Good morning! Welcome to MSNBC's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most interesting and important stories. A rap mogul is facing his day in court, but some of the more important details revealed so far aren't reflected in tabloid headlines. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump still wants to accept a jumbo-sized gift, DOGE is probably not sending you a check (sorry!) and the French are suddenly modest. Plus, a disgraced former ballplayer will get a second chance at glory — but he might still lose. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Naming names: While Cassie Ventura's dramatic, grueling testimony in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs last week was shocking, the lurid details of violence, non-consensual sexual encounters and "freak offs" probably aren't going to decide the case. Far more significant are the names of security guards, assistants and business associates who she testified were involved in the alleged sex trafficking. To convince the jury, prosecutors need to show that those people worked with Combs to carry out illegal activity, the basis of his most serious charge of racketeering, writes MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin. |
Plane wrong: The founders didn't anticipate the existence of planes, but they did foresee how foreign governments might try to corrupt an American president with lavish gifts. Not only did they write into the Constitution a ban on gifts or titles from foreign states without congressional approval, they also personally returned even small gifts from foreign governments rather than risk the appearance of impropriety or undue influence. Trump's desire to accept a $400 million jumbo jet from Qatar violates all of these principles, writes presidential historian Alexis Coe. |
DOGE checks bounce: When Trump endorsed the idea of sending every taxpaying household a $5,000 refund from the money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk was still touting a possible $2 trillion in spending cuts. These days, the check would be more like $89. That's a paltry sum, but it feels like an even worse deal when compared to the consequences of DOGE's cuts: less efficient government, more third-world children born with HIV and poorer disaster relief, to name just a few examples. Sadly, online search data indicates a lot of Americans still think that check is in the mail, writes Ryan Teague Beckwith. |
'No nudes' is bad news: The Cannes Film Festival issued a new dress code this week that bars nudity on the red carpet. The policy appears to be in reaction to Ye's (formerly Kanye West) wife, Bianca Censori, wearing a transparent dress to the Grammys in February. But while photos of that outfit may have made Censori look exploited to some critics, actress Rose McGowan used a similar dress of iridescent mesh at an awards show in 1998 to take back control after being raped. And this new Cannes dress code takes away women's freedom to make such statements, writes Hannah Holland. |
For Pete's sake: Under a new policy, Baseball Hall of Fame voters will be allowed to vote for Pete Rose, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and other disgraced professional players. But that doesn't necessarily rehabilitate player reputations. In fact, the decision clears the way for a debate over whether Rose actually deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, despite his permanent banishment from baseball in 1989 for betting on his own games, and a broader one over whether we should put athletes up on a pedestal at all, writes Rose biographer Keith O'Brien. |
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MSNBC anchor Michael Steele is known for being a former lieutenant governor and chairman of the Republican National Committee. But for three years as a young man, he studied at the Augustinian seminary at Villanova University, which also produced Pope Leo. In this deeply personal essay, he shares how the teachings of the Order of St. Augustine influenced him and what they mean for the new papacy. "As Pope, Leo will likely engage the world through an Augustinian lens, encouraging spiritual depth over outward displays of power, as well as a profound commitment to social justice," Steele writes. Read his column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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Tonight, MSNBC Films presents the fourth episode of "David Frost Vs." The six-part documentary series explores the legacy of legendary host David Frost through his iconic interviews with guests from Muhammad Ali to Elton John, examining key political and cultural moments of the 20th century that still resonate today. The next episode of "David Frost Vs," featuring President Richard Nixon, airs tonight at 9pm ET on MSNBC. |
A special bonus episode of "Trumpland with Alex Wagner" is now available exclusively for MSNBC Premium subscribers. Chris Hayes joins Alex to discuss President Trump's first 100 days and some of the most memorable moments from the "Trumpland with Alex Wagner" podcast. Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts and listen to this special bonus episode now. |
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