The Sunday — May 4

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.

Reader essay.

One of our readers has an interesting resume: researcher at AllSides, CEO of a startup, and high-school senior. Ian Rosenzweig has a deep interest in partisanship and democracy, and as he prepares to matriculate at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, he has been reflecting on how our modern U.S. political system conforms to academic markers of healthy democracies. The characteristics he’s looking at are thought provoking, and his findings are — well, he thinks we’ve got some work to do. You can read Ian’s full piece here.

Have a personal story or local issue you want to write about? Pitch us! Fill out this form or reply to this email, and we’ll get back to you if we’re hooked.

Reader review.

In this section, we like to highlight reader comments that respond to our coverage from different angles. In our issue on Canada's election, two readers had a conversation about the difference between the U.S. and Canadian elections. 

Derrick White compared what Canadian LIberals did that U.S. Democrats didn’t:

It seems to me that Carney did exactly what Harris should have done and failed to do: distinguish himself from his predecessor.

It’s also worth noting the smart timing game that the Liberal party played: they had to have elections by the fall, but they could call them sooner, and timed their election for a favorable electoral moment.

Trump caused a mess, and then the Liberals did a great job of capitalizing on it. And frankly, he'd have gotten more of what he wanted if he'd have left Canada alone until after the election.

vicki was unsure that Kamala Harris deserved too much criticism:

Harris's nomination was the result of cowardice and compromise. She was not the best candidate, most of what should have been her competition were still avoiding questions about Biden's decline and were happy playing both sides in preparation for their runs in 2028. Harris was given the opportunity of a lifetime not because she deserved it, but because she was Biden's VP. We may never know what it really took to get him to step down, just that when he finally did step aside, he endorsed Kamala and it was done

Voters were upset and many felt protective of Biden, some even still felt he could win… so to get to your point about Carney separating himself from his predecessor — I believe she would have, under normal circumstances, but our last presidential election was anything but normal, and imo the best she could do was find common ground for the party to rally around.

Harris actually did better than I expected.

Monday, April 28.

The arrest of a Wisconsin judge. On Friday, April 25, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan for allegedly helping an unauthorized migrant evade arrest. Dugan was charged with “obstructing or impeding a proceeding before a department or agency of the United States” and “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest,” as stated in a criminal complaint signed by Milwaukee FBI agents and unsealed on Friday.

Our take: “At first, the headline of a judge’s arrest worried me. After reading the facts, I see sufficient reason to warrant Judge Dugan’s arrest. The Trump administration still could have pursued a less confrontational path, and I feel unsure about what happens now.”

Reader Survey: 

Tuesday, April 29.

Boosting the birth rate. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has heard a range of proposals to increase the fertility rate in the United States. While taking questions in the Oval Office on Tuesday, April 22, President Donald Trump expressed support for a “baby bonus” that would pay $5,000 per delivery to the women who have children, calling it a “good idea.” Additionally, advocates and policy experts have pitched the White House on scholarship allocations for married people or parents, new government funding for education on conception, and a “National Medal of Motherhood” awarded to women with six or more children.

Our take: “Before having my first child, I supported many of the policies Trump is considering. I still like these policies, but now I am much more skeptical that they’d impact the fertility rate. I think deep social factors are driving the decision to put off having children, and I don’t think policy alone can solve that.”

Reader Survey:

Wednesday, April 30.

Canada’s election. On Monday, April 28, Canada held a federal election for members of the House of Commons to the 45th Parliament. The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Mark Carney, won a plurality of seats, securing a fourth consecutive term in power. The Conservative Party placed second, and party leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat, casting his political future into doubt. While the Liberals did not take enough seats to win a majority, as the party that received the most votes, Carney will retain his position as prime minister.

Our take: “Like everyone else, I’ve been stunned to watch Poilievre and Conservatives lose the enormous polling advantage they had in January. I think there’s a way to view this election without Trump being the main character. Still, it’d be foolish to ignore the primary role Trump’s antagonistic policies played in this election.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, May 1.

Part one of Trump’s first 100 days. We reviewed President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in a two-part edition. This edition is part one, where we examined Trump’s central campaign promises and the degree to which he has kept them. Consistent with past reviews of Biden and Trump, this edition is an objective (as much as we can make it) overview of Trump’s stated goals and how well he has kept to them. 

Friday, May 2.

Part two of Trump’s first 100 days. In the second part of our review of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days, we addressed Trump’s promises on inflation and tax reform, then tackled many of the stories, promises, and controversies that we did not cover in the first edition. We also shared some arguments from the left and right, and then, Isaac Saul gave his take. 

What just happened.

Here are a few stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday.

• On Thursday, the Justice Department sued Hawaii, Michigan, Vermont, and New York for penalties against fossil-fuel companies. (The lawsuit)
• On Thursday, a federal judge permanently barred the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport unauthorized Venezuelan migrants. (The ruling)
• On Thursday, a new round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were postponed. The U.S. warned Iran not to continue supporting the Houthi rebels, and Iran accused the U.S. of “contradictory behavior and provocative statements.” (The delay)
• On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designed to cut funding to PBS and NPR. (The order
• On Friday, the Chinese drop-shipping company announced it would stop shipping to the U.S. now that the de minimis tariff loophole has been closed. (The announcement)
• On Friday, the jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs grew by 177,000 in April, beating economists’ expectations. (The report)

Recommended reading.

One day in January, off the coast of Laguna Beach, I went paddleboarding for the first time. It was supposed to be a mellow sport — something my depleted soul could handle. My instructor and I were far from shore when the sea stilled. No boats. No noise. Just blue on blue. That’s when she rose.

Published in the Los Angeles Times, Nina E. Cerfolio recounts her experience coming eye-to-eye with a whale while paddleboarding, and how it changed her perspective on love. You can read the piece here.

On the channels.

INSTAGRAM: CBS News’ 60 Minutes endured their broadcast with a rare rebuke of their parent company, Paramount. We get into it in an Instagram reel here.

PODCAST: Since our full-time staff traveled to New York City for the newsletter conference this week, we don’t have a Sunday podcast this week. However, you can listen to Isaac’s two-part review of President Trump’s first 100 days here.

BONUS: On Friday, President Trump announced he would remove Harvard’s tax-exempt status. We covered the news here.

Post of the week.

A mother on reddit struggles with confronting her daughter on her choice of name:

Tangle’s favorites.

Infotainment.

On Saturday, the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby brought roughly 150,000 people to Churchill Downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, where Sovereignty edged out (our house favorite) Journalism to win "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” While the race is known for its flashy outfits, celebrity cameos and mint julep drinks, it’s also one of the most lucrative sporting events in the world. Here are some figures behind the big day.

• 1875. The year the Kentucky Derby was established. 
• 5. The jockey record for most wins at the Derby (a joint record held by Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack). 
• $320.5 million. The amount of all-source betting on the Derby in 2024, the most in race history. 
• $2.7 billion. Churchill Downs’s net revenue in fiscal year 2024. 

Ask the readers.

Last week, Joe asked readers for their favorite chore to do.

Since we chose his answer, we gave Brian the opportunity to ask our readers a question in today’s newsletter: 

You can let us know your thoughts by replying to this email or through this form.

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