Democrats notch a climate victory

Plus, Hong Kong's population declines. Congress passes climate legislation; Hong Kong’s population declines amid Covid-19 restrictions. Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.   TOP NEWS Congress passes historic climate bill Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images - Friday, the House passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a massive climate, health, and tax package, ending over a year of negotiations on President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. [[Reuters / By David Morgan, Moira Warburton, and Rose Horowitch](] - House Democrats advanced the IRA without any GOP support; every Democrat voted for the bill. [[The Hill / Mychael Schnell](] - The bill pumps over $370 billion into clean energy and climate initiatives; it also allows Medicare to negotiate the cost of some drug costs, among other provisions. [[New York Times / Emily Cochrane](] - It’s paid for mainly through government savings on health care, raising taxes on corporations, and beefing up IRS enforcement. [[Associated Press / Alan Fram](] - Democrats say the legislation will help American families by lowering energy and health care costs. Still, analysts say the impact won’t be felt right away. [[NPR / Juliana Kim]]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Hong Kong's population shrinks - Hong Kong suffered its steepest annual population decline as residents fled stringent Covid-19 restrictions and political turmoil. [[CNN / Jessie Yeung and Kathleen Magramo](] - From mid-2021 to mid-2022, Hong Kong’s population shrank 1.6 percent to 7.29 million. All told, 121,500 people left, according to government [statistics]( released Thursday. [[Bloomberg /Kari Soo Lindberg](] - The report blames the exodus on Hong Kong’s strict pandemic border controls. It doesn’t mention how many residents left after China imposed a national security law cracking down on free speech. [[AP](] - The financial hub saw years of growth until 2020, when the controversial national security law was signed. [[Nikkei Asia / Takeshi Kihara](]   MISCELLANEOUS Author Salman Rushdie, 75, was attacked before a lecture Friday in New York. In the 1980s, Iranian religious authorities called for Rushdie’s death over his novel The Satanic Verses. [[AP / Joshua Goodman](] - Ukraine and Russia are trading blame over shelling at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. The West is asking the Kremlin to remove its troops from the area. [[Reuters / Natalia Zinets](] - The FBI recovered 11 sets of classified documents during the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. [[Wall Street Journal / Alex Leary, Aruna Viswanatha, and Sadie Gurman](] - Polio has been detected in New York City wastewater, which could mean the virus that causes the disease is circulating locally. [[New York Times / Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Otterman](]   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 four-letter word for a New Mexico county or town? [Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle]([,]( and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. Want more crosswords? [Sign up for our crossword newsletter here]( and get a dedicated crossword reminder each weekend.   VERBATIM “If you are sitting at your kitchen table, wondering how you’re going to pay the bills — your health care bills, your prescription drug bills — this bill is for you." [[House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the IRA legislation / Reuters](]   LISTEN TO THIS Will the eel (slim, shady) please have sex? Where eels come from is a surprisingly difficult question to answer, in large part because scientists have never actually seen them reproduce in the wild. Gastropod explains why eels are somehow still so mysterious. [Listen now ▶](   Read more from Vox [Liz Cheney’s primary is all about Donald Trump — except in Wyoming]( [New York’s polio crisis, explained]( [Society is a mess in Emily the Criminal, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and Not Okay]( [Every movie seems to be split into chapters these days]( [Fight climate change. End fossilflation. Here’s how](. [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 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.