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

California’s Blue Armageddon

One of the most liberal states in the country can’t find a Democrat to lead it.

Trump Seeks to Abolish Iran’s Atomic Stockpile, a Problem He Helped Create

President Trump withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear accord in 2018, saying it was the worst deal ever. But Iran responded with an enrichment spree that haunts the negotiations to this day.

The Posting Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Trump’s Iran messaging seems desperate.

The Narrative™ Is Not Reality, Example #54702394572039

Apocalypse Soon?

Earth Day once helped focus public attention on real environmental problems. Today it is a festival of alarmism, misanthropy, technophobia, and moral theatrics.

In the wake of the Republican National Convention earlier this month, Fareed speaks with historian Niall Ferguson about how and why the modern-day GOP has changed since the Reagan era of the 1980s.

USAID Is Back in the News For All the Wrong Reasons

Trump’s plan for $500 million Spirit Airline bailout draws GOP division

The president said this week that buying the bankrupt airline would save jobs but his administration is divided.

Rubio’s Absence From Iran Talks Highlights Stay-at-Home Role

President Trump has outsourced much of his diplomacy to others, while Mr. Rubio focuses on his second job as national security adviser.

Michigan governor hopeful pressed on past SPLC work after DOJ indictment: 'What did Jocelyn know?'

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson faces GOP pressure over her past SPLC ties after the group was indicted on fraud-related charges this week.

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 eager to show off latest White House project to King Charles

The president’s black granite path is the newest change to the West Wing, following gold lettering, Oval Office gilding and a “Presidential Walk of Fame.”

Republicans’ Likely Strategy as Midterms Near: Negative Campaigning

Republicans are likely to fall back on a tried-and-tested strategy for the midterms: Going negative.

The Professor and the Pariah

How a brilliant mind fell for bad history and worse people.

Can Blackface Be Anti-Racist?

In her early comedy career, Sarah Silverman mocked bigots by impersonating them. What could possibly go wrong?

Trans Prisoner Kept in Women's Prison Charged with Sexual Assault

Mamdani in the hot seat after first veto derails bipartisan effort to combat antisemitism: 'Disappointed'

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is vetoing a bill targeting antisemitism that would expand security restrictions on protests at education sites.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Transgender lawmaker 'doesn't know what a woman is,' White House says after dig at Trump firings

Rep. Sarah McBride says Trump "only fires women," guessing that DNI Tulsi Gabbard is next to go after Noem, Bondi and Chavez-DeRemer departures.

What Did You Think Decolonisation Meant?

Decolonisation theory operates as a rigid, Manichaean ideology that neatly divides the world into evil perpetrators and innocent victims.

Scott Bessent: Trump's Economic Engineer

The Treasury secretary looks ahead to the Beijing summit and discusses AI, energy, taxes, bank regulation and more.

We're Getting Closer to a Deal with Cuba But Will It Matter?

Appeals Court: Trump's Suspension of Asylum System is Unlawful

Hakeem Jeffries left scrambling after child reporter asks why voters view Democrats so negatively

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared stunned after a child asked him why voters view Democrats so negatively during a Capitol Hill event.

Diversity Officers Debate Where DEI Went Too Far

ActBlue: Democrats' Dirtiest Campaign Fundraiser

Is there anything a Democrat won't do?

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.

Dhillon to Newsmax: SPLC Used False Narrative for Funds

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon told Newsmax on Friday the 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center rips the veil off the facade of an organization that claims to fight discrimination.

Signs Iran's Economy Is in Freefall

The conflict in the Middle East is plunging an already fragile Iranian economy into freefall.

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.

Sen. Wicker Skeptic of Iran Talks, Urges Military Action

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday signaled pessimism among Senate Republicans about the Trump administration's diplomatic efforts to reach a peace deal with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz without further U.S. mili…

Canada’s 215 Imaginary Martyrs

How will Canadian journalists cover the five-year anniversary of the 2021 ‘unmarked-graves’ social panic without admitting their complicity in promoting a fake story?

