Harris interview reveals few specifics

Harris gives little away in CNN interview [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( elcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up [here](. In her first interview since clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Kamala Harris [didn’t offer much]( to viewers eager to know if the unscripted environment might reveal more about her approach to the economy and foreign policy. Instead they were treated to the bob-and-weave strategy the US vice president has employed since Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July. On the sole question she fielded on world affairs, Harris delivered a rote response reaffirming support for Israel while urging a hostage deal that would result in a cease-fire in Gaza. Asked about her Day One priorities, she cited her plan to foster an “opportunity economy” by investing in small business and lowering the cost of consumer goods. And pressed on her shifting positions on hot-button issues such as [fracking and immigration]( Harris insisted that her values hadn’t changed — even if her policies had. The performance in the sit-down with CNN will do little to assuage business leaders and foreign diplomats uncertain about her programs, even if it relieved Democrats worried she might commit a gaffe. Her Republican rival Donald Trump’s review on social media — “BORING!” — represented a best-case scenario for the vice president, who this month’s Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll shows [holding a small but steady lead]( across pivotal swing states. In fact, Trump’s own efforts to shake up the race might ultimately end up the most remembered development of the day. Speaking to NBC News, he seemingly endorsed a Florida ballot measure that would have extended abortion rights — only to [later retreat amid heavy criticism]( from the religious right. The flap underscored how difficult the issue of reproductive rights remains for Trump and fellow Republicans, and why Harris’ vibes-based campaign so far has succeeded in drawing in moderate voters in battleground states. With just over two months until election day, the question now is will it be enough. — [Justin Sink]( WATCH: Harris discusses helping middle-class Americans address economic concerns, fracking and the Israel-Hamas conflict. Source: CNN Global Must Reads The three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition are likely to end up the biggest losers in [Sunday’s elections]( in the eastern regions of Saxony and Thuringia, a worrying outcome for them with the next national vote due in just over a year. The far-right Alternative for Germany could become the strongest party in both regions and a new far-left movement, which also wants to curb immigration, is expected to perform strongly as well, highlighting how the political center is crumbling in some areas of Europe’s biggest economy. International concern is growing over the spread of violence from Israel’s large military operation in the occupied West Bank [mounted in parallel]( to the almost 11-month-old war with Hamas in Gaza, another Palestinian territory. Israel also remains in a tense standoff with Lebanon-based Hezbollah, the most powerful of Iran’s allied militia groups. An Israeli raid in the Nur Shams Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Photographer: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP/Getty Images Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’ clash with Elon Musk spread across the billionaire’s companies as the judge vowed [to shut down X]( and blocked Starlink bank accounts as part of his campaign to combat fake news and hate speech. Musk and right-wingers including former President Jair Bolsonaro say Moraes is overstepping his bounds and undermining free expression in Latin America’s largest economy. African vaccine manufacturers are preparing to make mpox shots as a lethal outbreak of the disease spreads across the continent. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is working to ensure that it [avoids mistakes]( that cost lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, starting with the slow acquisition of immunizations. While the continent has dealt with mpox since the 1970s, it didn’t receive vaccines for an outbreak in 2022 as the infectious illness moved around the world. Coffee cargoes are flooding the European Union as traders stock up on beans ahead of [new environmental rules]( that kick in at the end of the year. The EU’s Deforestation Regulation will require importers into the bloc to prove that commodities such as coffee, beef, cocoa and timber don’t contribute to destroying forest land. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy proposed holding a summit aimed at [ending the war with Russia]( in India during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, sources say.  Iranian-backed Houthi militants released footage showing masked individuals boarding and setting off bombs on the Sounion, the Greek-flagged tanker that is awaiting salvage [after being attacked]( in the Red Sea. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushed for deeper security and economic ties with Vietnam during a visit by its defense chief to Manila, as the two Southeast Asian nations [contend with lingering]( tensions with China. Typhoon Shanshan, which struck southern Japan this week with heavy rain and strong winds, was [likely intensified by climate change]( according to a study from Imperial College London. Washington Dispatch Trump asked a US judge in New York to take over his state [hush-money criminal case]( saying a federal court is the proper forum to assess the merits of the criminal conviction won by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. A Manhattan jury convicted Trump in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business to conceal a $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about an alleged affair before the 2016 presidential election. Trump and Daniels. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg; Drew Angerer/Getty Images The request was filed yesterday with US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan, who previously rejected Trump’s bid to transfer the case to his court last year. The former president cited the July 1 landmark US Supreme Court ruling that he has at least some immunity from criminal prosecution for official actions he took while in office. One thing to watch today: July’s monthly PCE data will likely again be consistent with the Fed’s 2% inflation target, cementing expectations for an interest-rate cut in September. [Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter]( for more from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 1 and 5 p.m. ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day Chinese automakers registered fewer electric cars across Europe in July, as new tariffs amplified the impact of a broader slump in EV sales. Overall [demand for EVs continued to weaken]( after Germany, Europe’s largest auto market, removed incentives late last year. And Finally Until recently, few had heard of Milavous Group. Yet from its perch in Dubai, the firm [has raked in billions of dollars]( in sales from commodities flowing out of Iran, Russia and elsewhere, according to more than a dozen sources. At the summit of the company sits Hossein Shamkhani, the soft-spoken son of a former Iranian security chief who remains a prominent adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Few know the real identity of Shamkhani, who is widely known only as Hector, and even fewer fully grasp the vast scale of his international network. ICD Brookfield Place office tower, center, home to Milavous’ main office in Dubai. Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg Pop quiz (no cheating!) Which nation’s leader put his relationship with its US ambassador “on pause”? Send your answers to balancepower@bloomberg.net. 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