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

Trump slams his own Supreme Court appointees over mail ballot ruling

“These are not the people I interviewed,” the president fumed on social media, portraying the ruling as a personal betrayal.

Trump Plans Blitz of $138 Million and Counting to Save Midterm Republicans

His powerful super PAC is suddenly spending heavily on some races, after drawing fire from some Republicans that the group might not throw its weight behind the party’s candidates.

Trump Approves $2.8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel, Including 40,000 One-Ton Bombs

The package would be among the largest deliveries of U.S. munitions to Israel.

Annals of Progressive Insanity Installment: New CO Petition Proposal Is for the Birds

Putin Will Not Yield in Ukraine

Pressure and pain won't sap Russia's resolve in Ukraine.

CNN Political Briefing

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

NATO Is a Side Quest. Trump Already Moved on to China

The U.S.-China strategic rivalry now defines American foreign policy, overshadowing NATO and pushing European allies to the sidelines.

The Democrats' Identity Trap

The Democratic Party is an echo chamber unto itself, resistant to change and protective of the status quo.

Israel's Most Consequential Election

Israelis go to the polls on 27 October. After seventeen years of Netanyahu, former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot is in the lead.

Half of Voters Dislike Socialism Amid Progressive Wins, New Poll Finds

Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor and democratic socialist, was viewed more favorably than Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow high-profile member of the movement.

This blue state is the midterms’ surprising new Senate battleground

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report changed its rating of New Hampshire’s Senate race from ‘Lean Democratic’ to ‘Toss Up.’

Republican upsets party-backed rival to challenge first openly trans member of Congress

Delaware Republicans picked a nominee from a three-way primary to challenge Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, this November.

Republicans have soured on the economy, poll finds

Less than a third of Republican voters said the economy is better than a year before, the poll found.

Libertarians and Greens are accused of being plants to spoil tight midterm races

Candidates with pro-Trump backgrounds have shown up on Green Party tickets, while Republicans say Democrats have propped up Libertarians.

EXCLUSIVE: Haitian illegal alien gang member who went viral yelling ‘Biden forever’ during ICE arrest deported

A Haitian gang member who shouted "Biden forever" during his viral ICE arrest has been deported to Haiti after spending 19 months in custody.

Why Tucker Carlson Effectively Backed El-Sayed for Senate

The right-wing pundit's antiwar position is pushing him from critic of MAGA to opponent of MAGA.

AI Safety Requirements Are Non-Negotiable

Safety requirements are non-negotiable. They depend on meeting concrete goals, not just adjusting a timeline

Melania Trump Encourages Children to Build ‘the Next Great Robot’ With A.I.

The first lady, who has been a champion of A.I. during her husband’s second term, said the Mountain View Elementary School students should be at the forefront of technology.

Washington Democrat claims majority of recent DHS arrestees posed 'no threat to public safety'

The Washington Democrat claimed that, for the first time this summer, the majority of people arrested by DHS "pose absolutely no threat to public safety."

Trump Defended A.I. Data Centers on Truth Social, and Commenters Clapped Back

The president’s posts about artificial intelligence on the social media platform he founded were met with an unusual volume of criticism.

Are AI Treaties the Answer?

‘I doubt that anyone would envision, much less enforce, teeth in an AI control regime, especially if the violator was China.’

Ex-Dem lawmaker receives GOP nod in uphill race to challenge top Senate Democrat

Mike Katz won the Delaware Republican primary for U.S. Senate and will face three-term Democratic Sen. Chris Coons in November in a state the GOP hasn't won in decades.

Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry

The landmark legislation, known as the Clarity Act, stalled in the Senate as Democrats raised concerns about President Trump’s personal investments in crypto.

The Real End of the Arab–Israeli Conflict?

The strategic case for Syria–Israel normalisation.

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.

In Corrupt Milwaukee, Election Integrity Dies in Darkness

While the hypocrites at WaPo write Dem-friendly puff pieces, Milwaukee elections officials won't let observers see what's going on.

Senate moves to rein in college sports 'Wild West' with sweeping new rules for players, schools

The Protect College Sports Act targets name, image and likeness (NIL) rules, transfer portal limits and a revenue sharing cap in the Senate.

