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

Beatles Album 'Revolver' Still Leaves the Rest Behind

It's hard to believe this summer marks six decades since the Beatles, the greatest of pop-rock bands, released the album that truly catapulted them to that title. And I'm not talking about Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

WNBA Is Looking at Ten Million Buckeroos in Diversity Cash to Man Up or Shut Up

Trump Seeks a Boost for Hemp That Would Benefit a Top Aide’s Family

At the White House’s request, senators tucked a change sought by the hemp industry into a crucial spending bill. It would benefit the son-in-law of Susie Wiles, the president’s chief of staff.

Trump's Reflecting Pool Fiasco

Jeanine Pirro faced a choice that all President Donald Trump's team members confront sooner or later: Do they live in his world, or the real one?

Exclusive: Grieving mom reveals deadly cost of illegal immigration as daughter's killer seeks parole

Angel Mom Kathy Hall recounts the night an illegal immigrant's speeding truck killed her 18-year-old daughter Hailey King in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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.

The Passion of Bess McNeill

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

Suspected Iran Cyberattacks on U.S. Water Supply Follow Years of Warnings and Neglect

Federal and state officials are racing to address an assault on the nation’s water supply that they believe is the work of Iranian hackers.

Republicans move to oust embattled Florida GOP lawmaker in bitter primary fight

Reps. Cory Mills, Chuck Edwards and Max Miller face misconduct allegations that now threaten GOP control of Congress heading into midterms. Edwards has dropped his campaign.

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.

Tennessee’s Republican governor endorses challenge to sitting GOP congressman

Gov. Bill Lee just endorsed against Trump-backed Rep. Andy Ogles, a fellow Republican, ahead of the Thursday election.

El-Sayed vs. Rogers in Michigan?

Tuesday, August 4th on RealClearPolitics - Joined by Jim Peyser, Fmr. Massachusetts Secretary of Education and Senior Advisor at Bellwether Education Partner

Hasan Piker Declares Socialism the ‘Real America First’ Movement at El-Sayed Victory Party

The leftist streamer talks to National Review about his socialist vision.

Will This Year’s Midterms Look Like 2006 All Over Again?

This year’s U.S. House elections may not result in a 30-seat wave as happened 20 years ago, but they could still be really rough for the GOP.

Dana Bash Exposes the Failures of U.S. Journalism

CNN's Dana Bash set out to ridicule RFK Jr. on State of the Union. Instead, Kennedy's barrage of facts exposed the failures of legacy journalism.

Why did the polls miss so badly in Michigan?

Polls overestimated Abdul El-Sayed’s lead by 12 percentage points. That isn't unusual for statewide primary contests.

El-Sayed campaign backed by over $100,000 from dozens of members of group with alleged terror ties

Abdul El-Sayed's Senate campaign collected over $115,000 from CAIR officials and leaders, including an executive who praised Hamas on Oct. 7.

Democrats Want ID for Groceries--But Not for Voting?

Mamdani wants ID for city-run grocery stores-but opposes it for voting. See how this contradiction is exposing a glaring flaw in liberal arguments against Voter ID.

We're Waging War on Fraud. Congress Can Help

Every dollar stolen by a criminal is a dollar that fails to reach the Americans who need it. Our children lose services, and senior citizens go without care. Honest businesses miss critical opportunities to hire up and serve their communities.

Controversial socialist chef flip-flops on abolish the police, says she’s ‘serious about public safety’

Francesca Hong now says she is "serious about public safety" after previously calling to defund and abolish the police in her 2020 tweets.

Schumer claims victory as Senate moves to avert shutdown; GOP says he got played

The Senate advanced a continuing resolution unanimously, but Republicans and Democrats clashed over whether the deal blocks Trump's federal grants rule.

Democrats Rushing to Embrace 'Big Tent,' Throwing Their Baby to the Wolves

Senate confirms new CDC director as diarrhea-causing parasite outbreak sweeps US

Dr. Erica Schwartz was confirmed as CDC director along party lines amid concerns over whether she would stand up to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccines.

