Yesterday, the West Virginia Democrat went on Fox News Sunday and all but ended the negotiations over President Biden's $1.7 trillion social spending and climate change bill plan, dubbed Build Back Better (BBB).

Speaking with Bret Baier, Manchin cited rising inflation, the national debt, and the latest Covid-19 variant, and said "I can't go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can't vote for it. And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there."

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Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

Trevor is on the mic today to pass along a note from Isaac, and give you the quick hits of the day.

You can read today's podcast here.

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Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

On Friday, a British court ruled that Assange could be extradited to the U.S. to face charges under the Espionage Act for his role in publishing classified military and diplomatic cables. These charges are tied directly to a U.S. indictment against Assange for helping former Army analyst Chelsea Manning leak thousands of U.S. military reports on Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as American diplomatic cables. Assange was initially charged with conspiracy to hack a computer to disclose classified information, as well as helping Manning crack a Defense Department computer password that provided her access to a U.S. government network storhousing classified information.

You can read today's podcast here.

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Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

This week is crunch time for President Joe Biden and Democrats, who are hoping to push through Biden's $1.7 trillion social spending and climate change package before Christmas. Democrats are using a Senate process called reconciliation to pass this bill, so they don't need a single Republican vote to push it through. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), a longtime holdout, would not commit to voting for the bill earlier this month, but Congressional insiders say she is privately on board (and is supportive of keeping paid family leave in the bill, a major win for Democrats).

You can read today's podcast here.

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Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

Last week, news outlets in the U.S. began reporting that intelligence officials had determined Vladimir Putin was considering a "military action" in Ukraine — possibly an invasion — that could begin as early as 2022. The intelligence finding estimated Russia was planning to deploy as many as 175,000 troops and almost half of them were already present along Ukraine's border.

In response, President Joe Biden pledged to make it "very, very difficult" for Putin to take any military action, and then held a two-hour video conference with Putin in which U.S. officials say Biden issued a warning about the economic penalties that would come down if a large-scale invasion took place.

You can read today's podcast here.

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Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

Last week, a 15-year-old boy named Ethan Crumbley was charged with murder and terrorism for a shooting that killed four students and injured several more at Oxford High School in Michigan. Then on Friday, prosecutors took the unusual step of also charging Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, with involuntary manslaughter.

Karen McDonald, prosecutor for Oakland County, Michigan, says the Crumbleys committed "egregious" acts that contributed to the mass shooting, including buying Ethan the weapon, leaving it in an unsecure place, and ignoring obvious signs that their son could be dangerous. Under Michigan law, an involuntary manslaughter charge can be filed if authorities "believe someone contributed to a situation where there was a high chance of harm or death," according to the Associated Press. Both the Crumbleys entered not guilty pleas and are being held on $500,000 bond each.Last week, a 15-year-old boy named Ethan Crumbley was charged with murder and terrorism for a shooting that killed four students and injured several more at Oxford High School in Michigan. Then on Friday, prosecutors took the unusual step of also charging Ethan's parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, with involuntary manslaughter.

You can read today's episode here.

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Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

Yesterday, the Biden administration confirmed that it will not be sending the president or any other official U.S. government delegation to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. The move is designed as a protest against China's ongoing human rights abuses, and is a notable snub given the Chinese government’s hopes to use the Olympics to enhance its public standing. But the boycott by officials will not affect the ability of any U.S. athletes to participate in the games.

You can read today's newsletter here.

It's the holiday season, and there are worst gifts than the gift of knowledge.

Want to open new political doors to a friend or family member? Give a gift subscription to Tangle.

Want to give a gift to us, the Tangle team? Become a subscriber.

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You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

Every now and then, I like to put together a newsletter of reader feedback on a specific edition. I do this for a few reasons: One, I think it's really interesting to let Tangle readers see the kinds of emails and replies I get. Two, I think it's important to keep sharing the opinions and views of people who aren't me. And three, I think it's important to share those opinions even — and especially — if they are ideas I didn't think of, or don't agree with, or otherwise feel like they add something of value I wasn't providing.

You can read today's newsletter here.

It's the holiday season, and there are worst gifts than the gift of knowledge.

Want to open new political doors to a friend or family member? Give a gift subscription to Tangle.

Want to give a gift to us, the Tangle team? Become a subscriber.

Want to give a more tangible gift — like a mug, hoodie, sticker, or new item of clothing? You can check out our merchandise store.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

Mississippi’s abortion law. Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the case regarding a law enacted in 2018 by the Mississippi legislature that banned abortions if the "probable gestational age of the unborn human" was more than 15 weeks. The law had narrow exceptions for medical emergencies and severe fetal abnormalities, but no exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest.

In case you missed it, we published a lengthy newsletter on Tuesday that explained the background of Roe v. Wade and the Dobbs v. Jackson challenge. If you haven't read that yet, I strongly suggest you go read it now.

You can read today's podcast here.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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

On Monday, Jack Dorsey announced he was stepping down as CEO of Twitter, the social media website he co-founded in 2006. He is going to be replaced by Parag Agrawal, the company's chief technology officer who started at Twitter as an engineer and has been working on technologies associated with cryptocurrencies.

Why it matters: Twitter is one of the most important meeting places for political minds and discourse, and has played a huge role in the political world over the last five years. Former President Donald Trump mastered engagement on the platform, using it to drive media coverage of his presidency, sidestep traditional news outlets and speak directly to his followers. And then, in the wake of the January 6 riots at the Capitol, he was banned.

You can read today's podcast here.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Our newsletter is written by Isaac Saul, edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.

The podcast is edited by Trevor Eichhorn, and music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

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