Smash The Bubble

News and opinion from both the left and the right, mixed together so you can break out of your filter bubble.

more info

Today's Headlines

Vance's Slick Answers Can't Hide His Biggest 2028 Problem

Succeeding a president from your own party is hard enough, and being Trump's vice president makes it harder.

Trump says intelligence chief pick’s hearing is off and Pulte will remain for now

Trump abruptly called off a confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton, nominated as director of national intelligence, upending Republicans in Congress.

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.

Banning Smartphones for Kids?

An impassioned plea by a self-described ‘libertarian at heart.’

After draping White House in gold, Trump heads to ‘the real deal’: Versailles

The president was set to leave France — until he was invited to the palace that has inspired his construction projects, including the White House ballroom.

An Electoral Reckoning at Last?

Benjamin Netanyahu’s unprecedented tenure as Israeli prime minister may be about to end.

Dealing with Reality

Opponents and supporters of a U.S.-Iranian deal are looking at the same event through opposite ends of a telescope.

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 Health-Care Lexicon Is De-Professionalizing the Practice of Medicine

Doctors are fiduciaries to their patients, not ‘service providers’ to their ‘customers.’

California’s Vote Count: How Slowness Invites Suspicion Even When It’s Not Sketchy

California’s crawling pace after election night can make normal statistical shifts seem like fraud.

Top SPLC official allegedly funneled $1.2M to neo-Nazi informant who was secret romantic partner

A top SPLC official is accused of funneling over $1.2 million in donor funds to a confidential Neo-Nazi informant who was allegedly a secret romantic partner.

This Senator Is an Internet Sensation. Is He Running for President?

The 39-year-old senator has become an internet sensation for Democrats seeking a 2028 contender. He says he’s focused on winning a second term in November.

Choosing How to Kill Death Row Inmates

In a rare ruling for a condemned prisoner, the justices would not let Alabama use a contested method of execution.

Bloomberg's Version of MOU, Annotated: Pay to Not Play?

Trump wins two, loses one: Georgia billionaire delivers rare blow to endorsement machine

Trump-backed candidates won two of three key GOP runoffs in Georgia and Alabama, but lost the gubernatorial race to billionaire Rick Jackson.

America 250: Enduring Patriotism, Growing Anxiety

As we approach the nation's semiquincentennial celebrations, the American Enterprise Institute released a new public opinion survey exploring Americans' views about the nation's past and present. The survey is part of AEI's America at 250 initiati…

Not Shocking: Spain's Regularization of Illegal Migrants Nearing 1 Million, Twice Estimates

Anthropic Employees Accuse Trump Administration of Targeting Them

Workers at the artificial intelligence company have been puzzled and increasingly concerned by the administration’s move to limit their latest A.I. models.

Trump in Defeat

The president went to war triumphant and will likely leave greatly weakened.

AWOL in the Class War

Americans realize they've lost power and income to the very rich. Too many Democrats, even too many unions, have yet to go to war for them.

How Bad Is American Higher Education?

A new book says that it’s even worse than we think.

PA's Democrat-Dominated Supreme Court Blasts Soros D.A. as Liar, Advocate for Murderers

Trump's DNI pick will have to wait for his confirmation hearing after Truth Social bomb

Jay Clayton will soon face a tense Senate confirmation hearing to become DNI amid growing Democratic concerns over Trump's temporary pick William Pulte.

4 Takeaways From Primaries in GA, AL & OK

Trump-endorsed candidates won Senate runoffs in Georgia and Alabama, but in a rare defeat, the president's pick for Georgia governor failed to advance.

Colbert and Cancellation

The #CancelColbert saga in 2014 established the paradigm for countless hashtag controversies that followed.

Deadly B-52 crash puts focus on engines, controllability as investigators hunt for answers

A B-52 Stratofortress crashed after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base during a radar modernization test mission, killing all eight people aboard.

Trump Angrily Defends Iran Deal, Belittling the One Obama Signed

President Trump denied that the United States would be part of a $300 billion rebuilding fund for Tehran and argued that his agreement was better than the one Barack Obama struck in 2015.

