On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Kashyap “Kash” Patel as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Patel was a former federal prosecutor who served in the White House during President Donald Trump’s first term and is viewed by many as a Trump loyalist. On Sunday, Trump announced that Patel had named Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director. Bongino is a popular conservative podcaster who served in the New York Police Department and the Secret ...
Feb 26, 2025•29 min
On Saturday, Elon Musk posted on X that federal employees must respond to an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) detailing their work in the past week, adding that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” Shortly after, OPM emailed federal employees asking for a list of “5 bullets of what you accomplished last week” by Monday at 11:59pm ET ( screenshot ). However, many agencies have instructed their workers not to reply to the email, while unio...
Feb 25, 2025•30 min
On Friday, President Donald Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., as part of a series of dismissals of top Pentagon officers. Shortly after Trump announced Brown’s dismissal, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that he would replace Admiral Lisa Franchetti, chief of U.S. naval operations, and General James Slife, the Air Force’s vice chief of staff, as well as the judge advocates general (the military’s top lawyers) for...
Feb 24, 2025•29 min
In today's episode, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman and Executive Producer Jon Lall discuss various themes surrounding political dynamics, feedback on the podcast, and the implications of Elon Musk's actions with Doge. They talk about the challenges within the Democratic Party, the quest for authenticity in politics, and the complexities of government efficiency. Ari then speaks with Ray Brescia, a law professor and author, about the legal implications of Elon Musk's involvement with the government...
Feb 23, 2025•27 min
The day Donald Trump was inaugurated, my son was born. In retrospect, the timing feels inevitable ("Founder of politics newsletter has baby on inauguration day"), but it created an interesting dynamic for me. Most notably, I got to step back from the day-to-day ruckus of what it's like when Trump is flooding the zone with news and could take in each story with a bit more thoughtfulness. And as I return from paternity leave, it means that I now have the chance to share a month’s worth of distille...
Feb 21, 2025•33 min
Republicans in Congress are moving to pass a budget plan to advance President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda. On Wednesday, the Senate voted 50-47 to take up the outline of a budget that would increase immigration and military spending but does not include an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The vote is a key step in the budget reconciliation process , which allows a party to bypass the Senate's 60-vote filibuster rule to pass eligible budget legislation...
Feb 20, 2025•31 min
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has gained access or attempted to gain access to numerous departments across the federal government for its cost-cutting initiatives. The actions have prompted state attorneys general to file suits blocking DOGE from accessing confidential data, and in the past week several U.S. district judges have issued temporary rulings on the ongoing challenges. We are surveying our podcast listeners to better understand ou...
Feb 19, 2025•31 min
On Tuesday, U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff led the American delegation, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov represented Russia. The meeting did not include Ukrainian or European representatives, though President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian Presid...
Feb 18, 2025•30 min
Editor's note: We are off for President's Day today, but have a special edition featuring a guest writer today. Core to our mission at Tangle is offering perspectives from influential and thoughtful voices from across the political spectrum. As we've grown, our ability to advance that mission has also grown, allowing us a broader reach and new ways to offer coverage of political news to our subscribers. Today, we are pleased to publish a thoughtful essay from Jacob Sullum , senior editor a...
Feb 17, 2025•23 min
Please enjoy this preview episode of our Sunday podcast. The full editions are available exclusively for premium podcast members. To become a member, please go to tanglemedia.supercast.com and sign up. In this episode, Ari and Will talk about a significant NBA trade, a lot of Trump administration talk and propriety in government. After that Ari and Will go over some global defense budgets in a fun game. And last but not least, the Airing of Grievances. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicki...
Feb 16, 2025•32 min
This is the 3rd Annual Valentine's Day Podcast! On this special episode, Isaac and his amazing wife, Phoebe, talk about navigating through their experiences as first time parents, how their perspectives have expanded and changed on birth, healthcare, family leave, and abortion. They also discuss their future and what each is looking forward to. And throughout the episode, they are joined by a very special guest, their newborn son, Omri. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or...
Feb 14, 2025•1 hr 40 min
Back in 2022, we published an original essay from our outgoing editorial intern Audrey Moorehead, who wrote about the experience of transitioning from her hometown in Lynchburg, Tennessee, to Harvard University. Audrey has remained a part of the Tangle family since the end of her internship, and last year, she recommended a Harvard classmate of hers, Sophia Downs , as a candidate for our associate editor position. We brought Sophia on over the summer and since then, she’s been an&nbs...
Feb 14, 2025•12 min
On Monday, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the Southern District of New York to dismiss without prejudice all charges in its corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. In its dismissal, the Department of Justice reasoned that the case was politically motivated by the Biden administration and interfered with the mayor’s ability to combat the city’s migrant crisis. Adams, 64, is currently serving a four-year term as mayor and is running for reelect...
Feb 13, 2025•28 min
On Friday, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought took over as acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and ordered the agency to grant officials from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to its non-classified systems. Over the weekend, Vought directed CFPB employees to “stand down from performing any work task,” then announced the CFPB’s Washington, D.C., office would be closed through February 14. Ad-free pod...
Feb 12, 2025•30 min
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order called “ Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports ” prohibiting all participants who do not meet the government’s definition of biological females from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The order directs the federal government to withhold funding from K-12 schools and colleges that do not comply, drawing authority from Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. Furthermore, it requires representatives of the governing bodies of...
