The News
October 31, 2016
Happy Halloween! It’s Monday and there are only eight days remaining before Elections Day. Last night, the Chicago Cubs forced a Game 6 in the World Series and avoided getting swept at home for the series. Yesterday was also the sixteenth sports equinox since 1971 as well as the first time the event occurred in back-to-back years since 1980. Meanwhile, the NFL rolled through Week 8 starting with another awkwardly scheduled London game that also ended in a tie.
Anyway, enjoy the day’s links and stay tuned for some original content coming to Wonks This Way later in the week.
Cheers,
The Wonks Team
Politics
- Harry Enten of FiveThirtyEight examines the impact of the “October Surprise” on the presidential election by analyzing the shifts in polling averages and eventual margins of victory of elections in 1968, 1980, and 2012 among others.
Public Policy
- Amber Phillips of The Washington Post interviews legal expert Kathleen Clark about the legality of FBI director James Comey’s letter to Congress regarding newly-discovered emails originating from Hillary Clinton’s private server and whether or his actions violate the Hatch Act and by trying to influence the outcome of the election.
Science and Health
- The San Francisco Chronicle reports on “elite controllers,” HIV-negative individuals who have a natural immunity to experiencing the symptoms of HIV while carrying the virus and the medical research into their immune systems.
Sports
- The New York Times writes about the decreasing average weight of offensive linemen in the NFL and how their improved speed and athleticism affects their teams’ run game and potentially raises the salaries for players at their position.
Culture
- Reflecting on Halloween, Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic chronicles the history of the portmanteau “spooktacular,” reflecting on how “spooktacular” predated the use of the phrase “trick or treat” as well as the value of the term in advertising.
