10 Things Weekly Roundup - 7 Nov 2025
Power Contested, Climate Wobbles, Order Rewritten
From Washington to Belém and Beijing, authority was tested on every front. Domestic checks narrowed the White House’s reach, global climate diplomacy seemed to falter, and new coalitions redrew the contours of influence
In Washington, power was exercised but constrained. The Senate’s decision to block a Democratic motion restricting President Trump’s military authority in Venezuela fell short by just two votes, revealing a thin line between compliance and rebellion.
The near-miss underscored growing unease — even within the Republican ranks — over the breadth of executive action both at home and abroad.
Meanwhile, the courts reasserted their role at home. A federal judge ordered full Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments to resume during the ongoing shutdown, castigating the administration for placing millions at risk of hunger. The decision offered one of the clearest examples yet of judicial intervention tempering political power.
Combined with Democratic gains in local races and redistricting rulings that will reshape electoral boundaries, the week suggested a subtle rebalancing of both institutional & presidential heft.
Trump remains dominant in tone and agenda, but the mechanics of government could be edging back toward equilibrium.
The climate debate resumed in Belém with more acrimony than alignment. Trump’s refusal to attend COP30 drew pointed criticism from Latin American leaders, while Britain’s withdrawal from a US$125 billion rainforest fund and the EU’s hesitation over new targets deepened the sense of fragmentation.
The summit’s tone reflected a wider fatigue with collective effort. Many major economies arrived without updated emission-cutting plans, and some leaders indicating they would only stay for the opening sessions.
Yet the week’s most vivid climate stories came not from the negotiating tables but from the floodplains of Southeast Asia: Typhoon Kalmaegi’s destruction across the Philippines and Vietnam left hundreds dead and millions displaced, highlighting the widening gulf between the scale of impact and the pace of action.
The juxtaposition was hard to miss. As governments debate commitments, the evidence of delay intensifies. COP30’s early sessions hope to capture a broader erosion of confidence — rather than weariness.
Global alignments continued to shift, though most but not all through quiet signals rather than grand gestures. The UN’s lifting of sanctions on Syria’s leadership marked the first formal step toward restoring Damascus’s international standing since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
In Asia, China commissioned its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, complete with electromagnetic catapults — a capability previously unique to the United States’ carriers. The launch served both as a military milestone and a statement of intent: Beijing now sees parity, not pursuit, as its maritime benchmark.
Europe, meanwhile, turned inward. Andrej Babiš’s effort to assemble a governing coalition underscored a regional drift toward Euroscepticism, concern over the “green deal” and a lack of unanimity regarding Ukraine.
Corporate ambition dominated markets once again. Tesla shareholders approved a record US $1 trillion compensation package for Elon Musk, a move that tied unprecedented personal reward to equally unprecedented performance targets. Supporters hailed it as visionary; critics saw concentration of influence and inflated expectation.
Yet the week also brought caution from within the industry itself. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang warned that China could still win the AI race — a reminder that technology remains both an arena of innovation and a field of competition.
Investor optimism in AI and robotics stocks held, but market analysts noted signs of caution after months of acceleration.
Across politics, climate, strategy and technology, the week’s events carried a common undercurrent — power still being exercised, but through narrower channels and under growing scrutiny.
In Washington, legislative near-misses and court rulings limited a once-unchecked presidency. In Belém, climate diplomacy faltered as the weather itself offered a stark reminder of consequence.
In Beijing and beyond, multipolarity exerted itself once again.