On Monday, a Manhattan jury found Marine veteran Daniel Penny, 26, not guilty of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless street artist Penny placed in a chokehold on a New York subway car in May of last year. Previously, the more serious manslaughter charge was dismissed after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on the count. Penny faced up to 15 years in prison for manslaughter and four years for negligent ...
Dec 11, 2024•29 min
Tangle Editor Will Kaback talked with Ambassador John Sullivan who gave a comprehensive overview of the current state of the Ukraine war, the implications for U.S. national security, and the challenges facing future administrations. They discussed the importance of supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, critiques the political rhetoric surrounding the conflict, and reflects on his experiences in Moscow leading up to the invasion. This is a preview of today's special edition that is avail...
Dec 11, 2024•25 min
On Sunday, ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled the country and was granted political asylum in Russia. Assad's departure marks the end of his regime, a dramatic turn of events following a ten-day offensive by rebel forces starting with the capture of Aleppo on November 30. Editor’s note: The situation in Syria is one of the most complex geopolitical issues in the world and continues to evolve by the hour. Today’s newsletter is an attempt to catch you up on the la...
Dec 10, 2024•32 min
On Wednesday, a gunman shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a hotel in New York City. Police have yet to publicly identify the shooter or determine a motive, though they believe the attack was targeted. Despite these limited details, the incident has reignited debates about the United States’s healthcare system and incited controversy on social media, where many have expressed support for the shooter. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have b...
Dec 09, 2024•29 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, Isaac, Ari, and Will discusses the recent murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of United Healthcare, celebrating violence against perceived elites, the moral dilemmas of such reactions, and the broader context of immigration and deportation statistics. Then Isaac and Ari talk about t...
Dec 08, 2024•28 min
On today's episode, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman explores the evolution and current state of liberalism in the United States, particularly in the context of recent political events and the 2024 elections. He discusses the defining values of modern liberalism, including social protection, civil rights, foreign intervention, big government, and labor. This is a preview of today's Friday edition that is available in full and ad-free for our premium podcast subscribers. If you'd like to complete thi...
Dec 07, 2024•22 min
On Wednesday, a majority of Supreme Court justices signaled that they were willing to allow states to pass laws limiting access to treatments prescribed for transgender teens. During over two hours of oral arguments in United States v. Skrmetti, a case challenging a Tennessee law banning gender transition surgeries and the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender minors, five justices in the court’s conservative majority indicated they were ...
Dec 05, 2024•28 min
On Saturday, President-elect Trump announced the nomination of Kashyap "Kash" Patel as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Patel is a former federal prosecutor who served in the White House during Trump’s first term and is viewed as a strong ally of the president-elect. For Patel to take over the position, current FBI director Christopher Wray (who Trump also nominated) will either need to resign or be fired, as Wray is serving a 10-year appointment that began in...
Dec 04, 2024•29 min
On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced that he had issued a full and unconditional pardon of his son, Hunter, for any criminal acts between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024. The younger Biden was convicted earlier this year on felony gun charges and pleaded guilty to felony tax offenses; he was set to appear at sentencing hearings for those cases on December 12 and December 16. The president’s decision comes after repeatedly promising that he...
Dec 03, 2024•31 min
Here at Tangle, we’ve just had a year straight of one of the longest, wildest, most unpredictable, campaign seasons I've ever witnessed. From two assassination attempts on Donald Trump to the shocking first debate to Joe Biden dropping out to Kamala Harris's coronation as top Democrat and everything that happened after that and in between. If you are reading this newsletter, you are either a voracious news consumer or someone who is at least spending a few minutes a day trying to stay informed.&...
Nov 27, 2024•6 min
On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump named Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) as his nominee for Labor secretary. Chavez-DeRemer, who narrowly lost her bid for re-election to the House, is considered one of the most pro-union Republicans in Congress, and her nomination serves as another signal that the GOP’s historically adversarial stance toward unions may be changing. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could s...
Nov 26, 2024•26 min
Last Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced a resolution requiring Members, officers, and employees of the House of Representatives to use bathrooms corresponding to their biological sex at the Capitol and in House office buildings. Then, on Wednesday, Mace released the text of a bill that would establish the same rule for all individuals in federal buildings. Mace said she introduced the bill in response to Sarah McBride’s (D-DE) election to the House. McB...
Nov 25, 2024•30 min
Please enjoy this fully unlocked preview episode of our Sunday podcast. These editions are normally available exclusively for premium podcast members. To become a member, please go to tanglemedia.supercast.com and sign up. On today's episode, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman takes on lead hosting duties while Isaac is away and invites on the Tangle team. Will Kaback, Magdalena Bowoka, and Jon Lall join for a game of which political figure they would choose to sit next to on a 10-hour flight, Wi...
Nov 24, 2024•1 hr 14 min
This week, editor Will Kaback sat down with Dave O’Brien , the policy director for RepresentUs, to ask him some of the questions our readers always ask us about money in politics — how it works, how it’s changed, and what can be done to stop it. The conversation touched on how wealthy individuals like Elon Musk impacted the election, the ballot initiatives on campaign finance reform that RepresentUs supported in 2024, whether there’s anything good about super PACs, and some of ...
Nov 22, 2024•20 min
On Wednesday, a bipartisan House ethics panel investigating sexual misconduct claims against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) voted not to release its report. The panel was scheduled to meet last week to discuss making the report public but changed course after Gaetz resigned from Congress following President-elect Trump announcing him as his pick for attorney general. The Ethics Committee customarily does not release a report if a member leaves office (with some exceptions ). Gae...
