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

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Ronna McDaniel to Newsmax: Pipe Bomb Case Ignored; Didn't Fit Narrative

Ronna McDaniel told Newsmax on Friday that federal officials failed for four years to identify the suspect accused of planting pipe bombs in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, 2021, because the case didn't fit the preferred narrative after the events of…

Judge Approves Release of Epstein Grand Jury Documents in Florida Case

A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of previously sealed testimony, after legislation passed last month authorizing the disclosure.

Trump’s Security Strategy Focuses on Profit, Not Spreading Democracy

President Trump’s new National Security Strategy describes a country that is focused on doing business and reducing migration while avoiding passing judgment on authoritarians.

Detained illegal immigrants will face $5K 'apprehension fee': Border Patrol chief

The Trump administration announced a $5,000 apprehension fee for illegal immigrants age 14 and older as part of comprehensive new border enforcement measures.

BREAKING: Federal Judge Orders Release of Original Epstein Grand Jury Transcripts

Trump: Europe Risks Being Wiped Away Unless It Changes

The fracture between the US and Europe in a relationship that has defined global politics since the second World War was crystallized in a White House national security release, which also lambasted Europe along economic and cultural lines.

The Strange Government Policies Imagined in Stranger Things

The series is fun, even though the depiction of the U.S. government and the town of Hawkins has taken a decided turn in this final season.

The Fear Taking Hold Among Indiana Republicans

“I’d rather my house not get firebombed.”

Making Cars Great Again

Trump’s recent announcement about cars ‘is a boon to the consumer for which [his administration] ought to be praised.’

New Orleans Leaders Demand Transparency in DHS Sting

New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno is demanding that federal agents change tactics during the Department of Homeland Security's immigration sting in the city dubbed "Operation Catahoula Crunch."

The Man Who Charmed the Women on The View, & Singing for the Poor in Rome

Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in The Chosen series, has managed to get into the hearts of the women of The View.

Fox News Politics Newsletter: Capitol Hill revolt threatens Trump’s Venezuela playbook

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Senator Mark Warner Complains That Trump Didn't Close Jan 6 Bomber Case Fast Enough

After Supreme Court win, GOP rushes to draw more House maps

Republicans in Indiana’s state House approved a new map that would give the GOP up to two more congressional seats. But the state Senate might not sign off on it.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Creepy Kier Starmer Campaign to Defund ZeroHedge, the Federalist and Breitbart Exposed

ICE arrests Azerbaijani national with multiple criminal convictions, including animal cruelty, arson

ICE arrested an illegal immigrant from Azerbaijan with multiple convictions, including animal cruelty and drug crimes. The suspect remains in federal custody.

Sen. Mullin to Newsmax: Minn. Fraud Systematic Failure by Dems

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told Newsmax on Friday that the Minnesota fraud scandal that has engulfed the state is a systematic failure by Gov. Tim Walz and the entire Democratic Party.

The Shutdown Is Over, but Its Damage Is Not

Its effects will linger for some time.

The New Democrat Line on Narco-Terrorists Is That They Are Just Guys Trying to Make a Living

Why Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So Convinced He’s Right?

How an outsider, once ignored by the public-health establishment, became the most powerful man in science

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…

Fmr Capitol Police Chief to Newsmax: Pipe Bomb Case Never Cold

Former U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund told Newsmax on Friday that the arrest of a suspect in the Jan. 5, 2021, pipe bomb case proves the investigation was never a cold case, crediting fresh "real police work" while raising pointed questions…

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.

Pfluger Unveils House Version of Scott's More Affordable Care Act

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, will introduce legislation in the House mirroring the More Affordable Care Act introduced by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., in the upper chamber.

Hegseth Did Not Give a ‘Kill Them All’ Order

Senior members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees were briefed by the commander and watched video of the September 2 drone strikes.

People Are Underestimating America’s Groyper Problem

Rising American anti-Semitism isn’t a foreign influence operation.

The Political Causes of Higher Education's Decline

Ideological homogeneity and radicalism on college campuses are driving away potential students.

Spare Me the Outrage

Texas AG Paxton sues EPIC City developers after probe finds alleged fraud, misleading Muslim-only marketing

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the developers behind the proposed 400-acre EPIC City, alleging illegal securities sales, misleading marketing and payouts.

Rep. Grijalva says ICE agents pepper sprayed her at Tucson restaurant raid

ICE agents deployed both tear gas and pepper balls at protesters, video obtained by The Post shows. 

