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

Federal judge blocks Trump's bid to move Biden-commuted death row inmates to ‘Alcatraz of the Rockies’

A judge who blocked the Trump administration from transferring former death row inmates said the criminals were convicted of "some of the most horrific crimes imaginable."

Capitalism’s Paradox

Why prosperity breeds guilt, how status incentives reward critique, and what happens when function is replaced by moral performance.

The Nation’s Fiscal Clouds Get Even Darker

The Congressional Budget Office projects that public debt will eclipse 120 percent of GDP within a decade.

LA County Judge Says Class-Action Lawsuit Over Palisades Fire Can Proceed

The Canadian Paediatric Society Is Trapped in a Pre-Cass Time Warp

While other jurisdictions adopt balanced, evidence-based protocols for treating gender dysphoria, the CPS has doubled down on an obsolete policy instructing doctors to reflexively ‘affirm’ trans-identified youth.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Federal judge blocks Pentagon from demoting Mark Kelly over controversial military video

A federal judge blocked the Pentagon from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over a controversial video, ruling his First Amendment rights were violated.

The High-Stakes Fight Over Masked Federal Agents

The debate over whether federal agents should be allowed to cover their faces with masks has become a flashpoint as the government heads for a partial shutdown.

US lawmakers warn Taiwan to ‘meet the moment’ as China stages invasion-style drills

Bipartisan U.S. lawmakers warn Taiwan's political gridlock over defense spending could undermine deterrence as China escalates military pressure.

Why This Shutdown Is Different

Now come negotiations over the administration’s immigration crackdown.

What’s happening with the FBI seizure of ballots in Georgia?

Some election experts warn it could portend attempts to muddle future election results.

Trump Backed Candidate Drops Out of Ariz. Gov Race

Karrin Taylor Robson is dropping out of the race for Arizona governor.

Justice Dept.’s head of antitrust departs amid tensions on enforcement

Gail Slater — an antitrust attorney who vowed to resist political interference at her confirmation hearing — announced her departure on social media.

A little Republican rebellion against Trump only goes so far

A handful of House Republicans bucked leadership to oppose the administration’s tariff policy, but GOP senators still fear speaking out on Epstein connections.

Federal judge upholds temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants

A federal judge upheld temporary protected status for Haitian immigrants in the United States and quoted death threats she's received, during a Thursday hearing.

Media Needs To Stop Gaslighting on Trans Killers

Another mass shooting, and another devastated community.

VA's Collins to Newsmax: Bloated Contracts Slashed for Veterans

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins told Newsmax on Thursday he is slashing bloated contracts and reclaiming misused land at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center to refocus the sprawling campus on its core mission — serving America's veterans.

Zelenskyy: We Have Backed US Peace Proposals to Get a Deal Done

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had sought to back U.S. peace proposals to end the war with Russia as President Donald Trump seeks to resolve the conflict before November mid-term elections.Zelenskyy, in an interview published by…

Leavitt unloads on Obama over voter ID push, accuses Dems of 'panic'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt criticizes former President Barack Obama for opposing voter ID laws after House passes SAVE Act.

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.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Media Narratives

Trump Is Doubling Down on All the Wrong Things

Republicans are worried about the midterm elections, but the president doesn’t seem to be.

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…

Fareed explains why AI's massive energy demands are straining the power grid, but also why AI could enable big breakthroughs in sustainability and clean energy.

Pam Bondi lashes out as lawmakers press her on Epstein, cases against Trump foes

The attorney general lobbed insults when lawmakers questioned her decisions and portrayed the Justice Department as unfairly maligned by Democrats and Trump critics.

‘The Trust Has Been Absolutely Destroyed’

Some state election officials say they no longer trust their federal partners.

The Bank of Big Medicine

Health insurers and providers are using industrial loan companies and other tactics to make money from financial engineering rather than patient care.

Conservative Women Find a New Way to Talk About ICE

When can an influencer opt out of the news cycle?

Trump’s Actions Test the Fragile World of Air Travel

Last-minute announcements and abrupt changes by the Trump administration have caused confusion in an already strained U.S. aviation system.

How Jeff Bezos Broke The Washington Post

The paper of record for the nation’s capital cut a third of its staff this week. It didn’t have to be like this.

Next Census Cannot Wait Four Years

So here's the question: Why should the country have to wait until the 2032 election for this census to be completed?

