Weekend Reads From Balance of Power

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Americans ditching health insurance, a Russian hit list and billionaire Robert Mercer's on-and-off lark as a cop in New Mexico are just a few of the best stories in Bloomberg's political coverage over the past week.

Happy reading!

What Trump Can Learn From Cold War Before Putin and Kim Summits
Marc Champion looks at two moments in history that might help U.S. President Donald Trump as he pursues talks with the leaders of Russia and North Korea: one was a resounding success and the other a disaster that almost lead to war.  

Why Some Americans Are Risking It and Skipping Health Insurance
John Tozzi talks with people dropping medical coverage as Bloomberg starts a year-long look at families from all walks of life going without because of rising prices and shrinking networks.

What to do When You Think Your Name Is on a Kremlin Hit List
Following the March 4 nerve-agent attack on a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England, Kitty Donaldson, Henry Meyer and Irina Reznik tell the story of Boris Karpichkov, who was warned a month earlier he was on the same hit list.

Portrait of Brexit Britain: A Divided Nation Makes a Journey Into the Unknown
A year before Britain is supposed to break away from continental Europe, Bloomberg reporters roamed far and wide across the U.K. to see how people are feeling for this interactive chronicle - and found the country more divided than ever.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pulled out all the stops during Kim's visit to Beijing. In fact it's hard to spot the difference in Kim's welcome and the show Xi put on for Trump last November. Should Trump's nose be out of joint? Here are the pictures. You decide.

Republicans Promised to Cut the Deficit. It's only Getting Worse
Anna Edgerton, Allison McCartney and Chloe Whiteaker dive into the aftermath of Trump's biggest legislative victory: a massive tax cut that will add more than $1 trillion to deficits over the next 10 years after decades of Republican arguments for fiscal responsibility.

One Venezuelan Actually Chose to Come Back Home: Life in Caracas
Patricia Laya tells of her return home to Venezuela, a rare example of going against the tide of people fleeing a country beset by starvation, medicine shortages, hyperinflation and a leader fighting to keep his grip on power. It's the latest installment of Bloomberg's “Life in Caracas” series.

A Chinese Phone Maker Took Over Africa, for Better and Worse
Lulu Yilun Chen writes about the most successful mobile phone company you've probably never heard of, China's Transsion Holdings – a lesson in the risks of operating with an oppressive, autocratic regime.

And finally … Why would Robert Mercer, the billionaire computer scientist who helped bring Trump to the Oval Office, play sidekick to the lone cop of a tiny desert town? As Bloomberg Businessweek's Zachary Mider writes, to get something money can't buy. Take a look at the fascinating story of how one of the U.S.'s political kingmakers also spent six years as an on-and-off volunteer policeman in Lake Arthur, New Mexico, population 433.

To contact the author of this story: Michael Winfrey in Prague at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Caroline Alexander at calexander1@bloomberg.net.

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