THE WEEK THAT WAS...

Paying the healthcare bill

As Republicans scramble for a strategy to replace the healthcare law, they are reckoning with a fundamental question the party has never settled — whether to foot the multitrilliondollar bill to ensure that millions of Americans retain the coverage that they obtained under Obamacare. Myriad taxes and the mandate requiring individuals to buy or have insurance now cover the tab.

Trump names head of FCC

President Trump selected Ajit Pai to head the Federal Communications Commission. Pai is a free-market advocate who has talked of taking a weed whacker to regulations adopted by Democrats in recent years. Chief among them are net neutrality rules, which bar Internet service providers from favoring or discriminating against legal content through their networks.

Lionsgate bet pays off

Lionsgate gambled and scored big when the studio decided to take a chance on a musical about a jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, an homage to the f ilms of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. “La La Land” is considered the front-runner in the race for this year’s bestpicture Oscar after pulling down 14 Academy Award nominations, including for actor, actress and director.

Covering cost of border wall

President Trump threw trade experts for a loop by seeming to endorse a 20% tax on imports, at least partially to help pay for the border wall with Mexico that he has promised to build. A spokesman later said the idea was just one of several options the White House is considering for a new “border adjustment tax,” which would create a new set of winners and losers in the economy.