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 an Eighth Grader Taught Me About Status

Comparing yourself to others locks you into a contest you can never win and makes other people’s wins feel like your defeats.

America's cheapest city to grab a cheeseburger, fries and soda isn't where you'd expect

DoorDash's so-called Cheeseburger Index reveals a burger, fries and soda costs $12.94 in Austin but $28.28 in Anchorage, exposing stark local gaps for the same meal.

The American Founding’s Lab Notes and My Weekend in D.C.

Federalism and state sovereignty are important parts of the American tradition.

Sens. Fetterman (D) and McCormick (R) form rare bipartisan fundraising committee

The unusual cross-party fundraising committee comes amid speculation that Republicans are courting John Fetterman, who has said he has no plans to switch parties.

Platner’s Rise and Fall Revives Old Questions About ‘Bernie Bros’ and Women

The collapse of Graham Platner’s Senate bid in Maine after a rape allegation renewed attention to a movement built by Senator Bernie Sanders that some say is too forgiving of male misconduct.

Strait of Hormuz Will Soon Be Declared Open to All Traffic, U.S. Officials Say

The officials said that Iranian negotiators blamed the recent ship attacks on rogue military units.

Why Soccer Is Boring

How the beautiful game convinced the world that boredom is sophistication.

How a Hidden Songbook Survived the Holocaust

The extraordinary story of how a fragile Holocaust songbook, hidden for decades in a Sydney cupboard, came back to the world.

Title IX Is Holding Back U.S. Men's Soccer

The US Women's National Team is a major player in FIFA's Women's World Cup, having won two of the last three and four since the women's World Cup was established in 1991.

Sen. Collins in Worse Trouble After Platner Exit?

The conventional media wisdom is that Maine GOP Senator Susan Collins is sitting back and laughing this week, and well she might be. The collapse of Graham Platner's campaign is an implosion for the ages, and it puts the state's Democrats in a tri…

We Must Stop Iran War to Save the CLIMATE!

The Long Road to Medical ‘Miracles’

How decades of invisible science produced two cancer breakthroughs.

That Gay Cruise Ship Denied Entry Into Turkey? Egypt Just Said 'No" Too.

Where’s the Contradiction?

What Vigeland is saying is that a politician’s character doesn’t really matter as long as he robotically pulls all the right levers in office.

House Democrat Ro Khanna says he was detained by armed Israeli settlers in West Bank

Ro Khanna claims armed Israeli settlers with U.S.-made M4 rifles detained his group in the West Bank before IDF troops arrived on the scene.

Man accused of killing Charlie Kirk wished ‘he hadn’t done it,’ roommate says

Prosecutors laid out their case against Tyler James Robinson on Day 4 of the preliminary hearing in Utah.

How Marco Rubio Is Running Venezuela From Afar

The secretary of state effectively controls Venezuela’s finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. His grip on the country is a vivid manifestation of American power in the Trump era.

Spoiled Socialists

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.

A Parent's Worst Nightmare

A New York school suspended a 15-year-old boy for an allegation of sexual assault without letting him defend himself or even calling his parents. Hours later, he died by suicide.

U.S. Employers Told to Dismiss Thousands of Immigrant Workers

Shifting deadlines are confusing businesses as the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and others looms, making them ineligible to live and work in the United States.

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.

Why Australia's New Capital Gains Tax Is the Best Tax Policy for Crushing the Economy

Fund manager Derek Francis tells Claire Lehmann that Treasury's modelling of Australia's new capital gains tax contains a basic error — one that could push tax rates on shares as high as 70 percent.

Harvard Medical Talks about its DEI Problem

In all likelihood, the activists will keep right on as they have, perhaps more covertly.

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.

How Will Maine Democrats Go About Replacing Platner?

Maine Democrats are embarking on a two-week sprint to pick a new nominee for one of the year's most important races in the wake of Graham Platner's decision this week to end his Senate campaign after allegations of sexual assault, which he denies.

