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 Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

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.

Trump Invites Putin to Attend Group of 20 Summit in Miami

Many leaders are unlikely to welcome the Russian leader’s presence at the event because of his country’s war against Ukraine.

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.

Nikole Hannah-Jones' New Version of 'The Jungle'

All she wanted to do was blame America harder. Instead, she may be opening the gates to charter schools and ending the madness seen in New York City's public schools.

As Trump Welcomes Xi, More Americans Have a Positive View of China

Experts attribute the changing mood to fading memories of the coronavirus pandemic, awareness of China’s tech innovations and disaffection with President Trump’s trade wars.

Hacking group claims to have stolen thousands of FBI employee records

The bureau did not confirm the extent of the breach but said it is investigating the claims from a notorious cybercriminal outfit.

Fox News Finds Itself at Odds With Trump on Press Ban

The home of Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham has joined rival networks in suspending its coverage of pooled presidential events.

Paul LePage, a Trump Ally, Says a Family Member Is Being Deported

The former Maine governor, a Republican running for Congress, said the Trump administration is seeking to wrongly deport his son’s father-in-law, who has a work permit.

Mitch McConnell swarmed by security as reporter pleads: 'Can you say a word for us?'

Mitch McConnell returned to Capitol Hill after a three-month absence following a June fall and mild pneumonia, but refused to address reporters.

Javier Milei shreds ‘useless’ UN to its face in fiery speech to 'fatally arrogant parasites'

Javier Milei called the United Nations a "useless" body of "fatally arrogant parasites" in a fiery speech before the General Assembly in New York.

Advocates Want Trump To Confront Xi on Religious Prisoners

For five months in a Chinese detention center, the pastor had no name. He was T07. His senior pastor, Wang Yi, was T01.

Myths and Illusions of the Digital Age

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

For Some Reason, Liberals Think 'Oops' Is a Good Political Slogan

Nose-Diving into Moral Relativism

A recent poll of Democrats suggests a political outlook marred by a troubling lack of humanity.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, Learning the Hard Way

‘It’s a hollow apology.’

The High Stakes of the China State Visit

The White House rolls out the red carpet this week for Chinese President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan, the second such state visit between Trump and Xi this year.

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…

Beliefs, Reality and Wanting the Best School for Your Kid

Nikole Hannah-Jones' controversial essay asks if you can fight for a better world while accepting the one you have

When You Just Can’t Get Enough Trump, Now There’s ‘Trump TV’

The timing of Trump’s latest war with the White House press corps is . . . interesting.

As Xi Visits Washington, Trump Plays Down China’s Actions Against U.S. Interests

Despite the rivalry between the United States and China, President Trump has repeatedly found ways to give President Xi Jinping of China a pass, portraying him more as a personal friend than a competitor.

The top moments from Iran president’s tense visit to US soil as war rages

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian cast Iran as a victim of U.S. aggression at the United Nations General Assembly as a delegate walked out.

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.

National Trust, after battling with Trump, to announce legal defense fund

The preservation group, which sued to stop the White House ballroom, says it will push back against the administration’s changes to historic sites and laws.

Troll in Chief 'Can You See Me Now?' - Dinking on CNN

GOP hold on South Carolina’s Senate seat is slipping

Cook Political Report reclassified the race favoring Sen. Darline Graham from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican.”

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.

High Prices Are Killing GOP Midterm Hopes

Trump calls higher gas prices 'a very inexpensive price to pay.' Tell that to anyone paying $6.53 for diesel or $80 for a shared burger and beer.

Paxton’s estranged wife breaks silence on Texas Senate race after 'biblical grounds' divorce

Angela Paxton urged GOP voters to back Ken Paxton's Texas Senate bid despite their divorce, saying the party seat matters more than personal grievances.

Saying No More en Français

Paul LePage’s campaign ad in Maine is evidence of a recurring pattern in American reactions to immigration.

Trump Puts Legacy Ahead of Midterm Politics in U.N. Speech

President Trump told world leaders at the U.N. that the coming midterm elections won't affect his approach to the war in Iran.

António Guterres Embodies the Destructive Transnationalist Movement

Boston Globe: Trans Genocide Isn't Happening

Republican who backs immigration crackdown says his family member shouldn’t be deported

Former Maine governor Paul LePage, who is running for a House seat, said his son’s father-in-law faces deportation.

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 Stalemate With Iran Is Not Sustainable

A diplomatic strategy to end the war.

Democrats again demand Trump’s drug-price contracts following Post report

Lawmakers say they cannot judge the effectiveness of the administration’s initiative to lower drug prices until the contracts are released.

Environmentalists Care More About Wilderness Than About People’s Lives

For the residents of King Cove, Alaska, this is a matter of life and death.

Mamdani Hosts the World

In a meeting with mayors from around the globe, Mamdani argued that the left must fix everyday problems-or the right will find someone to scapegoat for them.

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.

Trump invites Putin to this year’s G-20 summit in Florida

Planning for the December gathering in Miami comes as security experts warn that escalations between Ukraine and Russia risk deepening the war.

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…

Late-Period Periodicals

AI-generated prose isn’t just a problem of writers taking copy-and-paste shortcuts.

Troy Jackson isn’t polished. In Maine, that may be the point.

The former logger who replaced Graham Platner is running a low-key, cargo-shorts campaign against the Republican incumbent. Some voters love it, but others say they can’t hear him.

Trump Officials May Undo Nursing Home Mandates for Reporting Covid

The agency led by Dr. Mehmet Oz is proposing an end to weekly tracking of respiratory infections at the facilities where thousands of elderly residents died in the pandemic.

