Tangle
Episodes
Trump resumes collections on student loans.
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On May 5, the federal government began collecting on its defaulted student loan portfolio for the first time since March 2020 for approximat...
The Supreme Court's religious charter school ruling.
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked a religious online charter school from obtaining public funding from the state of Oklahoma. In a 4–...
Trump blasts Putin for escalation in Ukraine.
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Late Sunday night and into Monday morning, Russia launched its largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since the start of its full-scal...
PREVIEW - Isaac talks with Emily Oster
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, Isaac talks with Emily Oster, economist, author, and CEO of ParentData, to discuss declining fertility rates globally, the impact ...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Isaac talks with Sarah Isgur
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Isaac talks with Sarah Isgur, Senior Editor at The Dispatch, to discuss the recent acquisition of SCOTUSblog by The Dispatc...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Noah Rothman - Trump 2.0 repudiates the conservatism of Trump 1.0.
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every day, the Tangle team dives deep into commentary about the big, divisive story we are covering. And, I kid you not, almost every day we come acro...
Gaza on the brink.
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the start of a new “extensive ground operation” in Gaza, which follows a week of ai...
What's next for the big beautiful bill?
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump met with House Republicans in a closed-door meeting to urge them to vote in favor of a massive sp...
The Supreme Court takes up birthright citizenship, sort of.
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to lift or narrow a series of lower-court injunctions blocking the Trump administr...
Biden reveals cancer diagnosis amid "cover-up" allegations.
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, the personal office of former President Joe Biden announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer that had metastasized to t...
The Sunday Podcast: We were right about Biden, a divided DNC, and Trump's speech, with Kmele Foster.
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Isaac and Ari are joined by our newest team member, Editor-at-large Kmele Foster. They delve into media criticism surroundi...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Mailbag! Your questions and criticisms, our response.
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As part of our work at Tangle, we solicit reader questions about politics and our work every day in our newsletter. And every few months, so many inte...
The U.S. accepts Afrikaner refugees.
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, 59 South Africans arrived in the United States as refugees, the first group to be granted the designation under an executive...
Will Trump's executive order reduce drug prices?
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for U.S. citizens by establishing “...
Qatar's gift to Trump.
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday, ABC News reported that the Trump administration was preparing to accept a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from Qatar’s royal f...
The arrest of Newark's mayor.
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, federal officers arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) for trespassing at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention c...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Isaac and "White Smoke" Weitzman discuss the new Pope, reader criticism, and Joe Biden.
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Isaac and Ari discuss the recent election of a new Pope, and find a new nickname for Ari. They also talk about the criticis...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Whatever happened to the baby formula shortage?
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At Tangle, we’ve recently been reflecting on our coverage from the past five years, identifying stories that we covered once or twice, thought could...
The India–Pakistan conflict escalates.
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, the Indian government said it conducted several airstrikes in Pakistan-controlled territory. While India called the strikes a ...
Trump proposes 100% tariff on films.
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced that he will authorize the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to ...
Trump signs order to defund NPR and PBS.
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and all executive depa...
Trump's "skinny" budget proposal.
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, the Trump administration released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026. The White House recommends budgeting $557 billion in ...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Our interview with Greg Lukianoff.
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Senior Editor Will Kaback interviews Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE...
SPECIAL EDITION PREVIEW: My take on Trump's first 100 days (Part Two)
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday, we published Part 1 of our review of the Trump administration's first 100 days. You can read that here. Today, we are going to cover s...
SPECIAL EDITION: Trump's first 100 days — Part One.
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since there’s so much to cover, we’ll be reviewing President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in a two-part edition. This edition is part one, and ...
Canada's historic election.
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, Canada held a federal election for members of the House of Commons to the 45th Parliament. The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Ca...
Would a baby bonus boost the birth rate?
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has heard a range of proposals to increase the fertility rate in the United States. While taking questions i...
The arrest of a Wisconsin judge.
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping an unauthori...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Kmele Foster joins Isaac and Ari to race, Pope Francis, and judicial independence
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Kmele Foster joins Isaac and Ari to discuss race, identity, and racial categories. They explore personal anecdotes, societa...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Yes, Biden really did make a mess of immigration.
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul makes the argument that President Biden is largely responsible for the historic surge in illega...
Trump softens on China and Jerome Powell.
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While answering questions in the Oval Office on Tuesday, President Donald Trump made a series of remarks that appeared to soften his previou...
Pete Hegseth's uncertain future
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the past week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been the subject of scrutiny from former staffers and anonymous sources within the federal gov...
The death of Pope Francis.
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, the Vatican announcedPope Francis died at the age of 88. Francis, the Catholic Church’s 266th pope, had led the Church since 2013 as...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Isaac and Ari talk about all the things we don't know that we think we do know, more on Kilmar Abrego Garcia and then Audrey Moorehead joins us to talk about some of the Harvard controversies.
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Isaac and Ari jump back into the Kilmar Abrego Garcia controversy. And then we talk about all the things we don't know that...
FULL EPISODE - The Friday Edition: The SAVE Act - Separating truth from fiction.