Feb 11, 2025•31 min
Ari Weitzman interviews Senator Andy Kim, the first Korean American Senator from New Jersey. They discuss Kim's political journey, his motivations for serving, and his reflections on the roles of the House and Senate. The conversation also touches on voter engagement strategies for Democrats and concludes with rapid-fire questions that reveal Kim's personal insights. This is a preview of today's special edition that is available in full and ad-free for our premium podcast subscribers. If you'd l...
Feb 11, 2025•27 min
On Saturday, a federal judge blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment systems. U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled that only “civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties” may use the system, while special government employees are explicitly barred. The ruling will remain in place until at least this Friday, when another judge will hear arguments in a case brought by 19 Democra...
Feb 10, 2025•31 min
Please enjoy this preview episode of our Sunday podcast. The full editions are available exclusively for premium podcast members. To become a member, please go to tanglemedia.supercast.com and sign up. In this episode, Ari and Will talk about the complex relationship between the federal government and private companies, particularly in the context of Trump's governance style. They discuss Trump's approach to foreign policy, Israel and Gaza, the implications of his proposed policies, and examine ...
Feb 09, 2025•28 min
On Wednesday, January 29, an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided with an American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and four crew members over the Potomac River. The plane had been approaching Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and was preparing to land when the helicopter intersected its path, killing all 67 people . The crash was the deadliest air accident in the U.S. since November 11, 2001 . The crash prompted immediate questions about ...
Feb 08, 2025•23 min
Today, we’re publishing Editor Will Kaback’s conversation with Stephen Hawkins, director of research at More in Common, a nonprofit that researches political polarization and strategies to build more cohesive communities. The group recently published a report that found Republicans and Democrats have vastly different perceptions of what the other side believes, and we talked with Hawkins about what those findings mean for the future of American politics. This is a preview of today's ...
Feb 06, 2025•21 min
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the United States will take over the Gaza Strip to facilitate its reconstruction after it was largely destroyed during the 15-month war between Israel and Hamas. Speaking at a press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said that Palestinians living in Gaza should be permanently resettled in surrounding Arab countries and implied that the U.S. could take a “long-term ownership position” over the enc...
Feb 06, 2025•30 min
The Trump administration has started with a whirlwind, and we’ve been working overtime to keep up with everything. Between the Senate nominations, executive orders, government leaks and sudden emergencies, we haven’t had enough time to get into it all. We even dedicated last Friday’s edition to covering three confirmation hearings just to stay up to date. Every once in a while, we break our standard format to better cover the news, and we decided that today is a good time to do that. Ad-fr...
Feb 05, 2025•40 min
On Monday, following a week of upheaval at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he had taken over as acting administrator of the agency and told lawmakers that he intends to work with Congress to reorganize it. Rubio’s statement ran counter to comments made earlier in the day by Elon Musk, who said that he and President Donald Trump had decided to shut down USAID. These conflicting remarks and efforts by represent...
Feb 04, 2025•30 min
On Saturday, the White House announced that the United States will be imposing a 10% tariff on all imports from China and 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, with energy imports from Canada taxed at 10%. President Donald Trump used emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) to authorize the taxes, citing the “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs” and saying they would remain in place until...
Feb 03, 2025•32 min
Please enjoy this preview episode of our Sunday podcast. The full editions are available exclusively for premium podcast members. To become a member, please go to tanglemedia.supercast.com and sign up. In this episode, Ari and Will talk about tackling Tangle takes while Isaac is on paternity leave, reader feedback, the tragic accident involving an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter, and the importance of maintaining perspective in reporting. Then, Mags and Jon join to talk about ...
Feb 02, 2025•31 min
On Thursday, Senate committees held hearings to consider the nominations of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Kash Patel as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While most of President Donald Trump’s nominees have been confirmed by the Senate with bipartisan support — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Treasury Secret...
Feb 01, 2025•24 min
On Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded a memo that had paused trillions of dollars in federal grants, loans, and other financial assistance programs. The memo had called for agencies to perform a “comprehensive analysis” of their grant and loan programs to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders, but was broadly written and created confusion over the scope of the funding freeze. Prior to the memo’s rescission, a federal judge ...
Jan 30, 2025•31 min
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders on immigration, which the White House says is part of its effort to establish firmer control over the southern U.S. border. Many of the actions are targeted at unauthorized migrants, but others have restricted legal immigration pathways, including orders to indefinitely pause the U.S. refugee admissions program, end parole programs, and shut down the CBP One app for...
Jan 29, 2025•30 min
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed executive orders to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Agreement . As reasons for withdrawing from the WHO, Trump cited the political influence of member states and unfair contribution expectations of the United States, further alleging that the health group had mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic and other health emergencies. The president stated that t...
Jan 28, 2025•32 min
On Friday night, President Donald Trump reportedly fired at least 17 inspectors general (IGs) at several federal agencies. In response, several lawmakers expressed concern that the White House had violated federal rules requiring the president to provide Congress with at least 30 days' notice of intent before firing any inspector general, a Senate-confirmed position. The dismissed inspectors general had been overseeing the departments of Defense, State, Transp...
Jan 27, 2025•28 min
