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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Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

A Moonshot over the Bows

The launch of the Kimi K3 AI model by Moonshot is yet another reminder that the AI race between the U.S. and China is no foregone conclusion.

No Fun with Sally Quinn and MAGA

So Sally Quinn sensed a mood, and the Times hit ‘publish.’

The Narrative™ at Work

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…

Claire's Weekly Letter: Wars of Choice

Mamdani’s ‘deranged’ Israel take resurfaces as he targets Netanyahu

A resurfaced video clip shows Mayor Zoran Mamdani calling Israel "an idea" rather than a country, sparking fierce social media backlash and criticism.

Voters are struggling to keep up with Iran war’s twists and turns

Americans have grown frustrated with President Donald Trump over his handling of the war. Here’s what several said about how they’re processing the constant changes.

On the Iran War, NATO Chief Agrees With Trump -- The Media Buried the Lede

The American dream now comes with a ZIP code: Here's where starter homes are still within reach

The income needed to afford a typical starter home has surged roughly $35,000 since 2019, but recovery varies sharply by region for first-time buyers.

My Son Was Killed by ICE. I Want Accountability

This spring I watched Markwayne Mullin's confirmation hearing to become the homeland security secretary. It was most likely the first confirmation hearing I ever watched. I have never been a political person.

Trump intervenes as House GOP revolt puts SAVE America Act at center of spending showdown

Trump urges House Republicans to unify behind the budget reconciliation bill, but some fiscal hawks balk at $95 billion in new spending with no payfors.

Army IDs 2 victims killed in Jordan air base attack; Trump: Iran will pay 'many times over'

Two Army soldiers killed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan are identified as the first U.S. deaths since Iran violated Trump's peace agreement.

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…

Strong Opinions

When critics start issuing dictates, they end up excluding broad swathes of art and culture as well as whole areas of human experience.

A religious sect is at the heart of an old fight getting attention in a GOP race

Rep. Andy Biggs, the party’s likely nominee for Arizona governor, faced criticism from fellow Republicans over his handling of a small police force more than a decade ago.

The Election About-Face the Democrats Want You to Forget

The Rise and Fall of Graham Platner

Is this the far left's #MeToo moment?

The Michigan Dem Primary Has Grown Absolutely Toxic

One other establishment-vs.-progressives race to keep an eye on.

The Patriarchal Mind Virus

By dismissing the importance of biological sex, Robin Dembroff earned predictable acclaim from fellow scholars. But as a work of philosophy, ’Real Men on Top’ is unconvincing and deeply flawed.

Wildberries: Ukraine Expands Strikes to Include Russia's Version of Amazon

Reshaping the Middle East

Reconsidering Israel’s wars in 1956, 1982, and 2026.

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.

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.

Attacking Starlink

Starlink’s success has made it a target for China and Russia.

Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War

Central Command is not required to release information about injured troops, especially when they quickly return to duty, a military official said.

5 things to know about Graham Platner ally poised to take on Susan Collins

Troy Jackson, a former Republican turned progressive, backs "Medicare-for-all" and abolishing ICE as he nears the Democratic Senate nomination in Maine.

Incendiary Attack at Federal Building Housing FBI’s Lower Manhattan HQ

A suspected terrorist is in custody. There are no reported injuries.

Politicians Are Trying to Change What Chatbots Say About Them

Political campaigns have something new to worry about these days: unflattering or incomplete information produced by A.I. programs when voters ask questions about candidates.

WSJ: Qatar's Still Trying to Get the MOU Band Back Together

Is Haley Stevens Talking Michiganese?

Whatever she was doing, the congresswoman reminds us of the glory of regional speech.

As AG, Todd Blanche Will Finally Seek Justice for Dems' Dirty Lawfare

New York to Catholic Nuns: Help Kill Suicidal People or No Hospice for You

Firestorm erupts online after Minnesota paper praises Tim Walz's clemency for child sex offender

The Minnesota Star Tribune faces backlash after praising Tim Walz for defending his pardon of a convicted child rapist who was later deported to Laos.

