On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee about his efforts to overhaul U.S. health agencies and change federal vaccine policy. The hearing was at times combative, as Senators asked Kennedy about the Trump administration’s firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Susan Monarez, subsequent resignations of other CDC leaders, and regulatory changes to Covid-19 vaccine access.

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You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

Take the survey: Do you trust the CDC’s vaccine guidance? Let us know.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

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“What does the government know about you?”

A few weeks ago, Tangle staff member Russell Nystrom brought up this question in a team meeting. How much? How little? Where do they get the information and what, possibly, could they do with it?

It’s an evocative question and the truth was, I only had a rough idea of the answer. Russell wanted to explore it for a story and I encouraged him to do so — and then he enlisted help from two editors on our team, Lindsey Knuth and Audrey Moorehead.

Today, I’m proud to share the piece that came out of Russell’s question, which offers a series of eye-opening and thought-provoking answers.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

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Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk about the implications of recent U.S. military actions in Venezuela, the controversial Gaza reconstitution plan, and the ongoing challenges in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conversation also touches on the personal side of life, with reflections on parenthood and the societal structures that support it. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.

Take the survey: What do you think about the recent strike? Let us know.

Disagree? That's okay. My opinion is just one of many. Write in and let us know why, and we'll consider publishing your feedback.

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 Isaac Saul and edited and engineered 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent years, several U.S. states and a number of countries have legalized Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), also known as physician-assisted suicide or physician-assisted death. While definitions vary, the practice generally allows people facing imminent death from a terminal illness to end their lives by administering drugs with support and supervision from a doctor (or team of doctors). In some countries, people with certain chronic illnesses and disabilities are also eligible for MAID. As more states considerlegalizing the practice, proponents and opponents have raised ethical concerns about how MAID is regulated — and whether it should be legal at all.

Today’s piece includes detailed discussions of suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

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You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

Take the survey: What groups do you think should have access to physician-assisted suicide? Let us know.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Ari Weitzman and edited and engineered 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

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On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in a 7–4 decision that President Donald Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing tariffs unilaterally, upholding a lower court decision. The appeals court’s decision targeted the tariffs Trump justified by declaring a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the “reciprocal tariffs” Trump imposed on all U.S. trading partners, but does not apply to the industry-specific duties that the president invoked under a different authority. Additionally, the court did not rule on whether the IEEPA justified any presidential tariffs. The Trump administration plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

• We’re excited to announce that our third installment of Tangle Live will be held on October 24, 2025, at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Irvine, California. If you’re in the area (or want to make the trip), we’d love to have you join Isaac and the team for a night of spirited discussion, live Q&A, and opportunities to meet the team in person. You can read more about the event and purchase tickets 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.

Take the survey: How do you think the Supreme Court will respond to the administration’s appeal? Let us know!

Disagree? That's okay. My opinion is just one of many. Write in and let us know why, and we'll consider publishing your feedback.

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: Isaac Saul and edited and engineered 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

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A version of today’s newsletter was originally published in 2022 after the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. We are republishing that piece today in light of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which killed two children (an eight- and ten-year-old) and injured 18 others.

The details of the two shootings differ in some places. The attack from this week appears to be a targeted crime against Catholic schoolchildren. The shooter, in this case, was reportedly a transgender woman and former student at the school in question. There are fewer open questions related to the law enforcement response in the shooting in Minnesota than there were in the Uvalde, Texas shooting.

Still, the heart of the stories is the same: A young person with multiple guns shot more than a dozen children. Many of the responses were also similar, the statistics have not changed, and the discussion of possible solutions is stuck in the same partisan mud. Accordingly, since this story evokes the same pain and anguish, and because my response and proposed solutions still feel relevant, we decided to rerun this piece. In places where we thought it was useful, we’ve added a few “Editor’s notes” to pull in more recent data, context, or updates.

By the way: If you are not yet a podcast member, and you want to upgrade your newsletter subscription plan to include a podcast membership (which gets you ad-free podcasts, Friday editions, The Sunday podcast, bonus content), you can do that here. That page is a good resource for managing your Tangle subscription (just make sure you are logged in on the website!)

Ad-free podcasts are here!

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele talk about the tragic Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis. Then we discuss how the world and press is revolving around Trump like it's 2017 again. They then talk about how the Ghislaine Maxwell testimony and how it didnt get nearly enough attention. Lastly, some chatter and grievances about clankers and ai robots destroying the world.

Ad-free podcasts are here!

Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it. You can 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 edited and engineered 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, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.