Good morning!
Welcome to MSNBC's Sunday Spotlight, where you can find a selection of the week's most interesting and important stories. On Thursday, a gunman opened fire on Florida State University's campus, killing two people and injuring at least six others. Meanwhile, the Trump administration still hasn't facilitated the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, but the White House is moving to punish Harvard for defying its laundry list of demands. Plus, millions of Americans sprinted to meet the April 15 tax deadline, and six women, including pop star Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King, took a quick and ultimately polarizing trip to space.
Don't forget to check out more top columns and videos from the week below. |
FSU shooting: Two people were killed and at least six others were injured after a gunman opened fire on Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee on Thursday. The suspect, who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, is the 20-year-old stepson of a sheriff's deputy and had access to one of her weapons, Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said. Police have not shared a motive, but some of the gunman's classmates said he harbored white supremacist views. The incident is the 98th mass shooting in the U.S. since the start of 2025, according to the Mass Shooting Tracker's database, which defines a mass shooting as "a single outburst of violence in which four or more people are shot." Watch MSNBC and check here for new developments.
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Defying orders: Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains in the custody of El Salvador more than a week after the Supreme Court largely upheld an order directing the Trump administration to "facilitate" his return to the United States. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador on Thursday. In a news conference after his visit, Van Hollen said Abrego Garcia has been traumatized by his deportation experience. But in an earlier meeting at the White House on Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi and El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele both claimed they do not have the power to return the Maryland resident. But that's simply not true, writes law professor Ray Brescia. "When the White House asserts it is out of ideas for how to bring him back, don’t believe it."
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Harvard calling: On April 11, the White House approached Harvard with 10 demands, including the installation of outside auditors to monitor academic departments to ensure "viewpoint" diversity, as defined by the Trump administration. After Harvard rejected its terms, the administration swiftly retaliated by freezing more than $2 billion in grants. The administration's assault on Harvard is starting to feel like extortion, with far-reaching consequences for higher education, writes Steve Benen.
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Taxing measures: As millions of Americans scrambled to file their taxes by April 15, the Trump administration continued to cut Internal Revenue Service staff, slashing billions from its budget and undermining the unit that specifically audits billionaires and the ultra-wealthy. Those changes may have emboldened some would-be tax cheats as they sat down to file this Tax Day. And the problem will only get worse in the future, writes Ryan Teague Beckwith.
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Taking up space: On Monday morning, six mostly rich and/or famous women traveled on billionaire Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin New Shepard Rocket to the Kármán line — the boundary separating Earth’s atmosphere and space — and remained in this zone briefly, for a journey that lasted approximately 11 minutes. Blue Origin declared its first "all-female flight crew" to be history makers and "trailblazers." Not everyone agreed. Women's progress should be celebrated, but calling this a win for women feels delusional, writes "Breaking Free" author Marcie Bianco.
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Trump's second administration has quickly leveled a series of attacks on institutions and individuals the president believes are undermining his interests. But threats against legal professionals have been on the rise for years, write Judge Esther Salas and trial attorney Paul R. Kiesel. Together they share a powerful and personal account that underlines the danger such threats pose to their safety. In 2020, Judge Salas' son, Daniel, was murdered by a man who came to their home with a gun, looking for her. "The killer was enraged by the idea that judges could rule independently and wanted to send a message. That message cost Daniel his life," Kiesel and Salas write. Read the column.
— Molly Stier, newsletter editor |
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Next Sunday, MSNBC Films presents "David Frost Vs." The six-part documentary series explores the legacy of legendary host David Frost through his iconic interviews with guests from Muhammad Ali to President Richard Nixon, examining key political and cultural moments of the 20th century that still resonate today. The first episode of "David Frost Vs," featuring The Beatles, premieres next Sunday at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC. |
In the latest episode of "Main Justice," MSNBC Legal Analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord examine the U.S. government's mistaken removal of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to El Salvador and how the Trump administration has dodged accountability thus far. Plus, the cancellation of a landmark civil rights deal in Alabama and President Trump's latest targets: the Associated Press and Harvard. Listen now.
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