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

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.

Crémieux on Fertility Collapse, Ozempic, IQ & Pit Bulls | Quillette Cetera Episode 69

Why a Victorian obscenity trial tanked the birth rate, what the wellness industry gets wrong, and the case for choosing your baby's genes — with the internet's most data-obsessed anon.

Primary takeaways: Dems’ left-center battle intensifies as Schumer takes another hit; split decision for Trump

Democratic Senate Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer suffers a second straight primary setback as Peggy Flanagan wins Minnesota's Senate nomination by 20 points.

J.K. Rowling vs. Amnesty

Is this the reckoning that human-rights NGOs have long avoided?

House Democrats seek records in dropped Reflecting Pool case against ex-Olympian

Rep. Jamie Raskin sent a letter to the Justice and Interior departments pressing for more information on the felony prosecution of David Hearn.

Tuesday's Final Word

Russia is helping China close gap with US forces amid Taiwan tensions, warns longtime military leader

Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery warns Russia is giving China submarine quieting technology that could erode a key U.S. Navy undersea advantage.

Graham and Norman Advance to Runoff in SC

Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman will face off in a runoff later this month for the South Carolina GOP Senate nomination, CBS News projects, as they vie to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

National Academy of Sciences Pulls Key Climate Chapter

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) removed a hotly debated chapter on climate science from its website.

NY Times Ignores Democrats Embrace of Antisemitism

Like a dog barking at the moon, The New York Times has spotted a fresh outbreak of anti-Muslim prejudice.

Close Trump aides — but no Cabinet officials — made secret catering truck move

The president was accompanied by some of his most loyal aides but no top administration officials as he made the clandestine move to a different plane to leave Turkey last month.

LIVE PRIMARY RESULTS: Hongin' Out In WI, and MN, SC, VT, AL, CT

FBI touts 6,000 arrests, 44% homicide drop one year into Trump's DC crime crackdown

FBI Director Kash Patel says the Washington, D.C., crime crackdown yielded over 6,000 arrests and 1,300 illegal firearm seizures in one year.

President Trump appears, and briefly stars, at his Patriot Games

The three-day athletic event in Ohio featured dodgeball, tug-of-war and a lot of praise for the president. Just don't tell anyone who won.

Minnesota House speaker Lisa Demuth wins GOP gubernatorial primary to replace Tim Walz in November

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth beat Trump-backed MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for the GOP governor nomination to replace outgoing Gov. Tim Walz.

Massachusetts Makes Way for More Death

Governor Maura Healey signed an anyplace-anytime abortion policy into law, prompting celebration in the statehouse.

WI Dems on Verge of a Comeback...But There's a Catch

The state party establishment fears Democrats are throwing away a once-in-a-generation chance at a trifecta.

Billy Bunter and the Man from Animal Farm

A look back at the 20th century’s most entertaining literary spat—one of the few such encounters that Orwell emphatically lost.

El-Sayed: Let Me Tell You Why July 4 Fireworks 'S**k'

Claire's Weekly Letter: Cowardice at Cambridge

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 Says Secret Service Ordered Air Force One Swap

Trump claims his secret plane was in more danger than the Air Force One decoy the public thought Trump was flying on.

Dems eye pick-up in Wisconsin swing district as Rep Van Orden set for rematch in key House race

Rebecca Cooke won Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, setting up a rematch with Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden this fall.

Burritogate

‘How do you think the economy is doing’ has turned into a proxy question of ‘how do you think the president’s doing?’

Paramount CEO Threatens to Exit California

The Federal Department of Time-Wasting Vendettas

Thank goodness we’ve ended all that politicization of the Department of Justice!

President Trump: Our Munitions Stockpile Is ‘Fine’ and ‘Low’

In an interview, President Trump said the current level of U.S. strategic munitions is ‘fine’ and, at the same time, ‘low.’

Rule could let parents put $2,500 into child ‘Trump accounts’ tax-free

Proposed guidance from the Treasury Department clarifies how employer and employee contributions to the new accounts would work.

Peggy Flanagan, a Progressive, Wins the Democratic Senate Primary in Minnesota

The victory by Minnesota’s lieutenant governor was the latest for the left-wing movement in the Midwest. She could become the first Native woman in the Senate.

