When the news feels like a ‘West Wing’ script | Top 10

+ the importance of basic science US Edition - Today's top story: Ouster of Speaker McCarthy highlights House Republican fractures in an increasingly polarized America [View in browser]( US Edition | 8 October 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation. Here are a few of our recently published stories: - [After a shocking Hamas assault on Israel, both sides brace for the devastating fallout]( - [Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has been a voice for women for almost two decades]( I’m a huge fan of “The West Wing” for its interesting characters, strong acting, fascinating storylines and clever dialogue. And I’m generally quick to spot parallels between real life and the show’s plot – political and otherwise – and there has been a flurry of them this past week. One example was Tuesday's top story about the [importance of basic science to discovery](, in reference to a Nobel Prize in medicine going to mRNA research. The newsletter introduction that health and biomedicine editor Vivian Lam wrote for us, which noted scientists often do basic research without a particular application in mind, seemed straight from “The West Wing,” Season 3, when Sam Seaborn tries to secure funding for a superconducting supercollider. The character struggles to articulate what benefit the technology would have, when a physicist he’s doing a favor for cites the discovery of penicillin, the X-ray and electrons. “That’s what this is used for,” Sam declares. “It’s for discovery.” One parallel I was expecting that didn’t materialize was the government shutdown. In Season 5, as the U.S. inches toward a budget deadline, President Bartlet refuses to agree with Speaker of the House Haffley to back a continuing resolution that would have slashed spending. “Shut it down,” Bartlet says, prompting a shutdown that lasted several days. In real life, that didn’t happen, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the last minute offered a continuing resolution with none of the deep spending cuts a small faction of his party had sought. All but one Democrat joined with most Republicans to keep the government funded until around Thanksgiving. What happened next carried all the drama, colorful characters and surprise of an Aaron Sorkin screenplay: Right-wing Republicans revolted and triggered the vote that cost McCarthy his job. In an analysis of the news, Boise State University political scientist Charles R. Hunt wrote that McCarthy’s ouster [reflects the negative partisanship that pervades U.S. politics today]( – perhaps even more than what President Bartlet had to contend with. Later this week, we'll bring you stories on the outbreak of violence in the Middle East, including a comparison of Hamas' attack on Israel to the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and an analysis on how Iran is poised to benefit in the aftermath. Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks Kevin McCarthy, just before he was ousted as speaker of the House. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images [Ouster of Speaker McCarthy highlights House Republican fractures in an increasingly polarized America]( Charles R. Hunt, Boise State University Long gridlocked by fighting between the two major political parties, the US House is now split by conflict within the GOP, thanks in part to redistricting practices that boost extremism. - [Cell death is essential to your health − an immunologist explains when cells decide to die with a bang or take their quiet leave]( Zoie Magri, Tufts University Your cells die to keep you alive. Cell death does everything from fighting cancer cells and pathogens to forming your fingers and toes. - [Reagan wouldn’t recognize Trump-style ‘conservatism’ – a look at how the GOP has changed]( Karyn Amira, College of Charleston Republicans Mike Pence and Mitt Romney both spoke recently about the conservative ideals that animate their politics − and which Donald Trump has violated. Do voters care? - [Despite one of the US military’s greatest fiascoes, American troops are still in Somalia fighting an endless war]( Jason C. Mueller, Kennesaw State University Thirty years after the Battle of Mogadishu, the US continues waging war in Somalia, with little public knowledge, scrutiny or constructive results. - [Death of the Armenian dream in Nagorno-Karabakh was predictable but not inevitable]( Ronald Suny, University of Michigan The collapse of the self-proclaimed republic ushers in a new reality in the South Caucasus. For Armenia, the first concern is how to accommodate the needs of 100,000-plus refugees. Editors' picks Basic research often involves lab work that won’t be appreciated until decades down the line. Sebastian Condrea/Moment via Getty Images [Tenacious curiosity in the lab can lead to a Nobel Prize – mRNA research exemplifies the unpredictable value of basic scientific research]( André O. Hudson, Rochester Institute of Technology The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine made a discovery that helped create the COVID-19 vaccines. They couldn’t have anticipated the tremendous impact of their findings. - [Psychedelics plus psychotherapy can trigger rapid changes in the brain − new research at the level of neurons is untangling how]( Edmund S. Higgins, Medical University of South Carolina Change in the brain usually comes with plenty of effort over time. Neuroscientists are working to understand how psychedelic drugs provide a shortcut that seems to rely on existing brain systems. - [Quantum dots are part of a revolution in engineering atoms in useful ways – Nobel Prize for chemistry recognizes the power of nanotechnology]( Andrew Maynard, Arizona State University Quantum dots are a prime example of the way nanotechnology engineers materials at an atomic scale. - [The Green Revolution is a warning, not a blueprint for feeding a hungry planet]( Glenn Davis Stone, Sweet Briar College Did the Green Revolution, which brought high-tech agriculture to developing nations in the 1960s, prevent famine? Recent research takes a much more skeptical view. - [Why the UAW union’s tough bargaining strategy is working]( Marick Masters, Wayne State University The companies are making more generous offers, and the union is commanding support from the general public and the president of the United States. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Questions on abayas, attoseconds, birettas and more words in the news. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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