Obama's Legacy
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MAIN STORIES CONTROVERSY TALKING POINTS GRILLING How Putin Hollywood’s SESSIONS got everything contempt ON RACE he wanted for Trump p.4 Pages 6, 11 p.17 Meryl Streep THE BEST OF THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Obama’s legacy Did he deliver on his promises—and will any of it last? Pages 5, 16 JANUARY 20, 2017 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 805 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS WWW.THEWEEK.COM WELCOME TO OUR WORLD Breitling reinvents the connected watch firmly geared towards performance. Every inch an instrument of the future, the Exospace B55 multifunction electronic chronograph pushes the boundaries of comfort, ergonomics and efficiency. The titanium case of this compendium of innovations houses an exclusive SuperQuartzTM caliber chronometer-certified by the COSC and featuring a range of original functions tailor-made for pilots and men of action. Welcome to the world of precision, feats and high-tech sophistication. Welcome to the vanguard of instruments for professionals. Contents 3 Editor’s letter When I recently mentioned in this space that I was reading J.D. Nonetheless, our nation’s warring tribes are locked in a peren- Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, a peeved reader wrote me to say that I nial argument over which is “The Real America.” (See Best U.S. wouldn’t understand it, “because you very likely have never met columns.) After Barack Obama’s victories in 2008 and 2012, any of the types of people he writes about.” His assumption urban progressives were confident their America— multicultural, was that some fancy-pants editor based in New York City could socially liberal, youthful—was ascendant. Now, by virtue of an know nothing of the struggling working class or Southern pov- election that hinged on 80,000 votes out of 129 million cast, erty. I wrote back to say that while I’m a Northerner, my own Trump voters are no less certain that Lubbock and Tuscalo- roots are working-class, that neither of my parents could afford osa are more real than San Francisco and Philadelphia, and that to go to college, and that to keep food on the table my grand- Meryl Streep’s Hollywood is irrelevant. (See Talking Points.) parents did physical labor their entire lives (including farming, What does this tell us? Perhaps we give too much power to elec- scrubbing floors, and making clothes in a sweatshop). I’ve also tions, which often are decided by random events and politicians’ spent some time in rural Virginia and Tennessee, and seen the personalities, rather than by policies. Victory doesn’t mean that soul-crushing economic devastation there firsthand. My corre- the winners’ worldview is the only valid one, or that the losers spondent was gracious in his response. “It could be that you and have lost their humanity as well as an election. Wherever we’re I agree on more issues than I realized,” he said. Quite so. Most from, we’re all real, we all count, and we’d William Falk of us do not fit so easily into class and geographic stereotypes. better figure out a way to make that work. Editor-in-chief NEWS 4 Main stories Senate grills Trump’s Editor-in-chief: William Falk Cabinet nominees; Managing editors: Theunis Bates, Carolyn O’Hara Obama says an emotional Deputy editor/International: Susan Caskie farewell; the president- Deputy editor/Arts: Chris Mitchell Senior editors: Harry Byford, Alex elect faces the press Dalenberg, Richard Jerome, Dale Obbie, Hallie Stiller, Frances Weaver 6 Controversy of the week Art director: Dan Josephs Photo editor: Loren Talbot Does Russia have a Copy editors: Jane A. Halsey, Jay Wilkins Chief researcher: Christina Colizza blackmail fi le on Trump? Contributing editors: Ryan Devlin, 7 The U.S. at a glance Bruno Maddox VP, publisher: John Guehl Dylann Roof sentenced to VP, marketing: Tara Mitchell death in Charleston, S.C.; Sales development director: Samuel Homburger Trump’s son-in-law named Account director: Steve Mumford to a top White House job Account manager: Shelley Adler Detroit director: Lisa Budnick Midwest director: Lauren Ross 8 The world at a glance Northwest director: Steve Thompson Kardashian jewelry Southeast director: Jana Robinson Malia, Michelle, and President Obama in Chicago this week (p.5) Southwest directors: James Horan, thieves busted in France; Rebecca Treadwell massacres in Myanmar Integrated marketing director: Nikki Ettore ARTS LEISURE Integrated associate marketing director: Betsy Connors 10 People 21 Books 26 Food & Drink Integrated marketing managers: Why January Jones is Matthew Flynn, Caila Litman The search for a long- Where to fi nd the best Research and insights manager: happy to be a single Joan Cheung lost Honduran city Indian comfort food Marketing designer: Triona Moynihan mom; the man who cleans Marketing coordinator: Reisa Feigenbaum up after plane crashes 22 Author of the week 27 Travel Digital director: Garrett Markley Omar Saif Ghobash’s Riding with the