All the Customers Are Wrong

We should discuss whether freezing eggs — and the IVF procedures that normally follow — should happen at all.

What Happened to the American University?

The American university is in crisis. Neither the public, the students, nor even the faculty believe in a system that was once the envy of the world.

National Democrats step up support for Rep. Max Miller’s opponent

The Ohio Republican denies his ex-wife’s abuse allegations, but Democratic nominee Brian Poindexter has been added to the party’s “Red to Blue” program.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Truths About Men and Women

Dark Artist

Frank Miller’s valuable new memoir explores the creative life of one of America’s most gifted writers and artists.

Don’t Blame Ukraine for Munitions Shortages

Ukraine received a sliver of what the Iran war has devoured.

Hawthorne Sisters Fight for Freedom — and Life

They are one of the religious communities fighting for their right not to have to lead their patients to suicide under our new evil law.

Three Ancient Ways of War

In a new book, Robert O’Connell situates the battlefield tactics of ancient Greek hoplites within the grand sweep of bronze-age military history.

Did You Know That the Hunter Biden Laptop Was a Jewish Conspiracy?

Nun Sense: Sometimes a Life of the Fullest Freedom Is Mistaken for Sexism

If you believe it’s sexist for a woman to have the option to give her life to God, I suspect there’s not much that can be said to convince you otherwise.

Debating AI

The development of AI may represent a giant leap for our species. But its development has been accompanied by fears of the unknown.

Trump administration to end Medicaid funding for children’s transgender care

The administration of President Donald Trump has escalated its crackdown on transgender medical care ahead of the midterm elections.

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.

The Tip of the Iceberg

The Jason Arday fiasco is a reminder why academia has developed a reputation for cowardice, careerism, and conformism in recent years.

Trump Looks for Court's Breaking Point on Birthright Citizenship

Last week, President Donald Trump issued a new executive order that purports to strip citizenship from some Americans.

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…

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…

STATE OF PLAY: Highly watched Hong race remains too close to call as progressives notch key primary wins

The Democratic Party's progressive wing faces critical tests in Upper Midwest primaries as Peggy Flanagan battles Angie Craig for Minnesota's Senate nod.

Longtime anti-Trump Dem ousted after tough primary from upstart progressive mayor

Fourteen-term Rep. John Larson faced Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and two others in a hard-fought Democratic primary centered on generational change.

Here’s the latest.

Ex-New Jersey mayor, her husband charged for using fake ballot signatures after she pleaded guilty to DUI

Gina LaPlaca and her husband Jason Carty face ballot fraud charges after allegedly using fake signatures on her Democratic primary petition in New Jersey.

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.

Why the Left Wants To Change the Rules

When the Left cannot win within the rules, it changes the rules-and when that fails, it changes the people who make them.

Mrs. Mamdani Won't Get to Take New York's Finest to Syria With Her

A Great Moral Dividing Line: Are We Human Beings, or Commodities?

See How Trump’s Secret Air Force One Swap Unfolded

The extraordinary subterfuge was aimed at protecting an American president who has been in Iran’s cross hairs for years.

Matt Little, a Progressive, Wins a Democratic House Primary in Minnesota

Mr. Little, a former mayor and state senator, beat two other candidates. He focused on promises of banning corporate money from politics and supporting Medicare for all.

Trump says Secret Service told him to switch planes because of threat

In his first public comments on the operation, the president downplayed the risks to officials and journalists who remained on Air Force One for the flight from Turkey.

Human rights groups sue Trump administration over International Criminal Court sanctions

The president signed an executive order in 2025 placing sanctions on the ICC, whose jurisdiction the U.S. does not recognize.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Russia Bans Its Last Anti-War Party

Between Iraq and a Hard Place

Amid a regional scramble to shape the “day after,” Jordan appears to be the only country without a plan of its own.

Are data centers enough to flip a key House race?

Democratic and Republican candidates nationwide are running on their opposition to data center projects.

8 Takeaways from Tuesday’s Primaries

A moderate won the closely fought Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin, the latest contest between the party’s progressive and moderate wings.

Pirro, in rare move, convenes special grand jury in Washington

Unlike typical grand juries, those designated special focus on a single case or related cases and can issue a report following their investigation.

