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

Prominent Texas Republican predicts GOP losses over data centers

One prominent Texas Republican predicts disaster at the polls if his party doesn't take a harder stand against data centers.

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.

CNN Political Briefing

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

The Autism Epidemic That Wasn’t

The Trump administration’s scientific illiteracy about rates of autism is going to have catastrophic results.

Carville's Tirade Reveals Left's All-Consuming Politics of Rage

James Carville's rage erupted after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, calling Trump allies felons and traitors on his podcast.

Woman accused of defacing WWII Memorial with spray paint indicted by federal grand jury

U.S. Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro called the World War II Memorial vandalism a "despicable attack" after Melissa Farris was formally indicted on two federal counts.

The England I Knew Is Gone

Leslie Poles Hartley famously dubbed the past a foreign country. This summer, for the first time, I sensed that the present can be one too. My annual visit to...

Troy Jackson Is Looking Forward In Maine

Maine's U.S. Senate candidate poses the strongest challenge to Susan Collins of her career.

Et Tu, David Axelrod?

By Cory Franklin August 28th, 2026 At the legendary South Loop delicatessen, Manny's, every stratum of Chicagoan comes to enjoy the delicious corned beef sandwiches. They eat elbow to elbow - blue collar workers, professionals, journalists, cops, …

White South Africans could get $4,500 in aid if they come to U.S. as refugees

The assistance, which helps pay for basic needs such as housing and food, would nearly double under a new policy.

It’s Trump’s Capital Now, but Voters Aren’t Living in It

His obsession with remaking Washington might hurt his party politically.

A Grievous Gap in One State’s Higher Ed

In today’s Martin Center article, Christopher Schilling explains that, though North Carolina “requires Holocaust education for public school students,” there is no such requirement for…

Kevin Warsh Makes the Case for Rate Hikes

In his Jackson Hole speech, the Fed chair did everything but say it out loud.

Milo Yiannopoulos, a Right-Wing Provocateur, Is Arrested by ICE

Mr. Yiannopoulos, a prominent early supporter of President Trump, was detained at the New Orleans airport. The Trump administration publicized his arrest and shared a mug shot.

Hochul ICE policy ‘written in the blood of victims,’ opponent says as sheriffs sue

The clash comes as another top Republican declared Hochul 'doesn't give a s— about public safety'

Dem Crazy Train in FL: Angie Nixon Joins El-Sayed As Full Islamist Revolutionary

This Is the Winning Message for Democrats

The top-performing messages we tested have a simple formula. They focus on Americans' day-to-day struggles to pay for rent and groceries, and the widespread frustration with prices that rise faster than working-class wages.

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow military to discharge transgender troops

The high court could decide to hear the case in the term that begins in October.

$42 Million Abu Ghraib Jury Verdict Is Overturned on Appeal

A Fourth Circuit panel ordered the case to be dismissed, citing a new Supreme Court ruling limiting the ability of foreign citizens to sue in U.S. court.

Resistance Judging at Its Worst

After the Supreme Court threw out the injunction against Trump’s executive order on noncitizen mail-in ballots, you might have thought the case was over.

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…

Trump Fixin' to Double Proven US Oil Reserves in a Move As Smooth As the Orinoco Flows

Why Putin Still Thinks He Can Win

The Blues Brothers and the Pope

They don’t make a dime, wreck their car, and end up in jail.

This Is Pretty Funny, Actually...

Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Targeted Stanford Students Who Criticized Israel

The ruling was a win for Stanford’s student newspaper, The Stanford Daily, and it followed another court victory for students targeted by the Trump administration last year.

Legal Fight Over Trans Women in Women's Prisons Continues

Reagan-era official warns ‘red-green alliance’ has shared goal of ‘destroying’ America

Frank Gaffney warns the red-green alliance between radical Islamists and far-left socialists shares a goal of destroying America's constitutional system.

California Sues Trump Administration Over Offshore Wind Cancellation

The state is asking a court to reverse a Trump administration agreement and reinstate a planned offshore wind farm.

Trump suggests cattle ranchers could bypass USDA-inspected meat plants

A deregulation plan for meat-packing goes from Glenn Beck’s mouth to Trump’s social media.

Trump calls ISS crew from Houston to praise space pioneers and offer 'Oval Office time'

President Donald Trump spoke with astronauts aboard the International Space Station from NASA's Johnson Space Center, joking he wouldn't travel to space.

