When the world watches America

Follow Us Get the newsletter For years President Donald Trump has called out other countries for their troubles. Now the spotlight is on America's turmoil after the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The episode has raised fresh questions about policing in a country where inequality runs deep, exacerbated by Covid-19 decimating jobs and small businesses. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc was ``shocked and appalled'' by Floyd's death, calling it ``an abuse of power and this has to be denounced.'' Australia's government wants answers, saying law enforcement officers roughed up a news crew covering rallies in America. Footage shows protesters being beaten, tear gassed or hit with rubber bullets, and police cars driving into crowds. Demonstrations over Floyd's death have sprouted from London to Auckland. Trump's firm line against what he sees as rioters and looters is causing concern around the world. It's also playing into the hands of America's opponents. And it might even embolden some strongmen leaders. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has curbed dissent in Turkey, condemned the "racist and fascist approach" that led to Floyd's death. Russia's embassy, without a hint of irony, urged the U.S. to ensure the "safety and unhindered activities of journalists." Iran likened the "knee-on-neck" technique used on Floyd to America's "maximum pressure" sanctions. China's state media is in gleeful overdrive after months of criticism for the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The protests put Trump's leadership in sharp review. That's a question potentially for the elections in November. But it's also one for America's role in the world. Trump has attacked long-held allies and international institutions alike. Civil unrest at home makes it even less likely for the U.S. to lead on key global issues like poverty and disease. And the Covid-19 pandemic is still raging. — Rosalind Mathieson   Demonstrators in Times Square yesterday in New York City. Photographer: Scott Heins/Getty Images Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines Use of force | Trump threatened to deploy the military to end "riots and lawlessness" across the U.S. in a Rose Garden address punctuated by the sound of explosions as federal officers dispersed peaceful demonstrators outside the White House gates. He called on governors and mayors to "dominate the streets" and announced he was sending thousands of heavily armed military personnel into the capital. Click here for more on how yesterday's events provided U.S. voters with a split-screen view of the different approaches Trump and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are taking to the unrest. Putin's playbook | China's sovereignty over Hong Kong is not in dispute, but even so there are parallels between its move to impose a national security law on the city and Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. As Marc Champion and Peter Martin report, President Xi Jinping's actions have also been opportunistic in timing and strategic in their goal. And, like Vladimir Putin, Xi knows it might poison relations with the West for years. Damage limitation | Prime Minister Boris Johnson will try to reset his government's agenda with a major speech and a financial statement aimed at preparing the U.K. for its new post-pandemic reality, amid forecasts of the worst recession in 300 years. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel will seek a deal today on a second stimulus package of as much as 100 billion euros to help the economy recover from what may be its deepest contraction since World War II. Vanishing water | Named for two of Australia's most important rivers, the Murray-Darling Basin has traditionally been the country's agricultural heartland and has long been at the vanguard of its economy. But as Matthew Campbell writes, today the Murray-Darling is at the leading edge of something very different: a series of crises that could soon envelop river systems in Africa, South Asia and the American West, as temperatures rise and economies compete for strained supplies. You can get our biggest stories about the environment and climate change via our Green Daily newsletter Deepening plight | The coronavirus is spreading through war-torn Yemen at an alarming rate, and with three competing governments, health care and economic systems shattered and diseases already rife, the country is ill prepared to fight it. As the United Nations co-hosts a virtual donor conference today, Mohammed Hatem and Caroline Alexander talk to medics and residents in two Yemeni cities and examine the grim role of Facebook in an unfolding tragedy that has implications for the region and beyond. What to Watch Voters in seven U.S. states are casting ballots in House party nominating contests today that will test Trump's grip on the Republican Party. Singapore's approach to the virus is set to be a key issue in upcoming elections as lockdown curbs drag on, raising questions over whether the People's Action Party, in power since independence in 1965, might find its margin of victory narrowed. British and EU negotiators head today into the last round of talks scheduled before a key summit, as chances grow the U.K. will end the post-Brexit transition period on Dec. 31 without a free-trade agreement. A quiet and deadly health catastrophe is brewing in Africa from age-old diseases that have taken a back seat to the pandemic, as scarce resources are diverted and the fear of infection deters people from visiting medical facilities. And finally ... His path cleared by tear gas, concussion grenades and mounted police, Trump strode across Pennsylvania Avenue last night to stand before the church of U.S. presidents and reinforce the get-tough message he had just delivered to the nation. Outside St John's Episcopal church, a 200-year-old house of worship that has hosted every president since James Madison, Trump held up a Bible while he posed with senior staff in what critics assailed as a misguided photo-op. Trump walks to St. John's Episcopal Church. Photographer: Shawn Thew/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