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

Oil executives warn White House that gas prices will get worse

Grim predictions add to the problems of a president already facing a sharp rise in inflation.

Talking Across the Divide

How we see politics reveals a lot about who we are. But it is less akin to a Rorschach ink blot than one of those reversible images, like the drawing that is both a rabbit and a duck. As messy as society might be, it is not some blob open to any i…

Gabbard Revokes Biden-Era Assessments on Mysterious Ailments

Earlier reviews had cast doubt on the idea that a foreign adversary was behind Havana syndrome, a range of symptoms that American spies and diplomats reported.

California accused of blocking federal voter roll audit as DOJ escalates probe of election fraud claims

The DOJ accuses California of blocking a federal audit of voter rolls as the dispute over registration records intensifies in the Ninth Circuit.

Mamdani touts massive taxpayer-funded investment for trans healthcare: 'First step'

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces a $15 million investment in gender affirming care, calling New York City a haven for its LGBTQ+ communities.

Why Platner's Death Camp Guard Tattoo Really Is No Big Deal to Democrats

Thursday's Final Word

Blocking Trump’s Fund, Judge Presses for Guarantee It Won’t Move Forward

The ruling was the strongest effort to date to hold the administration to its word that its plans to create the fund have actually been set aside.

FIRST ON FOX: DOJ sues Spanberger’s Virginia over laws kneecapping federal agents as mask war escalates

The Justice Department sued Virginia over laws that could criminally punish masked federal agents and dismantle local ICE cooperation agreements.

Academia’s Power Problem

Because administrators control the purse strings, more and more resources are directed their way, and less into actual education and research.

The Perfect Rant

For America's 250th, Pardon the East Haven Four

Dennis Spaulding's baby was two days old when Spaulding became a federal felon. He was later sentenced to five years in prison and missed the first years of his daughter's life.

Cornyn predicts Trump midterm 'disaster,' then 'the most miserable two years of his life'

Outgoing Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas predicted that President Donald Trump will experience "disaster" in the 2026 midterm elections.

Disclosure Day is Getting Some Good Reviews

Axios: Here's the Deal Iran Still Won't Accept Yet

What to Know About Jay Clayton, Trump’s Pick for Intelligence Director

Mr. Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan and a former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, has been overseeing an office known for prominent cases.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Yes, This: A Must-Read Piece from Drew Holden About COVID Insanity

Dear Sen. Cornyn, Do the Right Thing, Help Pass SAVE America Act

Dear Senator Cornyn, I approached you respectfully at the airport, extending my hand & introducing myself. We were at the ticket gate with literally dozens of witnesses - passengers inches away. Despite a quib reply back from you, I kept things pr…

Why the Enlightenment Matters

Iona Italia talks to lawyer and historian Adam Wakeling about the enduring importance of Enlightenment values and how to defend them today.

SpaceX's Record Setting IPO Has Progressives Upset

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.

FISA, a Key U.S. Spying Power, Is Expiring. What Does That Mean for Foreign Surveillance?

Top officials and some lawmakers say letting a powerful spying authority expire on Saturday will leave the United States dangerously blind. But surveillance can still continue.

China Arrests U.S. Scholar on Spying Charge

The arrest of U Min Zin, who did graduate studies at U.C. Berkeley and directs a research group on Myanmar, took place soon after President Trump met with Xi Jinping in China.

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…

Top US ally's defense chief quits, warns military lacks resources for rising threats

John Healey resigned, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government of failing to adequately fund the military amid rising Russian threats.

Shameless: Khanna Invokes Epstein to Defend Platner

Claire's Weekly Letter: Antifragility in Ukraine

Pathology and Politics

British author Josh Ireland’s new book about the murder of Leon Trotsky tells the gripping story of a rivalry between two very different men.

Downsizing and the Ozempic Economy

The positive impacts of GLP-1s are a reminder of the difficulty of forecasting the countless consequences of some event, innovation, or other development.

"They Hate Australia": The Activists Behind the Gaza Flotilla and the Radical Left's Antizionist Turn | Quillette Cetera Ep. 65

Hava Mendelle — army veteran, nurse, and co-founder of Minority Impact — speaks with Zoe Sankey about antisemitism in Australia, the red-green alliance, October 7th, and why she left the activist left behind.

'Transgender madness' under fire after Congress lets taxpayer funding ban lapse

Sen. Hawley demands investigation into $1.5 billion in Medicare and Medicaid funding allegedly used by Planned Parenthood for transgender procedures.

Some States Opt Out of Trump’s ‘Great American State Fair’

At least five have declined to participate, the latest sign that the national 250th birthday celebration has become a fragmented and partisan affair as the president seeks his imprint.

No, the Pope Isn’t a Pacifist

Some context on Magnifica Humanitas.

AI Revives the Conglomerate

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are building the same thing: a holding company glued together by AI.

Former Biden ambassador considered running against him over border mess, bashes Kamala in new book

Ken Salazar, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, reveals he considered running for president against Biden after the 2024 debate, per a new book excerpt.

Vindication for Young Elon Musk

In 2004, he told the Senate that open competition would transform the industry.

The World Is Draining Oil Reserves, Raising Pressure for a Peace Deal

The amount of oil and fuel stored by businesses and governments has fallen sharply since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Abbott spotlights no-show Talarico, launching Texas-sized crime crackdown

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott proposes statewide prosecutor, bail reforms and measures to remove rogue DAs as crime dominates the political debate in Texas.

America's Teachers Can't Afford To Teach

Educators increasingly cannot afford even life's basic necessities, writes Randi Weingarten.

