Tangle

In the run-up to the November midterm elections, new reports on key economic indicators have shed light on the state of the U.S. economy. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will meet next week for the third time under Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh to consider changes to the interest rate in light of a strong jobs report and persistent inflation. Meanwhile, the Iran war and a burgeoning trade dispute with Canada have added new variables to the economic picture.

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What happened to al-Qaeda?
This Friday marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ahead of the anniversary, The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood published a detailed report on the attack’s impact on the Middle East and the state of al-Qaeda. Senior Editor Will Kaback spoke with Wood about the surprising information we’ve learned about Osama bin Laden’s motivations, why al-Qaeda has faltered, and whether U.S. policy has addressed the threat of future attacks. You can listen to the interview here.

You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been nearly 25 years since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Virtually all of the leadership of al-Qaeda that planned and orchestrated the attacks have now been killed, but the group remains intact today. But if you talk to national security and terrorism experts, they’ll offer wildly different assessments of how strong — and how much of a threat — it still poses.

Graeme Wood is a journalist and staff writer at The Atlantic who covers the Middle East, terrorism, and political Islam. Earlier this month, he published a piece in The Atlantic with a simple, provocative title: What happened to al-Qaeda?

In it, Wood explores competing views of whether the organization was strategically brilliant, catastrophically incompetent, quietly resurgent, or simply no longer the force it once was. In this episode, Senior Editor Will Kaback explores this question with him — and dives into his thoughts on what al-Qaeda’s trajectory reveals about America’s response to terrorism, the unintended consequences of U.S. foreign policy, and the difficulty of knowing when a seemingly diminished threat is genuinely gone.

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Should billionaires exist?
In Friday’s members-only post, Isaac explored the question of whether billionaires should exist — and dove into generalizations about them all being evil. The piece has already garnered over 600 comments, a strong indication that you have your own opinions. You can read it (and join the conversation) here.

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast hosted by: Will Kaback and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, August 31, The Wall Street Journal reported that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll had resigned amid protracted disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; Driscoll’s last workday was September 2. Several other military leaders have been fired or resigned under Hegseth, who has sought to reduce the size of military leadership. President Donald Trump appointed Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle to serve as acting secretary and did not give a timeline for nominating a replacement.

Ad-free podcasts are here!
Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership!

Should billionaires exist?
In Friday’s members-only post, Isaac explored the question of whether billionaires should exist — and dove into generalizations about them all being evil. The piece has already garnered over 600 comments, a strong indication that you have your own opinions. You can read it (and join the conversation) here.

You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ and today’s “Under the radar” story ⁠here⁠ and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Take the survey: How do you feel about the United States’s overall military preparedness? Let us know.

Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

But should they exist?

Let me start by saying that I get it.

A few years ago, I read a fascinating piece about how professional basketball had lost its cool factor. The current stars of the NBA, like Jayson Tatum and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, just don’t have it. They aren’t charismatic in the same ways Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan or Dr. J were. They aren’t eccentric, or captivating, or culture-defining. “No aura,” as the kids say.

Spend a few minutes watching Elon Musk work a room or Mark Zuckerberg testify before Congress, and it’s hard not to get a similar feeling. These guys do not exude aura. They don’t present as classy or high-minded or suave, which — frankly — is how we prefer our rich people. They are awkward and make bad jokes and laugh in uncomfortable ways.

It at least feels like it was different before. The elites we grew up reading about operated in a classy manner, offered timeless wisdom or expressed humility when reflecting on their station in life. Andrew Carnegie was known for reciting poetry from memory, holding dinners where he’d debate Shakespeare and the merits of socialism, and waking his entire household with a bagpiper every morning. He’s credited with saying, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” J.P. Morgan was famous for locking bankers in his library during the panic of 1907 and not letting them leave until they solved the crisis. He once said, “A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.” Elon Musk wielded a chainsaw while bragging about cuts to USAID, and once entered Twitter HQ during a hostile takeover while carrying a sink. He tweeted: “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in! ”

These people are not the same.

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Suspension of the Rules.
Isaac, Ari, and Kmele had a lot to talk about this week. From Kmele “having a moment” on CNN to mail-in voting changes to CBS’s coverage of Abdul El-Sayed — plus a good guy of the week from the Pacific Northwest and a brief check-in on the Iran war — this week’s Suspension of the Rules is jam-packed. Watch it here.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent months, opposition to data centers has increased across the United States, prompting both Republican and Democratic politicians to oppose the facilities and some states to pause new construction. While some political leaders, including President Donald Trump, remain supportive of data centers, the topic has become a major issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, often linked to concerns about societal disruptions brought on by artificial intelligence (AI).

Ad-free podcasts are here!
Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership!

Suspension of the Rules.
Isaac, Ari, and Kmele had a lot to talk about this week. From Kmele “having a moment” on CNN to mail-in voting changes to CBS’s coverage of Abdul El-Sayed — plus a good guy of the week from the Pacific Northwest and a brief check-in on the Iran war — this week’s Suspension of the Rules is jam-packed. Watch it here.

You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ and today’s “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.

You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.

Take the survey: Do you think we should keep building data centers? Let us know.

Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast written by: Ari Weitzman and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.