Infrastructure’s path forward

The BIF is almost here; fire evacuations in Greece, Turkey. The bipartisan infrastructure bill is moving toward the finish line; forest fires in Greece and Turkey have led to mass evacuations. Tonight's Sentences was written by Gabby Birenbaum. TOP NEWS An infrastructure vote by Saturday [President Biden with a bipartisan group of Senators]( Win McNamee/Getty Images - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is targeting Saturday as the day for a successful vote to close debate on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Sixty senators will need to approve. [[Politico / Burgess Everett](] - Senators had tried to finalize a package of amendments in late-night negotiations but were stopped when Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) refused to agree, blocking the required unanimous consent. [[The Hill / Jordain Carney](] - Hagerty withheld his support over the bill’s score from the Congressional Budget Office, which said the bill would add $256 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years. [[NYT / Alan Rappeport and Emily Cochrane](] - Schumer blamed Republicans for the Thursday night snag but said he believes the bill can get wrapped up on Saturday. [[Bloomberg / Steven T. Dennis and Laura Davison](] - Thus far, Senators have voted on almost 25 amendments, none of which make substantial changes to the bill. They have about two dozen more to go but are halting most work today as many attend the funeral of former Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY). [[AP / Kevin Freking and Lisa Mascaro](] - If Saturday’s procedural vote passes, the Senate will have a limited time to debate and vote on amendments. From there, it can vote on final passage and, if successful, send the bill to the House. [[CNN / Ali Zaslav, Clare Foran, and Manu Raju](]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Wildfires in Greece and Turkey - An intense heat wave in Southern Europe has ignited wildfires, leading to thousands of evacuations in Greece and Turkey. In Greece, there are 56 active wildfires, including one that threatened the capital city of Athens. [[AP / Thanassis Stavrakis, Elena Becatoros, and Suzan Fraser](] - Officials in Greece have described the heat wave as the worst in three decades as temperatures hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit. In Turkey, officials say the wildfires are the worst in a generation, killing eight people thus far. [[CBS News](] - Entire villages have been burnt and important sites have been threatened. The fires are a result of hotter, drier conditions facilitated by climate change. [[BBC News](] - The Greek coast guard deployed boats to rescue people on Peloponnese islands as villages burned, with the agency’s leader describing the conditions as apocalypse-like. [[Al Jazeera](] - European Union countries have sent firefighters to Greece to help contain the fires. Earlier this week, a firefighting crew was able to save the site of the first Olympic Games. [[Reuters / Lefteris Papadimas and Costas Baltas](] MISCELLANEOUS Brian Houston, the founder of the Hillsong megachurch, was charged by Australian police with allegedly helping cover up his father’s child sexual abuse. [[BuzzFeed News / Paige Skinner](] - Moderate Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) announced he is running for the Senate, adding to the field competing to replace retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). [[Politico / James Arkin](] - United Airlines will require proof of vaccination from all employees, becoming the first airline to do so. [[Miami Herald / Mike Stunson](] - New statistics from the Department of Labor show that the US economy added 943,000 jobs and reduced unemployment to 5.4 percent in the month of July. [[The Hill / Sylvan Lane](] Support our journalism Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work from as little as $3. [Contribute $3]( CROSSWORD OF THE DAY [Crossword of the day]( What's a popular purchase at a Jewish deli? [Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle]([,]( and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. VERBATIM “I don’t think there’s going to be a real robust amendment process here. I think all the action is going to be on the reconciliation bill.” [[Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), on how Republicans are saving their amendment firepower for the Democrats’ budget bill rather than the bipartisan infrastructure bill](] LISTEN TO THIS [Authoritarians without borders]( Zack, Jenn, and Jen Kirby look at how authoritarianism has become internationalized, through the lens of two recent news stories: 1) Fox News host Tucker Carlson choosing to broadcast his show from Hungary this week, and 2) a Belarusian Olympian in Tokyo seeking asylum out of fear of punishment by the Lukashenko regime after she criticized her coach on social media. [[Spotify](] Read more from Vox [How to live with anxiety about climate change]( [The danger of anti-China rhetoric]( [Trading cards are big business now. Blame the adults.]( [August’s most exciting movies]( [Democrats say Cuomo must resign. He’s refusing. What now?](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( [unsubscribe](param=sentences). 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 11, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2021. All rights reserved.