Scarred democracy

Americans believe their democracy is in crisis [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( A year after scenes of Donald Trump’s supporters storming the Capitol transformed the global conversation around democracy in America, the U.S. is more divided than ever. Trump’s backers insist he won the 2020 presidential election, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and nurture dreams of his triumphant return to the White House in 2024. Key reading: - [Biden Plans Searing Critique of Trump to Mark Jan. 6 Anniversary]( - [Garland Vows to Go After All Jan. 6 Perpetrators ‘at Any Level’]( - [Right-Wing Groups Target Local Governments After January 6]( - [Trump Cancels Jan. 6 News Conference on Capitol Riot]( - [Biden Agenda Still Stuck as Manchin Reports ‘No Negotiation’]( Democrats, including President Joe Biden, plan to mark the anniversary by warning of the dangers of misinformation and subverting democracy. Biden will call on lawmakers in a speech today to pass voting rights legislation intended to rebut changes sought by Trump loyalists in a number of state governments that would limit access to absentee voting and strengthen identification requirements. Republican leaders in Congress are choosing to lay low, with no major events planned (Trump also canceled his scheduled media briefing). But the polarization that spawned the deadly violence in 2021 continues to stalk politics, with surveys indicating a majority of the public believes American democracy is in crisis. Most Republicans still back Trump’s false claims the election was “stolen.” Going forward, voters will get a chance to weigh in directly, starting with the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. With Biden’s popularity falling and Democrats still arguing among themselves on his big tax and spending package, his party could find itself on the back foot. Hanging in the balance are questions about what democracy in America will look like in the coming decades, whether the peaceful transition of power will endure and the extent to which the divisions laid bare a year ago can be healed. — [Kathleen Hunter]( Demonstrators attempting to breach the Capitol a year ago. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg [Click here]( to follow Bloomberg Politics on Facebook and share this newsletter with others too. They can sign up [here](. Global Headlines Kazakh turmoil | Russia and its allies pledged to send troops to help Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev after he deployed security forces against anti-government demonstrators who pose the biggest [challenge]( to the leadership in decades. Dozens of protesters have been killed, police say, with the unrest sparked by anger over rising fuel pries and falling living standards. - [You can follow]( our rolling coverage of the crisis. Court showdown | Biden’s push to vaccinate millions of workers will face scrutiny in the Supreme Court, which will be wary of his assertion of broad federal power to confront the pandemic. The justices hear arguments tomorrow on his measures that business groups and Republicans say would [cost]( billions of dollars and violate state sovereignty. Vaccination pressure | French lawmakers approved legislation today that tightens [restrictions]( on the unvaccinated, after France recorded its highest-ever daily tally of Covid-19 cases. The curbs effectively confine to home anti-vaxxers who are being wooed by the far right, upping the ante for Emmanuel Macron three months from presidential elections. - Italy made vaccination [compulsory]( for the over-50s and further reduced what people can do if they are not yet inoculated. - U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson [eased]( testing rules to free up capacity amid a surging virus caseload. Omicron has taken hold in the European Union, where daily cases of coronavirus [exceeded]( 1 million yesterday for the first time. Even though omicron symptoms are largely relatively mild, governments are still worried about pressure on hospitals and broader health services, and have stepped up measures to force people to get vaccinated. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [The West Needs to Think Beyond Vladimir Putin: Leonid Bershidsky]( - [Jan. 6 Rioters Don’t Face Double Standard: Stephen L. Carter]( - [Russia’s Winter Generals Are Absent in the Gas War: Javier Blas]( Covid overload | Hong Kong is fast approaching its capacity to deal with Covid-19 cases, with the main facility dedicated for isolation set to run out of space within days at the current pace. [Read]( how some of the world’s strictest virus containment measures are straining the city’s health-care system. - Japan [called]( on the U.S. to impose restrictions on its troops in the wake of outbreaks thought to have stemmed from American bases in the country. - China fired medical chiefs after a pregnant woman miscarried outside a hospital that denied her entry due to Covid controls, as officials in the city of Xi’an face scrutiny for their strict [lockdown]( measures. Martyrdom seekers | The Taliban want to start organizing their scattered squads of suicide bombers into a single military unit to confront rival Islamic State. [Eltaf Najafizada]( outlines [here]( the militant group’s plans to deal with its biggest security threat since taking power in the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August. 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 - North Korea said it test-fired a “hypersonic” missile yesterday for the second time in about four months, as it develops nuclear-capable weapons designed to [evade]( interception by the U.S. - Lawyers for Novak Djokovic mounted a legal challenge against Australia’s decision to [deport]( him after federal officials overruled a state vaccine exemption for the tennis star that sparked a national uproar. - The U.S. and Lithuania agreed to cooperate on ways to counter what they called China’s “[economic coercion](.” And finally ... When poorer countries shut schools and businesses early in the pandemic to shield their fragile health-care systems, the measures helped reduce contagion but increased food insecurity, domestic violence, and unemployment. As [Jill Filipovic]( writes [here](, the disruptions hit girls harder than boys and may have erased a generation of progress toward achieving greater equality for women. Kids at the Project Elimu ballet in Nairobi, Kenya. Photographer: Nichole Sobecki 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