Bedugul Coffee: She voted for Trump

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Thanks for reading the Weekend Briefing. Our World News podcast focuses on Greenland, coveted by Donald Trump, and what his attention means for the Danish territory as Inuit pride ascends and residents contemplate independence. Highly recommended read: Justin Trudeau a decade ago promised to eliminate the over-representation of Indigenous people in custody in Canada. He failed. And this week's edition of City Memo takes us to Rio de Janeiro.

She voted for Trump – he fired her

REUTERS/Megan Jelinger

'Chopping heads off': Jennifer Piggott proudly supported Donald Trump, but she says she wouldn't have if she knew he was going to cut her job and that of more than 125 others workers at the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Political analysts are parsing cuts like these as they search for signs of a backlash against Trump and Elon Musk's plan to shrink the government. Here is the latest summary on the legal efforts to block Trump's executive orders on federal workers, frozen funds, transgender protections and more.
Tariffs: We visited an apartment-construction project in Richmond, Virginia that shows the uncertainty rippling through every part of the process, from drywall suppliers who can't guarantee prices to the willingness of lenders to commit to projects. Jerome Powell said tariffs could feed inflation. Investors remain at sea without a sextant.

Trump spurs Russia, Ukraine toward peace deal

Rough nudging: Trump raised the prospect of imposing sanctions on Russia after pausing military aid and intelligence support to Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskiy is polling well among Ukrainians after Trump and JD Vance ganged up on him at the White House and after he expressed regret about the collapse of the meeting. Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region in Russia are almost surrounded, open-source maps show.
And in the Middle East: An Israeli drone strike killed two people in Gaza. But with a visit in coming days from Trump's envoy, who held direct talks with Hamas, there has been no indication that Israel will totally abandon the ceasefire. In Syria, security forces are trying to crush a new insurgency by fighters from Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect.

Infants as young as one raped in Sudan, UNICEF says

Report: Children under five, including babies, are among victims of sexual violence in the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary RSF, the U.N. agency said.
Attack: A South Sudanese general and dozens of soldiers were killed when a U.N. helicopter trying to evacuate them from the northern town of Nasir came under attack, the government said. And a tinderbox conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is ready to explode.

CDC plans study into vaccines and autism

Skeptics and outbreaks: The large study comes despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence that links autism (or long COVID, for that matter) to vaccines. Measles has infected more than 150 people and caused two deaths in Texas and New Mexico, including that of a school-aged child. It is testing Trump health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine skepticism.
Vaccines and the administration: Martin Makary, Trump's nominee to run the FDA, said he would convene a committee of vaccine advisers, and that he would reevaluate which issues need their input. He said he was not involved in a decision to cancel a meeting on the composition of the next seasonal flu vaccine, but did not commit to rescheduling it.

Tempest in a term sheet

Not buying it: Wall Street thought Trump's victory would usher in a banner year for M&A. It hasn't happened. Dealmakers are struggling to navigate Trump's actions on tariffs and other policy and economic changes. And consider sympathy for the hedge funds, which are taking a whack or two as well. PS, here's a question for readers: Did Bayer meet the definition of disclosure? Share your thoughts.
Ahead of the curve: The owner of the John Lewis department stores and the Waitrose supermarket chain joins Currys, Marks & Spencer and several other British retailers that are giving their staff pay raises that beat inflation. The new rates also come as the UK prepares to raise the minimum wage 6.7% to 12.21 pounds ($15.77) an hour.

Before I forget…

- Romania detained six people on charges of trying to overthrow the state with Russia's help. A 101-year-old Holocaust-denier and former army major general said his home was raided during the investigation.
- Obesity rates are soaring globally, according to research published in the Lancet. The study's lead author called the trend a monumental social failure.
- It's been five years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Our graphics team reveals how it is still affecting the global economy.
- The U.S. loses an hour to daylight savings time this weekend, but it looks like Trump's desire to make that permanent won't happen.
- Emergency vowel deployment: abdrn is restoring its vowels four years after dropping them in a rebranding campaign that was widely mckd.
- Mr. Toad's mild ride: Volunteers across Britain are helping toads, frogs and newts make it safely to their breeding grounds after years of road traffic, habitat loss and climate change have reduced their populations.

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