The News
January 3, 2017
Happy 2017, it’s Tuesday. In addition to marking the first official business day of the new year, today also marks the swearing in date for the 115th United States Congress. Over the weekend, the Islamic State took credit for a mass shooting in an Istanbul nightclub on New Years’ Eve, a gang-related prison riot in Brazil led to the deaths of 56 inmates, and Republicans kicked off the new session of Congress by undermining the authority of the congressional ethics office.
Anyway, good luck on the new week, the new year, and thanks for reading the newsletter.
Cheers,
The Wonks Team
Public Policy and Political Transition
- The Washington Post evaluates the parliamentary obstacles facing Republicans in Congress to overturn the Affordable Care Act how Democrats have already organized their opposition to the incoming Republican majority.
- Justin Gillis of The New York Times assesses the constraints of the federal government to dictate energy policy, explaining how most decisions determining energy sources for electricity come at the states rather than at the national level.
Science and Health
- Quartz writes about the creation of the Emerging Diseases Clinical Assessment and Response Network to prepare and respond to the next global pandemic and the budgetary issues facing the World Health Organization to fund the program.
Sports
- Louis Bien of SB Nation reflects on the 2016 NFL season, noting how it took until Week 10 to find consistently good teams or interesting games, the lack of drama in Week 17’s slate of games, and prospects for the teams entering the 2017 postseason.
Culture
- Vulture previews the upcoming TV schedule for the year, including new shows like “Legion” and “The Young Pope,” returning series such as “Sherlock” and “Game of Thrones,” as well as reboots of shows like “24” and “Twin Peaks.”
