The bill, as amended by the Senate, passed in the House on Thursday with a vote of 218 to 214.
President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful” bill into law on Independence Day, marking a large legislative victory for his first year back in office.
The signing ceremony was held at the White House, where the president called the bill “the greatest victory yet” and the “single most popular bill ever signed.” He commended lawmakers who got the bill done, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who gifted Trump the gavel used to enact the Big Beautiful Bill.
US President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a major spending and tax bill, which includes key parts of his second-term agenda. The legislation, dubbed the “big, beautiful bill” by Trump, was passed by the US House of Representatives on Thursday just before the July 4 deadline.The House passed the bill on Thursday with a narrow 218-214 vote, following its approval in the Senate on Tuesday, where it passed by a 51-50 margin. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.“Our Country is going to explode with Massive Growth, even more than it already has since I was Re-Elected,” Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote to send the bill back to the House.
Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp perched on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Texas, was a place of laughter, prayer and adventure just days ago.
But just before daybreak on Friday, the Fourth of July public holiday, the river rose 26ft (8m) in about 45 minutes amid a torrential downpour.
Many of the girls were sleeping in low-lying cabins less than 500ft (150m) from the riverbank.
Many of those bunk beds are now mud-caked and toppled, the detritus of a summer camp cut tragically short.
Destroyed personal belongings are scattered across soaked interiors where children once gathered for Bible study and campfire songs.
So far 78 fatalities have been confirmed from the floods in central Texas. At least 68, including 28 children, were in Kerr County, where Camp Mystic was located.
Among the dead is the camp’s longtime director, Richard “Dick” Eastland, and several young campers. Ten girls and a counsellor from the camp are still missing.
Russia’s former transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead with a gunshot wound in his car just hours after it was revealed he had been sacked from his role.
Mr Starovoit, the ex-governor of the Kursk region, is reported to have taken his own life.
The report of his death comes after he was dismissed from his transport role by President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement on Monday, the Investigative Committee of Russia said: “The body of the former minister of transport of the Russian Federation, Roman Vladimirovich Starovoit, was discovered in his personal vehicle with a gunshot wound today in the Odintsovo city district.”
The circumstances surrounding Mr Starovoit’s death are being investigated, with the statement adding: “The main version is suicide.”
Earlier on Monday, it was revealed Mr Putin had fired Mr Starovoit after just over a year in the job.
Mr Starovoit was appointed transport minister in May 2024 after spending almost five years as governor of the Kursk region bordering Ukraine.
A few months after he left his role as governor, Ukrainian troops crossed over the border into Kursk as Kyiv launched the biggest foreign incursion into Russian territory since the Second World War.
The U.K. Royal Family’s X account posted a clip of the Coldstream Guards playing Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan – widely recognized as an LGBT anthem – with the hashtag #Pride2025 along with emojis of a rainbow, sparkles, and a disco ball to mark London Pride. This is the first time the Royal Family has publicly acknowledged the annual event of the LGBT movement.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex – the widely loathed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – have previously celebrated “pride” month, posting to their Instagram account: “This month we pay tribute to the accounts supporting the LGBTQ+ community – those young and old, their families and friends, accounts that reflect on the past and are hopeful for a deservedly more inclusive future. We stand with you and support you. Because it’s very simple: love is love.”
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazil will play host to a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies Sunday and Monday during which pressing topics like Israel’s attack on Iran, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and trade tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to be handled with caution.
Analysts and diplomats said the lack of cohesion in an enlarged BRICS, which doubled in size last year, may affect its ability to become another pole in world affairs. They also see the summit’s moderate agenda as an attempt by member countries to stay off Trump’s radar.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will have some of his priorities, such as debates on artificial intelligence and climate change, front and center for the talks with key leaders not in attendance.
China’s President Xi Jinping won’t attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country’s leader in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make an appearance via videoconference, continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The restraint expected in Rio de Janeiro marks a departure from last year’s summit hosted by Russia in Kazan, when the Kremlin sought to develop alternatives to U.S.-dominated payment systems which would allow it to dodge Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are set to meet at the White House on Monday. One of the most difficult questions on the table is what Gaza might look like without Hamas.
Experts tell Fox News Digital that while the need for an alternative is clear, almost every proposed solution comes with serious structural, political and security limitations.
John Hannah, a senior fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) and veteran of both Republican and Democratic administrations, said building an alternative to Hamas must happen in parallel with dismantling it.
Hamas terrorists emerge from the shadows as they surround Red Cross vehicles. (TPS-IL)
“Part of how you win is by showing there’s a viable alternative,” Hannah said. “People need to see there’s a future beyond Hamas”
That future, experts believe, lies in a non-Hamas technocratic government – comprised of Palestinians unaffiliated with either Hamas or the PLO – backed by a coalition of key Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE.
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, authorities said Monday, as the Kremlin dismissed the country’s transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks.
At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia’s bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched.
