Thursday Briefing: U.S. Senate passes bill to ban all products from China's Xinjiang

The Reuters Daily Briefing Thursday, July 15, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Dozens die in floods in western Europe, Oregon wildfire forces hundreds from their homes, and Washington turns the screw on Beijing Today's biggest stories Smoke billows over the hills to the north of a Red Cross disaster shelter as the Bootleg Fire expands to over 210,000 acres, in Klamath Falls, Oregon, July 14, 2021. REUTERS/Mathieu Lewis-Rolland U.S. A swiftly spreading wildfire raged through drought-parched timber and brush in south-central Oregon for a ninth day, threatening nearly 2,000 homes and displacing hundreds of residents with little sign of slowing. The clock is ticking as President Joe Biden welcomes German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House with both hoping to rebuild ties badly frayed under former President Donald Trump. Merkel, chancellor since 2005, plans to exit Germany's government after national elections in September. The Senate passed legislation to ban the import of products from China's Xinjiang region, the latest effort in Washington to punish Beijing for what U.S. officials say is an ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim groups. A record number of Americans died of drug overdoses last year as pandemic lockdowns made getting treatment difficult and dealers laced more drugs with a powerful synthetic opioid, new data shows. Three top Democratic senators unveiled a discussion draft of a bill that aims to legalize cannabis, a move that would allow adult Americans to buy and possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana without facing criminal penalties. While adult use of cannabis is legal in 18 states, and allowed medically in 37 states, it remains illegal under federal law. Collapsed houses are seen in a flood-affected area following heavy rainfalls in Schuld, Germany, July 15, 2021. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay WORLD At least 33 people have died in Germany and dozens are missing after record rainfall in western Europe caused rivers to burst their banks, swept away homes and flooded cellars. Police in Paris clashed with protesters railing against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to require a COVID-19 vaccine certificate or negative PCR test to gain entry to bars, restaurants and cinemas from next month. Meanwhile, more than 5,000 anti-vaccine protesters rallied in Athens to oppose Greece's coronavirus vaccinations programme. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was transferred to a Sao Paulo hospital to undergo tests for an obstructed intestine, with the president's office saying he could receive emergency surgery in his latest health complication from a 2018 stabbing. A bid by conservative Keiko Fujimori to flip the result of Peru's June 6 presidential election looks to have run out of road, setting the stage for socialist rival Pedro Castillo to be confirmed the Andean country's next leader. BUSINESS Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell pledged "powerful support" to complete the U.S. economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, but faced sharp questions from Republican lawmakers concerned about recent spikes in inflation. Morgan Stanley reported a big jump in quarterly profit, comfortably beating Wall Street expectations, as its investment banking business benefited from record levels of activity in deal making and capital markets. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has sued Amazon.com to force the retailer to recall hundreds of thousands of hazardous products that it has distributed on its platform. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co signaled plans to build new factories in the United States and Japan, riding on a pandemic-led surge in demand for chips that power smartphones, laptops and cars. TSMC said it doesn't rule out the possibility of a "second phase" expansion at its $12 billion factory in Arizona. Quote of the day "The return to the office has everything to do with the personality of the CEO, because it has to do with the company culture, and the culture comes from the very top" Glenn Gow Business coach Return to the office? Ask the CEO Video of the day Baby thrown from burning building in South Africa A 2-year-old girl survived unharmed after her mother threw her to safety as they escaped a burning high-rise building in Durban during protests. And finally… Paralysed IndyCar driver races again in hi-tech Corvette Sam Schmidt steers via a racing hat and sunglasses fitted with infrared sensors, which are motion-tracked by infrared cameras mounted on the dashboard to detect his head movements. More from Reuters COVID-19 Investigations Breakingviews Legal News Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. Terms, conditions, and privacy statement © 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036