Tangle

Isaac talks with a former CIA operative. Original air date: March 21, 2021. Still want the news? You can read today's newsletter here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and produced by Trevor Eichhorn. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady...

The news is still happening, but the pod is taking some time off while our producer Trevor takes a vacation. While we're gone, let's revisit some of our favorite interviews that Isaac has done since the Tangle pod's inception in 2019. Today, Josh Rogin explains his coronavirus lab leak theory. Original air date: May 30, 2021. Still want the news? You can read today's newsletter here . You can subs...

Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine. The Washington Post put it like this: “Russia launched a broad attack on Ukraine from multiple directions early Thursday, bombarding cities, towns and villages and advancing toward the capital, Kyiv, as Ukrainian forces tried to stem the onslaught of Russian ground forces and air power.” You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking...

Over the last few months, a debate has been raging about the rise in violent crime across the United States. In 2020, murders in the U.S. went up 30%, the largest single year increase in sixty years. In 2021, new data are showing murders rising again, this time at a slower rate, but now reaching similar levels to the mid-1990s, when murders in the U.S. were near an all-time high. You can read toda...

Yesterday, Vladimir Putin announced that he was recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) as independent states. During his speech, Putin said "Ukraine has never had its own authentic statehood" and demanded that "those who captured and are holding on to power in Kyiv" immediately "cease military action." You can read today's podcast here . You can subscri...

In short, the world is watching this story because Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed 150,000 troops along Ukraine's border. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a kind of trench warfare in Donbas, the eastern region of Ukraine, for years. But Russia's latest troop build-up signals to many the potential for a full-scale war or invasion. You can read today's podcast here . You can subs...

The former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate (running alongside John McCain) had sued The New York Times for libel over a 2017 editorial that erroneously linked her political rhetoric to the 2011 mass shooting where Gabby Giffords, then-Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, was shot in the head, and six others were killed. You can read today's podcast here . You c...

Late last week, something interesting happened: A news story began percolating in many conservative online spaces, but got very little attention in more "mainstream" sources like The New York Times or The Washington Post. It was, seemingly, ignored by many news outlets with more liberal writers on staff. You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop somet...

In 2021, U.S. Border Patrol agents made 1.9 million arrests, a record high, according to new data. The data were revealed in just released court filings related to a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of Missouri and Texas. Around 20% of the migrants arrested, approximately 402,000, were released into the U.S. while awaiting hearings, which is down from the 56% released during a surge in illeg...

On today's episode, we sat down with Grace Lavery to talk about why she left Substack, how platforms should be moderating speech in this moment, and what the state of free speech looks like in America. Grace Lavery is a writer, editor, and academic living in Brooklyn, NY. She is an Associate Professor of English, Critical Theory, and Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Californi...

Two weeks ago, a so-called "Freedom Convoy" of truckers began a trip across Canada. Their goal was to demonstrate against the Covid-19 vaccine mandates and other restrictions that have been put in place by the Canadian government, an effort led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The protesters’ destination was Ottawa, the nation's capital, and since arriving they have gathered throughout the city,...

The 2022 Winter Olympics began in Beijing, China, last week with opening ceremonies on Friday. In early December, we covered Biden's announcement of a diplomatic boycott — meaning the U.S. won't be sending the president or any other official U.S. government delegation. You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here...

The University of Penn swimmer is a trans woman who is competing on the women's swim team. During her first three years at Penn, she swam on the men's team. Thomas was a successful swimmer in the men's division, finishing second in the men’s 500, 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle at the Ivy League championships as a sophomore in 2019. She took two years off of swimming to undergo hormone replacement thera...

On Friday, the Republican party censured Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Cheney and Kinzinger are the only Republicans on the congressional committee tasked with investigating the events of, and leading up to, that day. The RNC has accused them of being engaged in the "persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse," which RNC Chairwoman Ronna McD...

Brad Polumbo is a policy correspondent with Foundation for Economic Education (also known as FEE), a contributor at The Washington Examiner and the co-founder of a new conservative news website called BASED Politics . I’m also proud to say he is a regular reader of the Tangle newsletter and was one of our original supporters in the media space. You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop...

On Tuesday, Whoopi Goldberg was suspended for two weeks as co-host of ABC’s "The View" after comments she made about Jews and the Holocaust during a debate on book banning. During a conversation about a Tennessee school district removing the book Maus from its curriculum, Goldberg insisted that the Holocaust was “not about race ... it’s about man’s inhumanity to other man," arguing that the Holoca...

On Sunday, New York Democrats proposed a new congressional map for the state that could give the party an overt advantage in 22 of the state's 26 House districts in the midterm elections. Today, Republicans hold eight seats in New York’s congressional delegation, meaning the new map would eliminate their advantage in half of the districts they have. Reminder: We published a breakdown of gerrymande...

We re-visit yesterday's Joe Rogan piece. You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and produced by Trevor Eichhorn. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s s...

Last week, podcasting mega-star Joe Rogan became the center of conversation after momentum grew on Spotify to boycott Rogan's show. It started when rockstar Neil Young demanded his music be removed by Spotify if Rogan remained on the platform, citing Covid-19 misinformation that has been spread on Rogan's show. “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both," Young said. You can read today's podcas...

To subscribe and receive tomorrow's member's only post, go to https://www.readtangle.com/membership/ Stephen G. Breyer. Yesterday, news broke that the senior member of the Supreme Court's three-member liberal wing will retire. Breyer, who is 83, was appointed in 1994 by Bill Clinton and is the oldest member of the court. When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died and was replaced by Justice Amy Coney Barrett,...

On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two separate challenges to colleges who consider race during the admissions process (often called affirmative action). Both cases, one from North Carolina and the other from Harvard, allege that race-based admissions processes discriminate against Asian Americans. You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop so...

On Saturday, the U.S. embassy in Ukraine requested the evacuation of all non-essential staff, including families of U.S. diplomats. The moves come in response to a Russian troop build up along Ukraine's border and intelligence reports that Russia is planning an invasion. Russia has so far denied such plans. You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop so...

Democrats say the threat to voting rights is a big enough deal that abolishing the filibuster for major legislation — or at least tweaking it temporarily to push through a voting rights bill — is a worthy cause. Last week, 48 out of 50 Senate Democrats voted to change the rules to push forward a voting rights bill. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Friday Democrats "made progress" on a...

Every day, Tangle readers write in with questions. And at least once a week, I get a reader question about term limits for Congress. Do I support them? Do I think they would work? Why don't we have them? Today we sat down with Nick Tomboulides, the Executive Director of U.S. Term Limits and one of the leading experts on term limits in the United States. You might recognize Nick from his 2019 Congr...

One year ago today, President Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States of America. Today, we review where things are. You can read today's podcast here . You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and produced by Trevor Eichhorn. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our n...