Good morning,
Welcome to MS NOW’s Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week’s most interesting and important stories.
A prominent Republican critic of President Donald Trump lost Saturday. Meanwhile, Trump didn’t get anything from his trip to China, he suddenly has a lot in common with his predecessor and the administration wants you to think fraud only happens in blue states. Plus, the women’s basketball star who totally bricked a shot at winning over the public.
Don’t forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below.
|
Hop along, Cassidy: Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is one of the last Republicans in Congress who supported Trump’s impeachment over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. On Saturday, Trump got his revenge, as Cassidy lost the Republican primary, ending a two-decade career in politics, writes Alllison Detzel. Rep. Julia Letlow, whom Trump endorsed, will face Louisiana state Treasurer John Fleming in a run-off on June 27. Cassidy is the latest Republican to face Trump’s wrath after the president successfully ousted five Indiana state senators who opposed his call to redistrict the state. Next week, Trump will seek to unseat Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. Read more.
|
The Art of the Deal: Trump headed to Beijing this week with a wish list ranging from expanding Chinese market access for U.S. businesses to helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He came home empty-handed, writes Daniel R. DePetris, a fellow at Defense Priorities. Nothing from the summit suggests that President Xi Jinping changed his mind about bailing Americans out on Iran, and Trump received only vague assurances on his other goals. The problem for Trump is that he has little he can credibly offer China in exchange. And even if China wanted to help, it’s content to let Trump squirm for now. Read more.
|
Biden redux: When former President Joe Biden exited the presidential race in 2024, his polling numbers were abysmal and voters were furious about rising inflation and an overseas conflict. Now, Trump finds himself in the same position, argues James Downie. His net approval has been -22 for three straight weeks, roughly the same as Biden’s lowest three-week average. The reasons for both presidents’ troubles are similar: the vicissitudes of old age, mishandling of the wars in Iran and Afghanistan and stubborn inflation. The difference is that Democratic lawmakers pushed Biden to drop out, while Republicans remain loyal to Trump. Read more.
|
Phony fraud: The Trump administration is mounting a campaign aimed at rooting out fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. But the effort seems designed to convince Americans that the fraud happens solely, or at least mostly, in blue states, argues Paul Waldman. The effort started with a focus on Somali immigrants in Minnesota, but Vice President JD Vance has made clear that blue states are the target. Experts say there’s no evidence that this kind of fraud happens more in Democratic-led states, but there are many reasons to be skeptical that this administration really cares about corruption and fraud. Read more.
|
Calling foul: After Indiana Fever shooting guard Caitlin Clark walked on stage at country music singer Morgan Wallen’s show, the internet unleashed its fury. But nothing about the criticism should have surprised Clark, argues sports journalist Keith O’Brien. Wallen has made a lot of bad choices, from getting kicked out of Kid Rock’s restaurant to shouting the N-word in a video posted by TMZ. Clark isn’t the only athlete to appear on stage with Wallen, but her status as the “great white hope” for women’s basketball means she faces far more scrutiny over her handling of racial issues, and this was a bad move. Read more.
|
|
|
|
After the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Voting Rights Act, lawmakers across the South sprinted to redraw congressional maps to reduce Black representation. This is a crisis for democracy, but people are making their voices heard in testimony and rallies across the region, including large peaceful demonstrations this weekend, argues voting rights attorney Molly McGrath. “People are doing what the generation before them did: refusing to be silenced and disenfranchised,” she writes. Polls show the vast majority of Americans oppose gerrymandering, believing voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. “We have been here before, and we know what to do, thanks to the courageous actions of previous generations of civil rights leaders,” she writes. Read the column here.
|
|
|
|
Watch Jen Psaki, Alicia Menendez, Ari Melber, Jonathan Capehart, Catherine Rampell and others in conversation at The Center for American Progress IDEAS conference, where the country’s top progressive leaders preview policy ideas expected to shape national debate. Plus, catch Symone Sanders Townsend’s conversation with Sen. Raphael Warnock on voting rights and Chris Hayes’ discussion with Ezra Klein on artificial intelligence. Watch “We The People: America’s Future” Friday at 9 p.m. ET on MS NOW.
|
This week on “The Best People,” Nicolle Wallace is joined by Chris Hayes to discuss how Democrats can rebuild faith in government in a low trust democracy and what we can learn from our political past. Plus, a dive into his new podcast series, “Why Is This Happening: The AI End Game,” and what deeper questions we should be asking about artificial intelligence. Listen now, and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening and bonus content.
|
|
|
|
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036
|
|
|
|
|
