A different kind of news…
Tangle is an independent, ad-free, non-partisan politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from the left and right on the news of the day. The Tangle format is our special sauce. Here’s what every newsletter will look like:
What D.C. is talking about.
We tell you the biggest political news story of the day.
What the left, right and center are saying.
We give you a round-up of arguments from the left, right and center about that story.
My take.
As an open-minded politics reporter, I’ll share my honest, unfiltered thoughts about those arguments.
Your questions, answered.
Almost every day, we answer a reader question about politics.
A story that matters.
One major news story that’s being drowned out by all the noise.
Numbers.
The most interesting numbers from the last 24 hours.
Have a nice day.
A good news story to wash it all down.
Plus…
Every newsletter is just a 10-minute read. If we get something wrong, we’ll correct it at the top of the newsletter. And if you write in to criticize something we write, there’s a good chance we’ll share your feedback with our readers!
Our bias rating, according to AdFontesMedia:
What subscribers say.
“Tangle is restoring my trust in news and media. Any good argument looks at both sides. Any good news source looks at both sides and digests an objective viewpoint for its viewers. Tangle does this in every report.”
— Alexis, Kansas City, Kansas
“My favorite read of the day. Tangle is reflective, nuanced, and self-aware. It challenges my beliefs and broadens my horizons. Reading Tangle makes me feel better informed about the country and world.”
— Adam, San Francisco, California
“Tangle is the rational, reasoned read that helps me focus on the signal of current events rather than the noise.”
— Michael, Buda, Texas
“Dangerously close to becoming the highlight of my day.”
— Pranav, New York, NY
“Tangle is the best discovery I've made in the last month. Isaac Saul has the remarkably unique ability to summarize what both sides of the political aisle are saying in his own words, in a fair and charitable way. Tangle is a daily read for me because it helps me avoid the confirmation bias of just listening to what 'my side' is saying, helping me to draw my own conclusions in a more informed way.”
— Josh, Charlotte, NC
“As a right-leaning, Libertarian, Trump supporter I catch myself only listening to ideas I want to believe. I find the Tangle arguments that lean left are well reasoned and thought out, allowing me to broaden my thought processes.”
— Todd, Manchester, NH
“The Tangle newsletter is my favorite email of the day. When it arrives, I stop what I’m doing and dive in. For the first time in a long time I enjoy reading the news again.”
— Jennifer, Paducah, KY
“Hands down the best daily news wrap-up out there.”
— Scott, Los Angeles, CA
“The only newsletter I’m reading daily.”
— Brendan, Madison, WI
“The political reporting you want. Good, not flowery, writing. Facts where the story is. Analysis in a separate place. Both sides presented without the spin makers doing the presenting.”
— Michelle, San Francisco, CA
"I love reading Tangle every day and it has become my foremost source of news. It's important for me to keep up with it as a CFP and financial consultant because I speak with clients daily about their investments, coronavirus, politics, and the economy.”
— Sean, Morristown, NJ
“I’ve recommended Isaac Saul’s newsletter Tangle to family, friends and coworkers. It’s refreshing, it’s honest and it provides a different lens for opposing viewpoints.”
— Andrew, Tampa Bay, FL
Why Tangle?
Because you probably hate the news. And I don’t blame you. Political news is broken in our country: Just 13% of Americans have a “great deal” of trust in what they read in the papers, watch on television or hear on the radio. For the first time ever, fewer than half of Americans trust traditional media. That number only goes down when you narrow the focus to politics, and the credibility of news organizations continues to plummet every day.
In today’s political discourse, the most popular thing to do is to elevate the worst arguments the other side is making and then eviscerate them. The tactic is used across politics, partisan media outlets and it’s employed religiously by political pundits. Americans from the right and left think negatively of people with different political views than them because all they see are the worst actors on the other side. Additionally, most political reporting today has a slant, lacks context, lacks transparency or fails to answer fundamental questions that readers want to know.
I’m trying to fix this.
In the news world, most journalists, media outlets, television networks and podcasts survive on advertisement revenue. Ad revenue is driven by viewership. That means the more people see an advertisement, the more valuable it is. This incentivizes reporters, editors, radio hosts, television stations and news outlets to make their content as viral, explosive and sensational as possible.
It’s why television news and clickbait exist the way they do. It also creates conflicts of interest between publishers and the people paying them to run their advertisements. My dream for Tangle is to avoid all of that at all costs. So, instead, Tangle is entirely subscriber supported. By asking my readers to support this newsletter instead of advertisers or investors, I am incentivized to create good content that you love, that keeps you happy, not content that is clickbait or designed to go viral or make an advertiser happy. Doing it this way fulfills the promise of Tangle, it gives you the power and makes you an investor in this news outlet.
