Iran. Since Hamas's attack on Israel, U.S. politicians and pundits have been debating how the United States should position its foreign policy toward Iran. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest video, last Friday’s paywalled piece about how Israel has no good options here and the controversial debate we posted on YouTube here . Today’s clickables: Two announcements (0:49), Qu...
Nov 16, 2023•25 min
The Supreme Court's new code of conduct. On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its first-ever code of conduct after several reports over the past year of undisclosed gifts to justices and luxury trips from donors sparked a pressure campaign for the court to respond. The court’s 15-page document includes a one-page statement, nine pages of conduct rules largely derived from existing federal codes of conduct, and five pages of commentary about the rules. You can read today's podcast here...
Nov 15, 2023•26 min
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). On Tuesday last week, the House voted 234-188 to censure Tlaib for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war. 22 Democrats joined Republicans to censure Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, and all but four Republicans voted for the censure. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out the controversial debate we posted on YouTube here , and a sizzle reel of o...
Nov 14, 2023•26 min
Joe Manchin. On Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he would not seek re-election in 2024, a decision that will reshape the fight for the Senate in 2024 and has set off rumors Manchin is considering an independent run for president. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out the controversial debate we posted on YouTube here , and a sizzle reel of our first ever Tangle Live event from Au...
Nov 13, 2023•25 min
On Monday, I interviewed Hussein Aboubakr Mansour and Dan Cohen about the Israel and Palestine conflict. Mansour, an Egyptian-born Muslim who grew up hating Israel, is now pretty staunchly in the pro-Israel camp. Cohen, an American Jew who grew up being told Israel was his homeland, is one of the most followed anti-Israel and anti-Zionist journalists on the internet. As you'll hear in my intro to this conversation, there is some unevenness in how close each of them are towards the extreme on...
Nov 10, 2023•1 hr 40 min
The third Republican debate. On Wednesday night, five Republican candidates took the stage in Miami, Florida, to debate foreign policy, abortion, former President Donald Trump's record, and the economy. To qualify for the third debate, candidates needed to poll above 4% in either two national surveys or in one national survey and two surveys from early-nominating states. Each candidate also needed to receive more than 70,000 individual donations. The Iowa caucuses for Republicans begin in ju...
Nov 09, 2023•36 min
Tuesday's election results. Yesterday, voters across the U.S. cast ballots in gubernatorial races, state House races, state Supreme Court races, and on ballot measures related to abortion and marijuana. In most of the contested and closely watched elections, Democrats and abortion rights activists prevailed. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video, an interview with Rep. Dean Phillips and his bid for...
Nov 08, 2023•29 min
The latest 2024 polls. One year out from the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump is polling ahead of President Joe Biden in five of the six swing states expected to determine the election outcome. The numbers come from the latest New York Times and Siena College poll released over the weekend, which showed Trump with a lead in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — all states Biden won in 2020. Biden led only in Wisconsin. You can read today's podcast ...
Nov 07, 2023•25 min
Sam Bankman-Fried's conviction. On Thursday, the FTX founder was convicted of stealing billions of dollars from customers of his crypto exchange, marking one of the largest financial fraud convictions in U.S. history. After a short deliberation, a New York federal jury convicted Bankman-Fried on all seven counts he faced. He was also found guilty of money laundering and defrauding investors and lenders to FTX's sister company, a hedge fund called Alameda Research. "SBF," as Ban...
Nov 06, 2023•27 min
The mass shooting in Maine. On Wednesday, October 25, an Army reservist killed 18 people and injured 13 others at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. After a two-day manhunt, the shooter was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was found at the recycling facility where he worked. Editor's note: Tangle does not name mass shooters because of the well-documented contagion effect . We also try to share limited information about the shooter and their alleged motives wh...
Nov 02, 2023•29 min
The United Auto Workers deal. On Monday, General Motors and United Auto Workers struck a deal that ended the union's six-week series of strikes aimed at Detroit’s Big Three automakers. The deal with GM came after Ford reached a deal last Wednesday and Chrysler-owned Stellantis struck a deal with workers over the weekend. You can read our previous coverage of these strikes here . You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story...
Nov 01, 2023•24 min
Mike Pence. On Saturday, Mike Pence announced the end of his 2024 presidential campaign during a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas. The announcement drew audible gasps from the crowd, which had gathered to hear a campaign speech, and was followed by a standing ovation . You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube video, an interview with Rep. Dean Phillips ...
Oct 31, 2023•23 min
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN). The third-term Minnesota congressman announced that he will be running in the Democratic primary, issuing an unusual challenge to a sitting president of his own party. We were able to get an exclusive interview with Rep. Phillips just hours after his announcement, which we've shared a preview of after "My take" in today's podcast. For the full interview you can check it out on our YouTube channel here . You can read today's podcast here and ou...
Oct 30, 2023•21 min
Mike Johnson (R-LA). Yesterday, Republicans in the House of Representatives elected Johnson their new Speaker. His election ended three weeks without a Speaker, and came after Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Tom Emmer (R-MN) all failed to win a full floor vote after being nominated by the party. Johnson unified the party, winning the votes of all 220 Republicans in attendance, while all 209 Democrats present voted for Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). You can read today's podcast h...
Oct 26, 2023•27 min
The guilty pleas in Georgia. In less than a week, three of Trump’s former associates have agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the Georgia election interference case and pleaded guilty to charges brought by District Attorney Fani Willis. 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 videos, a recording of the “My Take” from Tuesday’s Israel piece here and an inte...
