Taylor Swift to the rescue?

Taylor Swift has the following to influence the US election [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up [here](. Young American voters think President Joe Biden is too old. They’re upset over Israel’s war in Gaza and frustrated on student loan forgiveness. But one person could help Biden shake it off: Taylor Swift. The omnipresent pop star has dominated American life over the past year, from her record-setting concert tour — which some believe helped the US avoid recession — to her appearances at National Football League games in support of boyfriend Travis Kelce, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Her anticipated attendance at next month’s Super Bowl has featured in coverage of the game — reliably the most watched event in America. There’s plenty of reason to believe her popularity could translate into a political force. Some 18% of US voters — including roughly 3 in 10 young voters — said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift, according to a Newsweek poll this week. Back in 2016, Swift held her tongue and didn’t endorse Hillary Clinton. Did she regret it? Flash forward to today and Swift has an even bigger voice and clout. Her dislike of former President Donald Trump is known. She denounced him for “stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism” in a 2020 tweet. Her power to drive people to vote is also evident. In September, Swift urged her fans on Instagram to register, with Vote.org reporting some 35,000 subsequent registrations. The question is whether this time she will jump into the fray with all the ugliness that will entail. The White House is earnestly aligning itself with Swifties. It [called for action]( from Congress and social media companies after deepfake pictures of the superstar spread on X last week. With the presidential election contest increasingly resembling a gerontocracy, Trump’s allies and conservative media outlets such as Fox News are in a tizzy over Swift. That a pop star could decide the outcome of the US election may seem like a stretch but right now — whether she wants it or not — she just might. — [Justin Sink]( and [Flavia Krause-Jackson]( Swift performs during The Eras Tour in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on May 20, 2023. Photographer: Scott Eisen/TAS23/Getty Images Global Must Reads Saudi Arabia has resumed talks with the US about forging closer defense ties after a pause following the start of the Israel-Hamas war, sources say. The discussions between Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and US senators were a revival of negotiations about a defense pact that would include an [historic tie-up]( between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Ukraine is running short of artillery shells and air-defense missiles to protect its cities from Russian attacks, with [vital assistance]( from Europe and the US tied up in the approval process and reports from the front showing the situation there is increasingly dire. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, [refused to step down]( from his post at a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday, sources say. Ukrainian tank crews during an evacuation drill near Bakhmut on Dec. 15. Photographer: Anatoli Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images Thailand’s Constitutional Court ordered the main opposition Move Forward Party to [cease all attempts]( to amend the country’s stringent royal insult law. While the verdict didn’t result in an immediate dissolution of the party, it will deprive it of its flagship agenda that had resonated with the urban voters and youth.  A top court in Thailand ruled that Move Forward violated the constitution by promising to loosen the country’s stringent royal insult law and must [cease its campaign]( to amend Article 112. While the verdict may not directly lead to an immediate dissolution of the party that won the most seats in last year’s election, it could eventually pave the way for that outcome. Biden’s national security advisor advocated continued communications with China while [insisting the US will push ahead]( with so-called de-risking. Separately, a Chinese official said a Trump victory in this year’s presidential election could prompt the US to abandon Taiwan, comments [intended to sow doubt]( over Washington’s commitment to the island. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has just weeks to win over a group of Catalan lawmakers if he wants to [avoid a government crisis]( following a defeat in parliament. He must either convince seven deputies to back an amnesty law they rejected yesterday or cave in to their demands to rewrite the bill. If he can’t get that done with the short timeline, the Socialist leader will have lost the support of a key ally. Iran signaled it’s prepared to retaliate against any US strike on its soil or assets abroad, as the White House [readies a response]( to a drone attack that killed three American soldiers over the weekend. An Argentine court ruled that the labor reform President Javier Milei tried to implement by [decree is unconstitutional](, the latest blow to his plans to overhaul South America’s second-largest economy. Plans by military-ruled Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to break away from a West African bloc [may backfire]( on their already fragile economies and exacerbate widespread food insecurity. Washington Dispatch Chief executives of several technology giants, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms, Evan Spiegel of Snap and Shou Chew of TikTok, are to [testify today]( before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on protecting children online. Congress has increasingly scrutinized social-media platforms as evidence suggests that excessive use and the proliferation of harmful content may be damaging young people’s mental health. Several bipartisan proposals seek to hold tech companies accountable, strengthen protections for young users and stop sexual exploitation of children online. Yet a myriad of trade groups and civil liberties organizations have criticized many of the initiatives as flawed and counterproductive, arguing they would compromise online privacy and safety. The executives are expected to discuss steps being taken to protect children. “I look forward to hearing from these companies about that they’re doing to make their platforms inaccessible to child sex offenders,” said Senator Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and the committee’s chair. After the hearing, he plans to hold a press conference with young people who became advocates for online safety after being sexually exploited. One thing to watch today: The Federal Election Commission’s year-end deadline for reports from candidates, party committees and super political action committees is at midnight. [Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter]( for more from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 5pm ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day Trump’s legal travails seem to be rallying support in the Republican presidential primaries, but they could [hurt him in the general election](. A new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found that majorities in seven key swing states would be unwilling to vote for Trump if he is convicted of a crime (53%) or sentenced to prison (55%) in one of the four cases against him. And Finally A costly Norwegian experiment is underway to see if it’s possible to make a tiny fraction of Europe’s industrial pollution disappear. Part of a $2.6 billion network, the facility on the windswept island of Blomoyna is set to [pump climate-warming carbon dioxide]( from manufacturing sites in the Netherlands and elsewhere into an untouched saline aquifer deep below the seabed. The first injections could start as early as next year and pave the way for a new international trade in industrial emissions. The dock at the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage project at Blomoyna. Photographer: Andrea Gjestvang More from Bloomberg - [Economics Daily]( for what the changing landscape means for policy makers, investors and you - [Green Daily]( for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance - [India Edition](, an insider’s guide to the emerging economic powerhouse, and the billionaires and businesses behind its rise - [Next Africa](, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed - [Business of Sports](, delivering the context you need on the collision of power, money and sports - Explore more newsletters at [Bloomberg.com](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. 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