_This is the Tangle Sunday Edition, a brief roundup of our independent politics coverage plus some extra features for your Sunday morning reading._ ****Reminder: Tangle is currently on winter break. We will send a regular newsletter tomorrow and then will be on break again until January 5. Our next Sunday edition will be sent on January 11, 2026. Have a happy new year!**** ### What the right is doodling. Gary Varvel | Creators Syndicate ### What the left is doodling. John Deering | Creators Syndicate ### Monday, December 22. _The new Epstein files_. On Friday, December 19, the Justice Department (DOJ) released a trove of files related to the government’s investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including photographs, handwritten notes on his stationery, and evidence seized at his properties. The latest release is the most substantive disclosure of documents related to Epstein yet; however, lawmakers from both parties immediately raised concerns about significant redactions and omissions from this batch. Over the weekend, the DOJ released additional documents and removed others from the government website. **Our take:** _“After so many years, we’re finally starting to get answers to some questions about Epstein. These releases also raise more questions, like how Steve Bannon and Alex Acosta fit into the story. I doubt we’ll ever get a trajectory-shifting smoking gun, but the drip of new information is likely to continue for some time.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Tuesday, December 23. _Some closing thoughts on the year_. As we prepared for our holiday break, we sent out a closing message on 2025 to all our readers. It was a big year for Tangle, where our newsletter subscribership increased from 290,000 to 460,000, our podcast averaged 500,000 downloads a month, our YouTube subscribers passed 25,000, and our full-time team increased to 12 staff members. We’re looking forward to a happy and healthy 2026, and thank you all for reading, watching, listening, and subscribing! _Reminder: Tangle is currently on winter break. We will be in your inbox with sporadic editions during that time, and will resume our regular coverage on Monday, January 5._ ### Wednesday, December 24. _We did not release a newsletter on Wednesday in observance of Christmas Eve and our winter break._ ### Thursday, December 25. _We did not release a newsletter on Thursday in observance of Christmas Day and our winter break._ ### Friday, December 26. _We did not release a newsletter on Friday in observance of our winter break._ * * * ### What just happened. Our last regular feature was on Monday, so here is an expansive list of the major stories that have broken since then. * On Monday, President Donald Trump announced a plan for a new U.S. Navy battleship that will be armed with hypersonic missiles, nuclear cruise missiles, rail guns, and high-powered lasers. The warship will be part of what Trump called a “Golden Fleet” of Navy battleships. (_The announcement_) * On Monday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Trump administration had suspended the authority of five major offshore wind farms to build in federal waters, citing national security concerns. (_The suspension_) * On Tuesday, the Commerce Department announced that U.S. gross domestic product rose at a seasonal- and inflation-adjusted 4.3% annual rate in Q3 2025, increasing from 3.8% growth in Q2. The growth was concentrated in the healthcare, international travel, and legal services sectors. (_The numbers_) * On Tuesday, former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) announced he had been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer, which he said was terminal. (_The announcement_) * On Tuesday, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to lift a federal judge’s ruling barring it from deploying National Guard troops in Illinois while a legal challenge proceeds through the courts. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch dissented. (_The ruling_) * On Tuesday, the Department of Education said that it will begin garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers in default in early January, restarting a practice that had been paused since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. (_The restart_) * On Wednesday, election officials in Honduras announced conservative Nasry Asfura won the country’s presidential election after weeks of counting votes. (_The election_) * On Wednesday, the Department of Justice said that it received over one million new documents potentially related to Jeffrey Epstein from the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The department said it “may take a few more weeks” to review the new files. (_The documents_) * On Thursday, President Trump announced the United States carried out airstrikes in Nigeria targeting ISIS militants that he said were targeting and killing Christians in the country. (_The strikes_) * On Friday, a winter storm struck the Northeast United States, with New York and New Jersey declaring states of emergency. (_The latest_) Separately, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency in several Southern California counties after significant rainfall. (_The storms_) * On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he will meet with President Trump in Florida on Sunday to discuss the latest peace plan to end the Russia–Ukraine war. Earlier in the week, Zelensky released a 20-point peace plan that he described as 90% complete. (_The meeting_) Separately, on Saturday, Russia launched a missile and drone attack on Kyiv, killing at least one person and wounding 27. * On Saturday, Cambodia and Thailand signed a ceasefire ending three weeks of fighting along their shared border. At least 22 civilians — 21 in Cambodia and one in Thailand — had been killed since an earlier ceasefire broke on December 8. (_The ceasefire_) ### Reader essay. Cover image for ontherecord2030.org | Image by Jacob Sargent This past week, Isaac put some predictions down on paper for the next few years. We tend to shy away from prognostication at Tangle, but if done periodically then committing to predictions can be helpful. Beliefs about the future are makers of our worldviews, and if those beliefs prove incorrect then they provide hard, empirical data points prompting us to reflect on where our worldviews may be off. Reader Jacob Sargent couldn’t agree more. Several months ago, Jacob sent us a link to _ontherecord2030.org_, a website he was developing to allow anybody (whether they run a media company or not) to put down their predictions and test their worldviews. Jacob describes his thought process and motivations — and gives a link to his predictions site — in this week’s reader essay. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Creating ontherecord2030.org

