this tracker from The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service.

Stephen Colbert's Late-Night Tantrum Finally Goes Dark

It wasn't Stephen Colbert's ideology that sank him. It was his arrogance.

Democrats vow to vote 'every single day' to expel fellow Dem from Congress if she wins midterm

Two House Democrats vowed to force daily expulsion votes against Texas candidate Maureen Galindo over her antisemitic remarks about American Zionists.

Barney Frank, influential congressman and gay rights hero, dies at 86

The Massachusetts Democrat led a sweeping overhaul of the financial industry and was one of the first openly gay members of Congress.

Martin Short, Drawn to God’s Light?

In interviews, Martin Short has been discussing the terrible losses of his life.

Trump’s allies are already lining up to apply to his $1.8 billion fund

Jan. 6 rioters, George Santos, Mark McCloskey and Rod Blagojevich: A wide range of figures are eyeing the president’s new settlement fund.

Another Russian Refinery on Fire

Jeff Bezos’s Subversive Appeal to the Progressive Left

In promoting Bezos’s remarks, the left undermines its contention that the impossibly wealthy contribute nothing to the federal treasury.

From Babylon to Eurovision

My nephew's schoolmate sang at Eurovision last week. Here is what the people who booed him don't understand.

Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund in the Cross Hairs

Critics say the deal creates a “slush fund,” a term with a colorful maritime history.

Eliminating Wokeness at Universities a Long-Term Battle

Ballots went out last month for leadership positions at the American Sociological Association. Here's some advice for candidates: Emphasize your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion credentials.

RNC legal victory clears North Carolina voter roll purge of noncitiznes through jury responses

The RNC says it secured a consent judgment requiring North Carolina to purge noncitizens identified through jury-duty excusals from voter rolls.

Synodality Speaks

The aftermath of the Tower of Babel had more sense than this.

Taiwan in the Balance

Donald Trump seems to have given up on Taiwan’s long-term future.

Trump to ease rule on climate super pollutants, says move will cut costs

Industry trade groups reject the administration's claims, saying the rollback of the Biden-era regulations would actually drive up prices.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Trump’s Fund Shows Blanche Choosing Loyalty Over Pushing Back

Once seen by some as the most conventional of President Trump’s political appointees, Todd Blanche has taken off the gloves in his new role as acting attorney general.

Democrats’ Draft Report on 2024 Loss Puts Blame on Biden and Beyond

An incomplete report on what went wrong in 2024 was released after becoming and embarrassment for the Democratic National Committee.

Wall Street banks helped Chinese military-linked firm raise billions despite red flags, lawmakers find

Congressional report alleges U.S. banks helped CATL, which partners with Stellantis and Ford, raise capital despite Chinese military designation.

Living Dying with Barney Frank

God rest the soul of Barney Frank. You don’t have to endorse his politics or his lifestyle to appreciate the wisdom in his living to the end.  

NEW: DNC Autopsy 'Paints Dismal Picture' While Burying the Biden Cover-Up and Harris' Incompetence

A Scary Story

The possibility that the prize-winning story was not written by AI is worse.

Democrats release 2024 election autopsy that chair says 'does not meet my standards'

DNC Chair Ken Martin publicly disowns Democrats' 2024 election autopsy report, saying it does not meet his standards after their defeat to Trump.

At Coast Guard commencement, Trump tells grads to lead ‘national resurgence’

The president linked the force’s mission to his own priorities, domestically and in Iran, in an address at the military academy in Connecticut.

2 Minnesota Autism Therapy Providers Charged in $46 Million Medicaid Fraud Case

The Justice Department claims that clinics used fake diagnoses and kickbacks to parents to bring children into treatment.

U.S. bears brunt of Israel’s missile defense, Pentagon assessments show

Amid hostilities with Iran, the American military expended far more advanced interceptors to protect Israel than Israeli forces did, according to Defense Department data.

Nicholas Kristof and the Pornography of Accusation

Investigating abuse is a duty. Laundering propaganda is not.

