Whoever wins Trump’s fight with the Federal Reserve, the damage to an institution at the heart of the US economy — and the world’s financial markets — will be hard to undo. The president’s attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook is unprecedented, as he seeks to bend US monetary policy to his will, defying a near-universal consensus that it’s best kept away from politicians’ hands. Thailand’s Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for an ethics violation, the second leader it has ousted in just over a year in a move that intensified months of political turmoil. Her dismissal ends a one-year tenure as Thailand’s youngest premier and the 39-year-old also becomes the third member of the influential Shinawatra family forced from power. Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Photographer: Dario Pignatelli/Bloomberg Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto called for calm as authorities sought to contain rising public anger that has fueled protests into a third day. Prabowo apologized for the death of a motorcycle taxi driver who was struck and killed by an armored police vehicle during demonstrations yesterday, an incident which stoked discontent with the government less than a year into his presidency. Argentine President Javier Milei shrugged off allegations of bribery implicating his sister, Karina, accusing opposition forces of “lies” and obstructing economic progress. He and Karina, who is the president’s general secretary, were pelted with stones during campaign events this week following the eruption of a corruption scandal involving allegations of kickbacks on state drug purchases. Just days after Trump said he’d like to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang responded by announcing Kim’s plans to join Putin at a Chinese military parade in Beijing. Kim’s attendance at the Sept. 3 Victory Day celebrations will send a clear message to Washington and its allies that it’s no longer the same North Korea they faced years ago when the US leader and Kim met in person for nuclear talks. Kim Jong Un. Source: Getty Images The meeting touted by Trump between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is unlikely to happen, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding to concern that a swift end to Russia’s war on its western neighbor is increasingly out of reach. Japan’s Defense Ministry is requesting a record ¥8.8 trillion ($60 billion) for its share of the national budget for the next fiscal year, including money for fleets of drones and long-range missiles to counter growing challenges from China and North Korea. Republican senator and close Trump ally, Lindsey Graham, suggested imposing additional tariffs on Norway in retaliation for a decision by the country’s sovereign wealth fund to divest its holdings of US heavy-equipment maker Caterpillar. New Zealand is considering letting some wealthy foreigners purchase luxury homes, offering an exemption to the current ban on overseas buyers as it seeks to attract more high-net-worth investors. Don’t miss from Bloomberg Weekend: Zahra Hirji and Leslie Kaufman drill into the Trump administration’s assault on the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Zahra teams up with Aaron Clark to tell the story of scientist Glen Kenny, who spent three days confined to a special chamber set at 40C (104F) to see how his body held up in the brutal indoor temperatures observed during a 2021 heat wave. Subscribe to the Bloomberg Weekend newsletter here. Glen Kenny at the Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit of the University of Ottawa. Photographer: Justin Tang/Bloomberg |