The U.S. Energy Revolution Is Iran’s Worst Enemy

For all the financial pressure the energy-cost spike is putting on consumers today, it would have been far worse a decade ago.

All That for This?

Trump’s legacy will loom over the future geopolitical crises this deal with Iran will render inevitable.

Colbert and Cancellation

The #CancelColbert saga in 2014 established the paradigm for countless hashtag controversies that followed.

Peak Democrat Propaganda

Storms Could Disrupt U.F.C. Event at the White House on Sunday

Forecasters said the weather around Washington is likely to be hot and stormy.

Principles, Power and the Platner Problem

The first time I remember being told that our two major parties had "few major differences," I was seated next to Ralph Nader on a plane for a story I was doing on him just ahead of the 2000 presidential election. He was the Green Party alternativ…

Trump Nominates Prosecutor Jay Clayton to Be Director of National Intelligence

Meanwhile, Democrats kill a House proposal to extend foreign surveillance authority, as the Friday deadline looms.

I Am Lovin' Me European Soccer Fans

Contradictions of 1776

Joseph J. Ellis is one of the most celebrated historians in the nation. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize and once the holder of an endowed chair at Mount Holyoke, he was hailed by The Washington Post as the "most widely read scholar of the Revolutio…

An Electoral Reckoning at Last?

Benjamin Netanyahu’s unprecedented tenure as Israeli prime minister may be about to end.

Selective Pressure, Selective Silence

David Reich and the politics of recent human evolution.

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.

Fact-Check: Trump’s Claims About His Arch, Reflecting Pool Repairs and Other Renovation Projects

President Trump has made false or exaggerated claims of a Civil War-era push for a triumphal arch, hundreds of millions spent on repairs on the Reflecting Pool, and an absence of working fountains.

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.

A Baseless Attack on Friedrich Hayek’s Intellectual Legacy

Author Quinn Slobodian has won acclaim for his attempt to link the famed Austrian economist to right-wing extremists. But his arguments collapse under scrutiny.

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.

Meet James Talarico, Radical DEI Activist and 'Defund the Police' Promoter

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…

The Stable States of Our Politics

‘Only 25 states had voted for the same party in the 1976 and 2000 elections.’

Melania Trump Unveils New Investment Accounts for Foster Children

The program allows states to invest benefits they receive on behalf of foster children in their care.

Partisan Sectional Polarization and the Civil War

The disintegration of both the Democrats and the Whigs as national parties was both a sign and a cause of the rupture that brought on the Civil War.

Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle Has No Sense of Decorum

What happened to ‘professional attire’?

CNN Political Briefing

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

Liberals Without Teeth

British liberals exclude reactionary cranks like Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur because they don’t have the stomach for a fight.

The Descent of Britain Is a Warning

Britain's moral collapse has, notoriously, produced industrial scale-rape of English girls by Muslim men.

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.

The Murder of Henry Nowak and the Politics of Certainty

This case shows how quickly tragedy becomes raw material for those who seek to exploit it.

Talarico's move to swap out 'woman' resurfaces amid backlash over similar bill in NY: 'Insane individual'

Texas Senate candidate James Talarico once used "pregnant individual" instead of "woman" in a 2023 abortion bill, drawing criticism from opponents.

Britain’s Immigration Numbers

To say that that many Britons are unhappy with the scale of immigration into their country is an understatement.

A Way Out of Iran

The current regime in Iran cannot be trusted and will never agree to a deal that would meet the criteria Trump himself has established.

It’s My Party and I’ll Die If I Want To

The most consequential weakness of philosopher and journalist Kathleen Stock’s new polemic against assisted dying is its failure to engage with the empirical record.

What Is the Democrats' Answer to America First?

The party wants to do things differently than Trump and better than Biden.

Trump sees 22 medical specialists, appearing to set new bar for presidents

Trump saw about a dozen specialists for prior check-ups, per past statements. The White House has declined to identify which specialists assessed the president.

Ex-Biden aide dubbed 'Baghdad Bob' reemerges with Jill Biden spat, new gig

Andrew Bates sparked a Democratic Party firestorm by criticizing Jill Biden's book tour for reopening debate over Joe Biden's 2024 dropout decision.

WATCH: Tim Kaine rejects claims Karmelo Anthony verdict was racist

Sen. Tim Kaine says he has a "hard time understanding" claims that Karmelo Anthony's murder verdict was unfair or racially motivated by jurors.

AIPAC Wants Democrats to Back Israel. Instead, They’re Turning on AIPAC.

Once the guardian of the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus, it is now a polarizing force in the party.

Platner campaign rocked with damning allegations from another ex-lover as Senate race heats up: report

A woman claiming to be a former partner of U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner alleges infidelity and says his Nazi tattoo story changed over time.

Left vs. Left Mayor Race a Bad Sign for LA's Future

Angelenos across political lines are increasingly frustrated with the condition of the city; public services are strained while concerns persist over crime and homelessness.

Postal Service Issues Proposal to Block Mail Ballots in States That Don’t Turn Over Data

Democrats and voting-rights groups have challenged the proposed rule as a harmful federal intrusion that could affect millions of voters who cast their ballots by mail.

The Data a Flemish TV Network Didn't Want You to See

How I read a confidential memo on live television—and what it reveals about ideological bias.

The Little Girl With Knife and Axe Just Gave the System a Final Whack

Rise of the Pro-Worker Conservative Is Changing U.S.

Republicans helping to strengthen labour law would once have seemed an outlandish prospect - no longer

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Prosecutors Go Out of Their Way to Bring Case in . . . San Francisco?

An odd wrinkle in the Supreme Court’s venue decision.