A reader mailbag. As we mentioned in yesterday's newsletter, Tangle founder and Executive Editor Isaac Saul is currently on a trip through Bolivia. We decided to use that small disruption to our daily coverage to catch up on a bunch of reader questions we've been trying to respond to. Isaac and the team worked on these questions together over the last week or two. Let us know what you think, and remember, if you want to have a question answered in the newsletter, you can reply to this em...
Jan 19, 2024•32 min
The Iowa caucuses. On Monday, Donald Trump scored a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, kicking off the 2024 Republican presidential primary with a big win. Polls closed in Iowa at 7:00 pm CT/8:00 pm ET, and by 8:32 pm ET The New York Times , 538 and ABC News , and Fox News Decision Desk had all declared Donald Trump the winner. The former president began his third presidential campaign by winning 98 of Iowa’s 99 counties and capturing 51% of the vote, a record for margin of victory in the I...
Jan 17, 2024•27 min
The Houthi attacks. On Thursday, the United States and Britain — with support from Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain — bombed more than a dozen Houthi rebel sites across Yemen in retaliation for a series of attacks on commercial ships crossing the Red Sea. On Saturday morning, the U.S. hit an additional site in Yemen it said was putting ships at risk. The Iran-backed Houthis had disregarded weeks of warnings and continued to attack merchant ships passing through the Red Sea, leading to the st...
Jan 16, 2024•30 min
Welcome to a new era in Tangle! Today will be the first episode with my Friday co-host, our Managing Editor, Ari Weitzman. We are working towards releasing Friday subscriber only content in the near future and this will be one of our new offerings. We'll be presenting the a few episodes for free. In an attempt at the virtue of accountability, I like to dedicate the first Friday edition of every new year to grading some of my previous writing. The way this process works is simple: About two m...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 37 min
Lloyd Austin’s hospitalization. 70-year-old Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin disappeared from public view on New Year's Day, later disclosing that for three days he had been hospitalized in intensive care without the public being informed. On Tuesday, it was revealed that Austin ended up in intensive care after suffering complications from a surgery required to treat his prostate cancer , a diagnosis he kept from the public and from President Biden. You can read today's podcast here , ...
Jan 11, 2024•28 min
The new spending deal. On Sunday, top Democrats and Republicans in Congress said they had come to an agreement on a $1.65 trillion spending deal . Now, lawmakers will attempt to pass appropriations within the limits specified by the deal. Otherwise, Congress will need to once again push through a short-term spending bill, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), to keep the government from shutting down. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’...
Jan 10, 2024•24 min
Gov. Mike DeWine and trans legislation. Just one week after vetoing a ban on gender-reassignment surgery, puberty blockers and hormone therapy for minors, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued an executive order that prohibits gender-transition surgeries for anyone under 18 at state hospitals or ambulatory clinics. Gov. DeWine also directed Ohio health agencies to propose rules that require a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals to be involved in prescribing puberty blockers or horm...
Jan 09, 2024•28 min
Biden's January 6 speech. On Friday, President Joe Biden delivered his first campaign speech of 2024 just outside Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, telling Americans that democracy itself hung in the balance heading into the 2024 election. The speech focused heavily on former President Donald Trump, whose name Biden invoked 44 times in the roughly 30 minute address. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can als...
Jan 08, 2024•34 min
Dear listeners, Christmas is around the corner, which means we are preparing for our annual break over the New Year here at Tangle. 2023 has been exciting, grueling, and life changing. Every year since I started Tangle, I've taken a couple weeks off right after Christmas and through the New Year. And every year, I encourage our readers and listeners to do the same. Following the news closely is hard, as is being an engaged citizen, and it's important not to burn yourself out. If you are ...
Dec 22, 2023•11 min
Trump and the Colorado Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that Donald Trump cannot appear on the 2024 presidential primary ballot because of his actions on January 6, 2021. In the first ruling of its kind in American history, the court sided with a group of voters who argued that Trump is disqualified from elected office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” ...
Dec 21, 2023•28 min
The Texas immigration law. This past Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed SB4 , a state bill creating a process for state officials to deport migrants who have crossed the border without legal authorization. The law authorizes Texas law enforcement to stop, arrest, and jail migrants suspected of entering the country illegally. SB4 was passed by the legislature earlier this year and is set to take effect in March 2024, barring legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued...
Dec 20, 2023•28 min
The deaths of three Israeli hostages. On Saturday, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said it mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza during a firefight, raising domestic pressure on the government to work toward a ceasefire and more hostage releases while ramping up international criticism of Israel's ground invasion. 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 videos, an in...
Dec 20, 2023•30 min
Biden's impeachment inquiry. On Wednesday, the Republican-controlled House voted to formally authorize its impeachment inquiry into President Biden, likely increasing its ability to enforce subpoenas and throwing Congress into its third presidential impeachment of the last seven years. 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 videos, and interview with presidential candidate Mar...
Dec 18, 2023•27 min
The fundamental promise of Tangle is to share the best perspectives from across the political spectrum on the most divisive issues of the day. For the last few weeks, we’ve been covering the Israel-Palestine conflict and everything that has happened since October 7. Throughout that time, you have gotten several Tangle editions that included a wide range of perspectives on this conflict: Israeli, Palestinian, American, European, and, of course, my own. But given the personal nature of this story ...
