It's fair to say that US President Donald Trump is on something of a roll.
After an all-night voting session in the House of Representatives, it now seems certain that his One Big Beautiful Bill will become law, probably later today.
Despite grumbles from some Republicans – the legislation is estimated to add at about $4 trillion to the national debt while costing more than 11 million people their health care – conservative holdouts appear to have fallen in line ahead of a final vote.
Passage of Mr Trump's bill in time to meet his July 4 deadline would put a capstone in a recent winning streak that will reshape his domestic legacy and the geopolitical landscape.
In less than two weeks, Mr Trump has announced an Israel-Iran ceasefire, sealed a peace accord between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and persuaded European allies to lift defence spending for Nato. He says a ceasefire in Gaza may well be next, possibly within days.
At home, the stock market bounced back from its panic over Mr Trump's tariffs, and the Supreme Court handed him another victory by curtailing the power of federal judges seeking to issue nationwide injunctions.
The ruling is huge because federal judges served as the only official check on the President's power. With their role diminished, he can freely pursue his agenda, including trying to end birthright citizenship, meaning children born in the US to immigrants would no longer automatically become Americans.
Meanwhile the Democrats, who one might expect to be united in opposing Mr Trump, seem more comfortable attacking each other.
They formed their latest circular firing squad after Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary to run for New York City's next mayor. The Ugandan-born Muslim progressive attracted popular support from younger voters, the constituency Democrats desperately need to win over.
But instead of cheering his victory, prominent Democrats are freaking out about his policies and stance on Palestine, leaving Mr Trump to once again seize the initiative.
“I think he's terrible. He's a communist. The last thing we need is a communist,” Mr Trump said on Tuesday before flying to Florida, where he opened a new migrant detention centre and threatened to begin deporting US citizens who are “bad people”. Unclear is to which country he would like to deport American citizens.
Strangely, Mr Trump's most vocal opponent is his erstwhile bosom buddy, Elon Musk.
The two fell out over Mr Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill and the Tesla boss has continued to speak out against the “disgusting abomination”. In response, the US President has suggested he could cut government subsidies to Mr Musk's companies and said he would look into deporting the South African tech titan.
EYE ON THE WHITE HOUSE
Donald Trump heads to Florida to open 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention facility
The White House posted this image on X on July 1
Mr Trump attended the opening of the “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention centre in Florida, as he continues to push his anti-immigrant agenda.
The facility is in Collier County, Florida, a remote area near Miami surrounded by wildlife including alligators, crocodiles and pythons.
“I guess that's the concept. This is not a nice business. You know snakes are fast, but alligators – we're going to teach them how to run away from an alligator,” Mr Trump told reporters. “If they escape prison, how to run away. Don't run in a straight line. Your chances go up about 1 per cent – not a good thing.”
Pentagon PeteDefence Secretary Pete Hegseth continued his fight with the press, turning a news conference on the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites into an embittered tirade against the media who “cheer against Trump”. It all felt a bit performative, which is perhaps not surprising for the former Fox News host.
'Ugly death'Mr Trump said he dropped efforts aimed at the possible removal of sanctions on Iran after comments by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said that he had spared Mr Khamenei from a “very ugly and ignominious death”, by stopping Israel from assassinating him.
TikTok countdownMr Trump said his administration has identified buyers for the China-owned social media platform TikTok, although he declined to name anyone and acknowledged that he still needed approval from Beijing. “I think President Xi [Jinping] will probably do it,” Mr Trump told Fox News on Sunday. When asked who could buy TikTok, he said he would have more details in “two weeks”.
Spotlight: Syria's Alawite women and girls disappear in abductions
An Alawite woman with her belongings at the Hmeimim Air Base in Latakia, where thousands have sought refuge after deadly attacks by pro-government forces. Reuters
The US bureau's Adla Massoud, who covers the UN, teamed up with our Beirut bureau's Nada Maucourant Atallah for a special report into the alarming plight of Alawite women, who are being abducted in Syria.
Interviews with families and human rights and advocacy groups point to a troubling pattern of disappearances and kidnappings of Alawite women, often orchestrated by what appear to be criminal networks, frequently involving ransom demands, motivated by financial gain and, in some cases, sectarian retribution.
Marco Rubio defends America First foreign aid policy
Secretary of State Marco Rubio. AP
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the closure of the US Agency for International Development, which officially shut its doors on Tuesday after more than six decades of assistance to poorer countries.
Five months after Elon Musk called USAID a “criminal organisation” and said he had fed it into a “wood chipper”, the agency started by president John F Kennedy and credited with saving millions of lives around the globe no longer exists.
In a statement, Mr Rubio gave parts of the Middle East and North Africa as examples of places that have received US aid but held a negative view of America.
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Day 1, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
MATCH INFO
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Southampton v Watford (late)
