Biden Shows His Mettle, Italy’s Deadly Bridges: Weekend Reads

(Bloomberg) --

Joe Biden did more than breathe new life into his campaign to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. He romped home in the Super Tuesday primaries and showed he may have what it takes to mount a serious challenge to Donald Trump in November. 

In Italy, no one knows what to do about the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, while in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s plans to flex his nation’s diplomatic and military muscle are running into trouble.

We hope you enjoy these and more of our best stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads.

Joe Biden Looks for His Own Joe Biden in Running Mate
Biden has said that in picking a running mate he would want to recreate the dynamic he shared with Barack Obama — a working partner who shares his policy vision and complements his skills. But, as Ryan Teague Beckwith and Jennifer Epstein report, there’s so much more at stake in 2020.

Bot or Not? Online Tools Seek to Cut Through Disinformation Fog
A collection of private companies, advocacy organizations and universities, such as Indiana University Bloomington’s Observatory on Social Media, have stepped up efforts to fight disinformation and developed their own tools to track it, some of which are available to the public. Alyza Sebenius explains.

A Democrat as President Could Do Lots to Stop Climate Change
Barack Obama wrote the playbook for U.S. presidents using executive authority to curb climate change. Jennifer A Dlouhy explains how an incoming Democratic administration might use it. 

China’s Belt and Road Plan Is Getting Lashed by Coronavirus 
Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative has been seen as a way to project China’s influence around the world. Iain Marlow, Karlis Salna, Anusha Ondaatjie and Dandan Li report that now, the coronavirus is showing how the trade and infrastructure program can also help export the country’s troubles.

Larry Kudlow Says ‘We’re Not Going to Panic’ Over the Economy
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow remains defiantly optimistic and resistant to the idea that the unfolding health crisis demands a greater economic response. Shawn Donnan explains.

Senior Saudi Arabian Princes Detained and Accused of Treason
Saudi Arabian authorities detained a brother and a nephew of Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on accusations of treason. Glen Carey and Vivian Nereim report on another of a series of crackdowns on royal relatives by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the throne.

Erdogan’s Ottoman Dreams Lie Broken on the Syrian Battlefield
The Turkish president has tried to re-establish Ankara’s sway in nations of the former Ottoman Empire amid a growing power vacuum as the U.S. disengages, Marc Champion reports. Facing Russia-backed forces in Syria’s Idlib, however, Erdogan may have pushed to the limit his country’s ability to carve a sphere of influence.

Deadly Bridges Expose Italy’s Toxic Red Tape and Self Interest
Italy’s crumbling infrastructure is putting lives at risk. To find out what’s going wrong, Marco Bertacche and Alberto Brambilla spoke to Placido Migliorino, a 60-year-old engineer whose year-long investigation into the state of the nation’s highway bridges took him on a Kafkaesque journey exposing bureaucracy, self-interest and political paralysis.

How a $7 Billion Dispute Helped Topple Mahathir’s ‘New Malaysia’
Mahathir Mohamad wanted to accelerate action to reduce living costs, a key part of the “New Malaysia” agenda that had propelled the bloc’s surprise win in 2018. But as Anisah Shukry, Elffie Chew and Yantoultra Ngui write, his proposals only spurred more bickering that caused the collapse of his unwieldy coalition of four parties with racial and religious differences.

Deadly Riots in Delhi Have Investors Rethinking India’s Future
Through its worst slowdown in more than a decade, India has had a constant positive to show investors: political stability.  But as Archana Chaudhary, Selcuk Gokoluk and Ronojoy Mazumdar report, a riot that killed more than 46 in the capital, New Delhi, during Trump’s state visit show that is no longer true. 

And finally  … The weakest productivity since the Industrial Revolution is something Boris Johnson’s government must contend with just as the U.K. enters a critical juncture. As Lucy Meakin and David Goodman explain, it may be the biggest challenge to an administration aiming to make Britain a powerhouse outside the European Union.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kathleen Hunter at khunter9@bloomberg.net

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