Good morning,
Welcome to MS NOW’s Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week’s most interesting and important stories. A sprawling network of online conspiracists is fueling new theories about Charlie Kirk’s killing. Meanwhile, Michigan Democrats shake up a crucial Senate race, Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins’ late opposition to Todd Blanche raises questions about her timing and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a curious campaign pivot. Plus, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new cooking show is getting plenty of heat.
Don’t forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below.
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Conspiracy corner: In the 10 months since conservative activist Kirk was killed, some of the loudest voices on the right have worked to undermine the account put forward by Utah prosecutors: that Kirk was murdered by Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old who despised his politics, had access to a gun and seized an opportunity at one of Kirk’s speaking events. To understand how a sprawling alternative narrative took hold, senior enterprise reporter Brandy Zadrozny watched hundreds of hours of podcasts and traced dozens of overlapping conspiracy theories. Her reporting uncovered a cottage industry of conspiracists who amplify one another’s claims while building audiences and businesses around them. In her new documentary, Zadrozny looks at how this network of online creators built an alternate reality around claims that Kirk’s killing was an inside job — and how those theories have fueled a widening conflict on the right. Watch now.
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Michigan showdown: In a consequential week of primaries, Michigan’s Democratic Senate contest between progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens produced the most surprising Democratic primary result of the year, argues Michael A. Cohen. While Democrats elsewhere have largely avoided nominating candidates who could weaken their election prospects, Michigan voters took a risk, choosing the less-tested El-Sayed over the more established Stevens. National Republicans likely would have invested heavily in the Senate race regardless of the Democratic nominee. But with El-Sayed on the ballot, they now have an especially inviting target — and are likely to pour tens of millions of dollars into negative ads that could ultimately help push Republican nominee Mike Rogers over the top. Read more.
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Too little, too late: After weeks of silence, Collins finally announced she would oppose Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, citing his role in shielding President Donald Trump and his family from IRS audits and his pledge to expand Republicans’ assault on abortion rights. But her opposition came just before Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy announced he would support Blanche, confirming that Collins could vote “no” without stopping Blanche from becoming attorney general. And indeed, he was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday morning. Collins’ objections all sound correct in isolation, but her admission that the Department of Justice has become a partisan weapon in Trump’s pocket raises a host of tough questions she cannot answer, argues Democratic strategist Max Burns. Most pointedly, if Collins really believes what she’s saying, why is she only speaking up now? And why has she fought against Democratic efforts to bring accountability and independence back to the DOJ? Read more.
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Paxton’s pivot: After defeating Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary, Paxton is running a close race against state Sen. James Talarico. Early in the campaign season, Paxton and his allies emphasized cultural attacks, portraying Talarico as a far-left candidate out of step with Texas voters. More recently, however, Paxton has shifted toward economic issues, proposing tax breaks for healthcare, childcare and housing. One of his new campaign ads strike many of the same notes heard from Democrats running this election, argues Paul Waldman. Such repositioning is common after a primary, but Paxton now finds himself on unfamiliar ground suddenly facing a fight for which he doesn’t seem all that prepared. Read more.
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Bad taste: At the end of July, Kennedy launched “The Real Food Show,” a cooking series designed to promote his new dietary guidelines. But the series is a poor use of public time and money, argues author and executive TV producer Richard Wolffe. The federal government had already funded expert-produced nutrition videos through SNAP-Ed, a program that helped lower-income families receiving food assistance learn how to eat more healthfully. Along with videos, SNAP-Ed provided hands-on nutrition education and had a proven track record spanning six decades. Yet its funding ended in September under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which cut social services while reducing taxes for wealthy Americans. It is difficult to reconcile the idea of making Americans healthy again while cutting funding to teach them how to eat healthfully. Read more.
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Families of sailors and Marines aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln fear exhaustion could lead to deadly mistakes as the carrier enters its ninth month at sea and fifth straight month of combat operations against Iran. Pentagon correspondent Priya Sridhar spoke with a dozen family members who raised serious concerns about morale, safety and conditions aboard the ship. Those tensions spilled into a virtual town hall this week, revealing a growing divide between Navy leadership and families of the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard. Their accounts offer a rare look at the human toll of an unexpectedly long deployment as the U.S. campaign against Iran continues with no clear end in sight. Read the full report here.
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Michael Hyland of Cary, North Carolina, writes:
Regarding the Aug. 5 news story “Moldy showers and no soap: Military families are outraged by conditions on USS Lincoln”:
Priya Sridhar’s reporting raises two important questions: Do the Marines described in the article receive combat pay, and what rotation schedule applies during continuous deployment at sea? Those answers matter because compensation, relief and support shape how long deployments affect service members and their families.
You can read the rest of Michael Hyland’s letter here. To send your own letter to the editor, review our submission guidelines and use this form.
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Tomorrow, Peter Alexander brings his trusted reporting and Washington expertise to MS NOW’s weekday lineup with the premiere of “State of Play." Watch weekdays at 11 a.m. ET beginning tomorrow on MS NOW.
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