Europe’s Center Holds, Mueller Speaks, Modi Wins: Weekend Reads

(Bloomberg) --

Europe proved its resilience again this week.

Forecasts that populists would score unprecedented gains in elections to the European Parliament proved unfounded, with the center holding and Greens surging. In the U.K., a conservative drubbing in the vote cast a shadow over the parade of hopefuls vying take the place of Prime Minister Theresa May.

Elsewhere, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to go to fresh elections after he was unable to form a coalition, while in India, Naredra Modi's thumping election victory has proved costly for the country's oldest political party.

Democratic calls for President Donald Trump's impeachment intensified after Special Counsel Robert Mueller broke his nearly two-year silence to dispute Trump's assertion that his report represented an exoneration.

Read about those topics and more in this edition of Weekend Reads, and click here for some of Bloomberg's most compelling political images from the past seven days.

Ecuador's Leader Kicked Out Assange, Shunned Venezuela, and Embraced the U.S.
With a mix of cunning and openness that blossomed after a robber shot him in the spine 21 years ago, President Lenin Moreno has purged Ecuador's government of those close to his predecessor. Then, as Ethan Bronner and Stephan Kueffner report, he evicted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

My Hunt for a Tablecloth in Damascus Shows the Ravages of War
Syria has lost the handiwork of its artisans, and so much more, in the course of eight years of war: 500,000 people killed, half the population displaced and 83% living below the poverty line. Donna Abu-Nasr returns to Damascus to find residents weighed down by economic hardships and the struggle to survive day-to-day crises.

Spray Cheese Would Count as Staple Under Trump Food Stamp Rule
Canned spray cheese, beef jerky and pimiento-stuffed olives would count as staple foods under a proposed Trump administration rule for the federal food stamp program, Mike Dorning reports. The U.S. Agriculture Department says retailers would save money, but nutrition advocacy groups criticized the proposal.

Impeach Trump? Here's Where 2020 Democratic Candidates Stand
Robert Mueller's remarks have intensified the Democrats' debate about whether to impeach Trump after the special counsel said his report didn't exonerate the president. Mueller said Justice Department guidelines prohibit him from charging or accusing a sitting president, an implicit reference to Congress's impeachment powers, Sahil Kapur writes.

Populist EU Attack Falls Short Despite Wins in France, Italy
Mainstream European Union parties held their ground against the assault from populists in elections for the bloc's Parliament as the highest turnout in two decades rewarded pro-EU Liberals and Greens. The results signal the EU is likely to continue current policies: distancing itself from Trump's protectionist trade strategy, gradually integrating the euro area and avoiding any push to reopen the Brexit deal, write Ian Wishart and Jonathan Stearns.

The Moment Merkel Realized Trump Changes Everything for Germany
For Angela Merkel, the wakeup call came in the middle of the night. The German chancellor was asleep in her government plane somewhere over the Atlantic when Donald Trump scuttled the fragile settlement on trade she'd built with other Group of Seven leaders. As Patrick Donahue reports, she was stunned when he went back on his word.

U.K. Tories See Opportunity and Threats in Their Game of Thrones
British Conservatives may have suffered their worst election results ever, but barely a day goes by without an invitation to coffee from a senior minister, hoping to win their support in the coming race to succeed Theresa May as leader. Robert Hutton reports on the intense competition as rival leadership candidates seek the backing of colleagues.

Party That Led India's Independence in Crisis After Modi's Big Win
Narendra Modi not only surprised the world with a landslide victory, he also put the 134-year-old Indian National Congress on life support. Some candidates from the storied party, home to many of India's founding fathers, simply gave up ahead of the May 23 election, write Bibhudatta Pradhan, Archana Chaudhary and Shivani Kumaresan.

Why Alabama's Abortion Law Includes an Exemption for Infertility
Alabama's new blanket ban on abortion “protects the sanctity of unborn life,” with one curious exception: The law deems only fertilized eggs inside a womb worthy of protection, not ones routinely destroyed in the process of fertility treatment, Margaret Newkirk writes.

And finally ... Tired of sharing a studio apartment with five other coders? Or perhaps WeWork's beer selection no longer inspires big thoughts. Whatever the case, New Zealand has the immigration system for you. The country's Global Impact Visa is as much about intellectual renewal as economic influence, reflecting a desire to make the country a role model for a more enlightened capitalist economy, Ashlee Vance reports.

--With assistance from Karl Maier.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kathleen Hunter at khunter9@bloomberg.net