Senate advances Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' and protesters try new tactics in L.A.: Weekend Rundown
The vote was 51-49, with two Republicans — Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky — joining all Democrats in opposition.
Following the vote, Trump attacked Tillis for opposing the sweeping domestic policy bill, threatening to meet with potential Republican primary challengers.
On Sunday, Tillis announced that he would not run for re-election, opening up seat in a battleground state that already was expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the 2026 midterms.
There will now be up to 20 hours of debate before a process in which senators can offer unlimited amendments. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., forced a reading of the entire bill on the floor of the chamber, which will add hours to the process.
Elon Musk resumed attacks on the bill, calling it 'utterly insane and destructive.' The Tesla CEO's criticisms previously led to a high-profile spat with the president.
An abandoned ice cream cart has become a symbol of resistance to residents of a west Los Angeles neighborhood who oppose President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policies.
The cart belonged to a beloved ice cream vendor, Ambrocio 'Enrique' Lozano, who was arrested by federal agents last week while walking his usual route through Culver City.
A photo of Lozano's lone ice cream cart spread quickly across social media, triggering a tidal wave of responses from immigration advocates, residents and lawmakers. A crowdfunding campaign for Lozano and his family topped $57,000 after the photo drew national attention.
The response to Lozano's arrest highlights a new strategy emerging after large-scale protests overtook downtown Los Angeles earlier this month. Instead of focusing on marches outside federal buildings, residents of sprawling L.A. County are zeroing in on their own blocks and neighborhoods to show their opposition to Trump's mass deportation efforts.
In other immigration news, Trump said during a Fox News interview that he is working to develop a temporary pass for immigrants who work in certain industries, marking the latest shift in the administration's approach to immigration enforcement for farmworkers.
Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City, on Sunday said that he doesn't believe billionaires should exist.
Asked directly whether billionaires should have a right to exist, Mamdani, who identifies himself as a Democratic socialist, told NBC News' 'Meet the Press,' 'I don't think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country.'
'And I look forward to working with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fair for all of them,' he added.
His remarks come as some wealthy people in New York City soured on Mamdani in the days after it became clear that he would be the presumptive nominee.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called President Donald Trump's military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities 'illegal' but dodged when asked if he should be impeached for ordering the attacks without congressional approval.
'That's a decision the House makes. That's not a decision the Senate makes. But it is clear that this is illegal,' Murphy said when asked whether he agreed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's comments that Trump's strikes were grounds for impeachment.
'Alligator Alcatraz': Florida is constructing a $450 million-a-year immigration detention center in the heart of the Everglades, a political 'boon' for Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top allies.
Party pooper: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is the latest high-profile figure to try capitalizing on voter disdain for both parties by running for Michigan governor as an independent.
Tasting his own medicine: Legislators fighting Trump's efforts to withhold funding from their states have a novel new tactic: freezing their payments to the federal government in retaliation.
Blocky apartment towers dissolve into gray fog in the Vietnamese capital, as barges carrying sand inch down the Red River toward makeshift jetties. At street level, the city blurs as if it's covered in film. The air stings your eyes and smells of chemicals, like chlorine but not quite. When the sun does punch through, it hangs like a red beach ball against the silver sky.
In January, the average air quality index in the city of almost 9 million people was breaching the 'hazardous' threshold of 300, shrouding its skyline in fog and prompting warnings from health officials.
The fog hanging over Hanoi isn't just pollution, but a byproduct of growth that has lifted Vietnam's economy while fueling its environmental struggles.
Cosmic Baseball offers an electric new take on America's pastime with UV-reflective neon balls and fluorescent jerseys.
The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israel Securities Authority said they killed Hamas co-founder Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa in a strike on Gaza City.
At least 71 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Tehran's Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held, Iran's judiciary has said.
The Glastonbury Festival condemned chants of 'death to the IDF' after English punk duo Bob Vylan led chants criticizing Israel during their performance.
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman was laid to rest alongside her husband on Saturday, weeks after she was killed in what's been called a politically motivated assassination.
Beyoncé pumped the brakes on one of her final songs Saturday in Houston after a flying-car prop seemingly malfunctioned while she was midair.
A funeral was held for Adriana Smith, the brain-dead woman who was kept on life support until her baby could be born due to a Georgia abortion law.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a U.S.-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict while helping the U.S. gain access to critical minerals in the region.
Vast crowds turned out for Budapest Pride yesterday, defying a ban on the event under Hungary's new law prohibiting events that 'depict or promote' homosexuality. But in the U.S., there was a noticeable drop in corporate sponsorships of Pride events.
At least one person died and two women were injured after three buildings collapsed in an explosion and fire in Philadelphia early Sunday morning, according to the city's fire department.
