While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 2, 2025
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (centre) - accompanied by Republican senators John Barrasso (left) and Mike Crapo - speaking to reporters after the Senate passed US President Donald Trump's so-called "One, Big, Beautiful Bill," on July 1.
US Senate approves divisive Trump spending Bill
The Republican-led US Senate approved President Donald Trump's mammoth domestic policy Bill on July 1 by the narrowest of margins, despite misgivings over delivering deep welfare cuts and another US$3 trillion (S$3.8 trillion) in national debt.
Republican leaders had struggled to corral support during a record 24-hour 'vote-a-rama' amendment session on the Senate floor, as Democrats offered dozens of challenges to the most divisive aspects of the package.
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune was able to turn around wavering moderates to deliver a 50-50 vote, with Vice-President JD Vance breaking the tie.
The sprawling text now heads to the House of Representatives, where it faces unified Democratic opposition and multiple Republicans baulking at the budget-busting costs, as well as slashed health care and food aid programmes for poor Americans.
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Shifting to Asia, Rubio meets Quad and talks minerals
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) poses for a group picture at a press conference with the the Indo-Pacific Quad alongside Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong (2nd-L), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (2nd-R) and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the State Department in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025. (Photo by Allison ROBBERT / AFP)
AFP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met on July 1 with counterparts from Australia, India and Japan, shifting focus to Asia after a tenure so far marked by crises elsewhere and domestic priorities.
Mr Rubio had welcomed the foreign ministers of the so-called Quad in his first meeting since President Donald Trump's inauguration, seen as a sign that the new administration would prioritise engagement with like-minded countries to counter China.
Since then, much of Mr Rubio's attention has been on the Middle East, with the United States bombing Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel; on Ukraine, as Mr Trump unsuccessfully seeks a ceasefire in Russia's invasion, and on boosting Mr Trump's domestic priorities such as mass deportations of migrants.
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Trump hails new 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention centre
U.S. President Donald Trump visits a temporary migrant detention center informally known as "Alligator Alcatraz" in Ochopee, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
REUTERS
US President Donald Trump revelled in a new Florida migrant detention centre dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz' on July 1, joking that any escapees would be taught to run away from the reptiles to avoid being eaten.
Critics of Mr Trump's harsh immigration crackdown have called the site in the Everglades swamp inhumane, but the Republican embraced the controversy as he attended its official opening.
'A lot of cops in the form of alligators – you don't have to pay them so much,' Mr Trump told reporters in Ochopee, Florida.
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Macron urges Ukraine ceasefire in first talks with Putin since 2022
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 26, 2020. Michel Euler/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
REUTERS
Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin on July 1 spoke by telephone for the first time in over two-and-a-half years, with the French president urging a ceasefire in Ukraine but the Russian leader hitting back that the West was to blame for the conflict.
One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear programme, with Mr Macron suggesting Moscow and Paris work together to de-escalate tensions.
Fighting still raged on the ground in Ukraine over three years after Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion of its neighbour sparked the war, with efforts to agree a ceasefire at a standstill.
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Gauff crashes out of Wimbledon on day of shocks
Tennis - Wimbledon - All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain - July 1, 2025 Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska and Coco Gauff of the U.S. embrace after their first round match REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
REUTERS
Coco Gauff crashed out of Wimbledon on a day of significant first-round shocks on July 1, but defending champion Barbora Krejcikova kept her nerve to battle back from a set down.
US second seed Gauff came to the All England Club with high hopes after winning the French Open in June but was beaten 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 by Ukranian world number 42 Dayana Yastremska.
Other high-profile casualties on day two of the grass-court Grand Slam were women's third seed Jessica Pegula, fifth seed Zheng Qinwen and men's third seed Alexander Zverev.
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Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump announces Vietnam trade deal with 20% import tariff
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Business Times
26 minutes ago
- Business Times
Trump tax-cut plan returns to US House, Republicans divided on Bill
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CNA
an hour ago
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Hamas studying ceasefire proposal labelled 'final' by Trump
CAIRO: Hamas said on Wednesday (Jul 2) it was studying what United States President Donald Trump called a "final" ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but that Israel must pull out of the enclave, while Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would be eliminated. Trump had said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas after what he described as a "long and productive" meeting between his representatives and Israeli officials. In a statement, Hamas said it was studying new ceasefire offers it received from mediators Egypt and Qatar, but stressed it aimed to reach an agreement that would ensure an end to the war and an Israeli pullout from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the elimination of Hamas in his first public remarks since Trump's announcement. "There will not be a Hamas. There will not be a Hamastan. We're not going back to that. 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There is growing public pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-long war, a move strongly opposed by hardline members of his right-wing ruling coalition. At the same time, US and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites in Iran and a recently agreed ceasefire in last month's 12-day conflict have put pressure on Hamas, which is backed by Tehran. Israeli leaders also believe that, with Iran weakened, other countries in the region have an opportunity to forge ties with Israel. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said a majority within the coalition government would back an agreement that would see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza. "If there is an opportunity to do so - we must not miss it!", he wrote on X. Of 50 hostages still held, around 20 are believed to be still alive. 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That proposal had involved a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians; Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees the end of the war. "Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump posted on Tuesday, without specifying the conditions. A source close to the group said leaders of the militant faction were expected to debate the proposal and seek clarifications from mediators before giving an official response. Gaza health authorities said Israeli gunfire and military strikes killed at least 139 Palestinians in separate attacks in north and southern areas in the past 24 hours, and the Israeli military ordered more evacuations late on Tuesday. In response to questions from Reuters about the reports, the Israeli military stated that its operations aimed to dismantle Hamas' military capabilities and mitigate civilian harm, without commenting on specific incidents. Among those killed on Wednesday was Marwan Al Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, in an airstrike that has also killed his wife and five children, medics say. The military had no immediate comment. The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on Oct 7, 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the whole 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