We're off starting tomorrow.

Plus, is the $1,776 "warrior dividend" actually new?

In this episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac Saul, Ari Weitzman, and Kmele Foster grapple with a fundamental question in American politics: does character still matter in leadership?

_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. John Deering | Creators Syndicate ### What the right is doodling. Al Goodwyn | Creators Syndicate ### Monday, December 15. _The mass shooting in Australia_. On Sunday, two gunmen opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, killing 15 people and injuring dozens of others in the country’s deadliest mass shooting since 1996. According to authorities, the shooters were a father and son, and the father was shot and killed by the police while the son sustained “critical injuries.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the shooting “an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism”; investigators have said they are still working to understand the shooters’ motives but believe they were inspired by the Islamic State. **Our take:** _“Bad information about the shooting is everywhere, but we can confidently say that this was a terror attack targeting Jews. These events are a rarity in Australia, and the attack is already prompting a national reckoning. The most challenging debate will center on the links between the suspects and Islamic extremism.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Tuesday, December 16. _The Indiana redistricting vote_. On Thursday, December 11, the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate voted 31–19 to reject a redrawn congressional map designed to increase the number of GOP seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. President Donald Trump and national Republicans pushed for the new map and lobbied the state’s Republican leadership to back the effort. In the end, 21 Republican senators joined all 10 Democratic senators in opposing the bill, leaving it short of the 26 votes required to pass. **Our take:** _“I applaud the Indiana Republicans who resisted the push for gerrymandering. Rejecting Trump has been hard for many Republicans, and these state senators chose an important issue to stand up for. Hopefully more people join their side to beat back the scourge of gerrymandering.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Wednesday, December 17. _The shooting at Brown University_. On Saturday, December 13, a gunman killed two Brown University students and wounded at least nine others in an attack on the university campus in Providence, Rhode Island. According to authorities, the shooter entered a classroom where students were reviewing for a final exam and opened fire before fleeing. On Thursday, December 18, authorities announced the suspect had been located in New Hampshire and died of a self-inflicted gunshot. **Our take:** _“These shootings are so common that we’ve developed a ‘right way’ to react. Be frustrated, express empathy, don’t jump to conclusions (advice that applies to the FBI director, too). Depressingly, I doubt one more shooting is going to inspire a change.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Thursday, December 18. _Trump’s national address_. At 9 PM ET on Wednesday, December 17, President Donald Trump delivered an address from the White House highlighting what he views as the major accomplishments of the first year of his second term and criticizing his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for the country’s ongoing issues. Trump mainly focused on his immigration and economic agendas over the course of the 18-minute address, and he announced a $1,776 “warrior dividend” for members of the military. Notably, he did not address the United States’s rising tensions with Venezuela. **Our take:** _“Trump’s speech recycled talking points from his rallies and offered almost nothing new. His energy was flat, and the warrior dividend doesn’t strike me as a good idea. I am glad that we aren’t escalating with Venezuela, at least for now.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Friday, December 19. In 2021, Executive Editor Isaac Saul released a list of 19 predictions for the next four years in politics. Now, Isaac looks back on those predictions to see what he got right and wrong, then offers 19 new predictions for what will happen until 2029. _You can read the piece here_. * * * ### What just happened. Here are a few stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday. * On Thursday, federal authorities announced that the suspect in the shooting at Brown University on Saturday, December 13, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot in a storage unit in New Hampshire. Investigators also said they believe the suspect shot and killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro on Tuesday after carrying out the shooting at Brown. (_The latest_) Separately, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, through which the suspect in the shootings reportedly entered the United States. (_The suspension_) * On Thursday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced multiple proposed rules to restrict access to pharmaceutical or surgical procedures to provide transgender care to minors. The rules would exclude doctors and hospitals that offer these procedures from Medicare and Medicaid, in addition to barring Medicaid and children's health programs from paying for these treatments. (_The proposals_) * On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to propose a rule to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance, which would define it as a drug “with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence.” (_The order_) * On Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a program to buy back hundreds of thousands of firearms in the wake of last weekend’s Bondi Beach mass shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration. Albanese also said the government is considering new restrictions on gun ownership that include a cap on the number of guns an individual can own. (_The announcements_) * On Friday, the U.S. military conducted strikes against suspected Islamic State sites. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes were “a direct response to the attack on U.S. forces that occurred on December 13th in Palmyra, Syria,” killing two U.S. servicemembers and a civilian U.S. interpreter. (_The strikes_) * On Friday, the Justice Department released new files from the government’s investigations into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including photos of politicians and other public figures, handwritten notes on Epstein’s stationery, and evidence seized at Epstein’s properties. However, some lawmakers, primarily Democrats, criticized the Justice Department’s handling of the release, saying it did not disclose all of the files it was required to by law. (_The release_) * On Friday, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) announced she is ending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to the House in 2026. Stefanik cited Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s (R) entry into the race as part of her decision. (_The announcement_) ### Reader essay. Japanese police officers | Photo from David Berg, Flickr Earlier this year, we published a fascinating essay from Karen Hill Anton, an American woman who has been living in Japan for decades. Karen is a fantastic writer with an eye for detail and a distinctive voice and perspective. We published an essay from her earlier this year about her experiences in Japan, and it was one of our favorite reader essays of the year. Today, following the news of yet another mass shooting in the United States, we’re publishing another piece from Karen on the cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan — this time, focusing on gun culture. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

