Winter of omicron discontent

Biden faces a political threat from omicron. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( A week after many Americans celebrated a comparatively normal Thanksgiving, fears about the health and economic impact of the new Covid-19 variant are threatening Christmas — and President Joe Biden’s already shaky political prospects. The swift emergence of the omicron variant helped spur Biden to lay out a new strategy today for combating a virus he declared in July the U.S. was on the verge of defeating. His plan, to be announced the day after the first American case of the variant was identified in California, includes stricter testing requirements for air travelers arriving from abroad, extending a mask mandate and requiring private insurers to reimburse the cost of at-home tests. Key reading - [Biden Grapples With Wave of Cases as Omicron Threat Grows]( - [Congress Totters Toward Shutdown on Funding Discord, GOP Threat]( - [First U.S. Case of Omicron Variant Confirmed in California]( - [U.S. Stocks’ Wall of Worry Rises Far Beyond the Omicron Variant]( - [QuickTake: What We Know About Omicron, the New Virus Variant]( For Biden — whose overall approval ratings have been on the decline since taking office, along with confidence in his Covid response efforts — the threat omicron poses is also political. A pandemic-weary American public isn’t likely to embrace fresh restrictions, especially ahead of Christmas. And, following the Donald Trump era, public health strategies like mask wearing and vaccines have become political lightning rods to an extent not seen in most of Europe or Asia. Omicron’s arrival also coincides with a pivotal moment for Biden’s agenda on Capitol Hill. The president’s fellow Democrats face fast-approaching deadlines to fund the federal government and raise the debt ceiling as the legislative window of opportunity for completing his economic agenda ahead of next year’s midterm elections begins to close. Complicating matters further, some Republican lawmakers are now threatening a shutdown starting Saturday to protest Biden’s vaccine requirements, which have pushed millions of workers to get shots. For Biden, who on July 2 promised Americans a “summer of freedom,” it’s now looking like it could be a winter of discontent. — [Kathleen Hunter]( Biden cautions Americans on Monday against panicking over omicron. Photographer: Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg [Click here]( to follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and share this newsletter with others too. They can sign up [here](. Global Headlines Tense talks | Ukraine’s foreign minister called on allies to provide a “deterrence package” that would make Russian President Vladimir Putin “think twice” about any [invasion]( of his country. The Kremlin accused Kyiv of nurturing plans to attack Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hold talks today in Stockholm. - Ukraine has [appealed]( to the European Union for additional financial aid as it struggles to meet its obligations. Abortion pullback | All six Republican-appointed justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appear ready to uphold the state of Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Read [this report]( by [Greg Stohr]( on an argument yesterday during which two of the conservative majority suggested they might go further and support overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. - Read how Democrats stand to gain a [powerful]( campaign tool ahead of the congressional midterm elections should the court roll back abortion rights. - [This story]( outlines where each of the nine justices stand. Omicron threatens to widen an already [yawning]( gap in access to Covid shots as scientists prepare for the possibility retooled vaccines will be needed and affluent countries race ahead once again. Deepening rifts | Recep Tayyip Erdogan [fired]( his finance minister amid widening divisions in his administration over aggressive interest-rate cuts that have undermined Turkey’s currency and fueled inflation. The lira, already trading near record lows, weakened on growing concern about the president’s economic policies and the removal of officials who disagree with him. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [A Cowboy Solution to Afghanistan’s Cash Crunch: Ruth Pollard]( - [Supreme Court Seems Poised to Overturn Roe v. Wade: Noah Feldman]( - [Honduras Vote Offers Hope in Hard Neighborhood: Clara F. Marques]( Challenging Beijing | The Women’s Tennis Association will [suspend]( all of its tournaments in China due to concerns over the safety of star player Peng Shuai following her allegations of sexual assault by a top Chinese official. The editor of a Communist Party-backed newspaper slammed the decision, accusing the WTA of [coercing]( Peng “to support the West’s attack on Chinese system.” LGBTQ crackdown | Not much separates Ghana’s two main political parties when it comes to targeting LGBTQ people. [Yinka Ibukun]( reports on how proposed legislation to punish them with jail time, legalize discrimination and to force anyone to report a gay person to the authorities is [challenging]( the West African nation’s democratic credentials. Bloomberg TV and Radio air Balance of Power with [David Westin]( weekdays from 12 to 1pm ET, with a second hour on Bloomberg Radio from 1 to 2pm ET. You can watch and listen on Bloomberg channels and online [here]( or check out prior episodes and guest clips [here](. News to Note - China summoned Japan’s ambassador and [blasted]( former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after he warned Beijing on the consequences of an attack on Taiwan. - South Africa is in talks with Pfizer and Merck to gain access to their Covid-19 treatment [pills]( as the omicron variant spreads rapidly across the country. - U.S. and EU officials will discuss a joint approach toward an increasingly [assertive]( China during a high-level meeting today in Washington. - Brazil’s senate approved evangelical [pastor]( Andre Mendonca to fill a vacant position in the country’s top court. - Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel is poised to bring in new [rules]( to drastically increase restrictions on non-vaccinated people. - [Read]( how Facebook and YouTube posts are rewriting the history of Ferdinand Marcos’s two-decade dictatorship in the Philippines. And finally ... Called Accredited Social Health Activists, or “Asha,” the Hindi word for hope, more than a million Indian women healthcare workers have been going door-to-door to persuade people to get Covid-19 vaccines, earning about $40 a month. [Shruti Srivastava]( writes about their critical role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of inoculating the entire population and why they’re about to [snap]( over poor working conditions. Healthcare workers conduct a door-to-door survey on the coronavirus in New Delhi. Photographer: T. Narayan/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]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022