Another school massacre, Putin’s troops advance: Weekend Reads

Another shooting rocks America, and Ukraine pleads for help [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( As anger and sorrow spread after the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school, US politicians quickly shifted to well-worn [positions](, and Democrats signaled any steps to curb gun violence may be limited because of Republican stonewalling. The National Rifle Association opened its annual convention in Houston. But even with falling revenue, fierce legal challenges and renewed criticism for defending access to weapons that are devastating American communities, the millions of dollars it funnels into US politics mean it still carries hefty political [clout](. Russian troops made steady advances in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. That prompted calls from Kyiv for its allies to send more [weapons](, including long-range missiles to target Moscow’s superior artillery and other heavy weapons supporting the offensive. Government officials in China are being whipsawed between contrasting [orders]( from the top two leaders. In India and Pakistan, deadly [heatwaves]( are providing a glimpse of what global warming may bring to the rest of the planet in years to come. Delve into these and more of Bloomberg’s top political stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Michael Winfrey]( A woman embraces two children outside Willie de Leon Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images and share this newsletter with others. They can sign up [here](. NRA Converges on Houston as Nation Mourns Slain Schoolchildren The NRA’s annual meeting kicked off with speakers dropping out, pressure from the mayor to cancel, and [protests]( planned outside. [Stacie Sherman]( and [Mark Niquette]( report on the meeting of the lobby group that is the driving force preventing gun control. Gun-Right Fights Move to the States, Amid Little Federal Action The NRA has won the fight over gun rights in Washington — for now. With the US Senate far from the 60-vote majority either side needs to drive legislative change, the federal government is limited to executive orders, shifting the [battleground]( to state courts and capitols, [Neil Weinberg]( writes. There were 214 [mass shootings]( in the US in the first 145 days of the year. While these tragedies feel [unique]( to America, gun violence is a huge issue in many other countries — just none that the US would consider a peer. Russian Wins in Eastern Ukraine Spark Debate Over Course of War After steady [advances]( in Donbas, Russian artillery and air power advantages are leading to fears of a breakthrough and ever strident Ukrainian calls for more powerful weapons. As [Marc Champion]( and [Aliaksandr Kudrytski]( write, military analysts are sharply divided on how to interpret Russia’s progress. Russian Land Mines Mean Northern Ukraine Can’t Return to Normal Russian troops may have withdrawn from northern Ukraine but the land mines they scattered are preventing a return to life as usual. [Rosalind Mathieson]( and [Andrea Dudik]( speak to boxer-turned-Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko about how unexploded ordnance is [killing]( Ukrainians. European Leaders in Davos Decry Russia Using Food as ‘Blackmail’ President Vladimir Putin is using food as a [weapon]( by bombing grain warehouses, blocking Ukranian ships filled with wheat and hording Russia’s own food exports, European leaders said as they met in Davos, Switzerland. [Natalia Drozdiak]( reports the measures are causing global food prices to skyrocket and leaving fragile countries at risk of famine. - Resuming Ukrainian grain shipments will be time consuming given [challenges]( that include mine-clearing in Black Sea ports and the need for cooperation from the very country that kicked off the war. Putin said he’s willing to facilitate grain and fertilizer exports if sanctions against Russia are [lifted](. The US rejected the proposal. Europe’s Push to Punish Putin Is Falling Short of the Rhetoric Diplomats and officials are increasingly frustrated that the European Union may be reaching the [limits]( of the short-term pain it can inflict on Russia. [John Follain]( and [Alberto Nardelli]( explain that members are failing to deliver on promises to hit President Vladimir Putin where it hurts: the lucrative energy industry. Johnson Urges Missiles for Ukraine to Hit ‘Crocodile’ Putin UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged in an interview with Bloomberg that Ukraine receive further military support. The needed weapons include long-range multiple rocket launch systems, [Kitty Donaldson]( reports. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [The Horror of the Texas Shooting Demands Change: Editorial]( - [Dysfunctional Republicans Bail Out on Guns: Jonathan Bernstein]( - [The Gun Debate Needs to Break Old Patterns: Ramesh Ponnuru]( - [Uvalde Families Should Take Gunmakers to Court: Timothy O'Brien]( - [The Best Outcome for Ukraine in This Conflict: Andreas Kluth]( Boris Johnson Is Looking Beyond Partygate But More Hurdles Loom Johnson [survived]( another roller coaster week, but stored up more trouble for his government and his ruling Conservative Party. [Emily Ashton]( and [Kitty Donaldson]( lay out how, after the UK leader escaped without a major rebellion as “partygate” came to a head, the Tories have opted — for now — to keep the man nicknamed “the greased piglet” in place. Xi-Li Discord Paralyzes Officials Responsible for China Economy Chinese Communist Party officials charged with implementing policies on the ground are stuck in a [dilemma]( as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang pursue diverging tacks on the economy and Covid-19. On the one hand, Xi continues to push for a Covid Zero approach, but Li is urging his cadres to hit growth targets. India’s Protectionist Moves Spark Concern That Rice May Be Next India’s curbs on wheat and sugar exports sent [shock waves]( through global markets and marked an escalation in food protectionism. [Pratik Parija]( and [Vrishti Beniwal]( look into how rice, the one staple that’s helping keep the world food crisis from getting worse, could now be at risk. Latin America’s Age of Discontent Faces Test in Colombia Vote When Colombians vote Sunday, they may join the the anti-establishment mood sweeping Latin America and [abandon]( the pro-business Washington-centered model they’ve embraced for decades. As [Andrea Jaramillo]( and [Matthew Bristow]( write, presidential frontrunner and former guerrilla Gustavo Petro has tapped into a yearning for radical change. Key Explainers of the week - [How Mass Shootings and Gun Culture Affect US Gun Laws]( - [Russia Is Winning From the Global Food Crisis It Helped Create]( - [Why Saving the Climate Requires a Tough Taxonomy]( - [How Emboldened Far-Right Is Changing French Politics]( - [How Prepared for Monkeypox Are We?]( And finally … Temperatures in India typically peak in May before the monsoon rains, but this year they hit well above 40C (104F) two months early. [Chris Kay]( and [Pratik Parija]( report how climate scientists’ dire [predictions]( are already playing out in parts of India and Pakistan, providing a look at what awaits the rest of us as the rest of the world also gets hotter. A farmer pours water on himself in the Ludhiana district of Punjab, India. Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg Like getting this newsletter? 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