I put a few stakes in the ground for the rest of Trump's term.

Plus, the orientation process for freshmen in Congress.

In just three months, the United States has deployed its largest military force to the Caribbean in decades.

Plus, an update on the Uyghurs in China.

Plus, Netflix's attempt to acquire Warner Bros.

The shooters targeted Jews celebrating Hanukkah.

_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. Al Goodwyn | Creators Syndicate ### What the left is doodling. Mike Luckovich | Creators Syndicate ### Monday, December 8. _The new hepatitis B vaccine guidance_. On Friday, December 5, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 to eliminate a longstanding recommendation that all newborns receive a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. The committee instead recommended that women who test negative for hepatitis B should consult with their doctors to determine whether their babies should be given the first dose of the vaccine, suggesting that the initial dose be administered after the infant is at least two months old. The committee voted on the change after it heard presentations from several vaccine critics; no Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) subject-matter experts presented to the panel. **Our take:** _“I’m not a health expert, but as a new parent, this new recommendation creates more confusion than clarity. The commentators I trust give me good reason to oppose ACIP’s recent change. I always seek out multiple opinions, but Kennedy’s Health Department isn’t modeling good scientific dialogue.”_ **Reader Survey:** We asked our audience the same question on September 8. You can see how the results have shifted since then by comparing the above chart to the 4,497 responses represented below. ### Tuesday, December 9. _The new national security strategy._ On Thursday, December 4, the Trump administration released its 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), a document outlining the administration’s priorities for U.S. foreign policy. In the document, the administration provides overviews of its policies in the Western Hemisphere, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Key goals include refocusing on regional relationships, increasing economic power while avoiding conflict in the Pacific, protecting freedom and security in Europe, pursuing lasting peace and economic partnership in the Middle East, and maintaining U.S. dominance in the technological sector. **Our take:** _“The NSS elevates a new regional focus over more urgent global threats. Furthermore, the administration’s actions seem to be working against its stated goals. While some individual provisions are strong, the document as a whole poorly prioritizes our national security threats.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Wednesday, December 10. _X versus the EU._ On Friday, December 5, the European Commission (the executive arm of the European Union, or EU) announced that it is fining the social media company X $140 million for breaching transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The European Commission accused the U.S.-based social media company of deceptive use of its “blue checkmark” validation feature, lack of advertisement transparency, and failure to provide access to public data. The announcement marks the first major sanctions issued by the EU under the DSA. X owner Elon Musk responded to the European Commission’s announcement of the fine by calling the post “Bullshit.” **Our take:** _“I’m no X apologist, but I think the EU is overreaching here. Europe is essentially attempting to regulate a U.S. company through a broad law ripe for uneven application. Musk is right to resist and call out Europe’s climate of censorship.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Thursday, December 11. _The new aid for farmers._ On Monday, December 8, the Trump administration announced a $12 billion bailout for farmers in response to “temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs.” Most of the money — $11 billion — will be distributed as one-time payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, which supports row-crop farmers producing goods like corn, soybeans, oats, and cotton. The remaining funds will be used to support farmers producing crops not covered by the FBA. The aid comes as U.S. farmers report persistent challenges caused by trade disruptions linked to President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda. **Our take:** _“Every writer we quoted criticized the bailout as a solution to a problem caused by tariffs. The actual problem is much broader and pervades our entire agricultural system. We have some solutions to that problem, but this bailout moves us further away from them.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Friday, December 12. In this week’s Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul addresses the explosion of antisemitism and conspiratorial thinking about Jews over the last few years. Speaking from personal experiences and with historical context, Isaac talks about the factors that lead people into antisemitic conspiracy theories and explores how we can combat them by talking more directly about them. _You can read Isaac’s piece here._ * * * ### What just happened. Here are a few stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday. * On Thursday, Reuters reported that the United States is preparing to seize additional Venezuelan oil tankers after it seized one on Wednesday. (_The report_) * On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had presented the U.S. with a revised version of a previous 20-point plan to end the Ukraine–Russia war. Zelensky said that negotiations over Ukraine ceding land to Russia remain a sticking point. (_The update_) * On Thursday, the Senate failed to pass two healthcare bills — one offered by Democrats, one by Republicans — in anticipation of significant increases in premiums for insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace in 2026. The Democratic bill would have extended enhanced ACA credits for three more years, while the Republican bill would have changed eligibility rules for the insurance marketplaces and offered more money for health savings accounts. (_The votes_) * On Thursday, the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate voted 31–19 against a new Congressional map designed to help Republicans pick up two additional seats in the U.S. House. President Donald Trump and other national Republicans had publicly lobbied state lawmakers to pass the map ahead of the vote. (_The vote_) * On Thursday, Disney announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. As part of the deal, OpenAI will be able to use licensed Disney characters and properties to generate video content using the company’s artificial intelligence technology. (_The investment_) * On Saturday, Brown University reported that a shooting on its campus had killed two people and put eight others in critical condition. As of Saturday night, the shooter was not yet in custody. (_The shooting_) ### Reader essay. Dr. Will Cole and Dr. Jessica Knurick hug after participating in the author's panel discussion | Photo from Jeff Krasno In early November, Tangle reader Jeff Krasno moderated a panel at the Eudemonia Summit health conference. The panel was called “MAHA vs. Anti-MAHA,” pitting a critic of the Trump administration’s health initiative against a supporter of the grassroots MAHA movement. In this week’s reader essay, Krasno talks about his experience moderating the panel, as well as his understanding of how both MAHA believers and critics can work together to address the real public health issues facing us today. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Welcome to the first full video episode of Suspension of the Rules! Hosts Isaac Saul, Kmele Foster, and Ari Weitzman sit down with Andy Mills — Editor in Chief at Longview and one of the most acclaimed creators in modern podcasting — for a deep conversation about the future of artificial intelligence, the race toward AGI, and the massive societal, political, and ethical questions AI is already raising.

