LETTER

It’s Wednesday, the midpoint of the week. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted to allow floor debate on the Republican proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act in a procedure that required a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence and Senator John McCain’s return after recovering from surgery. Republicans proceeded to lose on a floor vote approving an amendment to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s “skinny” repeal plan that removes key provisions of the ACA, including the individual mandate.
Elsewhere, the House approved the Senate’s bill imposing new sanctions on Russia as President Trump continued to disparage Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from overseeing the special counsel’s Russia investigation.
As per usual, good luck on the day ahead and thanks for checking out Wonks This Way.
Cheers,
The Wonks Team
Politics and Public Policy
- Julia Azari of FiveThirtyEight examines the cyclical nature of news coverage on Russian interference during the 2016 campaign and explains why new developments in the story fail to persuade partisans of the magnitude of the scandal.
- The Upshot assesses the effects of the “skinny” Obamacare repeal that eliminates the individual mandate on Republican goals of lowering the costs of health-care premiums and expanding insurance options for consumers.
- The Washington Post reports on former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on his meetings with Russian operatives during the 2016 campaign.
Business, Science, and Health
- The Atlantic outlines the options available for science advocates in the U.S. silenced by the Trump administration as illustrated by the actions of climate change researchers facing conservative governments in Australia and Canada.
- The New York Times writes about the concussion research on deceased former NFL players by neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKay, who found 110 of 111 football players in the study suffered from the disorienting symptoms of CTE.
Sports and Culture
- Jay Caspian Kang of The New York Times Magazine recaps the major summer storylines in sports and explores the possibilities of players controlling their own leagues as they already do with their personal branding with fans.
- Mark Harris of Vulture reflects on the artistic commentary of the Trump presidency in pop culture, arguing that the intentional resonance of TV shows and movies critical of the president will eventually run its course over the next year.