There’s an A and an I in Hysteria

To adapt anything like an EU-style precautionary principle to AI would be both madness and futile. The Maginot Line comes to mind.

Bad Criticism

Name-calling, guilt-by-association, and other unscrupulous methods of argument are polluting our discourse.

The AI Debate Is All About Amassing Political Power

Understand what is happening with AI here and why it has more to do with amassing political power than it does computing power.If you look back at the last 100 years in America, we have moved through 4 distinct eras of communication which each def…

New York Gives Up on Educating Kids Entirely

McCarthy Gets a Portrait Marking His Brief, Strange Speakership

Kevin McCarthy, the first speaker to be ousted from the post, was honored at the Capitol at the unveiling of his official portrait.

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.

‘60 Minutes’ Season Premiere Sees Dip in Ratings

Just under 8 million people watched Sunday’s season premiere, down 21 percent from last year. Viewership for the N.F.L. lead-in fell by about the same.

Democrat rebels defy Jeffries to hand GOP critical win just before midterms

House Democrats Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez broke ranks to rescue a Republican rule vote, dealing a fresh blow to Hakeem Jeffries.

Lilly Wachowski Crashes Out (Again)

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

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 Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Software Already Kills People

We have ways of coping with it.

7 Republicans rebel against Trump, vote with Dems to rein in Iran war powers

House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a war powers resolution reining in Trump's military engagement in Iran beyond the 60-day threshold.

Tuesday's Final Word

Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders Condemn Tech ‘Oligarchs’ and Demand A.I. Reforms

At an event in Washington, partisanship took a back seat as elected officials, religious leaders, parents and artists called for reining in artificial intelligence.

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.

Pennsylvania teen died of ‘rare and severe’ complication of measles, coroner says

Pennsylvania has recorded a total of four measles-associated deaths this year, state health officials said.

NHL star Alexander Ovechkin campaigns for pro-Putin party in new ad

Ovechkin appeared in a video for United Russia, the country’s ruling party, as the country heads into key parliamentary elections this weekend.

Republican lawmaker moves to force vote on impeaching Hegseth

Rep. Thomas Massie argued the defense secretary had violated three provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 in the conflict with Iran.

Claire's Weekly Letter: A Bright September Day

Democrats help turn back Trump impeachment resolution

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) introduced the measure without the blessing of his party’s leadership.

Federal judge refers Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner to DOJ for possible criminal investigation

A federal judge referred Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner and a top deputy Tuesday to the DOJ over possible perjury and false statements.

FBI director faces sharp questions from senators about his firing of agents

Kash Patel defends his numerous dismissals at the FBI, saying he is fighting political weaponization at the bureau.

Too Good to Check: A Virtual Dead Heat in Minnesota?

For the Kennedy Center, the Tables Have Turned

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…

Lawmakers throw out 'Trojan horse' activists they say are engaged in American subversion

Medea Benjamin and CodePink agitators were escorted out of the Capitol Hill hearing examining Neville Roy Singham's $278 million far-left network.

Dem senator defeats challenger named 'No-Trump' in Delaware primary

Chris Coons cruised past a challenger who legally changed his name to E. No-Trump Hansen, a candidate focused on curbing presidential power.

No, Republicans Did Not Give Data Centers a Special Tax Break

The law allows for the immediate expensing of all machinery and equipment, not just server racks.

Trump’s planned sale of controversial bombs to Israel is largest in years

The pending transfer of the 2,000-pound munition, involved in scores of incidents resulting in civilian casualties, sets up a potential litmus test for Democrats.

Our Foreign Aid System Is Broken. Thanks to Trump, We Have a Chance to Rebuild It

During my three-decade career as a diplomat and international-development manager, I saw the sector become more wasteful, frivolous, and ideologically self-serving.

Pentagon Inspector General Details U.S. Losses and Challenges in Iran War

Helicopters for evacuating casualties were pulled from four countries, and hundreds of military facilities were destroyed, according to a new report.

Cabining AI

‘As long as humans retain control of the physical world, AI can’t actually kill us all.’