The NBA is cooperating with a federal investigation into Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley, league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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CNBC
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EU chief to meet Trump in Scotland in push to avoid a transatlantic trade war
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Scotland over the weekend, seeking to reach a framework trade agreement shortly before a 30% tariff on EU imports comes into effect. In a post on social media platform X on Friday, the EU's von der Leyen said she had agreed to meet with the U.S. president on Sunday "to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong." Trump later confirmed the meeting would take place as he arrived in Scotland on Friday evening, saying "we'll see if we can make a deal." "I think we have a good 50/50 chance. That's a lot," he added. It comes amid a sense of growing optimism about the prospect of a tariff breakthrough, with sources telling CNBC that the current base-case scenario for a deal includes a 15% tariff on EU imports to the U.S. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of 30% on EU goods from Aug.1, prompting the EU to consider countermeasures as part of its response. The U.S. and EU have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, representing almost 30% of global trade in goods and services, and accounting for 43% of global gross domestic product (GDP), according to EU figures. Trump's four-day and golf-heavy Scotland visit is also expected to see him hold an informal meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Unlike the EU, the U.K. recently struck a trade deal with the Trump administration, one which is centered on a 10% tariff baseline on British goods arriving in the U.S. Hopes of the U.S. and EU averting a transatlantic trade war from Aug. 1 have been buoyed at least in part by the recent announcement of a framework agreement between the U.S. and Japan. The U.S.-Japan deal, which Trump described in a social media post as "perhaps the largest Deal ever made," includes a baseline tariff rate of 15%. Jack Allen-Reynolds, deputy chief euro zone economist at Capital Economics, said Friday that a similar framework for the EU might be seen as case where a bad deal is better than no deal. "Reports this week suggest that the EU and US are on the brink of agreeing a trade deal with a 15% baseline tariff on US imports from the bloc. It's hard to spin it as a good deal, but it would at least avoid much higher US tariffs and retaliation from the EU," Allen-Reynolds said in a research note.
Newsweek
8 minutes ago
- Newsweek
China's Xi Makes Trump Wait for Leader Talks
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The White House has been optimistic about the prospects for an in-person summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping—the first of President Donald Trump's second term. Yet analysts say the Chinese leader is likely holding out for concrete deliverables before agreeing to the high-profile meeting. All Eyes on Sweden Trump dramatically escalated the trade war with the world's second-largest economy in April, rolling out sweeping new tariffs that prompted China to respond with its own export duties and other measures. While Trump has said that "the confines of a deal" are in place ahead of a third round of talks between U.S. and Chinese negotiators, set for Sweden next week, several contentious issues remain unresolved. These include ongoing U.S. curbs on advanced chip exports to China and persistent geopolitical friction over influence in Asia and Beijing's threats toward Taiwan. Newsweek reached out to the White House and Chinese embassy in the U.S. via email for comment. Europe's Role Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, told Newsweek: "A Xi-Trump summit is highly probable, but withholding final approval until Beijing can button down more information and as many concessions as possible is no doubt part of Xi's calculus." "What China and the United States can each negotiate with the EU will also help inform the China-US trade bargain that will be at the heart of any Xi-Trump summit," Cronin said. After months of efforts with dozens of countries, the White House recently secured a handful of deals with Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, Cronin added. In a picture combination created on May 14, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump are shown. In a picture combination created on May 14, 2020, Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump are shown. Dan Kitwood, Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images Among the deals Trump hopes to achieve is with the EU—a traditionally U.S.-aligned bloc that has become increasingly alienated by Trump's unpredictable trade moves and controversial domestic policies. Analysts say China has been seeking to exploit this rift and achieve a thaw in ties with Brussels that has deteriorated over issues like alleged Chinese market flooding with state-subsidized electric vehicles, human rights concerns and Beijing's support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine. Sean King, an Asia scholar and senior vice president at Park Strategies, told Newsweek: "PRC [People's Republic of China] leaders have long seen Europe as a comparatively easier mark, as the continent doesn't have America's Asian security concerns and obligations." He added, "It's probably better for Trump to first line up what he says are trade deals with friends and allies before going for the big one with Beijing." While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Beijing this week yielded a memorandum of understanding on climate change and an agreement to facilitate rare-earth exports, analysts note that a fundamental shift in EU-China ties remains elusive. Timetable Uncertain U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Malaysia earlier this month for meetings with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, said that "the odds are high" a Trump-Xi summit will take place by the end of the year. Rosemary Foot, professor and senior research fellow at the University of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations, told Newsweek it's unlikely Xi is counting on Europe as leverage in his dealings with the White House. "I think that it is to do with China's more general approach to the Trump administration which is to wait for some intention to offer a serious deliverable from the meeting and perhaps also to paint President Trump as supplicant," she said. Trump and Xi last met in 2019 at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.
