‘Original sin’

Follow Us Get the newsletter The global protests sparked by the killing of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer are forcing the U.S. and the U.K. to confront something they have never fully reckoned with: the "original sin." The fact that arch-conservative U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell uses the phrase to refer to the legacy of slavery shows how dramatically it's surged to the fore of mainstream politics on both sides of the Atlantic. In the U.S., it's sparked calls for disbanding police departments and renaming military bases that honor leaders of the slavery-based Confederacy — President Donald Trump abruptly halted Pentagon deliberations on that issue yesterday. The Black Lives Matter protests have a particular resonance in the U.K., with its history of colonialism in India and across wide swaths of Africa and the Caribbean. As Alan Crawford writes, they also harbor peril for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and threaten to undermine his mantra of Britain's "buccaneering spirit" leading the nation to the post-Brexit promised land. Britain has never addressed its legacy of empire, and opening it up now risks further polarizing a nation that is deeply divided socially, economically and ethnically. This at a time when his administration is under increasing fire from top scientists for its handling of the coronavirus crisis. "Make it stop. Stop the pain," Floyd's brother Philonise yesterday pleaded to the House Judiciary Committee considering changing policing practices. In America and Britain, the process of painful self-reflection has just begun. — Karl Maier The statue of slave trader Edward Colston is pushed into the River Avon in Bristol, U.K., June 7. Photographer: NurPhoto/NurPhoto Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines Trump on tour | Trump is hitting the road to deliver a message that it's time to return to normal after the pandemic, Justin Sink reports. The president goes today to Dallas, where he'll hold his first in-person fundraiser in months. He's expected to head on to his New Jersey golf club — and to deliver a commencement speech at West Point on Saturday — in his first overnight trip since U.S. social distancing began in March. Trump's sliding poll numbers threaten to bring down Republican incumbents in an already close battle with Democrats for control of the Senate. Grim preview | The errors that marred primaries in several U.S. states are raising concerns of a chaotic presidential election in November. Tens of thousands of voters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada failed to receive absentee ballots on time, while those voting in person faced fewer polling stations and long lines. A tight race between Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, or a poorly run election in a swing state, could prompt legal challenges and a delay in announcing the winner. Britain vs. China | There's rising hostility to China in the U.K.'s ruling Conservatives as the coronavirus pandemic amplifies concerns about Hong Kong, human rights and Beijing's ties with Huawei Technologies. The British government is now looking to protect critical companies from takeovers. But the two sides aren't evenly matched: China dwarfs the U.K. in geopolitical might and has the tools to make life very difficult. Growing anger | For the first time since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to power six years ago, signs are emerging that his seemingly unshakeable hold over legions of migrant workers may be slipping. As Bibhudatta Pradhan and Sudhi Ranjan Sen report, a shift in voter attitudes poses a risk in state elections over the next 12 months that could start to erode the BJP-led coalition's strength in the upper house of parliament. Migrant workers sit on the banks of Yamuna River in New Delhi, on April 15. Photographer: Prashanth Vishwanathan/Bloomberg Green Putin | President Vladimir Putin's fury at the mishandling of the biggest Arctic oil spill may give a boost to Russia's environmental safeguards. Norilsk Nickel, Russia's largest miner, didn't make a public statement until two days after the accident, which leaked over 20,000 tons of diesel into a fragile river system. The catastrophe could become a catalyst for Putin to push through long-stalled environmental regulations targeting Russia's aging energy infrastructure, a senior official said. What to Watch Japan and France have agreed that foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries should issue a statement soon on their concerns about Hong Kong. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss the coronavirus pandemic with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang by phone today. Trump has nominated retired Army Brigadier General Anthony Tata to a top job at the Pentagon as he eyes a reduced troop presence in Afghanistan. European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said "it would be too dangerous not to act" against Russia and China after an EU report said the two nations are using "targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns around Covid-19" in the bloc. And finally ... Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar angered farmers when he cut back on eating meat, partly from environmental concerns. Now he's trying to bring the Irish Greens into the nation's first grand coalition government. That has ignited opposition from lobbyists against Green policies on energy, road building and agriculture. It's a microcosm of a wider fight across the EU, showing what's in store for heavyweights like France, where almost 20% of greenhouse-gas emissions come from farms. Cattle being auctioned at Manorhamilton Mart, Ireland on June 6. Photographer: Rachel McGovern/Bloomberg   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