Tangle - Trump and Putin meet in Alaska.

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is an eight-episode Hulu original limited series that blends gripping pacing with emotional complexity, offering a dramatized look as it revisits the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox for the tragic murder of Meredith Kircher and the relentless media storm that followed. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox start streaming August 20th, only on Disney Plus. From executive producer Isaac Saul, this is Tangle. Good morning, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to the Tangle podcast, the place we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking, and a little bit of my take.

Starting point is 00:00:57 I'm your host, Isaac Saul. It is Monday, August 18th. We are back after taking about a week off for our August recess. So thank you all for hanging around. I hope you were able to find ways to keep up with the news all we were gone. Or that you took a break yourself all without finding anybody you like more than us. Because this is obviously the best place to keep up with what's going on in the political world. And we're jumping back in with some really big stuff today. We're going to be talking about the Trump-Puton summit in Alaska, what exactly happened, what we can take. from it. We're going to share some views from the left and the right end from abroad, and then I'm

Starting point is 00:01:33 going to share my take. Before you jump in today, though, I do want to give you a quick heads up that in case you missed it, we released perhaps our most ambitious video project ever right before we went on break. It was a mini documentary that pulled back the curtain on what life is like for a member of Congress. Our production team, myself included, spent three full days shadowing Representative Jake Ockin-Claas, the Democrat from Massachusetts in Washington, D.C. And then we put together a video that's actually ended up being a little over an hour long that's on YouTube right now. And I'm really proud of this video. I think it is a really unique look into what members of Congress are actually doing. I think it's unlike anything else

Starting point is 00:02:15 that I've really seen out there. We did market research to see if somebody had done a video like this before, and it's very, very rare, non-existent, really, if you don't count members of Congress's own press offices releasing videos. So I was super grateful to Representative Auchin-Claas for letting us do this video and spend so much time with him. And I've been super encouraged by the response. Just a few of the comments that stuck out to me. One person said, this is exactly the type of coverage Congress needs. It's humanizing while still being challenging. Another viewer said, incredible peek behind the curtain at a field shrouded in mystery. I love how candid he was willing to be with you all, and I especially love that he was willing to do this in the first place.

Starting point is 00:02:57 I've been sub to Tangle for nearly five years now, and you guys have really outdone yourselves with this one. And finally, someone said, when I saw that this video was over an hour, I figured I'd try to get a taste of just the first few minutes. I found that it drew me in, and I ended up watching the entire video. This video is up on our YouTube channel right now. If you go to Tangle News on YouTube, you'll see the video titled What Do Members of Congress actually do all day? Three days with Representative Jake Ockin-Claas.

Starting point is 00:03:24 Again, super proud of the video. We're going to be following it up with a reader mailbag on Friday because a lot of people ask questions about certain things that happened in the video or what our experience was like down there. So if you watch the video, then you can write in to us with a question.

Starting point is 00:03:40 You can reach me at Isaac, I-S-A-A-C- at readtangle.com. If you have a question about the video or our time with Representative Hawking-Claus, and we're going to do a reader mailbag this Friday answering your question. So go check it out. And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Also like the video and share it with people.

Starting point is 00:03:57 That teaches the YouTube algorithm that people really want more of this content and it might get us some traction. So I appreciate that. All right, with that, I'm going to send it over to Will who's filling in for John today, who's going to share some of the stories about what we missed and break down our main story.

Starting point is 00:04:12 And then I'll be back for my take. Thanks, Isaac. Before we jump into today's quick hits and our main story, we're going to cover some of the big stories that we missed while we were on break. This is something we like to do whenever we come back from an extended break, just to give a quick rundown of the biggest quick hits that took place while we were off. So here's what you missed. First off, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C.,

Starting point is 00:04:43 and placed the city's police department under federal control. Separately, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued an order stripping the D.C. police chief of her power, but the order was rescinded one day later. Next, President Trump named Heritage Foundation chief economist E.J. Antony as his nominee to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump had fired the agency's former commissioner on August 1st. Next, consumer prices rose 2.7% in July from a year earlier, slightly lower than economists' expectations. Separately, U.S. producer prices increased 0.9% from the month prior, the largest monthly gain

Starting point is 00:05:23 in three years. The increase came amid a rise in the costs of goods and services. Next, the United States and China each extended a pause in tariffs levied on the other as trade negotiations continue. Next, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanyes said the country would move to recognize a state of Palestine. Separately, Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet voted to approve a new offensive to occupy Gaza City. Finally, five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Israel said it was targeting one of the journalists due to his alleged involvement in a Hamas militant cell and in rocket attacks on Israel. Next, President Trump reportedly directed the Pentagon to begin using military. force against Latin American drug cartels that the administration has deemed terrorist organizations.