reindeer in Senior digital account manager: 11 Briefi ng Yuliya Spektorsky battle with extremism snowy Swedish Lapland Digital planner: Jennifer Riddell How Vladimir Putin hopes Chief operating & financial officer: to build up Russia by 23 Art & Music 28 Consumer Kevin E. Morgan Director of financial reporting: dragging down the West Tracing the links The best apps for gym-free Arielle Starkman between Jasper Johns fi tness training EVP, consumer marketing & products: 12 Best U.S. columns Sara O’Connor and Edvard Consumer marketing director: Trump’s chaotic Munch BUSINESS Leslie Guarnieri management style; the Production manager: Kyle Christine Darnell 24 Film HR/operations manager: Joy Hart pointless fi ght over the 32 News at a glance Adviser: Ian Leggett “real” America Martin Scorsese’s Yahoo gets a rebrand; Chairman: John M. Lagana harrowing, Volkswagen pays out again U.K. founding editor: Jolyon Connell 15 Best international Company founder: Felix Dennis columns beautiful Silence for emissions scandal Iranian reformists lose a 33 Making money powerful ally Early 401(k) backers air Visit us at TheWeek.com. their regrets For customer service go to www 16 Talking points .TheWeek.com/service or phone us Assessing Obama’s 34 Best columns at 1-877-245-8151. legacy; Hollywood U.S. automakers try to get Renew a subscription at www on Trump’s good side; the .RenewTheWeek.com or give a gift vs. Trump; the GOP’s January Jones at www.GiveTheWeek.com. Newscom, AP Newscom, Obamacare dilemma (p.10) department store die-off THE WEEK January 20, 2017 4 NEWS The main stories... Senate grills Sessions, Tillerson What happened not reverse” many of the “fragile advances” Senate confirmation hearings for Donald won under President Obama on civil rights, Trump’s Cabinet picks began this week, with justice, and equality. He expressed support for Sen. Jeff Sessions and former Exxon Mobil “unnecessary” voter-ID laws, which disenfran- boss Rex Tillerson among those in the hot chise minorities, and displayed no interest in seat. Sessions, the president-elect’s nominee “standing up for the rights of the most vulner- for attorney general, told the Senate Judicia- able Americans.” ry Committee he would stand up to Trump if he tried to go beyond the law. “You have to The Trump team is deliberately rushing these say ‘no’ sometimes,” he said, “for the good confirmations, said the Los Angeles Times. of the country.” The Alabama senator said With eight Senate hearings in four days, sena- he didn’t support a ban on Muslims entering tors and the public cannot give each nominee the U.S., and called waterboarding of terror sufficient attention or scrutiny. The fact that suspects “absolutely improper and illegal.” Trump’s Cabinet includes several very wealthy He also called the accusations of racism that Racism allegations ‘damnably false’ individuals, whose sprawling financial empires led to him being rejected for a federal judge- create potential conflicts of interest, makes it ship in 1986 “damnably false.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) became all the more important that this process not be a “rubber stamp.” the first sitting senator to testify against a colleague’s nomination for a Cabinet post, arguing that Sessions’ long public record showed What the columnists said that he wouldn’t pursue justice for blacks, women, or gays. Sessions insists he’s not a racist, said Jamelle Bouie in Slate.com, but he’s a hard-liner who has opposed sentencing reform and every Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, faced sharp attempt to “reverse the vast racial disparities’’ that have put mil- scrutiny from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee over his lions of black men in prison. His defense seems to be that as long extensive business dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. as you have no hate in “your heart,” you can’t be a racist. But if he The oil executive said he accepted the assessment that Russia supports racist policies, “who cares what’s in his heart?” interfered in the U.S. presidential elections, and called Putin’s an- nexation of Crimea “a taking of territory that was not theirs.” But Tillerson deserves an easier ride than he’s getting, said Ed Rogers in he refused to say whether the Trump administration would repeal WashingtonPost.com. His experience at Exxon Mobil has “equipped the retaliatory sanctions imposed against Moscow. Seven other him with diplomatic skills and useful relationships with foreign Cabinet nominees were set to face senators this week; the hearing leaders”—not to mention a deep knowledge of energy, finance, and for Betsy DeVos, Trump’s pick for education secretary, was delayed environmental policy. Liberals denigrate his corporate background, until next week amid concerns over the billionaire philanthropist’s but “serving in government shouldn’t just be reserved for career failure to sign an ethics agreement concerning potential conflicts of politicians, lawyers, and assorted bankers and academics.” interest.