Police Reform, Voting Chaos and Food Security: Weekend Reads

Follow Us Get the newsletter Protesters called for U.S. police forces to be defunded, while chaotic primary voting in Georgia is raising concerns that the presidential vote in November will be anything but smooth. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's leadership team is exhausted from the coronavirus pandemic and fears that the public's trust is evaporating. South Korea, which survived a first wave of Covid-19 relatively unscathed, is gearing up for a second. But the virus has hammered economies in the Middle East, where countries are facing an exodus of their vital ex-pat workers. We hope you enjoy these and more of our best stories from the past seven days in this version of Weekend Reads. — Michael Winfrey House and Senate Democrats bow their heads during a moment of silence at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 8. Democratic lawmakers proposed a broad police overhaul bill, hoping to turn the energy of the nationwide Black Lives Matter demonstrations into concrete legal changes that could make it easier to prosecute police abuse and misconduct. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg Click here for more of Bloomberg's most compelling political images from the past week, and tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Police Reform Means Better Cops to Some, Fewer Cops to Others After the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer spawned nationwide protests, politicians are scrambling to respond with proposals to curb the power of the police. Amanda Albright looks into how the means by which they would do so differ starkly. Long Lines, Missing Mail Ballots Portend November Election Chaos Errors during primaries in Georgia and other states are raising concerns of a chaotic general election in November. Ryan Teague Beckwith and Kartikay Mehrotra report how a tight race or a poorly run ballot in a single state could lead to litigation and a delay in announcing the winner of the presidential vote. Harris Is on Strong Footing in Biden's Vice Presidential Search Kamala Harris has a crucial edge in Democratic candidate Joe Biden's search for a presidential running mate. Jennifer Epstein explains how the California senator scores well in the former vice president's most-important attribute for running mate: the ability to step into the job of president on Day One. Boris Johnson's Team Is Broken by the Virus and Losing Faith Inside Johnson's government, senior officials are demoralized and starting to despair. Tim Ross and Kitty Donaldson write how their dreams of reshaping Britain for a bright post-Brexit world have been blown off course by coronavirus. Philonise Floyd, whose brother was killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes, addressed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump rejected calls to overhaul law enforcement or cut officers' funding amid protests over police brutality and racism. Korea Crushed a Huge Virus Outbreak. Can It Beat a Second Wave? South Korea became one of the world's leading virus success stories by learning from past experiences. Now it's using lessons from a fresh spate of clusters to prepare for what officials say will be an inevitable second round, Kanga Kong and Heesu Lee report. Virus Pushes Nations to Solve a Growing Global Food Problem With Covid-19 wreaking havoc on supply chains, food security has become a household word, and governments are reexamining how people are fed. Have a look at this piece by Iain Marlow and Agnieszka de Sousa that argues countries with a wide variety of suppliers, both domestic and foreign, are best placed. Army Tightens Grip on Pakistan as Imran Khan's Popularity Wanes The generals are back in control in Pakistan — at least unofficially. There's now more than a dozen former and current military officials in prominent government roles, just as Prime Minister Imran Khan's influence and popularity dwindle due to a slowing economy and corruption probes. Expats Leaving Dubai Is Bad News for the Economy Millions of foreigners across the Gulf are considering moving away as the coronavirus and a plunge in oil prices cause wealthy Arab monarchies to make economic adjustments. As Zainab Fattah and Abeer Abu Omar report, just one of them, the United Arab Emirates, could lose as much as a 10th of its residents. Venezuela on Brink of Famine With Fuel Too Scarce to Sow Crops Venezuela's seven-year economic collapse has entered a troubling new phase. Fabiola Zerpa, James Attwood and Nicolle Yapur report how, in the home of the world's largest oil reserves, fuel shortages have grown so acute that fields are going bare and the country is on the verge of famine. And finally ...  A Russian city nestled in a vast forest known as the planet's lungs has air so bad that the authorities regularly warn people to stay inside. Yuliya Fedorinova and Olga Tanas tell the tale of Siberia's Krasnoyarsk, where "black sky" events create the dirtiest air on the planet. It's almost invisible, but chemical smog sits over the city of Krasnoyarsk in 2018. Photographer: SERGEY FILININ/AFP   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