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

Key American industry seeing blue-collar jobs boom as Trump's re-shoring policies pay off

First on Fox: A CEA report says 72,000 manufacturing jobs were added in 2026 as reshoring and tariff policies reversed Biden-era offshoring.

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…

Life in The Grim Old Days

Chelsea Follett's new history shows how wretched life was before the industrial revolution, but our escape from it began long before the steam engine.

A Modest Proposal for the Purification of California History

In time, we may discover that no city, mountain, river, civilization, or human being has a sufficiently spotless history to merit commemoration.

Senate Fact Finders Decry Costs of Immigrant Detention at Guantánamo

The setup has cost more than $100 million, the study said. A recent inspection found nearly 450 government employees and zero detainees.

Fort Hood Shooter’s Execution Could Face Challenge in Federal Courts

Legal experts say the former Army officer convicted in a 2009 mass shooting could face a narrow, rushed path to appeal a public execution by firing squad.

These lawmakers want to head off a potential post-election crisis

A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to avert a constitutional crisis, where Republicans don't seat Democrats, if they win the chamber.

Time to End Democrats' Lynch-Law Justice for College Boys

She Got the Nobel Prize for Hating Israel; UPDATE: Elisa Wiesel Condemns

Inside the Republican Fight To Hold Alaska

Donald Trump won Alaska by 13 points in the 2024 presidential election. That same election, Democrat Mary Peltola lost her congressional seat to a Republican. Just two years later, Peltola is neck-and-neck against a Republican incumbent, turning o…

Claire’s Weekly Letter: The Comforts of Catastrophe

We start the week with a hilarious essay from Julie Bindel, who recounts her days as a feminist activist in 1980s Britain. Explaining that hypochondria and performative disability are nothing new in these circles, Bindel puts the fragility of toda…

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…

Barbarism for the Modern Day

A livestreamed execution would be a new low of the modern age.

Socialists set sights on the ground floor of government as GOP warns of bigger plan unfolding

At least 65 Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates are contesting state legislature seats, pushing defund police and reparations agendas.

Texas Senate nominee James Talarico reappears after multi-day absence

The Democrat’s campaign said he was recovering from the flu, while Republicans tried to make his absence seem suspicious.

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.

Somali Leaders Blame America for Somali Gang Violence

Supreme Court climate case could bankrupt oil companies, send gas prices soaring, experts warn

Energy experts warn the Supreme Court's Suncor v. Boulder case could trigger thousands of climate liability lawsuits that raise gas prices.

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.

Trump Casts Himself as Columbus’s Protector in Pitch to Italian Americans

President Trump sought to inject the Genoese explorer into the current political conversation.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Why former Republican governors are backing a Democrat for Senate in a red state

Adam Hamilton, the Democratic Senate candidate in Kansas, is running as a centrist rather than a hyper-partisan and needs Republican votes to win the race.

PEN America Uses a Shoddy Methodology . . . Again

It is absurd to suggest that a restriction or temporary inaccessibility amounts to a ‘ban.’

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.

Time to Blast Strasbourg?

In Deep-Red Kansas, a Surprisingly Competitive Senate Race Takes Shape

Adam Hamilton wants to be the first Democrat to win a Senate seat there in nearly 100 years.

Payback Time for Steven Galloway

As the former UBC professor exacts apologies and legal settlements from his accusers, Brad Cran offers a personal account of the collateral damage that the decade-long saga inflicted on the Canadian literary community.

Who is Sally Yates? Cornell rape-review pick was fired by Trump after refusing to defend travel ban

Sally Yates, fired by Trump as acting attorney general in 2017, will now lead Cornell University's independent review of sexual assault policies.

Fetterman plays political maverick, but his voting record tells another story

John Fetterman votes with Democrats a majority of the time, yet his Israel stance and Republican friendships fuel intense party-switch speculation.

We’ll Screen the Execution, Too: The Firing Squad on Live Stream

The death of human beings is not for show. Is this for our entertainment?

Economic Pain and an Unpopular Trump Put G.O.P. on its Heels With Three Weeks to Go

Inflation has hurt Americans at many levels: Farmers, truckers, consumers. It has also expanded the electoral map into what was safely Republican country just a few months ago.