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On April 10, the House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship ...
Is Trump defying the Supreme Court?
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, President Donald Trump hosted Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House amid a protracted legal fight over Kilmar Abrego Ga...
The Harvard–Trump standoff.
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, the Trump administration announced that it will freeze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University ...
The U.S.–Iran nuclear talks.
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, U.S. and Iranian officials initiated discussions in Oman over Iran’s nuclear program. The majority of the talks were indirect...
Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Mahmoud Khalil's deportation rulings.
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the past week, U.S. courts have issued a pair of significant rulings on the deportation actions of the Trump administration. On Thursday, the Supre...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Isaac and Ari talk about more DOGE cuts, American manufacturing, and other missed stories from the week.
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Isaac and Ari talk tariffs (duh), there's so much more to say, whether Americans really want manufacturing to come back? An...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Isaac talks with Richard Hanania
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul talks with author and political commentator Richard Hanania. They discuss his evolution from be...
Trump reverses, pauses tariffs.
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on the individualized tariffs imposed on U.S. trading partners, with the excep...
The Supreme Court rules on Trump's deportations.
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a 5–4 decision in Trump v. J.G.G., lifting a pair of temporary orders from U.S. District Judge Ja...
The HHS layoffs.
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, April 1, the Trump administration began large-scale layoffs at agencies across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)...
The global response to Trump's tariffs.
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump’s decision to implement a baseline 10% tariff on all U.S. trading partners and additional, individualized tariffs o...
FULL EPISODE - The Sunday Podcast: Kmele Foster joins Isaac and Ari to discuss tariffs, DOGE, consuming news.
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On today's Sunday podcast, Kmele Foster joins Isaac and Ari to discuss the ramifications of Trump's tariff policies, including what this means for the...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Why due process still matters.
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul makes the case for due process for anyone on American soil — and explaining how the recent de...
Trump's "liberation day" tariffs.
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a 10% across-the-board tariff on all U.S. trading partners, as well as heightened rates on sp...
The election results in Florida and Wisconsin.
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, voters in Florida elected two new U.S. representatives, while Wisconsin voters selected a new state Supreme Court justice. The races were ...
Trump's executive orders targeting law firms.
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Beginning in February, President Donald Trump issued a series of orders targeting law firms that he claims have engaged in “conduct detrim...
The Signal chat controversy and everything else we missed.
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, March 24, The Atlantic published a partial transcript of communications among Trump administration officials as they discussed impendi...
FULL EPISODE - Question Everything: Can Journalism Save a Marriage? (Featured on This American Life)
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A few months ago I made a decision that changed my life and the trajectory of Tangle for good.I was approached by a producer for a new podcast called ...
INTERVIEW: Ari talks with Christian Paz from Vox
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever read one of Vox’s famous “Explainer” articles, you’re probably familiar with Christian Paz’s work. His reporting is at the ...
INTERVIEW: Ari talks with Jack Nicastro from Reason
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I lived in California for four years. In that time, I left San Francisco because of wildfire smoke twice, helped plant trees in burn scars three times...
INTERVIEW: Isaac talks with Dave Weigel from Semafor
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the beginning of the Tangle team’s “spring break.” As part of fostering work-life balance and also assuring our small team can survive ...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Isaac and Will Kaback discuss all the stories we missed this week, Trump complying with court orders, Grok and Elon Musk.
23 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Will Kaback and Isaac Saul discuss all the craziness and numerous stories we missed this week. The fact that President Trump is co...
FULL EPISODE - The Friday Edition: Yes, I’d like to briefly defend Gavin Newsom.
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom recently launched a podcast called This is Gavin Newsom. The show is advertised as a way for...
The war in Gaza resumes.
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency (ISA) announcedthey had carried out a series of airstrikes against what th...
Trump, El Salvador, and the Alien Enemies Act.
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, the United States government transferred hundreds of noncitizens and alleged gang members to a detention facility in El Salvador, despite...
Trump strikes the Houthis.
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, the United States carried out a series of aerial and naval strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. President Donald Trump...
Democrats split after short-term funding bill passes.
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, President Donald Trump signed a stopgap bill to fund the government through September and avert a government shutdown. The bill...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Issac and Ari talk about Mahmoud Khalil, a (potential) a government shutdown, and interview River Page from the Free Press.
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Ari and Isaac discuss the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, the implications for free speech, and the legal rights of green card holders. ...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Your questions, answered.
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As part of the Tangle ethos, we solicit reader questions about politics and our work every day in our newsletter. And every few months, so many q...
Can the Senate prevent a government shutdown?
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The budget resolution and potential government shutdown. On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to fund the...
The U.S.–Canada trade war.
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to double his planned tariffs on all Canadian steel and aluminum imports from 25% to 50%. Trum...
Columbia University's funding cut and Mahmoud Khalil's arrest.
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, the Trump administration announced it will cut $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University in New York City for allege...
Dismantling the Department of Education.
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to sign an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to facilitate closing t...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Ari and Isaac recap last week and talk about Bill Ackman, comedians doing politics, Gavin Newsom and more.