27 minutes ago
Women legislators fight for 'potty parity'
For female state lawmakers in Kentucky, choosing when to go to the bathroom has long required careful calculation. There are only two bathroom stalls for women on the third floor of the Kentucky Statehouse, where the House and Senate chambers are located. Female legislators — 41 of the 138 member Legislature — needing a reprieve during a lengthy floor session have to weigh the risk of missing an important debate or a critical vote. None of their male colleagues face the same dilemma because, of course, multiple men's bathrooms are available. The Legislature even installed speakers in the men's bathrooms to broadcast the chamber's events so they don't miss anything important. In a pinch, House Speaker David Osborne allows women to use his single stall bathroom in the chamber, but even that attracts long lines. 'You get the message very quickly: This place was not really built for us,' said Rep. Lisa Willner, a Democrat from Louisville, reflecting on the photos of former lawmakers, predominantly male, that line her office. The issue of potty parity may seem comic, but its impact runs deeper than uncomfortably full bladders, said Kathryn Anthony, professor emerita at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Architecture. 'It's absolutely critical because the built environment reflects our culture and reflects our population,' said Anthony, who has testified on the issue before Congress. 'And if you have an environment that is designed for half the population but forgets about the other half, you have a group of disenfranchised people and disadvantaged people.' There is hope for Kentucky's lady legislators seeking more chamber potties. A $300 million renovation of the 155-year-old Capitol — scheduled for completion by 2028 at the soonest — aims to create more women's restrooms and end Kentucky's bathroom disparity. The Bluegrass State is among the last to add bathrooms to aging statehouses that were built when female legislators were not a consideration. In the $392 million renovation of the Georgia Capitol, expanding bathroom access is a priority, said Gerald Pilgrim, chief of staff with the state's Building Authority. It will introduce female facilities on the building's fourth floor, where the public galleries are located, and will add more bathrooms throughout to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. 'We know there are not enough bathrooms,' he said. There's no federal law requiring bathroom access for all genders in public buildings. Some 20 states have statutes prescribing how many washrooms buildings must have, but historical buildings — such as statehouses — are often exempt. Over the years, as the makeup of state governments has changed, statehouses have added bathrooms for women. When Tennessee's Capitol opened in 1859, the architects designed only one restroom — for men only — situated on the ground floor. According to legislative librarian Eddie Weeks, the toilet could only be "flushed' when enough rainwater had been collected. 'The room was famously described as 'a stench in the nostrils of decency,'' Weeks said in an email. Today, Tennessee's Capitol has a female bathroom located between the Senate and House chambers. It's in a cramped hall under a staircase, sparking comparisons to Harry Potter's cupboard bedroom, and it contains just two stalls. The men also just have one bathroom on the same floor, but it has three urinals and three stalls. Democratic Rep. Aftyn Behn, who was elected in 2023, said she wasn't aware of the disparity in facilities until contacted by The Associated Press. 'I've apparently accepted that waiting in line for a two-stall closet under the Senate balcony is just part of the job,' she said. 'I had to fight to get elected to a legislature that ranks dead last for female representation, and now I get to squeeze into a space that feels like it was designed by someone who thought women didn't exist -- or at least didn't have bladders,' Behn said. The Maryland State House is the country's oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, operational since the late 1700s. Archivists say its bathroom facilities were initially intended for white men only because desegregation laws were still in place. Women's restrooms were added after 1922, but they were insufficient for the rising number of women elected to office. Delegate Pauline Menes complained about the issue so much that House Speaker Thomas Lowe appointed her chair of the 'Ladies Rest Room Committee,' and presented her with a fur covered toilet seat in front of her colleagues in 1972. She launched the women's caucus the following year. It wasn't until 2019 that House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, the first woman to secure the top position, ordered the addition of more women's restrooms along with a gender-neutral bathroom and a nursing room for mothers in the Lowe House Office Building. As more women were elected nationwide in the 20th century, some found creative workarounds. In Nebraska's unicameral Legislature, female senators didn't get a dedicated restroom until 1988, when a facility was added in the chamber's cloakroom. There had previously been a single restroom in the senate lounge, and Sen. Shirley Marsh, who served for some 16 years, would ask a State Patrol trooper to guard the door while she used it, said Brandon Metzler, the Legislature's clerk. In Colorado, female House representatives and staff were so happy to have a restroom added in the chamber's hallway in 1987 that they hung a plaque to honor then-state Rep. Arie Taylor, the state's first Black woman legislator, who pushed for the facility. The plaque, now inside a women's bathroom in the Capitol, reads: 'Once here beneath the golden dome if nature made a call, we'd have to scramble from our seats and dash across the hall ... Then Arie took the mike once more to push an urge organic, no longer do we fret and squirm or cross our legs in panic.' The poem concludes: 'In mem'ry of you, Arie (may you never be forgot), from this day forth we'll call that room the Taylor Chamber Pot.' New Mexico Democratic state Rep. Liz Thomson recalled missing votes in the House during her first year in office in 2013 because there was no women's restroom in the chamber's lounge. An increase in female lawmakers — New Mexico elected the largest female majority Legislature in U.S. history in 2024 — helped raise awareness of the issue, she said. 'It seems kind of like fluff, but it really isn't,' she said. 'To me, it really talks about respect and inclusion.' The issue is not exclusive to statehouses. In the U.S. Capitol, the first restroom for congresswomen didn't open until 1962. While a facility was made available for female U.S. Senators in 1992, it wasn't until 2011 that the House chamber opened a bathroom to women lawmakers. Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first woman elected to a congressional seat. That happened in 1916. Willner insists that knowing the Kentucky Capitol wasn't designed for women gives her extra impetus to stand up and make herself heard. 'This building was not designed for me," she said. "Well, guess what? I'm here.' ___ ____
