Tangle

Ilya Shapiro's free speech fight.

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In January, Shapiro — a prominent lawyer who had just been hired as a law professor at Georgetown — became the center of controversy over his twee...

The Peter Navarro indictment.

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, Navarro, a White House adviser to former President Donald Trump, was indicted by a grand jury after failing to comply with a subpoena from ...

The Michael Sussmann verdict.

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Sussmann was found not guilty of lying to the FBI when, in 2016, he passed on a tip intended to raise suspicion about connections between D...

Red flag laws.

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Members of the Senate are working together to adopt a set of red flag laws or create incentives for states to adopt them, as well as more expansive ba...

Biden's executive order on police.

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The order came on the two-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd and after Congress failed to pass bipartisan legislation to address policing....

The Uvalde police response.

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday, the U.S. Justice Department announced it was going to launch an investigation into the police response to the shooting at Robb Elementary S...

Biden's Taiwan comments.

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, President Joe Biden was visiting Japan when he told world leaders that the U.S. would militarily defend Taiwan if China invaded the island....

We are broken.

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every now and then, Isaac feels compelled to abandon the Tangle formula and write something from the heart. Today is one of those days.You can read to...

An update on Afghanistan.

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It has now been over nine months since the U.S. left Afghanistan, so we thought it’d be a good time to do an update on what's happening there. Plus,...

The $40 billion Ukraine bill.

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday, the Senate approved $40 billion of additional military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Plus, a question about where traditional Republic...

The midterm results (and what they mean).

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Primaries took place in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. To narrow our focus a bit, we are going to center our coverage on P...

Sweden and Finland bid for NATO.

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Plus, an update on primaries, and a reader question about the baby formula shortage.You can read today's podcast here.You can subscribe to Tangle by c...

The Buffalo Shooting.

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, 10 people were killed in a grocery store in Buffalo, NY, by an 18-year-old white man. The violence took place in a predominantly Black ne...

The baby formula shortage.

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few weeks, what began as a pandemic-era quirk has spiraled into a national crisis. More than 40% of baby formula is now out of stock in ...

Allowing Trump back on Twitter.

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, Elon Musk said he would reverse Trump's Twitter ban if he takes over the company. Plus, are Republicans trying to ban IUD's?You can read t...

The inflation problem.

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, President Biden addressed the country on inflation, telling Americans he understands what they are grappling with and that solving the issu...

Democrats' abortion bill.

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of the Roe v. Wade opinion leak, which revealed that the Supreme Court is ready to overturn its previous rulings on abortion rights, the p...

J.D. Vance's win in Ohio

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, Vance won the Republican primary for the hotly contested Senate seat that opened when Republican Sen. Rob Portman decided to retire. He is ...

INTERVIEW: Jacob Mchangama on the history of free speech

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jacob Mchangama is a Danish lawyer, human-rights advocate, and social commentator. He is the founder and director of Justitia, a Copenhagen-based thin...

The Disinformation Governance Board.

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it is stepping up an effort to counter disinformation from Russia, along with misinformation that human...

The end of Roe v. Wade?

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday night, Politico published a bombshell story that included a leaked draft of a majority opinion striking down Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenth...

Prayer at school.

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks for your patience as our podcast platform was down for software updates this afternoon! On today's ep; Last week, the Supreme Court heard argum...

Forgiving student debt.

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden is reportedly nearing a decision on how to handle forgiving student debt for borrowers, a policy he ran on in the 2020 election. P...

Listener Mailbag: Your questions answered.

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Plus, an exclusive offer for listeners of the pod.You can read today's podcast here.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in ...

The Kevin McCarthy tapes.

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is considered the favorite to become speaker of the House, replacing Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), if Republic...

Elon Musk buys Twitter.

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, after weeks of news reports swirling about Musk's involvement with the social media giant, Twitter accepted his takeover bid. Musk has purc...

Macron wins in France.

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen in France's presidential election, becoming the first French president in 20 years to win a second t...

Libs of TikTok.

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A "very online" story, but one that quite a few listeners have asked about. The controversy surrounding the alleged "doxxing" of the creator of the Li...

Federal mask mandates end.

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Florida Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle declared the Biden administration's Covid-19 mask mandate for public transportation unlawful. The rul...

The RNC's debate decision.

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Thursday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) voted to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), effectively ending more than...

A year ago, I went all in.

