Good morning.
Senate Republicans passed a major tax and spending bill demanded by Donald Trump yesterday, ending weeks of negotiations over the comprehensive legislation and putting it another step closer to enactment.
The bill’s passage is an accomplishment for Senate Republicans, who faced divisions in getting it passed. The push to get the legislation done intensified on Saturday when the chamber voted to begin debate, then continued with amendment votes that began on Monday and stretched all night.
Approval came just after noon on Tuesday, and required the vice-president, JD Vance, to break a tie after three Republicans joined all the Democrats in voting against it.
What was the significant opposition to the bill? In the lead-up to its passage, several moderate Republicans indicated unease over its cuts to the social safety net. They included Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
What happens next? It still has to be voted on by the House of Representatives, where it is unclear whether changes made by the Senate will be accepted. Although Republicans control both houses, factionalism in the lower chamber is particularly intense, with rightwing fiscal hardliners demanding deep spending cuts and moderates wary of dismantling safety-net programs.
Trump claims Israel ready for Gaza peace deal in attempt to boost Hamas ceasefire talks A Palestinian girl stands atop the rubble of the al-Aimawi family’s home that was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in al-Zawaideh, Gaza. Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP Trump has claimed Israel is ready to agree to a peace deal with Hamas as he seeks to broker a ceasefire to the war in Gaza that has claimed almost 60,000 lives.
Hamas responded on Wednesday saying it was open to a ceasefire agreement but stopped short of accepting the proposal Trump had announced, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.
Meanwhile, 170 non-governmental organisations yesterday called for the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be dismantled, after the killing of more than 500 Palestinians seeking food since it launched operations.
What’s the latest in the conflict? The bombing of Gaza continues, with Israeli strikes killing at least 14 people on Wednesday at the time of writing, Gaza’s civil defence agency said.
This is a developing story. Follow our live coverage here.
Trump administration raises possibility of stripping Zohran Mamdani of citizenship Zohran Mamdani takes the stage after winning the Democratic mayoral primary for New York City on 24 June. Photograph: Julius Constantine Motal/The Guardian The Trump administration has raised the possibility of stripping Zohran Mamdani, the progressive Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, of his citizenship as part of a crackdown against foreign-born citizens convicted of certain offences.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, appeared to pave the way for an investigation into Mamdani’s status after Andy Ogles, a rightwing Republican congressman for Tennessee, called for his citizenship to be revoked on the grounds that he may have concealed his support for “terrorism” during the naturalization process.
Mamdani, who was born in Uganda to ethnic Indian parents, became a US citizen in 2018. He is a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights.
What’s the background to this suggestion? It comes after the Trump administration instructed attorneys to prioritize denaturalizing foreign-born US citizens who had committed some crimes.
Why are rightwingers up in arms about Mamdani? The 33-year-old democratic socialist and member of the state assembly was virtually unknown when he launched his candidacy, but has built an energetic campaign that defeated the former governor Andrew Cuomo.
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