Show Notes
On Wednesday, Tennessee failed to execute Christa Pike after administering two doses of a lethal drug. Pike had been sentenced to death for her role in the 1995 murder of Colleen Slemmer, and she is now hospitalized in critical condition. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) canceled the state’s final scheduled execution of 2026 and accepted the resignation of Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada.
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Is it a crisis? In Friday’s piece on the global fertility decline, Editor Audrey Moorehead wrote: The numbers vary from country to country, but consistent across the data is a simple fact: The fertility rate is in decline, both in the United States and around the world. To calibrate a response… three questions immediately arise: What does it actually mean that fertility is declining? Why is it in decline? And can — or should — we try to reverse it?You can read Audrey’s exploration of these questions — and what’s at stake if the decline continues — here.
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This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.
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In today's episode of Suspension of the rules, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele discuss a controversial Ohio campaign ad, the prospect of a Democratic midterm wave, riots in France, and the challenges of separating political narratives from facts. Last but not least, our grievances. Its a good one!
This is the debut edition of “A Grain of Saul,” a fresh newsletter from me, Isaac Saul, within the Tangle ecosystem. It’ll come out every week or two, and I’ll use it to explore controversial ideas, hot debates, trending stories, and some political-adjacent issues that don’t make it into Tangle. We’re giving these first few editions away for free, then it’ll be going behind a paywall as a perk for paying members only. Enjoy!
On Wednesday, October 14, Ukrainian officials reported that its access to the services it uses to coordinate drone missions was hampered, signaling a potential shift in U.S. policy toward the country amid its war with Russia. The disruption came on the heels of a deal to buy Russian diesel, an executive order lifting sanctions passed by Congress in September, and comments from President Donald Trump accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not wanting to end the war.
For the past month, protests and riots have broken out across France, with violence and disorder significantly escalating over the weekend. In mid-September, high school students began demonstrating against a perceived lack of resources in schools; parents, college students, teachers and trade unions later joined the effort, and it has since broadened into nationwide unrest over cost-of-living concerns. French officials say that far-left groups are primarily responsible for the escalation into rioting and looting, while some French politicians and U.S. political leaders suggest the protests underscore deeper issues linked to immigration.