Starting point is 00:06:19 Next, a federal judge rejected the Justice Department's request to unseal grand jury transcripts in Galane Maxwell's New York sex trafficking case. The judge found that unsealing the documents would not reveal meaningful new information on the case or the government's investigation. Next, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled two to one that the Department of Government efficiency can legally access American's data from the Department of Education, Treasury Department, and Office of Personnel Management. Separately, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled two to one that aid organizations lacked legal grounds to sue the Trump administration over its refusal to spend billions of dollars in foreign aid. The court found that only the government

Starting point is 00:07:03 accountability office could challenge this policy. Next, the U.S. national debt surpassed $37 trillion for the first time in history. Next, lawmakers in Texas said they would return to the state once the legislature adjourns and California lawmakers introduce a redistricting map intended to counter Texas Republicans mid-decade redistricting effort. In an unsigned order, the Supreme Court rejected requests from a technology industry group to temporarily bar Mississippi from enforcing a state law that requires parental consent before young people can create social media accounts. And finally, the Gifford fire on California's central coast became the state's largest fire of 2025. The fire has burned 131,589 acres and is 91% contained as of Sunday.

Starting point is 00:07:57 Now let's move on to today's quick hits. Number one, Democratic lawmakers in California released a congressional map with new boundaries for U.S. House districts that would improve Democrats' chances of winning an additional five seats. State lawmakers will consider the map next week. Number two, the union representing flight attendants for Air Canada defied a government order to resume operations on Sunday, extending the strike that began on Saturday another day. Air Canada flight attendants are seeking a new contract that addresses pay and scheduling disputes. Three, protesters held demonstrations across Israel on Sunday, calling for a ceasefire deal with Hamas

Starting point is 00:08:37 to release the remaining hostages in Gaza. Number four, immigration and customs enforcement reportedly plans to double its immigrant detention capacity in 2025, opening or expanding 125 facilities and adding over 41,000 detention beds. And finally, number five, Bolivia's presidential election moved to a runoff between centrist candidate, Senator Rodrigo Paz, and conservative former president, Jorge Tutto Quiroga. President Trump meets with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky at the White House with the world waiting on edge to see if Ukraine accepts Russia's proposal for peace. President Vladimir Putin wants full control of two regions in eastern Ukraine. In exchange, Putin says he'll freeze the front line elsewhere, as long as the U.S. recognizes the land captured by Moscow. On Friday, President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at joint base Elmendorf Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine, the first in-person meeting between the leaders since the start of President Trump's second term. While Trump described the meeting as, quote, productive, he shared minimal details from the discussions, and the White House has not announced any new agreements.

Starting point is 00:10:02 Ukraine was not a part of the discussions, but Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky will make. meet with Trump in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Trump and Putin met in private for several hours alongside top officials from each country before holding a press conference, during which each delivered remarks, but neither took questions from reporters. Speaking first, President Putin said Russia is, quote, sincerely interested in putting an end to the war, but that doing so required addressing the, quote, primary roots of the conflict, and quote, considering all legitimate concerns of Russia, and to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world on the whole, end quote. He also called for renewed economic ties between the U.S. and Russia, and praised Trump for his

Starting point is 00:10:48 approach to the relationship. In his comments, President Trump noted the, quote, many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say, a couple of big ones that we haven't quite gotten there, but we've made some headway, end quote. He said he would inform NATO leaders and Ukrainian President Zelensky about the details of the meeting. adding that he expected to see Putin again very soon. At the end of the press conference, Putin suggested another meeting in Moscow, which Trump said he could see, quote, possibly happening.

Starting point is 00:11:18 After the meeting, Trump reportedly informed President Zelensky that Putin had offered to freeze his territorial ambitions along most of the current front lines if Ukraine agreed to cede the Donetsic region to Russia. Zelensky rejected any proposal that would cede Ukrainian territories in the Donbos region. On Saturday, Trump publicly called on Zelensky to make a deal to end the war, later saying that he believed the best way to end the war was to pursue a direct peace agreement rather than an initial ceasefire, which Ukraine and Europe have both sought.

