The Sunday — June 14

This is the Tangle Sunday Edition, a brief roundup of our independent politics coverage plus some extra features for your Sunday morning reading.

Correction.

Last week, in our summarization of our Thursday coverage of the California primaries, we included the date and take from Thursday prior. This is an error we should have caught on review, but the root issue was in our drafting process. We’ve changed that process moving forward and don’t expect the issue to recur. Thank you to everyone who caught the error early!

This is our 6th correction in The Sunday's 130-week history and our first since July 27, 2025. We track corrections and place them at the top of the newsletter in an effort to maximize transparency with readers.

What the right is doodling.

What the left is doodling.

Suspension of the Rules.

This week’s episode is a “review of all the things we said last week” special, with updates on the mayoral race in Los Angeles, the screwworm cases in Texas, and the NBA Finals in New York. Plus, Isaac and Kmele debate whether AI slop should be banned for political ads. Check it out here!

Monday, June 8.

Scott Pelley’s firing. On Tuesday, June 2, 60 Minutes’s executive producer, Nick Bilton, announced the firing of the show’s longtime correspondent Scott Pelley following a confrontation during a staff meeting in which Pelley criticized Bilton and CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. Pelley’s firing is the latest shakeup at the show and network since Weiss took the head role in October 2025; Pelley and other former correspondents have accused Weiss of interfering in editorial decisions in an attempt to cover the Trump administration in a more positive light. 

Our take: “I came into Pelley’s interview with some biases against him. After listening to the interview and reflecting, I’m starting to think that maybe Pelley is just right. 60 Minutes has been succeeding, Bilton doesn’t seem qualified, and the whole saga is another knock on Weiss’s managerial record.”

Reader Survey:

Tuesday, June 9.

Protests at Delaney Hall. In recent weeks, federal and state law enforcement officials have clashed with protesters gathering outside Delaney Hall, a federal immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. At least 90 people have been arrested over the course of the protests, including 61 on the night of Sunday, May 31, on charges including assaulting federal officers, disorderly conduct, rioting, and resisting arrest. The demonstrators allege poor treatment of detainees, which federal immigration officials deny.

Our take: “Conditions at the New Jersey facility — and across detention centers — should be closely examined. The violent clashes are both driving attention and interfering with on-the-ground aid. The real story here is that our immigration system is still in need of serious reform.”

Reader Survey:

Wednesday, June 10.

Public ownership of artificial intelligence companies. On Monday, June 1, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) published an op-ed in The New York Times proposing the American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, a law that would transfer a 50% ownership stake in artificial intelligence (AI) companies into a federal sovereign wealth fund through a one-time tax. “The creative work of millions of people… has essentially been stolen by some of the wealthiest people in the world,” Sanders said. “It’s time for us to reclaim it.” Simultaneously, President Donald Trump has been in discussions with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (the maker of ChatGPT), about transferring equity of the company into a government-run “public wealth fund.” Trump has also suggested the government could take equity stakes in other leading AI developers. 

Our take: “Sanders and Trump make a strong case that AI necessitates a serious government response. These proposals are incredibly bold and come with significant risks. Ultimately, I don’t think the trade-offs of these proposals are worth it.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, June 11.

The California election fraud claims. On Tuesday, June 2, California held its primary elections, including closely watched races for governor and Los Angeles mayor. In the mayoral primary, Mayor Karen Bass (D) and City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) advanced to the general election, while first-time candidate Spencer Pratt (I) finished third. Pratt had been in second place the day after the primary, but Raman overtook him as mail-in ballots came in after Election Day, leading some Republicans to claim the results were fraudulent. 

Our take: “I’ve learned that election fraud claims tend to take certain shapes. The accusations in California fit those types, but they are also somehow totally undefined. This all injects more doubt into California’s frustrating system, which does need to be reformed.”

Reader Survey:

Friday, June 12.

This week, Executive Editor Isaac Saul looks back on six of his takes from the past five years that have aged poorly — from saying Afghanistan would benefit from President Biden’s withdrawal of U.S. troops to claiming Spencer Pratt would give Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass a run for her money. Along the way, he reflects on what he can learn from revisiting where he went wrong. You can read the piece here. 

---

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 he will nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be director of national intelligence (DNI). Clayton also served as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte will serve as acting DNI until the Senate confirms his nominee. (The nomination)
• On Thursday, President Trump said he had canceled strikes against Iran after claiming that the country’s leadership had agreed to a deal that would extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and initiate negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. (The updates) Then, on Saturday, Trump said he plans to sign a framework for the peace deal, saying, “Hopefully, this process will all work out quickly, easily, and smoothly.” (The announcement)
• On Thursday, the man charged with murdering Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband, as well as attempting to murder state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife and daughter, pleaded guilty in federal court. His guilty plea proposes two life sentences plus 40 years in prison in lieu of the government seeking the death penalty. (The plea)
• On Friday, a federal judge denied a request to block the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on Sunday at the White House, finding that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the suit. (The ruling)
• On Friday, Anthropic said it had disabled its Fable 5 and Mythos 5 artificial intelligence models in response to a U.S. government directive to restrict access to the models for all foreign nationals. The company said it blocked access for all users to ensure compliance. (The directive)
• On Friday, the Justice Department approved Paramount Skydance’s agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing a key regulatory requirement for the merger. (The approval)
• On Friday, President Trump announced that the U.S. military killed the alleged leader of the Tren de Aragua gang in an airstrike in Venezuela. (The strike)
• On Friday, SpaceX held its initial public offering, opening on the Nasdaq at $150 a share. Elon Musk, the company’s CEO and founder, became the world’s first trillionaire after the first day of trading. (The debut)

Reader essay.

Tangle reader Alden Blodget received a memorable card for his 60th birthday, telling him “You’re old! You’re out!” But Alden thinks older people still have a lot to contribute to society — even if it might require some compromises across generational gaps. In this week’s reader essay, Alden explores the ways he’s seen older people leverage their life experiences to make their organizations better.