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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.

Monday, November 10.

The latest on the government shutdown. On Sunday, November 9, the Senate voted 60–40 to advance legislation to end the federal government shutdown after Republicans reached a deal with several Democratic senators. The package includes the continuing resolution passed by the House of Representatives with amendments to include three bills (known as a “minibus”) that will collectively fund the operations of Congress, the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration, and programs and benefits for veterans in fiscal year 2026. As part of the deal, Congress will also fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through fiscal year 2026. However, the deal will not include an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act credits, which Democrats had been demanding as part of a deal. Instead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) promised a vote in December on extending the credits. On Wednesday, November 12, the House of Representatives voted 222–209 to approve the legislation, and President Donald Trump signed the bill into law, officially ending the shutdown.

Our take:“As I expected, the election results spurred immediate action to end the shutdown. I doubt Democrats are defecting organically — Schumer is just folding in a way that gives the appearance of resistance. It all raises the question: What was this all for?”

Reader Survey:

Tuesday, November 11.

We were off on Tuesday in observance of Veterans Day, but we issued a survey on the future of Tangle for free members, as well as our second issue of Press Pass, our new monthly behind-the-scenes newsletter for paid members. We talked about our live event in Irvine, California, and some changes we’re considering (based on your feedback!). You can read Press Pass here.

Wednesday, November 12.

The 2020 election pardons. On Monday, November 10, U.S. Pardon Attorney Ed Martin announced that President Donald Trump had pardoned several top aides and advisers from his first administration, as well as dozens of people involved in his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election. Those receiving pardons include President Trump’s former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, adviser Boris Epshteyn, and attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, and Sidney Powell. None of the recipients has been charged with a federal crime, but the pardon will protect them from future prosecution related to the 2020 election (though they can still be prosecuted at the state level).

Our take:“These pardons are strange because none of the recipients were at risk of prosecution. President Trump is likely fulfilling a personal desire to right perceived wrongs stemming from the 2020 election. Misuse of the pardon power also accelerated under Biden, and the only way to rein it in is to recommit to prior norms.”

Reader Survey:

Thursday, November 13.

Trump v. Orr. On Thursday, November 6, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to temporarily pause a lower court ruling to allow transgender and nonbinary Americans to self-select their sex when applying for a passport. The decision was issued through the court’s emergency docket and was unsigned, though Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented and was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Our take: “The government had a high bar to clear to issue its injunction, and it didn’t come close. The plaintiffs face much more immediate harm to the lower court’s ruling being paused than the government does (if it is harmed at all). Making this policy change doesn’t seem to benefit anyone, and it could actually cause more confusion and inefficiency in the travel process.”

Reader Survey:

Friday, November 14.

Every few months, our stack of reader and listener questions gets so big that we have to do a reader mailbag to address them. We pored over emails and submissions for a few weeks, and built out a big reader mailbag edition to address your inquiries and criticisms in this week’s Friday edition. You can read it here.

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What just happened.

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

• On Thursday, the Justice Department sued to block California from implementing new congressional boundaries, a move that was approved by voters earlier this month. The suit joins an existing challenge to the new map brought by the California Republican Party. (The suit)
• On Thursday, a spokesperson for Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) shared that the senator had been hospitalized after falling during a walk and experiencing an episode of ventricular fibrillation. On Saturday, Fetterman announced in an X post that he had returned home from the hospital after receiving 20 stitches. (The hospitalization)
• On Friday, the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia announced that the agency’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, will take over prosecuting the 2020 interference case against President Donald Trump and his associates in Georgia. Skandalakis will replace Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was disqualified from the case over her relationship with one of the prosecutors on her team. (The announcement)
• On Friday, the Justice Department said it will investigate convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's ties with former President Bill Clinton and JPMorgan. The decision to launch the investigations comes after President Trump called on the department to do so. (The investigation) Separately, the House will reportedly vote on Tuesday on legislation to force the release of federal files related to Epstein. (The report)
• On Friday, President Trump said he is no longer endorsing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and would support a primary challenge to her. Trump called Greene a “ranting lunatic” and said she had “gone Far Left.” In recent weeks, Greene has been publicly critical of some of the president’s and Republicans’ policies. (The rift)
• On Friday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the United States and Switzerland reached a trade agreement that will lower U.S. tariffs on Swiss imports to 15% in return for Swiss companies investing approximately $200 billion in the U.S. by the end of 2028. (The deal)
• On Saturday, several thousand people participated in a Gen-Z protest in Mexico City against crime, corruption and impunity. 120 people were injured, including over 100 police officers, and 100 were arrested, according to police. (The protest)

Reader essay.

Since 2018, four German au-pairs have lived with Tangle reader Antonio Westphalen and his family. In April 2025, while visiting the au-pairs’ native land, Antonio visited the Topography of Terror museum in Berlin — and his experiences there left an indelible mark. As he walked through the museum memorializing the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, he confronted his own assumptions about truth, freedom, and democracy.

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