So many unknowns

Follow Us Get the newsletter Confusion, contradictions and a campaign on hold a month before Election Day. It's been a remarkable 72 hours. The White House has sought to portray Donald Trump as fully in charge and still working, even as he receives treatment in the hospital for Covid-19. But conflicting accounts from his doctors raise doubts about how soon he'll be able resume his re-election campaign. One member of the president's medical staff said he could be released from the hospital as soon as today, even as White House physician Sean Conley disclosed that Trump was given supplemental oxygen and a medication that's typically used in more severe virus cases. The president also is heading into a phase of the illness where the health of some patients worsens suddenly and dramatically. Trump made a surprise outing in his motorcade from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center yesterday, waving to supporters and saying in a video posted on Twitter that he's learned a lot about the virus. Short on cash and with his campaign manager and party chairwoman also laid low by Covid-19, Trump's re-election bid is effectively frozen. And the virus continues to spread inside the White House, seemingly due to the same indifference to basic precautions that Trump demonstrated for months. There's little sense of when or if he'll be able to resume the raucous rallies that fueled his 2016 win and may have been his best chance for a comeback as Democrat Joe Biden pulls away in the polls. As Mario Parker writes, Trump may have to spend the final weeks of the campaign fighting the virus he sought to effectively erase from the story of his presidency. — Kathleen Hunter  Trump gives a thumbs up yesterday as he is driven past supporters outside Walter Reed hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines Court obstacle | The virus outbreak among Republicans in Washington is imperiling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's drive to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett before the Nov. 3 election. Three senators have tested positive in the past few days and at least eight others are known to have had direct exposure, prompting Democrats to escalate their calls for a delay. Campaign 2020 There are 29 days until the election. Here's the latest on the race for control of the White House and Congress. Biden tested negative for the coronavirus yesterday, the second time he has been screened and cleared in three days after sharing the debate stage with Trump last week. Click here for a list of U.S. politicians and officials who've tested positive. Vice President Mike Pence and Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, are still scheduled to debate Wednesday. Other developments From Bereaved Dads to CEOs: Trump Encounters Spark Covid Fears Facebook, Twitter Are Failing to Curb Voting-By-Mail Falsehoods Toomey Won't Run for Senate Re-Election, Inquirer Reports Sign up to receive daily election updates as a direct mobile notification on Twitter. Simply click on this link and like the tweet. Tory dilemma | Rishi Sunak delivers his first speech to the Conservative Party conference as U.K. chancellor today from an unenviable position. The pandemic has exposed the cracks underlying Britain's economic model, and the government has been clear that the labor market is about to undergo a shock not seen in a generation. Then there's Brexit, with a showdown looming at a European Union summit next week. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is warning of a hard winter ahead. Strained relations | President Vladimir Putin doesn't respond well to others meddling in Russia's former Soviet backyard. It appears Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan didn't get the message, Marc Champion and Ilya Arkhipov report. Erdogan's forceful support of Azerbaijan against Armenia over fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh region risks rebuke from Russia. "Erdogan is really testing Putin's patience," said one analyst. "He irritates Putin more and more." A rocket shell sits in the ground in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Oct. 1. Photographer: Hayk Baghdasaryan/AFP via Getty Images Rising star | The governor of South Korea's most populous province has risen to the top of preference polls to take over as president in 2022 on a push to make the country the first in Asia to introduce a universal basic income. Lee Jae-myung says that without across-the-board support to address inequality, the stability of South Korea's economy could be threatened, Jeong-Ho Lee and Sam Kim report. Toxic politics | Spain's broken political system and the resurgence of coronavirus infections are stoking concern that it's replacing Italy as the EU's problem child. With officials from the center-right regional administration in Madrid bitterly challenging new restrictions imposed by the Socialist national leadership, the euro area's fourth-biggest economy is in the grip of a spiraling health crisis. Sponsored Content by Cisco Webex Nowadays, you just can't afford to risk privacy and security while working from home. Keep your meetings safe from "conference bombers" on Webex. From heads of state, to governments, to schools, to hospitals, Webex is the secure choice for video conferencing and collaboration. Visit https://webex.com/ to get it free   What to Watch This Week European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she is going into isolation after contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus. U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo is shortening an Asian trip this week as the White House deals with its virus outbreak, nixing visits to Mongolia and South Korea to limit his time to Japan. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visits Ankara as the alliance supports plans to resume exploratory talks between members Turkey and Greece over disputes in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is due to announce its peace prize Friday. Thanks to all who responded to our pop quiz Friday and congratulations to Mond Mckenzie for being the first to name Nagorno-Karabakh as the region at the center of renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And finally ... Fast, frequent and not at all full. That's what has happened to Japan's celebrated shinkansen "bullet trains" during the pandemic. Riders have stayed away, and losses are mounting for operators. While the government has rolled out incentives to boost domestic travel, that may not be enough, Shiho Takezawa reports, with international tourism down by about 99%. A Shinkansen bullet train travels along an elevated track near Yurakucho station in Tokyo on Sept. 8. Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/Bloomberg     Like Balance of Power? 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