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
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Take one glance at the headlines and it can feel pretty scary out there. “AI Replacing Half the Workforce?" The Next Recession Is Already Here (Allegedly).” Simply put, it’s exhausting…
Good News: we come bearing the gift of calm, collected insights without the fear-mongering: The Daily Upside.
Over the past two editions, we’ve been experimenting with removing the responses to our reader surveys from the Sunday edition. We solicited reader comments and feedback about this decision, and that response has been decisive — reader survey responses are back. You can find them below in their usual spots.
We like to experiment with adding or removing features from our Sunday newsletter, all with the end goal of making it the best version of itself possible. As such, we’re always open to hearing what readers think we can do to help improve our offering.
Monday, February 16.
Tangle did not release a newsletter in observance of Presidents’ Day.
Tuesday, February 17.
DHS funding and Minnesota. At 12:01 on Saturday, February 14, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) partially shut down after lawmakers in Congress failed to come to terms on a deal to fund the department through September. Senate Democrats are demanding funding be tied to reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), a stance they have maintained since Alex Pretti and Renee Good were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Separately, President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced on Thursday that DHS would be ending “Operation Metro Surge” and leaving the state. Homan called the operation, which produced over 4,000 arrests, a success, and he said that 1,000 DHS agents have been withdrawn from the state so far.
Our take: “I don’t see this shutdown ending any time soon. Democrats are dug in on their demands, and DHS has given them plenty of ammunition. Republicans are digging in, too, and their best play is probably just to let time wear their opposition down.”
Reader Survey:
Wednesday, February 18.
The endangerment finding. On Thursday, February 12, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency had rescinded the “endangerment finding,” a 16-year-old determination that allowed past administrations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. The EPA previously said that it would pursue curtailing the rule in July, claiming that the deregulation would save the auto industry an expected $54 billion. By repealing the endangerment finding, the EPA removes the scientific and legal justification for federal regulation of greenhouse gases.
Our take: “The endangerment finding is far from the only rule regulating car emissions. Repealing the endangerment finding will likely impact the auto industry less than other sectors. I believe, and hope, that courts will uphold the endangerment finding, rendering deregulation concerns moot.”
Reader Survey:
Thursday, February 19.
The January jobs report. On Wednesday, February 11, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nonfarm payroll employment increased by 130,000 in January, its strongest monthly growth in over a year, while the unemployment rate fell from 4.4% to 4.3%. The healthcare sector accounted for most of the growth with 82,000 new jobs, but declining employment in state and federal governments, finance, and the information sector offset some of those gains. The release was delayed five days due to the partial government shutdown, which ended on February 3.
Our take: “The latest jobs data gives us clearer insight into why past reports have been missing the mark. Erika McEntarfer and Jerome Powell haven’t been perfect, but their records don’t support dismissal. Negative polarization is infecting our discourse, which is a shame because the economy is actually doing pretty well.”
Reader Survey:
Note: On Thursday, we mistakenly excluded the reader survey from our email. We later added the link on our live site, but had a much smaller response size than usual.
Friday, February 20.
In the last week, the artificial intelligence mania has hit a new peak. So in this week’s Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul wrote about why he’s still skeptical about the displacement AI might bring — and shared some experiments on how well ChatGPT can mimic Isaac’s writing.
We’ve covered DHS funding, environmental protections, and BLS data before. Plus, Isaac wrote about AI fears for the first time in 2023. Take a look at how our coverage has evolved since we wrote the issues below:
Here’s a rundown of the major stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace met for the first time in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Gaza ceasefire. President Trump said board members had pledged $7 billion for reconstruction efforts in Gaza and committed an additional $10 billion from the United States, though he did not specify the source of the funds. (The meeting) Separately, during the meeting, Trump said he will likely decide whether to launch military strikes against Iran in the next 10 days. (The comments)
On Thursday, a South Korean judge found former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol guilty of leading an insurrection for declaring martial law in 2024. Yoon was sentenced to life in prison. (The sentence)
On Friday, the Commerce Department reported that U.S. gross domestic product grew at 1.4% annual rate in Q4 2025, below many economists’ expectations. The department suggested the October–November 2025 government shutdown negatively impacted growth. (The report)
On Friday, the Supreme Court found that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the president to impose tariffs, striking down President Trump’s duties on U.S. trading partners under the act. The ruling was 6–3, with Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh dissenting. (The ruling)
On Friday, following the Supreme Court decision striking down some of President Trump’s tariffs, the president signed an executive order imposing a baseline 10% tariff worldwide; then, on Saturday, he announced that this tariff rate would be raised to 15%. (The tariffs)
On Saturday, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for swaths of the East Coast, predicting 12–24 inches of snow and whiteout conditions for the region. (The storm)
Reader essay.
A patched-up jacket | Photo by the author
Tangle’s intermittent essayist Stout Cortez returns, this time with a tale of skiing, scars, recovery, and forgiveness — of others and of self.
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