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

A $5 Million Donation From Big Tobacco Preceded F.D.A. Vape Decision

Reynolds American’s contribution to MAGA Inc. came about one week before the Trump administration announced a new policy on e-cigarettes the company had sought.

Two Former Officers File Suit To Block Trump's 'Slush Fund'

The existence of the new lawsuit is a reminder that the slush fund controversy is unfolding on multiple fronts.

Mamdani is a Socialist Demagogue Relying on People's Ignorance

The First Time the New York Times Slipped Explosive Lies into an Editorial

There's a Split Among Fans Over Colbert

For me, peak Colbert has been what he's done with "The Late Show" since he got fired. It's akin to the way Republican Gov. George Ryan cleared death row in my home state of Illinois on his way to prison: With nothing to lose, the man was at his ab…

Democrats vow to vote 'every single day' to expel fellow Dem from Congress if she wins midterm

Two House Democrats vowed to force daily expulsion votes against Texas candidate Maureen Galindo over her antisemitic remarks about American Zionists.

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.

Colorado Democrats formally censure Gov Polis over Tina Peters commutation

Colorado Democratic Party formally censures Gov. Jared Polis for commuting Tina Peters' sentence in the Mesa County voting system breach case.

Trump’s Government Moves to Spare an Unhappy Taxpayer Named Trump

No president has ever used the federal government to advance his own personal interests and those of his family and allies as expansively and openly as Mr. Trump has.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Vance and Rubio step behind the lectern — and deeper into 2028 territory

Parallel briefings by the two men offer a view of their contrasting styles.

Harvard Votes to Put an End to Easy A's

Trump demands Senate fire parliamentarian who ruled against ballroom funding plan

The demand comes as Senate Republican leaders wrestle with whether to include money for the controversial project in a bill that funds immigration agencies.

No, Strong Pro-Life Laws Have Not Worsened Miscarriage Care

Since the Dobbs decision, blaming pro-life laws for poor public health outcomes has become a virtual cottage industry for pro-abortion researchers.

Wednesday's Final Word

A Scary Story

The possibility that the prize-winning story was not written by AI is worse.

The Ballad of East and West

In a fascinating new book, historian Anthony Bale vividly reconstructs the brutal, fantastical, and sometimes deeply religious experiences of medieval travellers across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

GOP Voters Are RINO Hunting

Trump and Mark Cuban End War, Tag-Team on Drug Prices

It's not the partnership anyone predicted. Mark Cuban, who spent 2024 campaigning for Kamala Harris, stood beside Donald Trump at the White House on Monday to announce a major expansion of TrumpRx. The site is adding more than 600 generic medicati…

CNN Political Briefing

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

A Request for Restitution After Illegal Russiagate Investigations

The machinery of government was clearly politically weaponized against my family from July 2016 to December 2025. They found nothing; we lost everything.

Throwing an S-Fit over S-Style Guitars

The guitar ‘community’ is rebelling against a recent move by guitar manufacturer Fender.

Taiwan in the Balance

Donald Trump seems to have given up on Taiwan’s long-term future.

Stephen Colbert's Late-Night Tantrum Finally Goes Dark

It wasn't Stephen Colbert's ideology that sank him. It was his arrogance.

Is There a Human Right to DoorDash Delivery?

Laughing Bass on Homelessness: 17% Is A Passing Grade!

Trump’s Coast Guard Address: ‘Good Looking Men’ and Deja Vu

President Trump’s commencement address was a mixture of jokes and praise for the seafaring life of the Coast Guard graduates. But there were detours into choppy waters.

Falling Birth Rates Are a Mystery

Whatever the reason turns out to be, it won't fit neatly into any mainstream political ideology.

Dangerous Losers

It's not poverty that drives men to violence, but the experience of losing status.

Famed Author to Hollywood: Stop Lying About the 'Blacklist'

Trump’s allies are already lining up to apply to his $1.8 billion fund

Jan. 6 rioters, George Santos, Mark McCloskey and Rod Blagojevich: A wide range of figures are eyeing the president’s new settlement fund.

The Best ‘Chilling Effect’ Yet

If there is a ‘chilling effect’ in Massie’s loss, it will also be one that reinforces the desirable stigma around antisemitic agitation.

Trump endorses Paxton in Texas Senate primary over incumbent Cornyn

The president faced pressure from his base to endorse the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton. Advisers had urged him to support Sen. John Cornyn, arguing that Paxton has too much baggage.

