On July 29, three girls were killed in a stabbing attack at a dance class in Southport, England. Eight children and two adults were severely injured in the attack, including Leanne Lucas, 35, who organized the event and was stabbed while shielding two girls from the attacker. A 17-year-old suspect, Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, from Banks, England, was arrested for the attack and charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and possession of a curved kit...
Aug 14, 2024•28 min
On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris told a crowd in Nevada that she would eliminate taxes on workers’ tips if she becomes president, just two months after former President Donald Trump made the same proposal . Trump said he embraced the idea of no tax on tips after a Nevada waitress who served his table explained that the government was taking too much of her money. The proposal was then added to the GOP’s 2024 platform . You can read today's podcast ...
Aug 13, 2024•25 min
Tim Walz’s service record. Over the past week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, has faced scrutiny over his time in the Army National Guard. Republicans, led by the party’s vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (OH), allege that Walz has misrepresented his time in the Guard to enhance his political profile, and they question the timing of his retirement. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Hav...
Aug 12, 2024•28 min
On today's episode, Isaac talks with Scott Klug, a former Congressman, journalist, and lobbyist. They discuss the polarization of American politics and the need for more civility and collaboration, the disappearance of the political center in Congress and the need for more balanced and local coverage. You can listen check out his podcast, Lost in the Middle, here. You can watch the entire Tangle Live event at City Winery NYC on our YouTube Channel! Check out Episode 5 of our podcast series, The ...
Aug 11, 2024•43 min
The Olympic boxing controversy. Last week, Imane Khelif became the center of an Olympic controversy when Italian boxer Angela Carini retired from their match after just 46 seconds , suggesting the force of Khelif’s punches was overwhelming. The bout’s surprising end brought attention to Khelif’s disqualification from the 2023 world championships after the International Boxing Association (IBA) said she failed a chromosome test and was not eligible to compete against women. You ...
Aug 08, 2024•28 min
Tim Walz. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election. Walz is a 60-year-old former high-school teacher and military veteran. He represented Minnesota's rural 1st District in Congress from 2007 to 2019, was elected governor in 2018, then re-elected in 2022. Harris’s pick followed her certification as the Democratic nominee , and her selection of Walz finalizes the party’s ticket roughly two weeks after Pre...
Aug 07, 2024•27 min
The global market disruption. On Monday, leading indices used to gauge the investor market across the globe plunged. In the United States, the S&P 500 slid by 3%, the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 2.6%, and the Nasdaq Composite index decreased by 3.4%. In Europe, the pan-European Stoxx index fell 1.5% , its worst one-day drop in over a year, while London’s FTSE 100 fell 1.8%, its worst one-day performance in nine months. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average plunge...
Aug 06, 2024•26 min
The U.S.-Russia prisoner swap. On Thursday, the Biden administration announced a prisoner exchange between several European nations, the U.S., and Russia to secure the release of three U.S. citizens, one U.S. legal resident, and twelve others. Eight prisoners were sent back to Russia in return, three of whom had been held in the U.S. The swap was the largest of its kind since the Cold War, involving seven countries and 24 prisoners. We covered Gershkovich’s arrest h...
Aug 05, 2024•27 min
On today's episode, Isaac and Ari talk about Tangle's five-year anniversary, Kamala Harris's pick for a running mate, and the debate around Supreme Court term limits. They also discuss the controversy surrounding Imane Khelif, a female boxer at the Olympics, the release of journalist Evan Gershkovich from prison, and Trump's appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists conference. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances. Imagine this: There are over 100,000 people on this mailing...
Aug 04, 2024•1 hr 28 min
Trump and Project 2025. On Tuesday, The Heritage Foundation’s Paul Dans announced he was stepping down from his position as director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, also known as Project 2025. Dans’s exit comes after weeks of Democratic criticism of the project on the campaign trail and repeated disavowals from former President Donald Trump, who has insisted Project 2025 is not a blueprint for his second term. The Daily Beast reported that the Trump campaign ...
Aug 01, 2024•27 min
On Monday, the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela announced that President Nicolás Maduro had won Venezuela's presidential election, defeating challenger Edmundo González by a total of 51% to 44%. The results were immediately contested, with leaders from a coalition of opposition parties claiming that vote tallies they received showed González up by 40 points . Protests over the results of the election broke out in cities across Venezuela , with police deploying tear gas to control a ...
Jul 31, 2024•27 min
Biden’s Supreme Court reforms. On Monday, President Joe Biden proposed a set of reforms for the U.S. Supreme Court. The proposal recommends two new laws: one that sets an 18-year term limit for justices, and another that creates an enforceable code of conduct and ethics rules for the court. Additionally, Biden called for a constitutional amendment ensuring that presidents do not have immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing upon leaving office. We p...
Jul 30, 2024•28 min
Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress, his fourth such address as Israel’s leader. Netanyahu was invited to speak by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); the next day, he visited with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, then met with former President Donald Trump. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Y...
Jul 29, 2024•29 min
In today's episode, Isaac and Ari discuss Kamala Harris, her strengths and weaknesses, where she differs from Biden, and the potential criticisms coming from her opponents and the media. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances. Imagine this: There are over 100,000 people on this mailing list. If every person got one friend to sign up for Tangle, we could double our readership overnight. We have made it incredibly easy. All you have to do is click the button below and you'll get a pr...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Kamala Harris’s pick for vice president. Four days after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping his reelection bid, Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Harris is now weighing her options for running mate and will likely make her selection within the next two weeks . Democrats have said that they will finalize their ticket by August 7 to meet the earliest sta...
