Prospect Weekend Reads Week of August 8th Stories from the week you don’t want to miss!
ALLISON BAILEY/NURPHOTO VIA AP
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) cheers while speaking at a press conference in which Democratic senators demanded passage of the Inflation Reduction
Act.
Democrats Discover Winning Feels Good: Zachary D. Carter wrote about how at long last, Democrats are playing to
win, passing two pieces of major industrial policy in two weeks. They should keep it up by continuing to legislate.
Our Bewildering Economy: Robert Kuttner details the contradictory trends and policy choices that went into the Inflation
Reduction Act. Does it live up to its name?
Permitting Reform Bill Flips Leverage to Progressives: Progressives didn't make the side deal with Manchin to fast-track permits; they should feel no obligation to go along with it. Read David Dayen on how the left should take this opportunity to create their own conditions.
The Collapsing Clean-Energy Transition: Many renewable energy advocates have accepted the compromises in the
IRA as the price of doing business to reduce emissions — but in communities threatened by potential fossil fuel leases, the IRA was a gut punch to a just transition. Gabrielle Gurley has the story.
On Health Care, the Filibuster Means We Get Medicare for All or Nothing: The Senate parliamentarian's recent decisions on drug pricing and private insurance make it clear that even the most moderate health care reforms cannot be accomplished without ending the filibuster. Read Ryan Cooper on why procedural fixes won't work.
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