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

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.

With Agreed-Upon Deportation, Trump DOJ Succeeds in First-Ever Resort to Secret Court

A legal alien from Afghanistan was deported last month in the first-ever Alien Terrorist Removal Court case.

The Bari Weiss Era of ‘60 Minutes’ Begins

The long-running CBS News program returned for a high-pressure 59th season on Sunday. With new correspondents and a refreshed stopwatch, it was more tweak than overhaul.

Texas Republicans denounce GOP statewide candidate for racist posts about UT students

Bo French, a GOP candidate for Texas Railroad commissioner, posted a photo of students celebrating a football win and said it showed “how many Americans have been displaced by foreigners.”

Navigating 9/11’s Anniversary with Young Kids

How can my children #NeverForget something impossible for them to remember? 

Claire's Weekly Letter: A Bright September Day

The Uprising Keeps Its Hands Too Clean

Films don’t owe us the accuracy of a documentary, but greater fidelity to the historical record would have made for a better story.

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.

At Fateful Turning Point, AI Could Redefine U.S. Politics

AI politics erupted to a new level in the last week.

Anthropic's Demand for AI Slowdown Dubious at Best

Invent a problem, then present yourself as the solution. Is there a better business idea in the world?

Trump Rejects Talk of A.I. Regulation and Calls Out Anthropic’s CEO

The president again rejected calls to try to regulate the industry, even as some of its leaders are speaking more openly about the risks of rapidly developing artificial intelligence.

Won't Someone Please Think of the Muslims?

Norm Macdonald was the prophet of our cowardly post-9/11 age.

Israel's Most Consequential Election

Israelis go to the polls on 27 October. After seventeen years of Netanyahu, former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot is in the lead.

It's Time To Admit We Owe Barbara Lee an Apology

One member of Congress voted no on the war on terror three days after 9/11. Rep. Barbara Lee got death threats. 25 years later, she was right.

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…

Mamdani, Letitia James sue to block Trump admin from refusing immigrants over welfare status

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani claims the Trump administration is illegally expanding a rule that allows feds to deny green card and visa applications based on welfare status.

Last Man Standing

Francis Fukuyama’s new memoir assesses an intellectual life devoted to the health of the liberal-democratic idea.

Measuring the Economic Cost of Affirmative Action in Academia

A new report on the Canada Research Chairs program analyses the reduced standards applied to scholars belonging to ‘equity groups.’

Bad Criticism

Name-calling, guilt-by-association, and other unscrupulous methods of argument are polluting our discourse.

Trump, Vance open midterm campaign tour as GOP troubles deepen

The president and vice president are trying to rescue Senate candidates in North Carolina and Kansas, states Republicans carried two years ago.

What to know about Trump’s proposed $5,000 payouts

The president has pledged direct payments to Americans several times since returning to office.

France Mocked U.S. for Human Rights Vote, Then Quietly Apologized

After the Trump administration blocked a new ambassador to Washington, the country expressed regret for a post from a French official social media account.

As Midterms Rage, Gillibrand Wants Congress to Talk Menopause

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is devoting a hearing to a topic that affects millions but is poorly understood and widely ignored, including when it comes to federal research money.

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.

In this red state, backlash erupts over president’s threat to ban major employer

Several Wichita-based Bombardier employees said the post felt to them as though the president was turning his back on American workers.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Naked in America

I'd Trust 'The Right Combination of Governments' With AI

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told "CBS Sunday Morning" he would be open to regulation that gives control over AI to "the right combination of governments," during an interview about his new essay titled: "We Must Pace the Frontier"

Inside House Republicans' plan to end run Dem opposition and pass Trump-backed voter ID

Congressional Republicans plan to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act's voter ID and proof of citizenship rules via reconciliation.

DSA-backed candidates are winning primaries and their vision for America is very different

Democratic Socialists of America launched its "Workers Deserve More" program calling for public ownership, a 32-hour workweek and universal healthcare.

Trump unloads on tech titans pushing for slowdown on emerging industry: ‘WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!’

President Donald Trump rejected calls for AI guardrails and singled out Dario Amodei, as David Sacks challenged the industry's push to pace the frontier.

