The Sunday — August 2

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.

Suspension of the Rules.

In this week’s episode, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss what we have and haven’t learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. Plus, a conversation about whether government-run grocery stores will help or hurt consumer prices, and Isaac heaps some praise onto an unlikely character. Check it out below!

Monday, July 27.

Noncitizen voting in New Jersey. On Tuesday, July 21, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) announced that an error in the state’s motor-vehicles system software resulted in approximately 6,600 noncitizens being registered to vote, and a preliminary assessment showed roughly 400 of them cast a ballot in at least one election. Sherrill said the improper registrations occurred during former Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) term and ordered an investigation into the error.

Our take: “This story didn’t look great for New Jersey when it broke, and it looks worse with more detail. The state’s contractor and the noncitizen voters aren’t totally blameless, but I think the state is primarily at fault. Using this episode as evidence for some massive voter fraud is a total overreach.”

Reader Survey:

Tuesday, July 28.

The U.S. nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, July 22, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed a civil nuclear-cooperation agreement. The deal is a “123 Agreement,” named after Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, outlining a partnership between the two countries to establish a civilian nuclear program in Saudi Arabia. However, the status of the deal is now in question after President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it was conditional on Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel.

Our take: “I’m more optimistic than many about the potential of this deal — except on one major provision. Critics raise reasonable concerns, but I think many risks can be mitigated. However, the potential for further corruption looms over the entire discussion.”

Reader Survey:

Wednesday, July 29.

The AI hack. On Friday, July 24, Reuters reported that an OpenAI autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) agent broke out of a contained environment and hacked a popular AI development website. The hack began on July 11 and lasted until July 13, when it was detected by an AI at the targeted company, Hugging Face. OpenAI remained unaware of the incident for days, and the two companies did not communicate directly until July 20, well after Hugging Face had alerted the FBI of an intrusion.

Our take: “The more we learn about this incident, the less frightening it appears. The media has done a poor job communicating what actually happened. Well founded concerns still exist, but all of this makes me increasingly skeptical of AI hysteria.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, July 30.

Dr. Fauci’s diary and Senate hearing. On Wednesday, July 29, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee questioned Dr. Anthony Fauci about his decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment throughout the roughly three-hour hearing, drawing rebuke from committee Republicans and a warning from Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) that he could be charged with contempt of Congress. The hearing followed the release of diary entries from Fauci between December 2019 and December 2022, which described how he approached key moments of the pandemic and processed his rising celebrity.

Our take: “In the court of public opinion, I think Fauci’s decision to plead the Fifth was a big mistake that makes him look guilty to anyone unsure how they feel about him. It’s remarkable that Fauci’s journal entries are public, and some are quite eye-catching. But many of his critics are exaggerating what the diary reveals.”

Reader Survey:

Friday, July 31.

Since the Supreme Court allowed sports betting to be legalized in 2018, the industry has exploded across American life. With it, concerns about gambling and gambling addiction have also been on the rise. Executive Editor Isaac Saul has been paying attention and is wondering if those concerns are actually overblown. You can read his members-only essay here.

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What just happened.

Here’s a rundown of the major stories that have broken since our newsletter on Thursday.

• On Thursday, President Donald Trump said Hamas had agreed to disarm as part of the next phase of a Gaza peace plan. Trump said that Israel will withdraw from the strip as the “disarmament is completed,” though no timetable has been announced, and Israel has not officially commented on the agreement. (The update) 
• On Thursday, President Trump said he is considering withdrawing Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general until 2027 to circumvent opposition from Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), whose terms end next January. (The comments)
• On Thursday, Spain deployed its military to the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, where thousands of migrants have entered the country after entering from Morocco. Spain said that many of the migrants had returned to Morocco as of Friday. (The deployment)
• On Thursday, artificial intelligence (AI) developer Anthropic said that three of its AI models gained unauthorized access to systems belonging to three external companies during a testing exercise. (The incidents)
• On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. gross domestic product increased 1.5% in Q2 of 2026, lower than economists’ predicted 1.8% increase. (The numbers)
• On Thursday, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an alert about potential cyber threats to water systems after 30 water plants in Minnesota experienced cyberattacks. Federal agencies are investigating whether Iran was involved in the attacks. (The alert)
• On Friday, the Trump administration appealed a Florida federal judge’s ruling that found the president colluded with the government to sue the IRS. (The appeal)
• On Saturday, at least three people were killed and several others were injured in a shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho. The suspected shooter is deceased. (The shooting)

Reader essay.

In a country that seems politically dominated by just two teams, Tangle reader Stu Strumwasser is a lifelong independent. But he doesn’t feel alone, or powerless: instead, he thinks the two-party system is ripe for change, and that independents are growing in power. In this week’s reader essay, he makes the case that change is coming — even if it’s slow.