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

What Graham's Funeral Revealed About the World

It was Lindsey Graham's last political act: bringing leaders of two of his great causes, Israel and Ukraine, back before President Donald Trump.

Are Democrats Worried About Their Antisemitism Problem?

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…

Former Officials Protest U.S. Plan to Defund Pan American Health Organization

The group of former health and national security officials warned that Americans will be more vulnerable to infectious disease threats.

Trump’s claims of election interference in doubt after release of declassified intelligence

Declassified evidence points to Beijing seeking personal data for espionage, not election interference.

Unforgivable Means Just That

Did Florida's AG Just Let Fauci's Fifth Off the Hook?

The Grift at the Gate

The Grift Industrial Complex targeted Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey—and got buried.

What's Next in Iran?

Iran's rulers are not playing to win the war today-they are playing to survive long enough to fight another one tomorrow.

Winter May Be Coming, Again

Europe’s LNG storage tanks are only about 50 percent full, a very low level at a time when it needs to be preparing for winter.

U.S. Government Mislabels Map of African Countries at AIDS Conference

Nigeria, a coastal country in western Africa, was landlocked in the Sahara, among other errors. The department said it had been “hastily altered.”

Online fury erupts as conservatives recall ’insane’ COVID-19 lockdown policies after Fauci takes the Fifth

Anthony Fauci pleaded the Fifth 111 times at a Senate hearing as conservatives resurfaced viral videos of COVID lockdown arrests and mask mandates.

Dem senator swipes credit for bill he opposed amid heated reelection bid: 'Disturbing pattern'

Jon Ossoff touted Georgia military construction wins at Fort Benning and Fort Stewart despite voting against the bill that funded those improvements.

Spain Is Being Invaded Right Now

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…

Men Without Meaning

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

Why Democrats Won’t Stop Forcing Votes On Trump’s Iran War Powers

Even after winning approval of a measure calling on President Trump to end the war, they continue to call votes to force Republicans to answer for it.

What to know about Republican lame ducks defying Trump over Blanche nomination

GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) are leaving the Senate after this year.

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.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Florida AG threatens Fauci investigation after Senate hearing

James Uthmeier says his office is launching a Florida investigation into Anthony Fauci after the former NIAID director invoked the Fifth Amendment.

Conservatives mock Talarico for gushing over Fauci doll in resurfaced Christmas post

James Talarico's 2021 post celebrating a Fauci action figure resurfaced as Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times before Congress.

Wednesday's Final Word

Sen Darline Graham drops campaign video on heels of brother's funeral services amid tight primary timeline

Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, dropped a campaign video in her run for U.S. Senate with President Donald Trump's endorsement.

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.

The Dam Begins to Crack on Interest Rates

At the next Federal Reserve meeting, it may break.

Iran Is Winning? Don't Be So Sure

President Trump has not only ended, by his own count, eight wars in his second term. After the current pause in the latest series of American military strikes against Iran, Mr. Trump can also claim to have ended one war at least three times. There…

Ireland's Antisemitism Crisis with Rachel Moiselle | Quillette Cetera Episode 68

Activist Rachel Moiselle on why a country with 3,000 Jews obsesses over Israel, how antizionism became a faith, and the cost of speaking out.

Talarico: Everything I Needed to Know About Christianity I Learned From ...

The 82% Winner Sitting on the Senate Floor

Senate Republicans must cancel recess and pass SAVE America Act proof of citizenship requirements supported by 82% of all voters.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

The WNBA Is Run by Numbskulls

Political Theater at Its Most Satisfying

I’m not above enjoying this.

'Worst of the Worst' judges are sabotaging Trump's immigration agenda, top DHS official says

DHS General Counsel James Percival names federal judges he says are engaging in judicial activism to block Trump's immigration and deportation agenda.

Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn $83 million verdict in E. Jean Carroll case

Trump’s attorneys asserted a 2024 high court decision granting presidents sweeping immunity for actions taken in office shields him from liability in the case.

The European Forest Fires

After Claiming ‘Bias’ at Smithsonian, Trump Officials Stage Patriotic Exhibition

Trump officials have promised to “make visual arts great,” with a museum exhibition that includes artwork by several people with personal connections to the planners.

Judiciary Committee Vote on Blanche AG Nomination Postponed

Senators Cornyn and Tillis continue to hold out for a formal rescission of the ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund,’ intensifying the DOJ’s dilemma.

Conservatives tout Biden tapes as proof of his decline. The audio is more nuanced.

Audio of Joe Biden's interviews with a ghostwriter in 2016 and 2017 show him referencing classified materials and occasionally struggling to recall details.

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.

Trump’s Tariff Exemptions Include Diamonds, Oil and Gas, Copper and Other Items

A new round of tariff carve-outs has raised familiar questions about who should receive the lucrative exceptions, and why.

U.S. Sees Iran as Likely Behind Cyberattack on Minnesota Water Systems

Investigators cautioned that the assessment was preliminary. There were no indications that any water supply had been rendered unsafe to drink.

Trump Says He May Drop Blanche’s Attorney General Nomination, for Now

President Trump’s threat followed a day of fruitless negotiations with two Republican holdouts, Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis.

Firing Fauci

Trump had enormous discretion over Fauci’s role. There was nothing inevitable about Fauci’s becoming the face of the federal government’s Covid-19 response.