Ignore the Haters, Look at Facts of Trump's Record

Trump... rescued the Panama Canal from China, liberated Venezuela, peacefully secured Greenland to protect the Western Hemisphere, and especially his ongoing commitment to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never possess a nuclear weapon.

Trump fumes at ‘stain’ on Norway after missing out on Nobel Peace Prize

The president described the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay as “disgraceful and embarrassing” and said he would “not forget.”

America's truckers issue dire warning as soaring diesel costs threaten 'domino effect'

Truckers say diesel at $6.32 per gallon is slashing profits and cutting routes, warning of a domino effect that could ripple through the supply chain.

The Night Linden Avenue Stopped Feeling Safe

President Trump blasts Nobel Peace Prize snub with blistering list of accomplishments: 'WOW!'

Trump sounded off on Truth Social after the Norwegian Nobel Committee passed him over for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in favor of Navi Pillay.

Education Can’t Be Value-Neutral

The ancients understood that education was vital to character formation.

Why Are Americans So Pessimistic?

Iran's Theory of Victory

Tehran's fight for great-power status in the post-American Middle East.

Letters to the Editor

Rabbi Daniel Lapin responds to Robert Lynch's essay on masturbation.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Mamdani Cares About Illegals, Not Victims of Their Crimes

After ICE shot an alleged gangbanger in the country illegally, all the usual suspects in New York politics called to abolish ICE but very rarely can the summon the same outrage for in...

Trump announces diesel deal with Russia in bid to lower prices

The amount is small compared with U.S. demand, but the deal aligns the U.S. with Russia and against Ukraine’s efforts to bomb Russian refineries.

The midterms are getting close. Why is Trump in Upstate New York?

Trump bet that his presence could turn out conservative Republicans in the gubernatorial race. But even some in the MAGA base aren’t confident about the odds.

In Defence of Academic Standards

To rediscover the university’s true purpose, we must return to our core practice of making distinctions.

Mike Rogers Hits His Marks

At least for one night, the Republican candidate seemed to have successfully transformed the debate into a referendum on El-Sayed’s judgment and ideology.

For Trump, a Firing Squad on Livestream Becomes the Latest Spectacle

The idea seemed to surprise even some inside the Trump administration.

Is Europe Lost?

D.C. judge bars DOJ from gathering states’ voter lists to find noncitizens

Voting rights groups had challenged the effort, noting federal data includes errors that have led to citizens being wrongly removed from electoral rolls.

Plague mystery revives concerns over not-to-secret Russian bioweapons program

Marshall Billingslea reveals Soviet defector Ken Alibek exposed a massive biological weapons program involving antibiotic-resistant plague research.

Do Republicans Want to Rehabilitate Socialism?

Of course, if he wanted to, JD Vance could define socialism. He just doesn’t.

Trump says Ukraine should ‘get a new president’ after U.S.-Russia diesel deal

Ukraine’s Zelensky "wants to make problems for the world," Trump said Saturday, a day after praising Russia’s Putin.

French Street Protests: It's Not Many Students, and Lots of Leftists and Islamists

Trump calls for Ukraine to replace Zelenskyy after clash over Russia diesel deal: 'Get a new president'

President Donald Trump demanded Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop striking Russian oil refineries, warning the attacks worsen global diesel and fuel supplies.

Be Nice to Your Chatbot

‘I don’t think it’s good for me to scream and shout at a chatbot . . . I don’t think that’s good for my soul.’

Danielle Haas on How Activism Took Over Human Rights | Quillette Cetera Episode 73

Former Human Rights Watch senior editor Danielle Haas on how NGO reports get made, what happens to staff who dissent, and why she wants outside oversight.

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.

Exasperation and Resignation in Greece Over Allegations Against Kimberly Guilfoyle

The U.S. ambassador to Greece is facing accusations that she asked a donor to pay off her credit card bill before she took up her post in Athens.

Trump says he will ‘make a decision’ on Hegseth plan to live-stream execution

The Pentagon has said a firing squad for the Fort Hood shooter is scheduled for Dec. 3. “By showing it, maybe other people won’t be doing what he did,” the president said.

Demagoguing Microsoft’s Immigrant Hires

JD Vance spins a tale about ‘indentured servants’ filling the jobs of laid-off Americans, entirely unsupported by facts.

