Tangle

Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted to remove McCarthy as Speaker, marking the first time in American history that a sitting Speaker of the House has been removed. McCarthy said on Tuesday night he will not run for Speaker again. The interim Speaker of the House, also called the speaker pro tempore, is Patrick McHenry (R-NC), a close ally of McCarthy. McHenry said...

Dianne Feinstein and Laphonza Butler. On Thursday night, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein died at her home in Washington, D.C., at the age of 90. With Feinstein's death, Democrats now hold a Senate majority of 50-49. On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced he would appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY's List, to fill her seat. You can read today's podcast he...

The non-shutdown. In a dramatic few hours on Saturday, Congress avoided a government shutdown as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) passed a stopgap funding measure with the support of moderate Republicans and all but one House Democrat. The bill passed 335-91 in the House, with about half of Republicans voting against it. It then passed the Senate 88-9 hours later. President Biden signed the mea...

For all the talk about how broken some parts of our democracy are, very few people are actually doing something meaningful about it. Nick Troiano is one of those people. Through his work as Executive Director of Unite America, Troiano is attempting what most people probably don't even imagine to be possible: To solve gerrymandering and political polarization. We spoke with Nick about what he t...

The second Republican debate. On Wednesday night, seven Republican candidates for president participated in the second Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. You can read today's podcast ⁠here⁠ and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠ . You can also check out our latest YouTube video ⁠here⁠ . Today’s clickables: Quick hits (1:22), Today’s stor...

Rupert Murdoch steps down. On Thursday, 92-year-old Rupert Murdoch announced he was stepping down from his role as chairman of Fox Corp. and News Corp, two of the largest and most influential media holdings in the world. He also owns several large conservative news outlets and founded the Fox broadcast network. Murdoch sold many of his media assets to Walt Disney Co. in 2019, but is still an influ...

Sen. Bob Menendez. On Friday, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and his wife Nadine were indicted on three federal bribery charges related to corruption, including secretly aiding the government of Egypt and attempting to influence several prosecutions in exchange for cash, gold and other valuables. Menendez, a high-ranking Democrat who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has denied the charges...

Today is Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday on the Jewish calendar, and I'll be spending most of the day in synagogue praying, fasting, and observing the day of atonement. If you’re interested in learning more about this day, you can  go here . The House and Senate are also both out today for the holiday. As such, I’ve asked my team to help me publish a "skinny" newsletter — some quick...

A potential government shutdown. This week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has struggled to wrangle his caucus as they attempt to pass a new spending bill. Government funding runs out in 10 days and a government shutdown now seems inevitable. 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 also check out our lates...

The Iran prisoner swap. On Tuesday, following two years of negotiations, five Americans freed by Iran arrived back in the United States, ending their detainment a day after they were swapped for five Iranians who were being held in the United States. The U.S. also released $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue that had been frozen in overseas accounts. You can read today's podcast here , today’s U...

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). Last week, Romney announced he would not seek re-election in 2024, opting to retire after one term. Romney resisted pleas from colleagues like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) to stay in the Senate, citing his age and a changing party as reasons for his decision. You can read today's podcast here , today’s Under the Radar story here , and today’s “Have a nic...

The United Auto Workers strike. On Friday, nearly one in 10 unionized auto workers in the United States went on strike, deploying a new strategy to push Detroit's three major automakers into raising wages. The unions are striking simultaneously at General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis (owner of Chrysler) for the first time in history, hoping to negotiate higher wages at a profitable time in the...

New Mexico's gun ban. On Wednesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked a ban on carrying guns in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the state’s largest city. The order, put in place by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D), has stirred up national attention and controversy across the state. You can read today's podcast here , today’s Under the Radar story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story he...

The Biden impeachment inquiry. On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy opened a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, pushing forward GOP efforts to find evidence of wrongdoing as the 2024 presidential election season kicks into gear. 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 also check out our la...

The social media censorship case. On Friday, a federal appeals court said the Biden administration likely violated the First Amendment in some of its communications with social media companies, while conversely narrowing a lower court judge's order that had prohibited practically any communication between numerous federal agencies and social media companies. Last year, I had a very interesting...

The migrant crisis. On Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) claimed that an influx of an estimated 110,000 asylum seekers from the southern border was going to “destroy” the Big Apple, saying he did not see a pathway toward fixing the issue. Adams’ comments come as New York continues to try to absorb an influx of migrants who are coming to the city and are now being housed in various shel...

The Ukraine counteroffensive. The war in Ukraine has dragged on for 18 months. This summer, the Ukrainian military has been attempting to push into occupied territory in the east and south and cut off Russian supply lines. In the last few months, there have been some significant updates to the progress of the war and that long-planned counteroffensive. You can read today's podcast here , today...

Mitch McConnell. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) froze last week for more than 30 seconds while fielding questions from reporters about potentially running for re-election, the second time he’s had such an episode this summer. In July, the 81-year-old McConnell froze in front of reporters for roughly 20 seconds before being escorted away by his staff. McConnell's aides have blame...

The state of labor. Monday was Labor Day, an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The day was first recognized by labor activists and workers in the late nineteenth century, and was officially made a federal holiday in 1894. 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 also...

Medicare drug pricing. On Tuesday, the Biden administration named 10 drugs that will be subjected to the first-ever price negotiations by Medicare, the government's health program that covers 65 million Americans. 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 also check out our latest YouTube video here . Today’s...

House Republicans' investigation of Fani Willis. On Thursday, House Republicans announced an investigation into Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, who is charging former President Trump and 18 co-conspirators with felony racketeering regarding their alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump specifically is being charged with unlawfully pressuring Georgia...

Vivek Ramaswamy. The Republican nominee for president has surprised pundits and the political class by climbing up the ranks of the GOP primary, and is now tied for second place with Ron DeSantis , according to a new Emerson poll. 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 also check out our latest YouTube video h...

Yevgeny Prigozhin's death. On Sunday, Russian authorities confirmed the death of Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was on the passenger list of a plane that crashed in Russia on Wednesday. Foreign news agencies had struggled to confirm that he was on the plane and that all passengers aboard it had been killed, but those questions now appear to be resolved, after the Russian Investigati...

The Republican primary debate. Last night, eight candidates took the stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a live, two-hour debate. Frontrunner and former President Donald Trump opted to skip the debate, instead sitting for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. You can read today's podcast here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . You can also check out our latest YouTube v...

Hunter Biden's special counsel. On August 11, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced he was naming David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who had already been leading the probe into Hunter Biden, as a special counsel. The appointment came after the surprising collapse of a plea deal between Hunter Biden and the Justice Department. You can read today's podcast here , the Blindspot r...