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The World in Brief from The Economist

Judge blocks Trump’s pause of federal grants; protests in Congo, and more

The World in Brief from The Economist

The Economist

News, Daily News, News & Politics, Global News

4.11.2K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze most federal assistance while it conducts an ideological review of government spending.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the world in brief from The Economist.

0:11.2

As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day.

0:20.1

If you're already an Economist subscriber, visit

0:22.9

economist.com slash espresso or visit our espresso app to start listening. Here's today's

0:29.5

free edition.

0:35.4

This is the world in brief from The Economist.

0:42.2

Our top stories.

0:45.4

A judge temporarily blocked the Trump's administration's attempt to freeze most federal

0:51.4

assistance while it conducts an ideological review of government spending.

0:56.9

The order was due to come into effect on Tuesday evening. It sparked confusion among non-profits,

1:03.4

schools and others relying on federal grants, as well as people receiving direct benefits from programs

1:09.9

such as Medicaid, America's health

1:12.5

insurance for the poor. A group of non-profits sued. The judge's pause remains in effect

1:19.2

until Monday. Angry crowds attacked the embassies of Rwanda, Belgium, Uganda, Kenya and France, in Kinshasa, the capital of

1:30.3

the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were protesting against the Rwandan-backed assault

1:36.5

on Goma by the rebel group M23. The Africa Union held an emergency meeting to push for an end to hostilities in the city,

1:47.0

on the border between Congo and Rwanda.

1:51.0

Germany's economic output is likely to shrink by 0.1% this year, according to the Federation

1:58.0

of German Industries, a lobby group.

2:01.7

It predicts the wider Eurozone's economy will grow by 1.1% making Germany a laggard.

2:09.0

Ahead of an election next month, the country's economic model is sputtering,

2:13.6

thanks in part to high energy costs and a struggling industrial sector.

...

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