Jerry App Advertiser (0:00)

You know what's Wild? Most people are still overpaying for car insurance just because it's a pain to switch. That's why there's Jerry. Jerry's the only app that compares rates from over 50 insurance in minutes and helps you switch fast. With no spam calls or hidden fees, drivers who save with Jerry could save over $1,300 a year. Before you renew your car insurance policy, do yourself a favor, download the Jerry app or head to Jerry AI Acast.

Better Wild Advertiser (0:27)

Dog Owners we love to spoil our pups and more than anything, we want them to live long, healthy, comfortable lives. But here's the thing. A lot of us don't realize when our dogs are trying to tell us something's wrong. Constant paw licking, rubbing on the couch, or obsessively eating grass can all be signs of allergies. Because 90% of a dog's immune system lives in the gut, supporting digestion is key. That's where Better Wild Allergy Relief Soft Chews come in. These veterinarian approved chews use an ancestral blend of wolf probiotics called Ancestral Adv Advantage to strengthen your dog's natural defenses. Better Wild even offers chews for joint support, dental health and a digestive meal topper. All science backed solutions to help your dog feel their best. Right now Better Wild is offering our listeners up to 40% off of your order@betterwild.com podcast that's betterwild.com podcast for up to 40% off your order. Betterwild.com podcast ever find yourself bored or.

Royal Match Advertiser / Podcast Host (1:28)

Trying to kill time? We have finally found a solution for you. Royal Match don't believe me? Let's hear what people say.

Royal Match User / Advertiser (1:35)

Royal Match is such a fun puzzle game. There are over 10,000 levels. Also a bunch of mini games which makes it super exciting.

Podcast Host Isaac Saul (1:42)

My favorite part, it doesn't need WI fi. I play on my commute, on flights, even while waiting in line.

Nordstrom Rack Advertiser (1:49)

And honestly, no ads. Not a single one. That's why I'm so into it.

Royal Match Advertiser / Podcast Host (1:53)

So there you have it. A relaxing, challenging, totally ad free game that goes wherever you go. Download Royal Match and see why everyone loves it.

Podcast Host Isaac Saul (2:08)

From executive producer Isaac Saul, this is Tangle.

Isaac Saul (2:23)