Supreme Court to hear Missouri redistricting case for third time

Justice Brett Kavanaugh accepted an emergency appeal in the Missouri redistricting case as the 2025 map faces its third Supreme Court review.

Free My Fellow Church Leaders in China

Chinese president Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump have the chance to make history at their meeting this week. The first step is releasing my eight remaining church colleagues from prison.

CNN Political Briefing

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

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.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

CNN Has Had a Rough 24 Hours and I'm Here for It

Trump Backtracks on Plan for New Controls on N.I.H. Grants

Democrats and Republicans in Congress opposed the creation of a commission with the power to veto federal research awards.

Missouri congressional map fight returns to Supreme Court for third time

People Not Politicians, an anti-gerrymandering group, asked the Supreme Court late Tuesday to block yet again a map that would likely allow Republicans to pick up an extra seat in the U.S. House.

Where Is the U.S. Beating China on A.I., and Where Is It Lagging?

As Xi Jinping visits President Trump in Washington, his country lags behind the United States on A.I. development in key areas — but Beijing has advantages elsewhere.

Nikole Hannah-Jones Failed As a Parent

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.

Trump’s White House media ban may be on shaky ground

The president is arguing that journalism, protected by the First Amendment, is a threat to national security.

Hackers Say They Stole Thousands of Sensitive F.B.I. Personnel Records

The compromise, if confirmed, would be the latest in a string of cybersecurity failures at the F.B.I., which said it was investigating the matter.

The Trouble with Chinamaxxers

Gen Z calls it Chinamaxxing. But the West's new infatuation with China is less a triumph of Communist Party soft power than a symptom of our own decline.

Citizen Sane

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

Follow-Up on the San Francisco Squatters

Mr. Trump Meets the Incredibly Squirmy Burnham

Kamala Harris Out Reminding People Why She Lost

That Should Be Curtains for Nikole Hannah-Jones

Why, exactly, would anyone ever listen to her on education again?

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.

‘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.

How the Ellisons Pulled Off Paramount-WBD Deal

The deciding factor in California Attorney General Rob Bonta's decision to settle with Paramount and allow its purchase of WBD with minor concessions was political pressure.

What’s the Best Line in the Boston Globe Lesbian Bar Story?

From the pronouns to the grievances of boutique identity groups to the overall insanity. Tom Wolfe in his prime couldn’t have done any better. 

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.

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.

Bipartisan duo wants to remind Congress, Trump of China's 'atrocities' ahead of Xi visit

Senators James Lankford and Angus King detail 105 years of Chinese Communist Party repression, from mass killings to Uyghur Muslim detention camps.

Main Character Syndrome and Suicidal Empathy: a Toxic Mixture

Have You Heard the One About the Greenfield Gay Bar?

Soros Strategy Fills Local Courts With Woke Judges

George Soros is moving from electing crime-friendly district attorneys to pro-crime judges at lower levels.

Trump's diesel idea could have unleashed a problem Americans never saw coming

The Trump administration has backed away from a potential diesel export ban after briefly weighing the idea, as experts warn the proposal could have had unintended consequences.

Lawyer for Austin ICE shooting victim sparks online fury over 'sickening' deleted Charlie Kirk post

Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, lawyer for an alleged illegal immigrant shot by ICE, faces backlash over a deleted post critics say mocked Charlie Kirk.

RFK Jr. Drew $4 Million in Book Advances From Publisher Who Also Monetized MAHA

A new disclosure also shows $210,000 in consulting fees paid to Cheryl Hines, the health secretary’s wife, by one of several MAHA-affiliated groups capitalizing from his agenda.

The Quiet Dissidence of the Boston Globe

Two articles getting a lot of attention take the left-wing milieus they examine seriously. The results are devastating.

Republicans Running Scared in Rio Grande Valley

Trump's economic and immigration policies have pushed South Texas voters away from the GOP, but that doesn't mean they'll vote blue no matter who.

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.

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Gerard Barron, Metals Company Chief, Makes the Case for Seafloor Mining

The head of the company hoping to become the first to conduct commercial deep-sea mining said mines on land had a much larger environmental footprint.

Trump’s Energy Secretary Dismisses Reports of Diesel Export Ban, Criticizes Solar Power

Chris Wright also doubled down on his criticism of renewable energy sources like solar power.

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Susan Collins tears into bribery allegations as new claims emerge during critical Senate battle

Maine Sen. Susan Collins dismissed the FBI bribery probe as a "political hit job," questioning convicted fraudster Martin Kao's credibility.

The Last Original Mets Fan

Howie Rose’s departure cuts the last living link in the daily life of Mets fans to the original Amazin’s.

Spencer Pratt warns 'good luck LA' after new poll vindicates his stunning prediction

Nithya Raman holds an 11-point lead over Mayor Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayor election, but a third of likely voters remain undecided..

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.

Mamdani roasted for staying tight-lipped on 'war criminal' Pezeshkian after raging about Netanyahu

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal but faces backlash for silence on Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian at UNGA.

Melania Trump reveals 'the world's biggest untapped economic force' to kick off landmark NYSE summit

Melania Trump rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange and urged female CEOs to move beyond mentorship toward ownership at IMPERIA.

Ohio Senate race leads in midterm ad spending at nearly $200 million

The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP-aligned super PAC, has spent $114 million, more than any other advertiser, while the U.S. Senate race in Ohio leads all midterm contests in advertising spending so far.

Andy Beshear drops hints about 2028 at event with Wes Moore

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told Maryland Gov. Wes Moore that he may not be done campaigning and that the two could make a great team.

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?