The fight over mask mandates in school.

I’m Isaac Saul, and this is Tangle: an independent, ad-free, subscriber-supported politics newsletter that summarizes the best arguments from across the political spectrum — then “my take.”

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Today’s read: 13 minutes.

The mask mandate lawsuit and a question about that trip two Congressmen took to Afghanistan.

Tangle audio…

Many of you have asked about “readings” or audio versions of Tangle. I wanted to give you an update: we are officially practicing recordings now. I have been doing trial runs reading Tangle, improvising a bit, and turning each newsletter into a daily podcast. We are eyeing September 13 for our launch, when you’ll be able to listen to the newsletter each day in podcast form. We are super, super excited to roll this out. But we also want to make sure we do it right. Of course, the newsletter won’t change and we’ll keep producing these as usual every day. The podcast will just be an add-on.

So stay tuned!

Quick hits.

1. A law that bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, including in cases of rape and incest, went into effect in Texas at midnight last night (The new law). Meanwhile, the state also voted to advance a wave of changes to their elections that Democrats had fled the state to prevent from becoming law. (The bill)

2. Heavy clashes are taking place in Panjshir Valley, the last province in Afghanistan that the Taliban has yet to control. (The fighting)

3. Southern Louisiana residents are growing desperate for food, power and clean water in the sweltering aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (The aftermath)

4. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has threatened any companies who comply with the House’s Jan. 6 investigators asking for phone records of members of Congress. (The investigation)

5. An Afghan interpreter who helped rescue then-Vice President Biden in Afghanistan 13 years ago said he has been left behind during the evacuation. (The plea)

What D.C. is talking about.

Mask mandates. On Monday, the Education Department opened civil rights investigations into five Republican-led states that banned mask requirements in schools, or limited those that were already in place. The Education Department said the policies could discriminate against students with disabilities or those who have health conditions that would prevent them from safely attending school in districts