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

How Mike Rowe's 'Build Freedom' Aims to Restore the Dignity of American Work

Don't Let Marxists Rob Us of Our History

How Trump Failed to Secure the Strait of Hormuz in His Iran Deal

President Trump signed an agreement that Iran said gave it control of the waterway — and global energy supplies. Now, Iran’s military is violently asserting authority.

The Vile Evil Attacking Erika Kirk Must Be Condemned

Imagine enduring the absolute horror of your spouse's public assassination, only to be endlessly accused of his killing, maligned, publicly abused and obsessively criticized.

Pelosi's Democrats Against Democracy

UC Berkeley is opening the Nancy Pelosi Institute to save democracy, which is perverse when you consider her career of undermining democracy.

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.

Platner aide hit with brutal timeline check after campaign denied rape claim, then folded days later

Graham Platner suspended his Maine Senate campaign on Wednesday, after Jenny Racicot alleged he raped her.

'America and the world have lost a determined leader': Tributes pour in after Sen Lindsey Graham's death

Trump called Lindsey Graham "a true American Patriot" on Truth Social as world leaders from Ukraine, Israel and NATO mourned the senator's sudden death.

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.

Keeping Nashville Hot

Too brief a stop in Music City.

Lindsey Graham Was Facing Re-election in November. What Happens Now?

South Carolina law suggests his death triggers an Aug. 11 special Republican primary election, and the state’s governor can appoint a replacement to serve out the rest of his term, through early January.

Leaders From Home and Abroad Remember Senator Lindsey Graham

Mr. Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday prompted a wave of tributes for an outsize and often divisive figure in U.S. foreign policy.

Claire's Weekly Letter: Celebrating 250 Years of America

Only One Choice for Dems After Platner Gamble Blows Up

Democrats face a crisis in Maine after the collapse of the Platner candidacy and must launch a robust primary to challenge Susan Collins in November.

Younger Voters Are Propelling the Democratic Socialist Surge in New York

Age seemed to be the predominant factor in the Democratic Socialists of America’s primary wins in House races in New York City.

Parables Are For Sowing: Sunday Reflection

Russia Closes the Kerch Strait After 76 Ships Hit With Drones

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

Sen. Lindsey Graham dead at 71 after 'brief and sudden' illness, office says

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died Saturday at age 71 following a "brief and sudden" illness, ending 23 years of service in the U.S. Senate and more than three decades in politics.

Sotomayor Slaughters Hamilton

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

EXCLUSIVE: Former 'Apprentice' star picked by Trump to showcase America's 250th anniversary through art

"Passport to Patriotism" opens July 30 in Washington with 30+ artists exploring America's story through photography, sculpture and fashion for America 250.

Dem governor escalates McConnell health demands, cites response to Biden health concerns

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear demands Sen. Mitch McConnell reveal his undisclosed medical condition as the 84-year-old remains absent from the Senate.

Young Washington Finds the Man Beneath the Monument

The father of the country has not yet arrived, and the young man standing in his place is a genuine creation.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Sunday Smiles

Lindsey Graham, Republican Senator and Trump Ally, Dies From ‘Sudden Illness’

He died from “a brief and sudden illness,” his office said. Over more than two decades in the Senate, he consistently pushed for the use of U.S. military power overseas.

Lindsey Graham, South Carolina senator who rose from small-town roots to GOP power broker, dies at 71

Sen. Lindsey Graham rose from running his family's South Carolina cafe to becoming one of Trump's closest allies on national security policy.

Graham Platner, Classy to the Last

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

VP Vance on Faith, Fatherhood and Forgiveness

Salena Zito interviewed Vice President JD Vance about his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Michael Cohen Helped Convict Trump. Now, He’s Making Nice Again.

A previously unreported encounter last summer set the stage for a rapprochement between the president and his former fixer, who has so far avoided the diatribes and prosecutions that President Trump has directed at other critics.

The Trust-Fund Wunderkinds Who Enabled Platner's Rise

Graham Platner, the accused rapist with a Nazi tattoo running for Senate in Maine, has reportedly told staff he will formally end his campaign on Monday-the deadline for Democrats to replace him on the ballot. Given his tendency to lie about every…

Pretty in Pinko: The Brat Pack And the Anti-Communist Film Festival

Substack Just Got Smarter!

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

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?

Graham’s Death Highlights Congress’s Age Issue

By the standards of the aging Senate, where the average age is more than 65, the South Carolina Republican wasn’t particularly old.

Democrat politicos rerun underhanded leftist playbook in effort to torpedo Trump’s AG nominee

About 1,200 DOJ alumni signed a letter opposing Todd Blanche's confirmation as attorney general, but signatories reveal a hyperpartisan pattern.

