The Sunday — October 26

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.

Monday, October 20.

George Santos’s commutation. On Friday, October 17, President Donald Trump announced he had commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who was serving a seven-year prison sentence for fraud and identity theft. In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed sympathy for Santos and suggested that Santos had acted more forgivably than Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who overstated his military record in the past. Santos’s attorney said he was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, on Friday night. The commutation does not expunge Santos’s criminal record, but he will not be required to pay over $370,000 in restitution to his victims.

Our take: “George Santos is guilty of fraud (among other things), and commuting his sentence feels unfair and shady. His treatment in prison did seem harsh, and I hope he does work for prison reform now that he’s free. Trump is being incredibly transparent about his partisan abuse of the Justice Department.”

Reader Survey:

Tuesday, October 21.

The latest on the government shutdown. On Tuesday, the federal government shutdown entered its 21st day, with Republican and Democratic lawmakers at an impasse over a deal to reopen the government. The shutdown is now the longest full government shutdown in U.S. history; only the 35-day partial funding lapse in 2018–2019 lasted longer. Services designated as essential — such as air traffic control and federal law enforcement — remain operational during the shutdown. However, many other government functions have been paused or disrupted, and federal agencies have begun furloughing workers or asking employees to work without immediate pay. On Monday, October 20, the Senate failed to pass a GOP-backed funding bill for the 11th time. 

Our take: “This shutdown lacks a clear centerpiece issue — instead, it’s a standoff over power. Neither Republicans nor Democrats are pressing to end the shutdown, and neither has a solution for runaway spending. I’m afraid this won’t end until it starts to drastically impact the public.”

Reader Survey:

Wednesday, October 22.

The Young Republicans and Paul Ingrassia scandals. Last Tuesday, October 14, Politico published screenshots of text messages sent by members of Young Republicans, an organization for Republican party members between 18 and 40 years old, that featured offensive jokes and racist language. On Monday, October 20, Politico published another leaked chain of inflammatory private messages — this time from Paul Ingrassia, White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security and President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel. The evening of Tuesday, October 21, Ingrassia withdrew his nomination in a post on X, referencing the lack of support among Republican senators.

Our take: “Ingrassia obviously should have withdrawn, and it’s great that Republicans pressured him to do so. I extend grace to young people making mistakes, but the Young Republicans leaks required repercussions. Despite notable exceptions, most Republicans are appropriately demanding these repercussions.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, October 23.

The Portland National Guard ruling. On Monday, October 20, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2–1 that President Donald Trump can deploy Oregon National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, finding it was likely that the president had “lawfully exercised his statutory authority” in mobilizing the Guard. The decision lifted District Judge Karin Immergut’s temporary block on the Oregon soldiers’ deployment, and the Trump administration asked the judge to lift a second order barring all federalized National Guard troops from deploying to the city.

Our take: “Trump’s, and Stephen Miller’s, argument that the National Guard has to quell a rebellion in Portland is ridiculous. However, the government has now tapered its argument to say the city needs assistance in executing the laws, which is much more cogent. Protesters are also pivoting, and both developments leave me feeling strangely optimistic.”

Reader Survey:

Friday, October 24.

In this week’s Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul zooms out on the current political moment and offers a sobering analysis on where we are as a country. It’s not an uplifting piece, but Isaac gives an honest reflection of how he sees this current political moment. You can read his thoughts here.

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What just happened.

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

• On Thursday, federal law enforcement officers made arrests in two separate NBA investigations, one involving game fixing and another involved poker games with mafia ties. (The arrests)
• On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a bilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, next Thursday. (The announcement)
• On Thursday, President Trump announced new sanctions against Russian oil companies in an effort to pressure Russia to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. (The sanctions)
• On Friday, President Trump cancelled trade negotiations with Canada over an anti-tariff ad that featured parts of a 1987 speech by President Ronald Reagan, which was paid for by the Ontario government and aired in parts of the United States. (The development)
• On Friday, Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military had struck another alleged drug-running boat from Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea, killing six. The recent event is the tenth known strike since September. (The strike)
• On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer Price Index for September, showing a lower-than-expected 3% increase in annual inflation and 0.3% month-over-month. (The numbers)
• On Friday, District Court Judge Karin Immergut rejected the Trump administration’s recent request to lift her temporary restraining order and allow the federal government to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. Judge Immergut said she would rule on the matter on Monday. (The decision)
• On Saturday, the ongoing government shutdown reached its 26th day. The Senate adjourned on Thursday, and will not return to session until Monday. (The shutdown)

Reader essay.

Kaitlin Jarema has spent six years conducting field work as an archaeologist, not in some faraway place or known historic site, but in the hills and valleys of rural Pennsylvania. Her job was to catalogue the “cultural resources” of areas that might soon be impacted by new developments. In this week’s reader essay, Kaitlin tells the fascinating story of the one project she still keeps thinking about.