Senate Committee Approves Measure to Block Trump’s Effort to Gut Education Dept.

The bipartisan bill is a long way from becoming law, but it represents the strongest opposition yet from Congress to the administration’s agenda.

Mamdani’s Main Opponent

The New York Times profiles Reihan Salam, head of the Manhattan Institute.

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.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Hormuz and Homer

Trump pushes F-35 sale to Turkey, but his own State Department says Erdoğan hasn't met legal requirements

A State Department letter to Congress confirms Turkey has not met legal conditions for the F-35, despite Trump's promise to lift sanctions on Ankara.

A Government Admitting a Mistake Is the Hardest Thing in the World

Deportation Helps Make Affordability Possible

Mass deportation is not just border policy. It is affordability policy - and more fundamentally, it is a restoration of the basic bargain between the American government and American families.

Capital culture war heats up as GOP lawmaker targets DC schools over Old Glory snub

Sen. Ashley Moody's PLEDGE Act would require American flags and daily Pledge of Allegiance recitation in every Washington, D.C., school classroom.

COVID Origins Coverup Was Fauci's First and Highest Priority

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.

Our Iran Policy Is Completely Adrift at This Point

We have a war that our people and our allies don’t want to support.

Mamdani says New York doesn’t have authority to arrest Netanyahu, urges feds to act

The mayor had said the city might enforce a warrant against the Israeli leader, drawing Democratic criticism. On Tuesday, he urged the U.S. government to do so.

Erica Schwartz, Trump’s Nominee for C.D.C. Director, Advances to Full Senate Vote

A vote to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz, who has publicly supported childhood vaccines, will take place in the full Senate.

Fairfax Schools Spend How Much on Lawyers?

In just seven years, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has spent nearly $60 million on lawyers.

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…

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.

'Heavy Wave' of Strikes: Will This (Finally) Be Infrastructure Week?

Pleading the Fifth Doesn't Spare Fauci

He claims his Senate hearing was a witch hunt designed to entrap him. But his record convicts him on its own.

Too Much Foreign Influence in American Higher Education

We should be concerned.

A ‘Zombie Court’ for Terror Cases Awakens

Dormant for 30 years, a little-known tribunal is hearing its first case.

Kamala Harris' new $8M mansion is in a neighborhood with virtually no Black residents

Kamala Harris' $8 million Malibu mansion sits in a census tract that is 94% White and 0.2% Black, despite her career fighting racial bias in housing.

Elon Musk Plans at Least $100 Million in Midterm Spending to Help Republicans

Elon Musk, a year after a huge blowup with President Trump and the Republican Party, is said to be planning to spend in at least eight states to help them in November.

El-Sayed Lost in 2018. It Set Him Up for 2026

I covered Abdul El-Sayed when he ran for governor and lost. Here's how he and the landscape have changed.

Fauci’s Treatment at Republican Hands Retraumatizes Politico

The incivility that Fauci experienced from Congress pales before the Covid era’s many affronts to liberty.

They See Dead People

Following on false claims that 215 child corpses were discovered in western Canada, a First Nations chief claims that Indigenous people can communicate with departed spirits.

Devine on Fauci

The initial populist calls to ‘Fire Fauci’ came as early as April 2020

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.

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.

Fauci’s Great Enabler

Trump had all the power he needed to dismiss Fauci. He just chose to run his administration dysfunctionally.

Adults are Responsible for How They Use AI

Conservatives are accustomed to arguing that the instruments of harm are not responsible for harm. This principle extends to AI tools as well.

House panel demands classified briefings on noncitizen voting, alleged Chinese election interference

Rep. Bryan Steil demands classified DHS briefings on noncitizen voting and cyber vulnerabilities in voting systems ahead of November midterms.

War powers resolution fails as Senate Republicans stand by Trump on Iran

Senate Republicans blocked another war powers resolution as munitions dwindle and Sen. Bill Cassidy draws a hard line on ground troops in Iran.

We Can't Fix Schools Without Data

At a time when both US parties paint the other as a threat to the country's future, both are ignoring one of the gravest threats of all: student achievement levels that are abysmally low.

Obama Fathered Today's Marxist Democrats

There is no war between radicals and moderates; it's simply a battle over which radicals will rule the party Obama created.

Trump Suggests Thune's Future as Senate Leader Is in Doubt

The majority leader offered a rather pointed reminder that the president doesn't get to choose the party's Senate leader - Senate Republicans do.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Lies Al Gore Told Me

It was just another day in school in the sweltering heat of suburban South Florida. Upon our return from afternoon recess, our fifth-grade teacher treated us to a documentary written and presented by former Vice President Al Gore.

Federal judge blocks DOJ access to NJ voter rolls amid statewide controversy

District Judge Zahid Quraishi blocked the Justice Department from accessing New Jersey's unredacted voter registration list, citing privacy concerns.

The Oldest Tradition in Art

Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, shot entirely on IMAX cameras, is the newest chapter in an old story: technological innovation creating new forms of art.

Deborah Birx Was Never Pardoned

On the Brink Again

A collapsed ceasefire has pushed America and Iran back towards full-scale war over the Strait of Hormuz. Now Trump must decide whether to finish the job or give Tehran one more chance.

For Museum Boss Who Became a Trump Target, It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again

Kim Sajet left as director of the National Portrait Gallery when she found herself in the White House cross hairs. Now she’s watching another Smithsonian chief go through it.