This Week in Review was written by Senior Editor Jake Whitfield. 

1.       Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination hearings in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee finished today. Despite the Supreme Court’s nonpartisanship, the hearings have displayed the very worst partisanship and political showmanship. The political grandstanding peaked when Senator Cory Booker released “confidential” memos despite the consequences that may have followed. He called it a “Spartacus Moment”. It was later revealed that the memos were set to go public regardless. The Democrats may have been successful in creating useful soundbites and gaining credibility for their 2020 presidential runs, but their efforts have done little in preventing Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation. You can read more, from The Atlantic, here.

2.       The 2018 NFL season began last night as the Philadelphia Eagles, the reigning world champions, hosted the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles topped the Falcons 18 to 12. On par with larger trends, last night’s game saw a 13% decrease in viewership from last year’s opener. Competing theories, from NFL players’ anthem protests to rule changes, have attempted to explain this continual decline in viewership. Nike’s new advertisement with Colin Kaepernick also debuted during the game last night ensuring that the feud between the NFL and Donald Trump is far from over.

3.       To the delight of many Chicagoans, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that he is not running for reelection. Despite his unpopularity, he led the polls by a wide margin and leaves the mayoral race wide open. Former Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and former CPS CEO Paul Vallas will work to increase their support while other state, county, and city officials weigh in on their chances.

4.       Perhaps the most riveting of all this week’s news is Machine Gun Kelly and Eminem’s “rap beef”. This isn’t the first public feud between rappers. 50 Cent and Kanye West, Jay-Z and Nas, and, Notorious B.I.G and 2Pac have already shown us the amount of effort artist will go through to promote their brands and sell albums. If you’re interested in siding with MGK, you have an opportunity to show your support tomorrow when he performs at Wrigley Field with Fall Out Boy. Better yet, you can come support the Men’s Soccer Team as they take on University of Chicago.