Anti-Market Delusion at the Heart of the Housing Crisis

It's very easy to get a reservation at Olive Garden, which has over 900 locations in the United States. It's almost impossible to get a reservation at Rao's in New York City, which is one of only three locations. That's why a plate of pasta at Oli…

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…

An Extra-Embarrassing White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Why is Donald Trump breaking bread with the “enemy of the people”?

Big Sky Crack-Up

Montana Democrats thought they found a novel way to win control of the U.S. Senate—until the party faithful started fighting back.

CNN Political Briefing

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

Florida Dem filed for re-election days before resignation as House Ethics Committee ramped up pressure

Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is still registered to run for re-election despite resigning amid federal charges and ethics committee findings.

The Roots of Recession

As an energy shock looms, a new book reframes recession as the product of historical circumstance, not cyclical inevitability.

Sen. Dolezal to Newsmax: Shariah Has No Place in Georgia

Citing ongoing state investigations of Islamic tribunals in Texas that officials allege have been masquerading as legal courts, Georgia Republican State Sen. Greg Dolezal on Friday on Newsmax defended his proposal to ban Sharia law in Georgia.

DOJ is paying out Trump allies, undermining former investigations

Since Trump’s return to the White House last year, the Justice Department has paid more than $8.5 million to resolve legal claims brought by allies and supporters.

DeSantis under pressure as Florida redraw could tip House balance in GOP map fight

Florida becomes the likely final battleground in the GOP-Democrat fight over congressional redistricting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

DOJ watchdog launches review of agency’s compliance with Epstein files law

The audit by the department’s inspector general follows months of lawmaker complaints over the congressionally mandated release of investigative files.

Trump will ‘deliver’: RNC chair signals midterms confidence despite ‘doom and gloom’

RNC Chair Joe Gruters says he believes Republicans are on track to defy history and defend their slim congressional majorities in the 2026 midterms.

Friday's Final Word

Fairfax County Groping Case Results in Conviction

Democrats could actually retake the Senate. Here are the races to watch.

The map still favors Republicans, but Trump’s declining popularity --- particularly on the economy --- makes Democrats’ once long-shot bid to retake the Senate more feasible than ever before.

US Hopes for Progress, but Iran Says Don't Count on Direct Talks

Iran's foreign minister arrived in Islamabad on Friday and U.S. envoys headed to the Pakistani capital in a bid to kickstart a new round of peace negotiations amid a fragile ceasefire.The White House said emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner…

Hasan Piker Is the Enemy

If liberals wish to forge an alliance of convenience with a socialist and apologist for jihadist violence, they will be betraying the very values they profess to uphold.

Trump’s Enormous Gerrymandering Blunder

The Republican redistricting effort backfires.

Under Trump, Green Card Seekers Face New Scrutiny for Views on Israel

In guidance to immigration officers, the administration describes participating in pro-Palestinian protests and criticizing Israel as “overwhelmingly negative” factors.

Ken Griffin Kinda Torqued About NYC's Commie 'Tax the Rich' Mayor Pointing Out His Crib

Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: UCLA mob mess, veiled threats of violence and a major win over DEI

Stay up to date with the Fox News Campus Radicals newsletter.

Leavitt: Powell Case 'Not Necessarily Dropped'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is not over. The Justice Department announced Friday it was dropping its investigation into Powell over his handling of renovations at the…

What Abdul El-Sayed Doesn’t Get About Trump

How Democrats can lose Michigan, again

Documenting a Decade of Academic Meltdowns

Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with filmmaker Ric Esther Bienstock about her new CBC/BBC documentary, ‘Speechless’—which explores the rise of censorship and mobbings on campus.

SPLC and Pravda: a Match Made in Heaven

Iran says no direct talks planned as U.S. envoys set to leave for Pakistan

Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Islamabad for talks with Pakistani officials. The White House said Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would leave for Islamabad on Saturday.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

What Does Trump Mean by 'Don't Rush Me' in Iran?

