The Sunday — October 13

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 left is doodling.

What the right is doodling.

Reader essay.

Last week, we published a piece on the relief efforts afterto Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, pleading with readers not to amplify misinformation that could hamper genuine relief efforts. One of our readers, Finley “Fin” Gold, was a part of the emergency communications in North Carolina during those efforts. Fin is a ham radio operator in North Carolina, and in this essay, he gives a thorough recounting of what emergency responders, government agencies, volunteers, and those in the path of Helene went through while communications in western North Carolina were blacked out. It’s one of the most illuminating looks into the challenges North Carolinians faced during the storm, as well as in responding to it, and you can read it here.

Have a personal story or local issue 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’re including two comments from the same edition that critique our coverage in two different ways. In our coverage of Jack Smith’s new filing on Donald Trump, readers responded to our criticism that Jack Smith was being too political from different angles.

Brad questions the legal system’s ability to respond to Trump.

“I agree with Isaac's take but what do you do with someone like Trump? He drags everyone into the mud with him. So, when you fight like him, you're called immoral or wrong. If you try to fight fairly, you lose. From what I see, Smith thinks he's damaging his character for the good fight, but in actuality no one cares and it won't change a single vote. That makes me feel sorry for him.”

D.A.K. believes that political targeting does not matter if the evidence and case is sound. 

“Frankly I'm getting tired of people using ‘politically motivated’ and ’lawfare’ as if such terms automatically and conclusively invalidate any lawsuit or criminal case toward a politician, regardless of evidence or circumstance. It's an argument for idiots.

Even if he is being targeted (which I agree is probable), if the evidence and case is sound, it does not matter. Saying ‘we should wait and get the timing right so it's not inconvenient for his political career’ is also ludicrous. Call me old fashioned, but if the evidence shows he has indeed broken the law, he should be held accountable. Actions have consequences, and people are responsible for their actions.

That said, this goes both ways. If those targeting him are indeed putting forward lawsuits and criminal cases that are deeply flawed and will never succeed in an attempt to harm his reputation or chances of being elected, or pushing bogus cases and charges as some kind of political retribution, then those people should also be held accountable, including at the very least being disbarred.”

Monday, October  7.

The first anniversary of Oct. 7. Monday marked one year since Hamas’s attack on Israel, in which the U.S.-designated terrorist group killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, 97 of whom remain captive. The anniversary came amid weeks of escalating violence in the Middle East as Israel continues to fight Hamas in Gaza while beginning a ground operation in Lebanon against Hezbollah and preparing for a potential war with Iran. 

Our take. “Most importantly, we should all remember the victims of Hamas’s attack a year ago today. We can do that while also criticizing the choices that Netanyahu and Israel have made following that attack. Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah all share the blame here, but Israel needs to do something new or it will only perpetuate the same cycles of violence.”

Reader Survey:

Tuesday, October 8.

The recent Jack Smith filing. On Wednesday, October 2, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed special counsel Jack Smith’s latest filing in United States v. Donald Trump, concerning alleged criminal actions committed by the former president following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. In the filing, Smith argues that Trump "resorted to crimes" to remain in power and was acting outside the scope of his official duties as president when he pressured state officials and then-Vice President Mike Pence to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Our take: “You’re not going to hear me defend Trump for his actions before or after January 6. However, what Jack Smith is doing here is plainly political, and dishonorable. Smith and Chutkan have now made the story about their own behavior.” 

Reader Survey: 

Wednesday, October 9.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk. On Saturday, October 5, the tech executive joined former President Donald Trump at a rally. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the owner of X (formerly Twitter), addressed the rally’s attendees and reaffirmed his support for Trump’s candidacy while criticizing Democrats on a range of issues. Broadly, the speech exemplified Musk’s evolution from a political moderate to an outspoken advocate for the former president. 

Our take: “On paper, Musk’s wealth and influence seems like a huge win for Trump. However, Musk’s material support comes with increasingly controversial views and unwanted baggage. I’m unsure if Musk’s celebrity influence is going to really help Trump, but his money and his online power certainly will.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, October 10.

Ghost guns. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Garland v. VanDerStok, a case challenging a 2022 Biden administration rule that regulated unserialized firearms, also known as “ghost guns.” During arguments, a majority of justices on the court seemed skeptical of the plaintiffs’ case, indicating that they would uphold the rule when they issue their decision in summer 2025. 

Our take: “Anyone who’s read Tangle for a while knows that I enjoy guns but also want more common-sense gun regulation. From a practical standpoint, I want ghost guns to be regulated like all other guns already are. From a legal standpoint, the argument is much less clear — but I do think the ATF’s rule complies with the law.”

Reader Survey: 

Friday, October 11.

With elections coming up next month, this week’s Friday edition highlighted 10 ballot initiatives being voted on in various states. Read the piece here. 

Recommended reading.

“Loving the novel is a bit like a rebellious love, like a teenager’s reaction to their parents’ love… You have to feel hemmed in by its limitations to truly love it, to feel excited by it. I like the limitations of the novel. I like feeling them pressing in on me while I’m trying to get close to my characters.’”

In recent years, Sally Rooney’s novels have consistently made bestseller lists and some have been adapted for the screen. Rooney joined Merve Emre for a conversation just after the publication of her latest book, “Intermezzo.” Read the Paris Review piece here. 

On the channels.

INSTAGRAM: Haven’t followed the news this weekend? We rounded up some of the top headlines from Friday in this Instagram post.  

PODCAST: On our Sunday podcast this week, Isaac and Ari debate when to butter a pan, discuss Jack Smith’s court filing, and brush over a few election hot takes before Isaac tries to guess every president’s favorite movie. You can listen to the podcast here. 

BONUS: We did not produce a YouTube video for this week, but in case you missed it, the folks at the Question Everything podcast ran an episode of how Tangle saved a marriage. It was a very emotional and rewarding piece for all of us to listen to, and you can check it out here.

Tweet of the week.

Famed hockey journalist Greg Wyshynski, @wyshynski, brought a little levity to the effects the recent hurricanes were having on the start of the NHL season:

Tangle’s favorites.

We have an auditory edition of favorites this week, all of varying degrees of seriousness.

Infotainment.

This week, Amazon held Prime Day, the e-commerce company’s annual self-named big-sale holiday. The two-day shopping bonanza has inspired a devoted legion of followers, as well as run-of-the-mill online shoppers who wait all year to buy a coveted air fryer or 85” television at 40% off. Here are some numbers on the Prime event.

• 2015. The year of the first Prime Day.
• 24. The number of Prime Days held to date. 
• $1 billion. The estimated cumulative savings on Prime Day sales during this week’s event.
• $14.2 billion. The total sales across all U.S. e-commerce retailers during July’s Prime Day event.

Ask the readers.

Last week, Emily asked readers what they finally understand that they didn’t really “get.” 

Since we chose his answer, we gave Ernie the opportunity to ask our readers a question in today’s newsletter.

You can let us know your thoughts by replying to this email or through this form.

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