Tangle

Yesterday, former President Donald Trump was arraigned and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg unsealed his  indictment  and  statement of facts  in the case. At Tangle, we're taking a break for Passover, Easter, Ramadan, and Congress's two-week recess and will be back on Tuesday, April 11th. Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (12:03), Today’s Story (3:51), Right’s Take (6:16), Left’s Take...

On Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin will vote in an election that could impact not just abortion rights in Wisconsin and the split in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but also the future of the state’s elections and even presidential elections in the U.S. more broadly. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here , and today’s “Have A Nice Day” story here .  Today’s clickab...

In mid-March, we covered the "imminent" Trump indictment after the former president said he was going to be arrested in the coming days. It took nearly two weeks, but on Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump for his role in paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels. You can find a full timeline of the story to this point here. You can read today's podcast here , t...

On Friday, House Republicans passed an education bill focused on "parental rights" in the classroom, making a major political statement as one of their first acts with a House majority. The bill, titled the Parents Bill of Rights, passed in a 213-208 vote with five Republicans and all Democrats voting against it. Plus, a question about Biden's gaffes.  You can read today's podcas...

Earlier this month, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed HB1410, known as the "Youth Hiring Act of 2023." Most controversially, the bill allows teenagers under the age of 16 to start a job without getting a work permit through the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing. Also, a reader asks about the topics I don't like writing about. You can read today's podcast here ,...

On Monday, weeks of protests in Israel hit a fever pitch as hundreds of thousands of residents took to the streets in Tel Aviv immediately after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired his defense minister for opposing his proposed judicial reforms. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here (paywall) and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  Today’s clickables:...

Last week, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the ninth time since March of 2022, this time by a quarter of a percentage point. Interest rates are now at 5%, the highest level since 2007. The move comes at a time of unusual uncertainty, as some bankers and investors urge the Fed to pause the rate increases because of the failure of several mid-sized banks. Plus, I follow up on Friday&#3...

On today's episode, we sit down with political psychologist Steven Kull and talk about developing new methods for giving us (the people) a greater voice in public policy. Kull is the director of the program for public consultation and part of the school of public policy at the University of Maryland. He is also the founder and president of Voice of the People (VOP), a nonpartisan organization...

Members of Congress are proposing a TikTok ban. What are the best arguments for and against it? Plus, a reader question about what is happening in Israel.  You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here .  Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (0:57), Today’s Story (2:49), Those Opposing Ban (7:20), Those Supporting Ban (11:02) , Isaa...

This week marks the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War. On March 17, 2003, former President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein an ultimatum: Leave Iraq within 48 hours or face military action. On March 19, the U.S. began bombing Iraq, and on March 20 began a ground invasion. Today, we're revisiting the Iraq War, and examining some present day arguments about what went right and...

On Saturday, the International Criminal Court accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes, and issued a warrant for his arrest. Putin became just the third head of state to be indicted by the ICC while still in power. Specifically, the ICC accuses Putin of deporting hundreds of Ukrainian children — and potentially many more — to Russia. On Monday, China's leader Xi Jinping visited P...

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump claimed he is going to be arrested on Tuesday and called for supporters to protest on his behalf. Trump is currently under investigation by multiple agencies, but his post on Truth Social alleging an arrest was imminent appeared to be in reference to a New York grand jury investigation into hush money payments to women who say they had sexual encounters w...

On Monday, Fox News published the results of a questionnaire it presented to every leading Republican presidential candidate about their position on Ukraine. Specifically, the questionnaire asked, "Is opposing Russia in Ukraine a vital American national strategic interest?" We break down what Ron DeSantis said about Ukraine, and I try to answer the question that got everyone talking. You can read...

On Monday, the Biden administration said it was going to approve an oil drilling project in Alaska's North Slope, a petroleum-rich area in the northernmost county of the United States. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (0:54), Today’s Story (2:30), Right’s Take (6:49) Left’s Take (11:54...

Over the weekend, U.S. regulators took over Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) after it collapsed on Friday morning. In a matter of 48 hours, SVB experienced a bank run and capital crisis, becoming the second largest bank in U.S. history to go under . Over the weekend, panic spread among investors and economists who feared the failure of SVB could set off a national financial crisis, but those concerns wer...

On Thursday, President Joe Biden released a $6.8 trillion budget plan for 2024 that he says will cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade, increase military funding, raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations, and pay for Medicare and Social Security without any major cuts or reforms to the programs. While the budget increases the military’s budget, it represents a decline in military s...

On Monday, Fox News host Tucker Carlson aired his first segment on January 6 after receiving some 41,000 hours of security footage from the Capitol. The footage was given to Carlson by new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who promised to hand the footage over as part of his campaign for Speaker. You can find our summary of what we learned from the January 6 hearings here , our coverage of the...

Last week, a Republican bill to prevent pension fund managers from basing their investment decisions on things like climate change cleared Congress, setting up what is expected to be the first veto of Joe Biden's presidency. Plus, a reader question about my view on prisons. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . From the...

We're covering Trump's dominance at CPAC, his speech, and the reactions to it from the right and left. Plus, a reader question about whether liberal or conservative readers are more likely to unsubscribe from Tangle. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (0:53), Today’s Story (2:46), Right’...

Today, we're breaking down the debate over the Washington D.C. crime bill and Biden's decision to oppose it. Plus, a reader question about my most extreme political views. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (0:53), Today’s Story (2:45), Right’s Take (6:35) Left’s Take (11:41) , Isaac’s Ta...

Last week, the Biden administration announced a new temporary rule that will penalize asylum seekers who cross the border illegally or fail to apply for asylum in the countries they traverse before arriving in the U.S., while also opening doors for increased legal entry through a government-created mobile app. Plus, a question about how unemployment rates are calculated. You can read today's podca...

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a challenge to President Biden's student debt cancellation program. Members of the Supreme Court's conservative majority seemed skeptical of the legality of the program, casting doubt on its future. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Read our previous coverage of s...

On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) concluded the Covid-19 pandemic most likely arose from a laboratory leak, according to a classified intelligence report recently given to the White House. The Department of Energy had been undecided on how the virus likely emerged, but updated its 2021 determination and made its conclusion with "low confidence." P...

We covered the story of East Palestine in a special Friday edition, which included original reporting on what happened there. Since then, residents living within 30 miles of the crash have filed a class-action lawsuit, and both former President Trump and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have visited the area. Plus, I respond to some reader feedback about Friday's edition on Fox News. You ca...

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Gonzalez v. Google , a case that could change the liability social media companies have for the content published on their platforms. You can read today's podcast here , today’s “Under the Radar” story here and today’s “Have a nice day” story here . Today’s clickables: Quick Hits (1:41), Today’s Story (3:16), Those against changing (6:52), Those in...