The European Union is considering a temporary trade agreement with the United States that would maintain a 10 percent tariff on most exports, according to a briefing by the European Commission to EU ambassadors on Friday, reported news portal Politico.The update came after a key round of negotiations in Washington on Thursday, where EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič aimed to defuse US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a sweeping 50 percent tariff on all European imports starting July 9, if a deal is not reached.Talks will continue on potential exemptions for certain sectors, including the automotive industry, two national officials familiar with the discussions said, according to the news portal..However, the outcome was seen as underwhelming in several European capitals, especially after earlier signals from the Commission’s negotiating team that some industries could receive immediate tariff relief. The US currently imposes tariffs of 25 percent on cars and 50 percent on steel and aluminum imports.
EU remains divided
Despite intensive negotiations, reaching a consensus on a trade agreement with the United States remains challenging for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, amid ongoing divisions among EU member states over how to proceed. According to three diplomats, all possibilities, including a failure to reach any deal, are still being considered.In a fresh twist, US officials have reportedly threatened to impose a 17 percent tariff on European food imports, two national officials confirmed, backing a report by the Financial Times.Von der Leyen is expected to hold one-on-one consultations with EU leaders over the weekend before deciding on the bloc’s next steps, one official said. Meanwhile, Trump is likely to meet with his advisers on Monday, meaning any official announcement would be delayed until after those discussions.
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for proximity talks with Hamas on the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had accepted the invitation despite what he described as the “unacceptable” changes that Hamas wanted to make to a plan presented by mediators from Qatar, the US and Egypt.
On Friday night, Hamas said it had delivered a “positive response” to the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and that it was ready for negotiations.
However, a Palestinian official said the group had sought amendments including a guarantee that hostilities would not resume if talks on a permanent truce failed.
In Gaza itself, the Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday that 80 people killed in Israeli attacks had arrived at hospitals over the past 24 hours.
At least four people were killed and more than 30 injured in another round of Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight, just days after a series of phone calls between US president Donald Trump, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
A view shows the site of apartment buildings hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine. Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine/Reuters
The latest attack will once again pose questions on what’s next for Ukraine as the US ceasefire proposal, pursued by Trump, appears to be failing to make any further progress.
Zelenskyy’s top aide Andriy Yermak said in an update on Telegram that “one of the important principles of defence is the destruction of the enemy’s ability to produce weapons,” as he called for “Russia’s military-industrial complex … to be weakened in various ways: from sanctions to direct strikes.”
The western world must realise that Russia’s scaling up of weapons production only brings us closer tothe day when it will be used not only against Ukraine.
In the ongoing discussion of trade and tariffs, Politico and others reported that the US and China are following through on a deal to lift export restrictions on items essential for technology production.
DONALD Trump issued a bleak warning that Putin wants to “keep killing people” after Russia launched its largest-yet barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine.
In a middle finger to the US, the onslaught hit just hours after Putin and Trump had a fruitless 60-minute phone call – which touched on the possibility of fresh American sanctions.
The letters initially were supposed to go out on July 4 with a tariff imposition date of Aug. 1, based on Trump’s earlier comments. But US officials were busily negotiating through the holiday weekend, including with Japan, South Korea, the EU, India and Vietnam.
For more, read Bloomberg Economics’ INSIGHT: What to Expect as July 9 Trade Deadline Looms
One of Trump’s signature moves in dealmaking is a unilateral threat when negotiations reach critical stages, so it’s unclear whether the letters he describes are real, or merely meant to strike fear into trading partners still reluctant to offer last-minute concessions.
After Trump announced an agreement with Vietnam last week, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said negotiators were still coordinating with their US counterparts to finalize the details.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that tariffs announced back in April will take effect on Aug. 1 for countries that have not reached an agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration.
“President Trump’s going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don’t move things along, then on August 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level,” Bessent said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
On Aug. 1, countries will “get a letter saying that if we have not reached an agreement, then you will go back to the April 2 level,” he said.
Bessent rejected the idea that Aug. 1 is yet another new tariff deadline, but the August date could still give trading partners more time to renegotiate tariff rates.
“We are saying this is when it’s happening, if you want to speed things up, have at it, if you want to go back to the old rate that’s your choice,” Bessent said.
Thailand is making a last-ditch effort to avert a punitive 36% export levy threatened by the Trump administration with offers of greater market access for U.S. farm and industrial goods, … Click to Continue »
The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1.
That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers and America’s trading partners, and questions remain about which countries will be notified, whether anything will change in the days ahead and whether President Donald Trump will once more push off imposing the rates. Trump and his top trade advisers say he could extend the time for dealmaking but they insist the administration is applying maximum pressure on other nations.
Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Trump would decide when it was time to give up on negotiations.
“The United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything,” Hassett said. “There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, so maybe things will push back past the deadline or maybe they won’t. In the end the president is going to make that judgment.”
The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1.
Apple has launched an appeal against an “unprecedented” €500m (£430m) fine imposed by the EU on the company, in the latest clash between US tech companies and Brussels.
The iPhone maker accused the European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – of going “far beyond what the law requires” in a dispute over its app store.
Last month, Apple overhauled its app store rules to comply with the EU order to scrap its technical and commercial curbs on developers in order to avoid fines of 5% of its average daily worldwide revenue, or about €50m a day.
