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But should they exist? Let me start by saying that I get it. A few years ago, I read a fascinating piece about how professional basketball had lost its cool factor. The current stars of the NBA, like Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, just don’t have it. They aren’t charismatic in the same ways Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan or Dr. J were. They aren’t eccentric, or captivating, or culture-defining. “No aura,” as the kids say. Spend a few minutes watching Elon Musk work a room or Mark Zuckerberg testify before Congress, and it’s hard not to get a similar feeling. These guys do not exude aura. They don’t present as classy or high-minded or suave, which — frankly — is how we prefer our rich people. They are awkward and make bad jokes and laugh in uncomfortable ways. It at least feels like it was different before. The elites we grew up reading about operated in a classy manner, offered timeless wisdom or expressed humility when reflecting on their station in life. Andrew Carnegie was known for reciting poetry from memory, holding dinners where he’d debate Shakespeare and the merits of socialism, and waking his entire household with a bagpiper every morning. He’s credited with saying, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” J.P. Morgan was famous for locking bankers in his library during the panic of 1907 and not letting them leave until they solved the crisis. He once said, “A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.” Elon Musk wielded a chainsaw while bragging about cuts to USAID, and once entered Twitter HQ during a hostile takeover while carrying a sink. He tweeted: “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in! ” These people are not the same. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Suspension of the Rules.Isaac, Ari, and Kmele had a lot to talk about this week. From Kmele “having a moment” on CNN to mail-in voting changes to CBS’s coverage of Abdul El-Sayed — plus a good guy of the week from the Pacific Northwest and a brief check-in on the Iran war — this week’s Suspension of the Rules is jam-packed. Watch it here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In recent months, opposition to data centers has increased across the United States, prompting both Republican and Democratic politicians to oppose the facilities and some states to pause new construction. While some political leaders, including President Donald Trump, remain supportive of data centers, the topic has become a major issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, often linked to concerns about societal disruptions brought on by artificial intelligence (AI). Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Suspension of the Rules.Isaac, Ari, and Kmele had a lot to talk about this week. From Kmele “having a moment” on CNN to mail-in voting changes to CBS’s coverage of Abdul El-Sayed — plus a good guy of the week from the Pacific Northwest and a brief check-in on the Iran war — this week’s Suspension of the Rules is jam-packed. Watch it here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think we should keep building data centers? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Isaac, Ari, and Kmele had a lot to talk about this week. From Kmele “having a moment” on CNN to mail-in voting changes to CBS’s coverage of Abdul El-Sayed — plus a good guy of the week from the Pacific Northwest and a brief check-in on the Iran war — this week’s Suspension of the Rules is jam-packed. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Get texts from us.The news cycle is heating up as we head into the midterms, and you can follow along with us every step of the way. On our SMS messaging service, we give readers exclusive opportunities to weigh in on our daily topics, access to behind-the-scenes peeks at our editorial process, and staff analysis of breaking news that doesn’t go to the newsletter. Share your questions.Next Friday, September 11, we’ll publish a mailbag edition answering reader questions about the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as broader questions about other timely news topics, under-the-radar issues, and anything else of interest. You can submit a question here for consideration. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, the Supreme Court decided 5–4 to allow President Trump to continue above-ground construction on his White House ballroom project. The unsigned order pauses a federal judge’s halt on above-ground construction, stating the plaintiff likely lacks legal standing. However, the majority did not decide whether Trump has the legal authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval, and litigation will continue in lower courts. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Get texts from us.The news cycle is heating up as we head into the midterms, and you can follow along with us every step of the way. On our SMS messaging service, we give readers exclusive opportunities to weigh in on our daily topics, access to behind-the-scenes peeks at our editorial process, and staff analysis of breaking news that doesn’t go to the newsletter. Share your questions.Next Friday, September 11, we’ll publish a mailbag edition answering reader questions about the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as broader questions about other timely news topics, under-the-radar issues, and anything else of interest. You can submit a question here for consideration. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about the legal and practical implications of this case? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced an agreement to make the United States government an investor in the production of Venezuelan oil. Under the reported terms of the deal, the U.S. will take a stake in a private Venezuelan company that will be given the rights to develop 17 oil fields believed to contain 65 billion barrels of oil. President Trump said the deal will help build up U.S. oil reserves, bring down gas prices, and promote investment and production in Venezuela from other U.S. energy companies. Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said the deal will economically benefit her country and revitalize its energy industry. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Share your questions.Next Friday, September 11, we’ll publish a mailbag edition answering reader questions about the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as broader questions about other timely news topics, under-the-radar issues, and anything else of interest. You can submit a question here for consideration. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you feel about the practical and moral implications of this deal? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, August 25, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow, Russia, for the first publicly disclosed time to meet with Russian intelligence officials. While the CIA has not shared the official purpose of the trip, Ratcliffe reportedly cautioned Russia against attacking North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states. The visit also comes after four and a half years of war between Russia and Ukraine with little progress in peace discussions. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Bring back shame?On Friday, Associate Editor Carina Pacheco explored the cultural shift toward “normalizing” behaviors once seen as weird or unacceptable. She wrote: I shudder to think of the mud that so many good, necessary emotions have been dragged through to get to the altar of normalization, chief among them shame and embarrassment... They form the bedrock of the shared norms and values that keep society functional. Varying degrees of risk-taking and independent decision-making — and failure — are essential to establishing character and creating the foundation of self-trust and resilience that everyone needs to truly grow.Check out Carina’s full essay here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Will Putin attack a NATO country in the next two years? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Against normalization culture. Dear readers, In this week’s Press Pass, I introduced our newest editor, Carina Pacheco. As I said in that newsletter, when Carina applied to work here, I was struck by her writing voice, the lens through which she sees the world, and her interest in the intersection of culture and politics. To me, she offered something distinct from the rest of the team. Today, I’m thrilled to share her debut Tangle essay, which is adapted from a piece she published in her newsletter.— Isaac Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The latest Suspension of the Rules.Is decency back? Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss a fascinating gubernatorial candidate in Iowa and an interesting couple of moments from a Fox News anchor before Ari gets canceled in a highly aggrieved grievances section. Check it out here. All about Flock cameras.A few months ago, you may not have heard of them at all. Now, Flock cameras are everywhere — especially in Northern Virginia, where Associate Producer Aidan Gorman lives. In our latest YouTube video, Aidan takes a trip around his neighborhood and talks with law enforcement to investigate the reach and presence of Flock cameras. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Carina Pacheco and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads, reached a settlement with a group of state attorneys general to pay up to $16.7 billion to resolve a case over alleged harms to children caused by its social media apps. The company also agreed to implement safeguards designed to mitigate excessive use of Facebook and Instagram by minors. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The latest Suspension of the Rules.Is decency back? Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss a fascinating gubernatorial candidate in Iowa and an interesting couple of moments from a Fox News anchor before Ari gets canceled in a highly aggrieved grievances section. Check it out here. All about Flock cameras.A few months ago, you may not have heard of them at all. Now, Flock cameras are everywhere — especially in Northern Virginia, where Associate Producer Aidan Gorman lives. In our latest YouTube video, Aidan takes a trip around his neighborhood and talks with law enforcement to investigate the reach and presence of Flock cameras. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What new safety measures will be most effective? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele mourn the loss of the great Dolly Parton. They then chat about the very interesting candidate for governor in Iowa, Darline Graham officially winning the South Carolina primary, and then a good guy of the week featuring Jesse Watters? Last but not least, our grievances. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. All about Flock cameras.A few months ago, you may not have heard of them at all. Now, Flock cameras are everywhere — especially in Northern Virginia, where Associate Producer Aidan Gorman lives. In our latest YouTube video, Aidan takes a trip around his neighborhood and talks with law enforcement to investigate the reach and presence of Flock cameras. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, the Supreme Court stayed a federal injunction on President Donald Trump’s executive order requiring the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to change its rules for mail-in ballots. The Court’s unsigned opinion did not address the legality of the executive order; instead, the Court found that the states challenging it lacked standing to do so. The three Democratic-appointed justices dissented. A separate injunction blocking implementation of the executive order remains in place. In compliance with President Trump’s order, on August 21, USPS published a finalized rule specifying it would not deliver mail ballots in states that do not share voter data with it. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! All about Flock cameras.A few months ago, you may not have heard of them at all. Now, Flock cameras are everywhere — especially in Northern Virginia, where Associate Producer Aidan Gorman lives. In our latest YouTube video, Aidan takes a trip around his neighborhood and talks with law enforcement to investigate the reach and presence of Flock cameras. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you plan to vote by mail in 2026? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, August 18, the Treasury Department announced that the debt held by the U.S. government surpassed $40 trillion, a record high. The national debt has more than doubled since 2017, and it increased from $39 trillion to $40 trillion in roughly the past five months. In response to the latest milestone, lawmakers from both parties called for new initiatives to reduce the debt. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Applications are open.For the past three years, Tangle has run a college ambassador program, offering current college students the chance to serve as Tangle’s liaison on their campus, organizing speaking events, clubs, class talks, and more. Applications are now open for the fall semester program. If you (or someone you know) is interested in applying, you can do so here. We are accepting applications until Wednesday, September 2 at 11:59 PM ET. Please email Will Kaback at [email protected] with any questions. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How would you address the national debt and deficit? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday, the United States imposed 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, including lumber, dairy products, clothing, and alcohol. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada would match the U.S. tariffs “dollar for dollar,” with retaliatory duties set to begin on September 8. Though Canada has not officially released information on its tariff plans, Carney said the duties would target U.S. “steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.” On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. would increase tariffs on “all Cars, Trucks, both large and small, Automotive Parts, and Steel” to 50% on January 1, 2027.. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The verdict on DOGE.In Friday’s members-only edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul published an in-depth retrospective on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) roughly one month after it formally shut down. Isaac explored whether DOGE followed through on its core promises of reducing government spending and improving efficiency, while also documenting the ripple effects of its harder-to-quantify actions. You can read the piece here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: When do you think the U.S. and Canada will reach a trade agreement? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A full accounting of the initiative’s impact. Back in 2024, when the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was first proposed, its goals were clear.Elon Musk said he’d attempt to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Like many Americans (including me) who are concerned about our debt and deficit, Musk’s view was that if government spending didn’t meaningfully change, the U.S. was headed for a financial crisis that would leave the country in ruins. In a November 2024 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, he and Vivek Ramaswamy said they’d operate the new agency as “entrepreneurs, not politicians.” They framed themselves as “volunteers” rather than “federal officials or employees,” and “unlike government commissions,” they would “cut costs,” not just “write reports or cut ribbons.” They would launch this project with a comprehensive audit of the federal government’s financial performance to find waste and fraud, then modernize the government to slim down the workforce.These were not vague assurances or goals. This was a specific plan, in black and white print. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The new Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss the debate over what “Woke 1” means and what it says about shifts in the Democratic Party. They also dive into recent primary election results around the country, Senator Darline Graham’s (R-SC) debate response on foreign policy, and Senator Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) recent remarks in Georgia. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Ball and Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, August 10, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to make changes to its recommended childhood vaccine schedule. In remarks at the White House signing event, the president also suggested that a link may exist between the number of vaccines children receive and increased rates of autism. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The new Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss the debate over what “Woke 1” means and what it says about shifts in the Democratic Party. They also dive into recent primary election results around the country, Senator Darline Graham’s (R-SC) debate response on foreign policy, and Senator Jon Ossoff’s (D-GA) recent remarks in Georgia. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about President Trump’s order? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele discuss the AOC "Woke 1 was crazy" commentary and the 2020 covid era post mortem conversations that seem to be happening right now. Then we dive into Tuesday's wild election results from Florida and the rest of the country. Kmele talks about Jon Ossoff and we respond to a clip of Darline Graham. Last but not least, our grievances. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. The real story of the Reflecting Pool.By now, you’ve almost certainly heard about the controversy over President Trump’s renovations to the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. But while most news reports have focused on alleged vandalism and administration infighting, questions remain about what, exactly, went wrong. In our latest video, Associate Producer Aidan Gorman reports from the National Mall. You can watch it here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao announced that the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is returning to the United States as part of a “planned rotation.” Cao’s announcement follows weeks of reporting on strained conditions aboard the ship, including food and supply shortages, mental health struggles among sailors, and multiple sailors reportedly attempting to jump overboard. Aside from brief stops in Guam in December and Oman in July, the carrier has been operating for 271 days at sea without its crew taking a port call. The Japan-based USS George Washington (CVN-73) is set to relieve the Lincoln. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The real story of the Reflecting Pool.By now, you’ve almost certainly heard about the controversy over President Trump’s renovations to the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. But while most news reports have focused on alleged vandalism and administration infighting, questions remain about what, exactly, went wrong. In our latest video, Associate Producer Aidan Gorman reports from the National Mall. You can watch it here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Are you concerned about U.S. military readiness? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In recent weeks, public opposition has grown toward vehicle-tracking cameras used by law enforcement in criminal investigations. Private manufacturer Flock Safety operates the largest network of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) in the United States, with approximately 127,000 cameras across the country. The company has recently faced scrutiny for potential civil liberties violations and misuse by police officers, prompting some localities to review or cancel their contracts with the company. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you support law enforcement’s use of Flock cameras? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, August 11, Wisconsin held primary elections for the 2026 midterms, headlined by the gubernatorial race to replace outgoing Gov. Tony Evers (D). U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany won the Republican nomination with 95% of the vote, while on the Democratic side, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley narrowly defeated state Rep. Francesca Hong 39.8%–39.4%. Crowley’s victory was a significant upset, as pre-election polls showedHong with a double-digit lead. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think will win Wisconsin’s gubernatorial election? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Because if I did, I wouldn’t mean it. Dear readers, One of the only Tangle products I don’t have my hand in editing is our Sunday newsletter, which I get the pleasure of enjoying as a consumer (and is a highly-recommended Tangle member perk!). Last year, I was perusing The Sunday when I came across the week’s reader essay, written by a young reporter from Appalachia named Isaac Wood. The piece was about his experience as a white journalist producing a podcast about the historical experiences of black Americans living in East Tennessee. It was an engaging, challenging piece that tackled uncomfortable questions about who should be “allowed” to tell what stories and why, and what the experience taught him about race. A few months later, Isaac applied for a job with Tangle as a part-time editor. I was excited about the opportunity to bring him on board — save having to share my name with someone on staff — and he’s quickly proven himself to be a sharp editor with unique, thoughtful perspectives on the divisive issues we cover every day. So, a few weeks ago, when he pitched an essay about why he doesn’t pledge allegiance to the flag, I was intrigued and enthusiastic about hearing him out. Today, I’m thrilled to share that piece as a members-only Friday edition, and glad to fully introduce Isaac Wood to the Tangle audience. Enjoy.— Isaac Saul, Executive Editor Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Audrey joins Suspension of the Rules.This week, Audrey fills in for Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster to talk with Ari and Isaac about progressive Democrats’ rise, Truth Social’s new offering, the biggest political scandals in modern history, and more. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Wood and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past week, Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) has faced growing calls to resign or drop his bid for reelection amid allegations of domestic abuse. Emily Moreno, Miller’s ex-wife and the daughter of Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), accused Miller of verbally and physically abusing her and their two-year-old daughter; Miller denies the allegations. In recent days, Sen. Moreno has spoken out against Miller, saying the representative is unfit to serve in Congress. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Audrey joins Suspension of the Rules.This week, Audrey fills in for Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster to talk with Ari and Isaac about progressive Democrats’ rise, Truth Social’s new offering, the biggest political scandals in modern history, and more. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you view these allegations? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Ari are joined by Tangle editor Audrey Moorehead to discuss the Michigan Senate primary results, a Trump scandal that has been driving Isaac nuts which Ari then turns it into a fun game, and then we talk about the allegations against Representative Max Miller. Last, but not least, our grievances. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. Coming soon: our West Virginia event.In June, Tangle hosted a live discussion about the future of artificial intelligence, featuring Executive Editor Isaac Saul, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, Longview’s Andy Mills, and The Free Press’s Kat Rosenfield. We’re excited to share the full recording of the event next week; in the meantime, here’s a teaser trailer. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the Democratic and Republican parties held primary elections for several key seats in Michigan. The contests were headlined by the Democratic Senate primary, in which Rep. Haley Stevens (MI) faced off against former public health official Abdul El-Sayed to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters. At 8:35 AM ET on Wednesday, Decision Desk HQ declared El-Sayed the winner, and Stevens conceded the race shortly after. El-Sayed will face former Rep. Mike Rogers (R) in the general election. