The mounting civilian death toll in Russia’s war: Weekend Reads

As the largest-scale military operation in Europe since World War II continues, Russian attacks hit civilian targets in Ukraine, striking a [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( As the largest-scale military operation in Europe since World War II continues, Russian [attacks]( hit civilian targets in Ukraine, striking a mall in the central city of Kremenchuk and an apartment building and recreation center near the Black Sea port of Odesa, killing dozens. US President Joe Biden returned home after [successful]( summits of the Group of Seven and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to face a raft of domestic problems, including the fallout over the Supreme Court’s decision last week to end nationwide abortion rights. Xi Jinping urged Hong Kong to [focus]( on the economy after an era of “chaos,” in a landmark visit by the Chinese president that offered few clear answers for how to balance Beijing’s demands for limiting perceived foreign threats with the city’s desire to remain an international financial hub. Delve into these and more of Bloomberg’s top political stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Karl Maier]( Emergency services fight fires at an apartment building in Odesa. Source: Ukrainian Emergency Service Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images and share this newsletter with others. They can sign up [here](. NATO Returns to Combat Stance to Counter a New and Hostile World NATO agreed to the biggest [upgrade]( of its military presence in Europe since the end of the Cold War, redrawing the continent’s security in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Natalia Drozdiak]( reports on the summit in Madrid where alliance leaders agreed to put more than 300,000 troops on high alert and beef up its European defenses with extra forces. - NATO leaders formally [invited]( Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance, paving the way for reshaping European defense by lengthening its border with Russia. NATO Finds Embrace in China’s Backyard, Stoking Xi’s Worst Fears Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, China has blamed NATO for [antagonizing]( Moscow and accused the US of seeking to set up a similar alliance in the Asia-Pacific. [Isabel Reynolds]( reports that the presence of four leaders from the region in Spain this week will only make Beijing more paranoid. China’s Xi Says Hong Kong Is ‘Reborn From the Ashes’ on Visit Touting a “[reborn](” Hong Kong, Xi returned to the former British colony to mark its 25th anniversary of Chinese rule. [Kari Lindberg]( and [Rebecca Choong Wilkins]( write that it was his first trip to Hong Kong since overseeing crackdowns on political dissent and Covid-19 that risked the semi-autonomous city’s future as an international center of commerce. Xi swears in John Lee as Hong Kong’s chief executive on Friday. Photographer: Justin Chin/Bloomberg Supreme Court’s Term Ends With Guns, Roe and Protests The US Supreme Court moved boldly in its first full term with three Donald Trump appointees with far-reaching rulings on guns, religion and federal regulatory power along with a [historic decision]( that eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. As [Greg Stohr]( explains, its sweeping rulings are likely to reverberate for decades. - Ketanji Brown Jackson was [sworn in]( as the first Black woman to serve on the court. Trump’s 2024 Prospects Dented by Jan. 6 Probe, GOP’s Toomey Says Republican Senator Pat Toomey told Bloomberg Television that the House committee investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol has [damaged]( Trump’s chances of winning back the White House in 2024. [Steven T. Dennis]( provides the details on what he said in the interview. Hutchinson, a former assistant to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, testified on Tuesday to the committee on the Capitol riot, [providing]( a front-row seat into the workings of Trump’s inner circle during the attack and days beforehand. Taken: Tax Liens Cost Generations of Black Americans Their Land Sales of repossessed assets have stripped thousands of Black families of their property — along with the potential to increase wealth. Read [Margaret Newkirk](’s in-depth [account]( of how it unfolded. Russian Industry Faces Code Crisis as Critical Software Pulled Russia’s reliance on foreign software to run its factories, farms and oil fields is turning into one of the biggest [headaches]( for domestic industry as more global IT providers pull out of the market in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week - [Erdogan Missed a Big Opportunity With NATO: Bobby Ghosh]( - [Supreme Court Wants Climate Policy to Cost More: Liam Denning]( - [Rumors of NATO’s Brain Death Were Exaggerated: Andreas Kluth]( - [How Catholicism Lost Political Clout in Philippines: Daniel Moss]( - [Despite War and Covid, Clean Energy Keeps Growing: Liam Denning]( Iran Nuclear Talks Likely to Resume After Biden’s Mideast Trip European-led efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal will probably [resume]( following Biden’s visit to the region this month, after an intense round of talks in Doha failed to overcome differences, sources say. [Jonathan Tirone](, [Golnar Motevalli]( and [Simone Foxman]( lay out what’s at stake. Soviet Terror Made Sacrifice Second Nature for Baltics The three Baltic states’ position on NATO’s border with Russia has kept them in a heightened sense of alert. [Ott Tammik](, [Milda Seputyte]( and [Aaron Eglitis]( explain how the people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have long and [bitter memories]( of domination by Moscow that are driving them to the front line of the response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Estonian soldiers during a NATO exercise on April 14. Photographer: Ben Birchall/PA Images/Getty Images ‘No Place Like Home’ for Johnson Returning to Sleaze and Strikes UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned home after an eight-day summit dash from Rwanda to Spain via Germany’s Bavarian Alps to face [spreading]( labor unrest, a slumping pound and data showing the economy is getting worse. [Alex Morales]( and [Emily Ashton]( outline the key issues. - Johnson [suspended]( a member of Parliament from the Conservative Party a day after the lawmaker quit his government post as a political enforcer over an incident involving excessive drinking. Bolsonaro’s Brawl With a Top Justice Tests Brazil’s Democracy In the run-up to October’s election, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is facing stiff competition from Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist former president. But as [Andrew Rosati]( and [Simone Iglesias]( write, an even bigger [challenge]( may come from a Supreme Court judge. Explainers you can use - [What LNG Can and Can’t Do to Replace Russian Gas]( - [Why China Is Sticking With Its Covid Zero Strategy]( - [How Duterte’s Time in Power Shook Up the Philippines]( - [Biden’s Limited Paths for Changing the Supreme Court]( - [A ‘Price Cap’ on Russian Energy — Could That Work?]( And finally … Gabon, the world’s second-most forested nation, aims to create 187 million carbon credits, almost half of which may be sold on the offsets market in what would be the single largest issuance in history. As [Michael J. Kavanagh]( and [Natasha White]( report, the Central African nation, which is 88% covered by tropical rainforest, is trying to find a way to preserve its carbon-absorbing [wilderness]( while diversifying its economy from oil, demand for which is expected to plunge in coming decades. Forest elephants in the Ivindo national park, near Makokou, Gabon. Photographer: Amaury Hauchard/AFP/Getty Images Like getting this newsletter? 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