We should address antisemitic theories head on.

Plus, what's the latest on the measles outbreak?

Is the fine consumer protection or censorship?

Plus, why are so many trade deals announced as "frameworks?"

_Welcome to our third installment of Press Pass, our once-a-month behind-the-scenes look at Tangle. With media trust at an all-time low, we’re giving our audience an unprecedented peek behind the curtain at the challenges we’re facing, the decisions we're making, and how we’re building an ethical news brand._ * * * ## What we’ve been up to. From 2015 to 2021, I was working at a media company called A Plus, founded by the actor and angel investor Ashton Kutcher. The early days of A Plus were a glorious stampede of pageviews and advertising dollars and success. I got to work shoulder-to-shoulder with a celebrity and entrepreneur, we had CEOs from the tech world building out forward-looking infrastructure, and best of all, we were doing something good: creating a news organization focused on solutions journalism; on the people solving big problems, not the people causing them. I was one of the first full-time editorial hires, and as a 20-something reporter who loved to hustle, I got to help build out the newsroom and recruit new talent. We went from two people to over 20 in a short couple of years. I had my own weekly column, called “A Grain of Saul,” and we were standing up news shows on Facebook that would garner hundreds of thousands of views. I felt like we were building one of the most successful media brands in the world. Like we couldn’t be stopped. And then, almost overnight, the floor came out. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Are America’s primaries quietly rigging our elections? Are reforms like open primaries and ranked choice voting the key to fixing them?

Plus, should we call Pete Hegseth the Secretary of War?