Van Jones: DSA Are Turds in the Democratic Party Punchbowl

Fetterman to Bernie: Yo, Loser - Get Over Yourself

In Maine Senate Race, Jackson Sprints Ahead of Pack, as Bellows Drops Out

Troy Jackson, a progressive, solidified his clear edge in the contest to replace Graham Platner, as Shenna Bellows, Jordan Wood and Nirav Shah ended their bids.

Gary Stevenson Is Wrong About Wealth Inequality

Gary Stevenson says Britain's wealth inequality is spiralling out of control. The data says otherwise—and Channel 4 never thought to check.

Republicans defy Trump, jump into South Carolina Senate race despite his handpicked successor

Trump endorsed Darline Graham for Lindsey Graham's Senate seat, but Ralph Norman and Russell Fry are jumping into the GOP primary race anyway.

Re: A Faithful Odyssey Would Be a Hard Sell

The ‘modern audience’ for The Odyssey is seven centuries old.

Will Restrictions on ‘Divisive Speech’ Help?

Such legislation can go too far.

Sunday Smiles

Can Arizona Republicans Stop Feuding Long Enough to Win Back the State?

Some Republicans fear the party is poised to repeat past mistakes by nominating candidates in Tuesday’s primaries who are viewed as too extreme to sway moderate voters.

The Pacific's True Rogue State

Beijing just launched a nuclear-capable missile into the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone and called it routine. It was not.

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.

4 Competing Priorities Bog Down GOP Ahead of Midterms

GOP leaders want to fund the Iran war, aid farmers and enact voting restrictions before Nov. 3. But internal divisions are again getting in the way.

5 Things to Know About the Maine Senate Candidate Troy Jackson

Mr. Jackson, who has emerged as the clear front-runner to replace Graham Platner, is a Republican turned Democrat who is seen as close to Mr. Platner on policy.

How To Fix a Supreme Court That Has Gone Off the Rails

We bring you this series on popular constitutionalism-local, organic farm-to-table making of legal meaning-as a thought experiment.

Escalation in Iran Makes Endgame More Urgent

More US combat deaths and a widening reescalation of the Iran war are putting a new spin on a long unanswered question: What is President Donald Trump's endgame and how will he deliver it?

Mail-In-Voting: Appeals Court Hands Trump Big Win

In March of 2026 President Trump issued Executive Order 14399, "Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections," directing the U.S. Postal Service to create a rule whereby any state that intends to send mail-in ballots to vot…

War erupts on far left as DSA endorses challenger against sitting House progressive

The Democratic Socialists of America is backing Donavan McKinney as they target progressive Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan's primary.

JD and Usha Vance Welcome Fourth Child

In a post on social media, Mr. Vance said his wife and their son, Alec Neel Vance, were “happy and healthy.”

US bases, ICE facilities targeted in Cuba-linked 24-hour activist mobilization plan

A rapid-response plan calls for protests at military bases, ICE facilities and federal buildings within 24 hours of any U.S. attack on Cuba.

A Crisis in the Humanities

The norms governing scholarship now often serve to protect a rigid orthodoxy on certain politically charged issues—with ideological tests substituted for proper academic standards.

Federal Agents Were Told FBI Will No Longer Investigate ICE Confrontations

Senior officials deny such a change is in the works, despite guidance shared with agents around the country in recent days.

BREAKING: Manhattan Federal Building Hit with Molotov Cocktail; Anti-ICE Activist Arrested

Trump's World Cup Vision Showed America at Its Best

The White House Task Force on the 2026 FIFA World Cup deployed $625 million in security funding and $500 million in counter-drone technology.

The ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Slush Fund Is Not Dead

Under the terms of the Trump-orchestrated settlement agreement creating the fund, it can only be rescinded in a written document signed by the parties.

Suspect named in New York City alleged incendiary device attack, had 'anti-ICE stuff' on him

Andrew Arrabaca is accused of deploying an incendiary device outside 26 Federal Plaza in New York and allegedly had anti-ICE materials on him.