Starting point is 00:11:50 In a post on X, President Zelenskyy wrote, quote, If Russia lacks the will to implement a simple order to cease strikes, it may require a great deal of effort for Russia to develop the will to achieve much more, namely a peaceful life with its neighbors for decades. separately, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Putin agreed to quote, robust security guarantees for Ukraine during the Alaska meeting and that these guarantees would be made directly by the U.S. and European countries rather than through NATO. Today we'll share views from the left, right, and writers abroad on the Trump-Puton meeting

Starting point is 00:12:25 in the latest in peace negotiations. Then Isaac gives his take. We'll be right back after this quick break. The twisted tale of Amanda Knox is an eight-episode Hulu Original Limited series that blends gripping pacing with emotional complexity, offering a dramatized look as it revisits the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox for the tragic murder of Meredith Kircher and the relentless media storm that followed. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox start streaming August 20th, only on Disney Plus.

Starting point is 00:13:19 Here's what the left is saying. The left argues the meeting legitimized Putin on the world stage, but gained nothing. Some suggest Trump's disparagement of Ukraine has undermined his negotiating power with Russia. In MSNBC, Naira Haq said, it's not clear if Trump got anything from Putin or even what he wanted. Last week, the White House blew past its own deadline of imposing sanctions on Russia

Starting point is 00:13:44 for continuing its three-year invasion of Ukraine. And then, in a misguided effort to clean up that mistake, President Donald Trump gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a one-on-one meeting in Alaska. It was impossible to make sense of what Trump expected to gain by doing so, hack wrote. It's clear that Trump, in his rush to meet with Putin, not only risked whatever it was left of his global image as a dealmaker-in-chief, but he also may have damaged the United States' image as a global champion for democracy. Putin didn't need anything more than a photo of him on the same military base the U.S. once used to counter the Soviets.

Starting point is 00:14:21 Trump legitimized Putin as the leader of a superpower that must be dealt with directly, and not a rogue state kicked out of the G8, Hock said. Trump completely ignored U.S. sanctions and the international arrest warrant for Putin, essentially siding with Putin against the democratic world order. He again illustrated how potentially easy it is for him to be manipulated into plain second fiddle to Putin's imperial ambitions, gaining nothing for himself or the U.S. in return. In the Atlantic, Anne Applebaum wrote, Trump has no cards.

Starting point is 00:14:55 President Donald Trump berated President Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office. He allowed the Pentagon twice to halt pre-arranged military shipments to Ukraine. He promised that when the current tranche of armaments runs out, there will be no more. He has cut or threatened to cut U.S. funds that previously supported independent Russian language media and opposition, Applebaum said. Many of these changes have gone almost unremarked on in the United States, but they are widely known in Russia. As a result, the Russian president has clearly made a calculation. Trump, to use the language he once hurled at Zelensky, has no cards. If Trump will not put any diplomatic pressure on Putin or any new sanctions on Russian resources,

Starting point is 00:15:38 then the U.S. president's fond wish to be seen as a peacemaker can be safely ignored. No wonder all of Trump's negotiating deadlines for Russia have passed to no effect, and no wonder the invitation to Anchorage produced no result, Applebaum wrote. The U.S. has no cards because we've been giving them away. If we ever want to play them again, we will have to win them back. arm Ukraine, expand sanctions, stop the lethal drone swarms, break the Russian economy, and win the war. Then there will be peace. Here's what the right is saying.

Starting point is 00:16:21 The right is mixed on the meeting's impact, though some say it was a step toward peace. Others contend Trump is right to favor a peace deal. over an initial ceasefire. In the New York Post, Douglas Murray argued the Alaska meeting was a start, but Putin is still up to his old tricks, and Trump knows it. Trump came into office saying that the war would never have started

Starting point is 00:16:42 if he had been the U.S. president in 2022. And yesterday, Putin was careful to stress that this was a point of agreement between the two sides, Murray wrote. Trump was careful not to fall for the flattery. Throughout the joint press appearance, while Putin was speaking, Trump maintained his careful, thoughtful, listening face.

