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.

What the left is doodling.

Suspension of the Rules.

Isaac, Ari, and Kmele had a lot to talk about this week. Kmele “has a moment” on CNN, mail-in voting changes spark a robust discussion, and CBS’s coverage of Abdul El-Sayed comes under scrutiny — plus a good guy of the week from the Pacific Northwest and a brief check-in on the Iran war. Check it out here:

Monday, August 31.

Ratcliffe’s Russia visit. On Tuesday, August 25, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Moscow, Russia, for the first publicly disclosed time to meet with Russian intelligence officials. While the CIA has not shared the official purpose of the trip, Ratcliffe reportedly cautioned Russia against attacking North Atlantic Treaty Organization member states. The visit also comes after four and a half years of war between Russia and Ukraine with little progress in peace discussions.

Our take: “We don’t know why Ratcliffe visited Moscow, but we should know by now that the Western consensus on Putin is often accurate. Also, we should remember that Trump’s unpredictability in foreign affairs isn’t always an advantage. It’s easy to look back and see that the U.S. should have backed Ukraine earlier; it’s harder to see what happens next.”

Reader Survey:

Tuesday, September 1.

The U.S.–Venezuela oil agreement. On Friday, August 28, President Donald Trump announced an agreement to make the United States government an investor in the production of Venezuelan oil. Under the reported terms of the deal, the U.S. will take a stake in a private Venezuelan company that will be given the rights to develop 17 oil fields believed to contain 65 billion barrels of oil. President Trump said the deal will help build up U.S. oil reserves, bring down gas prices, and promote investment and production in Venezuela from other U.S. energy companies. Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said the deal will economically benefit her country and revitalize its energy industry.

Our take: “It’s clear eight months later that ousting Maduro was about oil all along. This deal has many potential benefits, but I’m concerned about the Trump administration’s increasing involvement in private industry. I’m not confident that the upside of our actions in Venezuela is worth the cost.”

Reader Survey:

Wednesday, September 2.

The White House ballroom ruling. On Monday, August 31, the Supreme Court decided 5–4 to allow President Trump to continue above-ground construction on his White House ballroom project. The unsigned order pauses a federal judge’s halt on above-ground construction, stating the plaintiff likely lacks legal standing. However, the majority did not decide whether Trump has the legal authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval, and litigation will continue in lower courts.

Our take: “Trump’s ‘outrun the courts’ strategy recalls another famous New York builder. This action looks blatantly illegal, but the standing issue actually seems rightly decided. I don’t know how overreaches like this can get challenged, which gives me deep concerns about the future powers of the executive.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, September 3.

Pushback on data centers. 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.

Our take: “I’m realizing that my previous position on data centers doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. At the same time, the environmentalist backlash against data centers also doesn’t make sense. That leaves me conflicted, but increasingly skeptical that new construction will be matched by consumer demand.”

Reader Survey:

Friday, September 4.

In this week’s members-only Friday edition, Executive Editor Isaac Saul considers the question: Should billionaires exist? Read his piece diving into innovation, philanthropy, and wealth tax proposals here.

What just happened.

Here’s a rundown of the major stories that have broken since our newsletter on Thursday.

• On Thursday, the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department proposed a rule that would eliminate private schools’ tax-exempt status if it is found to discriminate “on the basis of race, color, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational, admissions, scholarship, athletic, or other policies.” (The proposal)
• On Thursday, Fox said that it had “parted ways” with longtime anchor Maria Bartiromo. The Status newsletter reported that Bartiromo was fired after sharing guidance about covering President Trump’s election fraud claims with the White House. Bartiromo’s lawyer denied that she was fired. (The reports)
• On Thursday, The Associated Press reported that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer turned himself in to federal authorities on charges of lying to investigators about a January shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (The report)
• On Thursday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to temporarily pause a lower-court order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from implementing parts of President Trump’s executive order on mail-in ballots. The Court instructed the challengers in the case to file a response to the administration’s request by this coming Tuesday at 10:00 AM ET. (The request)
• On Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court blocked the state from using new congressional maps designed to net Republicans an additional seat in the U.S. House for the 2026 midterm elections, finding that voters must first approve the measure. (The ruling)
• On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August, exceeding economists’ expectations, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%. June’s employment report was revised upward by 11,000 jobs, and July’s was revised up by 44,000. (The outlook)
• On Friday, the average daily price for a gallon of diesel fuel hit a record high of $5.85 in the United States amid disruptions caused by the Iran war. (The numbers)
• On Friday, the Supreme Court temporarily paused a lower-court ruling that restricted preferential rates in political advertising to only candidates. The pause will allow political parties and joint fundraising committees to also receive those favorable rates. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. (The pause)

Reader essay.

Tangle reader Claudia Dimuro and her dad liked to go on Rides: long drives where the two would just talk and bond over music like Linkin Park and My Chemical Romance. In this week’s reader essay, Claudia reflects on her dad’s life — the music he loved, the work he did, and the people who remembered him — in the wake of his death.

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