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Coming soon: our West Virginia event.In June, Tangle hosted a live discussion about the future of artificial intelligence, featuring Executive Editor Isaac Saul, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, Longview’s Andy Mills, and The Free Press’s Kat Rosenfield. We’re excited to share the full recording of the event next week; in the meantime, here’s a teaser trailer. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think will win Michigan’s Senate race? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert about potential cyber threats to water systems after approximately 36 sites in Minnesota reported cyberattacks. Then, on Saturday, Michigan reported cyberattacks on nine water systems; both states say their water supplies are not actively threatened. Separately, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said that attacks have been reported in at least seven states. Federal authorities are investigating the source of the threat, which U.S. investigators believe bears the hallmarks of cyberterrorist groups linked to Iran. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Following up on wildfires.Two weeks ago, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman wrote a take on the Canadian wildfires, arguing that climate change was the lead driver of the increased fires but that Canada could still do more to mitigate them. Some Tangle readers pushed back on both claims, so Ari put their questions to climate scientist (and author of the newsletter The Climate Brink) Zeke Haufather. Zeke weighed in on the science and the policy, as well as the role data centers will play in climate change in the coming years. You can listen here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How worried are you by these attacks? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump said that the Board of Peace, a U.S.-led international body aiming to achieve peace in the Gaza Strip, had reached an agreement for Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza to disarm. The next day, the board shared a 15-point “roadmap” for a multi-step peace plan, outlining actions that Hamas and Israel would take to eventually transfer control of the strip to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG). Hamas officials said the group’s disarmament was contingent on Israel withdrawing from Gaza, while Israeli officials have expressed skepticism about Hamas’s commitment to disarming. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! Following up on wildfires.Two weeks ago, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman wrote a take on the Canadian wildfires, arguing that climate change was the lead driver of the increased fires but that Canada could still do more to mitigate them. Some Tangle readers pushed back on both claims, so Ari put their questions to climate scientist (and author of the newsletter The Climate Brink) Zeke Haufather. Zeke weighed in on the science and the policy, as well as the role data centers will play in climate change in the coming years. You can listen here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Could this plan be a breakthrough for peace? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In today's special edition, Ari Weitzman interviews Zeke Hausfather who is the climate research lead at Stripe, climate research scientist at Berkeley Earth and contributor at Carbon Brief about the recent global wild fires and what they have to do with changing climate. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The latest Suspension of the Rules.In this week’s episode, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss what we have and haven’t learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. Plus, a conversation about whether government-run grocery stores will help or hurt consumer prices, and Isaac heaps some praise onto an unlikely character. Check it out here! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast hosted by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What my experience (and the data) show. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The latest Suspension of the Rules.In this week’s episode, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss what we have and haven’t learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. Plus, a conversation about whether government-run grocery stores will help or hurt consumer prices, and Isaac heaps some praise onto an unlikely character. Check it out here! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee questionedDr. Anthony Fauci about his decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment throughout the roughly three-hour hearing, drawing rebuke from committee Republicans and a warning from Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) that he could be charged with contempt of Congress. The hearing followed the release of diary entries from Fauci between December 2019 and December 2022, which described how he approached key moments of the pandemic and processed his rising celebrity. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! The latest Suspension of the Rules.In this week’s episode, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss what we have and haven’t learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. Plus, a conversation about whether government-run grocery stores will help or hurt consumer prices, and Isaac heaps some praise onto an unlikely character. Check it out here! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Fauci’s job performance during the pandemic? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele talk about Anthony Fauci pleading the fifth and his legacy. They then get into a really surprising "Good guy of the week" segment followed by a conversation about Zohran Mamdani's plan for city-ran grocery stores coming together. Last but not least, our grievances where Kmele defends his horrible position about the NYC subways. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, July 24, Reuters reported that an OpenAI autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agent broke out of a contained environment and hacked a popular AI development website. The hack began on July 11 and lasted until July 13, when it was detected by an AI at the targeted company, Hugging Face. OpenAI remained unaware of the incident for days, and the two companies did not communicate directly until July 20, well after Hugging Face had alerted the FBI of an intrusion. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! We won!A few weeks back, we asked Tangle readers to support our nomination for the inaugural Newsletter Awards. On Friday, we learned we won the top prize — the People’s Choice award — for receiving the most votes among over 100 nominees. Thanks so much for voting for us; every bit of recognition like this helps spread the word about our work. It’s a proud day for the entire Tangle community. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How concerned are you about AI development? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, July 22, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed a civil nuclear-cooperation agreement. The deal is a “123 Agreement,” named after Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, outlining a partnership between the two countries to establish a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia. However, the status of the deal is now in question after President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it was conditional on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! We won!A few weeks back, we asked Tangle readers to support our nomination for the inaugural Newsletter Awards. On Friday, we learned we won the top prize — the People’s Choice award — for receiving the most votes among over 100 nominees. Thanks so much for voting for us; every bit of recognition like this helps spread the word about our work. It’s a proud day for the entire Tangle community. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the deal? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, July 21, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) announced that an error in the state’s motor-vehicles system software resulted in approximately 6,600 noncitizens being registered to vote, and a preliminary assessment showed roughly 400 of them cast a ballot in at least one election. Sherrill said the improper registrations occurred during former Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) term and ordered an investigation into the error. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! A guest essay.Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church, a group widely condemned by other Christian churches and organizations for its extreme, vulgar rhetoric. As an adult, Phelps-Roper left the congregation and became one of its chief critics, as well as a writer and activist. In a guest essay for Tangle, she wrote about what she lost when she left — and what aspects of her upbringing she’s now reclaiming. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Should the noncitizens who voted be prosecuted? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A guest column from Megan Phelps-Roper. Dear readers, As Tangle continues to grow, one of my goals is to expand our stable of writers. We want more people writing under the Tangle banner who can represent the center, center-left, center-right, the progressive left, the MAGA right, and those of us (like me) who just find ourselves complicated, confused, and mixed up in today’s political alignment. One such fascinating person is Megan Phelps-Roper, the political activist and writer who is best known for leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. The church, founded by Phelps-Roper’s grandfather, is widely regarded as a hate group. Her departure from the church — and then role as one of its chief critics — became a national news story. A few weeks ago, Phelps-Roper and podcast producer Andy Mills reached out to me about a new show they were working on — one in which she revisits her childhood upbringing and reflects on what she’s lost by leaving the church. I was fascinated by the pitch, and excited to learn that Phelps-Roper was interested in writing about it for Tangle. So, today, I’m thrilled to share her essay reflecting on her departure from the Westboro Baptist Church, but also the ways in which she feels like her religious upbringing has never left her — and how she’s trying, in some ways, to return to it. I hope you enjoy. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! A new Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Kmele, and a fresh-faced Ari reunite to talk election integrity, Bill O’Reilly, a twist in an old Hunter Biden story, and the challenge of separating political rhetoric from reality. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Megan Phelps-Roper and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past week, smoke from wildfires in Canada (as well as northern Minnesota) has affected air quality and visibility across the Midwest and East Coast of the United States. As of Monday, air-quality alerts remained in place for a large portion of the country, and experts expect wildfire smoke to remain prevalent through August. The fires have raised concerns about climate-related catalysts of extreme environmental events, as well as scrutiny of Canada’s forest management. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! A new Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Kmele, and a fresh-faced Ari reunite to talk election integrity, Bill O’Reilly, a twist in an old Hunter Biden story, and the challenge of separating political rhetoric from reality. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What’s responsible for Canada’s wildfires? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Ari Weitzman once again. They get into election fraud, data centers, the kind of cover up happening right now in Iran and then Isaac and Kmele take a victory lap about all the things they have been right about. Last but not least, our grievances. It's a spicy good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. ICYMI.Tuesday, we released our report on the fight over Alaska’s novel election system, which uses a top-four primary and ranked-choice voting in the general election. Senior Editor Will Kaback traveled to the state to talk with proponents and opponents of the system — and how it’s already changed Alaskan politics. What he found might surprise you. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) said she will run for a full, six-year term to succeed her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), who passed away suddenly on July 11 after suffering an aortic dissection. Republicans will hold a special primary on August 11 to select a new candidate to run against physician Annie Andrews (D) in the general election. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! ICYMI.Yesterday, we released our report on the fight over Alaska’s novel election system, which uses a top-four primary and ranked-choice voting in the general election. Senior Editor Will Kaback traveled to the state to talk with proponents and opponents of the system — and how it’s already changed Alaskan politics. What he found might surprise you. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of family members filling deceased relatives’ seats? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, July 14, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed an executive order pausing construction of new large-scale data centers in the state for up to one year. Hochul said the moratorium is intended to allow policymakers to study the economic and environmental effects of new data centers and consider regulatory action. The governor’s order went into effect immediately, making New York the first state to halt data center construction. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! What happened to Alaska’s election reform?In 2020, Alaskans voted to adopt a first-of-its-kind election system — top-four open primaries with ranked-choice voting in the general election — which advocates said would expand voter choice and boost consensus-minded candidates. In 2024, an initiative to repeal that system narrowly failed, but a new repeal measure is on the ballot this year. Ahead of that critical vote, Senior Editor Will Kaback traveled to Alaska to speak with the leading voices on each side of the issue about the impact of the state’s election reform — and whether it will survive another challenge. Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Hochul’s order? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, July 9, President Donald Trump fired the two Democratic commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the agency’s final commissioner, a Republican, resigned. Without commissioners, the agency can still distribute election funding to states, but some of its functions will be impacted, such as establishing new programs or carrying out the appeals process for decertified voting systems. President Trump has not indicated whether he plans to nominate replacements. The White House said the Supreme Court’s recent ruling affirming the president’s power to remove leaders of independent agencies established precedent for the firings. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How concerned are you about these firings? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Generally speaking, I hate the expression “conspiracy theory.” It’s an overused and unhelpful descriptor for what often amounts to a minority or controversial view. I’ve begged writers to stop calling everything they don’t like a conspiracy theory, and I’ve written regularly about my open-mindedness to all manner of ideas that have at some point been called conspiracy theories. But it’s also an expression with a definition. The Merriam-Webster dictionary offers two: “A theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators,” or “a theory asserting that a secret of great importance is being kept from the public.” These are both good, workable definitions. They both aptly describe a lot of the ideas I encounter on social media on a regular basis. And neither suggests judgment on whether the theory itself is true, which I think is important. Conspiracy theories, obviously, are not new. Examples go back centuries, not decades, to the Illuminati panic of the 1700s, or the Salem Witch trials, or blood libels targeting Jews in medieval Europe. I assume there were prehistoric conspiracy theories, too. Contemporary ideas, like “Covid came from a lab,” were once labeled conspiracy theories, but have become more mainstream and gained credibility with new evidence — though they’re still unproven. What has changed recently, though, is that these theories spread more easily, society seems more gullible, and the theories themselves are just getting — well — a whole lot dumber. The end result is that a lot of people seem to believe easily disprovable things (or, conversely, they latch onto ideas for which there is almost zero evidence, and insist others subscribe to those ideas, too). Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! The latest Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Kmele and Senior Editor Will Kaback (filling in for Ari) break down the arguments for and against appointing family members to fill the seats of deceased lawmakers, a viral video of Nevada’s governor, and President Trump’s latest election-administration moves. Plus, an interview with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina on the cyclosporiasis outbreak. Check it out here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the House voted 308–117 to pass the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, a bill that would make Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent in the United States. The legislation passed with 114 Democrats, 193 Republicans, and one independent in support and now heads to the Senate. President Donald Trump has endorsed the bill, writing in May, “It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production.” Note: While the technically correct term for DST is “Daylight Saving Time,” Tangle has opted to use the more colloquial “Daylight Savings Time,” a decision we explained here. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! The latest Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Kmele and Senior Editor Will Kaback (filling in for Ari) break down the arguments for and against appointing family members to fill the seats of deceased lawmakers, a viral video of Nevada’s governor, and President Trump’s latest election-administration moves. Plus, an interview with epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina on the cyclosporiasis outbreak. Check it out here. Is ranked-choice voting in trouble?In 2020, Alaska voted to overhaul its election system, adopting top-four open primaries and ranked-choice voting in the general election. Opponents tried — and failed — to repeal the new system in 2024, but another repeal effort is on the ballot in 2026. Earlier this year, Senior Editor Will Kaback traveled to Alaska to talk with advocates on each side and investigate what Alaskans really think of their new system. We’ll publish the full report next week, but for a sneak preview, you can watch the trailer here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Should we move to permanent DST, or something else? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Senior Editor Will Kaback and epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina to talk about our latest public health issues, Lindsey Graham's sister Darline Graham being appointed to the senate in his place and how worried we should be with Trump's firings from this obscure election agency. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In the past week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were involved in deadly shootings in Texas and Maine. On Monday, in Biddeford, Maine, an officer shot and killed a man who allegedly disregarded orders to stop his vehicle and attempted to flee. Separately, on Tuesday, July 7 in Houston, ICE agents shot and killed a man whom they accused of “weaponizing his vehicle” during a traffic stop. State and local officials have called for investigations into both incidents. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Is ranked-choice voting in trouble?In 2020, Alaska voted to overhaul its election system, adopting top-four open primaries and ranked-choice voting in the general election. Opponents tried — and failed — to repeal the new system in 2024, but another repeal effort is on the ballot in 2026. Earlier this year, Senior Editor Will Kaback traveled to Alaska to talk with advocates on each side and investigate what Alaskans really think of their new system. We’ll publish the full report next week, but for a sneak preview, you can watch the trailer here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Does U.S. immigration enforcement need reform? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday night, the U.S. carried out its third straight day of strikes against Iran, the latest in a series of military engagements that began last week. On Friday, President Donald Trump notified Congress that the U.S. had resumed military activities against Iran as of July 7, when U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported engaging in “retaliatory strikes” following Iran’s strikes on vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The resumption of military engagement follows weeks of increasing tensions as peace negotiations stalled. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How long could the war last? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday evening, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away at age 71 after what his office called a “brief and sudden illness.” The nature of the illness was initially unknown, though news outlets reported that emergency services were dispatched to a Washington, D.C. home owned by Graham and administered treatment to a man suffering from cardiac arrest. On Sunday, Graham’s office said a preliminary examination found he died of “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” Also in today’s edition, we cover the Prairieland incident and an under-the-radar story about the January 6 case against members of the Proud Boys. Don’t forget to check out Friday’s reader mailbag, too, if you missed it. Today’s email is a 13-minute read. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How will you remember Sen. Graham’s legacy? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
