The latest Trump indictment. On Tuesday, Donald Trump was indicted in a criminal case accusing him of illegal acts during an attempt to change the outcome of the 2020 election. The indictment was filed by special counsel Jack Smith, the same prosecutor who is heading the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case . You can read today's podcast here , today’s Under the Radar story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video here . Today’s clicka...
Aug 07, 2023•29 min
Four years ago, we picked a fight with partisan media in the United States. Nearly every weekday since, we've published news with an eye toward elevating debate, broadening people's perspectives, and bringing balance back to the media landscape. Tonight, for the first time ever, the Tangle community will be gathering in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In an effort to bring the experience of the newsletter live to the stage, I'll be moderating a conversation between Anastasia Boden , Mark...
Aug 03, 2023•12 min
Legacy admissions. This week, the United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona suggested that the Supreme's Court's decision to strike down affirmative action could lead to axing legacy admissions, the practice of giving priority to the children of alumni. Separately, a civil rights group called Lawyers for Civil Rights is challenging legacy admissions at Harvard University , saying the practice discriminates against students of color by giving an unfair advantage to mostly white ...
Aug 02, 2023•25 min
The new Trump charges. On Thursday, special counsel Jack Smith filed additional charges against former President Trump tied to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Most significantly, the new indictment accuses Trump and his aides of attempting to delete surveillance footage from his Mar-a-Lago club so it couldn't be turned over to a grand jury. The Tangle team has assembled in Philadelphia! The first-ever live Tangle event on August 3rd is 2 days from today! Our three guests and...
Aug 01, 2023•25 min
On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy grew by a 2.4% annualized rate in the second quarter, beating the 2% estimate by economists and showing the latest sign that a U.S. recession is unlikely. At the same time, the personal consumption expenditures price index increased just 2.6%, a sign that inflation is continuing to cool. Plus, a reader question about wind turbines and environmentalism. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here ...
Jul 31, 2023•29 min
Florida's African American studies curriculum. Last week, the Florida Board of Education approved a controversial new curriculum to teach African American history. The 216-page document is part of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act (commonly called the Stop W.O.K.E. Act ), which was passed in 2022 and regulates the way race and gender can be taught in the classroom. Among other things, the law prohibits classroom teachings that make students feel gu...
Jul 27, 2023•28 min
International affairs. Since we are a daily newsletter focused on U.S. issues and can't go deep on every single topic out there, we sometimes miss important things happening in the rest of the world. So today, we thought it'd be a good idea to mix it up: We're going to use this edition to do a brief round-up of a few of the biggest stories from across the globe that we haven't had a chance to cover. Protests in Israel - The Wall Street Journal (paywall) has more . Russian drones ...
Jul 26, 2023•29 min
The Hollywood strike. Last week, Hollywood actors joined the screenwriters’ strike, marking the first dual-union strike the industry has seen in over 60 years. Many scripted late night shows have already been paralyzed, airing only reruns since the writer's strike began in May, but the addition of the actors’ union has the potential to further upend the television, film, and streaming industries. The first-ever live Tangle event in Philadelphia on August 3rd is coming up. Our three guests an...
Jul 25, 2023•27 min
The IRS whistleblowers. On Wednesday, two whistleblowers from the Internal Revenue Service testified in front of Congress about the investigations into President Biden's son, Hunter. The whistleblowers, IRS special agent Joseph Ziegler and his supervisor Gary Shapley, alleged that the U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss and other prosecutors slow-walked the case and showed preferential treatment for the president's son. Shapley first went public with his allegations in June, but Ziegl...
Jul 24, 2023•26 min
Republicans’ NDAA bill. On Friday, House Republicans passed a sweeping defense bill called the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). NDAAs are annual bills whose primary function is to fund national defense programs, and they typically pass with bipartisan support. However, controversy over the bill increased after it was heavily amended by conservatives in the House to include a few hot-button social issues like abortion policy; health care for transgender soldiers; and diversity, equity a...
Jul 20, 2023•27 min
Israel and Rep. Pramila Jayapal. On Sunday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, apologized for calling Israel a "racist state." Jayapal's comments came during a conference for progressive activist organization Netroots Nation over the weekend. For weeks, we've been hyping the first-ever live Tangle event in Philadelphia on August 3rd . I am thrilled to announce our three guests and the topic: We'll be joined by Mark Joseph Stern o...
Jul 19, 2023•24 min
Our podcast editor, Jon, is traveling today. So, we wanted to use this time to release an interview we’ve had for a little bit. This is a discussion between two people on different sides of the immigration issue. Alejandra Oliva is an essayist, translator, and immigrant justice advocate. Her writing has been included in Best American Travel Writing 2020, nominated for a Pushcart prize, and was honored with an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writers Fellowship. Her book, Rivermouth , is forthcoming f...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). Tuberville has been blocking all nominations for senior military positions over his disagreement with a Defense Department policy to pay for service members’ out-of-state travel for abortions or other reproductive care. As part of a protest against the policy, Tuberville has used the unique power held by individual senators known as "unanimous consent" to stall all nominations for senior military personnel, and has refused to budge from his position despit...
Jul 17, 2023•29 min
No Labels. Next week, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is set to headline an event in New Hampshire sponsored by the bipartisan group No Labels, stoking speculation that he could be the group's pick for a third-party presidential bid in 2024. For weeks, we've been hyping the first-ever live Tangle event in Philadelphia on August 3rd . Today, I am thrilled to announce our three guests and the topic: We'll be joined by Mark Joseph Stern of Slate, Henry Olsen of The Washington Post, a...
Jul 13, 2023•29 min
The Ninth Circuit's homelessness ruling. On Thursday, the most powerful federal appeals court in the western United States reaffirmed that cities and towns are not allowed to force homeless people off the streets unless those communities provide adequate shelter for them. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 3rd. Thanks to all the folks who bought tickets — we're on track to sell this baby out! Remember: Our goal is to sell out the v...