President Donald Trump is loudly trying to convince two critical audiences - Iran's leaders and the American people - that he's calling the shots in the war.

Trump Voters Like Marco Rubio More and More

And J. D. Vance less and less

Girls in an Online World

Iona Italia talks to writer Freya India about her book 'Girls: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything.'

N.Y. GOP Won't Back Trump Pick to Replace Stefanik

In the Republican primary to fill Rep. Elise Stefanik's seat, President Donald Trump has endorsed one candidate. But New York Republicans favor another candidate to represent New York's deep red 21st Congressional District.

Statecraft and Seduction

In an excellent new biography of Rasputin, British military historian Antony Beevor argues that perception can be a more powerful shaper of world events than reality.

Kushner and Witkoff Traveling to Pakistan to Resume Iran Talks

Iran’s foreign minister has already arrived in the country, state media reported. He was believed to be carrying a written response to a U.S. proposal to end the war.

Tennessee Passed a Slate of Immigration Bills. Here’s What They Do.

The Republican supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly approved a series of immigrations bills, crafted in coordination with the White House.

Blue Wave? Or Red Save?

Will 2026 be a "blue wave" election for Democrats?

Third U.S. aircraft carrier arrives in waters near Iran

The path of the USS George H.W. Bush to the Middle East has been closely watched as President Trump demands progress in peace negotiations with Tehran.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a former US senator from California who previously served as the state's attorney general, could be the first Black woman and Asian American to lead a major party ticket after receiving President Joe Biden's support t…

Mississippi governor says he will call special session to redraw district maps after SCOTUS ruling

Mississippi's governor announces a special session to redraw district lines, saying the Supreme Court's ruling in a key case could change electoral maps.

Trump administration moves to add firing squad to federal execution methods

The Justice Department also said it was reviving a lethal injection protocol used during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Trump orders more access to psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin and ibogaine

The president is directing federal agencies to boost research into the drugs and support clinical trials, moves championed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Pollster Allocco to Newsmax: AOC 4th Place for Democrats in 2028

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is drawing early support in the 2028 Democrat presidential field, but her fourth-place standing in a new Echelon poll reflects a deeper ideological divide within the party, polling expert Patrick Allocco told…

Dems put Trump on notice as redistricting battle ramps up ahead of midterms: 'Going to fight back'

Democrats claim President Trump started the redistricting battle and vow to fight back as Virginia's referendum shifts the 2026 midterm landscape.

Trump Floats Conspiracy Theory About Virginia Redistricting

The president's latest nonsense is notable because of the degree to which it's a sign of things to come.

Firm Building Trump’s Ballroom Got a Secret No-Bid Contract for a Nearby Job

The National Park Service increased the value of the contract several times over and then awarded it to Maryland-based Clark Construction, in a process that experts said was highly unusual.

Mike Tyson, Trump watches and meme coins: Crypto takes over Mar-a-Lago

Top holders of Donald Trump’s meme coin will get a conference at Mar-a-Lago, featuring Trump-branded swag and potential facetime, even as the coin has lost value.

Macron: Trump, Xi, Putin Oppose Europe; 'a Unique Moment'

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Friday that President Donald Trump, China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin, are part of a global shift that is working against Europe.

Fareed explains why AI's massive energy demands are straining the power grid, but also why AI could enable big breakthroughs in sustainability and clean energy.

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.

Getting 'a Read' on Kevin Warsh's Monetary Policy Views

Many Keynesians complain they "can't get a read" on Kevin Warsh's monetary policy views. The problem isn't that Warsh is opaque. It's that their map is wrong.

Deep Question Of the Year: Did Nepo Babytollah Do a Reverse Twelfth Imam? UPDATE

What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos’s Private Retreat

For the richest men on Earth, everything is free and nothing matters.

