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World braces for U.S. election outcome: Weekend Reads

Balance of Power
Bloomberg

With the Nov. 3 U.S. election fast approaching, world leaders who've cultivated relationships with President Donald Trump are contemplating what it would mean if he loses — and questions abound about what a defeat would mean for Trump's legal status.

In France, the beheading of a teacher has brought fresh scrutiny to the government's efforts to crack down on Islamists. 

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is feuding with business over who will be responsible if Brexit goes wrong.

And violent protests rocked Africa's most populous nation. 

Dig into these and other topics with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. 

Kathleen Hunter

People watch Thursday night's presidential debate at a bar in Clawson, Michigan. The second and final session between Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden was much more civil than their first chaotic face-off.

Photographer: Emily Elconin/Bloomberg

Click here for more of this week's most compelling political images and tell us how we're doing or  or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.

Trump Faces a Vast Array of Legal Threats If He Loses on Nov. 3
As David Yaffe-Bellany reports, the effective immunity from federal criminal prosecution and other legal protections Trump enjoys as president would fall away if he became an ordinary citizen again.

Defeat for Trump Would Mean Some Other Leaders Also Lose Out
Though many governments would likely celebrate the end of the most unconventional and at times chaotic U.S. presidency of modern times, Trump's ejection would present the leaders of Turkey, North Korea and Israel with immediate challenges, Marc Champion writes. 

Automakers That Took Trump-Era Beating Ask What Biden May Bring
Facing a potential Biden presidency that promises more onerous policies on climate change and other issues, automakers are being urged to come together in defense of common interest. Keith Laing takes a closer look. 

Our Lives Matter, Nigerian Protesters Say Over Police Killings
Young Nigerians have poured into the streets of Lagos and other cities in some of the biggest demonstrations of the democratic era. As Dulue Mbachu, William Clowes and Antony Sguazzin report, the protests over police brutality echo the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S.

Protesters in Magboro, Ogun State, on Oct. 21.

Photographer: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images

France Picks Right-Wing Emblem to Lead Crackdown on Islamists
France's hardline interior minister has vowed to root out extremists after a grisly murder in Paris. But, as Ania Nussbaum reports, in saying he wants to preserve a distinctly French way of life, he risks the perception he's targeting not just Islamists, but all Muslims.

  • Click here for more on how fundamentalist violence has become a defining issue for France that could cost President Emmanuel Macron re-election in 2022.

Johnson Heads Into War of Blame With U.K. Business Over Brexit
After a year in which many companies have struggled to cope with the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus, the prime minister's suggestion this week that business leaders aren't paying enough attention to the relationship with the European Union hit a raw nerve. Alex Morales and Joe Mayes explore the growing rift. 

Boris Johnson's Bet on British Common Sense Isn't Paying Off
The prime minister has been reluctant to set rules for fighting the coronavirus, counting on people to behave responsibly. As Rosalind Mathieson explains, that approach hasn't worked, and now Johnson is being dragged toward tighter restrictions and greater enforcement.

In a new documentary, Francis called for civil unions for gay couples, signaling a significant shift from the Catholic Church's long-held opposition to gay people getting married. The Vatican scrambled to respond.

The U.S.-China Conflict Over Chips Is About to Get Uglier
The ability to make semiconductors for everything from artificial intelligence to smartphones has become a national security issue, and the U.S. election won't change that, regardless of the outcome. Alan Crawford, Debby Wu, Colum Murphy and Ian King take a closer look. 

Jolted by Social Demands, Chile Poised to Rewrite Constitution
Caught between their status as Latin America's economic standout and growing internal outrage over inequality, Chileans start a process of self-definition tomorrow as they choose whether and how to draft a new constitution. Eduardo Thomson previews what's at stake.

And finally ... Not much was Turkish about Herfy's "Turkish Burger" besides the branding — an Ottoman fez over a black mustache — but that didn't stop the sandwich from getting caught up in a geopolitical storm. Amid rising tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the Saudi fast food chain announced it was replacing the beef patty with an identical "Greek burger." Vivian Nereim explains how the sudden menu overhaul belies a larger trade battle.

Turkish dairy products at a Tamimi Markets store in Riyadh.

Photographer: Vivian Nereim/Bloomberg

 

 

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