This is the Tangle Sunday Edition, a brief roundup of our independent politics coverage plus some extra features for your Sunday morning reading.
A special report.
Last week, news broke that the Trump administration was waiving a series of environmental laws and regulations to begin awarding contracts for border wall construction in the Big Bend region of West Texas. Tangle Executive Editor Isaac Saul is a landowner in the region, and he wrote about what he’s hearing, the reason he’s opposed to a wall, and why he hopes the president abandons the plan. This is a unique Sunday edition report, available for free to all readers. You can read it here.
What the right is doodling.
Al Goodwyn | Creators Syndicate
What the left is doodling.
Andy Marlette | Creators Syndicate
Monday, February 23.
The Supreme Court’s tariffs ruling. On Friday, February 20, the Supreme Court voted 6–3 to strike down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, finding that the president exceeded his authority when he imposed duties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The Court’s ruling invalidates the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which imposed a 10% baseline duty on U.S. trading partners as well as steeper tariffs on individual countries.
Our take: “I support the Court’s decision, but feel much more conflicted than I expected to be. Kavanaugh raises good points about IEEPA’s authority and the major questions doctrine. The implications will be messy, since the root problem — the president’s broad emergency powers — remains.”
Reader Survey:
Tuesday, February 24.
Cartel violence in Jalisco, Mexico. On Sunday, February 22, Mexican security forces killed cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes — known as “El Mencho” — and multiple others in a military operation assisted by U.S. intelligence in Tapalpa, Jalisco, in Western Mexico. Oseguera was wounded in a violent clash with Mexican special forces and died while being flown to Mexico City. In response to the killing, shootouts, explosions, and over 250 vehicle blockades and arson attacks spread across Jalisco, as well as the nearby states of Michoacán, Guanajuato, Colima, and Tamaulipas.
Our take: “The killing of El Mencho illustrates the power of Trump’s influence in Mexico. Despite the headline, this may not result in any meaningful change. We should continue pushing President Sheinbaum to fully combat the destructive power of cartels, but through cooperation, not coercion.”
Reader Survey:
Wednesday, February 25.
Trump’s State of the Union address. On Tuesday, February 24, President Donald Trump delivered the first State of the Union address of his second term (Trump addressed a joint session of Congress last year, but it was not an official State of the Union). During the speech, Trump focused predominantly on domestic issues, but said that he would “never” allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. His speech lasted approximately one hour and 48 minutes, surpassing last year’s speech as the longest presidential address to Congress in modern history.
Our take: “Despite the obvious theater of the speech, I thought this was an important moment for Trump to send a message about his first year. I was genuinely surprised by the address’s violent language. He was at times unifying but mostly divisive, and I expect this performance won’t help Republicans.”
Reader Survey:
Thursday, February 26.
Bans on Congressional stock trading. On February 24, in his State of the Union address, President Donald Trump called on Congress to pass the Stop Insider Trading Act (SITA), a bill that would bar members of Congress and some immediate family members from trading individual stocks. The line led to one of the few instances of bipartisan applause during Trump’s speech, and the president’s reference renewed discussions over efforts to curtail lawmakers’ trading.
Our take: “The incentives in place open the door to easy corruption and profiteering. Existing laws don’t work, and the proposed reforms are either no better or will never pass. If we actually want to reform Congress, we need to change the incentives.”
Reader Survey:
Friday, February 27.
Over the course of the Winter Olympics, the athletes competing for Team USA captivated viewers and made the country proud — including Managing Editor Ari Weitzman. In a subscribers-only essay, Ari expounds on the stories that captivated the most over the Olympiad, particularly figure skater Alysa Liu, and unpacks the lesson he learned from the controversy involving the U.S. men’s hockey team.
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We’ve covered Trump’s tariffs, State of the Union addresses, and American patriotism before. Plus, we go all the way back to 2019 — Tangle’s inaugural year — for a peek at Isaac’s early thoughts on declaring cartels terrorist organizations. Take a look at our past coverage below:
In July 2025, Isaac wrote about why he loves America as a Friday edition (paywalled).
What just happened.
Here’s a rundown of the major stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday.
On Thursday, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified in a closed-door hearing before the House Oversight Committee as part of their investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Clinton said she testified that she had no relationship with Epstein and called the committee’s questioning “repetitive.” (The hearing) On Friday, former President Bill Clinton also testified in a closed-door hearing, telling the committee that he “saw nothing” and “did nothing wrong” in connection with Epstein. (The hearing)
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) met with President Donald Trump at the White House, where Mamdani said the two discussed working together on a major housing project. The mayor also said that Trump agreed to direct federal immigration agents to release a Columbia University student who had been detained earlier that day; the student was later released. (The meeting)
On Thursday, Freddie Mac announced that the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 5.98% for the past week, the lowest level since September 2022. (The report)
On Thursday, Netflix announced that it will not increase its bid to acquire part of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) after Paramount Skydance submitted a proposal that WBD considered “superior.” Paramount is now expected to acquire the entire company, including its linear cable channels (which Netflix did not seek to buy). (The update)
On Friday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad said that the country is in “open war” with Afghanistan after the sides exchanged airstrikes. The countries agreed to a temporary ceasefire in November after fighting along their shared border, but failed to reach a permanent deal. (The declaration)
On Friday, President Trump suggested the United States could have “a friendly takeover of Cuba” amid a U.S. fuel blockade on the island. (The comments)
On Friday, President Trump instructed the federal government to cease using artificial intelligence company Anthropic’s technology after the company did not meet a deadline to allow the U.S. military to have unrestricted access to its models. The Department of Defense and other agencies will have six months to wind down their use of the models. (The latest) Later on Friday, OpenAI said it had reached a deal with the Pentagon to use its AI models. (The announcement)
On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he is ordering the cancelation of military members’ attendance at a list of top U.S. colleges, including Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown, and Yale University. Hegseth claimed the schools have been teaching the “enemy’s wicked ideologies” to service members. (The cancelation)
On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, with airstrikes first reported in the country’s capital, Tehran, at approximately 9:00 AM local time. Later on Saturday, President Trump announced that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes. (The latest)
Reader essay.
The author with his church youth group in high school | Photo from Ryan Self
Tangle reader Ryan Self grew up in Lubbock, Texas, one of the most conservative cities in the country. In this week’s reader essay, he reflects on how different he is from the person he was in high school, and offers thoughts on how self-acceptance and lead to more tolerance and acceptance overall.
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