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

Will a Glaring Breach of Its Borders Jar Europe Awake?

The West has sleepwalked into mass migration for more than a decade. Will a glaring breach of its borders jar it awake? Douglas Murray weighs the case.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

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.

Ceuta Fallout Continues, With EU Members Furious at Spain

The ‘Common Good’ Is Not

The common good is a byproduct of liberty and virtue, not something governments can impose.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Truths About Men and Women

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…

Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources

A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.

Trump, Paul Weiss and the Capitulation of Big Law: 5 Takeaways

The law firm Paul Weiss led the legal resistance against President Trump. Then it led a sudden retreat across the legal industry. A Times investigation examined how it caved to White House pressure.

In Dropping Reflecting Pool Case, Pirro Draws Trump’s Wrath

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney in Washington, blamed shoddy construction, contradicting President Trump’s pet theory. Mr. Trump said he disagreed “100%” with her.

The Rise of Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons

In the 30th instalment of ‘Nations of Canada,’ Greg Koabel describes the expanding Jesuit presence of the late 1630s—and the increasingly bitter opposition it provoked among France’s local Indigenous allies.

What a Debate Strategy at the Oxford Union: 'I Could Have You Killed, But I Won't,' So Thank Me!

The Case for Capitalism

Is the Pro-Palestine Movement Israel’s Unlikely Ally?

By framing terrorism and armed struggle as legitimate resistance, the pro-Palestine movement has unwittingly strengthened Israel’s case that withdrawal and concessions carry unacceptable risks.

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.

Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran

Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.

Vulnerable Democrat warns party to 'fight back' against growing socialist movement

Tom Suozzi compares the Democratic Socialists of America to the House Freedom Caucus and urges Democrats to confront the growing socialist wing head-on.

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.

Anthony Fauci: Dr. Wrong

Fact-Checking Trump’s Claims About the Effect of the Iran War on Oil Prices, Munitions and More

The president misleadingly blamed the Biden administration’s weapons transfers to Ukraine for current concerns over munitions stockpiles, among other claims about the Iran war.

Men Without Meaning

Men are quietly leaving the workforce—not for lack of jobs, but for lack of purpose.

Ohio Rep Marcy Kaptur hospitalized after car crash on way to church

Rep. Marcy Kaptur was hospitalized after a car crash near Toledo, Ohio, while traveling to church Sunday morning. Her office said she suffered injuries that are not life-threatening.

Trump's Promise of a 'Golden Age' Collides With Reality

It's not a recession, at least for now. But the president has delivered the Meh Economy.

Radicalism of Young Dems Threatens Party's Future

Democrats will soon have a verdict on just how much their precious enthusiasm is worth outside of the confines of deep blue cities and low-turnout primary contests.

U.S. general warns Pentagon he lacks sufficient forces to protect Israel

A shortage of Navy destroyers, used to defend against Iranian ballistic missile attacks, will force the head of U.S. European Command to prioritize the U.S. homeland instead, officials said.

Can Democratic Socialists Agree on Anything? They Say That’s Not the Point.

At a national summit of the Democratic Socialists of America, nervous energy and a sprawling tableau of sometimes-competing interests were on display.

Trump targets Biden-era billion-dollar Smithsonian budgets amid anti-'woke' push

Trump's budget proposal cuts Smithsonian funding below $1 billion for the first time since 2020 as a 162-page White House report targets woke ideology.

Blood, Progress, and Amnesia

There is real value in Noah Rothman's century-spanning chronicle of left-wing terror, but it falls short in analysis.

Entire Squad endorses Abdul El-Sayed days before Michigan Democratic Senate primary

Every Squad member has endorsed Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate primary, even as he distances himself from the Democratic Socialists of America.

Trump Calls for $1.8 Billion Fund Over Blanche Attorney General Fight

The president vowed to push for the payout fund if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, reigniting a dispute over the settlement.

Why Britain Needs a Healthy Suspicion of Islam

My full speech at the @OxfordUnion debating whether the west is right to be suspicious of Islam.I needed a security team to attend and we were spat at, bullied and heckled by a baying mob.But I will not give up on free speech.I will not submit.

GOP Rep Max Miller pushes back against abuse allegations: ‘I have nothing to hide’

Ohio Rep. Max Miller went live on X Sunday morning to address and deny allegations made by his ex-wife that he previously abused her and their daughter.

Cornyn, Tillis Epitomize the GOP's Hatred for Its Voters

John Cornyn and Thom Tillis' jihad against Todd Blanche's AG nomination epitomizes the GOP's rank hatred for its voters.

America Is More Than an Idea

The vice president was right about what America is, and we need to reengage both the idea and the people who made it.

Sacramentum Caritatis and Humanity: Sunday Reflection

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.

Trump’s Polling Numbers Hit a New Low. Don’t Expect Him to Change Course.

Barely a third of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of the job, putting him at historic depths for a second-term president at this stage of his tenure.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

U.S. Restores Some Vaccine and Health Aid to Unicef, Gavi and World Food Programme

The amount is still far below what the U.S. spent previously on humanitarian and health aid, but resumes the flow of money for key efforts to fight malnutrition and disease.

Okay, But What Do You Want to Actually Do

I’m much less interested in litigating the term ‘common good,’ and much more interested in what its adherents what to do with government power.

