| Generals' dissent | Colin Powell, who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state, is the latest former U.S. military leader to criticize President Donald Trump. Retired generals and admirals spoke out with unprecedented vehemence in recent days after demonstrators were violently dispersed outside the White House and Trump threatened to deploy active-duty troops to states hit by protests even if their governors objected. - Trump is seeking to link Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden to activists' calls to "defund the police."
- Read how most Americans say in new survey they believe the country is out of control.
Caught off guard | Trump's directive to pull 9,500 troops from Germany — which has not yet been officially communicated to Berlin — was a shock to the Bavarian town of Grafenwoehr, where locals celebrate Thanksgiving and an annual German-American Folk Festival. It's the latest sign of deteriorating ties between the U.S. and a loyal ally, and follows Chancellor Angela Merkel's rebuff of Trump's plan to hold an in-person Group of Seven summit in June. Oil bounce | The decision by OPEC and its allies to extend historic output cuts by an extra month and crack down on cheating has buoyed oil prices and provided a victory for Saudi Arabia and Russia. Yet a sustained recovery in prices still faces challenges including deteriorating relations between Washington and Beijing, the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 infections, and the potential for U.S. shale supply to return.  OPEC ministers meet via video conference June 6. Source: Bloomberg Mounting woes | Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faces rising unrest over his handling of the pandemic, with rallies in several cities yesterday. Protesters ignored social distancing recommendations to carry signs supporting democracy and opposing racism, many encouraged by the U.S demonstrations that followed the killing of George Floyd by police. As the nation's Covid-19 toll rises, the government is being criticized for its decision to limit the release of data about the virus. Crying uncle | South Africa's long-held resistance to borrowing from the International Monetary Fund has buckled under the pressure of the pandemic's economic hit. Some allies of President Cyril Ramaphosa worry the $4.2 billion loan the government is negotiating with the fund marks the start of a road toward more demanding IMF programs that have led to poverty and unrest elsewhere in Africa. What to Watch This Week - U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is finalizing plans to restart the economy in a bid to stop the hemorrhaging of support for his government's response to the coronavirus crisis.
- North Korea answered a phone call today at a liaison office with South Korea, Yonhap News reports, despite Pyongyang saying last week it was abolishing the system that lets them communicate around the clock.
- Germany and China may ink business deals when Merkel chats on Thursday to Premier Li Keqiang, after Merkel and President Xi Jinping spoke by phone last week and agreed to delay an EU-China summit that was planned for September.
- While Minneapolis has a veto-proof super-majority of city council members backing plans to dismantle the police force, any change to the city's charter would require a public vote or the approval of Mayor Jacob Frey, who opposes it.
- China's plan to ramp up spending to support the economy is meeting an inevitable challenge: a slump in income due to the pandemic-induced downturn.
Thanks to all who responded to our pop quiz Friday and congratulations to Michael Rose, who was the first to correctly name Turkey as the country whose president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, used the phrase "racist and fascist approach" to condemn Floyd's killing.
And finally ... Sweden's unorthodox model for dealing with the pandemic is in trouble. Following last week's admission by chief state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell that some of his decisions to leave most of society open were misguided, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven is under pressure from opposition parties. Sweden's Covid-19 mortality rate is now among the highest in the world, many times above its Scandinavian neighbors.  A sign with a portrait of Tegnell, the face of the country's response to the pandemic, at a restaurant telling people to wash their hands on May 10. Photographer: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images | 
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