Good morning! Welcome to MSNBC's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most important and interesting stories. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs are putting Republicans in a tight spot. Meanwhile, Wisconsin voters sent a message, child influencers got new protection, and Elon Musk's team has (another) very bad idea. Plus, everyone seems to be debating whether the Yankees are cheating. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Tariffs rift: Trump's sweeping tariffs have presented Republicans in Congress with a difficult dilemma: Either stand with the president as he damages the U.S. economy, or push back on tariffs and risk his wrath in their next primary. Although the official formula used to calculate the tariffs has flabbergasted experts, Trump thus far is refusing to back down. And that means the GOP majority in Congress is likely to be imperiled next year, writes James Downie. |
Cheesed off: In the first big electoral test for Republicans of Trump's second term, Wisconsin voters made clear that they aren't happy with where the country is headed. Susan Crawford defeated her more conservative rival by more than roughly 10 points to maintain the Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority. Democrats now have their battle plans, and Musk will certainly be the centerpiece of many coming campaigns. Get ready to see a lot more ads with that image of him wielding a chainsaw, writes Steve Benen. |
Child influencers: Ruby Franke became famous as a "mommy blogger," then infamous when she pleaded guilty to charges of child abuse. Her case, and a documentary about her family's ordeal on Netflix, helped to convince Utah lawmakers to make the state the fourth to pass much-needed legislation that protects child influencers. This is even more important because Utah has been the epicenter of mom-influencers, writes journalist Fortesa Latifi. |
Coding out: Remember the Obamacare website fiasco? Musk's team of programmers at DOGE could make that technocratic scandal look like small potatoes if they push ahead with a reported plan to attempt to rewrite the programs that power the Social Security Administration in just a few months. This is not the type of project that can be undertaken casually — and indeed, the SSA already undergoes continuous modernization. After all, this is a system that provides $1.3 trillion in monthly payments to 70 million people, writes former government technologist Waldo Jaquith. |
Bat men: The New York Yankees aren't cheating, exactly, with their new "torpedo bats," but they are giving their players an advantage by shifting the mass just a little closer to the batter. Early results seem to show that the plan is working, as they were undefeated in their first three games and broke the league's record for most home runs hit through the first four. But the whole thing feels wrong, writes sportswriter Keith Reed. |
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This moving account from Palestinian journalist Mohammed R. Mhawish details what it's like to report on the war in Gaza — "both a professional duty and an act of survival," as he writes — even as his former colleagues and peers have lost their lives. Together, Mhawish and his colleagues grieve but "dare not stop." Read the column. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, MSNBC newsletter editor |
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In the latest episode of "Trumpland with Alex Wagner," Alex speaks to current and former military personnel on how they view President Trump's remaking of the American military. Plus, a look at Donald Trump's latest Joint Chiefs of Staff nominee amidst blowback from last week's Signal leak involving several high-level Trump administration officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. |
In the latest episode of "Main Justice," MSNBC Legal Analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord examine several emergency applications before the Supreme Court concerning President Trump's executive orders involving birthright citizenship, federal workers and more. Plus, they discuss the continued attacks on law firms and universities, and the lack of accountability over Signalgate. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts. |
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