Democrats’ Midterm Strength Masks Fierce Divides and Frustration, Poll Shows

Democratic voters are in a combative, anti-establishment mood, unhappy with their party and disagreeing about its best path forward, a New York Times/Siena poll found.

Texas Opie Leading Both Cornyn and Paxton

‘Watershed Bill of Rights’ Initiative Fails in Oregon

Finally, opponents of such ideas have taken the threat seriously.

‘We’ve Never Been This Bad.’ Eastern Pennsylvania Weighs Rising Costs.

With two swing districts, the region from Scranton to Allentown could decide control of the House, and voters are expressing profound economic distress.

Against a Legislative Noonday

The House GOP is resurrecting the Sunshine Protection Act. I wish it wouldn’t.

Jeff Bezos’s Subversive Appeal to the Progressive Left

In promoting Bezos’s remarks, the left undermines its contention that the impossibly wealthy contribute nothing to the federal treasury.

When Education Stops Being About Truth

Truth was shoved aside in favor of feelings and subjectivism.

Why AI Is Not About to Go Feral

Worries about AI doom rarely take Darwinian evolution seriously. A new paper argues we should—but we are still further from that scenario than its authors suggest.

Trump Saw a Decaying America and Chose To Fight It

In 1945, the United States stood alone in its strength, industrial supremacy, nuclear monopoly, and no peer competitor. It chose not empire, but order. Through Bretton Woods, the Marshall Plan, and a durable security architecture, Washington did n…

Is Museum Wall Text the Next Political Battleground?

The Smithsonian has changed or eliminated some interpretive language that typically accompanies exhibited artworks. Critics call this self-censorship.

Teacher in a Tutu

Bragging about my PhD to general indifference during the second-most humiliating day of my life.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Synodality Speaks

The aftermath of the Tower of Babel had more sense than this.

Pentagon says U.S. will cut thousands of troops from Europe

Poland was set to receive forces whose deployment was abruptly halted last week.

Taxpayer spending on 'exorcisms' derails Senate testimony: 'What the hell are we doing about it?'

Sen. John Kennedy rails against California's Medi-Cal program for allegedly covering exorcisms and faith-based healing amid fraud investigations.

Brilliant Spencer Pratt Ad

This is giving Angelenos a model and vocabulary for admitting what they are really thinking, that Los Angeles needs a serious change.

Legal expert unleashes on Spanberger's new executive order targeting ICE: 'Political theater'

Gov. Abigail Spanberger signs executive order citing concerns that Trump administration could use immigration enforcement to intimidate Virginia voters.

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.

Taiwan Standing for Itself

This is welcome.

The Trump paradox: What’s good for him is weighing down his party

The president has created a party that is loyal to him, even when he takes executive actions that anger the broader public. That dynamic leaves him weaker with those outside his base.

Supreme Court Permits Lawsuits Over U.S. Assets Seized by Cuba in 1960

The Trump administration backed lawsuits brought by the Havana Docks Corporation that would allow the U.S.-owned entity to get compensation for property confiscated by Fidel Castro’s regime.

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Phantom employees' scandal spurs GOP crackdown on $36B incentive for companies to bypass Americans

A new House bill targets the OPT program's payroll tax loophole after ICE found over 10,000 foreign students tied to suspect employers in fraud scheme.

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.

China Is Ready for the Next War. America Is Not.

What radar and jet propulsion were to World War Two, robotics and artificial intelligence will be to the next war between great powers.

High Spirited New Jersey 'Youths' Enjoy Pre-Memorial Day Frolic at the Shore

How a UN Agency Misled the World on Cancer Risk

Nathan Schachtman’s indispensable new paper explains how the International Agency for Research on Cancer has misled the public with its classifications of carcinogens.

What Is the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor?

Creating NGOs that misuse the language of human rights is an effective strategy for advancing terrorist goals.

Weaponized Lawfare: Finally Somebody Might Pay a Price

Tracking who Trump is appointing to fill key administration roles

Follow President Trump’s progress filling over 800 positions, among about 1,300 that require Senate confirmation, in this tracker from The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service.

Top Dem lawmakers duck questions when pressed on Platner's Reddit scandal

Top Democratic lawmakers refuse to say whether Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's graphic Reddit posts have become a party liability ahead of midterms.

The Workers Who Defy Gravity

AI companies want to monetize what makes us human. Organized labor may be the only force strong enough to stop them.