Trump Administration Sought Phone Records of Times Journalists and Their Relatives

The government is aggressively seeking the confidential sources of Times reporters who wrote about the president’s new Air Force One. The Times has asked a judge to quash the subpoenas.

Mamdani & Co. Want a Communist Revolution in America

The Democratic Socialists of America's aim is to import foreign conflicts and alien ideologies that are the antithesis of America's founding principles.

Note to Self: Do Not Build Global Critical Infrastructure in the Middle East

In retrospect, maybe the UAE and Saudi Arabia weren’t the safest place to build massive AI data centers.

Trump Says New Air Force One Will Be Taken Out of Service to Be ‘Maxed Out’

The Qatari-donated plane has been under scrutiny over whether it is fitted with sufficient defensive capabilities to adequately protect a U.S. president and others traveling on it.

There Is No Alternative to the Strait of Hormuz

A fantasy is taking hold among Gulf leaders and Western policymakers: that the Strait of Hormuz can be circumvented using pipelines.

Israel’s Ambassador to U.N. Lashes Out at Mamdani Over Netanyahu Arrest Threats

The “threat is empty,” the ambassador, Danny Danon, said in an address to the U.N. General Assembly.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Soccer, Sartre, and the Sixties

Minnesota of the Caribbean? Trump admin freezes vacation hotspot’s funds over alleged hurricane-aid abuses

HUD suspended the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority from federal funding over alleged fraud and mismanagement of hurricane relief funds.

A Faithful Odyssey Would Be a Hard Sell

Modern audiences would likely not have warmed to the ancient Greeks’ notions of war, violence, and sex.

Justice Barrett and Her Enemies

The recent wave of attacks on her is bizarrely personal and lacking in perspective.

Trump Relents From Spain-Bashing to Present Its Team the World Cup Trophy

Mr. Trump, who this month referred to Spain as “hopeless,” seemingly had little choice but to exhibit diplomacy on Sunday as he handed the golden trophy to the country’s players.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Kamala Harris’s Advisers Are Delusional

Harris’s aides seem to have utterly misread the landscape, and they vastly overrate the leverage their candidate has over the party she seeks to commandeer.

Some Democrats condemn Mamdani over comment on possible arrest of Netanyahu

Some Democrats condemned the New York City mayor after he said his staff was discussing whether to arrest the Israeli prime minister when he arrives for the U.N. General Assembly.

Oh, Good, More Negotiations with the Iranians

Another round of talks with the Iranians in pursuit of a ‘cease-fire’? What are we doing here?

I Chaired Canada's Human Rights Tribunal. Here's What I Saw.

During my time chairing the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, I sometimes felt like the agent of a state-funded extortion ring.

The Moral Test of Self Government

A recent New York Times opinion essay about the death of Ruben Ray Martinez argued that his killing raises profound questions about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the role the agency should play in our society. Reading it led me to ask a …

In Maine Senate Race, Democrats Go From Chaos to Coronation

Troy Jackson’s emergence as the clear front-runner to replace Graham Platner spares the party some challenges but points to some new ones.

Omer Bartov: What Went Wrong?

A distinguished historian of the Holocaust views Israel through the wrong prism.

The Modern Mythology of AI

LLMs are incredibly useful, even astonishing. But they aren’t “thinking” about anything.

Selected, Not Elected - Andy Burnham Gets the Keys to No. 10

CNN Political Briefing

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

Trump Made World Cup a Stage for His Cruelty, Corruption

Instead of allowing visitors to focus on the best of America, he showed them the worst of himself.

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.

Republicans don’t want to go there again on Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims

The president pressed the GOP to embrace his latest allegations, but many candidates kept their focus on issues they see as more salient to voters.

Leftist streamer sparks online firestorm over speech to College Dems in Mao-style suit: 'They're communists'

Hasan Piker wore a Mao-style suit while addressing the 2026 College Democrats of America summer convention, generating instant outrage on social media.