Tuesday Briefing: U.S. Senate poised to pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill

The Reuters Daily Briefing Tuesday, August 10, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. The Delta variant is raging through southern U.S. states, Prince Andrew is sued by a Jeffrey Epstein accuser, and North Korea is not picking up the phone Today's biggest stories People gather at an anti-mandatory COVID-19 vaccine protest held outside New York City Hall in Manhattan, August 9, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly U.S. Only eight intensive care unit beds were available on Monday in the state of Arkansas, its governor said, as the rapid spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus pushed cases and hospitalizations in the United States to a six-month high. The Pentagon said that it will seek President Joe Biden's approval by mid-September to require 1.3 million military members to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Senate is set today to hand Biden a $1 trillion victory when it votes to pass one of the largest infrastructure investment bills in decades and then launches debate on a budget framework aimed at setting the stage for $3.5 trillion in additional investments. Britain's Prince Andrew has been sued in a New York court by a woman who alleged that he sexually assaulted and battered her two decades ago when she was 17 years old. Virginia Giuffre, who says she was trafficked for sex by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, filed a civil complaint against Queen Elizabeth's second son. Firefighters and volunteers try to extinguish a wildfire burning in the village of Galatsona, on the island of Evia, Greece, August 9, 2021. REUTERS/Nicolas Economou WORLD Residents are mounting a round the clock watch to try to save their homes from the wildfires ravaging the Greek island of Evia, determined to stay put despite the authorities urging them to evacuate. Taliban fighters tightened their control of captured territory in northern Afghanistan as residents hid in their homes and a pro-government commander vowed to fight to the death to defend Mazar-i-Sharif, the biggest city in the north. North Korea did not answer routine calls on inter-Korean hotlines today, South Korea said, hours after a senior official in Pyongyang warned the South and the United States over annual joint military drills set to begin this week. A Chinese court upheld a Canadian man's death sentence for drug smuggling a day before another court is due to rule on the case of another Canadian accused of spying. The court proceedings for the two Canadians come as lawyers in Canada representing the detained chief financial officer of telecoms giant Huawei make a final push to convince a court there not to extradite her to the United States, where she faces charges linked to violating sanctions. BUSINESS Early this year, Brian Benstock, a Honda and Acura dealer in New York City, convinced his banker it would be smart to buy more vehicles than he could fit onto his parking lot. The bet has paid off. Google employees based in the same office before the pandemic could see different changes in pay if they switch to working from home permanently, with long commuters hit harder, according to a company pay calculator seen by Reuters. Most Wall Street workers can expect double-digit increases in bonuses this year compared to 2020, while investment bankers could see the biggest checks in roughly a decade, according to a report by compensation consulting firm Johnson Associates. Amazon.com said it would pay customers who suffer injuries or property damage from defective goods others sell on its U.S. platform, in a new policy that could reduce litigation. China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, its top anti-corruption agency, has criticised what it called a "disgusting" culture of business drinking following a sexual assault scandal at e-commerce giant Alibaba. Quote of the day "People don't understand - it's the governor of the state of New York. He is a professional fighter. It hasn't been easy" Brittany Commisso Cuomo accuser who filed criminal report goes public in TV interview Video of the day Bees find refuge in robotic hive The hive's robotic arm scans stacks of honeycombs that together could house up to two million bees - inspecting them for disease, monitoring for pesticides and reporting in real time any hazards that threaten the colony. And finally… China's wild elephants head to safety after long trek Fourteen wild elephants are heading south towards their protected habitat in southwest China's Yunnan province following a 1,300-km trek that captured the public's imagination. 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