Medicine at Michigan Shamefully Honors Jack Kevorkian

Too bad the magazine’s editors didn’t include a section on ‘Graduates who should be remembered in infamy,’ because that is what Kevorkian richly deserved.

Hearings reveal details of Mangione’s arrest as murder case drags on

A year after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot in New York, court hearings provide details of the arrest of Luigi Mangione, accused of killing him.

Trump fired this regulator. She’s fighting him to the Supreme Court.

As she fights to keep her seat on the Federal Trade Commission, Rebecca Slaughter has emerged as one of the primary opponents of Trump’s war on the federal workforce.

The Lesson of Minnesota's Fraud

Republicans in recent years were handed the gift of California, that collapsing paragon of climate virtue, an excellent argument for the GOP's own, better energy agenda. Their Christmas present this year is Minnesota-if the party has the wits to s…

A Brief History of Inbreeding

How kinship, culture, and genetics shaped one of humanity’s oldest taboos.

Friday's Final Word

Supreme Court Agrees to Review Trump Order Restricting Birthright Citizenship

The administration asked the justices to uphold an executive order ending birthright citizenship after lower courts ruled it violated the Constitution.

The ‘Progressive University’ vs. the Classical College

American colleges traded wisdom for credentials under the research university model, Scott Yenor argues.

Noem, in a defiant court filing, offers few details on migrant flights to El Salvador

Judge James E. Boasberg of the District of Columbia is looking into whether a criminal contempt referral is warranted after the Trump administration in March continued to fly two planeloads of mostly Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.

Former DEA CFO Under Obama Arrested for Laundering Cartel Money

What Happens When Attention Seeking Eclipses Policy Making

In the sweep of history, Marjorie Taylor Greene’s time in Congress will be a blip.

Takeaways From the TN-7 Special Election

Trafalgar Group chief pollster Robert Cahaly said Republican Matt Van Epps' nine-point margin of victory in last night's special election for Tennessee's seventh congressional district, where Trump won by 22 points last year, is a warning sign tha…

Biden says 'we're the United States of Amerigotit' in latest gaffe at DC conference

Former President Joe Biden made a gaffe in saying "United States of Amerigotit" during an LGBTQ+ conference speech in which he urged leaders to continue fighting for equality.

The New Speech Wars

At this year’s Global Free Speech Summit, there was a widespread sense that the US is at a perilous juncture.

Florida judge orders release of Epstein grand jury transcripts

Judge Rodney Smith said legislation calling on officials to release unclassified investigatory materials enables him to unseal the transcripts.

How Antisemitism Returned: From Medieval Europe to the Free Palestine Protests

Why is antisemitism resurging? Why has support for Hamas taken hold on Western campuses? And how do Qatar, media narratives, and fading Holocaust memory feed today’s crisis?

The Supreme Court, Once Wary of Partisan Gerrymandering, Goes All In

The court’s conservative majority said that Texas’ asserted political motives justified letting the state use voting maps meant to disadvantage Democrats in the midterms.

Laid-Off Ed Dept Staff Return to Clear Civil Rights Backlog

The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of Education Department staffers who were slated to be laid off, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families.

Chi Ossi Drops Early Bid to Challenge Rep. Jeffries

A New York City council member announced he will be ending his bid to primary House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

The Conned Artist

David Mamet’s new polemic is filled with muddled prose and muddled thought.

Minn. House Speaker to Newsmax: Omar's Spin on Fraud Fools No One

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican candidate for governor, told Newsmax on Friday that she is "not buying" Rep. Ilhan Omar's explanation for how a welfare scheme in Minneapolis grew to roughly $1 billion, blaming Gov. Tim Walz and o…

The Operator

Josh Shapiro has spent his life preparing to lead an America that might no longer exist.

Ken Paxton to Newsmax: Supreme Court Correct to Affirm Texas Map

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told Newsmax Friday that the Supreme Court's decision upholding Texas' redrawn congressional map affirms that states can draw districts for partisan reasons - something he said Democrats have long done in states t…

Running Out of Time, Republicans in Congress Still Lack a Health Plan

Top Republicans have said they want to produce a proposal in short order to counter Democrats pressing for an extension of health care subsidies. They have not gotten far.

War and Peace by Donald Trump

Never mind that Donald Trump is threatening to bomb land targets in Venezuela, recently called Somali immigrants "garbage," warned some Democrats committed seditious behavior "punishable by death" and his White House is denying allegations of a wa…

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…

Too Much Gilbert

The author of ‘Eat Pray Love’ has returned with a new memoir, which features all the usual problems with her writing writ large.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Hidden in Plain Sight

How sex abuse has gone undetected inside Australia’s childcare sector.

