2021年9月20日星期一

Monday Briefing: Crunch time for Congress with Biden's agenda, and debt limit, on the line

Monday, September 20, 2021

by Linda Noakes

Hello

Here's what you need to know.

Russia's pro-Putin party wins big, China Evergrande shares dive as default risks grow and the UK meat industry warns of an imminent threat to supplies

Today's biggest stories

A man wearing a raccoon hat talks about his belief that former President Donald Trump won the election and that it was stolen from him through fraud, during a rally in support of defendants being prosecuted in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, in Washington, September 18, 2021. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

U.S.

The U.S. Congress returns to session facing a massive agenda and a tight time crunch, with Democrats hoping to pass sweeping domestic programs, fund the government, approve an infrastructure bill and raise the debt ceiling in a matter of weeks. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen issued a fresh plea for Congress to raise the debt ceiling, arguing a default would trigger a historic financial crisis.

U.S. border agents began expelling plane-loads of mostly Haitian migrants from a large makeshift camp they had set up after wading across the Rio Grande separating Mexico and the United States, with repatriation flights arriving in Haiti. We spoke to returned Haitians lamenting their lost American dream, and migrants collecting food trying to evade law enforcement at the border.

Senate Democrats hit a major roadblock in their effort to allow millions of immigrants to legally stay in the United States, after the Senate Parliamentarian ruled against attaching the measure to a $3.5 trillion spending bill.

Police and FBI agents searching a national park in Wyoming have found a body "consistent" with missing Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old woman whose disappearance has captivated the United States. Members of Petito's family reported her missing on September 11, 10 days after her 23-year-old boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, returned home from a months-long cross-country trip in the van without her.

Members of a local election commission count ballots at a polling station inside Kazansky railway terminal in Moscow, Russia, September 19, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

WORLD

Russia's ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, retained its parliamentary majority after an election and a sweeping crackdown on its critics, but opponents alleged widespread fraud.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may cling to power in today's election but looks set to lose his bid for a parliamentary majority after a tough campaign that dashed his hopes for a convincing win.

Social Democrat Olaf Scholz brushed off a last-gasp attack from his conservative rival in a televised election debate, cementing his position as front runner to succeed Chancellor Angela Merkel after Germans go to the polls in a week.

A Rwandan court found Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, guilty of being part of a group responsible for terrorist attacks.

Researchers are collecting samples from bats in northern Cambodia in a bid to understand the coronavirus pandemic, returning to a region where a very similar virus was found in the animals a decade ago.

BUSINESS

Shares of China Evergrande plunged to over 11-year lows, extending losses as executives try to salvage its business prospects and as default fears grow. Officials are allowing the troubled developer to teeter on the edge of default but hoping the flames won’t incinerate the wider economy, writes Breakingviews columnist Pete Sweeney.

U.S. auto safety investigators have opened a new probe into 30 million vehicles built by nearly two dozen automakers with potentially defective Takata air bag inflators, a government document seen by Reuters showed.

With demand for toys at an all-time high, U.S. suppliers and retailers are racing to outrun severe air, sea and land shipping snarls so Santa has a mountain of dolls, scooters and video game consoles to deliver at Christmas.

Some of Britain's meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide within five days, forcing them to halt production, the head of the industry's lobby group warned. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and has shut fertiliser plants that also produce carbon dioxide, used to stun animals before slaughter and prolong the shelf-life of food.

BP CEO Bernard Looney plans to sell fossil-fuel assets worth $25 billion to finance a rapid transition to more speculative renewable energy projects. Investors don’t love it. Read our special report on how BP is gambling big on a fast transition from oil to renewables.

Quote of the day

"If the worst-case scenarios materialise, this planet is not going to be hospitable to the human species by the end of this century"

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Greek PM says cost of ignoring climate crisis is unimaginable

Video of the day

Thousands flee as volcano erupts on Spain's La Palma island

The Canary Islands' first volcanic eruption in 50 years has forced the evacuation of about 5,000 people, including about 500 tourists.

And finally…

'Ted Lasso' and 'The Crown' win top Emmy Awards

The night was dominated by streaming shows, British talent and rare wins by women.

More from Reuters

COVID-19 Reuters Investigates Legal news The Great Reboot

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

没有评论:

发表评论