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Today’s 3-by-3 travels across a rebellious political alliance in Africa, a failing trade bloc in South America, a private performance by Justin Bieber in India, and more. Let’s fly!

Politics

•  Project 2025 wants a U.S. revolution

Project 2025 is an ambitious movement among several conservative organizations led by the Heritage Foundation to spark a “second American Revolution” if former President Trump is reelected, having published an extensive 922-page playbook of specific policies his administration could implement — firing up to 50,000 federal workers, stopping FBI efforts to combat misinformation, increasing punishment for the anyone who distributes abortion pills via mail, ending the so-called woke agenda, and increasing presidential authority to act outside of Congress, among many more. Similar to a mandate that Heritage produced in 1981 for the Reagan administration, Trump has now publicly stated that he and his campaign “have nothing to do with [Project 2025].” Critics doubt this claim and point to many ex-Trump appointees who are the authors behind this conservative agenda, with President Biden saying: “It was written for him, by those closest to him. Project 2025 should scare every single American.”

• 3 military-led countries separate from West African bloc

The military junta-led nations of Niger, Mail, and Burkina Faso met for their first joint summit this weekend, maintaining their position to separate from the 50-year-old and previously 15-nation West Africa bloc known as ECOWAS — claiming that their Alliance of Sahel States (AES) will exist for the African people it represents, as opposed to the Western interests that control ECOWAS. The alliance formed in September 2023 and has since demonstrated a desire to partner with Russia and reject France in an effort to remove the continent’s colonial residue and resource exploitation, with Niger ordering U.S. troops to evacuate as well. ECOWAS has tasked the president of Senegal to ask the AES to rejoin the bloc, but the 3 leaders have already signed a pact to create a regional bank, form their own parliament, and combine military resources — showing little interest in reconsidering.

• UK’s Labour Party beats the Conservatives after 14 years

After 14 years of the center-right Conservative Party’s leadership in Great Britain and considerable public unrest, the center-left Labour Party has won 63% of the lower house of Parliament and reduced the Conservatives to their smallest number of seats in history (121 out of 650 total). New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has replaced Rishi Sunak and quickly established an agenda of global relevance, European reconciliation, and domestic recovery — phoning the leaders of Israel and Palestine alike, aiming to reduce Brexit-imposed trade and travel barriers across Europe, and scrapping a controversial and expensive Conservative initiative to send Britain’s asylum-seekers to Rwanda. As millions struggle with a high cost of living and the state-funded National Health Services fails to provide sufficient care due to poor infrastructure and doctors’ strikes, the British people hope their votes will create needed change.

Business

• South American trade alliance falls short of expectations

Thirty-three years since Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay signed a free-trade treaty to create the Mercosur alliance in 1991, Argentine President Javier Milei is skipped the group’s annual meeting on Sunday in an unprecedented absence and is advocating for his nation to leave South America’s biggest trade bloc. The initial vision for the economic union has never really come to fruition, with the member countries striking only two external free trade deals with Egypt and Israel (notably failing to finalize one with the European Union), often arguing over disproportionate power held by Argentina and Brazil compared to the others, and historically producing similar goods at the same prices — making trade within the alliance without benefit and only 15% of the members’ total commerce. Argentina’s Milei has instigated a feud with Brazilian President Lula at every turn and actually skipped Mercosur to attend a conservative event with Lula’s political rival, further threatening the continent’s political and economic unity with a growing feud between its largest powers.

• Japan issues anti-counterfeit and inclusive currency

Japan issued its first new banknotes in 20 years, printing 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen bills packed with 3D hologram technology that will improve counterfeit detection — with an estimated 7.5 billion new notes to be printed by March next year. In a global financial system where only 15% of countries as of 2022 featured women on their banknotes, including the U.S. Treasury which plans to print Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill by 2030, Japan’s 5,000 yen bill notably features a pioneer feminist and college founder named Umeko Tsuda. The new bills are printed in larger text to assist the aging population and are expected to energize a Japanese economy that has been slower to embrace cashless payments than other countries.

• El Salvador president threatens price gougers

After cracking down on street gangs and rounding up 78,175 suspected members since 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is now targeting his nation’s wholesalers and distributors — blaming them for steep increases in food prices that are “abusing the people of El Salvador.” Warning that prices should be reduced immediately “or there are going to be problems,” Bukele reportedly has evidence of tax evasion, bribery, and contraband importation committed by these companies and could use these criminal charges to imprison them if his demands are not met. Self-proclaimed as the world’s coolest dictator and widely popular for his aggressive measures to improve public safety, his government plans to make these foods (some of which have tripled in cost) available at fairer prices by setting up 20 distribution points for citizens to visit.

Culture

• India’s richest family hosts Justin Bieber pre-wedding

Mukesh Ambani, chairman of conglomerate Reliance Industries and Asia’s richest man with a net worth of $116 billion, has spared no expense for his youngest son’s upcoming wedding — organizing a multi-event celebration across 4 months that has included performances from Rihanna, Katy Perry, Akon, and Diljit Dosanjh, and appearances by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and most of Bollywood’s biggest actors. As Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding nears this coming weekend, Justin Bieber visited India last Friday to perform for the couple’s family and friends at a pre-wedding event — reportedly earning $10 million and posting several photos and videos on Instagram from his time there. Indian film stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt performed as well, with many more special appearances likely planned for the grand reception on July 14.

• VP Kamala Harris receives support at Essence Festival

Vice President Harris spent 20 minutes on the Essence Festival stage in New Orleans and received an outpour of support at the nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture — with community leaders and surveyed attendees declaring their support for Biden as the nominee and their belief that Harris should fill in as the natural number 2 if he were to remove himself. With many in the Democratic Party encouraging Biden to stand down and allow prominent governors like Gavin Newsom of California or Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to run instead, one political action organization leader at the festival questioned: “If this was an all-white male ticket, would we be talking about other people who have less experience, less qualifications?” As the nation prepares for a contentious November election, long-time Congresswoman Maxine Waters threw her endorsement behind the Biden-Harris ticket at the festival, attacking Trump for having a white nationalist agenda evidenced by support from the Proud Boys and being a “no-good, lying, despicable human being” that Black voters should not support.

• First Asian American Bachelorette debuts tonight

Jenn Tran is the first Asian American lead in ABC’s hit Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, and she has already experienced daily racist comments on Instagram and TikTok from a fan base that has become known for such backlash — with top 3 finalist Rachel Nance receiving hundreds of DMs with Black and Asians slurs just last season. Many are unsatisfied with the limited Asian representation among Tran’s suitors, who are set to step out of the limo on ABC tonight, while Tran is eager to showcase her Vietnamese culture to uninformed viewers through food, language, and family. For a show with few Asian faces and a criticized 2019 group date when Singaporean street food was met with gagging noises from the mostly-white cast, Tran hopes that “exposing people to something that’s different than them… can incite acceptance.”

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