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 government agency responsible for the death of a Minneapolis woman has a credibility problem, and it didn't start in Minnesota. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists are justifying President Donald Trump’s action in Venezuela, the Trump administration is giving a new kind of red meat to its base, and Congress isn’t sure what to make of Trump’s latest idea. Plus, the newly fired coach who’s a hot ticket.
Don’t forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
Benefit of the doubt: The Department of Homeland Security has put forward its version of why Renee Good was shot in Minneapolis. But after a year of looking into the agency’s claims, Philip Bump writes that you can’t trust their accounts. That includes claims about the number of assaults on immigration agents, whether they were targeting immigrants with criminal records, whether they have arrested U.S. citizens and various claims in specific cases. A judge in one case said there were so many inconsistencies that it was “difficult, if not impossible” to believe the agency’s claims. Read more.
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Conspiracy theories: The Trump administration justified the ouster and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on the grounds of curbing corruption, addressing immigration and controlling oil. But far-right conspiracy theorists also justified the military action by recycling baseless claims that the country somehow played a role in “stealing” the 2020 election, writes Brandy Zadrozny. The conspiracy theories may “help resolve some cognitive dissonance within the MAGA movement” over Trump’s military action and his “America First” isolationism. Read more.
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Red meat: The Trump administration unveiled new dietary guidelines that recommend Americans eat more meat and dairy. That’s not exactly what the average American — who already eats 227 pounds of meat a year — needs to hear, writes Brian Kateman, co-founder and president of the Reducetarian Foundation. In fact, health experts agree that most of us eat more protein than necessary, and the new illustration of the food pyramid includes a “big hunk of steak and a package of ground beef,” even though the American Cancer Society considers red meat “probably carcinogenic.” Read more.
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Greenland dreams: Republicans in Congress aren’t sure how to respond to Trump when he muses about buying or even using the military to seize Greenland. At the moment, they’re dismissing it as an immediate concern, taking him seriously but not literally, writes Jack Fitzpatrick. But Trump has shown over his time in office that ideas that start out seeming outlandish can quickly turn into an official position. Trump has been discussing controlling Greenland since 2019, and a White House spokesperson said that military force is “always an option.” Read more.
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Coaching Harbaugh: The Baltimore Ravens’ decision to fire Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh wasn’t a surprise. But he’ll still be a hot commodity in the NFL, writes sports columnist Jason Page. Even Trump got in on the action, posting on social media that another team should hire Harbaugh soon. That may be a payback for Harbaugh’s controversial visit to the White House, but in this case, Trump also happens to be right. Harbaugh is a hot commodity, whether that’s taking over as a new coach, jumping into the broadcast booth or just taking some time off and coming back later. Read more.
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Because Congress failed to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, millions of Americans will face higher health insurance premiums this year. But the effects won’t stop there, writes Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity. Some of those people will simply drop coverage. Others will buy barebones plans. Many will skip preventive visits or go without prescription drugs, leading to more emergency room visits. Hospitals will spend more on uncompensated care, and community clinics will be overwhelmed. Older adults who are not yet eligible for Medicare, people in red states whose representatives didn’t expand Medicaid, and Black and brown communities will “feel the impact sooner and more severely.” Read the column here.
— Ryan Teague Beckwith, newsletter editor |
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