Don't Believe the Hype About James Talarico

Analysis of James Talarico's 2026 Texas campaign doubts and GOP challenges.

Dems Sound 'AI Apocalypse' Alarm, Just in Time for Midterms

The AI Apocalypse scare campaign looks suspiciously like the climate hoax.

Unions Once Again Using Political Power to Keep Workers Ignorant of Their Rights

As is so often the case in the left’s lawfare operations, the process is the punishment.

El-Sayed Promoted Infamous Hijab Hate Crime Hoax

Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed falsely claimed in a 2012 essay that an Iraqi refugee in California was brutally murdered in an anti-Muslim attack because she had the

In His Debt: Sunday Reflection

The 'Anti-AI' Panic Is Led by...AI Companies

States and Cities Sue Over Trump’s Policy to Restrict Green Cards

The policy would give immigration officers wide authority to deny green cards to people using public benefits.

The David Duke Standard -- The Hasan Piker Exception

Top Lawmakers Agree A.I.’s Risks Are Rising but Say They Have No Quick Fix

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned on Sunday of competitive risks from China, and Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, said Congress should start regulatory talks this week.

Far-left attack backfires spectacularly as radical online personality whines after attacking female Trump aide

Aaron Rupar faces White House backlash after attacking a female press wrangler in a C-SPAN clip from President Trump's Ireland departure.

Left-Wing Populists Are New Majority Makers

A group of unapologetic economic populists are defying the conventional wisdom that only moderates can succeed in swing seats.

French Police Looking at Sabotage As Possible Cause for Friday's Normandy Train Derailment

Unearthed clip shows Talarico calling parents 'abusive' for denying children's gender identity

James Talarico, the Democratic Texas Senate candidate, once called parents' refusal to acknowledge a child's gender identity "abusive" behavior.

Kevin Warsh’s Time for Choosing

Given all the economic data, raising interest rates is the only correct decision.

A Bright September Day

Reflections on a morning that changed the world as we knew it.

Antizionist City

A community that embraces a set of shared beliefs is not necessarily a bad thing, but the value of solidarity depends entirely on the merits of the cause in question.

El-Sayed’s liberal agenda clashes with Muslim voters who back him anyway: ‘Male version’ of Ilhan Omar

Muslim voters at an ISNA conference say they plan to back Abdul El-Sayed despite opposing his abortion and LGBTQ stances, citing Trump betrayals.

UNC Pulls the Plug on a Chinese Partner University

UNC is evaluating all of its relationships with Chinese universities to discern which others may also be concerning.

Literary Studies Without the Literature

English departments are increasingly ignoring the great works of the past, in favour of popular literary works that reflect activist themes and nonliterary works of political and social theory.

In Hegseth’s Pentagon, Top Leaders Battle Turmoil

Persistent distractions are feeding a climate of mistrust as the U.S. military faces a series of wartime issues, including shortfalls of missile interceptors.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

As Supreme Court Weighs Trump Mail Ballot Plan, Another Judge Blocks It

The ruling by a lower court judge was another blow to President Trump’s effort to make voting by mail harder. The Supreme Court is also considering the Trump plan.

Libertarian tech mogul to hit DSA with an eight-figure spending nuke

Scott Banister's $40 million funds Make Liberty Win's push to counter Democratic Socialists of America in state legislature races across nine states.

Federal judge rules Trump admin plan to cut FEMA workforce in half is unlawful

A federal judge ruled DHS unlawfully seized the Federal Emergency Management Agency's authority over staffing and pushed thousands of job cuts.

Abdul El-Sayed protested against 'ex-terrorists' who converted to Christianity, unearthed report reveals

Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed led a 2007 University of Michigan protest against ex-terrorists who discussed converting to Christianity.

The Mall Is Back

The ‘dead mall’ may not be a permanent blight on the suburban landscape after all.

Mamdani Offers Answers to Bitter Post-9/11 Failures

Progressive politicians such as Zohran Mamdani offer answers to the bitter post-9/11 legacy of failures at home and abroad, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

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.

Former CIA Director Brennan subpoenaed to testify in federal Trump conspiracy case

John Brennan faces a grand jury subpoena in a Justice Department probe into whether officials conspired to deprive Trump of his civil rights.

