Good morning! Welcome to MSNBC's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most interesting and important stories. President Donald Trump wants more Americans having babies, but his latest idea has some problems. Meanwhile, the new pope speaks American English, REAL ID has gone into effect and Rite Aid is calling it quits. Plus, Trump's proposal to reopen a notorious prison is wildly impractical, but that may be the point. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Baby bonus blues: The Trump administration is reportedly considering offering new mothers a "baby bonus" of $5,000. But while that might sound like a lot of money, it's a pittance compared to the estimated $13,000 it costs to raise a child each year. Working families, meanwhile, say they need more reliable and ongoing help, like a child tax credit, paid family leave or universal child care — all ideas that didn't make it out of Congress during the Biden administration, writes sociologist Jessica Calarco. |
The pope's English: Pope Leo XIV isn't just an American, he's a native speaker of English, with a mild Chicago accent. That could dramatically change the way Americans relate to the new pontiff, as we are used to viewing the pope as a remote figure, unreachable and otherworldly. That English was not their first language helped sustain that distance, as we heard them through a translator or strained to understand their accents, writes Commonweal magazine editor-at-large Mollie Wilson O'Reilly. |
Un-REAL IDea: It's been 20 years since the 9/11 Commission recommended that the federal government set standards for drivers licenses and other forms of identification. But the idea hasn't gotten any better since then. The so-called REAL ID, which went into effect last week, implicitly treats all citizens as potential terrorists unless declared otherwise by the federal government, creates a two-tiered travel system and diminishes the right to privacy, writes Cato Institute fellow Patrick G. Eddington. |
Last Rites: Rite Aid announced it is declaring bankruptcy for the second time in less than two years. But this time it's final. The pharmacy chain's ignominious end is an instructional tale about a mismanaged company so fatally weakened it couldn't survive in the face of competition from monopolistic pharmacy benefit managers. But these PBMs, which now process four out of five prescriptions in the U.S., also threaten small independent pharmacies, writes Helaine Olen, managing editor at the American Economic Liberties Project. |
No escape from Alcatraz: President Donald Trump's proposal to reopen the notorious Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay is impractical, expensive and pointless. But none of that matters to a reality-TV president who likes the symbolism of a place he called "horrible and beautiful" and the optics of dominating people he deems deviants. Even though it only held an average of 300 prisoners when it was in service, Alcatraz is iconic as a site of subjugation and isolation, writes Zeeshan Aleem. |
|
|
The new minute-long Nike ad, directed by former first daughter Malia Obama, is on its surface just another promotion connecting the company's shoes to a top athlete. But Kyra D. Gaunt, author of "The Games Black Girls Play," unpacks the various allusions to Black girls' and women's games — from hand games to Double Dutch to HBCU cheerleading — that are layered in this tribute to two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion A'ja Wilson. "Don't let anyone tell you that you can't make a life or a career out of something once thought small and insignificant, like a girls' handclapping game song," she writes. Read Gaunt's column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
|
|
Tonight, MSNBC Films presents the third episode of "David Frost Versus." The six-part documentary series explores the legacy of legendary host David Frost through his iconic interviews with guests from President Richard Nixon to Elton John, examining key political and cultural moments of the 20th century that still resonate today. The next episode of "David Frost Versus," featuring Jane Fonda, airs tonight at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC. |
In the latest episode of "Main Justice," MSNBC Legal Analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord discuss how the courts have grown increasingly frustrated with the Trump administration's tactics, from its use of the Alien Enemies Act to attempts to threaten law firms. Listen now, and subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening and an exclusive bonus episode of Main Justice taped in front of a live audience in Washington, D.C. |
|
|
Have you ever wanted to provide MSNBC with your opinion about their TV programs, documentaries, and digital products, such as MSNBC.com, newsletters, and podcasts? Now is your chance! Join the MSNBC Insights Community. |
|
|
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112 |
|
|
|
