Wednesday Briefing: Support for Biden erodes among Democrats as U.S. looks past pandemic

The Reuters Daily Briefing Wednesday, June 30, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Trump heads to the U.S.-Mexico border, North Korea's Kim warns of a 'great crisis', and China's Didi raises $4.4 billion in an upsized IPO Today's biggest stories U.S. President Joe Biden holds an ice cream cone during a stop at an ice cream shop after a visit to La Crosse Municipal Transit Utility, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque U.S. U.S. President Joe Biden has seen an erosion in support since April, mainly from fellow Democrats, as his administration wrestles with Congress to make good on campaign promises and more Americans worry about an uneven economic recovery, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump visits the U.S.-Mexico border today as he seeks to reclaim the spotlight, riding a wave of Republican attacks on Biden over the rise in migrants caught entering the United States. New York City's first attempt at ranked-choice voting descended into confusion, after the elections board abruptly removed updated vote totals from its website hours after posting them due to what it called a "discrepancy" in the numbers. The House of Representatives passed a bill to remove statues honoring those who upheld slavery or backed the Confederacy from the Capitol building, which displays statues selected by all 50 states. The U.S. National Security Agency denied allegations by Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the agency is spying on him in an attempt to force him off the air. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un speaks at a plenary meeting of the 8th central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in this still image taken from KRT footage on June 16, 2021 WORLD North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the failure to implement measures to tackle the coronavirus had caused a "great crisis" and he chastised ruling party officials for risking the safety of the country and people, state media reported. North Korea has not officially confirmed any COVID-19 cases, a position questioned by South Korean and U.S. officials. Myanmar's authorities will free around 700 prisoners from Yangon's Insein jail today, prison chief Zaw Zaw told Reuters, in a release that is expected to include some of the thousands of people detained for opposing military rule. Jewish settlers have agreed to quit a remote outpost that has become a flashpoint for clashes with Palestinians who also claim the land, under a deal aimed at addressing an awkward political test for the new Israeli government. The European Union's executive is considering legal action against Poland over 'LGBT-free' zones set up by some local authorities there. The EU says LGBT rights must be respected in all member states, but Poland's ruling nationalist party has made anti-gay policies part of its governing platform. BUSINESS Investors have enjoyed a rewarding ride in the first half of 2021, as unprecedented economic stimulus, stellar earnings growth and a reopening U.S. economy powered the S&P 500 to record highs. Here are five market trends investors are eyeing halfway through 2021. From working at a foot massage company to setting up China's biggest ride-hailing firm, Will Wei Cheng has navigated several hurdles on the path to taking Didi Global public in a $4.4-billion New York float. Orange said it will launch an experimental 5G network using a cloud-based open platform and artificial intelligence in July, as the telecom industry rushes to shift services onto the cloud in a bid to cut costs and modernise. French carmaker Renault unveiled a more ambitious strategy for electric vehicles, betting on new, affordable versions of its iconic small cars of the past to catch up with Volkswagen in the fast-growing sector. Quote of the day "The way I look at it, as an old Navy guy, is that when somebody is missing in the military, you're missing until you're found, and we don't stop the search" Ron DeSantis Florida governor Hopes dim for scores still missing nearly a week after Florida condo collapse Video of the day Start-up creates plaster cast alternative The colorful web-like casts are lightweight, waterproof and biodegradable, and are seen as an alternative to plaster casts, which are often made from petroleum-based products. And finally… Saving the pangolin: One conservationist's lifetime mission A lucrative illegal trade in Asia in body parts alleged to be able to cure everything from cancer to male impotence makes pangolins one of the world's most trafficked mammals. 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

Tuesday Briefing: New York prosecutors to indict Trump Organization insider - but not Trump