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A departure from form today, as Tangle reaches an important milestone. Thanks for listening.You can read today's podcast here.You can subscribe to Tan...

Amazon workers unionize.

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York, voted to unionize earlier this month, the first time a successful organizing effort has taken place at one ...

Ketanji Brown Jackson's judicial philosophy

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We're covering Judge Jackson's confirmation and what it means for the court. Plus, a question about the "gap" in Trump's call logs on January 6.You ca...

INTERVIEW: Politics + Media 101's Justin Higgins

10 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s podcast, we are sitting down with Justin Higgins. Justin is the host of Politics + Media 101, he led the legislative and media efforts to...

Your criticism, my response.

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every once in a while, a newsletter we publish generates enough feedback and criticism that we feel it's necessary to follow up on it. In today's spec...

War crimes in Ukraine.

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last two weeks, a series of news reports broke about the town of Bucha, which sits in the suburbs of Kyiv (Ukraine's capital). Russian forces...

Elon Musk joins Twitter.

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, the social media platform Twitter announced that Musk would be joining its board of directors. The announcement came just a day after the c...

The Disney controversy.

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A closer look at what is going on with Disney and and the events unravelling in Florida. There are two threads to this story, so we will try to flesh ...

The Iran Nuclear Deal negotiations.

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the past several months, the Biden administration and the European Union have been negotiating to reinstate the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of A...

The end of Title 42.

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, The New York Times reported that the Biden administration is planning to end Title 42, the emergency CDC health order that has restricted i...

Biden's new budget.

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is this a pivot? A White House budget like this is not a binding document; it is more like a baseline from which to begin negotiations, and sometimes ...

The Ginni Thomas texts.

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas caused a stir last week when her text messages about January 6th became pu...

Biden's Warsaw speech.

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, the president traveled to Poland to deliver what was billed as the most important speech of his presidency yet. Standing about 200 miles ...

An update in Ukraine.

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It has now been one month since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began. It has been 10 days since our last coverage of the war. Plus, a read...

Ketanji Brown Jackson's hearing.

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jackson was nominated to become a United States Supreme Court justice on February 25. Yesterday was the second day of Jackson's hearing in front of th...

The Hunter Biden story.

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, The New York Times published an update on an ongoing federal investigation into Hunter Biden (Tangle covered that in December of 2020 here)...

A gas tax holiday.

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With the average price of gasoline at $4.25 per gallon, politicians are discussing ways to drive the price down. As we covered in Friday's subscribers...

INTERVIEW: Scott Tinker on the future of energy

20 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Tinker is an energy expert, geologist, and documentary filmmaker trying to carve out the "radical middle" on the future of energy. In today's po...

Raskin's nomination fails.

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Tuesday, Raskin withdrew her nomination to join the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and every Senate Republican ...

Daylight saving.

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The great debate! Make sure you weigh in, in our poll below.The Sunshine Protection act. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would make...

The return of earmarks (pork).

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Earmarks are back. Sometimes called member-directed spending, pork, pork-barrelling, bacon, fat, or fluff, earmarks are funding for projects that get ...

The Polish fighter jets.

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A welcome back to the daily pod, a hello to the new members of the Tangle team, and our main story: Last week, the Pentagon rejected an offer from Pol...

RE-RUN: Alex Vitale on abolishing the police

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our last flashback of Tangle's two-week vacay. See you next Monday for a brand new daily pod! Original air date: Apr 25, 2021Still want the news? You ...

RE-RUN: A conversation with Alex Nowrasteh

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Homestretch! Our deepest dive yet; Isaac's first published audio interview for the Tangle podcast (Trevor wasn't even on the team yet). How far we've ...

RE-RUN: A conversation with Andrew Yang

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Original air date: Jan 7, 2022Still want the news? You can read today's newsletter here.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something...

RE-RUN: Yousef Munayyer on the Israel-Palestine conflict

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Halfway through our deep dive into the Tangle interview archives while our producer Trevor is away. Original air date: May 23, 2021Still want the news...

RE-RUN: Texas Right to Life's John Seago

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mining old treasures from the Tangle archives while our producer, Trevor, is away. Back to the dailies 3/15. Original air date: Sept 27, 2021Still wan...

RE-RUN: Conservative writer Drew Holden on bias in the media

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Another interview from the Tangle archives while we take a brief break from the the daily pod. Original air date: April 5, 2021.Still want the news? Y...