How a UN Agency Misled the World on Cancer Risk

Nathan Schachtman’s indispensable new paper explains how the International Agency for Research on Cancer has misled the public with its classifications of carcinogens.

Legal expert unleashes on Spanberger's new executive order targeting ICE: 'Political theater'

Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs executive order citing concerns that Trump administration could use immigration enforcement to intimidate Virginia voters.

Justices Decline to Rule in Death Penalty Case Over Intellectual Disabilities

An Alabama man challenged his death sentence after a murder conviction because of his varying results in a series of I.Q. tests.

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…

Caught on camera: Squad Dem squirms when pressed on Vance DOJ fraud probe

Rep. Ilhan Omar forcefully denies VP JD Vance's claim that the DOJ is investigating her for alleged fraud and immigration violations in the U.S.

Data Center Joy!

Data-center water use sounds alarming in absolute terms, but the industry’s relative demand is far smaller than critics suggest.

Republicans recoil as Trump's billion-dollar DOJ 'slush fund' for allies threatens ICE, Border Patrol plan

Senate Republicans break with Trump over his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, raising concerns about who gets the money and where it comes from.

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.

The Supreme Court Tightens the Screws on the Cuban Regime

Havana Docks arms the current administration with an additional lever over communist Cuba.

Falling Birth Rates Are a Mystery

Whatever the reason turns out to be, it won't fit neatly into any mainstream political ideology.

Republicans Seize on a Budget Exemption to Push Through Immigration Enforcement Funding

Republicans are using a special mechanism that was created to reduce deficits to push through immigration enforcement funds that should be provided in a regular spending bill.

Nithya Raman Was Today Years Old When She Learned About the LA Fires and Pathetic City Response

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.

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…

The Workers Who Defy Gravity

AI companies want to monetize what makes us human. Organized labor may be the only force strong enough to stop them.

Supreme Court Permits Lawsuits Over U.S. Assets Seized by Cuba in 1960

The Trump administration backed lawsuits brought by the Havana Docks Corporation that would allow the U.S.-owned entity to get compensation for property confiscated by Fidel Castro’s regime.

A Deceitful Propaganda Campaign Marketed as a ‘Prank’

CBC-funded TV producers using fake names are ambushing Canadians who take a positive view of their country—including an 82-year-old Ontario grandfather who invited the film crew into his home.

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.

Wednesday's Final Word

Trump and Mark Cuban End War, Tag-Team on Drug Prices

It's not the partnership anyone predicted. Mark Cuban, who spent 2024 campaigning for Kamala Harris, stood beside Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to announce a major expansion of TrumpRx. The site is adding more than 600 generic medicati…

Quality Learing Center Fraudsters Indicted, CNN Hit Hardest

China Is Ready for the Next War. America Is Not.

What radar and jet propulsion were to World War Two, robotics and artificial intelligence will be to the next war between great powers.

The Trump paradox: What’s good for him is weighing down his party

The president has created a party that is loyal to him, even when he takes executive actions that anger the broader public. That dynamic leaves him weaker with those outside his base.

Trump Saw a Decaying America and Chose To Fight It

In 1945, the United States stood alone in its strength, industrial supremacy, nuclear monopoly, and no peer competitor. It chose not empire, but order. Through Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, and a durable security architecture, Washington did n…

Be Thankful Barney Frank Didn't Resign in 1989

Barney Frank's near-expulsion in 1989 reminds us why Congress should punish misconduct carefully, and let voters decide when possible.

‘Seattle can’t survive this’: Critics hammer socialist mayor after Starbucks reversal

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson reverses her Starbucks boycott stance as the coffee giant announces a massive corporate expansion in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rep. Massie Crashes Out

Wednesday, May 20th on RealClearPolitics - Joined by RCP White House Correspondent, Carolina Lumetta

In Georgia, Senate GOP primary heads to runoff where electability is top issue

Georgia was among six states where voters participated in primaries Tuesday. Its Senate race is among a handful that could determine party control next year.

Is There a Human Right to DoorDash Delivery?

