The Trump indictment, NATO’s expansion: Weekend Reads

The indictment of Donald Trump is set to harden the political battlelines in the US. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Former US President Donald Trump’s indictment over his alleged role in paying hush money to a porn star may [reshape]( the American political landscape ahead of next year’s election. The first-ever criminal charges against a former commander-in-chief could aid Trump’s bid to reclaim the White House, running as the [aggrieved victim]( of a Democratic-run Deep State determined to keep him out of power. Finland is poised to join NATO in a matter of days, [dealing a blow]( to President Vladimir Putin’s stated aim to deter the defense alliance from encroaching on Russia’s border. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Pyongyang is [ready to use]( nuclear weapons “anytime and anywhere,” delivering a new threat as a US aircraft carrier group arrived in South Korea. Delve into these and other top stories in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Karl Maier]( Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2021.  Photographer: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg Coming Soon: Understand power in Washington through the lens of business, government and the economy. [Sign up now]( for the new Bloomberg Washington Edition newsletter delivered weekdays. Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images, and if you are enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Trump’s Indictment Is the First in a String of Potential Legal Troubles The case isn’t the only legal challenge [confronting]( Trump. As [Zoe Tillman]( and [Zijia Song]( report, he faces possible prosecutions in a number of other cases, including his role in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and trying to overturn the election results in Georgia. - Trump probably won’t be [handcuffed]( or led before a scrum of clicking camera shutters in the traditional “perp walk.” - The indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office caught Trump and his circle of advisers [off guard](, a source says.  Trump Indictment Is Going to Make US Politics Even More Divisive With Trump’s arrest apparently imminent, the country is rocketing forward into an even more [bitterly divided]( partisan era. [Joshua Green]( explains that his urging of his supporters to conduct protests and warning of “potential death and destruction” if he was charged echoed his call to arms in the days before the attack on the US Capitol. - Read the [full statement]( by Trump after he was indicted by a grand jury in New York. Protesters in front of Trump Tower in New York on Friday. Photographer: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images China Seeks to Calm CEOs Worried About Potential War Over Taiwan Premier Li Qiang, who became China’s No. 2 leader last month, sought to calm the nerves of the business community about a possible war over Taiwan, stressing Beijing’s [commitment to peace](. The speech underscored the push to counter growing perceptions in boardrooms of foreign firms that China is becoming too risky in the face of increased geopolitical tensions. - The Joe Biden administration went to unprecedented lengths to [play down]( the importance of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the US this week, as officials try to keep an already soured relationship with China from getting any worse. Israel’s Master Contortionist Netanyahu Tests Political Limits Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to pull off political escape acts and outmaneuver rivals is legendary in Israel. As [Amy Teibel]( and [Ethan Bronner]( report, the man who has dominated Israeli politics for the past three decades is [testing limits]( like never before. - The US and Israel clashed after Biden [rebuked]( Netanyahu’s administration for its efforts to weaken the judiciary. Demonstrators in Tel Aviv on March 18. Photographer: Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo Macron’s Headstrong Bent Imperils His Plans for France Reforms Like former leader Charles de Gaulle, Emmanuel Macron has said the people of France are obstinately opposed to change. While that’s probably not true, [Alan Katz]( explains, when they contest a particular policy such as Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age to 64, opponents only have one way to really [make a difference](: head to the streets. Protesters climb the Triumph of the Republic sculpture in central Paris on Tuesday. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg Europe’s Era of Agitation Heralds More Clashes on Spoils of Work Public-service strikes in Britain, Germany and France signal an [intensifying struggle]( by workers to halt the decline in their share of their countries’ national incomes. [William Wilkes](, [Tom Rees]( and [Wilfried Eckl-Dorna]( write that their fightback has been incited by a once-in-a-generation cost-of-living crisis. Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week - [Beating Russia Is the Best Way to Defend Taiwan: Hal Brands]( - [Gun Lobby’s Strength Is Cultural, Not Financial: David Hopkins]( - [Israel’s Democratic Claims Face More Tests Ahead: Bobby Ghosh]( - [Modi Doesn’t Need to Use the Autocrat’s Playbook: Mihir Sharma]( - [Deepfakes May Revive Mainstream Media: Leonid Bershidsky]( Russia Detains American Journalist in ‘Dark Turn’ for Ties American journalist [Evan Gershkovich]( was detained for alleged espionage while he was on a reporting trip, the first time a US reporter has been held on spying charges since the Cold War. The Wall Street Journal [denied the allegations]( and asked for his immediate release. - Putin approved a new Russian foreign policy concept that set out to [confront]( the US and its allies, claiming an “era of revolutionary changes” was under way in international relations. Evan Gershkovich. Source: Getty Images Putin’s War Is Intensifying Russian Economy’s Labor Shortage Putin’s drive to expand Russia’s armed forces is adding to [labor shortages](as his war in Ukraine draws hundreds of thousands of workers into the military from other sectors of the economy. - Russia’s grip on global food supply is [tightening]( after two of the biggest international traders said they would halt grain purchases for export from the country. - US Congressional Republicans said billions of dollars in American assistance for Ukraine risks [being misspent]( and could be better used for domestic priorities. The rising probability of military action near a Russian-occupied [nuclear plant]( in Ukraine is forcing international monitors to shelve a proposed security zone around the site and concentrate on making its reactors more resilient to attack. Best of Bloomberg Explainers This Week - [What Trump’s Legal Perils Mean for His 2024 Candidacy]( - [Why Turkey Is Still Blocking Sweden’s NATO Accession]( - [How China Aims to Counter US Efforts at ‘Containment’]( - [Why Kenya Has Been Rocked by Opposition Protests]( - [Why Putin’s ‘Tactical’ Nuclear Threats Raise Alarm]( Bolsonaro’s Brazil Return Draws Fans and Security Concerns A small crowd of supporters welcomed former President Jair Bolsonaro as he returned to Brazil after a three-month vacation in Florida. [Daniel Carvalho]( writes that while he will attempt to [establish himself]( as a right-wing leader of the opposition to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who narrowly defeated him in October, he is also facing legal scrutiny. Bolsonaro greets supporters in Brasilia on Thursday. Photographer: Evaristo Sa/Getty Images [​​​​​](North Korean Defectors Are Dying Lonely Deaths in Wealthy South After fleeing poverty and hunger in North Korea, defectors to South Korea often struggle to survive when government support runs out. [Sangmi Cha]( and [Jon Herskovitz]( explain that, while resettlement should be easy in theory because they’re moving to a country with a common language, culture and traditions, some from North Korea experience deep isolation — and even starvation — in cases that end in [tragedy](. And finally … India risks approaching the limit of [human survival]( as it experiences more intense and frequent heat waves. [Bhuma Shrivastava]( writes that while temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) are unbearable in any condition, the damage is made worse for those of India’s 1.4 billion population who are stuck in tightly packed cities and don’t have access to well-ventilated housing or air-conditioning. A florist on a hot summer afternoon in New Delhi on April 30, 2022. Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee/Bloomberg Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Politics newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](