House Votes to Impeach, Brexit Mandate in Action: Weekend Reads

(Bloomberg) --

It was an eventful week in global politics. The U.S. House voted to make Donald Trump the third president in history to be impeached. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson began exercising the Brexit mandate voters awarded him a week ago. And in Hong Kong, pro-democracy protests looked set to roll into 2020. 

Dig deeper on these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads, and click here for the latest installment of QuickTake by Bloomberg’s Behind the Candidate series, charting a day in the life of Carly Reilly, Andrew Yang’s finance director.

Dear Readers: Balance of Power will take a two-week break. We will resume publication Jan. 6. Happy Holidays! 

Even as Client No. 1 Is Impeached, Giuliani Needs to Make Deals
Rudy Giuliani used to be renowned for talking with any reporter who could get hold of his number. But now he’s more likely to respond by text or call back with his lawyer on the line, if he responds at all. Stephanie Baker digs into why. 

After Johnson Gets Brexit Done, a Bigger Battle Begins in Europe
As Brexit enters its final phase, the European Union is preparing to navigate the most complex negotiation in its history: its future relationship with Britain. Richard Bravo takes a closer look. 

Brexit Britain Is Still the Promised Land for Desperate Migrants
As the U.K. prepares to leave the EU, asylum seekers are trying harder to get there. Caroline Alexander and John Ainger report on the plight of those attempting to complete the epic journey.

Life After Corbyn? The Politicians Vying to Become Labour Leader
The U.K. Labour Party is looking for a new leader after Jeremy Corbyn announced his plan to resign in the wake of last week’s heavy election defeat. Jessica Shankleman, Greg Ritchie and Alex Morales profile some of the potential candidates to replace him. 

Mysterious Bags of Cash Trigger Major Hong Kong Protest Arrests
While China says America and other foreign forces are funding Hong Kong’s protests, Shelly Banjo, Alfred Liu and Kiuyan Wong followed the money and found a different story. 

Merkel’s Paths to Power Don’t Guarantee a Strong Government
Angela Merkel’s future has caused Germany much angst. While the center still holds, the chancellor doesn’t have many options to build a stable coalition, Raymond Colitt reports.

How Climate Change Primed Chileans for an Uprising
Under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, Chile became one of the first countries in the world to cede the management of its water utilities to foreign companies. Laura Millan Lombrana and Sebastian Boyd explain how the disputes over dwindling water supplies that followed helped spark a popular revolt against the country’s neoliberal economic model. 

The Volatile Economics of the Vanilla Marketplace in Madagascar
Over a wide river and down a rutted, muddy track in the hills of Madagascar, impoverished farmers haggle with buyers from international corporations over a price for the most flamboyantly mercurial commodity on the planet: vanilla. Monte Reel describes how the oily bean that makes its way into so many of our modern foods exposes the genius and insanity of globalized commerce.

And finally… From “crashing” a supercar to soaking in hot springs to eating their way around the world, photo editors Aeriel Brown, Leonor Mamanna, and Evan Ortiz have selected their favorite luxury photographs of 2019. 

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net

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