The News
October 28, 2017
It’s Saturday and the end of the fourth week of October. The week produced a number of significant events conveying abroad and at home. In Spain, the government issued a crackdown on Catalonia’s regional government in an attempt to suppress the Catalonian independence movement; the Chinese Communist Party amended its constitution to include the philosophical ideals of Chinese President Xi Jinping; and Kurdish forces in the Kurdish autonomous region agreed to a ceasefire with the Iraqi government in order to forge talks on an independence deal.
In U.S. news, the Trump administration plans to release another travel ban, extending restrictions on visitors from additional African nations such as Egypt and Sudan; the Senate narrowly voted to rescind a consumer protection rule allowing groups of customers to jointly file a lawsuit against credit card companies and bypass arbitration; the White House declared a public health emergency in response to the opioid crisis and increased resources for treatment and outreach; the White House began the release of FBI and CIA archives detailing the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; and the Washington Post reported that a prominent Republican donor and later Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign had a hand in funding the Steele dossier alleging illicit coordination between Russia and President Trump.
As always, thanks for reading the newsletter and enjoy Halloween weekend.
Cheers,
The Wonks Team
Politics and Public Policy
- The New York Times reports on the partisan divisions hindering progress on Congress’s investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
- Quartz Obsession explains the history of voting machines and how modern voting systems have become susceptible to hacking by foreign governments.
- The Washington Post reports on the Puerto Rico’s $200 million contract with Whitefish, a little-known Montana utility company, to restore electricity to the island in spite of the company’s questionable qualifications and the island’s connections to more established utility firms.
- The Upshot evaluates the quality of Democratic candidates running in competitive House districts for the 2018 midterms, comparing the Democrats’ lack viable nominees in white working-class districts with its glut of candidates in more affluent areas.
- FiveThirtyEight assesses the implications of Senator Jeff Flake’s impending retirement on President Trump’s agenda for 2018, explaining how Flake along with retiring senators Bob Corker and John McCain form a pivotal voting bloc in the Senate.
- Historians Philip Senon and Larry J. Sabato reflect in Politico on the release of the JFK assassination files, warning commentators and observers not to jump to hasty conclusions or delve into conspiracies while examining the documents.
Business, Science, and Health
- The San Francisco Chronicle hypothesizes the “Future of Work,” with articles on the evolving relationship between labor and machines, telecommuting, algorithms used for human resource management, and more.
- Bloomberg News reports on the growing popularity of seltzer water, remarking on the spike in sales for flavored carbonated drinks from companies like La Croix and the lingering health concerns that stem from drinking soda.
- The Atlantic writes about the organizational dysfunction of the March for Science, noting the lack of direction from the group’s organizers on goals and the lack of transparency behind their operations following their protest in April.
- NPR writes about the legacy of the Tuskegee Study on African Americans and why few minorities volunteer to participate in medical research studies due to discriminatory scientific studies from the past.
- The New York Times takes stock of the endangered species moving closer toward extinction due to recent natural disasters in Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria along with the wildfires in Northern California.
- On Thursday’s episode of “Fresh Air” from NPR, host Terry Gross interviews New York Times tech columnist Farhad Manjoo about his series on the five largest tech companies and how they operate as quasi-independent governments and obstruct startup development.
Sports and Culture
- NPR analyzes the shifting attitudes towards sexual harassment and assault, contrasting the victim shaming of accusers like Anita Hill in the early 1990s to the current downfall of powerful executives and media figures like Roger Ailes, Bill Cosby, and more.
- The New York Times profiles the sports journalism startup “The Athletic,” explaining the service’s regional subscription-based model and publication’s hiring strategy of capitalizing off of mass layoffs and downsizing at traditional newspapers.
- Amanda Petrusich pens The New Yorker’s obituary for Fats Domino, chronicling how he got the nickname “Fats,” his background playing Dixieland music, as well as his role in the emergence of Rock ’n’ Roll.
- Jonah Keri of CBS Sports ranks the ten best World Series, breaking down the most memorable moments and momentum swinging games, as well as with confounding statistics from baseball history.
- Michael Bauman of The Ringer recaps Game 2 of the World Series, including the many comebacks of both Astros and Dodgers, the game’s eight homeruns — including five in extra innings, and what made the game so memorable.
- Tom Ley of Deadspin reflects on the firings of Joe Girardi and Dusty Baker after narrow playoff losses by both their squads and how baseball front offices set unrealistic expectations on teams that can lead to a dismissal of a talented manager.
- ESPN reports on the October 17 NFL owners–players meeting on the players’ protests, detailing the efforts of commissioner Roger Goodell to mollify the hardline opposition of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and hear out arguments on racial inequality by the players.