The First Time the New York Times Slipped Explosive Lies into an Editorial

There's a Split Among Fans Over Colbert

For me, peak Colbert has been what he's done with "The Late Show" since he got fired. It's akin to the way Republican Gov. George Ryan cleared death row in my home state of Illinois on his way to prison: With nothing to lose, the man was at his ab…

Here’s the latest.

Dangerous Losers

It's not poverty that drives men to violence, but the experience of losing status.

Pragmatism on China Is the Right Call

Trump has evolved from belligerence toward a more complicated mix of rivalry and cooperation. That may be what this relationship requires.

Trump demands Senate fire parliamentarian who ruled against ballroom funding plan

The demand comes as Senate Republican leaders wrestle with whether to include money for the controversial project in a bill that funds immigration agencies.

What Is the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor?

Creating NGOs that misuse the language of human rights is an effective strategy for advancing terrorist goals.

Obama’s baseball outing with Castro reignites fury after Trump DOJ drops hammer on Cuban leader

Photos of Obama embracing Raul Castro in Havana resurface after DOJ indictment charges the former Cuban president in the 1996 shootdown of two planes.

High Spirited New Jersey 'Youths' Enjoy Pre-Memorial Day Frolic at the Shore

Teacher in a Tutu

Bragging about my PhD to general indifference during the second-most humiliating day of my life.

Famed Author to Hollywood: Stop Lying About the 'Blacklist'

DOJ puts blue states on notice as ICE fight barrels toward next constitutional showdown

DOJ demands Maine, Massachusetts, Washington and Oregon issue undercover plates to ICE, threatening legal action if states don't comply by Friday.

Republicans Balk at Trump Fund, Weighing Ways to Limit It

G.O.P. senators were exploring using their immigration bill to fence off a fund the president wants to tap to pay people who claim government mistreatment.

Vance and Rubio step behind the lectern — and deeper into 2028 territory

Parallel briefings by the two men offer a view of their contrasting styles.

9/11 steel beam arrives at Florida school where Bush learned America was under attack

A World Trade Center steel beam arrived at the Florida school where President Bush learned of the 9/11 attacks, marking the tour's seventh stop.

Brilliant Spencer Pratt Ad

This is giving Angelenos a model and vocabulary for admitting what they are really thinking, that Los Angeles needs a serious change.

Weaponized Lawfare: Finally Somebody Might Pay a Price

The Ballad of East and West

In a fascinating new book, historian Anthony Bale vividly reconstructs the brutal, fantastical, and sometimes deeply religious experiences of medieval travellers across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Trump Plans to Sign Executive Order Granting Oversight of A.I. Models

The president said he postponed the executive order, which would give the government power to evaluate A.I. models before their release, over concerns about “aspects of it.”

Claire's Weekly Letter: Dangerous Losers

No, Strong Pro-Life Laws Have Not Worsened Miscarriage Care

Since the Dobbs decision, blaming pro-life laws for poor public health outcomes has become a virtual cottage industry for pro-abortion researchers.

Even in a crisis, Ken Martin, the D.N.C. chairman, keeps his supporters.

Federal Panel Approves Trump’s Plans for a 250-foot Arch in Washington

The panel, whose members were selected by President Trump, has an advisory role on the design of the project but no enforcement power.

Why AI Is Not About to Go Feral

Worries about AI doom rarely take Darwinian evolution seriously. A new paper argues we should—but we are still further from that scenario than its authors suggest.

‘Watershed Bill of Rights’ Initiative Fails in Oregon

Finally, opponents of such ideas have taken the threat seriously.

Harvard Votes to Put an End to Easy A's

A Request for Restitution After Illegal Russiagate Investigations

The machinery of government was clearly politically weaponized against my family from July 2016 to December 2025. They found nothing; we lost everything.

Supreme Court dismisses death penalty case on people with mental disabilities

The majority dismissed on procedural grounds the case of Joseph Clifton Smith, whose mental faculties skirt the threshold for being spared the death penalty.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

L.A. Times: L.A. Is Great Already!