Tangle

On Friday, President Donald Trump  signed  a proclamation adding new requirements for  H-1B visas , which grant temporary work authorization to noncitizens in specialty occupations. The new rules compel new applicants to pay $100,000 to apply for the visa (with exceptions granted by the secretary of Homeland Security) and directs the secretary of State to ensure compliance with the...

On Wednesday, ABC  suspended  Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show indefinitely in response to comments the host made in his comedy monologue, which discussed the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the political ideology of his suspected shooter. Kimmel’s remarks prompted significant backlash from the right and drew a rebuke from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Car...

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk together in person about their thoughts on the recent firing of Jimmy Kimmel and the recent threats against our constitutional right to free speech. They then reflect on the sheer beauty of their current location together in Vermont for a Tangle staff retreat. You can  subscribe to Tangle by clicking here  or drop something  in our tip jar by clicking here...

I’ve watched with a lot of interest and trepidation as readers and listeners responded to my initial thoughts on the assassination of Charlie Kirk.  Over the last week, while I’ve been processing the event and its aftermath with the country, I’ve been poring over that feedback. Some of it was frustrating to read and some of it was compelling; some of it, I thought, merited a response, while o...

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)  voted  11–1 to cut interest rates by 0.25% to 4%–4.25%, their first rate cut in nine months. The central bank’s policymakers cited the weakening labor market as the basis for the cut but noted that they are still concerned about potential inflation. However, the committee  signaled  that they are likely t...

As the academic year gets underway, a  growing number  of U.S. states have enacted laws banning or restricting cell phone use in schools. 17 states and Washington, D.C. implemented new rules this year, joining  several other states  with existing restrictions. Scores of school districts and individual schools have also  enacted  their own policies. These laws range fr...

On Saturday, Romania  said  that it had detected a Russian drone in its airspace during an air patrol mission. The Romanian military authorized its pilots to shoot down the drone, but they declined to do so due to potential “collateral risks.” The incident marks the second Russian incursion into a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) country’s airspace this month; on Wednesday, NATO...

On Friday, authorities  said  they had arrested a man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk, the conservative commentator and activist who was shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Over the weekend, state and federal officials released new information about the suspected shooter that points to several potential motivations behind the attack. Meanwhile,  Kirk’s dea...

A couple of days ago, a Tangle reader reached out and shared that she was at the event yesterday where Charlie Kirk was killed. She bravely offered to recount her experience to share with the Tangle audience in an interview with Tangle senior editor Will Kaback. You can  subscribe to Tangle by clicking here  or drop something  in our tip jar by clicking here.   Our Executive Ed...

Having a baby restored my faith in humanity. Today’s edition is a personal essay from our founder, Isaac Saul. 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. Mus...

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele have a deep conversation about the assassination of Charlie Kirk and its impact to themselves on a personal level. 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 engin...

On Wednesday, Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist and commentator, was  shot and killed  at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University.  According to  university officials, Kirk had been speaking for about 20 minutes when a single shot rang out, appearing to strike him in the neck. Officials  said  they believe the shot was fired from a building about 200...

On Friday, August 22, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska  was stabbed  to death on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Police arrested 34-year-old ex-convict Decarlos Brown Jr. as a suspect in Zarutska’s death and charged him with murder. On Tuesday, the Justice Department also  charged  Brown with a federal crime.  Warning: Today’s topic involves de...

On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)  reported  that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 22,000 in August, while the unemployment rate rose from 4.2% to 4.3%. The healthcare sector accounted for roughly 31,000 new jobs, but declining employment in the federal government, manufacturing, and professional services  offset  some of those gains; the BLS also  rev...

On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  testified  before the Senate Finance Committee about his efforts to overhaul U.S. health agencies and change federal vaccine policy. The hearing was at times combative, as Senators asked Kennedy about the Trump administration’s firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, subsequ...

“What does the government know about you?” A few weeks ago, Tangle staff member Russell Nystrom brought up this question in a team meeting. How much? How little? Where do they get the information and what, possibly, could they do with it? It’s an evocative question and the truth was, I only had a rough idea of the answer. Russell wanted to explore it for a story and I encouraged him to do so — and...

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk about the implications of recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela, the controversial Gaza reconstitution plan, and the ongoing challenges in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conversation also touches on the personal side of life, with reflections on parenthood and the societal structures that support it. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances. You can  subs...

On Wednesday, the U.S. military sank a small boat in the southern Caribbean Sea, killing 11 people. U.S. officials  claimed  the boat was transporting drugs to the United States from Venezuela and alleged the 11 people on board were narco-terrorist members of the international gang Tren de Aragua (TDA). The Trump administration has not produced evidence to support its assertion, but Secr...

In recent years, several  U.S. states  and a  number of countries  have legalized Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), also known as physician-assisted suicide or physician-assisted death. While definitions vary, the practice  generally allows  people facing imminent death from a terminal illness to end their lives by administering drugs with support and supervision fr...

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit  ruled  in a 7–4 decision that President Donald Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing tariffs unilaterally, upholding a lower court decision. The appeals court’s decision  targeted  the tariffs Trump justified by declaring a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), in...

A version of today’s newsletter was  originally published  in 2022 after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. We are republishing that piece today in light of the mass  shooting  at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which killed two children (an eight- and ten-year-old) and injured 18 others.  The details of the two shootings differ i...

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk about the tragic Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis. Then we discuss how the world and press is revolving around Trump like it's 2017 again. They then talk about how the Ghislaine Maxwell testimony and how it didnt get nearly enough attention. Lastly, some chatter and grievances about clankers and ai robots destroying the world. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many liste...

On Monday, President Donald Trump  signed  an executive order instructing the attorney general to prosecute unlawful acts that involve desecrating the American flag. The order directs the attorney general to refer acts involving flag destruction that may violate state or local laws to the relevant local authorities; it also calls for litigation to clarify the extent of First Amendment pr...

In  a letter posted  to Truth Social on Monday night, President Donald Trump ordered the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from her position for alleged mortgage fraud. Citing the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 and his powers under Article II of the Constitution, Trump stated that he was removing Cook “for cause.” Cook  responded  by saying that “no cause exists under...

On Thursday, a New York appeals court  threw out  a $527 million penalty against President Donald Trump resulting from a 2024 civil fraud judgment. The five-justice panel  unanimously agreed  to dismiss the fine but disagreed on other points, ultimately deciding to leave the other penalties against Trump in place — including barring Trump from serving in top roles at any New Yo...