Why the Enlightenment Matters

Iona Italia talks to lawyer and historian Adam Wakeling about the enduring importance of Enlightenment values and how to defend them today.

Trump’s Feeble Threats Are Not Credible

The MOU abandons all the red lines the president went to war to secure.

Newsom Under Investigation?

Tuesday, June 16th on RealClearPolitics - Joined by RCP National Correspondent Susan Crabtree and RCP White House Reporter Carolina Lumetta

Is It Bad That Elon Musk Has a Trillion Dollars? Yes

Just as the 'poverty line' determines what's required for basic living, we need a 'wealth line' to show when extreme wealth becomes harmful, says economist and philosopher Ingrid Robeyns

Elon Musk’s Next Move May Be a Mega-Merger of SpaceX and Tesla

Some shareholders might object, but there is little they could do, legal experts say.

The Enemy Within

Iran is not Saudi Arabia’s biggest problem.

Obama's Legacy Is the Trump Presidency

His foreign policy was one of retrenchment, and his signature health-insurance law made things worse.

Seeing America at 250

Please, come along with me on a cross-country road trip and fall in love with America all over again.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

They Didn't Exactly Run the Gate Doing 98...But It Was Camp Pendleton

South Carolina GOP isn’t sold on Trump’s candidate. He may endorse a second.

An endorsement of both candidates would be the latest example of the president hedging his bets to avoid a fight with conservative activists.

Oklahoma Democrats face runoff showdown in race for deep-red Senate seat

Oklahoma Democrats will compete in a primary runoff election in the 2026 Senate race in a long-shot bid to flip a deep-red seat held by Republicans for over 35 years.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Highway No. 1 Indeed

A foggy road trip up the golden coast.

Can US Engagement Rescue the United Nations From Irrelevance?

The next UN leader will take office at a time when the international body is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of purpose.

The Shapiro Education-Reform Sellout Continues in Pennsylvania

America needs to know this.

Hillary Clinton hammers Joe Biden for 2024 reelection bid despite supporting campaign: 'terrible mistake'

Hillary Clinton calls Biden's 2024 reelection bid a "terrible mistake" for himself, his legacy and the country during an interview Monday.

Reporter's Notebook: Capitol Hill's legislative clock is ticking ahead of the midterms

Congress faces a potential government shutdown this fall as spending bills stall and Democrats refuse to cooperate ahead of midterm elections.

Lowe Report: Islamic R*** Gangs Operated Since 1950s in UK With Impunity, Mainly Thanks to Labour

Selective Pressure, Selective Silence

David Reich and the politics of recent human evolution.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Spirals of Silence

Who Will Get Spirit Airlines’ Coveted Flights at LaGuardia?

A bankruptcy court has started the process to sell the airline’s right to fly to and from the New York City airport, but finding a buyer could be hard.

I Learned It by Watching You

Democrats are outraged over Republican efforts to meddle in Democratic primaries? They’re the ones who perfected the tactic.

New #WeCount Data Show Slight Abortion Increase in 2025

The new report provides evidence that policy changes are having a large impact on abortion numbers in the post-Dobbs era.

Five arrested, charged with plotting to attack UFC event at White House, DOJ says

Officials alleged that plotters discussed sending explosive-loaded drones to the event and shooting people who fled.

Britain to Cut Training and Operations in Military, Despite Promising to Increase Defense Readiness

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Intelligence Officials Have Welcomed Pulte and Then Clayton

The two, whom President Trump nominated as acting director and director of national intelligence, have both prepared to take over the office.

Data Shows Illegal Immigration Has Harmed American Workers

The consensus in Washington held for years that immigration enforcement didn't impact the wallets of ordinary Americans. Wages, housing costs and job competition were all shaped by larger forces. Border policy was a legal and a cultural question. …

A problem hiding in plain sight is keeping Americans from buying homes

America's construction industry is short 250,000 workers monthly, extending building timelines and driving up costs amid a 1.5 million-home housing gap.

