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.
Al Goodwyn | Creators Syndicate
What the left is doodling.
John Deering | Creators Syndicate
Monday, September 1.
On Monday, we did not release a newsletter in observance of Labor Day.
Tuesday, September 2.
The Trump tariffs ruling. On Friday, August 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in a 7–4 decision that President Donald Trump had overstepped his authority in imposing tariffs unilaterally, upholding a lower court decision. The appeals court’s decision targeted the tariffs Trump justified by declaring a national emergency under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), including the “reciprocal tariffs” Trump imposed on all U.S. trading partners, but does not apply to the industry-specific duties that the president invoked under a different authority. The court did not rule on whether the IEEPA justified any presidential tariffs, and the Trump administration plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.
Our take:“Regardless of the policy itself, there is no emergency that can support Trump’s tariffs. Even if there were an emergency, the law Trump cites does not give him this authority. We’d be having a different conversation if Trump were taking this policy through Congress.”
Reader Survey:
Wednesday, September 3.
The debate over physician-assisted suicide. In recent years, several U.S. states and a number of countries have legalized Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), also known as physician-assisted suicide or physician-assisted death. While definitions vary, the practice generally allows people facing imminent death from a terminal illness to end their lives by administering drugs with support and supervision from a doctor (or team of doctors). In some countries, people with certain chronic illnesses and disabilities are also eligible for MAID. As more states consider legalizing the practice, proponents and opponents have raised ethical concerns about how MAID is regulated — and whether it should be legal at all.
Our take:“The handful of countries that allow a version of physician-assisted suicide all do so very differently. Canada’s system feels far too permissive, which is reflected both in specific cases and in the data. I feel okay with what is happening in the U.S., but I have a visceral reaction against some of the cases protected by Canada’s MAID laws.”
Reader Survey:
Thursday, September 4.
The Venezuelan boat strike. On Wednesday, September 3, the U.S. military sank a small boat in the southern Caribbean Sea, killing 11 people. U.S. officials claimed the boat was transporting drugs to the United States from Venezuela and alleged the 11 people on board were narco-terrorist members of the international gang Tren de Aragua. The Trump administration has not produced evidence to support its assertion, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the administration “knew exactly who was in that boat.”
Our take: “My initial, emotional reaction is that the drug traffickers who have fed our country’s opioid epidemic had this coming. That anger doesn’t justify extrajudicial killings, however. Trump’s escalation against Venezuela is his most dangerous — and deadliest — overreach of executive authority yet.”
Reader Survey:
Friday, September 5.
What does the government know about you? In this week’s Friday edition, Tangle staff members Russell Nystrom, Lindsey Knuth, and Audrey Moorehead answered that question — diving deep on how the government collects data, what they do with it, and what it means for you. You can read the piece here.
What just happened.
Here are a few stories that have broken since our last newsletter on Thursday.
On Thursday, 475 suspected unauthorized immigrants were arrested in a raid at a Hyundai facility in Georgia. (The raid)
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook over possible mortgage fraud. (The investigation)
On Thursday, Northwestern University President Michael H. Schill announced his resignation. The decision follows months of criticism from Republicans over anti-Israel protests on campus; the Trump administration froze roughly $790 million in federal research funding for the school in April. (The announcement)
On Friday, Defense Department officials confirmed that Venezuela flew military aircraft in proximity to the USS Jason Dunham in international waters two times over the course of two days. The Pentagon called the incidents a “highly provocative move.” (The report)
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing the Department of Defense to change its name to the Department of War, the 200th executive order of his term. (The order)
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added 22,000 jobs in August, signaling a cooling labor market. (The numbers)
On Saturday, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for Gaza City and targeted high-rise buildings within the city ahead of an offensive to seize the city. (The latest)
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