Amandla Stenberg Continues to Win Friends, Influence People

An American Politician is Blocked by Israeli Settlers in the West Bank

Representative Ro Khanna was barred from leaving for 90 minutes. Where past U.S. leaders toured the region to show support for Israel, today’s Democratic presidential aspirants are going to bolster their credentials as critics.

JD Vance Takes on Milton Friedman

America Isn't a Christian Nation--or a Secular One

America isn't a Christian nation. But it has never been strictly secular.

Candace Owens' Betrayal of Everything Charlie Kirk Stood For

She has devoted herself to defending the man accused of killing Charlie while relentlessly attacking Charlie's widow, his friends, and the organization he dedicated his life to, all while claiming to be fighting for justice in Charlie's name.

The Smithsonian’s Leadership Must Go

A new White House report exposes radical political activists’ takeover of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Russian Gasoline Output Down 35% and Inflation Jumps

Graham Platner, Classy to the Last

Even Platner’s resignation was ultimately undercut by his own sheer trashiness.

Trump takes unusual step, lets bipartisan housing bill become law unsigned amid SAVE pressure campaign

Trump refused to sign the housing bill to pressure Congress on the SAVE America Act, but the measure became law without his signature at midnight.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Soccer, Sartre, and the Sixties

Keeping Nashville Hot

Too brief a stop in Music City.

GA Poll: Jackson/Collins Can Win as Trump Approval Rises

For the first time this year in my extensive polling, the newest survey out of Georgia shows a material rebound for President Donald Trump and for other

Gad Saad on Suicidal Empathy, Fleeing Montreal for U.S.

It's no surprise that he admires President Trump, perhaps the least suicidally empathetic politician in the Western world. Can Mr. Trump and his administration turn the tables on the suicidal empathizers?

Democrats seek a way forward amid finger-pointing in Maine

Leaders of the Maine Democratic Party are still working toward a process to replace Graham Platner, without angering his supporters.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Substack Just Got Smarter!

Our friend Karl Rove is now on Substack. You’ll want to check it out.

Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool drained again as Trump administration resumes repairs

Crews began draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Friday to clean up fireworks debris and repair damage the Trump administration blamed on vandals.

The Mask That Made Me

Thirty years as a high-functioning neurodivergent project manager.

A Building Almost Collapsed in NY. The Backstory Is Hopeful

"Gotta go," a young woman murmured into her phone, slipping into a gaggle of gawking New Yorkers pointing and staring at a teetering office tower in the heart of midtown Manhattan on Tuesday. "This building's like collapsing in New York."

Sotomayor Slaughters Hamilton

Her argument about Hamilton has, if not a fatal flaw, at least a highly debilitating one: Hamilton changed his mind.

Trump-appointed judge permanently ends Proud Boys Jan. 6 case, says Constitution left him no choice

A Trump-appointed judge granted dismissal of four Proud Boys leaders' Jan. 6 convictions but sharply rebuked the Capitol riot as an attack on democracy.

Washington Post: Yes, the DSA Really Does Want to Destroy Capitalism

Graham Platner Files Paperwork to Withdraw From Maine Senate Race

The move paved the way for Democrats to choose a new nominee to challenge Senator Susan Collins in a race both parties see as key to the control of the Senate.

Inside the slapdash Platner vetting job that ignored warnings before bid blew up: source

A source says Dan Moraff and Morris Katz repeatedly ignored their vetting firm's warnings that the Maine Senate candidate needed deeper investigation.

Facing The Anti-Ballistic Missile Gap

There are, theoretically, alternatives to the Patriots, but they either don’t measure up or Ukraine doesn’t have access to them.

Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media

The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”

The Platner Drama Is Reviving Debate Among Democrats Over a Double Standard

His candidacy stoked tensions among Democrats over gender and how to win back working-class voters.

Economic Consensus Shifts on Mass Immigration

When entering debates about immigration, economists have often checked their credibility at the door.

Trump-Appointed Judge Reluctantly Grants Dismissal of Proud Boys Case

Judge Timothy J. Kelly, a federal judge in Washington, noted that he had little choice but to accept the Trump administration’s move to end the case.

