Thursday Briefing: Senate advances roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill

Thursday, July 29, 2021

by Hani Richter

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Here's what you need to know.

The Senate advances a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden is set to ask federal workers to get vaccinated or face testing and Pennsylvania Republican blasts an election audit.

Today's biggest stories

U.S.

A roughly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure investment bill advanced in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, passing a key milestone that moves the emerging legislation toward formal debate and possible passage.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce that all civilian federal workers will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or face regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and travel limits, a source said.

The U.S. Justice Department's refusal to defend a Republican congressman accused in a civil lawsuit of helping to incite the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol could hamper Donald Trump's legal defense in the same case, experts said.

A Republican lawmaker in Pennsylvania has come out against his colleagues' "forensic" audit of the 2020 election, becoming the party's first statewide official to publicly call for an end to the effort and warn of electoral consequences for the party.

The United States is expected to delay a partial rollback of a controversial migrant expulsion policy, according to three people familiar with the matter, citing fears related to the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

A view shows damaged buildings in the aftermath of a massive explosion in Beirut's port area, Lebanon August 13, 2020. Picture taken with a drone August 13, 2020. REUTERS/Bader Helal

World

Nearly a year later, Ibrahim Hoteit, a spokesperson for families of more than 200 people who died in the huge explosion that ripped through the port of Beirut last August, is still trying to call to account those he says are responsible for allowing the accident to happen.

England's decision to keep quarantine measures for travelers coming from France and not for those coming from other European Union countries is discriminatory and not based on science, a French minister said.

Haiti's new Prime Minister Ariel Henry on Wednesday said the government plans to create conditions for the Caribbean nation to hold elections as swiftly as possible following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise earlier this month.

Recent unrest in South Africa damaged hundreds of businesses but property developers and retailers say they remain committed to the fast-growing consumer markets of its predominantly Black townships.

Tunisia's president said he was addressing the dire economic and COVID-19 situation and probing widespread corruption after invoking emergency powers on Sunday to seize control of government in a move his foes called a coup.

Business

Merck reported quarterly revenue on Thursday ahead of analysts' estimates, as a recovery in demand for its cancer drug Keytruda helped offset a hit to sales of some of the company's vaccines due to rising COVID-19 cases.

Led by Facebook, social media platforms from Alphabet's YouTube to Snap and Twitter are investing heavily in shopping features to drive revenue growth, a major theme that emerged during second-quarter results over the past week.

LinkedIn will allow most employees to opt for full-time remote work as offices gradually reopen, Chief People Officer Teuila Hanson told Reuters.

Yum Brands beat Wall Street expectations for quarterly sales, as new menu items and easing restrictions on restaurants drove consumers to its KFC and Pizza Hut outlets.

Carmaker Volkswagen, plane maker Airbus and energy major Royal Dutch Shell all posted bumper financial earnings reflecting a generally buoyant mood among European companies emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.

Olympics

American double world champion pole vaulter Sam Kendricks and rival German Chiaraviglio of Argentina were ruled out of the Olympics on Thursday after testing positive for COVID-19, sending a chill through the Games as infections spiked again in the host city.

See our full coverage of Tokyo 2020

Quote of the day

"Average temperatures for the UK continue to climb, with nearly a degree of warming when comparing the most recent 30 years with the preceding 30-year period."

Mike Kenson

Senior climate scientist at the Met Office

Britain's climate getting warmer, sunnier and wetter

Video of the day

Drama in Congress as mask mandates return

And finally…

Teenage skater gets legal surprise on return to Brazil

Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal who won the silver medal at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, arrives at the Guarulhos International Airport, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Carla Carniel

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