EPISODE

S5E16 · Eppur Si Muove

When a conservative Republican Congresswoman targets Ellie's research project in an effort to discredit Jed, Toby discovers that the source of the leak is uncomfortably close to home, and Will realizes that they've all greatly underestimated his boss; Josh investigates the wisdom of a recess appointment as he tries to convince an old friend to be patient with the Sixth Circuit judicial nomination process and keep his hat in the ring; C.J. completely misreads Ben's intentions; Donna tracks down an AWOL Ryan; an opening is created on the Supreme Court; in an effort to redefine Abbey's image with the press, C.J. sets her up to do a public service announcement with the Muppets, which inspires Ellie to stand up before the press in defense of scientific research unhampered by politics.

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The story

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Plot summary

When a Republican congresswoman starts a campaign against publicly funded research into sexually transmitted diseases, effectively targeting the President's daughter's work, links emerge to the Vice President's office. The First Lady, reeling from the reaction to her assistance at a health clinic, agrees to soften her image by appearing with characters from Sesame Street. Josh tries to sort-out a deadlock on judicial appointments. Note: The episode title refers to an Italian phrase attributed to Galileo Galilei that translates to "and yet it moves," referring to the movement of the Earth around the Sun.

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Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The West Wing season 5. HTML formatting and reference markers removed.

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