Best of all: a typical Tangle newsletter takes about 10 minutes to read, and includes fun numbers, a good news story, and all the quick htis you need to know. Don’t like something I say? Write in and I’ll share your argument with my readers.
What industry leaders say.
“Talking politics without personal bias is tough. That’s why we let Tangle do it for us.”
— The Hustle
“Tangle helps me be a better citizen -- understanding the facts of the day's most pressing issue, understanding it from multiple perspectives, and learning about issues that might otherwise slip by me. It's my daily must-read.”
— Sean McComb, 2014 National Teacher of the Year
“Ike Saul’s bipartisan newsletter is so worth the subscription. I am always genuinely excited when it hits my inbox.”
— Jill Thaw, Senior Editor for The Athletic
“My friend and chronic comrade-in-arms @Ike_Saul has built an incredible politics newsletter from scratch. It dives deep into 2020 (and the many narratives underpinning it) every day. All those hours and all that work have resulted in something special.”
— Cate Matthews, Senior Editor for TIME Magazine
"Most of my news consumption makes me feel like I'm getting yelled at. Tangle reduces the temperature and gives me information in a relaxed, level-headed way from a variety of perspectives. It's pretty rare that reading the news makes me calmer. But Tangle makes me calmer. It makes me feel like I can take a breath."
— Will Leitch, Founding Editor of Deadspin, a contributing editor at New York Magazine
“Tangle is worth my time. Isaac catches me up on key national and political news stories percolating on the Internet, explaining the details that often pass me by when news is chaos.”
— Laura McGann, Politics Editor for Vox
“My new favorite newsletter to follow is @TangleNews by the wonderful @Ike_Saul. It helps me stay up-to-date with the day's big complicated story — and also encourages me to check my biases. Highly recommend.”
— Brendan Harvey, Founder of Good Good Good Newspaper
“Excellent resource for anyone looking to understand U.S. politics -- impeachment, 2020 presidential campaign, etc -- in smart yet easily digestible daily emails.”
— Ben Van Heuvelen, Editor-in-Chief of Iraq Oil Report
“Really love this idea from my friend @Ike_Saul. A smart political newsletter that's heavy on reader interaction and answering questions, and adds a dose of positivity to the political grind.”
— Jonathan Tamari, National Political Writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer
Who reads it?
Americans who know politics news is broken. Tangle’s readership spans every state in America, more than 35 countries outside the U.S., and includes reporters in every national newsroom — from The New York Times to Fox News. The truth is that America is not red or blue, but purple. Somewhere near the middle. And even the furthest left or right Americans can find at least one or two things appreciate they like about the other side. Tangle recognizes this reality by making sure you understand the arguments from across the political spectrum — not the loudest voices in the room, but the smartest and most reasonable.
Who runs this thing?
My name is Isaac Saul. I am a politics reporter who grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, one of the most politically divided counties in all of America. I have lived, studied, traveled and written all over the U.S., Canada, China, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Thailand, among others.
After college, I helped build A Plus, a solutions journalism media outlet, alongside actor and entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher. I worked as an editor and politics reporter for A Plus while I freelanced all over. You may have also seen my work in TIME Magazine, Vox, Independent Journal Review, The New York Daily News, HuffPost, or The Forward. My reporting has been cited by Fox News, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
In 2016, Yahoo News named me one of the 16 people whose writing shaped the 2016 election. In 2020, Forbes Magazine called me one of the 1,000 “upstart entrepreneurs redefining the American dream.” You can read more about my career as a reporter here or follow me on Twitter.
Tangle is also produced by a social media manager, three editors and a team of research assistants and interns with educational and professional experience across the spectrum who all work part-time on helping produce the newsletter. And, of course, the opinions and feedback from readers are included in almost every newsletter.
Some more testimonials:
Isaac Saul @Ike_Saul
When I was 15, I bought a 1987 Winnebago le Sharo in Colorado with my Bar Mitzvah money. Then drove it to Mexico for a new muffler then home to Philadelphia. With my permit. Fats Domino bought it from me when I was 22. https://t.co/CsqHt3duvo
Isaac Saul @Ike_Saul
2 months in, and my politics newsletter is 13 people away from breaking 1,000 subscribers. Help me get there with a RT and subscribe! https://t.co/qAGGSWEkyI @SubstackInc
