Tangle

Over the past week, smoke from wildfires in Canada (as well as northern Minnesota) has  affected  air quality and visibility across the Midwest and East Coast of the United States. As of Monday, air-quality alerts remained in place for a large portion of the country, and experts expect wildfire smoke to remain prevalent through August. The fires have raised concerns about climate-related...

Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Ari Weitzman once again. They get into election fraud, data centers, the kind of cover up happening right now in Iran and then Isaac and Kmele take a victory lap about all the things they have been right about. Last but not least, our grievances. It's a spicy good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to thi...

On Monday, Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC)  said  she will run for a full, six-year term to succeed her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R), who  passed away  suddenly on July 11 after suffering an aortic dissection. Republicans will hold a special primary on August 11 to select a new candidate to run against physician Annie Andrews (D) in the general election.  Ad-free podcasts a...

On Tuesday, July 14, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed an  executive order  pausing construction of new large-scale data centers in the state for up to one year. Hochul said the moratorium is intended to allow policymakers to study the economic and environmental effects of new data centers and consider regulatory action. The governor’s order went into effect immediately, making New Y...

On Thursday, July 9, President Donald Trump  fired  the two Democratic commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), and the agency’s final commissioner, a Republican, resigned. Without commissioners, the agency can still distribute election funding to states, but some of its functions will be impacted,  such as  establishing new programs or carrying out the a...

Generally speaking, I hate the expression “conspiracy theory.” It’s an overused and unhelpful descriptor for what often amounts to a minority or controversial view. I’ve  begged writers  to stop calling everything they don’t like a conspiracy theory, and I’ve written regularly about my open-mindedness to all manner of ideas that have at some point been called conspiracy theories. But it’...

On Tuesday, the House voted 308–117 to pass the  Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 , a bill that would make Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent in the United States. The legislation  passed  with 114 Democrats, 193 Republicans, and one independent in support and now heads to the Senate. President Donald Trump has endorsed the bill,  writing  in May, “It’s time that people...

Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Senior Editor Will Kaback and epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina to talk about our latest public health issues, Lindsey Graham's sister Darline Graham being appointed to the senate in his place and how worried we should be with Trump's firings from this obscure election agency. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are...

In the past week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were involved in deadly shootings in Texas and Maine. On Monday, in Biddeford, Maine, an officer  shot and killed  a man who allegedly disregarded orders to stop his vehicle and attempted to flee. Separately, on Tuesday, July 7 in Houston, ICE agents  shot and killed  a man whom they accused of “weaponizing hi...

On Monday night, the U.S.  carried out  its third straight day of strikes against Iran, the latest in a series of military engagements that began last week. On Friday, President Donald Trump  notified  Congress that the U.S. had resumed military activities against Iran as of July 7, when U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM)  reported  engaging in “retaliatory strikes” follo...

On Saturday evening, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)  passed away  at age 71 after what his office called a “brief and sudden illness.” The nature of the illness was initially unknown, though news outlets  reported  that emergency services were dispatched to a Washington, D.C. home owned by Graham and administered treatment to a man suffering from cardiac arrest. On Sunday, Graham’s...

At Tangle, we want to be a source of trustworthy news, thought-provoking analysis,  and  robust community engagement. As part of that commitment, we interact with the community in several forums — the  website comment section , our  Subtext texting service , our  Reddit page , our staff email, and at live events. We also answer reader and listener questions throughout the...

Over the past week, lawmakers have expressed increasing concern about Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) health, roughly three weeks after the senator was  hospitalized  for still-unknown reasons. The hospitalization is the latest in a string of health-related incidents for McConnell, which have raised questions about his fitness for office. On Wednesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) ...

Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Tangle Associate Editor Audrey Moorehead to discuss the Graham Platner controversies and their credibility, as well as Mitch McConnell's health issues. Last but not least, our grievances. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium conte...

On Monday, Jenny Racicot, a former girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D),  accused  him of raping her in 2021. Politico, which first published the report, corroborated aspects of Racicot’s account after speaking with a man whom Racicot dated after Platner, as well as reviewing messages between her and her therapist and an acquaintance. Platner denied the accusation...

Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court  held  that a federal law limiting the amount of money political parties could spend in coordination with campaigns violated the First Amendment. The Court’s vote was 6–3 along ideological lines.  Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to  ReadTangle.com  to sign up!...

 On Saturday, the United States marked 250 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the original 13 American colonies as a new, independent nation. In addition to the traditional fireworks and parades, cities and states  held special celebrations  reflecting on the country’s history for its semiquincentennial....

Dear readers, As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, much ink will be spilled about where we are as a nation: what we’ve overcome, what’s broken, what works, and where we’re going.  Like many Americans (and American writers), I’ve been ruminating on this anniversary from many angles. But today, my mind is stuck on one specific part of our country’s story: The freedom of the press, and t...

Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Supreme Court expert Sarah Isgur to cover this weeks controversial rulings and tells us why all the people freaking out about SCOTUS are wrong. Last but not least, a pretty gross grievance section. It's a good one! Ad-free podcasts are here! To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only pre...

On Monday, the Supreme Court issued two decisions on the president’s power to remove leaders of federal agencies. In the first case,  Trump v. Slaughter , the Court  voted  6–3 to strike down a federal law that limited the president’s power to fire Federal Trade Commission (FTC) members. In the second,  Trump v. Cook , the Court  voted  5–4 that Federal Reserve Govern...

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court  struck down  President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship, ruling 6–3 in  Trump v. Barbara  that the order is unlawful. Three Republican-appointed and three Democratic-appointed justices comprised the majority, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented in part. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Go...

On Monday, the Supreme Court  ruled  5–4 to uphold a Mississippi law allowing election officials to count ballots postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days afterward. In its ruling, the Court rejected the challengers’ argument that federal statutes setting a national Election Day required ballot receipt by that day. Instead, the Court held that Election Day refers to voters...

On Thursday, the Supreme Court issued two decisions on U.S. immigration policy. In the first case,  Mullin v. Al Otro Lado , the Court  ruled  6–3 that the federal government can turn back asylum seekers before they cross into the United States. In the second,  Mullin v. Doe , the Court also  ruled  6–3 that courts cannot review Department of Homeland Security (DHS) d...

The expected and unexpected of parenting. Dear readers, Before we get into today’s very personal Friday edition, I wanted to remind you that we paywall our Friday editions. We fundamentally believe reliable news and great writing should be accessible — so we’ve made a habit of giving roughly 80% of our content away for free. But we are also primarily supported by Tangle members (who provide 90% of...

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court  ruled  6–3 that federal law protecting prisoners’ religious exercise does not extend to a lawsuit brought by an incarcerated Rastafarian man who sought damages after prison officials forcibly shaved his head. The man, Damon Landor, sued both the Louisiana Department of Corrections and several of its officers individually under the  Religious Land Use a...