Yesterday's Swedish Elections and Our Midterm Parallel

Three months after a fall, it’s not clear when McConnell will be back at the Senate

The Kentucky Republican has not returned to the chamber since he suffered a fall three months ago.

The Smell of Desperation in Texas

Still, after widespread criticism of Paxton’s lackluster and lackadaisical fundraising, at least somebody is putting in some effort.

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…

Pennsylvania woman died from complications of probable measles case, coroner says

The coroner said the unvaccinated 40-year-old woman exhibited many common symptoms of measles, such as a fever, cough, white spots inside the mouth and a rash.

How Keisha Lance Bottoms & David Crowley Can Make History

Many Americans who live in suburbs and rural areas don't like the big, left-leaning metropolitan areas nearby.

The Retro Fashion of the Wealth Tax

Every few decades, the ideas with the worst track records come back into style.

Trump resists AI slowdown as the political tide turns

Democrats are increasingly attacking the administration’s hands-off approach to artificial intelligence regulation as midterms approach.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

He’s called himself ‘Trump before Donald Trump.’ Now he could replace a House centrist.

Former Maine governor Paul LePage is seen as the likely winner against progressive Matt Dunlap in the race for retiring Rep. Jared Golden’s seat.

Immigrants’ Lawyers Say U.S. Is Redacting Documents Proving Legal Status

Many noncitizens need immigration records the government has to prove their legal stay and resist deportation. The government is redacting and withholding those documents, lawyers say.

Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan Walks a Tricky Line on Tariffs as He Seeks Re-Election

Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska has shown quiet support for President Trump’s tariffs. His brother, the head of their family business, has described the economic volatility as an enormous challenge.

Sunday Smiles

Vance to Campaign in Kansas as Democrats Target a Republican Stronghold

Vice President JD Vance is beginning a key final stretch of midterm campaigning by dropping in on the Senate race in Kansas, where Republicans were long seen as heavily favored.

A barrage of cases hitting the Supreme Court is stirring midterm confusion

The number of election-related lawsuits is exploding — and the courts are still resolving them just weeks before the elections.

It Was the OJ Trial All Over Again

Ceuta: Up to 10,000?

There is a suspicion that Morocco is not too unhappy with this state of affairs.

Mail-in Ballot Case and Trump’s Statutory Authority

The Constitution makes states and Congress supreme in regulating elections. The president cannot usurp that power on the pretext of overseeing the Postal Service.

Saudi Leader Meets U.S. Commander as Houthi Attacks Threaten Oil Markets

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asked the United States for more U.S. military help last week after the Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched a broad offensive.

The Learning Crisis Begins Before the Classroom

Differences in height between men and women—a biomarker of stressor exposure in childhood—suggest that poor early health and nutrition constrain what children are achieving at school.

GOP Sen. Jon Husted wins an unusual endorsement — from Steak ’n Shake

The Midwestern fast food chain praised the Ohio Republican as a champion of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.

Talarico Pulls Race Card for Some Reason – Hilarity Ensues

CNN Political Briefing

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

America Has Not Learned the Right Lessons From Charlie Kirk's Murder

Should Scientists Decide Policies About Wealth Inequality?

Every situation calls for a U.N. panel of experts!

Working-class Americans aren’t running for office. It’s changing our politics.

It is having a direct impact on the kind of public policy coming out of the nation’s legislative bodies.

This Is the Way the World Ends

Sex is declining because the options seem endless. This is counter-intuitive, but biologically it makes sense.

New Crime Stats: Children of Migrants More Likely to Be Criminals Than First Generation

What Mike Johnson and Trump had to say about $5,000 payments this weekend

The president doubled down on his idea to pay Americans if the GOP keeps control of Congress in November. But the House speaker was more circumspect.

Progressives Are Still Freaking Out About Trump's Ballroom

Thinking 9/11 Through

9/11 was a powerful demonstration that notions of happy universalism were bunkum.

The Houthis Are Now in The Kill Box

New Jersey Doesn't Care About Welfare Fraud

New Jersey has a fraud problem. And not just in its voter rolls.

Trump touts White House renovations, says building was in ‘very bad condition’

President Donald Trump said the White House looked like a "dump" before his renovations, saying the exterior skin was "practically falling off."