For the last few years, one of my favorite parts of Tangle has been hiring young writers and giving them an opportunity to work with us. Over the years we’ve had a number of “interns” (nobody really does intern work here) who have made major contributions to our newsletter, gone on to work for awesome publications, or left and returned years later to work for us.

Last year, our managing editor Ari Weitzman decided to formalize this experience with a six-month fellowship program. We got dozens of applications, and ended up hiring Hunter Casperson — a sharp writer and recent journalism master’s graduate from California. Hunter immediately earned a reputation for thoughtful edits, speaking her mind, and stepping up to do whatever was asked of her. 

This month, her six months at Tangle are coming to a close. In the past, it’s been simply tradition that we’ve let Tangle interns write a capstone piece — this year, with the process formalized, we baked it into the initial schedule of working with Hunter. The prompt is simple: You can pick any topic you want to cover, and we’ll work on a well researched, long-form piece with you that we’ll publish as a Friday edition. Today, we are sharing Hunter’s capstone piece.

It is, in my estimation, perfectly Tangle. It covers a controversial topic. It’s personal. It is deeply researched. It is thoughtfully written. And most importantly, it offers fair treatment of a complicated issue. I hope you enjoy it, and I want to thank Hunter for all her contributions to Tangle — I’m excited to see what she does next! 

Best,

Isaac Saul

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul & Hunter Casperson and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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On Saturday morning, Minnesota House Representative Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband were shot and killed in their home in Brooklyn Park, MN. Earlier that morning, state Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife were also shot in their home in Champlin, MN, but both survived. Authorities identified a 57-year-old male suspect and, after a two-day manhunt, apprehended him on Monday. Hortman, 55, served as Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019–2025.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by: Isaac Saul & Will Kaback and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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On Thursday, the Trump administration began directing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to pause immigration investigations and enforcement actions in the agricultural, hotel, and restaurant industries. Before ICE issued the new guidance to its field agents, President Donald Trump publicly acknowledged his immigration agenda had negatively impacted these industries and promised changes. However, on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told its staff that it had reversed this decision and to continue immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants. 

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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

The military parade and “No Kings” protests. On Saturday, the U.S. Army held a festival and parade in Washington, D.C., to commemorate its 250th anniversary, an event spearheaded by President Donald Trump. The same day, protesters gathered in over 2,000 cities across 50 states to demonstrate against the Trump administration. 

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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

After dealing with some technical difficulties, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss an interview between Kmele and The Fifth Column podcasters and Senator Rand Paul, the dynamics within the Republican Party, and the challenges faced by Democrats in responding to protests and immigration issues. The conversation also touches on the role of the National Guard in civil unrest, the impact of public perception on political messaging, and the recent arrest of Senator Padilla. They talk about the potential for dramatic confrontations and the evolving political landscape. The conversation delves into the complexities of political criticism, the evolving relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and the implications of Tulsi Gabbard's recent remarks on AI and nuclear war. And, as always, the Airing of Grievances.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was hosted by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall. 

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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Today, we originally planned to publish a piece from Tangle’s newest team member, Editor-at-Large Kmele Foster, about his view on the racial reckoning in the United States since the summer of 2020. However, late last night Israel launched a large-scale coordinated attack on Iran, so we decided to release a special edition to all Tangle subscribers covering the news.

We’re still very excited to share Kmele’s piece with everyone in a future Friday edition. However, we decided that the latest news necessitated a special edition this morning.

Early Friday morning, around 3:30am local time in Tehran, Israel launched a series of coordinated attacks against Iran, targeting military bases, top generals, and nuclear enrichment facilities. Over 200 Israeli aircraft took part in the strikes on over 100 different targets. According to senior Iranian officials, at least six military bases around the capital of Tehran were attacked, along with residential homes in military compounds, defense and industrial compounds in Kermanshah and Isfahan, and radar facilities in Piranshahr. Israel also targeted key components of Iran’s nuclear program, striking Iran’s main enrichment facility in Natanz and a nuclear research center in Tabriz, along with two military bases and an airport in the country’s northwest. 

Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it. You can go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!

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

Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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

In the past week, the latest metrics for several key economic indicators have been released amid global uncertainty over the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. In May, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s (BLS) inflation report showed prices rising at a lower rate than many economists expected, while the bureau’s jobs report showed hiring slowed slightly from the month prior but also came in higher than projections. Separately, negotiators from the Trump administration and the Chinese government met in London this week to negotiate a trade agreement, and President Trump announced on Wednesday that the sides had reached a deal. 

Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it. You can go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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On Monday, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the independent Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The panel is responsible for developing recommendations for safe vaccine use and the U.S. adult and childhood immunization schedules, and the HHS secretary appoints its members to serve four-year terms. Kennedy says the move will allow the Trump administration to appoint its own members and restore public trust in vaccines. 

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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

On Friday, the United States returned Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador to face charges in Tennessee for alleged trafficking of unauthorized migrants and conspiracy. In March, Abrego Garcia was mistakenly sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a mega-prison in El Salvador. Then in April, the Supreme Court uphelda ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis requiring the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. El Salvador agreed to release Abrego Garcia after the U.S. presented it with an arrest warrant, Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. The Trump administration says that Abrego Garcia’s return satisfies the court’s order.

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You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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On Friday evening, protests over immigration arrests in Los Angeles, California, sparked violent confrontations with federal and local law enforcement that led President Donald Trump to deploy the National Guard. Federal immigration agents wearing riot gear swept several locations near downtown Los Angeles during the day, according to witness videos, leading to the arrest of 45 people. President Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to the city on Saturday, over the objections of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D). The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed the troops arrived Sunday afternoon as clashes between protesters and law enforcement continued into the evening.

Many listeners have been asking for an ad-free version of this podcast that they could subscribe to — and we finally launched it. You can go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!

You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

Take the survey: What do you think of the Los Angeles protests? Let us know!

Disagree? That's okay. My opinion is just one of many. Write in and let us know why, and we'll consider publishing your feedback.

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

Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was written by Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Hunter Casperson, Kendall White, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. 

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