Measuring the Economic Cost of Affirmative Action in Academia

A new report on the Canada Research Chairs program analyses the reduced standards applied to scholars belonging to ‘equity groups.’

Bear of Little Brains Launches Reelection Campaign As Only He Can

The Elite Mentality in One Clip

Or Maybe It’s the Chinese Propaganda

These are the fruits of those labors.

Trump admin imposes new visa restrictions over alleged racial discrimination, land seizures in South Africa

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions targeting those responsible for land seizures and racial discrimination against Afrikaners in South Africa.

Literary Studies Without the Literature

English departments are increasingly ignoring the great works of the past, in favour of popular literary works that reflect activist themes and nonliterary works of political and social theory.

Why Is There Any Donald Trump Jr. 2028 Buzz?

He says he’s not interested in running for president, there’s no sign of any nascent campaign, and a bid would instantly split MAGA.

Texas Senate candidate Talarico said US was 'backsliding' on democracy in resurfaced clip

James Talarico said Americans should look to Western Europe for democratic inspiration in a resurfaced clip that drew a blunt response from Elon Musk.

This Is the Way the World Ends

Sex is declining because the options seem endless. This is counter-intuitive, but biologically it makes sense.

Federal Employees Were Paid $9.5 Billion Not to Work in 2025 Under DOGE Effort

As part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s program to shrink the federal work force, paid administrative leave costs rose by 435 percent.

Richard Landes on Jihad and the Apocalyptic Mind

A medievalist on apocalyptic movements, shame–honour cultures, and why he believes the Western press has spent twenty-five years reporting jihad backwards.

AI Boom Can Withstand Development, Regulatory Slowdown

President Trump is pushing back hard against calls to slow AI development, casting it as a powerful economic growth engine.

Socialism Is the Ideology of the Failure

Talarico Dashes Away from His Record on Girls’ Sports

If he still believes that ‘trans children’ are ‘sacred,’ perhaps he holds even more sacred the chance to win this November.

A Bright September Day

Reflections on a morning that changed the world as we knew it.

House Democrats Expand Map--and Definition of a Democrat

With under seven weeks until Election Day, the party's House campaign arm is backing an Alaskan independent for only the second time in six years.

What, If Anything, Can Be Done About AI?

It's not just the next 9/11, enabled by AI, that is coming. It's the next global financial crisis. It's the next pandemic. It might even be the next world war. What, if anything, can we do about it?

House Kills Bid to Impeach Trump as Democrats Split

Dozens of Democrats declined to register a position on articles of impeachment by one of their own members, Representative Al Green, that cited President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Time to Sue? The New York Times Slandered Me Again

The Not-So-Cheery Outlook for the GOP in the Senate

There are a couple of red state U.S. Senate races that ought to be at least competitive, and so far, they simply don’t appear to be much of a race.

White House preselects reporters to call on — after Trump criticized Biden for the same

White House staff pre-select which reporters to call on at press briefings — a common practice that President Trump has criticized Joe Biden for in the past.

Don Jr. Will Regret It

He is tempting fate with his contempt for the prospect that his actions will beget undesirable consequences for those around him.

It’s Harder to Win with Bad Friends

Don Jr. is, unlike his brother Eric, a political animal who really wants to be a kingmaker.

Anti-Fraud Campaign a Boost for Vance

Vance has associated himself with a good cause and a win-win proposition: The more he succeeds in fighting fraud, the better his case to the voters.

Brandon II: Electric Boogaloo

The sequel that Chicagoans neither want nor deserve.

Iran war cost $38 billion through July, report says

The U.S. is expected to spend $2 billion to $3 billion per month as the war continues, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

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.

The Retro Fashion of the Wealth Tax

Every few decades, the ideas with the worst track records come back into style.

Antizionist City

A community that embraces a set of shared beliefs is not necessarily a bad thing, but the value of solidarity depends entirely on the merits of the cause in question.

Congress Takes Up Tech Industry's Apocalyptic Visions

A trio of influential senators is working on a bill addressing the potential catastrophic risk of artificial intelligence.

Oh, Those Durn Democrats and Them Pesky Mortgage Things

How Long Will It Take to Repair That Saudi Oil Pipeline?