The Reuters Daily Briefing Tuesday, June 29, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Hopes fade for scores missing under Florida condo rubble, a ceasefire in Ethiopia, and an old U.S. foe grows his political power in Iraq Today's biggest stories FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds his first post-presidency campaign rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington, Ohio, June 26, 2021. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse U.S. New York prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump's business practices are likely to issue one or more criminal indictments this week – but not against Trump himself, according to people involved in the case. Search-and-rescue operations continue at the site of a partly collapsed Florida condominium complex where at least 11 people were killed, with another 150 missing and feared dead. Hopes are fading by the hour of pulling anyone else alive from the rubble. President Joe Biden will visit Wisconsin today to drum up support for a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package hammered out by a bipartisan group of legislators but still in need of wide support in Congress to become reality. New York will take Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and the nation's largest drug distributors to trial today, seeking to hold them liable for fueling an opioid crisis that has caused nearly half a million U.S. deaths over a decade. The cities of Portland and Salem in Oregon, and Seattle in Washington set new temperature records as the Pacific Northwest baked under a heatwave that has shut down much of daily life for residents. Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces carry the mock coffins of fellow members, who were killed by U.S. air strikes on the Syria-Iraq border, during a symbolic funeral in Baghdad, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Saba Kareem WORLD MIDDLE EAST The political movement of nationalist Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has quietly come to dominate the apparatus of the Iraqi state. This could pose problems for the United States and Iran. Read our special report on the old U.S. foe growing his political power. Biden's latest strikes against Iran-backed militia in Syria and Iraq are not the first nor likely the last of his young presidency. We take a look at how America's battles with Iran-backed militia are escalating again. The U.N. investigator on human rights in Iran has called for an independent inquiry into allegations of state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by President-elect Ebrahim Raisi as Tehran deputy prosecutor. AFRICA The former rulers of Ethiopia's Tigray region said they were back in control of the regional capital Mekelle after nearly eight months of fighting, and the government which ousted them declared a unilateral ceasefire with immediate effect. South Africa's highest court sentenced ex-president Jacob Zuma to 15 months in jail for failing to appear at a corruption inquiry, as Zuma appeared to run out of options in his battle to escape prosecution. Demonstrators in the small southern African kingdom of eSwatini demanded reforms to its system of absolute monarchy, and security forces tried to repel them with gunfire and tear gas. Campaigners say King Mswati III has consistently evaded calls for meaningful reforms that would nudge eSwatini, which changed its name from Swaziland in 2018, in the direction of democracy. CHINA President Xi Jinping urged Chinese Communist Party members to remain loyal and continue to serve the people as he awarded a new medal of honour to 29 members as part of the ruling party's 100th anniversary celebrations. An extravaganza of song, dance and theater credited the party with guiding China's rise into a great power over the past century. Read how China's ruling party is censoring its past as the centenary nears, and see our photo essay from a scarred Hong Kong where "beautiful things are gone". BUSINESS United Airlines unveiled its largest ever order for 270 Boeing and Airbus jets worth more than $30 billion at list prices as it seeks to grow domestically after the pandemic. A U.S. judge dismissed federal and state antitrust complaints against Facebook that sought to force the social media company to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, saying the federal complaint was "legally insufficient." TP ICAP, the world's biggest interdealer broker, is launching a cryptocurrency trading platform with Fidelity Investments and Standard Chartered's digital assets custody unit. The platform will initially allow institutional investors to trade bitcoin, with second-largest token ether to be added later. French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated JPMorgan's new trading hub in Paris, as France pitches for more banking jobs and tries to lure finance workers looking to leave London after Brexit. Quote of the day "The risk is real and we need to act quickly, we need to go hard, we need to go fast" Annastacia Palaszczuk Queensland premier Australia tightens lockdown amid Delta virus outbreak Video of the day Furloughed Londoner finds fortune in the Thames Confined to London by coronavirus lockdowns, Flora Blathwayt founded a business based on rubbish she retrieves from the muddy banks of the River Thames. And finally… When do electric vehicles become cleaner than gasoline cars? You glide silently out of the Tesla showroom in your sleek new electric Model 3, satisfied you're looking great and doing your bit for the planet. But keep going - you'll have to drive another 13,500 miles before you're doing less harm to the environment than a gas-guzzling saloon. 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