RE-RUN: Former CIA operative Jonna Mendez

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

RE-RUN: Josh Rogin on the Wuhan lab leak.

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

It's happening.

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin has invaded Ukraine.The Washington Post put it like this: “Russia launched a broad attack on Ukraine from multiple directions early T...

Rising violent crime.

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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%,...

Ukraine and Russia on the brink.

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, Vladimir Putin announced that he was recognizing the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) as independent...

An update on Ukraine-Russia.

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In short, the world is watching this story because Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed 150,000 troops along Ukraine's border. Russia and Ukra...

Sarah Palin vs. The New York Times

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate (running alongside John McCain) had sued The New York Times for libel ov...

The Durham news, explained.

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Late last week, something interesting happened: A news story began percolating in many conservative online spaces, but got very little attention in mo...

Biden's border problem.

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 filin...

INTERVIEW: Grace Lavery on today's free speech issues

13 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

The Ottawa trucker protest.

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 mandate...

The Olympics begin.

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Trans swimmer Lia Thomas.

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The Republican censures.

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

INTERVIEW: Brad Polumbo, founder of BASED Politics.

06 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Polumbo is a policy correspondent with Foundation for Economic Education (also known as FEE), a contributor at The Washington Examiner and the co...

Whoopi Goldberg's suspension.

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Gerrymandering in New York.

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 Hous...

Your criticism, my response.

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ja...

Joe Rogan and Spotify

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ro...

Stephen Breyer retires.

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Affirmative action goes to SCOTUS.

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear two separate challenges to colleges who consider race during the admissions process (often called affirmat...

Ukraine, Russia, and rising tension.

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Democrats try to abolish the filibuster.

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats say the threat to voting rights is a big enough deal that abolishing the filibuster for major legislation — or at least tweaking it tempor...

INTERVIEW: Nick Tomboulides on terms limits in Congress.

23 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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?...

Biden's first year (a review).

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

The synagogue attack in Texas.

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, four people — including a rabbi — were taken hostage inside Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The small city of 26,000 ...

The Electoral Count Act.

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Momentum to reform the Electoral Count Act is growing in both Republican and Democratic circles, a change some say would help avoid the chaos of Janua...

Should noncitizens be allowed to vote?

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Starting next year, 800,000 legal permanent residents will be eligible to vote in New York City, despite not being citizens. The measure applies to le...

Biden's vaccine mandates.

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases: The first was the National Federation of Independent Business v. Department of Labor, which...

Kazakhstan, explained.

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you've been reading the news recently, you have probably stumbled across some stories about Kazakhstan. The country is currently in the midst of ci...

The state of the economy.

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, the latest jobs report was released, giving one final look at the state of the economy as we head into 2022. The report's numbers drew both...

INTERVIEW: a conversation with Andrew Yang

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Isaac sits down with former presidential and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang. They discuss his new third-party, what he thinks will happen...

No podcast today...

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Well... Covid-19 upended my travel plans. The result is I am on an airplane today, as is my podcast editor, so we don't have anyone to produce our rea...

The child tax credit ends.

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of the year, the child tax credit legislation that provided monthly checks that were going out to millions of parents — which Democrats p...

Biden signs the NDAA

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On December 27, President Biden signed the NDAA for fiscal year 2022 into law. The bill, which authorized $768.2 billion of spending in 2022, passed t...

We're back: Congress and stocks.

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You can read today's podcast here. You can take the poll about Tangle we mentioned in today's podcast here.Shortly before Christmas break, Business In...

The Jan. 6 investigation

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A quick heads up that this is our last podcast until January 3rd. Today's episode is about the House committee investigating the riots at the Capitol ...

INTERVIEW: Counterterrorism expert and former FBI agent Clint Watts

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On today's Tangle podcast, we sit down with Clint Watts, a counterterrorism expert who studies Russian misinformation and used to serve in the FBI. Wa...

My Covid-19 story

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Isaac tells the tale of his Covid-19 diagnosis.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.Our news...

Manchin says 'no' to Biden

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, the West Virginia Democrat went on Fox News Sunday and all but ended the negotiations over President Biden's $1.7 trillion social spending ...

Covid strikes at Tangle.

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trevor is on the mic today to pass along a note from Isaac, and give you the quick hits of the day.You can read today's podcast here.You can subs...

Julian Assange's extradition.

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Friday, a British court ruled that Assange could be extradited to the U.S. to face charges under the Espionage Act for his role in publishing class...