Dec 15, 2023•45 min
Trump and the Supreme Court. On Monday afternoon, the Supreme Court granted Special Counsel Jack Smith's request to bring before the court the question of whether Trump can be tried on criminal charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election. On Wednesday, the court also said it would hear an appeal to an obstruction of an official proceeding charge that could upend hundreds of cases tied to charges from the Capitol riot. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Rad...
Dec 14, 2023•26 min
The Texas abortion case. On Monday, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that would have allowed a woman to obtain an abortion under the state's medical emergency exception. Just hours before the court's ruling, the same woman, Kate Cox, left the state to terminate her pregnancy. 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 videos, and interview with presi...
Dec 13, 2023•27 min
The college presidents. On Saturday, Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned amid controversy over remarks she made during congressional testimony on antisemitism. Magill, along with presidents Claudine Gray of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), appeared last Tuesday before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a...
Dec 12, 2023•29 min
Kevin McCarthy. The California Republican and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced last week that he will be retiring from Congress at the end of December. McCarthy, 58, announced his plans in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal , where he boasted about leading Republicans to a House majority twice, passing border security legislation, keeping the government open, and reducing the deficit. He also pledged to continue recruiting America's "best and brightest" to run for off...
Dec 11, 2023•24 min
Friday editions are normally for paying subscribers. But, today, we wanted to share with those of you that exclusively listen to the podcast a preview of what our Friday content could be like. Please let us know your thoughts on this piece, your interest in a subscription model for Friday editions and other content, and any other feedback you have for us. Tangle exists because of the engagement of our incredibly support audience and we want to bring more content particularly to the podcast. Than...
Dec 08, 2023•37 min
The final Republican debate. On Wednesday night, four candidates gathered in Alabama for the fourth and final Republican debate: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. For the fourth consecutive time, former President Donald Trump, who is leading the GOP primary by a wide margin, didn't participate. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can a...
Dec 07, 2023•31 min
The Ukraine war. On Saturday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that there could be bad news coming out of Ukraine in the coming weeks, as fears of a stalemate with Russia grow. The comments come at a time when Congress is increasingly divided about whether to continue funding Ukraine's war effort, with Senate Republicans proposing any Ukraine funding be tied to an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story he...
Dec 06, 2023•30 min
COP28. The United Nations 28th Climate Change Conference, or Conference of the Parties, features a record 70,000 registered attendees. The two-week-long conference is under way in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a laundry list of presidents, prime ministers, royals, and industry leaders in attendance. 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, a look at what a potential secon...
Dec 05, 2023•27 min
Henry Kissinger's death. On Wednesday, Henry Kissinger, the long-time American diplomat and political scientist who was the only person to ever serve concurrently as both secretary of state and national security adviser, died at the age of 100. Kissinger, who was born in Bavaria in 1923 to a family of German Jews who fled to the United States during the rise of the Nazis, was one of the most polarizing figures in American history. He served under presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, tho...
Dec 04, 2023•29 min
Nikki Haley. On Tuesday, Americans for Prosperity Action (AFPA), the political network founded by the billionaire Koch brothers, endorsed Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. The decision bolsters Haley's campaign at a time when her stock is rising as one of the primary challengers to Trump in the race for the Republican nomination. 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 vid...
Nov 30, 2023•25 min
The Voting Rights Act. Last week, a federal appeals court issued a ruling that only the U.S. government, not private citizens or civil rights groups, can sue under the Voting Rights Act (VRA). If the ruling is appealed to and upheld by the Supreme Court, or adopted by other courts, the decision would have a sweeping impact on voting rights across the country. The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling in a 2 to 1 decision. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under th...
Nov 29, 2023•25 min
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear a three-part case on the constitutionality of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Because of an unusual decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, the Supreme Court is going to be evaluating three distinct challenges to the SEC at the same time. The situation arose after the 5th Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of three separate arguments, invalidating each aspect of the SEC's operati...
Nov 28, 2023•26 min
The George Santos ethics probe. On November 17, House investigators released an ethics report that determined Rep. George Santos (R-NY) knowingly violated ethics guidelines, House rules, and criminal laws. The scathing report detailed alleged misconduct that included stealing money from his own campaign, creating fake loans, engaging in fraud, and deceiving donors about how their money would be used. Santos allegedly used some of his campaign funds for things like spa charges, paying his own cre...
Nov 27, 2023•29 min
The Israel-Hamas hostage deal. Early Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage deal and a four-day pause in fighting. It is the first ceasefire since Hamas's attack on Israel October 7 that sparked six weeks of air and ground assaults in the Gaza Strip. 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 a...
Nov 22, 2023•28 min
We have a few special announcements to make today so we are skipping our regular newsletter. We will be back tomorrow with our regular podcast. Thank you for your continued support! You can read today's podcast 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 . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something ...
Nov 21, 2023•15 min
The government funding bill. On Thursday, President Biden signed a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open until early 2024. The bill was signed a day before a potential government shutdown and did not include wartime funding for Ukraine or Israel. 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...
Nov 20, 2023•26 min