Five Big Moments in Michigan’s Democratic Senate Primary

Divisions over Israel and high-profile endorsements have shaped the closely-watched race between a progressive former public health official and a more moderate member of Congress.

Teachers Union Brainwashing

The Grift at the Gate

The Grift Industrial Complex targeted Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey—and got buried.

A Marine’s Legacy for Life Fighting Assisted Suicide in New York Can Still Inspire — and Challenge Us

Remembering the legacy of J. J. Hanson.

Engineering Hate at M.I.T.

Yossi Sheffi is the author of this intensely disturbing book about the experience of American and Israeli Jews on campus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre. Sheffi holds an endowed chair in engi…

Dems' Last Chance To Halt Erosion of U.S. Democracy

American democrats need a Hungarian-style landslide to overwhelm Trump's attempts to rig November's midterm elections, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash

The last day of a factory in Trump country, as its work moves to China

For generations, this Ohio factory was a way of life. Then came the final shift.

Peggy Noonan on Fauci’s 5th/Diaries and Our Societal Chernobyl

Our culture needs renewal. Some of our institutions need revival, others retirement — or at least some reinvention.

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. 

Saturday's Final Word

CNN Political Briefing

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

Berlin Pride Attack Shames the German Establishment

Years of weak and dishonest leadership have given Islamism a foothold in the heart of Europe.

Amnesty Apologizes to J.K. Rowling's Crisis Center for Women

A democratic socialist in the White House? Activists are thinking big.

The Democratic Socialists of America summit was abuzz about whether to endorse a presidential candidate, potentially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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…

CBS Hired 1 Conservative. The Legacy Press Lost Its Mind

Apparently, a lesbian editor-in-chief hiring a conservative while also promoting a leftist means CBS is becoming right wing propaganda now.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Hormuz and Homer

Five Takeaways About the Common Good

Fusionism was, is, and will be the best framework for holding the tension between the moral order we need and individual liberty.

Trump DHS chief under fire from conservatives after immigration speech ignites backlash

Former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino accused Markwayne Mullin of undermining mass deportations after the DHS secretary called for immigration reform.

How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee

Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against President Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transformation.

Common Problems

I often think the divide about common good conservatism is mostly about families.

Socialists Propose Radical Overhaul of U.S. Government

The Democratic Socialists of America want to fight for working-class Americans by offering free healthcare and childcare. It has some other ideas too.

Louisiana becomes latest state to launch Fauci investigation following explosive Senate hearing

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill says Anthony Fauci lied under deposition and announces Louisiana will join Alabama and Florida in investigating potential state crimes.

The ‘Sex Recession’ is Real

Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay talks to Debra Soh, author of ‘Sextinction: The Decline of Sex and the Future of Intimacy,’ about neuroscience, hypergamy, elephant seals, politicised sex research, the perils of polyamory, and the sex-repellent…

Sen Bernie Moreno calls for ex-son-in-law to resign from House, get 'serious psychological help'

Sen. Bernie Moreno called for Rep. Max Miller's resignation and said his former son-in-law needs psychological help amid domestic abuse allegations.

Counterrevolution: Thirty Years of the Conservative Press

'Reacher' Actor and the Stench of a Double Standard

Ohio GOP family feud explodes as Sen Bernie Moreno calls on Rep Max Miller to resign

Sen. Bernie Moreno accused Rep. Max Miller of dangerous behavior and called on the fellow Ohio Republican to resign amid a bitter custody battle.

Inside Meta's Bet on the Dignity of Work

What Do You Want to Liberate Me From?

Sometimes freedom is the freedom to destroy.

Ceuta and Constantinople

Ceuta’s population today is ethnically and religiously mixed but has a clear preference to stick with Spain.

Democratic socialist headed for $142K legislature salary begs for rent handout, deletes post after backlash

Brian Romero's GoFundMe seeking $2,000 for rent and groceries raised eyebrows given his expected $142,000 annual Assembly salary once sworn in.

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.

Ceuta, or the Democratic Party’s Fantasy

This is exactly what right-wingers warned would happen under lenient immigration laws.

Shooting at In-N-Out in Idaho Leaves at Least 3 Dead and 5 Wounded

The shooting occurred at a busy shopping center in Twin Falls, as people were getting food, shopping and going to the movies on a Saturday afternoon. The police said the shooter was dead.

Ceuta and Melilla Are Spanish

To refer to these cities as ‘Spanish-administered’ is as bizarre and disturbing as referring to, say, Tucson or Albuquerque as ‘American-administered.’

Sunday Smiles

Trump demand puts vulnerable Republicans in impossible spot ahead of midterms

Sen. Thom Tillis warns that canceling August recess is "tone-deaf" as GOP incumbents need to campaign ahead of midterms with tight races looming.

How Do Words Work? A Reply on the Common Good

Our individual liberties thrive precisely when they stand on a rich surfeit of common goods.

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.

Inside the behemoth Smithsonian museum network drawing fire from the Trump administration

The Smithsonian Institution spans nearly 700 facilities, houses over 157 million artifacts and specimens, and shapes education for millions of students.

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 Anthony Fauci & His Media Pals Failed America

Because Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly cited the Fifth Amendment to avoid answering any questions, last week's Senate hearing was reduced to a grudge match that produced no new information on the ori...