Nov 21, 2024•28 min
On Monday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that undated or misdated mail ballots should not be counted in the 2024 election, reaffirming a prior decision and hampering Sen. Bob Casey’s (D) efforts to challenge the results of his race with Dave McCormick (R). The Associated Press and other outlets have called the race for McCormick, and he attended the Senate’s orientation for new members last week. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many lis...
Nov 20, 2024•28 min
On Sunday, President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range weaponry — called Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS — to strike within Russian territory. Then on Tuesday morning, Ukraine used the ATACMS for the first time, reportedly striking a Russian arsenal in the Bryansk region 70 miles from the Ukrainian border. Additionally, the Pentagon confirmed that the White House intends to issue $7.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine throu...
Nov 19, 2024•29 min
On Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kennedy, who ended his independent bid for president in August and endorsed Trump , is a longtime environmental and public health activist whose views on vaccines and other healthcare issues have run counter to the medical establishment. If confirmed by the Senate, he would lead the largest health agency in the U.S., made up of o...
Nov 18, 2024•28 min
On today's episode, Isaac and Ari discuss the recent political appointments made by President Trump, particularly on the controversial nomination of Matt Gaetz for Attorney General. They explore the implications of these nominations, the political strategies behind them, and the reactions from various political commentators. They also talk about military spending and the potential consequences of reforming the Department of Defense and the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight. And, as always, the...
Nov 17, 2024•32 min
More than a week has now passed since Election Day, and before we fully pivot to focusing on the end of Biden's presidency, the current Supreme Court term, the new Congress, Trump’s appointees and the incoming administration, I think it's important to give one (potentially final) breakdown of the election we just had. I will discuss this in four parts: How should we accurately describe the results of this election? What was the deciding factor in this election? What other issues made a differenc...
Nov 15, 2024•18 min
On Sunday, President-elect Donald Trump tweeted that any Republican senator hoping to obtain the position of majority leader would have to approve of recess appointments for his cabinet nominees. Typically, nominees for Cabinet positions, executive offices, or high-level ambassadorships undergo a hearing where they are asked questions by members of the Senate who then vote on whether to confirm an appointee. Only a simple majority is needed for confirmation. Ad-free podcasts ar...
Nov 14, 2024•31 min
In the week after the election, President-elect Donald Trump reaffirmed his campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants living in the United States illegally. He has also started identifying high-ranking immigration officials to carry out the policy. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it . You can go to tanglemedia.supercast.com to sign up! You can read today's ...
Nov 13, 2024•27 min
In the week since his electoral victory, President-elect Trump has begun announcing his picks for his cabinet and key White House staff. These selections offer the first glimpse of the president-elect’s governing priorities and the leaders who will work to enact his agenda. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it . You can go to tanglemedia.supercast.com to sign up! You can r...
Nov 12, 2024•31 min
In the madness of election week, we forgot to note that we are off for Veteran's Day today. As longtime readers and listeners know, the Tangle team observes all federal bank holidays, and also takes a couple "recesses" throughout the year around major holidays and congressional breaks (if Congress can take recesses, why can’t we as news reporters and consumers?). While we are off today, we still wanted to provide you with a little bit of content. So, below, we've compiled a list of some of recen...
Nov 11, 2024•8 min
Isaac conducts an intriguing interview with Ken Block, who was hired by the Trump campaign shortly after the 2020 election to investigate the allegations of voter fraud. Ad-free podcasts and the full episode of today's podcast are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it . You can go to tanglemedia.supercast.com to sign up! Check out our latest YouTube video on voter fraud misinformation in Bucks County...
Nov 08, 2024•6 min
At 4:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris addressed a crowd of supporters at her alma mater of Howard University in Washington, D.C., to concede the election to President-elect Donald Trump. Harris said that she called to congratulate Trump on the victory and would help aid his administration’s transition but urged attendees to keep fighting for the issues that motivated her campaign. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free...
Nov 07, 2024•27 min
Former President Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States, with all major news outlets calling the race in his favor as of Wednesday morning. Trump is poised for a sweep of all seven swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — and holds a 51%–47.5% lead in the popular vote with a large percentage of the vote in West Coast states still to be reported. Trump appears likely to s...
Nov 06, 2024•33 min
First, and most importantly, we want to let you all know that we'll be covering the election live from Tangle HQ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We're hosting an election watch party (a handful of tickets are still available ) and I'll be doing live interviews with guests all night. In order to tune in, you can go to our YouTube channel right now, subscribe, and turn on notifications. You can also plan to tune in to the channel at 7:00pm ET. Newsletters Our neu...
Nov 05, 2024•44 min
Over the weekend, several respected pollsters released their final surveys of the 2024 election, offering a snapshot of the presidential race in its last days. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been locked in a close contest since Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, and the latest polls show the candidates remain neck and neck on the eve of Election Day. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free ve...
Nov 04, 2024•29 min
Isaac and Ari share their thoughts about potential election night results, the potential we are in a red bubble, play some game, and talk with editor Will Kaback and executive producer Jon Lall. And as always, the Airing of Grievances. Ad-free podcasts are here! For the last few years, our daily podcast has been ad-supported. In that time, we’ve gotten complaints from our listeners saying they find these ads annoying and would happily pay a subscription to get ad-free podcasts — and we fina...
Nov 03, 2024•1 hr 21 min
