Sunday, February 15, 2026 |
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Good morning, Welcome to MS NOW's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most interesting and important stories. Democrats and the White House remain stuck in negotiations over putting limits on immigration agents. Meanwhile, Pam Bondi leaned heavily on a single statistic in her congressional hearing, Trump's broken promise on immigration is coming back to haunt him, and student journalists are under threat. Plus, why the removal of a flag at a national monument sparked a major fight. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Partial shutdown: Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed this weekend as the White House refused to accept proposed restrictions on immigration enforcement. In the aftermath of the deaths of two Americans in Minnesota, Democrats had proposed a ban on agents wearing face masks, a mandate that they wear body cameras and a requirement to obtain judicial warrants before entering residences, writes Akayla Gardner. While the proposals have broad public support, Trump said the demands were "very, very hard to approve" and would put agents "in a lot of danger." Read more. |
3 million pages: When Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before Congress about her handling of the Epstein files, she repeatedly noted that the Justice Department had released 3 million pages. But that number belies the carelessness with which the documents were handled, as the DOJ redacted the names of several powerful men but released the names and even nude images of some survivors of Epstein's abuse, argues former federal prosecutor Duncan Levin. At a healthy institution, those mistakes might be viewed as an opportunity to correct its mistakes and apologize, but Bondi's near-constant deflection showed the DOJ is not healthy. Read more. |
Worst of the worst? Trump won re-election by promising to deport the worst of the worst, but that's not what he has done in office. Of those rounded up in his sweeping deportation efforts so far, close to 40% have no criminal record at all, according to reports. Their methods — involving masked, heavily armed agents "ripping Americans out of their cars, firing pepper spray and plastic bullets at peaceful protesters" — have only made things worse, argues Michael A. Cohen. In the process, Trump has turned one of his election-year strengths into "his greatest political albatross," he argues. Read more. |
Student paper: When immigration agents arrested Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk last year over an op-ed she wrote for the campus newspaper, they weren't just targeting her; they were sending a signal to student journalists everywhere that their First Amendment rights are under attack, writes student journalist Eli Thompson. Öztürk's lawyers say a judge ended her deportation proceedings this week, but the threat to student journalism remains, as the Trump administration has targeted campus magazines and other college-aged reporters. Read more. |
Stonewalling history: When a rainbow flag was lowered from the Stonewall National Monument, one local official thought at first it might be vandalism. But it turned out to be a directive from the Trump administration that appears to be aimed at gay pride and Black Lives Matter flags, writes Eugene Daniels. The move came as the administration has sought to take down or replace exhibits about African-American history to promote its own view of America's past. But locals were not deterred and vowed to keep putting rainbow flags back up at Stonewall, once making it again the site of LGBTQ+ activism. Read more. |
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After Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding servicemembers of their duty to disobey an unlawful order, the Pentagon tried to punish him. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth censured Kelly, a retired Navy combat veteran, and attempted to reduce his rank or even prosecute him criminally for his comments. That amounted to a "witch hunt" that would seek to reduce all military retirees' freedom of speech, argues Lt. Col. Rachel E. VanLandingham (ret.). A military law expert and tenured professor, she often uses her platform to push the Pentagon to improve "through public criticism of its policies," so she was grateful to read a "fiery opinion" from U.S. District Judge Richard Leon that noted the breathtaking consequences that the Pentagon's censure would have if allowed to stand. "Kelly winning his lawsuit is important for all of us retirees whose voices are vital to our nation," she argues. Read the column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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Tonight, MS NOW Films presents an encore presentation of "Andrew Young: The Dirty Work." Executive produced by Rachel Maddow, the documentary retraces Andrew Young's story — in his own words — as a trusted friend to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., behind-the-scenes architect of the civil rights movement, and living legend who carried Dr. King's dream forward into Congress, the White House and beyond. Watch tonight beginning at 10 p.m. ET on MS NOW. |
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