Trump border wall construction kicks off in Arizona amid clash with Native American tribe

The Tohono O'odham Nation claims masked CBP agents blocked tribal police as border wall contractors drilled on their sacred Native American land.

Life Inside Iran Is Becoming Intolerable

Given the economic pressures on the regime, something has to give.

Rep. Crockett says she’ll be campaigning ‘downballot’ instead of with Talarico

The congresswoman, who lost the primary Senate race to state Rep. James Talarico, did not mention him by name.

If Election Is 'Capitalism vs. Socialism', GOP Wins

With just over nine weeks remaining before the midterm elections, Republicans face a difficult political environment as they seek to retain their majorities in the House and Senate.

The DSA May Cost Dems Their Blue Wave

A new Echelon Insights poll raises the question: just how inevitable is this menacing Blue Wave?

El-Sayed dragged over ‘weird’ fixation on ‘talking about other people’s wives’ after latest Trump attack

Abdul El-Sayed's campaign posted a doctored White House image replacing Melania Trump's name with Natalie Harp's during the Lake Ontario renaming debate.

The Truth About the Gender Pay Gap with David Maywald | Quillette Cetera Episode 70

David Maywald on the female wage premium, the rites of passage boys no longer have, and why the science on sex differences keeps losing to ideology.

The Axe Files with David Axelrod

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

Women’s Sport or ‘Transformational’ Activism: It Can’t Be Both

A U.S.-based Australian Rules Football league allows trans-identified men to play on women’s teams. When one turned out to be a convicted sex criminal, no one wanted to talk about it.

Trump Creates a Space Academy and Honors the Artemis Astronauts

President Trump presented the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the Artemis II crew, which took a journey around the moon.

Lake America? Spare Us

Another pointless foot-stamping gesture from a president incompetently locked into several simultaneous tire fires of his own making.

Trump signs order creating new Space Academy akin to West Point; its location will be determined

President Trump signed an executive order Friday creating the U.S. Space Academy aimed at training students to enter the U.S. Space Force and serve the nation's growing space industry.

Measles’ role in child’s death ignites fight between RFK Jr. and Pennsylvania governor

A county coroner said that the pathologist who examined a newborn who tested positive for measles did not believe the virus played a role in the baby’s death.

Illegal immigrant tuition perks put 4 states in Trump DOJ crosshairs

Arizona State University gave 432 illegal immigrants in-state tuition in Fall 2025, totaling $10.5 million in reduced costs, the Justice Department alleges.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moves to cut state funding for AI-powered Flock cameras amid privacy concerns

Greg Abbott ordered Texas agencies to pause funding for Flock Safety's AI-powered license plate readers as cities cancel contracts over privacy.

Friday's Final Word

Repeating Tea Party Takedown Process on America First Coalition

In 2009, a grassroots revolt against bailouts, bureaucratic overreach, and a bipartisan Washington consensus was met-within a few short years-by a coordinated squeeze from four directions at once. The squeezers included the Democrat Party and Obam…

Antifa-linked sites go dark after State Department terror designation of tech collective

The Rose City Antifa and Jane's Revenge websites went dark after the State Department designated their tech provider, A/I Collective, a global terrorist.

L’Affaire Shirer Revisited

The rise, fall, and rise again of one of the 20th century’s most important journalists.

Five Years After Abbey Gate

Sharp reporting and commentary on news, politics, and culture - without political correctness or spin. Includes Unfit to Print, The Drain Pipe, State of the Day, Mr. Right, Good Life, Extras, and Video.

Net Zero Won't Fix Climate Change. Technology Will

Treat a warming planet as an engineering problem rather than a moral failing, and it starts to look solvable.

A Death on Another's Head

We should worry about the perverse incentives created by elevating a self-killer and punishing his enemies.

LGBTQ group reveals which Dem nominee is sponsoring Halloween event featuring drag shows

Keisha Lance Bottoms is sponsoring a Halloween event featuring drag shows, and her record on gender policy and the Riley Gaines Act faces scrutiny.

Trump Updates $15 Billion Libel Lawsuit Against The New York Times

The president has argued that the news organization sought to undermine his 2024 presidential campaign by disparaging his reputation as a businessman. The Times has moved to dismiss the lawsuit.

The Troubled State of Sociology

Increasingly, sociologists are expected to avoid research questions and theories that involve the role of culture in shaping societal inequalities.

