Issue January 20, 2017 - The Week Magazine (2024)

Home//The Week Magazine/January 20, 2017

The Week makes sense of the news by curating the best of the U.S. and international media into a succinct, lively digest.

Read on Any Device

Switch between PDF & Text Mode

Bookmark & Search Content

Read Offline

Receive New Issue Notifications

Cancel Anytime

in this issue

IN THIS ISSUEEditor’s letterWhen I recently mentioned in this space that I was reading J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, a peeved reader wrote me to say that I wouldn’t understand it, “because you very likely have never met any of the types of people he writes about.” His assumption was that some fancy-pants editor based in New York City could know nothing of the struggling working class or Southern poverty. I wrote back to say that while I’m a Northerner, my own roots are working-class, that neither of my parents could afford to go to college, and that to keep food on the table my grandparents did physical labor their entire lives (including farming, scrubbing floors, and making clothes in a sweatshop). I’ve also spent some time in rural Virginia and Tennessee, and seen…2 min

NEWSSenate grills Sessions, TillersonWhat happenedSenate confirmation hearings for Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks began this week, with Sen. Jeff Sessions and former Exxon Mobil boss Rex Tillerson among those in the hot seat. Sessions, the president-elect’s nominee for attorney general, told the Senate Judiciary Committee he would stand up to Trump if he tried to go beyond the law. “You have to say ‘no’ sometimes,” he said, “for the good of the country.” The Alabama senator said he didn’t support a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., and called waterboarding of terror suspects “absolutely improper and illegal.” He also called the accusations of racism that led to him being rejected for a federal judgeship in 1986 “damnably false.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) became the first sitting senator to testify against a colleague’s nomination for…3 min

NEWSIt wasn’t all bad▪Mailmen and dogs aren’t supposed to get along. But for years, Tashi, a black Lab from Boulder, has happily greeted letter carrier Jeff Kramer with a wagging tail. “He’s just a really friendly dog,” said Kramer. Now 14 and suffering from stiff joints, Tashi can netrosky.▪Robert Marchand is officially the fastest 105-year-old on two wheels. The veteran French cyclist last week set a new world record in the 105-plus age category—created especially for the centenarian athlete—by riding 14 miles in one hour. As Marchand rolled to a stop af 10 minutes left,” he said. “Otherwise I would have gone faster.”▪An extreme-sports athlete is being hailed as a hero after he rescued an unconscious man dangling by his neck from a Colorado ski lift, 10 feet above the ground. The man…1 min

NEWSObama’s farewell: ‘Yes, we did’What happenedIn a tearful farewell address in Chicago, President Obama this week sought to calm a divided country ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration and to renew his first presidential campaign’s optimistic message of hope. “America is a better, stronger place than when we started,” Obama said. But progress can only occur, he warned, when people “come together to demand it.” He urged Americans to leave their “bubbles,” talk to each other, and become politically active. Obama touted his two-term accomplishments, including the Affordable Care Act, marriage equality, and the signing of a global climate change agreement. “I am asking you to believe. Not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. Yes, we can,” he said, echoing his 2008 campaign slogan. “Yes, we did.”Obama also…2 min

NEWSTrump addresses ethics, Russia in testy press conferenceWhat happenedIn his first press conference in six months, a combative Donald Trump said this week that he will not divest himself of his business empire to avoid potential conflicts of interest as president, but will instead put his assets in a trust to be overseen by his adult sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, and an independent ethics officer. “I could run my business and run the government at the same time,” Trump said, noting that presidents are exempt from conflict-of-interest laws. But “I don’t like the way that looks.” To avoid the appearance of impropriety, the Trump Organization will cancel all pending partnerships and won’t make any new foreign business deals. Trump said he had already begun to turn down lucrative business offers, including a $2 billion deal with…2 min

NEWSControversy of the weekTrump: Does Russia have a ‘blackmail’ file?Concerns about Donald Trump’s ties to Russia were swirling even before his election, said Greg Miller in WashingtonPost.com. This week, however, the story gained a “disturbing new dimension.” Sources in the intelligence community say that last week’s classified intelligence report on Russian interference with the 2016 election included unverified claims by a former British intelligence officer “that Russian intelligence services have compromising material and information on Trump’s personal life and finances,” including alleged activities with prostitutes on visits to Russia. Just as explosively, the British dossier also says Trump staffers actively colluded with Kremlin agents during the campaign, to damage Hillary Clinton with leaks of Democratic emails and help Trump win the election. Trump has denied the allegations, dismissing them on Twitter as “FAKE…5 min

Issue January 20, 2017 - The Week Magazine (2024)

you may also like

References