| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Wednesday, April 28, 2021 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. India's COVID-19 death toll tops 200,000, Biden makes his first speech to Congress, and troubles mount for Britain's prime minister | | | | | Today's biggest stories  President Joe Biden removes his face mask as he delivers remarks on the administration's coronavirus response outside the White House, April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque U.S. U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to unveil a sweeping $1.8 trillion package for families and education in his first joint speech to Congress, as he stresses the need to invest to compete with China.
Biden’s families plan includes free meals for millions of low-income children. The president will also plead directly with lawmakers to pass legislation to curb police violence.
After Biden lays out his ambitions, Republican Senator Tim Scott will make his party's argument that the Democratic agenda is a path to misery for working Americans.
A rising star in his party and the sole Black Republican in the Senate, Scott has promised to deliver an "honest conversation" and an "optimistic and hopeful message".
The Justice Department has quietly repealed a controversial Trump-era policy targeting "sanctuary cities" which called for withholding millions in grant money from cities, counties and states if they refused to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
|  A man adjusts his wife's oxygen mask as they wait in a car to enter a COVID-19 hospital for treatment in Ahmedabad, India, April 28, 2021. REUTERS/Amit Dave WORLD India’s toll from the coronavirus surged past 200,000, the country’s deadliest day, as shortages of oxygen, medical supplies and hospital staff compounded a record number of new infections. IT firms in Bengaluru have set up 'war-rooms' as they scramble to source supplies for infected workers and maintain backroom operations for the world's biggest financial firms.
Hong Kong's legislature passed a controversial immigration bill, which lawyers, diplomats and right groups fear will give authorities unlimited powers to prevent residents and others from entering or leaving the Chinese-ruled city.
Britain's electoral commission has opened a formal investigation into the financing of the refurbishment of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street apartment, saying there are grounds to suspect an offence may have been committed.
Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said he would drop an attempt to extend his term by two years, bowing to domestic and international pressure after clashes in the capital Mogadishu split security forces along clan lines.
| | | | | | | Video of the day  The unlikely COVID heroes of India's Twitterverse With hospitals turning away patients and supplies running low, young tech-savvy volunteers are providing salvation for some. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
