Tangle

The literacy crisis is one of the most profound problems facing Gen Z and Gen Alpha. As my generation ages up into the workforce and the citizenry, lower literacy rates mean a decline in the ability to understand the world around us — including the laws and political texts upon which this country was built. And if fewer Americans understand the texts that shape our society, our society will be susceptible to changing for the worse, forgetting the whys and the hows that built the most successful, prosperous nation on earth. In the belly of that forgetting lies the possibility of national decline.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!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Audrey Moorehead and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On Thursday, the conflict in Iran, which began over the weekend with U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, some members of his family, and several other top Iranian officials, continued into a sixth day. Since the initial strikes on Saturday, Israel has ramped up its attacks, with heavy strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian military infrastructure in Tehran. As part of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military has struck nearly 2,000 targets in Iran and “struck or sunk” over 20 Iranian ships, according to U.S. Central Command. According to human rights group HRANA, more than 1,000 civilians— including 181 children under the age of ten — have died so far in the conflict. 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!Further viewing.In yesterday’s Suspension of the Rules podcast, Isaac, Ari and Kmele discuss the argument for the Iran war, the primary results in Texas, and the “Good guy of the week” — Sen. John Kennedy. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube.You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How has your life been impacted since the U.S. launched a direct attack on Iran? Let us know.Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On todays episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac, Ari and Kmele breakdown where we're at with the conflict in Iran as well as the latest results with the primary elections in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas, a good guy of the week nomination and last but not least, a very solid 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 premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On Tuesday, voters in Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas voted in party primaries to elect candidates for federal, state, and local offices in the 2026 midterms. In the Texas Democratic Senate primary, state Rep. James Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, while Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton will head to a runoff in the Republican Senate primary. In North Carolina, former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) won their respective party’s Senate primaries. Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton (R) won renomination for a third term in Arkansas’s Republican Senate primary and will face farmer Hallie Shoffner (D) in the general election. The rise of measles.Last month, we covered measles outbreaks in different states across the country, leading the United States to the brink of losing its elimination status with the disease for the first time in over two decades. For our latest YouTube video, Associate Producer Aidan Gorman takes a look into what’s driving the rise in cases, and the role that vaccines have to play.You can watch the video here!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!You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Who do you think will win this year’s Texas Senate election? Let us know.Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On Friday, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to immediately cease their use of the artificial intelligence (AI) company Anthropic’s technology after it declined to allow the Pentagon unrestricted access to its models. Later in the day, Defense Secretary Hegseth directed the Pentagon to designate Anthropic as a “supply chain risk to national security,” which he said would bar contractors, suppliers, or partners doing business with the U.S. military from conducting commercial activity with Anthropic. Shortly after, OpenAI announced it had agreed to let the Pentagon use its AI models within classified systems. 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!A special report.We know that all eyes are on Iran right now, but we also wanted to highlight a special report from West Texas we broke over the weekend. Last week, the Trump administration waived a series of environmental laws and regulations to begin awarding contracts for border wall construction in Texas’s Big Bend region, where Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul owns land. Isaac wrote about what he’s hearing from residents, the reason he’s opposed to a wall, and why he hopes Trump abandons the plan. This is a special report, available for free to all readers. You can read it here. You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think of the military partnering with AI services? Let us know.Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On todays Special Edition, Will Kaback interviews cultural critic, writer and author Thomas Chatterton Williams about his new book Summer of Our Discontent. 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!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was hosted by Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On Saturday morning, the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes against Iran, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other leaders. President Donald Trump said the ongoing mission, called Operation Epic Fury, will target Iran’s nuclear facilities, military capabilities and regime leaders, adding that Iranian citizens should prepare to take over the government. The attack marks the Trump administration’s second operation against Iran, following airstrikes targeting the country’s nuclear facilities in June 2025. Upcoming livestream.At 8:00pm ET tonight, Executive Editor Isaac Saul is going live on YouTube with updates on the situation in Iran and to answer questions from the Tangle community about the conflict. You can submit your questions ahead of time here, or tune in to the livestream at 8:00pm and ask in the chat. Join us at 8:00pm here.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!You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: What do you think about going to war with Iran? Let us know.Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved even-numbered years — because I absolutely love the Olympics. They combine my two truest boyhood passions: sports and America.I was a sports-obsessed little Pittsburgh kid. When I was nine, I won a contest at a local video rental store ahead of Super Bowl XXX by correctly identifying the first points the Steelers ever scored in a Super Bowl as a safety. Before I even entered junior high, I’d been to several dozen Penn State football games with my dad, and probably about a dozen wrestling meets. I can still name the four Pittsburgh Penguins who won gold medals with the Czech Republic at the 1998 Nagano Olympics (Jaromir Jagr, Martin Straka, Jiri Slegr, and Robert Lang) as well as each of their Pittsburgh jersey numbers (68, 82, 71, 20). I was star-struck when I got to be a ball boy for a Team USA soccer game in Hershey, PA, and actually got to feed Mia Hamm the ball for a throw-in....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!You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

On Tuesday, in his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act (SITA), a bill that would bar members of Congress and some immediate family members from trading individual stocks. The line led to one of the few instances of bipartisan applause during Trump’s speech, and the president’s reference renewed discussions over efforts to curtail lawmakers’ trading. 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!You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: How do you think Congressional stock trading should be reformed? Let us know.Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Ari Weitzman and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.