The Sunday — June 30

This is the Tangle Sunday Edition, a brief roundup of our independent politics coverage plus some extra features for your Sunday morning reading.

What the right is doodling.

What the left is doodling.

Correction.

Last week, we wrote that a topic of discussion on our Sunday podcast was a recent law that the Ten Commandments would have to be displayed in every classroom in Alabama, when the law was passed in Louisiana. 

Despite past issues with formatting in The Sunday, this is our 1st correction in The Sunday's 27-week history. We track corrections and place them at the top of the newsletter in an effort to maximize transparency with readers.

Reader essay.

What do you get when you’re a lifelong libertarian whose family suffers a medical setback? To hear an anonymous Tangle reader in California tell it, you get karma running over your dogma. Our reader tells his story of his newborn son’s cerebral palsy diagnosis, how government programs helped his family, and how he’s adapted his libertarian ideologies. It’s a perfect fit for our Sunday reader essay, and you can read the full piece here.

Have a local or personal story you want to write about? Pitch us! Fill out this form or reply to this email, and we’ll get back to you if we’re hooked.

Reader review.

In this section, we like to include reader responses that counter or challenge opinions we publish in the newsletter. In response to our piece on Julian Assange, Clive told us why he thinks Assange actually got off easy:

I agree that Assange has helped highlight the threat to a productive and constructive fourth estate. However Assange knew very well that some people would likely be assassinated and tortured as a result of some of the intelligence he dumped. That makes him an accessory to those crimes. I see no remorse in his statements, only a man very clever at hiding behind the ‘free press’ movement for his own ego and financial gain. He may have served his time but he hasn’t come close to paying the price for getting innocent people killed.

Tangle’s main stories this week were a Supreme Court ruling on gun restrictions, the Louisiana Ten Commandments law, Julian Assange’s plea deal, and Jamaal Bowman's primary defeat. For full versions, you can find all of our past coverage in our archive.

Monday, June 24.

United States v. Rahimi. On Friday, June 21, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law barring anyone subject to a restraining order for domestic violence from possessing firearms. The ruling reversed a judgment by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the law violated the Second Amendment’s guarantee of a right to keep and bear arms. The 8-1 ruling was the court’s first major decision on Second Amendment issues since New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen in 2022, which established a right to carry guns outside the home and required gun control laws to be “consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation.” That decision prompted several challenges to limits on gun possession, including Rahimi.

• From the right. The right was mixed on the ruling, suggesting the court did little to resolve the underlying issues of the case. In National Review, Dan McLaughlin said the ruling “dodges questions about due process of law.”
• From the left. The left supported the decision but criticized the court for past rulings that compelled them to hear this case. In The Nation, Elie Mystal suggested the court got the ruling right but “for completely bonkers reasons.”
• Our take. “I think the court came to the right conclusion, both legally and practically. We limit constitutional rights on the basis of safety all the time, and this case is just one example of many where it makes sense to do so. The most interesting thing going forward is how Rahimi will affect other gun rights cases before the court.”

Tuesday, June 25.

The Ten Commandments law in Louisiana. Last week, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom in the state — from elementary school up to public colleges. The bill, HB 71, requires the commandments "be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches" and printed in "large, easily readable font." The display must include a Protestant translation of the Ten Commandments accompanied by a three-paragraph introductory statement asserting that the Ten Commandments were a primary part of American public education for almost three centuries. 

• From the left. The left views the law as a blatant attempt to roll back religious liberties in the U.S. In The New Republic, Matt Ford called the law “Supreme Court bait.”
• From the right. The right is generally supportive of the law, arguing that it comports with schools’ purpose to provide a moral education. In The Federalist, John Daniel Davidson wrote “the Ten Commandments should be taught in classrooms, not just hung on the wall.”
• Our take. “I’m a religious Jew who finds value in the Ten Commandments, and I couldn’t disagree more with this bill. It’s a divisive, ineffective, and religiously degrading way of trying to get a lesson across that does more to score cheap political points than help Louisiana students. Perhaps Governor Landry is trying to distract from other education issues in his state, but his energy is better spent trying to solve those problems.”

Wednesday, June 26.

Julian Assange’s plea deal. Last week, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was released from a British prison to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge with the U.S. Justice Department. The deal ends the years-long legal battle by the U.S. government to prosecute the computer expert and internet publisher over his public release of classified materials. Assange pleaded guilty to a single felony count of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified information. He was not sentenced to additional prison time and was granted time served for the five years he spent imprisoned in the United Kingdom, according to court documents. Upon the conclusion of the hearing, Assange returned to Australia. 

