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From America’s Farm Country to England’s Heartland: Weekend Reads

From America’s Farm Country to England’s Heartland: Weekend Reads

(Bloomberg) --

It was a tumultuous week in Sudan, where President Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by the military, ending his 30-year rule. In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu looks poised to surpass founding father David Ben-Gurion as the country’s longest-serving premier. While in India, a secret society of Hindu foot soldiers is fueling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign.

We’ve got those stories in this edition of Weekend Reads – as well as others, from America’s farm country to the disconnect at the root of Brexit.

From America’s Farm Country to England’s Heartland: Weekend Reads

Trump’s Trade War Is Hurting Farmers, But They Still Think He Can Win It
Shawn Donnan and Shruti Singh traveled across America’s farm country to examine how falling exports and shrinking incomes are testing support for Donald Trump’s aggressive protectionism.

Brexit Exposes Painful Disconnect Between England and Britain
Alan Crawford reports from the tiny village of Edington, where historians agree England was born, as the key to understanding the divisions that have opened up in the U.K. in the struggle over leaving the European Union. 

Sudan’s al-Bashir is the fourth African leader serving for many decades to step down since 2017. His departure comes after Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika was forced to resign earlier this month. 

From America’s Farm Country to England’s Heartland: Weekend Reads

Germany’s Fragile Future
Arne Delfs, Patrick Donahue, and David Rocks profile Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer , Germany’s likely next chancellor. She just has to step out of Angela Merkel’s shadow.

Twitter Mobs Bash Those Who Dare Challenge AMLO in Mexico Press
Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has something in common with Trump, with whom he rarely agrees: disdain for journalists who aren’t in lockstep with the administration, Cyntia Barrera Diaz and Nacha Cattan write. His online devotees do as well and aren’t shy about using harsh language, stoking concerns about widening social divisions and the stifling of political discourse.

What Netanyahu’s Fifth Term Means for Israel and the Middle East
Gwen Ackerman and Amy Teibel delve into the legacy of Netanyahu. While he remains under investigation for corruption and might be forced to resign if convicted, the legal process could take years, giving him ample time to further shape Israeli society. 

From America’s Farm Country to England’s Heartland: Weekend Reads

Iraq Is Finally Pumping Enough Oil to Flex Its Muscles in OPEC
Saudi Arabian oil ministers moved energy markets for 50 years, sometimes with just an utterance. But, as Mohammed Sergie and Verity Ratcliffe write, the kingdom may lose a bit of its power. Lurking in the shadows are oil sages in Iraq, which has quietly emerged as the world’s fourth-biggest crude producer, and they want a bigger say in the energy game.

The Culture War Threatening to Rip Through European Politics
Marek Strzelecki and Rodney Jefferson have a great dispatch from Poland, where the government says it’s tightening its control of the arts to defend Christian values and the nation’s honor from a continent that has lost its way. For some, the message bears echos of communism: you’re either with us or against us. “We’d never thought that atmosphere would come back,” one rector says. 

And finally … Six years ago, Joe Nocera got a phone call from a 45-year-old New Jersey man named Nelson Peña. Of all the random calls he says he’s received as a reporter, he’s not sure why he decided to pursue this one. But he did, and now he has this fascinating account of how a Dominican lawyer is leading two families on a quest for ancestral riches that may not exist.  

From America’s Farm Country to England’s Heartland: Weekend Reads

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