A Tale of Two Settlements

In the 29th instalment of ‘Nations of Canada,’ Greg Koabel describes the birth of Montreal in 1642; and the Indigenous town of Sillery, where a new kind of native-born Christianity took root.

Pathology and Politics

British author Josh Ireland’s new book about the murder of Leon Trotsky tells the gripping story of a rivalry between two very different men.

A UFC watch party in Pennsylvania shows the fallout from the Iran war

The frustration of a young crowd at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Pennsylvania shows why President Donald Trump was under pressure to end the conflict.

Trump’s Birthday Spectacle

‘The notion that this is a historical aberration and desecration of the White House isn’t quite right.’

Failed 2024 candidate Kamala Harris predicts Obama-like end for Trump on Iran negotiations

Kamala Harris calls Trump's Iran deal a 'war of choice' and predicts it will cost Republicans in upcoming midterm elections at Vienna climate summit.

Trump says Senate hearing on DNI nominee is cancelled until US attorney replacement confirmed

President Trump says hearing on nomination of Jay Clayton for DNI is being called off until Jamie McDonald is confirmed as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Four takeaways from primaries in Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma

Trump-endorsed candidates won Senate runoffs in Georgia and Alabama, but in a rare defeat, the president’s pick for Georgia governor failed to advance.

Under Trump, National Intelligence Agency Has Broadened Focus on Elections

Bill Pulte, who has shown that he has a keen sense of what the president wants and a desire to please him, is poised to take over the job from Tulsi Gabbard on an acting basis.

Decision Desk Calls GA Senate Runoff (Update: Jackson Wins)

What to Know About Redistricting Efforts Underway in Georgia

Georgia is the latest Southern state where lawmakers have taken up redrawing congressional maps after the Supreme Court’s voting rights ruling.

House bill would strip federal funding from colleges with alleged ties to Chinese Communist Party

Rep. Pat Fallon introduces the Espionage Protection Act to cut federal funding for universities with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

How Anthropic lost the White House’s trust — and then its flagship product

The Trump administration weighed export controls on Anthropic weeks before forcing its AI model offline, after a dispute over sharing its technology with a China-linked firm.

Critics of Peace Deal Want War With Iran To Go On

In an interview with Megyn Kelly, Vice President JD Vance argued that opponents of the administration's agreement, or memorandum of understanding, with Iran have no alternative beyond continued military action. Vance accused some critics of promot…

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.

Could Gavin Newsom Kill the California Wealth Tax?

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…

Trump Pulls Back Intelligence Pick to Pressure Congress on Elections Bill

President Trump named Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, after a bipartisan backlash to his earlier choice of Bill Pulte. The move all but assures that Mr. Pulte will hold the job, at least for a while.

California Will Now Certify Firms as 'Gay'

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…

What 'Created Equal' Means in America

People are unequal in talent, but all of us have the same basic rights and dignity.

U.S. - Iran Deal Could Transform America's Mideast Strategy

Washington doesn't need to be the region's micromanager.

Conor McGregor Defends Treatment That Included Banned Drugs

The Ultimate Fighting Championship star said his priority was walking again after shattering his leg, and he confirmed elements of a New York Times article about how he came to use banned substances.

The Destructivists

When the appetite for moral reform becomes an appetite for destruction.

Trump: I'll Go Back to Bomb Bomb Iran If They Don't Comply

Trump to Israel: Let the al-Qaeda Guy Handle Hezbollah

You can’t make it up.

GOP Gov DeWine urges Ohio to abolish the death penalty, says it is no longer a deterrent

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced support for abolishing the death penalty, saying data shows it no longer serves as a deterrent to violent crime.

Tuesday's Final Word

The Data a Flemish TV Network Didn't Want You to See

How I read a confidential memo on live television—and what it reveals about ideological bias.

Channel Chumps: Putin's Pirates Point Potshots at Pleasure Boating Pensioners

The Last Canadian Politician I’d Trust to Police the Internet

Marc Miller spread misinformation about unmarked graves and supports the criminal prosecution of residential-school ‘denialists.’ Why would Mark Carney use him to front his new plan for regulating online content?

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.