Tangle

What an aging population and fewer young people could mean. A wide-ranging conversation. In this week’s Suspension of the Rules episode, we start by having some fun with Jack Smith’s congressional testimony. Then, we discuss the government-funded Trump commercials before turning to a much more serious subject: the Cornell sexual assault case. It was a heavy but important segment, and we wrapped up...

On Monday, the Senate voted 77–22 to pass the Protect College Sports Act with support from 50 Republicans, 26 Democrats, and one independent. The bill would create a national regulatory framework for collegiate athletics and give the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) antitrust protection, allowing it to establish standards for student-athlete compensation, eligibility, transferring,...

On todays episode of Suspension of the rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele get into the Jack Smith testimony, a few embarrassing moments for a certain Republican Senator, the Trump ads that were paid with tax dollars and then they get into the details of the Cornell sexual assault case. Last but not least an uplifting grievance section to wrap up a bit of a heavy episode. We're launching something new...

Last Tuesday, September 22, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said it had canceled healthcare enrollments for roughly 760,000 people under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) due to alleged fraud or improper documentation. In a press briefing announcing the cancelations, Vice President JD Vance and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said that Covid-era subsidies and relaxed verification unde...

In September, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced that the United States has “on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the Joint Force against hostile adversary action.” The comments sparked a rash of questions: What kind of weapons? What adversaries are we competing against? Could we soon see those weapons deployed? Shortly after the announcement, Senior Editor Will Kaback spoke w...

Tuesday marks 35 days until federal elections will be held for all 435 U.S. House seats and 35 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats. Additionally, 36 states will elect governors and 46 states will vote on a total of 6,139 state legislators. Currently, most election models heavily favor Democrats to take back the House and give the party a slight edge to flip the Senate. We're launching something new....

When I started Tangle seven years ago, it was just me and the blinking cursor on a blank Google document. As I look back on the newsletter editions I wrote during the early years of Tangle, a few things stand out: 1) The writing is more raw and less polished. 2) The newsletters are shorter and more digestible (some just a six- or seven-minute read). 3) My personality shines through in unvarnished...

Last week, world leaders gathered in New York City for the 81st United Nations (UN) General Assembly, with conflicts in Iran and Ukraine taking center stage. In a speech before world leaders, President Donald Trump said he is weighing whether to seek a deal to end the war with Iran or “annihilate” the country, while also touting a security agreement reached with Greenland and Denmark. Later in the...

In June of 2021, I published a newsletter headlined “Is Joe Biden okay?” The president, I wrote, didn’t “seem quite right.” I preemptively shot down critics who thought it was taboo to say what was obvious: Biden was in decline, that decline seemed to be accelerating, and imagining nearly four more years with him governing was worrisome. He was a totally different man than he had been at the end o...

In recent years, use of new weight-loss medications has risen in the United States. A 2026 Gallup poll found that a record 11% of U.S. adults are taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, up from 3% in 2024. Furthermore, high-profile figures like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and decorated tennis player Serena Williams have extolled their experiences taking the drug. The rising prevalence of GLP-1...

On today's episode of Suspension of the rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele chat about the historic speech given at the UN General Assembly as well as the viral piece that Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote for the New York Times titled "In Fighting For Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?". They then talk about the controversial statement made by Hassan Piker. Last but not least, a very good grie...

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed a defense agreement with Denmark and the semiautonomous territory of Greenland. The three-party compact was signed in New York City, concurrent with a United Nations General Assembly meeting, and it follows several months of statements from President Trump about the United States increasing its control over the island territory. Ad-free podcasts are here!...

On Friday, President Donald Trump announced he is barring journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. The president accused the outlets of inaccurately reporting on his administration and suggested that additional news organizations could be banned. On Monday, the outlets sued the government for allegedly violating their First Amendment rights. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 2...

As the war in Iran nears its seventh month, new developments over the past week have prompted concerns about a widening conflict in the Middle East. On Saturday, the State Department warned Americans in the Middle East to “exercise heightened vigilance” and prepare for potential travel disruptions, and President Donald Trump  returned  from a weekend trip to Camp David a day early. Separ...

One of the core tenets of Tangle’s mission is ideological diversity. As a big-tent news organization, we believe that we can be a space for readers of all political backgrounds to hear arguments from across the political spectrum. As I look around today’s media landscape, something occurs to me: It’s becoming a hobbyhorse of political commentators to beat up on the Democratic Socialists of America...

On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  announced  the repeal of Biden-era emissions regulations for power plants and proposed rolling back all remaining greenhouse gas standards for the power sector. The agency said the move will create an estimated $310 billion in savings and lower energy prices for consumers. On Thursday, environmental advocates sued the EPA for this wee...

On today's episode of Suspension of the rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele chat about whether or no artificial intelligence will kill us all and some reflection on Mitch McConnell's return to congress. They then play a fun little game called "Is Isaac an idiot or not?". Last but not least, a somber but very good grievance. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclus...

On Monday, the Supreme Court  denied a request from the Trump administration to allow the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to carry out parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order placing new regulations on mail-in voting. The president had issued the  order  in March to address alleged voter fraud, and the Supreme Court  overturned  a lower court’s block on parts of the e...

On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei  published  an essay arguing that artificial intelligence (AI) development is advancing at an unsafe pace and should be moderated. Executives at other leading AI companies endorsed Amodei’s post, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman  saying  “we need to pace the frontier.” In recent months, AI systems have allegedly hacked other companies’ platform...

At the Republican Party’s inaugural midterm convention on Wednesday, President Donald Trump  said  that his administration will send $5,000 to every U.S. adult citizen if the GOP retains control of the House and Senate in November’s elections. The president called the “Trump Dividend” a way for Americans to share in the economic strength that would result from Republican governance.&nbsp...

What have we learned since that fateful day? 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! What happened to al-Qaeda? This Friday marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ahead of the anniversary, The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood published a detailed report on the attack’s impact on the Middle Ea...

On Wednesday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)  appeared  via video at the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention, reiterating his opposition to socialism and praising Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA). Fetterman has frequently criticized the Democratic Party’s embrace of democratic socialism and anti-Israel rhetoric, leading to speculation that he could switch parties or become an independ...

On today's episode of suspension of the rules, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele are in the great state of Maine together to commemorate and reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and their own personal experience from 9/11. The guys then shift gears to a less somber note to celebrate Tangle's 7th anniversary and chat about where Tangle started and where its heading. Its a great episode! Ad-free podcasts are...

In the run-up to the November midterm elections, new reports on key economic indicators have shed light on the state of the U.S. economy. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will meet next week for the third time under Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh to consider changes to the interest rate in light of a strong jobs report and persistent inflation. Meanwhile, the Iran war and a burgeonin...

It’s been nearly 25 years since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Virtually all of the leadership of al-Qaeda that planned and orchestrated the attacks have now been killed, but the group remains intact today. But if you talk to national security and terrorism experts, they’ll offer wildly different assessments of how strong — and how much of a threat — it still poses.  &nbsp...