At Tangle, we want to be a source of trustworthy news, thought-provoking analysis, and robust community engagement. As part of that commitment, we interact with the community in several forums — the website comment section, our Subtext texting service, our Reddit page, our staff email, and at live events. We also answer reader and listener questions throughout the week in our newsletter and podcast. Every few months, after we’ve built up a queue of queries from readers and listeners, we dedicate a Friday edition to answering some of your questions and feedback en masse. Today, we’re opening up the mailbag to tackle a range of topics, from press accountability, to the true cost of the Iran war, to the Hurricane Helene recovery, to a Texas law mandating Biblical teachings, and much more. We’ve pulled our whole editorial team together for this one, and identified which member of the staff was responsible for answering each question, though the whole team participated in editing every reply. In the spirit of this edition, let us know your thoughts (and other questions) in the comments. Enjoy! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul, Will Kaback, Audrey Moorehead, Russell Nystrom, Isaac Wood, Carina Pacheco, Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past week, lawmakers have expressed increasing concern about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) health, roughly three weeks after the senator was hospitalized for still-unknown reasons. The hospitalization is the latest in a string of health-related incidents for McConnell, which have raised questions about his fitness for office. On Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) asked McConnell’s office to provide a “[full] update” on the senator’s status, citing increasing concern “about the current state of your health and wellbeing.” Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Audrey joins the pod.In this week’s episode of Suspension of the Rules, Associate Editor Audrey Moorehead dropped into Managing Editor Ari Weitzman’s chair while he enjoys paternity leave. We discussed the Graham Platner scandal, whether he would actually drop out (we got our answer last night), and why we think the allegations are credible. Then, we talked about Mitch McConnell’s mysterious health issues (a topic we dive into today). Check it out here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Should we have age limits for Congress? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Tangle Associate Editor Audrey Moorehead to discuss the Graham Platner controversies and their credibility, as well as Mitch McConnell's health issues. Last but not least, our grievances. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. Voting ends soon.Tangle is up for the first-ever Newsletter People’s Choice Award, and voting ends on Saturday. We’re currently in the lead (out of 112 nominated newsletters), but we need your help to bring it home. If you haven’t already, we’d appreciate it if you could cast a vote for us! Note: Be sure to confirm your vote in your email after you submit the form. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, Jenny Racicot, a former girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), accused him of raping her in 2021. Politico, which first published the report, corroborated aspects of Racicot’s account after speaking with a man whom Racicot dated after Platner, as well as reviewing messages between her and her therapist and an acquaintance. Platner denied the accusation but said he is “taking the time to reflect on the best path forward.” A significant number of Congressional Democrats, including many lawmakers who previously endorsed Platner, have called on him to drop out of the race. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. Voting ends soon.Tangle is up for the first-ever Newsletter People’s Choice Award, and voting ends on Saturday. We’re currently in the lead (out of 112 nominated newsletters), but we need your help to bring it home. If you haven’t already, we’d appreciate it if you could cast a vote for us! Note: Be sure to confirm your vote in your email after you submit the form. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Should Platner drop out? Will he? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court held that a federal law limiting the amount of money political parties could spend in coordination with campaigns violated the First Amendment. The Court’s vote was 6–3 along ideological lines. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. Vote for Tangle!We’re nominated for the 2026 People’s Choice Newsletter Awards, and we’d appreciate it if you could take a moment and cast a vote for us. It’s quick and easy (just be sure to confirm your vote in your email after you submit the form) — the link to vote is here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Court’s ruling? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday, the United States marked 250 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the original 13 American colonies as a new, independent nation. In addition to the traditional fireworks and parades, cities and states held special celebrations reflecting on the country’s history for its semiquincentennial. In Washington, D.C., large crowds gathered to celebrate across the capital. While some of President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” event was canceled or delayed due to extreme weather — including a temporary evacuation of the National Mall — the president delivered an address on the Mall, followed by a massivefireworks display. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. Vote for Tangle!We’re nominated for the 2026 People’s Choice Newsletter Awards, and we’d appreciate it if you could take a moment and cast a vote for us. It’s quick and easy (just be sure to confirm your vote in your email after you submit the form) — the link to vote is here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you feel about America on its 250th birthday? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dear readers, As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, much ink will be spilled about where we are as a nation: what we’ve overcome, what’s broken, what works, and where we’re going. Like many Americans (and American writers), I’ve been ruminating on this anniversary from many angles. But today, my mind is stuck on one specific part of our country’s story: The freedom of the press, and the power of the “publish” button. I don’t take it for granted that I have the ability to immediately reach half a million readers directly, and millions more indirectly, at any moment, with a few clacks on the keyboard and a couple clicks of the mouse. Despite the ease of that feat, it was never guaranteed — not technologically, culturally, or legally — until very recently. Few of us have taken time to reflect on how we got here, why we’re here, and how important it is to spend the next 250 years keeping the spirit of the American press and press freedom alive. Tangle, like all daily news publications, descends from Acta Diurna(“daily acts”), the posted announcements of political and social events in Rome. Starting in 59 BC, these notices were often carved into stone or metal and alerted the citizenry to the happenings of the government. Despite serving as an act of transparency — and functioning as a new democratic norm — Acta Diurna were distinct from today’s news outlets in an important way: They were authorized narratives of the government, first ordered by Julius Caesar. Still, every newspaper and form of mass media can trace its origins back to this practice, though the posted notices would evolve over millennia into myriad new formats and media. By the 17th century, the Dutch had “corantos” (currents of news), which pulled together foreign journals and translated them for the country’s citizens. Rudimentary newspapers were popping up across European countries and Japan at this time, too. In 1621, the first English corantos appeared in London, and by 1702, The Daily Courant was publishing, well, daily. But it was never easy. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Supreme Court expert Sarah Isgur to cover this weeks controversial rulings and tells us why all the people freaking out about SCOTUS are wrong. Last but not least, a pretty gross grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued two decisions on the president’s power to remove leaders of federal agencies. In the first case, Trump v. Slaughter, the Court voted 6–3 to strike down a federal law that limited the president’s power to fire Federal Trade Commission (FTC) members. In the second, Trump v. Cook, the Court voted 5–4 that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role while her legal challenge to President Trump’s attempt to fire her plays out. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. How we’re celebrating.This weekend is the 250th anniversary of the United States declaring its independence, and this month marks seven years since we launched Tangle. To celebrate, Executive Editor Isaac Saul is penning an essay tomorrow on the history of press freedom and why we must continue to embrace the spirit of a free press in the years ahead. Keep an eye out for the special July 4 edition, which will land in your inbox around 12 PM ET. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Slaughter and Cook decisions? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, ruling 6–3 in Trump v. Barbara that the order is unlawful. Three Republican-appointed and three Democratic-appointed justices comprised the majority, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented in part. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch each authored dissents. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. What’s up with Britain?Last week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation. If it feels like the country’s leaders are always coming and going, that’s because… they are. With Starmer’s departure, Britain will have had six prime ministers in 10 years. Each entered office promising stability; each left amid deep public dissatisfaction. In our newest YouTube video, Associate Producer Aidan Gorman explores what’s going on across the pond. Watch it here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Court’s decision? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 to uphold a Mississippi law allowing election officials to count ballots postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days afterward. In its ruling, the Court rejected the challengers’ argument that federal statutes setting a national Election Day required ballot receipt by that day. Instead, the Court held that Election Day refers to voters choosing a candidate, which is fulfilled when voting is completed, not when ballots are received. The ruling comes four months before the 2026 midterm elections and ensures that Mississippi’s law will remain in place for the state’s elections. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the decision in Watson v. Republican National Committee? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued two decisions on U.S. immigration policy. In the first case, Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, the Court ruled 6–3 that the federal government can turn back asylum seekers before they cross into the United States. In the second, Mullin v. Doe, the Court also ruled 6–3 that courts cannot review Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determinations on groups’ eligibility for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), clearing the way for the Trump administration to remove Haitian and Syrian TPS holders from the U.S. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of each ruling? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The expected and unexpected of parenting. Dear readers, Before we get into today’s very personal Friday edition, I wanted to remind you that we paywall our Friday editions. We fundamentally believe reliable news and great writing should be accessible — so we’ve made a habit of giving roughly 80% of our content away for free. But we are also primarily supported by Tangle members (who provide 90% of our revenue) to keep this project running. Members get very specific benefits: Access to Friday editions, our most original contentAccess to the comments sectionAd-free newsletters The full Sunday edition, including reader essaysAccess to our entire archive of exclusive contentIt costs just $59/year to become a newsletter member, or less than $5 per month. If you bundle that with our podcast membership, it’s $99/year, or about $8 per month. So, when you run into the paywall in today’s edition, please consider pushing through it with a membership. It unlocks a tremendous amount of value for you, and it keeps us 100% independent as a media organization! Best, Isaac You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that federal law protecting prisoners’ religious exercise does not extend to a lawsuit brought by an incarcerated Rastafarian man who sought damages after prison officials forcibly shaved his head. The man, Damon Landor, sued both the Louisiana Department of Corrections and several of its officers individually under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which defines the religious rights of people held in institutions that receive federal funding. However, the Court’s majority found that the law does not apply to the prison officials named in the suit, as they had not entered into a formal agreement with the federal government. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Mamdani, Gabbard, and some media controversy.On this week’s episode of Suspension of the Rules, the team wades into the wider implications of Mamdani’s kingmaking in NYC, the controversy surrounding Tulsi Gabbard’s supposed association with a “cult leader,” and a debate about whether Tara Palmeri should have published an interview excerpt a congresswoman asked her to remove. You can watch it here You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Supreme Court’s ruling? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on today's mega episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele cover the reflecting pool controversy, the historic election in New York that has upended the Democratic establishment, Tulsi Gabbard and a very strange story about a cult leader, and a debate about whether or not Tara Palmeri should've released her recent interview. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the House passed a comprehensive housing affordability bill 358–32, sending the measure to President Donald Trump to sign into law. The bill, titled the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, seeks to increase housing supply by rolling back construction regulations, expanding financing options, and restricting institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes in most circumstances. The Senate voted 85–5 to pass the bill on Monday. After originally scheduling a signing ceremony today, Trump announced he would cancel the signing until Congress passes the SAVE America Act. He has not indicated that he would veto the bill. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! A conversation with Tim Urban.Why are otherwise intelligent people unable to resist falling into echo chambers, and how do some get out? That’s what Executive Editor Isaac Saul recently discussed with Tim Urban, the creator of Wait But Why and author of the book What’s Our Problem? A Self-Help Book for Societies. The conversation flows from there, covering the information ecosystem, artificial intelligence, and the future of journalism. Check it out here! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have broken through in primary races for local and national seats. Headlined by figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), democratic-socialist candidates have challenged incumbents in strongly Democratic areas, seeking to pull the party toward more progressive positions on key issues. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! A conversation with Tim Urban.Why are otherwise intelligent people unable to resist falling into echo chambers, and how do some get out? That’s what Executive Editor Isaac Saul recently discussed with Tim Urban, the creator of Wait But Why and author of the book What’s Our Problem? A Self-Help Book for Societies. The conversation flows from there, covering the information ecosystem, artificial intelligence, and the future of journalism. Check it out here! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think a democratic socialist could be a viable presidential candidate in 2028? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Isaac Saul interviews Tim Urban, author of the book What's Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies and creator of the popular blog Wait But Why. Tim does an incredible job at explaining how the big divide between the left and the right doesn't really explain whats going on in our country and what he thinks the solutions could be. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance and a team of U.S. negotiators met with Iranian officials in Switzerland to begin peace negotiations. The vice president took a leading role in finalizing the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that Iran and the U.S. signed last week, and on Sunday, Vance called for a broad reset of relations after nearly four months of war. He also rebuked Israeli politicians for their criticism of the recent MOU, drawing scrutiny from some conservatives and raising broader questions about his prospects as a future party standard-bearer. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! The Father’s Day episode.In a special Father’s Day edition of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele are joined on the podcast by two guests: Executive Producer Jon Lall and Isaac’s father (and Tangle editor) Bailey Saul. The five of them represent different phases of fatherhood — from soon-to-be father to dad of two school-aged children to three-kid veteran (and grandfather) — and discuss what they’ve learned through their separate experiences. You can listen to the special edition here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How much responsibility do you think Vice President Vance has for negotiating an end to the war in Iran? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, both the United States and Iran remotely signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war between the two countries after more than 100 days of conflict. The White House also announced the details of the 14-point plan, which included calls for the U.S. and Iran to allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz and commits the United States to facilitating a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! The Father’s Day episode.In a special Father’s Day edition of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele are joined on the podcast by two guests: Executive Producer Jon Lall and Isaac’s father (and Tangle editor) Bailey Saul. The five of them represent different phases of fatherhood — from soon-to-be father to dad of two school-aged children to three-kid veteran (and grandfather) — and discuss what they’ve learned through their separate experiences. You can listen to the special edition here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the memorandum of understanding? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele are joined by Executive Producer Jon Lall and Tangle editor/father of Isaac Saul, Bailey Saul for a special Father's Day edition of SOTR. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that in 2027, the United Kingdom will ban children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube (but not YouTube Kids). Several other countries have passed similar bans, but the UK’s measure will go further, blocking features like live-streaming and communicating with strangers while gaming. Furthermore, Starmer said the regulations will restrict access to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots designed to simulate romantic or sexual relationships for users under 18 and may also impose curfews on social media use for under-18s. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Will social media bans be effective? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hosted a mixed martial arts fighting event on the South Lawn of the White House, billed as a celebration of the United States’s 250th anniversary this summer. The event, which coincided with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, was held in front of approximately 4,000 spectators, including top Trump administration officials, active military members, and high-profile business executives. Some lawmakers criticized the cost and aesthetics of the event. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the White House hosting a UFC fight? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has served as a mediator in peace discussions between the United States and Iran, announced that the two countries reached a deal to end their conflict. The Pakistani leader said that both countries would immediately cease military operations and formally sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Friday, though the text of the memorandum has not been released. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How would you characterize the progress in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The things I've published in Tangle that make me groan. Friday is upon us. Mazel tov for surviving another week. I’m Isaac Saul, and before we jump into a very fun (and humbling) Friday edition, I wanted to let you know that the Tangle team has arrived in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, and… well… it’s as advertised. Gorgeous, rolling hills and woods, a quaint downtown, and great restaurants and spas peppering the area — you can feel the town’s embrace of its history of relaxation and recuperation. We’ve got 48 hours until our matinee live show on Sunday afternoon, and it’s not too late to get tickets. I am fully confident in saying you won’t regret it. Special shoutouts to our sponsors for the event, The Dignity Index and Incogni, who helped make all of this possible! I’ll have more to say about these awesome organizations and products this weekend. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, June 2, California held its primary elections, including closely watched races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. In the mayoral primary, Mayor Karen Bass (D) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) advancedto the general election, while first-time candidate Spencer Pratt (I) finished third. Pratt had been in second place the day after the primary, but Raman overtook him as mail-in ballots came in after Election Day, leading some Republicans to claim the results were fraudulent. The latest Suspension of the Rules.This week’s episode is a “review of all the things we said last week” special, with updates on the mayoral race in Los Angeles, the screwworm cases in Texas, and the NBA Finals in New York. Plus, Isaac and Kmele debate whether AI slop should be banned for political ads. Check it out here! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think California’s system allows for fraud or should be reformed? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, huge news from the Ari Weitzman household, screwworm has arrived, more election fraud conspiracies and Kmele and Isaac debate whether or not AI should be banned for campaign videos. It's a good one! We’re coming to the stage!In 10 days, Isaac and a panel of sharp thinkers are coming to West Virginia to discuss the societal effects of artificial intelligence. They’ll tackle questions like, What would happen if AI disappeared today vs. five years from now? Who makes a stronger case between the cynics and the optimists? Could we ban AI even if we wanted to? It’ll be a scintillating chat, and you can be in the room where it’s happening if you get your tickets now. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, June 1, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) published an op-ed in The New York Times proposing the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, a law that would transfer a 50% ownership stake in artificial intelligence (AI) companies into a federal sovereign wealth fund through a one-time tax. “The creative work of millions of people… has essentially been stolen by some of the wealthiest people in the world,” Sanders said. “It’s time for us to reclaim it.” Simultaneously, President Donald Trump has been in discussions with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (the maker of ChatGPT), about transferring equity of the company into a government-run “public wealth fund.” Trump has also suggested the government could take equity stakes in other leading AI developers. Why are World Cup tickets so expensive?After much anticipation, the first games of the World Cup jointly hosted by Canada, the United States, and Mexico will begin on Thursday at the historic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Associate Producer, longtime soccer/football fan, and Portsmouth supporter Aidan Gorman started looking for tickets — but what he found was a story. Today, Aidan explores the high cost of World Cup tickets and FIFA’s embrace of dynamic pricing. Check out our latest video here! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of partial government ownership of AI companies? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In recent weeks, federal and state law enforcement officials have clashed with protesters gathering outside Delaney Hall, a federal immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. At least 90 people have been arrested over the course of the protests, including 61 on the night of Sunday, May 31, on charges including assaulting federal officers, disorderly conduct, rioting and resisting arrest. The demonstrators allege poor treatment of detainees, which federal immigration officials deny. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re coming to the stage!In 10 days, Isaac and a panel of sharp thinkers are coming to West Virginia to discuss the societal effects of artificial intelligence. They’ll tackle questions like, What would happen if AI disappeared today vs. five years from now? Who makes a stronger case between the cynics and the optimists? Could we ban AI even if we wanted to? It’ll be a scintillating chat, and you can be in the room where it’s happening if you get your tickets now. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Are you concerned about conditions at immigration detention centers? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, 60 Minutes executive producer, Nick Bilton, fired the show’s longtime correspondent Scott Pelley following a confrontation during a staff meeting in which Pelley criticized Bilton and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. Pelley’s firing is the latest shakeup at the show and network since Weiss took the head role in October 2025; Pelley and other former correspondents have accused Weiss of interfering in editorial decisions in an attempt to cover the Trump administration in a more positive light. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re coming to the stage!In 10 days, Isaac and a panel of sharp thinkers are coming to West Virginia to discuss the societal effects of artificial intelligence. They’ll tackle questions like, What would happen if AI disappeared today vs. five years from now? Who makes a stronger case between the cynics and the optimists? Could we ban AI even if we wanted to? It’ll be a scintillating chat, and you can be in the room where it’s happening if you get your tickets now. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar.” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Scott Pelley’s dismissal? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