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Ari and Isaac fulfilled a promise to recap everything that happened between Thursday and Sunday last week. Then Isaac tries to mak...
PREVIEW The Friday Edition: My thoughts on parenting and politics after 6 weeks of fatherhood.
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A little over six weeks ago, my wife gave birth to our first child. For today’s Friday edition, I decided to take a brief break from the news to sha...
The latest on tariffs and the economy.
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just after midnight on Tuesday, President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian imports — with a lower 10% tariff o...
Trump's address to Congress
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tuesday night, President Donald Trump addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time in his second term. Though not technically a ...
PREVIEW - INTERVIEW: Ari Weitzman talks with FairVote CEO Meredith Sumpter
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In January, Managing Editor talked with Meredith Sumpter. She is the CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization that researches and advances voting r...
Trump's federal cryptocurrency reserve.
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday, President Donald Trump namedfive digital assets — Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, and Cardano — that will make up a “Crypto Strateg...
The Trump-Zelensky meeting
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met at the White House to conduct final negotiations over ...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Isaac is back! Isaac and Ari discuss Elon Musk, government waste, the Ukraine deal and more.
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Isaac is officially back! Isaac and Ari talk about Elon Musk obviously, government waste, DOGE, some of the people that are flying...
FULL EPISODE - The Friday Edition: Debunking some myths about Tangle (and me).
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's Friday edition, Executive Editor and Founder, Isaac Saul, debunks some of the myths and misconceptions about Tangle (and himself). He outli...
The Trump-Zelensky mineral rights deal.
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had accepted the draft of a deal that would se...
Kash Patel’s confirmation and deputy appointment
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Kashyap “Kash” Patel as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Patel was a fo...
Musk’s directive to federal workers.
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, Elon Musk posted on X that federal employees must respond to an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) detailing t...
The firings at the Pentagon.
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, President Donald Trump firedthe chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., as part of a seri...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Ari and Jon discuss DOGE, Dems, and dynamics.
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Managing Editor Ari Weitzman and Executive Producer Jon Lall discuss various themes surrounding political dynamics, feedback on th...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Trump’s first month: The good, bad, unclear, and abhorrent.
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The day Donald Trump was inaugurated, my son was born.In retrospect, the timing feels inevitable ("Founder of politics newsletter has baby on inaugura...
The Senate and House budget plans
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans in Congress are moving to pass a budget plan to advance President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda. On Wednesday, the Senate&nbs...
Updates on the Department of Government Efficiency.
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has gained access or attempted to gain access to numerous departments across the fed...
U.S.-Russia negotiations on Ukraine
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Ru...
SPECIAL EDITION: Biden and Trump show us the promise and peril of presidential clemency.
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Editor's note: We are off for President's Day today, but have a special edition featuring a guest writer today.Core to our mission at Tangle is offeri...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Ari and Will talk about an NBA Trade, the Trump Administration and Defense Budgets
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Please enjoy this preview episode of our Sunday podcast. The full editions are available exclusively for premium podcast members. To become a member, ...
The 3rd Annual Valentine's Day Special featuring Isaac, Phoebe, and a very special (and tiny) guest.
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is the 3rd Annual Valentine's Day Podcast!On this special episode, Isaac and his amazing wife, Phoebe, talk about navigating through their experi...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Toward more perfect unions.
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2022, we published an original essay from our outgoing editorial intern Audrey Moorehead, who wrote about the experience of transiti...
The dropped charges against Eric Adams
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed the Southern District of New York to dismiss without prejudice all charges in i...
Defunding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought took over as acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFP...
Excluding trans women from women’s sports
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order called “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” prohibiting all participants who do no...
PREVIEW - INTERVIEW: Ari Weitzman talks with Senator Andy Kim
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ari Weitzman interviews Senator Andy Kim, the first Korean American Senator from New Jersey. They discuss Kim's political journey, his motivations for...
Legal challenges to the Department of Government Efficiency.
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Saturday, a federal judge blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff from accessing the Treasury Department’s payment...
PREVIEW - The Sunday Podcast: Ari and Will talk about Trump's foreign policy, DEI, and Ari interviews Emma Varvaloucas.
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Please enjoy this preview episode of our Sunday podcast. The full editions are available exclusively for premium podcast members. To become a member, ...
PREVIEW - The Friday Edition: Making sense of the Washington, D.C., plane crash.
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Wednesday, January 29, an Army Black Hawk helicopter carrying three soldiers collided with an American Airlines plane carrying 60 passengers and fo...
PREVIEW - INTERVIEW: Will Kaback talks with Stephen Hawkins
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re publishing Editor Will Kaback’s conversation with Stephen Hawkins, director of research at More in Common, a nonprofit that researche...
President Trump’s comments on Gaza.
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the United States will take over the Gaza Strip to facilitate its reconstruction after it was largel...
SPECIAL EDITION: Catching up on under-the-radar stories
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump administration has started with a whirlwind, and we’ve been working overtime to keep up with everything. Between the Senate nominations, e...
The future of USAID.
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, following a week of upheaval at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced h...