Good morning,
Welcome to MS NOW’s Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week’s most interesting and important stories. President Donald Trump had a contentious meeting with his supposed allies. Meanwhile, the Democratic establishment struck back after progressive primary wins, a new book revealed the big problem at the White House and former intelligence officials expressed concern about a new hire. Plus, the Department of Homeland Security got a red card.
Don’t forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below.
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Food fight: Trump went to Senate Republicans’ lunch on Wednesday, but it was the senators who ended up on the menu, argues Matthew Bartlett. Trump urged Republicans to pass a voting restrictions bill that appears headed nowhere, scolded one senator for missing a vote and got into a heated shouting match with another over the Iran war. Afterward, he told reporters that there were senators at the lunch whom he said “I don't like.” The episode underscores a broader dynamic: For many MAGA voices, attacking the Senate Republican majority currently seems to generate more energy than focusing on defeating Democrats. Read more.
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Antidisestablishmentarian: After a trio of left-wing candidates won House primaries in New York City, the Democratic establishment characterized the victories as a threat to the party, argues Zeeshan Aleem. Several prominent Democrats cast the Democratic Socialists of America as an existential threat or likened the group to the Republican Party's MAGA wing. But the candidates won because their views aligned more closely with Democratic voters than those of the party's "creaky, pathologically out-of-touch" leadership. The complaints are also inconsistent with past denunciations of third-party “spoiler” candidates from the same Democratic leaders. Read more.
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‘Regime Change’: A new book on the Trump administration has its share of gossipy anecdotes, including one about the president leaving “empty potato chip bags, Starbucks wrappers, and ice cream cartons” on the floor of his bedroom. But the real scoop is the big picture about the cocoon the president has built around himself in his second term, argues Paul Waldman. The book by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan shows how Trump and his top advisers enable one another to be the worst version of themselves, with terrible consequences for the administration and the country. Read more.
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Acting intelligence: Since taking office last week, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte has posted flattering photos of President Donald Trump on social media. What he has not done is address the public about his plans or calm the unease and confusion in his own office, writes David Rohde. Three former intelligence officials told MS NOW that the Trump loyalist’s arrival has sparked anxiety and fear among Pulte’s staff after the firings of senior personnel and threats of more to come. Democratic critics in Congress, meanwhile, expressed worry that Pulte will use his position as the nation’s top intelligence official to help Trump interfere in the midterm elections. Read more.
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Own goal: The American right has traditionally cast soccer as unmanly, communist and un-American. But the World Cup has made the Department of Homeland Security briefly excited about the sport apparently, as it posted — and quickly deleted — an apparently AI-generated image of the U.S. men’s soccer team in front of a section of the border wall, argues Jacques Berlinerblau. Perhaps the DHS social team realized this U.S. team has dual nationals, immigrants, the child of a Liberian president and even a birthright citizen — making it ”a full-spectrum representation of the many types of people in this country” Trump has criticized or attacked. Read more.
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The Department of Justice recently indicted 15 Minnesotans involved in resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Operation Metro Surge. While we don’t know all the details yet, this appears to be part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration targeting nonimmigrants who stand up for their immigrant neighbors, argues the Rev. Angela Denker, who lives in Minneapolis. Residents are hopeful the case will end up like that of the “Broadview Six” protesters in Chicago, whose charges were dropped after errors in the grand jury process. But the charges themselves have already achieved part of the administration’s goals by associating the names and faces of the protesters with criminal charges that millions of Americans will never learn about the outcome. Read the column here.
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This week on “Clock It,” Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels discuss the Obama Presidential Center, UFC 250, inflation and, most importantly, Juneteenth. Plus, a dive into celebrity activism and what it means to defend freedom. Listen now and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening and bonus content.
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This week on “The Best People,” Nicolle Wallace is joined by former CNN anchor Don Lemon to discuss his January arrest, amplifying the voices that are often lost in national conversations and President Trump’s waning energy. Listen now, and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening and bonus content.
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