Good. Good morning, good afternoon and good evening and welcome to the final Tangle podcast. Before Christmas. It is Tuesday, December 23rd. There's some news, not a ton of news, so you're not missing much today without us breaking it down for you. I'll say I'm keeping my eye on some of the fallout from the Epstein file stuff. We got some more docs last night, US economic growth surged in the third quarter of 2025. We got a new labor economic report today. There's a big controversy at CBS right now with Barry Weiss and her killing a story about seacot, which I read the details, the memo of why she killed. It seems totally reasonable to me. I'm not at all convinced that she's like in the tank for the Trump administration. Maybe it has something to do with this merger. But these are their stories kind of percolating, but we're not covering any of them today. This is a little end of the year wrap podcast. So first and foremost I'm here with a programming note, which is that we will be off Wednesday through Friday this week. We'll be back in your inbox on Sunday with a Sunday Edition newsletter. And and then we'll have a podcast for a few days next week before the new year. And then during the new year break, we're going to be releasing a couple interviews we have in the bank that have been completed but not yet released. So I'm here mostly to say I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays or whenever you celebrate good New Year. Hope you get to enjoy some time off from the news. We'll update you on everything you missed next week on Monday when we're back. So if you want to take a little news break and then just tune into next week's podcast, you can do that and I encourage you to do that. It's a good thing. It's healthy for your brain if you're a big news consumer. Second, I'm here because as we head into this period of winter vacation, I just want to thank all you guys for an incredible year. We're still a little bit short of our end of year subscription goal. A little bit. We're a lot short. My COO, Magdalena Bogovo, was like 3500 paid subs is a lot. Maybe we should do like 1,000 or 2,500. I was like, no, let's send it. But we've got over a thousand new paid subs, which is awesome. But we need 2,500 more to hit our goal. And we have about 2448 hours left. So if you haven't subscribed yet, Please go to retangle.com membership. You can subscribe. There should be a link in the episode description or just go to our website. Make Magdalena feel stupid and make me feel cool and smart. That'd be awesome. Or if you're already a subscriber, which I know many of you are you can gift this subscription. So if you're looking for a last second stocking stuffer or a gift that requires zero shipping, you can go to readtangle.com gift subscription. There'll be a link for that in the episode description too. Other than the subscription drive, which we are a little bit short on, it has really truly been another fantastic year for Tangle. So just a quick few highlights if you'll indulge me. Our mailing list went from 290,000 people to 460,000. We brought in over $4 million in annual revenue last year. Our full time team grew from five people to 12. We launched a texting SMS service, our behind the scene newsletter, Press Pass, our weekly podcast Suspension of the Rules and a subreddit. We hosted our third live event with our highest turnout to date, our podcast. The show now averages over 500,000 downloads a month. Our YouTube channel continues to grow and just surpassed 25,000 subscribers. Our primary social channel Instagram grew 92%. We obviously introduced more voices this year to the podcast to the newsletter. We've had featured posts from guest authors and have them come on the show and read their piece. We have more and different authors of the My Take section who come on the podcast for that and we've even introduced the staff Dissent feature which was a huge hit. I showed this slide to our staff last week about the year. We've also had a huge impact on the media side. We were in ted, we were in the Free Press, Columbia Journalism Review, Mediaite, the Gist, Unite America, Slate, a media operator, Forward medium, I mean all over last year which was awesome and we've had a huge impact with our audience. We have a slide in our newsletter today of a bunch of testimonials. I think a couple examples that stuck out to me. A 15 year old from Singapore wrote in said, I just want to let you know that even outside the US your work has a big impact. Julian from Ann Arbor, Michigan said, you've helped me temper my anxieties about the world and I've become a regular part and have become a regular part of my day. I appreciate all you do so. Susan from Los Angeles said, tangle's really helping me see another way and encouraging me to be more courageous in my questions, both the ones I ask myself and the ones I ask others. There's just a lot of stuff like this. So thank you. Now as we head into Christmas break, our team has a lot to be grateful for and our audience, that's you, continues to be a part of something genuinely special. I mean this. You are helping fund and support a profitable independent media company, which is pretty rare these days. We don't have investors. We're not backed or owned by some larger entity. You're supporting independent thinking and free speech along the way. We're not just feeding you partisan red meat. You get exposed to views you don't like every day. By reading and listening to Tangle, you are participating in an exercise that I truly believe. I know it's corny, but I really believe this. It is foundational to to the functioning of our society. The good faith exchange of ideas, diverse perspectives in a way that can actually allow us to listen to others and even change our minds on occasion. Looking ahead to 2026, we have some awesome stuff in the works. We are building out a list of contributing voices to bring on regularly to this podcast and into our newsletter. We're planning to do more original reporting on our YouTube channel and to begin recruiting more high profile guests to our podcast. We're also exploring ways to bring Tangle to new mediums, including broadcast radio and social channels like TikTok. And along the way, we're hoping to develop more scientific polling and surveying in ways where we can illuminate original insights into America through the tango audience. Lots of fun stuff. So thank you for being here, for supporting us, for making all this possible again. Readtango.com membership if you don't have one yet, Happy Holidays. That's it for me today. We're going to see you guys next week. Don't forget, you can take a break. We'll be back. We'll help you get through it and we'll see you soon. Have a good one. Peace Our Executive editor and founder is me, Isaac Saul, and our Executive producer is John Lowell. Today's episode was edited and engineered by Dewey Thomas. Our editorial staff is led by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman with Senior Editor Will Kaback and Associate Editors Hunter Caspersen. Audrey Moorhead Bailey Saw Lindsay Knuth and Kendall White. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet75. To learn more about Tangle and to sign up for a membership, please visit our website@retangle.com.