Tangle

Isaac shares his love for America. 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 edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edit...

On Tuesday, following a marathon  all-night voting session , the Republicans’ taxation and spending bill  passed  the Senate 51–50 on a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. Republican Senators Rand Paul (KY), Thom Tillis (NC), and Susan Collins (ME) joined every Democratic senator in voting no; all other Republican senators voted yes. The bill — known as the One Big, Beau...

On Friday June 27th, Tangle's newest member, Editor-at-large Kmele Foster released his first written piece. Kmele’s essay tackles America’s 2020 racial reckoning and describes his philosophy about the country’s racial movements. It's a thought provoking, vulnerable, and engaging piece that has invited a lot of comments, questions, and feedback. Many people asked us to make a podcast version of his...

On Friday, the Supreme Court  voted  6–3 in favor of a group of Maryland parents who had wanted to opt their elementary-aged children out of instruction that included LGBTQ+ themes. The majority agreed to grant the parents a preliminary injunction while their lawsuit proceeds in lower courts, allowing them to withhold their children from such curriculum. The court’s three liberal justice...

On Friday, the Supreme Court  voted  6–3 to partially pause rulings by federal judges blocking President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship. The decision did not weigh the constitutionality of the executive order but dealt solely with federal courts issuing universal injunctions, which prohibit the government from enforcing a law or policy anywhere in the countr...

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss the general response and personal opinions to Zohran Mamdani's mayoral primary win and what the Democratic Party should learn from it. They also talk about the Iran strikes and then Kmele addresses some criticism we received from last week's Sunday podcast. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances and our mutual frustration with ticks! Ad-free podcasts are here! Many...

Following a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee on Sunday, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough  advised  that several measures in the “ Big Beautiful Bill ” fail the Byrd Rule and cannot be included in Republicans’ omnibus spending and taxation bill under budget reconciliation. Among the measures MacDonough identified are provisions barring certain noncitizens from receiving...

On Tuesday, results from New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary  showed  state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani in a commanding lead over the field, setting the stage for him to become the party’s nominee in the general election on November 4. As of 11:45am ET on Wednesday morning, Mamdani, a democratic socialist,  leads  former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo 43.5%–36.4% with 93%...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court  voted 6–3  along ideological lines to uphold Tennessee’s ban on certain treatments for transgender minors. The ruling rejected an argument brought by three transgender teens, their parents and a Memphis doctor that the law violates the Constitution’s Equal Protection and discriminates on the basis of sex, which requires stricter scrutiny than the standard...

On Saturday, President Donald Trump  announced  that the United States had carried out airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump called the mission a “very successful attack” and said the aircraft involved in the strikes were all “safely on their way home.” The extent of the damage to the sites is currently unknown, though the Pentagon  says &nbsp...

Happy Juneteenth from the Tangle crew! Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk about the MAGA fight over Iran. They also discuss the controversial interview of Ted Cruz by Tucker Carlson followed by a conversation about the potential federal land sell outs. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances, which is a particularly uplifting one today. Ad-free podcasts are here! Many listeners have been asking for an ad...

For the last few years, one of my favorite parts of Tangle has been hiring young writers and giving them an opportunity to work with us. Over the years we’ve had a number of “interns” (nobody really does intern work here) who have made major contributions to our newsletter, gone on to work for awesome publications, or left and returned years later to work for us. Last year, our managing editor Ari...

On Saturday morning, Minnesota House Representative Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband were  shot  and killed in their home in Brooklyn Park, MN. Earlier that morning, state Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife were also shot in their home in Champlin, MN, but both survived. Authorities identified a 57-year-old male suspect and, after a two-day manhunt, apprehended him on Monday. Hortm...

On Thursday, the Trump administration  began directing  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to pause immigration investigations and enforcement actions in the agricultural, hotel, and restaurant industries. Before ICE issued the new guidance to its field agents, President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged his immigration agenda had negatively impacted these industries and promised...

The military parade and “No Kings” protests. On Saturday, the U.S. Army  held a festival and parade  in Washington, D.C., to commemorate its 250th anniversary, an event spearheaded by President Donald Trump. The same day, protesters gathered in  over 2,000 cities  across 50 states to  demonstrate  against the Trump administration.  Ad-free podcasts are here! Many...

After dealing with some technical difficulties, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss an interview between Kmele and The Fifth Column podcasters and Senator Rand Paul, the dynamics within the Republican Party, and the challenges faced by Democrats in responding to protests and immigration issues. The conversation also touches on the role of the National Guard in civil unrest, the impact of public percepti...

Today, we originally planned to publish a piece from Tangle’s newest team member, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, about his view on the racial reckoning in the United States since the summer of 2020. However, late last night Israel launched a large-scale coordinated attack on Iran, so we decided to release a special edition to all Tangle subscribers covering the news. We’re still very excited to sha...

In the past week, the latest metrics for several key economic indicators have been released amid global uncertainty over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. In May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s (BLS)  inflation report  showed prices rising at a lower rate than many economists expected, while the bureau’s  jobs report  showed hiring slowed slightly from the month...

On Monday, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  removed  all 17 members of the independent Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The panel is  responsible for  developing recommendations for safe vaccine use and the U.S. adult and childhood immunization schedules,...

On Friday, the United States  returned  Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador to face charges in Tennessee for alleged trafficking of unauthorized migrants and conspiracy. In March, Abrego Garcia was  mistakenly sent  to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a mega-prison in El Salvador. Then in April, the Supreme Court  upheld a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis...

On Friday evening, protests over immigration arrests in Los Angeles, California, sparked violent confrontations with federal and local law enforcement that led President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard. Federal immigration agents wearing riot gear  swept  several locations near downtown Los Angeles during the day, according to  witness videos , leading to the  arrest...

In todays special Friday edition, Isaac talks with Jonah Platt, host of the podcast "Being Jewish with Jonah Platt", in response to Isaac's "I think I’m leaving Zionism, or Zionism is leaving me." episode, which was published last Friday. In case you missed it, it is also available to stream in its entirety without a paid subscription. By the way: If you are not yet a podcast member, and you want...

We couldn't wait until Sunday. Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk about the fallout between Elon Musk and Donald Trump as the tweets are coming out! They discuss the predictable nature of their breakup, the implications for political alliances, and the potential impact on legislation. They talk about Elon's future and his influence in the political landscape. They also discuss the feedback to Isaac's piec...

On Tuesday, former White House adviser Elon Musk  escalated  his criticisms of the budget reconciliation “big beautiful bill” passed by House Republicans,  calling  it “a disgusting abomination.” Though he did not mention President Donald Trump by name, Musk’s comments underscore a growing divide between the tech CEO and the president, who aggressively lobbied for the bill and...

On Sunday, Ukraine carried out a coordinated drone attack within Russian territory  hitting  dozens of Russian bombers. The attack, called Operation Spider’s Web, used  117 Ukrainian drones  hidden at four different air bases across Russia to strike 41 Russian aircraft, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian security services claim the strikes  caused  $7 billion...