Former MN state trooper tears into Dems as Somali gang violence terrorizes Minnesota: ‘Where is Ilhan Omar?’

John Nagel, a former state trooper challenging Ilhan Omar, accuses Minnesota Democrats of being soft on crime as Somali gang violence escalates.

The Anti-Trump Media and 'Economic Pessimism'

The Execution Will Not Be Televised . . . Probably

U.S. Army regulations state, regarding military executions, ‘no person under the age of 18 shall witness the execution.’

Jerry Kaplan on AI Doomers

AI veteran Jerry Kaplan tells Claire Lehmann why he thinks the doomers are wrong, what the rogue-agent incidents did and didn’t show, and where real risks lie.

Rubio Highlights Urgency To Embrace Western Virtues

As the Iran conflict threatens to intensify and tech CEOs fret openly about their creations' potential to destroy humanity, now might not seem the time for an extended meditation on America's civilizational roots. But for Secretary of State Marco …

Claire's Weekly Letter: An Army of Yesterday’s Civilians

Trump Says He Should Have Won ‘8 Nobel Peace Prizes’ After Being Snubbed

The president took to social media on Friday and Saturday to criticize the choice of Navi Pillay and disparage the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

After Christa Pike’s Botched Execution, Tennessee’s Lethal Injection Protocol Draws Scrutiny

The differences between the current protocol and the previous one have become a focus in Christa Pike’s failed execution.

The Genetics of Crime and Punishment

Despite her professed atheism, Kathryn Paige Harden insists on making quasi-religious claims about free will and moral responsibility.

Mamdani: I Demand Trump Release Illegal Alien, Gang Member, and Felon! UPDATE

Canada Backs Off Euthanasia for Mental Illness, Targets Dementia Patients

Many people are terrified of dementia, so I suspect the proponents of euthanasia believe it will be a lighter lift.

Veteran shot 7 times in Fort Hood massacre has a warning for Americans planning to watch execution

A Fort Hood shooting survivor shot seven times by Nidal Hasan wants to witness the firing squad execution but warns against treating it as a spectacle.

Friday's Final Word

War Stories

Yonah Jeremy Bob and Elliot Kaufman’s account of the 7 October massacre and its aftermath is a triumph of dogged reporting and shrewd analysis.

Judicial Watch's Thomas Fitton slams FBI's 'drip-drip' release for 75,000 pages of Trump-Butler shooting files

Judicial Watch's Thomas Fitton says the FBI's 12-year timeline for releasing Thomas Matthew Crooks assassination attempt documents is unacceptable.

Fact-Checking Senate Ads in Iowa, New Hampshire and North Carolina

We assess three campaign ads in the battleground states that have focused on the cost of living.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

More Than 500 Trees to Be Cut Down at D.C. Golf Course That Trump Wants to Redo

The National Park Service notified a court of the plan as part of continuing litigation over the president’s proposal to create a “champion-level” course.

Christa Pike discharged from hospital, 10 days after failed execution

Pike, who survived an execution attempt in Tennessee, has been moved to a rehabilitation center, according to her attorneys and the Tennessee Department of Correction.

Montana Democrat who refuses to drop out may spoil party’s Senate hopes

Candidate Alani Bankhead vigorously denies claims she is a Republican plant running to take votes away from a more popular independent.

An Army of Yesterday’s Civilians: Ukraine and the Fight for Freedom

Do Europeans fully grasp what the fall of Ukraine would mean for the rest of the continent?

The Left Has a Problem with the American Revolution

Essays in the New Yorker, the NYRB, and the Atlantic make one worry about the kind of nation they might urge the United States to become.

Christa Pike Discharged From Hospital After Surviving Execution Attempt

Ms. Pike, 50 and convicted of the 1995 murder of a classmate, survived two doses of the drug pentobarbital late last month.

Don’t Make Martyrs Out of Terrorists

Whatever message Hegseth intends to send by having the public watch Hasan die, the Islamist world will interpret it very differently.

This Is Silly; AIs Cannot Be 'Tortured'

Darline Graham opposes Chinese manufacturing. Her husband’s job relies on it.

The senator and sister of the late Lindsey Graham has said the U.S. must “stop depending on Communist China for things America can make ourselves.”