Starting point is 00:17:01 He knows that even a smile in the wrong place can be deadly when dealing with a negotiating partner like Putin, not just because of the man standing beside him on the stage, but for the world's media camped out in front of them both, many of whom would love to revive the Putin puppet memes about Trump. Trump was in Alaska to get a deal done. Whether Putin was there for the same thing, they were, remains to be seen. But in an expert piece of stagecraft,

Starting point is 00:17:26 an American B-2 stealth bomber flew overhead as Trump and Putin walked to the first photo opportunity, Murray said. Trump had a careful game to balance in Alaska. He managed to encourage Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, and he did get Putin to say that he is sincerely interested in ending the conflict. If the two leaders can have further meetings, which can help bring an end to the war, then that could be a good thing. In the Wall Street Journal, former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton wrote

Starting point is 00:17:55 about the silver lining of the summit. The crucial news, underlining the Monday meeting's importance, came after Mr. Trump left Alaska. He wrote on Truth Social that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, Bolton said. That directly contradicts the unanimous pre-Summit European view that a ceasefire must be in place before substantive discussions begin. It was unclear how European leaders reacted.

Starting point is 00:18:22 Their post-Summit statement was silent on the subject. While it is a minority view, I believe Mr. Trump's announcement is positive news for Kiev, although not for the reason he gives. Seasfire lines typically fall along existing military front lines. When negotiations follow a ceasefire, particularly when accompanied by the deployment of peacekeeping forces, as has also been suggested, the ceasefire line often hardens. In short order, ceasefire lines can become de facto borders, Bolton wrote. If a ceasefire line traces what Moscow

Starting point is 00:18:54 now holds in phase two and negotiations this drag on, Mr. Putin will gain time to restore his economy, rebuild and repurpose his army and navy, and prepare for phase three. Kiev should reject this scenario unequivocally, not embrace it. And finally, here's what

Starting point is 00:19:12 writers are broader saying. Writers are broader, mostly critical of Trump's handling of the summit, describing it as a clear win for Putin. Some say Putin outmaneuvered Trump, but the future of the war is still uncertain. The Kiev Independent Editorial Board called the meeting sickening. In the lead up to the meeting in Alaska,

Starting point is 00:19:31 U.S. President Donald Trump declared he wanted a ceasefire today and that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, would face severe consequences if he didn't go for it, the board said. Yet after a 2.5-hour closed-door meeting, Trump and Putin emerged to share. Nothing. Progress was made and some understanding reached, but the two didn't come to an agreement on the most significant point. clearly Ukraine. Trump didn't get what he wanted, but Putin, he sure did. No longer an international

Starting point is 00:20:00 pariah, he was finally getting accepted and respected by the leader of the free world. The chummy display stood in stark contrast to Trump's hostile reception of Ukraine's president Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office six months ago. Ukraine's president endured a public shaming. Russia's was pampered. Both episodes were disgraceful. Trump seemed to believe that a warm meeting could appease Putin and make a ceasefire more likely, the board wrote. But there's a lesson Trump still hasn't learned. The Russian leader doesn't really make deals. He takes. He takes what is offered to him and then takes some more. He keeps taking until stopped by force. That is the Russian art of the deal. In The Spectator, Dahlabor Rojak explored the good, the bad, and the

Starting point is 00:20:46 ugly of the Alaska summit. The three-hour Friday summit in Alaska between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, ended as well as it conceivably could have ended, as a big nothing burger. But that does not mean that Ukraine and its supporters can breathe a sigh of relief, Rohek said. Trump may be unhappy that the prospect of his Nobel Peace Prize remains elusive as Putin has not agreed to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, but it is far from clear that he will end up directing his anger against Russia. We can be reasonably confident that Putin would have been happy to agree to an immediate ceasefire in exchange for Ukraine meeting his maximalist demand.

Starting point is 00:21:22 The failure to reach a ceasefire deal with Trump suggests that the U.S. administration has not bought into Russia's interpretation of the war and how to end it, at least not yet, Rojak wrote. What lies at the heart of the summit is that the U.S. president neither understands nor cares about understanding Putin's motives and the threat he poses to the world. In contrast, Putin, a former KJB lieutenant colonel, has a solid grasp of what makes Trump and his entourage tick. All right, now I'll send it back over to

Starting point is 00:21:52 Isaac for his take. All right, that is it for with the left and the right and some writers from a broader saying, which brings us to my take. So I've been reading Eric Larson's The Splendid and the Vile over the last few months, which is a fantastic retelling of a single year in the life of Winston Churchill during World War II. One idea that Larson's book presses upon me is how fortunes in war can change in a hurry, often because of small details that sideline observers might not...

