May’s Brexit Crisis and Pelosi’s ‘Uh-Oh’ Moment: Weekend Reads

(Bloomberg) --

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s tumble from clinching a Brexit deal to facing Cabinet walkouts and an ouster bid from rebels in her Conservative Party stole headlines in a week that also saw Donald Trump isolated in Europe. The U.S. president faced other challenges, with turmoil in Israel’s government imperiling his Middle East peace plan and the Democrats weighing how aggressively to investigate his activities after taking over the House. A federal judge also ruled that the White House must restore access to CNN correspondent Jim Acosta, for now.

There’s also more discontent in Europe, as shown in our story about people wanting out of the European Union on the island where the idea was born. Africa's biggest democracy, Nigeria, is trying to tackle vote rigging before next year's elections. In Latin America, the death of a key witness and his son in a corruption case is roiling Colombia. 

We hope you enjoy these stories and others in this edition of Weekend Reads.

Pelosi's Quest to Be Speaker Hits `Uh-Oh' Moment
Nancy Pelosi’s quest to return as U.S. House speaker faces a strong challenge -- even though no fellow Democrat has stepped forward yet to run against her. Billy House, Arit John, and Erik Wasson explain how the Californian Congresswoman’s friends and adversaries in the House say she is in political peril and must find more supporters fast.

Can Democrats Wield Their Newly Won Power Without Screwing Up?
Next year, Democrats will have something they sorely lacked during the first two years of Trump’s presidency: power. Joshua Green examines how that poses a dilemma that’s certain to divide the party as it decides how aggressively it should subpoena and investigate the president.

In Brexit Brinkmanship, Europe Was Always Going to Be The Winner
More than two years after U.K. “Leave” campaigner Nigel Farage hailed what he said would “go down in history as our independence day,” the exit deal struck with the European Union makes clear that Britain will remain tethered to the bloc. As Alan Crawford writes, rather than a knock-out blow undermining the European project, Brexit has only served to galvanize the EU and its 27 remaining governments.

May Vows to Carry on as Brexit Hardliners Try to Topple Her
May is defying demands to quit as she battles to keep control of her fractious government long enough to deliver a Brexit deal that’s drawn ire from across the political spectrum. Tim Ross, Kitty Donaldson, and Robert Hutton report on the major battle she has on her hands with critics inside her Conservative Party.

The EU Was Born on an Italian Island. Even People There Want Out
At the height of World War II, anti-fascist Altiero Spinelli drafted a manifesto that became the vision for today’s European Union on the island of Ventotene. Almost eight decades later, its inhabitants want to leave the bloc. As John Follain reports, just 44 percent of Italians would vote to stay in the EU in a Brexit-style referendum, the lowest score of any member state.

Trump's Middle East Plan Dealt Another Blow With Israel Turmoil
Israel’s political turmoil isn’t just a problem for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: It’s the latest blow to Trump’s hopes to unveil a grand Middle East peace plan. David Wainer and Nick Wadhams report on how Israel could head into elections this winter even as Netanyahu faces corruption probes in three different cases.

Africa's Biggest Democracy Fights Enduring Problem: Vote Rigging
As Nigeria heads toward general elections in February, it’s in a race to stamp out the bane of Africa’s most populous country: vote rigging. Dulue Mbachu reports that the risks of ballot snatching and buying, underage and multiple voting, falsifying results and the suppression of turnout in opposition areas still exist despite legislation passed last month to tackle the problems.

Trump-Loving Diplomat Picked to Run Brazilian Foreign Ministry
Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro appointed a staunch anti-communist and pro-Christian diplomat to lead efforts in reshaping the country’s foreign policy. Bruce Douglas and Sami Adghirni report on diplomat Ernesto Henrique Fraga Araujo’s fierce criticism of cultural Marxism and globalism, and his extensive praise of Trump.

And Finally … The death of Jorge Pizano, a key witness in one of the largest corporate corruption probes in history, caused little stir in Colombia. Then his son took a sip from a bottle of water on his father’s desk, got violently ill, and died of cyanide poisoning. Ezra Fieser and Matthew Bristow report on the latest twist in the case of Brazilian infrastructure giant Odebrecht, which admitted in 2016 to paying bribes across Latin America to win contracts to build power plants, highways, airports, dams and other public works.

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