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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 left is doodling. John Deering | Creators Syndicate What the right is doodling. Al Goodwyn | Creators Syndicate Reader essay.Photo by Ryan Arnst / Unsplash Two weeks ago, we shared a reader essay from Dinah about voting and Passover — a holiday that she said marks the coming of spring for her. Another occasion vanguarding the changing seasons is baseball’s Opening Day. For some of us, it might not mean much. For Terrell and her husband, it’s a family holiday that brings the two of them together, and reminds each of their dads. Read the piece here! Have a local or personal story you want to write about? Pitch us! Fill out this form or reply to this email, and we’ll get back to you if we’re hooked. Reader review.In this section, we like to include reader responses that counter opinions we publish in the newsletter. Our piece on Biden's student debt forgiveness generated a lot of commentary, with this response by June Genis generating a lot of support from readers: One thing I'm not seeing mentioned here is that it is the student loan program itself which is largely responsible for this mess. The ease of getting a loan has allowed colleges and universities to vastly increase their tuition (and other) costs requiring larger and larger loans in a never ending spiral. It should be much harder to get a student loan including a realistic evaluation of the ability of the borrower to ever repay it. In short, the government created this problem and they shouldn't be able to buy their way out of it on the backs of all taxpayers. If people can't pay their student loan debt they should be allowed to declare bankruptcy like anyone else who can't repay a debt.
However right now student loans are the one type of debt that can not be specified to declare bankruptcy. Bankruptcy would allow the burden to fall where it should, on the institutions that made these bad loans.  Tangle’s main stories this week were six months of war in Gaza, Trump’s abortion position, Biden's new student debt cancellation plan, and the latest news on the economy. For full versions, you can find all of our past coverage in our archive. Monday, April 8.The latest on the war in Gaza. Last Sunday, April 7, marked six months since Hamas's attack in Israel on October 7, and the semi-anniversary comes at a major inflection point in the resulting war. In late March, the Biden administration had signed off on billions of dollars of bombs and jet transfers to Israel. But in a tense phone call on Thursday, April, 4, President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that future U.S. military support for Israel would depend on the implementation of new steps to allow aid into Gaza and to protect civilians. The 30-minute call came just days after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers from celebrity chef José Andrés’s organization World Central Kitchen. Tuesday, April 9.Trump's abortion position. On Monday, former President Donald Trump released a four-minute video announcing his position on abortion. Trump appeared to endorse the current state of abortion law, implying it will continue to be left up to the states in the post-Roe era while declining to endorse any national limit on abortion. In March, Trump's campaign had floated a national 15-week ban. "Many people have asked me what my position is on abortion and abortion rights," Trump said. "My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both." - From the left. The left thinks Trump’s position on abortion will hurt him with his religious base. In Newsweek, David Faris argued “Trump's big abortion gamble won't save him.”
- From the right. The right is mixed on Trump’s comments, with some calling them an insult to the pro-life movement. In National Review, Dan McLaughlin suggested “Trump is half-right on abortion.”
- Our take. “Everyone’s missing that Trump didn’t say what his position is, he just described the current situation: Abortion is left up to the states. Trump seems to be somewhat pro-choice, but more so willing to just take a winning stance. Republicans are now following his suit, which I think is probably the right strategy for him in 2024.”
Wednesday, April 10.President Biden's new student loan cancellation plan. On Monday, President Biden unveiled a new plan that could erase some or all of the college loans for up to 30 million borrowers. The plan comes less than a year after the Supreme Court blocked a broader effort that would have forgiven an average of $20,000 for roughly 40 million Americans. Today, around 43 million Americans own about $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, or an average of just over $39,500 per borrower. Biden's previous plan leveraged the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, or HEROES Act, to grant waivers for student debt relief. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the Biden administration was using the bill in a way Congress had not intended. This time, Biden is using the Higher Education Act, which gives the Secretary of Education the power to "compromise, waive or release" federal student loans. - From the right. The right is strongly opposed to Biden’s plan, depicting it as unconstitutional and dishonest. The Wall Street Journal editorial board called the plan “Biden’s latest lawless student loan forgiveness.”
- From the left. The left mostly supports Biden’s ongoing efforts to cancel student loan debt. In MSNBC, Hayes Brown said the plan “is a winner.”
