A guest column from Megan Phelps-Roper.

Dear readers,

As Tangle continues to grow, one of my goals is to expand our stable of writers. We want more people writing under the Tangle banner who can represent the center, center-left, center-right, the progressive left, the MAGA right, and those of us (like me) who just find ourselves complicated, confused, and mixed up in today’s political alignment.

One such fascinating person is Megan Phelps-Roper, the political activist and writer who is best known for leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. The church, founded by Phelps-Roper’s grandfather, is widely regarded as a hate group. Her departure from the church — and then role as one of its chief critics — became a national news story. A few weeks ago, Phelps-Roper and podcast producer Andy Mills reached out to me about a new show they were working on — one in which she revisits her childhood upbringing and reflects on what she’s lost by leaving the church. I was fascinated by the pitch, and excited to learn that Phelps-Roper was interested in writing about it for Tangle.

So, today, I’m thrilled to share her essay reflecting on her departure from the Westboro Baptist Church, but also the ways in which she feels like her religious upbringing has never left her — and how she’s trying, in some ways, to return to it. I hope you enjoy.

Ad-free podcasts are here!

To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!

This week, Isaac, Kmele, and a fresh-faced Ari reunite to talk election integrity, Bill O’Reilly, a twist in an old Hunter Biden story, and the challenge of separating political rhetoric from reality. Check it out 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: Megan Phelps-Roper and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by 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.

Over the past week, smoke from wildfires in Canada (as well as northern Minnesota) has affected air quality and visibility across the Midwest and East Coast of the United States. As of Monday, air-quality alerts remained in place for a large portion of the country, and experts expect wildfire smoke to remain prevalent through August. The fires have raised concerns about climate-related catalysts of extreme environmental events, as well as scrutiny of Canada’s forest management.

Ad-free podcasts are here!

To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!

This week, Isaac, Kmele, and a fresh-faced Ari reunite to talk election integrity, Bill O’Reilly, a twist in an old Hunter Biden story, and the challenge of separating political rhetoric from reality. Check it out 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: What’s responsible for Canada’s wildfires? 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.

Coming up on today's episode of Suspension of the Rules, Isaac and Kmele are joined by Ari Weitzman once again. They get into election fraud, data centers, the kind of cover up happening right now in Iran and then Isaac and Kmele take a victory lap about all the things they have been right about. Last but not least, our grievances. It's a spicy good one!

Ad-free podcasts are here!

To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up! Click HERE to get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership.

Tuesday, we released our report on the fight over Alaska’s novel election system, which uses a top-four primary and ranked-choice voting in the general election. Senior Editor Will Kaback traveled to the state to talk with proponents and opponents of the system — and how it’s already changed Alaskan politics. What he found might surprise you. Check it out 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 was hosted by: Isaac Saul and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Jon Lall.

Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.