When ministers announced major changes to welfare, many were left in shock that such deep cuts would be enacted by a Labour government, despite the urgent need to address the spiraling cost of benefits. But thanks to strong opposition from disabled people, organisations and rebel Labour MPs, many of the proposals were amended or removed before the bill passed through parliament.
The Guardian spent time with dissenting voices in the run-up to the vote, to learn what was at stake for disabled people, already disproportionately affected by rising poverty in the UK. You can watch the video report here:
‘Voting Labour is my biggest regret’: UK government’s betrayal of disabled people – video
The EU is entering a crunch week with only two days of talks left to secure a trade deal with Washinton to avert Donald Trump’s threatened 50% tariff on its imports into the US.
According to the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, on Friday, the negotiations – which continued over the weekend – are focussed on 15 to 18 agreements with important partners, while Trump warned of import tax rates of up to 70% on others.
The uncertainty created by Washington has sent shock waves through the global economy. Businesses have paused investment and the dollar posted its worst performance in 50 years in the first half of the year.
With the clock ticking down to Trump’s 9 July deadline, the European Commission remains uncertain how he will treat the bloc, threatening €1.6tn of transatlantic trade.
“Among member states, the big question will be whether we should reach a deal at all costs to avoid a trade war, or show muscle if the deal is not good enough,” one EU diplomat said.
The German chancellor, , has said he wants a quick UK-style deal to avert a full-scale trade war, while the French president, Emmanuel Macron, favours holding out for a better deal if a rushed deal is “imbalanced”.
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is sounding the alarm, but what else is new?
On Thursday, the House of Representatives cast the votes needed to pass President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” with 218 in favor and 214 against.
AOC, being one of those 214, left the Capitol building after the vote to speak to the press, engaging in her usual histrionics and bombast she keeps at the ready for when Trump or Republicans take a breath.
JUST IN: Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says today is one of the saddest days in modern history, looks like she is about to start crying.
The comment came in response to the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ being passed in the House.
President Donald Trump signed the GOP’s massive tax and funding cuts bill into law on July 4, meeting his self-imposed deadline, in an outdoor ceremony attended by hundreds of supporters and military jets flying over the White House.
The newly minted law will fund many of Trump’s domestic policies, including his immigration crackdown, resulting in nearly $170 billion to support the administration’s border goals.
The final bill, as detailed by NPR, allocates $45 billion for immigration detention centers, around $30 billion to hire more Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for transportation costs, and to maintain ICE facilities.
Additionally, roughly $46.5 billion has been earmarked to complete Trump’s border wall—a campaign promise he’s been repeating for nearly a decade—and includes $5 billion for Customs and Border Protection facilities and $10 billion for other border security initiatives. Approximately $13.5 billion will be set aside to reimburse states and local governments for their assistance with immigration and border-related enforcement.
For decades, Republicans have extolled the virtues of removing loopholes and carveouts from the tax code, arguing it would make the system fairer and more efficient, while allowing for lower overall tax rates.
“The tax code is littered with hundreds of preferences and subsidies that pick winners and losers and create complexity,” House Republicans led by then-Speaker Paul Ryan and then-Rep. Kevin Brady, said in their 2016 tax plan. “Instead of free-market competition that rewards success, our tax code directs resources to politically favored interests, creating a drag on economic growth and job creation.”
Fast forward to the present day, and one thing is for sure: President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is not an exercise in tax simplification.
Instead, it began with a push to extend the party’s 2017 tax cuts — which despite some streamlining also introduced some complexity — and piled more on top, in line with a slew of presidential campaign promises. Add in a heavy dose of congressional politics, and the result was a sprawling and quirky piece of legislation that is distinctively Trumpy: lower taxes and a bigger pile of tax breaks.
Rejoicing in the Lord, and giving thanks for his victories, is a command of God’s Word. In fact, not only are we told to rejoice in good times, but always (cf. Phil. 4:4), and not only are we told to give thanks for blessings, but for all things (cf. 1 Thess. 5:18).
And we are in good times right now.
The pro-life movement saw the reversal of Roe vs. Wade three years ago. Last November, we saw election victories that not only advance our cause, but preserve the very tools we need to fight for this cause (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to protest peacefully, and more).
And now we are on the cusp of the greatest victory since Dobbs, namely, the cutting off, by law, of the largest government funding stream for Planned Parenthood and the entire abortion industry.
At least 21 people were killed in a road accident in Nigeria’s northwestern Kano state on Sunday, said the Federal Road Safety CorpsPreliminary investigations revealed that a commercial passenger vehicle was driving against the traffic on the Zaria-Karo expressway, violating established road safety regulations. The vehicle then collided head-on with a heavy-duty truck.The commercial driver “contravened established traffic regulations, drove against traffic flow, resulting in a fatal head-on collision with the oncoming truck,” reported AP quoting the Federal Road Safety CorpsOf the passengers, only three survived the crash with injuries. The victims included 19 men and two women.Deadly road accidents are a frequent occurrence on Nigeria’s highways. According to the agency’s 2024 data, 5,421 people have died in 9,570 road incidents across the country so far this year.
