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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. Toda...

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-...

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 list...

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 d...

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.&nb...

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&...

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 f...

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! G...

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 g...

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 attempti...

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 violat...

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 signif...

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. ...

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 Mi...

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 a...

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 Steve...

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...

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 contr...

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 p...

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 groce...

On Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee  questioned Dr. 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 Con...

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 s...

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...

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 Thu...

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...