**The Sunday — December 7** _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. Mike Luckovich | Creators Syndicate ### What the right is doodling. Steve Kelley | Creators Syndicate ### Monday, December 1. _The National Guard shooting in D.C._ On Wednesday, November 26, a gunman opened fire on West Virginia National Guard troops stationed near the White House in Washington, D.C., striking two service members. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuries, while Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe is still hospitalized but expected to survive. The suspected shooter was also shot but is also expected to survive. The suspect was identified as an Afghan national who worked with a Central Intelligence Agency-backed unit before coming to the United States in 2021 through a Biden administration program that resettled Afghan asylum seekers. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, in addition to potential terrorism charges. **Our take:** _“The asylum program can be improved, but Afghan nationals are not some massive threat. Military leaders warned that troop deployments could provoke a response, though the Guard has been effective in D.C. You can look at this incident to prove whatever point you’re interested in making — including that Congress should do more.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Tuesday, December 2. _The boat strikes report._ On Monday, December 1, the White House said that on September 2, the military carried out a follow-up strike on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean after two boat occupants survived an initial strike. The statement follows a Washington Post report published Friday, November 28, that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized military action to kill everyone on board the boat (though it is unclear whether he was aware of the second strike on the two survivors). If carried out as described, the second strike may have violated international law by killing incapacitated enemy combatants. **Our take:** _“War with Venezuela now seems inevitable. Hegseth was a poor choice from the beginning, and now it seems obvious that he authorized a war crime. The tactics are not only immoral but impractical and deeply disturbing.”_ **Reader Survey:** We asked our audience the same question on October 6. You can see how the results have shifted since then by comparing the above chart to the 2,600 responses represented below. ### Wednesday, December 3. _The Minnesota welfare-fraud controversy._ Federal prosecutors have charged dozens of people with defrauding Minnesota social programs since 2020, and recent reporting has highlighted the links between the fraud schemes and the Somali-American community. In November, a report authored by Ryan Thorpe and Christopher Rufo and published in City Journal — a periodical funded by the conservative think tank The Manhattan Institute — highlighted the fraud’s concentration among the state’s Somali community and claimed the funds were partially directed to the Somali-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab. On Monday, December 1, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the agency would be opening an investigation into Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) oversight of the programs beset by alleged fraud; the House Oversight Committee opened its own probe into the programs on Tuesday, December 2. **Our take:** _“These fraud cases are a massive scandal for both Minnesota and the state’s Somali community. However, the proper response is not to blame or exile all Somali-Americans. Instead, we should tighten up social welfare programs, aggressively prosecute fraudsters, and address barriers to Somali assimilation.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Thursday, December 4. _The Tennessee special election results._ On Tuesday, December 2, Matt Van Epps (R) defeated State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D) in a special election to represent Tennessee’s Seventh Congressional District (TN-07). Van Epps, a former Army officer endorsed by President Donald Trump, received roughly 54% of the vote for a nine-point victory over Behn, a former social worker and community healthcare organizer. Former Rep. Mark Green’s (R) resignation in July triggered the special election, and the race drew national attention and significant outside spending. Van Epps’s win preserves the 220–213 majority Republicans held prior to Green’s resignation. **Our take:** _“Given all the context, this election should be a big warning sign for Republicans. The election wasn’t as close as it could have been because Behn was a vulnerable candidate, and Republicans attacked her effectively. 