The $7,500 Self-Deportation

The Trump administration is spending millions to entice people to leave.

Memo to Blue State Attorneys General and Activist Judges: Let Women Have the Choice to Be Helped

Women deserve better than abortion, and America is better than abortion.

Judge Rules Trump Exceeded Authority by Holding Deportees at Guantánamo

Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan stopped short of ordering the shuttering of the detention operation. But a lawyer for the challengers said they would soon seek a closure order.

Netflix Aims for Entertainment Domination

Fewer streaming options, or a streaming landscape where two of the three largest outlets have the same corporate parent, likely means a continuation of the price hikes that we're already seeing.

The Bubble-Wrapped President

Trump surrounds himself with those who flatter him in places where he is comfortable.

Lots of Oil, Little Production: What to Know About Venezuelan Energy

The South American country increasingly at odds with the Trump administration has the world’s largest oil reserves.

Russian Lies Won’t Bring Peace

The latest Russian “peace proposal” is a set of demands designed to enable a complete Russian takeover of Ukraine, which would otherwise be impossible to achieve.

Candace Owens Ducks the Livestream, Kash Patel Says Tyler Robinson Did It

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.

Pardoned Rep. Cuellar Wants GOP to Probe His Prosecutors

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who was recently pardoned for federal bribery charges, is calling on House Republicans to investigate the prosecutors who brought the case against him.

Supreme Court Rightly Keeps the Texas Republican Gerrymander for 2026

It’s not the Court’s job to impose rules that Congress hasn’t written. Under the rules we have, there’s no legal reason to delay the use of the new Texas map.

Republicans Are in Trouble, but Democrats Could Blow It

Last night’s Tennessee special election gave both Democrats and Republicans something to worry about.

Kiev Shouldn't Get U.S. Security Guarantees

Fighting Russia over Ukraine isn't remotely in America's interests.

As Bongino Celebrates Arrest in Pipe Bomb Case, Others on the Right Remain Skeptical

Some activists have lashed out, in a reprise of the backlash over the unsuccessful effort by Trump appointees to shut down the Epstein investigation.

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 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.

How Foreign Funding Is Shaping Australia’s Energy Debate | Quillette Cetera Ep. 58

From offshore funding networks to the economic costs of unreliable renewables, this episode explores how Australia’s energy policy has been shaped by overseas interests—and what’s at stake if the country doesn’t change course.

Trump signs off on nationwide vaccine schedule review as CDC withdraws infant hep B guidance: 'Fast track'

President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social Friday he signed a memorandum to review the 72-vaccine schedule required for all American children from infancy onward.

MAHA Activists Urge Trump to Fire Lee Zeldin at the E.P.A.

As head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin has weakened protections against toxic chemicals, say members of the MAHA movement.

SCOTUS Must Reinstate U.S Attorneys Habba and Halligan

Supreme Court faces separation of powers battle as lower courts block Trump's interim U.S. attorney appointments, challenging executive authority.

Quentin Tarantino Just Rescued Your Dad’s Favorite Movie

Black Hawk Down, QT’s No. 1 pick, carries an ancient, pre-ironic conviction that courage and loyalty are enduring moral goods.

Library Agency Reinstates Grants Canceled by Trump Administration

The Institute of Museum and Library Services restored the funding after a federal court ruled that moves to dismantle the agency were unlawful.

Podcast #315: Marriage and Divorce in America

Managing Editor Iona Italia talks to sociologist Nicholas Wolfinger about trends in marriage, divorce, and maternity in the US from the 1950s to the present day.

Tim Walz slams Trump for calling Minnesota’s Somali community 'garbage': 'Unprecedented'

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz slams President Donald Trump for calling the state's Somali community "garbage," saying such remarks are unprecedented for a president.

Can AI and Society As We Know It Coexist?

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.

Top Climate Change Study Retracted for Major Data Flaws

Authors of a widely cited study projecting catastrophic economic losses from what they described as man-made climate change have retracted their report after discovering major data errors that undermined its conclusions.

It's Still Hard to Build Things in the US

Delighting in Certain Violence: Guarding Our Souls in the 2025 USA

Do we like violence against supposed ‘garbage’ people? What does that mean for our souls?

Too Good to Check: Dems Dumping Climate Change – in CA?

Why Donald Trump Seems Taken With Zohran Mamdani

The president likes winners. And the mayor-elect proved he can charm a foe.

