Tangle

The Texas abortion case. On Monday, the Texas Supreme Court reversed a lower court's ruling that would have allowed a woman to obtain an abortion under the state's medical emergency exception. Just hours before the court's ruling, the same woman, Kate Cox, left the state to terminate her pregnancy. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today...

The college presidents. On Saturday, Liz Magill, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, resigned amid controversy over remarks she made during congressional testimony on antisemitism. Magill, along with presidents Claudine Gray of Harvard and Sally Kornbluth of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), appeared last Tuesday before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce...

Kevin McCarthy. The California Republican and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced last week that he will be retiring from Congress at the end of December. McCarthy, 58, announced his plans in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal , where he boasted about leading Republicans to a House majority twice, passing border security legislation, keeping the government open, and reducing the deficit...

Friday editions are normally for paying subscribers. But, today, we wanted to share with those of you that exclusively listen to the podcast a preview of what our Friday content could be like. Please let us know your thoughts on this piece, your interest in a subscription model for Friday editions and other content, and any other feedback you have for us. Tangle exists because of the engagement of...

The final Republican debate. On Wednesday night, four candidates gathered in Alabama for the fourth and final Republican debate: former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. For the fourth consecutive time, former President Donald Trump, who is leading the GOP primary by a wide margin, didn't partici...

The Ukraine war. On Saturday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that there could be bad news coming out of Ukraine in the coming weeks, as fears of a stalemate with Russia grow. The comments come at a time when Congress is increasingly divided about whether to continue funding Ukraine's war effort, with Senate Republicans proposing any Ukraine funding be tied to an overhaul of the...

COP28. The United Nations 28th Climate Change Conference, or Conference of the Parties, features a record 70,000 registered attendees. The two-week-long conference is under way in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a laundry list of presidents, prime ministers, royals, and industry leaders in attendance. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Hav...

Henry Kissinger's death. On Wednesday, Henry Kissinger, the long-time American diplomat and political scientist who was the only person to ever serve concurrently as both secretary of state and national security adviser, died at the age of 100. Kissinger, who was born in Bavaria in 1923 to a family of German Jews who fled to the United States during the rise of the Nazis, was one of the most p...

Nikki Haley. On Tuesday, Americans for Prosperity Action (AFPA), the political network founded by the billionaire Koch brothers, endorsed Nikki Haley in the Republican primary. The decision bolsters Haley's campaign at a time when her stock is rising as one of the primary challengers to Trump in the race for the Republican nomination. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the...

The Voting Rights Act. Last week, a federal appeals court issued a ruling that only the U.S. government, not private citizens or civil rights groups, can sue under the Voting Rights Act (VRA). If the ruling is appealed to and upheld by the Supreme Court, or adopted by other courts, the decision would have a sweeping impact on voting rights across the country. The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appea...

Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear a three-part case on the constitutionality of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Because of an unusual decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, the Supreme Court is going to be evaluating three distinct challenges to the SEC at the same time. The situation arose after the 5th Circu...

The George Santos ethics probe. On November 17, House investigators released an ethics report that determined Rep. George Santos (R-NY) knowingly violated ethics guidelines, House rules, and criminal laws. The scathing report detailed alleged misconduct that included stealing money from his own campaign, creating fake loans, engaging in fraud, and deceiving donors about how their money would be us...

The Israel-Hamas hostage deal. Early Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a hostage deal and a four-day pause in fighting. It is the first ceasefire since Hamas's attack on Israel October 7 that sparked six weeks of air and ground assaults in the Gaza Strip. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  You can also...

We have a few special announcements to make today so we are skipping our regular newsletter. We will be back tomorrow with our regular podcast. Thank you for your continued support! You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  You can also check out our latest video, last Friday’s paywalled piece about how Israel has no good options here and the controversi...

The government funding bill. On Thursday, President Biden signed a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open until early 2024. The bill was signed a day before a potential government shutdown and did not include wartime funding for Ukraine or Israel. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  You can als...

Iran. Since Hamas's attack on Israel, U.S. politicians and pundits have been debating how the United States should position its foreign policy toward Iran. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  You can also check out our latest video, last Friday’s paywalled piece about how Israel has no good options here and...

The Supreme Court's new code of conduct. On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its first-ever code of conduct after several reports over the past year of undisclosed gifts to justices and luxury trips from donors sparked a pressure campaign for the court to respond. The court’s 15-page document includes a one-page statement, nine pages of conduct rules largely derived from existing federal codes...

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). On Tuesday last week, the House voted 234-188 to censure Tlaib for her rhetoric about the Israel-Hamas war. 22 Democrats joined Republicans to censure Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress, and all but four Republicans voted for the censure. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here...

Joe Manchin. On Thursday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he would not seek re-election in 2024, a decision that will reshape the fight for the Senate in 2024 and has set off rumors Manchin is considering an independent run for president. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ , our “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  You can also check out the controver...

On Monday, I interviewed Hussein Aboubakr Mansour and Dan Cohen about the Israel and Palestine conflict. Mansour, an Egyptian-born Muslim who grew up hating Israel, is now pretty staunchly in the pro-Israel camp. Cohen, an American Jew who grew up being told Israel was his homeland, is one of the most followed anti-Israel and anti-Zionist journalists on the internet. As you'll hear in my intro...

The third Republican debate. On Wednesday night, five Republican candidates took the stage in Miami, Florida, to debate foreign policy, abortion, former President Donald Trump's record, and the economy. To qualify for the third debate, candidates needed to poll above 4% in either two national surveys or in one national survey and two surveys from early-nominating states. Each candidate also ne...

Tuesday's election results. Yesterday, voters across the U.S. cast ballots in gubernatorial races, state House races, state Supreme Court races, and on ballot measures related to abortion and marijuana. In most of the contested and closely watched elections, Democrats and abortion rights activists prevailed. You can read today's podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . ...

The latest 2024 polls. One year out from the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump is polling ahead of President Joe Biden in five of the six swing states expected to determine the election outcome. The numbers come from the latest New York Times and Siena College poll released over the weekend, which showed Trump with a lead in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylva...

Sam Bankman-Fried's conviction. On Thursday, the FTX founder was convicted of stealing billions of dollars from customers of his crypto exchange, marking one of the largest financial fraud convictions in U.S. history. After a short deliberation, a New York federal jury convicted Bankman-Fried on all seven counts he faced. He was also found guilty of money laundering and defrauding investors an...

The mass shooting in Maine. On Wednesday, October 25, an Army reservist killed 18 people and injured 13 others at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. After a two-day manhunt, the shooter was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His body was found at the recycling facility where he worked. Editor's note: Tangle does not name mass shooters because of the well-documented contag...