LETTER

The News

July 28, 2017

Perry K. Wong
Jul 28, 2017 · 4 min read

It’s finally Friday. During the vote-a-rama of the past two days, several Republican senators broke with their party to reject an amendment and bills repealing the Affordable Care Act, including the “skinny” repeal bill phasing out the individual mandate and the Cruz amendment that scales back minimal insurance requirements. The ultimate failure to pass the “skinny” repeal bill led House Speaker Paul Ryan to wade into the debate and offer to assist with writing a compromise repeal proposal.

In other top news, President Trump called for a return of the military’s ban on transgender soldiers; recently-appointed White House spokesman Anthony Scaramucci accused White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of persistent leaks; the Justice Department argued against workplace protections for LGBT employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; and the House passed President Trump’s requested defense spending increases along with funding for the proposed border wall with Mexico.

Have a great weekend and as always, thanks for reading Wonks This Way.

Cheers,

The Wonks Team

Politics and Public Policy

Business, Science, and Health

  • The Atlantic breaks down the feud between tech giants Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg over the credibility of artificial intelligence, explaining how each party’s position on the emerging technology fits in with the ethos of their personal brands.
  • The New York Times profiles the bizarre trial of “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, best known for arbitrarily raising the prices of cancer drugs, and the financial prosecution of Shkreli for defrauding investors of his hedge funds even though he made them a profit.

Sports and Culture

  • Giri Nathan of Deadspin writes an appreciation for “Hey Arnold” for presenting teachable lessons to millennials without being preachy and giving humanity to ancillary characters in light of show’s intended revival by Nickelodeon.

Wonks This Way

Commentary, analysis, and occasionally irreverent takes on policy, sports, pop culture, data, and technology 🤖.

Perry K. Wong

Written by

Bureaucracy Enthusiast | News Junkie

Wonks This Way

Commentary, analysis, and occasionally irreverent takes on policy, sports, pop culture, data, and technology 🤖.

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