Your Weekend Reads From Bloomberg Politics

(Bloomberg) --

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s representatives assumed all the trappings of an official government in Washington this week. In neighboring Brazil, a deadly dam collapse renewed questions about the influence mining companies and other business hold over government regulators. And fresh concerns arose about potential dangers associated with President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. 

Take some time to dig deeper into these and other stories you may have overlooked during the daily grind with the latest edition of Weekend Reads. 

Freezing Out Maduro, Team Trump Embraces Guaido Envoys in D.C.
Anna Edgerton, Margaret Talev and Nick Wadhams chronicle the diplomatic and economic steps the U.S. has taken to shore up the 35-year-old engineer-turned-politician who’s challenging Nicolas Maduro’s socialist regime. 

Putin Shows Rare Soft Spot to Rescue Russia’s ISIS Children
President Vladimir Putin is renowned for his ruthless approach to terrorists. But Russia has been more willing than many Western nations to help women and children linked with Islamic State fighters return home, Ilya Arkhipov reports. Click here for more on the risk posed by the potential release of jailed Jihadis in Syria. 

Huawei’s Clout Is So Strong It’s Helping Shape Global 5G Rules
Security officials are increasingly concerned that China’s government and Huawei Technologies Co. are taking a bigger role in international organizations that set standards for emerging technology. Todd Shields and Alyza Sebenius explain what it means.

Daley Dynasty Is Blessing, Curse in Packed Chicago Mayoral Race
The ballot for Chicago mayor hasn’t been this crowded since at least World War II. But as John McCormick writes, only one of the 14 candidates has a name synonymous with the city, and that could be good or bad for Bill Daley. 
 

Starbucks’ Schultz Challenged to Find Constituency for 2020 Bid
Howard Schultz’s flirtation with an independent presidential bid faces a challenge: Voters are shifting further left or right. Sahil Kapur reports that the 65-year-old billionaire’s attacks on liberal economics leave him without a clear national constituency. 

Desperation Erodes Fear: Protesters Brave Zimbabwe Crackdown 
In four decades of independence, Zimbabwe’s rulers have been able to deploy the security forces to crush protests even as the southern African nation sank deeper into economic crisis. Judging from the latest bout of unrest, Antony Sguazzin and Brian Latham write, that may no longer be true.

In Tense Uganda, You Watch President - And He Watches You
Fred Ojambo and Samuel Gebre report from Kampala, where critics of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni say the capital’s new surveillance system and a glitzy biopic charting his rise to power are part of a push to glorify 30 years of iron rule.

How Italy’s Salvini Wants to Replace Merkel as EU's Power Broker
The Italian deputy prime minister’s bold ambition, John Follain reports, is to replace Angela Merkel as the cornerstone of Europe’s political order, using elections in May as the sharp edge. 

And finally… It’s Super Bowl Sunday in America tomorrow, and this year’s contest is shaping up as a battle of the ages – ages of the coaches, that is.  The Los Angeles Rams’ 33 year-old Sean McVay will face off against the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick. At 66, Belichick is not only twice McVay’s age, he’s also racked up a record five Super Bowl head coaching wins. It will be McVay’s first appearance in a National Football League championship game. But Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams talked to a Rams executive about how the young coach’s leadership skills match those shown by boardroom executives. And whatever the scoreboard says at the end of the game, McVay will have won the distinction of being the youngest-ever Super Bowl coach. 

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net

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