Diverting attention

Follow Us Get the newsletter The strain may be showing. More than 81,000 dead Americans. An economy in the deepest contraction since perhaps the Great Depression. And White House staffers sick with a virus that he has called a hoax. Downplaying the coronavirus risk hasn't worked, so President Donald Trump's resorting to diversion to fight what's become the biggest threat to his re-election. After flooding Twitter on Sunday with 126 posts, including promoting a tweet that called his own Justice Department "corrupt," Trump this week accused his predecessor Barack Obama of unnamed crimes and promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that MSNBC's Joe Scarborough had committed murder. He stormed out of a press conference after telling an Asian-American journalist to "ask China" why he compares the U.S.'s handling of the pandemic to that of other countries. The multi-day tirade brings into even sharper relief Capitol Hill testimony yesterday from Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, cautioning on moving too quickly to ease lockdowns. The warning from Fauci, who has garnered higher public confidence ratings than Trump, contrasts with the president's assertion that the U.S. has "prevailed" in expanding testing enough to reopen its economy. As Justin Sink writes, this week's display has underscored the extent to which the pandemic has worn on the president. With polls showing presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pulling ahead in crucial swing states — despite a shoestring campaign and self-confinement to his Delaware home — Trump's likely to continue trying to talk about anything but the virus. — Kathleen Hunter Trump leaves a White House virus task force briefing April 17. Photographer: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images   Global Headlines Hats in the ring | Biden's hunt for a running mate is intensifying, with some candidates making their interest in the job clear. Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris have both taken steps to ensure their names are on any public lists, but while Abrams has been actively campaigning, Harris has taken a subtler approach. Biden, who promised to pick a woman, has said he doesn't expect to have a final list until July. Biden tapped freshman New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to serve on a policy task force he's preparing to launch as he courts supporters of Bernie Sanders and others on the left. Click here for more on how Trump's trying to leverage his Snapchat following — which so far outpaces Biden's — to reach young voters.  Reopening borders | Germany is moving quickly to reopen its borders with France and Austria, while controls along Austria's frontier with Switzerland are to be eased in the coming days. The European Commission will make non-binding recommendations on border openings later today, the latest step in easing the restrictions governments quickly enacted in March as the coronavirus hit Europe. A German policeman stops a car at a checkpoint on the Austrian border April 5. Photographer: Andreas Gebert/Getty Images Europe Pressure cooker | Conditions are going from bad to worse for President Jair Bolsonaro. As Brazil has become a global hotspot for the coronavirus, the political drama that started with last month's resignation of one his most popular ministers worsened yesterday when local media reported the president was caught on video demanding changes to the leadership of the federal police to shield his family from criminal investigations.  Virus success | After years of yearning to run his country with the efficiency of a business, Andrej Babis finally got his chance. The Czech billionaire who swapped his agrifood empire to become prime minister is winning praise for ordering an early virus lockdown and requiring people to wear face masks. That has yielded one of the European Union's lowest death tolls. But the question remains how he'll deal with the economic fallout. Crisis mode | The 27-nation European Union is struggling to forge a united response to the deepest recession in almost a century, unleashed by the pandemic. Old divisions have resurfaced and legacies of past crises are threatening to pull it apart. It's not the first time the bloc has faced such an existential crisis, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel says none has been as serious as this one. Read here how the ghost of Italy's devaluation in 1992 is haunting euro unity. What to Watch The U.S. House could vote as soon as Friday on Democrats' newest stimulus proposal, which includes aid to state and local governments, expanded unemployment insurance and funds to facilitate voting by mail. Democrats may be as far as ever from seeing Trump's tax returns after a U.S. Supreme Court argument suggested a legal fight over House subpoenas could extend for months. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is due to reveal the details today of the $265 billion stimulus package — amounting to 10% of the country's GDP — announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night. Italy's government is set to approve a 55-billion euro ($60 billion) stimulus package aimed at battling the crippling economic impact of its national lockdown. Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. And finally ... As the world grapples with the pandemic, East Africa has also been battling an upsurge in swarms of desert locusts that are consuming the region's crops. A United Nations agency report says a possible second wave of the pests, starting in June when farmers prepare their harvests, could cost people their livelihoods and threaten food supplies. A local resident shakes a bottle filled with pebbles at a swarm of desert locusts in Mathiakan, Kenya on Jan. 25. Photographer: Patrick Meinhardt/Bloomberg     A special offer for Balance of Power readers | For just $1.99 a month, get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters.   You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. Unsubscribe | Bloomberg.com | Contact Us Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022