Blanche Defends Pirro but Says Trump Can Fire Her at Any Time

The head of the Justice Department praised the U.S. attorney in Washington after her tense meeting with the president.

The ‘Autonomous Zones’ Are Back

Protesters in Madison, Wis., reprise CHAZ.

FBI Opened Criminal Investigation of Trump for Firing Comey

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.

This chaplain may become first trans person elected to Michigan legislature

Joanna Whaley is favored to win the heavily Democratic district in November.

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.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Why there’s so much heat on Anthony Fauci right now

Public health experts have a few theories.

Secret FBI probe cast Trump as possible Russian asset after Comey firing, memos show

Declassified FBI memos reveal the bureau opened a counterintelligence probe codenamed "Oxferd Comma" after Trump fired James Comey in 2017.

Mamdani's New Tax Sounded Simple. That Was Deception

The pied-a-terre tax targets far more than billionaires, potentially hitting nearly 1 million New York City homeowners and crashing condo prices.

Tlaib moves to block ICE airport arrests, says TSA helping target immigrants

Rashida Tlaib's bill would block ICE and Border Patrol from accessing TSA passenger screening data, travel records and data broker information.

Michigan Senate primary shows Democratic establishment has lost its grip

The upset highlighted how out of touch the power brokers are with the party's surging left wing as they try to retake control of the Senate.

California Democratic Party Backs the Wealth Tax

Takeaways from a big primary night in Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and more

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's hotly contested Democratic Senate primary. Democratic ideological battles ended in mixed results in House primaries.

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…

Senate Confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz as C.D.C. Director

Dr. Schwartz, a deputy surgeon general in the first Trump administration, has publicly supported childhood vaccines.

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. 

My Friend Dovie and New York’s Assisted-Suicide Cruelty

The law allowing assisted suicide takes effect today in the Empire State.

Takeaways From the Primary Elections in Michigan

Dr. Abdul El-Sayed narrowly prevailed over Representative Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary for Senate in Michigan, setting up a nervy race to November for the party.

How El-Sayed won the contentious Michigan Senate Democratic primary

Abdul El-Sayed won with a populist platform buoyed by voter discontent with establishment Democrats and Israel.

When Polling Errors Aren’t Random

It’s easier for pollsters to locate upscale voters and college students, who favor certain kinds of candidates.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

The Migrant Industrial Complex Has Swung Into Action in Ceuta

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…

Why Congress Wants a Closer U.S.-Israel Defense Partnership

A proposal making its way through Congress would integrate the U.S. and Israeli defense and intelligence apparatuses more tightly. Some worry that it is a bad idea.

Political newcomer seeks to unseat twin of Trump impeachment foe in swing Virginia district

Three GOP political newcomers battled it out in Virginia 7th Congressional District to challenge Rep. Eugene Vindman, twin brother of Trump impeachment witness Alexander Vindman.

Cori Bush Bet It All on Israel and Lost

The former representative’s fixation on the Jewish state’s malign omnipotence is sincere. And Missouri voters don’t share it.

Michigan's Socialist Shocker: Still Too Close to Call? UPDATE: Finally Called

Cost of Trump’s Namesake Warships Likely to Rise by 50 Percent or More

President Trump’s goal of building a “golden fleet” of 15 battleships could cost $275 billion, according to a government estimate

Common Misrepresentation

The common good is a collective project, one we take on within a complex system of government, with separated powers.

An Additional Word on the Common Good Debate

I stand by my original insistence on the importance of clarity.

Not a Blowout, But El-Sayed Won. Get Behind Him, Dems

Coming into Election Day, Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary was widely expected. A blowout seemed possible.

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…

El-Sayed Won Narrowly but Cori Bush Lost Badly in Missouri

Bad News for Democrats in Michigan

Men Without Meaning

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

Tuesday's Final Word

El-Sayed’s Coalition Is More Highly Educated and White Than He Lets On

Unlike influencers like Hasan Piker, working-class voters mostly showed up to support Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary.

Did Another Assassin Try Teeing Up a Hit on Trump?