Walz: Feds Must Pay for What They Broke in Minn. Operation

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz demanded Thursday that the federal government "pay for what they broke" during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement effort that triggered widespread protests in Minneapolis.

Axios: Insiders Are in a Panic About the Dangers AI Poses

N.Y. Officials Raise Rainbow Flag at Stonewall in Rebuke of Admin

New York politicians defiantly raised a rainbow flag Thursday at the Stonewall National Monument amid a boisterous, cheering crowd, rebuking the Trump administration for removing the well-known symbol of pride from the historic LGBTQ+ landmark."We…

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

White House fires U.S. attorney in N.Y. hours after judges appointed him

Donald T. Kinsella was chosen by judges to lead the federal prosecutors’ office in Albany, then fired hours later via an email from the White House.

The Murder of The Washington Post

Today’s layoffs are the latest attempt to kill what makes the paper special.

In the wake of the Republican National Convention earlier this month, Fareed speaks with historian Niall Ferguson about how and why the modern-day GOP has changed since the Reagan era of the 1980s.

‘Not American Enough’

Trump’s immigration crackdown has Latinos wondering if they belong in his America.

The Epstein Emails Show How the Powerful Talk About Race

The files reveal the disgraced financier’s interest in “race science.”

U.S. Forces Leave Base in Syria Used in Fight Against ISIS

The military base at Al-Tanf had hosted U.S. troops fighting against the Islamic State since 2016. Some of the troops are expected to be repositioned at a Jordanian military base across the border.

No Bodies, No Accountability

A new book catalogues the damage to Canadian society caused by a 2021 social panic over non-existent ‘unmarked graves.’

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Moderna Sure Isn’t Seeing That Trump Deregulatory Agenda

Millions more Americans may get sick because the FDA won’t let them access the most effective flu vaccine.

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.

Murder Most Foul

William J. Mann’s new book about the notorious Black Dahlia case is a valuable corrective to the cottage industry of speculative theories that proliferated after her murder in 1947.

Americans could pay to bring back alleged members of 'foreign terrorist cartel' to US

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg orders Trump administration to bring back 137 deported migrants at taxpayers' expense after ruling they were denied due process rights.

GOP Advances SAVE Act, a Solution in Search of a Problem

The original SAVE Act was an indefensible step backward, and the revised version is worse. It passed the Republican-led House anyway.

How Not to Develop a Country

The idea that we should redistribute wealth by fiat from prosperous to low-income and stagnating countries remains popular even though it is profoundly misguided. 

5 Takeaways After Trump’s Immigration Crackdown in Minnesota

Some 3,000 agents took part in the federal operation that started late last year around the Twin Cities. On Thursday, officials said the surge would wind down.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a former US senator from California who previously served as the state's attorney general, could be the first Black woman and Asian American to lead a major party ticket after receiving President Joe Biden's support t…

The DHS Shutdown Could Affect ICE, Travelers, FEMA and More

A lapse in funding probably won’t bring immigration enforcement operations to a screeching halt, but the department is also home to other agencies, including the Coast Guard and FEMA.

Virginia Redistricting and Raw Political Power

Conservatives are split over whether Virginia Democrats' aggressive gerrymander is an abomination to be condemned or an example red states should follow.

Strange Delight

Radley Metzger’s 1975 hardcore adaptation of a celebrated literary hoax is a vast improvement on the cynical source material.

NM SOS Disqualifies Republican from Ballot for Senate, Leaving Only the Democrat on the Ballot

Judge rejects Hegseth bid to punish Sen. Kelly for video message to troops

The Trump administration intends to appeal the ruling, which says the retired Navy officer’s right to free speech was under attack.

Red-State Senators Must Pick Up the Pace on Judges

Republican senators face pressure to accelerate Trump judicial nominees as midterms approach, with nearly two dozen district court vacancies in red states.

Get Married Young

Lillian, a senior at the University of Virginia, is taking a step that has scandalized her parents, peers, and professors.

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.

The Beginning of the End for Big Corporate Medicine

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley introduced legislation to break up seven out of the Fortune 20, all of which are vertically integrated health care monsters. It's about time.

5th Circuit upholds Texas' ban on paid ballot harvesting, overturning lower court

A Texas ballot harvesting law was upheld by a federal appeals court after the 5th Circuit reversed a lower court ruling that blocked the 2021 election measure.