Jul 25, 2024•30 min
Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation. On Tuesday, Kimberly Cheatle resigned her position as Director of the Secret Service (USSS) following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. In a statement , President Joe Biden thanked Cheatle for her “decades of public service” and said he would appoint her successor to lead the Secret Service "soon." You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Rad...
Jul 24, 2024•26 min
The Republican National Convention (RNC). Last week, Republicans convened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to nominate their presidential and vice presidential candidates for the 2024 election. The four-day event featured speeches from the party’s most prominent figures as well as celebrities, political commentators, and activists. Former President Donald Trump, who survived an assassination attempt two days before the event began, was in attendance for much of the week and addressed the con...
Jul 23, 2024•28 min
Joe Biden. On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he is dropping his reelection campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket. Biden, until now the presumptive Democratic nominee, leaves the race later in the election cycle than any sitting president in U.S. history. His exit sets the stage for an intense rush to unite the Democratic Party around a new candidate before the August nominating convention in Chicago. You can read tod...
Jul 22, 2024•36 min
In today's episode, Isaac and Ari discuss the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the use of conspiracy theories, and the justification of political violence. They also talk about the ongoing calls for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances. Imagine this: There are over 100,000 people on this mailing list. If every person got one friend to sign up for Tangle, we could double our readership overnight. We have made it incredibly easy...
Jul 21, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In the wake of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump. There've been a lot of questions, namely questions about the security and the Secret Service at this Butler, Pennsylvania event. How could something like this happen? How could a 20 year old kid get onto a roof just a few hundred feet away from the former president and get several clean shots, several clean attempts, at his life? Today, we're sitting down with former Secret Service agent Bill Gage to talk about what happe...
Jul 19, 2024•25 min
Bob Menendez’s bribery verdict. On Tuesday, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was convicted on all counts of bribery, acting as a foreign agent for Egypt, obstruction of justice, extortion, and conspiring to commit those crimes. The verdict makes Menendez the first sitting U.S. senator to be found guilty of being an agent of a foreign government. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Imagine this: ...
Jul 18, 2024•28 min
On Thursday June 27th, 2024, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump took the stage in the first of two planned televised debates. The debate, which took place in Atlanta and was hosted by CNN, was unique in a few ways. The Commission on Presidential Debates, which has organized debates for nearly 40 years, was excluded after both Trump and Biden expressed their dissatisfaction over the organization’s handling of previous debates. CNN had its own debate format that both candidates ...
Jul 18, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case. On Monday, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the Department of Justice’s case against former President Donald Trump for illegal retention of classified documents. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Imagine this: There are over 100,000 people on this mailing list. If every person got one friend to sign up for Tangle, we could double our rea...
Jul 17, 2024•28 min
J.D. Vance. On Monday, former President Donald Trump announced freshman Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as his running mate for the 2024 election. Before his election to the Senate, Vance was best known as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” which describes his experience growing up in a poverty-stricken home in Ohio. Vance, 39, is the first millennial nominated to either party's major ticket. If elected, he would become one of the youngest and least experienced vice presidents in U.S. history, with less th...
Jul 16, 2024•26 min
The Trump assassination attempt. On Saturday, former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Around six minutes into his remarks, gunshots rang out and Trump grabbed his right ear, dropping to the ground as Secret Service agents swarmed him. Moments later, Trump stood up surrounded by Secret Service with blood covering his ear and running down his face, raised his fist to the crowd, and mouthed “fight” multiple times. ...
Jul 15, 2024•34 min
Isaac got to talk with Alon Gat. He recounts his harrowing experience on October 7th, what happened to him and his family, the current situation, and his hope for the future of Israelis and Palestinians. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Will Kaback, ...
Jul 14, 2024•51 min
A few months ago I flew to Vancouver to give a talk at TED2024 in Vancouver. I'd call something like this a "bucket list" item, except I never actually imagined it was something I'd get to do. The invitation was more like a monster surprise, a major career achievement, and a really fun way to spread the word about what we're doing here at Tangle. Anyway, when I made the trip, we announced it in the newsletter. Predictably, thousands of readers asked about how to watch or listen to the TED talk, ...
Jul 11, 2024•7 min
The Republican Party’s platform. Over the weekend, the Republican party released its 2024 campaign platform , the first time it has released a party platform since 2016. The document — titled “2024 GOP Platform Make America Great Again!” — includes 20 promises and 10 chapters outlining the governing priorities for a Republican president. Typically, the Republican and Democrat parties release their platforms ahead of their national conventions, and this year’s release precedes t...
Jul 10, 2024•29 min
The French elections. Over the weekend, a leftist coalition called the New Popular Front (NFP) won a plurality of seats in the 2024 French legislative election in a surprise upset over a right-wing movement that was expected to dominate the election. However, the New Popular Front failed to win a majority, leaving open the possibility of a hung parliament, which would be an unprecedented outcome in French history. You can read today's podcast here , our “Under the ...
Jul 09, 2024•26 min
Joe Biden’s reelection campaign. In the eleven days since President Joe Biden’s widely criticized performance in the first presidential debate, a growing number of donors, allies, and Democratic lawmakers have called on the president to drop out of the race. Several polls released in the last week show former President Donald Trump’s lead over Biden increasing , adding to Democrats’ fears that the president’s reelection effort is failing with Election Day less than four ...
Jul 08, 2024•27 min