At Tangle, we don’t discriminate against good ideas based on where they come from. A person on our sales team can have a fantastic pitch for an editorial change we should make, and just because it came from the sales side and not a senior editor doesn’t mean we’re going to ignore it. I’ve learned over the years that I have the great privilege of working with a lot of brilliant people, with smart ideas, who have interesting things to say, who can also write even though they aren’t on our editorial team. So when Candida Hall, our head of product (and featured employee in the October 2025 edition of Press Pass), pitched the idea for a story about small-town revitalization and her experiences in Appalachia, I was immediately intrigued. Over the last few months, Candida has been working on this story with our Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, and today, I’m thrilled to share it with our audience. I hope you all enjoy. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re coming to the stage!In 10 days, Isaac and a panel of sharp thinkers are coming to West Virginia to discuss the societal effects of artificial intelligence. They’ll tackle questions like, What would happen if AI disappeared today vs. five years from now? Who makes a stronger case between the cynics and the optimists? Could we ban AI even if we wanted to? It’ll be a scintillating chat, and you can be in the room where it’s happening if you get your tickets now. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Candida Hall and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, California held its primary elections, headlined by the gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral races. With 56% of the votes counted in the gubernatorial primary, conservative commentator Steve Hilton (R) leads former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) with 27.6% and 25.6% of the vote, respectively. Businessman Tom Steyer (D) is third with 19.8%. Separately, with 62% of the votes counted in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, Mayor Karen Bass (D) leads all candidates with 35% and will advance to the general election. Former reality television star Spencer Pratt (I) has earned 29.9%, and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) is third with 22.8%; the race for the second spot in the runoff is still too close to call. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re coming to the stage!In 10 days, Isaac and a panel of sharp thinkers are coming to West Virginia to discuss the societal effects of artificial intelligence. They’ll tackle questions like, What would happen if AI disappeared today vs. five years from now? Who makes a stronger case between the cynics and the optimists? Could we ban AI even if we wanted to? It’ll be a scintillating chat, and you can be in the room where it’s happening if you get your tickets now. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think Spencer Pratt could win the Los Angeles mayoral election? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, are Republicans maybe finally standing up to President Trump? We get into the L.A. mayoral race and Spencer Pratt as well as a literal horror story unfolding at the border followed by our grievances where we say good bye to Ari's favorite sandwich shop. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that he is naming housing official Bill Pulte to serve as acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) once Tulsi Gabbard steps down as director at the end of the month. Pulte is currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), an independent agency regulating federal mortgages, where he oversees Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Gabbard is resigning to support her husband during his battle with a rare form of bone cancer, and the White House has not advanced a nominee to serve as Gabbard’s permanent replacement. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Less than two weeks.Our in-person gathering in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, is rapidly approaching, and we’re building out a great program for the main event on Sunday, June 14. Come join Executive Editor Isaac Saul, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, The Daily co-creator Andy Mills and The Free Press’s Kat Rosenfield for a lively discussion on AI and national politics, with additional opportunities to hang out with the full Tangle team. A limited number of tickets are still available — get yours before they’re gone! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Bill Pulte becoming acting DNI? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, the Trump administration launched its app for Trump Accounts, which will seed tax-advantaged investment accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028 with $1,000 in an effort to support long-term financial stability for future U.S. adults. While the accounts won’t be funded until at least July 4, the program’s official launch date, parents of eligible children can now open accounts through the Internal Revenue Service. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Less than two weeks.Our in-person gathering in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, is rapidly approaching, and we’re building out a great program for the main event on Sunday, June 14. Come join Executive Editor Isaac Saul, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, The Daily co-creator Andy Mills and The Free Press’s Kat Rosenfield for a lively discussion on AI and national politics, with additional opportunities to hang out with the full Tangle team. A limited number of tickets are still available — get yours before they’re gone! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How would you use a Trump Account? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal published an exposé on the behavior of Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee in the Maine Senate race. According to The Journal, Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, disclosed to his campaign last August that she had discovered sexually explicit texts between Platner and multiple women on his phone last spring. Furthermore, The Journal found that Platner has an active account on Kik, a private-messaging app often used to arrange sexual encounters. Also on Saturday, The New York Times revealed that Gertner had disclosed this information to a senior aide who later left the campaign, and Platner had been sending explicit messages to up to 12 women. The reports represent the latest controversies in Platner’s campaign to defeat Sen. Susan Collins (R) in November’s election. New and improved comments.In case you missed our announcement in Friday’s edition on our favorite reader essays, our publishing platform Ghost has rolled out several new commenting features! Comment replies now nest more easily, helping you keep track of conversations, and you can now dislike comments that you think violate our commenting guidelines. To read more about these changes, you can check out our FAQ page. And to experience them yourself, comment below! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think will win the Maine Senate election? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Tangle staff picks our favorite reader essays. Finally, an update.If this list excluded your personal favorite reader essay, we hope you’ll share that piece in the comments. And once you’re in the comments section, you may notice some changes. After a lot of demand from our readers, and after a lot of work with (and mostly by) our publication platform, Ghost, we’re thrilled to announce several new commenting features! Comment replies now nest more easily, helping you keep track of conversations. You can also now downvote comments that you think violate our commenting guidelines. To read more about these changes, you can check out our FAQ page. And to experience them yourself, comment below! Our next event!Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are coming to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 13 and 14 for a special VIP dinner and a live taping of our weekly podcast, Suspension of the Rules. Tickets are on sale now! Why Berkeley Springs? It’s an American gem. Incorporated in 1776, history abounds — George Washington used to visit with his ill brother, who believed the springs could improve his health. Now, it’s known for its greenery, spas, and resorts. Speaking of history, we’ll be recording live inside the historicStar Theatre.Berkeley Springs is just a few hours from Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Philly; Maryland; New Jersey; Ohio; and even parts of Virginia and North Carolina. If you’re looking for a summer weekend getaway, this is it!Right now, this is the only live event on our schedule. We’re hoping to hold a few more this year — but for now, it’s the only one we can guarantee!Most of the Tangle team will be in attendance, which is unique. Unlike past events where it’s been just me and a few others, this is shaping up to be an opportunity to meet and interact with the full team.We have already sold over half of our VIP tickets, and general admission tickets are going fast. This is a small theater, so to secure your tickets before a sellout, you should hop on it now! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Tangle Staff and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, May 21, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) released a report examining the party’s performance in the 2024 elections. The 192-page postmortem argued that Democrats must “organize everywhere to Win Anywhere” and particularly advocated for a “renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South.” However, the organization distanced itself from the document’s findings. In a Substack post accompanying the report’s release, DNC Chair Ken Martin said, “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it.” Announcing our fourth guest for West Virginia!We’re excited to announce that Free Press columnist Kat Rosenfield will join our on-stage lineup at Tangle’s next in-person event in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 14. Kat will share the stage with Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, and Longview Editor Andy Mills for a conversation about artificial intelligence and national politics. We’re excited to bring the Tangle community together for the latest installment of our live event series, and we’d love to see you there. Tickets are moving fast, and you can get yours here! Our latest episode of Suspension of the Rules.After some discussion of aliens last week, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele move on to the next big thing: athletes using steroids! After some discussion of cheating in sports, they dive deep into the electoral ramifications of Tuesday’s primary runoffs. Plus, Isaac addresses some criticisms, the guys speculate on Rep. Thomas Kean’s (R-NJ) absence, and Kmele tries to defend the indefensible. Watch the most recent episode here! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What would you want to see from a 2024 DNC postmortem? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules: we go deep on the Texas Senate primary results, the Enhanced Games and the missing congressman nobody is talking about. Last but not least, a very good grievance section where Ari grosses us out a bit... It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, Texas voters participated in a slate of primary runoff elections, including a highly publicized Republican Senate primary between state Attorney General Ken Paxton and incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton defeated Cornyn by a 27.6-point margin and will go on to face state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the general election. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! What are monopolies?Recently, Executive Editor Isaac Saul sat down for a conversation with political commentator and author of the BIG newsletter Matt Stoller to discuss monopoly and antitrust law. The two discussed the reach of corporations, the power of billionaires, the prevalence of wealth inequality, the collapse of Spirit Airlines, and more. You can listen to the interview in our podcast feed or watch it on our YouTube channel! You can read today's podcast here and today's “This day in history.” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think will win the Texas Senate election in November? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation, effective June 30, to support her husband as he fights a rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard will become the fourth cabinet secretary to leave the second Trump administration, following former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who were fired, and former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned in April. President Donald Trump said that Principal Deputy DNI Aaron Lukas will serve as acting director when Gabbard officially departs. A special day.Heads up: Our publishing platform just launched a new feature that makes it extremely easy to give a Tangle subscription as a gift to friends or family. If you think someone in your life needs Tangle, you can click here to gift them a subscription! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s job performance? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Isaac Saul interviews American political commentator and author of the newsletter BIG, Matt Stoller. Monopoly and antitrust law is one of the most complicated topics to cover in the US right now and Matt Stoller is one of the most interesting writers on the topic. We brought Matt on to share his world view, background and the lens of which he is processing this crazy monopoly and antitrust news that seems to be becoming more and more a story thats at the center of our politics. We talk corporations and their effects on all of us, billionaires and wealth inequality, Spirit Airlines, and much more. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I have not been very happy with the president. And I haven’t been shy about that. Like most independents, with whom Trump currently has a net –33 approval rating, I’ve found the first 16 months of his presidency alarming, frustrating, and disappointing. Less than a year into his new term, I was already writing about how things had gotten pretty bad. I’ve since written about the self-dealing and corruption, which came before the Justice Department slush fund and the IRS deal promising to never investigate or audit his business or his family for any past tax returns. After his “Praise be to Allah” social media post, which included the open threat of a war crime, I said the president seemed unwell and unfit for the job. It seems as if he innovates a new norm-breaking indignity every day, and I think being “honest,” “independent,” and “nonpartisan” necessitates calling those things out... What do you think? We’re curious to hear from our readers. In your mind, what have been the biggest pros and cons of the second Trump term so far? Our next event!Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are coming to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 13 and 14 for a special VIP dinner and a live taping of our weekly podcast, Suspension of the Rules. Tickets are on sale now! Why Berkeley Springs? It’s an American gem. Incorporated in 1776, history abounds — George Washington used to visit with his ill brother, who believed the springs could improve his health. Now, it’s known for its greenery, spas, and resorts. Speaking of history, we’ll be recording live inside the historicStar Theatre.Berkeley Springs is just a few hours from Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Philly; Maryland; New Jersey; Ohio; and even parts of Virginia and North Carolina. If you’re looking for a summer weekend getaway, this is it!Right now, this is the only live event on our schedule. We’re hoping to hold a few more this year — but for now, it’s the only one we can guarantee!Most of the Tangle team will be in attendance, which is unique. Unlike past events where it’s been just me and a few others, this is shaping up to be an opportunity to meet and interact with the full team.We have already sold over half of our VIP tickets, and general admission tickets are going fast. This is a small theater, so to secure your tickets before a sellout, you should hop on it now! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On May 8, President Donald Trump announced Russia and Ukraine agreed to a three-day ceasefire. Both sides accused the other of violating the truce, and heightened strikes resumed when it ended on May 11. Over the weekend, Ukraine conducted an overnight drone attack on Russia, including strikes in Moscow, killing at least four and injuring 12, according to local officials. The Ukrainian military launched over 1,300 drones in the attack, which Russian state media called the worst in a year. The offensive followed last week’s large-scale Russian bombardment that killed at least 24 Ukrainians and injured dozens more. Our next event! Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are coming to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 13 and 14 for a special VIP dinner and a live taping of our weekly podcast, Suspension of the Rules. Tickets are on sale now! A new Suspension of the Rules.Aliens, antisemitism, GOP infighting, and some scorn for nature: This week, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele chopped it up about the latest primary results, the UAP disclosures (proof of aliens), a scary Democrat in Texas, and Trump’s new anti-weaponization fund — plus, wild deer, noisy birds, and aggressive turkeys. This one’s got something for everyone to love (or hate). Check it out here! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: When do you think the Ukraine–Russia war will end? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules: we go deep on some UAP/alien chatter, Trump's growing power, the gigantic slush fund made from tax payer money going to the aggrieved and more. Last but not least, a very good grievance section. It's a good one. Our next event!Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are coming to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 13 and 14 for a special VIP dinner and a live taping of our weekly podcast, Suspension of the Rules. Tickets are on sale now! Why Berkeley Springs? It’s an American gem. Incorporated in 1776, history abounds — George Washington used to visit with his ill brother, who believed the springs could improve his health. Now, it’s known for its greenery, spas, and resorts. Speaking of history, we’ll be recording live inside the historicStar Theatre.Berkeley Springs is just a few hours from Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Philly; Maryland; New Jersey; Ohio; and even parts of Virginia and North Carolina. If you’re looking for a summer weekend getaway, this is it!Right now, this is the only live event on our schedule. We’re hoping to hold a few more this year — but for now, it’s the only one we can guarantee!Most of the Tangle team will be in attendance, which is unique. Unlike past events where it’s been just me and a few others, this is shaping up to be an opportunity to meet and interact with the full team.We have already sold over half of our VIP tickets, and general admission tickets are going fast. This is a small theater, so to secure your tickets before a sellout, you should hop on it now! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The midterm primaries officially began on March 3, and on Tuesday, primaries were held in states across the country. Elections in Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama drew particular focus, where Republican candidates were facing challenges from President Trump or crowded fields for the party’s nomination. Our next event! Today, I’m pleased to announce that we are coming to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, on June 13 and 14 for a special VIP dinner and a live taping of our weekly podcast, Suspension of the Rules. Tickets are on sale now! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How much control do you think President Trump has over the Republican Party? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that, as part of the settlement agreement in President Donald J. Trump v. Internal Revenue Service, it would create a new fund that could “issue formal apologies and monetary relief” to individuals and entities who claim to have suffered from lawfare and DOJ weaponization. The anti-weaponization fund will receive $1.776 billion from the federal government’s judgment fund used to settle and pay other cases. Five people, appointed by the Attorney General, will oversee the new fund; one of the five must be chosen in consultation with congressional leadership. We want to see you in person soon!Early-bird VIP tickets have sold out for our event in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, but you can get a few general admission tickets left after early bird sales, which you can find here. If you want to read Isaac’s speech in full — and access all future Friday editions, Sunday editions, and ad-free daily newsletters — become a Tangle member today for just $6/month! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today's “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about the anti-weaponization fund? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, President Donald Trump departed China after a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, in which the leaders discussed trade deals, diplomatic relations, the Iran war, and other issues. Trump and Xi each spoke favorably about the other and emphasized their interest in a mutually beneficial relationship between the countries, though the two sides did not mutually announce any major commitments. Trump’s state trip to China was the first U.S. presidential visit to the country since Trump’s 2017 visit during his first term. Isaac’s message to college students.On the last stop of his whirlwind college speaking tour, Executive Editor Isaac Saul implored students at St. Olaf College to “choose decency.” In this divided country, Isaac said, “be one of the fair ones. Be curious. Be open-minded. Be willing to say you’re wrong. Don’t treat politics like a team sport but as an opportunity to explore your own views, challenge your beliefs, and adopt new principles and ideas if you find them compelling.” To share what he’s been saying to America’s college students over the past five weeks, we published Isaac’s whole speech on Friday. You can read it here. If you want to read Isaac’s speech in full — and access all future Friday editions, Sunday editions, and ad-free daily newsletters — become a Tangle member today for just $6/month! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think should be a president’s top priority in managing the U.S.–China relationship? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The message Isaac gave to a group of students at St. Olaf College in Minnesota at the end of his campus tour. Ad-free podcasts are here! To unlock the rest of this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our latest Suspension of the Rules.Isaac, Ari and Kmele let loose a bit in today’s episode, discussing Sen. Rand Paul’s son hurling antisemitic remarks at Rep. Mike Lawler and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s possible political ambitions. Plus, what were some lessons the media should have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic? Check out the latest here! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for April, which showed an increase of 3.8% from a year earlier, slightly higher than economists’ expectations. The latest inflation figures represent the highest annual increase since May 2023, up from 3.3% in March. On a month-to-month basis, prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% after rising 0.9% in March. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.4% for the month, its highest pace since January 2025. Our latest Suspension of the Rules.Isaac, Ari and Kmele let loose a bit in today’s episode, discussing Sen. Rand Paul’s son hurling antisemitic remarks at Rep. Mike Lawler and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s possible political ambitions. Plus, what were some lessons the media should have learned from the Covid-19 pandemic? Check out the latest here! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How concerned are you about inflation? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules: Sen. Rand Paul's son's big drunken mistake, a break down of the hantavirus, and this week's notable internet clips including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2028 prospects . Last but not least, a very good grievance section. It's a very good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, 18 Americans returned to the United States from a cruise ship where passengers had contracted a rare strain of hantavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) transported the passengers to specialized quarantine facilities in Nebraska and Georgia; one American tested positive for the virus. As of Tuesday afternoon, three deaths — a Dutch couple and a German woman — nine confirmed cases and two more suspected cases have been linked to the cruise ship outbreak. Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low. The modern moon race.For more than 50 years, no human has set foot on the lunar surface. But now, the United States, China, Russia, and others are all planning to return — not just to visit, but to stay. In our latest video, Associate Producer Aidan Gorman explores why the world’s great powers are suddenly dead set on getting back to the moon, and how the race could shape the future beyond Earth. https://youtu.be/j-6etWMgNv0?si=uSqf6nN9saY_RfzG Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How much is your social circle discussing the current hantavirus outbreak? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past week, the United States and Iran have exchanged communications over plans to end the war between the countries, though talks have yet to produce a breakthrough. On Monday, President Donald Trump said the pause in fighting is on “life support,” calling Iran’s most recent response to a U.S. peace proposal unacceptable. Separately, the Strait of Hormuz remains mostly closed to commercial traffic, with the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire in the waterway last week. Help us reach 100,000.The Tangle Instagram has grown into a valuable source for breaking news and political analysis that tens of thousands of followers rely on. Soon, that number will tip into six figures (shoutout Russell Nystrom, our social media editor!). Unlike many other news organizations or influencers, we don’t buy followers. We grow the channel organically — and we’re currently sitting at approximately 91,000 followers, with an internal goal of reaching 100,000 by the start of summer. So… if you haven’t already — and are looking for a dependable breaking-news source to complement the newsletter’s in-depth analysis — please consider giving us a follow! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are going? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Virginia struck down a redistricting measure recently passed by voters that would have allowed the legislature to adopt a new congressional map designed to give Virginia Democrats a 10–1 advantage in the U.S. House. In a 4–3 decision, the court found that the process of putting the measure on the ballot violated the state constitution, affirming a county judge’s ruling. The decision will keep the current map — under which Democrats have a 6–5 advantage — in place for the 2026 midterms, though state Democrats said they will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Your criticism, Isaac’s response.“When an article takes off, I write a follow-up piece addressing those criticisms and questions. I do this because I think engaging with our audience is an important way to gain trust and an important exercise in humility and intellectual honesty.” — Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul On Friday, we published a roundup of feedback to Isaac’s recent report exploring potential corruption in the second Trump administration. Isaac offered his response to some of the most common criticisms he received and answered a few questions his piece prompted. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Under the radar” story here. and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Supreme Court of Virginia’s ruling? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last week, I published an exhaustive 6,000-word essay on the self-dealing and potential corruption of President Donald Trump’s second administration. I shared clips of the article on X, and it went viral. The initial feedback from readers within and outside the Tangle community overwhelmingly asked us to drop the paywall on the piece. After a few hours, we did. Since then, we’ve been inundated with comments, criticism, and questions. Usually, when an article takes off like this, I write a follow-up piece addressing those criticisms and questions. I do this because I think engaging with our audience is an important way to gain trust and an important exercise in humility and intellectual honesty. I often engage with feedback by quoting specific readers and then responding directly to what they said in a Q&A format. That’s exactly what I’m doing today. Ad-free podcasts are here! To unlock the rest of this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Here is the piece Isaac is responding to: Corruption in the Trump administration?“After reviewing the evidence of the first 15 months of President Trump’s second term, I believe the president is profiting off the office and making foreign policy decisions based on business interests to a level we’ve never seen or even conceived of before, and apparently nothing is being done to stop it.” Gold phones, Qatari planes, Syrian golf courses, cryptocurrency schemes, ballroom donations. Market moves, board seats, lawsuits dropped, lawsuits threatened. Pardons, prosecutions, profits, profits, profits… This past Friday, Executive Editor Isaac Saul waded through all of it in a thorough exploration of the charges of corruption against President Donald Trump. In case you missed it, you can read the piece here. We’ve also decided to make this Friday edition open to everyone, so please share it with anyone you think would be interested! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, Indiana held primary elections for the 2026 midterms. The state Senate primaries were closely watched after President Donald Trump supported challenges against incumbent Republican state senators in response to their opposition to a mid-decade redistricting plan last December. Six Trump-backed candidates defeated incumbent lawmakers, while another won an open-seat primary. Only one incumbent opposed by the president, Greg Goode of Terre Haute, has won their election. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our latest Suspension of the Rules.This week, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss today’s newsletter topic: party primaries, Indiana, and gerrymandering. Things also get heady as they discuss whether billionaires should exist and unpack a ChatGPT criticism of last Friday’s edition on corruption in the Trump administration (which you’ll read more about tomorrow). To go deep on today’s story, preview tomorrow’s or just hear a debate over the wealth disparity, check out the latest Suspension of the Rules! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think will be the future of gerrymandering in the United States? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coming up on todays episode of Suspension of the Rules: Trump gets revenge on the Indiana GOP, we talk about Kmele and billionaires and CNN with Abby Phillip, and then a long conversation about ChatGPT's fact checking of Isaac's article on Friday which was titled "The everything, everywhere, all at once corruption story". Last but not least, a very good grievance section where Kmele actually knocks it out of the park. It's a very good one! Corruption in the Trump administration?“After reviewing the evidence of the first 15 months of President Trump’s second term, I believe the president is profiting off the office and making foreign policy decisions based on business interests to a level we’ve never seen or even conceived of before, and apparently nothing is being done to stop it.” Gold phones, Qatari planes, Syrian golf courses, cryptocurrency schemes, ballroom donations. Market moves, board seats, lawsuits dropped, lawsuits threatened. Pardons, prosecutions, profits, profits, profits… This past Friday, Executive Editor Isaac Saul waded through all of it in a thorough exploration of the charges of corruption against President Donald Trump. In case you missed it, you can read the piece here. We’ve also decided to make this Friday edition open to everyone, so please share it with anyone you think would be interested! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, May 4, the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on a lower court’s order that mifepristone, a drug commonly used in early-term abortions, can only be prescribed and dispensed in person. The order pauses the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals’s decision to prevent the drug from being accessed by mail. In a brief order, Justice Samuel Alito, who oversees appeals from the 5th Circuit, paused that court’s order until May 11, restoring telehealth access to the drug and giving challengers until May 7 to respond. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Do Americans see each other as immoral?Back in March, the headline was everywhere: “Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad,” the title of a 25-country study from the Pew Research Center. Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth interviewed one of the study’s coauthors, Jonathan Evans, and Pew’s associate director of global attitudes research, Laura Silver, to talk about Americans’ national pride, partisan differences, and the state of professional polling. You can listen to the interview here. You can read today's podcast here todays “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think the Supreme Court should rule on the challenge to remote mifepristone prescriptions? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Back in March, the headline was everywhere: “Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad,” the title of a 25-country study from the Pew Research Center. Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth interviewed one of the study’s coauthors, Jonathan Evans, and Pew’s associate director of global attitudes research, Laura Silver, to talk about Americans’ national pride, partisan differences, and the state of professional polling. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Lindsey Knuth and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, April 30, the House of Representatives passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and end the department’s 76-day shutdown, the longest shutdown in U.S. government history. The House of Representatives and the Senate each had passed separate bills to end the shutdown; on Thursday, the House approved the Senate’s legislation in a voice vote under suspension of the rules, and President Donald Trump signed the bill into law the same day. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Isaac on Breaking Points.Executive Editor Isaac Saul’s Friday report on allegations of corruption in the second Trump administration has driven a massive response across the Tangle community — and among those who are newly discovering his work. This morning, Isaac went on Breaking Points with Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti to discuss the piece. You can check out the interview on their YouTube channel at 3:00 PM ET. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think will be the impact of the DHS shutdown? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday, Spirit Airlines announcedthat it was canceling all flights and beginning an “orderly wind-down” of its operations. The budget airline had been struggling since the Covid-19 pandemic, and it hasn’t posted a profitable year since 2019. President Donald Trump had sought a deal to bail out the company before its shutdown but failed to reach an agreement with bondholders. About 17,000 Spirit employees and contractors are expected to lose their jobs; union representatives are negotiating with the airline to grant compensation packages to affected workers. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Corruption in the Trump administration?“After reviewing the evidence of the first 15 months of President Trump’s second term, I believe the president is profiting off the office and making foreign policy decisions based on business interests to a level we’ve never seen or even conceived of before, and apparently nothing is being done to stop it.” Gold phones, Qatari planes, Syrian golf courses, cryptocurrency schemes, ballroom donations. Market moves, board seats, lawsuits dropped, lawsuits threatened. Pardons, prosecutions, profits, profits, profits… This past Friday, Executive Editor Isaac Saul waded through all of it in a thorough exploration of the charges of corruption against President Donald Trump. In case you missed it, you can read the piece here. We’ve also decided to make this Friday edition open to everyone, so please share it with anyone you think would be interested! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think caused the closure of Spirit Airlines? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I'm pleading with you to look at the president's self-dealing. FULL EPISODE. Ad-free podcasts are here! To enjoy this podcast ad-free and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I'm pleading with you to look at the president's self-dealing. Ad-free podcasts are here! To unlock the rest of this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that Louisiana must redraw its congressional map, finding that one of the state’s majority-black districts was unconstitutionally gerrymandered based on race. The decision weakens — but does not strike down — Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibits voting practices that discriminate on the basis of race or color. In the wake of the decision, several states could move to redraw their congressional maps based on the Court’s guidance, an effort that is expected to benefit Republicans. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Suspension of the Rules.Isaac, Ari, and Kmele take on partisan gerrymandering and the Supreme Court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act in the latest episode of Suspension of the Rules. After you finish reading today’s edition diving deep on the topic, check out the latest video for more discussion — plus an exploration on the recent assassination attempt against President Trump, the White House ballroom, and a dramatic “fight me, bro” challenge issued by a former Tangle interview guest. Watch the new episode here! You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Supreme Court’s decision? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele cover a ton of the latest breaking news from this week including the controversial scotus ruling which significantly weakens the Voting Rights Act. They then talk about the White House correspondence dinner and the assignation attempt on President Trump as well as our first ever celebrity fight between two media members, one of which who was a recent guest on the tangle podcast. Last but not least, a very good grievance section were we cover who is the most athletic and why. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Chatrie v. United States, a case exploring whether the practice of scanning cell phone data of individuals based on proximity to a crime is constitutional. The case is the first time the Supreme Court has considered the use of “geofence warrants,” which enable the police to cast wide digital dragnets to investigate a suspected crime. The justices appeared split on the decision after two hours of arguments; the Court is expected to issue a decision before the end of the summer. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Calling all Minnesotans!This Saturday, May 2, Isaac will be speaking at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, about 45 minutes outside of Minneapolis. First, he’ll be moderating a panel on innovations in journalism at 10:30 AM CT; then, he’ll deliver a closing address at 2:30 PM CT. If you’re in the Twin Cities area on Saturday, consider coming out! It’s free and open to the public (no tickets required). More information is here. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about geofence warrants? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, April 21, the Justice Department announced an 11-count indictment charging the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with financial crimes, including wire fraud and making false statements to a federally insured bank. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the nonprofit organization secretly sent over $3 million to informants inside extremist groups without telling donors what their money was being used for. The SPLC denies any wrongdoing and plans to fight the charges. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! California’s Republican candidate for governor.As the midterms approach, we’ll interview some candidates from across the political spectrum who are in high-profile, fascinating races. In California, Republican Steve Hilton — a former Fox News host and British politico — is on track to become a general election nominee. Hilton knows he’s an underdog, but he sat down with Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul to share why he’s focusing on deregulation, the climate agenda, and housing in his campaign to turn California red: https://youtu.be/pHHADjuyUBQ?si=HWhiOu47hK4srZ0w You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday, a gunman fired shots at the Washington Hilton Hotel, which was hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner. The Secret Service evacuated President Donald Trump and other senior leaders, and none of the guests were injured. One Secret Service officer was shot while engaging the suspect outside the ballroom, but he was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not seriously wounded. The gunman allegedly sent a manifesto to his family before the attack, suggesting that he intended to kill the president and other administration officials. He was charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on federal officers using a dangerous weapon. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! How Christians think about their politics.I think Americans of various political and religious stripes often forget that we do live in a pluralistic society — one where Christians, or Jews, or Muslims, or atheists inevitably bring their theology to the ballot box or to the policy debate. And when that happens, those religious beliefs do inform our national identity — but that is not necessarily a bad thing.In last Friday’s edition, Associate Editor Audrey Moorehead explored some Americans’ concerns about the rising influence of “Christian nationalism” in the U.S. government, breaking down what this term means, the influence of Christian beliefs on both sides of the aisle, and how we should think about that influence. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Had you heard of the theories that Saturday’s incident was staged? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The specter of Christian nationalism, and discussion of American Christianity more broadly, has risen to the cultural forefront in recent months. Hegseth and Wilson advocate for a Protestant vision of America in the halls of the military. The majority-Catholic Supreme Court receives both praise and criticism for its handling of religious freedom and gay rights cases. The Trump administration (which has several prominent Catholic members, including the vice president) and the Vatican’s rocky relations famously came to a head just weeks ago when the president criticized the pope for opposing the war in Iran. And the rising star of Presbyterian seminarian and staunch progressive James Talarico in Texas has opened new conversations about Christian politics, including debates and divisions among other prominent Christians about how to receive him. In the background of all these recent examples is the ongoing debate about whether American Christianity is undergoing a revival — that is, whether a country that has long been on a decades-long shift away from Christianity is suddenly re-embracing faith. Our nation has a long tradition with Christianity. However, it also has a long tradition of keeping Christianity (or any religion) outside of our government. For a lot of Americans who believe in the principled separation of church and state, Christian nationalism has become a primary concern — particularly among secular or non-Christian Americans. The prominence of Christianity in U.S. politics, and in right-wing politics in particular, is intimidating. That’s especially true when the precepts that underlie Christian political activity aren’t well understood, and when a wide variety of people claim to be working from the same religious principles but disagree on fundamental issues like abortion and welfare and marriage and immigration. But not all Christian political activity is, in fact, Christian nationalism. Much of it is actually normal political activity, simply based on an underlying Christian worldview — no different from political activity that’s based on a secular worldview, or a Muslim worldview, or a Jewish one. In fact, the term Christian nationalism is often ill defined, even among those who use it for themselves — sometimes used as a call for total Christian control of the government and sometimes used simply to describe political figures who speak publicly about their faith. Ad-free podcasts are here! To unlock the rest of this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast Written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, Virginians voted 51.5%–48.5% to approve a constitutional amendment allowing the state to redraw its congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms. The new map will shift several districts in Democrats’ favor, potentially turning the current 6–5 split to a 10–1 advantage. The referendum comes amid a broader mid-decade redistricting push by Democratic- and Republican-controlled states that began last summer in Texas, and it is facing a challenge in the Virginia Supreme Court. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our latest Suspension of the Rules.On our most recent episode, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss the Virginia redistricting vote — and the gerrymandering war that surrounds it. Plus, a 30,000-foot view of the political landscape: Is Trump pivoting for the midterms? How are voters responding to the war and the economy? Are any cabinet members on the way out? Will Kmele finally have something to complain about? All will be answered in today’s episode! You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Would you support a redistricting effort in your state? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Russell Nystrom and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele cover a ton of the latest news. They chat about whether or not Trump is making a midterm pivot, Kash Patel controversy, the latest on Iran and the big Virginia redistricting. Last but not least, a very good grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, April 15, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) proposed a pied-à-terre tax, an annual surcharge on New York City residences valued above $5 million owned by those who primarily live outside the city. Mamdani and Hochul claim the measure would raise $500 million in annual revenue to help address the city’s budget shortfall; if enacted, it would be the first pied-à-terre tax in New York’s history. Get more from Tangle!We try to make opening every newsletter exciting, and today we’re adding a little extra excitement with a special membership offer: A 25-hour window to get 25% off our yearly subscription bundle. We’re calling it our “25 for 25” sale. That’s ad-free newsletters, ad-free podcasts, and every single piece of members-only content we’ve ever published in the past and will publish in the future — Friday editions, Sunday editions, special interviews, podcasts, transcripts, Press Pass, and more. You unlock everything, all for just $6.25/month for the first year. But it all expires at 1 PM ET tomorrow. Grab it here. You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about the proposed pied-à-terre tax? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, the House and Senate passed a short-term renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), reauthorizing the law until April 30. Republican leadership pivoted to the stopgap measure after a group of 20 House Republicans voted against an 18-month extension that President Donald Trump had endorsed. Congress is now expected to debate adding new privacy measures to the law before next Thursday’s deadline. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our latest video.Maritime issues have been a constant in the news this year — from drug boat strikes in the Caribbean to blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. At Tangle, we tend to focus on the issues that involve American vessels or the U.S. military. But Associate Producer Aidan Gorman wanted to dig into a story about what could be the largest fleet on the open oceans: Chinese fishing vessels. Aidan goes deep on the issue, talking to experts and surfacing the context, in the latest video on the Tangle YouTube channel. Check it out here! You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think Section 702 should be reauthorized? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. fired on and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz from the Gulf of Oman. The vessel is the first ship seized by the U.S. Navy since it began blockading the gulf on April 13. Iran said on Friday it would remove all restrictions on commercial ships passing through the strait, then closed the waterway again on Saturday in response to the ongoing U.S. military blockade. That day, gunboats linked to Iran reportedly opened fire on two ships attempting to transit the strait. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Data center development: Yes or no?Data center construction is quickly becoming a hot-button issue in the United States. Tech companies seek sufficient computing power for their artificial intelligence products, but local communities push back on the projects’ footprints. On Friday, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman and Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth took part in the first-ever Tangle debate edition, arguing for and against building more data centers. 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 subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: For how long do you believe the war in Iran will last? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Isaac Saul interviews Republican front runner for Governor of California Steve Hilton. Steve Hilton is a British American conservative commentator, former Fox News host and has had a fascinating career in politics over seas and now here in America. Now, with Trump's endorsement and Eric Swalwell dropping out of the race, Steve Hilton has quickly shifted to the top prospect while Democrats figure out their next move for a candidate. Its a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman and Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth debate their positions on the future of data centers. Each will share an “opening argument” covering the tenets of their perspective, then they’ll respond to each other’s points. Their primary arguments were developed in isolation, then shared simultaneously on Thursday. After reviewing the other’s piece, they developed their rebuttals. We hope this format models constructive disagreement. Most importantly, we hope it is thought-provoking and encourages you to discuss these issues among friends and family, in our comment section, or over email. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback. Before we begin, we’d like to know what you think. We’ll ask your position on data center construction coming into this debate and then again after — tell us your initial thoughts here! Ad-free podcasts are here! To unlock the rest of this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman & Lindsey Knuth and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On April 7, artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic announced that it would not release its newest AI model, called Claude Mythos Preview, to the general public, citing potential security risks. Instead, Anthropic released the model to a select group of about 50 companies that will test its capabilities in a defensive security initiative known as Project Glasswing. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Isaac interviews Casey Newton.Recently, Isaac Saul sat down with journalist and Hard Fork cohost Casey Newton to unpack a major shift happening in tech: the growing legal and political push to hold social media companies accountable for how their platforms are designed. You can check it out here! You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How impactful do you think Anthropic’s Mythos will be? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele talk about the intraparty conflicts that are happening upon the MAGA movement and President Trump pushing their boundaries further. They then get into the controversies with Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, why demons are suddenly being talked about in the political world and more. Last but not least, a almost very solid grievance section no thanks to Kmele. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last Friday, a former staffer for California gubernatorial candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) accused the Congressman of making unwanted advances, sexual assault, and rape. Three other women also came forward to accuse Swalwell of sexual misconduct, describing a pattern of sending explicit messages through Snapchat. Swalwell denies the allegations, but apologized for “mistakes in judgment” and dropped out of the gubernatorial race after losing prominent endorsements. The Los Angeles and Manhattan District Attorneys are investigating Swalwell over the alleged misconduct. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Isaac interviews Casey Newton.Recently, Isaac Saul sat down with journalist and Hard Fork cohost Casey Newton to unpack a major shift happening in tech: the growing legal and political push to hold social media companies accountable for how their platforms are designed. You can check it out here! You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Under the radar.” story here and the “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think are the implications of Hungary’s election? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was Written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Isaac Saul interviews tech journalist and author of the newsletter Platformer and co-host of the podcast Hard Fork about all the ways the ground is shifting under our feet right now with the constantly developing world of artificial intelligence. Its a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party defeated Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz Party in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, unseating the 16-year incumbent. With 98% of the vote counted, Orbán and Fidesz had won 56 parliamentary seats, while Magyar and Tisza Party won 137 seats, giving it a two-thirds supermajority. Orbán had been supported by the Trump administration, which viewed him as a key ally in the European Union (EU). Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Behind the scenes.Once a month, we release a members-only newsletter called Press Pass that pulls back the curtain on our work, shares insider updates on our business, and lets you in on the big debates and events taking place behind the scenes. Each edition also includes a profile of a team member. This month, Isaac wrote about his experience engaging with Gen Z on college campuses, and we profiled Senior Editor Will Kaback. You can check it out here. You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Under the radar.” story here and the “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think are the implications of Hungary’s election? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Navy will impose a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz after peace negotiations with Iranian officials failed to produce a breakthrough. While Iran has largely restricted transit through the strait over the past month, it has allowed some ships to pass through by paying a toll; in other cases, vessels linked to friendly nations like China have been granted passage. President Trump suggested the U.S. blockade will shut down the waterway entirely, though U.S. Central Command later said the blockade would not apply to ships passing through the strait to or from non-Iranian ports. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our latest edition.Senior Editor Will Kaback’s answer to a question about Tangle being too left-leaning in our mailbag edition on Friday drove a lot of discussion in our comments. So did Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster’s answer to a question about the Artemis II mission. However, if you’re on our free list, you missed out on Kmele’s answer — as well as a slew of answers to questions about AI, the Supreme Court, Trump’s management of the Covid pandemic, and more. To get access to the whole Friday edition, and join the conversation in our comments section, subscribe today! You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Under the radar.” story here and the “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are proceeding? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
An essential part of Tangle is engaging with readers — through live events, email exchanges, and now in social channels like Reddit and our new texting platform, Subtext. One of the things we’ve done since the beginning is answer a reader question in our main newsletter. Over time, we’ve gotten more questions than we can answer — but many of the questions that haven’t made it into the daily newsletter or podcast are still worth answering. So every now and then, we devote a members-only Friday edition to getting to our backlog of reader questions. A lot of these allow us to get into more detail and cover ground we might not cover in the daily newsletter, so we love the opportunity to dig in and go deep. Today, the entire Tangle editorial team is answering questions on everything from whether we’ve started to lean more left, to how we spot AI-produced content, to what has actually happened to DOGE. It’s a wide-ranging, jam-packed, fun edition. Enjoy! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul, Ari Weitzman, Will Kaback, Audrey Moorehead, Lindsey Knuth, Kmele Foster and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele talk about Iran's 10 point ceasefire plan and their thoughts on the war to date. Isaac challenges Ari and Kmele's knowledge of the Artemis II mission with a fun new game. Last but not least, a very solid grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the U.S. had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, conditional on the Strait of Hormuz fully reopening to commercial shipping. President Trump announced the deal less than two hours before his 8:00 PM ET deadline for Iran to lift its restrictions on the strait or face strikes on civilian infrastructure. Trump also said that the U.S. received a 10-point peace plan from Iran he believed to be “a workable basis on which to negotiate.” Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re hiring.Tangle is hiring for two full-time positions: an in-person role as an associate editor and executive assistant to our founder, Isaac Saul, and a fully remote position as a video editor. The deadline to apply for both positions is May 1. You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How long do you expect the war with Iran to last? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last week, the White House released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2027, featuring an increase of 42% in defense spending to $1.5 trillion and a 10% decrease in non-defense spending to $660 billion. Specifically, the White House requested the budget to increase the capacity of the Navy, give pay raises to troops, resupply munitions, invest in critical resources, and build a “Golden Dome” missile defense system. The administration characterized the non-defense spending it had identified to cut as part of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and “woke programs” that drive government waste. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! New interview!Before break, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman sat down with former New Jersey Governor and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. Whitman explains her philosophy toward environmental regulation, why she left the Bush administration, and what she thinks has changed under President Trump. Plus, what even is the endangerment finding? You can watch the interview here! You can read today's podcast here, the “Under the radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the White House’s budget proposal? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Ari Weitzman interviews former governor, EPA administrator and author Christine Whitman about the direction of the EPA today, where we're heading and more. To keep up with Christine Whitman today please visit https://www.forwardparty.com/ Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In a post on Truth Social Sunday morning, President Donald Trump appeared to set a deadline of 8:00 PM ET on Tuesday, April 7, for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic. In a preceding post, the president suggested that he will authorize strikes on civilian energy and transportation infrastructure if the demand is not met, writing, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F****n’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.” In a Wall Street Journal interview later on Sunday, Trump said Iran would “lose every power plant and every other plant they have in the whole country” if they block the strait beyond Tuesday. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! The return of decency.“According to polling from Pew, 79% of Americans would characterize our political discourse negatively — and 90% say they feel exhausted by politics,” Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul wrote on Friday. “A survey from Gallup supports this view; 69% of Republicans and 60% of Democrats say inflammatory rhetoric has gone too far, up 16% and 9%, respectively, since 2011. And I think — I hope — what happens next is that Americans develop a thirst for the novelty of decency.” Check out Isaac’s piece, where he makes the case that decency is about to make a comeback. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think Trump should enforce his deadline by bombing Iranian infrastructure? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If I had told you in 2020 that shopping malls would make a comeback, you probably would have laughed in my face. And rightly so. Online shopping has been growing for years as its convenience, ease, and value have become too hard to pass up. To a new generation of shoppers, the experience of going out to a brick-and-mortar store to try on clothing or test out a new vacuum seemed silly and archaic — why waste that kind of time at a mall when you could have someone show up at your door with your order and then just return it if you didn’t like it, often free of cost? Covid-19 only increased that value and accelerated the death of America’s malls. Yet, today, malls are making a comeback — and with the group you’d least suspect: 18- to 24-year-olds. That’s right, the Gen Z kids are so tired of interacting entirely in digital spaces that they’ve started to return to shopping malls, finding pleasure in the same exact thing older generations did: the social experience of hanging out with your friends outside of the house. This cohort made 62% of their general merchandise purchases in-person last year, 10% more than shoppers aged 25 and older. And overall foot traffic at malls was up 4.5% in the first two months of this year compared to last. I think the resurgence of U.S. malls is emblematic of the human experience. A little bit of anything can be fun, refreshing, cathartic, or even exhilarating. But a lot of something — say, eight hours of screen time a day — can start to feel pretty crappy. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele steel man and tin man arguments for and against the war in Iran. They chat about the Meta court ruling that happened while on break. A new segment where the boys really suspend the rules and last but not least, a very solid grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Trump v. Barbara, a case challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship. While a majority of justices seemed skeptical of the Trump administration’s argument that the order should be upheld, several conservative justices appeared similarly unconvinced by the plaintiffs’ case. President Trump attended the arguments, a first for a sitting president, though he left before they concluded. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Get texts from us.After oral arguments in the birthright citizenship case concluded yesterday, subscribers to Tangle’s free SMS messaging service, Subtext, got a first peek at Isaac’s analysis of the case. For more instant commentary on the biggest stories, as well as chances to help Tangle choose daily topics and occasional looks behind-the-scenes, join our Subtext channel by clicking here or texting TANGLE to (850) 338-9163. You can read today's podcast here, our "The road not taken." here. story and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think the Supreme Court will rule in this case? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last Monday, March 23, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a challenge to a Mississippi law that allows mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted after Election Day. Several conservative justices appeared sympathetic to the challengers, who argued that the state law violates federal statutes defining the date of elections. If the Court rules in favor of the challengers, more than a dozen states with similar laws could be affected. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! A scientific survey of Tangle readers.Every day, we share an informal survey on our daily topic to get a sense of reader sentiment and show Tangle subscribers what their fellow readers may be thinking. This survey is not at all scientific. However, a team of researchers wants to take a more rigorous look at you, our readership. Today, we are sharing an opportunity to participate in an independent study led by researchers at the University of Minnesota examining how Tangle readers engage with other people about politics. It would be incredibly helpful for us if you participated. The survey is anonymous, takes five minutes, and gives you the option to enter a lottery for a $200 Amazon gift card. Take the survey here! You can read today's podcast here, our "Under the radar." here. story and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think the Supreme Court should rule in this case? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Early Friday morning, the Senate passed a bill that would fund most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal year 2026, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and some parts of Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Later that day, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he would not bring the bill to a vote. The House instead passed a separate bill that would fund DHS in its entirety for eight weeks. Both the House and the Senate have begun a two-week Easter recess, and neither bill is expected to be considered during that time. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! And, we’re off…Our new, moderated, members-only comments section is officially live on the Tangle website. A big shoutout to everyone who participated yesterday — including a few readers who caught today’s correction and clarification. Tangle’s editors noticed an immediate and obvious change in tone of the comments, with much more level-headed disagreement, fewer instances of namecalling, and zero immediate or obvious comments we had to moderate. It’s a great start to what we’re trying to build. Thank you all. You can read today's podcast here, our today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think DHS should be funded? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Potential ground operations in Iran. On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is planning for weeks of ground operations in Iran. According to defense officials, current plans are focused on targeted raids by Special Operations forces and infantry troops. President Donald Trump has not decided whether to approve ground operations, but reports from the past week indicate that the Pentagon is developing options for a “final blow,” which could combine troop deployments with an escalated bombing campaign. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think the U.S. will deploy troops to Iran? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today's episode is a two part Special Edition mega episode on Tangles most requested topic, Jeffrey Epstein. If you have not listened to part 1 of this story yet please take a moment to do so before listening to part 2. To tackle this long, controversial and deeply complicated story, Isaac Saul decided to independently interview two journalists who have been looking at this story through two very different lenses. The two guests are Michael Tracy and Tara Palmeri. Michael Tracy is very skeptical and worried about how this story has percolated in pop culture whereas Tara Palmeri is trying to elevate the stories of the woman who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of assault as well as pushing back on the "manosphere" narrative from people like Michael Tracy who she things are trying to rewrite the Jeffrey Epstein story and downplay the crimes that he has been accused and convicted of. Interviewing both separately ensures both can get their reporting and opinions across without debate which allows our listeners to form their own opinions based off of the research and opinions they both have collected through all of their journalism on Jeffrey Epstein. Be sure to listen to both part 1 and part 2 of this mega Special Edition. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today's episode is a two part Special Edition mega episode on Tangles most requested topic, Jeffrey Epstein. To tackle this long, controversial and deeply complicated story, Isaac Saul decided to independently interview two journalists who have been looking at this story through two very different lenses. The two guests are Michael Tracey and Tara Palmeri. Michael Tracey is very skeptical and worried about how this story has percolated in pop culture whereas Tara Palmeri is trying to elevate the stories of the woman who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of assault as well as pushing back on the "manosphere" narrative from people like Michael Tracey who she things are trying to rewrite the Jeffrey Epstein story and downplay the crimes that he has been accused and convicted of. Interviewing both separately ensures both can get their reporting and opinions across without debate which allows our listeners to form their own opinions based off of the research and opinions they both have collected through all of their journalism on Jeffrey Epstein. Be sure to listen to both part 1 and part 2 of this mega Special Edition. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Senior Editor Will Kaback interviews Brad Carson, former congressman, former president of the University of Tulsa, former senior pentagon official and veteran. Now Brad Carson is at the center of one of the most important policy debates, how and when to put guard rails on artificial intelligence. We dig into why Ai is becoming one of the biggest political issues today. Are we ready for whats coming with artificial intelligence? Listen to find out. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Senior Editor Will Kaback interviews military and veteran journalist Jasper Craven who has been reporting deeply on the VA and the people inside of it. We break down what the VA actually does, why it's been targeted for reform and cuts by the Trump administration and what the recent exodus of staff can mean for the millions of veterans that rely on it. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of my primary goals with Tangle is to build the most trusted political news outlet in the world. Two important ways we’re working towards that goal are 1) responding transparently to audience feedback, and 2) creating a special place for our community to interact, debate, and learn from each other. Today, we’re making a series of announcements in service of those two objectives. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul, Ari Weitzman, Will Kaback, Audrey Moorehead, Lindsey Knuth, Candida Hall and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 51–48 to begin debate on the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also known as the SAVE America Act. The bill would require citizens to present documentation confirming their citizenship when registering to vote and require photo identification to vote in federal elections. Tuesday’s vote formally initiates discussion of the bill on the Senate floor, a precursor to a potential final vote. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Stranded in the Middle East.When the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran at the end of February, airspaces shut down and commercial flights were cancelled across the region. For Americans in the Middle East, the following days were marked by chaotic attempts to evacuate and inconsistent communication from U.S. embassies. Associate Producer Aidan Gorman has experienced embassy evacuations firsthand, and in our latest YouTube video he breaks down what happened, what should have happened, and the stark realities of evacuation policies. Check it out here: Join us on Reddit!Over the past year, our community on Reddit has been growing — as have the discussions about our coverage. In the past month, threads titled “Under-discussed Topics around Iran War,” “The State of the Union was bad, but not for why Tangle thinks,” and “Justice for Isaac’s lost right socks” have garnered a lot of participation. If you want to start a discussion on a specific issue, a broad theme with our coverage or anything to do with the Tangle podcast, join our Reddit community at r/TangleNews! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the SAVE America Act? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, Cuba’s electrical grid failed, causing a blackout that affected the island’s nearly 11 million inhabitants. Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed that it was investigating a complete disconnect of the island’s grid, which sparked both violent and non-violent protests. After 29 hours, power was restored to most of the island, although much of the country remains without service as of Wednesday morning. Cuba has been experiencing worsened power disruptions since the United States increased its economic pressure on the island. On January 11, President Donald Trump announced he would prevent Venezuelan oil from reaching Cuba, then announced heightened tariffs on any country selling oil to Cuba on January 29. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Stranded in the Middle East.When the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran at the end of February, airspaces shut down and commercial flights were cancelled across the region. For Americans in the Middle East, the following days were marked by chaotic attempts to evacuate and inconsistent communication from U.S. embassies. Associate Producer Aidan Gorman has experienced embassy evacuations firsthand, and in our latest YouTube video he breaks down what happened, what should have happened, and the stark realities of evacuation policies. Check it out here: Join us on Reddit!Over the past year, our community on Reddit has been growing — as have the discussions about our coverage. In the past month, threads titled “Under-discussed Topics around Iran War,” “The State of the Union was bad, but not for why Tangle thinks,” and “Justice for Isaac’s lost right socks” have garnered a lot of participation. If you want to start a discussion on a specific issue, a broad theme with our coverage or anything to do with the Tangle podcast, join our Reddit community at r/TangleNews! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the current situation in Cuba? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past week, the Trump administration has begun providing initial updates on its plan to reimburse $166 billion in tariffs collected over the past year that the Supreme Court invalidated in February. Approximately 330,000 importers are expected to be eligible for refunds, which must be paid with interest. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Join us on Reddit!Over the past year, our community on Reddit has been growing — as have the discussions about our coverage. In the past month, threads titled “Under-discussed Topics around Iran War,” “The State of the Union was bad, but not for why Tangle thinks,” and “Justice for Isaac’s lost right socks” have garnered a lot of participation. If you want to start a discussion on a specific issue, a broad theme with our coverage or anything to do with the Tangle podcast, join our Reddit community at r/TangleNews! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think tariff refunds will be disbursed? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the past two weeks, a series of attacks has taken place across the United States, with suspects allegedly linked to Islamic terror groups or ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our latest.In the last few days, we’ve published a couple of subscribers-only editions that you may have missed. Last Friday, Senior Editor Will Kaback published the latest installment of his “Whatever happened to…” series with a look at net neutrality. Then, over the weekend, Executive Editor Isaac Saul interviewed The New York Times’s David French about James Talarico, Trump, and writing for The Times. Thank you for subscribing to Tangle and supporting the work that goes behind special editions like those. If you’d rather watch, check out Isaac’s conversation with French in full on our YouTube channel here! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think could have prevented the recent attacks? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Isaac Saul interviews columnist at The New York Times and one of the cohost to the podcast Advisory Opinions, David French. They get into the Iran War, the volcanic blowback to his piece about James Talarico, some thoughts about what its like being a moderate Christian in today's Republican Party, and the big stories he's keeping his eyes on going into the future. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This is the third piece in an ongoing series we’ve dubbed “Whatever happened to…?” Modern news cycles routinely highlight emerging stories with warnings of dire consequences or large societal shifts, but just as often, those stories fade away without a clear conclusion or follow up. As part of Tangle’s efforts to model more constructive journalism, we’ve launched this series as a way to shed light on the big stories we’ve forgotten about and explore why the media’s initial coverage didn’t match up with the eventual outcome. Our first two pieces covered the 2022 baby formula shortage and the 2023 forecast of the Great Salt Lake’s imminent collapse. Today, we’re covering the 2017 repeal of net neutrality. As always, we’d love to hear what you think about this story and series — and your ideas for future installments. — Will Kaback, Senior Editor Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, Live Nation Entertainment Inc. reached a settlement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) a week into its antitrust trial. The government had argued that the company’s subsidiary Ticketmaster constituted an illegal monopoly over the ticketing industry. As conditions for the settlement, Ticketmaster agreed to provide a standalone ticketing system for third-party use, divest from exclusive arrangements with up to 13 amphitheaters, reserve 50% of tickets for nonexclusive venues, and cap ticketing service fees at 15% for events in amphitheaters it owns. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the settlement? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele talk all the latest on the Iran war, when we might be leaving, the Strait of Hormuz, potentially boots on the ground, and a lot of debate about the justifications and reasonings of being in this war still. Last but not least, a very solid grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 92,000 in February and unemployment rose from 4.3% to 4.4%. Healthcare, along with leisure and hospitality, accounted for the majority of losses, though the BLS recorded losses in nine of the 14 sectors it tracks. The numbers fell short of economists’ expectations, raising concern about the stability of the labor market. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Did you know?We’ve got more offerings than just the Tangle newsletter. The daily email is where you get long-form, deeply considered analysis of the day’s big issues. But for up-to-the-minute coverage, breaking news, video clips and snap analysis from our team, you should follow our Instagram and sign up for Subtext. Both are completely free and provide two of the best ways to connect personally with the Tangle staff and community. For even more community engagement, check out our Reddit page. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think the latest jobs report tells us about the U.S. economy? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Tuesday marks 11 days since the United States and Israel launched joint attacks against the Iranian government and security forces, with several significant developments over the weekend. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Two new interviews.We have two new interviews out this week for your listening pleasure. In the first, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman speaks to Tyler Austin Harper, a staff writer at The Atlantic. After Associate Editor Audrey Moorehead’s exploration into literacy on Friday, the conversation is timely — Tyler and Ari discuss funding for the humanities and what role universities should play in the future of education. You can listen here. In the second interview, Senior Editor Will Kaback talks with the author and cultural critic Thomas Chatterton Williams about his new book, Summer of Our Discontent, which explores the social and political changes that followed from the nationwide protests in the summer of 2020. You can listen here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of U.S. military actions in Iran? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, managing editor Ari Weitzman interviews staff writer from The Atlantic and former professor at Hamilton College, Tyler Austin Harper about his new story at The Atlantic about the Mellon Foundation and what its doing to higher education. A conversation that spans the bounds from why humanities matter? To Whether or not we should be focusing on them in the first place? All the way to what do we want out of colleges and should we even be learning humanities at these universities? Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that he will reassign Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to replace her as secretary. The decision marks the first announced departure of a cabinet secretary in the second Trump administration. Noem will be reassigned to the new anti-drug-trafficking office position of special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! The literacy crisis.A growing body of evidence suggests the United States is in a literacy crisis, with cascading consequences for younger generations. This issue reaches back decades, but some promising solutions are within reach, too. Drawing on the lessons from the “Southern Surge” in reading improvements, Associate Editor Audrey Moorehead takes stock of U.S. literacy education and makes the case for a national reading revival. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Mullin replacing Noem? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The literacy crisis is one of the most profound problems facing Gen Z and Gen Alpha. As my generation ages up into the workforce and the citizenry, lower literacy rates mean a decline in the ability to understand the world around us — including the laws and political texts upon which this country was built. And if fewer Americans understand the texts that shape our society, our society will be susceptible to changing for the worse, forgetting the whys and the hows that built the most successful, prosperous nation on earth. In the belly of that forgetting lies the possibility of national decline. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, the conflict in Iran, which began over the weekend with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, some members of his family, and several other top Iranian officials, continued into a sixth day. Since the initial strikes on Saturday, Israel has ramped up its attacks, with heavy strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian military infrastructure in Tehran. As part of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military has struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran and “struck or sunk” over 20 Iranian ships, according to U.S. Central Command. According to human rights group HRANA, more than 1,000 civilians— including 181 children under the age of ten — have died so far in the conflict. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Further viewing.In yesterday’s Suspension of the Rules podcast, Isaac, Ari and Kmele discuss the argument for the Iran war, the primary results in Texas, and the “Good guy of the week” — Sen. John Kennedy. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How has your life been impacted since the U.S. launched a direct attack on Iran? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele breakdown where we're at with the conflict in Iran as well as the latest results with the primary elections in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas, a good guy of the week nomination and last but not least, a very solid grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas voted in party primaries to elect candidates for federal, state, and local offices in the 2026 midterms. In the Texas Democratic Senate primary, state Rep. James Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, while Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will head to a runoff in the Republican Senate primary. In North Carolina, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) won their respective party’s Senate primaries. Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton (R) won renomination for a third term in Arkansas’s Republican Senate primary and will face farmer Hallie Shoffner (D) in the general election. The rise of measles.Last month, we covered measles outbreaks in different states across the country, leading the United States to the brink of losing its elimination status with the disease for the first time in over two decades. For our latest YouTube video, Associate Producer Aidan Gorman takes a look into what’s driving the rise in cases, and the role that vaccines have to play. You can watch the video here! Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think will win this year’s Texas Senate election? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to immediately cease their use of the artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic’s technology after it declined to allow the Pentagon unrestricted access to its models. Later in the day, Defense Secretary Hegseth directed the Pentagon to designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk to national security,” which he said would bar contractors, suppliers, or partners doing business with the U.S. military from conducting commercial activity with Anthropic. Shortly after, OpenAI announced it had agreed to let the Pentagon use its AI models within classified systems. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! A special report.We know that all eyes are on Iran right now, but we also wanted to highlight a special report from West Texas we broke over the weekend. Last week, the Trump administration waived a series of environmental laws and regulations to begin awarding contracts for border wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend region, where Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul owns land. Isaac wrote about what he’s hearing from residents, the reason he’s opposed to a wall, and why he hopes Trump abandons the plan. This is a special report, available for free to all readers. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the military partnering with AI services? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Will Kaback interviews cultural critic, writer and author Thomas Chatterton Williams about his new book Summer of Our Discontent. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday morning, the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders. President Donald Trump said the ongoing mission, called Operation Epic Fury, will target Iran’s nuclear facilities, military capabilities and regime leaders, adding that Iranian citizens should prepare to take over the government. The attack marks the Trump administration’s second operation against Iran, following airstrikes targeting the country’s nuclear facilities in June 2025. Upcoming livestream. At 8:00pm ET tonight, Executive Editor Isaac Saul is going live on YouTube with updates on the situation in Iran and to answer questions from the Tangle community about the conflict. You can submit your questions ahead of time here, or tune in to the livestream at 8:00pm and ask in the chat. Join us at 8:00pm here. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about going to war with Iran? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved even-numbered years — because I absolutely love the Olympics. They combine my two truest boyhood passions: sports and America. I was a sports-obsessed little Pittsburgh kid. When I was nine, I won a contest at a local video rental store ahead of Super Bowl XXX by correctly identifying the first points the Steelers ever scored in a Super Bowl as a safety. Before I even entered junior high, I’d been to several dozen Penn State football games with my dad, and probably about a dozen wrestling meets. I can still name the four Pittsburgh Penguins who won gold medals with the Czech Republic at the 1998 Nagano Olympics (Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Jiri Slegr, and Robert Lang) as well as each of their Pittsburgh jersey numbers (68, 82, 71, 20). I was star-struck when I got to be a ball boy for a Team USA soccer game in Hershey, PA, and actually got to feed Mia Hamm the ball for a throw-in.... Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, in his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act (SITA), a bill that would bar members of Congress and some immediate family members from trading individual stocks. The line led to one of the few instances of bipartisan applause during Trump’s speech, and the president’s reference renewed discussions over efforts to curtail lawmakers’ trading. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think Congressional stock trading should be reformed? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele are joined by Eli Lake, columnist at The Free Press as well as the host of the Breaking History podcast. They chat about President Trump's State of the Union address and Iran. The boys then go on to talk more about the winter olympics and a couple race controversies that happened this week. Last but not least, a very solid grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term (Trump addressed a joint session of Congress last year, but it was not an official State of the Union). During the speech, Trump focused predominantly on domestic issues, but said that he would “never” allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. His speech lasted approximately one hour and 48 minutes, surpassing last year’s speech as the longest presidential address to Congress in modern history. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Trump’s address? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Sauland audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One year ago, we wrapped up a months-long series following five undecided voters across the country — people who, like millions of Americans, were trying to sort through the noise of a divisive, turbulent election at a moment when trust in institutions was fraying, norms were being tested, and the stakes of the decision felt unusually and perilously high. From March of 2024 until the week of the election, we followed their reactions to criminal trials, assassination attempts, debate meltdowns, convention chaos, and a last-minute change at the top of the Democratic ticket. In the end, they all made a decision, some definitively, some reluctantly. Now it’s February 2026. Donald Trump is one year into his second term, and we wanted to check back in. How do they feel about the vote they cast? What’s surprised them? What’s worried them? And what has given them hope? We reached out to all of our original participants. Zahid chose not to return for this follow-up for reasons he didn’t disclose. But Claire, Brian, Diana, and Phil were willing to pick the conversation back up — and reflect on where they are now, one year later. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. The Undecideds is a Tangle Media Production This episode was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall Interviews were conducted by Magdalena Bokowa, Will Kaback, Jon Lall, and Ari Weitzman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Sunday, Mexican security forces killed cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — known as “El Mencho” — and multiple others in a military operation assisted by U.S. intelligence in Tapalpa, Jalisco, in Western Mexico. Oseguera was wounded in a violent clash with Mexican special forces and died while being flown to Mexico City. In response to the killing, shootouts, explosions, and over 250 vehicle blockades and arson attacks spread across Jalisco, as well as the nearby states of Michoacán, Guanajuato, Colima, and Tamaulipas. Follow the State of the Union live with Tangle. Tonight, President Donald Trump will deliver the first official State of the Union address of his second term. Tangle will be covering the event live on our social media channels, sharing clips and instant analysis, so be sure to follow us on: InstagramFacebookXBlueSkyNot a social media person? Sign up for our Subtext messaging service to receive a recap at the end of the night. You can sign up here or text TANGLE to (850) 338-9163. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think Mexico’s stance against the cartel should be? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, the Supreme Court voted 6–3 to strike down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, finding that the president exceeded his authority when he imposed duties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The Court’s ruling invalidates the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which imposed a 10% baseline duty on U.S. trading partners as well as steeper tariffs on individual countries. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! ICYMI.Last Friday, we ran a little experiment: How would ChatGPT do if we had it write a Tangle take? Isaac gave his opinion on the future of AI, asked ChatGPT to try to mimic him, then evaluated how well it delivered its take. That piece generated a lot of interest, questions, and criticism — and in case you missed it, you can read it here and join the discussion in the comments. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the Supreme Court’s ruling? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This month, the artificial intelligence discourse hit a new fever pitch. It started with a viral post on X, titled “Something Big Is Happening,” which racked up tens of millions of views. The post was written by Matt Shumer, the CEO of the AI personal assistant company HyperWrite. It’s long, but it’s worth your time. The thrust of the post is this: Artificial intelligence is improving much faster than most anyone seems to understand, and the rate of improvement is accelerating. AI’s capability has exploded in the last six months, Shumer says, and people who played with AI tools two years or 12 months or six weeks ago have no idea how much better they are today. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Ari run the show classic style while Kmele takes a little breather with his family. Due to popular demand they talk more on the Epstein files and they offer some measured and slightly controversial responses to some of the critisizm. Ari does a deep dive into the EPA Endangerment Ruling and tries hard to get Isaac on the same page. Last but not least, a very good grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last Wednesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 130,000 in January, its strongest monthly growth in over a year, while the unemployment rate fell from 4.4% to 4.3%. The healthcare sector accounted for most of the growth with 82,000 new jobs, but declining employment in state and federal governments, finance, and the information sector offset some of those gains. The release was delayed five days due to the partial government shutdown, which ended on February 3. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Additional reading today performed by Lindsey Knuth. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, February 12, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency had rescinded the “endangerment finding,” a 16-year-old determination that allowed past administrations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. The EPA previously said that it would pursue curtailing the rule in July, claiming that the deregulation would save the auto industry an expected $54 billion. By repealing the endangerment finding, the EPA removes the scientific and legal justification for federal regulation of greenhouse gases. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the endangerment findings removal? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Additional reading today performed by Lindsey Knuth. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