Cruz targets Minnesota-style fraud with bill requiring proof before federal childcare payouts

Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the Payment Integrity Act after the alleged $9 billion childcare fraud in Minnesota. New rules require proof of care before federal payments are made.

C.I.A. Video Appeals to Potential Spies in China’s Military

The agency is seeking Chinese officials who are frustrated with corruption in the People’s Liberation Army.

Against the AI Doomerism Consensus

I see overhyping everywhere in the AI debate.

Do political scandals have the same impact these days? Answers to your questions.

Our chief political correspondent took your questions during her live chat.

FBI Probing Possible Election Crimes in Fulton County

Meanwhile, The Washington Post runs cover for the Georgia county's 'extremely sloppy' election administration in 2020.

How Taxing Wealth Works in Real Life

Podcast #323: British Columbia’s Radical Political Landscape

Politician Dallas Brodie explains why her province continues to promote dubious social-justice policies and myths—including the false claim that 215 dead Indigenous children were discovered four years ago in ‘unmarked graves.’

What Mamdani Doesn’t Know About Tenants

Fixing New York’s affordable housing isn’t as simple as going after bad landlords.

Democrats salivate at GOP near zero-vote margin as shutdown looms over ICE reform gridlock

Democrats on Thursday said they see opportunity to press for their priorities in DHS talks and more as GOP House teeters on a razor-thin margin.

Shakespeare in Love and Grief

It appears that people now find comfort in the idea that the life of even the greatest of writers is no more satisfying than their own.

Lying With Statistics: Steel Edition

The United States has passed Japan in steel production primarily because Japan is making a lot less steel than it used to, not because America is making more.

In rebuke, House votes to roll back Trump’s tariffs on Canada

The president could veto the measure if it reaches his desk, but the action underscores some Republican frustrations with his trade policies.

Meloni Is No Chicken of the Sea - Italian Navy to Stop Migrant Boats

Ed Crane, R.I.P.

As co-founder and longtime president, he helped turn the Cato Institute into one of the Beltway’s largest and most influential think tanks.

Trump allows Democratic governors at White House meeting after initial snub

Trump had initially excluded Democrats from the traditionally bipartisan meeting. However, not all Democrats were invited to a separate dinner.

Ocasio-Cortez, Rubio to offer dueling visions of world order in Munich

The potential 2028 presidential candidates will sound off on a range of burgeoning crises as European leaders recoil at America’s populist politics.

'Melania' Producer Denies Music Rights Breach Claim

The producer of "Melania" says any allegation that the documentary breached a composer agreement is a "blatant lie."

ICE After Minneapolis

Trump’s team wants a reset on its mass-deportation goals, not a retreat.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor: Friday 30 January — February 6, 2026

Winding Down Minn. Enforcement Surge, Homan Touts Its 'Major Gains'

Tom Homan, President Donald Trump's point man on deportations and border security, on Thursday touted what he described as significant public safety gains from Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, pushing back on critics as the effort winds down.

Justice Jackson’s Tariff Tea Leaves

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was asked about the timetable for the tariff case before the Supreme Court.

Bar Punts on Ethics Complaint Over Application to Search Reporter’s Home

A press freedom group accused a prosecutor of violating an ethics rule by not telling a judge about a law limiting searches for journalistic work product.

Dems dig in, guarantee shutdown with block of DHS funding

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., charged that Senate Democrats weren't interested in a solution to the DHS but rather wanted to turn it into a political flashpoint.

The Epstein Files and the Hidden World of an Unaccountable Elite

The search continues in the documents for ironclad criminal conduct, but the story of a sexual predator given a free ride by the ruling class has already emerged.

Partial government shutdown looms as Congress leaves town without a deal

Large swaths of the Department of Homeland Security are set to shut down Saturday unless lawmakers and the White House strike a last-minute deal.

Tim Walz demands federal government ‘pay for what they broke’ after Homan announces Minnesota drawdown

Gov. Tim Walz is demanding the federal government “pay for what they broke" after the Tom Homan announced it would draw down its immigration enforcement presence in Minnesota.

DHS Shutdown Nears as Immigration Enforcement Talks Stall

Senate Democrats refused to move ahead with a spending bill needed to keep the Department of Homeland Security running because it lacked limits they have demanded on federal immigration agents.

Pew to Media: Don't Be Hastey

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.

