Democrats debate, AMLO speaks, death on the Nile: Weekend Reads

Balance of Power From FOLLOW US SUBSCRIBE   Did the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates squander a chance to court auto workers and union voters at their second round of debates in Detroit?  What does Mexico's new president have to say about Donald Trump's border policy? And how did a symbol of Ethiopia's prosperous future become a potential reminder of the country's struggles to shake its turbulent past? Delve into these and other questions surrounding this week's political news with the latest edition of Weekend Reads.  – Kathleen Hunter Democratic presidential contenders at Tuesday night's debate. Click here for more on why they focused much of their attention on urban voters. Photographer: Anthony Lanzilote/Bloomberg Queen's Banker Is Less Picky About Clients as Brexit Takes Toll Coutts & Co., Queen Elizabeth II's banker, is getting less genteel about chasing new clients in Brexit Britain. Edward Robinson takes a closer look. at why.  Democratic 2020 Candidates Inch Away From Medicare for All In April, many of the top Democratic presidential candidates eagerly lined up to co-sponsor Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All bill. Now, many of them are inching away from it. Tyler Pager and Joshua Green explain why.  Russians Dream of Jobs in State-Owned Giants Like Gazprom Jake Rudnitsky reports that most Russians regard their dream job as working in a giant state-run company like Gazprom, nearly three decades after the collapse of communism ushered in an era of capitalism. A ship takes part in a display honoring the Russian Navy. President Vladimir Putin attended the celebration in St. Petersburg, as authorities stepped up a crackdown that threatens to be the harshest since officials crushed large-scale protests in 2012. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg Trump Saves About $1 Million With Powell's Interest Rate Cut Trump is likely to save nearly $1 million in annual borrowing costs after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell – who has been the subject of withering presidential criticism – cut interest rates this week, Shahien Nasiripour reports. China's Leaders Face Crises on Two Fronts at Secretive Retreat Iain Marlow and Dandan Li explain why the Chinese Communist Party's secretive summer getaway on the Yellow Sea is likely to be anything but relaxing this year. Executives Abandon South African State Companies Over Indecision Top South African businessmen called upon to help save ailing state-owned companies are abandoning their posts, frustrated by indecision and political interference. Loni Prinsloo and Roxanne Henderson take a closer look.  Mexico's Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known as AMLO, sat down with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait in his first presidential interview with international media. They discussed topics ranging from immigration to AMLO's belief in the need for lower interest rates to revive his nation's flagging economy. Click here to watch the interview. Photographer: Brett Grundlock for Bloomberg Businessweek Death on the Nile Haunts Ethiopia's Rebirth Marc Champion and Nizar Manek explore an epic power struggle involving a mysterious death, ethnic tensions and an attempted coup. What Exactly Does Trump Want for the Dollar? Amid the Trump administration's chaotic messaging, it's unclear whether the U.S. is still committed to a strong greenback, Katherine Greifeld reports.  And finally… To help battle global warming, companies around the world are expected to spend billions of dollars over the next decade building devices aimed at sucking carbon from the atmosphere. The thing is, Mother Nature already made one. Emily Chasan looks at efforts to cultivate empress trees, which mature several times faster than your average oak or pine and absorb about 103 tons of carbon a year per acre. The empress holds the Guinness World Records mark for fastest growth; it reaches maturity in 7 to 10 years, vs. several decades for a pine or oak tree. Photographer: Chuck Hemard for Bloomberg Businessweek   You received this message because you are subscribed to the Bloomberg Politics newsletter Balance of Power. You can tell your friends to sign up here.   Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022