Echoes of Cold War in Chinese and Russian Spying: Weekend Reads
Echoes of Cold War in Chinese and Russian Spying: Weekend Reads
(Bloomberg) --
The bombshell revelations of two very different types of spying from China and Russia competed for headlines this week with the polarizing confirmation process of U.S. Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s efforts to hang on to her Conservative Party leadership.
In Riyadh, our team sat down with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and discussed everything from oil, to the Aramco IPO, Teslas, the missing journalist critical of his rule, and relations with President Donald Trump. You can find a complete transcript here.
Enjoy these and other top stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads.
Kavanaugh's Rise Heralds New Conservative Era on Supreme Court
U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh secured enough support to win confirmation in a vote in the Senate today after Maine Republican Susan Collins said the accusations against him of sexual assault weren't sufficient to block him. Greg Stohr writes how the result of a bruising battle between Republicans and Democrats will affect the court for decades and weigh heavily on November’s midterm elections.
China Used Tiny Chip in Hack That Infiltrated Amazon, Apple
A top-secret probe has revealed a unit of China’s People’s Liberation A rmy inserted microchips not much bigger than a grain of rice on motherboards to gain access to computers used by U.S. companies including Amazon and Apple. Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley explain how the hardware hack affected products from businesses with ties to the U.S. Navy and the Central Intelligence Agency.
As Merkel’s Star Begins to Fade, Here’s Who to Watch in Germany
One year into Angela Merkel’s fourth term, she’s no longer queen of all she surveys. Patrick Donahue, Arne Delfs, Birgit Jennen, and Patricia Suzara write how, with her days of near-hegemony over, these are the faces to watch in the months ahead.
Trump Bets Bashing China Will Sway Voters Before Bill Comes Due
To turn his trade war with China into a vote-winner, Trump needs the backing of places like Oshkosh. Andrew Mayeda reports on the ups and downs of globalization that have left their mark on this town of 66,000 in northern Wisconsin, a battleground state in next month’s midterm elections.
Putin Denials Mask Dismay at ‘Laughable’ Spy Shortcomings Abroad
The exposure of Russian espionage operations by Dutch, U.K. and U.S. authorities has opened a window into the sometimes sloppy tradecraft of the Kremlin’s GRU military-intelligence service. Henry Meyer and Irina Reznik look at palpable unease at the catalog of mishaps by President Vladimir Putin’s now-infamous spies.
Consumed by Brexit, U.K.’s Conservatives Face Up to Mortality
Britain’s Conservative Party has a bigger problem than the incessant infighting surrounding Brexit. Thomas Penny and Charlotte Ryan tell how it’s turning its fire against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to stop a slide in popularity.
From Jails to Congress, Brazil Evangelicals Could Swing Election
Evangelical Christians are changing the political landscape in the world’s largest Catholic nation, Brazil, before tomorrow’s elections. R.T. Watson, David Biller, Samy Adghirni show how these voters’ growing role highlights disillusionment with soaring crime, corruption and joblessness a decade after the country was embraced as a star of the developing world.
Teenager's Gang-Rape Claim Inspires ‘MeToo’ Movement in Morocco
A teenager gang-raped and abused for two months before being dumped back at home is shaking up politics in Morocco by insisting on pressing charges. Souhail Karam tells the story of Khadija Ouqrou’s rare break with conservative mores.
And finally … Since the New York Times reported allegations of serial predation by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein a year ago, at least 425 prominent people across industries have been publicly accused of sexual misconduct. As Riley Griffin, Hannah Recht and Jeff Green report, that’s more than one newly reported person facing accusations each day, on average, for the last 12 months.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kathleen Hunter at khunter9@bloomberg.net, Caroline Abramo
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