Oct 25, 2023•25 min
The U.S. deficit. In the current fiscal year, the U.S. deficit has effectively doubled from $1 trillion to $2 trillion. 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 videos, a recording of the “My Take” from Tuesday’s Israel piece here and an interview with Christopher Dowling-Magill about conversion therapy here . Today’s clickables: Quick hits (1:11), Today’s stor...
Oct 24, 2023•25 min
Donald Trump's gag orders. Former President Trump has been put under gag orders in two separate trials where he is a defendant. In a civil fraud trial on Friday, Judge Arthur Engoron fined Trump $5,000 and floated the idea of jailing him for defying a partial gag order that required him to remove a social media post criticizing the judge's law clerk. 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...
Oct 23, 2023•24 min
The Gaza hospital explosion. On Tuesday, reports broke that the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, founded in 1882 by the Anglican church, had been the site of a major explosion. The hospital has about 80 beds , but was being used to house civilians during Israel's aerial bombardment of Gaza. Video footage reviewed by The New York Times showed “scores of bodies strewn across the hospital’s courtyard,” suggesting a high death toll from the explosion. Initially, news outlets reported that more than 500 ci...
Oct 19, 2023•29 min
Jim Jordan. The Ohio Republican failed to win the requisite votes to become Speaker on Tuesday, leaving his future in doubt and the House of Representatives in a state of paralysis. Jordan’s nomination for House Speaker began after a handful of Republicans ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) earlier this month, citing broken promises on spending and for working with Democrats to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government from shutting down. You can read today's podcast here , toda...
Oct 18, 2023•25 min
Student loans. Earlier this month, student loan repayment restarted for the first time in three years. Shortly thereafter, President Biden announced an additional $9 billion in student debt cancellation, a move that impacted roughly 125,000 borrowers. The administration says approximately 3.6 million Americans have now received $127 billion of student debt relief, and the Biden administration is now exploring other options for larger-scale cancellation. You can read today's podcast here ...
Oct 17, 2023•25 min
The protests in the United States. All across the U.S., pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protests have been roiling college campuses and cities, with high tension leading to political fallout and occasional violence. You can read the pieces by Jonathan Katz here and here . 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, a recording of the “My Take” from Tuesday’s Israe...
Oct 16, 2023•29 min
RFK Jr. Earlier this week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he will be running for president as an independent and is no longer seeking the Democratic nomination. The 69-year-old longtime environmental lawyer and activist has spent much of his career fighting pollution and pushing to rein in the power of corporations. More recently, he has sparked controversy for decrying the U.S. commitment to the war in Ukraine, questioning the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, and for appearing on the Joe Rogan p...
Oct 12, 2023•28 min
Biden's border wall. Last week, the Biden administration said that it was waiving 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow new border wall construction. The move is Biden’s first use of executive power to pave the way for more barriers along the border, something that was a common tactic during the Trump administration. 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 v...
Oct 11, 2023•26 min
The attack on Israel. Over the weekend, Hamas militants executed a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, killing over 900 people and wounding more than 2,500. Over 250 people were found dead at a music festival in southern Israel near Gaza, with witnesses saying they fled for their lives as gunmen opened fire on them Saturday morning. Israel says more than 150 civilians and soldiers have been taken hostage. 11 American citizens have been counted among the dead. Those counted missing or dead now i...
Oct 10, 2023•35 min
Today's Friday edition is a personal essay about something that happened to me last week. If you're a new subscriber, please note we'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday (we’re off Monday for the federal holiday) with our typical edition. You can read more about the great Lew Irwin here and you can buy his book, Deadly Times , here and here . You can read today's podcast here and you can also check out our latest YouTube video here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or...
Oct 06, 2023•11 min
The Amazon and Google lawsuits. Last week, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon , accusing the company of monopolizing the online retail space. The FTC alleges that Amazon, worth $1.3 trillion, prevents its sellers from offering their products more cheaply on other platforms, forces sellers to use its warehouses and delivery services, and sometimes inflates costs both for consumers and sellers. It began investigating Amazon in 2019, during the Trump ad...
Oct 05, 2023•27 min
Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to remove McCarthy as Speaker, marking the first time in American history that a sitting Speaker of the House has been removed. McCarthy said on Tuesday night he will not run for Speaker again. The interim Speaker of the House, also called the speaker pro tempore, is Patrick McHenry (R-NC), a close ally of McCarthy. McHenry said Republicans will have a candidate forum next Tuesday and an election next Wednesday. You can read to...
Oct 04, 2023•28 min
Dianne Feinstein and Laphonza Butler. On Thursday night, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein died at her home in Washington, D.C., at the age of 90. With Feinstein's death, Democrats now hold a Senate majority of 50-49. On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced he would appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY's List, to fill her seat. 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 ch...
Oct 03, 2023•26 min
The non-shutdown. In a dramatic few hours on Saturday, Congress avoided a government shutdown as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) passed a stopgap funding measure with the support of moderate Republicans and all but one House Democrat. The bill passed 335-91 in the House, with about half of Republicans voting against it. It then passed the Senate 88-9 hours later. President Biden signed the measure late Saturday night with just hours to spare. You can read today's podcast here , today’s U...
Oct 02, 2023•25 min
For all the talk about how broken some parts of our democracy are, very few people are actually doing something meaningful about it. Nick Troiano is one of those people. Through his work as Executive Director of Unite America, Troiano is attempting what most people probably don't even imagine to be possible: To solve gerrymandering and political polarization. We spoke with Nick about what he thinks the way to do this is to address what he calls the "primary problem". You can read t...
Oct 02, 2023•34 min