Report: FBI Did 1,000 Inquiries With No Crime Suspected

A confidential Government Accountability Office report obtained by Racket News reporter Ryan Lovelace and published Thursday reveals the FBI conducted more than 1,000 "assessments" targeting religious organizations, journalists, public officials, …

As Labour Slow Walks Its Inquiry, Rupert Lowe Is Blowing Open the R@pe Gang Scandal; UPDATED

The Democratic Party Will Be a Radical Party

Progressives have been winning more intra-Democratic fights than they’ve lost of late.

The Second Death of Charlie Kirk

The activist’s assassination unleashed anti-Semitism that is pulling the Trump coalition apart.

The Democrats Aren’t Built for This

They say they want to save democracy. First they’ll need to get out of their own way.

Carrie Prejean’s Newfound Grift

Good riddance to the now-former member of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission.

The Left's Long Game in Latin America

For the first time since Fidel Castro's coup in 1959, the end of the Left's rule in the southern Western Hemisphere is underway.

The Tranadian Betrayal

How the Mellon Foundation Funded Wokeness at American Universities

Collective Civic Values Outweigh America's Divisions

If you spend any time doomscrolling on social media, you might be excused for thinking we no longer have common commitments. After all, if we can no longer make a difference in a shared civic project, why even try?

Hawley clashes with Minnesota AG Ellison over fraud: ‘You ought to be indicted’

Sen. Josh Hawley accuses Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison of helping fraudsters in the Feeding Our Future case and accepting $10,000 in donations.

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…

Epstein Files Feeding Frenzy Is No Moral Panic, Expert Declares

Your academic credentials don’t help you when your argument is absurd.

The Return of Capital Questions: Q&A Today

We hope you’ll join us for this timely discussion.

Mentally Ill Woman Accessed Assisted Suicide in Oregon

Eileen Mihich obtained a phony prescription pad and wrote herself a poison script. And it was filled.

The Thornhill and Palmer Affair: When Evolutionary Biology Challenged Rape Orthodoxy

For their research showing that rape is generally motivated by sexual desire, Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer were subjected to death threats and hounded in their personal and professional lives. And yet, they were right.

Schlossberg Should Win NY-12 — Not Because He's JFK's Grandson

A little over four months before Democratic primary voters in New York's 12th District, Midtown Manhattan, select the near-certain successor to retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, signs are strong that distinction will go to Jack Schlossberg.

Judge Blocks Bid To Reduce Sen. Kelly's Military Rank

The federal judge's preliminary injunction means the defense secretary can't censure the senator or reduce his military rank and pension.

More on the President’s Net Worth

Because of the volatile nature of his three main businesses, there are stark surges and plunges.

Intelligence Dispute Centers on Kushner Reference in Intercepted Communication

A whistle-blower has accused Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, of blocking distribution of a report that Jared Kushner’s name came up in an intercepted communication about Iran.

Judge Says Trump Administration Must Help Return Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador

The ruling was one of the most robust steps taken so far to force the Trump administration to give due process to the Venezuelan immigrants deported under the Alien Enemies Act.

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.

Self-Defeating “Sustainability”

The sustainable agriculture movement’s ideological opposition to biotechnology undermines genuine environmental progress and food security.

Karrin Taylor Robson Ends Bid for Arizona Governor, Showing MAGA’s Power

Karrin Taylor Robson, a wealthy businesswoman, dropped out after trailing in polls to Representative Andy Biggs, who is more aligned with supporters of President Trump.

Germany's Energie Wende Looking More and More Like Das Ende

Federal Judge to BBC: Get Ready For Trump's Defamation Trial

NTSB Chair Blasts FAA, Pentagon Over El Paso Shutdown

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told senators Thursday that the FAA and the Pentagon have a long-running pattern of miscommunication, pointing to this week's abrupt El Paso airspace shutdown and reversal as the latest f…

Trump Rips Israeli President for Not Pardoning Netanyahu

President Donald Trump said Israeli President Isaac Herzog should be "ashamed of himself" for not giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a pardon on corruption charges.

American Liberalism and Illiberalism

Americans who may have ferocious disagreements about the size of government, foreign policy, and a wide range of other issues must find a way to unite around their shared commitment to the liberal idea.

LA Activists Installing Sirens to Warn of ICE Raids

Residents and activists in Los Angeles' Highland Park neighborhood are pushing ahead with a plan to install warning sirens to alert the area when federal immigration agents are spotted.