Iran Hedging on Talks as Araghchi Arrives, VP Vance Sits Out Round

Iran signaled it has not committed to new negotiations with the United States, even as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Islamabad on Friday.Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran never requested talks with Washingto…

Thousands of EV Car Leases Are Ending Soon, Giving Buyers a More Affordable Option

The leases on hundreds of thousands of battery-powered cars and trucks will end in the next three years, and many will end up on used-car lots.

Letters to the Editor

10 April – 17 April 2026

Student Contest Based on Trump’s Garden of Heroes Downplays Darker History

Guidelines for the art contest, sponsored by the group Freedom 250, include material about abolitionists and civil rights leaders, but little mention of what they fought against.

Interior Secretary Touts Reflecting Pool Revamp

Crews are applying an "American flag blue" coating to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Friday, as part of a roughly $1.5 million resurfacing President Donald Trump announced Thursday,

In the Air Tonight

How Phil Collins created the pop sound that defined the 1980s.

Biggest Problem: Iran Sees No Need To Compromise

The US has failed to bomb Iran into submission. Now, from the strait of Hormuz to nuclear concessions, Tehran senses its position strengthening

DC murder rate sees astonishing turnaround as Trump team credits federal crackdown

Washington, D.C., homicides have dropped by roughly half in 2026 compared to 2025, sparking debate over Trump's federal crackdown and broader trends.

The Problem With Hasan Piker’s Einstein Story

People scrutinizing influencers for their views should also hold them to account for their facts.

SCOTUS Should Stop CA's Persecution of John Eastman

In the eyes of the bar and California court, Eastman's thoughtcrime, punishable with professional destruction, was lawyering for MAGA.

Trump’s political headwinds pile up after gerrymandering, Iran setbacks

New polls showed voters prefer Democrats on the economy for the first time since 2010 and Republicans disapprove of Trump’s handling of inflation.

Trump Voters Are Over It

A shocking number of the president’s supporters have turned against him.

US Diplomat Arrives to Lead Embassy in Venezuela

Veteran U.S. diplomat John M. Barrett has arrived in Caracas to serve as charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy, the mission announced Thursday, marking a new phase in Washington's diplomatic presence in Venezuela.

'The Blockade Scares Them Even More Than the Bombing'

"The blockade scares them even more than the bombing - they've been bombed for years, but the blockade they hate." That's President Trump talking to Fox News' Martha MacCallum in a very telling statement.

History Is Running Backwards

Why reactionaries are taking over the world

The FBI Director Is MIA

Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.

Reza Pahlavi Went to Berlin

US turns to drones after retiring minesweepers to reopen Strait of Hormuz amid Iran crisis

The U.S. is racing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as Iran reportedly lays mines in the critical waterway, testing the Navy's shift to unmanned systems.

White House loosens rules for preserving presidential records

After the Justice Department said a post-Watergate records law is unconstitutional, White House lawyers established a new policy that experts say weakens safeguards.

Rep. Donalds to Newsmax: Lawmakers Deserve Due Process

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Friday he does not want to see members of Congress be expelled until they get their full due process.

2 Killed in Boat Strike in Eastern Pacific Ocean, Pentagon Says

The attack — the sixth this month — raised the death toll to at least 182 in a campaign against people the Trump administration accuses of smuggling drugs at sea.

The 85-Year-Old Widow Snagged by Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

In her first interview since being deported, Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé, the French widow of a former G.I., recounted her experience in ICE detention.

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…

The ‘Lasting Damage’ of Pirro’s Investigation of the Federal Reserve and Powell

The Trump administration’s attacks on the Federal Reserve have rattled confidence in the central bank’s ability to operate independently before a leadership transition.

The Problem With Hasan Piker--Spoiler: It's Not About Israel

Hasan Piker is exceptionally good at ranting about politics while playing video games. In the late 20th century, this would have made him a fun (if exhausting) hang. In today's era, it has rendered him one of the most influential left-wing comment…