Weekend plans: Pass a climate bill?

Plus, China cancels the US.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

Democrats close in on a climate deal; China severs some ties with the US.   Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin. TOP NEWS Sen. Sinema agrees to Dems' climate package   Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images On Thursday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) said she would move forward with a revised version of the Democrats' climate and health care bill, now called the Inflation Reduction Act, setting up President Joe Biden for a victory on his long-stalled agenda. [New York Times / Emily Cochrane] The Arizona senator was the only holdout after centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) reversed course to support the legislation last week. [Wall Street Journal / Andrew Duehren] Sinema agreed to support the bill after party lawmakers dropped a proposal to increase taxes on wealthy investors and changed the minimum tax on corporations. As part of the deal, Democrats will also reserve funding for addressing climate impacts like drought. [Washington Post / Tony Romm] With Sinema's vote, Democrats aim to pass the legislation after approval from the Senate parliamentarian to use the reconciliation process, which requires a simple majority rather than the typical 60 votes. In the evenly divided Senate, Vice President Kamala Harris casts the tie-breaking vote. [USA Today / Joey Garrison and Dylan Wells] The Inflation Reduction Act would pump $369 billion into clean energy and climate initiatives to help the US slash its planet-warming emissions. It also seeks to lower the cost of some prescription drugs and reduce the federal deficit. [Guardian / Lois Beckett] Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hopes to bring the bill to the floor Saturday, where both parties will debate amendments before voting. [NPR / Deepa Shivaram] China halts cooperation with the US On Friday, China cut ties with the US on major issues, including climate and the military, following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan. [Associated Press / Ellen Knickmeyer, Zeke Miller, and David Rising] Pelosi's visit to the self-governing island angered Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of China. After her departure Thursday, China began firing missiles around Taiwan. [CNN / Jessie Yeung] In response, officials summoned Chinese Ambassador Qin Gang to the White House Friday. They told him the exercises went against the longstanding peace policy around Taiwan. [Washington Post / Yasmeen Abutaleb, Michelle Ye Hee Lee, and Ellen Nakashima] The suspension of climate talks between the world's top two polluters threatens the global goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius. [ABC News / Alexandra Hutzler and Karson Yiu] MISCELLANEOUS On Thursday, Donald Trump-backed 2020 election denier Kari Lake won the Arizona GOP primary for governor. [Politico / Joseph Gedeon] Texas conservatives embraced far-right Hungarian leader Viktor Orban's speech decrying fake news and gay marriage. [BBC] A jury on Thursday awarded two Sandy Hook parents $4.1 million in their defamation case against Infowars' Alex Jones. [CNN / Oliver Darcy] On Friday, the Pentagon denied a request from DC's mayor for national guard help to address buses of migrants sent from Texas and Arizona. [AP / Lolita C. Baldor] Support our journalism   Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work with a one-time gift today. Give CROSSWORD OF THE DAY What's a five-letter word for out in court? Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle, and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. VERBATIM "This is a dramatically large climate bill, the biggest in US history if it passes. It doesn't mean the US won't need to do more to achieve its emissions goals, but it will make a meaningful difference." [Anand Gopal, executive director of policy at Energy Innovation / Guardian] LISTEN TO THIS Authoritarianism, baby! Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán traveled to Texas for CPAC this week. Back home, he's trying to fight population decline by paying some citizens to have more kids. But a real solution involves one weird trick Hungary — and US conservatives — hates.   Listen now   ▶ Read more from Vox Viktor Orbán laid out his dark worldview to the American right — and they loved it How can the US bring Brittney Griner home? Bad Bunny threw the party of the year for Puerto Ricans — and didn't skip the politics Will Alex Jones finally lose the info war? Bullet Train is deeply derivative, and that's its appeal This email was sent to vox@quicklydone.com. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.   View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.   Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.