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.
Steve Kelley | Creators Syndicate
What the left is doodling.
Mike Luckovich | Creators Syndicate
Monday, January 19.
Tangle did not release a newsletter on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Tuesday, January 20.
The latest on Greenland and the United States. In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has escalated his efforts to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark that he says is vital to national interests. The president did not initially rule out using military force to take control of the island, and also threatened to impose tariffs on European nations who oppose the move. Many leaders of member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have condemned Trump’s comments and expressed concern that he is jeopardizing the stability of the alliance. Note: Trump later clarified he would not use military force to take control of Greenland at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Our take: “Trump has been discussing Greenland for years, and he’s right about the island’s significance. However, as usual, his pursuit of this goal is incredibly inflammatory. The president seems willing to risk the entire global order out of spite, and it isn’t Trump Derangement Syndrome to say so.”
Reader Survey:
We asked the same question, with slightly different response options, on January 14, 2025. Those results, with 3,318 respondents, are shown below.
Wednesday, January 21.
Trump’s healthcare plan. On Thursday, January 15, President Donald Trump announced several proposals to lower health insurance costs, which he called “The Great Healthcare Plan.” The healthcare-reform framework focuses on four broad initiatives: lowering drug prices, lowering insurance premiums, holding big insurance companies accountable, and maximizing price transparency. Although the White House has not announced specific legislative proposals to enact the policy, Trump specified he would seek to make more medications available over the counter, regulate pharmacy benefit managers, and require insurance companies to explain their costs in simple and clear language.
Our take: “Trump still doesn’t have a healthcare plan that we can evaluate in depth. Congress is already considering similar ideas, but it’s not clear where Trump’s plan fits in. I’m left disheartened about the prospects for serious healthcare reform.”
Reader Survey:
Thursday, January 22.
Trump at Davos. On Wednesday, January 21, President Donald Trump addressed a gathering of prominent global figures at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland. The conference comes amid rising tensions between Europe and the United States over Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, and several world leaders gave critical remarks about the U.S. prior to the speech. However, later on Wednesday, Trump said that he discussed a framework of a deal related to Greenland with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Mark Rutte that gives the U.S. “everything we needed” while ruling out the use of military force.
Our take: “Trump’s Davos speech is further proof that the threat of military action in Greenland was never more than a bluff. Outside of that, his speech was typical fare for Trump. Mark Carney, on the other hand, expressed a stark perspective on global affairs and the importance of middle-power alliances.”
Reader Survey:
Friday, January 23.
In the days before President Trump’s second inauguration, we published a special Friday edition outlining a series of metrics and promises we would track over the course of the president’s term. In this week’s two-part Friday edition, we explore how these numbers have changed since Trump took office, and offer a few new metrics that we’ll begin to track for the rest of his term. You can read Part One here and Part Two here.
What just happened.
Here’s a rundown of the major stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday.
On Thursday, multiple outlets reported that the framework of a potential deal on U.S. interests in Greenland involves proposals to increase the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s presence in the Arctic, give America a sovereign claim to pockets of Greenland’s territory, and block potential adversaries from drilling or mining on the island. (The reports)
On Thursday, President Trump sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon for $5 billion, alleging that the bank illegally closed his accounts for political reasons following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. (The suit)
On Thursday, former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee, telling lawmakers that Donald Trump was responsible for the January 6 riots and that his investigation found evidence of criminal wrongdoing by the president in both the 2020 election interference and classified documents cases. (The testimony)
On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to review funding for a group of Democratic-controlled states as part of an effort to cut off resources for jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement operations. (The report)
On Friday, President Trump said a U.S. “armada” is headed toward Iran as the death toll during nationwide protests has reportedly exceeded 5,000. The president said execution of protesters would trigger military action. (The statements)
On Friday, the United States held joint talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, the first trilateral meeting between the countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The White House called the talks “productive.” (The meeting) U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff called the meeting “very constructive”; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “still too early to draw conclusions.” (The latest)
On Friday, hundreds of shops, restaurants, and other businesses closed and large-scale rallies were held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in protest of federal immigration activities in the city. (The demonstrations) On Saturday, federal agents fatally shot a man — Alex Pretti, 37 — setting off confrontations between agents and protestors. (The shooting)
On Saturday, Winter Storm Fern brought extreme cold and icy conditions to 34 states across the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest. Adverse conditions are expected to continue for several days. (The storm)
Reader essay.
The author, walking a path | Photo from Charles Coursey
During his senior year of high school, Tangle reader Charles Coursey realized he was mentally ill, and that his fundamentalist religious background couldn’t offer solutions — not when it was the root of the problem. But therapy and his college classes and experience showed him a new way of living: how introspection, metacognition, and critical thinking could lead him to a deeper self-knowledge and a more meaningful life. In this essay, Charles sketches out the process that has made him into the person he is today — and why he believes that process could help society at large.
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