Trump wants to be known as a peacemaker while frequently threatening war

The president talks frequently of his desire for more peace. He also likes talking like a warmonger.

Under RFK Jr., U.S. Vaccine Policy Arrives at a ‘Defining Moment’

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be only beginning to put his stamp on American immunization policy.

The Most Terrible Sentence Ever Uttered

What will become of us if given a financial incentive to avoid reconciling political disputes?

A Criminal Cartel Runs Venezuela, and It's Targeting U.S.

Maria Corina Machado won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless fight to restore freedom in Venezuela and defeat the authoritarian regime of Nicolas Maduro.

More Vaccine Fearmongering

By spreading unproven claims that Covid-19 vaccines caused the deaths of children, Trump's FDA continues to undermine public trust in vaccines, with disturbing implications for the health of Americans.

ICE operation in Minneapolis arrests seven 'worst of the worst' criminal illegal aliens

Federal immigration officials target the "worst of the worst" criminals in Minneapolis as the Trump administration ramps up deportation efforts nationwide.

Marine Veteran of Iraq War Is Chosen to Lead Guantánamo Defense Teams

Col. Jonathan Vaughn, who joined the corps before 9/11, was selected as judges return to Guantánamo Bay.

Who is Adm. Frank Bradley, commander in the boat strike controversy?

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has distanced himself from the fallout from the strike, which killed 11, as Bradley has come under scrutiny.

Pipe Bomb Suspect Arrested Using No 'New Information'

The FBI solved the Jan. 6 pipe bombs case using no new evidence, raising questions about why the Biden-era bureau never cracked it.

Appeals Court Sides With President Trump in Firing of Board Members

Peace Deal Stumbles Again Over Inevitable Obstacle: Putin

Russian leader's rejection of latest peace proposal was predictable and shows the Kremlin continues to hold the trump card

FAA investigates airlines for potential flight cut compliance violations during government shutdown

The FAA is launching an investigation into airline protocol during the government shutdown, threatening $75,000 fines per violation and giving carriers 30 days to prove compliance.

Do You Read The Lifeline?

You can receive The Lifeline newsletter in your inbox.

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.

‘We Are Looking at a Massive Crisis’

Health-care costs are about to spike in a way that Americans can’t afford.

FBI Arrests Suspect in Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Case

Federal agents on Thursday arrested a Virginia man suspected of planting pipe bombs near the headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican national committees in Washington the night before the Jan. 6, 2021, riots, a long-awaited breakthrough…

When Donald Trump Fired David Rubenstein

The private-equity billionaire spent decades building influence in the capital. Then his philanthropy collided with the president.

Supreme Court will hear case on Trump’s ban on birthright citizenship

The Trump administration asked the justices to take up the case on an expedited basis in September after lower courts found the policy unconstitutional and blocked it.

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…

Meet the billionaire pushing taxpayer-funded school vouchers

How one of the richest people on the planet presses his pet issue: school choice

Video shows second strike hit before survivors could flip boat, lawmakers say

The footage was shown on Capitol Hill, where Adm. Frank M. Bradley, who oversaw a deadly attack on alleged drug smugglers, faced a day of difficult questions about the operation.

Embryo Selection: A Guide for the Curious

A look at the process, history, and ethics of a potentially revolutionary new technology.

Democrats press for expanding inquiry into Caribbean boat strike

Republican leaders have neither ruled out nor committed to launching a fuller investigation after revelations that U.S. forces killed two survivors of the attack.

Democrats reveal whether they believe US citizens or drug boat traffickers are more important

Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill were asked whether they believe U.S. citizen victims or drug traffickers were more important to them..

Melania Trump gives uplifting message about Santa to young kids at hospital

The first lady visited sick children at a Washington, D.C.-area hospital Friday for a heartwarming Christmas celebration, sharing hugs and holiday wishes with patients.

Podcast #314: A Gay Author’s Escape from Cults, Drugs, Queer Radicalism, and ‘Scrupulosity’

Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with writer Ben Appel about his new memoir, ‘Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.’

DHS fires back after Dem lawmaker claims she was 'pushed aside and pepper sprayed' during ICE raid

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin fires back at Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva’s claim that she was pepper-sprayed during an immigration raid near a Tucson restaurant.

AMA: CDC Panel Shift on Hepatitis B 'Reckless'

A trustee with the American Medical Association on Friday condemned a federal advisory panel's decision to end its long-standing recommendation that all U.S. newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.