LETTER

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
- The New York Times compares the fiscal and health outcomes of the six competing proposals repealing the Affordable Care Act on Medicaid spending, premium costs, and insurance enrollment for local governments and individuals.
- The Washington Post chronicles how the Trump administration has chipped away at transgender protections implemented during the final years of the Obama administration, noting the Pentagon’s institutional resistance to reform.
- Bloomberg News reports on the withdrawal of the border-adjustment tax on imports once pursued by Congressional Republicans and the broader fiscal issues facing Congress of finding revenue sources while imposing new tax cuts for businesses.
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.
- Jason Torchinsky of Jalopnik deduces the space shuttle featured on the classic Simpsons episode “Deep Space Homer,” comparing the caricatured shuttles featured on the show with the actual models of shuttles used by NASA over the years.
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.
- Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN assesses where former MVP point guard Derek Rose fits in with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Rose tries to rebuild his career and likely take on the role ceded by Kyrie Irving.
- Glen Weldon of NPR writes an obituary and appreciation for voice actor June Foray, most famous for voicing Rocky the Squirrel, Witch Hazel, and other characters produced by Jay Ward and Warner Animation.

