Sunday, December 07, 2025 |
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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. President Donald Trump just undermined the rationale of his war on drugs with a single move. Meanwhile, another childhood vaccine is being undercut, conservative media created Trump's latest target, and a Trump Cabinet official posted a terrible meme. Plus, college football has a hot mess on its hands heading into bowl season. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Drug war contradiction: Trump's decision to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year sentence for funneling hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States, is baffling enough. But it comes at a time when his administration is killing people on suspected drug boats and threatening to depose the president of Venezuela over supposed drug trafficking, writes Zeeshan Aleem. The disconnect calls into question Trump's real motives and emboldens corrupt political leaders in Latin America. Read more. |
Hippocratic failure: An advisory panel stocked with loyalists to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted to stop recommending the life-saving hepatitis B vaccine to infants at birth. The move came without data to support the decision and in defiance of warnings from doctors, medical associations and public health groups, writes Brandy Zadrozny. Even Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a liver doctor whose support helped get Kennedy confirmed, said the move had "discredited" the panel. Read more. |
Somalis targeted: In late November, an explosive story about Somali immigrants in Minnesota rocketed around conservative news media. But while the central claim lacks any evidence — despite a state audit and federal investigations — the story seems to have inspired Trump to target the community, arguing that its members "contribute nothing" and saying Somalia "stinks," writes Julianne McShane. Now the Somali community in Minneapolis is bracing for expected large-scale immigration enforcement raids. State officials have advised local Somalis to be prepared and said the city "stand[s] with you," while one of the authors of the piece is celebrating on X. Read more. |
Been 'Franklin': Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces serious questions about airstrikes that have killed more than 80 alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific. But rather than respond to them, Hegseth posted a bizarre cartoon that appeared to show beloved children's book character Franklin the Turtle firing a gun out of a helicopter. Army Col. Jeff McCausland writes that Hegseth's cavalier post was inappropriate, distasteful, unprofessional, childish, embarrassing and demeaning to the U.S. military and its allies overseas. Read more. |
Snap decision: University of Mississippi football coach Lane Kiffin is known for switching jobs, but his announcement he would accept a $90 million offer from Louisiana State University could not have come at a worse time. Kiffin led Ole Miss to its best season in 65 years, but he won't be allowed to lead the team through the playoffs and was reportedly barred from attending a regular team meeting, writes sports journalist Jason Page. Kiffin's past behavior is partly to blame, but so is the college football calendar, which creates this kind of conflict. Read more. |
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When Democratic strategist Max Burns wrote a column for The Hill that argued Trump is misusing the National Guard because of his authoritarian tendencies, the administration didn't just object; it placed him on a new "Media Offenders" list on the White House website. "I guess nothing disproves my claim of Trumpian authoritarianism quite like ending up in the official White House burn book," he wrote. "Mean Girls, meet 1984." The media list is just the tip of the iceberg, though. Burns notes that Trump has also called women reporters "stupid" and "piggy" for asking questions he doesn't like, while the Pentagon barred even conservative Fox News in favor of "pro-Trump sycophants" such as conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. But, he writes, everyone on the list "should wear it as a badge of honor." Read the column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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Friday, tune in for a special conversation between Rachel Maddow and historian Timothy Snyder from Rachel's live community event in Chicago. They'll explore the threats to democracy and rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., and how we can meet the moment. Watch "We The People: A Conversation with Rachel Maddow and Timothy Snyder" Friday at 9 p.m. Eastern on MS NOW. |
This week on "The Best People," Nicolle Wallace speaks with the star of Netflix's "The Beast in Me," Claire Danes, to discuss her evolution as an actor, how she navigates live in the public eye, and the joy of raising children in New York City. Listen now and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening and bonus content. |
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