Jul 12, 2023•26 min
Cluster munitions to Ukraine. U.S. officials confirmed this weekend that they plan to provide Ukrainian troops with "cluster munitions," controversial explosive weapons that have been banned by 123 states and criticized by human rights groups for their tendency to indiscriminately kill civilians, even long after hostilities have ended. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 3rd. Thanks to all the folks who bought tickets — we're ...
Jul 11, 2023•27 min
Heat records. For four straight days last week, Earth’s temperature tied or broke the record for hottest days since record keeping began in 1979. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show the average global temperature on Thursday climbed to 63.03 degrees Fahrenheit , 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit above the historic average for that date and an increase from the 62.9 degree Fahrenheit record set the day before. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadel...
Jul 10, 2023•25 min
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the Biden administration acted unconstitutionally when it announced the cancellation of $400 billion in student loans last year. All six Republican-appointed justices were in the majority while all three Democratic-appointed justices joined the dissent. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have A Nice Day” story here . Tickets to our event in Philadelphia on August 3rd are available h...
Jul 07, 2023•26 min
303 Creative LLC v. Elenis. On Friday, the Supreme Court sided with a Colorado web designer who argued that the First Amendment entitles her to refuse to build wedding websites for same-sex couples. The 6-3 decision, with all Republican-appointed justices in the majority, was widely described as a win for religious conservatives and a defeat for LGTBQ rights. You can read our previous edition, where we broke down the oral arguments, here . Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event ...
Jul 06, 2023•29 min
Affirmative action. On Thursday, the Supreme Court determined in a 6-3 decision that considering race in university admissions is unconstitutional. The ruling will reshape how the nation's most elite universities attempt to diversify their campuses, and also has the potential to impact the make-up of the nation's workforce. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 3rd. Thanks to all the folks who bought tickets — we're on track to se...
Jul 05, 2023•29 min
Impeaching Joe Biden. Last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden, citing "high crimes and misdemeanors" for his handling of the U.S. border with Mexico. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 3rd. Thanks to all the folks who bought tickets — we're on track to sell this baby out! Remember: Our goal is to sell out the venue, and then take Tangle on the road. Please come join us! Tic...
Jun 29, 2023•25 min
In a 6-3 decision on Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected independent state legislature theory (ISL), the legal theory that embraces the idea that the Constitution gives state legislatures unfettered authority to regulate federal elections, with little to no interference from state courts. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, while Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch dissented. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have A Nice Day” story here . ...
Jun 28, 2023•27 min
On Wednesday, Special Counsel John Durham testified for over five hours before Congress. Durham spent four years scrutinizing the origins of the FBI's investigation into possible links between Russia and former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. During his testimony, he detailed the "sobering" findings of that investigation outlined in the controversial report he released in May . You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “H...
Jun 27, 2023•25 min
Over the weekend, Russia's President Vladimir Putin accused a mercenary group he has employed in the war in Ukraine of treason, all while news reports broke out about infighting turning to mutiny and perhaps an attempted coup. Plus, a reader question about human-caused climate change. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have A Nice Day” story here . Enter our contest for VIP tickets to our listener event here ! Today’s clickables: Quick...
Jun 26, 2023•25 min
On June 15, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast to describe his outlook on vaccine safety and promote his 2024 presidential campaign. For the first hour of the three-hour interview, Kennedy spoke largely uninterrupted about the theory that the ethylmercury and aluminum present in many vaccines cause autism, auto-immune disease, neurological disease, and other chronic diseases. For the remaining two hours, Kennedy spoke about aluminum adjuvants in vaccines causing allergies,...
Jun 22, 2023•29 min
On Tuesday, a court filing revealed that Hunter Biden's lawyers and the Justice Department have struck a deal for him to plead guilty on two misdemeanor tax charges while avoiding further prosecution on a more serious gun charge, meaning he will likely avoid any prison time after a five year Justice Department investigation. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have A Nice Day” story here . Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (0:54), Today’s ...
Jun 21, 2023•27 min
Today, we are talking with Michael Dorf and Neil Buchanan. Michael is a Law Professor and Scholar of U.S. Constitutional Law who currently serves as the Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law at Cornell Law School. Neil is an Economist, Legal Scholar, and Professor currently working as a Professor of Law at University of Florida - Levin College of Law. Both are considered leading experts on the U.S. debt ceiling. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, Au...
Jun 20, 2023•39 min
Inflation. On Tuesday, the Department of Labor reported that inflation has risen at 4% year-over-year in May, meaning it was at its lowest annual rate in more than two years. We have covered inflation and interest rate hikes 15 times before. You can find our previous coverage here . Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 3rd. Thanks to all the folks who bought tickets — we're on track to sell this baby out! Remember: Our goal is to sell ou...
Jun 15, 2023•28 min
Republicans, the House Freedom Caucus, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. On Monday, Speaker McCarthy struck a deal with a group of conservative Republicans that will allow legislation to begin moving on the House floor again after the chamber was ground to a halt for a week. Tickets are officially live (and public!) for our event in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 3rd. Thanks to all the folks who bought tickets — we're on track to sell this baby out! Remember: Our goal is to sell out the ve...
Jun 14, 2023•26 min
The Supreme Court voting rights ruling. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered Alabama to create a second majority-black district, throwing out its gerrymandered congressional map and upholding Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). The 5-4 ruling in Allen v. Milligan was a surprise to many court watchers who expected the court to rule in favor of the Republican mapmakers in the state. At question was a gerrymandered congressional map drawn in Alabama in 2021. Tickets are officially live (and...
Jun 13, 2023•28 min