2026 could go well for Democrats — if they learn the right lessons.”_ **Reader Survey:** ### Friday, December 5. As Tangle continues to grow, one of our major goals is to feature more voices from across the country who are offering unique perspectives on U.S. politics and culture. This Friday, we published an essay on homelessness from A.M. Hickman, one of our favorite up-and-coming writers. _You can read Hickman’s piece here._ * * * ### What just happened. Here are a few stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday. * Navy Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley reportedly told lawmakers in a private briefing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not issue an order to kill everyone on a boat allegedly trafficking drugs that was struck multiple times by the U.S. military on September 2. (_The briefing_) Separately, CNN reported that Bradley told lawmakers that the two survivors of the initial strike did not appear to have radio or other communications devices. Bradley reportedly said that he ordered the second strike because the survivors could have floated to safety, been rescued, and continued transporting the drugs. (_The report_) Later on Thursday, the U.S. Southern Command said it struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on board. (_The strike_) * On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in an unsigned opinion that Texas can use its redrawn congressional map in the 2026 midterm elections, reversing a lower court order that found the new map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices dissented. (_The ruling_) * On Thursday, The New York Times sued the Department of Defense and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Pentagon’s new press policy, which requires journalists to affirm their understanding that they could have their access revoked if they seek classified and some types of unclassified information from department employees, among other provisions. At least 30 news organizations chose to give up their press passes rather than sign the policy. (_The suit_) * On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory panel voted 8–2 to change its recommendation for when children should receive their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. The CDC previously recommended that children receive the vaccine within 24 hours after birth, but now recommend it at two months old for children born to mothers who test negative for hepatitis B. (_The vote_) * On Friday, Netflix announced that it will buy Warner Bros. Discovery in a $72 billion deal. Warner Bros. will spin off its cable network holdings, such as CNN and TNT, into a separate company, but Netflix will acquire its studio and HBO. (_The deal_) * On Friday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Trump administration would expand its June travel ban to include 30 more countries, following the shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national. The administration has not announced which new countries will be included or when the expanded policy would go into effect. (_The ban_) * On Friday, the Supreme Court announced that it will hear arguments on _Trump v. Barbara_ , a case challenging the Trump administration’s executive order ending birthright citizenship in the U.S. (_The announcement_) * On Friday, a federal judge granted the Trump administration’s request for the release of grand jury transcripts from the federal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein in Florida. (_The order_) ### Reader essay. Photo from the author This past Friday, we featured an essay from Tangle reader and author of _Hickman’s Hinterlands_ , A. M. Hickman. The piece was florid and provocative, and well off the beaten path of what we typically cover. We are looking for ways to feature writing from external contributors — including Tangle readers, and possibly other reader essays — in the future, and hope you had the chance to check out the Friday edition. ### This post is for subscribers only Become a member to get access to all content Subscribe now

Being a drifter was lonely, but invigorating.

Are Trump’s Venezuela boat strikes a justified attack on narco-terrorists — or an illegal war crime? On this episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac Saul is joined by New York Post columnist Lydia Moynihan for to discuss their disagreements about Trump’s controversial strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.

Plus, a few questions about X's new location feature.