Rebecca Cooke Wins Democratic Primary for Key Wisconsin House Seat

Ms. Cooke, a three-time congressional candidate, held a huge fund-raising edge in a western Wisconsin race that Democrats consider pivotal to their hopes of flipping the House.

Comparing Socialism with Interventionist Capitalism

Those beating the drums for utopian socialism in America could benefit from an education in real-world consequences.

The Passion of Bess McNeill

Lars von Trier’s harrowing but resplendent story of suffering and grace turns thirty this year.

Why Did Illinois Duck the DSA Wave?

Old-fashioned Chicago corruption looks better than drowning in incompetent activist government.

Margaret Brennan Exists To Speak Power to Truth

Sneering at Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the CBS journalist Margaret Brennan was engaged in mindless cultural enforcement activity.

WPATH: Our Standards of Care Are Just an Opinion

What Is the Point of Anthropology?

How a discipline lost interest in the people it was founded to understand.

Schumer dealt another blow as progressive insurgency scores win in key Senate battle

Peggy Flanagan defeated Angie Craig in Minnesota's Democratic primary, backed by Bernie Sanders and Ilhan Omar in a growing progressive proxy war.

Tyler Austin Harper's Take on Woke Campus Life is Worth a Read

Matters of Life and Death

Our attitudes toward suicide and doctor-assisted suicide are incoherent.

Cliche Alert: Return of the 'Beer Test'

The New York Times reverts to old form, thanks to a blue-party schism.

Democrats take sixth shot at ousting popular GOP governor who voted for Harris

Vermont Democrats pick their nominee to challenge Republican Gov. Phil Scott, who is seeking a sixth term as the dark-blue state's longest-serving governor.

Son-in-Law of Sean Duffy Wins G.O.P. House Primary in Northern Wisconsin

Michael Alfonso, 26, had the support of the transportation secretary and an endorsement from President Trump.

Rep. John Larson, a Longtime Lawmaker, Loses a Primary in Connecticut

In an upset, Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, won the Democratic nomination, capitalizing on calls for generational change.

Democrats demand briefing on Trump’s secret flight from Turkey

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the White House kept Congress “in the dark” about last month’s ruse to avoid an Iranian threat.

Democrats Blaming Each Other Over Fraud in Minnesota

Democrats are lashing out at fellow Democrats for one of the nation's largest cases of pandemic-era welfare fraud, theft that handed Republicans a potent example of government waste from Democratic mismanagement.

Stopping UK Migrant Inflow Going Swimmingly — 'Swimming' Being Operative Word

What Do Young People Really Want? The Suburbs

A steady job, a simple house, and a quiet life used to sound like hell to many young people. Now the old American dream is back, writes Russ Greene.

He Was Deported to Eswatini in Southern Africa. He May Never Go Free.

As the Trump administration sends a growing number of immigrants to countries they have no connection to, some find themselves imprisoned with no way out.

Democrat establishment strikes back as socialist candidate downed in battleground primary

David Crowley defeated DSA member Francesca Hong in Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, setting up a general election against Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Pentagon report reveals steep civilian toll of Trump’s Yemen campaign

The military operation was the first following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s dismantling of an office focused on mitigating unintended casualties.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Politicising the Humanities: Sociology as Case Study

Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with University of Hawaii professor Ashley Rubin, co-author of the recently published ‘Special Commission Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences’

What to Know About David Crowley, the Democratic Candidate for Wisconsin Governor

The Milwaukee County executive, who won a tight primary race against Francesca Hong early Wednesday, could become the first Black governor of Wisconsin.

Fighter Jets Intercept Aircraft Over Trump’s Patriot Games in Ohio

It was at least the fourth time that an aircraft has violated the no-fly zone near President Trump this week.

Homebuyers Deserve the Facts on Crime and Schools

Nothing is more natural when buying a house than looking into how safe the neighborhood is, and, if you have or plan to have children, whether the schools are any good.

Colombia's Turn to Shake, Rattle and Roll

Ilhan Omar on track for fifth term as Minnesota voters maintain far-left streak

Ilhan Omar faced four challengers in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District Democratic primary as affordable housing and public safety dominated.