At 12:01 on Saturday, February 14, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partially shut down after lawmakers in Congress failed to come to terms on a deal to fund the department through September. Senate Democrats are demanding funding be tied to reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), a stance they have maintained since Alex Pretti and Renee Good were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Who is ICE?At the heart of the issue we’re covering today are the enforcement actions taken by DHS agents in Minnesota. To get a full perspective on this issue, we highly suggest reading our Friday edition answering readers’ questions about ICE and CBP — who these agents are, what authority they have, and the scope of DHS’s immigration enforcement. You can read that piece here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How long do you think the DHS shutdown will last? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Three years ago, I had a fun idea for Valentine’s Day: I would bring my wife Phoebe on the Tangle podcast. My idea was that the two of us could sit down, have a glass of wine, and talk about our lives, Tangle, Phoebe’s first year of law school, a little bit of politics, and have a few good laughs. But, as I probably should have expected, the show took on some more depth. We got very personal. We talked about the challenges of our relationship, of our move from New York to Philly, and of trying to bounce back in the post-Covid world. Immediately after publishing the episode, I was inundated with emails from people saying how much they loved the episode, how candid it was, and how interesting my very smart and quick-witted wife was as a guest. So, in 2024, we did it again. And then again in 2025. And now, in 2026, with the fourth-ever Valentine’s Day podcast, I think we can officially call it a tradition. Last year, when we recorded the podcast, we were less than a month into having our first child, and Phoebe was entering her last semester of law school. This year, we discussed Phoebe’s experience so far as a public defender, her thoughts on cash bail, what has surprised her about the job, how she feels defending people guilty of real crimes, and what being a mom and an attorney is like. We then shared our favorite things about our son and some nice things about each other (because it’s Valentine’s Day, after all). Also, we break some personal news. So, today, I’d like to say Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope you enjoy the episode (and this new tradition). Also, Phoebe says if the comments section is mean, she’s not coming back — so be nice. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Just over a year into Donald Trump’s second term, one of the most common requests from readers has been to revisit that conclusion and my prediction that much of the Project 2025 agenda would be struck down through legal challenges or abandoned by Trump. Today, we’re doing just that. We’ll start with a refresher on Project 2025, then lay out which policy goals from Project 2025 have been implemented, which goals the administration is pursuing but hasn’t yet implemented, and which goals it has abandoned or actively undermined. Finally, I’ll revisit our coverage of Project 2025 from before the election. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Russell Nystrom, Isaac Saul and Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele talk about the Winter Olympics, Kmele's defense of President Donald Trump's racist social media post, the DHS negotiations and more. Last but not least, a very good grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In recent weeks, the United States has built up its military presence in the Middle East while conducting negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group arrived in the Arabian Sea on January 26, bringing an additional 5,700 U.S. troops to the region. On Wednesday, the Pentagon reportedly told a second aircraft carrier group to prepare for deployment, while President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss diplomatic and potential military strategy. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian officials met for indirect talks in Oman on Friday, February 6, for the first negotiations between the countries since the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think U.S. military intervention in Iran is likely? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays Special Edition, Isaac interviews Sarah Isgur, co-host of the podcast Advisory Opinions and author of her new book Last Branch Standing, a deep dive into the inner workings of the Supreme Court. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In January 2026, the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) released a report finding that murders and violent crimes in the United States decreased significantly in 2025. According to the report, the murder rate in 35 large U.S. cities fell 21% last year — the biggest one-year drop ever — to what could be its lowest level since 1900. Furthermore, 11 of 13 types of violent crime tracked by CCJ all decreased in 2025; drug crimes increased by 7% while the rate of sexual crimes remained unchanged. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Our recent video.As the Trump administration pursues its immigration agenda, many federal agents from different law enforcement agencies have been reassigned to help with new initiatives. How many agents does this apply to, and how much time are they spending focusing on immigration? Tangle’s Associate Producer Aidan Gorman explored these questions in a recent video. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think is causing the decrease in violent crime and homicides? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, the Trump administration rolled out TrumpRx, a government website offering consumers discounted prices for common prescription drugs. The platform functions as a hub for consumers, connecting them to manufacturers’ sites or offering coupons for purchases at pharmacies. President Donald Trump said TrumpRx will create millions in consumer savings, with those savings likely concentrated among the uninsured. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! In the foxhole.In this month’s members-only edition of Press Pass, Executive Editor Isaac Saul wrote about the challenges facing the media industry, how our political divisions are starting to show up as a business challenge, and some changes to Tangle on the horizon. Plus, our employee feature this month is Associate Editor Lindsey Knuth. In case you missed it, the edition went out at 3 am ET last night (instead of the intended 3 pm) — but you can read it here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of TrumpRx? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post laid off approximately one third of its staff, including hundreds of reporters in its newsroom. Executive Editor Matt Murray announced the cuts to the company, saying its approach required “a new way forward and a sounder foundation.” The layoffs have created uncertainty about the future of the outlet, which has long served as a leading U.S. news source but has recently struggled to retain readers and improve its business model. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Answering your questions about ICE.The Trump administration’s heightened immigration operations have prompted a flood of questions about how different immigration agencies work, the legality of their tactics, and the rights of citizens and noncitizens alike. In last week’s Friday edition, we tackled the most frequently asked questions about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, featuring insights from a wide array of experts. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think is responsible for layoffs at The Washington Post? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Over the last couple of months, our inbox has been inundated with questions about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Readers from across the political spectrum are trying to separate fact from fiction: Can ICE actually arrest U.S. citizens? What are my rights when a Border Patrol officer talks to me? How are all of these agents being trained amid a massive hiring push by the Trump administration? Online and in the opinion sections of news outlets, misinformation has been rampant. In our own coverage, we’ve tried to address some of these questions, but the answers are often legally nuanced and impossible to sum up in a single sentence, a post on X, or a thirty-second TikTok video. Today, though, we’re going to address them in detail. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul, Ari Weitzman, Audrey Moorehead, Russell Nystrom and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele are chatting live in person about the Epstein files, opinions about Jasmine Crockett, The Washington Post lay offs and an airing of grievances section where Isaac airs it out about why his Tangle team is incompetent. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, the Justice Department published approximately three million pages of materials related to the government’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said this release concluded the department’s review of files related to Epstein, having released roughly 3.5 million pages in total. The release was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed in November 2025 with near-unanimous Congressional approval. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the latest Epstein release? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Tuesday, the House voted 217–214 to pass a full-year funding package for several federal agencies, excluding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending a four-day partial government shutdown. The funding bill previously passed the Senate 71–29, after Democrats pushed to remove appropriations for DHS following the shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officers in Minnesota in January. 21 Democrats voted for the measure in the House, while 21 Republicans voted against it. President Donald Trump signed the bill on Tuesday, funding most federal departments through September 30; the deadline to fund Homeland Security was set for next Friday, February 13. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: When do you think Congress will reach a solution to fund DHS? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Friday, President Donald Trump announced his nomination of former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve, choosing him to succeed current Chairman Jerome Powell when Powell’s term expires in May 2026. The nomination will now go to the Senate for confirmation, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has vowed to block its advancement in the Senate Banking Committee until a Justice Department probe into Powell is resolved. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of Warsh’s nomination? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday night, former CNN anchor and independent journalist Don Lemon was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with federal civil rights violations for his alleged actions at a protest inside a Minnesota church in January. The Department of Justice charged Lemon, activist Nekima Levy Armstrong, Minnesota-based journalist Georgia Fort, and six others with conspiracy to interfere with the civil rights of church congregants and with violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Lemon, who has maintained that he was covering the protest as a journalist, was released without bond after appearing in federal court on Friday afternoon. His next hearing is scheduled for February 9 in Minneapolis. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re hiring.Applications are open for a part-time role on the Tangle editorial team. This remote position will involve in-depth research and editing work on the daily newsletter, as well as opportunities to contribute to our podcast, YouTube, and social media channels. We are accepting applications until Tuesday, February 10 at 11:59 PM ET. To learn more about the position and how to apply, click here. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the church protest? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kanye West says he’s sorry. And I forgive him. I first wrote about West’s antisemitic rants in 2022, when he began engaging with the world of antisemitism. And, in some narrow ways, I defended him: I pleaded with people to accept that some of the stereotypes he was calling out were actually tied to realities we should discuss, that we can explain the overrepresentation of “The Jews” — my people — in the entertainment industry, while also calling out West when his ranting tipped into paranoia and conspiracy. In the months and years since, West — who now goes by Ye — has been using increasingly unhinged language. His reality has become more and more divorced from the one you and I share. He apologized in 2023, then took it back; by 2025, he was back to posting Nazi propaganda on social media, selling merchandise adorned with swastikas, and dropping club anthems lionizing Hitler. His social media activity made clear that he was either all the way down the rabbit hole or in the depths of a mental crisis, and following him went from angering to amusing to alarming. I stopped defending him and started blaming him for the rise in antisemitism among his fans, and more broadly for the normalization of antisemitism across our culture. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele talk about how you should actually handle interactions about law enforcement, a little bit about Kanye West and then a heated grievance section about 5k worth of podcasting gear being stolen from Isaac's office. Isaac then wraps up the episode with a great interview with Elliot Williams, about of his new book Five Bullets, the story of Bernie Goetz and the shooting that tore New York City and the country apart. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced that border czar Tom Homan would go to Minnesota to oversee immigration enforcement efforts. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, who had previously spearheaded the operations, reportedly left Minnesota on Tuesday along with an unspecified number of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents; Bovino returned to his previous post in California. Separately, two Customs and Border Patrol agents who fired guns in the Saturday shooting death of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Alex Pretti were placed on leave; Bovino had previously shared that the agents had been reassigned to another state but were still working. The moves follow widespread, bipartisan scrutiny of DHS over Pretti’s death and the earlier shooting death of 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think DHS should adjust its methods? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last week, South Carolina officials reported that measles is transmitting rapidly in the state, with 789 confirmed cases so far. South Carolina is the fifth state to accumulate at least 100 measles cases since January 2025, joining Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas (where the first cases in 2025 were reported). During the current outbreaks, over 150 children have been hospitalized with measles; two children and one adult (all unvaccinated) have died from measles complications, the first such deaths in the U.S. in a decade. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! We’re doing a deep dive.One of the most frequently asked questions from readers over the last few weeks has been about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) hiring and training practices. We’re putting together a story to better understand exactly what that process looks like, and the experience for agents on the ground. If you or anyone you know works for DHS, or its enforcement arms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), we’d love to talk with you and learn more. Just drop us a line on Signal by searching our username @tanglenews.96 or clicking the link here (you’ll have to download the app to message). You can also reach out to [email protected]. You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the measles outbreaks? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On January 14, the Trump administration announced the start of “phase two” of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said the second phase will transition from “ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction.” On Thursday, President Donald Trump formally launched the Gaza “Board of Peace,” initially presented as a transitional body to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction. However, the board’s charter has since been expanded to cover a broader mandate for peace globally, raising questions about how it will interact with the United Nations (UN). Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Want to get texts from Tangle? Since October, over 13,000 Tangle readers have joined us on Subtext, our free SMS messaging service that lets us connect directly with readers. Subtext subscribers can weigh in on our coverage through topic polls, receive analysis on developing stories straight from Isaac, and get occasional peeks behind the scenes at Tangle’s operations. You can sign up for Subtext here! (Note: Subtext is currently only available for subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.) You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about the prospect of peace in Gaza? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) shot and killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, following an altercation with federal agents. Earlier this month, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, 37, in her vehicle in a Minneapolis neighborhood, setting off large-scale protests. The latest shooting led to renewed calls from state officials for President Donald Trump to pull federal immigration enforcement agents out of the state. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Want to get texts from Tangle?Since October, over 13,000 Tangle readers have joined us on Subtext, our free SMS messaging service that lets us connect directly with readers. Subtext subscribers can weigh in on our coverage through topic polls, receive analysis on developing stories straight from Isaac, and get occasional peeks behind the scenes at Tangle’s operations. You can sign up for Subtext here! (Note: Subtext is currently only available for subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.) You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the latest DHS shooting in Minnesota? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 months ago, we laid the groundwork to evaluate President Donald Trump’s second term as objectively as possible. Our goal was to take a few objective metrics to judge a president’s success: Things like economic data, promises kept, and the sentiment of American citizens. Given how much analysis and opinion we engage with every day, we thought we could refer back to these benchmarks periodically as a nearly unimpeachable way to judge the president’s performance. When I think back to this time 12 months ago, one big detail stands out: I wasn’t here. In fact, with the timing of a true troll, my son was born on the day of Trump’s inauguration. Just days before, we had published the set of metrics we’d use to evaluate the president. It was the last major piece we published before I stepped away from Tanglefor a month. Now, here we are. Trump’s second term is now one year old (just like my son), and I’m back in the driver’s seat, ready to use the metrics we developed last year to evaluate the Trump administration. Before we get started, I want to give a quick note about our process. The benchmarks we chose to track are mostly hard metrics, but with a few qualitative assessments. We wanted to include things that are easy to measure (like gas prices) as well as some things that take a little more effort to evaluate (like whether the administration has kept a promise or not). Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays mega episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele answer some of the biggest questions regarding the first year of Trump's presidency. What happened how you expected in year one of Trump? What surprised you? The biggest pros and the biggest cons? All these questions and more get answered by Isaac, Ari and Kmele in this episode. Last but not least, The Airing of Grievances section. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump addresseda gathering of prominent global figures at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The conference comes amid rising tensions between Europe and the United States over Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, and several world leaders gave critical remarks about the U.S. prior to the speech. However, later on Wednesday, Trump said that he discussed a framework of a deal related to Greenland with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte that gives the U.S. “everything we needed.” Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Want to get texts from Tangle?Since October, over 13,000 Tangle readers have joined us on Subtext, our free SMS messaging service that lets us connect directly with readers. Subtext subscribers can weigh in on our coverage through topic polls, receive analysis on developing stories straight from Isaac, and get occasional peeks behind the scenes at Tangle’s operations. You can sign up for Subtext here! (Note: Subtext is currently only available for subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.) You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the speeches from Trump and Carney at Davos? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On Thursday, January 15, President Donald Trump announced several proposals to lower health insurance costs, which he called “The Great Healthcare Plan.” The healthcare-reform framework focuses on four broad initiatives: lowering drug prices, lowering insurance premiums, holding big insurance companies accountable, and maximizing price transparency. Although the White House has not announced specific legislative proposals to enact the policy, Trump specified he would seek to make more medications available over the counter, regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and require insurance companies to explain their costs in simple and clear language. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Want to get texts from Tangle?Since October, over 13,000 Tangle readers have joined us on Subtext, our free SMS messaging service that lets us connect directly with readers. Subtext subscribers can weigh in on our coverage through topic polls, receive analysis on developing stories straight from Isaac, and get occasional peeks behind the scenes at Tangle’s operations. You can sign up for Subtext here! (Note: Subtext is currently only available for subscribers based in the U.S. and Canada.) You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Which healthcare reforms would you support? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has escalated his efforts to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that he says is vital to national interests. The president has not ruled out using military force to take control of the island, while also threatening to impose tariffs on European nations who oppose the move. Many leaders of member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have condemned Trump’s comments and expressed concern that he is jeopardizing the stability of the alliance. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can read today's podcast here, our “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think Greenland’s relationship with the U.S. should be? Let us know. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
One of my favorite things about Tangle is the process that happens before publication — the one our readers and listeners never get to see. I’ve been thinking a lot about this in recent months: How much debate, dialogue, and discussion goes into everything we publish. How much I learn from the conversations we have pre-publication. How desperately our country needs more of what I believe our staff models every day. I also think a lot about how trust in the media is at an all-time low, and all the innovative ways organizations like ours could try to win that trust back. Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On todays show Isaac, Ari and Kmele revisit the ICE shooting in Minneapolis, MN. Next they talk about whether or not Isaac/Trump have crossed the rubicon on the Jerome Powell investigation. They then have a discussion about the intra-party wars that are happening right now on the right. Last but not least, a very sweet The Airing of Grievances section. Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.