- Our take. “Biden’s first proposal was too broad, poorly timed, and illegal. This new plan is less broad, but I’m still concerned about the timing and don’t think it’s changed enough to survive legal challenges. I am not against cancellation in principle — and a portion of this plan makes sense — but the new proposal still falls short of a legal and comprehensive solution.”
Thursday, April 11.The economy. This past week, the government made two big announcements on the economy. First, on April 5, the Department of Labor reported that the economy added 303,000 jobs in March, though full-time unemployment decreased slightly. The total jobs added far surpassed economists' predictions that roughly 200,000 jobs would be added. Additionally, unemployment held steady at 3.8%, continuing the labor market’s hot hiring streak. Then, on April 10, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index (CPI) rose faster than expected in March. Officials for the Federal Reserve indicated that geopolitical turmoil and rising energy prices remain risks that could push inflation higher. - For the left. The left was concerned about inflation but heartened by the latest jobs numbers, crediting Biden for overseeing a strong economy. In The New York Times, Paul Krugman wrote “good economy, negative vibes: the story continues.”
- From the right. The right criticized Biden’s handling of the economy, pointing to the inflation report as evidence that his policies are hurting average Americans. In The Federalist, Joseph Lobue argued “Biden is only ‘adding’ jobs because Americans need extra side hustles to make ends meet.”
- Our take. “The job reports looked good at first blush, but the details are concerning. Unfortunately, inflation is not going in the right direction, which is the major story of this economy. In the end, I don’t think the poor economic sentiment is that complicated. Things are just getting more expensive.”
Friday, April 12.In a subscribers-only Friday edition, Isaac broke down the argument from posts shared by Elon Musk claiming that unauthorized migrants are registering to vote. You can read the full piece here. Reader surveys.Monday, six months of war in Gaza: Tuesday, Trump’s abortion position: Wednesday, Biden's new student debt cancellation plan: Thursday, the latest news on the economy: Recommended reading.Peter McIndoe, the person behind the infamous "Birds Aren’t Real" movement that captured the minds of Gen Z, is ditching the conspiracy theories and running head first into political activism on social media. In an election that could see millions of new Gen Z voters relative to 2020, social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have become increasingly fertile ground for political content targeted at young voters. McIndoe argues the same dynamics that made "Birds Aren't Real" a sensation will translate into successful digital advocacy as conservative and liberal groups jockey for influence online. Slate has the story. On the channels.Coming Up: Isaac will be giving a TED Talk in Vancouver on April 17! Learn more about the event here. Instagram: Will breaks down President Biden’s new student debt cancellation plan in a new reel here. Podcast: Ari and Isaac talk about Isaac’s recent trip to Bali, Biden’s student debt forgiveness, a recent pro-Palestine protest in Berkeley, and whether Justice Sotomayor will retire. Plus, Ari’s grievance actually makes Isaac mad. You can listen here! YouTube: In a recent interview, Isaac sat down with Edwin Raymond, a recently retired NYPD lieutenant, civil-rights activist and author of the riveting new memoir An Inconvenient Cop: My Fight to Change Policing in America. Check it out here! @BaileyCarlin learns about the juice:
Tangle’s favorites.💃 MUSIC: LA LOM, an instrumental playing a kind of Peruvian cumbia meets U.S. blues. You can check them out here. 🗺️ MAPS: This fun map of geographical analogies caused a bit of a controversy in the Tangle chat. Some loved it, others were more triggered by it. How is all of China equivalent to the whole Southeast? I digress… 🎒 MELTDOWN: A post-pandemic controversy embroiling a middle school in liberal Amherst, Massachusetts. Jessic Winter tells the story in The New Yorker. Ask the readers.Last week, we asked readers what they thought of our reader question section. Dolores from Oklahoma: Love the reader questions! Especially when the winner gets to pick the next question... they're so creative! Since we picked Dolores's answer (which was representative of most of the responses!), we gave her a chance to ask a question. Question: How have your relationships changed in your life because of what you have learned in Tangle? You can let us know your thoughts by replying to this email or through this form. Starting with the first letter, add one letter in any position to the preceding line to answer the clue to each line. EXAMPLE: Click here for the answer. Want even more Tangle? Follow us on our Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for up-to-the-minute updates.
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