El-Sayed’s Michigan Senate Primary Win Sets Up the Left’s Biggest Test of the Fall

Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate candidacy poses a critical challenge for Democrats’ ascendant progressive wing: Can an insurgent candidate, with unabashedly liberal positions, win a general election in a moderate state?

Can Abdul El-Sayed Unify Michigan Democrats Ahead of the General Election?

His close margin of victory may point to challenges ahead.

White House pushes 'watershed' fraud-fighting reform in Congress as Vance convenes task force

Vice President JD Vance participated in an anti-fraud task force roundtable event on Wednesday, proposing reforms to help crackdown on fraud.

Abortion Foes Backed Ballot Measures in 2 Red States. Voters Said No.

Voters in Kansas rejected a proposal to start electing Supreme Court justices, while Missourians declined to make it harder to amend the State Constitution.

Trump-endorsed candidate loses to Michigan man who dropped out of race

Thomas J. Smith suspended his campaign for Michigan’s 8th District. Yet he is projected to beat Amir Hassan, a rival backed by the president.

Democrats ask Interior watchdog to investigate response to Reflecting Pool damage

Sens. Whitehouse and Heinrich say the inspector general must probe the agency’s internal documents after Justice Department officials said Interior concealed information about damage to the pool’s renovations.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Truths About Men and Women

We’ve Survived Ray Bradbury’s Nuclear Holocaust

‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ is a cautionary tale for the 21st century.

Int'l Media: New MOU an IRGC 'Deal on the Sly' with Oman?

Fauci Put His Pardon in Jeopardy

By choosing the Fifth, Fauci may have abandoned his pardon and opened himself to criminal prosecution for any crimes during the pardon period.

Win for El-Sayed a Loss for Democrats?

Abdul El-Sayed beat Haley Stevens in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary. Now he faces a harder test against a strong Republican candidate.

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.

CNN Political Briefing

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

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.

Rep. Edwards drops competitive reelection bid after House censure recommendation

An Ethics Committee report detailed “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” by the North Carolina Republican toward two young female staffers.

It's OK To Dream of a Blue Texas

The Lone Star State has drifted rightward since the heyday of Ann Richards and Lloyd Bentsen. But every once in a while, you're allowed to get your hopes up.

Republican who reportedly dropped out defeats Trump's pick in key swing-district primary

Trump-endorsed Amir Hassan lost the Republican primary in Michigan's 8th District to Thomas J. Smith, who will now face Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet.

U.S. Cuts Ties With Organ Donor Group After Reports of Abuses

The federal government is ending its contract with a Kentucky nonprofit that it says pressured medical workers to remove organs from patients who were getting better.

Dem drops US Senate bid, leaving independent candidate as lone challenger to incumbent GOP Sen Mike Rounds

Democratic Senate candidate Julian Beaudion dropped out of the South Dakota race, leaving only GOP Sen. Mike Rounds and independent challenger Brian Bengs in the contest.

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.

Democrats turn out big in Michigan gubernatorial primary

About 1.5 million voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary for governor compared with about 930,000 in the Republican primary, as of midday Wednesday.

The Left’s Abuse of American History

An absurd essay in the New York Times denouncing the use of ‘Civil War’ for the American Civil War is a sign of a larger crisis in the uses of history.

Muslim Americans Celebrate Abdul El-Sayed’s Win in Michigan Primary

Muslim voters from across the country said they felt hope and anxiety as Dr. El-Sayed moved closer to becoming the nation’s first Muslim senator.

Hasan Piker's Healing MI Outreach: 'You Are All Unbelievably Islamophobic Pieces of S***'

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’

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.

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.

Speaker Johnson says Ethics Committee should carry out Max Miller investigation

The Ohio Republican congressman has faced calls to drop his reelection bid over domestic abuse allegations.

Tackling ‘Corporate Greed’ the Old-Fashioned Way

So, which country is taking such bold steps to tackle greedflation? Let’s just say the story comes from the Moscow Times.

What To Make of Michigan's Dem Senate Primary

Abdul El-Sayed's apparent victory is a big win for the left - but a disaster for polling and a case study in poor expectations management.