Starting point is 00:22:32 One idea that Larson's story presses upon me is how fortunes in war can change in a hurry, often because of small details that sideline observers might not consider paramount. For example, England's survival depended largely on Churchill's ability to convince Harry Hopkins, a top aide to Franklin D. Roosevelt, that England was desperate but savable. A small factor like winning over Hopkins paired with a fundamental reality, like Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union, ultimately costs Germany the war. This story is analogous to the history we're living through now. I still agree with the assessment that the war in Ukraine only has two potential ends.

Starting point is 00:23:09 Either Ukraine will lose some land but survive as a sovereign state, or it will lose land and its sovereignty. Yes, fortunes can change. a hurry and personal relationships still matter, but I think these options still reflect the basic tactical reality of this war as we sit here today, three and a half years after Russia invaded Ukraine. I commend Trump's ambition to end this war, and heading into the summit, he seemed to line with our European allies on a major push for a ceasefire. A lot of fuss was made about Trump rolling out a literal red carpet for Putin, and then having B-2 bombers give him a haircut as

Starting point is 00:23:43 they enter negotiations, a mix of pomp and circumstance with military. might an intimidation. But I don't think the optics are really that important. Whether Trump is having his intended effect on Putin is what really matters, and I believe the show of strength is much more persuasive than the overture of flattery. By the end of the summit, though, I couldn't say that I believe Trump's approach had worked. To me, Putin seems to have narrowed Trump's lens from ceasefire, then discussion to peace agreement first, with Ukraine's ceding major territory in exchange for the end of Russia's bombing campaigns, and make no mistake. This framework favors Putin. Over the last three years, Russia has taken control of about one-fifth of Ukraine's land. A peace

Starting point is 00:24:26 agreement could formally hand that land over to Russia. Zelensky has refused any arrangement with that baseline, and it's not hard to understand why. One-fifth of the United States landmass would be equivalent to losing California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah to a foreign country. Or, alternatively, it'd be like Trump giving up Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi to a country that attacked us. And this isn't just about losing landmass. In Ukraine, that would mean millions of people unable to return to thousands of homes to rebuild

Starting point is 00:25:09 after the war, unless they wanted to live in a Putin-controlled territory. That Trump's position apparently morphed through the summit from ceasefire to peace agreement seemed to confirm some critics' assessment that he is getting played by Putin. I don't think the reality is quite that clear cut. As I've said before, I think Trump tends to be most compelled by the last argument he hears. Does Trump really believe that Zelensky can end the war today? I think he believed that on Sunday, but I don't know what he'll believe after hosting Zelensky and a slate of European leaders at the White House this week, and it could benefit Ukraine that

Starting point is 00:25:47 Zelensky is meeting Trump second. For Zelensky and for all wartime leaders throughout history, his management of the tiny particulars of his relationship with Trump will have grand history-changing impacts. Even though Trump is signaling favoritism for Putin's lens, a peace agreement and Russia annexation of Ukrainian land on how to end the war, He's also pushing for a future where Ukraine has robust security guarantees from the United States. United States special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, claimed Russia agreed to such guarantees, and Zelensky is obviously hoping for them.

Starting point is 00:26:19 He described the offer for a mutual defense pact with the U.S. and Europe, like NATO's Article 5 as, quote, historic. Zelinsky says that he wouldn't trade a fifth of Ukrainian land for an end to the war, but would he make that concession with ironclad security agreements for the future? a sizable portion of the Ukrainian public seems to be open to an arrangement vaguely described in those terms. I think Zelensky would ultimately accept such a deal too. Would Putin? I doubt it.

Starting point is 00:26:48 He'd end up controlling swaths of Ukrainian land that his army has reduced to rubble while seating his aspirations to rule over the entirety of the country. The truth is that there is no pause or end to this fighting that is going to satiate Putin's desire to take over Ukraine. On Sunday, hours after Zelensky arrived in the United States, Russia bombed two major Ukrainian cities and killed 10 people. To me, the United States and European protection just means Putin will then have to recalculate how serious the U.S. and Europe would

Starting point is 00:27:16 be about defending whatever is left, and we'll have to decide what to do when he inevitably tries again. In this most cynical view, the only permanent end to any of this comes when Putin is completely removed from power. The reality of this situation is difficult, but it's a reality that Trump is now facing after seeming totally divorced from it on the campaign trail and in the early days of his presidency. He promised end this conflict in 24 hours, whether out of arrogance or ignorance, but after giving Putin his best shot, he's now seeing just how fanciful that notion was. Trump is dealing with one leader, Zelensky, who obviously wants to do everything he can to avoid sacrificing any portions of his country to an enemy, and another leader, Putin,