• From the right. The right was mixed on the deal, with some arguing Assange should have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law while others feel the deal is appropriate. In The Spectator, Mary Dejevsky argued the deal “is ethically dubious.” 
• From the left. The left was also mixed on the deal, though many worry that the outcome could still have a chilling effect on press freedoms. In The Daily Beast, Seth Stern wrote “Julian Assange’s plea deal still threatens free speech.”
• Our take. “It’s long past time that Julian Assange was made a free man. WikiLeaks has had its moments of scandal and corruption, and Assange is not a typical journalist, but he’s been punished mostly for things all journalists do. For the sake of the future of a free press, his release is a good thing.”

Thursday, June 27.

The NY-16 primary. On Tuesday, June 25, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost to Democratic challenger George Latimer in the primary election for New York’s 16th Congressional District. The race was one of the most closely watched primaries in the country and the most expensive House primary ever, with around $24 million spent on advertising alone. Latimer led Bowman 58%-42% with 88% of the vote counted as of this morning and will now face Republican Miriam Flisser in the district’s congressional election on Nov. 5, a race he is likely to win as Cook Political Report rates NY-16 as “solid Democrat.”

• From the left. The left was mixed on the implications of Bowman’s loss, with some arguing progressives shouldn’t overreact to outside spending on the race and others arguing the result is a blow to progressives in New York. In MSNBC, Zeeshan Aleem called Bowman’s defeat “a big deal.”
• From the right. The right celebrates Bowman’s defeat, suggesting his controversies were too much to overcome even as the incumbent. The Wall Street Journal editorial board said voters rejected Bowman’s “antagonistic progressive politics.”
• Our take. “Bowman didn’t lose to Latimer because of AIPAC, but because he’d staked out less popular stances. For months now Bowman has been trailing in the polls, due primarily to his fire-alarm stunt, his denial of sexual assault on October 7, his breaking with Biden, and other antics that just don’t play well with voters. If progressives want to stop losing elections, they’re going to have to own their losses.”

Friday, June 28.

In a special Friday edition, we covered the first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump of the 2024 election. We broke down the right and left’s response to the debate, then the three full-time members of our editorial staff responded to it in our unique day-after coverage.

Reader surveys.

Monday, a Supreme Court case on gun restrictions:

Tuesday, the Louisiana Ten Commandments law:

Wednesday, Julian Assange’s plea deal:

Thursday, Jamaal Bowman's primary defeat:

Friday, the first presidential debate:

Recommended reading.

Federer is of this type — a type that one could call genius, or mutant, or avatar. He is never hurried or off-balance. The approaching ball hangs, for him, a split-second longer than it ought to. His movements are lithe rather than athletic. Like Ali, Jordan, Maradona, and Gretzky, he seems both less and more substantial than the men he faces. Particularly in the all-white that Wimbledon enjoys getting away with still requiring, he looks like what he may well (I think) be: a creature whose body is both flesh and, somehow, light.

In the newsletter on Thursday, we linked to Roger Federer’s commencement address at Dartmouth University from earlier this month. Given that both Federer and Rafael Nadal — two of the greatest tennis players to ever do it — are at the ends of their careers, today felt like a great time to look back at this legendary and 18-year-old article from David Foster Wallace, one of the greatest to ever do it in his own right as a pensmith. Wallace takes the subject of a Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal to rhapsodize the Swiss legend’s mastery of the game, in the unique and transcendent style (Wallace’s style) that typified his writing and brought him great acclaim in his tragically shortened life. If you haven’t read this piece yet, it’s simply a must read, and The New York Times has it. 

On the channels.

Sunday Podcast: On this week’s Sunday podcast, Isaac, Ari and Will go over the first presidential debate — why Trump was the obvious winner, and what it means for Democrats moving forward. Listen here.

Instagram: On Thursday evening, we posted the infamous moment in the debate when the two candidates could not resist throwing jabs at each other’s golf games. We posted a reel about it here.

YouTube: We don’t have a new YouTube video this week, but if you haven’t gotten a chance to watch it yet, check out our Juneteenth video!

Tweet of the week.

Turning away from the world of politics and the debate for a minute — the poetic muse moved through @Dempster2000 in describing a hairline:

Tangle’s favorites.

Infotainment.

We’re bringing back this brand new section that we premiered last week. This week, we’re turning our attention to the stock market. On Wednesday, Amazon’s stock price increased by 3.5% and pushed its stock into rarified air. The tech giant’s market capitalization surpassed $2 trillion, making it the fifth company — along with Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, and Alphabet (which owns Google) — to reach the milestone.

• 209: The new worth in billions of dollars of Jeff Bezos, the second-highest net worth of any person in the world behind only Elon Musk ($219 billion).
• 3.365: The market capitalization in trillions of dollars of Microsoft, currently the highest-valued company in the world.
• 3: The number of companies in the top ten of market capitalization that are not tech companies — Saudi Aramco, Berkshire Hathaway, and Eli Lilly.

Ask the readers.

Last week, Eric asked readers what they do to separate work from home. 

Since we chose his answer, we gave Rich a chance to ask our readership anything. 

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Starting with the first letter, add one letter in any position to the preceding line to answer the clue to each line. 

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