Stories You Don’t Want to Be Told

A new exhibition curated by Lars von Trier provides a fascinating look at who and what has influenced one of the world’s most prodigiously gifted and provocative filmmakers.

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.

Red Reign

A thrash-metal classic turns forty.

Judge issues new block on Trump’s sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting

The legal fight over the controversial measure is expected to continue.

As Trump's Iran War Enters Sixth Month, No Good Options

Approval of Trump's handling of the war has been dropping as prices for gasoline and other goods remain elevated.

Trump announces creation of U.S. Space Academy

The school will serve the Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the military President Donald Trump created during his first term, as well as NASA and the growing civilian spaceflight industry.

Trump election fraud crackdown lands first arrest, putting longtime critics in White House crosshairs

A Honduran national in Los Angeles faces felony charges and deportation after allegedly registering to vote, and officials promise more arrests to come.

SpaceX Plans to Launch a NASA Space Telescope This Weekend

Drink More Ovaltine

The jokes we told in a Venezuelan prison.

Trump Administration Appeals Ruling Halting Mail-In Voting Rules

The Postal Service appealed an emergency decision from Thursday that blocked it from changing its procedures for mail-in voting ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

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…

An Unsatisfactory Settlement

What rules should govern our online digital lives? What rights do we have as digital citizens? The Meta settlement raises more questions than it answers.

Wyoming governor decries ‘aggressive’ behavior of federal election monitors

The Justice Department sent observers during the state’s primary election this month. A local official said the activities exceeded their authority.

NY Times: Lindsay Clancy Sure Has a Lot of Female Supporters

Trees are coming down by the dozen as Trump’s D.C. golf makeover nears

The president’s promised overhaul of the East Potomac course has not officially begun, but tree removal has already been taking place for weeks.

Trump's Big Midterm Strategy Is About To Backfire

President Donald Trump wants you to pretend that he's on the ballot in the midterm elections.

Hegseth Blocks Promotions of Four Army Officers as Purge Widens

The turmoil has left a leadership vacuum in the Army at a moment when it is trying to find ways to defend troops against the threat posed by cheap drones.

I Don’t Like Flock Cameras, but I Don’t Think They’re Unconstitutional

The courts are not going to save us. We’ll have to do this work politically.

The Most Ridiculous Presidential Ranking

Trump recycled a ranking reflecting midcentury liberal preferences just so he could call himself the ‘greatest.’

For Trump, the Iran War Is Stuck Between Combat and Genuine Peace

The war has deteriorated over the past six months into Mr. Trump’s own version of a “forever war,” with no clear goals and no end in sight.

Six Months In, Trump's Iran War Is a Total Disaster

The US president has been sucked into a quagmire of his own making, with both sides refusing to budge on red lines in negotiations. James C. Reynolds looks at the numbers behind a conflict that may prove to be Trump's greatest miscalculation

What happened under Trump this week

Here’s what happened under President Donald Trump and his administration this week that you may have missed.

They Want Us to Trust Them, but Still Deny They Have Ever Been Wrong

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Uphold Ban on Transgender Troops

President Trump issued an executive order barring transgender service members from the military as part of a broader attack on transgender rights.

Bessent Has the Knife Out For Iran's Stealth Funding Network -- The Next Risk Is a Run for the Exits

Andy Burnham Meets the Standard of Misconstrual

This was an entirely fake controversy, and Burnham’s reputation has been unjustly tarred.

Do Republicans Need More Trump?

Republicans need to give their voters a rationale for voting the straight ticket.

AI and the Bioweapon Threat

The knowledge and infrastructure needed to engineer a pandemic pathogen, once confined to a handful of elite military and civilian research institutions, are quietly becoming more accessible.

Judge rejects Trump’s latest bid to challenge hush money conviction

The court rejected Trump’s third attempt to move the case to federal court, where the president believes he would benefit from broader protection from prosecution.

Sympathy for the Devil, Part...Whatever

Claire's Weekly Letter: Punished for Truth-Seeking

SF Dems Overwhelmingly Reject Billionaire Tax

Chevron Is in Talks to Expand in Venezuela, a Potential Win for Trump

President Trump’s administration has been pushing U.S. companies like Chevron to invest more in Venezuela’s oil industry.

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.

Politics of the Day

Politics of the Day

Nature: Scientists Should Have to Register with Governments to Prevent ‘Misinformation’

A scandalously anti-science editorial from the world’s leading science journal.

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.