Strong Opinions

When critics start issuing dictates, they end up excluding broad swathes of art and culture as well as whole areas of human experience.

Graham's death ignites GOP scramble for Senate seat as Trump hints he already has a favorite

Gov. Henry McMaster must appoint a temporary replacement, as Trump says he has someone in mind for the South Carolina Senate special election.

Maine Dems Seek Platner-Like Change Agent - Minus Baggage

After Graham Platner's implosion, Democratic voters in Maine, as one put it, are looking for a replacement with a clean bill of health.

How Trump and DOGE Broke the IRS

The agency was on its way to a turnaround, says former IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. DOGE had other plans.

Saturday's Final Word

Maine Democrats Will Replace Graham Platner. Here’s What to Know.

Mr. Platner’s withdrawal from a marquee Senate race, under pressure from his party, has set in motion an unusual competition to become the new nominee.

Trump Knows His Freedom Fuel Is Socialism, Right?

President Trump may even be better at doing democratic socialism than New York City Mayor Mamdani - at least because he's doing it on a larger scale.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

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.

The Immortal Appeal of 'The Odyssey'

Christopher Nolan's blockbuster is only the latest adaptation of a story that has captivated audiences for three millennia. Here's why the epic poem has never lost its hold on us, writes Daniel Mendelsohn.

Lindsey Graham dies after ‘sudden illness’; Trump says senator was like family

Graham died hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine. Trump said he spoke with the senator Saturday evening and that “could’ve been his last call.”

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.

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.

Trump Trying To Start New Red Scare

The president keeps calling his political opponents communist, in defiance of history and common sense.

Blanche Stares Down Confirmation Hurdle: Lingering G.O.P. Doubts

Key Republicans on the Judiciary Committee could push for concessions from Todd Blanche, in line to be attorney general, though they did not appear in revolt.

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.

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.

Trump Sought an Iran War Exit. Putin Pushed On in Ukraine. Now Both Are Stuck.

The Iran and Ukraine wars underline the common limits of military force in achieving political ends, but also the differences between a dug-in Russian president and a vacillating American one.

RIP, Lindsey Graham (1955-2026)

Michigan Is Next Big Test for the Democratic Party

The Michigan Senate primary race between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed reflects the Democrats' growing ideological schism, but it's also a contest of competing campaign styles.

Why Soccer Is Boring

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

Charlie Is My Darling

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

'Young Washington' Delivers Action, Adventure, and Ambition

Platner Is Proof Dems Will Overlook Anything for Power

With the Senate campaign of Maine's Graham Platner blowing up in their faces, Democrats everywhere are giving each other tearful gobs of solace and advice.

Birmingham, Still the Magic City

I can’t put my finger on it, but there is simply something special here.

The Mask That Made Me

Thirty years as a high-functioning neurodivergent project manager.

JD Vance Takes on Milton Friedman

What ‘Democratic Socialists’ Believe

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

Spoiled Socialists

From 'disgrace' to 'family': Trump's remarkable journey with Lindsey Graham

Trump revealed he spoke with Sen. Lindsey Graham the night before his sudden death at 71, believing it may have been the senator's last call.

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…

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.

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.

'Die Hard' actor Robert Davi blasts Mamdani after NYC map omits Little Italy

Robert Davi posted a fiery video blasting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over a city immigrant enclaves map that omitted Little Italy.

Lindsey Graham’s Finest Moment

Graham’s defense of Brett Kavanaugh came against powerful cultural currents that are easy to forget.

The Last Interesting Man in Washington

As much as he was a political animal who gloried in the fray, Lindsey Graham also had a core.

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.

The Long Road to Medical ‘Miracles’

How decades of invisible science produced two cancer breakthroughs.

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 ambitious energy bet could be a winning hand as the world burns more oil, gas than ever

U.S. oil production hit a record 21.1 million barrels per day in 2025 as fossil fuels still supply 86% of global energy, a new report reveals.

What's the Real 'Defining Image of Race in America'?

Trump Recalls Last Conversation With Lindsey Graham Before His Death

In an interview on Sunday, President Trump recounted his last conversation with Senator Lindsey Graham, hours before his death. Mr. Graham sounded “perfect,” he said.

White House Directed Patel to Oversee Investigation Involving Times Reporting

The F.B.I. director spent about eight hours at the White House Friday focused on the effort, which led to the subpoenaing of several Times reporters who wrote about the security of Air Force One.

Steve Forbes backs Trump's Mt. Rushmore warning on communism: 'He's right'

Publisher and presidential candidate Steve Forbes discusses the American economy, the socialist turn in New York City, and the Trump 4th of July speech at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas.

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

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