Sunday, February 01, 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. The Trump administration's arrest of a former CNN anchor showed how few protections journalists truly have. Meanwhile, the federal government has officially shut down — for now, the president has a troubling new tactic for polls he dislikes, and a former Minneapolis law enforcement official has some ideas to reform Homeland Security. Plus, a legendary musician has a new song on an important subject, but it's hardly like the ones from his glory days. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Lemon aid: Federal judges already found "no evidence" that former CNN anchor Don Lemon engaged in criminal behavior, but that didn't stop the Trump administration from finding a way to arrest him in connection with an earlier protest at a Minnesota church. Clearly, these judicial decisions did not go far enough to protect the freedom of the press, argues Austin Sarat, a professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College. The courts need to recognize that journalists must be able to gather news in difficult situations without being impeded by government officials, he writes. Until they do, journalists like Lemon will continue to be at risk. Read more. |
Shutdown for now: Following a tense week of negotiations, most of the federal government is now technically in a shutdown after lawmakers failed to pass a funding package in time. Hours before the deadline, the Senate reached a broad, bipartisan consensus about five appropriations bills, but wanted more time to work out a deal on DHS funding to address Democratic concerns about immigration enforcement. While the House is expected to return on Monday, there could be several ways the deal goes sideways, writes Sydney Carruth. Already, some House Republicans are insisting on changes and many GOP lawmakers worry that Democrats have no intention of passing a longer-term DHS funding bill. Read more. |
Run around, sue: Like many politicians, Trump has long sought to undermine unfavorable polls and promote ones that look good for him. But in his second term, he's turned to a new tactic, argues Kaivan Shroff, senior adviser to the Institute for Education: "If you don't like the poll, sue." Most recently, Trump announced that he would sue The New York Times over a poll showing his approval hovering around 40%. The lawsuit signals to pollsters and journalists that publishing information the president doesn't like will come with legal and financial consequences: Even a frivolous lawsuit costs money, time and emotional capital. Read more. |
Reforming DHS: After officers from the Department of Homeland Security shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the Trump administration responded as though the agents had immunity from the normal standards of law enforcement, undermining a decade of hard-won progress in police-community relations, argues Cedric Alexander, a former commissioner of public safety in Minneapolis. He outlines four reforms to address the problem by ensuring independent investigations, standardized training, increased supervision and preservation of the crime scene. Read more. |
Bruce on ICE: Just days after Pretti was killed, Bruce Springsteen released a protest song, "Streets of Minneapolis." The four-and-a-half-minute song is not as listenable as "Streets of Philadelphia," the Academy Award-winning song its title riffs on. But that may be OK, argues New York City-based songwriter and journalist Jeff Slate. Not every protest song can be as great as Neil Young's "Ohio" or Bob Dylan's "Hurricane," he argues, and Springsteen may inspire other artists to be less complacent. "I'd take even mediocre protest songs over the sounds of silence," he writes. Read more. |
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When a man rushed toward Rep. Ilhan Omar at a Minneapolis town hall and sprayed her with an unknown liquid, she stepped toward him with her fist raised. In that moment, she "reflexively acted tougher than those ICE agents spraying chemical irritants at unarmed protesters," argues Lyz Lenz, author of the "Men Yell at Me" newsletter. The encounter showed why Omar gets under Trump's skin so much, because she "exemplifies all that this administration cannot control: powerful, independent women," Lenz argues. More broadly, through its rhetoric and its policies, the Trump administration has sent a message that women should stick to strict gender roles or risk becoming targets of violence, Lenz argues. Read the column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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This week on "The Best People," Nicolle Wallace speaks with former National Security Advisor to President Obama, Ambassador Susan Rice, to discuss how far Trump has fallen from his campaign promises of isolationism and affordability. Listen now, and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content. |
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