My talk just went live.
I’m Isaac Saul, and this is Tangle: an independent, nonpartisan, subscriber-supported politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum on the news of the day — then “my take.”
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Today's read: 3 minutes.
We're doing something different today.
First: Tomorrow, our members-only Friday edition is on Project 2025. We spoke to some of the people behind the project (and some of its critics) and have spent weeks researching it. This is one of the most requested topics we've ever been asked to cover in Tangle. We'll send a free preview to everyone, but if you want to read the whole thing, you'll need to become a Tangle member.
Second: A few months ago I flew to Vancouver to give a talk at TED2024 in Vancouver. I'd call something like this a "bucket list" item, except I never actually imagined it was something I'd get to do. The invitation was more like a monster surprise, a major career achievement, and a really fun way to spread the word about what we're doing here at Tangle.
Anyway, when I made the trip, we announced it in the newsletter. Predictably, thousands of readers asked about how to watch or listen to the TED talk, so we decided to highlight the video in the newsletter once the final version was released. It took a few months, but my talk has finally been published.
In it, I discuss Tangle’s mission, the work we are doing, and the current state of U.S. polarization. Anyone who reads Tangle should find it interesting, so we’re sharing the talk with everyone here in lieu of a regular newsletter. While you're there, I ask that you please leave a comment (tell people to go read Tangle!) or "like" the video, which will boost it in the YouTube algorithm and hopefully encourage TED to promote it. These simple actions will drive new readers to Tangle and would be very helpful for us.
Finally, I want to give a special shoutout to a few people: Tangle Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, who wrote the first draft of the talk and deserves much of the credit for how well it turned out. Cloe Shasha Brooks from TED, who helped us refine and edit it several times over — she is incredibly good at her job, and also a regular Tangle reader, which makes me like her even more. And Chris Anderson, the president of TED, who shared some of our initial coverage of the war in Gaza and then responded to my direct message on Twitter, which is how I ended up getting involved with TED. You guys all rock, and I appreciate you.
As always, if you have thoughts about anything we write or that I say, feel free to let us know. But most of all: Please engage with the video and then share it, which will help us spread the word about Tangle! Without further ado, here it is:
Thanks,
Isaac & the Tangle team
Quick hits.
Although we're skipping our main newsletter today, we didn't want to leave you high and dry on the news. Here are five quick hits from the last 24 hours:
- The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed three senior White House aides to sit for depositions on President Biden's health. (The subpoenas) Separately, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) became the first Democratic senator to urge President Biden to step down. (The call)
- The U.S. consumer-price index for June rose 3.0% year-over-year, and the core consumer price index rose 0.1% from May, the smallest month-to-month increase since August 2021. (The report)
- President Biden announced 25% tariffs on steel product imports from Mexico that were not melted and poured in Mexico, the U.S., or Canada as part of an effort to limit China’s evasion of U.S. tariffs. (The announcement)
- The Israeli military told all residents of Gaza City to evacuate south to the central Gaza Strip, the second time since the Israel-Hamas war began that the entirety of Gaza City has been ordered to evacuate. (The order) Separately, CIA Director Bill Burns met with senior Qatari, Egyptian, and Israeli officials to discuss the remaining hurdles to a ceasefire deal. (The meeting)
- The Federal Trade Commission plans to sue the three largest pharmacy benefit managers over their tactics for negotiating drug prices following a two-year investigation into their practices. (The suit)
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