Good morning! Here are three reads on Brazil’s elections, China’s new spending splurge and Christian nationalism, plus a cool visualization that might give you colorful ideas.
Brazilians head to the polls Sunday to decide the direction of their country. They will choose between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro for president, and just as consequentially, pick the next Congress — 54 of the Senate’s 81 seats are up for grabs, as well as all of the lower house. But as Matias Spektor writes, the options will not address the country’s underlying problem, a crisis of credibility due to fragmented governance, fiscal woes and weak institutions. Can either Lula or Bolsonaro deliver? Not without credibility.
▶ Read his essay at Foreign Affairs
This week, China’s government announced a splurge of measures to counter the country’s stalling growth. Beijing could spend trillions over the next few years on infrastructure projects, including data centers and communications. It’s the biggest stimulus in two years, designed to perk up an economy beset with fallout from a crashed real estate market that has dragged down families’ finances and spending. The Economist surveys this grand Keynesian push, and what it means for China and the world.
▶ Read the report at The Economist
Christian nationalists are waging a battle to gain control of America. It’s a starkly political turn for some churches, now far less shy about wading into secular issues or making endorsements from the pulpit. Much of the movement is motivated by grievances against a culture they believe is persecuting them, turbocharged by a revisionist history of a true, Godly America — and apocalyptic aggression. The result is something we all must reckon with, writes Laura Jedeed, as true believers find their way into power under Donald Trump.
▶ Read her deep dive at The New Republic
And finally…
As “hushed October mornings mild” greet us, it’s good to recall the next line of Frost’s poem: “Thy leaves have ripened to the fall.” Over the next two months, nature’s original color show goes on tour, starting in the north and rolling south. For those lucky enough to live where the foliage changes, it’s the perfect time to abandon your phone and head out the door. After all, the lush yellows, reds and browns are fleeting — as Frost wrote, nothing gold can stay.
▶ See when the leaves change across America at Axios
Have a good weekend.