Good morning, Welcome to MS NOW's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most interesting and important stories. First, some breaking news: President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" in Iran early Saturday morning, the largest military intervention of his two terms in the Oval Office. The attack, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, comes weeks after mounting tensions between Trump and Iranian leaders most recently over Iran's nuclear program. Follow MS NOW for the latest updates. Meanwhile, the president didn't give Congress much to go on in last week's State of the Union speech, the numbers aren't on Trump's side on the affordability argument and he is eyeing an attempt to change voting laws all on his own. Plus, a conservative conspiracy theorist has a new target on the right. Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
"Operation Epic Fury": The U.S. military launched airstrikes in Iran with the goal of stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and protecting American personnel and interests, Trump said in a video posted to Truth Social on Saturday. But the "concept of a plan" and being "locked and loaded" — both phrases Trump has used to describe his policies — is not necessarily a strategy for toppling the regime or keeping the U.S. from being mired in foreign wars, argues Nayyera Haq, a national security expert in President Barack Obama's White House. Forcing change in Iran is not a one-strike-and-done endeavor and at no point has the American public yet heard their commander in chief fully explain why now, and to what end. Read more. |
State of the agenda: Like his predecessors, Trump outlined a broad agenda in his State of the Union address before Congress. But that agenda didn't really involve the lawmakers in front of him, argues Hayes Brown. Instead, the nearly two-hour speech focused on Trump's boasts and grievances and his future plans for executive action, in keeping with his go-it-alone approach to governance. That fits with a Capitol Hill that set a 21st-century record last year for the fewest votes taken in the first year of a congressional session, and it doesn't bode well for a productive rest of the year. Read more. |
Affordability cares: Trump has argued that affordability is a "hoax" or that he's "solved it," even bragging in the State of the Union address that "prices are plummeting downward." But a closer look at the numbers shows that's not the case — often due to the administration's own actions, argues Josh Bivens, chief economist for the Economic Policy Institute. Electricity prices have surged, prescription drugs now face tariffs, Obamacare subsidies were not renewed and Medicaid and food stamps have been cut. At the same time, Trump has added $4 trillion to the nation's debt, and wage growth adjusted for inflation has slowed. Read more. |
Voting order: Trump has directed White House lawyers to look into an executive order requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot, even as his own lawyers have warned those moves would run into legal trouble, write Jake Traylor and Vaughn Hillyard. Those two provisions are included in legislation that is currently stalled in the Senate, which has led Trump to try to do it himself. "There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account in mid-February. But the Constitution makes clear that state and local governments run elections and any nationwide changes must go through Congress.Trump has already lost in federal court over a similar executive order. Read more. |
Conspiracy theory: Candace Owens likes to cast herself as a contrarian investigator on her podcast, but her show is mostly full of wild and baseless conspiracy theories, writes Brandy Zadrozny, who watched 70 recent episodes. In many of her episodes, the far-right influencer has spun a vast and unproven theory involving her former boss, the late Charlie Kirk; Israel; an X-Men school for the gifted; time travel; and Liberty University. She's now zeroing in on Kirk's widow, Erika, airing what she billed as a special investigative series on YouTube. As baseless as they are, the claims will have influence due to Owens' massive online audience. Read more. |
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Conservative politicians have already taken aim at Black studies and gender studies. Now they are coming after sociology. The board of governors of Florida's public university system, allies of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has developed a new introductory textbook and syllabus for sociology courses that exclude "many of the bedrock areas of concern within the field, including gender and sexuality, social stratification, systemic racism and other forms of social inequality," argues sociology professor Robyn Autry. The move came after the state banned any curriculum at state-funded schools that supposedly teaches identity politics; diversity, equity and inclusion; or that suggests that racism and sexism are embedded in American institutions. But it's hard to imagine how a sociology course can be taught without touching on any of those subjects, Autry argues. Read the column here. — Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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On Tuesday, the battle begins for control of Congress with primaries in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas. Join Rachel Maddow and team for analysis throughout the night, with Ali Velshi breaking down real-time results. Special coverage begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. Eastern on MS NOW. |
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This week on "The Best People," Nicolle Wallace speaks with Academy Award winning actor Robert De Niro to discuss the optics of business leaders turning a blind eye to the Trump administration's behaviors, the need for mass mobilization to project midterm election integrity, and the importance of kindness in an era of division. Listen now, and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening and bonus content. |
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