Democrats release 2024 election autopsy that chair says 'does not meet my standards'

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin is publicly disowning his party’s own 2024 election "autopsy," calling the long-delayed report a product that "does not meet my standards" after Democrats suffered what he described as a "painful and …

Trump owns the GOP. Could Republicans pay the price in the midterms?

Trump says candidates he backed went 37-0 in Tuesday's GOP primaries, flexing endorsement power that strategists say could carry midterm consequences.

At Coast Guard commencement, Trump tells grads to lead ‘national resurgence’

The president linked the force’s mission to his own priorities, domestically and in Iran, in an address at the military academy in Connecticut.

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…

Trump’s extraordinary $1.8 billion legal fund to his allies

Why the enormous fund is so controversial.

Top off-the-wall Reddit posts haunting Graham Platner’s Maine Senate bid

Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner attributes controversial Reddit posts to PTSD from Iraq and Afghanistan combat deployments he served.

Meta Cuts 8,000 Jobs, AI to Blame

Judge Rules That White House Officials Must Follow Presidential Records Act

The judge overruled a government memo from April, which rejected a records law that mandates preservation of all official presidential documents.

Be Thankful Barney Frank Didn't Resign in 1989

Barney Frank's near-expulsion in 1989 reminds us why Congress should punish misconduct carefully, and let voters decide when possible.

Eliminating Wokeness at Universities a Long-Term Battle

Ballots went out last month for leadership positions at the American Sociological Association. Here's some advice for candidates: Emphasize your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion credentials.

Pragmatism on China Is the Right Call

Trump has evolved from belligerence toward a more complicated mix of rivalry and cooperation. That may be what this relationship requires.

Rep. Massie Crashes Out

Wednesday, May 20th on RealClearPolitics - Joined by RCP White House Correspondent, Carolina Lumetta

In Georgia, Senate GOP primary heads to runoff where electability is top issue

Georgia was among six states where voters participated in primaries Tuesday. Its Senate race is among a handful that could determine party control next year.

Data Center Joy!

Data-center water use sounds alarming in absolute terms, but the industry’s relative demand is far smaller than critics suggest.

Owner of daycare in viral Nick Shirley video charged in $4.6M daycare fraud scheme, prosecutors say

Fahima Egeh Mahamud, who's linked to Minnesota's "Feeding Our Future" scandal, charged in a daycare fraud scheme after allegedly pocketing millions meant for children.

Former White House envoy has warning for Trump on how not to get played by Iran

Former Trump envoy Morgan Ortagus warns Iran is stalling nuclear talks to buy time as Trump pauses military strikes and extends diplomatic ceasefire.

Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Enters Caribbean as Trump Pressures Cuba

The carrier arrived in the southern Caribbean on the same day that the Justice Department announced charges against Raúl Castro.

Trump’s Fund Shows Blanche Choosing Loyalty Over Pushing Back

Once seen by some as the most conventional of President Trump’s political appointees, Todd Blanche has taken off the gloves in his new role as acting attorney general.

From Babylon to Eurovision

My nephew's schoolmate sang at Eurovision last week. Here is what the people who booed him don't understand.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Dangerous Losers

A Deceitful Propaganda Campaign Marketed as a ‘Prank’

CBC-funded TV producers using fake names are ambushing Canadians who take a positive view of their country—including an 82-year-old Ontario grandfather who invited the film crew into his home.

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…

Nicholas Kristof and the Pornography of Accusation

Investigating abuse is a duty. Laundering propaganda is not.

Barney Frank, influential congressman and gay rights hero, dies at 86

The Massachusetts Democrat led a sweeping overhaul of the financial industry and was one of the first openly gay members of Congress.

Admiral accuses lawmaker of ‘inappropriate’ remark at Iran war hearing

Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, appeared frustrated with questions from House Democrats who pressed him on a range of issues about the conflict.

Colorado Governor Censured for Commuting Sentence of Election Denier

The Colorado State Democratic Party, reflecting the anger of rank-and-file Democratic voters, rebuked Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday over his decision to release Tina Peters from prison.

Trump Plans to Sign Executive Order Granting Oversight of A.I. Models

The executive order, which would signal a shift from the hands-off approach the White House previously took, follows debates over how to gain control over A.I. models without disrupting innovation.

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.

Former DOJ prosecutor charged with stealing confidential Jack Smith investigation documents about Trump

A former DOJ prosecutor was charged with allegedly emailing confidential records from Jack Smith's Trump investigation to her personal accounts.