The earliest usage dates to the 1950s and 1960s, when it was used to describe aerospace and military systems that kept a human pilot or operator “in the loop” of decisions being made by computers. Usage began to surge in about 1980. One key moment: Vice President George H.W. Bush’s insistence that he was “out of the loop” in the Iran-Contra scandal.

“Now to be in the loop is to be in the circle of power, and to be out of the loop is not to have to worry about a special prosecutor coming after you,” wrote the Times columnist William Safire in 1987.

That’s it for this briefing. We hope you feel in the loop. — Melina

Thank you

To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Adam Pasick, on the Briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, who is running for president.

• Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Something to bid while leaving (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.

• The Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, about the history and impact of slavery in the U.S., is being turned into a series of books by Random House.