Starting point is 00:27:58 who believes the entire country belongs to him. For both Putin and any kind of middle ground concession is equivalent to a major defeat. Yet a middle ground concession appears to be the only way out, aside from letting the war run on until one country or leader actually falls. All right, that is it for my take. We're skipping today's your questions answered section because of length. I'm going to send it back to Will for the rest of the pod and I'll see you guys tomorrow. Have a good one. Peace. this quick break. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox

Starting point is 00:28:39 is an eight-episode Hulu original limited series that blends gripping pacing with emotional complexity, offering a dramatized look as it revisits the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox for the tragic murder of Meredith Kircher and the relentless media storm that followed. The twisted tale of Amanda Knox start streaming August 20th only on Disney Plus.

Starting point is 00:29:02 us. All right, and jumping back in with our Under the Radar story. Just over a week after leaving his role as director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA, Vinae Prasad, has returned to the position. Prasad was named the center's director in May, but faced scrutiny from public health officials for his handling of a gene therapy for a Duchenne muscular dystrophy that played a role in the death of two minors. Prasad and oncologist rose to prominence in recent years as an outspoken critic of the

Starting point is 00:29:44 COVID-19 vaccine and associated mask mandates. However, he was targeted in recent weeks by right-wing activist Laura Lumer, who called him a quote, progressive leftist saboteur. Neither the FDA nor the Department of Health and Human Services explained the reason for Prasad's reinstatement beyond saying that it came at the FDA's request. Reuters has the story, and you can find the link to it in today's episode notes. Now on to today's number section. The approximate number of years between President Donald Trump's and Russian President Vladimir Putin's last meeting was seven years, and the last meeting before Fridays

Starting point is 00:30:24 came at the 2018 Russia-United States Summit in Helsinki, Finland. The approximate number of years since President Putin, had visited the United States prior to Friday's summit was 10 years. Next, before Friday, Putin's total number of U.S. visits as Russia's president was seven. The most recent year that a U.S. president has visited Russia was 2013. The year that a summit between President Joe Biden and President Putin was held in Geneva, Switzerland, was 2021, and that was the most recent U.S. Russia summit prior to Friday. The approximate narrowest distance in miles between mainland Russia and and mainland Alaska is 55 miles.

Starting point is 00:31:05 The percentage of U.S. adults who say they are confident in President Trump's decision-making regarding the Ukraine war is 40%. And that's according to an August 2025 Pew Research poll. And finally, the percentage of U.S. adults who say they are not confident in President Trump's decision-making about the war is 59%. And finally, here is today's Have a Nice Day story. 18-year-old Caden Ross was at the pool he manages in Pascala, Ohio, when he heard a woman and child calling out from the water.

Starting point is 00:31:38 At first he thought they were playful screams. Then he realized not only where they cries for help, but they were coming from a creek 150 yards away. After jumping a fence and running the distance, Caden was able to pull the woman from the water and administer CPR to the 7-year-old boy. Quote, as I was giving CPR, stuff started coming out of his mouth, which is usually a pretty good sign.

Starting point is 00:32:00 said. I've never had a save like that, and I don't think I ever will. ABC6 has this story, and again, the link will be in today's show notes. All right, that is it for today's edition. Great to be back with you after our week off and excited to continue with our coverage of the news of the day for the rest of the week. Until then, have a great day. Our executive editor and founder is me, Isaac Saul, and our executive producer is John Wohl. Today's episode was edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Our editorial staff is led by managing editor Ari Weitzman with senior editor Will Kayback and associate editors Hunter Casperson, Audrey Moorhead, Bailey Saw, Lindsay Canuth, and Kendall White.

Starting point is 00:32:42 Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. To learn more about Tangle and to sign up for a membership, please visit our website at reetangle.com. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is an eight-episode Hulu Original Limited series that blends gripping pacing with emotional complexity, offering a dramatized look as it revisits the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox for the tragic murder of Meredith Kircher and the relentless media storm that followed. The twisted tale of Amanda Knox start streaming August 20th only on Disney Plus. Thank you.

Tangle - Trump and Putin meet in Alaska.

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