Friday's Final Word

The DSA vs. the Senate

The Democratic Socialists of America have taken the official position that the Senate should be abolished. This is impossible under the Constitution.

CNN Political Briefing

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

On Platner, the Media Recycles the Biden Excuse Again

Second Circuit Rejects Trump Motion to Delay Paying Carroll $5M Judgment

An appeal to the Supreme Court for more delay would be futile.

WATCH: Early Graham Platner critic unloads on 'unapologetic' Senate candidate in scathing rebuke

Rep. Madeleine Dean said it was an easy call to never back Graham Platner, citing his Nazi-linked tattoo and abuse allegations before the rape claim emerged.

ICE Deports Immigrant Who Was Pardoned for Sex Abuse Conviction

Minnesota state officials had granted a pardon to Tou Lue Vang, a Hmong man, drawing criticism that Democratic leaders were thwarting efforts to expel criminals.

When Housing and Immigration Collide

Former top cop warns of loophole exploited by illicit Chinese vape companies 'targeting our youth'

Chinese organized crime groups are replacing nicotine with 6-methyl nicotine in flavored disposable vapes to evade FDA oversight, a former official says.

Platner's Catastrophic Collapse Exposes Democrat Rifts

Along with creating tumult in a must-win race for Democrats, Graham Platner's exit is laying bare division between the party's left wing and moderates.

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…

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Trump’s proposed triumphal arch clears another key hurdle

The National Capital Planning Commission, led by the president’s allies, voted to advance the project near Arlington Cemetery, tabling a height question for later.

Book 'Em, Daddy, Eight to the Bar: DoJ Indictment, Arrests in White House Terror Plot

Claire's Weekly Letter: Celebrating 250 Years of America

Trump Justifies $2 Billion Made as President With Inaccurate Claims

President Trump has wrongly attributed the $2 billion windfall he gained during his second term to a hot stock market and claimed that he was the only president to donate his salary.

First Nations Chief, Podcast Pundit, Indigenous Gadfly

Quillette podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Aaron Pete, Chief of the Chawathil First Nation, about reserve governance, residential schools, ‘unmarked graves,’ and intra-Indigenous politics.

Harvard astronomer tapped to lead White House UFO council says US government 'baffled by what they are seeing'

Avi Loeb's scientific advisory council has requested over 50 Pentagon videos and documents related to UAP sightings under a new transparency push.

Trump's EPA chief pushes back on climate skeptics being labeled 'science deniers'

Lee Zeldin argues climate projections for 2050 and 2100 represent a range of outcomes, not certainties, and warns against labeling skeptics as deniers.

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.

What ‘Democratic Socialists’ Believe

America’s hard left has a long tradition of concealing its extremism.

Charlie Is My Darling

Claudia Verhoeven’s new book is a valuable contribution to the crowded library of Mansonia.

KHAN!!! Done Wrong

The Menace of a Respectable Hatred

What remains of a person, an institution, or a civilisation that dishonours itself when Jews and Israel become the targets of hatred and violence?

How The Times Reported on Graham Platner

Two senior editors discuss the difficult effort to track down allegations against the leading Democrat for Senate in Maine and the questions that soon followed.

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…

WATCH: GOP senator warns 'hammer-and-sickle' politics will define Democrats' 2028 primary

Sen. Eric Schmitt warns the progressive surge toppling Democratic incumbents in New York and Michigan will define the party's 2028 presidential primary.

The Age of Reading Isn't Over

Not quite 2,300 years ago, but more like 17 years ago, the story goes, the executives of Barnes & Noble asked their engineers to build a device that could hold every book ever printed. The company, which had spent a century filling oak shelves one…

Trump warns US would 'decimate and destroy' Iran over assassination attempt

President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that "1,000 missiles are locked and loaded" if Iran acts on assassination threats made against him.

Generation Trapped: Why Young Australians Have Given Up Hope

Parnell Palme McGuinness on the six distinct "tribes" of young Australians she uncovered—and why personal agency, not income, is the strongest predictor of happiness.