On this episode of Brigadoon Radio, Gerald Ashley and Marc Ross discuss Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the internal politics of the People's Republic of China, the UK Conservative Party leadership election, the status of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Vogue Magazine photoshoot of Olena Zelenska, German energy use going forward, the snap election in Italy, and what they are reading and watching.

Show notes for this episode of Brigadoon Radio:

Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan despite warnings from China: WSJ reports the US House speaker plans meetings with Taipei officials, raising the prospect of increased tensions with Beijing.

Nancy Pelosi to meet Taiwan’s president on Wednesday: FT reports the controversial visit by US House Speaker triggers concern about possible Chinese retaliation.

White House warns China not to overreact to potential Pelosi visit to Taiwan: WP reports Biden administration officials briefed the speaker and her office on what officials saw as the possible consequences of a trip to Taiwan.

US warns China not to turn Pelosi’s expected trip to Taiwan into a ‘crisis’: NYT reports Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a longtime China hawk, has not confirmed that she plans to visit Taiwan, but all indications suggest that she will make a stop on the self-governing island without prior announcement.

A Pelosi trip to Taiwan would test China’s appetite for confrontation: Xi Jinping has long vowed to answer any challenge to China’s claim to Taiwan. But current economic and political forces may make him unlikely to court a crisis. NYT

Biden and Xi are still hostage to a wild card: They’ve avoided any perceived display of weakness, but the two leaders have little scope to maneuver on Taiwan — or the potential fallout from a planned visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Matthew Brooker

China is more concerned about microchips than about Pelosi: Washington can avoid drift toward conflict by assuring Beijing about supplies. Dale Copeland

3 big problems vex China’s economy—and complicate Xi Jinping’s plans for a third term: ‘People in China are clearly unhappy with the state of the economy.’ Fortune

Rishi Sunak just five points behind Liz Truss in latest Tory leadership poll: The Times reports previous polling suggested the former chancellor’s rival had a 24-point lead.

Tom Tugendhat: ‘I will serve in whatever capacity I’m asked to serve’: He was eliminated from the Tory leadership race, but the former soldier still wants to help British politics make a clean break with the Boris Johnson era. FT

Liz Truss, a restless radical aims for Downing Street: The foreign secretary was brought up to despise Thatcher but is now wooing the Iron Lady’s diehard fans. FT

Liz Truss is the right choice for this Conservative party: The foreign secretary is the continuity candidate, promising more of Johnson’s ‘cakeism’ and avoiding economic trade-offs.
Robert Shrimsley

Portrait of bravery: Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska Vogue

The Zelenskys are in Vogue. That makes them smart, not silly. Sonny Bunch

Olena Zelenska's Vogue cover sparks backlash: Right-wing politicians in the US criticize the cover shoot featuring the Ukrainian first lady, while Ukrainians say they need the publicity to fight Russia. DW

@10DowningStreet: Prime Minister @BorisJohnson presented President @ZelenskyyUa with the Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award for incredible courage, defiance, and dignity in the face of Putin’s barbaric invasion. The UK will always #StandWithUkraine #ChurchillAward

Kyiv counteroffensive 'gathering momentum' — UK intelligence: DW reports British military intelligence says Russian-occupied Kherson was "virtually cut off" as Ukrainian forces stage a counteroffensive helped by newly acquired long-range artillery capability.

+ More than 75,000 Russian troops have been killed or injured since the start of the invasion, according to US estimates

Inside McDonald’s months-long decision to sell all 853 stores in Russia—and lose a significant chunk of global revenue with them Fortune

Europe’s fight to stay united over war in Ukraine: The EU has shown solidarity, but facing inflation, a cost of living crisis, and possible energy rationing, leaders now face a daunting test. FT

While Europeans learn energy frugality, Americans stick to petrol-guzzling: Telling Americans to cut back has not been properly tested since Jimmy Carter’s failed re-election. Myles McCormick

+ Seven mayors in Germany have signed a joint letter calling for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be opened and more Russian gas imported

Italy is throwing away the chance for a proper debate on its future: The prospects for substantive reform after the fall of Mario Draghi’s government do not look bright.
Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

Bloomberg: Italy rightist bloc boosts Meloni with deal on premier candidate

+ League leader Salvini spoke after the coalition meeting Wednesday

+ Brothers of Italy is the biggest far-right party based on polls

What Italy's political chaos means for Europe Ian Bremmer

Hurdles ahead for Giorgia Meloni, the rightwinger who would rule Italy: The leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy could be brought low by the same people who did for Berlusconi: the hostile magistracy. That is if you believe one of her key aides. The Times

‘She’s very charismatic’: Could Giorgia Meloni become Italy’s first far-right leader since Mussolini? Guardian

+ Brothers of Italy leads far-right alliance in pole position for snap summer election

The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China - Jonathan Kaufman Amazon

McEnroe: An intimate portrait of one of the most explosive and compelling sporting icons of all time. John was an era-defining talent, Number One in the world in four consecutive years, but also a man prone to self-destruction. It’s this internal conflict that drove John to the very top, and very nearly broke him too. Trailer

America in the World: A History of US Diplomacy and Foreign Policy - Robert B. Zoellick Amazon

I Love That For You Showtime