100 days of war, US gun control efforts: Weekend Reads

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which Moscow intended to be a short and sharp affair — reached the 100-day mark with its troops still pursuin [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which Moscow intended to be a short and sharp affair — reached the [100-day mark]( with its troops still pursuing a narrower set of [war aims]( to take territory in the east. The UK marked Queen Elizabeth II’s [Platinum Jubilee]( with a series of ceremonies. The Queen missed a church service on Friday to celebrate her [record 70 years]( as monarch, having experienced “discomfort” from attending public events the previous day. The US House will vote on a gun-control package next week that includes raising the age to buy a [semi-automatic weapon]( to 21 from 18, the latest attempt by Democrats to respond to mass shootings across the nation. Delve into these and more of Bloomberg’s top political stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Rosalind Mathieson]( The NATO Scorpions Legacy 22 exercise, with participating forces from France, the US, Romania, Italy, Portugal and Bulgaria, in Smarden, Romania, on Friday. Photographer: Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg [Click here]( for this week’s most compelling political images and share this newsletter with others. They can [sign up here](. Putin Bets on Ukraine Win Before His Economy Grinds to Halt As Russia’s invasion settles into a grinding war of attrition, one question more than any other will likely decide the outcome: [On whose side is time](? Much of what unfolds will be determined by unpredictable battlefield dynamics. But, as [Marc Champion]( explains, at least some of it will also come down to widgets in machinery, and Russia’s reliance on imports of foreign components. - US officials are divided over how much further they can push sanctions against Russia without sparking [global economic instability]( and fracturing transatlantic unity. - The war has prompted a [major rewrite]( of the Biden administration’s National Security Strategy, sources say. Lada automobiles at a Lada car dealership in Tolyatti, Russia. Photographer: Yuri Kadobnovia/AFP/Getty Images Hong Kong Quarantine Backtrack Stokes Fears of Covid Zero Return A return to [harsh Covid Zero measures]( like quarantine camps risks further damaging confidence in the city and runs counter to the easing of restrictions in recent months, business groups say. The new sub-variants also do not pose a threat of igniting a major outbreak, according to a local public health expert. - China [declared victory]( over Shanghai’s virus outbreak despite the policy’s economic and social toll. - For millions [still locked down]( in Shanghai, listening to officials tout the city’s triumph over Covid-19 and its “reopening” is infuriating. Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week - [Musk Has a “Super Bad Feeling.” Should Everyone?: Liam Denning]( - [The Queen Has Had More Triumphs Than Failures: Martin Ivens]( - [Is Biden’s White House Really “Adrift”?: Jonathan Bernstein]( - [Can Russia Be Reformed Without a Breakup?: Leonid Bershidsky]( AMLO Train Barrels On Despite Safety, Environmental Concerns The Maya Train is projected to run for 1,554 kilometers and connect five states in the Yucatán Peninsula, arguably President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s [most ambitious infrastructure project]( and one he’s vowed to have ready by the end of next year. But as [Andrea Navarro]( lays out, the project is running up against construction challenges, cost overruns, environmental lawsuits, street protests, and supply-chain shortages. Construction for the train cuts through the rainforest near Playa del Carmen. Photographer: Lisette Poole for Bloomberg Businessweek Australia’s History-Making Top Diplomat Faces Down Rising China Penny Wong has already made history as both the first Asian-born and openly gay woman to become Australia’s top diplomat. [Ben Westcott]( explains how she is [quickly confronting]( the nation’s most difficult geopolitical challenge in decades. - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will have a record number of female ministers in his new cabinet, which is shaping up to become one of the most [diverse governments]( in the country’s history. In early March, as the US and its allies unleashed sanctions on Russia, President Joe Biden stood in the White House and said they wanted to deal a “powerful blow to Putin’s war machine.” But that machine is still operational, propelled by a [flood of cash]( that could average $800 million a day this year. Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Memorials Muted for Third Year Running Memorials for the anniversary of [Tiananmen Square massacre]( were again absent on Saturday, as Covid curbs and a crackdown on freedoms suppress public recognition of the event. [Kari Lindberg]( reports no group applied to hold the once-annual vigil in Victoria Park, which previously attracted as many as 180,000 people holding candles and listening to speeches calling for greater democracy. Biden called for a ban on sales of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, pleading with Congress to toughen gun laws following a spate of [mass shootings](. But he acknowledged that Congress is unlikely to prohibit the weapons. Troubled UK Seeks Comfort of Its Queen in Twilight of Her Reign A worsening cost-of-living crisis, a messy political scandal and the threat of further repercussions from the war in Ukraine form an unlikely backdrop for a celebration of national stability. As the UK marks Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, [Emily Ashton]( notes the clouds are a reminder that the [96-year-old monarch]( won’t be around forever, just as the country faces an uncertain future. - [Here is a guide]( to the Jubilee celebration and all its pageantry. - From Balconies to Beacons: [The Platinum Jubilee in Pictures]( A display celebrating the Platinum Jubilee in London on May 26. Photographer: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images Hungary Spurned EU Oil Offer to Stick With Putin’s Cheap Crude When the European Union was cobbling together a ban on Russian oil, Hungary was offered replacement supplies that would have ensured energy security for Budapest and shown Moscow a unified front. Now, as [Alberto Nardelli]( and [Ewa Krukowska]( write, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s intransigence [may have destroyed]( any remaining goodwill with the other 26 members of the EU. At the Egyptian port of Damietta, the [twin impacts]( of Russia’s war on Ukraine converge. Damietta’s grain silos are witness to shortages caused by blockades on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast while its port is home to one of Egypt’s two liquefied natural gas terminals, facilities that have moved squarely into Europe’s sights as it races to replace Russian gas. Rich Nations’ Toxic Habits Bring African Refugees to Their Doors The number of Africans trying to make it to the US southern border is on track to hit a potential record this year. Many are escaping livelihood-destroying climate events. As [Antony Sguazzin](, [Katarina Hoije]( and [Maya Averbuch]( write, the continent they’re fleeing is facing [natural disasters]( at a faster rate than the rest of the planet, and is largely unprepared to deal with them. A Sudanese boy wades through a flooded street in the capital's twin city of Omdurman in August 2020. Photographer: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty US Crackdown on Forced Labor in China Risks Further Supply Chaos The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have upended American supply chains. [Jennifer A. Dlouhy]( and [Jenny Leonard]( explain why the [next shock]( may come from the US campaign against human-rights abuses in China. Explainers you can use - [Why SWIFT Holds Center Stage in Sanctioning Russia]( - [How US States Differ on Carrying Guns in Public]( - [What Are War Crimes? Could Putin Face Prosecution?]( - [Why Croatia Sees Joining the Euro as Path to Security]( - [What OPEC+’s Production Decision Means for Global Oil Markets]( And finally … A Russian warplane doing repeated low passes over a field, firing bullets at a young soldier who ends up sheltering near a barn. This isn’t Ukraine 2022, but a forested area that belonged to Finland before Soviet troops overran it in 1940. The soldier was Antero Pohjanpalo, Bloomberg Helsinki bureau chief [Kati Pohjanpalo](’s grandfather. [Read her essay here]( on why NATO membership feels so urgent now for Finnish people. Antero Pohjanpalo, second lieutenant of the Finnish army. From the Pohjanpalo family album. Courtesy: Pohjanpalo family Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. 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